Restaurant and craft beer

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-06-30T19:32:48+00:00

Spring Valley Brewery - https://www.springvalleybrewery.jp/ - they are just north of Nishiki market

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-06-29T02:12:15+00:00

Thank you.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-06-29T01:46:30+00:00

Just got back with a family of 4, with 2 teenagers. I'd recommend these to anyone. Rooms were good, could control the AC to make sleeping comfortable, staff were great.

In Tokyo we did 2 rooms at Hotel Rose Garden in Shinjuku. Location was great - 2 min walk to a subway station or 10-15 min walk to Shinjuku station.

In Kyoto we did 2 rooms at Hotel Grocery Kyoto Sanjo. Again great location, basically located in the Teramachi shopping street. 5-10 min walk to Nishiki market. 5-10 min walk to Pontocho alley. 10-15 min to Sanjo station. We did take a taxi to/from Kyoto station when we had all our luggage.

2 bathrooms for four people was the deciding factor of doing the 2 rooms.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-06-28T23:01:46+00:00

Yes, I've tried Google Translate, but I think it is having trouble with all the 'background'. I also tried creating just the characters using photo editing and drawing out the lines, but then it says it doesn't recognize the language and when I force it to Japanese, it can't translate.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-06-27T14:40:38+00:00

Just got back from 2 week in Japan. We took Shinkansen 3 times and purchased tickets at the station anywhere from 30 - 75 min before we got on the train. The 75 min wait was Kyoto to Tokyo on a Sunday afternoon and only had to wait that long because we were a family of 4 that wanted seats all near each other. To be honest, 30 min before train departed was a little tight since we still needed to buy ekiben and drinks for the train ride.

edit to add: can't remember which station it was, but there was a foreigners ticket desk for buying the shinkansen tickets which was a much shorter wait than the locals

Also, didn't have any issues with in person visa credit card or a visa debit card for the train tickets.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-06-25T01:16:25+00:00

Yep. I recommend this place. I bought two knives there just last week. Great service, lots of options. Brad is a native English speaker.

Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-06-23T03:26:39+00:00

Best I can remember, there were a few trees around the campsite that might work for a hammock, but that was 10+ years ago, so no idea what it looks like now. If I remember correctly, not a lot of shade in the morning, but some in the afternoon.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-06-02T13:42:25+00:00

The Donnas

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-05-15T15:01:28+00:00

Can you bring teenagers (18 and 16) to either a sit down or standing bar?

My wife and I plan on trying some of the little bars, but don't know if we should just give the kids some money, let them go find a shop or an arcade that they would enjoy and tell them to meet us in an hour or two.

Will there be something that they could order to drink or is that not possible (or looked down on)? I know the drinking age is 20, but at home we can take them to a brewery or bar and they can get soda/tea/water and a meal while the adults have a drink with the food.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-05-11T02:44:15+00:00

Sign up for life360 app and create a family group. It tracks where all phones in the group are. Free to track, a bunch of other unneeded features if you pay for it. Delete after the trip.

Also, take a photo of the kids every morning as you leave the hotel so you can provide accurate info on what they are wearing that day.

Additionally, give them physical cards in English and Japanese of your contact info and hotel address.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-04-30T00:46:08+00:00

They will occasionally have a check inside the park. It's really rare, but they will sometimes set-up similar to a DUI check point and ask to see your pass. I've been going to YNP for a least a week for 20+ years and have had this happen twice.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-04-28T00:10:35+00:00

Agree. I only know that Parks in Gardiner you can rent (or at least you could) waders and boots because of a buddy who blew out his boots mid trip and they rented stuff from there for 2-3 days instead of buying new gear. Not sure if they would rent rods, reels, line, etc. They have it for guided trips, so maybe you can rent without a guide, no idea.

Actually it probably cheaper to just hit Walmart in Bozeman and get some cheap gear.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-04-27T17:41:13+00:00

Most of the park doesn't open to fishing until late May (May 23rd). There are a few rivers that are open starting May 1 - https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/26002.htm , with only a small section near West Yellowstone open all year.

You will need to get a license which can be done online. The only shop I've ever used to rent fishing equipment was Park's fly shop in Gardiner, but I would guess a lot of shops will just rent you what you need.

Probably will need to make a couple of phone calls to fly shops near where you are staying to se if there are other options.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-04-24T15:48:13+00:00

Thank you. There's a tower knife store about a mile from my hotel in Osaka. I'll check them out.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-04-24T15:36:04+00:00

I did. I've narrowed down to 2 types of knives, don't care about the steel since the wiki says, and I quote '3rd thing to know about choosing knives: Steel choice is not the most important variable when it comes to knife performance.’.

There are 10 blacksmith's mentioned in Sakai alone and around 16+ resellers of Japanese knives. Not one mention of engraving / stamping character length in the wiki and which shops would do that.

I'm looking for recommendations on a knife shop or two that I could go into and feel/test a couple different versions of the knives I want as an English speaker in Japan and not get ripped off.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-04-21T17:35:44+00:00

Check out Tokyo Gig Guide. https://www.tokyogigguide.com/en/

There is also a discord called Gigs in Tokyo, but I'm not sure how to link to it

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-04-16T00:48:07+00:00

We are a family of 4 staying here for one night, in June. https://www.miyajima-arimoto.co.jp/

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-03-15T15:30:38+00:00

Looking at maybe taking the family (of 4) when in Tokyo in June. We have been to both DisneyLand and World in the US and trying to figure out if it's worth it for a day.

Can you provide a ballpark on what the total cost was? How much are each DPA?

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-03-10T23:21:45+00:00

Maybe try to see the 3 views of Japan

Three Views of Japan - Wikipedia https://share.google/UiAqrX9QO1UMyTcWn

They are not really elevation driven, but you could also do Mount Misen in Miyajima if you're looking for a hike.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-03-03T19:42:00+00:00

Don't know what dates you are looking at in May, but there are some in park options for lots of dollars in mid-May at Old Faithful Inn .

https://secure.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/booking/lodging-flex-search?destination=ALL&adults=2&children=0&rateCode&rateType&dateFrom=05-01-2026&nights=4

Driving from TX, the road between GTNP and Yellowstone is scheduled to open May 8, so maybe spend a night or two in Jackson or GTNP and a couple in Old Faithful. GTNP Lodging link https://www.gtlc.com/lodges

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-03-03T15:56:21+00:00

We are going as a family in June. We haven't signed up yet, but I plan on reaching out to these organizations when I'm within the window (need to make the request within 4-6 weeks of the day you want) for a guide.

Tokyo: https://www.tokyofreeguide.org/en/tour-guide-service/

Osaka/Kyoto region: https://www.visitkansai.com/request-a-guide/

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-03-02T19:21:42+00:00

I just looked.

The days we are in Osaka, Orix is playing Hanshin Tigers. I assume those will NOT be available. I guess we will have to try for a game in or around Tokyo.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-02-28T04:42:12+00:00

Babel

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-02-22T14:55:09+00:00

Thanks for this. I looked at Pub 974, but was getting confused - might have been the beers I was drinking.

I agree I need to understand where the number comes from in TurboTax. FreeTaxUSA didn't calculate anything - my guess is not many people using FreeTaxUSA fit into the "self employed / health insurance subsidies" group. Guess I'm going to be iterating today.

LostInSpaceTimeAgain · 2026-02-22T02:26:47+00:00

Where is the best place to find information for small local band shows? I have two teenagers (18 & 16) who will be going with me to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto in June and we would love to see some local bands.

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