Travel Japan!

treasureshell

treasureshell

O.G.
Aug 1, 2006
42
0
#1
Well, my bf just told me (a surprise) that he's going to take me to Japan for a week!!!!!:wtf: I've never been there b4, so not sure what we should do for a week there. Anyone currently living there?

Also, what would be a good place to go that we can do ski/snowboard/hot tub spa for 3days/2nights???:idea:

I am so excited but clueless as to what to do there and stuff..

any suggestion from you ladies would be great!:yes:

thanks!

p.s. oh and we are leaving in like 2 weeks....he likes to do these spontaneous kinda stuff...:hysteric:
 
#2
u hv a great bf!! but for 3 days...and 2 nights..where are u going in japan? tokyo?

i'm not japanese but i've been there..when i was much younger..don't u think 3 days 2 nights...is too short of a tour to anywhere in asia?
 
#4
Oh my gosh! I am SOOOO jealous!!! I've been to Japan twice (once in 6th grade and again as a sophomore) and I want to go back SO bad! It's so beautiful.

I say you have to at least hit Tokyo for part of the time. And we enjoyed Kyoto as well. We did things like go to old markets and found old kimonos and antiques, visit beautiful temples and parks, stuff like that.

Too bad you aren't going for the Cherry Tree season. Both times I went was that season and it is stunningly gorgeous.

You'll have lots of fun for sure!!!
 
#5
I was in Japan about 5 times for business. However, my travel arrangement was always taken care of by my host company, so I did not explore enough on my own to know where things were. Futhermore, I was tight with time, and could not do much sightseeing or shopping.

Until about three years ago, my husband went to Japan for a conference. I tagged along as a tourist, so I had the chance of exploring local tours. Actually, the information for all the tours was available at the front desk of our hotel lobby. We signed up for some half day city tour (in Tokyo that included the Palace) and a full day tour to Fuji Mountain/Lake Ashi(???). Anyway, the Mount Fuji tour was very worthwhile and enjoable. It was very convenient using local tours for sightseeing in Japan, especially that we do not know the langauge. We did not need to worry about where to meet the tour guide. The tour bus/director came to our hotel to pick us up.

Since you have only 2-3 days in Japan, you may want to check with the hotel front desk for signing up local tours. Make sure that you sign up as soon as you arrive.

If you happen to stay in Tokyo, you may want to shop in the Ginza area. Take the subway, and get the subway map. Do not forget to check out the Mikimoto pearls and try the shaboo shaboo (hot pot).
 
#7
Aahh jealous...I did a semester abroad in kyoto. miss it so much! definitely go for a hot tub place! They're called ryokans, and they have these great traditional baths. I stayed at one in hakone and it was really nice... and eat well! I LOVE japanese food. yum.
 
#8
oooh i'm so jealous of u angela :P
that's a very nice thing what ur bf did :yes:
i haven't been to japan, yet... because everything's there to pricey, but i sguggest to check out harajuku or shinjuku...
HAVE FUN!!! :yahoo:
 
#9
I'm going to be vacationing in Japan at the end of the month. :yahoo:Problem is, I've never been there before so I don't know anything about anything. I don't speak any japanese but I am going with a tour group. For any ladies who've been there, any tips that I should know? I'm starting off in Tokyo.

My big concern is money. Do most businesses take credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)? Cash only? Exchange rate? I'm so lost.

What kind of clothes should I pack? Is it going to be extremely sunny? Should I pack an umbrella for light showers?

Also, do most japanese people understand english?

It's going to be fun. I'm planning on shopping a lot there. Now I just have to think about what purse to pack. I'm thinking Marc Jacobs Hudson...
 
#11
caitlin1214 said:
Study up on Japanese customs. You know, what's acceptable / what's unacceptable. You don't want to run the risk of inadvertantly offending someone.
Click to expand...

Already done. I'm curious about people wearing sunglasses there though. I read that most people won't wear them because traditionally, it's associated with the Japanese mafia. It's going to be hard for me because I always wear sunglasses.
 
#13
I used to live in Tokyo, and my dad still lives there, so I go back now about 1-2 times a year. If you're going at the end of the month, the rainy season is over and it will be humid and hot! I would pack very light sweaters to wear over tank tops, etc. though as I felt more comfortable wearing that if we went to nicer places (or when I was working there, I didn't really wear sleeveless stuff all that much, but now it's a lot more casual).

Most places take MC/Visa/AmEx but there are a ton of cash machines around too (Citibank has a lot in Tokyo) if you need to withdraw Japanese yen. If you're going with a tour group, they can probably also help you out with that if you get stuck -- I generally buy stuff with credit cards if I'm at big department stores there, but otherwise it's not uncommon for people to carry around a lot of cash -- I used to walk around with the equivalent of at least US $500 when I was there most times.

Some Japanese do understand English, esp. if they're in hospitality. But, if you take a taxi, I'd make sure you have the directions/map written in Japanese (I advise all my non-Japanese speaking friends of this). I'd also make sure you know a couple Japanese words before you go -- it helps too if you have a phrase book where the words are written in Japanese characters as well.

Have a great time!! I wish I could go back this summer . . . (oh, and with regard to the sunglasses, I think you're fine because you're clearly a tourist . . . I'm only half-Japanese and get away with it at touristy places too, although when I was little I used to never wear them while I was there).
 
#14
Have fun I have never been to Japan but some of my friends have for business or vacation and I have heard amazing things about it. I am sooo jealous!! Take lots of pics:tup:
 
#15
Archipelago said:
I'm going to be vacationing in Japan at the end of the month. :yahoo:Problem is, I've never been there before so I don't know anything about anything. I don't speak any japanese but I am going with a tour group. For any ladies who've been there, any tips that I should know? I'm starting off in Tokyo.

My big concern is money. Do most businesses take credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)? Cash only? Exchange rate? I'm so lost.

What kind of clothes should I pack? Is it going to be extremely sunny? Should I pack an umbrella for light showers?

Also, do most japanese people understand english?

It's going to be fun. I'm planning on shopping a lot there. Now I just have to think about what purse to pack. I'm thinking Marc Jacobs Hudson...
Click to expand...

-Most smaller businesses do not take credit cards espessially in smaller towns. Large stores or international stores do, espessially those in the really touristy areas. But smaller shops that are everywhere, no. Its not uncommon for people to carry a large amount of cash. On average I carry 50,000 yen which is roughly $500 to 100,000 yen which is roughly $1000. The smallest bill is equlivent to $10 to be prepared to use alot of change, something i recently got used to.

It will be HOT in a month. and HUMID. Sometimes trains and stores will be cold though from blasting aircon, so it would be a good idea to take a THIN long sleeve shirt to put over. You will see alot of people wiping their faces with small towels much like a wash cloth, they sell all kinds of pretty ones here. Seeing people with hand fans are not uncommon, agan you can find those here and ofter are handed out as free advertisements. You can pack an umbrella if you want but they are in almost every store. It does rain.

Most japanese people DO NOT understand english enough for it to really work. At the same time many are fluent. If you are in big stores or touristy areas, the chance of english speakers and english signs is higher. I basically always asume they dont if I dont know, or ask if they do if i need to do that much talking.


Shopping in japan=awesome. Any designer purse will do. LV is insanely popular in the tokyo area atleast.

Sunglasses...you dont see them as much as in other countries, but younger people (espessially japanese girls in teens-mid 20s) wear them alot. Always see them in stores. I wear them. I see more women with them than men. If men wear them they are often the very fashionable type, or hosts.
 
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