Tokyo/Kyoto

AlivePoet

New member
Hey guys, I'm heading to Tokyo and Kyoto in May for four days. I won't have a whole lot of time, but I've already planned ways (e.g. to take night buses between cities) to save on time and make the most of the long weekend.

Has anyone been/would you recommend anything to see while there? Cheers!
 

indy34

New member
I love japan I'm hoping to go there once I finish college next year(y)
Although I've never been to japan I'd suggest going to a couple of the many temples in Tokyo and Kyoto. They're always amazing to see and the same goes for the gardens.:D
 

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
Go see Harajuku, it's a part of Tokyo. That's where they have all those people in the crazy colourful fashions and even anime inspired clothes.

Definitely any of the temples and shrines that you can get to are a must.

Kyoto is quite scenic, so any of the gardens with cherry blossoms and that sort of thing.

Go do a traditional green tea ceremony and yeah, go get a kimono.

Go see a sumo wrestling match.


That's as far as I know, I've never been, but a few of my friends have.

(Funnily enough, I just came home from Japanese Harmony Day expo, and I did just buy myself a summer kimono and obi. Quite comfy with you get the right obi).

I just realised that if you swap around the letters in Tokyo, you get Kyoto. Weird huh?
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Too bad you didn't go to Kyoto last year. '09 was the Millennial Anniversary of The Tale of Genji, and all kinds of things were going on. Fortunately, a lot of the events are fairly permanent so you can still check out the Tale of Genji Museum and the Ishiyama-dera Temple among others. I was also fond of Daitoku-ji Temple.

You can also dress up in traditional clothing! Women can dress up as maiko or geiko, and men can dress up as a samurai. The agency will do a bunch of snaps for you to take home, and if you're really daring, you can tour the city dressed up! It was fun, and I highly recommend it. Tokyo offers a few places that do this, but Kyoto is where it really feels less like a costume.

There are tons of places that offer the makeover, so feel free to browse around. A couple: Studio Shiki & Kimono Den Den.

Tokyo has a ton of things to do, and that's probably an understatement. I barely scratched the surface during my time, and a lifetime isn't probably enough to see and do it all. Based on the time you're going, I would try to take in a baseball game. The season is just underway, and even if you don't like baseball, the cultural differences are astounding. Get a t-shirt for the Ham Fighters!

Same goes for Disneyland. You've probably been to one of the stateside parks, but the Japanese do it better. Plus, you can make it Indy related by going on the Temple of the Crystal Skull ride at Disney TokyoSea.

Kawaii kills. You should still visit the world's largest Hello Kitty store on the 2nd Floor of the Nishi Ginza Department Store, and then head to the other Hello Kitty store to have your picture taken with the world's largest Hello Kitty at the Korakuen adhoc Building in Shinjuku. I swear it was eight feet tall.

I'm pretty sure maid cafes are still popular, so you should check one of those out too. I went to Cure and Schatz Kiste, but there are others. Apparently Cafe Edelstien is putting something interesting together.

It's late so I'll cut this short. The New York Times has a pretty good article on being frugal in Kyoto that you can read here. Their travel guide is pretty skimpy, but the comment section has some pretty good suggestions.

I really like Bar Peter in the Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo. It's kind of pricey though, and I don't know your budget. I'm also quite fond of These Library Lounge and Bo Sono Ni. All three are excellent bars. I'll dig out my notes, and see if there's anything else to note.

One last thing that I emphatically insist you visit, is the Tsukiji Fish Market. You'll have to get up damn early, but the place is not to be missed. The sheer scope of the operations is stunning.

p1.jpg


Mater-san had a great trip too.

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AlivePoet

New member
Violet Indy said:
Go see Harajuku, it's a part of Tokyo. That's where they have all those people in the crazy colourful fashions and even anime inspired clothes.

Definitely any of the temples and shrines that you can get to are a must.

Kyoto is quite scenic, so any of the gardens with cherry blossoms and that sort of thing.

Go do a traditional green tea ceremony and yeah, go get a kimono.

Go see a sumo wrestling match.


That's as far as I know, I've never been, but a few of my friends have.

(Funnily enough, I just came home from Japanese Harmony Day expo, and I did just buy myself a summer kimono and obi. Quite comfy with you get the right obi).

I just realised that if you swap around the letters in Tokyo, you get Kyoto. Weird huh?

Ha ha. Thanks for the tips Violet. As for your most recent novelty, Asian cultures have many more anagrams than English, especially Korea. But since the language is built around pronunciation, the exact English spelling of them is often subjective...so it's likely that many anagrams are optional. ;)
 

AlivePoet

New member
Thanks for the advice, La Saboteur. I've seen a few baseball games in Korea and they're certainly different from the western ones, so I think I'll skip that one since my time there isn't very long. I can believe you barely scratched the surface, though... quite looking forward to experiencing many of the sights and sounds there. :hat:
 
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