site banner

Friday Fun Thread for May 31, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

5
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

My first trip.

Rough details are as follows.

  • Visiting with a friend. Both of us are 25M. Both of us first time.
  • We want more modernity than traditional.
  • Budget is around 3k-4k USD.

Here's a rough outline that I came up with, obviously its really sparse and needs a lot of refinement.

https://imgur.com/a/gS3ihdm

Looks like a decent itinerary. Keep in mind that Dec 29-Jan 3 is around Shogatsu so a lot of stuff will be closed/limited during those days. Double check that the stuff you want to do is accessible/open.

Also, don't do the Shibuya go carts, you'll just look like a tool and piss off everyone around you. If you want to do something quirky there are a million more interesting things to do even just right there in Shibuya. There are a billion cool an unique bars, live music venues, edgy boutique stores, and more. TBH you could probably just wander around Dogenzaka for an hour or two and have a great time.

Harajuku is a shell of its former self. It's choked with Chinese and American tourists, random Nigerian touts, and various (non-Japanese) Asian tourists badly LARPing what Harajuku fashion was 20 years ago. If you want to see young people wearing freaky and interesting fashion, go hang around Shibuya station or the rooftop of the nearby Miyashita park. Spend the second half of your Harajuku day in Shibuya or Shinjuku instead.

Mt Fuji is impressive and worth seeing. Good choice. Instead of driving, you might consider taking a fancy train with a beautiful view so you can chill and eat snacks and enjoy the ride. Driving in Japan is IME pretty dreary, slow, and tedious. Around Tokyo, lots of of highways routed through ugly/inconvenient areas with no view and often with large sound barriers so you can't see much. Don't know about the route to Narusawa specifically.

Never been to Sapporo but I've heard great things about it and Hokkaido in general.

Looks like a decent itinerary. Keep in mind that Dec 29-Jan 3 is around Shogatsu so a lot of stuff will be closed/limited during those days. Double check that the stuff you want to do is accessible/open.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to call up a bunch of places and see if they are going to be open. Im assuming restaurants and bars are at least open, in the worst case?

Also, don't do the Shibuya go carts, you'll just look like a tool and piss off everyone around you. If you want to do something quirky there are a million more interesting things to do even just right there in Shibuya. There are a billion cool an unique bars, live music venues, edgy boutique stores, and more. TBH you could probably just wander around Dogenzaka for an hour or two and have a great time.

Nope, go karting through the city sounds like a grand fucking idea and I will do it. We like the act of driving and want various driving-based activities.

Nevertheless, what other quirky things would you recommend? A bit more specific.

Mt Fuji is impressive and worth seeing. Good choice. Instead of driving, you might consider taking a fancy train with a beautiful view so you can chill and eat snacks and enjoy the ride. Driving in Japan is IME pretty dreary, slow, and tedious. Around Tokyo, lots of of highways routed through ugly/inconvenient areas with no view and often with large sound barriers so you can't see much. Don't know about the route to Narusawa specifically.

I plant to redo this drive: https://youtube.com/watch?v=TUgfiNg06GQ

And rent a car from here: https://fun2drive-japan.com/

Never been to Sapporo but I've heard great things about it and Hokkaido in general.

I hope so. I want to sneak in some winter activities and Sapporo should be the place to be.

Is your timeline (14 days) set in stone?

For the most part. Why ?

If there's room to add a couple of extra days in Japan, that could help with the crunch:

I'm getting overwhelmed

There is just too much to see and do and optimize.

I've read three weeks -- 18 to 19 days in the country; one to two days buffer for traveling on both sides -- is ideal, especially if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I understand that may not be possible.

It's not once in a lifetime.