Hello!
I will be in Osaka/Kyoto/Nara for 2 weeks in June. I have never been to Japan (or anywhere in Asia) so my knowledge is limited to what I've learned from watching Cowboy Bebop on DVD Does anyone have suggestions for good guidebooks? I'm very interested in history, but would also like some good (up to date) info on nightlife in Osaka.

Also does anyone have recommendations for must-see museums or art galleries/shows, or know where I can get good info? I'm interested in both modern and traditional art.

OK - Let me be the first person to recommend Diane Durston's books for Kyoto - although some of the books are rather old now (so you will find that some of the shops that she mentions have disappeared), there is still so much good stuff in them. For example, this one:

Kyoto � Seven Paths to the Heart of the city
ISBN: 4770028776

And here are some other threads where we discussed guidebooks and history books for Tokyo and Japan in general:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=495480

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=346809

Guidebooks are less helpful when it comes to providing up-to-the minute information on the club scene. In my youth... I would follow reviews from listings magazines etc. and end up in a place that was too loud / too smoky / too quiet / too whatever - so then I always asked the bar staff for their recommendations for places that would suit me better in the area... and they always had good suggestions.

I won't rehash the discussions in the links jib71 posted. We all have our favorites and the linked threads pretty well sum them up.

I second the recommendation for Diane Dunston's books, Kyoto: Seven Paths to the Heart of the City and Old Kyoto . She really gets off the tourist path and shows you some gems. I have personally followed and heavily photographed 5 of the Seven Paths and loved every step.

For local nightlife activities, you might check some of the English language magazines after you get there. Kansai Time Out is one. There are others. Try the Marutzen book store on the 4th floor at KIX. There is one in Kyoto, also, but you can find KTO at most major hotels and the Tourist Info Center.

JR

Thank you, those suggestions and threads were very helpful! I'm still looking for good art museum/gallery/show recommendations, if anyone has any

I might have a few for Kyoto...What kind of arts are you particularly interested in?

pretty much anything, really. the husband likes traditional art in the floating world style, but i'm partial to modern art, anime pop art, etc. so a little of both is what we're going for.

Google strikes again:

http://kto.co.jp/new/modules/news/

A few subjective spots in and around Kyoto:

The Raku Museum ( http://www.raku-yaki.or.jp/ ) nearby the Imperial Gardens and the Brighton Hotel. Specializes in "natural" ( a preference we Scandinavians share with the Japanese ) style pottery. For me this museum has also personal meaning as my Ex-GFs family has done a lot of volunteer work there.

The Miho Museum ( http://www.miho.or.jp/english/index.htm ) by I.M Pei in Shiga prefecture just north of Kyoto. My Kansai architect friends tend to do pilgrimaces there. It's associated with one of the "new religions" of Japan, but then that's just another aspect of local culture.

The buddhist Kurama temple ( http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/...ples/m_kurama/ ) including a museum on top of a mountain. Can be accessed by the Eizan mountain train and then either a mountain path or a cablecar from Kurama village. The village also includes Kurama Onsen for indoor and outdoor Japanese baths.

The Efish cafe along the Kamo river ( http://www.shinproducts.com/ ). A looong time ago this was a place where artists like the Kyoto Jazz Massive ( http://www.kyotojazzmassive.com/top.html ) used to hang out. During those ancient times also an invaluable information source for the modern arts scene in Kyoto.

There are various opportunities for attending tea ceremonies in Kyoto. The Urasenke school ( http://www.urasenke.or.jp/texte/index.html ) is probably the biggest and best organized but there are many others. The combination of admiring Kyoto ceramics, the flower and poem of the day, beautiful gardens, numb feet and even the sticky tea make for quite an experience.

From mjm's link above, the museums page:

http://kto.co.jp/new/modules/booklis...wcat.php?cid=4

Note that there are listings and directions for 13 in Nara, 42 in Osaka and 45 in Kyoto, sorted by type of exhibits.

JR

thanks for all the replies! bookmarking everything now...

also if anyone has any personal recommendations for clubs or just general things we should do while in the area I'd appreciate it!

If you want to "get away from it all," take an overnight trip to the Koya-san temple complex southeast of Nara. There's a train (non-JR) that leaves from one of the Osaka stations (Namba?), or, if you have a JR Pass, you can take a series of successively more rural trains (one of them seemed to function as the local schoolbus) into the mountains.

The temple accommodations are like those in a mid-level ryokan, and the food (dinner and breakfast) is all vegan. Your only religious obligation is to attend the 6AM service, which will consist of 30 minutes of chanting in classical Chinese.

Otherwise, you can see the other temples, explore the little town that serves them, and walk through a forested cemetery of ancient tombs to the tomb of Kobo Daishi, founder of Shingon Buddhism. Shingon believes that one day, Kobo Daishi will return to that spot, so over the centuries, rich people have paid big yen to be buried near him. Some of the modern tombstones are quite amusing-- a man who made his fortune in pest control has a statue of a carpenter ant.

The major guidebooks (Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Frommers) tell you how to reserve a room at one of the temples.

For Kansai clubbing Osaka is clearly number one. For me, Amerika-Mura there has the best nightlife in all of Asia but Umeda also offers good beats. Osaka people are pretty easygoing, you can just ask people on the street or the bars where to go for a fun night out.

Kobe was the orginal home of the bodicon ( body conscious ) phenomenon and I guess is still considered a very cosmopolitan and progressive city by Japanese standards. The large Korean minority and the presence of influential Yakuza gangs guarantee for further excitement. Sannomiya might be the place to go.

Kyoto nightlife has traditionally been more exclusive and even snobbish in many ways. The Metro and Sekai World should keep you occupied.

As for Tokyo, others know better...

As a one time contributor to Kansai Time Out can I put in a plug to those who do travel to the Kansai to pick up a copy whenever they can. It's only Y300 a pop and has been providing a community service to the region now for more than 25 years. (Moderators -- please don't consider this an "advertising message")!

I don't think you are advertising. I always pick up a copy as soon as I arrive and recommend others do the same.

JR