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Heading to Japan

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  1. jezzman30 jezzman30 is offline

    Australia

    Posts: 408
    Joined: Nov 08

    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 6:45am)

    Leave next Wednesday, I'm in Osaka for 2 nights and Tokyo for 6 nights. Plan on doing a day trip to Mt Fuji, taking the bullet train from Osaka to tokyo, see a sumo match, have a friend who's hooked me up a Brewery/Sake tour in Osaka.

    Anyone with experience there recommend anything that I must do?

    Also if you know any clubs in Tokyo that are good would be a help, I've heard that foreigners aren't allowed into some clubs on their own? Also whats the dress code for most places.

    Staying in Shinjuku (thought it was nightclub district, have now found out its the Red Light district - accidental win).
  2. MadProfesor MadProfesor is offline

    Los Angeles, CA
    United States

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    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 6:54am) in reply to jezzman30

    Play song while reading thread:

  3. DONKWOOD DONKWOOD is offline

    Okinawa
    Japan

    Posts: 1,365
    Joined: Dec 06

    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 7:32am) in reply to MadProfesor

    Osaka is great! Not a big fan of Tokyo to be honest. Really expensive for the most part and tons of Africans on the streets will be following you for blocks trying to get you to go to a shitty bar. I'm sure you will end up in Roppongi. That is the hub of nightlife/clubs/bars etc. Dress code is the same as anywhere. Dress nice/casual, obviously no tank tops and flip flops etc. Plus there are TONS of gaijins (foreigners) everywhere in Tokyo so getting around and stuff wont be too difficult. I dont really know too much about mainland Japan but just going off of what I know from when I fly up there for visits etc.
  4. curiousgeorge curiousgeorge is offline baby duck hat

    Las Vegas, NV
    United States

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    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 7:49am) in reply to DONKWOOD

    learn some basic words in case you get stuck somewhere that isnt super touristy or you want to eat at someplace that no one speaks english you can at least order something and pay without looking like a fool.

    i enjoyed asaka but i was there during the huge street festival which is only during the summer unfortunately. might still be cool other times.
    Edited By: curiousgeorge Jan 18th, 2012 at 07:51 AM
  5. zander zander is online now anomaly in his crotch

    Malaysia

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    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 11:40am) in reply to curiousgeorge

    Current Sumo tournament ends this coming Sunday, no Sumo til March after that... but in Tokyo if you're really interested you can go to the Kokugikan for the Sumo Museum and many of the sumo stables are in the surrounding area. Not too long a walk from there to Asakusa, which is a pretty awesome temple area, and also offers you the opportunity to take a picture of the world's coolest turd-shaped building.



    In Tokyo one thing you absolutely must do is go to Tsukiji Fish Market... and you pretty much have to be there by 7:30 a.m. cuz the whole place starts to shut down around 8am. Super amazing watching them cut through deep-frozen carcasses of giant $10,000 fish, seeing bags of fish flakes the size of an average human just blowing around in the wind, 95% of all seafood consumed in Japan (yeah, that's a fuckload... we're talking city blocks here), and epic sushi breakfasts... i recommend some uni ikura chirashi.

    While I prefer Shibuya for going out at night (bring your wallet, or preferably someone else's, shit gets expensive fast), I don't remember any of the clubs by name and that probably wouldn't be helpful since it's been about six years since I had a night out there. Roppongi is fun to walk around (with others), but a lot of the places don't let foreigners in and there are a lot of sketchy people around.

    In Shibuya there are plenty of hilarious things to pass the time... If you'd like to purchase a condo, there is



    Just don't litter if you smork.



    If you're there on a Sunday afternoon, go to Harajuku Park and watch all the freaks and emos in their ludicrously expensive costumes, then stroll through the funky shops and restaurants of Take Shit street...

    seriously somewhere I have all of these photos that I actually took, but it's much faster to Google image.

    Osaka is sooooooooooooooooo much better than Tokyo, you should try to split the balance of your trip differently, if only so you can get in a day in Kyoto or Nara as well to see some of the sights.





    In Osaka, the sightseeing is not nearly as cool, but the people-watching is epic, the food is amazing, and it's just a great place to hang out... I know more about the club scene there, and would highly recommend the Shinsaibashi (or Umeda, but Shinsaibashi is a bit bigger) area for nightlife and people watching... start out on the Dotombori bridge and go from there. It's crowded though.



    Walk a few blocks east from the bridge (on the south side, past the giant mechanical crab... trust me, you can't miss it. On your left you'll find the most popular takoyaki (octopus ball) stand in Japan. I didn't know octopi had balls, but they are delicious. Eat them.


    Once you're done feeding, head north on that atrociously crowded pedestrian street, and after between 500m and 1km, bust a left and head across the main street and into America-mura, where a lot of the night life is located. It's easy, just look for the Statue of Liberty:


    make sure you eat sushi twice, once expensive and unreal, once on a conveyor belt (Sakae, north east of Umeda station in Osaka, is the nut high for conveyor sushi in all the world, $1.50 per plate with 2 pieces). Also eat katsudon, try natto if you're brave and hate yourself, and try to find this crazy little bar/club a few blocks north of Lady Liberty called Rock Rock which has photos of all these famous musicians who have visited (if there's a rock band playing in town that night, even better... have partied with Anthrax, lol)

    Hope that helps, feel free to ask questions.
  6. jezzman30 jezzman30 is offline

    Australia

    Posts: 408
    Joined: Nov 08

    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 12:44pm) in reply to zander

    Awesome man, thanks for the info. I'll def let you know if theres anything more I think of. Spewing about the Sumo tournament! I'm staying right on Dotombori which from what I can gather is pretty well tourist central.

    How hard is it to get back to your hotel late at night, another thing I heard is that after 12 its pretty tough to get a train. Really looking forward to it all now!
    Thread Starter
  7. Johnny Slippy Johnny Slippy is offline Pudding Slut

    Philadelphia, PA
    United States

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    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 1:13pm) in reply to jezzman30

    I think this thread should be merged with the consumer reports thread.
  8. DONKWOOD DONKWOOD is offline

    Okinawa
    Japan

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    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 1:19pm) in reply to Johnny Slippy

    pretty tough? try impossible because thats when they stop running lolz. But do like we did and start your night out late and then just catch the first ones which start running about 6am or so. Got to stay out all night bro especially in Tokyo. Things dont start going off until midnight-ish
  9. Mr Galt Mr Galt is offline sister-in-law's a ho

    Overland Park, KS
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    Jan 18th, 2012 (1/18/2012 3:25pm) in reply to DONKWOOD

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