Japan Trip

[DRFT]

Sup all. I am planning a trip to japan at the end of summer 2004. i plan on going to okinawa cause my friend is stationed there, and im guessing he could show me around. But beofre going there i need to make a plan/list of what i need and what i am going to do. The main objective is to have fun! and also bring a container back full of parts and whatnaughts.
So i made a short list of what i need first:

Food
Hotel
Plane ticket
Taxi
jDm TyTe stuff
Shipping
Crate/Container
Customs
other stuff

any more that i would need to get around and have fun? and could someone give me an estimate on how much this would all cost from past experiences or whatever?

[aznpoopy]

i visited japan a few years ago. the only thing i can tell you is that its MAD expensive. get ready to spend alot of money, especially if you're going beyond basic tourist stuff and going clubbing and drinking and stuff. naturally how much you need depends on how long you stay. but just for a few weeks, i would say a few thousand would be good, especially if you're buying auto parts. btw i stayed in tokyo, so it may be cheaper in a place like okinawa.

[Matt_240]

Originally posted by DRFT
Sup all. I am planning a trip to japan at the end of summer 2004. i plan on going to okinawa cause my friend is stationed there, and im guessing he could show me around. But beofre going there i need to make a plan/list of what i need and what i am going to do. The main objective is to have fun! and also bring a container back full of parts and whatnaughts.
So i made a short list of what i need first:

Food
Hotel
Plane ticket
Taxi
jDm TyTe stuff
Shipping
Crate/Container
Customs
other stuff

any more that i would need to get around and have fun? and could someone give me an estimate on how much this would all cost from past experiences or whatever?

food - eat at ramen shops, curry houses, beef houses, udon,
katsu, sushi (and not only the rotary kind), taste the difference
of mcdonalds over there (esp. breakfast), go to izakaya
(japanese drink/eat place).
Hotel - look up cheap places on (i forget the exact name) but i
think its called lonely something. lonely traveler? lonely plant?
Taxi - Dont use the taxi. itd be even cheap to buy a bike there
and ride that around. taxi's are killer in japan...seriously
Shipping - i suggest you get youro friend on the military base to
send stuff out from there via ..via... dammit, i forget. via SAM.
thats right SAM. its cheap
Other stuff?
Chicks!!! i can't believe you left that off the list. you must have a
g/f or married. unless by jdm "tight" stuff you meant girls. lol .
Game centers
Bars/Clubs
Pachinko - japanese gambling machines
ok, enough babbling for me. have fun.

[DRFT]

come on im sure theres more than 2 people here that has been to japan and back. need more info

[s13driver]

too bad that you choose to go during summer or you can go to those hot spring (forgot what it called) in the open lol... just a suggestion hehe. :D :boink:

[Titan]

Do you have any idea how much a container costs?

One of those standard 20 foot or 40 foot containers cost tens of thousands of dollars to ship over from Japan. Thats not including the stuff you want to place inside.

Unless you find some cheaper/small container, you're fubar I believe.

[JuJuBee]

Originally posted by Titan
Do you have any idea how much a container costs?

One of those standard 20 foot or 40 foot containers cost tens of thousands of dollars to ship over from Japan. Thats not including the stuff you want to place inside.

Unless you find some cheaper/small container, you're fubar I believe.

i doubt it cost over 10,000 dollars to ship ONE cargo container

[DRFT]

Well i probably have my friend from the marines ship stuff over for me.

[chokudoriS13]

I'm leaving in less than a month, and am going to spend a month there... The hotel I'm staying at in Tokyo for two weeks is rated as "the cheapest place to stay in Tokyo" in the Lonely Tokyo guide, at $25 a night per room. I'm planning on eating where locals eat, and not be too extravagant in my spending.. I'm hoping $1500-2000 for food/expenses will be enough (not including the $300 the hotel will cost). My ticket was $850 on ANA due to peak holiday travel season.

[Titan]

Originally posted by JuJuBee
i doubt it cost over 10,000 dollars to ship ONE cargo container


Well I know it costs about $60,000 CDN ($45,500 US) for a 60 foot container from Japan here in Ontario Canda.

It will most likely be less for a smaller one to say California, but still thats alot of cash for one person.

[DRFT]

i guess ill have to worry about containers later. Another question....I was thinking....how would i hold the parts after i buy them from the junkyard/shop and where would i put them? or should i bring it to the shipping company right away?

[Fastback180]

I think he may be talking about particle board crate. Those are cheaper.....and you can build your own. Yeah, plane ticket to tokyo....$350 round trip....It pays to have relitaves that fly for United, especially when their runs are from the us, to tokyo, to seoul.

[DRFT]

whats this particle board crate you are talking about?

[lhracer05]

whoo hoo, japan...fun fun fun
But ya, like everyone's saying, get ready to spend a poop load of money. Even small items like coffee will cost ya like 5-6 bucks, haha
I go there about every other year to visit my relatives since i have none living in the US.

But make sure you go to Daikoku on a friday night, it's basically a parking lot, kinda like the usual friday night tapioca express meets :D , cept with cars that you've probably only seen in Super Street and at HIN. If you ask your Air Force buddy then I'm sure he's heard of it.

And if you're into drifting and all that, the locals drift at this intersection a couple blocks away from that parking lot. Cops used to care but now they just let people do it and dont bug you (well, most of the time.....gotta love Japanese policemen, none of them are allowed to carry guns and if they stop you just start talking frantically in english and they might let ya off :D )

Now if you're into wangan(high speed freeway racing, didnt want to say it but racing like the game, Tokyo Extreme Racing) try to hitch a ride from one of the guys in the parking lot. Just say you're a photographer or magazine journalist from America or something and maybe, like one of my friends did, they'll let you ride in their super-car.

Hmm, also try to check out some of the local tracks and talk to some of the local guys. Since you're from the US they'll probably be really nice to you and will be glad to help ya out with your drifting.

Oh, and if you're an electronic geek guy, definitely go to Akihabara in Tokyo. It's basically a huge area where you can buy the most cheapest and most modern electronic gadgets out right now.

But the most important thing is, be ready to use a whole lotta money. Have fun man, you got Me all excited now. Haha

[DRFT]

Since i dont know japanese and my friend in the marines probably wont be able to hang out with me all the time while im there, how would i get around? does alot of japanese people know english?

[Fastback180]

Originally posted by DRFT
whats this particle board crate you are talking about?

Okay, to get a good idea, go to home depot and look at some particle board.....You can probably find some there in japan...maybe even stronger, and more effecient. But all you need is particle board, some 2x4's for reinforcement. Make your self a box....And this way you can make it how ever big or small you want it...So if it's like, say a 3x3' box....You can probably ship it on the airplane....But i'm not so sure about that. But this would be your easiest way.

Here's a picture of one, and that's particle board for ya!...

http://www.vocalbooth.com/images/crate%20web%20size.jpg

[lhracer05]

DRFT: Moving around in Japan isn't that difficult. Most people in Japan can read english alrite so ya. To get around, if you can make it to any train station then ull be fine. There's signs all over the place with english subtitles so it won't be too difficult.

[DRFT]

OK good, thanks for the info. Now how would i book a hotel there? do i book it frmo here or while i am in okinawa?

[S13SilviaGirl]

Originally posted by DRFT
Well i probably have my friend from the marines ship stuff over for me.



Not that easy...being in the military, we have reqirements of what we can send back to the states. You better make sure with him what he can and can't send out of his MPS. Ohhh and also, remember that the yen to dollar is 110 to 1.

[lhracer05]

DRFT: You could either book the hotel here or there. It wouldn't be too hard to book it there but then again there might not be rooms available if you wait due to the holiday season.

[DRFT]

Well i plan on going in the summer time. my friends tell me the plane ticket is cheapest around this time. anuone know what airline to choose and can someone give me a rough estimate on how much it would cost for one. i would search but 2 reasons,1) i dont know what airline to choose from and 2) i want to know off experience.

[chokudoriS13]

I'm flying ANA (All Nippon Air) in less than two weeks... $850ish round-trip. Search for JAL, Singapore Air, Thai Air, etc.

[DRFT]

a curious question, can a atm card w/a visa symbol be accepted over there? and would it automatically transfer the yen rates over?

[G_Fish240]

okinawa is tight, i was raised there, left 2 years ago and miss it everyday, go to the beaches because they are super close, for shopping (clothes) go out gate 2 street (outside gate 2 of kadena air base) nice clothes, and you can bargan (i bargan like crazy) stop by the sea wall sometime, its a pretty cool place, has like shopping, beach, bowling, a movie theather and other stuff, i forget exactly where it is, your friend prob knows, okinawa is a small island, as for cars and driftin ask your friend to take you to aja

[G_Fish240]

is the edit button gone? anyways as for as getting around, it seems like almost every japanese person knows some english there, and as far as money, US Cash is accepted almost everywhere, i never used a CC off base but if you want yen you can go to an ATM on base and withdraw yen as well

edit: oh its under your name now

[DRFT]

thanks for the info. Sounds like its going to be one sweet vacation for me;) anyinfo about the local car shops? or junk yards? and can you rent cars there?

[mbmbmb23]

Heres what ya do:

First find out what the luggage limit is for the airlines you are using to fly home with. You'll be able to check a few bags, and carry on 2 probably. There MAY be a weight limit (possibly combined weight limit) for the carry-ons tho.

Once you know the limit, get hooked up with some luggage with maximum carrying capacity before you go there.

Then, right before you fly back to the US, have your friend in the service mail your clothes (and other stuff in your suitcases on the way over there) back to the US, and fill your suitcases with JDM stuff. Now....I dont know what customs will say about this, I dont know if they will make you pay duty on used parts...but.....its not like you are coming home from Amsterdam. You could fit a couple sets of coilovers in a suitcase for sure.....suitcase with wheels maybe.


-m