Weekly Japan Travel Information and Discussion Thread – August 11, 2023

19 comments

1. Would wearing [this shirt](https://merch.ironmaiden.com/vendors/10a25c5d-3083-537e-ab8b-ae6c25bf376e/products/senjutsu-samurai-eddie-graphic-navy-tee) be considered offensive in any way? From my understanding, the band is very popular over there and the Japanese themed album was highly successful there.

2. When do the dates for December holiday related stuff get published? Like light displays etc.

3. Is there a consensus here on good travel insurance options for US travelers? There was a post from someone from the uk about their travel insurance which inspired me to look into this

4. Not sure if this is the right thread to ask, but I want to go to Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in October and noticed that Klook did not sell any tickets after Oct 10th. The website said that on August 11th they will put more tickets online for dates after October 10th. So today I checked and they seem to have changed it and claim “Currently, we are selling tickets up to two months in advance”. So I looked at the prices for the days after October 10th that are yet available and there seems to be a huge price increase in October (81-83 € instead of 57-63 € like usually for week days)? Did anyone hear anything of that or is that just Klook trying to make more cash from selling the earliest available tickets at a higher price (because maybe it will get lower in time)?

5. Staying in asakusa for a few days, then onto kyoto , Osaka and back to Tokyo for 4 nights, any other area recommended to stay?
   Would like to do a night in golden gai, shinjuku, but only plan on doing one night of partying. Some shopping for the OH maybe?
   Is Shinjuku the place everyone would recommend or should we look at akihabara, ueno etc?

6. Going to Tokyo soon, and i was wondering. I have a wells fargo card, should i take out usd here and convert it when i get there, or should i just wait and take out yen from the 7/11 atm at the narita airport?

7. I’ll be in Tokyo on September 1-14. How hot is it? Coming from America, I usually wear just tank tops, I also have full sleeves tattoos. Is this appropriate in Tokyo? I need help…

8. How easy is it to buy a shinkansen or any other train ticket?

   I’m looking to go to Japan in October/November and plan to go from Tokyo -> Hakone -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Nara -> Mitaka -> Tokyo

   Should I be planning head and buy my tickets online or can I buy tickets the day of?

   Please let me know if there’s any good apps to find out train depart times if you know any! Thank you!

9. Hey everyone!

   My wife and I are spending two weeks in Japan in November – very excited!

   My wife is coeliac (gluten free) so we’re having to carefully plan where we eat. We wanted to experience an Onsen but wouldn’t want to do an overnight stay because she wouldn’t be able to eat the food.

   Is it possible to book a private Onsen for a couple of hours during the day? This would be in either Kyoto or Osaka if anyone has any recommendations!

10. Based on the site, the Nikko pass all area does not include a limited express train but it does have one roundtrip railway ticket between between Asakusa and Shimo-Imaichi. What type of train is this? And is it possible to see the price and timetable online?

11. What’s the best way to get from Osaka to Nara then to Kinosaki Onsen? If I hop on the Sakaisuji train, is that just a regular shinkansen and I buy tickets on the day at the station and get in any seat? Or should I be buying tix before online somewhere and reserve seats and space for a large check-in suitcase?

12. Hotel recommendations in Tokyo Kyoto and Osaka?
    Preferably within walking distance to a station!

13. Planning to climb fuji on monday. Bad idea? Considering the typhoon bearing down on Japan

14. We got a free day where we got a car and someone driving us around. We dont need to see Shibuya sky, Shinjuku, Harajuku or Akihabara because we would have completed that. We are leaving from Toshima area and heading towards Tokyo Bay/Odaiba. We like food and shopping for snacks with a few scenic things… but Im lost where to go now we have a car. Any suggestions are appreciated.

    Edit: How should we dress for mid October weather wise?

15. We land on Monday and plan on taking a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto during the middle of the day.

    Problem is, there’s a typhoon coming through. What wind speeds do they usually cancel the shinsanken? Is there a place to stay the night publicly like how you would in an airport if we have the waste a day? No money for an unplanned hotel night 🙁

16. Hi, I’m looking to travel to Nagoya if I win my concert application. But as I understand a Japanese phone number is needed to use pia.jp.

    So my question is about the SIM card options. I read through the FAQ but I still have a question. Can I use them while I’m abroad in the US? If I dial from my US location with a JP SIM card inserted will it be a Japanese phone number?

    And if there’s any recommendations for a carrier/brand. Thanks.

17. places to go on the way from shibuya to yokohama?

18. Guys, I’ll be in Japan next month. Will arrive in Haneda around 10pm. I assume if there are lots of peeps arriving, it would take me another 2 hour to be able to get out from the airport,which mean around midnight. Now the question, what’s best transportation to take at that time? I’m staying in Shinjuku.

19. Is it ideal to just spend 9 days in Tokyo for the first time? Due to limited budget, dont think I’ll be able to freely travel to somewhere else like Osaka, then back to Tokyo without breaking the bank…