Going to Japan
 

Hey people,

So I am going to Japan in the end of March. Never been there and not sure what to expect or what yet do. I am going for a business seminar for school and only for ten days and visiting Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Nara.

I am looking for things to do on my free time and if anyone has any experience from there I would appreciate some direction on what is awesome to see and do.

Things I want to do vaguely:
-Tour
-Night life
-Food
-Car life (museums, car meets, etc.)

Any feedback will do.

Thanks and cheers

Adam

I've always thought it would be pretty cool to go to Japan, but sorry not much help on what to do.

I'm jealous. :p:

Would love to go in my future..... Some day.

I have an idea: Go visit some of the major auto manufacturers over there (factories & such). That's something I would love to do for sure.

Have fun!

Go to a tittie bar. I've heard craaaaaaazy stories.

See if one of our japanese members would be willing to show you around. I know we have some lurking and they might be willing to even let you drive a RHD RX8. Wouldn't that be sweet!

which part of tokyo are you going to? ive traveled all over tokyo before and the night life is great :)
+1 on the titty bar. Shibuya is where you want to be! unless you want to join the otakus and check out a maid cafe at Akihabara. be warned: they're expensive! :icon_no2:

Tokyo- Yoyogi Park/Cosplayers, Omotesando, Ueno Park/Zoo, the Meiji Shrine, Kichijyoji(nice park and cool clothes). Tokyo Tower's view is supposed to be meh. It looked pretty on the outside but not such a great view since you can't go too high. The Imperial Palace is pretty nice and a good way to kill an afternoon. Roppongi is a very popular party district but it's dirty imo. Don't go to Kabukichou, it's where all the young girls go to find rich old men who will buy them gifts for sex, and the rest is host/hostess clubs or gangsters. No one will be interested in you there(I found out the hard way :p ). Also, head to Shibuya at least for the Hachiko Statue/Shibuya crossing.

Go to Tsukiji fish market early in the morning(~5am). Spend about ~$40 on a plate of great sushi and start off the day right. The place I went to gave you a little bit of everything which was nice. Make sure you eat tuna when you go. Also make sure you eat ramen and soba. Try to find the restaurant with the longest line and go there.

Akihabara is heaven if you like electronics. The prices aren't amazing but it's nice to window shop. The maid cafes are funny, but ask before you take pictures. A lot of the girls just do it as a job and are embarrassed to have their photo taken.

If you completely run out of Japanese things to do in Tokyo, Tokyo Disney is really well done and is a fun place to go. Done by a different company than Disney(they pay for licensing). It's much better than Disney in America.

Try to make it to Yokohama as well since it's nearby. Minato Mirai is a well done tourist area and is very romantic(if you have a girl). There's also a China town in Yokohama with some good restaurants.

Osaka- Dotonbori. Osaka castle is all concrete inside, not so great. There's a monkey zoo on the outskirts of the city with no fences, etc. It's really cool. Make a trip to Kobe(it's very very close) and have some Kobe beef. Expect to spend $50-100 for a small steak. But it's the best steak you'll ever have in your life and will probably ruin steak for you forever. I was amazed and so glad I tried it. Make sure you eat Okonomiyaki in Osaka as well as Ramen.

Kyoto-Nijo Castle, Kiyomizu Temple, Kinkaku-ji(Golden Temple) is beautiful. I don't think I went to the old Imperial Palace but it's probably worth visiting. I really regret only spending 2 days in Kyoto.

Nara-Didn't go, but I really wanted to see Todai-ji.

Overall my least favorite part of Japan is Tokyo since it feels a lot like many other major cities. The other places on your list will all feel more authentic imo, although the night life might not be as exciting. Just make sure you bring your own rubbers because it can be hard to find condoms in Japan since they don't seem to believe in protection.

I took my camera along but didn't take a ton of pictures. You'll miss a lot if you're always taking photos of everything. Don't be a Japanese tourist :p Anyway, it should be a great time. Stay longer if you can. There's cheap places you can find to stay such as internet cafes and capsule hotels if your budget is the limiting factor. As for car stuff, there's a super Autobacs in Chiba. It's kind of out of the way though.

Ramen museum ... that' stuff is goooood.

Ginza's like a boutique street so don't go there. Asakusa has more of a japanese culture and you'll find more stuff there.

For Japanese snacks, go to Ameyoko.

Akihabara - if you don't like the maid cafes, there's a gundam cafe. :p

Have fun there!

Not sure where exactly in Tokyo yet I will find out this Friday and I'll PM you if that's okay.

Hey thanks, thats seems like a lot of great info I will make a plan to make sure I check out as much as I can.

Thanks again

Thanks

watch out for restaurants that have a "members" only sign they dont truly mean members they just dont like serving foreigners, from what i heard they are racists like shit over there...no really they are.

Sounds like fun. Enjoy.