Must see/do's in Kyoto/Tokyo

Ok, assuming nothing else fucking bad happens between now and Jan the 31st I will be buying my tickets to spend 8 days in Japan, split between Kyoto then Tokyo, probably the 4th October onwards so I catch the fire festival in Kyoto. You might remember last year I was supposed to be going October this year but we needed to pay for a new roof on the house...

Are there any absolutely "OMG you must see/do this..." type events or things? I already have a rough idea of what I will be seeing and doing, but there's plenty here that have been or are in Japan to recommend something not entirely obvious.

Shopping is purely of the window based variety unfortunately, I would rather enjoy my holiday than eat nothing but instant soba for 8 days and own something really rare that will just sit on my shelf with all the other stuff I don't use. Any money left on the last day is going to be blown properly though, so recommend some good shops with Wonderswan stuff in by all means!

Anyone in the area at the time? I know it's 9 months away, but still!

 

OK, It's been years since I've been to Kyoto but you MUST check out Kiyomizu Temple area. It's caked with tourists but believe me it's a beautiful place to see. You can get a taxi there right from the Kyoto trainstation that looks more like an airport it's that big ! By taxi it only takes about 10 minutes from what I remember.

As for Tokyo, hmm well........ I lived there so I don't really know what a tourist would want to see. There's all the normal placed such as Tokyo tower or Asakusa area. maybe someone else could think of a few must see places.

Yakumo

PS I live about 620 miles from Tokyo so feel free top pop on down

 

Lol, tell you what, meet me half way and I will buy the beer! Assuming a JR Rail Pass will take me that far!

 

well i live near tokyo, but wasn't on big sightseeings since at least 8 years now. it also depends, what you like to see or do on your short stay. traditional things, buy goods, have fun through nights etc.

 

hehe, nice. you can go anywhere on the JR pass. no limit apart from the time and that you must be using a JR line.

Yakumo

 

Personally, I would go that little bit extra on the bullet train and spend some time in Osaka. You can have a cracking night out there, perhaps even better than Tokyo. The girls are much fitter too.
If you are only going to stay in Kyoto, then you should check out the city centre and a couple of temples. The best three are ginka ku ji (silver temple), kinka ku ji (golden temple) and Kyo Mizu Dera (water temple). Dont go to too many shrines, becuase they get boring quite easily!
I live in Tokyo, so if you need any more help whilst here, just send me a PM.
Cheers

 

You'll also find that Osaka is the Birmingham of Japan ! Stupid accent, rude and dirty. I don't like Osaka at all. Plus they drive like shit !

Yakumo

 

Well we are landing in Osaka so I was going to spend some time there before going to the hotel in Kyoto, as the hotel is 20ft from the main station we don't have to worry about finding the place.

I want to do some of the cheesy tourist stuff like alleyway hopping looking for a Maiko or two, see some Kabuki and Noh theatre, then I just want to wander. See some temples, people watch, there's no real purpose or schedule to any of the days. Tokyo has the least appeal as I don't want to do much shopping, so I may use it as the base to visit a bit further away from.

I really need to get my brother in law to kiss or better a girl while we are there, he has been under his mothers thumb for so long, this will be the perfect chance for him to break loose and actually live a little. So any gaijin friendly spots to meet some "nice" (no skank kogals) girls would be good.

 

How long will you be in Tokyo? Just go to Roppongi. If you want to get laid, go to Gas Panic. Stay there all night, if by 5AM youv'e not scored, find the massage girls on the corner, and go for a massage if you're that desperate for your brother to have some fun. It's a 6000 yen hand doogy from what I understand.

 

yeah, right :fresh: I wonder how you know:lol: Gas Panic is the place to pick up slappers alright, well most places in Ropongi are. Shibuya has a few nice clubs from what I remember. They may be gone now since it was about 7 years ago when I hung out there.

Yakumo

 

I will be in Toyko for about 4 days, I don't want to get laid, I just want my brother in law to cut loose, have a few dozen beers and get relatively lucky. If he can come away from the holiday with a couple of snogs I will consider it a good holiday. He needs a confidence boost, and if he can score without speaking more than a few words of the native lingo I think he will be a bit more confident back home.

 

Well, definitely go to Roppongi then (although there are now at least one Gas Panic in Shibuya... one got shut down I believe. Maybe opened back up). Anyways, Roppongi is a bit of a hole, but that's the point. Most of the chics are there to get cock, and quite a few of them want the love of a foreigner. Never heard of someone just making out unless, ya know, they ate a handful of ecstacy or something, but I guess anything's possible. Juts get loaded and mingle. Remember, what's the WORST thing that can happen to you? Well, hit on the wrong chick and get pummeled by some military guys, but that's very unlikely, even in Roppongi.

 

Well hopefully he will only come home with the sort of souveniers that don't need a red hot wire or 8 months using some form of ointment...

Thanks for the advice, I knew Roppongi was a rather "friendly" area so shall give that a shot.

 

Where else in the world is it socially acceptable to use your own vomit as a pillow and sleep until morning on the sidewalk?

 

I should feel right at home then... sounds like where I live, but with less massagi girls...

 

Isn't Osaka where the head-quarters of Nintendo are situated?:lol:

 

Capcom

I don't keep up but I think Nintendo's got offices in Kyoto.

 

that's just correct.

 

You go passed the Nintendo office on the train from Osaka to Kyoto :nod:

Yakumo

 

I want to go to that crappy white-grey building some day.. I hope the official attire and my briefcase will make me look important enough to get in ><

If Howard Lincoln did it, so can I