Heading to Japan

In a few days I'll be off to Tokyo and Nagoya. I'll be in Japan for 2 weeks.
I was just wondering whether there are any shops or sights that might be a must for a flashaholic?
Restaurant recommendations would also be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
scottie
PS. If I've posted this in the wrong forum - my apologies and please move it.

Sympathies for the upcoming airplane ride! If you see any good LED's, keep 'em coming for us!

Larry

Do you speak Japanese? If not, these are probably the first three words you need to know -

Bathroom
Hotel
Restaurant

...probably in that order.

Scottie, you might chance an email to (CPF'r) Arcmania/Mike Jordan. He's a US expatriate(sp) and has lived there for some time. Another might be CPF'r kj. (whose English is better than mine, and I'm a native speaker!)

Larry

Here's a link to get you started:
Tokyo Restaurants

Here's some survival Japanese to get you around:

Thank you.
Arigato

Excuse me.
Sumimasen.

1. Where's the restroom? 2.Train station? 3.Taxi stand?
1.O te arai wa doko desu ka?
2.Eki wa doko desu ka?
3.Takushi noriba wa doko desu ka?

Have fun!

Lithium batteries are cheap in Tokyo computer town

Thank you all for the advice.
Larry - I'll try emailing Mike and kj.
Klm- Arigato. Domo arigato for the link.
PhotonWrangler - Its a short trip but I am trying to learn some Japanese - both spoken and written.
pipesmoker - Thanks for the heads up. I'll look at lithiums.
scottie

the term "flashaholic" is not in popular use in Japan.

If you want to say "I am a flashaholic",you should say "Watashi wa light-mania desu" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good luck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

Hi Scottie,

There are some flashlightshops in Tokyo.But most of stuff are U.S.made.
Lithium batteries are expensive than U.S. ,but Alkaline batteries are cheap.
AAx4 or AAAx4 are less than one dollar(100yen shop).

I strongly recommend Akihabara(computer town) in Tokyo.
You can find some good flashlights and LED stuffs.

Have a good trip. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Akihabara: The barracks style 'techno bazaar' right under the station may be fun if you are looking for parts. Many shops are less than 2 meters wide and you just stick your upper body in to look through thousands of electronic parts under the bored gaze of the shopkeeper.

Go outside and hit the main street (Akihabara Chuo-dori) and head towards Ueno while checking out the micro to mega shops for cheap digital cameras and audio goods. Wander into the back streets and you'll find dozens of computer shops.
When you reach Kura-mae Bashi Street, ask where Ame-Yoko is. This is where they sell anything from dried fish and clothing to Surefires and Arcs. Just don't expect good prices on these, they cost a lot more than you'll find in the US.

Anything particular you are looking for?
Feel free to ask me, I'll consult Matsan because I'm sure he knows better /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Matsan, hirochan, nekomane:
Thank you so much for the advice.
I'll definitely head over to Akihabara. Whether I buy anything is another story.
I'm not looking for anything in particular, unless you happen to know about something aaa size or smaller that is really extraordinary. I don't think I'll find any Larry lights in Akihabara, but ..............
This is my first trip to Japan. It's not a vacation, but I have some free time. I'll be in Tokyo for about 8 days and then head to Nagoya. I would have posted in the cafe, but in this forum I wanted to keep things light-related. However, on a non-flashaholic note, is there anything in particular that I should absolutely see,visit or eat while I'm there?
Actually, I was wondering where I might find a watch with Japanese numbers.
Again,
Domo arigato,
scottie

scottie,

You might pick up the book Japan Solo it has a lot of useful info and a number of "point to" question cards. (you point to the common sentence you want them to answer then they read it in Japanese, helps with things like "where's the station", etc.)

Another good book for info but not the travel kind is Insight Guides - Japan . Great photos and background info.

Also most hotels that handle foreign clients will have good info about things to see. Some good places are Asakusa, Kamakura (if you you've got a whole day), Meiji jingu (in Harajuku), also there's a nice old garden at the New Otani Hotel if you're near Akasaka.

For semi normal lights you can try Yodobashi, Sakuraya, or Bic Camera. Also Tokyu Hands will sometimes have interesting items though at full retail. They also sell Surefire if you're interested in what the rest of the world pays for them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

If I was in Japan now I'd try to hook up with you but I'm on the road for another week or two.

Have fun.
-LT

Yodobashi got good range (semi normal) lights. Few Nuwai lights under GENTOS brand.
Looking for Japanese watch ?
http://www.eink.com/news/images/E_Paper_Watch_lg.jpg
Have a nice trip !!!!! Akihabara is a must

[ QUOTE ]
scottie said:
Actually, I was wondering where I might find a watch with Japanese numbers.


[/ QUOTE ]


I had a chance to visit the watch department of Yodobashi Camera in West Shinjuku and found these.
They are rather cheap looking and cost only 20$. Not what you are looking for?
The characters are Chinese (the Japanese kanji characters originated in China and they are the same in this case). They are not numbers, but characters representing the 12 animals of the Oriental zodiac.
Hope you get to see this post before you leave and have a great time in Japan.

I leave in a couple of hours.
Thank you all once again for all the advice.
And nekomane, thank you so much for the watch info. I'll be staying in Shinjuku so I'll be certain to head to Yodobashi Camera and take a look.
Sayonara.
scottie

Re: Heading to Japan november 2007

hi guys,

gonna be headed to tokyo for the 1st time next month during thanksgiving vacation. what will the weather be like in november? i'm excited to check out akihabara & go shopping in tokyo! i got a couple guide books & the railway - subway system looks like it would be difficult to navigate. i also hope i can learn some phrases before i go since i will only be there for 6days/5nights. Thanks

It's going to be about 10-15C degrees. No heavy rains but occasional showers.

Trains, subways, taxis etc will be heated so no need to heavily bundle up unless you are staying outdoors for
prolonged periods.

Hotel rooms will have heating, but will make the air quite dry if turned on all night. A comfortable sweater or
fleece jacket would come in handy.
Pop in to one of the ubiquitous 'Uniclo' shops where they sell affordable but practical clothing in
various colors and sizes if you find yourself shivering.

A HUGE Yodobashi Camera store has opend in Akihabara, so drop by if you want to see everything or anything
in particular.

A place to visit for flashlights would be Malugo in Ame-Yoko mentioned in a previous post.
http://www.malugo.com/about us.htm
The Plaza 1 and 2 shops specialize in flashlights.
You'll get better deals in the US, but will see some interesting items in their showcases. Some black
HA Surfires, Porcupines, DSpeck FFIII, lots of Peaks etc.

I'm quite busy now, but post or PM me if you have any questions.
Have a nice time :wave:

Thank you Nekomane! Will definitely look forward to the shopping!!!

Nekomane (or anybody else),

Do you know if it's possible for me to carry my leatherman micra on me? I don't know the laws in Tokyo regarding pocket knives & the sort. TIA

vee said:

Nekomane (or anybody else),

Do you know if it's possible for me to carry my leatherman micra on me? I don't know the laws in Tokyo regarding pocket knives & the sort. TIA

Click to expand...

Thats a good question..... I go to Japan all the time and I always carry a Full size Leatherman in my backpack while cruzin the streets of Tokyo.....

frisco