The Gamer's Quarter

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

That's right! My holiday is coming up and as Japan is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, and I know a few people I can stay with, I guess it seems silly not to do it.

Here is my list of things I want to see:

- Ghibli Museum

- Hiroshima Museum

- Tezuka Museum

- Shibuya (this is where they based Jet Set Radio. I want to see the bus terminal!)

- Probably I should go up Mount Fuji or something.

There are probably more things to do in Japan! But what!

daphaknee · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:39 am Post subject:

go to the porno apartment builiding in shinjuku and if you manage to scale mt fuji make sure you slide down the gomba trail

daphaknee · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:39 am Post subject:

also pick me up some kago shintaro manga ok

Ryan - SuperWes' Bane · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:26 am Post subject: Re: Going to Japan

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

sediment · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:45 am Post subject:

be sure not to get kidnapped!

i just realised this is what i tell everyone when they visit japan, and you know, i don't have any problems with the country, just with the hong kong element.

not that i have any problems with hong kong, mostly just the gangsters.
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Sorry Ryan, that curt 'OK' was to Daph, I must have replied to her just as you were replying to me.

KinokoFry · . Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 84

You can book the Ghibli museum anytime, I think, but you run the very real risk of it being sold out.

Basically, there are only 4 times everyday that they have intakes of people. Something like 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 from memory. If you go the route of booking at a Lawson (the only way in Japan, as far as I know), it'll cost about 1,000 yen and you have to do it via the Loppy terminal which is this machine in every Lawson that people use to book every kind of ticket.

Of course it's all in Japanese. You can probably get a clerk there to help you, but be prepared for it to possibly be a pain in the arse. The major problem is that it really can be sold out for long periods of time. August is also school holidays in Japan so take that into account.

I think there is also the possibility of buying your tickets via a travel agency before you come to Japan.

I found [url=http://digilander.libero.it/joe.chip/ghibli_e.htm]this[url] website very useful!

You will definitely want to read up on climbing Mt Fuji if you plan on doing that, because there's a lot to take into consideration, and it will take up 2 days of your trip.

If you're in Tokyo, Harajuku is one of the BEST places you can go. It's one of my favourite places, and also if you walk far enough along the major shopping street (I forget what it's called), you'll probably find the art gallery, Design Festa, which is a fantastic art space like nothing I've seen before.

Shinjuku is what I consider my second-home in Japan, even though I've never lived there. It's really all the best things of Tokyo in one for me. I recommend checking out both the east and west side, they have their own distinct characteristics. Shinjuku contains both the red light district and the gay district, if you're interested. Right next to the gay district is the best bar in the whole country - the 8 Bit Cafe. Man, good times.

Ryan - SuperWes' Bane · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:29 pm Post subject:

Ohh, tell me more about the 8 bit Cafe! I want to visit it!

KinokoFry · . Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 84

It's this small bar near 2-chome in Shinjuku, run by these really lovely people who have a great appreciation for retro games. Patrick and I are friends with them cause we're great.

The entire place is covered in lots of retro gaming paraphernalia, in a way that manages to be not tacky at all, or at least only the good kind of tacky. They have consoles set up there with loads of games you can play. They typically play game-related music. The food is AMAZING (try the salad!), the drinks are also numerous and incredible (they have one called a Doctor Mario - a delicious drink served in a beaker, with a side of M&Ms served in a petri dish). The kind of people you see in there are typically nice guys, often in some way connected to the gaming industry.

It's an amazing bar because it's not like a bar in most conventional respects. It's like this wonderful place you can go to be among like-minded people, relax amongst nostalgia and have a really fun time.

There's also at least another retro gaming bar in Tokyo but I haven't been there.

Oh HEY! Here's an Eegra article about it that also contains a video of the place.

daphaknee · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:33 am Post subject:

hong kong isnt in japan are you saying hong kong is in japan are you getting japan mixed up with china or are you making some joke i dont get

OH GOD GO TO THE BLOCK WHERE THEY SELL ALL THE PLASTIC FOOD if orgot what it was called butits just a block of plastic food displays and you can buy them seperately or you can spend A MILLLION DOLLARS and get a set they're so expensive but wonderful to touch

oh and make sure you go to the fish market, its a bloody mess and its just shouting and bonesaws and blood flying they closed the giant fish auctions to the public but you can still run around the fish market and dodge getting hit by trucks

those are tokyo things are you going to tokyo for sure or maybe somewhere else

osaka has the best love hotels and the blade runner water pier thing and AMERICA STREET and octopus balls and SHIN KESAI and TENNOJI ZOO which is so depresisng because it has camels with humps that have fallen over and goats with wounds and oh man its really bad

sad zoo

LOVE HOTEL

shitty picture of love hotel GANG SNOWMAN

LOVE HOTEL

i really like osaka more sometimes because it seems more comfy but maybe thats because its FULL OF HICKS

ginza isnt good for anything but the six story toystore

roppongi isnt good for anything unless they have a good art exhibit at roppongi hills and theres also an amazing sausage restaurant where you can get a 40 dollar plate of like 10 different kinds of sausages with free pretzels

sediment · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:57 am Post subject:

daphaknee · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:40 pm Post subject:

WELL EXPLAIN THE JOKE THEN GOD just sit there and make me feel retarded

STOP IT

sediment · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:59 pm Post subject:

there's about a thousand years of hostility between china and japan. japanese culture is pretty much, what, han dynasty china let to foster on its own on an island nation, right?
so anyway, chinese triad gangs go back real far, and still command a lot of power in regions of china, especially hong kong. the hong kong action movie exists because people go missing or get gunned down in hong kong every day.
the yakuza have, for the last twentyish years, been facing invading triads from HK. as a result, yakuza methods and business have gotten badder and stranger.

the ultimate point of this being, foreigners, whether male or female, in japan sometimes get kidnapped to be an 'exotic' element for a certain brand of entertainment.

of course, i realize not even one per cent of japanese people are involved with yakuza. i just like to foster unhealthy paranoia.

hey james, you should go to hong kong sometime Smile

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KinokoFry · . Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 84

Osaka has some GREAT love hotels. Love hotels, next to onsen, are just about the best thing about Japan. I hate that Australia doesn't have them.

Mind you, I think the best love hotel I ever stayed in was in Kyoto. Kyoto has an incredible love hotel district, I'm dying to go back there.

Patrick Alexander · . Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 123 Location: various

James, if you visit the Ghibli Museum, stick around and check out the rest of Kichijōji. I have barely been there but it seems like a really cool place, and I plan to spend some time there when I'm back in Japan.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Kichijoji

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kichijoji

Becca and I had dinner there with our famous friends in January, before going to Fami-mode. That was the night Hirofumi Taniguchi told me about Captain Rainbow, which was a secret at the time but now isn't. FAAAMOUS FRIENDS!

Stay away from Roppongi -- it's an ugly place.

If you make it to Osaka and Doddodo happens to be doing a show somewhere at the time, go to it. She is awesome and nuts.

Also: When are you going?
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Patrick Alexander · . Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 123 Location: various

Oh yeah and absolutely get yourself to some onsen, somehow. Dunno how easy that will be, if you'll mostly be in Tokyo; I don't really know that area. (But hopefully I will soon!)
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KinokoFry · . Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 84

I hope you know, I'm basically relying on you to tell me if Doddodo is ever playing in any place I am.

EDIT: Also, WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW ME THAT VIDEO BEFORE!?!?

Jesus in a taxi,a Skip game, rainbows, set on an island with my favourite Mario characters! This is going to be amazing.

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

You know what? I'm thinking there is not a whole lot of point going to japan if I don't have any cool people to hang out with, so I'm thinking i may go to australia instead. HMM.

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

I can introduce you to the toadfish.
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Is that a euphanism

daphaknee · Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:47 am Post subject:

GO TO THE PARASITE MUSEUM its free and they have the longest tapeworm pulled out of a live dude its like 30 feet long its absurd

also they sell the best postcards

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

I'm a bit surprised that Akihabara isn't on your list of places to go. Is it no longer a nerd mecca?
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

you're calling me a WHAT

kirkjerk · . Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 1227

they say akihabara is going downhill. they don't block off the street and have all the interesting stuff on sundays any more.
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KinokoFry · . Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 84

I find Akihabara to be really dull now. It was fun the very first time I went there, when Japan in general was still new, and also the time I found Super Potato for the first time. Now, I realise I can basically find all that stuff in just about every neighbourhood in Japan. Also, I don't like spending hundreds of dollars on old gaming crap anymore.

Akihabara is just a boring bunch of streets with nerds and tourists and nothing to eat but crappy Mos Burger.

I think Osaka's DenDen Town is better anyway because it's the same stuff, but it's all in the one main street and when you want to get away from it, Shinsaibashi is a short walk away.

Redeye · . Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 986 Location: filth

random memory:

When I was living on Okinawa I went on a school field trip to a cave complex that also involved seeing a cobra-mongoose fight.

The animals had to be prodded into action because even with the cage partition removed they just sulked in their corners.

Who the hell decided that was appropriate for 2nd graders?

lol, Japan.
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Ryan - SuperWes' Bane · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:53 am Post subject:

Last time I went to Den Den town in Osaka (two years ago), it was pretty sad. Not as how I remembered it back in 2002. There are still some interesting things of note in Akihabara. Lots of video game stores, lots of anime stores, a 5 floor sex shop, lots of maid cafes (though I never really understood them), and lots of obscure electronic shops (like hidden cameras and the like). I like buying backpacks there too, much cheaper than other places due to otaku's buying so many backpacks.

Roppongi sucks balls, I don't know why my friends always want to go there. Shinjuku is nice, Shibuya is a must see (there is a Love Hotel hill there too, and close to that place is the theme restaurant Alcatraz which you should check out too), and Harajuku is nice as well.

Not much to do in Ginza, and pretty much everything between Shinjuku and Akihabara on the Yamanote line is residential. Though there is this cute Nekomachi (Cat town Area) that I found near one of the subway stations that might be fun to check out.

I think you should check out Yokohama as well. The Chinatown there is awesome, and they have a nice shopping area along the pier near Sakuragicho station. You can take the Kehin Tohoku line there I believe.

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Well, it's looking like I am going to be going to Japan, and sooner than I thought. This friday, in fact! However, It's taking me a while to get in touch with the people I think I'm going to be staying with.

In case they don't come through, does anyone know anyone I can stay with in Japan? Failing that, I guess I'll stay in a hostel or something. I plan to be there for a week at the most. I'm mainly only going there because it is about half as cheap to fly to australia from japan that it is to go from Korea, believe it or not! So I actually save money by stopping off in Japan. It might end up only being (literally) a flying visit.

dessgeega · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:55 pm Post subject:

love hotel
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

I assume love hotels are very expensive D:

dessgeega · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:15 pm Post subject:

they're cheaper than regular hotels
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sediment · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:48 pm Post subject:

that's fucking awesome

GET IT ??
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Patrick Alexander · . Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 123 Location: various

You can't stay in a love hotel for a week! They don't work that way.

James, it will be difficult (or impossible) to find a hostel anywhere convenient at such short notice, plus most hostels want you to stay for at least a month. Same goes for cheap hotels -- best to book two weeks in advance at the very least.

If I suddenly think of something I'll let you know. But your best bet is to get onto any mates you have in Tokyo and beg for a week on their couch.
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purplechair · . Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 378 Location: in my pants

www.couchsurfing.com ?

Patrick Alexander · . Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 123 Location: various

What you could do, if it comes down to it, is put your suitcase in a locker at a train station; preferably a central one because you'd have to go back every day, or every couple of days, to put more coins in. Keep a small backpack with you, with your essentials. Spend each night at a love hotel (keep in mind you'll be locked in), or alternatively, an internet cafe (cheap (not nearly as cheap as in Korea mind you), and usually very cosy and comfy). If you choose an internet cafe, you can have your morning or evening bath at a public bath or onsen (I don't know about onsen in Tokyo).

Both love hotels and public baths/onsen are worth experiencing. I wouldn't stay in a love hotel without a girl, though; I'd feel lonely.
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KinokoFry · . Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 84

It's hard enough staying in them and not having sex. But, the great thing about Japan is that they ARE an option, at least.

Patrick, you're full of good advice. It's almost like you're learning how to travel!

daphaknee · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:58 pm Post subject:

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

I am going to Osaka TOMORROW. It turned out I couldn't buy my Osaka-Brisbane ticket from Korea, so I'm going to have to see if I can get it while I'm there. If not, I guess I'm bumming around Japants for two weeks!

Ryan - SuperWes' Bane · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:32 am Post subject:

Found out that all Ghibli Tickets were sold out for the Museum until August 12th. PISSED off I can't visit before I leave Japan Sad

. If you really want to go, stop by a Lawson as SOON as you arrive and buy a ticket for the Ghibli museum there. There seems to be a Ghibli Forest event going on now as well, though I have no idea what that is. Hope you get tickets! Try the weekdays! Probably more likely to be open. Keep in mind it's summer vacation for the schools now.

kirkjerk · . Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 1227

Ryan - SuperWes' Bane · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject:

Yeah, gotta have some Okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and yakisoba in Osaka as well!

SuperWes · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:59 pm Post subject:

If you're going to be in Kyoto I highly recommend the SanjuSangendo temple. It's really awesome! There are over 1000 statues and the legend goes that one exists in the temple with the face of your mother (not specifically Harvey James' mother, but everyone's mother's face is represented).

Also if you're near one go to at least one Mandarake store. They're enormous stores dedicated to Manga geeks. When we went to one of them and there happened to be an anime theme song while wearing cosplay show/competition going on. It was one of those really weird and amazing things that you don't realize is amazing until after you've seen it.

-Wes
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

randomuser83 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2008 Posts: 20

Im so jealous. I really want to go now. Why do you do this to me?!?!?!

kirkjerk · . Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 1227

Patrick Alexander · . Joined: 26 Jul 2007 Posts: 123 Location: various

One of my favourites is a juice bar at an onsen in Kyoto, with a sign that reads, 'FLESH JUICE'. Wish I'd remembered to take a photo.
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Cossix · . Joined: 14 Nov 2007 Posts: 87

Oh man I didn't see this until now.

If you get a chance, Ueno Park is pretty awesome. You can go to the part where all the Russians are selling crazy seedy products and there's black guys being bouncers and in the partk itself there's crazy homeless Japanese guys that will talk to you in English and try to teach you how to pick up prostitutes in Japanese

I also took a trip over to Nakano and went to the big otaku mall there called Nakano Broadway. It's got like a four story Mandarake that's awesome and a bunch of arcades and places that sell oldass Japanese console games and everything. It's totally worth a trip there.

Ryan - SuperWes' Bane · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:54 pm Post subject:

I'll be in Tokyo from Friday until Sunday if you are going to be there this weekend and need a tour guide. I don't know everywhere, but I've been to some places a lot.

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Cool, I'll be in Tokyo friday and saturday, going back saturday night! Where do you wanna meet? Also, what time?