Couple of questions about the Land of the Rising Suñ!

[Demon Dave]

tell me about is...kinda takes the pi55 after a while. At one of the kindergarten's I teach out, the graduation speeches include:

the principal

the vice principal

all the admin/office staff

all the present teachers

any (and all) of the teachers who taught the kids during the three years they attended the kindergarten (even if those teachers subsequently left the kindergarten)

all the PTA people (and there are many)

the bus drivers

the lunch time supervisors

and then us English teachers...

it seems as though everyone has to have their five minutes...

and then....one by one, each child takes to the stage, introduces themselves and makes a short speech too. Wouldn't be so bad if there were only a few kids in the class, but 90 odd kids making speeches!!!!!!!!!!!!!

needless to say the hardest thing about attending these grad ceremonies is actually staying awake!

And all that for 6 year olds leaving kindergarten!!!!

[Rezz]

They stay in kindergarden for 3 years???

Mate if I was 6 years old just having come out of Japans version of a Munchkin boot camp, I'd wanna make a speech for sure... and I'd wanna have all those wierd looking genki drink addicted gaijins hanging around until I said my bit too...

[xKx_31]

SUMO! SUMO! SUMO!

 And it is actually really cheap.  It just happens that the New Year Sumo tournament will be held from the 9th to the 23rd of January, exactly when you are here.  It is WELL worth day, especially considering there is so much other stuff close to the Sumo stadium.

 There are 10-12 of these tournaments held each year around the country, but only two are held in Ryogoku (VERY close to the centre of Tokyo).  It is also right next to the Edo Museum (very impressive) and is just 4 minutes by train from Akihabara (Electronics heaven, and worth a visit in itself)

 Non-reserved tickets cost around 2300yen per person at the gate, and you can re-enter once.  This allows you to go in in the morning and have a look, leave and do some other stuff, and come back when the GOOD matches start from about 15:30 onwards

 Here are some links:

Sumo

http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/

Edo Museum

http://www.tokyoessentials.com/edo-tokyo%20museum.html

Akihabara

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/RTG/RI/kanto/tok.../akihabara.html

IG

PS  The Sumo is awesome.  All the other first timers I take there love it.

PPS  You'll be bored out of your tree if you see the Kabuki.

Cool ... And I though from the Lonely Planet Guide Book, the sumo shows cost a fortune!! At least now I can afford the Arena C tickets at 3,600 yen per pax ... One good incentive is at least those guys are huge in size, sit far also doesnt really matter!! hahaha

[xKx_31]

Capsule hotels are the way to go and they're generally around 4000-5000 yen per night.  They're safe, clean, cheap and a really good way to get around the country on the cheap.  Imagine a backpackers but sleeping in holes in the wall.

 A lot of backpackers use them.

IG

Hey, another good and cheap place I found which is a few stops away from Shinjuku is Tama Ryokan www.idiom.com/~turner/tamaryokan/shibuya at around 4,000 yen per pax. Sorta like an apartment style but shared bath ... Thats why I didnt book that place ... Last time I checked for the dates 13th till 19th ... its still available ...

[xKx_31]

kabuki is slower than paint drying.

I hear you can (in some places) get tickets for a single act - so you can pop in, see a bit, then leave - that would be my advice.  Unless you're the sort of person that thinks opera, or 4 hours of ballet, is a great night out - then it should be right up your alley

*LOL* Point noted .... Sorta like tying you to a chair and making you listen to Celine Dion singing that "My heart will go on" for 3 hours in a row!!!

Damm ...

[xKx_31]

hmmm ... not sure whats NOH though ....

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BTW guys, any plans for the TAS Sat? Actually I'm not sure whats going on or if there's really any plans after the show ... Can someone actually provide some exciting insights on what to do after the show?? If not, I might have to do some shopping plans after the show ...

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Oh yeah, ermmm ... this might sound lame but ermmm ... Whats the Disneyland in Tokyo like? Its included in my itinerary but I'm not sure where it is or whether can I purchase the tickets in advance ... All I know was its quite far away from the city ... Any feedback on this??

Thanks alot guys, really appreciate the replies ..

[DaiOni]

been to disneyland in america? - if yes, don't bother.

[omg]

Oh yeah, ermmm ... this might sound lame but ermmm ... Whats the Disneyland in Tokyo like? Its included in my itinerary but I'm not sure where it is or whether can I purchase the tickets in advance ... All I know was its quite far away from the city ... Any feedback on this??

Thanks alot guys, really appreciate the replies ..

I took my daughter there and that is the _only_ reason I went. I'm not trying to sound like an arsehole but if you're in japan only for a few days and one of those days is spent at disneyland you're nuts. There's so much else you can see and do which is uniquely japanese without wasting your time at a bit of transplanted american culture.

As for the details, it's not that far from the city, about 25 minutes on the train (iirc) from tokyo station (keiyo line) in maihama, in the same direction as tas but not as far. I'm sure you can buy tickets ahead of time but it's just as easy at the gate. Then again, maybe see if there's a deal or something which gives you transport and a ticket, dunno if there is but there might be.

[InspectorGadget]

Oh yeah, ermmm ... this might sound lame but ermmm ... Whats the Disneyland in Tokyo like? Its included in my itinerary but I'm not sure where it is or whether can I purchase the tickets in advance ... All I know was its quite far away from the city ... Any feedback on this??

Thanks alot guys, really appreciate the replies ..

The Japanese Disneyland is about 1/2 the size of the one in L.A with about 3 times the people. Forget it.

As OMG said, there are much better things to see and do in Tokyo than stopping at that place.

Tickets cost about 5-6000 yen per person, plus travelling expenses, plus incredibly expensive food . . . . . .

With regard to the Sumo, just go early (about 0900) and grab the unreserved tickets at 2100 yen per person. You get a really good view because there's no pillars inside the stadium. When the lower ranking guys are on in the morning, no-one minds you going and sitting in the ringsde seats until the seatholder shows up.

I mean, where else could you possibly have the experience of being flattened in the butt crack of a sweaty 300lb man wearing a nappie?

[Beer Baron]

SUMO! SUMO! SUMO!

...

 Here are some links:

Sumo

http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/

Edo Museum

http://www.tokyoessentials.com/edo-tokyo%20museum.html

Akihabara

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/RTG/RI/kanto/tok.../akihabara.html

IG

PS  The Sumo is awesome.  All the other first timers I take there love it.

PPS  You'll be bored out of your tree if you see the Kabuki.

Thanks for that Inspector. All very helpful.

Richard

[InspectorGadget]

needless to say the hardest thing about attending these grad ceremonies is actually staying awake!

Hence the reason that canned coffe is so popular in Japan. :coffee:

Thanks for that Inspector. All very helpful.

You're welcome mate. Nothing beats a bit of local knowledge from the J-tards on this thread. I think you're gonna have an awesome (but bloody busy) time here in Japland.

IG

[Beer Baron]

You're welcome mate.  Nothing beats a bit of local knowledge from the J-tards on this thread.  I think you're gonna have an awesome (but bloody busy) time here in Japland.

IG

Yeah local knowledge is king. No rush trip for me (I think you got me mixed up with the dude wanting to see Japan in 4 days). Got nearly 2 weeks there in Jan to see TAS and some other bits and pieces. I probably wont see a whole lot of Japan, but will make the most of the trip, that's for sure.

BTW love the new avatar!

Richard

[InspectorGadget]

Yeah, you're right. I'm getting you mixed up with xKx_31. (IG gratefully accepts the inaugural 2004 Dumbass of the Year Award). 2 weeks is a good amount of time to have a look around, especially if you have a JR Railpass.

IG

(PS Thanks for the comment about the avatar. :-D )

[Beer Baron]

Yeah,  you're right.  I'm getting you mixed up with xKx_31.  (IG  gratefully accepts the inaugural 2004 Dumbass of the Year Award).  2 weeks is a good amount of time to have a look around, especially if you have a JR Railpass.

IG

(PS  Thanks for the comment about the avatar.  :-D )

No worries, my 'thank you' post was kind of confusing.

I've bought a 4 day JR pass and Nick and I are looking into what other transport options we may have once there (hire car etc, 'bullet train' etc)

Can't wait. This time next month I'll be freezing my balls off in Tokyo and loving it!

[InspectorGadget]

No worries, my 'thank you' post was kind of confusing.

I've bought a 4 day JR pass and Nick and I are looking into what other transport options we may have once there (hire car etc, 'bullet train' etc)

Can't wait. This time next month I'll be freezing my balls off in Tokyo and loving it!

The rail pass gets you access to most of the bullet trains, so you're covered there.

If you do get a hire car, get one with a car navigation system. It only costs a little extra but it is well worth it as JAPAN DOESN'T HAVE STREET NAMES! It's very easy to get seriously lost in the small winding streets. Some of the car rental companies are stocking units that are bilingual.

IG

[Demon Dave]

and on many sat nav systems, you simply need to enter the telephone number/post/zip code of the place you wanna go, not the entire address...

[InspectorGadget]

and on many sat nav systems, you simply need to enter the telephone number/post/zip code of the place you wanna go, not the entire address...

As Demon Dave said, all the telephone numbers here are allocated geographically. If you plug in a telephone number to the place you want to go to, the system will usually give you directions down to the city block or closer. This is definately handy if you want to visit some of the more obscure tuners.

The same with the post codes, but slightly less acurate.

IG

[xKx_31]

Yeah local knowledge is king. No rush trip for me (I think you got me mixed up with the dude wanting to see Japan in 4 days). Got nearly 2 weeks there in Jan to see TAS and some other bits and pieces. I probably wont see a whole lot of Japan, but will make the most of the trip, that's for sure.

BTW love the new avatar!

Richard

I hope I didnt mention trying to cover the whole of Japan in 4 days ...

[xKx_31]

No worries, my 'thank you' post was kind of confusing.

I've bought a 4 day JR pass and Nick and I are looking into what other transport options we may have once there (hire car etc, 'bullet train' etc)

Can't wait. This time next month I'll be freezing my balls off in Tokyo and loving it!

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Try typing Club Tocoo in Google.

Not sure about parking but I think its expensive.

[Beer Baron]

The rail pass gets you access to most of the bullet trains, so you're covered there.  

 If you do get a hire car, get one with a car navigation system.  It only costs a little extra but it is well worth it as JAPAN DOESN'T HAVE STREET NAMES! It's very easy to get seriously lost in the small winding streets.  Some of the car rental companies are stocking units that are bilingual.

IG

That good news on the bullet trains. Thanks for the hire advice too. Definately will get one with bilingual sat nav (if we go the hire car route). My friend who was in Japan earlier this year did that and said it was worth every cent. Even though he was with another mate of mine who speaks very good japanese (his mum is jap).

Richard