everybody wants to go to japan
 

best places to visit please? If you've been...

I'd like to visit kyoto, tokyo, ride the shinkansen, dr Nakamatsu's house (but i dont know where it is ) see some maiko, have lots and lots of awesome food, and hang out a lot in yoyogi park.. but I'm not really sure what else. I'm unsure whether sanrio puroland is too lame for me. I think I might actually explode from cute over dose in the good way, and I'd probably like to get my photo taken with mymelody. Cherry blossom season has just been and gone so that's a no go.. but I'm sure there is lots of summer fun to be had.



more suggestions?

My plan is to start in Fukuoka (south), then move northwards through Hiroshima, Osaka & Nara (must see!), and Nagoya to Tokyo.

Where are we going to meet? Suggest a place.

Are you flying (around japan) or shikansen? I really really don't know if I will get there in time to meet you! But, if I do so, I choose Osaka or Tokyo though! Lots of awesome things to do and see..

http://www.artpark.or.jp/english/

sapporo would be nice too...

i'll travel by train within Japan.
I hope you'll show up. if you don't, never mind :)

my father-in-law has been in Japan now about 3 years and will be for another two. He's in Yokosuka. Every time he comes and visits, all of his stuff smells all "Japan'y".. and my house smells Japany... and he always sends stuff and it smells Japany too for a little while.

He has a pretty good view of Mt. Fuji from his house. Not like your pic, but nice too.

I've never been to Japan.... I lived on Guam (close to Japan) for years and spent a lot of time with Japanese and really got to experience their culture. Great people, probably my favorite culture, especially of all Asians. I think Japan would be a great trip but the language barrier is really hard core. I used to be able to speak enough Japanese to get along because I had to for my work, and even started to learn to read it... but I've forgotten about 99% of it. Both me and my wife used to speak it and now don't remember shit. you have to always be using it.

I know what it smells like though ;)

I'm actually only semi scared of the language barrier. One of my friends speaks fluently, only probably wont be back in the country before I visit. My sister used to study it. I think I'd be able to do basics when speaking, just not read very well. cue-> digital translator.

Exactly!

Ahh, the memories.
Be sure to check:
http://www.japanimprov.com/index.html
and of course
http://www.tokyogigguide.com/

Record Stores:
http://www.psfmm.com/
http://www.warszawa.jp/
But there are also lots of cool small ones, you'll discover walking around.
Tower Records (i thing the biggest record store in Tokyo) could be interesting too, but i haven't been there.

Koenji is a fucking cool area: lots of bars and shops, second hand shops, etc.

Yoyogi Park and Harajuku for total weirdness. Lots of boutiques and and thousands of japanese hipsters.

I loved walking around the red light district at night.

Shinjuku, Shibuya and Akihabara, all amazing places.


In Kyoto Kiyomizudera is a must see. Beautiful Temples with view all over Kyoto.

Osaka is pretty cool too, especially around Namba area.

Nara is very nice, lots of deer and temples.


If you're going by train I'd check out the Japan Rail Pass, i think they are available for 1 and 2 weeks or so. You can't go with the superfast Shinkansen 3000 (or whatever it was called) but all the other JRail Shinkanses are included.

The fairy to Pusan (South Korea) is pretty cheap if you take the slow one (over night), so if you have enough time this could be interesting aswell.


Hey Slavo, hope you're fine.
Are you coming to Donaufestival this month?

if i was a serial killer i would give all my victims juggalo tattoos

Hello Christoph,
i fly to Seoul, travel all the way south to Pusan, than take the ferry (fairy, lol) to Pusan and will continue in Japan all the way north.

The Japan Rail pass option is very interesting. Where can you buy that?

Have you got any accomodation recommendations, like, where you stayed and so? I know Japan's expensive but I'm trying to save a buck or two though.

As for Donaufestival, sadly I won't be able to come this year. I'm on a very tight budget now.

The west coast of the Izu Peninsula (about two hours southwest of Tokyo) is great for a taste of rural Japan. It's my favorite place to get away from the big cities. Great food, hot springs and no tourists (as long as you stay away from the east side of the peninsula). It's also easily accessible from Tokyo. Mt. Fuji is also nearby and worth a visit.

Things to do in Tokyo...
Yoyogi park on a Sunday, Inokashira park, Ueno Park, Sumo wrestling in Ryogoku, Fish market in Tsukiji, market streets between Ueno and Okachimamchi Stations (AKA ameyokocho).
One of my favorite things about Japan is jazz kissas, but only if you like jazz of course.

I bought the Rail Pass at a tourist office here in Vienna, there are some authorized ones that have them. You don't get them in Japan or if you're Japanese, they're exclusively for tourists.
Also, they are only available for different zones, so you'll have to look if there is something that suits you.
http://www.japanrailpass.net/

As for accommodations, I can't give you any recommendations, we used Hospitality Club and Couch Surfing and got by pretty well.

Is your ferry (yeah, my english is getting worse day by day) going from Pusan to Shimonoseki (or Shimonosaki, something like that)?

What's a hospitality club?


yes, pusan->shimonoseki, most likely. I'll see how it turns out but this seems like a likely option.
how much did you spend on your stay in Japan? Will 2,500 EUR be enough for a 22day stay ?

Hello Mr. Bread, hope you're doing fine.
Have you built any new instruments?

btw, the cassette you gave me, was broke.

Uh oh. Was the cassette blank or was the tape itself broken? Maybe I've been selling people defective tapes this whole time without knowing it :(...

Anyhow I'm doing great. How was the rest of your journey after Tokyo?

New instruments under a tree in Yoyogi Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0-ZATYyvRE

I wouldn't recommend doing it every night since they aren't very comfortable, but you can sleep in manga cafes from about 1,000 yen a night. Most have showers available and enough room to lie down. I often sleep in them when traveling alone.

I think I'm turning Japanese. I really think so.

that's a brilliant piece of advice, hat and bread. I keep writing all this stuff down, this thread is actually starting to be very helpful. are these manga cafés available in most bigger towns?

anyways, what location are you at? would you mind if i visited you? i might be travelling either alone or with one friend of mine (not sure yet)

You can find manga cafes in any big city. There are usually several around any major train station.

I live just to the east of Tokyo in Chiba prefecture. Only about twenty minutes from central Tokyo by train.
Let me know the dates you will be in Tokyo via PM. I'm always up for visitors.

I'll PM you when I'm there (i'll be in tokyo around 25of June or so).
worst case scenario i'll be glad to couchsurf if you don't mind.

Oh god, I'm so nervous for you guys. Japan seems so intense. Post lots of pictures!

Whatever happened to The Vapors?

I'm going to Japan in about a week. One of my best friends lives in Osaka, and teaches english there. I'll be spending time in Osaka, Kyoto and a couple days in Tokyo. I'll be in the country for 2 weeks, and I can't fucking wait!

go to the hakone outdoor gallery, it is about 2 hours train and then another 40 minute train up the side of a mountain from tokyo. it is awesome. chinatown in yokohama is amazing and without doubt get up very early and go to the tsukuji fish markets, it is the biggest one in the world and i had the best meal of my life there at 630 in the morning with breakfast of fresh tuna straight off the boat...

if you want to see mako kyoto is good, they hold their graduation dances and tea ceremonies in novemberish though then they become real geisha. the philospophers path in kyoto is great too, hire a push bike for it. i stayed with a french expat there who rented out one of the rooms in his house and it was cool. there are also alot of great jazz clubs in kyoto.

make sure you have some okonomiyaki possibly one of my favourite japanese foods. it is peasant foopd but it is wonderful. ive been three times to japan now and can't get enough, the people are awesome, the food is awesome, and the places are awesome. ive spent about 4 1/2 months there all up. oh and if you want a pretty cool shopping centre to go to, go to akarenga in yokohama, great bar there too.

Aside from South Carolina and Texas, probably the very last place I want to go to is Japan.

i know what you mean, i feel the same about england and america, i hate hearing english speaking whiners when im travelling

I don't want to go to Japan, I want to go to Liechtenstein.
But everyone knows that already, right?
And no, I will not make a parody thread about it

Word, the English have no class. And they talk funny.

I want to live in Switzerland. My dream retirement land would be Switzerland in the alps surrounded by beautiful milk maidens, a lot of good cheese and wine, and a Swiss Army store in every town.

Tokyo is a very interesting place. I'd like to go back and do nothing but shop for toys.

I lived in Pusan for a year if anyone has questions................

please tell me more!

Thank God.

I have. Where to stay? What to see? Are 2 days enough for me to spend in Pusan?

I like the parody threads...

i have no/want desire to go to japan/china/etc.
i want to go to uk bad tho.

No problem.
You must be forewarned, however, that my apartment redefines the word small. I can't even fit a couch in here. I am planning on hanging a hammock up on the balcony before summer comes though.

the only countries in the world i don't want to visit are israel, south africa and australia