A few more questions before we depart.

Hello all

The time is getting close. We leave for Japan on March 19. There are a few more random questions I have though.

1. We are purchasing our 7 day JR pass this week (which is now only $289 USD according to Xe.com, down from $320 a few weeks ago!). However, we don%26#39;t want to activate it until we leave Tokyo to go to Nagano.

What do you think the best option is for us in Tokyo metro card wise? We get in Friday afternoon (on a Holiday no less) and our relatives told us to take a limo bus from NRT to the city and they will meet us at one of the recognizable hotels (Grand Hyatt in Roppongi, etc). We%26#39;re going to spend the weekend in Tokyo and maybe take a day trip to Nikko. But if we activate our 7 day pass we won%26#39;t make it back from Hiroshima 8 days later...

2. Do I need to bring a hair dryer with me? I%26#39;m quite hair-dryer dependent... but I%26#39;ve been told they are readily available in most hotels/hostels.

3. We have a %26#39;converter%26#39; that says it%26#39;s good for use in Japan. But we%26#39;ve also read that two-pronged electronics work in Japan without a converter? We%26#39;ll bring it anyway of course.

4. In places where you must remove shoes... are socks required? Odd, but I randomly wondered about that.

5. For the folks in Japan now, how%26#39;s the weather as of late? How%26#39;s the snow situation in Shiga Kogen and Jigokudani!?

6. For our stay in Tokyo we will have our relative with us (she%26#39;s a native). She won%26#39;t be with us when we leave Tokyo though. I%26#39;m nervous about the natives getting frustrated with us trying to order food at %26#39;blue collar%26#39; restaurants... I%26#39;m also nervous about accidentally ordering organs. Or horse.

Thanks for all the answers and advise I%26#39;ve received thus far. It%26#39;s really helped in the planning. Can%26#39;t wait to post a trip report.

A few more questions before we depart.

Let me just say that I%26#39;m a big vegetable person, so meat isn%26#39;t really ';my thing'; anyway. But seafood is!

A few more questions before we depart.

%26gt;%26gt; 2. Do I need to bring a hair dryer with me? I%26#39;m quite hair-dryer dependent... but I%26#39;ve been told they are readily available in most hotels/hostels. %26lt;%26lt;

If you have room, I%26#39;d bring it.

%26gt;%26gt; 4. In places where you must remove shoes... are socks required? Odd, but I randomly wondered about that.%26lt;%26lt;

Socks are not required. Most places will have slippers if they require you to take off your shoes.

%26gt;%26gt; 6. For our stay in Tokyo we will have our relative with us (she%26#39;s a native). She won%26#39;t be with us when we leave Tokyo though. I%26#39;m nervous about the natives getting frustrated with us trying to order food at %26#39;blue collar%26#39; restaurants... I%26#39;m also nervous about accidentally ordering organs. Or horse. %26lt;%26lt;

I wouldn%26#39;t worry about this, and I%26#39;d call them %26#39;local%26#39; restaurants. Often restaurants in Japan are themed, and tripe or horse are not common at all, so the chances are slim you%26#39;ll accidentally order either.

%26gt;%26gt;Let me just say that I%26#39;m a big vegetable person, so meat isn%26#39;t really ';my thing'; anyway. But seafood is!%26lt;%26lt;

This shouldn%26#39;t be a problem. It%26#39;s a challenge to go truly vegan, but you%26#39;ll find tons of seafood in Japan.

Good luck!

John W.

1. Do as you planned. Buy a package train ticket to Nikko. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_002.html

2%26amp;3. No need to bring but if you do, make sure the the two prong blades are identical(US plugs are wider at the tip on one blade)

4. It is usually better to wear socks(thicker in March) as your feet will get cold.

5. Keep checking on webcams. Google search.

6. ';Blue collar'; restaurants? If you like good tasting food and cheaper, nothing%26#39;s wrong with it. Looks like you have a misunderstanding. Unless you specifically request or look for, those are not the typical dishes served.

mg83,

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; 5. For the folks in Japan now, how%26#39;s the weather as of late? How%26#39;s the snow situation in Shiga Kogen and Jigokudani!? %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

According to SnowJapan.com, Shiga-Kogen’s snow depth is about 180cm as of 2/26. See

www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/resortdetail.php…

For the Monkey Park, see

www.jigokudani-yaenkoen.co.jp/frameset.html

then, click [ 地獄谷野猿公苑 LIVECAM ] for their Live Camera.

Have a safe trip!

:-)

Thank you thank you.

I%26#39;ve been checking the web cams for the monkey park. Funny.

amazinga - what I meant by ';blue collar'; is that usually that%26#39;s where you find the best cheap, authentic food. My question was more focused on accidentally ordering livers, intestines, and knuckles/feet (say at like a yakitori stand, etc).

1. You might purcahse this package before you board the limousine bus so that you can get around Tokyo on the Metro Lines.

www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/guide/l_m_pass.htm

Other one-day tickets, and Suica and PASMO, prepaid IC passes info (recommended).

jnto.go.jp/eng/…tonai_ticket.html

You might consider purcahsing one of the unlimited travel passes in Nikko including transport from and to Tokyo (Asakusa).

http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/pass/index.html

As you have noticed you shouldn%26#39;t start to use the JR Pass until you leave for Nagano.

5. In Tokyo it%26#39;s rainy and cold this week.

For weather and climate search, you could check the following site.

http://weather.uk.msn.com/

Shiga-Kogen and Jigokudani are located in Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture.

1. None of the daily passes within Tokyo are worthwhile in my opinion. You have to ride a lot in the same day to save an insignificant amount of money. Are you staying at the Grand Hyatt or are you just meeting them there? Limobus offers the most convenient access to Roppongi but it%26#39;s not cheap. If you are not staying there, you can pick another meeting point and use the NEX-Suica package to save money from Narita into Tokyo. You can then use Suica to whiz around the city without buying individual tickets.

www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/index.html

2. All hotels (even very basic business hotels) have hairdryers. They will also always have toothbrush, toothpaste, razors, etc.

3. Your US appliance should normally plug right into a Japan socket without a problem.

4. If you stay at a ryokan or go to somebody%26#39;s home, slippers will be provided. If you are going to a restaurant that has a ';no-shoes'; area, you usually put your shoes in the locker and then just walk around barefoot, with or without socks. Slippers are provided should you need to go to the restroom.

6. Many Japanese restaurants have pictorial menus so it%26#39;s unlikely you will make a mistake. Organ as food is seen more often at izakayas than bigger restaurants. If you eat a Kaiseki meal, you might see many unidentifiable items though. Horse meat is not a cheap item and you don%26#39;t see it everywhere so I doubt you will come across it without knowing.

%26gt;%26gt;None of the daily passes within Tokyo are worthwhile in my opinion.%26lt;%26lt;

I just showed the list of daily passes, but recommended only Suica or PASMO in my last reply.

If you insist all the passes in Tokyo don%26#39;t pay for itself, why don%26#39;t you show practical models to give yourself credibility?

%26gt;%26gt;If you are not staying there, you can pick another meeting point and use the NEX-Suica package to save money from Narita into Tokyo.%26lt;%26lt;

The Narita Express doesn%26#39;t directly go to Roppongi. For those with heavy luggage, changing trains can be just painful.

Also I showed a discount limousine bus package.

--- --- ---

Why do you try to provoke me? As I told you before, you don%26#39;t need to respond to what I write here. Please ignore me.

all the passes in Tokyo don%26#39;t pay for itself,

=%26gt; all the passes in Tokyo don%26#39;t pay for themselves,

optimistk,

Let%26#39;s clear the air here: I didn%26#39;t even read your response when I wrote mine. The thread was getting too long so I just wrote my opinion. Since I didn%26#39;t read your post, I couldn%26#39;t be specifically ';provoking'; you.

I do have to say this is an open forum which is the beautiful thing about TA. We are free to give our own opinion and we don%26#39;t have to always agree. I have actually learned quite a bit even in the HK forum from visitors. For example, this past Sunday, while standing at a street corner, I was surprised to find some visitors staring at an old worn down brick building and saying how beautiful it looked. The locals would never think of it that way so I learned more about what visitors like seeing that day.

Specifically regarding the meeting point, what I meant was for the OP to use NEX-Suica to meet somewhere else other than Roppongi (somewhere accessible by NEX like Shibuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, etc), unless he is staying at Grand Hyatt.

I actually have a lot of respect for how you help everybody here and the helpful links you provide. I am sure you enjoy helping others as much as most local experts do so let%26#39;s keep doing that.