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Japan bleg
Come mid-May, Yana, Natasha and I have time to do three things in Japan. Tokyo and Kyoto are on the agenda for sure. What should the third visit be? Preferably it should not be too far from the rest. Afterwards, I am going to Nagasaki for sure, so no need to recommend that.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on March 23, 2008 at 07:57 PM in Travels | Permalink
Comments
Akihabara, to buy technology that won't be for sale in the US until 2020. :-)
Posted by: Jacob Oost at Mar 23, 2008 8:05:23 PM
as long as you get to nagasaki, you'll be good.
If you like the warring states period of Japanese history, you'll be across the Ariake Sea from Kumamoto and its castle, Kumamoto-jou. Worth a look.
Posted by: scott clark at Mar 23, 2008 8:26:53 PM
I have just returned from Hokkaido, a nice and quiet place, quite untypical of Japan. Osaka is another place where you might want to visit and it is very close to Kyoto. Though a city like Tokyo, Osaka has a different character from that of Tokyo.
Posted by: Gary Shiu at Mar 23, 2008 8:38:29 PM
If you're into history and temples, I'd recommend the former capital Nara to the south of Kyoto or the temple complex on Hiei-zan to the northeast of Kyoto. Be sure not to miss the thousands of torii gates at Fushimi-inari in Kyoto either. If you want something more modern you could check out Amerika-mura and Spaworld in Osaka, but generally I'd avoid Osaka.
Posted by: Eric Heien at Mar 23, 2008 8:47:16 PM
Hokkaido is too far from the rest. And do keep in mind Kyoto is quite large, so it would take more than a few days to just cover the basics. Nara is smaller and easier to look around. I would also recommend Kamakura, which is about one hour by train from Tokyo.
Posted by: Masazumi Wakatabe at Mar 23, 2008 8:57:40 PM
If you are going to Kyoto, go to Nara. In many ways the Todaji temple in Nara is more impressive than anything in Kyoto.
Just north of Tokyo is Nikko, which is the other big temple city. You can do a day trip from Tokyo to Nikko easily.
http://everything-everywhere.com/2007/12/19/the-shrines-and-temples-of-japan-part-2-horyuji-and-nara/
http://everything-everywhere.com/2007/12/17/the-temples-and-shrines-of-japan-part-1-kyoto/
Posted by: Gary at Mar 23, 2008 8:59:17 PM
- Himeji-jo is one hour west of Kyoto (right on the shinkansen line), it's the best-preserved castle in all of Japan
- Miyajima is also on the way, it'd be a great non-city sight
- If Nara is not included in your Kyoto list, it should be =)
- The Miho museum isn't too far from Kyoto, it looks like the lair of James Bond villain (carved into the mountain by I.M. Pei) and the small art collection is really neat
- Kanazawa is a good two hours from Kyoto, it's got one of the great stroll gardens (Kenrokuen), a style which is very rare in Kyoto
- Nikko and Kamakura are both reasonably close to Tokyo
- Mashiko is also reasonably close, it's one of the hotspots of contemporary pottery-making
Posted by: Kimon at Mar 23, 2008 9:04:53 PM
-Nara if you want to see more of historical Japan (although if you've done your job in Kyoto, you'll be sick of it by the time you're ready to go)
-Osaka if you want to visit an even more futuristic-looking city than Tokyo
Personally, I'd suggest going to Osaka and checking out Dotonbori:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dtonbori
Posted by: Mike at Mar 23, 2008 9:15:48 PM
My advice, spend the extra time in Tokyo. Unless you have the time for a rural adventure, none of the other major cities can compare. I found Kyoto to be largely ugly and its temples gaudy. Gion is nice for a stroll, though.
Posted by: Ben at Mar 23, 2008 9:25:13 PM
Nara as a day trip from Kyoto and Nikko or Kamakura as day trips from Tokyo are good for more historical/traditional Japan. The outdoor sculpture museum or park at Hakone as part of a day trip to the Hakone/Mt. Fuji area is a good modern excursion from Tokyo. The sculpture, however, is primarily major modern European masters. If I recall correctly, there is little or nothing by Japanese, modern or otherwise. Still, it is a great museum.
See: http://www.hakone-oam.or.jp/eng/
Posted by: Acad Ronin at Mar 23, 2008 9:25:36 PM
If you want exposure to natural Japan head to the Japan Alps. You can hit the castle in Matsumoto, which is one of the only japanese castles to not be bombed in WWII. The rest os the castles in Japan are reconstructions. I've been to Japan twice and the Alps area is easily the most scenic part that I have been to. The Tateyama-Kurobe high route uses trains and buses to get you into the high country. The town of Kamikochi is the Telluride/Aspen of Japan with tons of hiking possibilities. Matsumoto, the gateway city is a few hours train ride from Tokyo.
Posted by: Matt at Mar 23, 2008 9:39:15 PM
Himeji-jo is one hour west of Kyoto (right on the shinkansen line), it's the best-preserved castle in all of Japan
Yes, unlike the concrete replicas built to replace castles destroyed or damaged in WWII that are most Japanese castles, Himeji-jo (Himeji Castle) is almost all the original castle, as while it was bombed twice, the castle itself was undamaged. It's gorgeous, if you're into that sort of thing.
I think you'd like Osaka as well.
The Hakone area is nice if you're interested in the hot springs (onsen) experience at all, together with a few other things.
I hope when you say mid-May that it'll be after the 7th or so. With May 4th on a Sunday, Midori no Hi gets moved to the 6th. The first week in May is *the* Japanese vacation season, "Golden Week," with several holidays from April 29th to May 5th.
Obviously in your case you should check out the food. Kushi katsu, yakitori, the Tsukiji fish market area in Tokyo (and some of the sushi places there like Sushi Dai), etc., etc.
Posted by: John Thacker at Mar 23, 2008 10:17:58 PM
If you like modern art, I would strongly recommend a trip to see the two museums on Naoshima Island in the inland Japan Sea: the Benesse Art Site and the Chichu Museum. It's a significant detour from the current route you've mentioned, but this is worth significant consideration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoshima,_Kagawa
http://www.naoshima-is.co.jp/english/index.html
http://www.chichu.jp/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichu_Art_Museum
Posted by: Gen Kanai at Mar 23, 2008 10:23:59 PM
Nikko is lovely, with a wonderful mix of history and natural beauty. I would go there over Nara, but the latter is also a good choice. Only there can you determine your spiritual status by shimmying through a hole in a wooden pole.
Posted by: Amber at Mar 23, 2008 10:44:38 PM
I loved Kamakura when I was there last year. Had more of a small town feel to it, though there was a lot of walking (which I enjoyed). In comparison, I wasn't very interested in Tokyo. It's just another big city. Kyoto was fun since their transit system is based around tourism, so everything is in multiple languages and the ability to get around is pretty easy.
Posted by: kdp at Mar 23, 2008 10:55:30 PM
I think I'd go with Kamakura/Enoshima as well. They're close to Tokyo (easily doable on a day trip), worth the visit, and you get to ride on the Enoden - the closest to a Toonerville Trolley I found in my times in Japan. Alternatively, go with Miyajima with a brief stopover in Hiroshima to see ground zero there.
Posted by: Don K at Mar 24, 2008 12:10:36 AM
There is good advice above.
When you visit Kyoto, you should take a day trip to Nara. That is a MUST SEE.
Also:
The Sumo Tournament will be in Tokyo from May 11, 2008 to May 25, 2008. That is an extremely fun thing to see.
Since you have jetlag anyway, going to Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo and eating sushi at 6 in the morning is an amazing experience.
A trip to Himeji castle from Kyoto is very easy and it is a fun castle.
Posted by: KenF at Mar 24, 2008 12:18:19 AM
You must visit Chigasaki, surf capital of Kanagawa prefecture. Ozu (famous great Japanese film director) once had a summer home here, near the sea shore. It is still there, now a clinic, and you can see. And there is Starbucks too.
Posted by: Uzaibaka at Mar 24, 2008 12:32:51 AM
You must visit Chigasaki, surf capital of Kanagawa prefecture. Ozu (famous great Japanese film director) once had a summer home here, near the sea shore. It is still there, now a clinic, and you can see. And there is Starbucks too.
Posted by: Uzaibaka at Mar 24, 2008 12:34:12 AM
Go to Hiroshima and see the peace museum.
Posted by: Andrew at Mar 24, 2008 2:13:55 AM
Go to Hiroshima and see the peace museum.
Posted by: Andrew at Mar 24, 2008 2:13:59 AM
To be honest, Nikko bored me. May would be a better time to visit than December and early March, when I went, but I didn't see much to do there.
If you're interested in castles, Himeji-jo is easily worth a visit, and can easily be done in a day trip from Kyoto. It's the site of the "ninja training ground" in "You Only Live Twice."
Nara is in some ways a more tourist-able version of "old" Kyoto. If I had a one day recommendation for Kansai viewing of "old Japan," I'd recommend a day in Nara over Kyoto. Less of a modern city, but easier to see what's to be seen in a day. My favorite stops in Kyoto were Nijo-jo (much more of a palace than castle) and Kiyomizu-dera.
I'm glad we don't have to try to convince you to add a trip to Nagasaki.
Posted by: Tom at Mar 24, 2008 2:36:22 AM
Peace museum is a good idea. They have a guest book you can sign - name / home country / date / comment. Make sure to put "USA is #1" in the comment.
Posted by: mts at Mar 24, 2008 3:47:59 AM
This is mostly repeating good advice from above, but for what it's worth: Nara is a must for a day trip if you're in Kyoto. The shika (deer) that have free reign of the city are fun (particularly for kids, but adults enjoy them as well) and Todaiji is magnificent. Otherwise, I agree with Ben that you should spend the extra time in Tokyo, with maybe a day trip or overnight trip thrown in - no matter how much time you have in Tokyo, you'll end up missing out on a lot of things. My favorite short trips from Tokyo are Hakone, Nikko and Kamakura. Their virtues have been described above, except that in addition to having many of the best high-end hot spring resorts in Japan, Hakone also has a number of good museums (such as the outdoor sculpture museum mentioned above) and magnificent views of Mt. Fuji over Ashinoko Lake (if the weather is clear). In Tokyo, take KenF's advice and see the sumo and take a trip to Tsukiji.
Posted by: bcw210 at Mar 24, 2008 4:52:23 AM
1) I must disagree with bcw210: a trip to Hakone is best avoided. The transportation is heinous. I have furthermore never come across anyone who has ever seen the view of Mt. Fuji over Ashinoko.
2) Nikko is difficult to appreciate without contextualization. If you do go, of course see the temple and the shrines, but also pass by the Imperial Villa where the present emperor lived during the war years, while his parents stayed in Tokyo.
3) Kamakura is by far the easiest day trip out of Tokyo.
4) If ceramics is someone's passion, the time to go Mashiko is May 1-5, during the spring festival (there is a matching festival in the fall). While Mashiko reputedly has 300+ kilns of its own, some 1500 potters and other artisans will be in town during the festival displaying their wares at booths all over town. The steam train will be making a daily run and the street entertainment can be fairly good.
5) Given your previous stated admiration of the River Rouge Plant and Magnitogorsk, perhaps a visit (weekdays only) to the Edogawa Underground Flood Control Project would be your cup of ocha.
English tour info:
http://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/edogawa/works/saigai/sonae/gaikaku/g-cans/english/index.html
Photo gallery:
http://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/edogawa/works/saigai/sonae/gaikaku/g-cans/intro/07photo/index.html
Posted by: MTC at Mar 24, 2008 6:14:54 AM
