Going back to Japan

Well, I'll be back to the island next Sunday and I need some help with some things. I'll be in Tokyo (Akasaka) almost all the time, but some help for another cities is also welcomed :nod:

a) Vegetearian restaurants/ places to buy vegetarian things; I can't live 20 days eating only natto, rice, seaweeds, tofu and Kagome juices; I know two restaurants at Shibuya, but aren't enough.

b) Vinyl records shops, metal, post punk and "alternative" stuff.

c) Places or websites to check live concerts.

d) Passmo or Suica for Metro? I used 1000 yen cards, and they didn't last too much, so I prefer to use Passmo o Suica because I can recharge them when I want.

e) Anything you want to add, like cool unknown places to go ;-)

If I think another things, I'll add them later, thanks! :thumbsup:

 

You go to vegetarian restaurants but you go in Spain to Foster's Holywood? XDDD

 

Love to help but I couldn't tell you anything about anything you want to know:-(

Yakumo

 

A) I normally rent a apartment everytime I go to Japan as I then can cook and make what I want, failing that I book into an apartment hotel like
http://www.tokyustay.co.jp/e/

There are a number of Veggie places in Tokyo, although finding them can be fun. The Happycow website does list a lot of palces.
http://www.happycow.net/asia/japan/tokyo/index.html

b&c) Can't help you, but visit HMV in Shibuya and get the free rags there

d) You can get the Suica card at Narita airport from the JR terminal, just go the Sucia machine, press English, insert 3000 yen and get a card. However if you are making a lot of trips in one day it may be worth looking at the cards you can buy as it can work out cheaper. (Also remember to take the Skyliner from Narita to Nippori to get to Asakasa as it will be cheaper the the JR Narita Express).
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/attractions/practical/tonai_ticket.html

e)
Sony Building, Ginza.
http://www.sonybuilding.jp/e/index.html
Toyota Mega Web, Odaiba.
http://www.tokyoessentials.com/odaiba.html
Ghibli Museum, Mitaka (in Tokyo Prefecture)
http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/

 

Veggie friendly places:

Harajuku: Fujimamas
Shibuya: Sonoma, Viron (best bakery in the world)
Akasaka: Pita the Great (just a sandwhich shop, M-F, lunch and late lunch. He closes early, but is a great sandwhich).

Omotesandou Hills has a vegetarian restaurant. It's a bit nice. Definitely too nice to just pop in and eat.

You can get tons of salads and bentos at any convenient store (Natural Lawson are bar none the best).

 

Thank you very much! :thumbsup:

PD: Yakumo you can tell something about Shimonoseki, I have a Japan Rail Pass so I can travel to almost anywhere

 

Well, you've missed all the cool summer activities (Biggest fireworks show in Japan!) but there are quite a few historical places to see such as Joukamachi (Castle Town) in Chofu where I live. There you can see a few temples, famous samurai homes that even Einstein stay in at one point! There's also the art museum and the Japanese gardens. All of that is in Chofu. There's also the Aquarium (one of the main ones in Japan), the early morning fish market. Shimonoseki is the home of Fugu / Blow Fish. and err........ that's about it really. Of course there are other things to see and do but because I live here they seem normal to me. Anywaym the main part of the city for tourists is Chofu for sure. If you come here I can help you out since it's were I live.

Here's the cities English Wiki page - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimonoseki

and here's the official homepage in Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese - http://www2.city.shimonoseki.yamagu...Code=content&ContentID=1133769587651&SiteID=0

Yakumo

 

You forget Manga Souko. :lol:

 

that's in Shimosone which is 45 minutes drive from Shimonoseki or 1 and half hours by train but you'll have to change 3 times.

Yakumo

 

Wow... that's dedication. You go there often?

 

Thanks Yakumo!, I like samurai and temples stuff, and maybe my girlfriend wants to eat some Fugu XD

 

Well, I love driving (no automatic shit for me like most drivers here) so I quite enjoy a drive out there. I normally go twice a month. Leave the house at around 10pm and normally arrive at Manga Soko about 10:40 or so. It doesn't close until 12am. Night game shopping is just so relaxing :dance:

You're welcome. If you do come here let me know but don't expect me to each any fish dishes :noooo:

Yakumo

 

how did you managed now to get your permanent drivers licence?

 

I did the exact same tests that every Japanese must do. Of course the 2 written tests were in English but that made it worse because the English questions are all like 3 to 5 sentences long!

This is the bull shit I had to go through.

1. 50 question test with a pass rate of 45 or above. (30 minute time limit)

2. Driving test on a course

3. 100 question test with a pass rate of 95 but 5 of the questions are 3 part questions worth 3 points each however get 1 part of the question wrong but 2 part correct means you still loose 3 points! (50 minute time limit)

4. Driving on the street test on one of a possible 5 routes which you MUST learn because the shits won't tell you which way to go and you don't know what rout you'll take until you get in to the car.

After passing all of that you then need to take a first aid course! You can't fail that though since they basically tell you everything and show you what to do for the practical part. Finally you must drive on the motorway up to 70kmph. Do this and you've passed.

Then wait two weeks for the license. This total ordeal too me 6 weeks from start to finish last summer. The worst summer ever but at least I know have an official Japanese license.

It's amazing though. The Japanese test is much more tougher than the British test (Which I passed the 2nd time) yet Japanese drive like shit and most of them can't even drive a manual car! God only knows how bad they'd be if the test was the same as the British one. This isn't me just being a moaning sod either. EVERY western I know who drives in Japan say the Japanese drive like shit.

Yakumo

 

You and I are polar opposites. I absolutely loathe driving and being a slave to a car. Part of the reason I like living in the city.

I was going to get a motorcycle license once. I took the written part. It sucked so bad. The English was absolutely horrible. I recall one sentence had 4 negatives in it.

 

Yep, that's like mine. I had to work twice as hard as the Japanese mainly due to the piss poor English in the test, not to mention questions that looked 4 times longer!

I fucked my car up yesterday after an open day down at a race circuit. The clutch has gone :crying: The great news is that Subaru will replace it free of charge under their cover service! Fantastic service they have :nod: So I'll have to take it down there tomorrow which will be embarrassing with the noise it now makes. Still, at least it will only take them a day to fix it and in the mean time I get a curtsy car. Probably something turd though.

Yakumo

 

I gotta get back to Japan next year, the trip in March was somewhat ruined by the person I went with, and their insistence that we visit every bloody pub with an English name to see if the Rugby was on the TV there or go on the generic bus tours. Fair play though, I met a lovely barmaid in the Irish bar in Ebisu.... definitely have to go back there... ;-)

 

I should be able to get out a bit more often.

 

lol..to who do you say. i left japan 2x within 3 years (short business trips to HK, china, thai etc. not included).:lol:


but more teh :-(

 

Sounds good!

Have to go to Florida in November, but after that I am putting all my money aside, so should be mid/late next year. Depending on what happens with the Mrs between now and then, I may be looking to stay a bit longer, if you get my drift.