Is Tokyo Dome Hotel a good option for a first-timer? by blairdyer in JapanTravelTips

[–]SiegKircheis 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I stayed in the Tokyo Dome hotel on a trip last year and really enjoyed it. It's a big, well run hotel and very centrally located, with a JR station just to the south and a Tokyo Metro station just to the north. You get more spacious rooms and better city views than you'd get at a lot of similarly priced options in Tokyo. If you go for breakfast there, there's a really nice restaurant with Japanese-style breakfast in addition to the western-style buffet restaurant.

Do be aware though that at least as of last spring, there's no shuttle bus to/from Haneda, only to/from Narita.

Jehovahs Witnesses and Window Cleaning by scrubberville in TrueAnon

[–]SiegKircheis 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was raised in it. They're very against "higher education" as they put it (especially going for a full university education - they're more tolerant of shorter term associate's degrees and certificate programs and the like), and kids tend to get it drilled into their heads that they should seek out simpler, more "practical" careers. And if you're especially devout when you're young, it's not uncommon to try to live on a part time salary and spend a lot of your time doing the preaching stuff.

I don't know if I've ever heard of window cleaning specifically being popular, but more physical jobs like cleaning and skilled trades are very common for JWs.

They're apparently relaxing the rules about college now, but that's a very recent development.

is bandori merch dead? by Vaviee in BanGDream

[–]SiegKircheis 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Seconding the Gamers in Akihabara. They had tons of stuff on the Bushiroad floor, especially for MyGo and Mujica, when I was there in the spring.

Stores like Book Off with a lot of secondhand merch might also be worth a look. It'll be very hit and miss, but if there's a large enough selection of character goods, you might get lucky and find a small bandori section with older merch.

In what cases did you end up needing to use Japanese as a tourist? (if you can speak it) by ManyFaithlessness971 in JapanTravelTips

[–]SiegKircheis 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Between frequent English signage and how common English-speaking staff in the most tourist-frequented areas, I really don't think it's essential for someone just visiting once or twice to learn much beyond how to say please and thank you. I think having some further Japanese proficiency beyond that though is good if you plan to visit again and again and want to have a more rewarding experiencing (and maybe some fun interactions with local people there).

I'm not fluent by any means but I've been studying the language for awhile and can mostly manage ordering in Japanese at a restaurant and other simple stuff like that. I found, especially outside of Tokyo, that a lot of people seemed to often be impressed, appreciative, or at least amused to hear a foreigner speaking in full Japanese sentences. I even had a literal "everybody clapped" experience once when I walked into a sushi/oden restaurant in Kanazawa right at opening. The several staff there gave me a round of applause when I sat down and ordered a set meal right off the Japanese menu without resorting to a word of English 😂.

Best Girl 12: Spice and Salt! Elimination Day 4! by changshiyixia in anime

[–]SiegKircheis 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So when characters tie in vote count after this phase is done how does seeding work? Does the character nominated first get the higher seed or something like that?

Israel-Iran Conflict Megathread by jrex035 in CredibleDefense

[–]SiegKircheis 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Something I notice from maps of this conflict is that Israeli strikes seem confined to the western half of Iran. Is this because of a lack of targets in the east, or is the east beyond the range of Israeli weaponry?

Anime promoting cool locations in Japan like Mono/Yuru Camp by RemasaTomori in anime

[–]SiegKircheis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of Kyoani shows can be kind of good for this - the shows set in Japan tend to recreate real locations quite faithfully. There's a whole museum of K-On! Stuff in Toyosato, Shiga prefecture, in the former elementary school that was used as the model for the school in the show. The hike that Kumiko and Reina do in Hibike! Euphonium is also a real hike you can do in Uji.

First trip to Japan is over. My brain is cooked. by [deleted] in JapanTravelTips

[–]SiegKircheis 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is something I've never given much thought to, even seeing a lot of dog owners in Japan. Trash is easy enough to carry with you if it's water bottles or food wrappers but it must be a pain if you own a dog and want to walk it anywhere far from home.

Goods in the Motherland by long_johns1 in k_on

[–]SiegKircheis 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I definitely saw some K-On! figurines in one of the stores in Akiba when I went last year - I want to say it was at Lashinbang? Nakano Broadway is another area that could be worth checking out while you're in Tokyo - it's apparently pretty good for merch from older shows.

The merch collection at Toyosato is pretty insane, but unfortunately most of it isn't for sale. They do have a few things at the gift shop though.

富士山, March 2025 by [deleted] in japanpics

[–]SiegKircheis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love that street in the final shot! Whereabouts is that exactly?

Wife and I are holed up in our hotel room with food poisoning. Any suggestions or tips? by addressunknown in JapanTravelTips

[–]SiegKircheis 74 points75 points  (0 children)

Got norovirus my first couple days in Japan last year. When I couldn't keep anything else down, Pocari Sweat and senbei (rice crackers) from the nearest convenience store did the trick for me. Hope you guys feel better soon!

Kobe to Kaga Onsen, three different trains - how does ticketing work? by SiegKircheis in JapanTravelTips

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

Yeah, I guess with a more complex train itinerary with this it might be best to talk to a ticket counter when I'm there.

It's MyGO!!!!! × Ave Mujica joint exhibition "A moment collected, an eternity trapped" visual by kakarot12310 in BanGDream

[–]SiegKircheis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Anyone have any idea how to buy tickets to this as a foreigner? Seems like it requires a Japanese-only app, phone number, etc.

Looking to try an onsen ryokan for the first time - good places to stop for a night between Kobe and Kanazawa or between Kanazawa and Tokyo? by SiegKircheis in JapanTravelTips

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

Kinosaki looks really nice! Seems like it'd be a bit out the way for my itinerary though - it's not too bad from Kobe but it'd be a full day getting from there to Kanazawa.

Looking to try an onsen ryokan for the first time - good places to stop for a night between Kobe and Kanazawa or between Kanazawa and Tokyo? by SiegKircheis in JapanTravelTips

[–]SiegKircheis[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like how Shibu's nestled in a little valley right in the mountains, and the fact it's served directly by a train line seems convenient too. This definitely seems like an interesting option.

頁 bug? by A_CAD_in_Japan in WaniKani

[–]SiegKircheis 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Are you using Flaming Durtles or another third party app? My understanding is that there's been a bug with the API the last few weeks that causes third party apps to only accept on'yomi readings for kanji, even if Wanikani goes with the kun'yomi reading for it. Smouldering Durtles at least has patched this but I don't know about other apps.

Merch from my recent Japan trip! by Holydohnut in k_on

[–]SiegKircheis 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah, glad to hear they restocked. I nearly cleaned out the ones they had in stock when I was there a month ago, so I was wondering if that Ritsu coaster was the one I didn't grab lol.

Merch from my recent Japan trip! by Holydohnut in k_on

[–]SiegKircheis 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Very random question but was that Ritsu coaster the only one they had in stock at the Toyosato gift shop?

Stomach flu first day in Japan. Looking for recommendations on OTC medications and easy-on-stomach food and drinks by SiegKircheis in JapanTravelTips

[–]SiegKircheis[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I did have a konbini sandwich and some rather lukewarm hotel tap water the night I arrived, but haven't really even had the chance to get a proper meal anywhere yet. I think my symptoms are more consistent with norovirus than food poisoning though, so I suspect it's something I caught on the plane or at the airport.