A Glimpse Into Japan's Retro Mega Stores (56K DEATH!)

[hashiriya1]

With a JR Pass you are not allowed to ride the Nozomi train (fastest bullet train), but if you look like a foreigner you can get to at least Nagoya IF you board at Shin-Yokohama. Because when the guy comes around and checks for Nozomi tickets and you show him a rail pass, and he'll say "NO GOOD" and he'll attempt to tell you to get off at the next station, which is halfway to Osaka. You would have skipped Shizuoka, Maibara, etc that the Kodama and Hiraki trains would have stopped at. You can cut travel times by using the "stupid foreigner" trick.

[Breetai]

thanks for replying didnt relise it would cost £109.14, and thats 1 way, i want to go but is there any other cheaper ways of getting there ie car, jr pass ?

if i got a jr pass how much would a jr pass cost and would it get me there and back from denden town to my hotel.

the travelling time dosnt bother me at all especially when there goodies to be had

thanks for your help just want to get to den den town the cheapest way.

I really don't think you understand.

You are staying in TOKYO. Akihabara, a place with tons of great game shops, is in Tokyo.
Den-den Town is in OSAKA. Osaka is 550km/350miles from Tokyo.
Akihabara and Den-den Town are very comparable overall. DO NOT go to Osaka if you are only interested in Den-den Town. Honestly, it will probably be a waste of your time.

If you are interested in seeing cities like Kyoto and places like Nara, Kobe and Himeji, then it's worth it to go to Osaka and check out Den-den Town while you are there. Does that make sense? It would be like staying in London, but then going all the way to Manchester to by some Burberry handbag or watch a football game when you aren't partial to any club. It just does not make any sense when there is an amazing selection of handbags and football matches in London.

I really hope you caught what I am trying to say, since I think you missed the point of my last post.

Why are you going to Japan? Ikebukuro is a great place to stay in Tokyo, by the way. Lots of action at night and cool places to check out. Nothing amazing compared to Shibuya, Ginza, Shinjuku or even Odaiba, but definitely a good place to stay if you like to be up late.

If you really want me advice, DO go to Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara and Himeji Castle(if you have a JR pass)) if you have an extra 4-5 days. If not, Nakano station area in Tokyo does have some pretty good game shops. It's not as good as Akihabara, but it is still alright. Mandrake has a good shop there.

[hashiriya1]

When I lived in Tokyo my hangout spots were Naka-Meguro, Daikanyama, Omotesando, and Ebisu. I shyed away from the overcrowded and overrated streets of Shinjuku, Shibuya, etc. Ikebukuro is nice tho, but only the west side. The east side could easily be confused for any other part of Tokyo which could be good or bad depending on your taste.


Stay away from Kansai. It sucks and the girls there are NUTS.

[Breetai]

When I lived in Tokyo my hangout spots were Naka-Meguro, Daikanyama, Omotesando, and Ebisu. I shyed away from the overcrowded and overrated streets of Shinjuku, Shibuya, etc. Ikebukuro is nice tho, but only the west side. The east side could easily be confused for any other part of Tokyo which could be good or bad depending on your taste.


Stay away from Kansai. It sucks and the girls there are NUTS.

Haha. I like Daikanyama and Ebisu a lot more than the spots I mentioned in my last post as well, but not for a tourist (except for Omotesando if you like shopping for chick stuff). I used to go to the beer gardens in Ebisu a few Saturdays a month.

On the other hand, I like the east side (Sunshine 60 side) of Ikebukuro a lot and find the west side incredibly boring! I much prefer it to Shinjuku, actually. It has character (not that Shinjuku-2-chome doesn't...). Then again, I love Tokyo overall.

Kansai is amazing for tourists.

[hashiriya1]

When I lived in Tokyo my hangout spots were Naka-Meguro, Daikanyama, Omotesando, and Ebisu. I shyed away from the overcrowded and overrated streets of Shinjuku, Shibuya, etc. Ikebukuro is nice tho, but only the west side. The east side could easily be confused for any other part of Tokyo which could be good or bad depending on your taste.


Stay away from Kansai. It sucks and the girls there are NUTS.

Haha. I like Daikanyama and Ebisu a lot more than the spots I mentioned in my last post as well, but not for a tourist (except for Omotesando if you like shopping for chick stuff). I used to go to the beer gardens in Ebisu a few Saturdays a month.

On the other hand, I like the east side (Sunshine 60 side) of Ikebukuro a lot and find the west side incredibly boring! I much prefer it to Shinjuku, actually. It has character (not that Shinjuku-2-chome doesn't...). Then again, I love Tokyo overall.

Kansai is amazing for tourists.

It is really difficult to see Japan in the eyes of a tourist, so I can't put myself in their shoes. I am sure it is the same for you. The last time I was a tourist there was in 2001. Anyhoo, Omotesando/Aoyama has some really great bars, and that is why I spent a lot of time there with friends. I never shopped there. I did most of my shopping in Chiba-ken (Kashiwa) or Yokohama.

East side of Ikebukuro is great for shopping and touristy stuff, but the west side has a lot of hole-in-the-wall bars, lounges, gaudy pool halls, etc. Just watch any episode of IWGP which is filmed entirely in West Ikebukuro to see what fun there is to be had there. I guess you and I have different tastes in where we like to hang out. My group of friends in Tokyo was one of those hang out from 8PM til the first train on a Wednesday kinda groups.

The most touristy thing I've done in Kansai was pass by a shrine or two (Kinkaku-ji, Nijo-jou) while on a road trip to Hiroshima for my friend's wedding. But I have spent time there for work and dated Kansai girls. They are nuts. My fiance who lives here with me was born n raised in Osaka...and....she is NUTS. I guess that makes me stupid!