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Couple of questions about the Land of the Rising Suñ!


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Hi guys, just wondering if anyone helpful souls could help out with some doubts I have regarding Japan, in particular Tokyo.

1. Is there any chance I will get to see some real snow during the period of TAS 05?? I'm going Beijing right after the TAS but my sis told me there wont be any snow in Jan for Beijing so I'm pinning my hopes on Tokyo!!

2. If there isnt gonna be snow fiesta in Jan for Tokyo, where would be the nearest place to see in Japan during that period apart from Mt Fuji??

3. My friend who is currently in the Singapore Army as an officer is finishing his contract in about 1.8years time. He holds a Mechanical Degree from the local Uni in Singapore. He is thinking of settling down in Japan after a previous visit there, but he doesnt want to teach. Would it be hard for a foreigner to set up an auto retail shop in Japan? Anyone any idea what would be the general guidelines for this?

4. Is it very expensive to book a taxi for a 5 hour period as I'm thinking of visiting a few workshops and garages during my stay in Tokyo for the TAS 05. Since most of the famous ones are outside of Japan or somehow along the perimeter, I guess a taxi would solve the travelling problem. The shops I'm visiting tentatively stay at:

- Mugen

- Toda

- Jun

- HKS

- Autobacs

- Cusco

- ZERO1000

- Apexi

Actually I'm not even sure the address for most places as its in Jap language and I could only recognised some chinese letterings. And I think there are too many places to visit within a day!

*Pardon me if my ignorance irate anyone for the questions I asked. Coz this trip to Japan is a first for me :Oops:

Anyways, hope to see some posts soon. And thanks so much for the help.

Cheers,

Ben

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Im afraid I cant help you with much. But the taxi idea would cost about the same as actually buying a decent used car out there haha. A rental would be a better idea if you have a licence.

As for visiting JUN, I reccomend the Auto mechanic section in Irushima. It was great, a steady flow of amazing cars, and they seemed to welcome me as a brit/white.

Since most of the famous ones are outside of Japan or somehow along the perimeter, I guess a taxi would solve the travelling problem.

Think you'll need more than a taxi mate...a plane and maybe a boat would would be better suited! :):( :(

Seriously though, it would cost mucho yen to get a taxi to drive you around to all those places. A rental car, a cheap scooter/helmet or blagging rides from the tokyo based members might be your best bet :)

Hows it goin Ben,

You probably wont see much good snow in Tokyo, but if you go to the northern island of Hokkaido to Sapporo youll definitely see the best snow youll ever see. Been to Sapporo heaps as half my family lives there. Its a little out of the way from Tokyo though. If you want to travel aroud Japan use the Shinkansen (bullet train) it will be the quickest and cheapest. Have fun

1) Tokyo generally doesn't get much snow. Usually it'll snow over night and melt by the early afternoon. The good news is that the earliest that I can recall snow is mid-December and the latest is about mid-March. So it is quite possible that you may see some.

2) Head to the North or to the West. Using the train would be the best idea, but once again, that depends on the snow . . . . .

3) Dunno. Japan LOVES red tape though, so he's probably going to have to jump through quite a number of hoops to get things started.

4) If you want to do that, I would suggest mortgaging your house and selling your wife and kids into slavery before coming here. Japanese taxi's are probably among the most expensive in the world.

3. The general guidelines for setting up a business in Japan is that you have to employ 3 Japanese nationals and have a certain amount of capital at your disposal (I think it varies on the type of business). If I remember correctly those rules are just for registering your business name! I would only set up a business if you were going to stay here for life... it's just too much trouble otherwise, for something that might fail. Dave might know a little more about this.

edit*: IG beat me to it...

Im afraid I cant help you with much. But the taxi idea would cost about the same as actually buying a decent used car out there haha. A rental would be a better idea if you have a licence.

As for visiting JUN, I reccomend the Auto mechanic section in Irushima. It was great, a steady flow of amazing cars, and they seemed to welcome me as a brit/white.

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WoW, didnt know that its so expensive!!! Damm, I think I should go Japan and be a taxi driver instead!! heeh

JUN, was it like more of a garage or a retail type of place?? Ermm ... is there a difference between white and yellow or black for that matter!? lol ...

Think you'll need more than a taxi mate...a plane and maybe a boat would would be better suited! :):( :(

Seriously though, it would cost mucho yen to get a taxi to drive you around to all those places. A rental car, a cheap scooter/helmet or blagging rides from the tokyo based members might be your best bet :)

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I thought about renting a car but the thing is I cant even read Jap road signs! Would imagine instead of getting from point A to point B in a pattern of wavy zig zag routes, I ended up in point Z where there's nothing but a series of cross roads!! hahaha ...

There will be three persons which include me, gf and friend or just me and gf, scooter is prolly outta the question. Since my gf wouldnt dare sit on one. Though I would love to rent a R1 or a Haya there :)

Blagging/flagging rides from fellow forums users sounds way too good, but its like imposing on them and causing inconvenience to others. Besides, I track a couple of threads and I'm worried the garages or workshops that they have in mind does not coincide with the ones I wish to visit.

Hows it goin Ben,

You probably wont see much good snow in Tokyo, but if you go to the northern island of Hokkaido to Sapporo youll definitely see the best snow youll ever see. Been to Sapporo heaps as half my family lives there. Its a little out of the way from Tokyo though. If you want to travel aroud Japan use the Shinkansen (bullet train) it will be the quickest and cheapest. Have fun

Hi Michael, thanks for the reply. My schedule is too tight, cant afford another day going up north.

- 13th Tokyo reach in the afternoon. Reach hotel around evening. Dinner and venture around Shinjuku area

- 14th Workshop/garage visit, evening shopping

- 15th TAS, evening shopping

- 16th Disney

- 17th last min walk around, flight out to Beijing

- 18th BJ

- 19th Beijing to Guangzhou interstate

- 20th Guangzhou to Hong Kong

- blah blah blah.

By the time I reach back to Singapore, its end of the month man! heeh

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Sapporo!! nice =p *never been there or anywhere near it though*

1)  Tokyo generally doesn't get much snow.  Usually it'll snow over night and melt by the early afternoon.  The good news is that the earliest that I can recall snow is mid-December and the latest is about mid-March.  So it is quite possible that you may see some.

WoW, I think I need to camp out outside the hotel to see some whitish snow in action!!! heeh

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2)  Head to the North or to the West.  Using the train would be the best idea, but once again, that depends on the snow . . . . .

Maybe next trip, cant afford the time. sadly.

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3)  Dunno.  Japan LOVES red tape though, so he's probably going to have to jump through quite a number of hoops to get things started.

Bureacracy and sorts? I guess he's better being a teacher than. Much easier to be there.

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4)  If you want to do that, I would suggest mortgaging your house and selling your wife and kids into slavery before coming here.  Japanese taxi's are probably among the most expensive in the world.

Luckily I dont have a house, no wife nor kids! I think I go apply for a taxi permit to drive in Tokyo, that way, needless to buy any car! Earn heaps too! heeh

3. The general guidelines for setting up a business in Japan is that you have to employ 3 Japanese nationals and have a certain amount of capital at your disposal (I think it varies on the type of business). If I remember correctly those rules are just for registering your business name! I would only set up a business if you were going to stay here for life... it's just too much trouble otherwise, for something that might fail. Dave might know a little more about this.

 

edit*: IG beat me to it...

Oh ... its some sort like a reversal for Aust. You need to have a X number of local employees before you can outsource staff from over countries ...

BTW, since there are quite a number of forum users in Japan, why not set up a retail shop that do with auto parts?

And, I guess getting a PR after being employed there for a couple of years is also outside the possible ... ?

Anyways, thanks for the info guys!!! Appreciate it greatly!!

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Any forum users from Japan would like me to bring any stuff from Perth or Singapore, let me know. Please, small packages only as I'm lugging a couple of bags due to the cold weather in China.

Rezz, anything from your family in Perth?

Cheers

Hi Michael, thanks for the reply. My schedule is too tight, cant afford another day going up north.

- 13th Tokyo reach in the afternoon. Reach hotel around evening. Dinner and venture around Shinjuku area

- 14th Workshop/garage visit, evening shopping

- 15th TAS, evening shopping

- 16th Disney  

- 17th last min walk around, flight out to Beijing

- 18th BJ

- 19th Beijing to Guangzhou interstate

- 20th Guangzhou to Hong Kong

- blah blah blah.  

By the time I reach back to Singapore, its end of the month man! heeh

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Sapporo!! nice =p *never been there or anywhere near it though*

Sounds like your gonna have a pretty good time....lucky bastard. Looking to go to Sapporo at the end next year to see some mates and relos, have you been to Japan before? If you're in Tokyo check out Akihabara for all your electrical needs this part of the city will blow your mind. :Bang:

Sounds like your gonna have a pretty good time....lucky bastard. Looking to go to Sapporo at the end next year to see some mates and relos, have you been to Japan before? If you're in Tokyo check out Akihabara  for all your electrical needs this part of the city will blow your mind. :Bang:

heehee ... more shopping places are more than welcomed!!! I'm looking to find those quirky stuff to see or experience or buy that normally cant be seen in our everyday life. Maybe its my misconception but I guess Japan to me is a land of wonders where all those funny things and trend setters originate from!

Damm ... going to Sapporo!! I wish I had relatives in Japan :)

Rezz, anything from your family in Perth?

Cheers

Thats nice! Thanks for the offer mate but it might take a little while for me to get in contact with my family... I'll et you know. Cheers :)

A few comments

Car rentals are very cheap in japan as long as you go through the right sources. In partcular look for the mazda weekend deals on tocoo, as an example on my next trip we're getting an mx5 for 3 days for ~150 aus total. On our last trip we hired a van (go the El Grande!) and car hire/fuel/insurance etc was less than $50 each for the two days. For most of the cars you can specify sat nav, yes, it's in japanese but it's not hard to figure out so if you have some maps in english (easy top get before you go) and half a clue you can match the sat nav telling you where you are to where you want to go and get there easily. We've never had a problem getting around. That said, I prepare before my trips, a bit of effort before you head to japan makes the trip a million times easier

For the places you mentioned

- Mugen - haven't been there, can't comment

- Toda - worth a visit and only about 800kms from tokyo :(

- Jun - well worth a vist, pretty easy on public transport and a lot to see

- HKS - the saitama workshop is pretty close

- Autobacs - waste of time IMO (though in tokyo the shinonome store has a great bookshop upstairs)

- Cusco - about an hour on a bullet north of tokyo, hire a car and go from there to haruna and akagi which are very close :)

- ZERO1000 - dunno them

- Apexi - not really a place you can "visit"

There are a stack of places in around tokyo so it's a case of picking a group which are in the same sorta area (you've only got a day). To give you an example of the workshops which are in the area

Nismo omori

top secret (close to an autobacs and crystal)

central 20

impul

garage saurus

e-sr

tomei

re amemiya

spoon

yashio factory

pan speed

visit top secret the day you go out to auto salon, do some shopping in pallette town in daiba and you can visit the historic garage/museum while the gf shops, likewise with nissan gallery in ginza, if you tell me which workshops you'd _really_ like to see I could probably send you a map with directions

BTW, since there are quite a number of forum users in Japan, why not set up a retail shop that do with auto parts?  

I believe my business partners and I are already doing so :).

Setting up a business is not difficult due to the revision of the 1yen company. However after 3 years you have to pay the true registration cost...which is frightening expensive but if you look at it over a course of 3 years it's not so bad and you should be making money before then else I'd fold up quick smart and leave the country :lol: I'd also look into company tax as well. A Limited company intial startup is expensive that's all.

Regarding visiting the shops, is it necessary...because if your only after parts your better off ordering them instead of running around. Come to Japan to visit, not running around and finally find you actually saw Jack instead of Jill...when someone asks you how was Japan?

And, I guess getting a PR after being employed there for a couple of years is also outside the possible ... ?

PR huh...try 10years before you can apply PR.

WoW, didnt know that its so expensive!!! Damm, I think I should go Japan and be a taxi driver instead!! heeh

JUN, was it like more of a garage or a retail type of place?? Ermm ... is there a difference between white and yellow or black for that matter!? lol ...

JUN auto mechanic is mainly a garage set-up yes, with a fairly small shop. But well worth a visit, I dare say they would show you around the workshops anyway, as its all fairly open and visable from the street. And as mentioned, it is easy to access by public transport.

I agree...travelling by trains is far better easier and less hassle, but some prefer cars. Just don't complain about the traffic.

When on holidays, take it easy...rushing is just shit and not a holiday. Some mates have done the whole of Japan or rather all the major cities from Hokkaido to Kyushu...in a 14 day rail pass. Big time culture shock!

Only after processing the photos and taking the time to look back through them, did anything make sense. When your in Japan for the first time there is so much to absorb, it's worth the time to think, understand and enjoy! Else you leave and think having been to Japan once you know it all...thus projecting misconception!

Then coming on here and spout out in the Japan section, which is the reason why none of us J-guys no give a f**k no more because there are so many so call Japan experts now!

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