Travel Exploring Roppongi

[JustinIs18]

You know, I think part of Roppongi's image is because it is in Tokyo/Japan. Japan is regarded a super safe and neat country, which makes Roppongi stick out as a no go area. However, in any other country in Europe, Asia, or North America, it would just be another bar district. The reputation of gaijin meets J girl for nasty business is of course true, but that is also because of the homogeneous population of Japan, and there are not that many places where people can act on mutual interest in each others race this well. I'm sure an equal amount of humpings take place in other cities around the world during a night out, but no one would make comments about it because its harder to separate foreigner from native.

Very true about people comparing Roppongi to the rest of Japan, yeah Japan is known as a really safe comforting friendly place. Well said, I appreciate you commenting and replying I just wanted to get as many opinions as possible, knowledge is power.

 

[mdchachi]

I'm not looking for anything specific just want to get as many opinions and knowledge before I go, even though it's 2 years in advance, I appreciate you commenting and taking the time out of your day to reply

By specific, I meant hooking up & kissing Japanese girls like you said. If you go there looking for it, it probably won't happen. You just gotta take what comes.

 

[JustinIs18]

By specific, I meant hooking up & kissing Japanese girls like you said. If you go there looking for it, it probably won't happen. You just gotta take what comes.

Yeah I'm no planner, gotta go by feel there is a quote like that, that I know of "gotta take what you can get" pretty much the same

 

[nice gaijin]

Do people really feel unsafe or threatened in Roppongi? During the day it feels more like a trendy business district, and at night it's no more seedy than Shibuya, paling in comparison to Kabukicho (which I think has way more character).

Is the question whether or not he should go there at all, or find a place to stay in the area? You can get into trouble wherever you go. Roppongi is far from a no-fly-zone, just keep your wits about you and ignore the touts. Make friends and go with them, it's safer to have an extra set of eyes to watch your back.

@JustinIs18, for someone who isn't a planner, you seem to be thinking a lot about what this one neighborhood in Tokyo is like. Try not to live in the future so much, it'll make the present that much more enjoyable (and less disappointing when your expectations aren't met).

 

[JustinIs18]

Do people really feel unsafe or threatened in Roppongi? During the day it feels more like a trendy business district, and at night it's no more seedy than Shibuya, paling in comparison to Kabukicho (which I think has way more character).

Is the question whether or not he should go there at all, or find a place to stay in the area? You can get into trouble wherever you go. Roppongi is far from a no-fly-zone, just keep your wits about you and ignore the touts. Make friends and go with them, it's safer to have an extra set of eyes to watch your back.

@JustinIs18, for someone who isn't a planner, you seem to be thinking a lot about what this one neighborhood in Tokyo is like. Try not to live in the future so much, it'll make the present that much more enjoyable (and less disappointing when your expectations aren't met).

I do live in the present but it is going to be big trip and will cost me a ton of money, so might as well get knowledge and more opinions on the subject, better safe then sorry

 

[Majestic]

That thread from Gaijinpot is already 7-8 years old. It feels like ages ago. Some of the bars mentioned in that thread no longer exist. The police have been making life difficult for the Nigerian touts for the past year or so, and they aren't nearly as aggressive as they used to be.

 

[nice gaijin]

I do live in the present but it is going to be big trip and will cost me a ton of money, so might as well get knowledge and more opinions on the subject, better safe then sorry

How long are you going to be there for? A big trip and a lot of money are both pretty subjective things. There's such a thing as too much preparation; the more you think you know, the less you'll be able to learn from your actual experiences.

Roppongi is one neighborhood, favored by foreigners who like being foreigners in Japan. Most of the people on this board who speak from experience have grown out of that gaijin snowflake phase. Spend a little time there, make some memories and move on. I still recommend making a few friends and then going out with them rather than wandering aimlessly alone. If you find yourself spending all your time in Roppongi, we'll then know for sure that your professed interest in Japanese culture and history is BS. Then maybe you'll want to get in touch with our old pal @ghettocities, wherever he is these days.

 

[JustinIs18]

Roppongi is one neighborhood, favored by foreigners who like being foreigners in Japan. Most of the people on this board who speak from experience have grown out of that gaijin snowflake phase. Spend a little time there, make some memories and move on. I still recommend making a few friends and then going out with them rather than wandering aimlessly alone. If you find yourself spending all your time in Roppongi, we'll then know for sure that your professed interest in Japanese culture and history is BS. Then maybe you'll want to get in touch with our old pal @ghettocities, wherever he is these days.

I'd be there for around 2+ weeks so I wouldn't just be in Roppongi, I am going with two friends (I wouldn't be wandering aimlessly alone.) who love Japan as much as I do and are as interested as I am with the culture,history and Japanese cuisine, I will eventually go alone eventually once I am in my late twenties and can afford a vacation. I don't know who ghettocities is :'(

 

[nice gaijin]

I don't know who ghettocities is :'(

don't worry about him, he's our gold standard for "creepy vulgar international poon-hound." His main concern with Japan was how many girls he could pick up, which is often the case with people who situate their bubble over Roppongi.

My point was that there's a whole lot more to Tokyo than what you find in Roppongi. Aside from getting a few suggestions of clubs to check out with your friends you're better off exploring other parts of the city. Two weeks is too short a trip to blow more than a couple nights in clubs, but that's just my opinion.

 

[cocoichi]

don't worry about him, he's our gold standard for "creepy vulgar international poon-hound." His main concern with Japan was how many girls he could pick up, which is often the case with people who situate their bubble over Roppongi.

My point was that there's a whole lot more to Tokyo than what you find in Roppongi. Aside from getting a few suggestions of clubs to check out with your friends you're better off exploring other parts of the city. Two weeks is too short a trip to blow more than a couple nights in clubs, but that's just my opinion.

Yeah I never really understood that. Also in my student time there were guys bragging about their adventures their night before. A. it is quite easy to pull off, and B. no one makes you their idol. You can go there every night and come home with a new girl on your list, but then what? Maybe it's just a phase some people have to go through, or they finally overcome some of their youth traumas and insecurities.

 

[Glenski]

This is a new development in your story. Do tell.
Don't you have anything better to do then[sic] comment and criticize me?

Look, "mate", I'm not picking on you. You started this thread almost a week ago and never mentioned once that you were coming with friends. So, I politely asked "Do tell". Now I see after all this time that you are apparently coming with 2 friends. Ok, fine. Whew! At long last. Are they coming to kiss girls, too? Do you think those friends will still be interested in this trip after 2 years when you apparently will have enough money saved? (Believe me, I have tried it, and several friends canceled after seriously promising to go, so I ended up going solo anyway.)

 

[JustinIs18]

don't worry about him, he's our gold standard for "creepy vulgar international poon-hound." His main concern with Japan was how many girls he could pick up, which is often the case with people who situate their bubble over Roppongi.

My point was that there's a whole lot more to Tokyo than what you find in Roppongi. Aside from getting a few suggestions of clubs to check out with your friends you're better off exploring other parts of the city. Two weeks is too short a trip to blow more than a couple nights in clubs, but that's just my opinion.

I was curious and I looked him up and he's banned from the site xD , Anything you would recommend outside of Roppongi if you know of anything, I won't be staying around just in Roppongi don't worry, I'm not just trying to party.

 

[cocoichi]

I was curious and I looked him up and he's banned from the site xD , Anything you would recommend outside of Roppongi if you know of anything, I won't be staying around just in Roppongi don't worry, I'm not just trying to party.

Have you actually taken a virtual tour with google streetview? You'll see it's not that big anyway. If you stay two weeks, will you spend them all in Tokyo?

 

[JustinIs18]

Have you actually taken a virtual tour with google streetview? You'll see it's not that big anyway. If you stay two weeks, will you spend them all in Tokyo?

Yes, mostly likely

 

[Glenski]

If you stay in one city for the entire 2 weeks, you won't get a good perspective on Japanese culture and history. It's like saying I went to Toronto for that long and explored a lot of Canadian history and culture. Get out and see things further south, where the history began. You have time, and in 2 years from now, you should easily have the money.

 

[mdchachi]

you won't get a good perspective on Japanese culture and history.

I don't think that is his priority.

 

[JustinIs18]

I don't think that is his priority.

Every time but to be honest I think I might work in Japan abroad for a year as an english teacher, I'm 18 I got my entire life ahead of me the possibilities are endless, I think it would be the experience of a lifetime, gotta milk life (my point is that I really do like Japan and am interested in the country as a whole, not just the women)

 

[mdchachi]

Every time but to be honest I think I might work in Japan abroad for a year as an english teacher, I'm 18 I got my entire life ahead of me the possibilities are endless, I think it would be the experience of a lifetime, gotta milk life (my point is that I really do like Japan and am interested in the country as a whole, not just the women)

Yes, you have youth going for you. As mentioned in another thread, as a Canadian you could take advantage of the working holiday program which is perfect for your situation. The visit could very well change the course of your life (like it did most of us here on this forum).

 

[cocoichi]

Yes, you have youth going for you. As mentioned in another thread, as a Canadian you could take advantage of the working holiday program which is perfect for your situation. The visit could very well change the course of your life (like it did most of us here on this forum).

Exactly this. This sounds like a better plan than your university degree for English teaching.

 

[JustinIs18]

EDIT Never mind!

 

[Mike Cash]

I was wondering what the working holiday program is, if you had any information on it or know of any websites?

Sometimes I wonder how closely you read the replies you get.

English teaching in Japan

And try googling things yourself before asking others to google them for you. Yes, I know you didn't actually directly ask him to google it for you, but the end result is the same. He would have to google it, look through several websites, and then come spoonfeed you the links to the most interesting ones.

 

[JustinIs18]

Sometimes I wonder how closely you read the replies you get.

English teaching in Japan

And try googling things yourself before asking others to google them for you. Yes, I know you didn't actually directly ask him to google it for you, but the end result is the same. He would have to google it, look through several websites, and then come spoonfeed you the links to the most interesting ones.

Well said, I admire the realism. I have a bad memory (I'll delete my comment asking to get spooned the links just for you Cash!)

 

[Tokyodad]

I live in Roppongi, and there are a lot of things to see and do here, day or night. For daytime activities, you can visit the National Art Center, which is holding a Renoir exhibit right now. You can enjoy Hikokicho park behind the Midtown shopping center. The park has a nice pond, stream, and waterfalls, and is a good place for a picnic. You can have lunch at Sushi Zanmai, there are two restaurants in Roppongi, one on Roppongi Street, another on Gaien Higashi Street.

At the shopping center in Roppongi Hills, you can have pizza by the garden, and on weekends there is usually some kind of event at the Arena area. This week's event was a farm display, with milk, cheese, and ice cream straight from "local" farms.

Another interesting place is Aoyama cemetery, the largest and most famous cemetery in Tokyo, and the resting place of the rich, famous, and a few shoguns.

If you walk down Higashi Gaien street, it will take you past the Russian embassy, and to Tokyo Tower .

The only bad thing about Roppongi is that it is not a good place to experience "real" Japan, or see any tradition or culture. It is a busy place with many foreign visitors, hustlers, and, at night, countless drunks. It is a great place to see while you are in Japan, just to experience the most "international" part of the country.

 

[JustinIs18]

I live in Roppongi, and there are a lot of things to see and do here, day or night. For daytime activities, you can visit the National Art Center, which is holding a Renoir exhibit right now. You can enjoy Hikokicho park behind the Midtown shopping center. The park has a nice pond, stream, and waterfalls, and is a good place for a picnic. You can have lunch at Sushi Zanmai, there are two restaurants in Roppongi, one on Roppongi Street, another on Gaien Higashi Street.

At the shopping center in Roppongi Hills, you can have pizza by the garden, and on weekends there is usually some kind of event at the Arena area. This week's event was a farm display, with milk, cheese, and ice cream straight from "local" farms.

Another interesting place is Aoyama cemetery, the largest and most famous cemetery in Tokyo, and the resting place of the rich, famous, and a few shoguns.

If you walk down Higashi Gaien street, it will take you past the Russian embassy, and to Tokyo Tower.

The only bad thing about Roppongi is that it is not a good place to experience "real" Japan, or see any tradition or culture. It is a busy place with many foreign visitors, hustlers, and, at night, countless drunks. It is a great place to see while you are in Japan, just to experience the most "international" part of the country.

Yeah I've concluded that Roppongi is engulfed with "foreign visitors, hustlers, and, at night, countless drunks" Thank you for your input I appreciate it, some of these things I never knew about! I'll add that to my list of things to do thank you