File :-(, x, )
Crossing the Sea of Japan Anonymous
So, new board, nice. I've been living in South Korea for about 7 months now. Interesting experience for sure.

I've got a trip planned for Japan in May. Gonna hit Kyoto of course, but I need ideas for Tokyo. Ginza, Shibuya. I've bought some nice books. Bringing about 3000 USD for around 10 days. Airfare won't be anything from Korea.

Does anyone have suggestions on things to see that might not be well known? Resturants or places to stay? I can speak, lets say travelers Japanese, and I can read Hiragana.

So, any tips?

Pic related to Korea, Kimchi pots.
>> Anonymous
>Tokyo
>Kyoto

Oh shit, I just realized they're practically the same word! Those sneaky japanese!
>> Anonymous
>>6301

They're the same kanji, too, just reversed.
>> Anonymous
>>6302

Not they're not. You're an idiot.

Only one Kanji is the same.
>> Anonymous
I'd recommend spending 10 days in a particular region, rather than traveling all over the place. But its your trip, not mine. Since you're going to Kyoto, you should probably spend a night or two in Osaka. Its like a $10 round trip train ticket from Kyoto, and the nightlife is MUCH better.
>> Anonymous
Just drive a fucking car.
>> Anonymous
Just stay in Kansai for the most of it, travelling between Kyoto and Osaka, and then maybe 3 days in Tokyo. Don't miss Nara too. The deers are cute <3 10 days is a bit short, really, as you can easily spend a week just in Kyoto.

Oh, a tip about Nara - there are no trash bins!! None, not even by the vending machines. And forget about littering... they've got their eyes on you.

It'll take you a couple of hours to get to Tokyo from Osaka, I recommend doing it later in the day and just grab a bento on the train as dinner. Once you get to Tokyo, find your hotel, dump your bags and hit the bars!

P.S. If you go anywhere rural knowning the kanji for the place names really helps. There are usually Japanese+English sighs at stations but the English words are often in *tiny* font, whereas the kanji is huge! The trains only stop for a very short amount of time, so you've gotta be ready to get off the carriage the moment it pulls in the station - be sure you check the station name as fast as you can before you get off!
>> Anonymous
>>6265

Anyway, tell us about your experience of south Korea in exchange! I love kimchi.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
you rang?
>> Anonymous
>>6369
What do you want to know? Kimchi is alright, Seoul is the biggest city I've ever been in. I grew up in Iowa and moved around the states a bit but never lived in a city like Seoul. Most Koreans are friendly, but I've felt the sting of racial intolerance since I've been here. Something I've never experienced before. I can't believe they don't have soju all over the place in the states. Korea is also incredibly flexible and resilient. They've been invaded so many times by so many people but they still have a stong sense of identity and culture. Hangul was super easy to learn to read, I was so surprised. I don't speak any other languages besides a little Japanese but I was reading Hangul within a month. Not that you really need to, most shop signs and places are marked in English.
>> Anonymous
>>6373

Do you ever see chinese characters anywhere? Or is everything (even official names etc) in hangul?

I've like to go there for a two week holiday maybe this year or the next. Excluding airfare to Seoul, how much money should i put aside for hotel/inner-city transport? What's worth seeing around Seoul?
>> Anonymous
>>6968
Not 6373. Mostly everything is in hangul. Koreans don't use Chinese characters very often except for academic text books and things like that.

I would definitely recommend going. Everywhere in Seoul is awesome and you probably won't be able to see it all. There are 4 huge markets which are a must, Deoksugung Palace, 63 Building, the Seoul Museum of History, the World Cup Stadium, North Seoul Tower, and tons of other places, not to mention all the shopping centers. If you're into electronics DEFINITELY go to Yongsan. They have tons of electronics for cheap and tons of pirating devices (bought my R4 over there).

Cost wise it's hard to say. If you ride the bus and subway everywhere you should be able to get by on about 5000 won a day. Get a T-Money card as soon as you get there. It's a card you put money on, then hold up to a scanner on the buses and at the turnstiles in the subway. You can keep it in your wallet and just wave it by the scanner and it will take it. Lodging is a big harder. Hotels in Seoul are pretty expensive if you want to stay in the busy areas of town (over 100000 won a night) but if you go a bit out of downtown you should be able to find a small hotel for around 40000 a night. The rooms will be tiny though, because cheap hotels in Korea are used for quick sex by 20 somethings since most of them who aren't married still live at home.

Overall for food, I'd say $2000 USD (about 2000000 won) is enough to make you comfortable.