Going to Japan! Tokyo AND WHERE ELSE!? Advise would be awesome!!

[Kinkokoro]

August last year, my friend and I went to Tokyo Japan for our first time. No plans, no guides, not even an intention. We stayed 9 days in a local Ryokan, where we had the time of our lives. We took each day as it hit us, and explored as much as possible.

Everything we found we hit acidentally, or a Japanese resident assisted us. A simple walk to a near vending machine lead us to the Ginza, which just happened to be on a weekend, so all of the streets were closed down and such.

This year, 2007, My bestfriend and I look to return to Japan, but this time for 3 (ish) weeks. We'd LOVE to see everything we've already saw in Tokyo, and other things we also missed. However, we feel we would have a greater trip if we went to another part of Japan as well.

But where?
I'd love to see Okinawa, it sounds beautiful. But I'd also like to see Kyoto, or Osaka, but I don't really know much about them. With Tokyo, I was very confident we could go without any itineraries and still find loads of excitement, however, I'm not so confident with other places in Japan.

Can any of you awesome forum users assist us with some advise? We plan to be on a flight July 20th. So far we'd like 2 weeks in Tokyo, and one week somewhere new, or reverse.

Thanks!!

Josh

[Tsumetai]

I would recommend going to Kyoto for a day or two and then to Osaka. There are a lot of historical interesting things to see in that area, if your interested in seeing that sort of thing.

Check out 'Japan-guide.com'. Its a good resource to find out what there is to do in different places in Japan.

Okinawa is also a nice place to visit, especially around the time you are planning on going to Japan. Nice beach weather.

[Kinkokoro]

Thanks man for the reply!
Kyoto just for a few days, huh? We were thinking a one week stay outside of Tokyo, and then one week somewhere else. Traveling isn't cheap afterall, and we don't have loads of cash to burn here.

Also, to note, we can't get discounts on trains, however we do on flights. So say we did go to somewhere such as Okinawa, we could do so for cheap.And since you said It's great weather around the time we're going, maybe that's a plausible choice, thanks!

Anyone else?

[epigene]

A lot of people here in this forum have used the JR Rail Pass.

http://www.japanrailpass.net/

If you make full use of the pass to travel around Japan, it will turn out very cheap. Train travel gives you more freedom in making random stopovers compared to air travel.

You will be arriving in the hottest season of the year, so be prepared!! :relief:

[Kinkokoro]

awesome, thanks. Anyone else?

[pinson27]

I'm never going to japan and personally i dont recommend it.. but it appears all of you here are in love with japan. so knock yourself out.

[Nall-ohki]

I'm never going to japan and personally i dont recommend it.. but it appears all of you here are in love with japan. so knock yourself out.

Not gonna feed you, sorry.

[Kinkokoro]

I'm never going to japan and personally i dont recommend it.. but it appears all of you here are in love with japan. so knock yourself out.
Awesome.....Thank you everyone else.

If anyone else has a destination idea, do tell me. I am in the process of deciding. This forum will be checked up on regularly for input and ideas.

arigato!

Josh

[ArmandV]

A lot of people here in this forum have used the JR Rail Pass.
http://www.japanrailpass.net/
If you make full use of the pass to travel around Japan, it will turn out very cheap. Train travel gives you more freedom in making random stopovers compared to air travel.
You will be arriving in the hottest season of the year, so be prepared!! :relief:

During my April trip to Japan, that JR Railpass saved me a lot of money. I must've made over $1,000 worth of rail travel during my stay.

Bring plenty of cotton shirts and shorts to wear during the hot season (cargo shorts with lots of pockets is recommended) and make sure you drink plenty of water.

I would recommend the following for a 3-week stay:

Tokyo: the usual obvious places to see.
Kyoto: the temples and shrines along with the shopping district. Check out the small shops in the back streets. You will find a lot of great places.
Hakone: Lake Ashi, the Hakone Ropeway.
Mt. Fuji: Fifth Station.
Hiroshima: Peace Park and Museum.
Matsushima: beautiful scenery with tiny islands in the bay.

[marsans]

This summer in June I am going to Tokyo for 3 days for fun, and then Kyoto for 3 days to visit friends. I will be sure to write down everything I see in Kyoto, so you can have a good idea as to whats fun to see ^_^. Also I'll be keeping a blog of my trip so feel free to check it around June 10th.:cool:

[SteppenX]

Yes, I really do agree with you :wave:

[maushan3]

I'm never going to japan and personally i dont recommend it.. but it appears all of you here are in love with japan. so knock yourself out.

My best recomendation for you is to don't visit here anymore, never again. It is a shame that you spend your time whining about things, rather than focusing on the positive ones, but oh, well, your loss, what a pity!

Mauricio

[bakaKanadajin]

If you're looking for a quiet 2-day 1-night get away you could head to Hakone. It's about 1 hr outside of Tokyo and boasts some very nice onsens. It's just 1 express train from Shinjuku, about 1500yen. You can get the Hakone pass through Odakyu Railyway Co. which entitles you to a return train ride and access to the sites while you're there, i think the total thing is 4500yen. That doesn't include accomodations.

If you're looking for interesting independent clothing shops, restaurants and little hide-away bars Shimokitazawa is a cool spot, you can stop off there on your way back from Hakone. It's on the same line as the train to Hakone. For more shopping, take the Keio from Shimokitazawa to Kichijoji. In Kichijoji there is also a small zoo and a park, tons of shops.

If you'd like to take a daytrip and see the ocean, I highly recommend Katase Enoshima. It's easily accessible from the Odakyu line, make your way to Sagami-Ono and change there, the line branches off towards Hakone Yumoto and Katase Enoshima. In Enoshima, you cross a large bridge, hike over a hill (which has many interesting little noodle houses) and end up on the other side looking at the ocean. (see pic below). In Enoshima there is also a very nice aquarium. Good for a day trip.

I never ventured too far from Tokyo but I made it to Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto. In Kobe I highly urge you to check out the earthquake memorial museum. It's a short bus ride from Kobe's main station Sannomiya and will give you an appreciation for how far the city has come since the earthquake of 1995 devastated it. Osaka and Kobe are only 20mins apart by train so its easy to do and very educational. While in Kobe I also recommend the portside area, there are some nice cheap boat cruises around the port available. Those two things together are good for a day in Kobe.

Osaka.. there's Universal Studios, the Namba area, and it also has a very nice aquarium at Osakako station on the Chuo subway line. Universal studios is good for a day, and the aquarium during the daytime and Namba at night also make for a good day, everythings very close-by and accessible in Osaka.

That's all I can think of for now, in Kyoto I stayed with my cousin and did not have to plan anything myself, all I can tell you is that there are many nice shrines and temples there obviously so its definitely worth going to. The Higashiyama (east mountain) area is especially nice, lots of little souvenier shops and a very famous shrine whose name I can't recall right now.

Here are some photos, individual results may vary! :D

Enoshima:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/evil_VR6/enoshima.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/evil_VR6/enoshima2.jpg

Hakone:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/evil_VR6/hakone.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/evil_VR6/hakone2.jpg

Kobe portside area:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/evil_VR6/kobe.jpg

[Kinkokoro]

You guys are amazing! Thank you all so much for the replies!! Keepe' coming!
I'll consider everything. Awesomeness.


I'm so excited..

Josh

[sanji]

If you want to keep cost down, you might want to select one of two areas, and then travel around them using local trains, for example. Especially if you can fly for cheap (there are a couple of airpasses available, too), this could be an excellent option.

Alternatively, with a JR Pass, you can really see a low of places, but this usually means moving a lot around, so it depends what you want to do.

The Kansai is a great place to visit. You have great cities like Kyoto and Kobe, for a start. If you have never been to Kyoto, this is a must-do, and so is Nara (less than 1 hour by train from Kyoto, so fine for a day-trip, too). The mountains of south Kansai are very interesting, including Koya-san, where you should spend a night in a temple. Plus the coastal area can be really pleasant in summer - this is really a hot period in Japan...

Since it is so hot, Hokkaido could be a great place to visit, too. It requires more planning, but the nature is really gorgeous, there. Again, the most expensive part of such side-trip is the flight, so if you get a cheap one, this is really an attractive option. In that case, focus on the north-east part (Doutou), including Shiretoko peninsula, Akan Lake, Masshu Lake,...

You mentionned Okinawa: if you can afford it, try to go to Iriomote, the most remote island of the archipelago: tropical jungle, fantastic sea, untouched nature. A paradise for hikers, divers or just nature lovers. On the minus side, it is expensive because it is far...

Have a look at my Secret Japan web site (link below), you will find a couple of guides to travel "off the beaten tracks". Might give you some ideas...

Keep in mind that from the second week of August, many Japanese are travelling around. Prices are going up, so if you can, stay around Tokyo at that time, and travel before.

sanji

[suzuro]

If you like Japanese modern culture, you should visit Minatoku(seaside) in Tokyo. There are a lot of cool modern buildings. Especialy it is good to visit at night. The city neon is so beautiful.

And if you want to see the traditional buildings in Japan, you should visit Kyoto and Nara. Many people have already mentioned about Kyoto, so almost everybody thinks it will be fun to go to kyoto. It is worth visititing. If you were lucky, you could meet Maiko-san or Geiko-wan(like the movie "Sayuri") on the street. They are so cute and their kimono are lovely. There are a lot of places to see in kyoto. You can choose as you like. But my recomendation is Higashiyama area. It is nice just to wolk around there. But in summer, it is dangerously hot. When I visited kyoto last time in summer, I thougt I might burn to die and couldn't wolk any more...You shold use a taxy if you can afford it. Though I'm a student and I have little money, I will use a taxy next time.

Nara is also good. Nara is famous historical town in Japan. But compared with kyoto, nara is rather rural. But I think it makes the town more attractive. It is good to go cycling around there.We can enjoy japanese countryside.The nature is beautiful. Nara is smol town, so you can see the main sights in Nara in one day by cycling. You can use rental bicycles.

In my opinion, Osaka is a little noisy.But there are a lot of kinds of delicious foods. It is said that osaka is "kuidaore no machi". It means that you cannot help eating because they are so delicuous, and will eat yourself out of house and home.

I think every town has defferent face. Tokyo is fashonable, Kyoto is elegant, Nara is nostalgic, Osaka is energetic. When you choose which city to visit, it will be one of way to think what kind of Japan you want to see.

[TheImmigrantSong]

I live in Shibuya, while your in Tokyo it is a must see. There is just a zillion things you can do. Harajuku is also a popular Tokyo hotspot. If you haven't hit there I would highly suggest it. If you want to visit more of Japan, then of course there are a zillion other great options. I would personally reccomend Yokohama. Yokohama is a very clean beautiful port side city, and it is close to Tokyo so you could save some $$$. I think you could satisfy your need for Japan just by staying in the Tokyo, Yokohama/Kanagawa area, there is just so much! BUT, if you really insist on other parts of Japan, Nagoya, Osaka, and Hiroshima are some beautiful cities that are worth a look at. Its really hard to do it all in 3 weeks, hell I have been living here seven months and still have not done NEAR what I have wanted to. Good Luck on your journey!

[Nall-ohki]

I must second the JR Rail Pass - I probably used 150,000 yen worth of rail fare in about one week of use - and paid around 28,000 yen for it. It's seriously the most ludicrously cheap way to get around Japan. Just don't show the locals - they'll get pissed :D

I personally always stay in capsule hotels or local ryokans (primarily in Kyoto) when I travel, as it keeps the price down. I can't recommend capsule hotels if you don't know the language or culture well, though - you'll stand out enough as it is, and if you don't know what's going on, it could be a disaster.