Travel Japan

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I'm thinking of going on my first overseas trip to Japan in October. I am thinking about doing 1 week in Tokyo first off because I have some Annual Leave in October but I am going to the Bathurst 1000 the first week.

I want to fly with Qantas because they do direct flights. I am okay to pay extra to fly with them but my main question is, what is the best way to book accommodation? I've never done anything like this before so it's a little overwhelming

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I'm thinking of going on my first overseas trip to Japan in October. I am thinking about doing 1 week in Tokyo first off because I have some Annual Leave in October but I am going to the Bathurst 1000 the first week.

I want to fly with Qantas because they do direct flights. I am okay to pay extra to fly with them but my main question is, what is the best way to book accommodation? I've never done anything like this before so it's a little overwhelming

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

Airbnb is pretty good. You could look at staying around Shibuya for starters.
 

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I'm thinking of going on my first overseas trip to Japan in October. I am thinking about doing 1 week in Tokyo first off because I have some Annual Leave in October but I am going to the Bathurst 1000 the first week.

I want to fly with Qantas because they do direct flights. I am okay to pay extra to fly with them but my main question is, what is the best way to book accommodation? I've never done anything like this before so it's a little overwhelming

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app
My Airbnb experience was pretty good. It can be frustrating finding the places but the places themselves are good. For my trip I stayed in an Airbnb in Ginza - high end suburb in Tokyo.

Booking.com worked well too
 
My Airbnb experience was pretty good. It can be frustrating finding the places but the places themselves are good. For my trip I stayed in an Airbnb in Ginza - high end suburb in Tokyo.

Booking.com worked well too
Mine was mixed - brilliant when I stayed in Shibuya, awful to the point I left after the first night and paid for a hotel in Osaka.
 
Mine was mixed - brilliant when I stayed in Shibuya, awful to the point I left after the first night and paid for a hotel in Osaka.
Our Osaka airbnb was the worst of the lot too, but we weren't too fussed after three nights of capsule hotel in Kyoto!! Comparatively was a mansion
 
If you only had time for one day trip from Tokyo to either of Hakone, Kamakura, Matsumoto or Nikko which should I go to? Also looking at staying in Ginza in Tokyo for 6 nights, any hotels I should look at?
 
If you only had time for one day trip from Tokyo to either of Hakone, Kamakura, Matsumoto or Nikko which should I go to? Also looking at staying in Ginza in Tokyo for 6 nights, any hotels I should look at?

I went to Nikko and Hakone and enjoyed both. Nikko gives you access to a lot of outdoor activities like waterfalls, hikes, and lakes. I didn't explore much of the town of Nikko itself but went out to Lake Chuzenji, Mt Hangestuyama, Ryuzu Falls and these types of places.

On a clear day you should be able to see Fuji from Hakone, and there's a ''free pass" for ~3000 yen which gives you use of buses, ferries, ropeways etc. One of my favourite photos is the red Tori gates on the edge of Lake Ashi in Hakone.

I'd assume Kamakura and Matsumoto would give you more access to historical sites and shrines. The Buddha statue in Kamakura looks pretty cool. It depends on what you want to see
 
Locked in Ginza due to it being away from Shinjuku and Shibuya which from my research is like the times square of Tokyo? Correct me if I'm wrong before I book in a hotel. Happy to hear your thoughts on which area of Tokyo you'd recommend to stay in.
I stayed in Shibuya and Ginza, and spent most of the time in Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya. My gripe against Ginza is it doesn't even feel like Japan, it's closer to New York. The streets and buildings are very open and spread out, unlike the majority of Japanese cities which are congested. Ginza is also very touristy because it has an abundance of high-end shopping outlets, and thus attracts more locals. All this said, two of the best meals I've had in Japan were in Ginza. All I'm saying is imo you're better off basing yourself elsewhere and just visiting Ginza for the day.

The comparison you make to Times Square is apt, but the beauty of Japan is even though it might seem chaotic it's organised chaos. Shinjuku and Shibuya are bloody awesome, especially when it comes to nightlife.
 
If you only had time for one day trip from Tokyo to either of Hakone, Kamakura, Matsumoto or Nikko which should I go to? Also looking at staying in Ginza in Tokyo for 6 nights, any hotels I should look at?
I stayed at the Sunroute Ginza. ~15 minute walk from Tokyo station. No complaints at all, really nice hotel.

As for the day trip, i've only been to Kamakura and Nikko, but I preferred Kamakura.
 
Anyone know where to get these in Australia/Perth?

https://www.suntory.com/brands/horoyoi/

They may be a woman's drink but they're delicious..

At Tokyo Mart in Sydney they have some. Sister store of Tokyo mart in Subi and Fuji mart in Melbourne.

If you can't buy it you can make it.

The liquor is shouchu. Go to Dan Murphy or another specialist asian style liquor store and buy either Kaido or Shiranami or maybe Kuro Kirishima. In Perth I think the Korean run liquor store under the Criterion in Hay st was the last place I saw it there. At Dan Murphy the staff may tell you it is sake. Its not and its nothing like sake. It is more like a vodka that is made from sweet potato instead of potato.

Dan Murphys seems to have Kaido (they call it Hamada Syuzou) everywhere as per below:

upload_2018-5-29_21-11-36.png

Don't use the flavoured Korean soju - thats a different thing. Also, the more interesting, expensive and flavourful shouchus out there will be no good for this

Your next step is to find a nice fruit flavoured soda that is not too sweet. I recommend the san pellegrino lemon or grapefruit drinks.

So chuck in ice, a good pour of Kaido shouchu and then top up with the San pell. That is very, very close to the "chuhai" that you will get at a good izakaya in Japan. That is what the canned drinks are trying to replicate.

Kanpai!
 
Loved Japan. We had 6 nights in Tokyo, 1 night in Hakone, 2 nights in Kyoto and 3 nights in Osaka. Tokyo was amazing and barely touched the surface. Hakone was fun, and we enjoyed the onsen, but could have done Hakone/Fuji area as a day trip from Tokyo, and I feel like that may have been a better use of our time as we spent a lot of time on various trains/cable cars. The cable car over the volcano was awesome, and we were lucky enough to see Mt Fuji! My next pick would be Osaka - I wish we'd had more time there. Such an awesome city, very food/drink oriented.
 

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