Doctor Q in Japan

[CmdrLaForge]

Hi Dr Q,

wish you all the best on your journey. Enjoy Japan ! I am sure you are going to.

I guess you will have no problem at all finding stores where you can connect your digital cam to a PC and burn a CD or maybe even DVD. As you may know I travelled the world http://www.2ontour.de and even in the smallest towns in India I could find places to burn my CDs. You should have no problem at all in Japan. BTW - I carried my iBook 12" around. But I agree with you - it is really good to travel light. A good place for all your travel questions is http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ they have a forum called the thorntree.

Take care
LaForge

 

[iAlan]

Hi Doctor Q, it's great to hear that you've decided to head on over to The Land Of The Rising... erm... Support For the Liberal Democratic Party.

ROTFLMAO....funny

 

[ibjoshua]

Which way from the station?

Actually I can't really remember but I think the southern end. You could try some rudimentary Japanese: "Sumimasen. Bic Camera wa dochira desu ka?"

I guess you need to come to California,..

I might try and get to London next year, but California... not in the foreseeable future I'm afraid.

Please do go on.

OK. Fresh tofu with salt, soy sauce and chopped spring onions -- I can't remember the name off hand. Kinu dofu with ponzu sauce. Yakitori -- make sure you try salt (shio) and sweet sauce (tare) and also try with miso spread on top. Miso soup in all its many different guises. Soba. Somen. Reimen. Ramen. Udon. Yakisoba. (Did I miss any noodles?) Daikon salad. Garlic pizza. More edamame.

If you're feeling adventurous, takowasabi (raw octopus with wasabi) or kurage (jellyfish). Personally I prefer my octopus cooked but the kurage is pretty good. And of course there's basashi which is horse sashimi -- most say it's pretty good.

For cheap filling meals check out a "rice bowl" restaurant like Sukiya or Yoshinoya where you can get such tasty treats as gyudon (beef and onions on rice), katsudon (crumbed pork cutlet on rice), yakinikudon and many more for about US$5. Mmm, cheese gyudon.

I'll think of some more and post again. Maybe someone wants to join in?

I just went out for yaki niku tonight and tried three different types of karubi (a particular cut of beef) and something new -- pork tongue. Yum.

i_b_joshua

 

[Doctor Q]

I guess you will have no problem at all finding stores where you can connect your digital cam to a PC and burn a CD or maybe even DVD. As you may know I travelled the world http://www.2ontour.de and even in the smallest towns in India I could find places to burn my CDs. You should have no problem at all in Japan.

Should I bring blank CDs as somebody suggested, or do the same places sell them one at a time? I'll probably need this service only once since I have RAM for thousands of photos even if I don't delete the outtakes.

A good place for all your travel questions is http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ they have a forum called the thorntree.

Thanks, Commander! I already found a great link from there: The Quirky Japan Homepage, from which I learned the secrets of Eigo Dempa Jushin (click "Nandakke's").

I might try and get to London next year, but California... not in the foreseeable future I'm afraid.

What? Just because of earthquakes, random shootings, riots, landslides, smog, impossible traffic, and the constant alien snatchings? Yes, you have to be careful here because we're always bumping into Hollywood celebrities everywhere we turn, and those people can be mighty strange. On the other hand, Southern California has lots of palm trees, so it must be a good place to visit.

Fresh tofu with salt, soy sauce and chopped spring onions -- I can't remember the name off hand. Kinu dofu with ponzu sauce. Yakitori -- make sure you try salt (shio) and sweet sauce (tare) and also try with miso spread on top. Miso soup in all its many different guises. Soba. Somen. Reimen. Ramen. Udon. Yakisoba. (Did I miss any noodles?) Daikon salad. Garlic pizza. More edamame.

If you're feeling adventurous, takowasabi (raw octopus with wasabi) or kurage (jellyfish). Personally I prefer my octopus cooked but the kurage is pretty good. And of course there's basashi which is horse sashimi -- most say it's pretty good.

For cheap filling meals check out a "rice bowl" restaurant like Sukiya or Yoshinoya where you can get such tasty treats as gyudon (beef and onions on rice), katsudon (crumbed pork cutlet on rice), yakinikudon and many more for about US$5. Mmm, cheese gyudon.

Uh oh, I'm getting drool on my keyboard. I've had octopus but never jellyfish. Katusdon has egg mixed in too, I think. Horse shashimi - really? I hadn't heard of that one.

Some of these meals I know because of restaurants here (which may or may not be making food the authentic way), but also because of a clever "trick" I played on my wife years ago. As a gift, I got her a series of Japanese cooking lessons. She had a great time, learned a lot, and has made me various Japanese dishes ever since. Sneaky, eh? In contrast, my skill at cooking is mostly limited to making peanut butter and jellyfish, er, jelly sandwiches.

Luckily, we are good with hashi (chopsticks) so we won't have to shame ourselves by asking for a fork anywhere.

 

[XNine]

If you see everything, it will spoil the air of mystery. But since you are as compressible as my jpegs, sure you can come along. Meet me at 35.3 north latitude, 138.7 east longitude and we'll get started from there.

Why did you give me directions to hell?

 

[Doctor Q]

If you go to those coordinates, the air pressure will be very low. Once you adjust to it there and then come back to sea level, the increase in air pressure will compress you so you'll more easily fit in the suitcase.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Should I bring blank CDs as somebody suggested, or do the same places sell them one at a time? I'll probably need this service only once since I have RAM for thousands of photos even if I don't delete the outtakes.

Thanks, Commander! I already found a great link from there: The Quirky Japan Homepage, from which I learned the secrets of Eigo Dempa Jushin (click "Nandakke's").

Hi Dr. Q,

there is no need to bring blank CDs. Even them I found in India - you will have no problem in Japan. One thing to consider might be that you always have to spend some time getting stuff you didn't bring. When I spend 6 month travelling that was no problem because I had all the time of my life. If you are on shorter vacation it might be someting to consider. Even so you can get anything (really) it always takes some time to get it.

Cheers
LaForge

 

[Doctor Q]

How would any of you rank or compare these three gardens in Tokyo? We might not have time for them all, so I'd like to know why one might be nicer to visit than another.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Rikugien Garden

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

Advice please.


Funny story: Mrs. Q and I have spent so much time lately thinking about our upcoming trip that we couldn't stand to wait anymore, so we found a Japanese supermarket here in Los Angeles that has shops and food stands attached and went there to have bento box lunches and to wander around window shopping. I guess we were practicing having a good time.

 

[sushi]

How would any of you rank or compare these three gardens in Tokyo? We might not have time for them all, so I'd like to know why one might be nicer to visit than another.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Rikugien Garden

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

Advice please.

Not sure what would be best.

Over the years I have visited many gardens around Japan but am by no means an expert.

Since cherry blossoms are not in season, I think I would shy away from those gardens that focus on them.

Here is my suggestion/visit order:

Rikugien Garden

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

YMMV.

Funny story: Mrs. Q and I have spent so much time lately thinking about our upcoming trip that we couldn't stand to wait anymore, so we found a Japanese supermarket here in Los Angeles that has shops and food stands attached and went there to have bento box lunches and to wander around window shopping. I guess we were practicing having a good time.

Actually, not a bad idea. That way you will have a better idea of what is to come.

Sushi

 

[Doctor Q]

Has anybody heard of a "Ringo Cafe" in Kyoto? Does anybody have information about what/where it is?

 

[Doctor Q]

A new question for anybody who has traveled to Japan. In hotels, are there usually computers for guests to use? We aren't bringing a computer because we want the absolute minimum weight to lug around (I even bought a small "travel hairbrush" instead of bringing my big ol' regular one), so I'm hoping I can use a computer at a hotel if I want to send e-mail home, using a web-based e-mail service like gmail, hotmail, or yahoo.

We're staying in business class hotels.

Are there "public access" computers (perhaps in a lobby area) for guests in such hotels? Are they always Windows PCs? Will an English-speaker like me be able to figure out how to use them? For example, would I expect to look for something equivalent to Start -> Programs -> Internet Explorer and get to web sites for e-mail that way?

 

[tsaxer]

My personal experience in business class hotels is that there are not computers for the guest to use (though they often do have coin-op porn on the tv's). That being said, where I used to live (in Higashi-Hiroshima) there were DoCoMo offices that had computers with high speed acces for free; no need to be a DoCoMo customer. Just walk in, and sit down. It might have been because of the University nearby, but keep an eye out anyway. Also, if my memory serves me right, in Ueno station there was an internet cafe (there are others around too) that had computers. I don't know if they could burn, but you might look into dumping onto a thumb drive.

Unfortunately, by and large the computers available are in fact windoze machines, but the icons are the same, as is the location of most commands. The japanese keyboard has english letters, but if you're a touch-typist, you'll go insane, since they have a few extra keys.

I took my ibook with me everywhere, and when I return I will take my powerbook with me, since I recently had it surgically attached.

A few random pieces of advice, memorize the JR Yamanote and Chu-o lines. They will give you an instant reference for where you are in Tokyo. Tsugi means next. Mamonaku means "coming up," so when they say on the train (all are not necessarily in English) "mamonaku hiroshima, hiroshima des(u)" be getting ready to get off at hiroshima.
There now exist some women-only train cars in tokyo, for certain times of day, so keep that in mind.

Try a lot of sake (not all at once), the variety is astounding.
Don't be afraid to take pictures, unless you see an idiot-proof sign to the contrary (well, I probably wouldn't photograph a funeral, at least not where they could see me). And, I guess photgraphing anyone that looks like yakuza in a red-light district would be unwise.

If you plan on buying a J-Game, go for an action/adventure style that doesn't require too much reading, RPG's, while popular, are pretty useless if you don't read Japanese. And the only systems that play imported games (unmodded, that is) are the nintendo handhelds and the PSP.

I'd better stop here, but if you have any more questions, keep asking.
I wish ya'll the very best on your trip!

Mata ne

 

[Counterfit]

(I even bought a small "travel hairbrush" instead of bringing my big ol' regular one)

You should do your hair like mine. Long enough to comb = time for a cut.

 

[eva01]

Go get me some Puffy AmiYumi CDs when you are in Japan Dr. Q

^____^ they absolutely rock

 

[Doctor Q]

You should do your hair like mine. Long enough to comb = time for a cut.

That's an excellent solution and that's what I plan. I'm overdue for a haircut because I've been stalling so I can get it cut shorter than usual just before we leave. That way, it'll be trivial to keep neat. 10 seconds to wash, dries in the air, 5 seconds to brush, and I'm out the door. If my head gets cold, I'll have my trusty Q hat to save the day.

 

[tsaxer]

By the way, to any of you who wonder what it's like living in Japan (or just being a Westerner passing through), check out Josh Snavely's podcast "Josh in Japan," avail. through iTunes. He's military, but lives off base, so a lot of his experiences are right on the mark for how it is/can be. And he does his podcasts thematically, so if you don't plan on driving, don't bother with that one. I don't know him personally, but I do get a kick out of hearing him describe it.

 

[Doctor Q]

I have a small compass attached to my backpack. If the sun is directly overhead when I emerge from a train station and I'm confused about which way I'm facing, I can tell which way is north without assistance! Of course it's unlikely I'll be anywhere where there aren't friendly people around to help us.

Since I'm a perfectionist, I'll have to adjust my compass by 7 degrees west to compensate for the magnetic declination (the angle between magnetic north and geographic north) in Tokyo and the other cities we'll be in. FYI, the declination in southern Kyushu is 6-west, Tohoku is 8-west, and northern Hokkaido is 9-west.

If you find the numbers boring, check out this great map (PDF file)!

 

[gammamonk]

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. I have two specific questions to ask.

1. If I get carried away taking photos, even though I have enough RAM to take almost a hundred a day, where might I find a store that will transfer them from a Compact Flash card to a CD for a small fee? Will Apple Stores do that? Where else?

You can go to any "Fujifilm" store. They can do it for ya. Save the digital prints until you get back tho. It was 40yen a pic last time I got some printed.

 

[gammamonk]

Go get me some Puffy AmiYumi CDs when you are in Japan Dr. Q

^____^ they absolutely rock

Hey eva01, you know you can get those off sites like Yesasia.com, right?

(PS. They're called just "Puffy" in Japan.)

 

[Doctor Q]

You can go to any "Fujifilm" store. They can do it for ya. Save the digital prints until you get back tho. It was 40yen a pic last time I got some printed.

Thanks! Are these stores "everywhere"? Since http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/ is only in Japanese, I can't easily find a list of locations. What are my chances of finding a store in Kurashiki or Okayama or Kanazawa, where it's most likely I'll be when it's time to transfer photos from the camera?

Would I be smarter to get photos transfered early, in Osaka, while I'm there? There is at least one Fujifilm store in Shinsaibashi, as far as I can tell. Then I'd have to transfer photos again in Tokyo a week later. That would obviously be easy, but means two trips to the stores instead of one mid-trip.

Without a store locator in English, I can't be my usual compulsive overprepared self!

 

[XNine]

I swear to God if you don't get me pics of hot japanese girls I'm going to scream and kill a kitten!

 

[Counterfit]

I swear to God if you don't get me pics of hot japanese girls I'm going to scream and kill a kitten!

Like this?







That was my best joke ever!

 

[OCOTILLO]

Some observations.

Dr. Q,

I made several business trips to Tokyo while I was still working. I was fortunate to have my business contacts guide me around. Since I was on expense account, money was not a problem and the Japanese are very generous. If you have any friends or business contacts there, it would be good to contact them so they can show you the public transportation system as it can be very confusing for the first time traveler. Some observations:
1. Many Japanese understand english but are reluctant to speak it because they are shy about their pronunciation.
2. Hotel food is very expensive.
3. Cold Sake is best.
4. Don't miss Akihabara.
5. Guided tours are worthwhile as they can save you time.
6. You are apparently very familiar with Japanese food here in the States but you will find it different and better in Japan.
7. Don't have too much fun or you will find yourself dying to get back there after you get home.

Have a Great trip,
Best Regards, John

 

[Doctor Q]

Thanks, OCOTILLO!

1. I have a list of Japanese phrases I might need, so I'll try not to be reluctant to speak myself, even though my own pronunciation will be suspect. I learned only the other day that the first 'i' in Kurashiki is silent.

2. I will try not to have meals in hotels, other than at the ryokan. From what I hear, convenience stores, train stations, and noodle stands are good places to find an inexpensive meal.

3. I've never tried sake cold, only hot. I guess now I'll have to.

4. Akihabara. Yes, sir. Got it.

5. We are meeting a couple of friends in Tokyo. For other cities, we haven't signed up for any formal tours, but we're planning to call the Goodwill Guides in Kyoto and Osaka. I'm not as sure that we'll use them in Kanazawa, Kurashiki, and Nara. I can admire scenery without assistance, but it would be nice having somebody to tell us some history or explain the significance of what we see at particular shrines and temples. And keep us from getting lost as easily, in case my star charts don't work during the day.

6. I'm glad to hear the food is different and better. When we get home, maybe we'll have a more discerning sense of which Japanese food here is "real". My wife once cook Japanese cooking lessons, and the most valuable lesson was how to find the right ingredients at the Japanese market.

7. Don't have too much fun? Gee, that's what my coworkers said too!

 

[Doctor Q]

Here's the story of our countdown calendar.

In early 2002, I had an idea for a surprise for Mrs. Q. I had a custom wooden sign made, which said "__ Months to Japan", with pegs for removable wooden digits. I had wooden digits made too: one each of 0, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and two each of 1, 2, and 3. (If you think about it, perhaps you'll figure out why I needed two each of digits 1, 2, and 3.)

Then I went to Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles and wandered around the shops until I found some posters of Kyoto I liked, one of the Heian Shrine and one of the Imperial Palace. I had them framed.

At the time, it was 42 months until the trip, so I put the 4 and the 2 on the pegs. Then, when my wife wasn't around, I hung them on the wall. When she saw it, she was very surprised and pleased!

Ever since then, once a month she has changed the digits to count down the months. Was that a great way to build excitement or what?

One of our goals on the trip is to take our own photos from exactly the same spots.