Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Auritech
May 27, 2004

Blessed be the tailors
The masks are cut to fit

Blessed be the woodworkers
The crosses and the gallows

Blessed be the forgers of iron
And the spikes and the barbwire

Blessed be the stone cutters
It took a quarry to bury the dreams
The book controversy was from earlier last year, and I'm guessing it's one of those Gideon Bible situations where if you're not looking for it, you're not going to find it.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Vendo Thefastlane
May 24, 2005

Thefastlane's the last name
Hello all; I just got back to SA after a long time and found this thread.

I wanted to recommend a shop in Akihabara I didn't see on the pinned post itinerary. Backdrop is a store that has tons of official wrestling match and would be much cheaper than buying at the event. 1000 yen ($9) wrestling shirts from the last year can usually be found if wanting to stock up.

Backdrop

Also, the day before the earliest show listed in the pinned post, I will be wrestling on a show in Ibaraki. It's free and I like to think we always put on a good show, but I don't recommend coming unless passing through while touring the country. It's REALLY far out of the way from Tokyo unless you drive.

Hitachi Pro Wrestling

Living in Japan for 15 years and wrestling for 7, if anyone has any specific questions regarding a trip to Japan to enjoy wrestling, I'd be happy to help. :)

Auritech
May 27, 2004

Blessed be the tailors
The masks are cut to fit

Blessed be the woodworkers
The crosses and the gallows

Blessed be the forgers of iron
And the spikes and the barbwire

Blessed be the stone cutters
It took a quarry to bury the dreams

Vendo Thefastlane posted:

Hello all; I just got back to SA after a long time and found this thread.

I wanted to recommend a shop in Akihabara I didn't see on the pinned post itinerary. Backdrop is a store that has tons of official wrestling match and would be much cheaper than buying at the event. 1000 yen ($9) wrestling shirts from the last year can usually be found if wanting to stock up.

Backdrop

I've bought a few shirts from Backdrop and they're also a lot cheaper than ordering it from the WWE Shop online, though I've noticed the shop has slowly shrunk over the last few years as the model vehicles portion of the floor has grown. Still, good place.

Also, shameful admission: I've never been to Toudoukan. The one time I went, they were renovating the building. Toudoukan is not that far away from Korakuen Hall, though.

GEORGE W BUSHI
Jul 1, 2012

Vendo Thefastlane posted:

Also, the day before the earliest show listed in the pinned post, I will be wrestling on a show in Ibaraki. It's free and I like to think we always put on a good show, but I don't recommend coming unless passing through while touring the country. It's REALLY far out of the way from Tokyo unless you drive.

Hitachi Pro Wrestling

Living in Japan for 15 years and wrestling for 7, if anyone has any specific questions regarding a trip to Japan to enjoy wrestling, I'd be happy to help. :)

The 23rd? I think that's the day my winter break starts so I could probably make that. I'll try to check it out

Auritech posted:

Also, shameful admission: I've never been to Toudoukan. The one time I went, they were renovating the building. Toudoukan is not that far away from Korakuen Hall, though.

They've moved from the original location but I'm not sure where to.

Auritech
May 27, 2004

Blessed be the tailors
The masks are cut to fit

Blessed be the woodworkers
The crosses and the gallows

Blessed be the forgers of iron
And the spikes and the barbwire

Blessed be the stone cutters
It took a quarry to bury the dreams

GEORGE W BUSHI posted:

They've moved from the original location but I'm not sure where to.

My wife just informed me they moved to Sugamo.

Daunte Vicknabb
Feb 22, 2005

You are already dead
Girlfriend and I got an insanely cut rate on an APA room in spring 2017 on our Shikoku trip and the room was great, thanks book controversy. It was in fact easily located and i threw some pictures on my Facebook, I'll post them here when I'm at my PC. Anyways, you can stay virtually anywhere and be close to the Dome. I was staying with a friend in Ouji or Saitama at the time and even from Saitama it was a pleasant one hour or so seated train ride to shoot the poo poo on. Stay near some restaurants you want to visit in my opinion.

Ganso Bomb
Oct 24, 2005

turn it all around

We're staying at an APA Hotel in Shinjuku the first few days of our trip so we have a reliable place for BuySumoTickets to mail our WK tickets. Then, we're shipping off to an Airbnb near Shinjuku Park for another chunk before ending in what I'm told is a fancy hotel by my partner, who is keeping the location itself a secret other than it being in Chiyoda.

Aesop Poprock posted:

I have never heard of Anaya no Warehouse before and that place looks like the funnest thing ever to go while drunk

My partner just told me about it last night – I think a coworker of hers who has been to Japan in the past mentioned it to her. It looks INSANE. I wonder how difficult it would be to navigate for non-English speakers? We're also hoping to do this haunted house which takes like an hour to get through at Fuji-Q and a show at the Robot Restaurant. We're slowly cobbling our plans together which is way less overwhelming once your accommodations are booked.

Daunte Vicknabb
Feb 22, 2005

You are already dead
Warehouse isn't really THAT crazy, it's mostly just the entrance/exit that are super cool. The front area is also neat with the painted over vending machines, and that's where the dance games are so I like that. It's not worth the trip out there unless you're a loving serious arcade game enthusiast, but they do have some really cool UFO catchers (including a very easy one where you get little styrofoam things containing soft serve ice cream, and there's a machine next to it that punches a hole in the bottom and pushes the soft cream into your cup or cone) and tons of music games and fighting games and stuff. Their classic Street Fighter button punch thing cabinet wasn't working so great when I went, or maybe it was working as intended.

Here's a couple pictures of the book from the APA hotel:

https://imgur.com/TCYBsxz
https://imgur.com/jH4pQco

Cavauro
Jan 9, 2008

Did any One plan to do a cool vlog with each other to put on here or anything like I suggested. there's still time to set it up

brian
Sep 11, 2001
I obtained this title through beard tax.

Thauros posted:

what neighborhood in tokyo would people who have been there before recommend? don't mind a train ride to the dome but want cool restuarants/bars nearby. obviously something not completely out of the way would be nice but i'm there from the 2nd-8th and may be only doing two days of shows in the korakuen/dome area.

I've been to tokyo thrice and my favourite place to stay is in Koenji, there's a good cheap guest house called Koenji Guest House (http://kouenji.seesaa.net/) and the area is nice with a load of cooler hipster-adjacent shops and live music, it's 1 stop from nakano and 3 stops from shinjuku, getting to the dome is easy pretty much regardless of where you stay, I think it took about 15-20 mins IIRC. If you do end up staying in the area, there's a tip top ramen joint and really cool bar ran by a guy named shinsuke nakamura very close to the station, PM me or something and i'll give you details. Otherwise anywhere where you can get a good place that's in Nakano/Shinjuku/Shibuya/Chiyoda/Minato/Bunkyo/Taito areas are gonna be close enough to everything else that you won't have any problems getting around and it not taking very long, the tokyo metro system is ridiculously good.

Also there's other options like google and stuff but I always found this routefinder for the metro to be really handy: http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

brian fucked around with this message at 17:02 on Nov 25, 2018

a cyborg mug
Mar 8, 2010



Cavauro posted:

Did any One plan to do a cool vlog with each other to put on here or anything like I suggested. there's still time to set it up

I don't know about vlogs but I'm sure we'll take goony photos and post them here!

Cavauro
Jan 9, 2008

Everyone take pics and think of me during the pic.

GEORGE W BUSHI
Jul 1, 2012

Speaking of goony meet ups, I got in touch with Yano's bar and they're accepting reservations for January 3rd so let me know if you're interested in that.

The maximum number of people for one reservations is eight btw.

GEORGE W BUSHI fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Nov 26, 2018

a cyborg mug
Mar 8, 2010



GEORGE W BUSHI posted:

Speaking of goony meet ups, I got in touch with Yano's bar and they're accepting reservations for January 3rd so let me know if you're interested in that.

The maximum number of people for one reservations is eight btw.

Around what time would it be? I'm likely in nonetheless, got nothing else lined up for that day yet!

GEORGE W BUSHI
Jul 1, 2012

Earliest reservation is 9pm (I'm not sure if that's just when it opens). I'm probably saying 9:30pm because I'll be at the DDT show that starts at 6pm.

a cyborg mug
Mar 8, 2010



GEORGE W BUSHI posted:

Earliest reservation is 9pm (I'm not sure if that's just when it opens). I'm probably saying 9:30pm because I'll be at the DDT show that starts at 6pm.

Alright, cool. EBRIETAS is pretty close to Korakuen Hall so you won't have to hurry, either.


Vendo Thefastlane posted:

Hello all; I just got back to SA after a long time and found this thread.

I wanted to recommend a shop in Akihabara I didn't see on the pinned post itinerary. Backdrop is a store that has tons of official wrestling match and would be much cheaper than buying at the event. 1000 yen ($9) wrestling shirts from the last year can usually be found if wanting to stock up.

Backdrop

Also, the day before the earliest show listed in the pinned post, I will be wrestling on a show in Ibaraki. It's free and I like to think we always put on a good show, but I don't recommend coming unless passing through while touring the country. It's REALLY far out of the way from Tokyo unless you drive.

Hitachi Pro Wrestling

Living in Japan for 15 years and wrestling for 7, if anyone has any specific questions regarding a trip to Japan to enjoy wrestling, I'd be happy to help. :)

Wow, cool to have a local wrestler here too! I'll add your show and Backdrop to the OP.

Auritech
May 27, 2004

Blessed be the tailors
The masks are cut to fit

Blessed be the woodworkers
The crosses and the gallows

Blessed be the forgers of iron
And the spikes and the barbwire

Blessed be the stone cutters
It took a quarry to bury the dreams

brian posted:

I've been to tokyo thrice and my favourite place to stay is in Koenji, there's a good cheap guest house called Koenji Guest House (http://kouenji.seesaa.net/) and the area is nice with a load of cooler hipster-adjacent shops and live music, it's 1 stop from nakano and 3 stops from shinjuku, getting to the dome is easy pretty much regardless of where you stay, I think it took about 15-20 mins IIRC. If you do end up staying in the area, there's a tip top ramen joint and really cool bar ran by a guy named shinsuke nakamura very close to the station, PM me or something and i'll give you details. Otherwise anywhere where you can get a good place that's in Nakano/Shinjuku/Shibuya/Chiyoda/Minato/Bunkyo/Taito areas are gonna be close enough to everything else that you won't have any problems getting around and it not taking very long, the tokyo metro system is ridiculously good.

Also there's other options like google and stuff but I always found this routefinder for the metro to be really handy: http://www.hyperdia.com/en/


Koenji is where I met Hiroyo Matsumoto. Every end of summer they have a festival where a promotion sets up a wrestling exhibition in a park/traffic island across from the station. I second this recommendation.

GEORGE W BUSHI posted:

Speaking of goony meet ups, I got in touch with Yano's bar and they're accepting reservations for January 3rd so let me know if you're interested in that.

The maximum number of people for one reservations is eight btw.

Please count me in.

harperdc
Jul 24, 2007

Oh hey what up thread.

I still need to get my WK13 ticket(s) but I’m in Tokyo so it shouldn’t be a big issue. Just need to check if any friends want to go with.

I’ll check with the wife if I can go out drinkin’ on the 3rd, should be okay so tentatively count me in (I know I can also help with the translating as well).

Oh gently caress Toudoukan did move out of the Tokyo Dome area. The original building they were in was knocked down a few years ago, they moved a bit down the street (still near where other wrestling shops including NJPW are), but drat, out to Sugamo? Wow. At least it’s on the Yamanote Line.

Aesop Poprock posted:

I have never heard of Anaya no Warehouse before and that place looks like the funnest thing ever to go while drunk

Anata no Warehouse is kinda cool, the entry and exit are sci-fi as gently caress but the rest is themed like the Kowloon Walled City. That said, if you want darts or billiards, there’s better, and if you want an arcade, there’s better of those too. It’s kinda worth it for the sheer WTF value but not worth going out of your way down to Kawasaki for by itself.

Rick
Feb 23, 2004
When I was 17, my father was so stupid, I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years.
Well, looks like I'm not going.

I just wasn't super confident about booking the flights correctly since I live somewhere without a direct flight, so I went with a travel agent who basically farted around for a month to the point where as of today I still don't have plane tickets and they are now significantly out of my budget, since I've had to also pay for a couple car repairs that dipped into the funds for this. I would have still been able to afford to go based on plane ticket prices when I contacted the agent, and would've been able to even manage the additional $500 bump in prices caused by foot dragging, but she picked the wrong day for departure (basically would've meant leaving during the show) and when she got the new prices, the tickets went up by 500 over Thanksgiving break.

My fault for not being more proactive (more of a jerk, I guess, since I just didn't want to press the agent very hard) I guess but that's part of why I went with a travel agent because I really suck at these things and thought that having someone else do it would solve for me.

If I can figure out how to give away my ticket I will although it says non-transferrable in the email.

Vendo Thefastlane
May 24, 2005

Thefastlane's the last name

Rick posted:

Well, looks like I'm not going.

I just wasn't super confident about booking the flights correctly since I live somewhere without a direct flight, so I went with a travel agent who basically farted around for a month to the point where as of today I still don't have plane tickets and they are now significantly out of my budget, since I've had to also pay for a couple car repairs that dipped into the funds for this. I would have still been able to afford to go based on plane ticket prices when I contacted the agent, and would've been able to even manage the additional $500 bump in prices caused by foot dragging, but she picked the wrong day for departure (basically would've meant leaving during the show) and when she got the new prices, the tickets went up by 500 over Thanksgiving break.

My fault for not being more proactive (more of a jerk, I guess, since I just didn't want to press the agent very hard) I guess but that's part of why I went with a travel agent because I really suck at these things and thought that having someone else do it would solve for me.

If I can figure out how to give away my ticket I will although it says non-transferrable in the email.

Quick advice... Try Korea or Taiwan. Much cheaper and you can have the option of super cheap budget airlines between there and Japan. Consider low cost airports and train to Tokyo.

May still be impossible, but worth a Google...

Rick
Feb 23, 2004
When I was 17, my father was so stupid, I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years.

Vendo Thefastlane posted:

Quick advice... Try Korea or Taiwan. Much cheaper and you can have the option of super cheap budget airlines between there and Japan. Consider low cost airports and train to Tokyo.

May still be impossible, but worth a Google...

Thanks, I was going to try that, but when I told her I was out at that price she magically found a deal that was only 50 more than her last quote. So it's back on, booking flight tomorrow, room booked. It is leaving later so I don't have to worry about Dave Meltzering before the show now at least.

Doesn't look like I"m going to be able to swing the guided tour to Mt. Fuji now which is kind of a bummer but also I have friends in Japan who want to hang out and hopefully the know of some cheap local stuff.

a cyborg mug
Mar 8, 2010



I'm glad this story had a happy ending :cool: See you at WK!

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

Glad it worked out Rick, hope you have a great time :)

harperdc
Jul 24, 2007

Rick posted:

Doesn't look like I"m going to be able to swing the guided tour to Mt. Fuji now which is kind of a bummer but also I have friends in Japan who want to hang out and hopefully the know of some cheap local stuff.

It’s winter, so unless that tour was to places in and around Fuji there’s not much chance to get super close. And the hiking season to go to the top is generally just July-August. With any luck you can catch a view or two of Fuji from the Tokyo area, but missing out on a day tour? Fuji will still be there until it erupts but in that case we have a bigger problem

Glad the trip is back on :) and spending time with people who live in the area is always better IMO.

Auritech
May 27, 2004

Blessed be the tailors
The masks are cut to fit

Blessed be the woodworkers
The crosses and the gallows

Blessed be the forgers of iron
And the spikes and the barbwire

Blessed be the stone cutters
It took a quarry to bury the dreams
If you need a mountain scaling fix during the wintertime, Mt. Takao is open during the winter since it's much smaller and doesn't snow as often. It has some awesome shrines on the way up and more chances at restrooms, plus if you're lazy you can take a cable car up. It's also way faster to get to.

GEORGE W BUSHI
Jul 1, 2012

If you just want to see Fuji then January is actually probably the best time. You can get a really good view from Hakone though and there's a really picturesque spot to take photos of it from across the lake.

Also they sell eggs that add seven years to your lifespan.

harperdc
Jul 24, 2007

GEORGE W BUSHI posted:

If you just want to see Fuji then January is actually probably the best time. You can get a really good view from Hakone though and there's a really picturesque spot to take photos of it from across the lake.

Also they sell eggs that add seven years to your lifespan.

Not pictured: the incredibly powerful smell of sulfur from up there.

GEORGE W BUSHI
Jul 1, 2012

Okay I'm pretty sure I made the reservation at Ebrietas. They sent me an email saying "I felt. I am waiting for the visit store". If anyone else wants to join in let me know ASAP so I can email them and ask for an extra seat.

Jackie D
May 27, 2009

Democracy is like a tambourine - not everyone can be trusted with it.


I'm going with 7 other people, what should we be doing for New year's Eve if we're staying around Shinjuku

Auritech
May 27, 2004

Blessed be the tailors
The masks are cut to fit

Blessed be the woodworkers
The crosses and the gallows

Blessed be the forgers of iron
And the spikes and the barbwire

Blessed be the stone cutters
It took a quarry to bury the dreams
I will be able to go to Ebrietas, since I'll be leaving Chiba prefecture early after Oshogatsu. Still waiting for any schedule information for work or if I'll have the budget for a show around that time though.

Ganso Bomb
Oct 24, 2005

turn it all around

I'm excited to check out all of the various weird wrestling stores and load up on merch and junk. Will the NJPW shop sell the same stuff they'll have at WK, or do they generally have stuff that's exclusively available at shows (or at least big shows like WK)? Want to know ahead of time if I need to plan to figure out getting merch at the show or if I can sit back and enjoy myself and just shop on my own time another day.

El Gallinero Gros
Mar 17, 2010

Phenix Rising posted:

I'm excited to check out all of the various weird wrestling stores and load up on merch and junk. Will the NJPW shop sell the same stuff they'll have at WK, or do they generally have stuff that's exclusively available at shows (or at least big shows like WK)? Want to know ahead of time if I need to plan to figure out getting merch at the show or if I can sit back and enjoy myself and just shop on my own time another day.

*cough*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6HR1-gknQc

You're welcome.

Rick
Feb 23, 2004
When I was 17, my father was so stupid, I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years.

Auritech posted:

If you need a mountain scaling fix during the wintertime, Mt. Takao is open during the winter since it's much smaller and doesn't snow as often. It has some awesome shrines on the way up and more chances at restrooms, plus if you're lazy you can take a cable car up. It's also way faster to get to.

Hahah, my lungs are extremely bad so I can't hike at all. But I found a tour that basically drove to the highest road they could drive you to and then took you to a forest to see some cool trees, and they also said the winter was a good time.


Speaking of, it says the average temp is 5 C January, is there windchill or that sort of thing? Also going over recent weather trends it seems to be a pretty consistent temp the whole day, but it might just be the chunk I'm looking at. Should I sacrifice the packing space for a heavy jacket? Sorry this seems silly but I'm a native Californian and have lived in Arizona forever so don't understand weather.

Ganso Bomb
Oct 24, 2005

turn it all around


Oh, I've been watching videos and looking at pictures of this place for a while. It blows my fuckin' mind.

harperdc
Jul 24, 2007


Please note this shop has moved from near Tokyo Dome to now near JR Sugamo Station, which is in a very different part of Tokyo. But if their selection is the same, it's absolutely worth going to visit.

A lot of the other wrestling-related shops are near JR Suidobashi Station, which is one of the major train stations serving Tokyo Dome (it exits across a major road from Tokyo Dome Hotel). That's where Ebrietas, the official NJPW shop, and a few others are located.

[edit]

Rick posted:

Hahah, my lungs are extremely bad so I can't hike at all. But I found a tour that basically drove to the highest road they could drive you to and then took you to a forest to see some cool trees, and they also said the winter was a good time.


Speaking of, it says the average temp is 5 C January, is there windchill or that sort of thing? Also going over recent weather trends it seems to be a pretty consistent temp the whole day, but it might just be the chunk I'm looking at. Should I sacrifice the packing space for a heavy jacket? Sorry this seems silly but I'm a native Californian and have lived in Arizona forever so don't understand weather.

So here's the thing: You're not going to be in a car much. Trains get warm, but you're going to be walking -- from the hotel to the train, around neighborhoods to explore, etc.

There is a bit of wind chill, and you're also probably going to be exposed a lot more than you're used to (unless you spend a lot of time walking in the cold in, say, New York City). So unless you want to buy a jacket in Japan, I'd recommend bringing a decent jacket and also dressing in layers. That way, you can open a jacket to cool off. That's better than only wearing a t-shirt under a heavy jacket.

harperdc fucked around with this message at 12:09 on Dec 1, 2018

STING 64
Oct 20, 2006

if anyone is going to dominion you should all take a day trip north to obama

a cyborg mug
Mar 8, 2010



Some fellow Finns have informed me of the following shops:

Fukumen
Reblichal

Are either of these worth a visit?

harperdc
Jul 24, 2007

extradite THIS! posted:

Some fellow Finns have informed me of the following shops:

Fukumen
Reblichal

Are either of these worth a visit?

Fukumenya Kohbo is the name you can use for Google Maps, it’s also near Tokyo Dome. I think I popped in there once and it’s pretty good. Certainly worth a look if you’re in the area.

Ganso Bomb
Oct 24, 2005

turn it all around

So from what I've read/watched over the past few weeks preparing for this trip, eating on the go isn't really a thing and you'll look like kind of a dick if you do it? So what's the deal with eating in a stadium? Are you supposed to only eat at/near the food vendors in the Dome or are all rules basically waived for sporting events? Basically, want to know if I bring in some snacks in my backpack, will I be eternally shunned if I'm eating at my seat.

Oh, and related to Toudoukan it looks like they have the new address listed on their site here: https://www.toudoukan.com/@en/page/$/page_id/775/

Oh poo poo, and they have a new Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/toudoukan/

Ganso Bomb fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Dec 3, 2018

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

harperdc
Jul 24, 2007

Phenix Rising posted:

So from what I've read/watched over the past few weeks preparing for this trip, eating on the go isn't really a thing and you'll look like kind of a dick if you do it?

Eating a big ol sloppy cheeseburger on the train isn’t exactly cool, but standing near the convenience store? Not a big deal. “See what others are doing and don’t be a dick” is my general advice.

quote:

So what's the deal with eating in a stadium? Are you supposed to only eat at/near the food vendors in the Dome or are all rules basically waived for sporting events? Basically, want to know if I bring in some snacks in my backpack, will I be eternally shunned if I'm eating at my seat.

It’s like eating at a stadium in the US, with vendor stalls on the concourse and some vendors who come through the crowd. But it’s even friendlier to bringing your own food in, and there’s a 7-11 not far from Tokyo Dome.

Just bring a trash bag or take your trash to the concourse garbage bins and you’ll be fine.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply