http://look-see-eat.blogspot.com/2015/11/h...rket-ramen.html

What do you mean by going to Narita? Stopover 1 night and not planning to go Tokyo? Or do you mean you will be in Tokyo but landing in Narita Airport? How many days? What activities and places do you plan to go to?

For my ski trips I always use one of the JR East pass days to cover the NEX.

New Shinkansen rules from May2020 on baggage

https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/info/ove...gage/index.html

TLDR version, bags > 160cm total dimensions you must reserve last row on the carriage to put behind the seat, otherwise must pay ¥1000.

[edit] For comparison, 30" luggage from samsonite website is 154cm total dimensions, so I guess 30" is the "maximum."



This post has been edited by deodorant: Aug 31 2019, 02:31 PM

AirBnB OK liao more or less. Just make sure that the listing has the registration number, example:

"License or registration number
Special Economic Zoning Act | 30健生発第10940号"

AirBnB supposed to have already removed all listings that haven't registered with local government but never hurts to check / confirm I guess.

In cities yes, improved. Vast majority of hotels, restaurants, taxi, larger shops etc all accept card nowadays ... but smaller shops and eateries still tend to be cash only.

In outskirts, not so much. Up until last year my ski trip accommodation ryokan / inn don't accept credit card and I need to pay them cash

Tokyo and Japan don't really have good "street food" in the way Seoul or Bangkok or Malaysia does ba. Anyway in Japan walking and eating is not encouraged 😂

For lively place to stay, Akihabara, Shinjuku, Shibuya area lo. But for me my fav place to stay is Kanda lol. Maybe cos old liao.

Haha just to be clear, Kanda is sort of an office area so there are some shops, bars, restaurants etc but not much. It's relatively quiet compared to akihabara shinjuku shibuya etc. But I like it cos it's close to Tokyo Station for Shinkansen rides, accommodations a little cheaper, and it has JR yamanote lines and also Tokyo Metro Ginza and one more line I forgot, so it's well connected.

But like I said maybe cos I'm old liao so nightlife doesn't matter to me, by 10pm already in bed zzzzzz 😂

Yes almost everywhere got public transport. Some of the more ulu places might make more sense to rent car instead of depend on it though.

I went to matsumotokiyoshi to buy pregnancy pee stick for my wife on the last day of our last trip in Feb lol. Turns out she was around 1.5 mths pregnant liao. That trip some more whack sashimi and rare chicken and we did 4 days of skiing

Just a small note here. Non skiers can normally take gondola 🚡 type lifts both up and down the mountain, but chair-type lifts are usually off limits (and even for skiers vast majority of chairlifts you won’t be allowed to sit down the slope, LLST need to ski down).

Of course there are exceptions and it depends on mountain but I’d say most resorts have one or two main gondolas that go up and end at a building of some sort with restaurant/cafeteria, viewing deck, an area to walk around and maybe even sledding or snow play areas for kids.

Ticket wise I think most resorts also allow you to buy a “return ticket” which should be quite cheaper than the daily passes the skiers and snowboarders use.

This post has been edited by deodorant: Oct 22 2019, 01:38 PM

Don’t need any protective gear for skiing (other than helmet, but even then I don’t bother lol). Knee pads butt pads elbow pads etc all no point one.

For snowboarding then maybe cos you fall on your butt and knees a lot and it could hurt after a while.

Last time when I was doing some preliminary planning I remember reading that hachi kita kogen is one of the better Kansai area resorts, you can go check it out ba.

But Kansai area not that much information, vast majority of skiers go either to Hokkaido, or to the nagano / niigata / yamagata mountains, or even further north on Honshu.

Supermarkets tend to carry more atas range of fruits for gift-giving so they also tend to be more expensive. Markets or those neighbourhood supermarkets tend to be cheaper and almost as good IMO. My last trip a neighbourhood supermarket in asakusa was selling bunches of amaou strawberries at like 1000yen for 6 big ones, jin ho jiak.

This post has been edited by deodorant: Oct 27 2019, 11:15 AM

Very subjective cos different people different styles of travel. For my wife and I our 2 week trips normally we bring around 200k jpy.

Suica also can ah. Direct print from the vending machine.

If you are going in spring or autumn, the temperature difference alone makes it almost an entirely different experience. Whereas USS is hot and humid and if it’s a sunny day you need to dodge from shade to shade, USJ it’s super enjoyable to walk and explore outdoors.

Depends on individual preferences ba. Wife and I have done 6 Japan trips so far, all 6 also stop by Tokyo a few days. Even next year upcoming Sakura trip also Tokyo then only Kansai.

Our favourite city and tourist destination in the whole world 😂

This post has been edited by deodorant: Nov 20 2019, 12:59 PM

Mine 8 years 6 times consider OK lah
Yours 6 months 8 times it becomes resident city and no more tourist / visiting city liao 😂

Guys / gals,

For 10d9n Sakura 2020 trip with 6mth old infant, flying in/out of Tokyo (flights can’t be changed), would you:

1. 50/50 split between Tokyo and Kansai
2. Entire trip in Kanto (most days Tokyo, some day trips or overnight trips to nearby areas)
3. Others?