First time to Japan this December and have heaps of questions!

[head_88]

Hi everyone,

I'll be going to Japan this December during my uni break for the first time with my friend. We came across these really cheap tickets and we decided to give it a shot.

We'll be flying from Sydney to Osaka direct and I just wanted a bit of info..

Unfortunately the end of my exams and the timing of the sale only permits us to go for 8 nights but we plan to make the most of it.

We'll be arriving in Osaka on 3rd of December at 1920. We were thinking of spending that night and maybe one more night in Osaka and then taking a train to Tokyo with our Japan Rail passes. We want to stay in Tokyo possibly another 3 nights and obviously do some visiting of other cities in that 3 days. Is it even possible to leave Tokyo early in the morning and visit another city and get back to Tokyo that same night?

Are there any places that anyone can recommend? Keep in mind were not really into seeing history and landmarks etc... we just want to look around, take a few photos, take in the sites and head back to Tokyo.

Also can anyone recommend accomodation near Kansai airport and also a nice spot in Tokyo right in the centre of all the attractions? Money isn't a huge issue but that being said we don't want to spend huge amounts of money on resorts but rather a decent amount of money on a nice western style hotel.

I've got heaps more to ask but hopefully this is a start..thanks in advance!

[Dutch Baka]

Is it even possible to leave Tokyo early in the morning and visit another city and get back to Tokyo that same night?


Yes, it takes about 3 hours from Tokyo to Osaka, so if you leave early morning you can spend a nice half day in Osaka. Nagano is closer (must be about 2 hours I guess?)

Are there any places that anyone can recommend? Keep in mind were not really into seeing history and landmarks etc... we just want to look around, take a few photos, take in the sites and head back to Tokyo.

If you are going to Osaka, have a look at Dotonbori (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dtonbori) (don't forget to have a look at sammy's ebisu plaza (http://www.bento.com/kansai/phgal-sammys.html)), or head to Kyoto and walk around in the Gion district (http://www.jref.com/practical/gion_geisha_district_kyoto.shtml). This are some of the tourist places, but they are fun to check out.



Also can anyone recommend accomodation near Kansai airport and also a nice spot in Tokyo right in the centre of all the attractions? Money isn't a huge issue but that being said we don't want to spend huge amounts of money on resorts but rather a decent amount of money on a nice western style hotel.
I life in Kobe, so I don't use any accomodation in Osaka but just want to give you some links to check out:


http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/city.php?city_eng_text=Osaka
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-191501643-osaka_vacations-i
http://www.jref.com/practical/accommodation.shtml


I also want to advice you to have a look around on the travel section of the forum (there are a lot of great tips already), and the Tokyo guide (http://www.jref.com/practical/tokyo.shtml) on this website.

Btw how's your Japanese, and what are your interests in Japan? with this information we can give you a lot more tips.

[head_88]

Yes, it takes about 3 hours from Tokyo to Osaka, so if you leave early morning you can spend a nice half day in Osaka. Nagano is closer (must be about 2 hours I guess?)


Btw how's your Japanese, and what are your interests in Japan? with this information we can give you a lot more tips.

Hey thanks for your reply.. I'm actually arriving in Osaka from Sydney and then I will be making my way to Tokyo. So i'm actually looking for places to go in Japan where I can just spend the day and just maybe look around and do a bit of shopping.

I honestly don't know any Japanese whatsoever. I'm planning to do a bit of work on it before December. I just saw a special on the net and my options were Osaka, KL, Phuket, Bangkok and Ho Chi Min City so i thought i'd choose Osaka since i have a bit of interest in technology and stuff like that. I just want to experience the night life and take a break from my studies.

[Dutch Baka]

Lol, I should read a little bit better the next time, sorry for that.

[head_88]

Lol, I should read a little bit better the next time, sorry for that.
Haha thats cool. Well i had a look at that wiki page on Dōtonbori and that looks really interesting.. Is there any good accomodation located there or anywhere close? My family is also in the hotel business so is it normal in Japan for hotels to offer special rates for people in the industry?

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

The sightseeing spot which can go in a day from Tokyo.
KAWAGOE
http://www.kawagoe.com/english/index.html
The Kawagoe history Museum
http://www.kawagoe-rekishi.com/index.html

Kamakura
http://www.kamakuratoday.com/e/

ODAWARA
http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/kanko/kanko_4/s_index.html

[nice gaijin]

Hiroyuki's suggestions are excellent. Just try not to squeeze more than one of these into a day. You can easily spend all day in one or two areas of Tokyo as well. Kawagoe is a nice quiet place with a lot of historical stuff to admire.

Kamakura has the daibutsu, but it's a long train ride; I wouldn't recommend it for such a short trip, as you would spend all day going there, walking around, and coming back.

Odawara is a very nice smaller city, and is the gateway to Hakone. They have a great beer hall there with some award winning local brews on tap. Then there's Hakone, which has a whole slew of things to see (check tourist sites)

Yokohama is another major city and is about halfway between Tokyo and Odawara. Tons of stuff there: Akarenga, Sakuragicho, China Town, and a bunch of historically significant spots and great views.

Kyoto has a ton of stuff, and you can easily spend several days there. Temples, shrines, and shopping (oh my!). Kiyomizudera, the Gion district, Ryouanji, Ginkakuji, Kinkakuji, Arashi-yama, Fushimi Inari (my personal favorite, and worth spending a whole day for a nature hike). And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. If you go to Kyoto, you might as well stop by Nara and check out Shika-kouen and Todaiji. There's also Houryuuji, but short of historic significance it's not really exciting.

The area around Osaka/Umeda station is very lively and interesting, and there are a lot of reasonably priced hotels in the area (and a ton of love hotels!). I also highly recommend the Namba district (where Doutombouri is located) and Den-den town, the Akihabara of Kansai. There's also of course Osaka castle; you should check out at least one castle while you're here, and there's a large one in Osaka (a smaller one can be found in Odawara).

Do a search either on this site or in google to find out about all these places; they're all worth a visit! That should keep you busy :)

[head_88]

Thanks for all this info..it's really interesting.

At this stage (i'm sure it will change) i'm looking to arrive from Sydney in Osaka where I'll spend 2 nights. I'll then make my way to Kyoto and spend one night there and then make my way to Tokyo but probably make a stopover or 2 in between.

I've been researching into transportation and I was wondering what the difference is between Osaka and Shin-Osaka station?? Which station would I use if i wanted to get from Osaka to Kyoto and how long would it take? Also how long is the trip from Kyoto to Tokyo?

Are there any areas in Kyoto that anyone can recommend for accomodation that's well priced, centre to all the action and comfortable?

cheers

[Dutch Baka]

I like Hotel Oaks a lot, I have stayed there for a night with my wife 2 years ago. Well priced, in the centre of all the action and comfortable in my opinion.

here's the link:

http://www.h-oaks.co.jp/kyoto-shijo/english/index.html