Tokyo
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- mrdobolina
It's official -
March 28 - April 5
Stoked.
- detritus0
Just for a week?
- Sorry, that wasn't supposed to come off negative..detritus
- yep, all I can do this time of year.mrdobolina
- and it didnt bug me, you almost always have a negative comment to share :)mrdobolina
- Stugoo0
godzilla?
- Jaline0
Cool. Hope you have fun.
I'm kind of wary of travelling to the East. It's not a warranted thing, obviously, and I'm sure my jitters will go away once I actually visit the other side of the world...
- or, just leave Ottawa..detritus
- and remember you are of Eastern descent?neue75_bold
- stop making sense!Jaline
- detritus, I have been out of Ottawa on more than a few occasions...I like it here...Jaline
- mrdobolina0
Only time I ever stepped out of the US was to go to Jamaica, and that doesnt really count, nor do I really remember it.
- neue75_bold0
kick jevad in the teeth for me...
;)
- TheBlueOne0
Yeah..does look like Conduit indeed...
- TheBlueOne0
Dobs - Do you still need some cheap hotel ideas?
And just so you know, expect to be photographed and fingerprinted on the way in..they just changed entry policy a month or so back.
- mrdobolina0
Staying at Tokyo Prince by the tower. Got a decent deal and am learning all about the subway system via the internet as much as possible. I read about the foreign travelers/fingerprint thing.
- jfletcher0
Please share (fingerprint thing), I'll be there in about 3 weeks for work... but only for 2-3 days :(
You'll have a serious kick ass time!
- mrdobolina0
Foreign travelers are now fingerprinted and photographed at the airport for security reasons. I'm used to US airports, so inconvenience is my middle name.
- jfletcher0
it seems Japan has taken up our practices.
I'm still excited, even for a few days I'm expecting it to be a lot of fun.... just to see Tokyo. So much to be inspired by, cool design stuff, new foods...!
- TheBlueOne0
Fun read: http://www.gaijinsmash.net/
Hmmm...quick Japanese tips:
- Expect to be amazed by the bathrooms.
- Upon entering every Restuarant/Retail establishment the staff will greet you. Ignore them. If you respond to them in bad Japanese you will be teh nOob.
- Wear shoes that are easy to remove/put back on. You'll be taking them off alot.
- Lots of signs in english, and the announcements on trains/subways are in english. However most Subway maps aren't in english. You have to figure out how much it is from your location to your destination and pay ahead of time. If you underpay you can pay the extra on the way out. If you pretend to be a stupid tourist you can sometimes get waved through.
- Taxis are expensive. If you take a taxi expect the driver to not understand english. And do not, DO NOT, touch the doors. They will open and close automatically.
- Lots of Japanese actually do like speaking english or some strange version thereof, but expect to be English Talking Dummy 101, in a good way.
- Expect to be totally lost in Shinjuku station in Tokyo. It's insane.
- Everything is awe-inspiringly clean.
- Do buy some canned coffee from a vending machine. Do not expect it to taste good, just buy it because you can. Do not waste time looking for school girl panty vending machines. However, DO buy beer form a vending machine. Also, public garbage cans are practically non-existent, so don't walk down the street drinking coffee, eating etc. It's kinda rude and you'll have no place to throw out the refuse.
Er..um..I got tons..drop me an email. :)
- you rule b, I will be emailing you as time goes on, thanks.mrdobolina
- Please do man...TheBlueOne
- Esco17820
make sure you check out shibuya and the world's largest pedestrian crossing. you could literally sit there and be amazed at the crazy fashion/culture.
- There's a Starbucks right above it, you can grab a cup of coffee and look down...TheBlueOne
- mrdobolina0
I'm planning all the big areas, shibuya, shinjuku, roppongi, ginza, odaiba, akihabara. Traveling with my 13 year old neph so any solo going out will happen after 10pm while he is trapped in the room.
- Harajuku for all the fun fashion and there's the major Emperor's Shrine there too...TheBlueOne
- one area a day is my plan, I am studying train maps for the next two months.mrdobolina