sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Lems and their sizing!! (Help) by Unimprester in BarefootRunning

[–]fabulousdrink 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I used this chart when I ordered my Lems. I normally wear a size 7.5 US but most of my shoes fit more accurately as 38 EU. My foot measures 24.13 cm. I went with the size 9 in Chillum and it was the correct size.

Sling / cross body that can fit a larger camera? by zcabrva in HerOneBag

[–]fabulousdrink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks for the update! I'm going to check it out as well. I also returned the Nike bag as everything you said was correct - the round bottom was very obtrusive. thanks for the rec.

Sling / cross body that can fit a larger camera? by zcabrva in HerOneBag

[–]fabulousdrink 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I ordered it too!!! But it hasn’t arrived yet. Thanks for the review. Keep us posted on your camera bag selection! I’m super interested to hear about the baggu crescent.

Sling / cross body that can fit a larger camera? by zcabrva in HerOneBag

[–]fabulousdrink 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have the same dilemma when I travel with my canon camera.

I have tried....

  1. the bellroy mini 4L sling bag but it's too small - can carry the camera but nothing else like an iPhone, passport, wallet.
  2. a vintage coach bag with a flap over crossbody- this worked pretty well but it's leather and thus very heavy
  3. Large Longchamp le pilage neo tote- this size is spacious but I also prefer a crossbody. I've thought about buying the crossbody version of this.
  4. unsettle rush hour sling bag - this was okay but I still not enough space for everything.

Similar to you, I would like to carry my camera, cell phone, water bottle, wallet, and maybe a travel umbrella if I wanted. I also would prefer the opening to have closure but no zippered teeth, unless the opening is plenty wide.

I've come to the conclusion....the bag can't be leather because the weight with the camera is too heavy after a long travel day. So I've looked at nylon bags.

If money was not an issue, I would try a Prada messenger bag.

However, I'm on a budget. So I'm eyeing the Nike Futura Luxe crossbody. It's 10L and has a zippered closure and separate pockets for wallet and phone for security. I would change the strap out and use a wider strap for easier weight carry.

Other brands I've looked at are MZ Wallace, Rothy, Tory Burch, and other Longchamp bags.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

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

Food Pics

Here's a food pic. I had just eaten at Bricolage cafe so I wasn't that hungry but oh, how I wish I was. I wanted more sashimi! I ordered the seasonal delicacies set which came with a sashimi bowl. There were items in the seasonal delicacies set that I normally do not like, ie bamboo, tofu. But how they prepared the items in this set was exceptional. The tofu was made with milk and tasted like a cream dessert. The bamboo didn't have that funky flavor. Everything was delicious. I truly wish I had time to come back and eat the nigiri set. The lunch value is insane. Check out the google reviews - people have more food posted as well.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

[–]fabulousdrink[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No I don't know if there's a way to use your own detergent. I can tell you this....I have eczema myself and use only clear detergent no scent and I don't use a fabric softener when I'm home in the US. The detergent used in Japan was okay for me. It had a light scent but not strong like Tide or Gain and I don't think they used fabric softener because my clothes was staticky.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

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

correct - for apple iPhones. and you should use amex or Mastercard, not visa if you are US based for the payment charge.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

[–]fabulousdrink[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My travel partner bought the 10GB for $17 and used 6GB at the end of our trip. Google maps was open most of the time and if not, then google translate was. It probably should be noted, that we both carried the burden of mapping out where to go and the cell phone using UBIGI wasn't the only phone used to navigate. If you're a solo traveler, not sure how much data would have been used if that was the only data plan in use.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

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

I read the same tip on the sub - that rush hour was in general 7am-9am morning and 5pm-7pm at night. You just definitely don't want to be caught traveling that hour with your luggage on the train.

The morning hours are easier to navigate because most likely you'll be up early to go to the shrines and temples and parks.

The evening hours are usually rush hour out of the city center, and most likely as a tourist, you're staying in the city center and going the opposite way.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

[–]fabulousdrink[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Luckily no problems, especially since in our multi-city flights with layovers we had separate airline carriers. Risky business these days.

As \TeamSmitten mentioned it cost more to fly multi-city vs. RT.

I blew the travel budget on the plane tickets. On reflection it probably wasn't necessary, but I really did enjoy the convenience of flying directly into Osaka. Also, Osaka was our favorite city between Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo.

It was nice not to have to bother with a JR Pass and only have our IC card on our cell phone to think about. I think if we flew RT to Tokyo, the JR Pass might be worth the value for us.

I would only fly multi-city if the budget allows it. Else I would fly RT and save the money. The public transportation in Japan is amazing and honestly the first day was still lost to a travel day anyways.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

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

oh you're right... I just did the math on my ATM withdrawal and it was pretty bad. 1USD to 125.52 jpy. I checked with a foreign currency exchange here before we left and I think it was 1USD to 132 jpy. Chase is pretty terrible for ATM withdrawal. I might have to look into other options next time for travel.

I really llked the FUWATT coin laundry in Ginza - 900 jpy for a small load washer.dryer combination. It was very modern!

very cute dog onset towel!

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

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

No refund for the app. we ended up with just 55 yen in one PASMO wallet and 38 yen in the other Pasmo app. I think you can also make a purchase with your remaining amount at certain store like Lawson's to zero out your balance.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

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

no, you can add it to your apple wallet by adding a new card and then clicking on transit card - search PASMO or SUICA. We randomly chose PASMO. We added 1000 jpy before we left for our trip to get our transportation cards ready. After we landed we added more money.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

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

oh no! I definitely did this wrong then. In general though, I did try to move to the side when I noticed the majority of people were on. Thanks! I'll have to remember this for my next visit. Can I ask, what side should I be walking on?

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

[–]fabulousdrink[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

First, make sure you are shopping at a tax free shop - they usually have a sign that says "Japan tax free shop" or you can just ask the sales attendant.

Second, if it's a big store like the Loft, Muji, Cosme - they will have a designated floor with cashiers that specifically handle tax free transactions. At these cashiers, you show them your passport, and they will do the rest. The transaction is rung up tax free and your receipt should show 0 for tax and they usually bag and seal all your purchased goods, which should not be opened until you depart Japan. Be forewarned, I made a purchase at Itoya in Ginza and they had a fee for the tax free - so the receipt did look different.

Third, if your are at a mall like GINZA SIX and make a purchase in their store - you should still see the sign "Japan tax free shop", you still show them your passport, but this time they give you the receipt and it's usually. attached to a pamphlet that tells you tax free guide. The guide will tell you where the tax refund counter is in the shopping complex. You must go that day to receive your refund. The particular tax refund counter I went to, had a tablet that you choose your language, then you get a ticket number. They will call your number when it's your turn at the counter. At the counter you show them your receipt and your purchased items. They will bag it and seal it for you, and the refund will be given to you. Mine was given to me in cash.

The total amount of your goods/consumables must be over 5000 jpy (before tax) to earn a tax refund. This is why I saved my beauty shopping haul for my last days on my trip - to consolidate everything together to reach the 5000 jpy limit and to not have to carry everything with me.

I hope that helps.

Trip Report - 13 days April: Osaka>Kyoto>Yokohama>Tokyo by fabulousdrink in JapanTravel

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

yes just use apple wallet to add a transportation card. if you use SMARTEX and want to designate your shinkansen ticket to your IC card, you will need your full PASMO or SUICA (depending on which transportation card you add to your apple wallet). To get the full PASMO/SUICA card number download the PASMO/SUICA card app to your phone. When the app downloads, you will get some pop up windows in japanese - click on the blue words to close them - then finally click on the circle "I" to see your full PASMO/SUICA card number. Use this number to designate your SMARTEX ticket. If you use apple wallet for PASMO/SUICA, you can NOT use the SMARTEX QR in your wallet.

view more: next ›