darscot said:
Rapongi I now I spelled it wrong but it the bar district of Toyko and it's off the hook.
I've heard several accounts of Japanese and residents getting surprised when they are told that their foreign visiting friends want to go to that place! I hear it's a wacky/dangerous place, or something like that.
I made a short trip like yours (8 days), and had a blast. But couldn't go to Kyoto since the trip was too short. I went to several quite beautiful gardens, which were nice and relaxing. Asakusa is also very nice if you are into seeing temples and stuff. I remember seeing the Tri-Force sign inside one of the temples (I think it was a symbol used by a certain tribe or something like that).
I also went to Disney Sea for a day, but only got a do one ride and spent the remaining time walking around as it was around christmass time, but it was still fun.
You can probably see the Tokyo tower, the Imperial Castle, and some other sites in one day (I took a tour bus for that, the only time I went with a tour).
I didn't do any shopping there either; just wanted to walk around and see/experience things, but my friend there suggested we go to Odaiba, which is a newer place with malls and stuff. There is a miniature statue of liberty in it too, and a gigantic ferris-wheel which gives a mesmerising view of the city
. Nice place, but I prefer the traditional stuff, and walking around in the outdoors in the newer cities too rather than inside malls.
Every night I would do a quick stroll in Shibuya, my favorite place. I would walk around for a while, then head to one of the arcades there. I was told Shibuya is for younger folks, yet I always found it a nice place to hangout in. More fun than Shinjuku to me, which I only walked in a little to decide it's not really for me.
Another advice: Food! Whether you like Japanese food or not you should always try to eat at the famous local places. It's only a week and you'll be back to your regular diet so you should explore whatever you come across (becareful though). I am not too fond of raw food myself, but I still had sushi for dinner in 2 of the nights I was there: once in a traditional looking place (tasted better than the other too), the other is the plates-spinning-on-a-bar type of place. My favorite overall dish in Japan though was a noodle-soup with a fish called Nishin (sp?). It's a brown-meat fish that had me cleaning the bowl with it's delicacy. My Japanese friend doesn't like it though, and I had a Japanese teacher who also despised it, so...
But you should be able to find stuff you like to eat.
Also following my friend's suggestion, we went to the Miyazaki Museum at Mitaka. Cute place if you are a fan of his works; you get to see lots and lots of photos he took and sketches he made, etc. But remember this: If you happen to go, stop by at the Mitaka train station and look for a store that sells a sweet called Daifuku. It's a mushy-white cake with Strawberries inside..... BEST THING I HAD IN JAPAN!!! You might not agree with my taste though, but give it a try ('^_^).
I didn't get to go to Mount. Fuji since it was freezing cold, but maybe you can make it.
You will enjoy it a lot, I am sure
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