Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

hi guys ,

i have a question for those living in and around tokyo, last year i booked to go to japan for my self,wife and my little girl of 2 years ,for september this year (for 2 weeks)

mostly staying around tokyo sight seeing, and also wanting to go to the aquarium in okinawa,and what ever else i can fit in to a 2 week visit

i have been trying to follow everything that has gone on as much as i can,,but lately im getting alote of conflicting information

hoping you guys can help whether it's fine to go ,or possibly put it off for a later time

thanks

hi guys ,

i have a question for those living in and around tokyo, last year i booked to go to japan for my self,wife and my little girl of 2 years ,for september this year (for 2 weeks)

mostly staying around tokyo sight seeing, and also wanting to go to the aquarium in okinawa,and what ever else i can fit in to a 2 week visit

i have been trying to follow everything that has gone on as much as i can,,but lately im getting alote of conflicting information

hoping you guys can help whether it's fine to go ,or possibly put it off for a later time

thanks

I live about an hour and a half southish of Tokyo (by Shinkansen) but I have been trying to follow both the Japanese and International media as well as what people in Japan including Tokyo locals have been saying.

Okinawa is absolutely fine to visit and nice work on choosing to go to the aquarium. I haven't been there but it is supposed to be one of the best in the world. There are also some historic sites worth visiting there and the food can be quite nice although you might want to avoid Goya - a really bitter vegetable that they use in a lot of dishes. Taco rice is nice though. Some of the seafood dishes they have are delicious too. I have had a deep fried (Tempura) flying fish which looked like a model airplane (with head and wings still attached) when setup on the plate, at an Okinawan restaurant in Aichi. It was really delicious.

Tokyo should be fine to visit now, but I would try and spend as much time further south as possible. Last week the Japanese Prime Minister announced he will eventually resign due to the nuclear power plant issues. They are still having problems with its cooling and with very high radiation levels even in the air. Recently two workers were exposed to higher than legal radiation. Tokyo shouldn't be affected unless they have another meltdown which is possible due to the ongoing cooling problems - but it is highly unlikely. Although the Tokyo council says the tap water is fine to drink many locals are buying bottled water so you might want to consider doing that too. Power might be a problem in Tokyo, especially in September - they are already hitting 70 -80% (check http://jp.msn.com/ its in the top left corner) and it will get worse as we get further into summer with restrictions on public buildings use of aircon amongst other things depending on the situation at the time. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Edited by *LOACH*

I live and work right in Tokyo central and 10 minutes by car from Tokyo station. Although we personally are careful about the produce and water etc, life is pretty much normal. You wont notice anything radiation related unless you read or watch the news.

I can go on about whats happening at the power plants but really that is irrelevent to your question. If you are wondering whether it is safe to come for a holiday, I would say yes. No issues in Tokyo and definitely nothing in Okinawa as I went there for a week right when the problems started!

I hope this helps.

Edited by N/A®
  • 2 weeks later...

We went to Tokyo just last week, for 1 week. It was a bit of a spontaneous trip for work (booked flights on the Friday, flew out the next day!) but we were able to turn it into a holiday as well! So, all appeared to be normal, there was no threat of radiation & although Tokyo is apparently still getting a few tremors per day, we did not feel one! There was quite a bit of damage from the quake/s at Tokyo Bay though, so that was a bit unnerving - only to footpaths & pavements though. We did ALWAYS drink bottled water/brush our teeth in bottled water, just in case.

A MUST DO for you would be to visit Tokyo Disneyland - it's amazing!! Plus, there's Disneysea next door - similiar to Disneyland but aimed at teenagers/adults (more hard-core rides etc.) Both are well worth the look. Make sure you go on a Shinkansen (bullet train) just for the experience & a day trip to Mt Fuji is a must (it's actually not far from Tokyo). We also went to Tokyo Tower (viewing tower in the centre of Tokyo), the Epson Aqua Stadium in Shinagawa, Shibuya & Roppongi (both amazing inner-Tokyo suburbs, streets 'lit up' just like on the Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift movie lol! Definitely a sight to see...); Ikebukuro (great shopping - if you're tiny in size lol - plus they have a very large fish tank/aquarium inside the shopping centre); Akihabara (electric town - all full of electrical compliance stuff including cameras & gear, TV's & quirky Japanese stuff); Ginza (full of expensive boutique stores, good experience plus the Sony Centre is also here - see what Sony's latest creations are before they are released for sale!) For the rev-head, also visit a couple of Up Garages & Auto Bacs - they are awesome! Also visit Harajuku - great little suburb of Tokyo famous for it's edgy Japanese fashion. Also, check out a crazy Pachinko place - gaming/gambling centre kinda like a cross between a pokie machine & pinball!

All in all we had a fantastic time in Tokyo. But, remember it is the BIGGEST city in the WORLD with a population of just under 33 million. Australia has a population of just over 20 million so Tokyo will absolutely blow you away, especially at peak hour! If you don't know any Japanese, then it would be advisable to purchase a Jap phrase book as there is a massive language barrier (not many of them speak an ounce of English surprisingly).

Finally, don't expect to see insanely modified GTR's & EVO's everywhere you go because you won't. We saw a couple of GTR's (including 35's) but NONE were modified. Sure, there are plenty of modified ones there but trying to find them would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!

Enjoy your trip :)

  • 2 weeks later...

Ditto with ditto Disney sea is cool and all suburbs/prefectures he mentioned. One hasn't been mentioned is meg@web Toyota motorsport museum at odaiba. If your lucky you might catch an event there, I missed a gymkhana/drift by a day they do in a carprark I think.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Yeah we keep on in the dailies, it is pretty poor how many animals get hit and the driver leaves without checking....have saved a couple of little ones over the years. Bit of a gruesome job though, pouches generally need to be cut open because they are so tight and often the joey doesn't realise mum is gone so they are still locked onto the teat. I checked the modules in front of the DS wheel where an oil cooler should go.... There is the radar unit - that can go for race use) One of the 2 HX water pumps, the silver cylinder. That needs to be kept but might be able to be relocated But the bad news, the big computer mounted vertically in front of the wheel (blocking any potential air exit) is the electric steering computer. That is required until/unless i do a hydraulic steering conversion, and in CAD based modern car design it is not like I can just pop a big unit like that somewhere else (plus the loom would be too short anywhere else too). So, the passenger side is OK to clear out (just use a smaller washer reservoir, potentially elsewhere), but the DS no beuno
    • Well, all the best with the new camry It was interesting to hear about the UK process, it is generally a lot more streamlined here with a shipping agent looking after all the import side (noting the exact final price can still be a surprise.....) and I've used a few different brokers on the japan (or US) side, and never had any trouble with any of them....luck of the draw I guess. You mentioned you didn't get the auction sheet (understandable since you bought it from a dealer, not auction), but I always try and get hold of that because they are pretty thorough. I've imported 2x R grade vehicles over the years and both were fine, repairs in Japan are pretty thorough compared to here in Oz.
    • BTW I measured the jack I have, it is 70mm at the saddle but you only have about 700 until it returns to 150mm high at the cylinder so it is good but no magic bullet.
    • My experience with Rising Sun Exports Before agreeing to the sale I tried to do as much research as I could (obviously), his Facebook reviews are 98% and he goes Live at least once or twice a week. I contacted 2 people in the UK who had used him for their imports, both had positive feedback. His explanation and talk through of the import process was thorough, answering any query no matter how stupid it was. It felt as soon as the money was sent, communication dropped off. I asked for shipping updates every 2 weeks or so, not wanting to pester him, he never had any updates. I wasn't informed the car had been dropped off at the port, I only found out by his Facebook story. I asked for the photos taken at the port, knowing he would need some for insurance purposes. I received a few 5 second clips and that's it. When asked again, he said his staff had them. Weeks later I asked again, he tells me he doesn't have any, but does have 50 photos from the original advert. I never received them. I eventually got the documents sent via WhatsApp after I mentioned the port was requesting them. I purchased a CarVX report, to find out the vehicle is a Grade R with recorded accident damage, first recorded in 2017 when it was first auctioned. He never told me the grade, then again I didn't ask. His response was "Grade R means nothing, it wasn't chassis damage". Still, I would have liked to have been informed about it. Jon prides himself on being open and honest when it comes to inspecting cars, it's his main job doing so at the auctions for customers. When the vehicle arrived in the UK I noticed a few little cosmetic issues. It's a 21 year old car so it wasn't going to be mint condition. The side skirts are cracked on each corner and the sealant is failing. The front grill on the bonnet/hood isn't secured very well, mounting studs are missing. Both minor things, but again, it would have been nice to be told. During a Facebook Live walk around video of the vehicle, he mentioned it has a front Whiteline anti roll bar/sway bar. While on the inspection ramp, I noticed the stock item has been installed. When first questioned, his response was "the ARB? Switched? Since when, it never had them". Since sending video and photo evidence I've not received a response. I'm probably being over critical of the overall condition of an old car, but all I wanted was honesty (which he claims to have). I'm aware I wasn't his only customer, he's busy doing XYZ but other reviews praise him for great communication with regular updates and photos, I felt I didn't receive the same treatment. 
    • I was able to get some underside photos while the car was on the ramp The suspension is all Altezza/IS200/IS300 so getting part's will hopefully be less of a headache
×
×
  • Create New...