To some people, myself included, Japan is a fascinating place. The history and traditions are rich and the modern day culture is jaw dropping sometimes. The anime that Japan produces has inspired the desire to visit the place of it’s inception in many a fan. I have a cousin who plans on going to Japan sometime next year, and I must say I’m mighty jealous. I recently spoke to an American, however, who lives in Tokyo and for some reason, isn’t too thrilled with the experience. It’s all in why you’re going to Japan in the first place, I expect.
I, personally, would love to hang out and shop in Harajuku, watch the cherry blossoms, dine on authentic sushi, do REAL karaoke, visit a moss garden , go to the temples at Nara, eat mochi at the side of the Abe River, and so on and so on. That’s just me. Other people might just wanna go to the Tokyo Expo or visit the maid cafés or try out to be voice actors (you never know).
What would you do if you went to Japan?
Bicycle trip to the Muira Peninsula to visit the site of Cafe Alpha (Yokohasma Kaidashi Kikou), then retrace part of Alpha’s travels by bike. Then pedal off in all directions & get hopelessly lost for like 6 months , yay!
Let’s see… I’d visit the temples, Akihabara, view cherry blossoms… waitaminute, I LIVE IN JAPAN! ^_~
The first time I visited Japan, I stayed for 10 days. I got a JR Railpass which got me unlimited rides on any JR train (including the shinkansen/bullet train), and from Tokyo, I visited Nagano, Nagoya, and Kyoto. It was during the fall, so the autumn foliage was quite beautiful.
If you like historical places, then Kamakura, Nikko, and Kyoto is a must (probably Nara too, but I’ve never been there) for the temples and shrines. Tokyo is quite the metropolitan (though you’ll also see a lot of cramped small houses and apartment buildings), and there are plenty of places for shopping, dining, eye-goggling. Akihabara is a must for otaku (the maid cafes are meh for me, but then again, I’m not into maids). The food is excellent here.
Best seasons to visit Japan are spring (for the cherry blossom) and fall (for the foliage), but it’s quite difficult to come at just the right moment as it’s hard to predict when the blossoms will bloom and when the leaves change color, and it only lasts for a few weeks.
If anyone’s interested, I also keep a photo blog (though I don’t update it too often) of Japan (and other places):
http://wrexgrafix.com/photos/blog/
I would probably not do much while in Japan. Prolly go to Akihabara and other shopping districts and visit a shrine or two. I would love to visit a high school or college, but I doubt they would let me.
I’d visit the big video game head quarters, any place I had seen in an anime, and any place recomended to me by people who had visited there before.
Aw hell. I’d just do what the Genshiken do when they hit Akihabara. Do a circuit around town and then make pit stops at various doujin shops. Then head for the arcades… test out new games.. and head over to Toranoana for some readin’.
First of all, buy every single issue of the Gothic Lolita Bible, and then a bunch of manga, even though I can’t read japanese.
And then, I would of course spend lots of money for authentic japanese food, do windowshopping in Shibuya and visit some touristic spots. In fact, I don’t know much about japanese touristic spots because I don’t expect finding myself in Japan so soon *cough*
Huh, I’ve never heard of Akihabara before you guys mentioned it here. So it’s some kind of otaku-esque paradise? Is that for gaijin or Nihonjin otaku? -Wrex, you’ve been there, what are your thoughts? BTW, thx for the link to your photo log ^^.
I too have heard of the absolute beauty of spring and fall in Kyoto. It’s one of the places I will surely visit since I would like to do a tour of Japan’s old capitals. Nara would be first, then Kyoto, and lastly Tokyo. It would be like traveling back and then forward in time. That’d be fun.
A bicycle tour sounds like a ton of fun too. -Ojisan has a great idea there.
-Zoku88, seeing what school life is like for the Japanese would be very interesting. I think it would be insightful to see how early development in schools will affect how children will eventually be later in life. I wonder if Japanese kids have the crappy cliques like here in the US. Kids can be mean SOBs and I wonder if that’s true for ALL kids…
-Ralahinn1, video game headquarters, eh? I wonder if they give tours and let people try out demos.
Touring Japan modern style like you plan -Meganeshounen would be a good way to wrap up a classic tour. I would really have to start saving now to be able to shop the way I want to and NOT get into serious credit card debt.
-Sasa, oh hells yeah I’d be buying all the Gothic Loli Bibles too! And of course, as a foodie, I would enjoy authentic cuisine every night. No crappy McDonald’s for me when I go there. But it’s interesting to note that the McD’s there have very Japanese menu items. Like the Ebi (shrimp) burger with enoki (Japanese mushrooms). I still wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole however. And yeah, a trip like that is very far off for us as well. Ah, but good things come to those who wait (and save) so so there’s hope ^^.
Anybody else out there reading have some thoughts on going to Japan?
Rachel, Akihabara is kind of like the birthplace for otaku. It was an area specializing in electronics and appliances, and early electronics geeks would go there to get their parts. But it grew to include video games, anime items, maid cafes, etc., so it’s really the home for otaku. In reality, you can get anime, games, etc. in big electronic store chains or anime shops (like Animate or Mandrake) all over big cities in Japan, but Akihabara is where everything is in one place with a large variety. On Sundays, you’ll see many people dressed up in cosplay (the main street is closed off so that people can walk around). I was trying to see if I could link the some photos for you, but amazingly, I realize that I haven’t posted any pics of Akihabara! O_O on neither my photo blog or my regular website. Anyway, it’s a must for any otaku; many tourists go there, and these days, thanks to the book, movie, and drama, “Densha Otoko,” many Japanese girls go there too. ^_^
Btw, I’ve never heard of any “video game headquarters” (but Tokyo’s a big place and there could be one), but there are large arcades and game centers in the major parts. The games are expensive, though. There are museum like places, such as the Sony building, which has a game floor. I have a couple of photos from there here: http://wrexgrafix.com/photos/japan/ginza_sakuragicho/index.html
And the Ebi burger… I still haven’t gotten the guts to try it, though I tried the ebi nuggets with wasabi-based sauce… now, that was excellent. Too bad it was a limited item. I’ve gotten used to shrimp and other seafood on pizza here…
The reason that the American guy whom you talked to isn’t too thrilled about the experience is because he’s LIVING there. Judging from the title of this entry, I presume you’re interested in VISITING Japan only? There’s a big difference between the two situations because all novelties tend to fade over time, after which you’re gonna have to deal with complex issues from finding a job to re-establishing your identity.
Getting back on topic, the three most important things I would do if I visited Japan are: shopping, sight-seeing, and eating.
-Wrex, interesting background on Akihabara. When you post pics from there please let us know!
Do you not like seafood in general or just on American style food like burgers and pizza? I love seafood and am mostly a veggie eater. -Zingor calls me a pisces-vore, meaning that the only meat I eat is fish and seafood. Japan to me would be like Ponderosa to a omnivore. What kind of meat variety does the average Japanese restaurant offer? Because it’s always funny when we watch anime and a character gets so excited that they’re eating meat (pork or usually beef) when they just got done eating sashimi or the likes.
-Asuka, I knew the guy in question before he moved to Japan and he really wanted to work there come hell or high water. He got there and ended up teaching English. He came back over the holidays and was the most jaded person I’ve ever met, and he was there only about 9 months. He decided to go back to Japan but managed to dampen my perspective of going. Once upon a time, when Rachel was dewy eyed and rainbow brained, she thought living in Japan would rock beyond all human comprehension….m’yep.
I think frequent visits would be better than living there year round. I doubt I could ever get “comfortable” let alone get work. So, you’re absolutely right about the novelty wearing off. And establishing a new identity is hard enough just moving two hours away into a bigger city; I couldn’t imagine tackling Japan. I’d like to think that I’d last longer than 9 months, however.
I’m not used to the idea of seafood in tradtional American burgers, pizza, etc. But I love sushi (maguro, unagi, amaebi, kuruma-ebi), sashimi, tempura, and other fishes like saba. Yakiniku (Korean style grilled meat) is quite popular here, as are other meat dishes (like gyuudon for a quick lunch). Premium Japanese meat are supposed to melt in your mouth, but I don’t want to shell out a whole lot of money to try it.
I think living in Japan affects people in different ways. Many people do get a level of culture shock. I myself have been living in Japan for a little over 4 years, and although there are some irritating things, I love living here and can imagine spending the rest of my life here. It really helps to learn to language and try to understand the culture, and most of all find some friends or other connections. Otherwise, it can get really lonely and frustrating. It also helps to visit Japan before moving here cold turkey.
If you are planning to visit the old capitols of Japan, then I would recommend Kamakura. It’s probably best known for the large outdoor bronze Buddha, but there are many other shrines and temples. The street leading to the Buddha is very touristy, but fun.
Also, there is a candy shop which sells traditional Japanese candies and there is a very good noodle shop on one of the side streets. Usually there is a line outside its door since it is rather small and if you don’t like eating elbow to elbow with strangers then it may not be for you…but the noodles are great. While in the area, check out Kita-Kamakura. It has an older more natural feel to it. My in-laws used to live there. While there check out the train station…it has not been modernized and has been used in several period “doramas”…also there is another good noodle shop there.
For the most part, stay in Tokyo and have lots of fun. I’ll try to sneak in a day dedicated to Kyoto when I got there in a few months. I’ll pretty much see sites and hit the arcade scenes.
-Bata-kun, will you be there in time to view the cherry blossoms? When you go, please send us some pics to get jealous over! Anybody else going or has gone or who lives in Japan? Anyone else have any links to their pics?
These are great tips! It would be nice to make an anime-fan travelogue of Japan. That’s definitely something that would help out the anime community. It’d be sorted by famous places featured in anime, references made in anime, where to buy anime, where to dress like anime, eat like/with anime, ect. What do you guys think of something like that for the net or does that already exist?
Many people do go especially for the food. I know a guy who goes there once a year to freshen up his training and he’s ALL about the food. -Mochi and -Wrex made some good suggestions to that end. Something to think about…
Let’s see…
If I am going over to Japan, I will probably
1. Visit all the shrines and war memorials since I love such historical sites the most.
2. Go to the anime areas and buy, buy and buy!
3. Simply go for the cherry blossoms in which to simply lie down in front of a tree and relax for 1-2 hours. Yes, I am a lazy old man.
4. Visit rural areas and experience the nature scenery of Japan, as well as going up mountains! Mount Fuji!
I forgot about the war memorials, -Impz. They would be important to visit for sure. Then off to the penis shrine!
What? I don’t know how many people know about these shrines but they do exist and they shared an important role in rural/agricultural Japan. They seem to attract mostly Westerners I’ve heard. Here’s a link to one of the more famous shrines; click if you dare and aren’t easily offended:
http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/aichi/tagata_jinja.html
After that it would be a good idea to climb a mountain…
I’d probably hit Akihabara first.. and then wander. Country inns, parks, the old capitols at Kamakura and Kyoto… eat, head to Okinawa… go all over, really.
It seems like most anime fans are on the same page in regards to visiting Japan. IMO, it’d be fun to go in a big group of other anime fans to sight see and to chat about anime in its Motherland. Not just that, but it’d probably be a good idea to have enough people who speak enough Japanese to scrape by.
Oh, and I’d totally stay at a Love Hotel. They’re swank, upscale, and really, really cheap for what you get. You’d probably get some weird looks if you went by yourself since they’re themed rooms for couples to get intimate in. S’ why I’d bring me honey Dave with me – ^/.
A little late, but here are some photos of Akihabara… nothing special though:
http://wrexgrafix.com/photos/blog/?p=25
Speaking of penis shrines, here are pics from the “penis festival” (Kanamara Matsuri) in Kawasaki:
http://wrexgrafix.com/photos/blog/?p=27
I love Japan! I wish i could go there, but its really expencive!;(
-Eva, if you save up and don’t plan on going shopping in Japan, I bet you could go there for less than you might expect. The traditional food fare of Japan is inexpensive from what I’ve heard. If you visit there and dine on Western food every day instead of the local offerigs, yes it will be expensive.
If you stay at a love hotel it’ll probably only cost you $60-80 a night, depending. I’m estimating that to go to Japan strictly to sight see it…with airfare, hotel, food and transport the trip might cost ya $2,000. That’s just my uninformed estimate if airfare is still $850 round trip. If it is, you’re probably looking at more like $1,700. My estimate, though.
Any body who’s gone who can give an estimate of how much it costs for airfare, food and transport?
There are many cheap fast food places, both Japanese and Western style, so you can dine for between 400 yen to 1000 yen (about $4 to $9 U.S.)per meal. If you find some yatai (food carts), the price may be on the lower end. Prices in big cities like Tokyo will be more expensive than in more rural areas.
Love hotels are cheaper than that… but I don’t think they’ll let in a single person, especially when the person has a suitcase in hand. When I first visited Japan, I was able to book a really stripped down “hotel” with a community toilet and bath, but it was only 2000 yen ($20 U.S.) per night. This was in Ueno… and the name of the hotel escapes me right now, but I think you can find some other hotel deals for about 4000 yen to 7000 yen a night.
I think local transportation is relative cheap, but if you plan to stay long (say, like a week), then it’s good to get a JR Rail Pass, which allows you to ride almost any JR train or bus unlimitedly… that means even the shinkansen (bullet train), allowing you to visit other cities, such as Kyoto. You can get a 7-day pass for 28,300 yen.
http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en003.html
Airfare is as Rachel said.
I think travel to Japan is doable (I did it twice before moving here to live), but Eva could still be a school student without her own income or maybe she’s from a country with a weaker exchange rate.
For those who would like to visit Japan, but can’t afford it, you may want to check out Kateigaho International Edition which is a magazine about Japan. It’s a bit expensive (still cheaper than going to Japan), but it is a quarterly and well designed. The Autumn 2006 edition had articles about Kyoto [featuring among other things maiko (geisha in training) and the tradition/art of filleting fish], Edo Soba, and a tour/history of Akihabara [showing the recent otaku influence (including a photo of a cross dressing cosplayer...meganeko-nekkomimi meido) as well as the older electronics/computer shops].
If you can’t find a copy at your local news/magazine store, check out their website:
http://int.kateigaho.com