Author Topic: Japan Master Thread  (Read 127696 times)

Offline new york jets

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #580 on: March 07, 2018, 08:44:48 PM »
what do you think of the delta flagship service in first class from detroit to narita tokyo??

Offline shmebeble

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #581 on: March 07, 2018, 08:51:44 PM »
im  not sure what ac is
united website showed 110,000 for first class
it seems like a good deal to me but what do i know
is it bad to connect in chicago?
also in my united ac i only have enough miles for one ticket
my husband has enough in his account
is there a way to use both our mileage to book this or is it better to move miles from starwood??

my other option is to buy a ticket on delta flying thru detroit

which is better???
AC is air canada- aeroplan
transfer partner of Amex.
If two seats exist you can book one ticket from your account and one from your husband or both from the same account. Its a lot of miles- but if 1. no other J or F product is available. 2. You are happy to spend 105k-110k miles- then go for it!
I really enjoyed ANA F and I connected in Chicago as well.

Another option to consider is booking ANA F to Japan and a return from there or another place in Asia in J or Y for the future- you need to book a round-trip but can be multiple classes.
Make sure you enter the segments individually to ensure you see availability- they wont show your flights if you just search NYC-TOKYO because there is no F on the connecting flight.

Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #582 on: May 16, 2018, 02:04:06 PM »
I am staying 3 nights in Tokyo and want to know if PH/Andaz are worth the points if I don't have status. I have 60k Hyatt points with plenty of UR to transfer in if need be. I see HRT is only 12k/night and the new Centric in Ginza is 20k/night. I stayed at PH Paris and Milan while Diamond so I have had the PH experience FWIW. Without status, will the PH/Andaz experience be that much better than either HRT or Centric? Not considering the GH. Going mid-week so Shabbos isn't an issue. TIA.

Offline Dan

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #583 on: May 16, 2018, 02:47:23 PM »
I loved the PH NRT. Andaz also has a cult following.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #584 on: May 16, 2018, 03:13:08 PM »
I loved the PH NRT. Andaz also has a cult following.
Yup, I only stayed at the Andaz and loved it. Great location and excellent service.

Offline Aerial Dag

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #585 on: May 16, 2018, 03:55:32 PM »
Andaz has a cult following? Psshhh have you met the Amanjunkies?

Offline Dan

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #586 on: May 16, 2018, 03:57:48 PM »
Andaz has a cult following? Psshhh have you met the Amanjunkies?
That particular Andaz.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Aerial Dag

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #587 on: May 16, 2018, 03:59:24 PM »
wow! super cool.
Amangiri is super high on my list. Do you have TR?

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #588 on: May 16, 2018, 04:23:07 PM »
wow! super cool.
Amangiri is super high on my list. Do you have TR?
Do rates ever go under $1k a night there?
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline Aerial Dag

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #589 on: May 16, 2018, 04:30:29 PM »
Do rates ever go under $1k a night there?
Maybe if you combine a deal during offseason with prestige 4th night free

Offline Dan

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #590 on: May 16, 2018, 05:52:48 PM »
wow! super cool.
Amangiri is super high on my list. Do you have TR?
Lol, I've never stayed in an Aman. From another DDFer. Seemed pretty amazing though.
One day...
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Offline PieRSquare

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #591 on: May 16, 2018, 10:12:59 PM »
I am staying 3 nights in Tokyo and want to know if PH/Andaz are worth the points if I don't have status. I have 60k Hyatt points with plenty of UR to transfer in if need be. I see HRT is only 12k/night and the new Centric in Ginza is 20k/night. I stayed at PH Paris and Milan while Diamond so I have had the PH experience FWIW. Without status, will the PH/Andaz experience be that much better than either HRT or Centric? Not considering the GH. Going mid-week so Shabbos isn't an issue. TIA.
Having not stayed at the PH or the Centric, I thought the Regency was a great deal when we stayed there a few years back.

The location of the Centric is awesome, right in Ginza near Tokyo station, and it's basically a brand new hotel. If you're not worried about Shabbos and not eating in the hotel, for the location alone I'd lean towards the Centric...but it's still not the PH.

Offline Aerial Dag

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #592 on: May 17, 2018, 10:00:49 AM »
I just stayed in the hyatt regency and ihg strings in January. The strings was nicer but not the best location unless you plan on taking a Shinkansen. Hyatt regency is nicely located in shinjuku, my preferred place to stay. I found their concierge to be incredibly helpful with bookings and they were in constant communication with me throughout via email and phone calls. It wasn’t the Aman tokyo but The regency was definitely worth the price imho

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #593 on: June 28, 2018, 09:28:47 AM »
I'm trying to plan a week-long trip to Japan - arriving Monday afternoon/evening, leaving the following Monday (or possibly Sunday).

I was gonna stick to Tokyo, but then @moish told me there's not that much to do in Tokyo anyway, and I'm better off with Kyoto. So... I'm thinking to do most of the time in Kyoto, with a little time in Tokyo.

My initial plan was to land in Tokyo on Monday, stay there until Wednesday, and then take a bullet train to Kyoto, and stay there until Monday. But now I'm having second thoughts... Should I go to Kyoto first through the end of the week, and then do Tokyo from Thursday or Friday until Monday (or possibly only until Sunday)?

I'll be traveling with my wife and baby, which complicates things Shabbos-wise - I'll need to stay as close to Chabad as possible, so that I can (hopefully) get a non-Jew to push the stroller there and back. I prefer to stick to SPG (or Marriott), since I'm SPG Plat, so Tokyo is great for that - there's a Sheraton right near Chabad. Not sure what the story is with Kyoto, though... also, the Kyoto Chabad house appears to be "unofficial" - should that worry me?

Basically... any advice, peeps? :)

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #594 on: June 28, 2018, 11:09:31 AM »


I'm trying to plan a week-long trip to Japan - arriving Monday afternoon/evening, leaving the following Monday (or possibly Sunday).

I was gonna stick to Tokyo, but then @moish told me there's not that much to do in Tokyo anyway, and I'm better off with Kyoto. So... I'm thinking to do most of the time in Kyoto, with a little time in Tokyo.

My initial plan was to land in Tokyo on Monday, stay there until Wednesday, and then take a bullet train to Kyoto, and stay there until Monday. But now I'm having second thoughts... Should I go to Kyoto first through the end of the week, and then do Tokyo from Thursday or Friday until Monday (or possibly only until Sunday)?

I'll be traveling with my wife and baby, which complicates things Shabbos-wise - I'll need to stay as close to Chabad as possible, so that I can (hopefully) get a non-Jew to push the stroller there and back. I prefer to stick to SPG (or Marriott), since I'm SPG Plat, so Tokyo is great for that - there's a Sheraton right near Chabad. Not sure what the story is with Kyoto, though... also, the Kyoto Chabad house appears to be "unofficial" - should that worry me?

Basically... any advice, peeps? :)

Many people hold 2 days on shabbos (Shabbos and Sunday) in Japan (, New Zealand, or any other Pacific Island). If you don't, I found things to do around Tokyo, but I also haven't been to Kyoto. I found the (official) chabad to be great with kosher breakfast at the Andaz.

Offline Aerial Dag

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #595 on: June 28, 2018, 11:17:39 AM »
I'm trying to plan a week-long trip to Japan - arriving Monday afternoon/evening, leaving the following Monday (or possibly Sunday).

I was gonna stick to Tokyo, but then @moish told me there's not that much to do in Tokyo anyway, and I'm better off with Kyoto. So... I'm thinking to do most of the time in Kyoto, with a little time in Tokyo.

My initial plan was to land in Tokyo on Monday, stay there until Wednesday, and then take a bullet train to Kyoto, and stay there until Monday. But now I'm having second thoughts... Should I go to Kyoto first through the end of the week, and then do Tokyo from Thursday or Friday until Monday (or possibly only until Sunday)?

I'll be traveling with my wife and baby, which complicates things Shabbos-wise - I'll need to stay as close to Chabad as possible, so that I can (hopefully) get a non-Jew to push the stroller there and back. I prefer to stick to SPG (or Marriott), since I'm SPG Plat, so Tokyo is great for that - there's a Sheraton right near Chabad. Not sure what the story is with Kyoto, though... also, the Kyoto Chabad house appears to be "unofficial" - should that worry me?

Basically... any advice, peeps? :)
I personally think there is a lot to do in both Tokyo, Kyoto and the stops in between the two cities. But I also guess it depends on what you like doing.

Offline bendor

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #596 on: June 28, 2018, 11:18:05 AM »
I'm trying to plan a week-long trip to Japan - arriving Monday afternoon/evening, leaving the following Monday (or possibly Sunday).

I was gonna stick to Tokyo, but then @moish told me there's not that much to do in Tokyo anyway, and I'm better off with Kyoto. So... I'm thinking to do most of the time in Kyoto, with a little time in Tokyo.

My initial plan was to land in Tokyo on Monday, stay there until Wednesday, and then take a bullet train to Kyoto, and stay there until Monday. But now I'm having second thoughts... Should I go to Kyoto first through the end of the week, and then do Tokyo from Thursday or Friday until Monday (or possibly only until Sunday)?

I'll be traveling with my wife and baby, which complicates things Shabbos-wise - I'll need to stay as close to Chabad as possible, so that I can (hopefully) get a non-Jew to push the stroller there and back. I prefer to stick to SPG (or Marriott), since I'm SPG Plat, so Tokyo is great for that - there's a Sheraton right near Chabad. Not sure what the story is with Kyoto, though... also, the Kyoto Chabad house appears to be "unofficial" - should that worry me?

Basically... any advice, peeps? :)
We spent a shabbat in Tokyo and a shabbat in Kobe (a 30-40 min train ride from Kyoto/Osaka IIRC). AFAIK the Kyoto chabad is pretty new.
The Sheraton in Tokyo is pretty close to the Chabad, and Japanese hospitality will make sure the hotel helps find someone to push the stroller (and probably wait around until you finish as well!).
If you'd prefer to forgo the shabbas goy, talk to the Chabad Rabbi in Kobe, as they have an apartment in their building (which is sometime available for outside guests) which solves the problem of no eruv.

Personally, we found tons to do in Tokyo (spent a full week there), whereas we were done with Kyoto after two days. All depends on what your interests are.
Kyoto is lots and lots (and lots) of temples. The first few are pretty cool, but after that we were done.
Tokyo is an urban sprawl with tons to do and see.
So definitely do your research and decide which interests you more. And don't get me wrong - there are cool things to see in Kyoto too. Just not as much as in Tokyo IMHO :-)

Offline Suave

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #597 on: June 28, 2018, 03:15:45 PM »
I'm trying to plan a week-long trip to Japan - arriving Monday afternoon/evening, leaving the following Monday (or possibly Sunday).

I was gonna stick to Tokyo, but then @moish told me there's not that much to do in Tokyo anyway, and I'm better off with Kyoto. So... I'm thinking to do most of the time in Kyoto, with a little time in Tokyo.

My initial plan was to land in Tokyo on Monday, stay there until Wednesday, and then take a bullet train to Kyoto, and stay there until Monday. But now I'm having second thoughts... Should I go to Kyoto first through the end of the week, and then do Tokyo from Thursday or Friday until Monday (or possibly only until Sunday)?

I'll be traveling with my wife and baby, which complicates things Shabbos-wise - I'll need to stay as close to Chabad as possible, so that I can (hopefully) get a non-Jew to push the stroller there and back. I prefer to stick to SPG (or Marriott), since I'm SPG Plat, so Tokyo is great for that - there's a Sheraton right near Chabad. Not sure what the story is with Kyoto, though... also, the Kyoto Chabad house appears to be "unofficial" - should that worry me?

Basically... any advice, peeps? :)
I'll let others advise regarding lodging. (I stayed in Ryokans & hammocks most of my time in Japan)

I'd suggest figuring out what your (and wife) hobbies are - and googling that hobby + Japan, could be interesting.
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Offline Yaalili

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #598 on: June 28, 2018, 04:07:02 PM »
I just came back from a trip to Kyoto a couple days ago. Arashiyama area was my favorite, monkey forest, bamboo grove, canals, many temples all located in this area.

The Chabad here is the “unofficial Chabad” and I did not get a chance to stop in. Had a great 1.5 days in Kyoto though could of used double that amount of time, to have it done properly.

Did not make it to Tokyo.

Offline davidch

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Re: Japan Master Thread
« Reply #599 on: June 28, 2018, 04:12:48 PM »
you should definitely do a visit to hirsoshima i did it for a day and was remarkable

as well as a trip to hakone.  i stayed at the hyatt which was very nice

tokyo is cool but dont need to spend much time there

if your into whiskys there are some great distillery (need to reserve way in advance as it gets booked fast)
 
spent a few weeks in tokyo so feel free to ask any questions