japan :: general

[Cue]

Hi all,

I am planning a trip to Japan with the lady-friend next year. Probably two weeks, maybe more if the budget stretches.

I know there is loads on this board re: Tokyo, and I'll do a good search of that, but I am looking for recommendations on other places to check out - up in the mountains/ out of the cities/ anything really ...

Cheers muchly

[soraanaam]

AGEHA!

WOMB!

AMERICAMURA!

ageha/tokyo americamura/osaka and train isnt cheap

[herpsky]

amemura is in osaka

womb is in shibuya

ageha is in shinkiba

right thread?

[soraanaam]

yup missed that one, ageha not in tokyo but to get to ageha if you go by taxi they are bitching fares

[cuddlysheep]

to be honest man, go to hong kong instead.

[Cue]

^^ Cheers, but already have been. And loads of SE Asia. Always wanted to go to japan - and not just for shopping ... the mountains/ countryside looks bonza

[cuddlysheep]

ok,so if you can make it out for the summer. you got to hit up mt.fuji. and climb that sucker. its brutal and you might die, but if you make it out alive,put that down as one of the highlights in your lifetime.

[herpsky]

check out some onsens in middle-of-nowhere japan.

my friends said that climbing mt. fuji isn't really all that great

(i've never done it)

[herpsky]

i loved NARA

i think i liked nara better than kyoto

[englandmj7]

I really enjoyed Takayama: very quaint town in the mountains, great onsen, tons of great hole in the wall restaurants and bars, old sake breweries, etc.

[Cue]

England mate, that's the sorta info I am after... Cheers chap

[fre-co]

Hakone is nice. and it's close to Mt Fuji. Lots of onsens there, then Izu is nice too and close by. The food is good and there are loads of onsens in the middle of nowhere.

[DaBestSpoona]

Yufuin is pretty awesome, but far as hell.

[peteyross]

Kanazawa and some other west coast towns are pleasant. Kenroku-en is nice but nothing I'd go to Kanazawa for. Try hitting up some onsen that are on the ocean.

I hear Hokkaido is a cool trip in the Fall.

If you're bored in Tokyo (is that possible?), take the shinkansen to Nagoya for lunch. Get some miso nikomi kishimen. Then take a train to Osaka to get some takoyaki. Just go around all over the place and eat.

[cyberPUNK]

if you would rather see things outside of tokyo i'd highly recommend the kansai region. i've lived in both, and while no place really compares with the cityscape and urban environment of tokyo, the kansai region offers a lot of variety that will satisfy your every desire.

osaka is big enough so that most of the boutiques you'd be interested have a shop, and so you can acquire some hard to find items, in addition to osaka being denim mecca.

kobe is known for being a date spot, and is an amazing city. since the earthquake basically levelled the whole thing around a decade ago, the city has been rebuilding and the architecture among other things is amazing.

kyoto of course is wonderful if you are looking for a more historical feel. aside from the obvious things you can do in kyoto, like visit temples and shrines, it is also a college town, and so obscure cafes, records stores, and clothing shops abound. if anything this city is highly underrated and written off as merely a historical city.

last but not least, nara. this city is mostly historically important. it is home of the oldest capital i believe and houses the biggest buddha in japan, not to mention home to many deer that roam the streets freely.

the good things is, you can purchase a discounted rail pass as a visitor and see all these places for fairly cheap. i highly recommend kansai, although tokyo is obviously worth seeing as well. the two regions can't really be compared because each offers such different perspectives on the same country.

either way, enjoy your trip and i hope the above information was helpful.

if you do end up coming to kyoto my girlfriend and i make a point of keeping a journal of all the obscure cafes and eateries we frequent and i would be more than glad to provide you with a list of cool places, as well as hot springs or japanese style inns you may be interested in. either way, feel free to contact me.

[Cue]

Thanks for all this chaps - will have to nut out a plan - will def spend at least a week/ 10 days in tokyo, but wanna see more then just bright lights big city ya know

have a mate in osaka, so will def tap that up ...

[sybaritical]

Gotta be in it to win it and I think you only find out of the way places if you live there. I'd go with what England said .... depending on the time of year head to Takayama for a Gorgeous mountain town and great food... Nara and Kyoto both have enough things going for them temple and walking wise to feel like you're of the track... Osaka for a day's shopping ... Head south to Kyushu and hit Fukuoka for an insane night out ... down to Beppu for mainline Onsen?

[xcoldricex]

last but not least, nara. this city is mostly historically important. it is home of the oldest capital i believe and houses the biggest buddha in japan, not to mention home to many deer that roam the streets freely.

2nd on kansai!

be careful of those deer- if you buy crackers they're vicious and will chase you down. no joke.

it's fun to see all the little kids running away from the deer though.

[DaBestSpoona]

which reminds me, avoid them monkeys

they'll steal your bento

[kiya]

If you're looking for mountains and skiing and/or hot springs check out Nagano, it's beautiful and actually some of the best food i've had in Japan has been in Nagano.

Only about 2 hours or so via bullet train from Tokyo.

[Pandemonium]

100 minutes on the Shinkansen.

Nagano's like the place to be for mountains.

日本の屋根 - The roof of Japan.

[tintin]

Can definitely second the motion for Takayama. Very beautiful, traditional city in the mountains north of Nagoya. Also the villages in the Kiso Valley are super gorgeous - there are great hiking trails that connect the towns, if you're looking for a glimpse of some japanese nature.

if you can go father afield; Okinawa's smaller islands. So beautiful and chilled out.

[peteyross]

Just don't get lost in Gifu-ken...not a good look

[groovbusta]

With a two week trip and 10 of those days in / around Tokyo, it doesn't leave you much time to see the other parts of Japan.

If you had a week to travel outside Tokyo, I would recommend taking the shinkansen all the way down to Kyushu and then work your way back to Tokyo.

First, visit Fukuoka and a couple of the hot spring towns like Beppu on Kyushu island. Every part of Japan has their local culinary specialties and in Kyushu they're famous for Hakata ramen or tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen. Although you can find great hakata ramen in Tokyo, you'll enjoy the smaller places in Kyushu too.

After a night or two on Kyushu, head back towards Tokyo and stop in Hiroshima for a night and do a day trip to Miyajima island. Famous food include Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (with noodles) and delicious oysters.

Next stop would be the Kansai area (Osaka-Kyoto-Nara). People have already posted regarding these cities and definiitely worth a few nights. Great food like okonomiyaki, takoyaki and their own style of sushi.

Between Kansai and Tokyo, you can stop off to see Mt Fuji, visit onsen and beaches on the Izu peninsula or do the Hakone loop. Hakone can also be done as an overnight from Tokyo, so either way.

If you head north of Tokyo, the Nikko area has lots of cultural sights as well as outdoor hiking trails and foliage.

The best part of being a visitor in Japan is that you can buy the JR pass from your home country and then use the shinkansen at a fraction of the cost fro those that live here. Good luck and have fun!

[xcoldricex]

mmmmm okonomiyaki.

[Cue]

Thanks ^^ that's great ...

I think I'll push the time out to three weeks - half Tokyo, half a whirlwind tour.

[ipractice]

mmmmm okonomiyaki.

monja-yaki > okonomiyaki

mm... kimchi monja-yaki. The do-it-yourself monja/okonomi-yaki places are always my first visit when I go to japan.

Haven't been able to find on in the states yet...

[xcoldricex]

yes please

oh yeah, stay at a love hotel or two while you're in osaka - some of them even give you free food and drinks while you're there. not to mention you'll be able to pick a interesting room. might be a bit of a hassle though, since you can only check in for the night after a certain time. but there's plenty of lockers everywhere to put your luggage in til then.

[salaryman]

Kyushu is overrated. if you want real nature and fresh seafood, go NORTH.

Hakodate on the southern tip of Hokkaido is easy to navigate, has cool parks, and the best squid in the world. Then hit Sapporo for ramen and the gluttonous paradise that is a ghengis khan lambfest--the nightlife aint too shabby either.

On your way back to Tokyo shred down Nisekko then stop in Aomori and http://www.aomori-ski-area.gr.jp/hakkoda/ Hakkoda-san for some of the deepest, sickest powder in the eastern hemisphere. Whatever you do, stay off the trails and bring a gps. You'll need it as you dodge the snow monsters (fir trees in heavy white snow blankets) as you ski down to the onsen.

The shink will stop in Sendai and Morioka on the way down, both cool day trips (wanko-soba in Morioka will change the way you look at noodles).

Then you'll roll into Tokyo a more educated tourist and ready to party hard.

[Cue]

bumpy bump

any more thoughts would be nice - thinking basically heading west from Toyko, stopping at Takayama, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima and anywhere else along the way worthwhile ...

cheers again in advance chaps!