Japan - specific things to see and do?
Discussion
Right, im going to Japan in a couple of weeks, will have 6 or 7 full days there, and am currently planning what to do. All the other threads I've found on here have been useful but say "visit Tokyo, Osaka, Mt Fiji, Castle Himeji".....so apart from these 'sights' and locations what else should we specifically see, i.e. museums, tours, sights, shows, qwirky events etc etc?
(we will be flying into Tokyo, planning to spend a few days there and then the rest in Kyoto and/or Osaka).
cheers
ETA we're students travelling during 'reading' week while on exchange in Hong Kong, so no helicopter rides or Michelin starred restaurants please
(we will be flying into Tokyo, planning to spend a few days there and then the rest in Kyoto and/or Osaka).
cheers
ETA we're students travelling during 'reading' week while on exchange in Hong Kong, so no helicopter rides or Michelin starred restaurants please
Edited by pokethepope on Saturday 26th September 10:40
In your planning don't forget to take the cost of traved in to account - it can be seriously expensive: Hiroshima is over 100 quid one way on the Shinkansen.
Take a look at Japanican: http://www.japanican.com/tours/index.aspx as they are the best/cheapest way of getting a train ticket/hotel package.
What are you interested in? In Tokyo, these are the potted highlights:
Need to see Shibuya and Shinjuku for the neon and scenery. If you are in Tokyo over a weekend, then Harajuku in the park and the fashions walking by have to be seen.
Electronics stores at Akihabara are a bit of a giggle. Architecture and other wierdness at Odiaba - and the massive Toyota showroom over there is a good spend of a couple of hours.
Give me a clue about what floats your boat!
Take a look at Japanican: http://www.japanican.com/tours/index.aspx as they are the best/cheapest way of getting a train ticket/hotel package.
What are you interested in? In Tokyo, these are the potted highlights:
Need to see Shibuya and Shinjuku for the neon and scenery. If you are in Tokyo over a weekend, then Harajuku in the park and the fashions walking by have to be seen.
Electronics stores at Akihabara are a bit of a giggle. Architecture and other wierdness at Odiaba - and the massive Toyota showroom over there is a good spend of a couple of hours.
Give me a clue about what floats your boat!
Thanks for the pointers. We're open to everything and anything really. Standard tourist "must-see's", things tourists usually don't do/know about, quirky things etc etc. We'll be getting a guide book or two before we leave, which I guess will take care of the normal touristy things, so is there anything PH'ers can recommend in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto that we won't find in a guide book?
TBH 6 or 7 days over here is not enough to even scratch the surface. This place is seriously different to everywhere else in Asia. We are still doing new stuff most weekends and we have been here over a year now. Most of the truely weird stuff is documented on my blog: glenmh.livejournal.com but be advised that EVERY time I leave this flat I see stuff that makes me ask: "what?!" or "why?!"
Once you have done a bit of Kyoto and possibly some Hiroshima, that will leave you with 3-4 days in Tokyo. Get hold of the Lonely Planet and try to do the "top 10" in the front of it as their selection is very good for giving you an overview of life here. Then add some drinking in Golden Gai at either Shibuya or Shinjuku (all night) or a night in one of the little bars under the railway tracks at Ueno, or a full on karaoke session in Shinjuku, or sushi in an izakaya at 3 am, or a trip on to the roof of the Mori tower (nearly 60 floors up) for the view in the dark, or a trip to Nakameguro to see the "otaku" (nerds) in the manga and anime shops, or wandering through kabukicho to look at the host and hostess bars/fugu restaurants and "nightlife", or overnight in an internet cafe, or a few hours in a panchinko parlour, or cuddling a cat in a pet bar, or going to a maid bar, or, or, or..... Tokyo is such a vastly bigger city than London with so much more to do as it operates fully 24/7.
Just be aware that with beer at nearly 7 quid a pint, you won't be drinking a huge amount unless you are feeling minted
Once you have done a bit of Kyoto and possibly some Hiroshima, that will leave you with 3-4 days in Tokyo. Get hold of the Lonely Planet and try to do the "top 10" in the front of it as their selection is very good for giving you an overview of life here. Then add some drinking in Golden Gai at either Shibuya or Shinjuku (all night) or a night in one of the little bars under the railway tracks at Ueno, or a full on karaoke session in Shinjuku, or sushi in an izakaya at 3 am, or a trip on to the roof of the Mori tower (nearly 60 floors up) for the view in the dark, or a trip to Nakameguro to see the "otaku" (nerds) in the manga and anime shops, or wandering through kabukicho to look at the host and hostess bars/fugu restaurants and "nightlife", or overnight in an internet cafe, or a few hours in a panchinko parlour, or cuddling a cat in a pet bar, or going to a maid bar, or, or, or..... Tokyo is such a vastly bigger city than London with so much more to do as it operates fully 24/7.
Just be aware that with beer at nearly 7 quid a pint, you won't be drinking a huge amount unless you are feeling minted
Office_Monkey said:
Look into a railcard, will definitely save you a bit of dosh on travel.
It might - depending on how much travel you want to do. Also the railcard is not valid on the Tokyo Metro system - only the JR lines, and not the Nozomi shinkansen.I agree that if you are planning more than Tokyo - Hiroshima return then it will save you some dosh.
Specific thoughts from our trip in April:-
Kyoto:
- If budget permits, a posh meal in the Skytower restaurant - VERY good food (AA-rosette quality, probably 2-rosette fine-dining stuff) at a comparatively sensible price for Japan - £30-40 pp (no drinks) for the set-menus.
- If time permits, a short train ride to the Fushimi shrine - very cool way to spend a couple of hours, esp. late afternoon when everyone else has left.
- Nijo castle, just to try and beat the "nightingale floors"
Tokyo:
- Glen lives there, so take his advice.
- Wouldn't bother with a trip up the Gov't tower - view is just of a big city
- Tokyo seemed most interesting to us at night - I'd probably use it as a base for day-trips and then evenings out in there.
Elsewhere:
- You probably won't have time to do Miyajima, which is a shame.
- Nara most worth a visit out of the 'temple' towns.
- Himeji castle very impressive if you've time to stop-off there.
- As it's October, try very hard to find somewhere with a lot of woodland - I'm told the Autumn colours are absolutely stunning!
JR 7-day pass will be worthwhile if you're doing 3 cities or more trips. It is valid on a couple of the Tokyo lines, so careful planning will save money.
DO have some proper sushi/sashimi
DO see if you can overnight in a Ryokan, or at least visit some hot baths or an onsen
Kyoto:
- If budget permits, a posh meal in the Skytower restaurant - VERY good food (AA-rosette quality, probably 2-rosette fine-dining stuff) at a comparatively sensible price for Japan - £30-40 pp (no drinks) for the set-menus.
- If time permits, a short train ride to the Fushimi shrine - very cool way to spend a couple of hours, esp. late afternoon when everyone else has left.
- Nijo castle, just to try and beat the "nightingale floors"
Tokyo:
- Glen lives there, so take his advice.
- Wouldn't bother with a trip up the Gov't tower - view is just of a big city
- Tokyo seemed most interesting to us at night - I'd probably use it as a base for day-trips and then evenings out in there.
Elsewhere:
- You probably won't have time to do Miyajima, which is a shame.
- Nara most worth a visit out of the 'temple' towns.
- Himeji castle very impressive if you've time to stop-off there.
- As it's October, try very hard to find somewhere with a lot of woodland - I'm told the Autumn colours are absolutely stunning!
JR 7-day pass will be worthwhile if you're doing 3 cities or more trips. It is valid on a couple of the Tokyo lines, so careful planning will save money.
DO have some proper sushi/sashimi
DO see if you can overnight in a Ryokan, or at least visit some hot baths or an onsen
havoc said:
DO have some proper sushi/sashimi
DO see if you can overnight in a Ryokan, or at least visit some hot baths or an onsen
A good mate of mine stopped over in Tokyo en route home from Sydney. He always tells the stories of doing both of these. He wanted to know how they made sushi and the waiters didn't speak English so took him into the kitchen of the restaurant and left him helping to make his own dinner!DO see if you can overnight in a Ryokan, or at least visit some hot baths or an onsen
He also tells the story of being fairly drunk in a bath house and walking onto the 15th floor balcony (or something equally daft) in the middle of Tokyo stark b
k naked at around 2am singing at the top of his voice!Seriously though I'd love to visit Japan and friends have said it is truly a unique experience
I'm in Tokyo at the moment, in fact I'm posting from my iPhone in a coffee shop in the Mori tower! So I'll have to be brief...
I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
Neil_H said:
I'm in Tokyo at the moment, in fact I'm posting from my iPhone in a coffee shop in the Mori tower! So I'll have to be brief...
I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
wedding go OK?Neil_H said:
I'm in Tokyo at the moment, in fact I'm posting from my iPhone in a coffee shop in the Mori tower! So I'll have to be brief...
I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
I'm in tokoyo tomorrow, meeting with the brother-in-law who lives there. I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
Are you off to the GP?
No one has mentioned Tsukiji yet I don't think? Worth going, and you don't need a guide (although they can be useful first time round). I agree with whoever said here that Tokyo is best at night. In the day it is grey and just another city, at night it transforms.
Slightly O/T, I'm in tokyo for a few days at the end of this month, and one of my hotels has just fallen through. I'm looking for somewhere to stay in the Roppongi sort of area, not fancy, but not youth hostel either. Anyone got any recommendations? Can be further out if necessary too.
Slightly O/T, I'm in tokyo for a few days at the end of this month, and one of my hotels has just fallen through. I'm looking for somewhere to stay in the Roppongi sort of area, not fancy, but not youth hostel either. Anyone got any recommendations? Can be further out if necessary too.
Take a look at http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/index.html
There is one right next to Shinagawa station - which is on the Yamanote, so better than being in Roppongi, and is only Y1500 in a cab to get back after the trains have stopped at night
There is one right next to Shinagawa station - which is on the Yamanote, so better than being in Roppongi, and is only Y1500 in a cab to get back after the trains have stopped at night
GlenMH said:
Take a look at http://www.toyoko-inn.com/eng/index.html
There is one right next to Shinagawa station - which is on the Yamanote, so better than being in Roppongi, and is only Y1500 in a cab to get back after the trains have stopped at night
Great idea for Shinagawa, especially since I have to get the train to Osaka the next morning. Unfortunately there aren't any room the night i need to stay!There is one right next to Shinagawa station - which is on the Yamanote, so better than being in Roppongi, and is only Y1500 in a cab to get back after the trains have stopped at night
I did a rail holiday in Japan this time last year - it has been one of my favourite holidays and countries. The place is simply amazing, stunning and with lovely people. Before we went we bought a Japan Rail Pass. I can't now remember how much it cost, it was either AUD$400 or AUD$1000 (which at the time was £400) - I get confused because I am forever converting between these two currencies... Anyway, it gives you free rail (and i mean free!) travel on any Japan Railways service. We travelled around Tokyo on it and then from Tokyo to the very north of the country and back again in just under 3 weeks. The same holiday at normal prices would have been thousands of dollars.
We decided to only go north from Tokyo and I am glad we did, for two reasons. Few other Western people travel north, preferring to go to the more well known places to the west like Kyoto, which meant that we spent most time having to try out shaky Japanese to be understood as they speak less English the further north you get. We met some lovely people this way (hint: sake makes everyone understand even though you are speaking completely different languages! ). The other reason is that I enjoyed it so much that i want to go back, which means i have the whole west side of the country to go and see now, because we didn't attempt to squeeze the main sites of the west in the same holiday.
Have a great time!
We decided to only go north from Tokyo and I am glad we did, for two reasons. Few other Western people travel north, preferring to go to the more well known places to the west like Kyoto, which meant that we spent most time having to try out shaky Japanese to be understood as they speak less English the further north you get. We met some lovely people this way (hint: sake makes everyone understand even though you are speaking completely different languages!
). The other reason is that I enjoyed it so much that i want to go back, which means i have the whole west side of the country to go and see now, because we didn't attempt to squeeze the main sites of the west in the same holiday. Have a great time!
GlenMH said:
Neil_H said:
I'm in Tokyo at the moment, in fact I'm posting from my iPhone in a coffee shop in the Mori tower! So I'll have to be brief...
I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
wedding go OK? Yeah went really well thanks Glen! It was in a restaurant in Daikanyama, very cool place. Going to Osaka tomorrow so just in an internet cafe looking for a (cheap) hotel. Crap weather at the moment isn`t it!RE: the Japan Rail Pass, I got one before we left, it was 185 gbp from here, works out a lot cheaper if you plan to use the Shinkansen. Even just one or two trips will see you better off I think. You have to buy the exchange pass before you leave the UK.
hondafanatic said:
Neil_H said:
I'm in Tokyo at the moment, in fact I'm posting from my iPhone in a coffee shop in the Mori tower! So I'll have to be brief...
I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
I'm in tokoyo tomorrow, meeting with the brother-in-law who lives there. I would definitely check out Shibuya and Harajuku for the shops and unusual sights (and cute girls), Roppongi for a night out, Ginza for shopping and nice restaurants. Make sure you visit an izakaya they're so good and nothing like them in the UK. I'm lucky to have a Japanese guide, I would be difficult without her so you might want to invest in a phrase book if you don't have a Japanese speaker, otherwise you might not get the best out of the place.
Are you off to the GP?
Neil_H said:
Yeah went really well thanks Glen! It was in a restaurant in Daikanyama, very cool place. Going to Osaka tomorrow so just in an internet cafe looking for a (cheap) hotel. Crap weather at the moment isn`t it!RE: the Japan Rail Pass, I got one before we left, it was 185 gbp from here, works out a lot cheaper if you plan to use the Shinkansen. Even just one or two trips will see you better off I think. You have to buy the exchange pass before you leave the UK.
As for the weather - yes it is royally crap and even the locals don't understand it. It should have been wet all the way through August (it was wasn't) and it is wet now (and it shouldn't be)!
In a week I would stick to the greater Tokyo area and possibly Kyoto but no more than that.
Nikko for the history and atmosphere. Can be done in a day trip from Tokyo but better to spend the night.
Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo and is where locals go on their day out.
Izu Peninsula to explore where the Black Ships landed and set off the chain of events that led to modern Japan.
Within Tokyo, Senso-ji is a must, not only for the temple but the myriad of traditional arts and crafts shops surrounding. Akihabara Electric Town for the complete opposite experience - every kind of electronic gadget you could imagine, and others you couldn't.
Shinjuku and Shibuya at night, and a stroll along Takesta-dori and Omotesando never fail to inspire.
You can't really go wrong in Japan - there is so much to absorb even outside of the "sights". Just go wandering and drink it all in.
ETA: The Anglo-centric profanity filter does it again. "Takesh!ta-dori"
Nikko for the history and atmosphere. Can be done in a day trip from Tokyo but better to spend the night.
Kamakura is an easy day trip from Tokyo and is where locals go on their day out.
Izu Peninsula to explore where the Black Ships landed and set off the chain of events that led to modern Japan.
Within Tokyo, Senso-ji is a must, not only for the temple but the myriad of traditional arts and crafts shops surrounding. Akihabara Electric Town for the complete opposite experience - every kind of electronic gadget you could imagine, and others you couldn't.
Shinjuku and Shibuya at night, and a stroll along Takes
ta-dori and Omotesando never fail to inspire.You can't really go wrong in Japan - there is so much to absorb even outside of the "sights". Just go wandering and drink it all in.
ETA: The Anglo-centric profanity filter does it again. "Takesh!ta-dori"
Edited by plenty on Friday 9th October 16:17
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