Japan 23/24 Season

[bennymac]

Spending two nights in Tokyo before going to Hakuba. Last time (12 years ago) we lugged our shit through train stations.

With this black cat transport service we could land at Narita and drop out ski bags with them with the address of where we are staying and they’ll shuttle our stuff up there? That would be amazing.

[m2711c]

Yeah, if you got two days, it works like a fucking charm. the company is ubiquitous nationwide. They literally go to every single hotel or resort.

https://www.global-yamato.com/en/hands-free-travel/



If you don’t have two days, you’re kind of stuck with dragging your shit with you though.

[bennymac]

Hmm interesting -

we land at 4pm day 1

day 2 we tour Tokyo

day 3 we travel to Hakuba

day 4 we ski

will try to figure out if this is enough time - might be too narrow

[boltonoutlaw]

Well played

Going to be messy over the next week or two

Freezing level up and down the register if the forecast is correct

Loads of snow, followed by loads of rain

And repeat

Won't make much difference to the season start time (early December), but it may mean that the sasa grass (bamboo) won't get buried and the off-piste terrain may take longer to fill in

Still snowing but yeah, all you say is likely to unfold

[Mike Pow]

Fingers crossed

[byates1]

blower

[KillerMonkey]

Just booked jan 17-25 to haneda with plans to go to niseko.

Looking for recs for dinner places since last time we didnt make our reservations in time.

[KillerMonkey]

Also thinking of just bringing the pescados with shifts and that should be sufficient. Thoughts?

[CascadeCrudSkier]

Hmm interesting -

we land at 4pm day 1

day 2 we tour Tokyo

day 3 we travel to Hakuba

day 4 we ski

will try to figure out if this is enough time - might be too narrow

That's plenty of time, especially since you don't need the ski gear until day 4 since you'll spend a day just getting from Tokyo to Hakuba.

Since you're only spending a day in Tokyo you probably already have an itinerary but let me know if you want recommendations for spending a day here or any restaurant recommendations. Though I'm biased towards central Tokyo and the Roppongi/Midtown area.

[bennymac]

Oh hey I’d love some recommendations if you can rattle it off without too much trouble! I spent a day there 12 years ago - but everyone else in our group has never been there so I think I’m unofficially expected to be sorta the guide - a role I don’t mind playing. And thanks for weighing in on the ski shipping timing - that is helpful. Cheers!

[CascadeCrudSkier]

Oh hey I’d love some recommendations if you can rattle it off without too much trouble! I spent a day there 12 years ago - but everyone else in our group has never been there so I think I’m unofficially expected to be sorta the guide - a role I don’t mind playing. And thanks for weighing in on the ski shipping timing - that is helpful. Cheers!

A few random pointers. You'll want some sort of train card while in Japan, either Suica or Pasmo. Due to a chip shortage they've stopped selling them to the public so you can't buy them via machines or at the kombinis now. There is a tourist thing they're selling at Haneda but whenever I've seen the line it looks crazy long. I've only heard of success using an iPhone but see if you can get it working on the app on your phone. Otherwise have someone in the group get in that line as soon as they clear customs while the rest of you work on getting your gear shipped via Yamato transport (Black Cat). Everyone will want/need the train card for getting around the city and you can also use them more often than credit cards.

I'd recommend spending the morning going up to Asakusa, check out the temple and you can add on visits to kitchen street if anyone wants any sort of souvenir knives, swords, pottery, etc. Ship that stuff home immediately, don't get caught w/ a knife in Japan. If the weather is clear, which it should be during pow season, a trip over to Skytree is also a good idea. You can eat around the temple as you go.

In the afternoon head down to Shibuya and walk around Meiji shrine and then the main street in Harajuku. Then head over to Shibuya scramble and grab a drink from one of the various terraces overlooking the chaos down below. Recommend doing this in the late afternoon as the sun is setting, which should be well before 4:30pm in the winter.

Finish up the evening in Shinjuku or Roppongi. There's a million awesome places to grab a beer or just people watch. Avoid any of the all you can drink specials, or at least don't give up your credit card inside.

These restaurant recs don't aligns well with the suggested itinerary but are doable. I'm also avoiding foods you can get in Hakuba that are good and focusing on things you won't find there. For example, there's plenty of good ramen in Hakuba so you can skip that in Tokyo. Same with mid grade sushi.

Lunch:
Gonpachi in Nishiazabu: Locals love to tell you that it's an overpriced izakaya and there are hundreds more authentic and cheaper. They're probably right but the food is still good, it's super English friendly, and it's the restaurant that Tarantino modeled the fight scene in Kill Bill after. It checks most of the boxes for a great lunch spot. Reservations are recommended but not essential, especially on a weekday.

Lunch or dinner:
Conveyor Belt sushi. A must do in Japan, it's super cheap and it's like playing a casino where you're guaranteed to win on every hand. The modern ones are run off iPads and you just pick items that are automatically delivered to your table or seat. There's plenty of non sushi items as well. Despite the quality being as low as you can find it Japan it's still good and everyone will find it memorable and enjoyable. It's also incredibly cheap. Personal favorite spots are Ueno Genki Sushi in Dogenzaka (Shibuya) or the Sushi Ro in Shinjuku Nishiguchi. Reservations not required.

Dinner:
High end sushi - If you want to drop some money and get the good stuff, hit up Sushi Y in Azabujuban. You'll get an experience that's would be $500-700 in NY or SF for just over $100. There's only 8 seats, the chef speaks English and used to run a restaurant in Manhattan so he brings most of his seafood across Japan from Toyama but still adds some items that he knows Americans enjoy, such as Alaskan salmon. You'll learn about the preparation and location of each item on the course. So far everyone I've brought here has said it's the high point of their trip. Definitely make reservations early for this if you want to get a seat, I'm sure your hotel can do this well in advance of your stay.

Hit me up w/ any other questions, happy to share the goods about Hakuba as well.

[bennymac]

Dude this is amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to type that out I really appreciate it.

Any recommendations on what neighborhood to sleep in? We fly into Narita and land around 4pm local time. We spend two nights in Tokyo and then have our travel day to Hakuba.

Thanks again for this help!

[muted reborn]

I disagree with skipping ramen in Tokyo. Unless you just don't care much about ramen or think it's all the same.

I went to a few places where they filmed Ramen Heads, and watched the series on my flight over there. No place was as crowded as it looked on Netflix, but I can't say that since 2019 any of these places got busier or slower. If you are near even one of these restaurants I'd go for it!

https://ubercow.com/b/ramen-heads-filming-locations/

[eSock]

Also thinking of just bringing the pescados with shifts and that should be sufficient. Thoughts?

I'm bringing ghost trains with castified pivots [emoji28]

[mcski]

I don’t remember eating “Ramen” or even the word being used outside of then supermarket at all during the 2 years I lived in Japan. I ate Soba and Udon was everywhere and those are the only noodle shops we went to. Are people calling that ramen??? What’s changed on the noodle landscape over there?

[mcski]

Dude this is amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to type that out I really appreciate it.

Any recommendations on what neighborhood to sleep in? We fly into Narita and land around 4pm local time. We spend two nights in Tokyo and then have our travel day to Hakuba.

Thanks again for this help!

Kind of depends on what your main interests are?

If you have game, you could always try the overnight rate at a Love Hotel!

Each area is its own little city really. Ginza if you want to spend time in/around the palace, shibuya is you want to douse yourself in neon bars, harajuku is you want to be near the park and crazy fashion street. It’s endless. Subway and the JR loop are easy to get around on tho. All Day tickets are the way to go if your gonna be on the move around town

[muted reborn]

I don’t remember eating “Ramen” or even the word being used outside of then supermarket at all during the 2 years I lived in Japan. I ate Soba and Udon was everywhere and those are the only noodle shops we went to. Are people calling that ramen??? What’s changed on the noodle landscape over there?

I am very confused on what you are talking about. You can read up a bit here:

https://artsandculture.google.com/st...QL1jNFKw?hl=en

[m2711c]

A few random pointers. don't get caught w/ a knife in Japan. .

thanks for this. i was not aware. i always have a folding utility knife in my pocket. glad i didn’t get caught with it while i was there.

[mcski]

I am very confused on what you are talking about. You can read up a bit here:

https://artsandculture.google.com/st...QL1jNFKw?hl=en

When I lived there in the 80s, if I scrub my memory ramen was meh at best. It was the cheap noodle and kinda fast food. Real noodle shops focused on Soba or Udon. I can’t recall a single time anyone got anything else. I’m sure “ramen” was around but i only ever heard discussions around Udon or Soba when it came to foodie talk. They were generally not referred to by people I knew as ramen shops. Someone was going to eat either udon or soba. Ramen noodles were kind of looked down upon. I’ll ask my contemporaries from back then if that’s just a drunken delusion but that’s how my senseis rolled

[muted reborn]

When I lived there in the 80s, if I scrub my memory ramen was meh at best. It was the cheap noodle and kinda fast food. Real noodle shops focused on Soba or Udon. I can’t recall a single time anyone got anything else. I’m sure “ramen” was around but i only ever heard discussions around Udon or Soba when it came to foodie talk. They were generally not referred to by people I knew as ramen shops. Someone was going to eat either udon or soba. Ramen noodles were kind of looked down upon. I’ll ask my contemporaries from back then if that’s just a drunken delusion but that’s how my senseis rolled

I don't know anything about the history but a quick google says

"Beginning in the 1980s, ramen became a Japanese cultural icon and was studied around the world. At the same time, local varieties of ramen were hitting the national market and could even be ordered by their regional names."

Good ramen takes a day to make the broth and that's probably all you have time to make, the noodles are hand made or on a machine, and bad ramen is from a broth stock that you find at sushi restaurants and noodles are bought and not made in-house. Basically.

[CascadeCrudSkier]

Dude this is amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to type that out I really appreciate it.

Any recommendations on what neighborhood to sleep in? We fly into Narita and land around 4pm local time. We spend two nights in Tokyo and then have our travel day to Hakuba.

Thanks again for this help!

There's no shortage of places so it's really the best combination of your budget and your appetite for nightlife. If you're planning to go big both nights then I'd focus on Roppongi or Shinjuku. If you're not looking for that then avoid those and Shibuya. For work I always recommend guests stay at the ANA in Ark Hills, it sits just outside Roppongi and Akasaka but it's not cheap. For convenience you could just base it on your arrival near Tokyo station coming from Narita or base it off wherever you're departing from to get to Hakuba. If you're really at a loss then use booking.com, pick your location and price range, and see what the best options are.

[mcski]

I don't know anything about the history but a quick google says

"Beginning in the 1980s, ramen became a Japanese cultural icon and was studied around the world. At the same time, local varieties of ramen were hitting the national market and could even be ordered by their regional names."

Good ramen takes a day to make the broth and that's probably all you have time to make, the noodles are hand made or on a machine, and bad ramen is from a broth stock that you find at sushi restaurants and noodles are bought and not made in-house. Basically.

I await confirmation but as I recall no one ever referred to Soba or Udon as ramen. Three different things and usually a specialty of the shop by noodle. At that time, Soba and Udon were the quality noodles. Princess Michiko was the daughter of a ramen king which was not a plus as ramen was considered Chinese while soba and udon were traditional Japanese

[CascadeCrudSkier]

I wasn't recommending skipping ramen in Tokyo as a general guideline but if you're only spending a day there before heading to other parts of Japan there's not much available in Tokyo that you can't find anywhere else. On the other hand, there's plenty of other things there that you won't find in the mountains or ski towns.

I wasn't in Tokyo in the 80s but ramen isn't the same as soba or udon. It's everywhere but since ramen is from China and not Japan it's usually spelled out in katakana.
ラーメン

Soba is the more confusing word since it can mean the traditional buckwheat noodles served hot or cold, or it can represent something that's very similar in appearance to ramen. There's a great dry ramen (no broth, just oil) chain called abura soba that seems a lot more like ramen than soba to me.

[fleaches]

Recent podcast on Ramen history, if anyone's interested https://gastropod.com/wed-like-to-te...rise-to-glory/

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[bennymac]

There's no shortage of places so it's really the best combination of your budget and your appetite for nightlife. If you're planning to go big both nights then I'd focus on Roppongi or Shinjuku. If you're not looking for that then avoid those and Shibuya. For work I always recommend guests stay at the ANA in Ark Hills, it sits just outside Roppongi and Akasaka but it's not cheap. For convenience you could just base it on your arrival near Tokyo station coming from Narita or base it off wherever you're departing from to get to Hakuba. If you're really at a loss then use booking.com, pick your location and price range, and see what the best options are.

Perfect thanks. Unfortunately I think we’ve aged out of going hard on the nightlife scene - at least at the front end of the trip prior to 7 days of touring - so will visit the active areas of nightlife but sleep elsewhere.

My trip mates have not been to Japan before so I think they will be stoked to take the bullet train to the interior (which I know will mean some other further form of transit to get us to Hakuba). That AnA does look pristine but probably not in everyone’s price range. But this gives me an idea of where to look so thanks again!