Visiting Japan

[johnconnor777Participant 85]

Hello guys,

I saw a few of you, at leat Doc Fenderson for sure, have been in Japan and know the country pretty well. Anyway, making the story short, I could use some fellow advice on places to do and visit. I’d like to go either on May or June (2 weeks) and I would really like to focus on Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto, most of the stuff on places to visit is on traveladvisor, where I could really use a hand is on how to move around, perhaps using public transport within the city and using the trains to move from city to city? is there something like a train pass to move from city to City? Lastly, best places to go out, weirdest places to go and also where to pick up a woman and having fun. Any general advice on what to avoid would be great to.
Thanks in Advance

[StargazerParticipant 12505]

Hi john,

You’re going to have a great time in Japan. Dry fish women notwithstanding, Japanese people are friendly and the women there love American guys. Plus their 35 year olds are hotter than most of our 25 year olds.

Definitely stay in Tokyo. I recommend Shibuya or Shinjuku… I have been very happy with the services of Tokyu Stay (spelling is correct, Tokyu is a company name) for low cost and comfortable single rooms. If you have a bit more money to spend, I highly recommend the Shibuya Granbell Hotel. Their top floor suites are off the hook.

Go to Hiroshima if you want to visit the site of the atomic bombing but otherwise don’t bother. Kyoto is lovely for traditional castles and temples (Kiyomizu is the best one) but boring for nightlife. Osaka is the place to go if you want to see the weird and colorful side of Japan… if Tokyo is their New York, then Osaka is their Los Angeles. Most of their actors and musicians come from there and the city is lively and colorful.

But Tokyo really has everything you need. Shibuya for young people and nightlife, Ebisu for slightly more mature nightlife (Bar Tram is my favorite), Harajuku for teenage fashion, costumers and underground shops, Shinjuku for shopping, restaurants and anything else you might need.

To get around, all you need is a Japan Rail pass. You can pre-buy these online and they’re good for the local trains as well as inter-city trips to all the places I just mentioned (not sure about Hiroshima but I’ve been everyone else with one) so look into that. You’ll probably never need to take a taxi or bus so don’t worry about them.

Transit from Narita airport to downtown Tokyo is easy by the NEX train which I think is included in the JR pass but I’m not 100% sure. If it’s not, it’s still the best way to get into and back out of the city. Surface trains go everywhere you want to go and if you can’t walk to it within 10 minutes from a train station, it’s not worth going to.

If you’re looking to hook up with a local girl, here are my best spots in order:

1) Starbucks. Yes, you can totally hook up in a Starbucks… Just sit next to a girl studying an English language book and you are IN!
2) “Shot Bars”. Don’t go to the ones where you have to stand, too many foreigners. Go to the ones where office people go after work, the ones named after beer brands. That’s where girls go with their friendzoned guys who they will absolutely ditch to talk with you.
3) Shrines and temples. I got picked up by a 17 year old girl at Kaminarimon… locals know that foreigners go to these sightseeing locations and they will hunt for you there. Just wear a cool and comment worthy t-shirt and sit on a wall for a half hour like you’ve got nothing better to do.
4) Trains and train stations. People are looking for things to do after work and you can meet girls on the train or in the station (and the nearby shops and food places) who are done with work but don’t want to go home yet. Just don’t approach them aggressively, maybe ask them to help you figure out the money or for directions to Ebisu… make a sign like you’re going for a drink and suggest they go with you. Pantomime is very effective here.

Wherever you go, do not hesitate to talk to people… shop keepers, bar tenders, other patrons… they will almost universally engage with you if you start the conversation and you can get invited to do all kinds of cool things with them. Just note that even if a guy looks kind of feminine, that doesn’t meen he’s gay… just stay out of Shinjuku sanchome (District 3) because that’s where all the gay bars are (unless that’s what you’re looking for, in which case go get some!)

And by all means you must eat at Cocoichiban and MOSburger. Fan f~~~ing tactic fast food curry rice and hamburgers, respectively. Also there are no local coffee shops worth a s~~~ so stick to the Starbucks. There’s several in Shibuya and Shinjuku with fantastic people watching opportunities.

If you need anything more, let me know. Always glad to help a fellow discover this great city.

Oh, and one more thing, don’t bother with Roppongi. That’s the part of town where all the douchebag foreigners and gold digging local girls go and it’s a total waste. If anyone says the word “Roppongi” to you, just make a face like they farted and wave your hand in front of your face like you’re blowing away the smell and they’ll get the idea. Going to Roppongi marks you as a loser with the real locals.

And don’t bother with night clubs or discos unless you really want to see a particular band or DJ. People go to these places with big groups of friends and you’ve got little chance to break into a group like that in a dark, loud place. You’re better off drinking at a street side bamboo shack (called a yattai) as you’re sure to meet someone there who lives very close by and is willing to spend an hour or two talking and drinking with you.

[johnconnor777Participant 85]

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!

This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I always been a sucker for the Japanese culture, their history, and all the weird s~~~ they have (for us westeners). I’ll let you know how it goes, I have done a lot of traveling in my time, I grew up in Europe been all over North and South America, but I only been in Asia once (Indonesia), and never in Japan.

It sounds like if you were to approach a woman over there, in a respectful way of course, they are more likely to respond positive to you, and at least try to engage in some conversation, despite of language barriers, than in North America. Somehow I always thought people there would be very very shy and it would be very hard to talk/approach anyone… but what you are saying is proving me wrong.

Here in the good USA, women usually have a level-3 bitch shield on and their initial impression is to think that you are a predator, because you have a penis, unless proven otherwise. I have found the “approachability” to be much higher in Latin America or Europe, especially southern and eastern Europe.

And totally agree with what you said about 35+ year old women, in most countries, women fall within a Bell Curve, having a lot of them on the 4-7’s and a few on the upper or lower bands. In America the Bell Curve would look a lot different with a lot of 1-3’s overweight rough looking women, very few top of the shelf 9-10s,  and some normal half way decents 4-7’s.

How about overal safety? I mean, chances to get mugged, robbed, assaulted… I’d guess Japan overal is pretty safe, right?

If you are ever in Dallas, let me know, I am buying a couple rounds

[johnconnor777Participant 85]

Oh and last thing, I was planning to use airbnb for Tokyo, for the other cities I have some hotels miles from marriott so I will try to squeeze a couple of “free” nights with the points.

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Tokyo–Japan?checkin=05%2F03%2F2015&checkout=05%2F09%2F2015&source=bb&ss_id=cghqzbo2

[StargazerParticipant 12505]

Sounds like a good plan you’ve got there. And although I focused more on the local fauna than anything else, there is some excellent shopping, sightseeing and definitely food to be had throughout Japan.

As far as safety is concerned, I wouldn’t leave my wallet on a table or my bag unattended there, but then I wouldn’t do that anywhere. Otherwise, you should be okay so long as you act like a decent human being and don’t go around like you own the place and its your right to p~~~ people off.

They are shy but they are also masters of subtlety… if you are quiet and observant you will see clear indications of interest and desire to engage with you and then you make some opportunity for conversation to happen and it will. Of course the inverse is true as well, if you come on to someone too strong or start to make a scene somewhere, they will completely shut you down… freezing someone out of the social fabric is a very powerful corrective pressure there and they are very good at it. Again, it doesn’t work on us, though, if we’re not perceptive and caring to be a part of things the way they are raised to be.

The only other thing I might add is be careful if you’re a drinker. It’s extremely easy to go out, miss the last train home and wind up staying up all night drinking. Mind the time of the last train if you’re out in a part of town that’s not walking distance from your hotel.

[KeymasterKeymaster]

Japan is fantastic and I would move there in 2 f~~~ing seconds. No bulls~~~. Have been 8 times, myself.

I could eat Japanese food everyday, but aside from the reactor problems they had 2 years ago, and the cultural meltdown of becoming a sexless society, Japan is lightyears ahead in the way they run s~~~ over there. It’s so efficient.

The BIGGEST mind blowing thing is the sense of humility it will give you. Standing at the Ginza dwarfed by ALL the massive mobs of people. It’s a place in the world that makes you feel so tiny in the grand scheme of things. Not even New York had that effect on me. And I am taller than EVERYONE there! Walking down the street you see hundreds of black haired heads in ever direction and I can see over all of them, but I felt as tiny as an ant.

I stayed at the Penninsula and remember the spectacular view. Would go again in a heartbeat.

The way they embrace americans (and the american culture) is a trip, and the Japanse have a solid understanding of something known as “manners”. The hotel was next to SONY headquarters (just around the corner) in 1991. I dropped and broke my video camera and they treated me like a celebrity…. and gave me a brand new one.

THEY GAVE ME A BRAND NEW ONE.

I will never forget what the guy said: “We are happy to help you. But please… next time… SONY”.

Meaning…. “remember the name and how we treated you”.

I thought that was fantastic. They went above and beyond to please.

Doc Fenderson gave you plenty so that’s my bit, and have fun! You’re gonna LOVE it there. Give us a full report when you come back.

If you keep doing what you've always done... you're gonna keep getting what you always got.

[Governor Megachris%Participant 3584]

There’s a definite reason my best friend wants me to move to Japan with him and leave the ‘States.  He tells me the culture, the food, the video games, and even the women are far better than than anywhere else he’s ever been (he was stationed there for a couple of years while he was in the Air Force).  A huge part of me is highly tempted to start a new life there at some point in time.

[RoyDalParticipant]

I can’t blame your friend — although I like the vast variety of Chinese cuisine better. I’d say go for it!

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[KeymasterKeymaster]

Im partial to South American women myself. Rio and (even more) Buenos Aires, specifically.

Just being a tall white western / North American man traveling on his own (or walking down the boardwalk) and I was eye-f~~~ed a dozen times per hour like a member of a boy band. In America, you won’t get a second look but it was unbelievably obvious. I remember a pair of friends / twins / sisters who couldn’t have been older than 17. Maybe even 15. They made a point of walking past TWICE while I was waiting for a friend in a shopping center.

This was the look in their eyes:

When a woman in America likes the look of you, she behaves like she hates your f~~~ing guts.

Yeah OK so they were probably whores (and saw me as a wallet or a way to get another passport) but what woman isn’t?

If you keep doing what you've always done... you're gonna keep getting what you always got.

[RoyDalParticipant]

I’ve had the same experience. Those South American women do like to flirt.

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[Governor Megachris%Participant 3584]

The only women in the ‘States that I’ve ever had a positive experience with was Italian women, whom I happen to find among my favorites in the physical attraction category.  The Italian and Russian women I knew wanted to serve the man however to make them happy.  Making the man happy would make them happy.  They loved cooking, cleaning, and giving the man what he wants when he wants it, as well as letting the man do what he wants when he wants to.  I only know one woman like that today out of the very, very few women I can count on one hand that I keep in contact with anymore.

[MENGINEERParticipant 583]

Try to get your JR rail pass at before you leave to Japan @JTB or a reputable Japanese travel business. you will get a tourist discount since locals pay a lot more to use the system than a visitor would. their trains are unbelievably prompt. Literally on the dot time arrival.

Shibuya or Shinjuku are great spots to stay. Golden Gai has great spots to eat and meet people. Ginza is nice if you have money to spend. Try and check out tsujiki fish market to see their world famous fish auction/sushi breakfast.

Check out the atomic museums either in Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Breathtaking to say the least.

Tokyo has good clubs just watch out for clubs with Nigerian solicitors in front trying to get you in. Those are ripoffs. Try club eleven or womb. Amazing sound systems in there. Also some good jazz/vinyl shops as well.

Personally would like to go back and buy video games and soapy massages!

[johnconnor777Participant 85]

Thank you all! this is better stuff than lonelyplanet and tripadvisor

[Author]

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