We're planning a trip to Asia this summer. One stop will be Japan.

I figure we'll need 3 or 4 days in Tokyo.
Enough? Not enough?

We'd also like to head north? South? to see a little bit of the country.

Lots to do in either direction. What do you think is best? (Allowing 2 full days by either train or plane).

Thanks.
Dan

3-4 days is plenty for Tokyo, which I find to be more of a 'lifestyle' city than a tourist destination. Since many of Tokyo's attractions can be enjoyed over a business trip or weekend, I usually try to head for the countryside when on a Japanese vacation.

Plenty to do north and south. The period of travel may help you decide on a destination:
- June: rainy throughout the country
- July-August: very hot and humid, except in Hokkaido
- August: many Japanese on holidays, making domestic travel unpleasant, especially in the first half of the month.

Apart from the obvious destinations, some pleasant ones not too far off the beaten track are:
- Hokkaido, for its nature, climate, and excellent seafood. Very pleasant train ride up the coast to Sapporo, which itself is a relatively bland city, with an 'American' layout.
- Kyushu: glimpses of a sleepier Japan (thatched roofs, farming, etc.), some superbly outfitted but not-so-speedy trains (try the 'Kamome' between Fukuoka and Nagasaki in a green car), semi-tropical vegetation, tasty local dishes, tidy seaports, sandbaths. Nagasaki is a very pleasant city.
- Himeji: a good stopover between Osaka and Fukuoka. The castle is the most impressive in Japan, combining good defensive assets with liveable quarters. Budget 3 hours for the visit.
- I can't recommend the seaside resort areas as they will be overrun with locals during the summer. Japanese beaches redefine the word crowded.
- Shikoku and the west coast of Honshu are the least developed areas of Japan. Peaceful, but perhaps too much so for the first few trips to Japan.

A green car Japan Rail pass is highly recommended, as ordinary cars run very full in the summer.

[This message has been edited by monahos (edited 01-27-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dhammer53:
We're planning a trip to Asia this summer. One stop will be Japan.

I figure we'll need 3 or 4 days in Tokyo.
Enough? Not enough?

We'd also like to head north? South? to see a little bit of the country.

Lots to do in either direction. What do you think is best? (Allowing 2 full days by either train or plane).

Thanks.
Dan</font>

3to4 days in Tokyo is sure enough to give you a good feel for the city, but like any large metropolis, you will always find more to explore upon your return.

A nice day trip (much has been posted in FT about this) is to Kamakura.

If you wish to travel further, Kyoto would be a good choice.

I FULLY agree with the poster above who states that you should get a Green Car railpass. We thoroughly enjoyed 1st class and would not have got on some trains that we wanted if we did not have it.

I did a trip report on my experiences in a few cities in Japan: http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum30/HTML/000044.html

Have fun, at some point we will go back for sure.

Hokkaido is great place to visit in summer.
Late May to early July will be the great season. Unlike other places in Japan, Hokkaido does not have so-called rainny season ("tsuyu" in Japanese).
You will enjoy the nature and very tasty seafood.
If you are interested in historical places, you probably want to visit Kyoto and Nara. Only a couple hours by Shinkansen, super express train.
If you do not have enough time to visit these places, visiting Kamakura (as stated previous post) or Nikko will be great experience for you.
But you want to avoid traveling in Japan in August, especially from around 8/8 to 8/18 when Japanese visit their home towns. Traffic is really terrible.

Not only is August crowded--the worst heat I ever experienced in my life was when I spent two weeks in Kyoto in August. The city is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and there isn't the slightest hint of a breeze. I kept getting up earlier and earlier trying to find the "cool" part of the day, only to realize that it was sometime between one and five A.M.

Anyway, Kyoto and Nara are the prime tourist attractions in Japan, and Kyoto is only a little more than three hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Kamakura and Nikko are also worthwhile side trips.

When in Tokyo, take some time to wander out of the standard foreigners' ghettoes and into some of the residential areas. Some of the Tokyo areas that you hear about--the Ginza, Roppongi, to name two--could be anywhere in the world. (In fact, avoid Roppongi unless you're under 25 and like to go clubbing.)

Japanese tourists love Hokkaido, but if you're from North America, it will look too much like home to be interesting. Don't bother if you have only a week or so. Head west for the more historical parts of the country.

I was in Japan (first time) for two weeks last October. I saw a number of things but here are the things I especially enjoyed:

The madness of Shinjuku station. Granted, I didn't enjoy it so much arriving there after 24 hours without sleep and full luggage, but it's a great place to people watch and always hectic. Meiji Jingu Shrine was my favorite shrine. They were holding traditional Shinto-style weddings when I was there, in full costume, which were amazing to watch the processions on. Micky House is an English language cafe open in the evening. I cannot, for the life of me, find information about it online. I can't even remember the stop for it, which is a shame as it was a nice place. It was actually pretty small and simple inside but the idea is that people interested in meeting with and conversing with English-speaking visitors could go there, and there's a bit of a cultural exchange. I met a number of interesting people there, Japanese and foreign travelers. One of the women ended up taking the next day off work and gave me a full-day tour of Tokyo, and we spent the whole day talking about this, that, and the other. It was a lot of fun, and I got to see little areas and meet people and visit private homes, which are things I wouldn't have done otherwise. The Hakone area around Mount Fuji was a bit touristy but a lot of fun. I think I rode every form of vehicle in the space of 16 hours! There's a little circuit you can go around that takes in various shrines, a tree-lined stroll, little tiny towns, bus rides through the mountains, funniculars, cable cars, pirate boats (no kidding!), hot sulphur springs, narrow-gauge railroads, and tons and tons of things. I did it in a very hurried, very long day, but they sell passes for transportation in the region that run 2-3 days. I think it's something kids would really enjoy. There were so many things to see in Kyoto, and so many spectacular views from the foothills. I took a walking tour led by... um, I forget the man's name, but he advertises in hotels. He speaks English, and does a 3-4 hour walking tour that, though a bit commercialized in parts, was very interesting. He wears a trademark jacket and hat and has an English-sounding name that he advertises himself under. From Kyoto, we took a day trip to Hiroshima. From a historical perspective it was fascinating though a markedly sobering visit.

3 or 4 days in Tokyo.
Enough? Not enough?
_______________

Depending upon your desires, you may not like Tokyo [or at least for a full 3-4 days], or you might rather spend the time outside of Tokyo. Tokyo is ok, but to me it is not as interesting as other Asian cities. Maybe I like to see areas that are more unlike the US cities. With their great train system, you can easily get out of Narita or Kansai and be in the nicer parts of the country in a few hours. Kyoto and Nara are more enjoyable to me. Have fun.

I live in Nagoya. Do not bother with this city. It is boring and no matter where you go, it smells like sh*t. The open sewer systems are akin to third world standards. Sad - very sad http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/frown.gif And I live here &lt;eek&gt;

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ebell:
...Micky House is an English language cafe open in the evening. I cannot, for the life of me, find information about it online. I can't even remember the stop for it, which is a shame as it was a nice place. ...</font>

Mickey House is near Takanobaba station. I think it's mentioned in the Lonely Planet Tokyo city guide.
Rich

Bumped to help a new friend. :cool:

Here's another vote for the Hakone Region. It can easily be done as a day trip from Tokyo. It's about 35 minutes from Tokyo station to Odawara Station on the Shinkansen. Odawara Station is the gateway to the Hakone Region. You can buy a day pass at the station for about 34,000 yen (appx $34 US) that will allow you transport throughout the region. It is set up well to do a nice loop through the area. Great scenery through the mountains and lakes.

I also recommend a day trip to Nikko. Many interesting temples and beautiful scenery.

Nara is well worth considering for a look-see. There is a cool park there (free) with over 1000 deer. Many will come eat out of your hand if you have some bread. You can buy some biscuits there if you forget to bring some bread. There are also many temples there. All of this is within walking distance to the train station.

Himeji has a very cool castle, but with your limited schedule, I might consider skipping it and going to Nara instead.

The Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo is interesting and a fun place to be a tourist. There are many neat shops and restaurants, as well as some temples and shrines.

Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is a good place to people-watch, especially at rush hour. It is utterly amazing how many people travel through there at any given point in time. The Shinjuku area is fun to walk around. Reminded me a bit of a Japanese Times Square.

Another highlight of my trip to Japan that you might consider seeing is the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. It begins at 5am or so and the tuna auction (the main show) goes to about to 6 am or so. The tuna auction is in the back of the market. After watching the tuna auction you can stroll through the market on your way back to the entrance. Along the way you'll see some amazing displays of sea creatures, many you'll probably not recognize. Just be careful, it is a working market. Many workers will be zipping around quite fast on these little three-wheeled carts. It is chaotic, but well worth a look-see. Afterwards, go to one of the many sushi bars nearby for the world's freshest sushi.

Have a great trip.

To get to Mickey House, take the Yamanote line to Takadanobaba station. Take any exit that goes DOWNSTAIRS, and after you pass the exit turnstiles, go to the street in front of you and turn right. Continuing down this street, after a while you will see a Wendy's across the street. Cross the street, Mickey house is on the 3rd or 4th floor somewhere near the Wendy's. Easy to miss. If you keep walking on this street, in about 200m on the left you will see a small sign for a downstairs pub called "The Fiddler" which is popular with foreigners and Japanese and often has live music with no cover charge or minimum.

There is also a secondhand English bookstore upstairs in one of the buildings near the Wendy's. Be careful which bookstore you wander into -- another nearby upstairs store sells porn (or so I hear!).

Takadanobaba can also be reached by the Metro and the Seibu Shinjuku private rail line.

You can also just visit Mickey House's website (http://www.mickeyhouse.jp/) for more information. ;)

There were so many things to see in Kyoto, and so many spectacular views from the foothills. I took a walking tour led by... um, I forget the man's name, but he advertises in hotels. He speaks English, and does a 3-4 hour walking tour that, though a bit commercialized in parts, was very interesting. He wears a trademark jacket and hat and has an English-sounding name that he advertises himself under. [/ul]


Hajime Hiraoka - who calls himself "Johnny Hillwalker." He leads walking tours called "Walk in Kyoto, Talk in English." The tours gather in the sunken plaza in front of the station, near the subway entrance. Very informal, advance reservation not required - just show up at 10:00 am on M, W or F with a couple thousand yen in hand. His ads are in most hotels and English-language magazines in Kyoto. Try Kansai Timeout magazine, available in many places.

I prefer to do my touring on my own, but he does get you into the back street shops and such, without the need to speak any Japanese.

JR