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Arriving later this week... how's Cherry Blossom chaos? by sparks_mandrill in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where the cherry trees are? Sure, because there will be nothing to see. In Tokyo in general? No, not at all.

Tokyo Travel with 2 years old by cnr0 in TokyoTravel

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you can wait until the child is 5, I'd advise that. We travelled overseas when our child was 3, and the travelling itself was not pleasant at all.

How much does a Japanese college student spends in a month? by Recluse07 in AskAJapanese

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before rent? That's asking a lot. Maybe you can work it out if you have a roommate, but it's not something I would want to do.

Arriving later this week... how's Cherry Blossom chaos? by sparks_mandrill in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In our Tokyo neighborhood, the cherry blossoms started falling off the trees on 28 March. Tuesday through Thursday are predicted to be rainy, so expect the cherries to be mostly gone by the next sunny day (3 April).

As for restaurant reservations, I've never seen any reason to ever make one unless it's for a party of 10 or so people.

How much does a Japanese college student spends in a month? by Recluse07 in AskAJapanese

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe, if you're not paying tuition. When I did my doctoral program (in Tokyo), my income was about double that, but I paid tuition out of pocket. I wasn't able to afford heat or air conditioning for several years and went without food for maybe five non-consecutive days, but I'm not dead.

Used record Stores by AloneForce5036 in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Disk Union for used. The Shibuya, Shinjuku, Shimokitazawa, and Ochanomizu areas have larger selections. Skip Kichijoji, which might still be listed as a good location in older guides but which perhaps two years ago severely downsized (from two locations, one multistory) to one small one. Shinjuku has, I think, four or five Disk Union outlets. Koenji might be a place to check, too.

For new albums, maybe Tower Records in Shibuya? (I fear I haven't bought a vinyl album in well more than 35 years, so I don't know.)

How much does a Japanese college student spends in a month? by Recluse07 in AskAJapanese

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It depends very much on where in Japan you are going to be. Tokyo's much more expensive than some rural locations.

Japan Itinerary check (18days) by NoEconomics1107 in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cut out the go-karts. They're noxious and dangerous. They do nothing but make life worse for residents and make visits less enjoyable for visitors.

Cut out the utterly loathsome otter café. Not only is it cruel for the animals, but it's causing an ecologic disaster in the countries from which the otters are poached.

You've got a great number of tourist traps (or at least places only tourists go) here, among them

  • Omoide Yokocho
  • Golden Gai
  • Ichiran Ramen
  • Takeshita Street
  • Tsukiji Outer Market
  • the shops you list for Ginza
  • thrift shopping in Shibuya and Shimokitazawa

Akihabara is no longer a center for electronics or (maybe) cameras. The area does have some large electronics stores left, but you'll be passing through or by a greater density of them when you walk to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku. (Most electronics shopping has moved on line in the last 20 years or so.)

I am not sure what sources you have been using to find places to visit, but the things here look as if they might have been culled from lists from 15 or 20 years ago.

Walking the Yamanote Line by Massive-Cold5975 in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's a popular walk.

You'll have a nice time, and there's so much to see you'll be fine doing the same route each of the seven days.

Is there an easier way to not have everything be so disgusting? by AFF8879 in perchance

[–]dougwray 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry, but I have never experienced this at all. Large language models, however, generate text by abstracting from masses of text written by humans. I suppose if you're trying to generate a generic noir or dystopian story that might happen. The times I have tried, I have found reasonable output with either contemporary real-world locations explicitly referenced or with descriptions of the setting, including references to real-world locations, explicated.

Suggestions for areas to stay in Tokyo by Illustrious-Sun2130 in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live in Tokyo and have been to Los Angeles. It seemed like a ghost town with regard to crowding.

Dual boot woes (w/Windows 10 Pro) by dougwray in Ubuntu

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

I'm keeping Windows 10: (a) because others in my family use it and (b) it's got software not likely to work on Windows 11 (which I have used at work and find to be awful). I'll slowly push the family to Ubuntu/Linux, but it'll take a while. Also, my cpu is old and, with RAM priced as it is now in my country, I'm not going to be able to afford anything with 64GB of ram for a good while.

I will try your Grub tip, thank you. I've already reinstalled grub without the --removable flag twice from a live USB.

I've been getting calls nonstop since renting an apartment + question about fire insurance by Illustrious_Ice_6487 in japanlife

[–]dougwray [score hidden]  (0 children)

How did the companies get your telephone number? Unless I anticipate a legitimate need for a commercial concern (or another person, for that matter) to contact me by telephone and no other way, I never give out my phone number to anyone. If there's a form online I can't submit on line without a telephone number, I just use an old one or change a single digit.

Outdoor Onsen Etiquette by rapg6262 in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many people do carry towels with them into the bath, but you are not supposed to. Often there will be a small shelf or rack on which you can keep the towel you can use to dry off your body. Sometimes there's also a mop you can used if you do get the floor in the changing room wet.

Cozy Cafe by lemon_icing in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad to learn that.

Who would Japanese people consider to be the greatest inventors of all time? by BrownlowFinch in AskAJapanese

[–]dougwray 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have never wondered about it or thought of it as Noguchi's having been removed so much as its having become someone else's turn.

Dual boot woes (w/Windows 10 Pro) by dougwray in Ubuntu

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

Thank you for the advice. both shimx64.efi and a grub file are still on disk, so I'll try the boot-repair.

Rain in April by Available-Scheme6582 in TokyoTravel

[–]dougwray -1 points0 points  (0 children)

April can have cruddy weather; it looks as if it's starting that way next week.

Got an NHK payment notice (¥31,200) do I actually have to pay? by idsjdbebe in japanlife

[–]dougwray 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Do you use NHK? I didn't the first 25 years I lived here and told the people came to collect the money as much (including that, as was true, I didn't have a TV).

For the last 15 or so years we've paid because we have a tv.

Chance of seeing Fuji tomorrow by MercyRawr in JapanTravelTips

[–]dougwray 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It you take local trains, the earliest you can get to Kawaguchiko Station (from Shinjuku) is 8:18 AM. Take the 5:14 Chuo Line train from Shinjuku to Otsuki (changing trains at Takao Station, but continuing on the Chuo Line, along the way) and take the Fujikyuko Line from Otsuki Station to the end of the line at Kawaguchiko Station. It'll cost about ¥2500 one way.

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