I love credit cards so much! v7.0 - 2025 (see first page for add'l details)

[afan]

For those of you who have visited Japan, could you please tell me how you found places to eat while there. Did you make reservations ahead of time for some restaurants? Anything you'd recommend? Looking for Gion area in Kyoto and places in Tokyo not too far from the Toranoman Hills area although I'm open to branching out, too.

It's the one thing I'd do differently. I would find places I wanted to eat in all the areas I would be so that when I got hungry I didn't have to search out for somewhere to eat. Lots of places you had to wait and they had small menus.

I also would have started eating out of conbinis during the day for snacks etc at the start of the trip instead of halfway through. I'd get hungry and be ready to eat and have a hard time finding a place to eat that didn't have a long line or that had something I'd eat. Lunch was always my issue, I did better with dinner but was also generally not as hungry. It was just poor planning but also didn't think it would be as hard as it was.

 

[calypso726]

For those of you who have visited Japan, could you please tell me how you found places to eat while there. Did you make reservations ahead of time for some restaurants? Anything you'd recommend? Looking for Gion area in Kyoto and places in Tokyo not too far from the Toranoman Hills area although I'm open to branching out, too.

We mostly ate at the 7-11 based on recommendations from all over the interwebs. Their 7-11 is nothing like our convenient harbingers of pestilence, displaying arrays of dubious sustenance. No, theirs are pristine bastions of amazing food options that are a feast for the taste buds!

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

For those of you who have visited Japan, could you please tell me how you found places to eat while there. Did you make reservations ahead of time for some restaurants? Anything you'd recommend? Looking for Gion area in Kyoto and places in Tokyo not too far from the Toranoman Hills area although I'm open to branching out, too.

We grabbed snacks and small bites at 7-11 a lot. The egg salad sandwiches, strawberry sandwiches, and onigiri were excellent and staples during our trip, lol. When we were ready to eat a real meal, we'd search on google maps for something close by. We made no reservations.

 

[Judique]

We mostly ate at the 7-11 based on recommendations from all over the interwebs. Their 7-11 is nothing like our convenient harbingers of pestilence, displaying arrays of dubious sustenance. No, theirs are pristine bastions of amazing food options that are a feast for the taste buds!

I'm sure this is great advice as it comes from your unmatched travel experiences, but I had to chuckle at the apt description of our 7-11's!

I used to drink the coffee and often had a donut or piece of wrapped cheese from the cool fridge but nothing else other than refrigerated drinks. Here the donuts used to come from a well-regarded spot and were put out fresh and maybe clean very early morning (witnessed by me) but I haven't had one in years (retirement almost 8 years ago) so don't know what they serve now.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

For those of you who have visited Japan, could you please tell me how you found places to eat while there. Did you make reservations ahead of time for some restaurants? Anything you'd recommend? Looking for Gion area in Kyoto and places in Tokyo not too far from the Toranoman Hills area although I'm open to branching out, too.

I'd recommend e-mailing the concierge at your hotel and asking for dinner recommendations based on your diet and budget. They should be able to provide several recommendations which you can research online, then e-mail them back and ask them to make reservations on your behalf. Something to be aware of: some of the nicer restaurants require a credit card deposit to guarantee your place.

I definitely recommend trying an izakaya (my fav is Fukumimi in Ginza, which you need a reservation for unless you don't mind waiting 1-2 hours); Gonpachi is good -- was there in 2019 and really enjoyed it. I also love Keitei (in Ginza) which has amazing tonkatsu. Lunch was usually on the go wherever we happened to be. It's Donut is hugely popular in Tokyo and it's quite good -- there is a location just outside the subway station across the street from Meiji shrine. Ramen Street in Tokyo Station -- Rokinshura is the best and will always have a line, totally worth the wait. Also in Tokyo Station try the Calbee freshly made chips (line up at a vending machine to place your order). Tokyo Foodie Sarah has a YouTube channel with excellent recommendations. Tokyo is packed with excellent restaurants -- I HIGHLY recommend reservations for dinner, otherwise you'll encounter lines for the good restaurants. The concierge at your hotel is your friend!

 

[wanderlust7]

For those of you who have visited Japan, could you please tell me how you found places to eat while there. Did you make reservations ahead of time for some restaurants? Anything you'd recommend? Looking for Gion area in Kyoto and places in Tokyo not too far from the Toranoman Hills area although I'm open to branching out, too.

When we were at the Roku Kyoto, I made reservations because that was the focus of our time there. Also made reservations in Arashiyama because things close early. But usually we don't make reservations because I don't know where we'll be when we get hungry. If it's something I really want to go to and is popular, then I'd make a reservation and work around it (like Pokemon Cafe).

As I'm researching, if I see something good, I'll save it in Google maps. Sometimes if helps. Other times, we just look around. But so much FOMO! We'll pick something, eat, then see something else that looks good too. I think it helps to remember some names of chains you might be interested in. We stumbled upon Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu in Odaiba, that was really good!

I'll often pin things near our hotel, but we usually don't end up eating nearby because we make it back after dinner and crash. We passed by Toranomon Yokocho in the building next to the Andaz Tokyo on the day we were leaving. There's a lot of choices there. Too bad it only opened as we were leaving because we were there over New Year's.

 

[reliev]

Im not a marriot fan but Marriot is having a 15% off sale for e gift cards, im not sure the cap but if this was hyatt I would jump on it hard to beat a 15% rebate. I think it's limited to people holding the card I dont have one anymore.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Im not a marriot fan but Marriot is having a 15% off sale for e gift cards, im not sure the cap but if this was hyatt I would jump on it hard to beat a 15% rebate. I think it's limited to people holding the card I dont have one anymore.

Unfortunately it's limited to people who got an email with a personalized one-time code. None of my crew got one and between us we have all flavors of the Marriott cards.

It's like Marriott knows they're gonna get our business anyway...

 

[havaneselover]

I'm thinking about asking my mom to go on a Princess cruise with me in September to New England/Canada. She's seemed really down lately (and I'm not much better). Her birthday is in September and she'll probably be needing to get out of SW FL (friends are all up North and it's hurricane season). She prefers Celebrity (Aqua Class) but their itinerary is too long since my dd and I are going on a Norwegian Fjords Disney Cruise in August (first real vacation in over three years). So here's my dilemna--I am waiting on a refund of > 300K Chase URs which should be back to me in the next three weeks. I probably want to book a Reserve Mini Suite (closest to Aqua Class). My other option would be a deluxe balcony with Princess Premier (main dining room isn't her thing lol). Anyway, there aren't many cabins available (and no Reserve Mini Suites on the cruise I really want over her birthday). I can book now for $2 with a second deposit due in 30 days. Should I book and cancel the room as soon as my points hit and rebook with Chase? I haven't mentioned any of this to my mom because I was trying to sort through the logistics before I asked.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Unfortunately it's limited to people who got an email with a personalized one-time code. None of my crew got one and between us we have all flavors of the Marriott cards.

It's like Marriott knows they're gonna get our business anyway...

Follow up on this- just got a push notification on the app to opt into email communications. Sure enough I was not opted into email communications [facepalm]

App>Settings>Communications

 

[hsmamato2]

So I am planning on a smallish trip soon- I can either get a one way on AA for 5,500 miles at a time that's awful (super early) or I can book thru chase portal for a great time for approx 11,100 UR. wwyd? I have plenty of both types of points....its so strange,on the portal all the flights are one price, on AA the 'good' times are much pricier! (also total side note but could potentially add one night,getting in late the first night but then I'd need another 15k Hyatt points to do that,which might negate any other savings)

 

[afan]

So I am planning on a smallish trip soon- I can either get a one way on AA for 5,500 miles at a time that's awful (super early) or I can book thru chase portal for a great time for approx 11,100 UR. wwyd? I have plenty of both types of points....its so strange,on the portal all the flights are one price, on AA the 'good' times are much pricier! (also total side note but could potentially add one night,getting in late the first night but then I'd need another 15k Hyatt points to do that,which might negate any other savings)

I tend to go with time over price but will adapt to a close enough time if it's enough savings. I rarely book the cheapest option unless that's the time that works for me.

The better times probably had the cheaper price but got booked up.

 

[hsmamato2]

I tend to go with time over price but will adapt to a close enough time if it's enough savings. I rarely book the cheapest option unless that's the time that works for me.

The better times probably had the cheaper price but got booked up.

so it seems logical to pick a better time,and use the UR in this case? (or further, the AA pts are 12k vs. 11,300 UR) I'm going on the logic one is easier to earn more (?)

 

[afan]

so it seems logical to pick a better time,and use the UR in this case? (or further, the AA pts are 12k vs. 11,300 UR) I'm going on the logic one is easier to earn more (?)

I can't say it's logical or not because everyone's logic on what they pick would be different. If you don't want to get up to fly early and you are OK with the price of the flight with the time you want to go then that's what you pick.

Why are you questioning it? If you have the points to use either and you know the downside and upside of booking direct vs through the portal then it's whichever makes the most sense to you.

I don't book airfare via the portal so my logic isn't going to be the same as yours because the portal was never going to be an option for me.

 

[hsmamato2]

I can't say it's logical or not because everyone's logic on what they pick would be different. If you don't want to get up to fly early and you are OK with the price of the flight with the time you want to go then that's what you pick.

Why are you questioning it? If you have the points to use either and you know the downside and upside of booking direct vs through the portal then it's whichever makes the most sense to you.

I don't book airfare via the portal so my logic isn't going to be the same as yours because the portal was never going to be an option for me.

Good points thanks

 

[AndreaDM]

I'm not a fan of going into the branch, but you should be able to set up a phone call with a banker at the branch -- would you be able to do that? I did that once when an offer was only available at the branch and it was fine.

For anyone still following this saga, I actually did go into a branch today and was finally approved for the Ink Cash card! It took almost a month after applying, multiple phone calls, uploading documents and 45 minutes at the bank to get this done. NOW, I can even remember exactly what the SUB offer was! Is there any way to see this? I plan to pay a medical bill, but also wondering how I can squeeze the 5x out of that? Buy a ton of Visa gift cards?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

so it seems logical to pick a better time,and use the UR in this case? (or further, the AA pts are 12k vs. 11,300 UR) I'm going on the logic one is easier to earn more (?)

if the choice is 12k AA points or 11,300 URs …I’d book directly with AA and use the AA points

 

[hsmamato2]

if the choice is 12k AA points or 11,300 URs …I’d book directly with AA and use the AA points

It seems so strange that cash price for both flights I'm eyeing is $143- but one is 5.5k AA the other is 12k. How is that possible?

 

[palhockeymomof2]

It seems so strange that cash price for both flights I'm eyeing is $143- but one is 5.5k AA the other is 12k. How is that possible?

I know absolutely nothing about AA, but since SW just changed to the different points pricing I have noticed big differences in the cash vs points ratio on different flights…range from 1.2 to 1.8

 

[calypso726]

So I am planning on a smallish trip soon- I can either get a one way on AA for 5,500 miles at a time that's awful (super early) or I can book thru chase portal for a great time for approx 11,100 UR. wwyd? I have plenty of both types of points....its so strange,on the portal all the flights are one price, on AA the 'good' times are much pricier! (also total side note but could potentially add one night,getting in late the first night but then I'd need another 15k Hyatt points to do that,which might negate any other savings)

so it seems logical to pick a better time,and use the UR in this case? (or further, the AA pts are 12k vs. 11,300 UR) I'm going on the logic one is easier to earn more (?)

If flush with points in both currencies, I would choose the AA miles. First, I value the UR points more than the AA miles. Secondly, I am wary of booking flights through the UR portal. If the airline delays, changes or cancels the flight they won't do anything for you directly. You need to contact Chase to get things sorted.

A friend booked a fully refundable flight through the UR portal and the airline canceled the flight. The airline would not assist her in any way to rebook the flight and Chase was unhelpful and wouldn't refund the URs. The airline kept blaming Chase and Chase blamed the airline. It took numerous phone calls, emails, screenshots over several weeks before Chase refunded her the UR points. I'd sooner avoid that mess.