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Japan Travel Thread

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Yep, Google map. It'll tell you which platform to go and what time, also tells you of any delays, it is synchronized with the train system time / alerts and is pretty accurate.
82 wrote: I never try that inside a station, are you using Google Map? Do you just enter the destination and select the correct metro line? thanks

WOULD SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
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lurkknight wrote: I believe you're talking about the JR wide area kansai pass? then yes, you have unlimited access to the haruka unreserved seating.



Remember these passes are active for calendar days, not by the hour, so if you are landing on your first night and activate your pass, the 3 hours before midnight count as your first day. Also if your flight is arriving 9 pm local, that may not give you enough time to get to the ticket office to pick up the pass.

This pass should cover everything JR in the region minus the bullet trains that go to tokyo or anything that goes west of okayama, Add the subway/bus pass in kyoto should cover most of everything minus osaka subways/buses, and anything in kinosaki. Probably still a good idea to get a suica/icoca to pay cash fares if you don't already have one to take care of the osaka subway when you are in osaka.

I think I would get the Yokoso day pass with Nankai ticket. (Ticket office shows open til 10pm... will we make it?) Use the ticket on arrival, and then activate the bus pass on the 26th.

I would get the JR Kansai wide five day pass and activate it on the 29th, allowing us to use it from 29th to November 2nd. (Using this pass to get back to the airport).

For the days in Kyoto I'll either rely on Icoca or daily bus passes.
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You might make it to the ticket office... depends on if your flight makes it on time or not, whether or not there's a long line at customs, if your bags hit the carousel quickly, etc. I actually don't even remember much of kansai airport when I was there last november. We got in around 5-6pm. I seem to recall the entry process happening faster than it did vs my times at narita.
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lurkknight wrote: You might make it to the ticket office... depends on if your flight makes it on time or not, whether or not there's a long line at customs, if your bags hit the carousel quickly, etc. I actually don't even remember much of kansai airport when I was there last november. We got in around 5-6pm. I seem to recall the entry process happening faster than it did vs my times at narita.
We will only have carryon. I recall Haneda was really fast so if that's the case for Kansai I think we will be fine I hope. We are flying with an Asian airline so chances of being on time is even better.
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Cheapo-Findo wrote: Get wifi device or sim-card with data and use google map. Best way to navigate. Or just ask the local folks for directions.
bring a little pocket compass too... sometimes you can't get a good enough locator signal in the concrete caverns. A compass will at least get you going in the right general direction while you wait for a signal to come in.
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Raggie wrote: We will only have carryon. I recall Haneda was really fast so if that's the case for Kansai I think we will be fine I hope. We are flying with an Asian airline so chances of being on time is even better.
Kansai is a terrible airport, nice and big but very poorly designed with no way to avoid trains to take you to immigration, and the immigration lines were very long when we arrived at 4pm on a Saturday in low season from Taipei on JAL. I have to say, I travel for work and international arrival and departure at KIX is terrible. [And we had carry on only and left first flying in J...]
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mkjr wrote: Kansai is a terrible airport, nice and big but very poorly designed with no way to avoid trains to take you to immigration, and the immigration lines were very long when we arrived at 4pm on a Saturday in low season from Taipei on JAL. I have to say, I travel for work and international arrival and departure at KIX is terrible. [And we had carry on only and left first flying in J...]
Okay, we'll have a plan B ready.
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Just in case anyone is looking for a flight deal again, there is a deal right now with American Airlines and JAL ~$704 for round trip (YYZ to NRT for Nov).
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lurkknight wrote: bring a little pocket compass too... sometimes you can't get a good enough locator signal in the concrete caverns. A compass will at least get you going in the right general direction while you wait for a signal to come in.
Any advantage of a pocket compass over the compass already in our phones? Besides the fact that a conventional compass doesn't use batteries.
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rugerty100 wrote: Any advantage of a pocket compass over the compass already in our phones? Besides the fact that a conventional compass doesn't use batteries.
if you zoom into your map close enough and walk a few metres you will find out very quickly if you are going the wrong direction.
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Google Maps is pretty good because it has multi-level mapping for many of the stations and buildings in Japan, and most modern phones will have an internal compass that makes Google Maps directionally aware so just turn yourself around and the maps will rotate based on your direction.
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Raggie wrote: I think I would get the Yokoso day pass with Nankai ticket. (Ticket office shows open til 10pm... will we make it?) Use the ticket on arrival, and then activate the bus pass on the 26th.

I would get the JR Kansai wide five day pass and activate it on the 29th, allowing us to use it from 29th to November 2nd. (Using this pass to get back to the airport).

For the days in Kyoto I'll either rely on Icoca or daily bus passes.
The Nankai Ticket Office at Kansai is open until 11:30pm. There is no way it closes at 10PM as the last Rapi:t doesn't leave until 11pm. And the last non-Rapi:t train doesn't leave until midnight.

https://www.howto-osaka.com/en/traffic/ ... ffice.html

I've gotten the Yokosho Pass several times and it's a great deal. They'll tell you the subway ticket is only good within 24 hours but the last two times I was in Osaka that time restriction didn't apply.

Honestly the amount of time it takes to clear customs at Kansai really depends on your luck. If you arrive after a couple of flights from China then of course there will be a big line. The lines generally move quite quickly though and I've never spent more than 20 minutes lining up.
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no particular advantage if your compass doesn't rely on gps or wifi. I have a little pocket compass I clip to a strap on my pack so I don't have to always have my phone out.
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Homer88 wrote: The Nankai Ticket Office at Kansai is open until 11:30pm. There is no way it closes at 10PM as the last Rapi:t doesn't leave until 11pm. And the last non-Rapi:t train doesn't leave until midnight.

https://www.howto-osaka.com/en/traffic/ ... ffice.html

I've gotten the Yokosho Pass several times and it's a great deal. They'll tell you the subway ticket is only good within 24 hours but the last two times I was in Osaka that time restriction didn't apply.

Honestly the amount of time it takes to clear customs at Kansai really depends on your luck. If you arrive after a couple of flights from China then of course there will be a big line. The lines generally move quite quickly though and I've never spent more than 20 minutes lining up.
have you arrived since the issue with the swine virus?

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/ ... eat-china/

BTW, the airport they are making reference to is Chubu but they are taking no chances with flights from China.
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mkjr wrote: have you arrived since the issue with the swine virus?

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/ ... eat-china/

BTW, the airport they are making reference to is Chubu but they are taking no chances with flights from China.
Yup I actually landed in Haneda twice in March (article says Jan 12) and both times I waited no more than 10-15 minutes in line. Customs didn't check my bags both times either, maybe because I spoke English? LOL

Sounds unlikely anything was going to happen though unless the passengers purposely brought those sausages in to spread the virus.
So far no African swine fever infections have been reported in Japan and it is unlikely that food infected with the virus would cause an outbreak unless pigs were fed with the infected food.
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Homer88 wrote: Yup I actually landed in Haneda twice in March (article says Jan 12) and both times I waited no more than 10-15 minutes in line. Customs didn't check my bags both times either, maybe because I spoke English? LOL

Sounds unlikely anything was going to happen though unless the passengers purposely brought those sausages in to spread the virus.
I am sorry, but I said nothing about HND having issues with lines. I was entirely speaking about KIX which can be much more understaffed than HND even with no issues where I too have not had issues on arrival.

I realized I should have asked about arrival into KIX. Someone told me that is where many flights from China arrive versus HND. Maybe that is bullcrap. (or maybe considers LCC's?)

And yes, the fact that you spoke English and may be white makes a huge difference, rightly or wrongly. We arrived from HKG to TPE in early March and ALL passengers were either given a pass that exempted them from screening by x ray of luggage on arrival for pork and other prohibited agricultural products. We did not have one and showed our Canadian passports to the person checking for the pass you needed to by pass the x ray of luggage and sure enough, waved us through after pointing to the sign asking if we had any such products, of which we did not.
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mkjr wrote: I am sorry, but I said nothing about HND having issues with lines. I was entirely speaking about KIX which can be much more understaffed than HND even with no issues where I too have not had issues on arrival.

I realized I should have asked about arrival into KIX. Someone told me that is where many flights from China arrive versus HND. Maybe that is bullcrap. (or maybe considers LCC's?)

And yes, the fact that you spoke English and may be white makes a huge difference, rightly or wrongly. We arrived from HKG to TPE in early March and ALL passengers were either given a pass that exempted them from screening by x ray of luggage on arrival for pork and other prohibited agricultural products. We did not have one and showed our Canadian passports to the person checking for the pass you needed to by pass the x ray of luggage and sure enough, waved us through after pointing to the sign asking if we had any such products, of which we did not.
Ah oops my bad hahah. Nope the last time I landed in KIX was last October around 4PM but even then there wasn't really a wait. It might be true that there are more Chinese tourists landing in KIX versus HND/NRT because when I was in Tokyo I hardly recall seeing/hearing any mainlanders yelling on the street. Whereas there were much more in Osaka.
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Anyone know if it is better to exchange currencies before going to Japan or exchange when over there?
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I am going to Japan in two weeks and I'm just wondering where can I order a pocket wifi? The OP listed a few but does anyone have any experience using them?

Also, is there a cheap way to use my cellphone in Japan?

Thank you!
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Arriving at KIX at night. Do you guys know if the sim card vending machine accepts credit cards?

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