#10

“I like big pumpkins and I cannot lie”

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#11

I’ve got to say I didn’t really find Japan as weird as pop culture makes out. I think a lot of it is exaggeration/Orientalism.

#12

YES. Worst place in Tokyo for me was Akihabara - absolutely filled with Americans dressed more weirdly than any Japanese person I saw in the whole of the city. Western fetishisation of Japan creeps me out.

I like your photos btw.

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#13

Yeah I didn’t bother to go there as I’m not bothered about manga/video games etc and I was laid out with a stinking cold for two of my four days in Tokyo. Anyone who goes to Tokyo expecting people in wall-to-wall costumes and dramatic fashions is gonna be pretty disappointed at the head to toe black everyone wears.

Like the exaggeration about “weird” vending machines. They all sell drinks! Perfectly normal soft drinks. Same with the combini shops/the snacks on offer there.

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#14

Maybe as well half the culture shock is just Americans being weird. Quiet polite people who take trains! Kids in school uniforms everywhere! Driving on the left! Taking your shoes off indoors! Whoah! I can’t take it!

(And most schools I saw didn’t even have the sailor suits, they just had school uniforms almost exactly like the UK)

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#15

snout sm.jpg860×573 422 KB

Done a new one:
http://www.anoteonarainynight.com/category/travels-without-my-aunt/japan/

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#16

Done another:

#17

Here’s the complete lot for the gawkers like @Witches and co, + a playlist of songs.

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#18

Only just found this thread as doing some Tokyo research but it is great, thanks.

#19

I am going to Japan in February. Pretty excited. Any recommendations or advice welcomed.

I’ll have s read through your blog @_Em

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#20

Studio Ghibli museum! J will love it. You need to book online via a travel agency though. You can’t get tickets on the day normally because it sells out, and they don’t have a ticket website, because you can book via ticket vending machines in Lawson supermarkets within Japan. Which isn’t helpful if you’re not in Japan.

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#21

Yep, thank you. That ones already on the list. I wanted to watch a sumo match but we’ll be there about two weeks too early!

#22

I watched some of the championship final on tv when I was there. I had this idea that sumo was dignified, but it’s absolutely not. Loads of hair pulling and belly slapping, and I saw one guy pick the other up by his pants and basically wedgie him out of the ring.

#23

Seems to be tons of art galleries, are there any imparticular that I shouldn’t miss?

Also any good vegetarian places would be useful.

#24

The island of Naoshima- imagine the Tate Modern on a semi-tropical island.

Vegetarian was really easy. Esp in Kyoto where their local thing is tofu. I used the Happy Cow app and had no trouble. If I hadn’t been so broke I could have eaten at a different restaurant twice a day. All the convenience stores have vege stuff on their deli counters too. Convenience store food in Japan is actually nice. Be careful of the rice balls though. Sometimes they have tofu on the outside and meat in the middle.

#25

Oh I’m only going to Tokyo, sorry, should have said.

Oh was gonna buy yer japan zine earlier but got distracted and didn’t checkout will do it now.

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#26

I actually didn’t see many big museums in Tokyo, because I was laid out with the tail end of the flu for two days when I was there. I’d been working in Austria for 5 weeks teaching previously and picked up a bug off the kids, and not had enough down time before going to Japan to completely shake it.

My friend I was travelling with went to the Yayoi Kusama exhibition that was running and loved it.

#27

Ah that’s horrible timing.

Oh cool, I saw one of her infinity mirrors in LA and loved it. Had a Google and the exhibition was only til may but looks like she’s opening her own musuem in Tokyo in October. So will try get tickets for that.

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#28

Well I got the flight tickets for free, so I was restricted on when I could use them. It was either go back to back with Austria, or go in monsoon season. It also meant I had no time to save up money, so was on an extreme budget for a 3 week trip. We could have had a comfortable 1 week trip, but if you’re going to Japan, why not see as much as possible?

#29

Oh yeah also, if you get the Tokyo equivalent of an oyster card, you can use the credit on it in other cities. I didn’t realise it was essentially the same card everywhere, because they have different branding in each city, and didn’t realise until the end of the trip.