School me on Japan

[Expresso]

^^^You probably saved yourself a good $400 bucks anyway. I'm not even convinced his son's place is worth the money either.

[skiiipi]

Originally Posted by Expresso

^^^You probably saved yourself a good $400 bucks anyway. I'm not even convinced his son's place is worth the money either.

His sons place is $100 cheaper so that's around $200, I spent $150 at Shiro's in Seattle last week and that was really good, and I've been told by a friend that's been to shiro's and jiro roppongi, that jiro is leaps and bounds better than shiro's... So I'm excited to say the least.

I'm also looking to add a sushi restaurant to my itinerary while I'm in Kobe, the only one I seem to find that serves lunch is Fushimi. So I'm gonna try to get a reservation there.

I am also transiting through Narita on my way to China before my main Japan trip, and I heard Narita is famous for its Unagi, so I made reservations at Kikuya in Narita city

[pyon88]

I am planning a trip to Japan next year around October/November for a month. One of my bucket list is to do a track day at the Tsukuba Circuit. Does anyone have any experience with how or where to look to start the process? Thanks!

[JSALES]

My cousin is in Japan for 3 weeks, any ideas for some cool souvenirs for him to bring back?

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by JSALES

My cousin is in Japan for 3 weeks, any ideas for some cool souvenirs for him to bring back?

Condoms! I swear by Okamoto 004/003! Or you could ask him to bring you back some gundam models since is pretty cheap there.

[ZN6]

Originally Posted by JSALES

My cousin is in Japan for 3 weeks, any ideas for some cool souvenirs for him to bring back?

Don Quijote

This will have plenty of souvenir ideas.

[MelonBoy]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

Condoms! I swear by Okamoto 004/003! Or you could ask him to bring you back some gundam models since is pretty cheap there.

fyi: japanese condoms are smaller then NA.. It may fit uncomfortably tight.
A lot of the brands don't come pre lubed

[SB7]

I am going to Tokyo for at least a year during my paternity leave with my wife and staying with her family I just finished reading through this thread and I've learned a few things already:

1.) Join Gaijinpot and read through their forums
2.) Buy the lonely Planet book on Japan
3.) Study the language and customs

I will get my working holiday and international drivers license... thinking about buying a car there as well, it seems like there's a stigma against buying used cars in japan as they are much cheaper than cars here even with much lower mileage!

Anyone currently living in Tokyo or will be there in spring? :P

[Xu.Vi]

Hi everyone. I'm leaving to Tokyo at the end of this month for 5 days and would greatly appreciate any suggestions or MUST SEES/EATS. Not quite sure how much I should convert into yen, but I'm not looking to really shop there, so majority of my budget will go towards food and traveling. Lastly, are there any onsen's you guys would recommend that allow individuals with tattoo's? I've done a search and a lot of the "nice" ones restrict people with tattoos from entering.

Edit: my tattoo covers the upper half of my back, so I don't think taping it would be an option!

[skiiipi]

Originally Posted by Xu.Vi

Hi everyone. I'm leaving to Tokyo at the end of this month for 5 days and would greatly appreciate any suggestions or MUST SEES/EATS. Not quite sure how much I should convert into yen, but I'm not looking to really shop there, so majority of my budget will go towards food and traveling. Lastly, are there any onsen's you guys would recommend that allow individuals with tattoo's? I've done a search and a lot of the "nice" ones restrict people with tattoos from entering.

sushi yoshitake was a great meal and worth every penny

http://www.revscene.net/forums/70602...ure-japan.html

thats my food pic thread of everything I ate in japan
4 of those were in tokyo

Yoshitake was the best out of the 4
Nodaiwa is pretty good if you like Unagi

I couldnt get reservation at Sushi Saito so I cannot comment

[twitchyzero]

may be a stretch asking here but has anyone been to Suzuka Circuit?

I'll only be there during the morning for photos/videos...i'm trying to figure out when gates will open for the endurance qualifers (tickets aren't even on sale yet)

it'll also be neat to tour Honda's plant 10 minutes away (I don't have time to go to Twin Ring) and supposedly you can request a tour but I don't see an E-mail only a phone number and their most exciting product is the CRZ and perhaps new NSX motors?

[ncrx]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

may be a stretch asking here but has anyone been to Suzuka Circuit?

I'll only be there during the morning for photos/videos...i'm trying to figure out when gates will open for the endurance qualifers (tickets aren't even on sale yet)

it'll also be neat to tour Honda's plant 10 minutes away (I don't have time to go to Twin Ring) and supposedly you can request a tour but I don't see an E-mail only a phone number and their most exciting product is the CRZ and perhaps new NSX motors?

i've been to the japanese gp in suzuka, its in the middle of nowhere.
when i was living in tokyo we drove down to the circuit back in 2005.

if you need tickets the website has an events page and links to getting tickets, its even in english, im not sure what event you're talking about, some of the pages have timetables of gate openings etc.

SUZUKA CIRCUIT

ie. Suzuka 8hours Timetable - SUZUKA CIRCUIT


application for the honda tour at suzuka, you can email here for information
suzuka-kengaku@spirit.honda.co.jp

i would not expect much response in terms of english , but you never know.
From what i can make out on the website, it looks like they dont take individual apps, and only accept large groups of 10 or more.

—éŽ$�»�ì�Š�bHonda

[twitchyzero]

amazing
I really wasn't expecting any answers.

I'll be in Japan during June and thought to loop down on my way to Kyoto from Tokyo just to see the track...and it so happens the touring car enduros will be happening then. Hopefully it doesn't have a crazy following and pricing is reasonable.

At the closest train stn I haven't decided to cab or bus. Then I wouldn't know if there's bus or cab to Honda plant...but hell I will certainly give it a shot at applying.

Do you remember which grandstand you were sitting in? I'm thinking S-curve is great...I've been reading about sthing along the lines of a photographer pass too.

thanks good sir.

[ncrx]

i didnt sit in a grandstand, i stood at the at the hairpin before spoon, walked over to spoon, stood on the hillside between the two, and marched over to the braking zone after 130R. just got a general pass and hiked around. be warned those suzuka is a very long large track. much like montreal, u walk n walk n walk and it never seems to end. I wouldnt bother with a grandstand ticket if its crazy expensive unless its in a passing zone, else ur just looking at cars zip by giving yourself whiplash.

for me i love watching the f1 cars come into braking zones like the hairpin trying to lay down power, then how quickly the disappear and change direction up the hill to the right. Things were different then with the last year of V10's, high df setups. I got to see Alonso pass schumacher at 130r... what a treat.

that and the ticket was 100$.. i was a freshly minted graduate then, and eating onigiri's were the norm.

[twitchyzero]

I hear ya...I was in for a shock when I realized just how long the Canadian GP circuit was.

yeah it'll come down to the pricing...but S-curve definitely seems ideal

Spoiler!

[SB7]

Hello! I just got married last week in Tokyo and it was awesome! Here's a link if you want to read up about it on my blog: TOKYO WEDDING 2016 ? TOKYO RAD

Currently in Osaka and going to Kyoto tomorrow. Would highly recommend going here with the JR pass if you feel like you're getting claustrophobic in super busy Tokyo. Food is amazing and people are really friendly

[Mr.Money]

help a lot to speak the language?....JR pass have a English menu ordering tickets on a machine?

[twitchyzero]

anyone been to daikoku futo to see cars? I can probably go on a sat night to see a wider range but I'm wondering if a weeknight like tues or wed would also be an option.

[ncrx]

Originally Posted by Mr.Money

help a lot to speak the language?....JR pass have a English menu ordering tickets on a machine?

u order the jr pass outside of japan, it cannot be purchased from within

as for english, there are a shit ton more english menus and signs everywhere now, perhaps in anticipation of the next summer olympics to be held there.

if ur staying near the major cities where most tourists visit, you will survive just fine on english.

besides now with cheap mobile data, google helps with everything

things were different 10 years ago, a lot harder to get around.

but of course if you can speak a little japanese asking for information is a ton easier.. im rusty as hell but i managed to get by

[ZN6]

Originally Posted by Mr.Money

help a lot to speak the language?....JR pass have a English menu ordering tickets on a machine?

JR pass is like an airfare ticket. Pull out your passport when you order it, pull out your passport again when you have them activate it at one of the designated JR stands. Pull out your passport once in a while if they ever check. Plan out when you want to use it carefully. I usually get the one that is 7 days so I do not activated it until I have 7 days left in my visit so I can take the train to the west coast and back again if I am visiting the two major cities.

Bottom line, have your passport with you at all times in Japan, if not for random checks, then for some duty-free shopping.

You can get by with little to no Japanese in Tokyo or Osaka. English is more readily spoken than one may think. In the metropolitan areas almost every restaurant has a vending machine with pictures and/or English for you to select your food.

[dutd33]

Originally Posted by JSALES

My cousin is in Japan for 3 weeks, any ideas for some cool souvenirs for him to bring back?

Anything from here: M's: Pop Life sex department store | Shopping in Akihabara, Tokyo

Or of course there are Tenga Eggs etc.

[mickz]

Has anyone been to Tokyo during Golden Week? Trying to get an idea of how busy it will be. Thanks!

[ncrx]

golden week? if u r planning to go to disneyland n shit like that yah it'll be busy, otherwise same old.

meaning mainlanders ruining japan everywhere

[Tim Budong]

Mainlanders ruined my Gundam Front experience...

[twitchyzero]

just reserved my paddock pass for the touring enduros @ suzuka
reasonably priced Y4400