Mods – while I am seeking opinions on things to see/do, if this is better placed in MPSIMS, please move it.
My daughter, who is 16, will be traveling to Japan this summer for 2 weeks. She will be on a guided tour for the first week, then staying with a host family for the second. She will be staying in and around Tsuru.
She will not have much free time (I will know more about her itinerary next week) at least during the first week, and will have to depend on her host family for any activities that she does the second week, so keep that in mind.
What I am asking is if there are any Dopers around the area, let me know what places are a must-see, what things are a must-do and how much money should she bring for those things. Her interests are varied, so trust me, anything you suggest will be considered. Most important on her list is to eat fugu – so if anyone knows a good place for this nearby that is reasonable, please speak up
One other note – we have been told to bring gifts for the host family and that is fine. We will be doing a gift basket for each family member (once we find out how many there are) which will include American coins, American-themed trinket stuff (National Guard ink pens, flag pencils, little flag pins, etc), some type of typical American candy (suggestions appreciated here), and then a special gift geared toward the individual – a nice handmade business card holder for the dad, a handmade purse for the mom and daughter (we assume there will be at least those three, and possibly other siblings/grandparents). Any other suggestions on what would be a popular (but inexpensive) gift to include. Keep in mind the items will need to be fairly small and durable because they will be traveling in a suitcase from the US.
Also – how should she pack? What is the weather like in July? What (besides the Lolita look) are popular clothing styles right now?
I will likely add more questions/requests as we think of them, but for now I think that’s all. Thanks in advance to anyone willing/able to help.
I don’t know if the distance makes it feasible, but a trip to Kyoto would be worth the effort. It’s difficult to describe the beauty and history of the city, and the Kyoto Handicraft Center is AWESOME.
I’m sure some other doper can let us know if it’s doable.
Thanks for the feedback. I am unsure what city she will be in the first week – it’s either Kyoto or Tokyo (vastly different, I know, but I don’t have the paperwork right now and it is escaping me!). As far as the heat – well, she will be escaping Tennessee’s 100º+ temps and 100%+ humidity – I think she should be ok.
Unfortunately, I “lived” there rather than “visited”, so I don’t really know all the museums or palaces or shrines or anything that are good tourist locations.
It will be really hot and humid.
Not sure, but if she’s in Tokyo, I’d suggest going to Harajuku and wandering around. It’s a square mile and ten stories of clothing stores. If you love your daughter you’ll give her a few hundred dollars and an empty suitcase.
Lolita style is a subset of fashion. It’s famous more than it’s popular. Most girls will dress in a more standard style. Punk looks might even be more common than Lolita.
Harajuku can be quite expensive. Most of the stores are designer brands or a single, private designer’s personal showcase so they have to charge a bit. I would be 80% sure that there are fashionable yet reasonably priced stores, but it might take some hunting.
Sage Rat thanks for chiming in. We have a meeting Monday, and will get the itinerary, so I will know for sure where she will be then. She’s really good at shopping (I have taught her well), so I am sure she will come home with lots of cute things cheap. When she visited her bio-father in CA, she went to Hollywood to shop and managed to find a small personal designer’s shop and got 2 really cute dresses for under $100.
The only piece of clothing she is after is a school uniform. She might try to find a nice Kimono, too. Other than that, her style is all her own. Put it this way – many of her friends call her Emo Malibu Barbie. She is very preppy, blond and blue eyed with a little goth twist.
She is really excited about the trip and is working with her Rosetta Stone to learn at least a little conversational Japanese.
School uniforms and kimono wouldn’t be found in Harajuku. She should be able to find a store for either within a mile or two of anywhere she may be in Tokyo. It’s just a matter of asking someone.
I’m not sure how much kimono are. Note that she’ll probably be looking for a Yukata more than a real kimono. Yukata are considered summer wear, while kimono you wear to fancy occasions.
If she can make it to Tokyo early enough, she should definitely go to the Tsukiji Fish Market and watch the fish auctions. They start at 5AM. I also really liked the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. It has a few different buildings housing Japanese and Asian art and architecture.
I was just in Harajuku in March. Right out of one of the train exits (near where Snoopy Town used to be-- even Snoopy is hard hit by the recession) is a street that has many reasonably-priced shops. They weren’t the really posh ones, but the clothing in them seemed like what a lot of the girls were wearing (so you don’t have to take my say-so that they’re not just crap clothes-- for the best really, considering my fashion sense).
Real kimono are absurdly expensive, ranging from prom-dress prices to wedding-dress prices.
