03-02-2010, 10:48 PM
PrairieGirl
03-03-2010, 05:50 PM
TOO COOL!!!! I'm so jealous!
03-04-2010, 05:23 AM
(03-03-2010 05:50 PM)PrairieGirl Wrote: [ -> ]TOO COOL!!!! I'm so jealous!
Just checked into the hotel in Narita a little while ago..Yay for free internet!
03-04-2010, 06:15 AM
Awesome CFS! Have a terrific time!
Can't wait to see some pics and hear all about the trip.
Can't wait to see some pics and hear all about the trip.
03-04-2010, 04:38 PM
Wow, the thought of getting to go there is so impossible for me. The money is a huge obstacle, but beyond that, it's the flight. I can't be on a plane longer than a couple of hours without freaking out. Flying is the most terrifying activity for me, out of anything I can possibly do in my life. And this is really sad, because I really want to go to Japan!
CFS, see if you can get Kyoto style temari sushi, they make into little balls, it's adorable.
CFS, see if you can get Kyoto style temari sushi, they make into little balls, it's adorable.
03-06-2010, 03:59 PM
Where in Japan will you be going/have been?
03-07-2010, 02:30 AM
CFS that is AWESOME! I hope you have a wonderful time.
You deserve a treat! And don't forget your camera, LOL
You deserve a treat! And don't forget your camera, LOL
03-07-2010, 06:58 PM
Nice! That sounds like a wonderful trip!
03-07-2010, 09:33 PM
I'm so jealous! Have a fantastic time, and I'll echo those who want to see photos and hear about your trip!
03-11-2010, 03:16 PM
Got home yesterday. Glad it's over! Weather was cold and rainy 3 out of the 5 days we were there. 2 entire days were taken up by traveling. Enjoyed parts of the trip, but on the whole I don't feel I got my money's worth.
03-11-2010, 03:59 PM
That's a shame. Although Japan isn't cheap from what I've heard... so the money:value ratio is probably at its worst over there. Still, even with that, one would hope that it would be worthwhile.
What did you enjoy, and what would you do differently? I'm curious to get details!
What did you enjoy, and what would you do differently? I'm curious to get details!
03-11-2010, 05:42 PM
That is amazing! So overall did you love it?
Anastasia - I am the same way. And my problem is, the military might want to move us to Japan. I'm so nervous because if we are to go, we may be told on Monday. I'm so nervous about it. I think I could like living there but the thought of flying there and moving my dogs terrifies me.
But like Ziggy I am still curious on the details of your trip CFS. That does suck you didn't get your money's worth, it seems like it was a whirlwind trip, or is that just me? I have those types of trips a lot, where you go and you are out quick. We've never been one to do a long week or 2 vacations.
Did you try any new foods?
Anastasia - I am the same way. And my problem is, the military might want to move us to Japan. I'm so nervous because if we are to go, we may be told on Monday. I'm so nervous about it. I think I could like living there but the thought of flying there and moving my dogs terrifies me.
But like Ziggy I am still curious on the details of your trip CFS. That does suck you didn't get your money's worth, it seems like it was a whirlwind trip, or is that just me? I have those types of trips a lot, where you go and you are out quick. We've never been one to do a long week or 2 vacations.
Did you try any new foods?
03-11-2010, 06:37 PM
I didn't think that Japan itself was particularly expensive. The food and hotel were very reasonably priced. However, the flight alone, for both of us, was around $2K.
It sucked that 3 days of the 8 days were taken up by traveling, and the rainy, cold weather sucked too. There were only 2 nice days that we were actually able to get a lot of sightseeing done in an enjoyable manner. We did do a shitload of sightseeing on the cold, rainy days too, and although I enjoyed seeing the sights, I was physically miserable.
Add on the fact that I still wasn't 100% over my cold, so I was coughing and sneezing. Plus the jetlag. I didn't get a full night's sleep the entire time we were there.
I did like Japan itself though. My favorite things were the Buddhist temple shrines. We visited some really beautiful ones that just felt so peaceful. I also liked how clean the country was. They keep the streets clean, the trains clean, the hotel rooms clean, etc.
Another cool thing was their bidet-style toilets that spray warm water on your private parts, and some even have a heated toilet seat! (Although many places still have old-fashioned squatting toilets too.) I totally want to get a bidet-style toilet for the house now!
The Japanese people are very polite, and they will go out of their way to help you, EXCEPT when you get in their way on the train or on the sidewalk. Kinda like Houston, where people are very friendly and nice UNTIL they get behind the wheel!
Another cool thing: it's frowned upon to talk on cellphones in public. I saw several instances of people leaving a restaurant if they got a call or getting up from their seat on the train and going to stand on the area between the train cars to talk.
Another super-cool thing: They have these vending machines EVERYWHERE that serve hot and cold drinks in bottles and cans. I got hooked on this warm milk tea in a can! It was yummy!
The food was very good too. I really enjoyed our free breakfasts at the hotel that consisted of miso soup, rice cakes, salad, pickled vegetables, and sometimes sausages or eggs. It was great! For lunch or dinner we went to a lot of hole-in-the-wall places that had big bowls of ramen or soba noodle soups, curry pork or chicken, ton-katsu, bento boxes, etc. One night we went to a conveyor-belt sushi place. I love those! The portions over there are a lot smaller but the food is very filling. There were also a lot of bakeries and cafes.
Due to the jetlag, we all ended up going back to the hotel after dinner every night: there was NO nightlife explored on this trip! No theater, no karaoke, no sake bars, nothing! We were too wiped out. So I feel I missed out on that.
6 of the 7 people on our trip were really nice to travel with. However, we had one person who was very pushy with her demands and opinions and she tried her damnedest to steer the trip and agenda the way she wanted it. Even though the group leader had warned us all ahead of time to pack light and to be prepared to walk a lot, 3 people (including this woman) had a shitload of bags, which really slowed us down at the train stations.
Plus, this woman was just not physically fit and didn't enjoy walking, so she was constantly complaining about walking. Several times she bitched and moaned so much that we ended up taking taxis. The group had a running joke of "Take a Taxi!" because that phrase came out of her mouth constantly. The group leader did the math and figured out that we each spent around $100 taking taxis because of her. It was an expense we had not budgeted for.
She was also one of those dawdlers whom you always end up having to wait for because they wander off and/or walk really slowly. It was interesting how she was too tired to walk EXCEPT when there was shopping involved!
I feel that the trip would have been a lot more enjoyable for all of us if she had not been there, and the rest of the group felt the same way.
Things I wish I'd known before I went:
- People don't speak as much English as I was told they would. Sure, most people there know a few words in English the way we know a few words in Japanese, but most were not truly fluent. We got by OK by pointing and smiling a lot, but in retrospect I really wish I had gotten a phrasebook or some tapes ahead of time. I hate being somewhere where I can't communicate. Our tour leader spoke some Japanese, but not enough.
- Cash is king! Most places did not take credit cards. That really surprised me. We ran out of money and had to find an international ATM, as did most everyone else.
It sucked that 3 days of the 8 days were taken up by traveling, and the rainy, cold weather sucked too. There were only 2 nice days that we were actually able to get a lot of sightseeing done in an enjoyable manner. We did do a shitload of sightseeing on the cold, rainy days too, and although I enjoyed seeing the sights, I was physically miserable.
Add on the fact that I still wasn't 100% over my cold, so I was coughing and sneezing. Plus the jetlag. I didn't get a full night's sleep the entire time we were there.
I did like Japan itself though. My favorite things were the Buddhist temple shrines. We visited some really beautiful ones that just felt so peaceful. I also liked how clean the country was. They keep the streets clean, the trains clean, the hotel rooms clean, etc.
Another cool thing was their bidet-style toilets that spray warm water on your private parts, and some even have a heated toilet seat! (Although many places still have old-fashioned squatting toilets too.) I totally want to get a bidet-style toilet for the house now!
The Japanese people are very polite, and they will go out of their way to help you, EXCEPT when you get in their way on the train or on the sidewalk. Kinda like Houston, where people are very friendly and nice UNTIL they get behind the wheel!
Another cool thing: it's frowned upon to talk on cellphones in public. I saw several instances of people leaving a restaurant if they got a call or getting up from their seat on the train and going to stand on the area between the train cars to talk.
Another super-cool thing: They have these vending machines EVERYWHERE that serve hot and cold drinks in bottles and cans. I got hooked on this warm milk tea in a can! It was yummy!
The food was very good too. I really enjoyed our free breakfasts at the hotel that consisted of miso soup, rice cakes, salad, pickled vegetables, and sometimes sausages or eggs. It was great! For lunch or dinner we went to a lot of hole-in-the-wall places that had big bowls of ramen or soba noodle soups, curry pork or chicken, ton-katsu, bento boxes, etc. One night we went to a conveyor-belt sushi place. I love those! The portions over there are a lot smaller but the food is very filling. There were also a lot of bakeries and cafes.
Due to the jetlag, we all ended up going back to the hotel after dinner every night: there was NO nightlife explored on this trip! No theater, no karaoke, no sake bars, nothing! We were too wiped out. So I feel I missed out on that.
6 of the 7 people on our trip were really nice to travel with. However, we had one person who was very pushy with her demands and opinions and she tried her damnedest to steer the trip and agenda the way she wanted it. Even though the group leader had warned us all ahead of time to pack light and to be prepared to walk a lot, 3 people (including this woman) had a shitload of bags, which really slowed us down at the train stations.
Plus, this woman was just not physically fit and didn't enjoy walking, so she was constantly complaining about walking. Several times she bitched and moaned so much that we ended up taking taxis. The group had a running joke of "Take a Taxi!" because that phrase came out of her mouth constantly. The group leader did the math and figured out that we each spent around $100 taking taxis because of her. It was an expense we had not budgeted for.
She was also one of those dawdlers whom you always end up having to wait for because they wander off and/or walk really slowly. It was interesting how she was too tired to walk EXCEPT when there was shopping involved!
I feel that the trip would have been a lot more enjoyable for all of us if she had not been there, and the rest of the group felt the same way.
Things I wish I'd known before I went:
- People don't speak as much English as I was told they would. Sure, most people there know a few words in English the way we know a few words in Japanese, but most were not truly fluent. We got by OK by pointing and smiling a lot, but in retrospect I really wish I had gotten a phrasebook or some tapes ahead of time. I hate being somewhere where I can't communicate. Our tour leader spoke some Japanese, but not enough.
- Cash is king! Most places did not take credit cards. That really surprised me. We ran out of money and had to find an international ATM, as did most everyone else.
PrairieGirl
03-11-2010, 07:19 PM
Wow, sounds like a great trip! can't wait to see some photos!
03-12-2010, 01:57 AM
I knew about the vending machines, you can get almost anything in their vending machines, but I didn't know about credit cards not being accepted very much, that is surprising to me, too.
I wish your trip had been long enough for you to have recovered from jetlag so you could have gone to some sakeyas or enjoyed some nightlife. I don't deal with jetlag very well, either. I've found it takes nearly two weeks for me to get over it, which means I never get over it on a trip!
I'd love to see your pics!
I wish your trip had been long enough for you to have recovered from jetlag so you could have gone to some sakeyas or enjoyed some nightlife. I don't deal with jetlag very well, either. I've found it takes nearly two weeks for me to get over it, which means I never get over it on a trip!
I'd love to see your pics!
03-12-2010, 10:47 AM
Sounds like a very interesting trip and a great country to visit! What made you choose Japan?
03-12-2010, 12:28 PM
(03-12-2010 10:47 AM)catsnotkids Wrote: [ -> ]What made you choose Japan?
Our friend who runs the sushi club was leading a tour, so we figured, what the heck? Let's go.