I want to plan a trip to Japan
Me and some friends of mine are really big fans of Japnesse culture, and we want to plan a two week long trip. We do want to go somewhere that is close to a lot of stuff to do, we need a nice hotel and want one with a pool to swim in. We want to know about any good restraunts that are around and where we can excahnge moeny.
Answers ( 2 )
I'm going to disagree with Megan on Roppongi. I go to Japan several times a year and, as an otaku, Roppongi is expensive and boring.
Akihabara is the center of otaku stores and life in Tokyo, I tend to stay in Ikebukuro, home of otome road and Boy's Love fandom (I'm not a BL fan, I just really like Ikebukuro. ^_^) Here's my one super-otaku tip: Keep your eye out on Anime News Network or Sora24 and plan the trip to coincide with an event that hits you where you live - like a themed cafe or a comic market (but not Comiket, until you know where you are going and what your are doing. It's overwhelming.)
If you stay anywhere in Tokyo, as long as you're near a train or subway station, you can get anywhere. If you plan on going out of town, the Japan Rail Pass is worth the cost, if you're staying in Tokyo area, look for a subway pass or, just get a Suica card at the station.
Yes, you can exhcnage money at the airport, or get your bank to buy some for you before you go. If you're making purchases at Animate and the big manga/anime stores, they ought to be able to take your credit card (check with your credit card company to see if they let you use it overseas and if there is a fee for exchange. Get one that doesn't charge you to use it overseas.) But have cash for small stores, food and casual purchases. I tend to budget $100/day for food, souvenirs and the metric amounts of manga and good I buy on shopping days. You can get by on much, much less.
Convience stores are a joy and a blessing. You'll be jet lagged and hungry at 2AM...and there's a Family Mart or 7-11 open and you can get food and Pocari Sweat.
Look up the Limousine bus when you book a hotel - you get it at the airport and it dumps you at your hotel for the same cost as the express train, but you won't have to navigate trains when you're jet lagged.
I can give you a lot of otaku-specifi advice, but so can a billion folks online. I recommend Tokyo Stroll by Gille Poitras. It's coming out in November 2021 and Gilles is a good friend of mine. He's all about just falling in love with the city.
Right now Japan isn't letting tourists in from the US, so take your time, and plan the trip of a lifetime! I love it in Tokyo and hope you do too.
My husband and I spent our 10 year anniversary in Tokyo and had an amazing trip (right before COVID thankfully!)
We stayed in the Grand Hyatt in the Roppongi neighborhood of Tokyo. It has an indoor pool, sauna, and fitness studio. In addition, it's within walking distance from a lot of shops, restaurants, and bars. Some are tourist traps, but most of them have locals and are reasonably priced. Roppongi also has excellent train service, we were able to hop over to Asakusa, Shibuya, and Ginza very easily.
You can exchange money right in the airports. There is usually a kiosk before security.