Japan - what to do, where to go etc

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nzkiwiman

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#206005 6-Dec-2016 13:08

Anyone been to Japan recently?

I am planning my next overseas trip and thin I have settled on Japan as my next destination.
However aside from seeing a new country and visiting toy stores to check out the action figures I normally import, I really have no idea of what I would actually do in Japan aside from arriving in Tokyo, looking at the sights for a few days and then moving on by train to another location and repeating ...

So, anyone have ideas on what other cities in Japan are a "should visit" and then tips on what to do there and where to stay

(I am thinking that this trip could get very expensive in the accommodation area)

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#1683262 6-Dec-2016 13:16

Summoning @sbiddle

Sam91

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#1683264 6-Dec-2016 13:21

I haven't been to Japan, but I've enjoyed watching this youtube channel. It might give you some ideas.

wellygary

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#1683270 6-Dec-2016 13:41

Lots to see and do in Japan,

What season are you thinking of going?, and how long are you thinking of staying there, ?

But the number one thing to get *before* you arrive, is a Japan Rail Pass,

Linux

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#1683272 6-Dec-2016 13:46

Skytree is very cool

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networkn

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#1683294 6-Dec-2016 14:42

Tsukiji Fish Market and the Sushi places (with big lines) are awesome.

The food in general is pretty excellent.

I loved Kyoto, very pretty.

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#1683299 6-Dec-2016 15:03

Japan is one of my Top places I like to holiday have visited a few times and always happy to go back

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Wibbleman

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#1683300 6-Dec-2016 15:03

nzkiwiman:

Anyone been to Japan recently?

I am planning my next overseas trip and thin I have settled on Japan as my next destination.
However aside from seeing a new country and visiting toy stores to check out the action figures I normally import, I really have no idea of what I would actually do in Japan aside from arriving in Tokyo, looking at the sights for a few days and then moving on by train to another location and repeating ...

So, anyone have ideas on what other cities in Japan are a "should visit" and then tips on what to do there and where to stay

(I am thinking that this trip could get very expensive in the accommodation area)

I have just came back from Japan so can probably help here. How long are your planning on going? And what do you want to do? While I can easily spend 2-3 weeks in Tokyo doing stuff, most of the must see things you can get done in a week or so and then travel around the country. If you are going to travel around then the JR Rail pass is pretty much a must have (It costs the same as the return Shinkansen tickets to Osaka from Tokyo).

For your action figure stuff, plan on a day in Akihabara and start the day with visiting the big Yodobashi superstore just out from the JR station. And then once you have a idea of the prices of the figures you want, go and walk down the same street and visit the other shops. Be warned a lot of the other shops (and Yodobashi) carry a lot of the creepy/weird figures. And to be honest, Akihabara has lost a lot of the old electric town vibe now, and its more about exploiting young woman (AKB48, maid cafes etc) and the Otaku that are their target market now.

If you can swing it, it would be worth catching the new Shinkansen line up to Hoikadio. Also try to land at Haneda instead of Narita as its much easier and cheaper to get into central tokyo.

The following blog (not mine) has a good run down on Akihabara Yodo, and lots of other entries at the end that would help with how to do stuff. http://mithunonthe.net/2015/09/17/tokyo-yodobashi-akiba-exploring-akihabara/ (can't link it as I am not in good enough standing on the forum ;) )

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sbiddle

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#1683302 6-Dec-2016 15:17

I love people watching and eating.

Toyko is just a crazy incredibly busy city. Once you leave it you'll find things very different.

In Tokyo the fish market is great (I'm not sure when the big move is), along with Tokyo Castle, Shibuya Crossing, Akihabara for the anime and electrical stores. Places like Ueno park are also amazing just to relax and people watch.

Outside Tokyo I'd recommend Nagoya and Kyoto if you're just hanging around that part of the country. I've never really fallen in love with Osaka probably because it's just another big city. Further tough Kobe is great and the botanical garden is amazing to visit, Himeji has a great castle. Further south Hiroshima is very nice and Miyajima Island is a must visit if you're in that area.

I spent 10 days last month travelling around Kyusu which is very different to traveling around further North. There are far fewer Westerners and language can become a little bit of a barrier.

If you're planning on traveling around by train a Japan Rail Pass is essential, trains aren't particularly cheap, and the Shinkansen is expensive.

networkn

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#1683304 6-Dec-2016 15:26

The fast trains are awesome. Seeing your GPS show you moving at 320Kmph is pretty cool!

maoriboy

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#1683317 6-Dec-2016 15:31

A few things I would do if I got the chance to go back:

Go to Nikko to visit the See no Evil etc etc monkeys and the horse that is donated by the NZ government. Feed the deer!

Kinkakuji temple in Kyoto.

Eating food that is known for being famously well made in the area e.g. Okonomiyaki in Kyoto. (hope that made sense)

Tsukigi fish markets, Harajuku, Akihabara.

Watch some Japanese baseball at the stadium(if you're into that), Sumo wrestling!

Eating at a random road-side ramen shack.

Karaoke and nomihoudai!

Vending machine coffee, or food or underwear if you prefer...

I could go on and on.

nzkiwiman

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#1683344 6-Dec-2016 16:06

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Yes I should have pointed out that I plan to go sometime between mid September and October

gasgob

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#1683355 6-Dec-2016 16:17

I spent 10 years in Okinawa so that would be my pick(obviously). Some great small islands surrounding Okinawa Honto (main island). Food (sokisoba is my absolute favourite, with a cold Orion beer or awamori), cultures and a very laid back life style makes for a wonderful experience(s). Apr/May rainy season & Jul-Aug cyclone season.

Like the others have mentioned above, lots of fun and interesting safe places to explore and treat the senses.

Boeingflyer

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#1683378 6-Dec-2016 17:28

Robot Restaurant!!!! ha ha

Disneyland if your into it, very clean and not as busy as i thought.

I love Tokyo, the people are just so friendly.

+1 for Shibuya crossing. I agree with sbiddle in that people watching is just an experience in it's self. Just walking around and trying all the local food is fun. You don't have to go to a tourist spot to enjoy Tokyo, just being there is fun.

oh Mt Fuji if you want to waste a whole day!!

dfnt

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#1683402 6-Dec-2016 18:29

I went in 2014 with my wife, spent 4 weeks there and absolutely loved it. Can't wait to go back again.

Started in Tokyo -> Nagoya -> Kyoto -> Kameoka -> Osaka -> Hiroshima -> Tokyo -> climbed Mt Fuji -> Tokyo

I found this site useful for finding things/attractions to do in each city http://www.japan-guide.com/

We did a village stay with Fukiko in Kameoka, highly recommend it as you get a taste of village life in Japan http://www.kyoto-village-stay.com/. Fukiko is an absolutely amazing host and will be a birthday I'll never forget.

I'd say Kyoto was my favourite city, Hiroshima was very sobering and you could easily spend 2-3 weeks just in Tokyo. I was grumpy at the prospect of climbing Mt Fuji but I had so much fun doing it I'd consider doing it again.

Definitely get a JR Rail Pass if you plan on using the Shinkansens

Definitely get a 4G wireless router if you have multiple people, you can order online from various sites and have it delivered to the first hotel you stay at ready for your arrival. Most hotels actually have good wireless coverage and speeds, even business hotels we stayed at. The Hotel Monterey hotels in Tokyo (Ginza) and Kyoto were really nice and well priced.

Regarding toys/action figures Nakano Broadway in Tokyo would be a good place to visit http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3069.html and of course you can't not go to Akihabara http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3003.html. I don't know why but we decided to go to a maid cafe for a laugh, we ended up bumping into another couple from Dunedin doing the same thing - good times.

We only scratched the surface and planning to explore Hokkaido in addition to other cities we missed next time. I would also like to link up with local type tours that take you off the beaten track so to speak.

It's quite funny, it's the first time I've travelled abroad and upon return been quite depressed/down on arriving back at Wellington. I think Japan is quite easy to get invested in, people watching at Shibuya crossing for example is mind blowing.

Camden

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#1683449 6-Dec-2016 19:55

Likewise I am planning a trip there next year,starting April 1st. The first week with my wife, with four days Tokyo and four days Kyoto. Wife flys home (back to work) and I stay on for another month. I plan to see some of all four Islands going from Wakkanai at the tip of Hokkaido to Yamagawa at the bottom of Kyushu.

Japan rail pass is a must. I think there are seven and fourteen day passes so you need more than one if you stay longer. Use them end on end. I am going by train 90 percent of the time but have a days car hire in Hokkaido and four days car on Shikoku.

If you into cars, Toyota has a factory at Wakayama and they do factory tours. There is a steam train museum there as well. I am booking a days mountain biking out of Sapporo if the weather is ok. Also a days biking on the west coast at Katagama in the Oga national park. Also there are several motor racing tracks that have public track days and you can hoon around in cars like GTR"s etc if that is your thing. I am certainly looking into that one.

I am going to stay in a mixture of accommodation from English style hotels, onsens and traditional inns.

In winter, the snow monkeys are great. My son and daughter had a great time watching them. I will miss that part as there disappear after winter and we are going in spring.Also there are no tours of Mt Fuji first week of May as there is some religous festival on. However you can get the train out there from Tokyo and walk up to the first station on Mt Fuji by yourself. Most probably will do that.

Check out the airfares and availability of seats as soon as you can as even though we booked six months ahead there was hardly any seats available on the selected days of travel. That was with AirNZ.

When starting to plan the trip I went to Map world in Christchurch and bought a big fold out map of Japan. Doing that has been a big help trying to plan a circuit to travel on.

Friends have advised to get a local sim card on arrival and use Google maps and Translate were necessary. I checked with Spark about roaming but the cost was eye watering for five weeks.

You mention toy shops. I would really like to window shop in a decent Hifi shop and camera shop in Tokyo. Anyone got any recomendations as to an actual store they may have been too ?

My daughter ,24, has been for two three week trips to Japan and my son,22, has been for one three week trip and they both said that there was so much to do and see that they hardly scratched the surface. They said they were on the go from early morning till late at night trying to cram everything in.

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