Japan 2010 - 2011 Trip Plans/Thoughts/Reviews Thread

[rangerider]

Bad stuff can happen anywhere though the African guys running many of the clubs in Tokyo are pretty dodgy types. There are quite a few very pretty foreign girls who hang in the clubs who are caught up in the local cocaine trade and all that goes with it who are worth avoiding. Mind you, you'd be a hell of a lot more likely getting rolled in other parts of Asia.

 

[Sandy]

One thing to note about CCs in Japan, it's often the case where they don't take a signature... in the supermarket, for example.
So it's quite possible that the CCs were swiped and no signature was taken. I would NEVER use a CC in Kabukicho, or Roppongi.

 

[K@os]

We were just out for a bit of fun - 1 more hour of drinking after splitting up with our other 2 friends....we should have gone home with them. I do remember being told something like 3000yen for 1 hour of drinking, which we agreed to but like I said I cant remember entering or leaving any club, just being led somewhere. I think we got home in the early hours of the morning....so much later than our intended 1 hour of drinking. I do remember being incredibly relieved we made it to the hotel - that thought sticks in my mind, which makes me think I was threatened or something. I dont know how we made it back, but I think we were led back. My friend says I was smashing on his door and he had to let me into our room, but again, I remember nothing.

Now I just have to wait until I hear back from the banks and embassy. The embassy should call back today. The banks will acknowledge receipt of my dispute within 10 working days, but it can take 6-8 weeks before the investigation concludes and I know if I get my money back or not.

 

[Sandy]

We were just out for a bit of fun - 1 more hour of drinking after splitting up with our other 2 friends....we should have gone home with them. I do remember being told something like 3000yen for 1 hour of drinking, which we agreed to but like I said I cant remember entering or leaving any club, just being led somewhere. I think we got home in the early hours of the morning....so much later than our intended 1 hour of drinking. I do remember being incredibly relieved we made it to the hotel - that thought sticks in my mind, which makes me think I was threatened or something. I dont know how we made it back, but I think we were led back. My friend says I was smashing on his door and he had to let me into our room, but again, I remember nothing.

That's bloody scarey K@os....

You may remember more later.

 

[fattwins]

I know little about Tokyo but the only advice I give to people is dont follow peoples street advice into clubs.

 

[K@os]

I know little about Tokyo but the only advice I give to people is dont follow peoples street advice into clubs.

It could end up being a very expensive lesson for me.....so stupid - hopefully other ppl will read this and not make the same mistake as me

 

[smackies]

Jesus, that is scary Kaos. Glad you and your +1 are okay.

After a sojourn in Roppongi last year, I'm happy not to ever go back there again. Having said that, it wasn't hard to find the red light area in Kich. Or Sapporo.

 

[Heinz]

I know little about Tokyo but the only advice I give to people is dont follow peoples street advice into clubs.

It could end up being a very expensive lesson for me.....so stupid - hopefully other ppl will read this and not make the same mistake as me

A lesson learned the hard way. You certainly weren't the first nor will you be the the last. A few hundred bucks is bad but it could have been worse, at least you didn't come to any physical harm.

Japan is generally very safe but even there, there are places to watch out for. Roppongi has been a bit that way for a long time due to the number of western type clubs which meant western (mostly African American) touts there. Shinjuku wasn't as bad because the japanese touts would mostly ignore the westerners. That has probably changed more recently.

 

[K@os]

I'm just hoping I wont have to pay the $5k charged to my cards - the main thing is we are both OK, but still, that's a big hit for me

 

[Sandy]

I know little about Tokyo but the only advice I give to people is dont follow peoples street advice into clubs.

It could end up being a very expensive lesson for me.....so stupid - hopefully other ppl will read this and not make the same mistake as me

A lesson learned the hard way. You certainly weren't the first nor will you be the the last. A few hundred bucks is bad but it could have been worse, at least you didn't come to any physical harm.

Japan is generally very safe but even there, there are places to watch out for. Roppongi has been a bit that way for a long time due to the number of western type clubs which meant western (mostly African American it has to be said) touts there. Shinjuku wasn't as bad because the japanese touts would mostly ignore the westerners. That has probably changed more recently.

Those guys are not mostly African American.... they are mostly African, with no North American connection.

 

[Heinz]

ah ok, been a few years and I guess I was already steering clear of them before I got too close.

 

[rangerider]

Mostly Nigerian.

 

[timmyhugecans]

Sorry to hear that Kaos, Bad news. Its happened to a couple of my friends over the years. They got there money back, but after long battle with the Banks. They usually get u to sign for it, so it makes it very hard to cliam fraud!

 

[fattwins]

There is nothing american about the blacks there. The Yaks use Chinese, North Koreans and Africans as a buffer to their crimes. Hostess bars are best left alone or better that if you do go you walk in with a Japanese mate that knows the score.

 

[K@os]

There is nothing american about the blacks there. The Yaks use Chinese, North Koreans and Africans as a buffer to their crimes. Hostess bars are best left alone or better that if you do go you walk in with a Japanese mate that knows the score.

yep the guy was African alright - I've emailed you ft......need some help with the Japanese police

 

[benchives]

hardcore, glad you are in one piece Kaos, if only just. Money comes and goes, at least you lived to tell the tale.

Only a week ago me and cin were doing the same thing as churchy. Gee'ing up the Nigerians in Kabuki-cho, "how much for some titties? How much for a lap dance?"

I hate to think what would have happened if we were serious.

 

[benchives]

also as many have said, Kabuki-cho and Roppongi are really quite safe so long as you make it very clear to the touts and hustlers that you are not interested.

 

[Toto Warmlet]

glad you made it through kaos
as you said you were stupored
not sure the Africans should take the rap for the Ja...

 

[Toto Warmlet]

donza
if you have a pic that should be posted then you are a lucky man

 

[cin]

Thats really scary, sorry to hear that.
What a shitty end to a great holiday.
I think we might have had a very close call on our second night in Shinjuku now that I've heard your story.
Went to a party that was organised through piggy's wife - snowjam / MTV party at the Fashion TV club which was great.
Got back to the hotel around 11.30pm but the missus and I and piggy's wife felt like going for one last drink (piggy had enough and went back to the hotel to sleep) so we went to this bar down some stairs and there was no-one there except 4 or 5 shady looking characters who quickly tried to sit us down and offer us drinks.
it didn't seem right, we all felt we needed to get the hell out of there and turned and headed back up the stairs. The blokes didn't look to happy at all.
We went for a bite in the noodle bar and had a beer there, then my missus went back to the hotel and piggy's wife and I went for a few drinks in another bar that seemed ok. Thank god it was, we had a few, then went back to the hotel around 2am.
Didn't really think anything of it until now but now i can't stop thinking we might have had come very close to being done over.
I had around 4K AU just converted to yen before I left Sydney and it was all in my wallet. Not to mention 3 credit cards with a combined limit of near 50K AU!!! Thats not including the girls credit cards which would probably be the same again.

 

[Donza]

Hey Toto what you mean?

I've tried loading 200plus photos from my laptop to photobucket
alas..

Hey Kaos...makes me sick what you went through...and yeah man I hope you and Sarah are alright.

Man such a contrast for you guys from the awesome time we had together last week..

 

[Toto Warmlet]

Am G F
etc

 

[Texy]

Toto please, PLEASE caption/explain/give locations of your random photos THANKS

donza
if you have a pic that should be posted then you are a lucky man

 

[K@os]

yeah cin its been a real downer. Lucky the gf didnt have her cards with her.

the kindness we received from everyone in Japan seems to have caused us to lower our guard too much......I'm in an idiot for not recognizing the situation for what it was, its gonna eat at me for a while I think.

On the bright side I just received an email from my friend from Kyoto who spent the day showing us around and its brought a well needed smile to my face. Its so shitty remembering the trip like this, when the rest of it was so incredible. Hopefully I can put all this bs behind me and remember the trip for what it really was.

 

[Toto Warmlet]

This is an automated message from Spacer Corporation.
Please do not reply.
The Deep Space Pilot Toto Warmlet has been taken in for a routine 10 light years exposure servicing.
Abnormal transmission will enshew at a future time.

 

[damian]

the kindness we received from everyone in Japan seems to have caused us to lower our guard too much......

That is exactly what they prey on (along with being drunk). There are other crimes that prey on trust in this country.

the kindness we received from everyone in Japan seems to have caused us to lower our guard too much......

On the bright side I just received an email from my friend from Kyoto who spent the day showing us around and its brought a well needed smile to my face.

I was thinking about your dramatically contrasting experience in Kyoto. Did you tell him? I don't think I could. I think it would cause him a great deal of distress and guilt.

Chin up, buddy. You didn't do anything wrong. It's ok to feel a bit shaken, pretty normal.

 

[silverwitch]

Hey K@os, Sorry to hear about the incident you had and as others have said you sure can count your blessings that nothing worse happened !! Money can be replaced ( well sort of ) but your health cant be.
When we went to Shinjuku we saw many African hustlers trying to get people to go to their clubs as we walked down the streets and the funny things they usually spoke to the blokes in our group and didnt talk to the females?
We felt safe as we had a bigggish group of people walking together but I know that I wouldnt like to be in some of those back streets alone !

 

[benchives]

OSAKA FKN ROCKS! DOTONOBI IS THE BEST FKN PLACE INTHE WORLD!!!!

OK no more drinking.

 

[d-spin]

Sorry to hear about your experience Kaos. Dont want to go into too much detail but we encountered the same sh%t. My wife was rushed to hospital via ambulance & spent the next 6 hours in intensive care, CT scans you name it. She remembers our group of friends walking to the bar, talking to people & having a couple of drinks. About 30-40 min after arriving she collapsed pretty much completely unresponsive, she has no memory of the events between arriving at the bar & waking up in intensive care. The only thing she remembers is me yelling her name while trying to keep her conciouse until the ambulance arrived. They were 6 of the longest hours of my life, doctors not able to tell me for 4 of those hours if she was going to be ok & having to sign all sorts of concent for many proceedures. She also spent the next 24hr violently ill. The medical certificate states Acute medical poisoning. This is real people & it is not isolated to the city, this happened at a popular JP ski destination. After many years travelling to Japan we had never even heard of this happening, let alone experienced it. Its true our guard was down, but with the influx of foreign tourist's and the current situations its now well and truely up. Needless to say all of our Japanese friends & family are completely horrified that this is now happening.

cheers

 

[Sandy]

Sheeet!!!

 

[damian]

Holy sheet!!

I just created this thread.

https://www.ski.com.au/xf/posts/1240010&page=1#Post1240010

Post your experiences there so it doesn't get lost in this long thread. The warnings to others are vital.

Word of this needs to get out. I personally know two others that have experienced similar, and hear stories each season from local lodge owners.

 

[K@os]

I was thinking about your dramatically contrasting experience in Kyoto. Did you tell him? I don't think I could. I think it would cause him a great deal of distress and guilt.

no I couldnt bring myself to tell him, I knew he would be very upset. I just wrote to him about all the great things we encountered and how much we enjoyed spending the day with hime. sent him some photos we had taken of our day together. It felt good to look back upon all the good stuff, quite therapeutic, so I left it at that

 

[fattwins]

I told my wife of course and this ruined her day.

 

[Toto Warmlet]

d spin
Sorry, but I feel you need to elaborate, the diagnosis is unclear and why are you so shy about naming the resort?

 

[Donza]

I told my wife of course and this ruined her day.

Yeah the look on her face wasn't one i'd like to see again

 

[skinnyjim]

Tokyo sounds more like Sao Paulo these days.

As a funny little man once said. Be alert not alarmed.

 

[M_G]

While we're talking scams.

Does anyone happen to have a valid JR East Pass (with at least one day left on it) that they would be willing to hand off by any chance? Most times only use 2-3 days of mine and then give off the balance to someone else before it expires. I have a long errand to run next week and am trying to save some dough. Will try to work out some sort of favour in return. Please PM me.

Seriously sad to see what went down. About 3-4 years ago I was approached by a Korean guy in Kabuki-cho offering me whatever kind of girl I wanted and whatever kind of experience. This was in broad daylight. I just brushed him off but he was pretty persistent and must've managed to suck quite a few people in. I've also had Japanese touts approach me about hostess bars in Ueno a few times. I think (hope) that these would tend to be more legit - although still expensive.

 

[SnowDogg]

Not as good as some others but I though I'd share
Cheers
Glenn

 

[Toto Warmlet]

Thanks SD, great to see some snow pics.

The 10 light year service always refreshes, you get some perspective.
Tokyo scams, hells you should hang out nights on Rigel 9.

Caveat emptor.
My sympathy circuits have been limited it seems..

 

[Heinz]

While we're talking scams.

Does anyone happen to have a valid JR East Pass (with at least one day left on it) that they would be willing to hand off by any chance? Most times only use 2-3 days of mine and then give off the balance to someone else before it expires. I have a long errand to run next week and am trying to save some dough. Will try to work out some sort of favour in return. Please PM me.

Unfortunately not a current one. Only a 2009 one. I think I used it 5 days but it only got stamped on 3 of them.

 

[M_G]

Thanks Heinz. Years ago I used to chance using out of date passes because they would rarely check them. Nowadays they check pretty often.

 

[Heinz]

Depends where. Nearly always on the Shink where the big costs are (though they missed one short leg that year). Local trains including in Tokyo less often. Often walked past waving the pass without having to open it.

 

[M_G]

Yes, there's a certain art to it. Almost a sense of sport. I once made it Tokyo and back without the pass being stamped - gave me one more free day. I wasn't trying to avoid it - they just never bothered to check.

 

[Born2ski]

Yes, there's a certain art to it. Almost a sense of sport. I once made it Tokyo and back without the pass being stamped - gave me one more free day. I wasn't trying to avoid it - they just never bothered to check.

Twice I had to ASK them to stamp the rail pass on our recent trip. And lift ticket checking ? I could have actually skied the whole trip without a ticket, they NEVER asked to see my ticket - maybe that's why so many Japanese resorts are having money issues ?

Sorry Myoko_Guy although I did have one day left on my pass(4 day flexi pass), the 30 days validity period ran out on the 13th of Feb.

 

[Jeffo]

Two story house for sale in Japan. Foreclosed for some reason. Comes with free Noose hanging from Kitchen Roof....

http://www.foreclosedjapan.com/openrealty/index.php?action=listingview&listingID=15904

 

[cin]

WTF!!!

My house so bad I just want to kill myself!

 

[smackies]

I went nearly an entire day travelling around Tokyo without my pass being stamped. Was walking in and out of so many stations throughout the course of the day.

Same deal with lift passes, except Asahidake. Ticket was checked every time I got near the ropeway.

 

[Heinz]

Yeah, places like Asahidake and Hakkoda where there is just a single ropeway will certainly always check. They also count people going through as they do pack them in.

Other places will normally just check on the lower lifts, gondolas.

 

[smitty484]

Smackies what you think of Asahidake? What about the run out?

 

[smackies]

The run out was balls, but I'd just had my board waxed and slid a lot faster than anyone else - actually, that could have something to do with all the fried chicken I'd been eating. Couple of times I grabbed the poles out of my backpack and skoarded along.

We had a great day at Asahidake. Dumped the day before. Our guide was terrific and we had untracked runs the entire day (not that there were many people about - it was just us and a couple of other guys on the last ropeway run).

I'd definitely go again.