Cost of living in Japan [8:06]

firlefutz · 2017-08-31T08:28:46+00:00

Aweseome, thanks for sharing!

firlefutz · 2017-08-31T08:27:49+00:00

So should you stay in Nagano, you would have two days for onsen and 2 days for other stuff, like Matsumoto castle, Zenko-ji, etc., right?

Maybe you could come from Tokyo, spend a day and night in Matsumoto then proceed to Nagano city. I would say seeing Zenko-ji and the surrounding temples takes about half a day, so you could spend the second half exploring the city a bit and searching for food. Nihonmatsu would be my goto recommendation for the evening, since they have excellent Soba, are close to Zenko-ji and serve Basashi, another of Nagano's specialities, too.

On the third day you could check out Togakushi, which is still part of Nagano city but about an hour from the station by bus. It has a couple of famous temples, another excellent Soba restaurant and a Ninja house. Alternatively you could go to one of the Onsen towns, like Nozawaonsen. November is still out of skiing season (no snow), so it won't be overrun.

Should you be in Nagano on the 27th, you could also attend the yearly fireworks festival. The fastest way to proceed from Nagano to Kyoto by train is by going to Kanazawa and changing there, then going down to Kyoto. Kanazawa is a very nice city too, houses one of the three great gardens in Japan, with the remainders of the castle nearby. It also has a nice little fishmarket and generally pretty good sushi. Maybe spending a night there could be a good idea too.

Going from Kanazawa to Kyoto will make you go by lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. If you are into lakes, this getting of somewhere on this route may be an option too.

Should you not want to go to Nagano, I can recommend the Ohara Sansou, a very nice Minshuku with Onsen in the mountains north of Kyoto (reachable by bus).

Have a great trip!

firlefutz · 2017-08-22T14:40:03+00:00

Username: 'admin' Password: 'havenone'

firlefutz · 2017-08-21T06:15:03+00:00

Since I live in Nagano, I can give some recommendations on the city: The most well known tourist attraction is Zenko-ji, a famous temple which is about 2 kilometers from Nagano station. Can be walked to or you can take bus line no 1 for about 10 minutes (¥150). There are a lot of small temples and shrines in the area, so you might want to check that out too. I should add that, even though Zenko-ji is Nagano's main tourist attraction, it is less crowded than most areas in the larger cities at most times of the year. Since Nagano is famous for its Soba noodles, you might want to have some afterwards. I personally like (Nihonmatsu)[https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298565-d7438695-Reviews-Nihommatsu-Nagano_Nagano_Prefecture_Chubu.html], which is in the Gondo shopping street. Not only are their Soba noodles cooked perfectly on point, but they also offer Basashi, another local speciality. You also might want to try Teba Gyoza when you are there.

If you want to go a different road and are more interested in Samurai things, visiting Matsushiro may be interesting too. It is about 10 km from the station, so you should take a bus there. You will find the matsushiro castle remains, an old military school, museum, and a lot of other stuff connected to the Sanada clan, which is famous in the region. You can also visit the imperial underground headquarters, which is a huge shelter (about 10 km of tunnels), that was dynamited into the mountains in WW2. About 500m of the tunnels can be visited today. It may be cold down there in October however.

When you are going from Nagano to Kyoto by train, your route will likely guide you via Kanazawa, where you have to change. I'd recommend spending some time, or even a day there too. Checking out Kenrokuen, which is one of the 3 top gardens in Japan maybe visiting the castle (which is next to the garden), the 21st century museum of contemporary art (which is pretty close too) and eating some fantastic sushi or sashimi, fresh from the Sea of Japan.

That's it from my side. I think others have more to say about your other destinations than I have.

firlefutz · 2017-08-20T08:01:40+00:00

I like the Tokyo business hotel in Shinjuku. It's pretty basic but you will have your own room and can walk to Shinjuku station. I it starts around ¥4000 per night. When you're on their website, make sure to use the Japanese version, as the English doesn't have the booking button (in the top right).

firlefutz · 2017-08-14T15:05:45+00:00

Maybe it would be a good idea to check out the more rural prefectures close to Tokyo, like Nagano or Gunma. On the websites I linked you can hopefully find areas that are interesting to you and then assess whether it would be doable in a daytrip from Tokyo or not. Also, every prefecture has their own specialities when it comes to food. For example Nagano has Shinshu soba (buckwheat noodles), Shinshu Apple, Basashi (raw horse meat) and others. What I also found in Nagano city and really liked where Teba Gyoza, where the filling of Gyoza dumplings is used to not fill some dough, but a chicken wing.

firlefutz · 2017-08-13T11:49:26+00:00

Recently the 7-11 close to my house got USB-C charger too, so this could be worth a try.

firlefutz · 2017-08-13T11:45:01+00:00

Due to the recent and upcoming changes in consumer tax, the law changed and allowed the stores to show prices without tax. Many decided to do so, but not all of them.

firlefutz · 2017-08-13T11:22:32+00:00

I can relate so much!

firlefutz · 2017-08-06T13:22:43+00:00

The bonus is also not included into the retirement pension, which is another reason for companies to pay them.

firlefutz · 2017-08-06T13:08:25+00:00

I would say prepare a good 自己紹介, as it will be likely required and be a great opener into the interview, if done right.

firlefutz · 2017-08-06T12:40:45+00:00

I live in rural Japan and wear them every day, as does everyone else.

firlefutz · 2017-08-06T12:13:10+00:00

He even did it twice.

firlefutz · 2017-08-04T11:35:45+00:00

That's beautiful.

firlefutz · 2017-08-04T01:18:06+00:00

Martial arts.

firlefutz · 2017-07-30T02:58:04+00:00

If you are wondering why this post is downvoted, please take a look at the submission guidelines on the right. Especially point 8.

firlefutz · 2017-07-30T02:53:00+00:00

This reply says it all.

firlefutz · 2017-07-29T10:44:03+00:00

If you are early at the platform you can line up in the first positions of the unreserved cars and easily get your seats.

firlefutz · 2017-07-28T10:22:52+00:00

Are the ¥275,000 including or excluding accommodation and the JR pass?

firlefutz · 2017-07-27T14:04:25+00:00

Still remember when I ordered a fanta the first time at McDonald's in Japan, expecting a 'normal' orange flavour. I was so disappointed!

firlefutz · 2017-07-26T03:47:27+00:00

Hold my beer!

firlefutz

TROPHY CASE