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SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor
#76

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Roppongi it is then. Will I have to deal with the Nigerian scammers near Akasaka station too, or only at Roppongi/Roppongi station? (same question: for Shinjuku station too, or only in Kabukicho). Rolling solo seems like a hassle (at least according to the reviews about it on other sites). Worse than KhaoSan Road in Bangkok before the high season?

Brought to you by Carl's Jr.
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#77

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

I would doubt you'll have to deal with the scammers at Akasaka station. I just avoid nigerians altogether though I've yet to hear 1 good reason to even bother talking with them.

With that said, even when a friend of mine had one who was a buddy he still didn't really prove to be much help with honesty in terms of how busy the places he worked were.

I can't say I even saw many if any nigerians around Shinjuku or Shibuya.
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#78

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Tons of Nigerians in Shinjuku. Watch your back and ignore at all times. No exceptions.

PM me for accommodation options in Bangkok.
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#79

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

I may have told this story in the other Japan thread, but one Sunday night I was out with some American friends in Roppongi and they went into a Nigerian-owned bar. I stayed outside because I didn't want to risk getting drugged. I stood on the sidewalk and tried to talk to women walking by. Several Nigerian touts were in the area and they would not leave me alone. They kept pestering me nonstop to go to one of their bars where they assured me there were "lots of girls." Remember, this is on a Sunday night. I told them if they didn't leave me alone I would report them to the police. After I said this they became MORE belligerent and bothersome. I could tell that they weren't scared of the police at all. I've heard since then that they make some sort of "arrangement" with the neighborhood police.

Anyway, I was so put-off by it that I didn't hang around that part of Roppongi for a long time. Not all of them are bad, of course. I've talked to a few who were helpful, but they are few and far between.
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#80

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Not sure if it was wise of you to mention the police to those Nigerians. Its probably an open secret that they got something going with the cops in Japan especially those in Roppongi. There are other spots in Roppongi to holla at women that don't have them Nigerians. By mentioning the cops, you could have pissed them off and gotten way more than you bargained for. My friend got mugged in Golden Gai for pissing off some of these Nigerian touts, not a fun night.
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#81

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Fantastic datasheet and information in this thread, will be sure to use it. If anyone is around in Osaka from 24/02-27/02 or Tokyo 27/02-03/06 and fancies a drink, let me know. Cheers!
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#82

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Quote: (10-04-2015 10:30 AM)Tokyo Joe Wrote:  

This datasheet is inspired by, and dedicated to, RVF heavyweights and all-around stand-up dudes slubu and Courage Reborn, the first two Members I ever met here in my adopted home.

0. PREFACE

There are some fine threads on Tokyo – see for example Laner’s 2011 thread and Flyjin’s 2014 thread – as well as Skotch’s excellent omnibus thread on game in Japan, but I thought it might be useful to expand on some advice I put together for slubu and CR during their recent trip to Tokyo that is tailored for a specific audience: namely, the RVFer who has never been to Japan, does not speak Japanese, and does not necessarily have the yellow fever (or at least doesn’t know it yet), but who wants to swoop in briefly to get a taste of this insane country and try to capture the J flag at the same time.

A few preliminaries:
  • I put “approximately 7-day” visitor in the title for good reason. If you have never been here and don’t know what to expect, a week is enough time to give it a fair shake. If you don’t like it, you’ll be ready to move on after a week; if you love it, well then you’ll just have to move here, because in that case ten years won’t suffice.
  • I’ve mentioned before elsewhere, but will stress once again: The English-language ability of the Japanese, and especially of young hot chicks, is surprisingly poor. I do not have references to cite, but in my own long experience I’d say that about a quarter of Japanese women speak English well enough that you can carry on at least a half-assed conversation with them. Further, contact with the Anglosphere tends to corrupt the minds and bodies of Japanese women, so the hell of it is that, in general, the better she speaks English the more likely she’s a westernized Azn bitch. And of course the premium young ass has the world at its feet, so it doesn’t bother to learn English. Japan is a poosy paradise, but a tough one; adjust your expectations accordingly.
  • For the above reason, and assuming that many of you will make it a priority to get the flag, you necessarily have to spend your time in Tokyo – and in fact in a very specific part of Tokyo, as explained below. In the second-tier cities and in the countryside, English communication only gets worse. Cities like Sapporo and Fukuoka are outstanding, but without Japanese you are probably just setting yourself up for a serious case of blue-balls on your first trip. Hence this datasheet is focused on Tokyo. In the future, depending on the level of interest, I may break out datasheets on my favorite second-tier cities.
  • For some reason the Japanese yen symbol won’t render for me; instead I will use the charmless waxed-crotch “Y” in place of the real thing. At this writing the yen trades at $1 = Y120, down 37% from its pre-Abenomics peak. Japan has not been this cheap to visit in nearly a decade.
1. LOGISTICS

Visas. Virtually all of the RVF readership are citizens of countries that have visa exemption arrangements with Japan. Check here for a list of exempt countries. If you are a citizen of one these exempt countries, you do not need to apply for a visa; you will receive a 90-day landing permission stamp in your passport at airport immigration.

Getting here. Tokyo is serviced by two international airports: Narita, 40 miles outside of central Tokyo in the middle of the rice paddies of Chiba Prefecture; and Haneda, located on reclaimed land jutting out into Tokyo Bay only 8 miles south of Tokyo Station. If you have a choice, fly into Haneda – but depending on your point of origin, carrier, arrival time, and budget, that might not be an option.

From Narita. You have two options, train or limousine bus. Six of one, half a dozen of another, as either will cost just over Y3000 and take about 90 minutes to get to Roppongi (your destination – see Lodging below). My recommendation: Unless you are exiting Narita airport on a weekday between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, take the bus. It’s comfortable, convenient, and traffic outside of that time will not be bad. If however you are heading for downtown during those evening hours, opt for the train, since you could get stuck in two-hour+ rush-hour traffic.

- By bus. After you breezily pass through immigration and customs, look for the bright orange signs of the “Airport Limousine” counter. Here is the website. There are two stops in Roppongi: the Grand Hyatt and the Ritz Carlton. These will be a short walk to the AirBnB apartment you’ve booked, per the below. Cost: Y3100.

- By train. After immigration/customs, follow the signs for “Railways” to the level below the arrival hall. You are looking for the red NARITA EXPRESS counter. The automated ticket machines also sell tickets, but by this time you’re dazed by the sights and sounds and majestic order of Japan, so you may want to line up to buy your ticket (to Tokyo Station, Y3020) at the staffed counter. On arriving at the intensely crowded Tokyo Station, follow the signs for the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (indicated by a block M in a red circle). Take this line one stop to Ginza Station; there you switch to the Hibiya Line (block H in a grey circle), which you take 4 stops to Roppongi Station. Hoof it to your AirBnB.

From Haneda. From Haneda you will travel by rail into town (Y670, ~30 min.). After immigration/customs, follow the signs for the MONORAIL, which you take to its final stop, Hamamatsucho. There you follow the signs for Daimon Station on the Oedo Line (a block E in a crimson circle). Take the Oedo Line three stops to Roppongi Station. Short walk to your AirBnB.

Lodging. Its streets overflowing with aggressive Nigerian touts and annoying Chinese masseuses trying to pull you into their bar/club/strip show/massage parlor/etc., Roppongi is the cloaca of Tokyo but this is where you should set up camp for your stay. This area has by far the highest concentration of bars/clubs frequented by English-speaking Japanese women who are DTF a gaijin. Also, it is centrally located for all the sight-seeing and dining around town you’ll be doing. I recommend using AirBnB to find an apartment that suits your budget. Just use Google maps to check that the property is within a 10-minute walk or so of Roppongi Station (and note that this radius puts the Nishi-Azabu crossing within range for your search). For one thing, you will be using Roppongi Station as your launching point for your sightseeing/dining forays; for another, you want to be able to pull club sluts back to your place easily.

Getting around. The Tokyo rail and subway system appears hilariously complex to the first-time visitor. Here is a typical map. This superb English-language site lets you find the best way to travel between any two stations. You will probably be using the subway/JR trains, unless you have cash to blow on taxi fares: The meter starts at Y730 when you get in, and ticks up at Y90 per 1/6 of a mile. The trains and subways stop running around midnight, which is another reason to lodge close to the nightlife.

Comms. The subway stations, most cafés and convenience stores, and many AirBnB rentals have free WiFi networks – but if you want to be assured of network access no matter what, you will want to pick up a local SIM card for your unlocked smartphone when you get to Japan. This b-mobile card is a good one; you can order one online before you arrive and pick it up at the post office inside Narita or Haneda airport; otherwise you can buy one at a Yodobashi Camera store in Tokyo. Young Japanese are all using the LINE app these days; almost none are on WhatsApp. And it seems no one actually speaks on the phone anymore either, so if you opt for a data-only SIM card you should be fine.

2. CUISINE

The following is broken down by genre. There are a (countably) infinite number of memorable and mind-blowing places to eat in Tokyo, so this list is by necessity woefully incomplete. Please note this convention: If I have included the phone number (starting with 03), then you should make a reservation; no phone number means they don’t accept reservations or they are not necessary.

Sushi. Taking into account both quality and price, my current top recommendation for sushi in Tokyo is Daiwa (Chuo-ku, Tsukiji 5-2-1), inside the famous Tsukiji Fishmarket. For Y3500 you get the 7-nigiri, 1-roll set menu of extremely high quality. If it sounds too good to be true, well yes, there’s a catch: The shop takes no reservations and you’ll have to wait in line anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. It’s open for breakfast through lunch, from 5:30 am to 1:30 pm on days that the Fishmarket itself is open for business. Be sure to check the Market schedule here as it closes two or three days every month on a staggered schedule – in addition to Sundays and National Holidays, when it is also closed. Sadly, the historic Tsukiji Fishmarket is being relocated to Toyosu in November 2016, so you have little more than one year to visit.

For a more formal evening sushi outing, head over to Kyubey (Chuo-ku, Ginza 8-7-6; 03-3571-6523) in Ginza. Not cheap, but well worth it. On the other hand, I can’t really recommended the much-hyped Sukiyabashi Jiro of documentary and Obama-Abe summit fame. Yes it’s fantastic, but not quite Y30,000 per head (not counting drinks etc.) fantastic.

Oysters. If you are an oyster man like me, you will be in mother-of-pearl heaven at the Fish House Oyster Bar East (Shibuya-ku, Ebisu 1-23-16; 03-6408-5393), a seven-minute walk from the East Exit of Ebisu JR Station. Every night there are some dozen varieties of oysters from all over Japan, plus a few worthies from Canada/Australia/U.S. Add to this a good selection of Belgian white beers and white wines, all presided over by Hayashi-san, one of the most solicitous maître d’s in a city famous for its service, and you’ve got yourself a righteous zinc-rich night. With only four tables and four counter seats, this place is also one where you will want to make a reservation. If you do head here for dinner, afterward you may want to stroll ten minutes, or hop a quick Y730 cab ride, down Kitazato-dori to Quien quiera (Minato-ku, Shirokane 5-14-8; 03-3446-0609), quite possibly one of the most beautiful bars in all of Tokyo. It is a sullen two-story wooden building that has stood there since 1918. The very place to be ravished by what is – and is obdurate… Oh hell, even if you aren’t down in Shirokane for some other reason, you would do well to make a trip to this bar at some point during your Tokyo sojourn.

Tempura. Stand-out tempura shops abound, but my favorite is Abe (Chuo-ku, Ginza 4-3-7; 03-6228-6077) in Ginza. It’s small and popular, so you’ll need a reservation.

Yakiniku. Literally “grilled meat,” yakiniku is originally Korean but the Japanese have adopted it with élan. When slubu and CR were here, they reminded me of a terrific spot a short walk from Nishi-Azabu crossing which I had not been to in many years but can wholeheartedly recommend: Yoroniku (Minato-ku, Minami-Aoyama 6-6-22; 03-3498-4629). We had the Y9000 course menu. The charm point of Yoroniku is that, different from most joints where you have to concentrate on grilling the meat yourself, here a young lass will stand at your table and grill the meat to perfection, and then explain with surgical precision how to eat it. If you are a drinker, in honor of that lass try the Toyo Bijin (東洋美人, “Asian Beauty”) sake after a few nama beers. This place is hugely popular so reservations are a must. Another awesome Yakiniku place is Jumbo (Minato-ku, Shirokane 3-1-1; 03-5795-4129). Open 365 days a year and packed every night. Reservations are again required.

Yakitori. Meaning “grilled chicken,” the yakitori restaurant dismembers the bird and serves up every part of it, inside and out, grilled on skewers over a charcoal fire. Mr. Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls… Too many outstanding ones to list here – but for great chicken and so much more, as well as one of the most elite (yet cheap) Tokyo dining experiences, you’ve got to hit the rails under the Yamanote line near Yurakucho Station. Lined up in a row, the tiny shops are burrowed in right under the elevated tracks of the rail lines overhead; makeshift tables spill out into the quiet street in front of the store. When the weather is fine (esp. April to June, Sept. to early Nov.) you want to be outside to watch what there is. The very best of the lot is Matsuso (Chiyoda-ku, Yurakucho 2-1-20). They do have an English version of the expansive menu, but the best offerings are scrawled out by hand in Japanese on a chalkboard that changes daily. If possible bring a Japanese speaker with you here.

Burger. What, you ask, going for a burger in Tokyo? Isn’t that like going on a date in Japan with a British fattie?? Aha, not so fast! Try an American-style hamburger made with prime wagyu beef at Burger Mania (Minato-ku, Shirokane 6-5-7) and then come talk to me about a sammich. No reservations necessary. Bonus: They play hip-hop music all day long, from opening at 11:30 am until last order at 10:00 p.m. And note this joint is less than 100 meters east of Quien quiera (see above) on Kitazato-dori.

Ramen. Personally I find this stuff disgusting – ramen is to Japan what McDonalds is to the U.S. – but it has its fans, so I’ll include it here. With a hat tip to slubu for the find (and seconded by many Japanese friends), I’ll single out Kaotan (Minato-ku, Minami-Aoyama 2-34-30) near Nishi-Azabu crossing, open daily until 5 a.m., 6 a.m. on the weekend. This is the kind of place you go in the wee small hours after drinking in Roppongi but failing to pull a bird back to your place. Better still to head over to Daiwa in Tsukiji to queue up for its 5:30 a.m. opening, but hey, it takes all kinds.

Izakaya. Last and perhaps most important is the quintessentially Japanese drinking establishment. I have many favorites here in town, but I value my privacy and the integrity of these places, so I will reserve recommendations for Members in good standing, on request by PM.

For a passable, Disney theme-park izakaya experience, check out Gonpachi (Minato-ku, Nishi-Azabu 1-13-11; 03-5771-0170) right at Nishi-Azabu crossing. This was the site of a famous Bush-Koizumi summit dinner during the golden years of US-Japan relations (and Tarantino modeled the set for the ending fight scene of the atrocious Kill Bill Vol. 1 on it, for what it’s worth). You can sample just about every representative Japanese cuisine, sashimi, tempura, yakitori, tofu, udon/soba and the rest, and it’s reasonably priced.

3. SIGHTSEEING

Again, there is no end to the unforgettable sights and experiences that can wash over you in Tokyo. Here are a few ideas, merely skimming the surface, to get you started.

Shrines. The city is speckled with hundreds of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples; everyone has his own favorites. If I had to recommend one representative shrine it would be Meiji-Jingu, a short walk from Meiji-jingumae Station. This is the one that foreign dignitaries (heads of state, the Dalai Lama, etc.) most often visit. The shrine is big, wide, and beautiful; the broad graveled avenue through the forest from the main gate to the shrine makes for a soothing walk. My own personal favorite shrine is Nezu Jinja, a short walk from Nezu Station on the Chiyoda line. Especially during azalea season in April and the fall foliage of October/November, this is a spectacular little pocket of serenity in Tokyo.

Sensoji Temple and Asakusa. Likewise, my one Temple recommendation would be Sensoji (Taito-ku, Asakusa 2-3-1) up in Asakusa. In fact that entire area is really cool. In addition to the temple itself, its famous Kaminarimon gate and all the shops, the Kappabashi Kitchenware District (centered on Nishi-Asakusa 1-5-15) is close by. Here you can find stores specializing in every conceivable kitchen item – matchless Japanese kitchen knives to last you a lifetime, the Nambu tetsu-bin iron pots for making tea, the incredibly life-like plastic food displays that make great gag souvenirs, etc.

Right down the street from the Sensoji temple entrance is the Kamiya Bar (Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-1-1), one of the very first western-style beer halls in Japan. Sweet place. If you are sightseeing up in Asakusa and need a break, you can slip in for a few beers and some eats. Be sure to ask to be seated on the second floor.

Tea Ceremony. If you are interested in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, I recommend the ceremony at the Imperial Hotel. Reservations are required; check here for information and the number to call to reserve.

Bonus: The Imperial is home to the Frank Lloyd Wright bar. If ever there were a place for a whisky and a cigar, this is it.

New York Bar at the Shinjuku Park Hyatt. You may know this hotel and this bar from Sofia Coppola’s homage to Japan, Lost in Translation. The views of Tokyo from here are breathtaking – go at dusk; see the late light and then stay for the night lights. Sunday evening is the ideal time for this. There is a Y2200 cover charge after 8:00 pm daily (after 7:00 pm on Sundays), and drinks are not cheap, but it’s well worth it.

Shibuya. Want to see where Julien Blanc and all the day-game street spammers work their special magic? [Image: tard.gif] Head to the streets of Shibuya! A fun place to wander around and maybe chat up some local gyarus. At least see the infamous "scramble crossing" where thousands of people cross a 7-way intersection all at once.

The Robot Restaurant. (Shinjuku-ku, Kabukicho 1-7-1) I confess I had never heard of this wild place until slubu and CR came to town and we went together. Highly recommended for a dose of Japanese zaniness. See this link to learn more about the show and to make reservations (required). Note: Although it’s called a restaurant, better to eat beforehand. Only drinks and light snacks (popcorn, etc.) are served before the show and during its breaks.

4. NIGHTLIFE

A big caveat up front: What’s hot and happening in the Tokyo club and bar scene can change pretty quickly. The information here is current as of August/September 2015. I will try to provide updates in this thread as time goes on and the situation changes. The spots noted here are chosen specifically for gaijin visitors who don't speak Japanese and are hunting for Japanese chicks who might be more open to getting down with foreign dudes. The hard truth is that the club scene in Tokyo – especially for foreigners and most especially for non-speakers of Japanese – has gotten markedly worse over the past few years. You should interpret the following to be the “least difficult” of many very tough options. That said, solid players like slubu and CR did pick up their flags, and then some, during a one-week stay this summer, so it can be done – with skill and the right local area knowledge.

There are only two big bar/club nights of the week in Tokyo, Friday and Saturday – or three, if you count the very occasionally hopping Thursday night. From Thursday to Saturday, each night is busier than the previous one, hitting a peak on Saturday. Sunday through Wednesday are dead in Tokyo – but there is action to be found, as noted below.

First I’ll list up the usual Roppongi suspects and then give some advice for how to run the various nights.

Feria. (Minato-ku, Roppongi 7-13-7) Right now Feria is the king of clubs catering to the mixed Japanese/gaijin crowd. It is busiest on Saturday night, with Friday a close second. It doesn’t get hopping until around midnight on Friday, and even later (after 12:30) on Saturday. Cover for men on these two nights is Y3500, which includes tickets for two drinks. The place is often a zoo, with five floors from the basement mosh-pit up to the roof-top bar on the 4th floor. The third floor is to my taste the best, striking a balance between the pandemonium of the basement and the subdued groups of the roof. Ratios have been respectable here lately, tilted somewhat to the sausage-side of 50/50.

On the weeknights, they only open the smaller 3rd and 4th floors, and men’s cover is down to Y2000 with chicks free or Y1000, so they actually draw a decent crowd. This was the scene of slubu’s Tuesday-night bathroom bang and the bouncer trying to break the door in on him.

R2. (Minato-ku, Roppongi 7-14-23) Right across the street from Feria, this bar (vice club) sees its highest traffic on Friday night, and Saturday is a bit less busy. No cover; drinks are ~Y800 to Y1000. It tends to get rolling earlier than Feria, as many people hit here before migrating across the street. Ratios are hit-or-miss here; some nights are fine but lately it’s been too crowded with too many thirsty dudes. Also, the women here tend to be a bit older than the ones you’ll find at Feria. Very quiet on weeknights.

A971. (Minato-ku, Akasaka 9-7-2) Down the street from Feria and R2, located on the ground floor of the Tokyo Midtown complex, A971 is another bar, but unlike R2 it has an outdoor patio area in addition to the inside bar, and is louder and somewhat better lit than the dim R2. No cover; drinks are a bit cheaper, and the clientele a bit younger, than R2. It is equally busy on Friday and Saturday nights, getting going after 10:00 pm. Also very quiet on weeknights, but slubu and I found something to play with here on the Wednesday night he arrived. [Image: wink.gif]

Mist. (Minato-ku, Roppongi 3-10-5) This little basement club a 5-minute walk down Higashi-Gaien-dori from Roppongi crossing has been going off on odd nights, like Monday and Tuesday. Slubu, CR, and I hit it late on a Monday and it was fairly crowded, with decent ratios. Probably good on the weekends, but I haven’t been there to confirm. Cover is Y2000 which includes two drinks.

Geronimo. (Minato-ku, Roppongi 7-14-10) A tight hole-in-the-wall shot bar on the second floor of a building 15 meters from Roppongi Crossing, this place sometimes surprises on Friday and Saturday night with a mix of Japanese and European sluts. No cover and Y900 beers, it is worth popping your head in to see what it’s like as you look for some action.

Japan-centric and other clubs. There are of course a slew of clubs in Tokyo, but they tend to attract a very Japanese crowd that shows little interest in foreign dudes. For instance, if you really wanted to see a leading Shibuya club, go to Womb (Shibuya-ku, Maruyama-cho 2-16). But they play weird EDM music and you’ll have trouble finding a J-chick with the ability and desire to speak English. Similarly, V2 in the heart of Roppongi is a big, bustling club but not very gaijin-friendly. Unfortunately, the once epic club Muse in Nishi-Azabu was closed down by the cops a few years back and its new reincarnation cannot hold a candle to the original. Similarly, the awesome meat-market that was Heartland closed down and re-opened in June 2014 as the faggoty, pretentious bar Tusk.

- On a Thursday night, you might try hitting happy hour (maybe 7:30 pm) at Rigoletto (Minato-ku, Roppongi 6-10-1) on the 5th floor of Roppongi Hills Westside. This bar and restaurant has been popular with the after-work crowd and you might find some tasty “OL” (office lady) morsels to mack on in the bar area on a Thursday. (I’d stay away from this place on Friday/Saturday though.) On Thursday, clubs are often dead, but you might check out Mist later on, after walking by R2 and A971 to see what’s up.

- On Friday, after a good dinner out somewhere, pop into R2 and/or A971 around 10:00 pm for some warm-up and see if you can get anything to hook. If not, try Feria around midnight.

- This is the night to go full on Feria, so rest up and save your energy. Again, you might check out Geronimo or R2 or A971 beforehand to see what’s up and get in the groove, before lining up at Feria after midnight.

- As mentioned before, Sunday is the night to hit the Shinjuku Park Hyatt or some other suitably refined hotel bar.

- Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday: These nights are generally dead, but if you are hell-bent on finding some nightlife action, you can roll the dice and pay the reduced cover to see if Feria is popping. As I said, Mist has been busy, but past performance is no indication of future returns.

***
There’s much more to say but this bloated post has to end somewhere. I look forward to responses from members who have visited and have observations to make, from those who live here and have their own advice to share, and of course from members who are planning their first trip and have questions to ask. Happy swooping.

I can't stress the point about the severe lack of ENGLISH ability to be the greatest handicap, but also the greatest plus as a barrier to Judeo-Western Hollywood.
You'll be in a country with a massive ESL apparatus, but no one can speak properly.
The reason is becauase the culture is limiting with originality. As a former ESL teaccher, I discovered that the originality-killing nature of the education system is planned and systematic. Hence, ESL is a bunch of canned phrases, no grammar, etc.
Which leads to another point. This is an isolated protected culture. There are no foreigners and there is a racial solidarity that encourages a national economic plan. People are provided for by their employer and no one lies. If you come to Japan, don't be an asshole. It's like beating an innocent child or taking advantage of your kindly grandmother. Since everyone is well taken care of, they wont respond to assholes either. Being a gentleman is the way to go.
You won't be able to pick up much if you are there only a couple of weeks. These girls are looking for a more long-term, at least a few months relationship. Don't pump and dump. You will need to live here, which is why every loser has done the ESL thing in Japan. Remuneration has correspondingly cratered and don't expect to break even if you chose this worn-out route.
Basically, for small romantic vacations, give Japan a pass. For a great cultural and dating experience, uncorrupted J-girls are great, but you are taking a real chance on not getting work when you return the job market back home. Try explaining what you were doing in Japan.
Lastly, Japan isn't as wealthey as it used to be. Japan, due to said lack of creativity, has a long history of copying the West; which means, that it's copying the Jewish-Finance-Debt Model. Off-shoring and budget cuts are rife in Japan. The nuclear accident and its poor aftermath, lowered morale and confidence in its leaders, and the youth of Japan are much poorer. Additionally, there aren't many youth left in Japan. It's a poorer, sadder place than just a few years ago.
The worst trend is internet TV. Japanese were slow to pick up on it, but many Japanese women use internet TV for English shows. Luckily, the J-gov made it illegal to access said TV, but there are way more dubbed and ENglish venue media to consume in Japan. I think it's part of the decay of Japanese women quality. This decay manifests as more greedy, less greatful, more bitchy--but also more overweight women. The overweight factor has increased by many factors since 2000 because of Westernized, corn-syrup foods. Japanese women were never sexy, but their perfect health made up for it. The last thng you want to see is a short, quiet, angry girl with some love handles.
Again, Japan is still a great country, but a country in decline. You have to invest in it now to enjoy it.
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#83

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Quote: (10-04-2015 10:38 PM)dreambig Wrote:  

Quote: (10-04-2015 07:29 PM)Dusty Wrote:  

How is the WGF (White God Factor) in Japan? Seems pretty high based on a recent trip to Hawaii (lots of Japanese there).

It's still there to an extent, but seems to decrease by the year. In 2005 it was an 8/10. Now I'd give it a 2 or 3 in the big cities.

Unfortunately, Tokyoites and Osakans are now acquainted with the often badly dressed, acne-ridden anime nerds that invaded Japan to teach English. They have also seen the consistent low quality these guys pull and associate white foreigners with dating either "plain" or outright ugly girls.

Just in case people are wondering, I have been told the above on many occasions by attractive Japanese girls in Tokyo. This isn't just negativity or me pulling ideas out of my ass. My male friends here have commented on it too. The context is often one of surprise - "Why is that handsome foreigner with such a plain looking girl?"

You can see the decrease in demand for white cock in concrete terms by how many less "foreigner hunters" are out in bars now. As TJ pointed out above, it's not even close to how it used to be.

Go somewhere more remote and you will still get an advantage, but then there will be less prospects too. It's kind of a Catch 22, but I believe that other places will be better for LTRs. I am eager to check out some 2nd or 3rd tier cities properly in the near future.

Overall though, being white is a small advantage. No doubt, being a white foreigner who speaks Japanese makes it easier to open people - Japanese-Japanese interaction is quite awkward so we get a foreigner pass. However, you have to bring your game from there. It's also harder to close than if you were Japanese. I'd say we are at a pronounced disadvantage to Japanese men for quality, but foreigners with game can bang more quantity-wise than locals. Swings and roundabouts.

Im an old ESL guy. Did JET in 03-04 and NOVA in 07. I've been back a few times in 10 as well as a summer in Seoul ESL.

I do feel less gaijin factor. (I mention this after reading a thread of yours.) However, I saw a huge drop off from 04-07 in Osaka. I attribute it exclusively to the rap craze of that time.

From my understanding internet TV from the West is highly circumscribed by official controls. K-pop hasn't been the best influence either.

I think the English craze is highly diminished. From my vantage point, it never recovered from 07. Contrarily, that has also meant less Caucasian people in Japan, so the overload over the novelty shouldn't be a big factor. I have noticed an explosion of Hindu and African and Chinese. It appears, and this was a surprise to me, that Japanese don't differentiate as much between foreigners as I thought. Perhaps that stole the steam?
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#84

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Japanese women really have a herd mentality. If some popular Japanese celebrity woman comes out and says that American men are the greatest lovers in the universe and that having one as your boyfriend is the ultimate cool thing, you'll have Japanese girls lined up outside the gates of US military bases in Japan. It seems that right now it's not considered that hip to have a foreigner boyfriend.
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#85

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Quote: (12-04-2015 06:48 AM)RawGod Wrote:  

Quote: (12-04-2015 06:04 AM)Unkown_Killa Wrote:  

No free lunch anymore. I imagine Manila and Jakarta today are what Tokyo was 10 years ago.

Not even close. Tokyo and Manila are different worlds, Tokyo 10 years ago was...not that different from now. Even then, word was GasPanic was over. Old guys will tell you that foreigners cleaned up in Japan in the 70s-90s - if that is true, and it's hard to tell because of the rose-coloured glasses effect - it was over by 2000.

I was there in 03-04 and I can tell you the party was definitely not over. However, I felt it got worse subsequently, noting a large decline upon my return in 2007. Is it because I dont like rap and its affects on the culture, I wasn't there more than a couple of months at a time, more non-Caucasian foreigners' bad behavior giving us a bad name? I remember talking to one of the first JET guys, who went there in 1990 in Osaka. He told me that he would get proposals from fathers for their low-class daughters, there being a rigid pre-revoultionary Chinese social structure at that time??

Who the Hell knows?
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#86

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Quote: (12-07-2015 11:19 AM)Sinapse Wrote:  

I dunno about roppongi club girls - I mostly stay out of the area for fear of diseases and general distaste for the neighborhood - but it is definitely possible to do 100/year from street in areas like Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Harajuku, etc.

@OP - have to say, pretty awesome post!!!

Need a bit more information on street /day game and other areas besides Roppongi (again.. Ew) but other than that well done and lots of nice info

Disease is a real issue in that area, unlike most places in Japan. Third world thug elites' sons (reading sites like this and taking our lead), barbarians that don't know or care about STD tests, bed naive J-girls, a subset that hangs out in Roppongi, et. al. These girls aren't safe. Rubber up and use discretion. If a girl looks trashy, move on. I'm not seeing much differential preference of j-girls with Caucasian foreigners vs. non-Caucasian foreigners. Japan still has a rosy view of foreigners, not knowing the fraud and gender relations in most parts of the non-Western world.
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#87

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Hey,

Will be in Tokyo starting friday 26th Feb midday until at least sunday evening 28th Feb. Will try to get an AirBNB in Roppongi.

Looking to party on saturday the 27th, anybody up for it?
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#88

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

I wrote this as a reply to a PM asking about the reason for the decline in the fascination with white men in Japan and I thought I just share it here as well


I speak of my experience there a few months back. It may sound like a no-shit answer but what primarily drove foreigner interest in Japan was Hollywood and their own local media's fascination with foreigners. I don't have to go too much into the Hollywood part. Japanese TV programmes are obsessed with foreigners. From what we do, our opinions on Japanese stuff to what kind of lives we lead in our home countries. These are all shit that are hitting the roofs in ratings for Japanese TV. That, coupled with easier information access, drove a nation with 99% of its population indigenous into a foreigner frenzy. Foreigners who could speak both English and Japanese were particularly in demand because you could both "teach her english" and also communicate in Japanese if all else fails.

That primarily led to the interests in foreigners, the fascination of Hollywood and travel.

What led to its decline is the same reason of the rise. There are just too many foreigners in Tokyo. Its no longer interesting or fascinating to date a foreigner, maybe its cool to show off one as a friend but not dating. White people are the next most visible people on the streets of Tokyo after Asians and sometimes they don't stand out necessarily in a good way. Do note that Japanese don't give any shit difference between Caucasian white, Latinos or Europeans with a darker skin tone. You are all, to them, hakujin(White man) and are by default all the same. The recent trend or group that is doing particularly well are Asian-Americans or English-educated Asians. By Asians, I mean East Asians so people who look Japanese until they talk. I use Asian-Americans(AA) to simplify and make things easy.

AAs represent the best of both worlds for these girls. We blend in when its good for us but we stand out among the other Japanese men because we speak English and we are normally more confident than them. The girls also dont have to face the issues of being slut shamed for dating a white/black foreigners because well technically, we're East Asians too.

Of course, there will be trends of who is 'popular to date' all the time based on media and pop culture. But for now, White power remains a downward decline in a country immuned to our white brothers.
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#89

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Hi guys, I'll be in Tokyo in a month. I'm staying in Roppongi as per this thread and others. As kind of addressed, the online game in Japan is much harder than I've been experiencing in my SEA country stops. I basically all but gave up on it for now and might just Tinder it up and hope for the best when I get there - though Tinder from afar hasn't provided much hope. So for night game - are the clubs in the OP still the hot clubs to hit? Any added info or intel on them? Otherwise I'll live and die by that list. Cheers!
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#90

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Last of my 7 night stay here in Tokyo and thought I would share my random thoughts in no particular order:

Was great re-connecting with the official RVF Tokyo ambassador , Tokyo Joe for an amazing dinner and partying. He is living the life here. It's worth the trip just to watch him speak fluent Japanese.

Met 2 guys for the first time: thaitanium and Wombat, big ups to both of them.

Have to say I am feeling like bill murray a bit in Lost in Translation...been itching to get out of here the last few days. Perhaps it's the cold weather (choose your time of travel wisely). This place can be done in 4-5 nights if you wish.

Recommend the city to even those without the fever...truly mind blowing.

Followed many of the recommendations in the OP...served me well.

Tried to avoid the Park Hyatt cover charge by arriving early...mo fos still hit you up if you leave after the specified time...so $120 for 4 drinks.

Taxis are expensive

Women: The average girl here is not attractive and in fact ugly. That said, there are more than enough hot, stylish ones to keep a local player happy. I would be quite content. Girls here have resting neutral/content faces as opposed to what we are used to in the West. I found myself wishing I could speak Japanese enough times to open girls in my sight.

Nightlife:

Jumangi 55 is now Ohh Yeahh...worth a drink. Hit it on a thursday and friday

There are indeed Feria pop ups...last weekend was Club Ivy which I hit with TJ & Thaitanium Fri & Wombat Saturday. As mentioned the crowed is mixed gaijin/locals. I felt i was in an american club at times from the music and dudes there. Not necessarily a good thing. Friday It seemed like any other night that would end with blue balls but I got 'lucky' in the true sense. Opened a girl who had come alone. Turned out she has a thing for spanish guys and likely confused me for one. No resistance at any point and got her back to my place. Attractive and super nice but I told her I was leaving town after we met 2 more times. She was a bit too japanese for me especially in the sack and was getting annoying despite her niceness.

She did have a memorable quote when I insisted she have the last oyster left on the plate at a restaurant by saying 'No, it's for you..you are the priority'. There were a few other gems from her.

She's 34 and attractive. I prodded her with some questions out of curiosity. Turns out she has no interest in marriage or kids. Same for her younger sister. I asked her what if she loved a guy and he proposed...she said she would say No. She couldn't explain further why, just saying it's 'difficult'. Not good news for a country with a declining birth rate.

Nothing like the sight of a westernized white chick in Asia. They stand out more than E.T. With their Hulk Hogan arms and loud manner of speech...god help them. Next to Japanese girls, you can only shake your head.

What else...Tinder sucked for me but always does.

Made one direct approach on a tourist from HK last night....got to her hotel room but no dice. Aside from that...no other day approaches. The lack of confidence from not knowing the lang was a hindrance.
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#91

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Its a pity you let language got in your way. While this is true in the rest of Japan, Tokyo is probably the one place in Japan that you can get by with just English. I stayed there for a year and I had intermediate Japanese when I arrived and I left with similar standards of the language. The girls there are more than happy to speak English with you so that they could get some practice. While not being able to speak Japanese at all do limit you from the top tier girls, then again those girls are hard for everyone so you don't have anything to lose.

Glad to see you enjoyed Japan anyways. If you get a chance to go back again, don't let the language get to you, its really hardly an obstacle in Tokyo.
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#92

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

When you guys visit Japan on a holiday visa, don't you have to show proof of having at least 2000 dollars in your bank account at the airport before they stamp your passport? I ask because I may be visiting Tokyo in May and I may be flying by the seat of my pants.
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#93

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

No, if you enter on a tourist visa, all you need is your passport and your air ticket to arrive in Japan with. Depending on where you're from but most countries have a tourist visa waiver with Japan so you get a fixed number of days in the country upon arrival. Although they don't check how much you bring into the country if you're just the average travelling joe, I would tell you to bring a sufficient amount that you're comfortable with. Japan isn't the cheapest country after all and if you're going to be scrimping on everything, it might be that much of a fun trip.
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#94

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Good quote on the oyster haha, that reinforced the idea you had about girls and also their neutral face expressions. Good times in Tokyo, I will try to be back for sure.

Quote: (03-02-2016 09:37 AM)Kaizen Wrote:  

Last of my 7 night stay here in Tokyo and thought I would share my random thoughts in no particular order:

Was great re-connecting with the official RVF Tokyo ambassador , Tokyo Joe for an amazing dinner and partying. He is living the life here. It's worth the trip just to watch him speak fluent Japanese.

Met 2 guys for the first time: thaitanium and Wombat, big ups to both of them.

Have to say I am feeling like bill murray a bit in Lost in Translation...been itching to get out of here the last few days. Perhaps it's the cold weather (choose your time of travel wisely). This place can be done in 4-5 nights if you wish.

Recommend the city to even those without the fever...truly mind blowing.

Followed many of the recommendations in the OP...served me well.

Tried to avoid the Park Hyatt cover charge by arriving early...mo fos still hit you up if you leave after the specified time...so $120 for 4 drinks.

Taxis are expensive

Women: The average girl here is not attractive and in fact ugly. That said, there are more than enough hot, stylish ones to keep a local player happy. I would be quite content. Girls here have resting neutral/content faces as opposed to what we are used to in the West. I found myself wishing I could speak Japanese enough times to open girls in my sight.

Nightlife:

Jumangi 55 is now Ohh Yeahh...worth a drink. Hit it on a thursday and friday

There are indeed Feria pop ups...last weekend was Club Ivy which I hit with TJ & Thaitanium Fri & Wombat Saturday. As mentioned the crowed is mixed gaijin/locals. I felt i was in an american club at times from the music and dudes there. Not necessarily a good thing. Friday It seemed like any other night that would end with blue balls but I got 'lucky' in the true sense. Opened a girl who had come alone. Turned out she has a thing for spanish guys and likely confused me for one. No resistance at any point and got her back to my place. Attractive and super nice but I told her I was leaving town after we met 2 more times. She was a bit too japanese for me especially in the sack and was getting annoying despite her niceness.

She did have a memorable quote when I insisted she have the last oyster left on the plate at a restaurant by saying 'No, it's for you..you are the priority'. There were a few other gems from her.

She's 34 and attractive. I prodded her with some questions out of curiosity. Turns out she has no interest in marriage or kids. Same for her younger sister. I asked her what if she loved a guy and he proposed...she said she would say No. She couldn't explain further why, just saying it's 'difficult'. Not good news for a country with a declining birth rate.

Nothing like the sight of a westernized white chick in Asia. They stand out more than E.T. With their Hulk Hogan arms and loud manner of speech...god help them. Next to Japanese girls, you can only shake your head.

What else...Tinder sucked for me but always does.

Made one direct approach on a tourist from HK last night....got to her hotel room but no dice. Aside from that...no other day approaches. The lack of confidence from not knowing the lang was a hindrance.
Reply
#95

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Hey guys, new to the forums here. I'll be in Tokyo for the entire month of April. Studied abroad there before and am Asian American so have a decent understanding of how things work. Would be great to meet some of the guys on the forum.

Cheers,
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#96

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Additional notes from my stay in Tokyo:

Public transportation (primarily for sight seeing):
Get yourself an IC card to use for public transportation (subway, jr-trains, busses) during your stay in Japan. Thus you don't have to worry about ticket prices and how to prebuy the correct ticket, very convenient. If you don't do a lot of city hopping, a JR pass is wasted money and limits your choice for public transportation companies.

General percepction of you as a tourist?
Some people switched sides in the train to NOT sit down next to me. During the day I was wearing tourist gear, but neither looked nor smelled like a dirty backpacker. I don't know how this came to be. Either some people are afraid of you, are just racist or some other white people really fucked up our reputation down there. I suppose people thought I was American, that was the country everybody gave me as a first guess. Maybe somebody can chime in on this.
Most times you don't stand out in all the touristy cities. If you are not 2 m or 6ft5 blonde? young Japanese males will be your height or even tower you. I mostly saw young guys ~1.8m or 6ft1.

Nightlife:
Public transportation is dead after 12 pm until 5 am. Prepare to pay a taxi to your hotel/airbnb or get a hotel/airbnb in Roppongi or Shibuya with walking distance to the clubs. Logistics are the key like everywhere.
Entrance fees are quite high, drink prices are reasonable and on a european/german level.
Competition is quite high. Japanese business men go to the club after work/in the evening to wind down and pick up girls. I definitley saw them gaming some cute office drones, all suited up. Suit up if that is your thing.
Get there early around 11.30-12 pm, certainly before peak sausage fest @2 am. You most likely won't pull after that, this rule holds true for every club that is opened until 5 am I have ever been to, at least for me.
Rolling solo is possible with very limited Japanese. Socialise to find guys/girls with intereset in foreigners/you that can have a basic conversation in English, work the room then the girls.
Clubs Try to google for recent information on clubs before you go out, it seems to change a lot in 6 months.
Sunday Roppongi is dead, maybe some local residents can give more information on what districts to hit on what day. Shibuya might have some action on Sunday?
Nigerians, prostitutes, hustlers generally left me alone, never got really hassled by one of them in Roppongi. That might be different in Shinjuku/Kabukicho

Did I capture my flag? No, because I was staying in a hostel in a different district. Get yourself a hotel/airbnb in the nightlife districts or very close to them. There are definitley some girls eager to experience a night with a foreigner, but prepare yourself to follow Tokyo Joe's Guide and shell out the money that is necessary to do that.

Japan reminded me of a 80s-90s Germany with all the feminine women in dresses and general quality of living, depressing to see how our country could look like.

Brought to you by Carl's Jr.
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#97

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Forgotton stuff:
- http://is.gd/kb5Z3e I found this list of night clubs to be useful.
- Prepaid Sim Card with data + google maps + IC card is your saviour and will get you anywhere important within 20-30 min if you stay in Shibuya/Shinjuku/Roppongi/Akasaka
You can get the sim card from vending machines at the airport, no passport required. They might be more expensive, but you are ready to go after that.

Brought to you by Carl's Jr.
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#98

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Quote: (04-17-2016 04:13 AM)void Wrote:  

Forgotton stuff:
- http://is.gd/kb5Z3e I found this list of night clubs to be useful.
- Prepaid Sim Card with data + google maps + IC card is your saviour and will get you anywhere important within 20-30 min if you stay in Shibuya/Shinjuku/Roppongi/Akasaka
You can get the sim card from vending machines at the airport, no passport required. They might be more expensive, but you are ready to go after that.

I think that list is outdated.
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#99

SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Is there a good nightlife guide for Tokyo that get's upated on the regular?

Brought to you by Carl's Jr.
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SWOOP JAPAN: Tokyo Joe’s Guide for the First-Time (~7-day) Visitor

Do Japanese girls care about age gap? I'm late 30s....what would I be able to pull?
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