Before going to Japan I mentioned my research on the various Japanese cell phone plans. Now that we have actually experienced a year with Japanese cell phones I’ll give you a review.

Getting the phones was more complicated than I imagined. We couldn’t get them as soon as we got to Japan because the providers require a gaijin card which may take a few days to obtain–especially if you arrive in Japan on a Friday or Saturday. A passport is not good enough. Once we had the gaijin cards (gaikokujin-tourokushou or 外国人登録証) we visited several different Softbank stores. They all quoted us different offers. We ended up going with the Harajuku store for two phones for a year on the White Plan Family. We were expecting about 800 yen a month per phone, the seemingly low price due to the fact that we only planned to use them to call each other. The first few bills came in at more than double these amounts so we went in, they made some adjustments, and the bills dropped to about 2,000 yen a month–not the 1,600 yen we were hoping for but with taxes and whatever we didn’t push it.

We had to pay with a credit card which meant the bills were even higher as the currency translation for our US credit cards always stuck us with a few more bucks. Most monthly bills ended up being about $28 after all of the fees.

When we went to cancel we had to pay 20,000 yen (again, credit card only–no cash) so we got stuck with a final bill of over $250 with the strong yen. Ouch!

If I had it to do over again I would have purchased cheap phones and a prepaid option. With the amount we called I probably could have saved a few hundred bucks during the year.

Posted on August 31st, 2010 under Japan. Tags: compare, reviews, travel related goods. Comments: 1

For our one night in Nikko we decided upon the Funamiso, about 20 minutes away from downtown Nikko on the train (Kosagoe Station 小佐越駅 covered with our Nikko Pass). We were debating between a place right in Nikko (without an onsen but convenient) or a place far from the city (which would have taken more than an hour to get to from Nikko but with a great-looking onsen). The Funamiso seemed like a happy medium. I’m not sure if this place is technically a hotel, ryokan, minshuku, or pension. I suppose it could fit into any of those categories.

Not being a huge fan of seafood, I opted for the no meal plan at Funamiso. I’m sure I would have enjoyed the shabu-shabu dinner, but 7,000 yen each is more than I want to spend on a single dinner no matter how delicious. Waking up to a Japanese breakfast of fish, rice, and vegetables isn’t my cup of tea either. The no meal plan is affordable at 5,000 yen per person.

Funamiso was a bit disappointing from the outside, but once we made it inside everything was great. The place was very clean, the staff was nice, the views were good, and the outdoor part of the onsen was spectacular. Our room was Japanese style so we slept in futon on tatami floors. We had a private bath in the room that looked like it had never been used. We didn’t use it either. Who would when there is a wonderful onsen downstairs? My only complaint is the privacy fence around the outside onsen. It provided very little privacy (not that I cared) and obstructed the view. Lose the fence and this onsen is close to perfection.

The above picture is from the room on the evening we arrived. The steam from the onsen below beckons. Snow had just fallen. A couple of spotlights allowed onsen users to view the snow-covered trees and a little waterfall into the river even after dark. Speaking of users, I was the only user of the male onsen. Funamiso has several dozen rooms, but only three were being used on this weeknight in February. I had the onsen, all three pools, completely to myself each time. I have had fun talking to random Japanese strangers in onsen, but I didn’t get the chance with this onsen basically being private due to a lack of guests.

We arrived at Funamiso at about dusk. The view from our room was more stunning the next morning as the sun rose.

The moon was setting as the sun was rising.

After checking out we went for a walk that took us over two different bridges spanning the Kinu River (鬼怒川).

Would I recommend Ryokan Funamiso? Absolutely.

Posted on February 17th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: nikko, onsen, reviews, snow, sunrise. Comments: 2

As previously mentioned, we stayed at the Andakira Hotel for five nights. The hotel, itself, is nice–in large part because it is new, opening less than two months before our stay. Some things may not be so nice when the place has aged a bit. (For instance the doors are really cheap, the grout was already mostly worn away in our shower, and the plates in the restaurant are quickly getting chipped.)

The pool is very cool. You can actually enter the pool directly from a few rooms. The staff is mostly friendly, but don’t count on them having excellent English skills. One morning we asked for a 6:15 wake up call that came at 6:50 due to them not understanding but pretending to. The breakfast selection was good and the food wasn’t bad, but it could have used a little more variation from day to day. While there were many things to choose from, they were pretty much the exact same things each day. We didn’t eat lunch or dinner at the hotel. Like most hotels, the prices for meals were several times what you can find elsewhere in town.

Other than the horrible location for getting to the beach, the other big surprises were the ugly views from the hotel itself. You have your choice of construction, unattractive five- or six-story apartment/hotels, or sewage (which can also be smelt if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction).

Looking at a map, beforehand, I wasn’t expecting the same view from our balcony (pictured above) as we had in Porta Vallarta, but this was ridiculous. Maybe the view isn’t quite as bad if you are lucky enough to get on the top floor.

If you want to do Patong Beach on the cheap then staying in one of the unsightly apartment/hotels on Phangmuang Sai Ko Road, right next to the Andakira, is not a bad way to go I suppose. You’ll still have to cross the street of death to get anywhere, but you’ll pay less than half of what you’ll pay at the Andakira Hotel. Best of all, you’ll have a view of the nice looking Andakira, instead of the other way around.

Posted on January 1st, 2010 under Thailand. Tags: andakira, phuket, reviews. Comments: 2

As I mentioned last time, O-EAST in the Shibuya area of Tokyo is an excellent venue. Nestled between about a dozen love hotels, don’t be surprised if you see Japanese business men (サラリーマン) in full suits and ties show up at weeknight shows. I saw several on this evening. They hadn’t even loosened their ties or taken off their suit coats to see Opeth. Perhaps Opeth shows should become completely formal in the future.

Getting to Shibuya was, by far, my shortest commute to see Opeth. It took me about 10 minutes on the train, followed by a 5 minute walk from the Hachiko Exit to O-EAST. Normally I have to drive all day to see Opeth. If you count the miles from my home base of Ashland, Oregon, rather than my current home in Tokyo, I have traveled over 21,400 miles to see Opeth. Of course I was already in Denmark when I went to Metaltown in Sweden, but even so, for the four Opeth shows I’ve gone to in the states, all included an overnight stay and, combined, logged more than 2,000 miles on my car.

I took one video which you can view below. It begins with Mikael talking and messing around with the crowd for the first minute and a half. The song Opeth then dives into is “Leper Affinity” off of Blackwater Park, perhaps their best CD. I apologize for the shakes during the first half of the video. The floor was vibrating. I adjusted my feet for a better foundation during the second half of the video so it looks much better. My TZ7 seems to take much better video (and pictures) when it is zoomed to the max.

If you do not like heavy music, but still want to take a peek, then I suggest jumping in at the 5:10 mark. When it gets too heavy jump ahead to 8:50 to see the end.

Enjoy!

Posted on November 18th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: metal, opeth, reviews, Tokyo, tz7 zs3, video. Comments: None

Yamituki Curry is the closest restaurant to our abode. It is also quite yummy. There are 12 curry dishes to choose from and go for about 800 yen each. Unless you are extremely hungry, splitting one with a friend is the way to go. They taste quite different from typical Japanese curry. Many feature cheese in the sauce–very unique and delicious. I believe this is a chain and can be found outside of Nishi-Waseda as well although I’m not sure where.

Posted on September 3rd, 2009 under Japan. Tags: food, night photography, nishi-waseda, recommendations, reviews. Comments: None