Japan Travel 2022

[Guest]

35 minutes ago, chadbag said:

 

In the US we have a thing called the Universal Commercial Code (aka UCC), a set of basic commercial laws, which most of the states use as a basis of their commercial law.  These include certain "rights" that you have in a transaction that can't be "contracted" away.  Things like, if you sell a product that is supposed to do X, it has to do X.  I am not sure how I would attack this problem using the UCC but I would bet there are some angles there that can be used.  We'll see if I need to do that.

 

Good luck with that, you can recite the “UCC” to the agent when when you’re at the airport and 50 other upset travelers behind you in queue.

 

Just read the fine print on your ticket/receipt. You’ll soon see what “rights” you have.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Bob Martin

[chadbag]

4 hours ago, Bob Martin said:

Good luck with that, you can recite the “UCC” to the agent when when you’re at the airport and 50 other upset travelers behind you in queue.

 

Just read the fine print on your ticket/receipt. You’ll soon see what “rights” you have.

 

It has nothing to do with reciting this to the agent at the check-in desk and everything to do with getting redress after the fact, or before you get that far -- ie before the actual flight date, working out a solution with the airline.  

 

The "fine print" does not overrule the basic commercial code that applies to all of commerce.   I've actually used this in a small claims court action successfully.  (Not in that the judge agreed with me but when presented with the argument, Compaq decided to settle instead).

[kuro68000]

It's a lot stronger in Europe.

 

If you flight is delayed by more than 3 hours, you get cash compensation. You are entitled to free food and drink at the airport too, and accommodation if the delay stretches overnight. You can even get the cost of making phone calls reimbursed if you need to tell someone you will be delayed.

 

If the delay is more than 5 hours, you are entitled to a full refund. If the flight it cancelled you can choose between a refund and an alternative flight. If the only alternative flight available is really expensive, the airline has to pay for you to take it anyway. So if you BA economy flight is cancelled and JAL business class is the only alternative, BA has to buy you a ticket.

 

The only get-out is that the rules don't apply if it's not the airline's fault. Some of them try to blame all sorts of other things, and lately there have been issues with staffing at airports leading to cancellations. There is some debate how those that is on-going, as there was with flights cancelled due to the pandemic. The big one back then was people not being able to travel due to COVID restrictions at the destination, which was not covered.

 

You also have to know this stuff because most airlines won't volunteer the information. Instead of a refund they will offer you a travel voucher, for example.

 

The other problem is that they can reschedule flights by up to 11 hours 59 minutes without any need to compensate or offer refunds. Your 5 PM flight could become a 3 AM flight. Some airlines have been trying to use that to avoid giving refunds, hoping that most people will cancel themselves or pay to rebook.

[Guest]

13 hours ago, chadbag said:

 

It has nothing to do with reciting this to the agent at the check-in desk and everything to do with getting redress after the fact, or before you get that far -- ie before the actual flight date, working out a solution with the airline.  

 

The "fine print" does not overrule the basic commercial code that applies to all of commerce.   I've actually used this in a small claims court action successfully.  (Not in that the judge agreed with me but when presented with the argument, Compaq decided to settle instead).

My point is, all that does little good when you’re at the airport and waiting to depart.  Sure you might get some money, but that does little good at the time.  They might cover the flight/hotel cost, but you’ll never be compensated for the time or inconvenience factor, and to me that IS the issue.

Edited October 17, 2022 by Bob Martin

[chadbag]

41 minutes ago, Bob Martin said:

My point is, all that does little good when you’re at the airport and waiting to depart.  Sure you might get some money, but that does little good at the time.  They might cover the flight/hotel cost, but you’ll never be compensated for the time or inconvenience factor, and to me that IS the issue.

 

I'm trying to solve the problem before we get anywhere near an airport.  My problem is currently well defined -- not a last minute change.

[railsquid]

Well, I just saw some selfie-besticked tourists wander over the Shibuya Crossing, so it looks like the drought is coming to an end.

[cteno4]

Folks walking with selfie sticks should just be beaten with them!

 

jeff

[kuro68000]

2 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Folks walking with selfie sticks should just be beaten with them!

 

jeff

 

I would never advocate selfie sticks, but it would be nice to have a way to "wear" your phone to record walks you take. Like those YouTube videos, but without the big gimbal contraption. Some of the action cameras look like they would work, but they aren't cheap.

[katoftw]

15 minutes ago, mojo said:

 

I would never advocate selfie sticks, but it would be nice to have a way to "wear" your phone to record walks you take. Like those YouTube videos, but without the big gimbal contraption. Some of the action cameras look like they would work, but they aren't cheap.

A go-pro is half the size of your fist. And can be purchased for 150 dollars.

[kuro68000]

17 minutes ago, katoftw said:

A go-pro is half the size of your fist. And can be purchased for 150 dollars.

 

They don't seem to sell that model in the UK, but the real issue is wearing it. Head mounted kinda works but you look ridiculous. It would be great if you could just stuck your phone in your shirt pocket and have it record... Well maybe you can, I should try it.

 

I'm really looking forward to December now, having just seen the exchange rate. I need some new jeans, in Uniqlo UK they are £40, in Japan they are about £23! Some of that is sales tax and the usual "treasure island" mark-up, but still...

[katoftw]

You can buy chest/torso straps for gopros

[Kamome]

28 minutes ago, mojo said:

They don't seem to sell that model in the UK

Some of the better outdoor shops or cycle shops will carry Go Pro in the UK although probably something else cheaper in Japan. I have a chest strap I use for mountain biking and skiing. You get a more eyesight looking view from a chest strap as head mounted gives a higher looking perspective. 

 

I would say though, you would look just as moronic in public wearing this as carrying a selfie stick, except it would not get in everyone’s way.

 

I tend to record most memories of my trips in my often corruptible storage device in my skull and take photos. I generally don’t necessitate videos of myself to add to social media although I appreciate that narcissism has become the norm for most youngsters these days.😁

[railsquid]

13 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Folks walking with selfie sticks should just be beaten with them!

 

There's a cartoon about that (The Oatmeal, do not click if easily offended).

 

I've seen people with chest-mounted Gopros around as well (in the Before Time at least, I guess they'll be back, and oh gawd influencers, and generally people stopping and gawking at the bright flashy neon like they've never seen bright flashy neon before).

Edited October 28, 2022 by railsquid

[JR East]

20 hours ago, railsquid said:

Well, I just saw some selfie-besticked tourists wander over the Shibuya Crossing, so it looks like the drought is coming to an end.

 

I've seen that in 2016 :

 

 

They are facing Darwin Award competitors. 

 

[kuro68000]

10 hours ago, Kamome said:

Some of the better outdoor shops or cycle shops will carry Go Pro in the UK although probably something else cheaper in Japan. I have a chest strap I use for mountain biking and skiing. You get a more eyesight looking view from a chest strap as head mounted gives a higher looking perspective. 

 

I would say though, you would look just as moronic in public wearing this as carrying a selfie stick, except it would not get in everyone’s way.

 

I tend to record most memories of my trips in my often corruptible storage device in my skull and take photos. I generally don’t necessitate videos of myself to add to social media although I appreciate that narcissism has become the norm for most youngsters these days.😁

 

Yes, that's why I'd like to have something discrete like a phone in a breast pocket. It's mostly for me and maybe a few friends, I'm not intending to share it widely.

 

At least these days photos get tagged with location automatically. If you look at my photo thread you will see I was kind of hopeless for keeping track of where I took photos.

[cteno4]

Where are our google glasses?! Or our personal drone following us around with AI filming us from perfect angles in each scene we walk through?! I don’t want MTV, I want my AI camera drone!
 

I’m ready for my close up mr DeMille! 

 

jeff

[beakaboy]

On 10/28/2022 at 6:01 AM, cteno4 said:

Folks walking with selfie sticks should just be beaten with them!

 

jeff

we had several incidents with selfie sticks on the viewing car of our New Zealand Tranz Alpine tourist train a few years back. people were poking them out the side of the open coach and getting cameras wiped out due to the close nature of the terrain to tracks and also numerous narrow tunnels. Also some close calls with selfie sticks being flung back at the owner by the force of impact. They added extra bars over open viewing windows which prevented this problem, but made you feel as though you were in a prison cell 

[Guest]

Just an initial post about the new JR rail pass procedures since I’ve arrived. Seems a lot easier now some respects with the QR coded tickets.  But in others it’s much less convenient. You CANNOT seem to get short haul (reserved or green) Shinkansen tickets via the kiosk.  Even though you select “prefer Shinkansen” it will not display any. I’m sure that is deliberate.  But I suppose you can still go to ticket office and manually get a ticket.

[kuro68000]

6 hours ago, Bob Martin said:

Just an initial post about the new JR rail pass procedures since I’ve arrived. Seems a lot easier now some respects with the QR coded tickets.  But in others it’s much less convenient. You CANNOT seem to get short haul (reserved or green) Shinkansen tickets via the kiosk.  Even though you select “prefer Shinkansen” it will not display any. I’m sure that is deliberate.  But I suppose you can still go to ticket office and manually get a ticket.

 

When using the normal trains can you just go through the normal ticket gates? It's going to be hard to beat the convenience of a contactless card.

[Giugiaro]

On 10/29/2022 at 9:23 AM, beakaboy said:

we had several incidents with selfie sticks on the viewing car of our New Zealand Tranz Alpine tourist train a few years back.

 

I'm either unaware, or we didn't have these issues in Portugal 😶

 

Did the brumpt of it come when we had no stock running with openable windows, and the trend since died down once vintage trains were reintroduced?

Edited November 2, 2022 by Giugiaro

[chadbag]

On 10/27/2022 at 2:00 PM, mojo said:

 

I would never advocate selfie sticks, but it would be nice to have a way to "wear" your phone to record walks you take. Like those YouTube videos, but without the big gimbal contraption. Some of the action cameras look like they would work, but they aren't cheap.

 

A Go Pro is a brand of "action camera".  Not sure where $150 comes from as looking at Go Pro on the US Amazon site most are $290-$500.  However, you can buy cheap Chinese "action cameras" which are the equivalent for $50 - a few hundred dollars.  I bought one to try and use to take some train videos as secondary sources to my Sony A6300...

 

They sell action camera mounts for helmets, chests, selfie sticks, and a million other things.   Selfies sticks are useful for those trying to get themselves into the action.  I'd never use one but there really is no replacement for those who want a "selfy".  The problem is not the stick itself but the rude people using them

 

[Guest]

On 11/2/2022 at 6:00 PM, mojo said:

 

When using the normal trains can you just go through the normal ticket gates? It's going to be hard to beat the convenience of a contactless card.

Yes, it’s just a paper ticket you insert in the turnstile and get back every time.  But the point about contactless is really moot. IMO it’s worse to having to constantly interact with (ie. touching) the ticket machines to make reservations. You have to type in your passport number every time (annoying). I wish it could just read the passport chip. The old way of just showing your trip details off your phone screen to the clerk was never an issue.

 

Plus I miss being able to keep the stubs of the old system. The turnstile keeps those at the end of your trip.

 

Anyways, rode Saphir Odoriko today. Now I guess I’ll have to buy the KATO version.

Edited November 4, 2022 by Bob Martin

[ShaunField]

Why are you putting your passport in? Just put in your rail pass into the seat reservation machine and it'll let you do your seat reservations straight away. It'll spit out an extra ticket for your seat reservation, which I didn't even bother putting in the ticket machine. 

[Guest]

21 hours ago, ShaunField said:

Why are you putting your passport in? Just put in your rail pass into the seat reservation machine and it'll let you do your seat reservations straight away. It'll spit out an extra ticket for your seat reservation, which I didn't even bother putting in the ticket machine. 

Doesn’t work that way. Screen 1 you scan your rail pass QR, next screen REQUIRES passport number, EVERY time. Only then can you proceed to booking screen.  
 

Edited November 5, 2022 by Bob Martin

[ShaunField]

22 minutes ago, Bob Martin said:

Doesn’t work that way. Screen 1 you scan your rail pass QR, next screen REQUIRES passport number, EVERY time. Only the can you proceed to booking screen.  

It worked for me that way