Must see/do's in Kyoto/Tokyo

That's like 90% of the buildings in Japan. This is why you hear mainly of maid-cafe's and blowjob massage parlors in international news, and not Japanese architecture.

 

Oh yes, I have to do a maid cafe as well... oh god I am so going to look like a typical twat tourist... but I can only afford this once so I owe it to myself to do it!

 

Id recommend renting a bike in Kyoto. From what I remember bike rentals were pretty cheap, and if you factored in all the subway fees youd end up paying to get around, it works out pretty well. Most of the shrines/temples are spread out pretty far, so walking between them takes a while. The place I rented my bike gave me a free map too ^_^ The only thing that sucks is having to chain your bike up everywhere you go, but youll find places (... just dont park it where you see the no bikes signs). As for sites in Kyoto, I liked Kiyo Mizu Dera, Kinkakuji(golden pavillion) , and Nijo-jo.

When youre in Tokyo, stop by Asakusa. Theres an information center across from the giant gate there at the entrance to the market/temple. The people who work there speak pretty good English and can help you out with stuff to do in general in Japan. I got a whole bunch of english pamphlets from them.

Haha, maid cafes.... only place i can think of where a coffee can land you with a $10 bill >_<

 

Kinkakuji is a helluva thing.

If you're already down in Kyoto, might be worth it to hop the Shinkansen to Himeji and see the castle.

If you happen to be in Tokyo on a Friday or Saturday night, see if you can rent a car and go out to Daikoku Futoh. That is, if you're into cars.

 

I will be for one week in Kyôto next year and I got a few questions about it.

1)
How much is a ride to and back from Osaka? I want to spend one day in DenDen! =)
And: Can I visit the Umeda-Sky-Building?

Looks quite interesting if you ask me.

2)
Game-shops in Kyôto. Actually, I just want to buy games in Tôkyô and Ôsaka, but if theres some good stuff in Kyôto, I wouldn't say no
And what about the Nintendo HQ? Can I enter it? Is there something like a museum or can I grab some Nintendo-related stuff in there?

3)
What shall I visit in Kyôto? The gardens of course, the temple and the big 大.
But what else? Are there some good clubs to hang out or talk (I don't want to score ) and what is the best time to climb Fuji-san (in august)? How long will it take?

 

1: The trip to Osaka is pretty short/cheap. Less than an hour. Kyoto/Osaka kind of has that Tokyo/Yokohama thing going.

 

Is there much in Hiroshima other than the nuke memorial? I would really like to go see it and pay my respects (sad I know) but it's a bit out of the way.

 

WAAAY out of the way. Never been myself.
What are your dates?

 

It will be 8 days, most likely the 4th November onwards, but it depends if there are any good festivals worth delaying for. I would like to go earlier, but I need the time to save up.

 

Wow... so like, a year from now almost.

 

Yeah... so far away, but the only way I can manage it...

 

Real life tends to get in the way sometimes. The weather isn't too bad in November though.

 

Yes, the Osaka night life was a lot of fun.

 

I think im going to tag onto this topic as Im going to Japan in June. Have any of you guys gone to mount. Fuji? I assume there is a museum and possible walks? (im just about to finish a geology degree, so its one of my interests).

Im also going to spend quite along while just dos'ing in Tokyo, seeing shrines, looking in games shops, and soaking in the culture. Are there any cool market areas (like Camden Town in London)?

Also are JR passes between Kyoto and Tokyo expensive?

What is the daily cost to use the underground all day (for example its roughly £6 for a all day rail pass in London)?

Cheers guys


EDIT:
actually another thing, Im going to be taking my Macbook out there. I assume (being Japan) there will be plenty of nice cafes with wifi and nice places just to rest while im travelling around all day? > in the centre of Tokyo/Kyoto


(im going solo and have never been to Japan before).

 

If you are there for anything near a week you need a JR rail pass, from what I have read travel costs will quickly mount up. The £180 (for the "green" first-ish class) for the pass sounds a lot, but it's unlimited travel, which will give you more freedom.

 

You dont really need the green pass, the ordinary pass gives you unlimited usage as well and it lets you on the shinkansen. If youre going from Kyoto to Tokyo, the pass pays for itself. Be aware that in Kyoto most of the lines arent JR, theyre local subway lines -- so youll still have to pay to use them. In Tokyo there are plenty of JR lines to get around. The following link explains the differences fairly well:

http://www.jtbusa.com/enhome/jrpass.asp


As for Mt Fuji, I was going to go but ran out of time. I know the Kimi Ryokan guest house in Tokyo does a trip there every Thursday. Thats in ikebukuro. I think its like 10 USD. I talked to a few guys who went on it and they enjoyed it. If your looking for places to stay id recommend getting a reservation there too. Its pretty cheap for a nights stay (~$40 a night), and fairly clean.

link: http://www.kimi-ryokan.jp/

 

...now that sounds awfully familiar!
Well, it wasnt my vomit, but let's say that waking up extremely hungover in the middle of a very busy Roppongi street was one of the most odd thing's I've had happen to me :lol:

Anyhow, I'm by no means an expert, but I've been to Japan twice, and there's some things I can definitely recommend.

For one, when you're in Kyoto, spend a day in Nara. It's under an hour by train, and it's a great tranquil little place sporting one of the biggest wooden temples in the world (if I remember right) housing the biggest bronze buddha in the world, too. But on your way there, you'll pass a lot more interesting things, including the world-famous #@%*(@*( deer, and the best part, when you've seen aforementioned buddha you absolutely MUST climb Mt. Wakakusayama, not only is it doable in 2 hours, without any equipment, it offers an absolutely stellar view of Nara and its wide surroundings. If you're lucky like me you might get a ride back to town from a passing NHK crew :033:

What I also found terribly entertaining was exploring Kyoto by bicycle. It might sound strange, but it gives one a great look into the less prominent part of Japan, if you catch my drift. It's quite useful, too, as interesting places are somewhat spread out.

And in Tokyo, I really recommend a visit to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building - AKA City Hall. A humongous twin skyscraper with free admission to the observation floor! Beat that, Tokyo tower! It's also home to a classy drinking establishment too with an affordable happy hour. It's in Shinjuku, which is an interesting stroll area any moment. The Hamazono shrine hosts a small flea market each sunday (IIRC), selling nice souvenirs.
Nearby Kagurazaka neighbourhood purportedly has some remaining geisha establishments and other things of days gone by, and was recommended to me, unfortunately I never got around to visiting it.

And if you feel like game shopping, do go to Akihabara to look around but don't buy too much! I found some VERY lush deals on the edges of the city, for instance, Ichikawa & Koiwa have several independent game stores around the train station, where I found a complete Panasonic Q for Y12000, for instance, with a 990 yen component cable :O Let me know if you want details.

I could go on for hours, but the best advice I can give you is just wander around and explore! Talk to random people (as long as they have all their fingers left)! Do weird stuff! :nod:

EDIT: Oh and DO visit an O-furo, or better, an Onsen should you find one. Very relaxing, I ended up going there almost daily in the last week of my stay.

EDIT #2: Tach, I've been to Hiroshima for one day, there isn't that much apart from the nuke memorial. However, I would *definitely* visit Nagasaki - I've never been to Frisco, but I got a "it's like Japan's San Fransisco"-feeling. Beautiful.

 

I did, last summer. I must say the best part of the whole thing was driving there :lol: The weather was awful (think barely 50m visibility), a travelmate experienced (supposedly near-lethal) altitude sickness at station 8, and our diet consisted solely of Kit-kat and Pocari Sweat, to the point of nausea. Ah well, don't be put off by my experience, as a lot of people find it fantastic.

 

hm.. does that make it any better? :lol: j/k

 

well all booked up on Asiana Airlines. Cheap and cheerful

It looks like my budget is going to be very tight. Does anyone know of a cheap youth hostel by Tokyo NRT (airport)?