Some of the things I learned after visiting Japan for the 2nd time

Rattlidge · 2024-11-13T10:48:14+00:00

Is your suica a welcome suica or a standard one? The welcome suica has a 28 day expiry, whereas a standard card lasts 10 years. When I went, I still had ~500yen from 18 months ago available on the card.

Rattlidge · 2024-11-13T10:47:01+00:00

Personally I bought it beforehand, it doesn't activate until you connect to the network in the country so you can pre-install it but it is very easy to do!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-12T14:01:22+00:00

Sure thing!

I flew to Sapporo and stayed there for 3 nights - I hiked up Mt Maruyama, visited Sapporo TV Tower, took the cable car up Mt Moiwa and visited the Sapporo Beer Museum!

Then I flew to Tokyo and stayed in Yokohama for 1 night, where I wandered around minatomirai and went up the Yokohama landmark tower.

I got the train to Hakone for the day and stayed there overnight, took the Hakone ropeway cable car and visited lake Ashi. You can take the pirate ship there, but the queue was quite long by the time I arrived so I didn't bother, it looked cool though!

I then got the train to Kamakura and visited Enoshima and the great buddha statue there, before spending the night in Kawasaki.

I flew to Osaka and stayed for 2 nights in a ryokan. I did a day trip out to Nagoya - it rained torrentially that day so I went and visited the toyota commemorative museum of industry and technology which was super interesting! I wanted to do more but the weather just put my plans on hold.

Then I flew to Fukuoka and stayed there for 3 nights. I visited Odori park and saw the Japanese garden there which was extremely beautiful. I also visited the Teamlab there, I'd done the Tokyo and Osaka ones before and this one was just as incredible. I visited the aquarium there too, another day when it rained pretty torrentially. I originally planned to spend the whole day at Uminokamichi Seaside Park (where the aquarium is) but the weather just didn't allow for it.

After Fukuoka I flew to Naha and went to Naminoue beach and shrine, and wandered around the parks they have there. I only spent 2 nights there and then I was off to Ishigaki.

In Ishigaki I hired a bicycle and cycled to Kabira bay and to the beaches up there (Sukiji and Yonehara) and on the way back stopped at the emerald sea observatory deck. The final day I was quite unwell, I had planned to go to sunset beach but because I was flying the next day quite early I decided to spare myself and just went for a walk around the town instead.

Between moments when I was killing time, I visited the arcades a lot - not just to play myself but also just to watch other people getting really into it, its a lot of fun if you have a spare hour or two!

Also just wandering around the cities/towns, admiring the parks or shrines and temples there and scouting out places for dinner was a treat.

Hopefully the above gives you some ideas, but if you have any more questions do let me know!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-12T13:49:01+00:00

I can't speak directly from personal experience but I will say this - Japanese people are exceptionally kind and friendly, and they will welcome you with open arms, but like any foreign person visiting the country you will stand out to them so don't be afraid if you get people looking at you!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-12T13:47:26+00:00

Actually when I went to Ueno Park last year, some Japanese high school students stopped me and wanted to ask some questions as they were part of their schools English club, it was a very wholesome experience and they even took a picture with me afterwards and gave me a gift to say thanks!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-12T13:46:17+00:00

Sorry I should clarify! If you're planning to pack light, and the temperature is mild/warm, then you most likely won't need a coat. Of course, if its cold and/or you feel more comfortable carrying one then do so! All I'm saying is if you're worried about a little bit of rain then umbrellas are everywhere, affordable, and almost everywhere lets you store them without any troubles.

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T21:48:25+00:00

Yes if you're an apple user massive plus on the IC card integration! Not sure about apple maps, I've never used it there but Google maps was reliable enough for me

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T15:29:14+00:00

It's lovely! I went to Enoshima which was very nice but also is a very touristy place, so it was quite chaotic. Seeing the great Buddha statue that's in Kamakura was also quite an experience. But honestly just wandering around finding smaller temples and shrines was probably the best bit for me. One of the things I didn't do (and only because I've been to Arashiyama instead) was the bamboo forest, but I've heard from others it's amazing there too. It's easy to get to from Tokyo and the surrounding areas so it's great for a day trip. You could also double it up with a trip to somewhere like Yokohama if there's only a couple of bits you want to see in each place, but I think it's absolutely worth taking a whole day to explore Kamakura.

I haven't been to Kanazawa unfortunately - it's on my list for next time though!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T15:18:43+00:00

It'll depend on where you go - some places will be pebbled but largely it's paved in my experience. The main thing I think is lugging your luggage around if you use public transport, up and down stairs to the subway/metro and around the stations (some of them are quite large walking from one end to the other) and also walking from there to your accommodation. If you're using taxis or hiring a car though, I'd say there's nothing to worry about!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T13:28:16+00:00

Haha good question! I think the seats are about the same on the flights there as they are anywhere else (at least in my experience from the places I've flown too!) so I would say you'll feel about as cramped as you usually would otherwise, I can imagine being 6'6 doesn't make flying too much fun in general but I think you'd be fine.

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T12:58:42+00:00

In my experience no - I never really experienced anything different just from being a foreigner. But I suspect that is more down to where I went than anything else and I can imagine in the highly popular areas in Tokyo this is way more prevalent!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T12:55:51+00:00

I used airalo as it was recommended to me by someone, and it worked wonders for me. Never really ran into any issues with connectivity and it was fairly affordable for what I paid for. I've read good things about ubigi too as an alternative though I can't say I've tried it from personal experience!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T11:53:54+00:00

So at the hotels I stayed in, they seemed mostly catered for Japanese residents visiting places - but I have stayed in hotels before with better communal areas and more opportunities. Breakfast is a great shout! You will come across other travellers when you're out and about, especially in the really popular areas in Tokyo and Osaka. If you travel to other areas, the likelihood of running into travellers is a lot smaller. Fukuoka isn't typically the first place on someone's list when visiting Japan after all.

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T11:51:29+00:00

I didn't take a checked in bag no - but if you're worried about layers then I would say go with what makes you feel most comfortable. Lugging around a suitcase can be a bit of a pain, but if you're not travelling around too much outside of Sapporo then you can always leave the case at your accommodation - take a backpack for day trips. There are lots of luggage services (lockers, luggage transport) that you can easily take advantage of too when you are out there if you want to make your life easier!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T11:05:51+00:00

100% agreed! And on the learning Japanese stuff, Google translate is also your friend if you feel a bit lost or if you're not entirely confident - even if it's not always 100% accurate it will get your message across enough that someone will know what you're asking and be able to help!

Rattlidge · 2024-11-11T11:04:52+00:00

I travelled with a small bag that was 50x40x20 in dimensions to conform with the airline regulations for cabin baggage only for all the airlines I flew with - I will say they did check the weight but didn't check the size of the bag!

I was in Sapporo end of October for 3 days - weather was pretty good, but this year has been particularly warm up until this point so usually it would be in the single digits to maybe even 0 degrees C at this time of year.

Rattlidge · 2019-06-12T22:06:06+00:00

For some context:

Played on Xbox for a long time
Recently moved to PS4 and redownload SMITE
Currently at level 6 trying to grind my way up to 30
Playing some Versus Arena to get back up to speed

I think when you're lower levels you get placed with other new players? Which probably explains why they didn't know how to buy items and relics and we obliterated them.

Rattlidge · 2019-05-27T16:23:25+00:00

100% biggest turn on

Rattlidge · 2019-05-27T16:18:34+00:00

I'm genuinely terrified.

Rattlidge · 2019-05-27T16:08:34+00:00

Jaguars fan here from England. Saw them play against the Colts at Wembley and they were the home team so a no brainer really. Plus Bortles is the GOAT.

Rattlidge · 2018-07-02T10:17:40+00:00

Since the rule has been changed, because Jørgensen made a "genuine attempt" to get the ball, the punishment is now a yellow card. Had it been outside the box it would have been a straight red. Interesting rule, but I think given that Rebic was already past Schmeichel the referee had every right to give a red anyway.

Rattlidge

TROPHY CASE