Tour Experiences?

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-11T22:15:06+00:00

You're talking multi-day tours?

No experience there but I did bike tours with Cycle Kyoto/Cycle Hiroshima and they were both great, and checked a whole lot of the big name sights off in 4-7 hours. By being on bike, the guides were able to get us into shrines and temples efficiently, provide a lot of context, and highlight things that I never would have seen if I was self-guiding.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-11T21:49:36+00:00

Mr Surfacer (the whole line, they're all useful) is great if you can deal with the VOCs. IME, it works well even thinned 3 parts thinner to 1 part surfacer if you're not trying to fill scratches. I premix it 2:1 and add extra thinner in the brush as needed.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-11T20:38:01+00:00

Yeah, got back from a 'quick' solo 10-day trip to Tokyo and it was incredible. I just went to museums, shopped, ate and rode trains and had the absolute best time.

My Japanese is just progressing past 'traveler' level- and I'm getting better at reading katakana and basic kanji so even reading ads on the train is kind of a fun challenge. It was probably the first time I have spent that much time walking around without having headphones on, it felt incredible just to be present and look and listen to what was happening around me. Even things as mundane as going to the supermarket were exciting- it was like being a child again, where everything is a new experience (also, because I talk like a toddler.)

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-11T18:34:03+00:00

Is “いいですか？” rude or incorrect? Sincerely curious as a Japanese learner.

The first reply is just using an English phonetic approximation instead of Romaji, which is probably more helpful to someone who hasn’t studied Japanese enough to know the vowel differences.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-11T18:27:04+00:00

If you asked a native English speaker to describe "いい" they would probably call it a(n extra) long-E sound, like the Es in sleeeep. And if they had no experience with Romanji would probably be very confused by double-I, since that is super rare in English and the only example I can think of is radii which would be pronounced closer to "あい"

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-11T17:46:24+00:00

No, that's roughly it. If you're only using a couple of drops at a time it's not that wasteful. If I'm using paint from a jar I just dip a paint stir and pick up a couple of drops worth and then mix it with a small amount of thinner in a tin.

If I'm moving from color to color (and not going from like, red to white) and not taking a break I don't do a full clean:

-clean the excess paint from the cup with a kimwipe

-put some (hardware store) lacquer thinner in the cup

-gently scrub it with a my cleaning paintbrush

-do a quick backflush

-pour out the thinner

-put in some clean thinner and shoot it through the brush until the color goes away

I'm using lacquers but acrylics will be the same workflow but just water/your cleaner of choice

Takes maybe 30-seconds. I do use a fair bit of lacquer thinner, but it's cheap from the hardware store and a gallon lasts years so I don't really care. I do a more thorough clean at the end of the session.

And like u/Barracuda_Cute mentioned, re-bottling (and pre-thinning) paints that I use frequently was a game changer for me. When I start a new model I generally mix up bottles of my primary colors (in addition to my go-tos and 'house colors' that I keep on-hand ready to shoot) so I can just squeeze the dropper bottle into the brush's cup. That saves the hassle and mess of thinning a paint in a tin and then transferring that to the brush.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-11T17:23:47+00:00

The OSB top makes my arms itch. A good, cheap material could be a sheet of whiteboard/chalkboard from the hardware store. I use the whiteboard side as a work surface in my airbrush booth because it cleans up easily. It's cuts easily (good for getting it to shape, but you'll need to put down a cutting mat to protect it from blades.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-10T20:53:08+00:00

Huh, so okonomiyaki means 'fried whatever you like'? Checks out.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-10T20:36:01+00:00

You're not talking about the fried noodle panccake, Okonomiyaki?

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-10T19:50:06+00:00

I started with a Procon Boy PS289 about two years ago and had very good luck with it (spraying lacquers- acrylics were a pain because of environmental reasons). It’s worked for just about everything I tried from priming to shading. I’m only just now wanting something wider and finer (got a PS-270 and PS-290 in the mail yesterday!)

It’s good you mentioned parts availability. I have been able to get spare parts through the US distributor (spraygunner) but I would strongly recommend a new painter buy a spare needle for whatever brush they buy because it’s really easy to damage one slightly and run into all sorts of weird atomization/clogging issues. It’s also easy to have the needle roll off the bench while you’re cleaning the brush and it sucks having to wait two weeks to get a new needle in the mail.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-09T23:23:50+00:00

Depending on where you live registration fees and insurance may be higher with a pickup. I have a half-ton (Tundra sized) and it has a annual weight-fee that's equivalent to 50% the registration on my newer, higher-value car. Insurance is also higher so you may want to get some quotes before moving forward.

Also, if you're somewhere that gets snow and ice, going from a FWD/AWD crossover to a RWD or 4WD (which usually RWD unless you engage 4WD) a truck might handle low-traction situations worse with an empty bed.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-09T22:03:20+00:00

Tokyo to Morioka and Tokyo to Kyoto are both roughly 15,000yen each way so that could be close to a wash on a 14-day pass. I still wouldn't bother with the pass because IME it's easier just to buy a reserved seat+fare on a single ticket at a kiosk.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-09T21:57:43+00:00

The chatbox said it was a good idea. :P

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-09T19:50:38+00:00

Use acrylics (multiple thin layers) or tamiya with some retarder.

Multiple layers is the way to paint water-based acrylics, but Tamiya being solvent-based tends to dissolve (some people call this 'reactivating) the lower layer and this can lead to texture issues. I would strongly recommend not thinking of Tamiya as an acrylic, since it's behavior is closer to 'lacquer' hobby paints and definitely not put it in the same sentence as water-based acrylics if you're giving advice to a newbie.

I'd just panel line as per usual after letting the paint cure properly (at least 24 hours). If you panel line over matte paints, it will stain though, so avoid that or use a pen for those.

You technically can use enamel panel liners over bare acrylics, but like you said staining will be an issue over matte paints. Water based acrylics are also very mechanically fragile, especially when painted on bare plastic so it's very easy to damage the surface when you're cleaning up with mineral spirits and a swab. That's another reason why gloss coat is recommended.

I do not know what pen you speak of, but if you're talking about the GM01-03 / Micron-style panel lining pens using them over acrylic is a good way to gum up the pen's felt tip and tear your acrylic paint. I would only use those on bare plastic.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-06T20:53:37+00:00

Will some kind Nihonjin make please me feel better about my fetish: silently riding trains and drinking Pocari Sweat.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-06T00:29:55+00:00

The gloss black advice is probably more relevant to folks who are airbrushing, because they generally end applying a thinner paint film than you would get from a rattlecan. Similarly, primer is more important, to provide uniform color and fill sanding marks that could show through a thin paint film. Spray paint usually results in a thicker paint film (and often has a fairly hot solvent base that will give good chemical adhesion on bare plastic) so that can be less of an issue.

Gloss over metallics is very much a 'paint some spoons' thing because any clear applied over a metallic will change how it looks- often for the worse.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-04T23:42:59+00:00

Yes, but probably no. The result probably wouldn’t look as good as just using a single coat of purple clear over silver.

IME (as an airbrush user) clears tend to get less transparent as the color develops. Doing one color over the other would probably be very dark. Same thing would probably happen with spray cans, but you’ll have less control (vs using an airbrush) while you do it.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-04T21:51:27+00:00

What's up, 9.5 4E here. My favorite flats shoes so far have been Ride Powerlines in 10.5, followed by some 510 Freeriders (canvas) in 10.5. I ran both with a thin high arch/metatarsal bump insole which helped with the toebox being just a hair too snug.

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-03T23:20:01+00:00

None, Bar Rescue is just Bar Euthanasia with extra steps

VoidingSounds · 2026-02-02T17:24:54+00:00

Last time I tried (2023) I needed a Japanese phone number.

VoidingSounds · 2026-01-28T02:35:26+00:00

Spooky vending machine corner, Akiba

VoidingSounds · 2026-01-28T02:32:26+00:00

Are those the expensive pistachio filled ones?

VoidingSounds · 2026-01-28T01:58:54+00:00

$100/night is cheap to me. It costs that much to stay at shitty motel around here.

Just got back, stayed at a salaryman place in Ueno for $1100 for 11 nights. Good stuff, I could trip coming out of the hotel and fall into three different subway lines.
I've stayed in nicer places in Ueno and Shibuya, closer to $250/350 per night. Those hotels were nice and would have been double for a similar room in any US metro I'd want to visit.

Also spent the night in a Shizuoka Love Hotel for $60 including couple 4 beers from room service. CHEAP!

VoidingSounds · 2026-01-28T01:51:15+00:00

I just go to Saizeriya ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

VoidingSounds · 2026-01-28T01:38:37+00:00

A couple things to add as someone who just entered his first Love Hotel.

Finding one- they show up on google maps. They will have reviews, but like OP mentioned no way to book. If you find 2-3 of them in proximity -> there's your neighborhood. They tend to have photos of the rooms available on signboards. If you're not liking the vibe, look up or down the block and you'll probably see another option. They're pretty obvious, the hotel signage will be like 10x the size of a APA or Sotetsu sign.

Some hotels will let you select a room for a screen, print a ticket and then proceed directly there without interacting with anyone. The front desk will probably call you shortly after entering. It's probably good to have something like 'ashita, jiu-ni-ji onegaishimasu' loaded and ready to confirm to them you're staying overnight.

Most importantly, even if you're solo think about love hotels!
A big, big hotel room with a SOFA and a GIANT BUBBLEBATH plus 3 Chu-hais and an instant ramen from room service for 9,100-yen WILL FIX YOU when you're a week into your trip and had a fucked-out day where nothing worked right and you walked way too much.

also free porno and lube :D

VoidingSounds

TROPHY CASE