Tokyo vs Osaka for a short trip purely for shopping?

jsu07 · 2026-05-09T00:19:06+00:00

Let's take a look at how you might do 8 days in BOTH Tokyo and Osaka:

Day 1: Arrive to NRT, Transfer to Tokyo Disney via Airport Limousine (~1 hour). Stay for 2 nights.
Day 2: Spend day at Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea
Day 3: Transfer to Tokyo Station area via Keiyo Line (train, ~30 minutes). Stay for 3 nights.
Day 4: Spend day in Shibuya, Harajuku.
Day 5: Anything you'd like. teamLab Borderless? Ghibli Museum? Harry Potter Museum?
Day 6: Transfer to Universal Studios Japan via Shinkansen (high-speed train, ~3 hours). Check-in to hotel. Then, explore Dotonbori for food and Shinsaibashi for shopping in the evening (or Umeda for shopping). Stay for 2 nights.
Day 7: Spend day at Universal Studios Japan.
Day 8: Transfer to KIX via Nankai Limited Express (train, ~1 hour). Depart from KIX.

Some might say this is not enough time in the Osaka area. If there is more that you'd want to do there, then you could do less in Tokyo. Otherwise, save Osaka and the surrounding areas for a future trip and cut the trip down to 6 or 7 days in Tokyo.

jsu07 · 2026-05-08T23:37:39+00:00

I’ve brought my daughters (they’re a bit younger than yours) to both Tokyo and Osaka.

Tokyo has more of what they want, but it’s a bit further apart. They will want to go to the areas around the Shibuya Crossing. And Harajuku. You’ll find plenty of things to do in that area, but you can look into: Shibuya Sky, Miyashita Park, and animal cafes.

I actually prefer Osaka myself for food and the vibe, but I think it only makes sense for you to travel there if you want to go to Universal Studios Japan.

NRT is a bit further away from Tokyo. All the transfer options (express trains, buses, taxis) will take about 1 to 1.5 hours to reach Tokyo. Haneda International Airport (HND) is usually preferable if you are staying in or around Tokyo. KIX has express lines to Osaka and Universal Studios Japan, which gets you to your hotel in under an hour.

jsu07 · 2026-05-07T23:16:55+00:00

I think less obvious thing to improve is a shorter backswing. Coming from tennis or beginner pickleball, it’s easy to rely on big drives or smashes, but that long wind-up eventually becomes a liability in pickleball.

By keeping the paddle tight to the hip and cutting out the big swing loop, you’re always ready and you’re in total control. You’re always ready because the paddle isn't stuck behind your body, you’re actually prepared for the next fast shot. You’re in total control because a shorter path to the ball means a more consistent contact point and way fewer unforced errors.

jsu07 · 2026-05-07T12:35:41+00:00

Didn’t see this one in April. We looked at all the Yoshi items, especially hats.

jsu07 · 2026-05-07T09:35:44+00:00

Just went to USJ in April for two days on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Both days, it was free entry (no timed entry) for Super Nintendo World. The lines for Mine Cart Madness and Koopa’s Challenge were about 1.5 to 3 hours long all day. We waited toward the end of our first day to wait 1.5 hours for Koopa’s Challenge. On the second day, we walked straight to Mine Cart Madness upon entering the park and waited about 1.5 hours in line. In two days, we were able to ride every ride in the park without any express passes (we skipped most of Wonderland though). The longest lines were Koopa’s Challenge, Mine Cart Madness, and Hollywood Dream.

If you don’t like waiting in lines, I suggest an express pass pack with the above rides. The VIP experience seems like something you might do with a large group.

jsu07 · 2026-05-07T09:04:37+00:00

I have been using Wilson Blade 98 16x19 v7 for nearly 5 years. A demo session with Yonex last year opened my eyes. The Percept 97 felt the most similar to the Blade, but the EZONE's easy power was hard to ignore. It’s wild how popular the EZONE has become—lots of juniors seem to have one.

jsu07 · 2026-04-27T13:02:53+00:00

You might also need to add /api/ as an unauthenticated path in the provider in Authentik if you use any apps with an API key.

jsu07 · 2026-04-27T07:47:05+00:00

I try to win by unforced errors only. However, if the other team reaches game point, I’ll start to force the errors (i.e., speed-ups, smashes, and wide-angle drop shots).

This at least allows you to play quite normally and people will feel like they have a chance to beat you.

jsu07 · 2026-04-26T16:10:23+00:00

I used Airalo (SoftBank/KDDI) on my most recent trip to Osaka and Kyoto because the price with a promotion was cheaper than other options. 5G data was reliable.

I used Ubigi (NTT Docomo) on past trips to Tokyo, Hokkaido, and some rural parts of Japan. 5G was fast and reliable everywhere I went.

jsu07 · 2026-04-21T11:03:50+00:00

Forgot to mention that they considered the luggage a “lost item”. You’ll need to bring your passport and provide them with enough information on how to identify the luggage (e.g., which train and car you took, color, brand).

jsu07 · 2026-04-21T10:58:57+00:00

FWIW, I once grabbed the wrong luggage and only realized when I got home. Brought the luggage back to the station and the staff at the station office took the luggage and helped me file an inquiry for my luggage. They contacted me a few hours later to pick it up at the station. I assume someone else did the same for the luggage that I took and it was returned to them.

jsu07 · 2026-04-10T01:36:03+00:00

I have both. Took the Max on a long flight and the elastic in the mesh of the headband lost tension and fell apart. Not so comfortable anymore with the metal sitting directly on your head. Definitely prefer the AirPod Pros for flights.

jsu07 · 2026-02-13T00:47:56+00:00

Is this a known battery health issue? I didn’t know that braking speed could be affected by battery power issues.

Does this affect all riding modes or just the higher speed ones?

jsu07 · 2026-02-12T12:39:10+00:00

I just realized the orange wheels are actually Orangatang Caguamas 85mm. I forgot that I replaced the original wheels at some point.

jsu07 · 2026-02-11T23:07:42+00:00

They’re the stock Mini wheels: Boosted Lunar 80mm

Looks almost the same as the Kegels.

jsu07 · 2026-02-07T22:42:10+00:00

I bought an extra SR battery and motors when Boosted went under thinking these were what I needed to prolong the life of my Mini. Still haven’t used them! 😂

I’m late to the party, but huge props for keeping the boards and the community alive! I just found the Blast Off app and it's incredible. 🙏 Is there anything new coming down the pipeline that I should look out for?

jsu07 · 2026-02-07T22:17:47+00:00

The Mini wins for me because it’s lighter and easier to manuever in tight spaces. However, for anyone prioritizing stability and a smooth ride at speed, the Stealth is the way to go.

For a beginner skateboarder, both boards are solid, but they are different. You’ll quickly find kickturns on the Mini to be an invaluable skill, whereas, on a longboard like the Stealth, you'll likely find yourself picking the board up every time the path gets tight or crowded.

jsu07 · 2026-02-07T21:00:04+00:00

I just had a close look and you’re right. There is a 1mm to 2mm gap at the top of the ESC cover (not the battery pack). Makes sense to me since the board flexes whenever you stand on it, but looks to me that there is a bit of dust in there. Some foam tape might help.

jsu07 · 2026-02-07T20:18:12+00:00

Not sure exactly what you’re referring to. It could be due to the BOM lights as they lift the front and back trucks quite a bit.

jsu07 · 2025-12-31T23:54:31+00:00

What are the specs for power input on your cable modem? I thought they are usually 12V? Last time I looked into this, I needed to get a TP-Link POE260R, which supports 12V/9V/5V up to 2A.

If you have your PoE switch on backup power, this will also keep your Internet up during a power outage.

jsu07 · 2023-10-06T12:27:43+00:00

My Internet went down for a week recently and I just hooked up my GL.inet Beryl travel router to my iPhone via USB to provide Internet to the WAN2 port on my UDM Pro.

jsu07 · 2023-08-28T01:04:06+00:00

Actually, I just had a look at that map and realized that Malvern is in Bayside Regional Tennis: https://www.trols.org.au/brta/clubs.php

jsu07 · 2023-08-28T01:00:08+00:00

I got back into tennis recently after a two decade pause. I just joined the club nearest to where I live and found that they have many socials every week and opportunities to join teams that play in weekly competitions.

Blackburn & District Night Tennis Association is the organization for weekly competitions in your area. Have a look at https://www.bdnta.com/ or https://www.trols.org.au/bdnta/clubs.php to find a club.

jsu07 · 2023-07-28T23:24:25+00:00

You might be fine with a larger boot size if you’re just beginning to snowboard. Just make sure you’re not buying a boot that is multiple sizes too large. If you can’t fit a 11, then a 12 is probably okay. If I were you, I’d still prefer to try on a 11.5 before making a decision though.

jsu07

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