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 Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:41 pm
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 7:32 pm
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:29 pm
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:34 pm
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If you're going to tokyo, you should go to:
Akibahara - The gaming and anime mecca of Tokyo
Odaiba - A bunch of piers with shops, entertainment, plus spectacular views of Tokyo bay, rainbow bridge, the mini-statue of liberty and more!
Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku - If you like different kinds of Japanese fashion, or want an idea how the typical Japanese teenager hangouts are, you should go to these places.
Tokyo Tower - Although it costs money, it provides an excellent view of the skyline of Tokyo. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji.
Places south of Tokyo:
Kamakura: The working capital of Japan during the Kamakura period, there are several shrines here, one of two of the great Buddhas in Japan (the other is in Nara), and is not very far from Mt. Fuji.
Mt. Fuji - Normally very camera shy from a far (it is under fog or cloud cover many of the days of the year), it is possible to travel up 2100m of the mountain by car using the roads. By october, snow will be accumulating on the mountain.
If you go to Kyoto:
-Kinkakuji, otherwise known as the Golden Pavilion - By far one the most famous places in Japan, it is the shrine that is laced with a distinct golden glow.
-Kiyomizudera - This temple sits on a hill with a deck that extends out from the hill and is up over 100ft tall.
- Ryoanji - Japan's most famous rock garden.
- Nijo Castle - This castle, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu after becoming Japan's first Shogun has a distinct feature in the castle itself that would allow intruders to be detected. It is known to have "Nightingale" floors-floors that squawks or squeaks when one is walking on them. (As being there myself, it is nearly impossible to walk without them squawking).
Near Kyoto, at Nara:
- Has the other famous giant Buddha in Japan.
- Most of the Pagodas are of Chinese style and Nara (being the first formal capital of Japan) has some of the world's oldest wooden structures.
- Deer are everywhere and roam quite a bit of the city.
If you go to Osaka:
-Osaka Castle, although reconstructed after taking a pounding from allied bombing during WWII, it is still interesting to see.
-DenDen Town - Osaka's answer to Akibahara. It is becoming more popular in recent years, though it looks like it is looking back to a much earlier time (like late 70s) in the city. You can pretty much find anything you need (electronics wise) here.
- Osaka Sky Tower (I think this is the name of this place) - It provides a nice view of the Osaka Skyline. You can also get a view of the strange building that has a highway built right through it.
I hope that provides enough suggestions.
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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 2:59 pm
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 5:31 pm
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 5:33 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:56 pm
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LIttle Miss Macarbre generated a random number between
1 and 1000000000 ...
976787140!
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Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 11:48 pm
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WOW! i completely forgot about this thread...sorry to neglect you guys!
thanks for all the suggestions idiotbydefault many of the places you mentioned we actually went to....one of the days we were in tokyo, we went to the empiral palace and had a walk around there...then we decided we'd try to walk to tokyo tower coz we could see it in the distance...turns out, it was a lot further away then we thought...so we gave up and got coffee instead, coz it was particularly hot. =3
Harajuku was INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!! that is all... xP
but we didnt go to Shibuya, coz mother didnt want to deal with all the crowds. heh.
in response to the cost of the tickets, we flew by Jetstar, who are an off shoot of Qantas (coz i'm an aussie) and they do pretty cheap flights, i think it was somewhere around $400 per person return flight in economy class. so it was pretty good.
i had a blast over there, i really miss it. and i got pretty upset coz we missed out on seeing the Studio Ghilbi Muesum, because we had to pre-order the tickets. i swear, i started crying in the street...>.>
BUT!
the best part is i'm going back in three or four years (to give me time to save up again), with friends this time, instead of family, and i'll be there for twice as long!
p.s. about the best shops being in back alleys, we found this to be true in Takayama, best little food shop! OH and coming back from Miyajima Island, there was this little coffee shop called The Bluebird Cafe...if you're ever over that way, be sure to go there. its easily recognisable, by the little coffee van in the building.
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Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 7:36 am
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LIttle Miss Macarbre WOW! i completely forgot about this thread...sorry to neglect you guys! thanks for all the suggestions idiotbydefault many of the places you mentioned we actually went to....one of the days we were in tokyo, we went to the empiral palace and had a walk around there...then we decided we'd try to walk to tokyo tower coz we could see it in the distance...turns out, it was a lot further away then we thought...so we gave up and got coffee instead, coz it was particularly hot. =3 Harajuku was INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!! that is all... xP but we didnt go to Shibuya, coz mother didnt want to deal with all the crowds. heh. in response to the cost of the tickets, we flew by Jetstar, who are an off shoot of Qantas (coz i'm an aussie) and they do pretty cheap flights, i think it was somewhere around $400 per person return flight in economy class. so it was pretty good. i had a blast over there, i really miss it. and i got pretty upset coz we missed out on seeing the Studio Ghilbi Muesum, because we had to pre-order the tickets. i swear, i started crying in the street...>.> BUT! the best part is i'm going back in three or four years (to give me time to save up again), with friends this time, instead of family, and i'll be there for twice as long! p.s. about the best shops being in back alleys, we found this to be true in Takayama, best little food shop! OH and coming back from Miyajima Island, there was this little coffee shop called The Bluebird Cafe...if you're ever over that way, be sure to go there. its easily recognisable, by the little coffee van in the building.
Lol, the same thing happened to me when I was around the Imperial Palace "Hmmm...I see Tokyo Tower in the distance, I should walk there from here". Took about 30 minutes and it was raining. XD
Yes, the back allies are the best for prices. I suggested to someone else on here that in Akibahara that you get the best prices the farther way you are from the station. Duty free shops tend to jack up prices, and if you have someone with you that can speak a little Japanese, a long way goes ahead to branch out to the more obscure stores.
Shibuya is pretty busy most of the day. It is a common meeting spot for a lot of Japanese youth because of the landmark of the statue of Hachiko. |
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Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 4:44 am
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:10 pm
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LIttle Miss Macarbre i hate to ask, in fear of not knowing something that is seemingly significant about my favourite country ever, but who or what is Hachiko???
Hachiko is the Akita dog famous throughout Japanese contemporary lore for it's loyalty to a college professor. The former owner, Hidesaburou Ueno, a professor at the agriculture department of Tokyo U, had the pet for a year, and they became closed bonded to each other, and every time the professor got off at Shibuya Station, Hachiko would be waiting. After that year, the professor suddenly died of a brain hemorrage, but the pet was unaware and still came to the station to wait for him for the next 9 years afterwards, even when it was given away to a new owner.
This loyalty not only garnered him fame and admiration across the nation, but even prompted scientists to investigate other dogs of his Akita breed, of which only 30 remained at the time and was nurtured away from the brink of extinction. By the time the dog's health failed it all those years later, it left behind a legacy of loyalty, bringing attention to other Akitas out in the world and prompting a statue to be built at the station he kept returning to, which is now a landmark people use to arrange meetups and what have you.
The dog has inspired books, movies(including the recent Hachi: A Dog's Story w/Richard Gere) and even other shows arond the world(eg the Futurama episode Jurrasic Bark, featuring a similar story revolving around a dog waiting for the main character to return to it). You can also find similar tales of loyalty in Edinburgh(a Skye Terrier called Greyfriar's Bobby) and Fort Benton, Montana(a herding dog called Shep) |
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Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:39 pm
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Reply
