Japan

[chezmax]

Oh dear. I leave for Japan a week from today.

I'm totally not ready.

Well, I have a plane ticket, and a rail ticket, and I know where my passport is.

Things I need to remember to do:
Call Visa/My Bank. Tell them I'll be in a different country, and not to disable my card when charges start showing up from really weird place. Done
Pack.
Make a list of people who want postcards (inform me if you want a postcard: my first name which is at alleged networks... even if you think I have your address, send me an email so it'll be on the list)
Check my power adapters to see if they're 100V compatible.
Look for my travel insurance information and any cards I may need to carry.

Erm... I'm sure I'm forgetting important things.... Any ideas?

Comments

[wjl.livejournal.com]

Hey, long time no talk. Japanese people are really nice, and many of them like to practice their English, so you should have no trouble getting around. The JR pass is a *huge* win -- as you probably know, only tourists can get them, and Japanese people are quite jealous of this fact :)

I highly recommend Kyoto for its bizarre juxtaposition of modern-city--wall--zen-garden. My friend and i found a secret garden there with a small table, and on the table was a button with a sign that, as nearly as i could tell, said something like, "Push button for green tea ice cream" :)

Nara is also nice, and i didn't see you mention it. Big park, lots of deer -- it was one of my favorite places when i went.

Hiroshima is also really worthwhile. Two things i'd suggest while you're there, aside from the obvious A-bomb-related stuff: (1) have some Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki), since it's not common anywhere else -- you should get some Kansai-style while you're in Osaka, for comparison's sake. Wikipedia has the whole story. And (2) see if you can visit Miyajima-guchi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyajimaguchi) -- it's very close, and you can use your JR pass to take the ferry to Miyajima island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyajima%2C_Hiroshima) proper, home of the floating torii, one of the three most beautiful sights in Japan.

Most of all, have lots of fun, and don't be nervous! :) Like i said, the people are extraordinarily friendly. It's a great experience.

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

..I don't usually comment on friends-of-friends' descriptions of cities I've never been to... but this one comment makes me doubly jealous of the trip. I've filed away this advice for whenever it is that I eventually get to visit Japan. Thanks. :)

It sounds like you had some interesting adventures there- did you push the button for green tea ice cream?

[wjl.livejournal.com]

You're welcome :D

And yes, we *did* push the button... and sure enough, a nice Japanese girl in a kimono came out and took our order :) I guess it was kind of like a small cafe or tea-house or something -- it felt somewhat surreal, but the green tea ice cream was delicious.