4 ms·

For the train otaku of HN - https://global.trainhostelhokutosei.com/ https://global.trainhostelhokutosei.com/

ehnto 6y ago
That is awesome. I took the Super Hokuto from Hakodate to Sapporo last year, some of the most incredible scenery of my life. It is hard not to become a train enthusiast in Japan, especially when armed with a rail pass. I would essentially wake up in the morning, decide where to go, within the hour I had tickets and was on a train. Book a cheap hotel on the train ride, enjoy the new city until I felt like another train ride. Effortless and perfect for the unplanning wanderer.
- silicon2401 6y ago
  do you know Japanese? how feasible would this be without knowing Japanese? It sounds awesome
  - spike021 6y ago
    Not OP, but for the most part you can get around fine without knowing Japanese. In two trips across Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Gunma, and Sapporo, the only transportation there wasn't any English for was a normal bus route in Sapporo; all other modes of major transportation, even buses in major cities, have English announcements and visual indicators. For the bus I mentioned though, I just used Google Maps/GPS on my phone and guesstimated where to pull the stop request cord, etc. For communicating with people, Google Translate works decently well. Obviously knowing Japanese would be ideal, and you should learn a few phrases, but it's ok to use Google as needed. Can't speak for super rural areas, though.
    - silicon2401 6y ago
      Very encouraging, thanks for sharing.
  - nicolaslem 6y ago
    I did something similar without knowing a word of Japanese. Google maps was super helpful as it knows everything about train schedules, platforms... It can be as easy as following the blue dot. The rail pass gives you a lot of freedom since it allows you to hop on a Shinkanen without booking your seat in advance.
    - silicon2401 6y ago
      Ah that's perfect. I always wonder how reliable maps systems are in other countries, so this is really helpful. Thanks!
  - ehnto 6y ago
    Definitely feasible, I didn't know any Japanese. There is English almost everywhere and many people are happy to be practicing their English with you. Though I ended up learning some phrases while there so I could be more polite. The restaurant protocol really helped, and "sorry", "excuse me", "thank you", "hello", "goodbye" were all helpful. The trouble with using only some Japanese is you will get a reply in Japanese and not understand it, so sometimes it's best just to be up front that you don't know it. The trains themselves are effortless once you do your first one. You quickly learn the floor markings on the platform, and you can't mess it up too badly because if you miss one, the next one isn't far behind.
    - silicon2401 6y ago
      That sounds great, especially the trains part. Glad to know it's a nice place to travel. Thanks!
- a_t48 6y ago
  This...actually sounds really nice. Why didn't I think of this when I was there before?
ginko 6y ago
Or you know.. Book a sleeper car. https://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp/english/ https://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp/english/

That is awesome. I took the Super Hokuto from Hakodate to Sapporo last year, some of the most incredible scenery of my life. It is hard not to become a train enthusiast in Japan, especially when armed with a rail pass. I would essentially wake up in the morning, decide where to go, within the hour I had tickets and was on a train. Book a cheap hotel on the train ride, enjoy the new city until I felt like another train ride. Effortless and perfect for the unplanning wanderer.

silicon2401 6y ago
do you know Japanese? how feasible would this be without knowing Japanese? It sounds awesome
- spike021 6y ago
  Not OP, but for the most part you can get around fine without knowing Japanese. In two trips across Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Gunma, and Sapporo, the only transportation there wasn't any English for was a normal bus route in Sapporo; all other modes of major transportation, even buses in major cities, have English announcements and visual indicators. For the bus I mentioned though, I just used Google Maps/GPS on my phone and guesstimated where to pull the stop request cord, etc. For communicating with people, Google Translate works decently well. Obviously knowing Japanese would be ideal, and you should learn a few phrases, but it's ok to use Google as needed. Can't speak for super rural areas, though.
  - silicon2401 6y ago
    Very encouraging, thanks for sharing.
- nicolaslem 6y ago
  I did something similar without knowing a word of Japanese. Google maps was super helpful as it knows everything about train schedules, platforms... It can be as easy as following the blue dot. The rail pass gives you a lot of freedom since it allows you to hop on a Shinkanen without booking your seat in advance.
  - silicon2401 6y ago
    Ah that's perfect. I always wonder how reliable maps systems are in other countries, so this is really helpful. Thanks!
- ehnto 6y ago
  Definitely feasible, I didn't know any Japanese. There is English almost everywhere and many people are happy to be practicing their English with you. Though I ended up learning some phrases while there so I could be more polite. The restaurant protocol really helped, and "sorry", "excuse me", "thank you", "hello", "goodbye" were all helpful. The trouble with using only some Japanese is you will get a reply in Japanese and not understand it, so sometimes it's best just to be up front that you don't know it. The trains themselves are effortless once you do your first one. You quickly learn the floor markings on the platform, and you can't mess it up too badly because if you miss one, the next one isn't far behind.
  - silicon2401 6y ago
    That sounds great, especially the trains part. Glad to know it's a nice place to travel. Thanks!
a_t48 6y ago
This...actually sounds really nice. Why didn't I think of this when I was there before?

ginko 6y ago

Or you know.. Book a sleeper car. https://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp/english/ https://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp/english/