Japan in 2 weeks!

In My Humble Opinion
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I lived in Tokyo for about two years. My recommendations are:

Hiroshima: Peace park and Miyajima. Both are definitely worth seeing. If you can, do those both on the same day, then head on to Himeji Castle on your way to Kyoto. Staying on the Island is fun as well. You can do Peace Park in the morning, take the train to Himeji for the castle, then go off to Kyoto after that. (Arrive in Kyoto in the late afternoon.)

Kyoto is an amazing city. If you want to see the old side of Japan, it’s a great place to go. I skipped the castle, but the temples and shrines are great. My personal favourite is Sanjusangen-do, across from the National Museum.

Osaka doesn’t offer anything that you can’t find elsewhere. Skip it.

One place that is a must-see is Nikko, about an hour and a half outside of Tokyo. It’s worth staying the night there. It’s absolutely my favourite place to visit in Japan, and I would rate the temples as good as or better than anything in Kyoto.

There are a ton of great things to do in Tokyo. Aeschines has an excellent schedule. I also love Mt. Takao. (Though it’s west of Tokyo) It’s not too far from where I used to live, on the Keio line. I also cannot recommend highly enough the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Absolutely the best museum in the city, and there are some great museums there.

Hope you have a great time!

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To Typically Sunday, The reason we picked kyoto was to really dig into the traditional side of japan, the temples, gardens and ryokons, so if thats all there is to see there we will be more then happy :slight_smile: thanks for the heads up tho!!

these replys are fantastic!! thanks guys

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Whoops, yep, Takao is west!

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no worries :slight_smile:

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I just spent a week in Osaka – my first trip to Japan. Here are a few observations:

Bring lots of cash – I couldn’t believe how many shops and restaurants did not accept credit cards – any kind of credit card. And most of the ATM’s are turned off at around 10 p.m. Cash your traveler’s checks during business hours at the local post office.

Even if you can find someone who speaks English, you probably can’t understand them – we used a phrase book A LOT, often by simply pointing to the prhase we were trying to use.

Be polite Practice saying “excuse me” “please” and “thank you” Complement their English no matter how bad it is (after all, it’s still better than your Japanese.)

Yes it is expensive A soft drink or bottle of water for 150 yen; a McDonalds value meal (with small fries and drink) for 500 yen; ice cream cone for 200 yen; a bunch of bananas for 100 yen. That doesn’t seem like a big premium over North American prices, but it adds up quickly. Surprsingly, the two cheapest things we found over there were cigarettes and vodka.

Don’t drive The commuter trains, subways and to a lesser extent the buses really are fast, convenient and not horribly expensive.

Know where you’re going A surprising number of streets don’t have names. Cab drivers know the main routes and where most of the hotels are, but aren’t any better than anyone else for finding that little shop with the great kimonos.

Of the time I spent in Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, I liked Kyoto the best.

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Two things you must not miss in Kyoto:

(1) This temple, with 1001 statues of Buddha. It’s absolutely breathtaking. And things like that RARELY move me at all.

(2) The buffet restaurant on the top floor of the Hotel Granvia, which is in the Kyoto Train Station (which is, itself, a very very awesome building). This is the best restaurant I’ve ever eaten at. Yet it’s far cheaper than all the other restaurants there, and it’s a buffet.

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The vast majority of streets don’t have names and the addressing convention makes is nearly impossible to find anythig without a map. If you are going someplace, GET A MAP, bilingual if possible.

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Or: If you are going somewhere, ask your (I hope bilingual) hotel staff to write the address and/or directions out in Japanese, and just hand it to the cab driver. It can still be kind of hit or miss, but the drivers are very professional and polite (but will still be puzzled often). Don’t assume that just because someone works in a “tourist” trade they will speak English. High-end hotels, restaurants: probably. Cabdrivers: usually not beyond a few basic words, IME.

29

To add to this - when you leave your hotel, take one of the hotel cards with you. You can usually find them at the concierge’s desk in the lobby. If you want to return to your hotel by cab, show that card to the cab driver.
The cab driver opens the door to the back seat using a lever. You don’t open it yourself.

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thanks everyone!!
one week away!!

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I’m surprised that no one has suggested climbing Mt. Fuji… Well worth the effort to see the sun rise over Tokyo.

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I loved the osaka aquarium. Saw a whale shark. Way cool.

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Been twice, so no expert, but have some experience.

First off: language. Although many may be intimidated/embarassed to try to speak/converse with you (except for hotel staff), most of the younger generation have all learned english. So a BIG tip I learned was that if you ever get stuck communicating - simply WRITE IT OUT. They all learn to read and write. And this worked perfectly for me.

Hiroshima: you HAVE to visit (and take your time) the a-bomb museum and park. I’m sure it is on your itinerary, but it is a definite must. Not too depressing, and very educational.
If you have the time, take the ferry over to Miyajima. It was a pretty cool place to walk around. But beware the begging/annoying wild deer. They are so used to people feeding them (you can buy little bags of veggies to feed them all over the place), they can be downright annoying to get food (poking their noses in your pockets, etc.)

Tokyo: you probably have a full list of temples and what not of tourist attractions to see. If you have Tokyo Tower on the list, I would pass. Yes, you can get some nice views of the city, but it’s pretty commercial (a zillion little gift kiosks await you once you take the elevator down).
There is both the subway and light rail systems to get around. I was a bit more intimidated with the subway. But the light rail is pretty straightforward to use. It may seem a bit overwhelming, but it is not that bad. I would encourage you to explore some areas on your own: Roppongi, Shinjuku, etc… But as you walk around, take note of landmarks. It is easy to get disoriented and confused in some of the areas.

Kyoto: Definitely check out the palace/castle. This will take you right back in time to the shogun days (or “The Last Samurai” if you’ve seen that flick).

Last but not least, I would highly recommend doing the on-sen (public bath) at least once. Yes it is intimidating, and may not be something you’re used to. But especially if you’re all sweaty and grimy from a day of sightseeing, a great way to relax.
The procedure is pretty simple:
There is usually a changing room, where you can toss your clothes and change into a towel.
You don’t just jump right into the baths - you clean yourself first. There will be a row of “sit down shower” stations - little stools with shower heads (removable, usually) and soap. So you take a station, and wash yourself thoroughly.
Then you can go hang in the bath. And you pretty much just sit there and maybe dip into the water. No bathing. No swimming laps :wink:
When you’re done, you may want to shower again at one of the stations.
I was too intimidated on my first visit, but on my second visit I tried it and loved it. It’s really relaxing and you feel really refreshed when you come out. I’d recommend it before going out to eat. A nice way to get rejuvenated before heading out for the evening.

That’s all I can think of for now. More if I think of stuff.

34

Many of the ATMs that are in post offices in Japan now accept North American ATM cards. Look for an orange T of sorts that marks the post office.

If you see the ATM and there is a button marked “ENGLISH”, push it and the machine will most likely take your card. If there is no English available on an ATM, skip it, it likely won’t work for your card.

Also most of the post office have a handy shredder for you to get rid of your receipts.