Leavin in 1 month to japan, checklist...

[deepbluevibes]

I'm 19, male, white, etc.

I'm going to Japan for 10 days in october, the 13th to the 24th with my dad, who is 50.

I wanted to get some advice on things I should learn/take.

I already have some knowledge of vocab. in Japanese, I have about 75% of katakana and hiragana memorized (still working on both) and about 40 kanji memorized.

I have been learning japanese online from an instructor for about the past five or so months now; I know how to say just about everything in basic sentences, casually and formally, and some slang. (by everything, I mean all of the basic sentences, not all sentences. duh haha)

I have not only memorized said sentences; i realize how they work, the structure, how to switch words in and out for different occasions, what said words mean, etc.

Basically I can (as a list;)

-say sentences involving who, where, when, why, what
-say where i am at, where i'm going, where i'll be, where something is at
-know how to use true adjectives and noun adjectives, the differences
-know how to say something exists or not, counting and number systems
-all of the usuals, how to greet someone, casual talk, etc.

as for non-language things, as far as items i'm bringing, this is everything i can think of to bring;

-my laptop (going to buy converter there, but do you know if they sell them in california?)
-my digital camera
-1,500 dollars on credit card that i will transfer out at least 500 at first into yen at an ATM that is NOT at the airport as i've heard they ream you on rates
-deodorant
-toothpaste
-chapstick for the flights themselves
-backpack
-maps
-list of useful sentences for mostly dad, but me if i need a reminder
-list of locations to visit
-bi-lingual atlas
-map of the transit system
-pillows
-clothes (duh)
-passport and other such things (durrr)
-wallet/id (does an american ID work in japan if you ever get checked for age?)
-pictures of america (to show to people who are curious)
-ghiradelli chocolate (as a gift; what type do MOST japanese like?)
-spare batteries

that's all I can think of... any more suggestions?

[Glitch ErrorWeaver]

... Condoms.

[nice gaijin]

for his 10-day vacation with his dad? great addition, glitch.

Out of curiosity, where do you plan on going? Will you be in one city or travelling around a lot? I went through your list and here are the things I felt I should comment on...

Unless your laptop has a 3-prong connector you shouldn't need an adaptor for the outlets. Just make sure that your laptop works at 100v/50 or 60hz (America is 120v/60hz). Shouldn't be a problem.

$1,500 should definitely cover you for 10 days unless you are really loose with your money. I'd recommend getting as much of it in cash as possible; Japan is mostly a cash-based economy, and although they're gaining popularity, credit cards aren't accepted in nearly as many places as the States.

not sure why you need an atlas... a map of JR and the subways will be very useful. If you already know where you're staying, start mapping out the routes you should take to your tourist destinations.

good show on the deodorant and such; very hard to find over there. You won't find any floss over their either. I recommend a small backpack (like a sling pack) unless you plan on carrying large items with you at all times.

you will want to keep your passport on you at all times, I'd suggest a pair of pants with a zipper compartment where you can be sure your ID and wallet are safe from falling out or getting swiped. There are pickpockets, though they aren't "everywhere" it's better to be safe than sorry.

Batteries are cheap there; make-you-cry cheap. You shouldn't need more than a couple spares in case you get stranded without a conbini within spitting distance (unlikely in any major city)

Pillows are light but bulky; unless you have one of those nice compact REI ones, I'd leave the pillows home. As for clothes: I recommend good socks that will keep your feet dry. Smartwool is a beautiful thing.

American chocolate is a great gift, I'd recommend Sees as well (coffee crisps and lollipops were a hit for me) You could also consider some nuts, like pistachios. Pretty much anything that's either a specialty item from your area or really expensive in Japan; just remember it has to keep long enough for you to give it away (Sees has no preservatives in their fillings, so they are best eaten within 2 weeks).

As for your language skills, You can pretty much resign yourself to the fact that you won't be able to read a lot of what's written (kanji is an elusive beast) but I strongly recommend you get hiragana and especially katakana down. Hiragana will be seen a lot in sentences and such, but katakana is used extensively, especially in advertisements and menus at non-japanese restaurants. I would recommend knowing the kanji and the pronunciation for all of your destinations and the train lines you need to take. There should be some good survival Japanese sites with other good kanji for you to know (I'd recommend being able to read 女性専用 (じょせいせんよう） which means "women only.")

[deepbluevibes]

My laptop *does* have three prongs for the plug; it's a widescreen so it drains power like a mother.

also, we'll be staying in shinjuku, and not leaving tokyo's central area (the JR line area).

[nice gaijin]

Jesus Christ, shinjuku. Most heavily trafficked train station in the world (about 2 million people pass through it per day). Acquaint yourself with the yamanote line, and prepare to be jostled like you've never been jostled before. Gotta take my brother to school now, I'll be back later.

[Ahimsa]

don't forget basic medical supplies.....like Advil or Tylenol for pains, Immodium or something of the sort if you eat some tainted food, lol. Throw in a couple bandaids too, never know when you may need those. And how 'bout some Handi-wipes, you know, the things Az uses to replace a shower when one isn't available XD

[Henjin]

American chocolate is a great gift, I'd recommend Sees as well (coffee crisps and lollipops were a hit for me)

Great to hear. I'd been strugging for a couple days trying to figure out what to buy for gifts for some friends out there. I finally got some Frango chocolate mints (and coffee) from Marshall Fields. Not only is it a specialty of Chicago, but the boxes have a painting of the lakefront on them. I was excited when I found them. Seemed like a perfect gift. :)

I leave on my trip in 2 days, BTW. :eek:

Should I exchange all my money at Narita/Kansai? It doesn't seem like I'll get too many opportunities to do that (either from US cash or from traveler's checks) outside the airports...

@Deepbluevibes: Don't get discouraged when you can't read or understand anything/anyone. I'm a bit farther along in my studies and I get blown away when people start talking. :o

[hapacheese]

Make sure it's dark chocolate, not milk chocolate. It's too sweet for Japaense tastes.

[Henjin]

Great. Just great.

[deepbluevibes]

dark chocolate, got it.

also, what about clubs and such? yes, i want to go to clubs, not SPECIFICALLY for picking up on women, but because i have never even been to one here in america due to age limit, but i'll be 20 before i go to japan.

So any precautions there? I'll be visiting ones listed in a published book in america; aka, well known ones, so any worries about dirty underworld buisness going on i'm not going to worry about, etc.

[hapacheese]

Bah. Let me guess... Gas Panic? Most of the clubs listed in those types of books are in Roppongi, which I advise to stay the hell away from.

Clubs in Japan are weird, sometimes (surprise!). If you get stuck in a para-para club, it's downright freaky. Para-para is a style of dancing where there are specific dances for every song that *everyone* at the club will know... except you. It's freaky seeing a whole sea of Japanese punks/hoochies all facing the same direction, doing the same dance. I suppose it says a lot about the culture... (not everyone is into it, though... it's past its peak and only the hardcore are into it now).

Here's a sample video from the PS2 game "Para Para Paradise" Link (http://www.paraparaonline.com/media/video/ps2/03%20-%20ANNIVERSARY.avi)

[Sbabbari]

If you're staying around the Tokyo metro area, i would recommend buying a Suica card. I believe it gives you some kind of discount, plus it's more convenient than buying tickets all the time (can be used as a pass for all JR lines).

[atomiton]

you can get money out of any post office. English ATMs. That's your best bet.

With gifts, packaging is more important than product. Mints, altoid style, in a metal tin are fantastic. If it looks cheap, it's not good... a small tin of smoked salmon in nice packaging is better than the big value-pack.

If the gift is for someone you know, then handmade stuff is popular... I'm not suggesting you learn to knit but I know my mum had done that for my girlfriend and she was ecstatic.

I got smoked salmon and maple syrup or maple-syrup treats. In addition, the less flashy the wrapping paper, the better. Japanese gifts (from Japan) are superbly wrapped. Less is more.

I really wouldn't worry too much about all this though... to tell the truth... but here's a thought... jelly bellies in a nice tin are cool gifts.

Out of curiosity, how are you learning Japanese Online?

[Henjin]

I'm an American male. If I put the chocolates in a small green Marshall Fields bag, is that enough?

[BluZytrix]

I'd like to add my two cents. I just arrived in Tokyo yesterday. I had a 6 hour layover at Seattle Int' Airport and for the time I spent some of it following some of the Japanese people that were going back to Japan on my flight. They would go into the shop and pick out so much chocolate it would be like $100 worth when done. I grabed one of my favorte bars made in Seattle that has espresso infused into it. I saw them grab like 15 bars of this stuff for gifts. Also, smoked salmon is another, slightly more expensive, gift. I grabbed on of the those as well. Also, almond roca seemed to be popular as well as many of the assorted candy boxes that they sold at the airport.

As for the airport, I found Narita's security to be quite lax and most people know enough English to get you to fill out what you need to enter the country. If you do know a few phrases, that can go a long way in finding out information. Also, I haven't even been here 24 hours and I am in love with it all.

[hapacheese]

For the girls I know in Japan, Ghirardelli's chocolate/caramel squares are like candied sex. They beg me to bring over bags of the stuff when I go.

That, and dried fruits, particularly mango.

Oh, and a lot of the guys who drink like beef jerky, too.

[deepbluevibes]

Bah. Let me guess... Gas Panic? Most of the clubs listed in those types of books are in Roppongi, which I advise to stay the hell away from.

hilariously, that *was* one of the clubs I wanted to visit, just because of the description;

"youth come here to puke all over each other and grope one another".

with that, i had to see what the hell was going on there, hahaha. but is it like america where you risk getting STD's injected in you by a random person, getting knocked out, beaten up, stolen things from, or why specifically do you say roppongi clubs are bad?

The actual majority of clubs I want to visit are actually in Shibuya.

Clubs in Japan are weird, sometimes (surprise!). If you get stuck in a para-para club, it's downright freaky. Para-para is a style of dancing where there are specific dances for every song that *everyone* at the club will know... except you. It's freaky seeing a whole sea of Japanese punks/hoochies all facing the same direction, doing the same dance. I suppose it says a lot about the culture... (not everyone is into it, though... it's past its peak and only the hardcore are into it now).

i've been in the BeMani community for 5 years now, so I know alllll about parapara paradise, played it before, know people who memorized all the routines to the game, etc. etc... haha

[deepbluevibes]

For the girls I know in Japan, Ghirardelli's chocolate/caramel squares are like candied sex. They beg me to bring over bags of the stuff when I go.

That, and dried fruits, particularly mango.

Oh, and a lot of the guys who drink like beef jerky, too.

Thanks for that info :D why mango?

Out of curiosity, how are you learning Japanese Online?

I posted on japan-pen-friend and this guy emailed me asking me if I wanted to learn Japanese at 42 dollars for 42 lessons.

I accepted and paid him, and holy fuck, what a deal.

Each lesson is SUPER thourough, detailed, to the point, and explains things clearly. I know he's not some crackpot either because i've checked what he's teaching me against people on here, people from japan that i've emailed, and books teaching the language.

If you want his email, i'll put it up for you.

If you're staying around the Tokyo metro area, i would recommend buying a Suica card. I believe it gives you some kind of discount, plus it's more convenient than buying tickets all the time (can be used as a pass for all JR lines).

?? I know about the JR pass line, but that thing is ass-shit expensive, like 300+ dollars, unless this is some different card?

The towns i'll be visiting will likely stay within the Yamanote line, Ginza will probably be the farthest out i'll go.

[koku]

hehehe transportation is expensive. Find out how much the trips are first. I would bet the JR pass line is probably still cheaper.

Besides, I'd bet one you got there you'd want to visit places too. Do some research on the costs though :P

[deepbluevibes]

hehehe transportation is expensive. Find out how much the trips are first. I would bet the JR pass line is probably still cheaper.

Besides, I'd bet one you got there you'd want to visit places too. Do some research on the costs though :P

Nah, honestly i'm going to be staying mostly in;

shinjuku
shibuya
roppongi
harajuku
ginza
and etc. such places.

one transit trip from shibuya - shinjuku is somewhere around 300 yen if i remember right? or even at 1000 yen, that's a deal compared to 30,000 yen for a pass for only 10 days ><

[Pierrot le Fou]

If you take the shinkansen at all, the pass is cheaper. So if you're planning a day trip (or an overnight trip) to Kyoto for instance, the round trip shinkansen and the Narita express train will cost more than the 30,000 it costs for the JR pass.

[hapamama]

Warn your Dad to bring no more than he needs for his trip + a couple of days if he's on any perscription medications... especially if they're controlled substances. Make sure they have the rx labels attached. By what I've been told, the Japanese customs folks can be very anal about taking your perscriptions away if they think you may try to traffic them.

When Grandma goes to visit her sisters in Kyoto, she brings beef jerky (a no go with the mad cow stuff now), dried fruit and Sees candy. Sometimes if she knows in advance, she even brings over shoes or clothing.

[nice gaijin]

If you are planning on taking any medication, I'd leave anything that induces drowsiness, even benadryl. These are prescription-only in Japan I believe.

edit//and if you are going to be staying in Tokyo proper, and maybe only going to one or two places per day, I think you'd be fine without a pass; it only costs about 300 yen at the most to get from one side of the yamanote line to the other. If you stay in Tokyo, I wouldn't bother with the passes; you'll be spending 1,000yen per day at the most. The only pass I'd recommend is perhaps the daily pass if you were going to Odaiba, which runs about 800 yen. It covers the monorail and the ferry for the whole day; if you use it more than twice you'll save money.

[deepbluevibes]

If you are planning on taking any medication, I'd leave anything that induces drowsiness, even benadryl. These are prescription-only in Japan I believe.

edit//and if you are going to be staying in Tokyo proper, and maybe only going to one or two places per day, I think you'd be fine without a pass; it only costs about 300 yen at the most to get from one side of the yamanote line to the other. If you stay in Tokyo, I wouldn't bother with the passes; you'll be spending 1,000yen per day at the most. The only pass I'd recommend is perhaps the daily pass if you were going to Odaiba, which runs about 800 yen. It covers the monorail and the ferry for the whole day; if you use it more than twice you'll save money.

I'll be staying in central tokyo...

but i'll be wanting to go to a ton of places in the same day, but in the same cho/ku.

for instance like one day i might want to go to 10 different places...

all in shinjuku.
next day, 10 diff. places...
all in harajuku. etc.

[seijihuzz01]

Some recommended sites & things to take:

- a few cheap handkerchiefs. Public restrooms don't always have paper towels or hand dryers, and it might still be damn hot. Travel kleenex packs too in case there's no TP.

- Suica train card might be useful in a rush or if you're not sure where you're going. Get off at the wrong stop & you'll have to pay the difference after your ticket buzzes in the machine & alerts everybody to the dumb gaijin :)

- Get a walking map of Tokyo & learn Kanji for where you want to go. Take a business card from your hotel to show the cabbies when you get lost & can't get back home.

- Yamanote (bright green) Line is your friend since even if you go the wrong way you'll eventually get there (it's a loop, see). Y300 round trip Shinjuku to Shibuya, and you can walk if you like via Omotesando to Harajuku. Roppongi requires Subway transfer at Ebisu I think.

- TRAINS STOP RUNNING AROUND MIDNIGHT/1am!! Cabs aren't cheap, so pay attention to last train (saishuu densha) AND the weekday vs. weekend schedules. Station attendants by & large do not speak English - ask some cute girl instead (playing 'dumb/lost gaijin' works wonders!).

- Every large station has a zillion exits. Figure out which one you need (N,E,S,W, named for specific landmarks, etc). Most stations in the downtown area have signs in English too.

- Clubs: go to Shibuya (Hachiko Exit). 'Womb' for techno, 'Club Asia' & 'P' for hip-hop (hilarious Japanese guys in FUBU & corn rows). Crappy mini-Gas Panic there too if you must... Shibuya -> Omotesando -> Harajuku are also where you'll find trendy young people all hours of day/night & can be fun. Safe, but EXPENSIVE!

Shinjuku is pretty safe at night if sober, foreign & not alone, but otherwise kinda shady. Clubs suck there too. I'm pretty sure I was drugged by a large Russian K-1 fighter there.

Roppongi is where all the foreigners hang out. If you want African pimps to show you their Chinese/Filipina hooker bars & harass you into a fight, go there. Why go to Japan only to eat at TGIFriday's???

PM if you want specific directions or more details. Also check out: Metropolis magazine (http://metropolis.japantoday.com/default.asp) for hints on restaurants, bars, club happenings, art exhibits, etc.

- Sites: Tokyo Tower, Ueno (far NE side of Yamanote - the National Museum area of Tokyo), Yoyogi Park (exit Harajuku, not Yoyogi...go figure) and Harajuku on a Sunday, Kichijoji (take Orange/Chuo line west from Shinjuku, about Y800 round trip) has a nice park & young crowd. Ebisu (beer garden exit) in the evening is kinda nice. Don't know if autumn sumo is going on yet...

Finally, don't be afraid to try & speak Japanese - everybody will love you just for trying. Don't be afraid to get lost either. Wander aimlessly, but be prepared to be stared at if you're non-Asian & walk into some random noodle shop.

Have fun ~ SJ.

[Henjin]

Nice guide... Got one for Kobe? :D

[seijihuzz01]

Nice guide... Got one for Kobe? :D

Sadly no, only passed nearby on the way from Osaka to Hiroshima. Sounds like everybody else on here are your keys to Kansai, but I can offer some opinions :)

I do like Kansai better. Very different feel, attitude, etc. Osaka rules, as does Kyoto. There's actually still culture there, unlike downtown Tokyo, which is a teeming concrete mass of Starbucks knock-offs & salarymen :)

All I remember of 2 months in Osaka is Namba, America Mura (enh...nothing special), tako-yaki!!! About 7 different clubs named Sam & Dave's (I think-very hazy recollections of multi-colored drinks, leaning over bushes out front, Norwegian girl, fade to black), Shinsaibashi (I think that's the nampa bridge...?), and a disappointing den-den town that pales in comparison to Akihabara. The castle's nice.

Kyoto in the fall was great though. If you have time for a day hike & want a trek to something 'natural,' take the train way NE (I think) to Kibune & hike to the temple in Kurama, alleged mountain home of THE god Tengu, then hang a left & head up the road to the outdoor onsen to soak & relax (reverse in the summer & have tea in Kibune).

Also highly recommend the Lonely Planet guidebook series - they have all sorts of stuff I never would've found otherwise, and it's not all typically touristy stuff like Roppongi.

Hiroshima is something to see once. That's plenty...

楽しんで～　長い間より、短い旅行のほうがいいと思うよ。　過ぎたらあきらめちゃう。

[Henjin]

Some friends are gonna take me up to Kyoto. Don't know what's there, though. I know it'll be fun, though. Heck, I'd have fun going to a su-pa- and buying toilet paper. Heh.

[stsparky]

Do you really want to drag your laptop around? Tokyo has many InterNet Cafes that you can use. If you can't live without your files - burn them to a CD-ROM. I've a 12 inch PowerBook that is the biggest thing I'd want to deal with. A travel shop may have a Japanese three to two prong adapter for you. Are you at a hotel or a minshuku? - Sparky

[Pierrot le Fou]

Kansai guide:
- Kobe has luminare in the winter (if that's when you're going) which is a huge lit up park. Kobe looks a lot like an American city, since it was entirely flattened in 1995 and rebuilt after the great Hanshin earthquake. The earthquake memorial park may be nice, I s'pose, but inside the city there isn't much but shopping and food (lots of ethnic restaurants, which are more interesting to someone like me who lives here rather than you who is visiting).
- Osaka is where you want to go for clubs. Take the JR to JR Osaka, or the Hankyu from Sannomiya to Umeda, and then find the midosuji (red) subway line umeda station and take it to Namba or Shinsaibashi. Both have clubs. Depends on what kind you like. If you take the subway to Shinsaibashi and head west, you will get to America Mura.
- Osaka also has an aquarium, the Osaka Castle, a giant ferris wheel/thing that's new and between Namba and Shinsaibashi on Dotonburi river.
- If you want to catch a Japanese baseball game (depending on the time of year), go to the Osaka Dome (on the Osaka loop line) or to Koshien stadium (Hanshin line to the Koshien stop from Osaka station/Umeda)
- For Kyoto, my recommendations are Yasaka Jinja (Hankyu Kawaramachi stop, or Keihan shijo) which is a nice stroll through Gion followed by a shrine and park. It's free which also helps. I also recommend Nijo castle (bus from Kyoto station, or Subway from kyoto station to karasuma-oike, switch subways and go to nijo, followed by a little walk) which is awesome, but costs 600 yen or something to go in (go early! It closes at 4:30 or so, and is HUGE).
- The nightlife in Kyoto is at Shijo-Kawaramachi, though it pales in comparison to Osaka (though is probably better than Shijo if you ask me club-wise, though they both tend to suck).

Kansai has tons of train lines and ways to get places. JR is the most expensive, but if you have a pass, then it's all good.

[deepbluevibes]

Do you really want to drag your laptop around? Tokyo has many InterNet Cafes that you can use. If you can't live without your files - burn them to a CD-ROM. I've a 12 inch PowerBook that is the biggest thing I'd want to deal with. A travel shop may have a Japanese three to two prong adapter for you. Are you at a hotel or a minshuku? - Sparky

I'll be at a hotel, and yes, i ABSOLUTELY have to bring my laptop.

I'm a film major and i'll be filming hours upon hours of tokyo, and editing them into collages/music videos, so yeah. definitely i need somewhere to store the gigs upon gigs of movies i'll be filming ;P

[stsparky]

I'll be at a hotel, and yes, i ABSOLUTELY have to bring my laptop. I'm a film major and i'll be filming hours upon hours of tokyo, and editing them into collages/music videos, so yeah. definitely i need somewhere to store the gigs upon gigs of movies i'll be filming ;P
Get a better laptop and appropriate camcorder then. The JVC ones with a hard drive would be a good move. A 500GB minidrive would be an asset.

I remember back when I was a junior counsler at a mountaineering camp - this poor kid (his dad was a famous nature photographer) saddled himself with an extra 35 pounds of camera equipment. He broke his leg two days out on a hike. And I had to carry it out along with his sorry butt.

Watch your weight, get a light laptop, get extra storage, and the right camcorder; Then get yourself a four wheeled carryon case to put it all in. Don't make yourself miserable. - Sparky

-----
On 2nd thought - don't edit on your vacation! That will cut down on your shooting time. Rent the best camera you can - and invest in lots of MiniDV tapes. Film as much as you can. Leave your laptop home. Seriously. Plan your trip with getting the daylight first. - Sparky

[deepbluevibes]

I seriously don't mean to be a dick here, but i've been editing video and filming it now for almost two years.

I know how much is too much for myself, and I honestly know that I can get away with filming hours upon hours of stuff and still have fun.

And i'm not going to edit the video on the trip, and the card for my camera, a digital one (minolta) is 1 gig, which holds up to 2 hours on the worst setting, and a half hour on the highest setting. Not that great but it was apparently good enough to get a music video i created and filmed with that camera into a arcade game, so...

I don't like using camcorders with tapes; digital is the way to go for me, because it uploads directly into the computer and is ready for editing.

I *AM* looking for a new camera though because this minolta has no night vision and gets somewhat blurry sometimes, so any advice on a new digital camera with good sound and image quality is fine with me.

And dude.. 500GB HD for filming...? that's super overkill... >.> for only 10 days lol

and I have a 250GB HD. I guess here I need to explain exactly what i'll be doing; (although I walked all the way up and down San Francisco for seven hours one day getting footage for my music video that got into that arcade game, with my camera and tripod in my backpack, walked straight up California St... haha)

I'll take my camera out (not going to use a tripod for the most part; i want the footage to be as if it's from 1st person view, etc. and i have realllly steady hands), film things, turn it off and put it back around my neck or wherever. the camera weighs like 5 pounds if even that.

Then at the end of the day, i'll go back to hotel. Wake up the next day and upload it all to my laptop, wiping the camera clean. Repeat.

[stsparky]

You're not a dick - you're simply not imagining the worst case scenario regarding your laptop going AWOL or getting damaged. I'd do everything to keep the laptop safe at home myself. Check out the JVC GZ-MG50 - and consider a paperback sized portable hard drive. I've an AVTEC USB/FIREWIRE 40 GB that is smaller than a thin Doc Savage Pulp. Do your downloading / backups at an Internet Cafe. You'll meet more people that way - especially Gamer girls.

• http://www.mpsuperstore.com/Video/discr185988.htm sells the camera for about $ 775. Check Newegg as well.

[Tssss..]

Bah. Let me guess... Gas Panic? Most of the clubs listed in those types of books are in Roppongi, which I advise to stay the hell away from.

Clubs in Japan are weird, sometimes (surprise!). If you get stuck in a para-para club, it's downright freaky. Para-para is a style of dancing where there are specific dances for every song that *everyone* at the club will know... except you. It's freaky seeing a whole sea of Japanese punks/hoochies all facing the same direction, doing the same dance. I suppose it says a lot about the culture... (not everyone is into it, though... it's past its peak and only the hardcore are into it now).

Here's a sample video from the PS2 game "Para Para Paradise" Link (http://www.paraparaonline.com/media/video/ps2/03%20-%20ANNIVERSARY.avi)


:eek: :eek: :eek:

oh. my. god.

that looks like the japanese version of the macarena on acid. i can't finish it.

[deepbluevibes]

You're not a dick - you're simply not imagining the worst case scenario regarding your laptop going AWOL or getting damaged. I'd do everything to keep the laptop safe at home myself. Check out the JVC GZ-MG50 - and consider a paperback sized portable hard drive. I've an AVTEC USB/FIREWIRE 40 GB that is smaller than a thin Doc Savage Pulp. Do your downloading / backups at an Internet Cafe. You'll meet more people that way - especially Gamer girls.

• http://www.mpsuperstore.com/Video/discr185988.htm sells the camera for about $ 775. Check Newegg as well.

Wait wait; What do you mean do my downloading/backups at an internet cafe?

All of the internet cafes in California around where i've been to prohibit you hooking up or downloading ANYTHING onto their computers, so...? is that different in tokyo?

Also, I don't make nearly enough to buy a 775 dollar camera ^^;;; maybe after saving up for about... three months, which is two months too long for my trip, haha.

And I have an external hard drive; it's 250 GB.

This laptop's pretty sturdy, and i really keep it safe; i mean, once I dropped it by accident onto a stone floor, and it just chipped a small part of it off, and it was dropped from about three feet up (was just carrying it from one table to another and sneezed).

[stsparky]

Wait wait; What do you mean do my downloading/backups at an internet cafe?
All of the internet cafes in California around where i've been to prohibit you hooking up or downloading ANYTHING onto their computers, so...? is that different in tokyo?
Also, I don't make nearly enough to buy a 775 dollar camera ^^;;; maybe after saving up for about... three months, which is two months too long for my trip, haha.
And I have an external hard drive; it's 250 GB.
This laptop's pretty sturdy, and i really keep it safe; i mean, once I dropped it by accident onto a stone floor, and it just chipped a small part of it off, and it was dropped from about three feet up (was just carrying it from one table to another and sneezed).

Yes, you can hook up stuff to really fast state of the art computers at most InterNet Cafes.
Japan is different. :D
Get a loan? See if you can rent one. Or see if JVC will loan you one on the strength of your work as a way to generate good PR?
Is your external light and small? USB 2.0 and Firewire?
Not the worse case scenario - is that? Imagine it lost or stolen?
In fact, contact Sony, Panasonic, and the like. Ask for the head of PR. Tell them of your current projects. Isn't the Sony Metreon (http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&q=sony&near=San+Francisco,+CA&sa=X&oi=locald&radius=0.0&latlng=37775000,-122418333,18000299367088279420) in your neck of the woods? - Sparky

[Ahimsa]

Don't forget your I-Pod for that longggggggggggggg flight :P

[deepbluevibes]

Yes, you can hook up stuff to really fast state of the art computers at most InterNet Cafes.
Japan is different. :D
Get a loan? See if you can rent one. Or see if JVC will loan you one on the strength of your work as a way to generate good PR?
Is your external light and small? USB 2.0 and Firewire?
Not the worse case scenario - is that? Imagine it lost or stolen?
In fact, contact Sony, Panasonic, and the like. Ask for the head of PR. Tell them of your current projects. Isn't the Sony Metreon (http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&q=sony&near=San+Francisco,+CA&sa=X&oi=locald&radius=0.0&latlng=37775000,-122418333,18000299367088279420) in your neck of the woods? - Sparky

I keep my laptop in my backpack constantly so...

Also, i'm not *that* big... no one is going to sponsor me -_-

[Larrikin]

Make sure you have ALL the Katakana memorized before you go. Hiragana and Kanji aren't as important in your immediate future, but Katakana will help you out alot.

[stsparky]

I keep my laptop in my backpack constantly so... Also, i'm not *that* big... no one is going to sponsor me -_-

You don't wear your backpack in the shower. Can you afford it if it goes missing or breaks down? As to being big, try and self-promote yourself. You've been surprised as to who got PR goodies. Give it a try, go to the Metreon and ask them who to talk to. Bring your gamer reel video along. It's good practice.

[hapamama]

If you are planning on taking any medication, I'd leave anything that induces drowsiness, even benadryl. These are prescription-only in Japan I believe.


Oy! Note to self... encourage eldest son never to travel to Japan.

[Bob]

Dont get robbed