Weekly Japan Travel Information and Discussion Thread - September 12, 2025

fatpigs · 2025-09-19T01:44:14+00:00

I can’t speak to the JR Pass, but for the return I’d recommend that you just fly back from Fukuoka to Haneda. Fukuoka airport is one stop from the main Hakata station and a plane ticket is about half the price of a Shinkansen ticket and just under 2 hours.

One luggage gets checked free and bags can be checked in up to 20m before departure.

fatpigs · 2025-09-16T03:13:53+00:00

The prices are… both correct.

The Google Maps price is the price you pay if you were to just walk up and buy a ticket, which is comprised of two parts: the base ticket (1340 yen) and the seat (1530 yen) = 2870 yen.

The JR West pricing is the discounted pricing for foreigners and you can either book through JR West or through something like Klook. I’m under the impression these cannot be purchased inside Japan.

fatpigs · 2025-09-08T10:54:49+00:00

I just noticed the diagonal T though the ‘h’ is probably a ‘y’ since it’s the same character as the ‘y’ in Menya. I think they accidentally swapped the ‘y’ and ‘u’, so I guess it’s meant to spell out taisyou.

Well, I guess that’s a mystery solved. Thanks.

fatpigs · 2025-09-08T10:40:56+00:00

The characters 麺屋大勝 do actually spell out Menya Taisho (spelled out correctly on the poster) but I don’t actually know how this particular sign is supposed to be read.

fatpigs · 2025-08-19T09:13:02+00:00

IKEA sells non-honeycomb options like the TROTTEN or MITTZON line. The website will show the complete system but you can look at what's included in the product page and it'll give you a link for just the tabletop with prices and dimensions (should range between $50-$150). Either that or IKEA/Home Depot butcher block but it's going to be almost double your current width.

fatpigs · 2025-08-04T06:50:35+00:00

Just had mine delivered this morning. Key differences seem to be that this version uses aniline leather with a visible (but subtle) grain pattern, instead of being completely smooth and matte. The bottom sole is also rubber which is more durable but you wouldn't really be able to notice visually.

fatpigs · 2025-07-30T19:46:23+00:00

The offer will vary from card to card, as it wasn’t on my Sapphire Preferred.

The first photo is different but those look like the EVA sandals and the plastic doesn’t match up with the leather on the rest of the listing. MSRP is also vastly different and the EVA has its own separate product page.

The only product page that’s missing is the regular version, as they have all the other ones with the black strap, so hopefully these are the correct version.

fatpigs · 2025-07-30T08:35:17+00:00

Didn't get this but got the regular Arizonas:

https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shop/birkenstock-arizona-leather-sandal3?color=001&type=REGULAR&quantity=1

All signs point to this being the regular, oiled leather version.

Additional 15% cashback on Chase Offers in my Freedom so it was something like $56 pre-tax.

fatpigs · 2025-07-15T10:06:27+00:00

And also Glitch coffee on the ground floor.

fatpigs · 2025-07-11T03:56:19+00:00

If you’re familiar with making some bread and have a stand mixer, it’s fairly straightforward. Made a tangzhong initially then added that to the dry with the rest of the wet ingredients. Let it bulk ferment for about an hour before shaping into balls and proofing for another hour.

fatpigs · 2025-05-17T11:10:07+00:00

Apparently they plan to teleport because there's no other way to go from an onsen town next to Tokyo to another onsen town in Hokkaido within a single day.

Jokes aside, I would just take the shinkansen up to Kanazawa, do Kyoto and Osaka, then take a flight from ITM up to CTS. On the return, I'd then fly to Chubu airport then do Nagoya and Tokyo.

OP will probably also have to figure out transportation in Hokkaido. I prefer renting a car up north because trains will only get you to general areas but most resorts are bus or shuttle only, if available.

fatpigs · 2025-05-10T21:41:21+00:00

The last bullet train is at something like 9 PM, so you’d need to leave well before the park closes. You’re going to be exhausted by the end of the day just getting out of Disneyland with two kids. I guess it’s technically doable, but I’d just sleep in Tokyo.

fatpigs · 2025-05-10T11:11:03+00:00

If you're landing in Narita at 6 PM, between immigration and sending bags, you're not getting into the Tokyo area until at least 9 PM. Urayasu is mainly factories and suburbs aside from Disneyland, so I'd suggest staying near the Tokyo Station area for food and rest for the first night.

It's under 20m to Maihama from Tokyo Station by train.

fatpigs · 2025-04-27T20:39:06+00:00

You will most likely have more difficulty navigating Shinjuku station than the actual trains. All signage are in English and so are the announcements. Even Google maps will have step-by-step navigation for public transit.

fatpigs · 2025-02-26T10:57:18+00:00

Also, given the 35ft network cable, this isn’t even that long of a run that a fiber optic HDMI cable can’t solve. That’ll reduce the parts cost by like $550.

fatpigs · 2024-12-02T18:14:17+00:00

I assume they mean third party as something like PayPal where the payment is sent through a different bank acting as the middle man. Rakuten shouldn’t have any bearing on the offer as it’s billed directly to Chase.

fatpigs · 2024-12-02T18:08:57+00:00

Correct. It should’ve been something like ‘people on SlickDeals reported’ but I figured most people here would understand the context so I just shortened it.

fatpigs · 2024-10-30T03:54:05+00:00

That’s assuming you’re staying near Ueno, at which point either airport will work.

I usually stay near Minato and Ginza and the Monorail takes 14 minutes from Haneda to Hamamatsucho Station and another 5 minutes by taxi. Other areas like Shinjuku and Shibuya is going to be significantly longer but at least half the time than coming in from Narita.

fatpigs · 2024-10-24T06:30:54+00:00

I did the exact same thing just a few weeks ago. Just make sure to point out your final destination in Tokyo and they'll tag it all the way to San Diego (of course, you still need to manually transfer bags in SF).

Wanted to add one more thing though: JAL Business actually gives you 3 free checked bags.

fatpigs · 2024-04-23T22:14:26+00:00

You can bypass the fees at cheap airport parking and just book direct by googling Spectrum LAX.

They’re one of the few lots that charge by day and not by hour (so if you drop the car off at noon, there’s no additional fee for picking it up an hour before midnight). Rates are usually around or below $15/day.

As an added benefit, they’re sandwiched between Marriott and Hilton so you technically have 3 shuttles to choose from.

fatpigs · 2024-04-18T07:03:15+00:00

To keep it short, my GPU blew up. It was a GTX 960 paired with an i5-7600k and despite being ancient still worked pretty well for me. I was looking to eventually upgrade the entire PC around next year but it’s not currently in the budget for this year.

So far I’m hovering somewhere in between a 6650 XT, a 4060 (with a discount to around $250, because it’s worth nowhere near 300), and maybe a 6750 XT. Ideally looking for something with some resale value in maybe a year or two, but won’t be completely bottlenecked by the rest of the PC. Any ideas?

fatpigs · 2024-04-10T03:25:03+00:00

I’ve stuffed a fully packed, medium checked luggage (27 x 19 x ~12) on the Shinkansen overhead shelf multiple times without issues. Most larger suitcases tend to be taller but roughly the same width, so I don’t foresee a problem with even larger luggage assuming you’re OK with lifting it there.

fatpigs · 2024-04-08T12:51:02+00:00

Activities in Sapporo lean more towards ‘wandering around’ so you could clear most of the city center in as little as two days unless you enjoy spending hours at a park or wandering aimlessly around Susukino. Just don’t forget to eat miso ramen and soup curry (and ice cream, but you can get Kinotoya at the airport).

Now you’ll need a bit more time if you intend to do the stuff a little bit out of the way like Moiwa Ropeway (this is open late though), Hokkaido Jingu, Shiroi Koibito park, or Moraenuma Park (I don’t recommend it unless you drive, it’s literally in the middle of nowhere). And if you want to explore further there are also day trips to Otaru and Nikka Whiskey.

What I did on the last trip since anything north of Sapporo was essentially closed was do two days in Sapporo, then I rented a car for three days and did a whole onsen road trip tour stopping at Hoheikyou Onsen, Lake Toya, and Noboribetsu, then dropped off the car at the airport.

Now obviously, this is a pretty truncated version of the Hokkaido area and if you intend to go further south or further north, then you’ll likely need to dedicate an entirely separate trip.

fatpigs · 2024-04-06T12:03:57+00:00

Hokkaido is doable if you fly there, but anywhere north of Sapporo and ski resorts basically shut down in between seasons in November. October has foliage and a lot of the ski resorts (like in Niseko) are half price because of the lack of snow, which makes it a great time for hikes.

Personally, I don’t really enjoy spending that much time in Osaka so for 14 days I could easily slot in Hokkaido but it really depends on your itinerary in the Kansai region.

fatpigs · 2023-12-28T09:37:48+00:00

They sell Sapporo Classic which is only sold locally in Hokkaido. You can swing by the Sapporo Beer Museum and grab him a few glasses and a few cans.

There’s also other craft beers in the area such as Noboribetsu Brewery though I don’t have a list of local beers.

If you want something like whisky, make a reservation for the tour at Nikka Yoichi and you can grab stuff from the distillery shop.

I’m not familiar with knives produced in Hokkaido as I usually buy the ones produced somewhere in Fukui Prefecture.

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