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Going to Japan
Katchem_ash
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So I am going to be comming to Japan on the 8th of April and go back on the 15th. I will be staying at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. So basically I am going to hit Akaibara first and formost but thats one one or two days worth of stuff. Can anyone recommend any other places to go? Plus I would like to hit a Manga shop there, which is the one with the best selections?
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Comic stores? well any book store, 7/11, or sunkus type store will carry the most recent edition of the most popular manga's but it's all in Japanese. You can also check out Comictoranoana which is in Akihabara, don't know which street though.
I went to Tokyo in September and it was great, I pretty much just wondered around but it was still so much fun. Pretty much everywhere in Tokyo is awesome so don't worry about missing out on anything. I would also suggest getting a book about famious places to go, most of the places in there are way cooler then the books make them out to be. OH also, maybe a phrase book too unless you speak Japanese. Have a good trip!
Roppongi is the foreigner's district and has a lot of clubs, but I personally like Shibuya or Shinjuku better at night. Some clubs in the latter two don't allow entrance to foreigners, though (unless you're a girl or with a bunch of Japanese people). Roppongi also has Roppongi Hills, which is a shopping center, movie theatre, and home to the Mori Art Musuem on the 53rd floor of the Mori Tower. They sometimes have great displays, and sometimes have lousy displays, but you should at least go up the tower and see the city view. I think you have to pay, but it's a great view (better than from Tokyo Tower, which is a waste of money, in my opinion).
Harajuku (on a Sunday in particular) is always good for a few hours.
The cherry blossom season will probably be over by the time you get there, but Ueno park is a very nice place to walk around anyway. Meiji shrine in the middle of the man-made forest in the city is also a nice, peaceful place.
I'd definitely recommend the huge shrine in Asakusa. If you want to take a day trip out of the city, go to Nikko. They have a beautiful shrine and a ninja theme park.
This chain
http://www.mandarake.co.jp/english/shop/sby.html
is pretty odd - I've been to the Shibuya branch, which was great (all the staff in costumes, weirdness going on). The Aki branch, as you can see from the site, specialises in the bad manga - you know, the type that starts with 'H'. Probably entertaining to visit.
Don't bother looking for English-language stuff - it'll be much easier to find that back home.
And since you have lots of time, I would recommend getting OUT of Tokyo. Particularly Kamakura, which is an hour's train journey, and is full of temples, cherry trees, shrines and all that old-time jazz. It's where I live, so I think it's nice
First of all, definitely take a phrasebook. It'll be useful. I went and was completely uncomfortable for a while because I was in a culture that was 100% alien to me, and I HAD a phrasebook.
Akihabara is not the sort of place where you want to ask for specific shops to go to. You could literally spend 3 days wandering around there and not discover everything, so just go and walk around. Also, I didn't realise this until later on, but nearly every shop there has multiple floors, and each floor caters to different needs (Models, manga, soundtracks, that sort of thing).
HOT TIP: IF YOU STAND AROUND LOOKING CONFUSEDLY AT A MAP, A JAPANESE PERSON WILL COME AND OFFER YOU HELP. I think they like practicing their English on you. My father and I were standing around doing that in a subway, and 2 people came and offered us help in as many minutes. I told my dad to put the map away after that.
And then I learned to look up.
Talking of looking up you could go to Yokohama, specifically Minato Mirai, and go up to the top of Landmark Tower. It is the tallest building in Japan (Tokyo Tower's needle is taller, but you can't climb to the very top). The view at night is amazing.
And I agree about wandering round Aki - if you're in any way geeky, Aki is a wonderland.
Is there a Difference in Voltage in Japan compared to here? I am thinking of getting a PS2 and some games that you can't get here. So will it be a problem if I bring it to Canada?
I don't mind the H manga and anime stuff and will probably check it out. Is there always a wide selection or do you have to come early everyday to get the best stuff?
Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. GIS search.
Most things will be fine. Usa/Canada is 115v at 60Hz while Japan is 100v at 50Hz. Check on the plus or the box, a lot of things now a days work from 100v-240v and 50~60Hz so you won't have a problem in that respect. The only problem I had is going to Japan they only have 2-plug outlets so things like my laptop with a 3-plug adapter needed to be adapted to fit into the sockets.
But isnt Japan a PAL system? So I don't think getting a Japanese PS2 is a great idea, just get the games and mod your normal PS2 so it'll play the Japanese games.
nay, japan is ntsc
its a fine idea
easier than modding, albiet region locked
it would work fine