Weird Crap From Japan, Part I

@Kidsandliz Nah. Ego soothers for guys, one of whom likes a lot of gold crap all over their house but have to augment their personal reality a great deal.

“great deal” heh heh heh

@magic_cave Hmm my comment also fits the guy to whom you are referring LOL

@Kidsandliz So it does!

@melonscoop Showing it has bluetooth?

@Kidsandliz Hilarious!

@RiotDemon That video is fantastic

@heidiporn glad you like it. He has a lot more fun videos.

@dashcloud Yeah learned that as soon as I arrived, though actually Tokyo has been relatively quiet because everyone leaves on vacation. Thankfully I’m here another 3 weeks.

@cengland0 ah, finally a use for the marker that comes out of my ass

@cengland0 google translate app gave me the same results.

@medz I don’t know Japanese. I had to use Google translate too.

@cengland0 The guy with the gun is saying something like ‘you can play various mazes in the toilet’ and the part below the skull in the potty is about ‘suffer trouble with toys’ (my Japanese is super limited so those are just guesses)

@luvche21 Daiso! I have been to one Daiso in San Diego and it really is the greatest dollar store in the world. My dream is to visit Carrollton to visit not only Mediocre HQ but the largest Daiso in the US. One day…

@mossygreen Thanks for the heads up on this. There are two within easy driving distance of my home. I may even go today, there’s one on my way to a client.

@luvche21 It has been starred on my Google Map. Will let you know how it goes.

@skemmehs Enjoy! I’m super duper jealous of your trip by the way! I might have a contact or two in Japan to work out a contract to import something if you find something that Meh needs to sell…

@mossygreen That makes me wonder where the largest Daiso in Japan is. I hear the Daiso stores in the US are nice, but I can’t imagine them having near as many awesome finds as the ones in Japan. Maybe though?

@Fuzzalini Definitely worth a trip! I sure wish there was one close enough to where we live that we could visit. Only a few states away…

I always saw that the Daiso in the US charged $2-4 dollars for the 100yen items. My local Asian grocery store has items from Daiso and they charge sometimes $5-6 each item.

@skemmehs Also see if you can go to a Miniso store.

@Fuzzalini If one of them is the one in Mira Mesa, go to the Super H Mart next door and buy the weird corn-flavored gummy candy! It’s so good! Also: come back and tell me how you liked the store if you have time so I can vicariously visit it through you! We have none in the Midwest.

@luvche21 Oh, I’m sure the Japanese stores are a million times better, but the Daiso I’ve visited is head and shoulders above our home-grown dollar stores (at least, since dollar stores that are actually weird close-out stores full of random interesting stuff seem to have died out, which is a real shame). Granted, their prices are $1.50 to about $4, which should be better than a dollar store, but they are also better than say, Dollar General or Five Below. In my opinion, which could always be mistaken or actively wrong.

@RiotDemon I’ve seen a couple EXACT replicas of Daiso products sold at Bed Bath & Beyond for $10+

@mossygreen there aren’t many good dollar stores around me here, but I’ve never been impressed with a Dollar General, it just seems like a weird grocery store with normal or more expensive prices…

@luvche21 This! When I was in Tennessee a couple of weeks ago, Dollar General was the closest store to Mom’s place (about 20 mile drive). Very limited selection, very high prices. I basically survived 8 days on groceries and toiletries from DG, but I didn’t love it.

@luvche21 What a stunning, stunning company. I’ve been in one but never knew realized its name or knew it was part of a chain. It is a magical assortment of junk.

What’s even more amazing to me is their english language website: http://www.daisollc.com/ Just look at it - the landing page doesn’t talk about their company or point you at a location finder, it has prominent and detailed information about four recalled products that pose a threat to children - then it includes links to topics like “Guidelines and Precautions in the Use of Vegetable Laxatives, Part 2”. This is probably the most incredible thing I’ve seen all year.

@tinsami1 Eeesh yeah, the first thing someone told me was “don’t go to Disneyland this week”

@tinsami1 I’m jealous of your trip too! We’re likely going to be there (mostly a little north of Tokyo to visit my wife’s family) sometime in October. We’ll see if we can make it this year or not though.

@ruouttaurmind So… knowing absolutely NOTHING about Japan, I’m browsing Travelocity packages. The first thing that strikes me is the ridiculously high price of “capsule” accommodations. More importantly, the dramatic increase in cost from a capsule hotel to a private room. OUCH. Maybe my credit cards aren’t up to this after all?!?

@ruouttaurmind Obviously it totally depends on how you want to live, but I think in many ways it’s cheaper than traveling to major cities in the U.S. Here was my lunch from yesterday:

I got that in a super busy part of Tokyo and it cost $8.50 included the beer, taxes, and tip (there is no tipping). The beer alone would have cost that in Manhattan.

In terms of lodging, I’m a dedicated AirBNBer and there are plenty of good options here. The current place I’m staying in is much larger than a capsule (though there is a shared bathroom), is in a really nice neighborhood, and costs $50/night. The hostess is suuuuper nice and we chat over tea every morning. Some people prefer to stay in hotels, which is fine, but I feel like it’s better to spend your money on experiences (like staying in Japan an extra 3 days) instead of comfort. Obviously that’s easier to do when you’re traveling solo

For the flights, I’m flight-deal nerd and got round trip tickets for $450 from LA. (Shamless plug: Want to join my mailing list beta test for flight deals? Go here)

@skemmehs Just signed up for your list, but my airport isn’t on your list I’ve seen many of those ~$450 flights from LA, but it’s a 12 hour drive from here. Would you recommend finding a separate leg to LA then taking the $450 flight from LA? Or is there a decent way of bundling the $450 flight from LA with another leg to another airport?

It would be with my wife and 2 young kids, so it’s not as easy as flying solo.

@ruouttaurmind Depending on how much travel you want to do within the country, that can be pretty pricey as well. As @skemmehs said, food isn’t ridiculously expensive, and you can find really nice food in convenience stores too (actually good food, and even healthy!) for pretty cheap.

If you’re taking public transportation, and depending on how far, you might need +/-$15/day for travel alone.

@luvche21, @skemmehs It sounds like if I budget $50ish per day for miscellaneous expenses I should be good?

I don’t drink, so no costly alcohol binges. Although I have a sizable appetite, I have a very simple palate; I don’t need to eat at gourmet food, and a double bowl of rice or noodles will go far to quench my appetite.

I was Picturing my last trip to Cupertino. My per diem expenses were closer to $100/day after three meals and ground transportation.

@skemmehs Signed up for the list. Anxious to check it out.

I didn’t see anything about information confidentiality. Are you going to sell or transfer my info?

@ruouttaurmind Definitely won’t distribute your info in any. I literally got this up and running last week and have only shared it with friends. It’s very much in alpha/beta phase. But that’s a good point to get that on there early.

@luvche21 Hopefully I’ll add your airport soon.

@skemmehs

Definitely won’t distribute your info in any.

@skemmehs
TY re list.

Do you travel enough by air to know those amazing airfare tricks some constant travelers are able to get?

@ruouttaurmind I spent close to $1,000 per person (family of four) for a 7-day stay in Tokyo. Airfare not included. That includes hotel stay, round-trip bullet train (from Tokyo to Osaka and back), Disney Sea, Universal Studios, food and drinks, train/subway fares (moving around Tokyo and Osaka), some shopping, etc.

You can save a bunch if you go with AirBNB for accommodations and skip going to Osaka. You can fill your itinerary going around Tokyo in 5/6 days.

@skemmehs Be nice to have an option of choosing the closest (or other airports) if you are emailing stuff and our town is not on your list.

@tinsami1 In my cursory search I’ve discovered an abundance of private studio room hotels for about $65/night. I’ll have to check AirBnB for comparison, but I’m more than willing to pay $5 to $10 a night for a private bathroom, wifi, tv, in-room coffee maker, microwave and mini-fridge. The impact of additional charges is modest over 7 nights since I’d be traveling solo.

I doubt I’d be visiting the theme parks (unless there’s a very Japanese park?). I can go to Disney, Universal, here in the US. I’m primarily interested in the cultural immersion experience (particularly frightening since I speak zero Japanese).

@ruouttaurmind Don’t worry – I speak basically zilch Japanese and it’s fine. People are very friendly which makes up for the mutual language gap. Where there’s a will…

@f00l I have my methods

@skemmehs
Rolling Stone did a story on these professional “airfare warriors” who are basically able to go almost anywhere for almost nothing. The technique seems to involve kinda living on airlines.

But by doing that, these flyers suss out methods that can be used by more normal folk.

@ruouttaurmind I was told by a Japanese tour guide that most Japanese understand English as they are taught it in elementary school. They just can’t speak it well due to lack of practice.

Also, Google Maps and Google Translate were a big help

@skemmehs Joined up but my city is not handled yet.

@tinsami1 We were told this as well but did not find it to be true. The only place we were able to reliably find English speakers was at the wheelchair accessible train station turnstiles. We decided not speaking Japanese was defined as a disability.

@ruouttaurmind The cheap rooms we stayed at in Yokohama were crazy small. I had to leave the bathroom door propped open (it autoclosed) while showering as it was just too claustrophobic. It was a great deal and nice to have my own space, but my sister-in-law’s closet is bigger than that room was. Everything is very expensive, especially food, at least compared to home. For example, one 8oz cup of tea, no refills, was about $4 most places. We found a bakery where we could buy a package deal, two rolls with meat or eggs inside and a beverage for $8 and ate breakfast there every day as it was the cheapest we could find. There was a nearby mall with a Thai restaurant in the basement with inexpensive food and there was a pitcher of hot tea on every table that was kept full and included with the meal, so we ate lunch there several times. Steve usually splurges on taking us all for one upscale meal each trip. On this trip we went to what he’d read was the best Chinese restaurant in Japan at the top of one of the downtown hotels. Bob’s and my plates were $112, Steve’s meal was over $200.

@moondrake $200 for a Chinese dinner? Gads!

When I’m in a hotel for more than a single night I typically find a local market and eat most meals from whatever I can glean on the market shelves. Hopefully that’s also possible there? (I once stayed 9 days in Boston and spent around $40 for food).

I will definitely need to shop out the hotel situ. I would find it difficult to enjoy the trip without a clean, comfortable, private room with a private bathroom. If it costs me a couple hundred more over the course of the trip, I will consider that a grand investment.

@ruouttaurmind It was a super nice meal with a lot of courses of exotic seafoods, each with it’s own complete dinner service.

The room was clean, the bathroom was private. I don’t know if I would call it comfortable, the room was maybe 6’x9’, there was a twin bed, a small table with a tv on it and just enough room to stand between them, at the head of the bed was the bathroom, it reminded me of a cruise ship bathroom but much smaller, and just enough clearance for the door to open. Bob and Steve could spread their arms and touch two walls.

As for a market, it depends on where you are staying. We never saw one in downtown Yokohama. You might factor that in your hotel selection.

@moondrake yes, most locals don’t speak English well, or at all, but it has been my experience that they can understand English, at least in Tokyo. I guess YMMV applies.