Suggestions for things to do in Japan?

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Noid936

New Member
Dec 7, 2014
22
11
Hello,

i am going to Japan in september for one month. I will visit Tokyo, Osaka and probably Fukushima. Can you guys give me some ideas what i can do in and around those places?
It can be suggestions for day trips also.

My reason for asking is:
It's my second visit to Japan and i want to experience the things that i missed last time.
I"m looking for the stuff you don't find in the regular travelbook and was hoping that you guys had some experiences that you would like to share with me.
 

aquamarine

I Know Better Than You
Mar 19, 2007
4,556
127
Go to the top of the Tokyo Tower first, then go to the top of the Tokyo Sky Tree second.
Check out Asakusa and Sensoji temple, that's a block from my old apartment.
Take a walk through Minami-Senju for a more modern feel of Japan and Japanese community. That's where my studio is located.
Go to Akihabara to get your fix of 'crap you don't need'
Go to an onsen (hot-spring)
Go party it up one night in Roppongi - depending on the night you go, I might be able to lead you to my friend's club.
Go to an izakaya (Japanese bar) and try some liver sashimi
 

isityours

People don't dance no mo'
Sep 27, 2008
2,886
4,135
i really like kamakura, but its pretty touristy and beaten-path. if you want the 'mc-tour' then do what aquamarine said.
unless there is some reason to go to roppongi then i recommend you avoid that detestable place, unless you want to be harassed by the bar and club staff on the street and have any female companions you may be with, sexually harassed. personally i think it is a gross cesspool. but then again, this answer shouldnt be about me should it...
im not sure where you visited on your previous trip but i would suggest nara, kyoto or kobe over osaka.
fukushima is still in the process of rebuilding. ground zero is still a wasteland and, c'mon, do you really want to be the foreigner that goes to look at the aftermath of one of the biggest disasters in japanese history? as a tourist? really? im just saying. if you have other reasons for going there then please disregard my comments.
if you are in the kansai area then biwa-kou (biwa lake) in shiga prefecture is nice i hear, but i have never been there.
shikoku is also very nice apparently but september might not be a good time to go as the area tends to get hit really hard by typhoons.
definitely go to a spa, if thats your thing. but make sure its a hot spring (onsen), and not boiled water (sentou). if you arent sure then you can ask them, "onsen desu ka? sentou desu ka?" just remember that japan has a strictly no-bathing suit (and quite often no-tattoo) policy. you will likely be asked to leave if you don either one while bathing.
while it is a delicacy, there have been many cases of poorly prepared raw liver leading to food poisoning. personally, liver? gross. raw liver? really? so disgusting. and why risk wasting a trip chucking up a lung? stupid.
if you really want to be a douchebag then eat raw horse, a delicacy in kyushu and nagano, but available more widely recently. you should be able to find somewhere that serves it in a big city. then go home and tell your friends about it. you'll be the life of the party...
 
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desioner

Sustaining L.I.F.E.
Staff member
Super Moderator
Nov 22, 2006
4,880
50,752
Might as well chime in being that I live here too. As stated by the others I'm not sure what you have done so I might duplicate something. I'd recommend you letting us know what you've done so far in a few points. But here goes.
@aquamarine He also lives here so I think his list is pretty good for Tokyo. Things that give you a taste of mostly the new and exciting. Which is mostly what Tokyo is famous for. While there are a few less popular things and places to go I'm afraid that they'd bore you.
@isityours I get the feeling that he's visited with some poor personal xperiences and or has a few misguided conceptions. Roppongi day or night is an ok place to be with or without a female companion. The art museum in the Mori Tower always has some wonderful exhibits.
I do have to agree with him on Fukushima, there honestly isn't much to see or do as it's still in the rebuilding process. Of course it's not the entire prefecture and there's still a bit to do like seeing the Aizu Festival (会津まつり) in late September.
Both suggest a bath and I do too but I have to imagine that you did that already. It's true that they will shoo you away if they notice any ink on you after getting naked and even after paying. But they will most likely re-pay you. I honestly enjoy Sentou's just as much as Onsen. Yes there is a technical difference but to me a bath is a bath.
The eating is wide and varied. I'm not sure what you're dietary habits are so I can't recommend anything with confidence.
I have to imagine that aqua's recommendation of raw liver was for shock value. Of course there are those of us that have strong mental barriers to certain foods and can't lower them to try new things. But I ave been able to shed most while living here for so long. Raw liver while not a favorite of mine is very good when done well. Which usually is the case. I wouldn't let isityours horror story of wasting away a trip due to poorly prepared food scare you away from trying it. The water anywhere is fine and the food the same.
Horse, dolphin, turtle, shark, & whale… the list of animals that many if not all westerners consider NO NO is long and varied. Obviously isityours is a bit against consuming some if not all. Humans have always eaten everything. This and all your trips should be used as a tool to further experience different cultures and lifestyles. You can make the choice yourself but if you've got questions about them feel free to ask.
Finally I would backup isityours recommendation for Kobe or Kyoto. Not as a replacement for Osaka but in companion. From Tokyo to Osaka then back to Fukushima will add time and money to the travel. Kobe, Kyoto & Osaka are all Kansai so relatively close saving hours and Yen in going from place to place. Of the three I'd recommend Osaka and Kyoto.
The amount of things to do and see in Kyoto is incredible. There are tons of books written on it alone. I'd have to write a whole other reply just for that. But let's her what you have to say so far.
 

C00Lzero

Administrator
Conqueror
Aug 14, 2010
556
1,175
:)
Kyoto really is a nice place - i just had one day there - big error on planning my trip :D
but considering time, i haven't had enough time to see everything there is on every location i went. ^^'


as for the food i have learned not to ask what it is - especially if i can't read (or understand) it (or if there are some locals ordering food)
If you go for bankok or malaysia or some other "asian" places, it could get a bit weird (so i'm not sure if i want to eat s.th. that is clearly a worm, even if it's fried)
as for japan (and some other places): i'm still not really sure what exactly i have eaten there, but it was really delicious and hasn't looked that strange.
so if you are not vegan, don't panic :)
 
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