[Greenaaron]

cancer81 wrote:

@Greenaaron

regarding Nikko, it would be really better to stay there for at least 1 night. Just going to Kegon no taki and taking in Irohazaka's winding road sight along the way is going to take up to half a day. It takes roughly an hour to get there alone by bus. Sight seeing at the waterfall, lake chuzenji will take up a good amount of time.

.____. I sooooo need to go there again.... I only managed to cover so little over there

Already booked my accom at Utsunomiya already, just gotta take train over to nikko lo.. spending 2 nights there. hopefully will be enough

[evilerniex]

Illusionist_85 wrote:

Anywhere to buy cheaper fruits? One apple cost abt 300 yen

Need to jiak some fruits or veggies for the vitamins

supermarkets?

i usually just drink vitamin drinks and fruit juice for the vitamin coz fruits there really too ex

[twosix]

stars87 wrote:

Having lived there and read all the nonsense
On the "winter gear thread" with a chuckle.

No. Not necessary.

My criteria to assess is really simple:

- what's your threshold for coldness ?

- how long will u be spending outdoors ? Most people don't even spend 1.5 hours outdoor continuously in the snow

- what kit do you currently have ?

- do you know how to layer ?

- what are your key considerations ? Style, warmth, comfort, freedom of movement/less bulk.


This coat is good for those who
(1) don't want the hassle of layer. Coat on, coat off.
(2) intend to spend a lot of time outdoors
(3) also intend to spend a lot of time in warm heated places.

Sapporo is always really warm indoors. There's a saying amongst dosanko (道産子, those born of Hokkaido), they fear the cold the most.

My gear now is those uniqlo $99 jacket for taiwan use. If use layering, will be good enough? besides sapporo, I'll be in tokyo after sapporo. tokyo will have a lot of streets walking. The $99 jacket with sweater good enough? Thanks.

[eq2addict]

cpuer wrote:

i usually bring along one of this

And a local to UK adapter.

For longer term, this can be a good investment:

https://youtu.be/F88h2lBjgFo?t=4m1s

About $45 at qoo10

this thing will convert electricity ? japanese electricity to UK / sg voltage/current?

i just need to plug in 2 sockets , 1 for charging dslr camera , 1 for the thing that gives 6 usb slots ( for hp , tablets , mifi , portable batteries etc etc ) but the hotel room only has 1 socket.

[eq2addict]

BioProEng wrote:

anybody knows about this site? is it trust worthy? cause thought of getting the 7day pass... or better go to one of the shop in sg to buy the rail pass?

https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/

if really scared, i think ion orchard got sell ? i book the hiroshima kansai pass throught JR west website tho.

[hutkahn]

eq2addict wrote:

this thing will convert electricity ? japanese electricity to UK / sg voltage/current?

i just need to plug in 2 sockets , 1 for charging dslr camera , 1 for the thing that gives 6 usb slots ( for hp , tablets , mifi , portable batteries etc etc ) but the hotel room only has 1 socket.

That depends on your charger I think...this one only adapts the JP socket so you can plug in your charger.

If you have the flat 2-pin charger it works. Just make sure the voltage is rated 100-240V (JP is 100V, SG is 240V)

[saffronsatire]

BioProEng wrote:

anybody knows about this site? is it trust worthy? cause thought of getting the 7day pass... or better go to one of the shop in sg to buy the rail pass?

https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/

Yes but must buy 3 up then got free courier. Else not as worthwhile. Price good though.

[cpuer]

eq2addict wrote:

this thing will convert electricity ? japanese electricity to UK / sg voltage/current?

i just need to plug in 2 sockets , 1 for charging dslr camera , 1 for the thing that gives 6 usb slots ( for hp , tablets , mifi , portable batteries etc etc ) but the hotel room only has 1 socket.

Likely your DSLR can be charged via your usb charger too. Can test it out.

Anyway, what I meant is using a adapter like this at the wall end:

Then plug in the earlier UK/SG multi points. This will give you 3 or 4 "SG" outlets for your equipment.

[stars87]

twosix wrote:

My gear now is those uniqlo $99 jacket for taiwan use. If use layering, will be good enough? besides sapporo, I'll be in tokyo after sapporo. tokyo will have a lot of streets walking. The $99 jacket with sweater good enough? Thanks.

Good enough.

What's your resistance to cold ? Office 16/17 degree aircon feels just about OK for you ?

Best to get a windproof lining. My Thai friend had one of those 99$ uniqlo down, the coldness gets in from the seams between each layer of down.

A fleece liner/soft shell on the inside would suffice.

Tokyo no need la. 2-3 deg no problem after Hokkaido

[kifo]

stars87 wrote:

Good enough.

What's your resistance to cold ? Office 16/17 degree aircon feels just about OK for you ?

Best to get a windproof lining. My Thai friend had one of those 99$ uniqlo down, the coldness gets in from the seams between each layer of down.

A fleece liner/soft shell on the inside would suffice.

Tokyo no need la. 2-3 deg no problem after Hokkaido

Uniqlo is selling the new seamless down jacket this time round. Looks perfect for the Hokkaido winter!

[stars87]

Long long ago in a different world where there was a John little at specialist centre, I worked at the winterwear department for my summer job.

Down is a wonderful material. Basically, its the little feathers of ducks that traps heat in the layer of air in between them

Down works wonders as it is both light, and has tremendous insulating power.

But not all down is good down. Down is basically a weight/insulation performance tradeoff.

See those big bulky down jacket right ? May cost over 229.90 but the inside is filled with cheaper 400 grade down. 400 down is coarse and heavy. If you are a guy with a big frame like me, no problem with another 1-2kg of weight. (My down jacket is about 2kg+)

800 down is the high grade down. Lighter yet with the most insulation power, it allows manufacturers to make thin, slimline down jacket.

Here's the problem: not all manufacturers tell the truth about down. While we aren't avid mountaineers about to go to Patagonia or living in the cold windy streets of Chicago or the bone chilling roads of Alaska, it matters because if you don't know what you're buying, you don't know what are you paying for.

Afaik, uniqlo doesn't disclose what type of down used. It is a good little piece of kit. Light, compact, foldable. Probably warm enough for 80% of whatever we are doing. But for $99 "sale" price, I think u can easily buy north face from the US at that price point.

Just need to search for it. I find gear reviews very useful. Don't buy on price or claims of down. Read, find the technical specs, see if got user reviews.

That being said and done, I do think the uniqlo down is a pretty decent down jacket. I just don't think it is value for money.

[w3nGaL]

May I ask...does hair dryer sold in japan works in Singapore? I wanna get this very popular hair dryer from Panasonic bit not sure if it can work.

Panasonic hair dryer EH-CNA97

[cpuer]

w3nGaL wrote:

May I ask...does hair dryer sold in japan works in Singapore? I wanna get this very popular hair dryer from Panasonic bit not sure if it can work.

Panasonic hair dryer EH-CNA97

This one?
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-nano.../dp/B0118SWZ4G

Singapore voltage is in 230V, the hair dryer runs on 100V
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_...ity_by_country

[s7460597]

w3nGaL wrote:

May I ask...does hair dryer sold in japan works in Singapore? I wanna get this very popular hair dryer from Panasonic bit not sure if it can work.

Panasonic hair dryer EH-CNA97

Found this in qoo10. Have to use a transformer. Better to get an international model.

http://list.qoo10.sg/item/PANASONIC-PANASONIC-HAIR-DRYER-NANO-CARE/421939594

[kifo]

stars87 wrote:

Long long ago in a different world where there was a John little at specialist centre, I worked at the winterwear department for my summer job.

Down is a wonderful material. Basically, its the little feathers of ducks that traps heat in the layer of air in between them

Down works wonders as it is both light, and has tremendous insulating power.

But not all down is good down. Down is basically a weight/insulation performance tradeoff.

See those big bulky down jacket right ? May cost over 229.90 but the inside is filled with cheaper 400 grade down. 400 down is coarse and heavy. If you are a guy with a big frame like me, no problem with another 1-2kg of weight. (My down jacket is about 2kg+)

800 down is the high grade down. Lighter yet with the most insulation power, it allows manufacturers to make thin, slimline down jacket.

Here's the problem: not all manufacturers tell the truth about down. While we aren't avid mountaineers about to go to Patagonia or living in the cold windy streets of Chicago or the bone chilling roads of Alaska, it matters because if you don't know what you're buying, you don't know what are you paying for.

Afaik, uniqlo doesn't disclose what type of down used. It is a good little piece of kit. Light, compact, foldable. Probably warm enough for 80% of whatever we are doing. But for $99 "sale" price, I think u can easily buy north face from the US at that price point.

Just need to search for it. I find gear reviews very useful. Don't buy on price or claims of down. Read, find the technical specs, see if got user reviews.

That being said and done, I do think the uniqlo down is a pretty decent down jacket. I just don't think it is value for money.

I am not sure about Uniqlo SG, but on Uniqlo JP website, they do state that the down they use has 640 fillpower. For 7000 JPY, a light 640 fill jacket weighing less than 200g, with DWR coating and a aluminized coating on the inner is great value for money. Of course you can wait for sale in the summer when they are even greater value for money.

http://www.uniqlo.com/jp/store/featu...lightdown/men/

The cheapest down jacket for a bona fide outdoor apparel manufacturer here in Japan is 12,000 JPY (excl tax). This is a 800 fill 175g down jacket with DWR coating. For those who wants assured quality, I recommend going to a Montbell store in Japan to get your stuff. They are one of my favorite stores here. Their pricing is generally one of the most reasonable and lowest around. In Tokyo, you can find them in many places, including Ikebukuro, Shibuya and Shinjuku.

http://webshop.montbell.jp/goods/dis...uct_id=1101420