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So i had some money left over from buying a car so decided it would be a good idea to book a holiday for 3 weeks to go to japan, South Korea and Dubai. The only problem now is am not 100% sure on anything in japan. Ideally i would like to do some touristy stuff but the main thing is look at cars and possibly buy some parts to bring home. I will be in Tokyo to start for 3 days and apart from some street Mario karts i don't really have any plans in place and with the fly out date getting closer and closer am getting a little panic on. Does any one have any suggestions or ideas of things for me to do and the best places to see cars? Also am not sure on how to move around the county so any advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Also here is a stock image of the Mario karts, should be pretty good  |
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I may not be the best at welding but am like da vinci with a grinder
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misteralz
Posted a lot
I may drive a Volkswagen, but I'm scene tax exempt!
Posts: 2,340
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You can get a rail pass before you go for much cheaplier than you can when you get there.
In terms of car stuff I did, I literally dropped my bags at the hotel then went straight back out to find Flat 4 in Meguro. There's a thread on here somewhere. Shibuya is amazing for supercar (and retro, and weird Kei-car) spotting. I spent a few hours on the footbridge by Yoyogi Park with my SLR, just papping away. There are lots of high-end dealerships in that sort of area, making it enjoyable to just wander around and get lost in.
Dubai is an entirely different animal.
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Hi,
Great idea - I have some answers as I visited Japan last year so will reply in detail when I have more time. Mario Kart in Tokyo is amazing, Megaweb brilliant, Japan Rail Pass gets you where you need to go. It’s an amazing country to visit. :-)
Stu
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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misteralz
Posted a lot
I may drive a Volkswagen, but I'm scene tax exempt!
Posts: 2,340
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Great thread that I'll be watching.
I've been twice, both last year for work with not much free time.
We did have a bit of time in Tokyo, it was great, just walking and watching and missing photo ops. I'd like to make more effort next time.
We did see karts flying through the city at night, I had no idea such things happened, great to see first time but no pics due to staring in amazement for the seconds they took to pass.
A couple of tips.
When you get to the airport hire a mobile wifi hotspot, there are desks for them. It will give all of the people in your group unlimited internet access for free (once the hire is paid of course). Its charge should last a day at best, charge in the hotel but I'd be considering taking a powerbank next time for wifi dongle or phone.
You just drop it back off in the airport when you leave. You don't need one each.
Get a translation app on your phone, not many Japanese people speak English, although they are some of the nicest and most polite people you will ever meet so will do their best.
Get around on trains, we didnt but getting a pass sounds like a great idea because in the train stations outside of Tokyo there is no English at all and we struggled to work out how much to pay, generally no desks just vending machines that are baffling.
Download a Tokyo map app to your phone before you go, it helps loads when you get lost.
Take a wad of cash, apparently they like cash and there don't seem to be many ATMs.
don't translate the menu until after you eat. Rectum and Tongue might have been on your plate among other things. I like the food to be honest but the chewier cuts of meat are a worry sometimes.
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Feb 10, 2018 15:17:43 GMT
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Hi, Here's a link to some pics I took on my trip last year, I'll bump the thread up: Japan Thread |
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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ebisu, drift/race tracks theres about 7 circuits up the side of a mountain and the car contect there is unreal look it up on youtube
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1978 mk2 escort mexico
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Take a wad of cash, apparently they like cash and there don't seem to be many ATMs. I disagree in part. While I do agree that cash is king over there, i wouldn't go to a travel exchange before you go. Provided you have a visa/plus/cirrus/MasterCard on atm card, you can withdraw money from any 7-11 atm. Also, the exchange rate and fee is far better than any travelex. I usually pull 50000¥ at a time ($500/£300) And the fee is only about $2. Been to Japan 9 times for holidays, so if you have any questions, pm me or tag me in post. |
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Feb 11, 2018 22:33:55 GMT
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thanks for all this info guys, some really good things i never would have thought about doing. so far i think my plan is to get the japan rail card and try use that for most of my travel however i do still like the idea of hiring a car possibly for a few days however its not set in stone. so far i have planned:
Tokyo 4 days
Hiroshima 3 days
Kyoto 3 days
Nara 2 days
Osaka 3 days
we have 3 days of hotel booked in Tokyo in the shinjuku area so it seems like i am close enough to try get some good car spotting in, in the spots you have mentioned
i definitely want to go to the Toyota megaweb that place looks like it ticks my boxes also it looks close ish to the transformer statues which i was wanting to go see also
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I may not be the best at welding but am like da vinci with a grinder
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Feb 13, 2018 12:54:05 GMT
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There are some great links on this thread. I'm booked to go to Japan on 21st May. Really looking forward to it.
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Feb 13, 2018 18:25:25 GMT
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Personally, i would only spend 2 days in Hiroshima. Most of the Ww2 stuff is fairly central, and except for maybe a baseball game (not my thing, but hiroshima peeps are mad for the Carps) there isn't much else culturally that would require the 3rd day. It'd be better spent in Kyoto or Osaka.
Also, depending on how flexible your schedule is and where you land, plan the train travel to be linear. Hiroshima is approximately 1.5hrs south of Osaka on thr bullet train, while Kyoto is 30mins north. So you would be better going Hiroshima first, then working back towards Tokyo. Alternatively, I'd also recommend Hakone as a day trip from Tokyo. (Can get busses from Shinjuku)
I've hired cars and motorbikes and clocked up probably 2000km in Japan. To get anywhere quickly will require toll roads (expensive), so unless there's any specific roads you want to drive or out of the way places you want to visit (Ebisu circuit) utilise your rail pass as much as possible. On one trip, for the $800 we paid for a 3 week pass, we clocked up over $1600 worth of trips.
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Mar 11, 2018 22:37:16 GMT
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a quick question to everyone that did the mario karts, how did you go about getting your international drivers licence. when i looked online it said about the post office but when i went in they said they don't do them any more. am a bit lost with it all?
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I may not be the best at welding but am like da vinci with a grinder
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I've spent the last few years living in South Korea. Do you have a plan yet? Might be able to offer a few tips
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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a quick question to everyone that did the mario karts, how did you go about getting your international drivers licence. when i looked online it said about the post office but when i went in they said they don't do them any more. am a bit lost with it all? Hi, I got mine at the post office around a year ago. Only certain branches can issue them, details can be found using the search filters here and selecting ‘international licence’ under the ‘driving’ section: www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finderMore info on the licence (which looks to now be called a permit?) here: www.postoffice.co.uk/international-driving-permitHope that helps :-) Stu |
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Just to add, for those who didn’t see it, Top Gear on Sunday was all about Japan car culture, well worth a watch on iPlayer.
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Mar 13, 2018 19:07:12 GMT
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a quick question to everyone that did the mario karts, how did you go about getting your international drivers licence. when i looked online it said about the post office but when i went in they said they don't do them any more. am a bit lost with it all? Hi, I got mine at the post office around a year ago. Only certain branches can issue them, details can be found using the search filters here and selecting ‘international licence’ under the ‘driving’ section: www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finderMore info on the licence (which looks to now be called a permit?) here: www.postoffice.co.uk/international-driving-permitHope that helps :-) Stu Thank you, i will have to take a trip to hull by the look of what it is saying. I will also have to give that top gear a watch then I've spent the last few years living in South Korea. Do you have a plan yet? Might be able to offer a few tips no plan as of yet all i know is we fly into Seoul and fly out 3 days later |
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I may not be the best at welding but am like da vinci with a grinder
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[/quote] no plan as of yet all i know is we fly into Seoul and fly out 3 days later [/quote] For car related stuff there's the Samsung Transportation Museum which is just outside of Seoul. Also, closer to the centre of Seoul there's the Hyundai Motor Studio - expect to see a few supercars nearby and whilst you're in that area head to Sinsa for lots of restaurants/cafes offering Western food. Food wise, all across Korea there are these restaurant franchises called Kimbab Cheonguk or Kimbab Nara. Usually they'll have a bright orange front and the food is what most people would eat during the work day. The prices in the below link have certainly changed but food wise it should be the same. maryeats.com/2006/11/16/kimbap-nara-menu/Be sure to do a search on hiking in Seoul as there are plenty of mountains around which are quick and easy to climb. All the best! Steven |
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Japan holiday ideas for antics fr€$h&m1nt¥
@freshandminty
Club Retro Rides Member 99
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Mar 19, 2018 12:48:08 GMT
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Not wanting to thread hijack but thought it made sense to piggy back on this rather than start a new planning a trip to japan thread.
So any way plans for me to go to Japan are looking realistic for April 2019. But I'd like to take Ethan - 6 years old.
Obviously it's not going to be cars / cars / cars like a lot of people would plan on here (would be more like cars / cars / bullet trains / shopping / theme parks) but I'm interested if anyone else here has taken young children to Japan and if it's a realistic option or better off waiting?
Cheers for any pointers.
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