mwalsh

Oh, no. Definitely don't want to stay in/near Kabukicho.

Front runner right now is the JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom and our backup (because I really don't want to be too far from the action of central Shinjuku) is the Keio Plaza. TV is a concession to Mrs. W. and if it wasn't for her we'd probably be staying at the Hotel Sunroute Plaza (was my first choice all along but doesn't have ANY English programming).

estnet

Had a great time at a couple of "automated" sushi places that had sushi zooming around on belts BUT the kicker is that there is a little screen that has lots of dishes you can order (if you can figure out how to scroll through the pages LOL) .... the problem was that after you choose your picture you then have the option of ordering or cancelling, well I couldn't figure it out (all in Japanese and not obvious what I was doing wrong), one time the person next to me helped another a waitress..... then like magic the ordered dish(es) zoom to a stop in front of you after a short wait Oh and both places cost 100 yen per plate and had decent sushi (about what $5 sushi quality is at home).
I have to say that in general I had more kind help than I have in many other countries.
One thing is to keep a hotel card with you so you can always show it if needed to get "home"

mwalsh

The height was something of a concern, but what actually put me off in this particular instance was both emergency stairwells being on the same side of the building - with a fire or other emergency making escape from that side impossible all you would have is some kind of rope ladder deal on the other side of the building.

It might be weird to factor the survivability of an emergency into the final decision to stay somewhere, but that's the way I roll.

That said, I was buoyed somewhat by hearing this week that Shinjuku is on just about the most seismically stable part of Tokyo.

txflyer77

In a modern skyscraper in Tokyo you'll barely feel most earthquakes. I was on the ground floor of the Ebisu Garden complex during Fukushima and just thought a truck had rolled by.

mjm

Totally get what you mean. I am in Commercial real estate here and I agree abut the stairwells.

Shinjuku being on the west side of Tokyo makes it automatically more stable and less subject to liquefaction. That said it is one of several equally stable places around the city. Tokyo Dome is in a great neighborhood, Motoazabu is a great neighborhood and much of Roppongi is merely 30m above bedrock.

mjm

Interestingly, Ebisu Garden Place and Tokyo Met. Gov't. Bldg. were two of the more heavily damaged due to lack of absorption style anti-seismic construction in those buildings. But even so this is completely correct that you will feel it less in a Tokyo skyscraper than nearly anywhere else due to the very strict construction rules.

Pickles

Not too sure about that:

mcrw00

The "dancing" is absolutely felt while high up modern skyscrapers if the earthquake is big. I have been more than halfway up Toranomon Hills during one and man, did I feel it.

At the same time, I've heard that the more a building dances, the safer it is.

5khours

The amount of sway in an earthquake and high winds depends essentially on how much steel you put into the building. If the developer wants less sway they can pay for it.

nnn

Just came back from eight days in Japan, knowing almost no Japanese except "arigato gozaimasu" (last U sounding silent to me). This phrase will take you FAR. Say it a lot.

We had almost no language trouble at any point on our trip, and we ate at restaurants having few tourists and walked and used subways/trains extensively.

Two very helpful apps: Google Maps and Google Translate. Google Maps, when giving you directions by subway, will literally tell you which platform number to stand on. It is foolproof. With Google Translate, you can point your phone at some Japanese text and it will show on your screen in English (the translations are close enough to give you the gist).

mwalsh

Definitely. Also, I understand, sumimasen. And if you really want to make someone think you know way more Japanese than you do osoreirimasu.

Slightly tangential question - what about asking for a fork in a restaurant instead of chopsticks?

AlwaysAisle

Depending on a situation and how you use it, a phrase “osoreirimasu (恐れ入ります)” can be awkward or weird situation. Have you seen Japanese movies about yakuza? That is what yakuza say all the time.

angra

IME, the biggest "oh no what have I gotten myself into" phrase is "moushi moushi"

jib71

I see. You must have had some interesting experiences.

angra

It wasn't _that_ interesting but it was memorable!

Before my first visit to Japan, I spent about a year trying to learn Japanese via Rosetta Stone. I didn't realize until I hit the ground how useless all my prep had been. It just did not help in real conversations at all.

Anyway, near the beginning of our trip, we stayed in a Toyoko Inn business hotel. My travelling companion gets overwhelmed by heat and humidity sometimes, so while she took her shower, we opened the door to the bathroom compartment, not realizing that this was a big nono in these type of rooms.

A few minutes into shower, the room phone rang, and I was like "ohhh, I'm going to be all sophisticated and answer the phone in Japanese" not thinking through the consequences. About 45 seconds later, all I could say was "wakarimasen", and I got the very polite but firm request to keep the bathroom door closed while using the shower....in English.