Hi all,

My parents (mid-60s) have just bought tickets for an impromptu (read no planning involved) trip to Japan in late September - and apparently, my three-day trip to Tokyo three years ago makes me the Japan expert to help them on their trip :eek: !

I am hoping the real experts on this board can help them!

Basically, they are flying into Nagoya, and are flying out 8 days later.

I think their original plan was to stay in Nagoya, and take the Shinkansen to Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka for daytrips. Is this a totally crazy idea, or is this doable? Can they even use the 7-day JR pass to do this? (travel say Nagoya-Tokyo-Nagoya one day and then Nagoya-Kyoto-Nagoya two days in a row right after?) Or should I just push my idea that they do 2 days each in Nagoya, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka?

The second big question is food - they are mostly vegetarian but love fish, and they do eat chicken. However, they don't eat beef or pork. Now I know they will love the sushi, but is there any other standard Japanese fare that is veggie or (cooked) fish or chicken only that they could ask for in "casual" eateries? I know that was a problem for me - I loved being able to point to a plastic model to order, but I had no idea what I was ordering! :o

I am really hoping you can chime in with some help! I love that they are doing things on the fly (never did it when we were kids!) but I am a little worried about this trip.

Thanks a lot!
DG

Do your parents enjoy Detroit and Wolfsburg? Just curious about basing oneself in Nagoya.

I agree, I found it hard to like Nagoya (in fact I completely failed to like it at all) and I did try to!

I only eat fish and vegetarian food (not even chicken), I can promise you that there’s an awful lot they’ll be able to eat.

Ramen is a no-no, it’s made with copious amounts of pork fat.

There are options in many tonkatsu restaurants – even though this is breaded pork fillets, ebi furai/fry (prawns), hotate furai (scallop) and kaki furai (oyster) and other fish choices are often available – for all I know you can order chicken in these places too.

I’d encourage them to eat Soba (I’ve recommended my favourite places in this forum) which is made from buckwheat and a fish based dipping sauce or stock.

They’ll be able to eat almost anything at Tempura places.

When they are in the Osaka/Kansai area I’d suggest they try takoyaki (octopus balls) and go to an Okonomiyaki place where the okonomiyaki is made in front of them/ or by them. That way they can be sure that no bacon pieces are included – perhaps just squid.

To be honest, if they can go along with a card with pictures showing what they can and can’t eat, it shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as they avoid shabu shabu places.

And they should try natto… at least once.

I’ve found it very easy to get by and even be adventurous in Japan when it comes to eating out. All the Inns I’ve stayed at have also managed to accommodate my requirements.

Perhaps someone else can advise on chicken dishes they can try.

But do please dissuade them from staying in Nagoya – they’d thank you later if they ever find out what it’s like there….

Nagoya is a great place to start a trip to Japan... because it's so easy to get out of. :D

Quite seriously, though, NGO is a convenient airport - but the city of Nagoya itself is a low priority for first time visitors.

Nagoya is
- a short Shinkansen ride to Kyoto
- at the start of the railway line which goes North to Takayama
- at the start of the railway line which goes South to the Kii peninsular

For your parents, I would suggest an itinerary such as:
Nagoya >> Kyoto >> Takayama >> Shirakawago >> Nagoya
or...
Nagoya >> Kyoto >> Nara >> Kii Peninsula >> Nagoya

And this is when I get to ask: "Do they like the sea or the mountains?"

I think the "draw" of Nagoya was that it was the only place their frequent flyer miles could put them in Japan! :rolleyes:

Thanks for the ideas though - and keep them coming!
(And LapLap, just found your post about good lunches in Tokyo - thanks!)

Thanks,
DG

Here it is:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=566927
Post number 6

And this place also is fantastic (near Shinjuku - Tokyo, not to far from the Government Metropolitan buildings and Park Hyatt):
http://www.flyertalk.com/reviews/review.php?review_id=181
review includes photo and map

In answer to your questions about timing, I think a "day trip" from Nagoya to Tokyo would be barely doable but pretty much a waste of time. Figure over 2 hours one way on the Hikari shinkansen plus time to get to the station and find the platform. You could save a little time using the Nozomi, but that is not available to users of the Japan Rail Pass. For a round trip, that makes around 5 hours out of the day just getting to and from Tokyo. Once there, Tokyo is a huge, spread-out city that would be VERY difficult to even scratch the surface of in what would be left of the day.

Kyoto is less than an hour by shinkansen from Nagoya, and Osaka and Kobe aren't much further. You could do those as a day trip, but I agree with others that Nagoya is a pretty boring city to base out of. I think I would recommend either just going straight through Nagoya and on to Kyoto or Osaka immediately upon arrival, or spend the night after arrival in Nagoya and then move on to one of those for the remainder of the stay.

For an 8 day trip, it will be difficult to see Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo without at least a night or two in Tokyo. For the flight out from Nagoya, it would be easy to go direct from Kyoto or Nagoya but difficult to go direct to the airport from Tokyo. Doing this same itinerary, I'd probably plan to stay the first night or two in Nagoya and see the castle and the Tokugawa museum, then move to Tokyo for at least 2 or 3 nights. I'd then backtrack to Kyoto for the remainder of the stay - spending at least 2 or 3 days in and around Kyoto and perhaps a day trip to Osaka - then go direct from Kyoto to Nagoya and on to the airport for departure.

My write-up about NGO may be of interest:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=544159&highlight=centrair

JR

I guess I'm the only person who liked Nagoya? Though I was only there for a day and a half, maybe because there was a festival and parade going on the day I visited (sorry forgot which festival it was). Though if its a first trip I guess Nagoya wouldn't be that much of a priority.

They can still fly into NGO if that is their only option with frequent flyer miles but I would take the suggestions and have your parents stay in Kyoto and Tokyo or whatever cities they plan to visit.

The problem would be which order. Since if they need to fly out of NGO again, for example depending on what time their flight is out, you probably wouldn't want to be in Tokyo the morning you have to fly out of NGO if your flight is at 11am.

IIRC, last year I actually tried to visit Nagoya, but it was too difficult, due to some big hoopity-do. Also IIRC, isn't there an open air architectural museum, nearby? Does anyone have experience with that? And the creme de la creme is a visit to Toyota City to visit the museum and auto factory tour. It's not everyone's taste, but these to items will stay on my "to do" list until completion.

... some big hoopity-do...
Like maybe the World Expo "hoopity-do"? :cool:

The open air museum is outside of Nagoya:
http://www.meijimura.com/english/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Mura

The old facade of the old Imperial Hotel Tokyo is there, if anyone was in Tokyo back then it might be nostalgic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Hotel%2C_Tokyo

Please for your parents sanity and enjoyment push very strongly the idea of NOT commuting on a daily basis from Nagoya and returning there every night

Every minute in Nagoya would be wasted compared to time that could be spent in Tokyo, Kyoto and (even ;) ) Osaka .

As an airport to arrive in and depart, NGO is not such a bad idea as the JR pass means you can travel by Shinkansen - a pure Japanese experience in itself - away from Nagoya to where you rather be and is much more pleasurable than eg the Narita Express.

I would suggest Nagoya to Kyoto first (as it is the most tourist-friendly city in Japan, so a good place to find their feet) - from there either short day-trips or one night stays in Nara and Osaka.

After Kyoto and Osaka, Tokyo will seem much less of a challange for two to three days and finally the day before the flight they can take the train back to Nagoya and stay one night in the Birmingham (UK) of Japan.


A couple of things to consider - in late September the weather is more likely to be still fairly hot and humid in Japan rather than approaching autominal (although that is also a possibility). Therefore too much running around at stations could be a very sticky and frustrating experience.

Ordering the right food when on a certain diet, is the biggest frustration for any non-Japanese speaker - but it is much easier if they have cards written in Japanese stating "I do not eat beef or pork" etc - in general people who they encounter in restaurants will be very patient and willing to make sure they get the right food.

A book I would suggest getting is

Japan (English Edition) "The original Point and Speak Phrasebook" by
Toshiya Enomoto

is easy to pick up in Japan (Y1500) and is usually available from Japanese bookshops abroad.

You just point at the pictures (directions/food etc) and show whoever you are communicating with.

Japanese are very familiar with this book as they seem to have a Japanese edition for about 70 destinations worldwide (there is also an English based Kyoto version as well) - so they wouldn't think you're too weird for using it.

The open air museum is outside of Nagoya:
http://www.meijimura.com/english/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Mura

The old facade of the old Imperial Hotel Tokyo is there, if anyone was in Tokyo back then it might be nostalgic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Hotel%2C_Tokyo

This is one of my favorite museums in all of Japan. Well worth a visit, in my opinion.

This is one of my favorite museums in all of Japan. Well worth a visit, in my opinion.

I also went here last October (and stayed nearby in Inuyama ^ ) and thought the museum was wonderful!

The lodging I stayed at was really charming - Japanese style with some rooms featuring beds - and EXCELLENT food. Very reasonably priced (about 14,000 pp p). With a free shuttle to the museum. Seemed to cater mainly for retired Japanese, not foreign tourists.
PM me if you want more info.

I really don't agree with the characterization of Nagoya as Detroit or Birmingham. My son was there from March through July at the Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, and I spent 3 days there visiting him in June. We had a car and also drove up to Takayama (on an overnight) and Inuyama (day trip) - both of which I highly recommend (and are train accessible from Nagoya). We stayed in downtown Nagoya and enjoyed walking around and riding the convenient subway system. We went to the castle, several museums, and beautiful Shinto shrine (Atsuta Jingu). I think it's a great place to start out from and a day or two there would be enjoyable.

At the risk of being heretical, I would advise your parents to skip Tokyo altogether and spend more time in Kyoto, Osaka and in the rural areas like Takayama.

At the risk of being heretical, I would advise your parents to skip Tokyo altogether and spend more time in Kyoto, Osaka and in the rural areas like Takayama.

Not heretical at all!

I agree with this too (despite my Tokyo restaurant recommendations). Tsumago is also a wonderful place to visit and especially to stay the night in. And I'd recommend a visit to Matsumoto.

And why not Kanazawa as an alternative to Tokyo?

Not heretical at all!

And I'd recommend a visit to Matsumoto.



yes - Matsumoto is nice too - a great castle, and the hot springs just east of downtown are very relaxing

My first trip to Japan several years ago, I spent a week and never got out of Kansai. Except for a couple of short half-day trips, I never got out of Kyoto and had a great time. I didn't get to Tokyo until a later trip, when I spent a week in and around the capitol.

Unless your parents are set on trying to see as much of Japan as possible, staying in one general area is not a bad idea. It certainly would be less strenuous.

JR

Unless your parents are set on trying to see as much of Japan as possible, staying in one general area is not a bad idea. It certainly would be less strenuous.

JR[/QUOTE]

I agree it would be much less strenuous and is something that the OP's parents should serious consider and it depends also on their general "style of travel" preference - eg some people love huge cities and other loathe them but either way to be less than 2 hours away from one of this (and last) century greatest metropolis's and to not go would be, for me at least, something I would regret.

Unless it is national holiday period travelling by shinkansen is really easy. I usually travel late morning buy up a bento and all the extras :p , have a feast and by the time I've finished lunch I'm where I was heading.

As they have the JR pass it is worth making the most of it.

It is fantastic to consider indulging in ridiculously long day trips that no non- pass holder would ever consider paying out for - can Sapporo to Kagoshima be done in one day ??? possibly - do that everyday in seven and be the envy of all your Japanese friends :cool:

....to be less than 2 hours away from one of this (and last) century greatest metropolis's and to not go would be, for me at least, something I would regret.

I'm genuinely curious about this - which part of Tokyo would you say best represents the whole?

The tricky part with this city is that it takes a few days to do it any justice. For a full on and immediate big city 'hit' I found that Osaka hits the spot - even Yokohama imparts an instant wow factor so you get some kind of sense of the whole on a short trip.

Don't get me wrong, I love Tokyo, but I'm under no misapprehensions about its accessibility on a short visit.

can Sapporo to Kagoshima be done in one day ???

Within 24 hours... just about. (if you're doing this on a JR pass, you will need to pay a sleeper train supplement for one leg of this trip).

do that everyday in seven and be the envy of all your Japanese friends :cool:

Why not ride the Shinkansen from, say, Ueno to Omiya and back - as frequently as possible within one day? I reckon that might be the biggest savings you could possibly get from your JR pass.
Don't be surprised if this evokes "pity" rather than "envy" from your Japanese friends.

...Why not ride the Shinkansen from, say, Ueno to Omiya and back - as frequently as possible within one day? I reckon that might be the biggest savings you could possibly get from your JR pass.
Don't be surprised if this evokes "pity" rather than "envy" from your Japanese friends.
Why would anyone travel to nowhere for no reason unless there are ff miles to be earned??? :confused: :confused:

JR ;)

Why would anyone travel to nowhere for no reason unless there are ff miles to be earned??? :confused: :confused:

JR ;)

My point exactly. I think one day of doing this between Ueno and Omiya should be about as exciting as seven days doing the trip between Sapporo and Kagoshima.

Thank you everyone for your input.


After Kyoto and Osaka, Tokyo will seem much less of a challange for two to three days and finally the day before the flight they can take the train back to Nagoya and stay one night in the Birmingham (UK) of Japan.




I think this comment is what convinced my father - he spent three years in Birmingham in the late sixties! :D

They did consider staying at one (non-Nagoya) spot for the entire trip, but since my Dad is a city person and wanted Tokyo, and my Mom wanted "traditional Japan", they are now looking at:

--> Nagoya (1 night) --> Tokyo (3 nights) --> Kyoto (3 nights)(daytrip to Osaka?) --> Nagoya (1 night)

Since they will spend time in Nagoya, they are looking forward to Toyota City and Inuyama. And after reading this thread, they are wondering if they should extend their stay! :)

Thanks again everyone!
DG

...
--> Nagoya (1 night) --> Tokyo (3 nights) --> Kyoto (3 nights)(daytrip to Osaka?) --> Nagoya (1 night)

Since they will spend time in Nagoya, they are looking forward to Toyota City and Inuyama. And after reading this thread, they are wondering if they should extend their stay! :)

Do you mean extend their stay in Japan or their stay in Nagoya?

Suggest to them that they make it a point to stop at the Tourist Information Center in the Access Plaza on their way to the train. They can pick up English language brochures and maps for the areas they are interested in. If they forget, many of the same materials are available in each city's TIC, but they can be a little difficult to find. The Kyoto TIC is on the 9th floor of the station building!!!

JR

Just a reminder that the train from NGO (Airport) - Nagoya Station is NOT coverd by the JR Railpass (the trains are operated by Meitetsu). Your parents will need to exchange their JR Railpass exchange order for the JR Pass at JR Nagoya Station.

Dad is a city person and wanted Tokyo, and my Mom wanted "traditional Japan", they are now looking at:

--> Nagoya (1 night) --> Tokyo (3 nights) --> Kyoto (3 nights)(daytrip to Osaka?) --> Nagoya (1 night)

Since they will spend time in Nagoya, they are looking forward to Toyota City and Inuyama. And after reading this thread, they are wondering if they should extend their stay! :)

They've got 8 nights? ... so that's 9 days (although the first and last days will be partial days), for which the JR pass would cover 7.

My instinct would be to reduce the "hotel moves" because they eat up time and energy. So I would lean towards:

Arrive and go straight to Kyoto (3/4 nights) (w/ daytrip to Osaka? Hmm... I'd rather suggest daytrip to Nara.... ) --> Tokyo (2/3 nights) --> Nagoya (2 nights)


So... if Nagoya ~ Brum... then Osaka ~ Liverpool? ... and Kyoto ~ Chester?

I'm genuinely curious about this - which part of Tokyo would you say best represents the whole?

The tricky part with this city is that it takes a few days to do it any justice. For a full on and immediate big city 'hit' I found that Osaka hits the spot - even Yokohama imparts an instant wow factor so you get some kind of sense of the whole on a short trip.

Don't get me wrong, I love Tokyo, but I'm under no misapprehensions about its accessibility on a short visit.



If I was planning 3 days in the city for myself on my first visit as it were - this is how it would go -

Over two to three days/nights I would say there are two distinct areas -

The modern west of the city -

Shibuya/Harajuku/Omotesando/Aoyama/Shinjunku


The traditional centre and downtown (....amachi) -

Ueno/Tokyo/Ginza/Akihabara/Tsukiji (if you can get up early enough)

and leave the third day to whatever someones personal taste is
- museums, galleries, shops, Daikanyama, Ebisu, Saitama etc

Each of the two areas can be done easily in a (longish) day - but remember just sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by can sometimes be as equally rewarding as doing all the walking yourself.

Whenever my friends comes over on their first visit, and I am over here too, I take them first to Shibuya , because for me, there is nowhere in the world that represents modern Japan better and nowhere in Japan is more intense than there.

The amount of people that crowd small streets, the various fashions ( within a ten minute walk you can usually pick out about 50 different types - many of them unique to Japan), the unabated noise, the fact that much of the city is vertical (shops and bars on every floor) etc etc etc. - in fact all the things you never notice (and accept as normal) after you been here for a bit of time.

Obviously after a few years or a few hours it can grate a bit but for the initial "Welcome to Tokyo" there is nowhere better.

Beyond the shops and the people it is really down to personal taste - lots of great department stores - Seibu, Parco Tokyu Hands and Loft etc and Bunkamura art centre are all a few minutes walk from the station as are the quieter streets of Shinsen and Shoto but it is mainly about soaking up the atmosphere.

When it becomes all too much Yoyogi Park is a short walk up Koen Doori (Park St) - and from there you can walk across it's green spaces to Harajuku - visit Jingumae shrine walk down and then up Ometesando to Aoyama.

Then as day becomes night I would recommend heading on the train to Shinjunku - may be a bit crowded - but that is all part of the Tokyo experience and just stand in the centre of the station and watch the world's busiest station in-action during the evening rush hour.

After that head down to Kabuki-cho, the entertainment area to see the other side to the city and see how many bad perms you can spot (on the various Yukuza's head).

Next day I would spend in the east of the city - and maybe as a contrast to the first day make plans for more tradition look at Tokyo.

If you're really keen (or jet lagged) - then it can be kicked off with a breakfast visit to Tsukiji Fish Market.

From there (in no particular order) onto Ueno Park which has the Tokyo museum, the traditional theatres are nearby, and Ameyoko shopping street
to see some real downtown characters and a short distance away is Asakusa shrine then onto the glitz of Ginza and although I always find a visit to Bic Camera or Sakuraya (local electric shops) to be more fulfilling - if geek culture is your thing there is Akihabara close by.

The Imperial Palace is a short walk from Tokyo station - and after peering at that then you can head back to re-live last night experience in Shinjunku station - but this time
standing outside Tokyo station and watching the samurai's of the modern era - the Salaryman arrive en-masse from their offices - or maybe not :D

I always particularly enjoy walking around the back streets of Ueno and ....amachi - if you had a couple of hours in hand - I would recommend a walk outlined by Rick Kennedy in his book

Little Adventures in Tokyo: 39 Thrills for the Urban Explorer

the one that is either to or from Nishi-Nippori station - I remember doing it many years ago and it really opened my eyes to how small parts of the city have so much going on in them - if only you know where to look.

In fact I would recommend the book whole heartily - it's a very easy and enjoyable read and really helps you understand so much about the less obvious side of Tokyo and it's people.

So that's it - you did ask :D :D :D

So that's it - you did ask :D :D :D

I did, but the OP was hinting that his/her parents would only have enough time to go to Tokyo for a day (two at most).

I've already been lambasted for saying that the Imperial Palace is a short walk from Tokyo station... everyone seems to have a different idea of the scale of this city. :D

My point was that you have to work pretty hard to arrive at a composite impression of this city on a short visit. Your post has kind of proved my point for me. Needless to say, you've provided a fascinating insight into the city you know as Tokyo (everyone seems to have a different version), and one that I've enjoyed reading. Thank you for taking my query seriously.

(P.S. have you been to Osaka yet? I'm not sure if I can agree that Namba is less 'intense' than Shibuya on a Friday night...)


Just for completeness - websterlewis has been referring to the district known as sh!tamachi (with an i).

Thank you everyone for your input.




I think this comment is what convinced my father - he spent three years in Birmingham in the late sixties! :D

They did consider staying at one (non-Nagoya) spot for the entire trip, but since my Dad is a city person and wanted Tokyo, and my Mom wanted "traditional Japan", they are now looking at:

--> Nagoya (1 night) --> Tokyo (3 nights) --> Kyoto (3 nights)(daytrip to Osaka?) --> Nagoya (1 night)

Since they will spend time in Nagoya, they are looking forward to Toyota City and Inuyama. And after reading this thread, they are wondering if they should extend their stay! :)

Thanks again everyone!
DG

OK - let me try this again (yesterday I wrote a long message and the dog ate it). My husband and I (just a bit younger than your parents) spent almost 3 weeks in Japan (first trip) last April. We did not go to Nagoya - so I can't comment on it. We did go to Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto. First thing is how long will your parents' trip to Japan be - and how well do they tolerate long trips (I assume it will a long or very long trip). If it is a very long trip and/or they don't tolerate long trips very well - then I'd spend the first night in Nagoya. If they think they will have the energy - and Nagoya doesn't look swell - and their flight arrives reasonably early - I'd spend the first night in the city closest to Nagoya that they plan to visit - which is probably Kyoto. If not - first night in Nagoya. Note that we stayed at the Granvia in Kyoto (subject of another thread here) - and it is in the ultra-modern new award-winning Kyoto train station - which is like a small city. Nice hotel - and easy to get to (because it's in the train station).

Then 3/4 nights in Kyoto and 3/4 nights in Tokyo. Last night in Nagoya if the flight home is early - last night in Tokyo or Kyoto if the flight is late in the afternoon or in the evening.

Now this doesn't sound like covering a ground. But it is. First off - if your parents are coming from a place like the east coast of the US - the jet lag is formidable. They won't be up for 24/7 sightseeing. And Tokyo is the largest city in the world. It has great stuff to see and do and eat. Anyone who is a city person like your dad will love it. To give it less than 2 full days would be a crime. Heck - I could spend a whole day (and I did) in the department store food basements learning about and sampling Japanese foods. Note that we spent 6 nights/5 days in Tokyo and enjoyed every minute of it.

As for Kyoto - we spent 4 nights/3 days there. There is at least 2 full days of sightseeing to do *in* Kyoto. The sites aren't that close together. And - unlike larger cities - Kyoto's public transit isn't that extensive - or that easy to use (it's mostly buses - not subways). We hired a car with a driver (who I discussed in another thread here) for 4 hours on each of 2 days. And it was money well spent - because we spent our time and energy seeing places - not getting to them.

Note that although there are a lot of very important historical things to see in Kyoto - it isn't a small quaint town. It's basically a small city - reasonably modern in most places. So if your mom is looking for "traditional Japan" - as opposed to important historical sites - she may be disappointed by Kyoto. I think it's important to clarify what she's looking for. Now I think it's essential to see Kyoto - but if she wants something really traditional - perhaps you ought to be looking at one night in a smaller more rural area - maybe one with a great ryokan (perhaps there is a place like that near Nagoya which they could stay at first night or last night).

We liked Osaka a lot. But it is kind of like Chicago. Wonderful city which plays second fiddle to Tokyo. But some of the things I liked best about Osaka weren't things that were uniquely Japanese (like the great aquarium - we met a juggler from Australia outside - took him out for coffee - and talked with him for 2 hours about his years living in Japan). My favorite thing there -the cherry blossom festival by the river - won't be going on when your folks are there. In other words - if I had as little time as your parents have in Japan - I'd skip Osaka in favor of Tokyo and Kyoto - which are "must-see's".

Don't know if your parents like flowers and gardens. Late September in parts of Japan is fall flower season (mums and the like). And they should check out the gardens that specialize in them.

A suggestion about your parents' eating. We - like them - eat very little beef or pork at home for general health reasons. But - unless they have very specific reasons not to eat beef or pork (like religious reasons - allergies - etc. - I know they're not vegetarians because they eat chicken) - I would simply try all of the delicious types of food that Japan has to offer. Even if a dish is a "beef" or "pork" dish - you won't be getting much beef or pork (there's a reason it's hard to find overweight people in Japan - the portions are small!).

Also - it will be difficult to do meals with dietary restrictions. In most of the restaurants we went to - no one spoke English. My husband studied Japanese for a year before our trip - and although he was ok navigating in restaurants - it would have been hard for him - even when ordering a "plastic food" meal - to determine that a particular soup or sauce or side dish did or did not contain this, that or the other thing. At quite a few big deal meals - we simply had the fixed menu (basically the chef's tasting menu). And many times we only had - at best - a general idea what we were eating. We invited a couple of people we knew who lived in Japan to join us at some of these meals - they all spoke Japanese - and sometimes even they couldn't translate when we asked what some unusual ingredients were.

Anyway - if this is basically a "healthy heart" diet - I'd give it up for a week. Between the small portions and all the walking we did - my husband and I actually lost a couple of pounds in Japan.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask a middle-aged tourist from the US - I'd be glad to try to answer them. Robyn

As a person who loves to visit big cities - like Tokyo - the one thing I have to say about it is you kind of have to "go with the flow". Wind up where serendipity takes you. We set aside one day to meet a friend "from the suburbs" for a big deal sushi lunch in Ginza and a tour of restaurant food basements there. And we did that.

And then - at about 3 - her husband joined us (he had been at a wedding). And they said they were stoppping at Omotesando Hills on the way home. Now I had wanted to see the new shopping center/residences - because it had been written up in so many architecture magazines - but couldn't seem to fit it into our schedule. But we went at 3 (our friends were glad to have us join them - and they actually knew how to get there on the subway without looking at a map! - we explored it with several thousand other people - and then we wound up at a cafe where we became part of a Japanese wedding - we rang bells). It was great fun - one of those things you can't plan. Which is why I don't plan every minute and hour when I'm on vacation - I figure that some of the most fun things that happen are those you can't plan. Robyn

But we went at 3 (our friends were glad to have us join them - and they actually knew how to get there on the subway without looking at a map!

Not rocket science. From Ginza, take the Ginza Line towards Shibuya, get off at Omotesando, 12 minutes later or so. Follow the crowds.

Not rocket science. From Ginza, take the Ginza Line towards Shibuya, get off at Omotesando, 12 minutes later or so. Follow the crowds.

Nope - not rocket science. But I'd still have to look at the map. Robyn

Nope - not rocket science. But I'd still have to look at the map. Robyn

95% of the people in Japan, including the vast majority of Japanese, would have to look at a map. Kind of annoying, actually, because your typical Japanese will amble up to the ticket machine, stare at it for a bit, and then look up to the map to figure out the fare and how to get there, all while blocking the impatient gaijin behind him waiting to put in his 160 yen.

The reason I don't need to look at a map to go between Omotesando and Ginza, is because that's my usual commute (actually one station closer in each direction). But not in the mornings before 9:30. If I want to retain my sanity, I take a cab those times.

Gifu, just a bit further than Nagoya, is a nice, smaller city that is pleasant. It is on direct, frequent trains from the airport via the same private railway, Meitetsu, as Nagoya, and there is a big JR station just 1 block from the Meitetsu station. Inyuama and Meiji Mura can also be directly reached from Gifu via Meitetsu (continuing to MM via bus from Inyuama). It's also on the route to Takayama. One could come in to Gifu from the airport, spend the night, and then begin a JR pass the next morning and/or do the same thing in reverse when leaving.

In one day, I went from Gifu to Meiji Mura in the morning (by the way, there is a special rail+bus+entrance ticket you can get from Meitetsu that is hardly more than the cost of admission), spent several hours there, went back to Gifu, and then caught a late afternoon flight out. (However, you can check your luggage at the office at Meiji Mura if you wish, and could go more directly to the airport.)

I also love Meiji Mura--it is a great introduction or wrap-up activity for Japan.

I don't know what level of accomodation you are looking at--the Comfort Hotel in Gifu is inexpensive, clean and comfortable, and right acorss from the Gifu JR station. There's also a Comfort Hotel in Nagoya near a station, also inexpensive, but I haven't seen it. It was all full for the Expo when I was there, which is how I ended up in Gifu! You can easily make internet reservations at the Comfort Hotels via the regular ChoiceHotels web site.

... There's also a Comfort Hotel in Nagoya near a station, also inexpensive, but I haven't seen it. It was all full for the Expo when I was there, which is how I ended up in Gifu! You can easily make internet reservations at the Comfort Hotels via the regular ChoiceHotels web site.
I've stayed there once when I just needed a place to crash for the night after a late arrival at NGO. The Comfort Hotels are all pretty much the same. Clean, no frills, free continental breakfast and Wi-Fi. Not much in the neighborhood for a meal, but I wasn't looking for dinner. Late in, catch up on sleep and early out to the shinkansen.

The Comfort in Okayama is a cut above - nicer rooms, good neighborhood and only a short walk to Korakuen and the castle. They bought an existing hotel and refurbished it. Not fancy, but it is hard to beat the price if you don't need much in the way of services.

JR

95% of the people in Japan, including the vast majority of Japanese, would have to look at a map. Kind of annoying, actually, because your typical Japanese will amble up to the ticket machine, stare at it for a bit, and then look up to the map to figure out the fare and how to get there, all while blocking the impatient gaijin behind him waiting to put in his 160 yen.

The reason I don't need to look at a map to go between Omotesando and Ginza, is because that's my usual commute (actually one station closer in each direction). But not in the mornings before 9:30. If I want to retain my sanity, I take a cab those times.

I'm sure you know this - but for the sake of other people reading this - I found that one of the best things about the subway was simply buying one of those cards with 1000-2000-etc. yen on it. That way - you only had to figure out the route - not the fare. We went through a couple in Tokyo and Osaka. Robyn