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I am currently planning a trip to Japan for 5/16/12 – 6/16/12. I am wondering if anyone can give me tips on places to visit and things to do while I am there. I plan to live with a homestay family in Tokyo while I am there. So far I want to study at the Kodokan, experience the culture, and get a better grasp of the language. Any tips and advice on travel would be greatly appreciated. From what I understand I need to invest in a rail pass while I am there.
Oh! I also went there, this summer:D
As for advice, I don’t know which to giveXD
I didn’t travel around much, so I can’t give much on that part.
But get a metro map, and Tokyo city view is awesome^^
Sorry not to be of more help:/Why didnt you travel around much? What did you do during your stay? Where did you stay? What was your usual day like? How much money did you spend on your trip?
You’ll need a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) for 2 weeks its about $550, you can just buy them online and have the pass shipped to you, or possibly pick it up in Japan.
Thanks Sheepy
I was only in Tokyo for tourism, so we went around in lots of museums and other sights, along with shopping and some conserts:D
I guess the typical day was eating breakfast, then going somewhere to see stuff, and eating, and going home in the evening:P Or something like thatXD
I spent way too much money, many days almost 10 000 yen every day:(
But it was fun^^
AnonymousThe way JR and other rail passes work online (just recently bought mine for October) is they ship a voucher booklet with your slip in it, filled with the appropriate details/money. When you get to the Airport (or any JR station) you exchange it for a pass, probably a card that gets charged with your travel details (unlimited for 2 weeks or w/e).
My advice; however much time you plan on spending visiting temples and shrines, cut it in half. They’re all pretty much the same.
Maps of many of the train stations (some are huge and confusing). It took me about an hour to find my way around shinjuku.
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/^
If thats true, should visit 浅草 and be done with shrines
Yeah! Asakusa was pretty cool because of the surrounding historical area. You should definitely visit there. I played some choose-a-fortune thing there where you pay 100 yen and poll a stick out of a jar and got the worst prediction ever.
Having a JR pass is definitely worth it as you can use the trains to get to just about wherever you want to go. I was in Uji (just south of Kyoto) for about a month this summer for a school trip. We definitely got a temple/shrine overdose, so I would say go to one of each or just the most famous ones. We only went to Tokyo for 2 days, so I definitely feel we didn’t see too much of it. Akihabara was a trip, especially if you’re into pop culture. For sure try to get some maps in English for the stations/subway/downtown areas. The streets can also be pretty confusing, some of them aren’t even named. If you can get your host family to come with you that would be great so you don’t get lost. Good luck! Remember to bring a gift for your host family; I brought mine graham crackers since they don’t have them in Japan =)
I am going in april 2012 and I went in April 2011 I don’t know what you already know but if you want to let me know what kinds of things you already know and what you are wanting to do I can give you some hints and try to help as much as possible :)
this is what i have planned so far
Osaka (time spent 2-3 days)
- Osaka bang!
- Osaka aquarium
- Minami (namba)
- Bunraku theater?
- Peace Osaka
- SIDE trip- Kinosaki – old fashioned hot spring resortHiroshima (time spent 2-3days – preferably a weekend) – hana hostel
- Himeji castle
- Visit Atomic bomb site
- Eat okonomiyaki
- Miyajima park
- Shukkeien garden
- Go out at nightNagasaki (time spent ?)
- kendall’s and ayer’s rock for night lifeKyoto (1 week) – cheap to eat out
- funaoka onsen (bath house)
- book hostle before hand because crowded with tourists
- Eat kaiseki-ryori – EXPENSIVE
- Not much of a night life
- Nijo castle
- Kyoto imperial palace
- Nishiki market
- Kiyomizudera
- Sanjusangendo
- Higashiyama
- ** fushimi inari shrine
- SIDE TRIP TO NARA – 45 mins awayTokyo (1 week) – expensive eat lots of noodles in this city
- go to the kodokan
- Tsukji fish market – gets started at 4 am – fresh sushi for breakfast
- Climb mt. fuji – early morning to see sunrise – stay at fuji five lakes – theme park
- Visit the imperial palace
- kamaukura (small town) – small city full of historic treasures
- ASAKUSA temple
- Shop shibuya
- Ueno park – free day – cherry blossom trees
- Tokyo tower
- Hachiko statue at shibuya station
- Sumo match
- Hakone –cable train
- Koishikawa Korakuen
- Hama RIkyu
- Harajuku- cosplay
- Asakusa – old Tokyo
- Mt fuji- and theme parkKanazawa
-Chaya district – tea houses
- 21st century museumalright I will go through that and add some stuff I dont see, It may take me a bit because I am in college and I have a huge test tomorrow I have to study for along with being sick ^_^; so uh give me a day or two….
no rush after all i am not going until may lol… also this is only about a half a months worth of planning and i will be staying a month
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