Originally Posted by
hikouki
Overall, this trip to Tokyo/ surrounding area is going to be short. It is somewhat of a mileage run (more like a visa run). Also, I will be using expiring airline credits, and some expiring hotel points.
I'm trying to keep expenses reasonable for this trip. I will plan for a longer trip after I renew my visa and splurge at that time.
Kagoshima sounds interesting but it is a world away from TYO.
How about Kanazawa in January?
I've done Kanazawa in early Jan. in a previous trip. IMO, I would go in later in the month for the snow. I say that since half of the time I in spent in Kanazawa it was raining. Snow would have made a couple of the places I visited around the city more scenic. My stay in Kanazawa was about two days, I'm not sure if I'd stay longer unless you're going to somewhere like the Noto peninsula, Komatsu/Kaga, or Shirakawa-go.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
A few years back, I got into collecting some of these high-end Starbucks Japan cups/ mugs and Kanazawa was featured in one of them. LOL
I see you're a fellow Sbucks mug/tumbler collector. If you're flying through Narita and with One-World, I think you'll be flying through Terminal 2. Just after the check-in counters, there's a food court/shopping area above. If it's still there, the Starbucks in this food court has mugs and tumblers from cities and prefectures across Japan.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
I am based out of the Pacific Northwest - I like salmon, nature sceneries, and the occasional hike.
For nature/hikes, you could do day trips to Nikko, Hakone, Izu peninsula, etc. There's more I'm probably leaving out.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
I love food and I have been watching a lot of these Youtube videos with omakase/ kaiseki set menus. They seem like over priced sometimes though.
If current ForEx trends continue into Jan, it would be a good time to try.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
I do like to cook. Any recommended cooking classes?
I've researched this before but I ended up not doing a cooking class. However, I've had informal cooking classes through Nagomi Visit. They've suspended operations at the moment but its a volunteer organization that matches Japanese hosts willing to host international visitors for lunch or dinner.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
Also, isn't there a street in Tokyo where you could buy kitchen items?
That's probably Kappabashi. If you're looking for knives, Tsukiji Outer Market also has knife shops.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
onsen - I have an issue being naked/ semi-naked and in the company of strangers; I'd gladly dip in a private one though
Some ryokan will have onsen that you can book for a certain time during the day/evening. Depending on the place, a fee maybe required. There are other ryokan and hotels that will have rooms with a private onsen but be prepared to pay extra.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
riding tourist trains - would really love to do this - saw lots of YT videos with fancy chairs in trains! Tokyo to Nagoya? Worth it?
I thought it was worth it to take the tourist trains. It hasn't been updated recently but
jprail.com has a pretty comprehensive list of tourist trains.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
interactive exhibits - Hmm, what sort of interaction?
One of the more popular ones is by TeamLabs, they have a couple around Tokyo. Biggest one I think right now is the Planets exhibit in Toyosu.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
hiking/walking around neighborhoods - yes!
You can look into if the Kagurazaka, Yanaka, and Nezu neighborhoods are your thing. If you go to Nezu, visit
Nezu-jinja Shrine. They have an area with a series of torii that's like a mini version of Fushimi-Inari.