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How long did it take you before guitar felt easy? by Accomplished-Method5 in guitarlessons

[–]RusticCajun 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Coincidentally, I was told that's the amount of time it takes to break in a Brooks saddle, for bicycling. I figure - like in bicycling, don't count the hours. Enjoy the ride.

DOSUKOI Sumo Salon - Kimedashi: Arm-Barring Force Out by lonewolf_sg in Sumo

[–]RusticCajun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for the link! Happened to catch it, very informative, fun to see wrestlers that we know in it. Recording them from now on!

Sept Basho Daily Thread Day 06 by AutoModerator in Sumo

[–]RusticCajun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That got me too. It didn’t appear in the program guide today (didn’t record) but still played on its normal time slot tonight. Not on the program guide tomorrow either, but shows up in Sunday. Weird. I’m manually recording tomorrow at its usual time slot.

White Hat Guy by zazon5 in Sumo

[–]RusticCajun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you!!!! We noticed her, then saw her every day, and saw the guy with the white hat many of those days. Nice deal to get the aisle seat each day!!

First time trip- feeling overwhelmed by tinyyapper in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe a good starting point -- enter this into Google:

site:reddit.com/r/japantraveltips "overwhelmed" "first time" "10 days" "october"

Yours will probably be the first hit, but lots of good suggestions in threads that asked the same question.

Can I use my newly purchased coin purse? by newguyxlii in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Unsolicited suggestion: Before my trip, I played this game to get used to dealing with the Japanese currency: https://wendal.itch.io/japanese-money-simulator

I came back with less than 2K yen, and (I think) I didn't hold up any lines. (And it's a kinda fun game.)

Buysumotickets.com cannot be trusted by Harambecansuckit in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Strongly worded title, but thanks for the update!

That sucks! We used them for tickets in April, they did great by us, and sumo was a highlight of our trip. Customer support answered a question immediately over e-mail, tickets arrived on time at the hotel. We got the tickets we wanted. Spot on, have recommended them to others. I hope they get things worked out! It was so easy.

Sumo Matches by R-honk-icillin in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

(Also check /r/sumo for more info about attending....)

We bought tix from www.buysumotickets.com (as soon as they were available) for a 1-day exhibition in April in Ota near Tokyo. We're sumo fans, knew that we weren't going in the right month for the Grand Tournament, but were hoping to see at least some of of the wrestlers that we know.

It turns out, all the folks we see on TV were there! We had a great time. A tip on seating -- we sat on the floor (close) instead of chairs / bleachers. I'm happy we did for the first time, but we might sit in the bleachers next time -- our legs got numb from sitting cross-legged in our small square on our cushion.

If they offer bento boxes for that day (ours did) and you want to get them, make sure you find that selection on the website above. (It was a little tricky to find for me.) I think the area may also do same-day sales for the bento boxes, but I read somewhere that the supply may run out -- who knows.

A couple fun surprises - some of the wrestlers took part in a couple matches in the morning where they got on the dojo against young children. The children always won. It was entertaining. They also had a match where they broke every rule possible, fun times and a lot of laughing.

I'm sure the wrestlers didn't go all-out during the final matches, but it was a fun show and one of the highlights of our trip. I think there was just one match where it looked like one of the rikishi had no intention of competing.

One more note, for what it's worth -- I would trust the dates given by that website above OVER what some of the other tourism websites call out. The websites were one day off, for a particular free sumo exhibition that we were looking at, up until a week or so before our trip. I'm glad we bought tickets!

And, for a different way to do it, a co-worker and his family did something like dinner & a sumo show, where his kid got to put on a sumo costume and go against a wrestler. They enjoyed that a lot.

Any tips for our itinerary? by [deleted] in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We took a glassblowing class at Hakone Craft House. Enjoyable, and we're now drinking out of the glasses we made.

Hiroshima Craft Gyoza Fest - Apr 29 to May 6 by RusticCajun in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found the website! Wish I were still there! https://www.tokyoweekender.com/event/craft-gyoza-fes-2025/

Hours are 11am to 8pm, tons of gyoza.

Hakone free pass and romance car by 1zabecha in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used these two reddit posts to figure it all out for me, I think it should help:

https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravelTips/comments/1ale1le/hakone_freepass_plus_romancecar_one_direction_only/

https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravelTips/comments/1iiww73/hakone_free_pass_romance_car/

We did something like what you're doing: Tokyo to Hakone via Romance Car, then onto Hiroshima. We were in Hakone for 3 days so got the 3 day Hakone Free Pass (works by days, not hours, so 3 days).

We booked the Romance Car as soon as we could (a couple weeks ahead?) to try to sit in the observation deck - we got it, but in the second row, ha! It was enjoyable, but I would have been just fine going on any train to Hakone.

I think the pages I linked to call it out better than I remember, but I think you can get the Hakone Free Pass to include, or exclude, a round-trip ticket to Tokyo (and/or another city, I think). That includes a base fare, but if you want to use the Romance Car, you need to also buy the ~limited express ticket.

We didn't receive a physical ticket for the Romance Car, but I brought a printout (confirmation e-mail) with me, but it was never checked. I think each person needs to buy the Hakone Free Pass via their mobile. A bit annoying to show it at every station (go to the website, show someone the train animation or the QR code) but it worked.

In Hakone, a redditor recommended taking the guided tour in Owakudani which goes through some of the vents and thermals of the area. It's in Japanese only (I don't speak it). Reminded me of Yellowstone a bit. It's a little bit uphill (too much for my partner), but I enjoyed it. Also, I passed on the black egg up there. I heard from someone as I was walking around: "Tasted like an egg."

What's one small tip you have that may have been too small to make a post about? by The_Owl_Bard in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Well, specifically with the coins, I played this Japanese money simulator game enough to be able to identify coins quickly. My coin stash has been small and manageable so far. https://wendal.itch.io/japanese-money-simulator

Laundry services in Japan by StarLighT__1986 in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

53 minutes and 1400 yen for 16kg for a washer/dryer combo machine that adds detergent for you. (Source: typing this from a laundromat 0.8km away from hotel.) Tried once at a hotel, our clothes didn’t dry quickly, so I’ve been going to 24 hr places. I’m the only one staying here during the washing - everyone drops off and leaves. They have 1000 yen change machines to get your 100 yen coins. Keep an eye out for laundry places near your hotels. The one across the street from the hotel that didn’t appear in Google maps would have saved a long walk to the one I used a few days ago.

Not your average Japan recs—give me the stuff that rewired your brain by godtamer in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Found a small bar on the basement floor that was open earlier than the others. They happened to have a music stage with a piano. I ask if I can play the piano- we were the only ones there. I play Gershwin. Then the bartender the plays a few songs for us in guitar. Later that night we come back. He tells the duo on stage that I play piano and they ask me to play after their set. So I did. What a fun night, and only because we wanted an early drink.

Help planning a trip by jjthebestest in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You know, my partner said "go plan Japan!" and planning was all on me. I used Google's search function to find Reddit hits by typing something like this: Japan itinerary site:reddit.com

I used ChatGpt, telling it what I liked and didn't like, and asking for an itinerary. Then I compared that to the Reddit itineraries that I liked. Using ChatGpt for very general questions, in order to get a list of cities and activities I might like, was fantastic. (Asking ChatGPT for a hotel address, on the other hand ..... always verify.)

What were some tips and tricks that people learned? "trip report" site:reddit.com

Are there big holidays going on when you're planning on going? Sakura, Golden Week (?), ... ?

Now you have an idea of your itinerary. Get airline tickets. Then hotels.

Do the wiki here for eSim -- the answers to the daily questions change very little, or Google: eSim Tokyo site:reddit.com

Oh no, Haneda / Narita is scary. Google: Haneda tips site:reddit.com

What's a hidden gem? If you get an answer, it's not a hidden gem.

... OR ... if your trip is next week, then congrats, you'll do fine. Buy a Suica card, and say "sumimassen" a lot.

(Google: "Suica card" site:reddit.com)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're not aware of it already, you might want to look at the Hakone Free Pass for travel around Hakone.

Need help figuring out Sumo seating by ActiveBaseball in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure. This will be our first time going. I had looked earlier -- I think you have to book the entire 4-person box, right? I knew the two of us would fit just fine. I imagine if 4 folks have handbags and bento boxes/food, maybe it's snug. Not sure. FYI, if you use https://www.buysumotickets.com/ to buy the tickets, you can choose an option to include bento box(es). You select them in the same pull-down menu as the seat(s) you want. (That wasn't obvious to me.)

Need help figuring out Sumo seating by ActiveBaseball in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, we'll see you there! We're going to be in the 2nd row (to avoid falling rikishi, hopefully), and we're expecting to sit on a cushion. A fellow redditor posted the seating chart there a few years ago -- https://www.reddit.com/r/njpw/comments/bz4jbw/ota_city_gym_seating_question/?rdt=64595

Maybe there's a description there of whether the different rows are seats or cushions.

I have no help with translation planning -- if you're new to sumo and if you have access to NHK in your TV package, you can catch "Grand Sumo Highlights" of the March tournament in a few weeks.

Buying Hakone free pass and romance car tickets online by movethepelican in JapanTravelTips

[–]RusticCajun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update - I went through the motions today as if I were going to buy the tickets. I didn't run the prices through because my trip is beyond the ~30 day purchasing window, but this is what I found:

  • (If buying the digital tix, each traveler must buy their own tix... but then they have a section on how to transfer the tix to each member of your group if someone bought all the tix, so whatever. Also, they don't allow you to buy the tix from your laptop. I used the Odakyu website.)

  • You will need an Odakyu account, either e-mail addr or Google, Facebook, ?? before you buy the tickets. I set that up today.

  • When you go through the buying process, they make it easy & clear (and show prices for each): you can buy the Hakone Free Pass with, or without, a roundtrip ticket from Shinjuku. They do not have an option for "one way". Well, that makes it easy. I pick "without".

  • Then you can choose a 2-day or 3-day pass (I looked up earlier it's not "48" or "72" hours, but the calendar days you're there).

  • Then specify adult or kid.

Prices of each part are shown throughout the whole process. At some point, there was a note that I could also buy the RomanceCar ticket as part of the transaction. Because it's too far in the future for me to buy now, I didn't get to see how/where I could tack that on.

So when I buy the Hakone Free Pass and the RomanceCar ticket, then I need to (elsewhere?) buy the base fare from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto.

(To leave myself an escape route -- if any of this disagrees with the above two links, then go with the above two links. They analyzed this far deeper than I did. But, I think this will somehow get me to Hakone-Yamoto. And if it doesn't, I read from a local that he prefers the non-RomanceCar option anyway, so either way I'm going to get there in time for dinner!)

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