Jaunted - tokyo

Groping Epidemic On Tokyo Trains Has Us Watching Our Butt

amandak — 2009-09-16T08:58:53-05:00

On the whole, Japan is a dream for travelers; it's full of polite people who go out of their way to help tourists. But that can all come to an abrupt stop when you get on a train in Tokyo (or, to be fair, probably any big city). That's when the gropers appear, and we don't mean the fish.

Authorities are warning travelers—especially females—to watch out for subway passengers who feel the need to grope them. They say they're particularly concerned at the moment because many of the recently-nabbed gropers say they have been inspired by websites on groping. One recent offender said in his defense: "He had viewed a website that detailed how and when to grope people and wanted to confirm if the hints worked..." And he'd even traveled 60 miles out of his way to ride a train line the website listed as being "easy" for groping.

The $10 Million Dollar Hermes Helicopter Will Fly The Tokyo Skies

JetSetCD — 2009-08-12T08:59:33-05:00

While we realize that this isn't exactly the best week to bring up helicopter travel on account of "The Horror On The Hudson" this last weekend, still we can't deny the cool factor of this story out of Tokyo.

After l'H�licopt�re par Herm�s, or the Hermes Helicopter, debuted in late 2007, we were wondering what billionaire's yacht would sport it first. Turns out it won't be the private playtoy of a person at all, since a Tokyo company has purchased the 'copter designed by the French fashion house, with intent to offer flights between the central district of Akasaka and Narita International Airport. Taking the Eurocopter EC 315 will cut the travel time by an hour, and eliminate dealing with any ground traffic.

The New Robotic Cooks From Japan Will Give You Haunting Nightmares

Omri — 2009-06-18T17:08:50-05:00

We've been pretty good about welcoming our new robotic overlords, up to and including thanking them for making travel-related customer service less of a nightmare. But there's something disquieting about a robot that can verbally take our order, independently interpret our request, and then cut up sushi rolls and serve them to us. Without getting into too many details, that something has to do with the words "fish" and "poison" and the phrase "robot revolution."

In any case, several cutting-edge lines of cooking robots debuted last week at the Tokyo International Food Machinery and Technology Expo last week. The one in the picture, a product of Japanese company Toyo Riki, can prepare and flip pancakes. Really neat! This next one, more of a serving robot, can pick up fruit without bruising it and serve delicate pastries. Insanely creepy!

Immerse Yourself In Weirdness at Tama's Hello Kitty Museum

Omri — 2009-06-02T16:12:05-05:00

Navigating Tokyo itself - a dizzying maze of twenty-three wards, each technically a city unto itself - is difficult enough. Now throw in the twenty-six additional cities that comprise Western Tokyo, the combination of rail and metro lines that service them, and the Japanese penchant for hiding all kinds of singular attractions in the most unlikely places. It's just unfair to expect tourists to know where to go or what to see.

The western Tama District contains one of the most quintessentially Japanese - which is to say, one of the most off-beat - attractions in all of Tokyo. At the back of the Tama Center, a sprawling shopping plaza plus hotel plus park, sits Sanrio Puroland. Otherwise known as the Hello Kitty Museum, this is a gigantic indoor theme park turned over to the characters from what might loosely be called the Hello Kitty universe.

It's like a Willy Wonka Factory of weirdness, filled with gigantic dolls and puppets all addressing you in high-pitched Japanese.

On the Road Again: How to Reach Tokyo-Narita

JetSetCD — 2009-05-20T09:21:57-05:00

Your flight has landed, you've claimed your luggage and now you're trying to get the hell out of the airport. To erase confusion and get your on your way, all week long at Jaunted we will be detailing the various ways to get to and from major airports, and what those modes cost, from cheapest to the big blowout entrance. Got any tips or an airport suggestion? Let us know.

Tokyo's Narita is a tricky airport in terms of airport transportation; there is no one single uber-fast way, and yet the 38-mile commute to the airport can cost an arm and a leg if you don't know what you're doing. Our best advice? Avoid taxis and town cars at all costs; read below to see why.

· Keisei Railway: When in doubt as to the cheapest mode of airport transportation, just follow the locals, and chances are they'll be hopping aboard a Keisei Limited Express, which is a normal commuter train making stops along the route from Narita into town. For a bit of an upgrade and a chance at a reserved seat, the Keisei railway also runs the slightly more expensive Skyliner to Keisei Ueno station.
Total cost: 1000 on the Limited to 2000 on the Skyliner ($10 to $20) per person, each way
Total time: 75 minutes, 60 minutes

Where to Tipple in Tokyo: The Asahi Beer Hall

JetSetCD — 2009-03-26T14:16:45-05:00

Twenty years old and still partying like any good Philippe Starck structure should, Tokyo's Asahi Beer Hall is known as more than just a hot piece of architectural history on the banks of the Sumida River, but also for being a damned good place to eat and imbibe. So long as you can down Asahi with the best of the office workers, some of whom wander over from the Asahi headquarters next door, then you'll feel right at home.

Outside of the beer hall, the striking modern lines of the Starck design remain an attraction, made all the more interesting by "La Fiamma," the flame, perched atop the roof like froth in a beer glass. Over the years, this gold swish, a trademark form of Starck which can be seen throughout his other works, has gained nicknames such as "the golden turd," while Asahi executives think of it as the burning soul of the company.

We tend to take a positive view of the architectural flair of it, as it truly stands out from the other grey and black office buildings that dominate Tokyo's skyline. Next time you take a drinking tour of Japan, be sure to send us a postcard; we appreciate a hearty foreign bonding experience over booze just as much as the next salaryman.

Related Stories:
· Asahi Super Dry Hall [GlassandSteelandStone]
· Japan's New Asahi Betters With Age [Jaunted]
· Architecture Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: naoyafujii]

Narita International Airport Is In The Future

egw — 2009-03-20T10:21:23-05:00

You don't have to have any geek cred to know about Japan's advances in technology. It's popularly believed that Japanese consumers get new tech three to five years before we do, making a trip to Tokyo to ogle cell phones feel like a preview of the 2012 Research in Motion CES booth -- only with killer fashions.

Narita International Airport probably doesn't have robots that will carry your luggage or mind-reading software in its cafes. But we think it's pretty forward that Terminal 2 has free wireless access. (Terminals 1 and 3 have Boingo access, which according to our metaphor means they are stuck here in the present with us.)

Hey, if you're reading this in the future, will you write to us and reassure us that more airports will follow Narita's lead?

Related Stories:
· Don't Fear Your Narita Layover [Jaunted]
· Catch the Northern Lights (Without Going North) [Jaunted]
· Airport WiFi Map [Jaunted]