Toni’s Spring 2023 Japan Trip

[kuro68000]

The Railway Museum in Omiya has a big diorama, and lots of simulators. You can only look at the diorama layout and watch their presentation of it, but the whole museum is worth a visit.

 

https://www.railway-museum.jp/e/event/experience.html

[Morcs]

On 3/31/2023 at 1:31 PM, Morcs said:

Heading over next month for a few weeks, looking to check out the Kumamoto general rail yard. Driven past a million times seeing all the shinkanses train sets parked up and never realised they did tours.  https://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/company/esg/kengakutai/

 

In typical Japanese fashion I have to call to make a booking, then they will provide a booking number, of which then I have to fax to them to actually make the booking 🤨

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Morcs said:

 

In typical Japanese fashion I have to call to make a booking, then they will provide a booking number, of which then I have to fax to them to actually make the booking 🤨

Anytime I’ve needed a rail booking (ie Sunrise Express, etc), I’ve had the hotel concierge take care of it for me. They stood in line at JR ticketing 30 days in advance. Usually a small hotel surcharge, but takes the hassle/language barrier out of it.

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Bob Martin

[ED75-775]

Finally, I've gotten around to pulling the pin and booking my fares to Japan - albeit slightly later than planned. I left it too late to go when I wanted to and things got rather expensive, so I've moved the trip out by a week at either end and will actually fly out at the end of May and return to New Zealand just in time for my birthday at the end of June, which just happens to be the day I arrive home. No doubt I will buy plenty of nice trains and books to help celebrate what will be an early birthday present to myself!

 

@Morcs discovery of the Kumamoto railyard tour looks interesting, but a bit of hunting and Bing Translate reveals that those who can't wear masks aren't allowed to  participate in these tours, so that's one thing I won't be doing. Having a neurological disorder/disability where you can't handle the constant sensory stimulus from wearing a face mask isn't fun. I'm only hopeful that people will be tolerant if I ever have to whip my face shield out (this doesn't make contact with my face, so it's 'safe').

 

Now the anticipation commences, and it's time to start finalizing accommodation with several good options lined up, and things to do while I'm over there, like taking the @paolo tour of Akihabara or a weekend of steam trains outside Tokyo since I won't be doing the Fureai Railway Fair. Since there's potentially going to be a few of us over there at the same time, maybe should we coordinate a get-together? I'd be game for that if anyone else's schedule allowed.

 

Alastair

[Tony Galiani]

Looks like restrictions are going to be dropped as of May 8th:

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/04/1d8b5a75c05d-breaking-news-japan-to-ease-covid-border-controls-on-chinese-visitors-on-wed.html

 

Trying to find another source to confirm but this is, hopefully, good news.  I know the entrance process was manageable but anything that makes entry easier would certainly be nice.

 

Ciao,

Tony

[katoftw]

Pretty sure I read the same a while ago.

[SL-san]

5 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

Looks like restrictions are going to be dropped as of May 8th:

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/04/1d8b5a75c05d-breaking-news-japan-to-ease-covid-border-controls-on-chinese-visitors-on-wed.html

 

Trying to find another source to confirm but this is, hopefully, good news.  I know the entrance process was manageable but anything that makes entry easier would certainly be nice.

 

Ciao,

Tony

 

That is good news...I arrive at Haneda Airport on May 8th!!!

 

Graeme

[ED75-775]

Hah, I arrive in Japan on 30 May so if the report is true, I'll be able to head straight through! Been holding off on getting a booster as I'm morbidly afraid of needles, not helped by a post-vaccination collision with a wall... in a medical centre. I kid you not! I probably will get one at some point though.

 

Just finished booking all my accommodation as well - lots of APA Hotels, starting in Tokyo because my preferred ibis Hotel in Shinjuku didn't survive the pandemic. Now all that's left to do is travel insurance and a Japan Rail Pass or two. I already plan to buy a three-week pass which would cover everything from when I leave Tokyo for Nagoya right up to my last day, but I'm still mulling over options for my week in Tokyo. A Welcome Suica looks like it might be useful for that, plus it'll cover public transport in other regions too.

 

Just as an aside, does anyone know if the Meitetsu buses in Inuyama accept IC cards as payment? Just so I know for when I visit Meiji-Mura.

Alastair

[chadbag]

On 4/12/2023 at 5:48 AM, ED75-775 said:

Hah, I arrive in Japan on 30 May so if the report is true, I'll be able to head straight through! Been holding off on getting a booster as I'm morbidly afraid of needles,

 

based on today's rules you can always get tested no later than 72 hours before your first flight instead of a booster if you so desire (pending rules changes of course)

 

[MeTheSwede]

On 4/12/2023 at 1:48 PM, ED75-775 said:

Just as an aside, does anyone know if the Meitetsu buses in Inuyama accept IC cards as payment? Just so I know for when I visit Meiji-Mura.

 

You can use IC cards on Meitetsu buses.

[miyakoji]

What do you guys do for travel insurance?  I never thought much about it until a friend, who has been a consummate traveler for decades, said he won't leave home (UK in his case) without it.

 

Also, do people still use traveler's checks?  I think my financial institution doesn't have a service charge to issue them, but I've read that US ATM cards will work at Japan Postal Savings and 7-11 ATMs.

[bill937ca]

I bought mine from my travel agent went I booked my airfare, but I'm not going to Japan.

 

[Tony Galiani]

You might want to look at buying an annual package.  I used to purchase travel insurance on a per trip basis until I learned about annual packages on a frequent flyer forum.  It may seem counter intuitive to buy an annual policy but it can turn out to be good deal - cheaper than some one off purchases depending on where you but it from.

Of course, I had to edit this as I thought of a key piece of information after I posted.  The main reason my annual purchase is cost effective is that I am buying direct from the insurer.  I was able to compare prices my friends paid, the prices I had paid via the airline's web site and going direct and that convinced me direct with the insurer was the best option 

Ciao,

Tony Galiani

Edited April 22, 2023 by Tony Galiani
added information

[Guest]

I don’t think anyone uses travelers cheques anymore so they?  7-11 ATM work very well, but past 4-5 years they started charging small service fee ¥160-300 depending on amount you withdraw (as might your home bank), my bank reimburses all fees for foreign ATM transactions.

 

As for travel insurance, annual medical-only package is what I use as well, but those usually come with limitations. Annual plans typically have less than optimal medical coverages (a couple $100k doesn’t go very far). And usually little or no trip cancellation coverage with annual plans (as most travel insurance wants to know the cost of individual trips so they can adjust their rate accordingly). Annual usually only cover things like delays, lost bags, etc.  I usually always book business/first fares, so cancellations aren’t an issue. And the hotels are always cancellable within 24 hours of arrival.

 

Can't judge plans by their cost alone, you must compare the coverage/benefits.

[kuro68000]

12 hours ago, miyakoji said:

What do you guys do for travel insurance?  I never thought much about it until a friend, who has been a consummate traveler for decades, said he won't leave home (UK in his case) without it.

 

Also, do people still use traveler's checks?  I think my financial institution doesn't have a service charge to issue them, but I've read that US ATM cards will work at Japan Postal Savings and 7-11 ATMs.

 

I usually buy annual travel insurance, but obviously it depends how often you use it. I'm from the UK as well and use insurance comparison sites like Money Supermarket to find a good deal. It's a bit trickier for me as I have existing medical conditions that need to be declared, but they usually let you do that too.

 

I haven't used travellers cheques for over a decade. The cheapest way to spend money is often on credit card. Halifax do the Clarity card which has 0% fees on foreign spending. Obviously if your card has high foreign spending fees then it's no good. Also if they offer to let you pay in £ decline and pay in Yen to get the best rate.

 

Money Saving Expert has some articles about this. They also have a comparison tool for finding the best rate on currency exchange, because you will need some currency.

 

Most places do now accept card in Japan. Just be aware that it works a bit differently. Contactless payment and Google Pay rarely seem to work. Some places still swipe the card and ask you to sign, which doesn't work either. If they do that you need to say "ansho bango" (an-show ban-go) which means you want to use your PIN number. They might also ask you something like "ii katsu desu ka" and the only answer that works is "ichi" or 1. It's a Japanese card thing that isn't worth explaining, but for foreign cards only 1 works. It sounds like a bit of a faff but you learn how to muddle your way through if you don't speak Japanese. You could always print it out on a card and show it to them, something like:

 

暗証番号を一括でご利用ください。

 

Someone whose Japanese is better than mine can probably correct that... Should it be 一括で暗証番号をご利用ください?

 

Even back in the day travellers cheques were a pain to get converted to cash. You have to find a bank that does them and there was a form to fill in. Japan is extremely safe so as long as you are careful at the airport in the UK you should be fine taking a substantial amount of cash with you.

[Tony Galiani]

One thing I forgot to mention was what options should be considered when looking at a travel insurance policy as both @Bob Martin and @mojo have pointed out.

 

One key factor for me was some sort of medical evacuation coverage (which a friend strongly encouraged me to get after his travel experience with a medical issue while in Turkey.)

 

Medical coverage is interesting.  My policy has coverage but we have never managed to use it - though not for my wife's lack of trying!

It is just that the cost of medical care outside the USA is more reasonable.  Every one of our "events" has been way under our deductible (which isn't very high).

Broken arm (on the Road of Death) in Boliva - about US$100.

Cactus-ectomy on Bonaire - also about US$100.

Broken arm in Greece - US$0.00 - and that included an ambulance, multiple x-rays and casting.

 

But for someone coming from outside the USA without American health coverage, that last visit to a US emergency room would likely run in the neighborhood of US$4000 $5000.  The ambulance ride would have US$300 or more.  So the shopping around part becomes really important.

 

Ciao,

Tony Galiani

[Tony Galiani]

@mojo - Thanks for the credit card info!  I got caught out recently at home when I went to use my University Procurement card and the vendor needed my PIN - which of course I did not have as it is not normally requested here.  Need to make sure I dig out the PINS for my upcoming trip.

Cheers,

Tony

Edited April 23, 2023 by Tony Galiani
spelling correction

[kuro68000]

2 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

@mojo - Thanks for the credit card info!  I got caught out recently at home when I went to use my University Procurement card and the vendor needed my PIN - which of course I did not have as it is not normally requested here.  Need to make sure I dig out the PINS for my upcoming trip.

Cheers,

Tony

 

Indeed, in the UK I rarely ever use my card, I use Google Pay via my phone instead. Had trouble remembering the PIN when I got to Japan.

 

I'm not sure what the issue is with Google Pay in Japan. I got it to work a couple of times, but couldn't figure out what the conditions that it needed were. Also contactless payment by phone does not seem to be all that common in shops, only Suica and similar stored value cards.

 

The good news is that I barely needed to use cash this year. It is still needed for a few smaller shops and some vending machines, but other than that I think I mostly just used it to top up my Suica card.

 

Regarding health insurance, it's worth saying that you can get most of the same medicines in Japan as you can in the UK, and often in stronger doses. Ibuprofen is a good example. It's kinda expensive though, at least compared to the UK where 500mg Ibuprofen is about £0.02. Anyway I always bring some prescription stuff and a lot of vitamins, and it's never been an issue with customs or anything.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, mojo said:

 

Indeed, in the UK I rarely ever use my card, I use Google Pay via my phone instead. Had trouble remembering the PIN when I got to Japan.

 

I'm not sure what the issue is with Google Pay in Japan. I got it to work a couple of times, but couldn't figure out what the conditions that it needed were. Also contactless payment by phone does not seem to be all that common in shops, only Suica and similar stored value cards.

 

The good news is that I barely needed to use cash this year. It is still needed for a few smaller shops and some vending machines, but other than that I think I mostly just used it to top up my Suica card.

 

Regarding health insurance, it's worth saying that you can get most of the same medicines in Japan as you can in the UK, and often in stronger doses. Ibuprofen is a good example. It's kinda expensive though, at least compared to the UK where 500mg Ibuprofen is about £0.02. Anyway I always bring some prescription stuff and a lot of vitamins, and it's never been an issue with customs or anything.

 

Actually doses are MUCH weaker in Japan (maybe due to smaller body mass, I don’t know).  Tylenol for one, maxes out at 300mg in Japan vs 500mg elsewhere.  I always submit a "Yunyu Kakunin-sho" beforehand.  I’ve read many horror stories about people being detain and/or arrested due to their ignorance. Even certain Dristan cold medications are banned.  Small sample of prohibited OTC meds...

 

TYLENOL COLD 

NYQUIL

NYQUIL LIQUICAPS

ACTIFED

SUDAFED

ADVIL COLD & SINUS

DRISTAN COLD/"NO DROWSINESS"

 DRISTAN SINUS

DRIXORAL SINUS

VICKS INHALER

LOMOTIL

 

As for payment systems, most use a QR code type.  Google and Apple Pay types are much less common.  Cash is still king I find. My first stop is usually the ATM, pull out the max. Any remaining at the end goes toward my final hotel payment at checkout.  I’ve never been asked for cc pin, thankfully, not sure if I even know it.

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Bob Martin

[chadbag]

14 hours ago, mojo said:

Most places do now accept card in Japan. Just be aware that it works a bit differently. Contactless payment and Google Pay rarely seem to work. Some places still swipe the card and ask you to sign, which doesn't work either. If they do that you need to say "ansho bango" (an-show ban-go) which means you want to use your PIN number. They might also ask you something like "ii katsu desu ka" and the only answer that works is "ichi" or 1.

 

So for our US members, where banks don't issue PIN and CHIP cards, Japanese stores will swipe or do the chip read and have you sign.  Works no problem. The PIN thing is a European (Continental and UK) thing.  When I, with US issued cards (and I had gotten the PIN for it) was in Europe in 2016, their card readers would see it was a US card and just do the signing bit, I never had the chance to enter a PIN.  Even the automatic train ticket machine in Stockholm just worked without any sort of PIN or any input.

 

Ah the old "1 time" thing.   First time that happened to me I had no clue what they were asking.  Like 5 minutes of them trying to explain.  I said "1 time" (has to do with some sort of installment plan thing or something like that).  Not had them ask me recently but I always hold up a finger and say "1 time" if it even looks like they are contemplating asking me.  First time was at a Toys R' Us in Itami, IIRC.

[chadbag]

10 hours ago, mojo said:

Anyway I always bring some prescription stuff and a lot of vitamins, and it's never been an issue with customs or anything.

 

Yeah I now bring Ibuprofen and Tylenol, in small quantities, and have a huge bag of vitamins/minerals/nutritional supplements (none of which are controversial or on the Japanese banned lists but the amount is large as I have a 3x a day regimen) and never had an issue.

[chadbag]

I rarely use cash in Japan now.  I use credit card and my iPhone based virtual Suica, which I load using a MasterCard using Apple Pay.  Those rare stores that don't take credit cards have all taken Suica so never had an issue.

This last trip we did use cash at a hotel and a few other places but only because we had a wad of it from my wife's mom's estate -- wife's share.

[kuro68000]

On 4/23/2023 at 5:57 PM, Bob Martin said:

 

Actually doses are MUCH weaker in Japan (maybe due to smaller body mass, I don’t know).  Tylenol for one, maxes out at 300mg in Japan vs 500mg elsewhere.  I always submit a "Yunyu Kakunin-sho" beforehand.  I’ve read many horror stories about people being detain and/or arrested due to their ignorance. Even certain Dristan cold medications are banned.  Small sample of prohibited OTC meds...

 

 

Thanks, I had no idea and that's very interesting. I've had my suitcase inspected a couple of times, asked to open it (this is out of 20+ trips so no regularly). I can't remember but I'm fairly sure the customs agent would have seen the bottles of pills and blister packs of medication. Never questioned over it.

 

I wonder if it's similar to how they barely make any effort with people returning from Japan to the UK either. In theory there are limits on what you can bring in, both for tax reasons and because stuff like certain replica guns and swords are not allowed. In practice they only bother man the customs posts if they have people coming in from the US etc.

 

I will do the form next time though.

 

As for doses, I usually stock up on Ibuprofen based products like roll-ons and patches, because they are both cheaper and stronger in Japan. Tablets like Buffrin are 200mg, which is the same as the dose in the UK. Typically you take 2 at a time. I don't know why the patches are different. You can get gel that is similarly strong in the UK, but it's not as convenient as the roll-ons.

 

 

On 4/24/2023 at 3:12 AM, chadbag said:

 

So for our US members, where banks don't issue PIN and CHIP cards, Japanese stores will swipe or do the chip read and have you sign.  Works no problem. The PIN thing is a European (Continental and UK) thing.  When I, with US issued cards (and I had gotten the PIN for it) was in Europe in 2016, their card readers would see it was a US card and just do the signing bit, I never had the chance to enter a PIN.  Even the automatic train ticket machine in Stockholm just worked without any sort of PIN or any input.

 

Ah the old "1 time" thing.   First time that happened to me I had no clue what they were asking.  Like 5 minutes of them trying to explain.  I said "1 time" (has to do with some sort of installment plan thing or something like that).  Not had them ask me recently but I always hold up a finger and say "1 time" if it even looks like they are contemplating asking me.  First time was at a Toys R' Us in Itami, IIRC.

 

That explains it. I get mistaken for an American quite often. UK banks don't allow signing anymore, only PIN now. I think you can get an exception if you are say numerically dyslexic, but for most people it's PIN or nothing.

 

Your method is the best, just hold up one finger and say "一回" (try Google translate for help with pronunciation, it's something like "e-kai").

 

Side note, I always thought it was odd to write long vowels by putting the consonant twice in romaji. Like it's written "ikkai" but it's actually the i that is long, not the k. It does not help non-speakers.

[chadbag]

2 hours ago, mojo said:

 

Side note, I always thought it was odd to write long vowels by putting the consonant twice in romaji. Like it's written "ikkai" but it's actually the i that is long, not the k. It does not help non-speakers.

 

The doubled consonants is where there is a small tsu つ in the word in Japanese and represents a small "stop".   I am not a linguistics person so can't explain it using the right vocabulary.  Side effect may be to make a vowel sound long (?).  

 

Japanese purposefully makes a long vowel by adding a "u"  う after the normal vowel.  Which is why you sometimes see in Romaji "Tendou".  Variant is the line over the vowel (Tendo with a line on the o -- not sure how t type that off-hand and don't want to take the time to look it up).

 

In English, a doubled consonant (or two different consonants) actually makes a vowel short.  That is because a vowel and another vowel (separated at most by one consonant) makes the first vowel long.  (I'm speaking of English in this last sentence and not romaji -- just a contrast)

[Morcs]

Can anyone clarify the ATM situation during golden week? I heard somewhere they will all be closed. 

We have a Japanese bank account which isnt very useful without ATMs at places that are cash only...