Travelling to Japan - need advice!

[fightingrabbit]

Go to Jiro's.

Do not miss this opportunity.

Or not. It's really not that big of a deal dude.

 

[axion]

4. this is mostly the missus idea, but I know she doesn't really like fish so I'm not sure what the appeal is there

The fish market is moving soon, the new place will be all new and shiny (not sure how or if they plan to preserve any of the history, probably put a small "museum" in there somewhere). It'll be worthwhile visiting while you still have the chance.

 

[iThrillhouse]

Go to Jiro's.

Do not miss this opportunity.

Don't know if I can justify spending $600 on one meal for two

would be a dream if I was making bank, but this trip is basically happening because we're getting such an insane deal on flights

 

[Mr Jay]

Playing in radiation will not give you superpowers.

 

[mushishi]

Don't know if I can justify spending $600 on one meal for two

would be a dream if I was making bank, but this trip is basically happening because we're getting such an insane deal on flights

Awwww, come on, maaaaaaan. It's one of the items on my bucket list that I fear will never get checked off. Take one for the team and let us live vicariously through you!

 

[BoogerDawson]

Eat okonomiyaki
Eat puffer fish
See the Hachi statue at Shibuya station (Most faithful dog in history)
Bang some Japanese sluts

 

[highkicknomore]

Don't know if I can justify spending $600 on one meal for two

would be a dream if I was making bank, but this trip is basically happening because we're getting such an insane deal on flights

How much are you getting airfare for?

 

[chokeyou]

Party in Ropongi Hills. Go to the Ninja Restaurant in Tokyo for something different.

 

[ElKarlo]

Party in Ropongi Hills. Go to the Ninja Restaurant in Tokyo for something different.

Roppongi is def a place to stay away from. Gross.
Also don't go to any bars or restaurants run/staffed by Nigerians. Good chance of getting drugged and or robbed

 

[ElectricKoolAid]

- I'd also recommend going to Kamakura. You won't have time to go to Kyoto so it's a nice alternative, there are lots of temples/shrines etc. It was the capital of Japan about 1000 years ago. There are good hiking trails also.

- I'd recommend going to Yokohama, specifically the Minato Mirai area. There's a small theme park (Cosmo World) and the Landmark tower, it's a nice place. You can also take a boat trip from there.

- I haven't been, but hear that Nikko is very nice. (day trip outside of Tokyo though)

- For arcades, 'Round 1' is a chain that has lots of arcade machines + bowling + pool. The one in Odaiba is particularly good.

- In terms of food, I'd recommend:
Shabu shabu/Nabe restaurants (kind of like boiling stew with lots of beef/pork, often have all you can eat deals 'tabi-hodai' and all you can drink 'nomi-hodai')
Izakayas (bars with lots of small dishes to order e.g. sashimi, tempura, meat skewers)
Yakiniku restaurants (korean BBQ)
Soba noodles

 

[chokeyou]

Roppongi is def a place to stay away from. Gross.

I'm not sure what your issue with it is but it's fun for us tourists.

 

[Calibur]

If you like night life and you want to go out in Tokyo, than Roppongi is a great place to go.

If you don't like night life, but you still want to go out.....well, Roppongi's not a good place. It's like going to a beach when you know you don't like sand. You should just go to bed early, and do more site seeing during the day.

If you want to enjoy yourself you gotta kind of no what you like. If you like Pubs, than their are plenty of great ones. Yeah, their's a pub called "the Hub" but it's like the mcdonalds version of a bar. Why would you do that to yourself.

Sure you can go to the game center/arcade "round 1" but it's not for people who actually play videogames. If you are a competitive gamer than you want to game centers that specialize in the game you play, and trust me, no non game player will be able to show you where that specific hole in the wall is.

I recommend you find out what station you're staying at (Ueno area/Shinjuku Area/Shibuya Area, Ikeburo area, etc,) and find things in your radius. Instead of wasting time on trains getting lost, just find stuff in the area.

Instead of risking things on randomness, just google a decent bar or izakaya near where you're staying. You'll be new to the country so even ordinary stuff will seem cool.

tl/dr Base all of your excursions and meals on the distance from your hotel and do not try to live a lifestyle you usually don't live at home. ie: if you don't like to party, don't try to party in Tokyo. You'll just dissapoint yourself.

If you DO like nightlife, hit me up. I know a lil something about it.

 

[Goonerview]

- I'd also recommend going to Kamakura. You won't have time to go to Kyoto so it's a nice alternative, there are lots of temples/shrines etc. It was the capital of Japan about 1000 years ago. There are good hiking trails also.

- I'd recommend going to Yokohama, specifically the Minato Mirai area. There's a small theme park (Cosmo World) and the Landmark tower, it's a nice place. You can also take a boat trip from there.

- I haven't been, but hear that Nikko is very nice. (day trip outside of Tokyo though)

- For arcades, 'Round 1' is a chain that has lots of arcade machines + bowling + pool. The one in Odaiba is particularly good.

- In terms of food, I'd recommend:
Shabu shabu/Nabe restaurants (kind of like boiling stew with lots of beef/pork, often have all you can eat deals 'tabi-hodai' and all you can drink 'nomi-hodai')
Izakayas (bars with lots of small dishes to order e.g. sashimi, tempura, meat skewers)
Yakiniku restaurants (korean BBQ)
Soba noodles

Yes, Nikko is one of my favourite places in Japan, beautiful scenery and temples, you can go to an onsen (public baths) the resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, I'd highly recommend that, that's my idea of a nice holiday. But, I enjoy more of a countryside lifestyle and don't like places like Roppongi (never seen the fascination with that place, been there twice, never again!).

For food, don't waste your money on Jiros? (never heard of it) or any fine dining restaurant. Go to Freshness burger/Mos Burger, or Cocoichiban curry house, it's all good. Ramen is great too, but makes you fat real quickly if you eat too much of it (I eat it like once a month).

If you want to see a temple in Tokyo, the one in Asakusa is kind of a thing everyone does, it's cool and worth seeing. The Yasukuni shrine is also pretty old and has a lot of history to it.

 

[mushishi]

Fine dining doesn't have to be expensive. You can get a great meal at a two Michelin star establishment for about 2000 JPY.

http://gm.gnavi.co.jp/restaurant/list/tokyo

But I will say that no matter where you eat, it's hard to get a bad meal in Japan.

 

[ghostwipe]

Tokyo is a great city and deserves plenty of time, but if you're coming all the way to Japan (and especially if you don't know if you'll ever come again) then you'd be nuts not to go to Kyoto.

You can get there in three hours, but it's a world away from Tokyo. (Someone else mentioned Kamakura, that would be a closer and smaller option.) Kyoto is the ancient capital, and there's nowhere else like it.

 

[ElKarlo]

Yes, Nikko is one of my favourite places in Japan, beautiful scenery and temples, you can go to an onsen (public baths) the resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, I'd highly recommend that, that's my idea of a nice holiday. But, I enjoy more of a countryside lifestyle and don't like places like Roppongi (never seen the fascination with that place, been there twice, never again!).

For food, don't waste your money on Jiros? (never heard of it) or any fine dining restaurant. Go to Freshness burger/Mos Burger, or Cocoichiban curry house, it's all good. Ramen is great too, but makes you fat real quickly if you eat too much of it (I eat it like once a month).

If you want to see a temple in Tokyo, the one in Asakusa is kind of a thing everyone does, it's cool and worth seeing. The Yasukuni shrine is also pretty old and has a lot of history to it.

I went there this summer. Nikko is great. But given the elevation, it has to be cold this time of year.

You can take the bullet train to Sendai and check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsushima and come back the same day. Matsushima is def worth seeing.


As I said before, most Americans won't be able to appreciate Jiro's sushi. I know I wouldn't. You could go to a decent sushi house and order the sushi by one or twos and get a good sampling. All for $30 or so.

Oh yeah, Yasukuni is great. It has an amazing museum.
If you have the JR rail pass, you can easily hit up other places. I wouldn't spend more than 2 days in Tokyo, as to me, most of it is much of the same after just a little bit. Hiroshima is worth seeing. As is Kyoto and Osaka Castle.

食べ放題　all you an eat
飲み放題 all you can drink
You can go to a Yaki niku place(BBQ), and don't be cheap, go for the 120 mins, and go to town. That too is worth it.

Tokyo tower is kinda short now. You literally can look up at the surrounding buildings. Sky Tree is worth it. You can take in some serious views from there. Make sure the weather is good, otherwise not worth it.

Asakusa is a neat touristy place in Tokyo too http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asakusa,_Tokyo

And the US embassy warns Americans to not got to Roppongi

 

[Zankou]

Going to roppongi is like coming to the U.S. and going to Tijuana to party. I'm not saying you can't have fun doing it, just that ... Yuck.

Btw I really like spa laqua in Tokyo dome city, highly recommend a day trip to that area.

 

[Cajun]

If you can take tone to travel, go to Kyoto. It's the cultural epicenter of the country

Agree. Kyoto is a great experience. A must if you are in Japan. Don't just stay in Tokyo.

 

[Knock Out Ned]

I would recommend buying the JP Rail Pass if you want to do some traveling. It let's you go anywhere you want and you save tons of money.

EDIT: I see that you are only going to be there eight days.

Have fun. The Studio Ghibli museum is pretty cool. Be prepared to wait in long lines.

ZST will be a blast. I think you can buy the tickets at Lawson's.

 

[Ippwnage]

2 words: tentacle porn