What do YOU want to know about Tokyo?
Do you have a question about Tokyo? Is there something that you want to see more of on The Tokyo Traveler? I’m listening, and in an effort to meet your needs I have set up a poll in the sidebar (just above recent comments). This not your everyday poll, I really want to hear from YOU and I want to know what you want to read more about on the The Tokyo Traveler!
I also want you ask any questions that you have about Tokyo in the comments section of this post. I will sort through all of your questions and I will feature some of the questions and provide the answers that you want throughout the month of June. I am looking forward to hearing from you so don’t be shy!
The poll will run from now until the end of the month so take a moment to click on the category of information that you would like to see more of at The Tokyo Traveler. To keep tabs on the poll and keep up to date on what to see and do in and around Tokyo make sure that you subscribe The Tokyo Traveler feed.
Your input is valuable to me and the floor is now yours, what do YOU want to know about Tokyo?
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Tokyo, JAPAN
May 13th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Shane,
Hey there, thanks for the comment on my site. Since I was in Japan years ago while still serving in the Canadian Navy, I remember the expense to have a beer, so my question would have to be… is it still really expensive to have a beer in the bars…as in 7 - 11 dollars US as I seem to remember?
KennyG
May 13th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I remember a great song by the Pogues called ‘Pachinko Dream’ which had the most compulsive little mandolin riff I’ve ever heard together with sampled real pachinko sounds. Now, I want to know where to find a real pachinko parlour - and how you play it.
This comes from someone whose French vastly improved when she discovered what was meant by ‘flipper’ (we call it pinball).
May 13th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Shane,
Which Japanese city has the biggest Islamic community? Is finding halal foods a real big problem in cities such Tokyo?
TQ for your help.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I too question the differences of Tokyo versus other travel destinations. One hears of the $400 overly expensive typical dinners, the $250 per person bar tabs, jammed subways, etc.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Shane
You could write about anything and I would find it fascinating.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I’ll be interested in knowing more about japan’s culture! it’s such an old country with a rich history that it would be neat to know about it. and then tie that to great travel sites with history.
also - food! sushi! :-)
May 13th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I pretty much agree with Kim, but if we’re picking from the list in your poll I’d probably go with history. I’d love to learn more about the rich history of Tokyo and any historical sites that might go along with it :)
May 14th, 2008 at 12:02 am
I have more than one question! If it’s a first visit to Tokyo, how long would you recommend staying? I have two young children, what ages would you recommend they should visit to get something out of the trip? What are the top four sites, or things to do that should be on any itinerary.
Apryl Chapman Thomas
May 14th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Mine is inappropriate so I’ll leave it, hehe. I’ll just agree with Kim because your writing and pictures on this blog are fantastic Shane!
I did however cast my vote in your poll for Culture and History :-)
May 14th, 2008 at 6:12 am
I’m curious if the city is really and crowded, with pushing and shoving, like you see depicted in the movies.
It all just seems so overwhelming.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I think this question is kind of a big one so I understand if you don’t want to answer. But I have to move to Japan for about six months and I’m scared, mostly because of that one debito dude who sued japanese bathhouses for racism. He kind of painted it like Japan was a horrible place to visit if you’re a white person. It doesn’t even matter if you’re not american I heard. But if you have like a first timer’s guide, like how to get an apt what kind of documentation you need, how to get around without getting horribly lost. Even if you have a tip, like what kind of food a norwegian would like, just plain and simple things. What to definately do, and what never to do.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Tyr, don’t worry too much about what Debito reports on; In 6 months you’ll likely never have such problems.
As for food a Norwegian would like, the Japanese diet is heavy on fish, so you might really find it to your liking.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Thank you for all of your questions - some of these will be easier to answer than others but I’ll bet to them all I promise!
Tyr, I second what billywest said. Tokyo can seem a bit intimidating but it’s actually an easy city for a foreigner to live in (even if you don’t have much Japanese ability). Once you get here you will probably wonder what you were so worried about but I will do some research on your question and you can look for an answer sometime soon.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I’d like to know how the Tokyo and Japan of today compares with the near future vision of William Gibson.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Hi Shane,
I actually don’t know ANYTHING about Tokyo. What I do know is that it looks like a gigantic city to a small town gal like myself. Are there places in the city that are actually quiet and more intimate? Thanks!
Jody
May 15th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Do you have any suggestions as to travelling with elderly people or those with handicaps? I understand that you may have to do a great deal of walking in Tokyo, so this may present a problem if you are elderly or handicapped.
Thanks.
May 18th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
[...] forget to participate in the poll in the sidebar and leave me a comment at “What do you want to know about Tokyo?“. I’ll be featuring some of the questions and providing answers throughout the month of [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Tokyo is famous for its electronics and “tech”-stuff. I would love to read your “tech” recommendations for a visitor (American) to Tokyo. For example, if I bring my iPod, will I be able to recharge the battery? (I have the same question regarding my Sony laptop.) Should I rent/buy a cell phone in Tokyo or will my T-Mobile plan and phone work fine? Keep up the good work.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:46 am
I loved shopping at Tokyu Hands–a variety of quality goods at reasonable prices. Could you please write about other discount department stores that you found interesting?
Also, it seems that I never quite understood the protocol for which side of the stairs/escalator that I was supposed to stand–left side for ascending? I would like to read about these subtle norms in Japan. Your article on how not to use chopsticks was great!
May 19th, 2008 at 10:18 am
More great questions! I really appreciate the feedback and am looking forward to pulling the answers together. Stay tuned and thanks to all of you for participating.
May 19th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I want to know more about culturally relevant Japanese expressions and colloquialisms. One of my greatest regrets academic-wise remains not continuing to take Japanese in college and grad school after two years spent learning the language in high school.
It would also be great to learn about the development of some of the kanji that’s unique to Japan as opposed to China (my favorite part of class was always learning the writing system, which is just incredibly beautiful).
I guess this falls under Culture & History, but with more emphasis on the language itself. All I need every now and then is a nice, big picture of a character and a few lines of explanation on the side or beneath. :-)
June 6th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
[...] I will answer the first of the many great questions that I received when I asked “What do YOU want to know about Tokyo?” More of the questions and answers will follow during the month of June so stay tuned… Andrea [...]
June 10th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
[...] I asked “What do YOU want to know about Tokyo?” in May I got a lot of great questions. Tyr will be moving to Japan for about six months and [...]
June 14th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
[...] have to admit that when I asked “What do YOU want to know about Tokyo?” I wasn’t expecting to receive a question about Islam & halal foods but that’s just [...]
June 16th, 2008 at 1:52 am
Hi Shane: I’ll be in Tokyo next january. It is possible to know about pop, jazz & rock concerts in advance? What japanese artists do you recommend?
Thanks… for Tokyo Traveller too.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
[...] next question from my “What do YOU want to know about Tokyo?” post comes from nicky187. I’d like to know how the Tokyo and Japan of today compares with the [...]
June 17th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
[...] years summer solstice will be on June 20th in the Northern Hemisphere. When I asked “What do YOU want to know about Tokyo?”, Chandra from The Boston Traveler asked me to share some “incredibly beautiful” Kanji, [...]
July 19th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
[...] from The Vancouver Traveler wondered about the cost of beer when I asked “What do YOU want to know about Tokyo?” and I’m sure that others are thirsty and wondering the same thing after reading this [...]