Board 8 > Tom and I are planning a Japan trip next year - suggestions?

(+) Yeah! (+)

If all goes well on the savings front, Tom and I will be travelling to Japan next summer for a couple weeks. We'll definitely hit up Tokyo: Akihabara at least, possibly Ikebukuro. I really want to spend some time with a friend in Osaka and travel south to Ikitsuki Island as a Samurai Champloo pilgrimage. We're both currently learning Japanese [I have hiragana/katakana and some kanji down, but I'm not NEARLY functional yet].

Any suggestions are welcome: destinations, restaurants, dishes, experiences, travel tips, scams, places to avoid, stuff that's overrated, etc.

Also: what country would you want to visit?
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Zao fox village because I need to live vicariously through someone
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Kyoto.

I wanna see sumo and puroresu and idols of some sort! I don't know how feasible that is though. Baseball was fun too, so I'd ideally like to hit that again. But mainly Akihabara. >_>
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If you're going to be using the rails a lot might be worth looking into the unlimited pass they offer tourists: http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp.html
Costs a decent chunk up front (~$250 USD for a week) and you have to get it in advance, but being able to hop on a train and not worry about spending a few hundred yen each time is pretty nice. Really lets you explore without having to worry about the cost.

Beer gardens are a great place to meet a lot of drunk and fun people if you're into that. There is one on the roof of the building that the Kyoto Tower is on that's open in the summer; has a great view and is right across the street from the main Kyoto station so easy to get to. (Also if you like interesting architecture you'll want to visit the Kyoto station, probably one of my favorite buildings in the world.)

Most of the other stuff I know is limited to Nagasaki city, so if you're going to be there and want some bar/restaurant recommendations let me know! I don't remember the names of most of the places anymore so I'll have to do some Google maps exploring.

And convenience store food is amazing for the price if you want to grab something quick to eat.


And for country I want to visit... now I just really want to go back to Japan.
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Bane_Of_Despair posted...

Zao fox village because I need to live vicariously through someone

I don't think we're planning on going quite that far north, but I won't rule it out. I know Tom wants to go to the cat island, the cat cafe, the owl cafe, etc. LET'S VISIT ANIMALS IN OTHER COUNTRIES
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Regaro posted...

Kyoto.

Ainoxi posted...

There is one on the roof of the building that the Kyoto Tower is on that's open in the summer; has a great view and is right across the street from the main Kyoto station so easy to get to. (Also if you like interesting architecture you'll want to visit the Kyoto station, probably one of my favorite buildings in the world.)

Yeah, I've definitely read a ton of recs online that Kyoto is incredible. I'm excited to visit Kyoto station.

Ainoxi posted...

Most of the other stuff I know is limited to Nagasaki city, so if you're going to be there and want some bar/restaurant recommendations let me know! I don't remember the names of most of the places anymore so I'll have to do some Google maps exploring.

I do want to visit near Nagasaki and Hiroshima, restaurant recs are always welcome if you have a minute to revisit them via Maps.
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maybe @ vlado about this, I remember he made a topic about his japan vacation. I think someone else also lives there atm but cannot think of who.

Unknown_voter posted...

maybe @ vlado about this, I remember he made a topic about his japan vacation. I think someone else also lives there atm but cannot think of who.

Thanks! If it comes to you, let me know.
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I think @GuessMyUserName goes there sometimes as well as @Vlado and @NioraptH (who will probably just tell you to find go shiina but >_>)
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Llarian posted...

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

Zao fox village because I need to live vicariously through someone

I don't think we're planning on going quite that far north, but I won't rule it out. I know Tom wants to go to the cat island, the cat cafe, the owl cafe, etc. LET'S VISIT ANIMALS IN OTHER COUNTRIES

also meido and butlers and stuff

and those little internet cafes

basically I just want to go to all the cafes, with occasional breaks for nicer food
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I wouldn't stress the language factor too much if that worries you. I had a year under my belt and while it did help me, the biggest things it helped with were: 1) reading menus in restaurants and 2) showing the people I met that I didn't expect them to know English for my sake (before they usually just talked to me in English anyway). If you end up in more remote areas it might be way more useful though.

Frankly I thought Akihabara was kind of a waste of time but don't let me dissuade you there, my opinion isn't common. I guess the real advice I'd pass along is to be willing to change plans if you're not having fun somewhere; public transportation is so fast, cheap, and easy in Japan that you really can just cut your losses and say "hey let's just go to a different place right now."
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I've got a coworker that spent a week in Tokyo and he said that the younger (high school to mid 20s) crowd generally liked speaking English with foreigners and he was approached multiple times by people just wanting to strike up conversation to practice the language.

Obviously anecdotal and I can't back it up, but just another "don't stress the language too hard" suggestion, especially if you're in the big city. Though it'll obviously be helpful if you have at least some basics

Tom Bombadil posted...

I wanna see sumo and puroresu and idols of some sort! I don't know how feasible that is though. Baseball was fun too, so I'd ideally like to hit that again. But mainly Akihabara. >_>

Go to Dominion <_<
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Tom Bombadil posted...

I wanna see sumo

When are you planning to go? Sumo tournaments are every other month

January, May, and September in Tokyo
March in Osaka
July in Nagoya
November in Kyushu

They last about two weeks, usually in the middle-ish. Tickets are pretty easy to get, either buy online or at the arena.

Anyway, if you like Akihabara and are planning to go to Osaka you should check out Nippombashi. It's sometimes called the Akihabara of the West
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I don't think we've gotten more specific than "summer" so I guess July would be the applicable one.
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Oh cool! I should be living in Nagoya at that time, so I can guide you if you want
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I've never been to Japan but I realllyyyyyyy want to go, so these are two of my favorite channels about visiting there, might have some lesser known ideas for you

https://www.youtube.com/user/cmbroad44
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqwxJts-6yF33rupyF_DCsA
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Kenri posted...

I wouldn't stress the language factor too much if that worries you. I had a year under my belt and while it did help me, the biggest things it helped with were: 1) reading menus in restaurants and 2) showing the people I met that I didn't expect them to know English for my sake (before they usually just talked to me in English anyway). If you end up in more remote areas it might be way more useful though.

Thanks! If I keep studying, I should also have a year under my belt and at least know the essentials/things I'm interested in. Tom's experience in Japan was of each person trying to speak the other's language with humorous results.

Kenri posted...

I guess the real advice I'd pass along is to be willing to change plans if you're not having fun somewhere; public transportation is so fast, cheap, and easy in Japan that you really can just cut your losses and say "hey let's just go to a different place right now."

Yeah, I'm pretty flexible, especially since I don't have many expectations - I'm just looking forward to having a fish-out-of-water experience.

MZero11 posted...

Oh cool! I should be living in Nagoya at that time, so I can guide you if you want

Sounds good! Especially if we're in Kyoto/Osaka like we're planning, we'll be close by.
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Kyoto/Nara was my favorite place there ,bar none.
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foolm0r0n posted...

I've never been to Japan but I realllyyyyyyy want to go, so these are two of my favorite channels about visiting there, might have some lesser known ideas for you

https://www.youtube.com/user/cmbroad44
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqwxJts-6yF33rupyF_DCsA

Thanks for the links! I've been watching a lot of cmbroad44 lately. These have been my favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TexaninTokyo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcIsxujzLRO5qY5f9buahCQ [more for the recent interviews with native Japanese than to 'find my love in Japan', Tom can't be replaced]
https://www.youtube.com/user/YPlusShow
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Meido cafes
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Needless to say, you've made a great decision to visit Japan, it is an amazing, very inspiring country. There are countless reasons to go, and the ones I would most like highlight are nature and culture. Japanese nature is really beautiful, I recommend visiting national parks away from the cities, of which there are plenty, and many Japanese-style gardens. About culture, I don't really need to explain...

I see you've chosen Tokyo and Osaka as primary destinations. In Tokyo, aside from things you've mentioned, I would most recommend going to the Asakusa shrine (and the lively markets around) and the SEGA Joypolis in Odaiba. I also highly recommend the notably cheap Utahiroba karaoke (especially cheap during the day in weekdays). There are a number of those around Tokyo (and elsewhere in the country). Around Tokyo, I highly recommend visiting Nikko and Kamakura. Well, Nikko is some 100km away, but really worth it. It's a wonderful town in the mountains with amazing shrines and temples in a forested area. Additionally, Ieyasu Tokugawa's grave is there, if I remember correctly. Kamakura has that gigantic Buddha statue, also several other beautiful temples, mountain hike trails, and even beaches!

In Osaka, I highly recommend Shinsekai. Very interesting neighbourhood. Also, Temma! The shrine is cool, but what's best is the countless second hand book shops in the arcades around it. I bought manga for dirt cheap there, there were many at 50 yen a piece (that's less than 50 US cents). Around Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe are obvious recommendations. Kyoto has rich history and straight roads, very hard to get lost. :) Golden Pavillion, 1000 torii gates place (Fushimi Inari), Kiyomizudera, Nijo castle, among many others. Rivers and bridges... Also, there's a great rolling sushi place called Sushi no Musashi. Oh, and Arashiyama on the outskirts of the city, with the beautiful bamboo forest! Nara is a former capital located in a ravine, with a really huge shrine, and lots of deer running around everywhere! They let you pet and feed them, and they'll likely try to snatch your ice cream if you get too close. Kobe I haven't spent much time in, but it's a big, youthful city with lots of neon lights. And of course Kobe beef, which is quite expensive, however, but worth a single try. Himeji is also relatively close, and has a beautiful castle, one of the best in Japan.

Let me know if you'll be able to travel also to other areas, so I can recommend other places.

Also, congrats on studying Japanese, it's a very interesting language! Keep at it and in 2-3 years you'll be surprised at the level of fluency you've reached. :)
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Only been to Tokyo, and my impression of it was that I'd probably enjoy other parts of Japan more. So I wouldn't spend too much time there if other stuff looks appealing to you.

However, there is an amazing cocktail bar in Shinjuku that I recommend checking out:

http://punchdrink.com/venues/ben-fiddich/

Also, I went to a maid cafe and it was honestly pretty awful and a waste of time. The cat cafe I went to was okay but was something like $7/10 min. From what I saw, the theme cafes are pretty pricey and not very good in terms of food/drink.
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NioraptH posted...

Go to Narai, not to be confused with Nara.

Out of the 8 times I've been to Japan, Narai is my favourite place of all.

Warning - intermediate level Japanese required

http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/narai-guide

The area around the Fox Village, Shiroishi, is pretty great as well... but... yeah, as it is pretty remote, intermediate level Japanese required.

This looks fascinating! Thanks for the rec, I'll be doing my best to level up my Japanese in the meantime.
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Vlado posted...

Needless to say, you've made a great decision to visit Japan, it is an amazing, very inspiring country. There are countless reasons to go, and the ones I would most like highlight are nature and culture. Japanese nature is really beautiful, I recommend visiting national parks away from the cities, of which there are plenty, and many Japanese-style gardens. About culture, I don't really need to explain...

I see you've chosen Tokyo and Osaka as primary destinations. In Tokyo, aside from things you've mentioned, I would most recommend going to the Asakusa shrine (and the lively markets around) and the SEGA Joypolis in Odaiba. I also highly recommend the notably cheap Utahiroba karaoke (especially cheap during the day in weekdays). There are a number of those around Tokyo (and elsewhere in the country). Around Tokyo, I highly recommend visiting Nikko and Kamakura. Well, Nikko is some 100km away, but really worth it. It's a wonderful town in the mountains with amazing shrines and temples in a forested area. Additionally, Ieyasu Tokugawa's grave is there, if I remember correctly. Kamakura has that gigantic Buddha statue, also several other beautiful temples, mountain hike trails, and even beaches!

In Osaka, I highly recommend Shinsekai. Very interesting neighbourhood. Also, Temma! The shrine is cool, but what's best is the countless second hand book shops in the arcades around it. I bought manga for dirt cheap there, there were many at 50 yen a piece (that's less than 50 US cents). Around Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe are obvious recommendations. Kyoto has rich history and straight roads, very hard to get lost. :) Golden Pavillion, 1000 torii gates place (Fushimi Inari), Kiyomizudera, Nijo castle, among many others. Rivers and bridges... Also, there's a great rolling sushi place called Sushi no Musashi. Oh, and Arashiyama on the outskirts of the city, with the beautiful bamboo forest! Nara is a former capital located in a ravine, with a really huge shrine, and lots of deer running around everywhere! They let you pet and feed them, and they'll likely try to snatch your ice cream if you get too close. Kobe I haven't spent much time in, but it's a big, youthful city with lots of neon lights. And of course Kobe beef, which is quite expensive, however, but worth a single try. Himeji is also relatively close, and has a beautiful castle, one of the best in Japan.

Let me know if you'll be able to travel also to other areas, so I can recommend other places.

Also, congrats on studying Japanese, it's a very interesting language! Keep at it and in 2-3 years you'll be surprised at the level of fluency you've reached. :)

Thanks very much for the intensive guide and helpful suggestions. I like traveling off the beaten path to some degree. This gives us some idea of how to explore.

If we can get the time off, I'd prefer to spend two weeks at a crack and go to 3-4 primary destinations [Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto] and take them each in for a few days without feeling rushed. Thanks again! We'll have a better idea of where we are specifically planning to go when we get closer to the time of our trip.
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Llarian posted...

Tom's experience in Japan was of each person trying to speak the other's language with humorous results.

Yeah this happened to me a lot too haha. When I was there it was with a friend who speaks Spanish fluently (but no Japanese), so there was even a third language in the mix cuz we sometimes ran into people who spoke Japanese and some Spanish but no English!
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