I want to visit Japan next year

[Nick R]

Title pretty much says it all. I'm going to be starting to save for a trip to Nihon next year. I'm not quite sure when I want to go, but I'd like to go to either Summer or Winter Comiket in Tokyo, so probably in either August or December.

By then my friend should be living and working in Tokyo full time, so I'll have someone to stay with and show me around. For those here who have been to Japan, anything you can think of that I should do? There are few otaku-ey things I plan to do (Visit Akihabara, Comiket, that sort of thing) But there are plenty of other things to do too. I want to go to Osaka to eat Takoyaki, see Kinkaku-ji and other historical things in Kyoto, that sort of thing.

I am trying to get a list of things to do/see in advance. Of course I'm sure there'll be plenty of wandering around and going other places, but I'm open to suggestions from people who have been there before. I'm slowly but steadily learning Hiragana and Katakana so I won't get completely lost I hope.

Thanks in advance

 

[Kory]

Enjoy, nothing to add other then it's a place I'd really like to go someday!

 

[sasilverbullet]

I lived in Tokyo for two years, 1969-1970.

Go to a small fishing village and spend a night there in a traditional style hotel.

Climb hike Mt. Fuji to the last building, then head back down.

Try some chicken-skewers from a little street vendor.

Go to a play.

Visit one of the main train stations in Tokyo, shop till you drop!

Ride the bullet train.

Eat LOTS of seafood!

No matter where you go or what you do there you will enjoy it!

 

[RF Overlord]

Ride the Shinkansen.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Ride the Shinkansen.


Well I'll probably be doing a lot of that considering it's by far the fastest and easiest way to get around the country lol

 

[skyactiv]

My parents traveled to Japan for vacation. My mom commented how well dressed, thin and polite Japanese people are. There are many things considered rude in Japanese culture most of the world takes for granted. Having a friend there is a big plus.

 

[Cutehumor]

I would visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki and see what it looks like now.

 

[CourierDriver]

Visit the camera stores and a toy store and a grocery and visit land marks as well. Was there about 4 times between 69-70 USN.

 

[hattaresguy]

I'd visit the aiming point in Hiroshima as well as the memorial they have their.

 

[Shaman]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanamara_Matsuri

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapporo_Snow_Festival

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikk%C5%8D_T%C5%8Dsh%C5%8D-g%C5%AB

https://www.fujiq.jp/en/attraction/

http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1897812_1897772_1897742,00.html

If you like modifying cars - Up Garage. I don't know where the "good" ones are though.

Mt. Fuji is the ugliest mountain I have ever been on.

Hiroshima is completely rebuilt, aside from the dome. There is a peace park, but the museum, at least to me, felt more than a little anti-US. The feeling I got was that the Yamatojin thought we had dropped the bomb just to show how powerful we were. As the child of two sociologists, the slant really killed it for me.


I lived 2 hours north of tokyo for 8 years. If you have any questions, let me know.

 

[KitaCam]

Cheapest places to stay:

http://japaneseinngroup.com/

Cheapest places to eat:
Cafeterias in government office buildings...and the top floor of department stores....all-you-can eat Korean and sushi bars are fun...

Get into the "spine" of Japan where small towns continue to hold ever-so-tenuously to traditions...look for cauldron-icons on maps for hot-springs, ("onsen"), sometimes very modern/western, sometimes very Japanese-rustic.

Check out a "sento"...a public bath that often has a steam room as well.

 

[turtlevette]

You could go to the cove where they slaughter the dolphins.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
You could go to the cove where they slaughter the dolphins.





LOL!!!

My wife and I are planning to go to Germany. I have no desire to visit Japan like the OP does. My mom's family on her fathers side are German and my dad was there last year and absolutely loved it. Wanted to immediately go back. This is a man who has never said that about anywhere he has ever travelled (he was most recently to Spain) so it speaks volumes as to what he experienced there.

Clean streets, fast cars, very little visible poverty, signs of WWII all over the place... incredible history (he's an Anthropologist). Yup, I was sold.

I'm hoping Trav will be over there when we go so we can meet up for beer. Which was another thing my dad loved, the beer! And the variety and the fact that it didn't conflict with his colon like so many North American examples, which is also why he now drinks German beer, LOL!

I think most people have their "places they want to visit" list and on them, due to whatever they fancy, are locations that fit a certain set of preconceived notions about how those places "are". I think that has a lot to do with Nick's choice of Japan (he loves Anime and Japanese music) just like mine is Germany (family heritage, German cars, German beer).

 

[artificialist]

Visiting Japan has been on my to do list since the age of 5, and that was the year 1989. I wanted to see the 300ZX Twin Turbo get built. As time went on, I wanted to see more things.

I had some friends that also wanted to visit Japan. We all had an agreement to prove we went there. Each one of us was going to bring back a girl's sailor school uniform.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
You could go to the cove where they slaughter the dolphins.





While sad and emotionally wrenching to western eyes...the Japanese have been doing this for centuries.

Western culture has made the dolphin out to be a lovable creature....not something we eat. Intelligent as well......almost as smart as pigs. Yet, I don't see nearly the amount of uproar about that.

I too find the practice disturbing....so I don't watch the videos and animal rights media regarding the subject. As far as I have read, the dolphins in question aren't severely depleted or in danger of extinction. But yes...not a pleasant practice from the western viewpoint.