(Part 2) Best japanese travel guides according to redditors
We found 120 Reddit comments discussing the best japanese travel guides. We ranked the 42 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
24. Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants and Immigrants to Japan (English and Japanese Edition)
1 mention
FOUND IT:
https://www.amazon.com/Travelers-Tales-Guides-Japan-Stories/dp/188521104X
THIS truly is the JCJ BIBLE.
He's effectively saying, "look at all the pretty scenery that me and my edgy mates are clever enough to enjoy without being in the least bit troubled by the fact this is place occupied territory enduring ongoing ethnic cleansing and dystopian repression. Everything is awesome in the far west lebensraum!"
He's nothing more than a modern day Philip Terry with a bloody GoPro.
Get the Tokyo Pink Guide, it will get you started. In my experience, it's best to either speak fluent Japanese or go with a Japanese friend (I did the latter for this kind of thing).
I used to recommend a book called Culture Shock! Japan (actually it was Tokyo but I suppose it's mostly the same concepts); but I haven't read it in several years. It covers all the basics for expats moving to Japan, but as a JET your situation may vary.
Write down the English words for every object around you that you regularly encounter, then put their Japanese equivalents into a vocabulary deck. Then lookup the names of places and stations around the area you're going to and add them as well so that you won't have a problem reading the signs. Genki I and II should have taught you basic enough sentence constructs that you can use along with your newfound day-to-day vocabulary to survive.
If you still really feel you're not up to it, just pickup a phrase book.
As someone who works at a Japanese company, I was hoping you'd post this.
Frankly, learning Japanese in my industry is the wrong way to go. All the Japanese speak decent to excellent English. Unless you're truly interested in Japan (e.g. living there), it won't change your career trajectory. May be different in the auto industry though, I dunno.
I do have to ask, why fly into Osaka? Every flight I've been looking at had Osaka being considerably more expensive than Tokyo.
My girlfriend and I are planning on going this April for two weeks, and so far this book has been a great help.
As well as watching Life in Tokyo
You might find this book interesting.
I think the perfect thing to bring around Tokyo would be a guide to the city along with a pocket translator. When I lived in Japan with my family, my sister had a Japanese friend who communicated with her using a pocket translator. It was a really awesome tool to use to communicate to the friendly people of the city.
As for my favorite memory of Disney, I went with my family a few times to Tokyo Disneyland, which was so fun! Several years later, my mom and I went on a school trip to Disney World in Florida. I had never gone on the Star Wars ride in English and it was really cool to be able to flash back to the time we were in Japan and experience something familiar in a different way with my mom.
Disney is Heaven!
Thank you for the contest!
Edit: Bonus story- As a child, I was so convinced that I had a voice just like Ariel, that I got into a heated argument with my friend about it. I finally got so frustrated that I said, "I can too sing like Ariel, and I'll prove it!" I then fell to the floor like Ariel at the bottom of the cave, my hair spread out and I started singing, "Ahhhahhahhhhhh! Ahhhahhhahhhh!" as Ariel did in the movie. ;P
I can sing just like Ariel. I really, really can. For really real.
Katakana above all else. If you decide you hate everything and don't want to learn any more, or you've gotten distracted and run out of time to study, at the very very least, learn katakana.
Yes, you should learn hiragana as well, and a few of the most important kanji, and basic survival phrases, but.... If all else fails, cram those katakana in on the flight.
Beyond that, the First Grade Joyo Kanji (of which there's only 100 really simple ones) are probably the most essential.
I'd grab Lonely Planet's Japanese Phrasebook. Even if you're planning on learning the language with a textbook (go with Genki, imo), the LP phrasebook is invaluable for your first few months in the country.
Yes, learn as much Japanese as you possibly can before coming. Many foreigners come here without knowing Japanese and have a miserable trip. You seem very open-minded and adventurous, so you'll probably be fine!
The two-week JR pass is 550 Euros right now. The trip back from Gunma is going to probably run about 100 Euros (by bus). So that puts you at about 1350 Euros left.
Your stay in Gunma is free so you have a budget of 90 Euros/day, which is easy to manage.
Cheap, good, fun hostels run about 25 Euro/night. Read up everything and anything you can on hostels - they are your best friend. Since you don't speak the language well, I highly recommend eating at least one meal a day at the hostel (it's usually a very fair price for very mediocre food) and try and keep all your meals below 1000 yen (which is super easy to do).
If you're a drinker, stay away from beer (taxes make it very expensive) and learn to appreciate very cheap whiskeys or shochu. You can get about 6 drinks worth of whiskey for 299 yen from any convenience store in the country, so just do that outside under the stars and socialize for cheap at night.
Make friends with locals and get them to take you out! Tell them you don't have much money but would love to see more of their city. You'll probably make some great friends and get some free meals out of it. ;)
Smile and be friendly to everyone and you can have a wonderful trip on this budget, I think.
This is the best guidebook I know. It has the #s of all the hostels you'll need.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
A few ideas:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%EF%BC%A5%EF%BC%A1%EF%BC%B4%EF%BC%A9%EF%BC%AE%EF%BC%A7-%EF%BC%A9%EF%BC%AE-%EF%BC%AA%EF%BC%A1%EF%BC%B0%EF%BC%A1%EF%BC%AE%EF%BC%88%E9%A3%B2%E9%A3%9F%E7%B7%A8%EF%BC%89-%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E7%B5%B5%E3%81%A8%E3%81%8D%E4%BA%8B%E5%85%B8/dp/4533004563/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1333680009&sr=8-11
Well its certainly true currently for bmobile (using docomo network) through AEON. It was true through docomo 15 years ago, but I haven't had a contract phone since then as they are a rip off. I would get a bmobile sim from AEON and use it with your old European phone, if you want to upgrade go to expansys.jp and buy your phone from there, you'll save a ton of money over all and you can take the phone back to europe when you finish - most other Japanese phones can't be used abroad.
You really really need your foreign residents card though, so that is your top priority. (NB you must keep your foreign residents card on your at all times - or your passport).
If you want a guide to virtually all challenges you will encounter in Japan (at least initially) you need to urgently get hold of a copy of this handbook, it covers everything and also has the Japanese alongside so you can show it to a Japanese friend or someone as well. It's a great book. http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4750327417/
Well you're already staying at the best hotel in town. But if you're interested you could buy the Wallpaper* City Guide Berlin, which is full of stylish and posh places to go to. You can get it in most bookstores. Check out Dussmann on Friedrichstraße, which is a big bookstore just around the corner from your hotel. Enjoy your stay at the Adlon!
Edit: better link.
If it hasn't been mentioned, Damonza.com is fantastic at covers, and completely worth the price. They created this cover
I also used their formatting service, which I wouldn't recommend.
Thanks for the input. We chose Atago and Shiba from one of the walking tours described here but didn't know much about it. The intention was to just have a pleasant walk through some normal neighborhoods, as sort of a way to relax and just enjoy regular scenery. Asakusa is great, but we've been there before so we figured we'd try our luck elsewhere.
Combining Ghibli and Nakano is definitely a good idea that likely should have occurred to us as well.
We actually just recently considered adding in Shimokitazawa, but don't really know much about it and haven't had a chance to meet up and solidify last minute plans. I take it it's a cool place to go?
Congratulations!
I agree with the others to not worry too much. If you’re like me and like being prepared, one of my favorite travel guide series is Culture Shock! and there is one on Japan. The book is helpful for overview and to give context.
No matter how much you read, you’ll still be American. I read a guide whenever I travel to another country, but it only helps so much. I had an experience in which I knew what something meant culturally, yet emotionally I reacted in a very American way. Just try your best and don’t worry too much.
i've got a few to recommend. for the nerdy geeky side of things, you'd wanna read A Geek in Japan.
if you're interested in food - Pretty Good Number One is solid (don't read this on an empty stomach).
For culture, i love reading Untangling My Chopsticks - the author basically went to kyoto to learn a tea ceremony but writes really beautifully about her experience there.
i also really enjoyed Wrong About Japan where Peter Carey writes about travelling to Japan with his son with the sole purpose of satisfying the kid's curiosity.
my last recommendation is not really a book but a sketchbook called Tokyo on Foot - very good to flip through when you're missing the streets of japan.
enjoy!
I have been there, I would recommend this book highly. It really is worth the price vs what it has in it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481832352/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1481832352&linkCode=as2&tag=myliafde-20
We spent 4 days there and it was the right amount I think. 2 days at each park. We were there before opening every day. We took the "limo service" from the airport to the hotel. (Its like a bus) See the water show at Disney Sea. Once you get there, the worry and confusion fades away as everything is very familiar. Check the weather vs the time of year you are going, the weather is a lot more varied there.