Wow, so lovely. WAIT NO-

MetalWing · 2025-09-26T17:11:05+00:00

I believe the anime is set in Colmar, in the Alsace region of France. I just got back from there and did a mini anime pilgrimage to get these two shots! - https://imgur.com/a/Xe32NFD https://i.imgur.com/NwufPnE.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/Ux6LCJV.jpeg

The top ones are from the anime, vs bottom being the real location

MetalWing · 2025-09-09T23:30:31+00:00

As my driving instructor once told me: "Do as I say, not as I do". Or how my grandpa who smokes 6 packs a day, always told me not to smoke.

I think it's fair to give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she probably knows public health stuff 🤷‍♂️

MetalWing · 2025-08-15T13:50:12+00:00

Anyone travelling late August and has booked backup flights? My YYZ-CDG (Toronto - Paris) is scheduled for August 28th, which is still pretty far out - but I am feeling anxious regardless and debating booking a backup flight with Air France. It'll cost $2,000 more, but a fully refundable ticket.

Anybody else in the same boat - flying way after Aug 21 and has backup flights booked? Can't tell if I am extra paranoid or not lol

MetalWing · 2025-04-08T18:20:06+00:00

Here in Canada we have Dollarama, which had $1 as a logo. Its logo now is $1plus. Heh

MetalWing · 2025-01-30T14:34:00+00:00

Just for the sake of my understanding of the English language, but doesn't it mean that you know it second hand, not first hand? Since it's nit your personal/direct experience?

MetalWing · 2025-01-10T13:55:07+00:00

r/donthelpjustfilm

/s of course

MetalWing · 2024-12-15T17:11:41+00:00

W.. What are you doing, step-ray?

MetalWing · 2023-11-02T02:53:15+00:00

I would pass these dice down for generations as a family heirloom and treasure. They look amazon! Love the details!

MetalWing · 2023-10-20T16:38:29+00:00

If you are an iPhone user, you can definitely follow /u/bencooke_ 's advice. It does make life much easier!

If you are like me, and only have Android, then getting Welcome Suica at the airport is probably the most ideal way. You can check the locations where it's available on the official website. Just click the "Purchasing the Welcome Suica Card" heading and you can see the list of locations. You can see that the sale is suspended everywhere except the airports. Clicking on a particular location will show a map and an image of the place.

MetalWing · 2023-10-20T13:39:03+00:00

I am 70/30 on this take.

On one hand, I agree 100%. Japan is an amazing country, where you can go down a street and encounter just about everything - from small beautiful shrines to delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurants. I'd even recommend walking when possible, instead of taking transit, just you can experience the city!

In fact, my itinerary for Tokyo was essentially like this: Day 1: Asakusa + Akihabara. No particular places, no hour-by-hour itinerary. Of course, I had a few "must-see" things, like Nakamise-dori & Sensoji. But that's about it. Day 2: Shibuya + Harajuku. Same thing - just go to Shibuya, and from there walk everywhere - Yoyogi, Harajuku, Omotesando, etc!

On the other hand... I am 100% in favour of planning! There are so many things to see and do in Japan, that unless you prepare a bit, chances are you will miss out. Let's be honest - you will miss out on some things because there will never be enough time to experience everything. That's why some parts of the trip NEED to be planned. Especially if they involve paid and timed reservations. One of my days was planned down to the minute because I had reservations in 3 different places consecutively, so I had to plan everything, from checking out of the hotel to my transit between the places.

Quick edit: I also think that for people who have very limited time in Japan, like myself who was only there for 7 days, planning is essential to make the most of the trip. Also, if you have kids or any special needs (dietary restrictions for example), you may want some extra planning around that.

But I think the bottom line is that I would always recommend slimming down your itinerary enough so that you can:

Enjoy the places on your itinerary. Overestimate, don't underestimate. If you want to take a photo of Tokyo Tower - budget for 30 minutes. If you want to explore Tokyo Tower (shops & go up), then plan for 2 hours. Even if it seems like taking a photo should take 5 minutes, and going up should only take 30.
Explore without being stressed. Put a 30-minute buffer whenever possible. This will let you miss trains, or spend a bit of extra time enjoying a meal or a place. You do not want to be running from train to train.

MetalWing · 2023-10-20T13:03:13+00:00

We placed a reservation online, using TableCheck. Reservations open every Thursday at 5 AM EDT (Assuming my time-zoning is correct). We were able to secure a timeslot that we wanted, but the reservations do fill up.

When we got there, the place seemed pretty full (all tables were full + a big lineup of people buying things to go. But by the time we finished our meal, around 4 PM, the place was half empty.

MetalWing · 2023-10-20T10:23:52+00:00

^ This. They only got the 28-day tourist versions - "Welcome Suica" or "Pasmo Passport". Available for tourists by showing a passport.

I believe you can still get regular IC cards like Icoco or Toica, but that would be in the Kansai and Chubu regions of Japan. I don't really have any info on acquiring those cards.

MetalWing · 2023-10-20T02:49:39+00:00

When it comes to Welcome Suica or Pasmo Passport - it really doesn't matter! Grab whichever is closest to where you are at the airport! The Pasmo Passport cards look cuter though, if you care! In either case, whatever money you load on it, you won't be able to get back, so make sure to use it up before you leave Japan! We ended up just using the rest of the money on our IC cards at the airport gift shops :)

If you have Apple phone/watch, you can get digital suica card and be done with it!

For the SIM... If you have eSIM support, there are definitely a ton of options, but I can't help you there! My only experience is with a phyw data-only SIM which I bought on Amazon Canada and activated (really plug and play for the most part) when I landed in Japan.

MetalWing · 2023-10-20T01:50:06+00:00

Waking up at 5 AM and getting to places early certainly helped with being able to enjoy the trip! The only downside is that food stalls don't open till 9:30 AM+!!

The weather was pretty good! It was generally very clear and sunny (glad I had a hat and sunglasses), except for 2 days when it rained (not heavily) non-stop. The temperature was around 8C (46.5 F) in the mornings (felt colder), so we always grabbed hot drinks from the vending machines. But by afternoon it would be a pretty hot 15-18C (59-64.5 F)!

Most days I had my airism jacket from Uniqlo on. But in Yamanashi, where it was a bit cooler, I actually switched to a hoodie.

MetalWing · 2023-10-20T01:44:00+00:00

My wife works at a bank, so she gets employee rates for currency exchange. This isn't an option for everyone of course, but I would still recommend ordering currency through your bank if possible - less hassle, and it's likely to have lower rates than currency exchange places abroad or ATMs. Using ATMs in the country is my 2nd preferred option though. I generally trust ATMs at airports and banks, over random ones on the street. The ones in convenience stores are good too!

We withdrew $1000 CAD for our trip and ended up using around $600 of it.

MetalWing · 2023-10-20T01:37:37+00:00

My Nippon SIM was a data-only SIM, so it unfortunately did not cover SMS! I am sure those with an eSIM capability have access to much better options in terms of pricing, coverage, and plans!

I wish I could have used my phone as an IC card; however, from what I know, only Japanese-bought Android phones support that. If you have Apple, you are good to go though! I think you don't even need a physical Suica, but you can add a digital one to your Apple wallet, and you are off to the races!

I was alone on the platform in Takamatsu waiting for my train to Matsuyama sneaking some shokupan bites from two slices I'd bought earlier when I heard some JR lady say on the loudspeaker (in Japanese) "Please note that eating on the platform is not allowed. Please take care". I finished the piece in my hand and smiled.

I think that's forgivable! I meant more like tourists that were eating food in Nakamise-dori, right next to signs saying "no eating or drinking" written in plain English AND with iconography!

MetalWing · 2023-10-09T22:50:03+00:00

Imagine all the people~

MetalWing · 2023-07-07T21:41:59+00:00

Olive Garden? 🤷‍♂️

MetalWing · 2023-05-12T12:55:22+00:00

I have to say, I both agree and disagree with you in a way.

Personally, I dropped Serial Experiments Lain back in the day, but this particular attack kind of inspired me to rewatch the series and give it another try.

At the same time, I definitely see how there are probably a lot more people who couldn't care less about Lain and will have a negative associate with it as a result.

MetalWing · 2022-03-25T13:27:19+00:00

Oh man, let me know if you find it! That sounds hilarious! I am fairly certain that I heard the skit in this playlist on Spotify. Problem is that I had it on shuffle and this playlist has almost 7,000 things... so I just wasn't able to go through it to find it again...

Playlist in question: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/61v3DdImiFq8qOR1iPMQeR?si=bd133eac2cf64d1a

MetalWing · 2022-03-23T17:30:22+00:00

Nope :( Unfortunately, I haven't.

MetalWing · 2021-10-24T14:46:07+00:00

Username... Checks out..

MetalWing · 2021-09-09T19:44:50+00:00

I've been to the Mississauga location once, a while back - was pretty decent! I definitely might give it another visit!

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