I'm by no means a veteran, only in Japan once. But one big piece of advice I could give would be to plan around one big event.. like nismo festival, auto salon, 86 fest , 7s day etc etc. Google translate is amazing, use the speak and translate function for conversations. Buy a helmet before going to a track day. Show interest in someone's car and ask for a passenger ride. Buy them a drink from a vending machine after.
Another big tip is pre booking your Internet or sorting when you arrive at the airport you will need for your whole trip. This was a life savour for us 😁
There's a thing to note: not all driving licenses are accepted in Japan. For example, most post-Soviet coutries' licenses are not valid there. Check before travelling and plan accordingly, you can find people that'll give you a lift to points of interest like Daikoku if you aren't allowed to drive.
I was there last April was my 1st time there and did the 7 day experience with THE SIDEWAYS EXPERIENCE in Ebisu got to drift all the tracks and that was just after matsuri so I got to see that was unreal . It's a bit expensive but 100% worth it
Keep up the amazing content Neil! Watching Japan In A Van really gave my brother and I the kick to just book a trip last year after wanting to go for many years and it was the best decision we’ve ever made. 4 weeks over there from Australia and it was absolutely incredible. You’re absolutely right, the experiences, memories you create, and people you meet far outweighs the impact on the money side, and looking back at all the moments we will cherish forever it was totally worth it. Our biggest tip would be to not be scared to just talk to people and use google translate. Like Neil and the boys show in the videos, it’s truly incredible how even with a language barrier, the appreciation of a joint passion of cars is something the Japanese people value and you just connect with each other in this weird but awesome way, so don’t be scared to spark conversations (but of course be respectful and courteous).
Hire car with ETC is great advice, if you can afford id recommend getting a non-base model hire car. First trip I had a gutlesss yaris with no cruise control, was a pain on the highway going in and out of overdrive, you're constantly having to play with the throttle 2nd trip got a corolla wagon with adaptive cruise, made it so much easier. When you're doing 4+hrs of driving a day, you'll thank yourself for the upgrade
thanks for the content man, i can't wait to see the crash king video its going be wild! im jelly for anyone who can afford to get one of them shirts. i mean like, really jelly. being poor living cent to cent sucks lol.
Yeah those T-shirts are sick!! I really wanted to get one but it was a bit much after shipping and all so I ended up getting a couple stickers instead.
Lmao I live in bumfuck SEA so shipping, especially how much it racks up once the package gets here, isn't even in the question. I'll get a juicebox sticker someday for sure though.
Been twice now and one of my best tips was love hotels! Easy to find and if you're on the road you don't know where you'll end up! Plus love hotels are absolutely amazing and an experience in themselves
This kind of video are very useful for a group of friends like us that plan to go to Japan one day! We started our own youtube channel thanks to the inspiration of people like you guys, nightride and many more! Thanks for all you guys do and keep having fun!
Most important tips for Japan is pocket WiFi which you can book and collect at the airport,get a passmo or suica card it's for the subway and you can buy from the vending machine aswell.also don't forget if your are planning on driving make sure you get your international driving licence before you leave ireland.
If your not renting a car a JR pass is actually great gets you almost everywhere it’s about 100euro a week which is pricey but end up saving a lot money when you can get bullet train anywhere in Japan.
Checkin in - been to Ebisu 4 times and done a generic tourist trip for my 5th trip Deffo agree with the rental vs train comment, for Ebisu some people find that its easier to fly in to tokyo, get the train up to Fukushima and then get a rental there, but rental deffo the better option to do all the car stuff. If you do wanna just stick to more generic stuff or stay around tokyo then getting a train card (was called passmo when I went) was a great idea, can just stick money on it and tap in and out of train stations, works all over the place. - oh if you do rent then make sure you sort out your international driving permit/licence, for me in the UK it was just a form I filled out and I had a bit of paper in a card that I had to take with me. Super easy but stupid to forget and then get stuck! (might be different for others, make sure you check) AirBnB was great for us when we needed places to stay when travelling about too. We planned out our time a bit more than Neil when it came to this haha When I did Ebisu (last trip was 2018 so sorry if shit has changed massively) the cars were way more affordable and buying a 'missile' just meant a car that wasnt super clean so I dunno if its still the same but basically you just send a deposit in to PV and you get to know about what cars are available via email and you just gotta jump on it. You can also buy off people that have a car there and are not going back, there are FB groups for this - if you do this you will need to pay a fee for PV support, their availability is per person not per car from what I remember. Since I last went though the Sidewase Experience guys started up and are offering what looks like good stuff, check out their website for all that. When you are at Ebisu you are mostly on your own when it comes to sorting out anything with your car. PV can help but you still need to pay for their time, they are a shop you can pay to work on your car and they only work on cars that have been bought through them, especially during matsuri times, they are always super busy and have no time for timewasters. You gotta have your own tools, be able to change your own tyres and sort yourself out as much as possible. Also if you are going at matsuri time, they ask you how many tyres you need and then they order a huge amount for everyone. If you dont order enough then you can hope that there are some extras, if you order too many you just get credit back on your account, not extra tyres, which can be cool sometimes to help offset other stuff. When I was going it made sense to get an Ebisu gold card if you were doing more than 2 weeks driving in a year (roughly). So if you do more than one matsuri and make each trip a good 2 week or more trip then the gold card will pay for itself (for those that dont know the ebisu gold card is like a yearly membership card for cheap entry. It has a high upfront cost so you gotta use it to get your money's worth) There is lots of stuff I could probably add but last thing I will say is make sure you respect the rules and be safe. You might see local drivers not abiding by the rules that you have but this is just tough shit, they will likely get away with stuff but you likely will not and it looks bad on every foreigner not just you, make sure your car is safe and you are safe first and foremost. Every rule that is in place is reactionary, ebisu is a drift paradice with once infinite freedom but these things dont last forever, it will last longer though if we look after it and respect it :)
I’ve gone twice now both car based holidays and it’s the best thing ever! Spring time, wekfest and doridore was the best automotive experience ever! Nagoya is also beautiful and such a chill vibe compared to Tokyo. Get an E sim like Airalo, air bnb and rent a probox! Best experience ever!
I’m actually going to Japan in 2 months. Thank you for this video on breaking things down and for the info. I’m also a big fan of the older drift scene in Japan and I think what you’re doing is beyond special. Very well done Juicebox team, truly something to look up to.
on the food thing: there are heaps of 'family restaurants' and 'office worker restaurants' all over. places like Dennys, Jolly Pasta, yoshinoya, sukiya etc which you usually order from a machine which has an english option. under most department stores is almost always huge food courts which has western style food as well as Japanese food. can sit down or take away and prices vary from cheap to mildy expensive depending on what you want. also supermarkets are often dotted about with really cheap bento boxes. like a chicken or pork katsu, rice, some salad thing and pasta or some other side for sub $5 AUD
Some great tips Neil! The wife and I are trying to get the funds together for a trip out there next year as a kind of honeymoon. I've always wanted to go. We'll likely just be doing the touristy stuff. But I can't wait. We too had decided that it's probably best to stay in different places each day to get the most out of our trip. Glad to hear that tip from you. Thanks for the tips, thanks for all the awesome content. The Japan videos have been an absolute joy to watch. Kanpai 🥂
I agree about going in January. A bunch of mates and I went for the first time at the start of the year. There were so many events & meets both in the build up to, and post TAS. Was an incredible time to be there if you are going for car related activities. I’d also suggest going with a bunch of mates. It definitely makes car hire and toll roads cheaper if you split it between 4/5 people.
Been studying the basics of Japanese language for 6 months now via audio lessons. Might not get to use it or need it but suprised myself how much I can retain and keeps me motivated to keep working towards for my trip.
My friend and I did it last year in a camper van; we traveled 2500km and got inspiration from your videos. It was a great experience. We will be there next week but will stay in Tokyo and use public transport. Even more excited this time.
I’m moving to Japan for a year in 4 weeks time, it’s been 20 years in the making for me. Really want to get some car stuff in there so this is really helpful vid 🙌🏽
Loved the video. Had to drop out of the Patrion after we got hit with a tornado and then a hurricane. But I’ll turn it back on when things get better. Thanks for the videos to keep us cheered up.
I got the whole drop thank you for making the content and brining a legend over to ur land I wish I could attend Sep 4th is my birthday Aloha 86 gang world wide
Booked my flights last week , I'm off to auto salon in January , Going solo so if any like minded individuals want to jump in , don't be afraid to get in touch
4:00 Also, try a vpn and change your location to other places (even if flying from Ireland), I used to find that setting my location to somewhere less expensive dropped my flights by 20-30% but YMMV
For a 16 day trip in april realistically you need 3500 or there abouts thats how much i spent on flights and accommodation aswell as a rail pass for 410 that included a 10gb sim card aswell as food and drinks,i wasnt being stingy over there just smart "711 and family marts are class"we never found eating out to be expensive it was only until we started buying the likes of clothes and stuff on the last weekend that the cash started to go quickly, im contradicting what neil is saying but if you can "wing it" while we were there the one thing that messed up our trip was bookings with hostels and plans to see places, like we stayed in osaka longer than expected and had to cancel other bookings,eventually we just took notions and stayed in random cities that was the beauty of the rail pass we could go from the likes of kanazawa to hiroshima because of how fast and handy the trains are we just checked if there was hostels available and if there was we went to whatever city
Love your Japan content Neil, plan to go myself one day (57 now so running out of time😢). T shirt & sticker bought as Xmas a gift for my son, hope he doesn't read the comments😅.
Went to japan in 2019 with 3 mates for 12days Best holiday i was ever on! We hired a car for 10days for 400euro, started in tokyo and worked our way down to Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, visiting every shop and track we could! 99% of the shops wer very welcoming Best country in the world!
The reality of not being able to buy a car and drive it about is crushing to hear tbh. I was so certain this was possible until a couple of months ago- it kinda knocked the wind out of my sails for wanting to go myself.
@@idokwatcher2062 yeah but why would you sell it? Drop it off at an exporter the day before your flight home then reunite in a couple of months. The 800ish quid Neil mentioned for a rental would be 1/3-1/2 of the cost of the cars I'd want to bring back!
For a phone/internet when I was In Japan I had Verizon with a international plan, was about $80 a month before taxes but I think I only had about 10gb for data which ran out quick if you stream movies/youtube. So I bought a hot spot and used a local company for service and that was around $20 per month, cancel anytime. The hot spot device was from a coworker so I got a discount on that, around $50 for it.
I forgot that if you want to ride the train it’s easier with the Suica or Pasmo cards, it’s a prepaid card, can be used at 7/11 as well. But at the time I was there they had a chip shortage so I had to get the digital version on my phone and the way to do that was to get a master card to transfer money onto the Suica card. For some reason other cards wouldn’t work. So if you have an iPhone you can go to your Apple wallet on the phone and get the Apple Goldman Sachs Master Card, approval is instant and you can start using the card right away. You can also have a physical card latter sent to you house. Then in the phone wallet you can set up the Suica card and transfer funds to it. 💴 If you have an Android, sorry I don’t know that process.
Oh I feel like I’m going to be hated there now with so many tourists going this year 🙁 I’m going in October and will be visiting Kyoto for a few days but mostly Tokyo
Might be wrong on this but i got some decently priced flights from the UK direct to Haneda Via JAL/British airways, not sure you boys from Ireland have the same deal but might be worth giving it a look! Only suggest it since when i booked to go it was 25 hours to Narita with a stop but 14 hours no stops direct to Haneda for some reason
I really want to go go Japan but I'm a bit worried about the attitude towards westerners as of late, your Honda tuning shop video looks like heaven to me. Anyone here have any insight as of recent?
My tips - DO NOT GO DURING GOLDEN WEEK. It will be super busy at touristy spots and hotels will be 3x the price. As Neil says, you don't need to book much ahead. (Same as anywhere in the world if you want a proper travel experience IMO). Get stuck into the food, its amazing. Yes get Mcdonalds once or twice but eat the local food, its incredible.
Yeah, flight tickets are so expensive for Japan, probably the single biggest cost of the trip. Done rentals and they can be relatively cheap, like a small car (if there's two of you) can be about £40 a day. Last trip I got a 12hr rental of a GR86 from Toyota for about £80. And you can also (if your license allows) rent motorbikes. Yes, definitely rent something because public transport to car related places is a bad idea, plus you get to experience some epic roads if you plan it out right. Tolls... to give you an idea, I did 5000km (mix of toll and normal roads) in 2019 and it cost £170 in ETC charges alone. Fuel is relatively cheap, working out to about £1 a litre for hi octane. Also, when planning routes, believe Google Maps for time but not necessarily for routes. You may get there sooner than you expect, but it may send you down bad roads or try to send you down roads that are very much closed Learn a little bit of Japanese, even just a few words. Don't be afraid to travel solo. And have fun
Just remember straight up when in Japan or in Asian culture in general Anybody older then you is your auntie or uncle Be respectful Stay chill in public places Never tip at food spots Stay stoked Ahahah
Nice, its real cool to see the support but be sure to pay him too. Commercializing Japan without paying its people really drives a wedge and xenophobia becomes that much harder to fight. For anyone else wanting to come to Japan hit me up if you want to get tapped in!
As nice as it is that you've taken the time to make this video, it sounds like you're catering for the most absentminded individuals on the Planet (which is a nice gesture on your part, but i'm sure the Japanese people don't want an influx of Jakovasaurs set loose in their country) . To keep it simple, the fundamental things to keep in mind is just to always be mindful an respectful an just use common sense. For me personally, having done 2 trip there for the drift matsuri's an seeing how things have changed as a result of disrespectful tourists, I honestly couldn't stress it enough just to be mindful of your actions. If you're the sort of person for example, that has to be told to watch your noise level in a residential area on a week night or you have to be told to clean up after yourself whilst in a public area, then Japan isn't the place for you.
I'm by no means a veteran, only in Japan once.
But one big piece of advice I could give would be to plan around one big event.. like nismo festival, auto salon, 86 fest , 7s day etc etc.
Google translate is amazing, use the speak and translate function for conversations.
Buy a helmet before going to a track day. Show interest in someone's car and ask for a passenger ride. Buy them a drink from a vending machine after.
That’s dope !
As a Japan veteran, can agree, definitely plan around one big event then work from there
I agree. I planned around R's meeting last year.
Never loose the ambition you have it translates to other. Made me book a trip to japan with me and my son lol.
Lose
@@smashyrashy lame
@@PGHdrift shhh
Tight ambitions are the best
Enjoy bro foook the haters
Another big tip is pre booking your Internet or sorting when you arrive at the airport you will need for your whole trip. This was a life savour for us 😁
There's a thing to note: not all driving licenses are accepted in Japan. For example, most post-Soviet coutries' licenses are not valid there. Check before travelling and plan accordingly, you can find people that'll give you a lift to points of interest like Daikoku if you aren't allowed to drive.
First channel I've really felt like supporting. You guys make some quality stuff man, excited to see what else you guys whip up in the future
T-shirt ordered ❤ can’t wait to see the vid of Yuasa in Ireland
I was there last April was my 1st time there and did the 7 day experience with THE SIDEWAYS EXPERIENCE in Ebisu got to drift all the tracks and that was just after matsuri so I got to see that was unreal . It's a bit expensive but 100% worth it
Good to know, I wondered if it would be worth doing that over trying to buy a car for matsuri
Ordered the T-shirt ✌
Gang 🤙
Bought 2 tshirts. Thanks bro.
Immediately bought a shirt and sticker, super cool design
Class Tee. Had to have 1 💨💨
Keep up the amazing content Neil! Watching Japan In A Van really gave my brother and I the kick to just book a trip last year after wanting to go for many years and it was the best decision we’ve ever made. 4 weeks over there from Australia and it was absolutely incredible.
You’re absolutely right, the experiences, memories you create, and people you meet far outweighs the impact on the money side, and looking back at all the moments we will cherish forever it was totally worth it.
Our biggest tip would be to not be scared to just talk to people and use google translate. Like Neil and the boys show in the videos, it’s truly incredible how even with a language barrier, the appreciation of a joint passion of cars is something the Japanese people value and you just connect with each other in this weird but awesome way, so don’t be scared to spark conversations (but of course be respectful and courteous).
Shirt has been ordered 👌
T shirt pre-ordered! That design is awesome, and I felt like it was my way of saying cheers.
Same here !! 🍻🍻
Hire car with ETC is great advice, if you can afford id recommend getting a non-base model hire car. First trip I had a gutlesss yaris with no cruise control, was a pain on the highway going in and out of overdrive, you're constantly having to play with the throttle
2nd trip got a corolla wagon with adaptive cruise, made it so much easier. When you're doing 4+hrs of driving a day, you'll thank yourself for the upgrade
Just bought 1 of everything, graphics are too sick 🔥
thanks for the content man, i can't wait to see the crash king video its going be wild!
im jelly for anyone who can afford to get one of them shirts. i mean like, really jelly. being poor living cent to cent sucks lol.
Yeah those T-shirts are sick!! I really wanted to get one but it was a bit much after shipping and all so I ended up getting a couple stickers instead.
Lmao I live in bumfuck SEA so shipping, especially how much it racks up once the package gets here, isn't even in the question. I'll get a juicebox sticker someday for sure though.
Been twice now and one of my best tips was love hotels! Easy to find and if you're on the road you don't know where you'll end up! Plus love hotels are absolutely amazing and an experience in themselves
Just ordered a t-shirt I think it's such a cool thing you lads are doing man and I'm happy to help a little look forward to seeing his reaction 😀
This kind of video are very useful for a group of friends like us that plan to go to Japan one day!
We started our own youtube channel thanks to the inspiration of people like you guys, nightride and many more!
Thanks for all you guys do and keep having fun!
Most important tips for Japan is pocket WiFi which you can book and collect at the airport,get a passmo or suica card it's for the subway and you can buy from the vending machine aswell.also don't forget if your are planning on driving make sure you get your international driving licence before you leave ireland.
If your not renting a car a JR pass is actually great gets you almost everywhere it’s about 100euro a week which is pricey but end up saving a lot money when you can get bullet train anywhere in Japan.
They raised the price of the JR Rail Pass last year and it's not worth the price anymore.
Checkin in - been to Ebisu 4 times and done a generic tourist trip for my 5th trip
Deffo agree with the rental vs train comment, for Ebisu some people find that its easier to fly in to tokyo, get the train up to Fukushima and then get a rental there, but rental deffo the better option to do all the car stuff. If you do wanna just stick to more generic stuff or stay around tokyo then getting a train card (was called passmo when I went) was a great idea, can just stick money on it and tap in and out of train stations, works all over the place. - oh if you do rent then make sure you sort out your international driving permit/licence, for me in the UK it was just a form I filled out and I had a bit of paper in a card that I had to take with me. Super easy but stupid to forget and then get stuck! (might be different for others, make sure you check)
AirBnB was great for us when we needed places to stay when travelling about too. We planned out our time a bit more than Neil when it came to this haha
When I did Ebisu (last trip was 2018 so sorry if shit has changed massively) the cars were way more affordable and buying a 'missile' just meant a car that wasnt super clean so I dunno if its still the same but basically you just send a deposit in to PV and you get to know about what cars are available via email and you just gotta jump on it. You can also buy off people that have a car there and are not going back, there are FB groups for this - if you do this you will need to pay a fee for PV support, their availability is per person not per car from what I remember. Since I last went though the Sidewase Experience guys started up and are offering what looks like good stuff, check out their website for all that.
When you are at Ebisu you are mostly on your own when it comes to sorting out anything with your car. PV can help but you still need to pay for their time, they are a shop you can pay to work on your car and they only work on cars that have been bought through them, especially during matsuri times, they are always super busy and have no time for timewasters. You gotta have your own tools, be able to change your own tyres and sort yourself out as much as possible. Also if you are going at matsuri time, they ask you how many tyres you need and then they order a huge amount for everyone. If you dont order enough then you can hope that there are some extras, if you order too many you just get credit back on your account, not extra tyres, which can be cool sometimes to help offset other stuff.
When I was going it made sense to get an Ebisu gold card if you were doing more than 2 weeks driving in a year (roughly). So if you do more than one matsuri and make each trip a good 2 week or more trip then the gold card will pay for itself (for those that dont know the ebisu gold card is like a yearly membership card for cheap entry. It has a high upfront cost so you gotta use it to get your money's worth)
There is lots of stuff I could probably add but last thing I will say is make sure you respect the rules and be safe. You might see local drivers not abiding by the rules that you have but this is just tough shit, they will likely get away with stuff but you likely will not and it looks bad on every foreigner not just you, make sure your car is safe and you are safe first and foremost. Every rule that is in place is reactionary, ebisu is a drift paradice with once infinite freedom but these things dont last forever, it will last longer though if we look after it and respect it :)
Great info, I appreciate you taking the time to give us all of this info.
I’ve gone twice now both car based holidays and it’s the best thing ever! Spring time, wekfest and doridore was the best automotive experience ever! Nagoya is also beautiful and such a chill vibe compared to Tokyo. Get an E sim like Airalo, air bnb and rent a probox! Best experience ever!
Finally ! Some T’s and stickers, and it’s for a good cause. No brainer ! Cheers🍻
I’m actually going to Japan in 2 months. Thank you for this video on breaking things down and for the info. I’m also a big fan of the older drift scene in Japan and I think what you’re doing is beyond special. Very well done Juicebox team, truly something to look up to.
on the food thing: there are heaps of 'family restaurants' and 'office worker restaurants' all over. places like Dennys, Jolly Pasta, yoshinoya, sukiya etc which you usually order from a machine which has an english option.
under most department stores is almost always huge food courts which has western style food as well as Japanese food. can sit down or take away and prices vary from cheap to mildy expensive depending on what you want.
also supermarkets are often dotted about with really cheap bento boxes. like a chicken or pork katsu, rice, some salad thing and pasta or some other side for sub $5 AUD
NEW MERCH 🗣🗣🗣🗣
Some great tips Neil! The wife and I are trying to get the funds together for a trip out there next year as a kind of honeymoon. I've always wanted to go. We'll likely just be doing the touristy stuff. But I can't wait. We too had decided that it's probably best to stay in different places each day to get the most out of our trip. Glad to hear that tip from you. Thanks for the tips, thanks for all the awesome content. The Japan videos have been an absolute joy to watch. Kanpai 🥂
I agree about going in January. A bunch of mates and I went for the first time at the start of the year. There were so many events & meets both in the build up to, and post TAS. Was an incredible time to be there if you are going for car related activities.
I’d also suggest going with a bunch of mates. It definitely makes car hire and toll roads cheaper if you split it between 4/5 people.
Love the T-shirt design and the stickers! I bought a couple stickers! Really excited!
Been studying the basics of Japanese language for 6 months now via audio lessons. Might not get to use it or need it but suprised myself how much I can retain and keeps me motivated to keep working towards for my trip.
2 uploads a week please !!!!!!🙏
My friend and I did it last year in a camper van; we traveled 2500km and got inspiration from your videos. It was a great experience. We will be there next week but will stay in Tokyo and use public transport. Even more excited this time.
Just ordered 2 of everything. ✌🏼
I’m moving to Japan for a year in 4 weeks time, it’s been 20 years in the making for me. Really want to get some car stuff in there so this is really helpful vid 🙌🏽
Finally got some merch!
Absolutely love the content, I never miss a vlog you put out. Got my T-shirt and stickers ordered. Keep up the good work Neill ❤
Thanks Paddy, appreciate the content. Regards from New Zealand.
I have started to plan to go to Japan and this video super helped alot. Thank`s for the tips.
Definitely want to get there one day!!!!
Thankyou for the part at 17:00 I guess I still have some years
Loved the video. Had to drop out of the Patrion after we got hit with a tornado and then a hurricane. But I’ll turn it back on when things get better. Thanks for the videos to keep us cheered up.
Ima be heading out in March let’s go
Thank you for the amazing work it shows how much you put in keepnuonthe great work 💪💪
So mad i missed the shirts!
I got the whole drop thank you for making the content and brining a legend over to ur land I wish I could attend Sep 4th is my birthday
Aloha 86 gang world wide
Booked my flights last week , I'm off to auto salon in January ,
Going solo so if any like minded individuals want to jump in , don't be afraid to get in touch
Excellent vid again with great tips.
Perfect! we're considering a trip to Auto-Salon next year
taking notes
Awesome lad! Just grapped myself a tshirt and some stickers! I was waiting for this video to drop to be sure to get them😂👍
Agree about the food. I love all the Japanese wild stuff but sometimes you just want to smash some Maccas
Bring comfortable walking shoes! I recently visited Osaka with my niece and we walked 13 miles the first day. Also, I just ordered merch!
Please keep going mate, absolutely incredible work.
Brillaint video neil, iv being looking into a trip for the past 2 years and hoping maybe in next year or 2 to go for 2 weeks👌
Great video very helpful.
Love the tshirt so i just ordered one and a sticker
Supporting this all the way
4:00
Also, try a vpn and change your location to other places (even if flying from Ireland), I used to find that setting my location to somewhere less expensive dropped my flights by 20-30% but YMMV
Super helpful
Great guide
For a 16 day trip in april realistically you need 3500 or there abouts thats how much i spent on flights and accommodation aswell as a rail pass for 410 that included a 10gb sim card aswell as food and drinks,i wasnt being stingy over there just smart "711 and family marts are class"we never found eating out to be expensive it was only until we started buying the likes of clothes and stuff on the last weekend that the cash started to go quickly, im contradicting what neil is saying but if you can "wing it" while we were there the one thing that messed up our trip was bookings with hostels and plans to see places, like we stayed in osaka longer than expected and had to cancel other bookings,eventually we just took notions and stayed in random cities that was the beauty of the rail pass we could go from the likes of kanazawa to hiroshima because of how fast and handy the trains are we just checked if there was hostels available and if there was we went to whatever city
Love your Japan content Neil, plan to go myself one day (57 now so running out of time😢). T shirt & sticker bought as Xmas a gift for my son, hope he doesn't read the comments😅.
Get on it!
Mint! 👌
How do you guys actually meet up/know people in Japan for when you are going? Genuinely curious and have no idea how to do it lol
Went to japan in 2019 with 3 mates for 12days
Best holiday i was ever on! We hired a car for 10days for 400euro, started in tokyo and worked our way down to Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, visiting every shop and track we could!
99% of the shops wer very welcoming
Best country in the world!
LOVE the videos :D
When are you coming to the US?
The reality of not being able to buy a car and drive it about is crushing to hear tbh. I was so certain this was possible until a couple of months ago- it kinda knocked the wind out of my sails for wanting to go myself.
Is there any country in the world where you can buy a car and legally drive it without living in the country?
Buying it upon arrival and selling it upon departure is no different than renting.
@@themagnushjort: Yes. Aotearoa / New Zealand.
But don't come expecting to buy a decent Skyline or a Laurel for under $10k 😅
@@idokwatcher2062 yeah but why would you sell it? Drop it off at an exporter the day before your flight home then reunite in a couple of months.
The 800ish quid Neil mentioned for a rental would be 1/3-1/2 of the cost of the cars I'd want to bring back!
For a phone/internet when I was In Japan I had Verizon with a international plan, was about $80 a month before taxes but I think I only had about 10gb for data which ran out quick if you stream movies/youtube. So I bought a hot spot and used a local company for service and that was around $20 per month, cancel anytime. The hot spot device was from a coworker so I got a discount on that, around $50 for it.
I forgot that if you want to ride the train it’s easier with the Suica or Pasmo cards, it’s a prepaid card, can be used at 7/11 as well. But at the time I was there they had a chip shortage so I had to get the digital version on my phone and the way to do that was to get a master card to transfer money onto the Suica card. For some reason other cards wouldn’t work.
So if you have an iPhone you can go to your Apple wallet on the phone and get the Apple Goldman Sachs Master Card, approval is instant and you can start using the card right away. You can also have a physical card latter sent to you house. Then in the phone wallet you can set up the Suica card and transfer funds to it. 💴
If you have an Android, sorry I don’t know that process.
I count myself lucky, living in Australia it's only 10 hours for us from Sydney 🙃
Oh I feel like I’m going to be hated there now with so many tourists going this year 🙁 I’m going in October and will be visiting Kyoto for a few days but mostly Tokyo
Might be wrong on this but i got some decently priced flights from the UK direct to Haneda Via JAL/British airways, not sure you boys from Ireland have the same deal but might be worth giving it a look! Only suggest it since when i booked to go it was 25 hours to Narita with a stop but 14 hours no stops direct to Haneda for some reason
I really want to go go Japan but I'm a bit worried about the attitude towards westerners as of late, your Honda tuning shop video looks like heaven to me. Anyone here have any insight as of recent?
My tips - DO NOT GO DURING GOLDEN WEEK. It will be super busy at touristy spots and hotels will be 3x the price. As Neil says, you don't need to book much ahead. (Same as anywhere in the world if you want a proper travel experience IMO). Get stuck into the food, its amazing. Yes get Mcdonalds once or twice but eat the local food, its incredible.
Yeah, flight tickets are so expensive for Japan, probably the single biggest cost of the trip.
Done rentals and they can be relatively cheap, like a small car (if there's two of you) can be about £40 a day. Last trip I got a 12hr rental of a GR86 from Toyota for about £80. And you can also (if your license allows) rent motorbikes.
Yes, definitely rent something because public transport to car related places is a bad idea, plus you get to experience some epic roads if you plan it out right.
Tolls... to give you an idea, I did 5000km (mix of toll and normal roads) in 2019 and it cost £170 in ETC charges alone. Fuel is relatively cheap, working out to about £1 a litre for hi octane.
Also, when planning routes, believe Google Maps for time but not necessarily for routes. You may get there sooner than you expect, but it may send you down bad roads or try to send you down roads that are very much closed
Learn a little bit of Japanese, even just a few words. Don't be afraid to travel solo. And have fun
Just preorderd few bits any chance to collect on the day😂
I'd spend a week at Zerofighter. I say I'm poor but I'm 5k deep into a Kswap Civic lol Thanks Neil.
Cheers Neil t-shirt and sticker bought 🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟
Just remember straight up when in Japan or in Asian culture in general
Anybody older then you is your auntie or uncle
Be respectful
Stay chill in public places
Never tip at food spots
Stay stoked
Ahahah
@7:57 MkI MR2!
How is Yuasa sans English? Do you have a translator lined up to help with communication?
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Could you share how much money you spent on this 2 weeks or so that you've been in japan? Only if you're confortable sharing, if not sorry for asking
Is there anyone driving from Cork to Mondello park tomorrow with space for 1? Petrol notes and banter provided 😅
Got a T for my son
No mentioning of hotel Alphard unfortunately 😋
I think the exchange rate is probably what's causing the tourism boom.
🙂
You can use a VPN to get cheaper plane tickets ;), can't wait to see how he likes seeing his car again :).
Use a Chinese airline. They are allowed to fly over Russia 😁 16 hours max! UK to Shanghai, then to Osaka. Tokyo is too expensive
well shit.. im already here 😅 not too late?
Nice, its real cool to see the support but be sure to pay him too. Commercializing Japan without paying its people really drives a wedge and xenophobia becomes that much harder to fight. For anyone else wanting to come to Japan hit me up if you want to get tapped in!
Has anyone noticed reuben looks like Willem Dafoe 😅
Bro let me get that google map
Holy crao theres a link in the description you rule.
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As nice as it is that you've taken the time to make this video, it sounds like you're catering for the most absentminded individuals on the Planet (which is a nice gesture on your part, but i'm sure the Japanese people don't want an influx of Jakovasaurs set loose in their country) . To keep it simple, the fundamental things to keep in mind is just to always be mindful an respectful an just use common sense. For me personally, having done 2 trip there for the drift matsuri's an seeing how things have changed as a result of disrespectful tourists, I honestly couldn't stress it enough just to be mindful of your actions. If you're the sort of person for example, that has to be told to watch your noise level in a residential area on a week night or you have to be told to clean up after yourself whilst in a public area, then Japan isn't the place for you.
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