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[forrest]

This July, my wife and I are travelling to Japan for a week for her 40th birthday. We have been doing some light research and are just starting to think about things to see, do, places to stay as well as language barrier and cuisine differences. I'm willing to give just about any type of food a try, but she is much more selective in what she is willing to try.

Some things that she has mentioned interest in are visiting Kyoto, the Harajuku district, we are pug lovers so I think we may go to a pug cafe on her actual birthday also she wants to spend a night in a Japanese capsule hotel.

Personally as long as I get to see the more traditional side of Japan, mixed in with some great food and a dash of Nintendo that I can only see in Japan, then I will be happy.

Are there any particular sights, food/restaurants, hotels that you all could recommend?

How about anything related to Nintendo? Is there somewhere that I could get great Nintendo souvenirs? Something you can only find in Japan?

How about any advice for English speaking travelers in Japan? Any particularly important cultural manners or behaviors that westerners often violate without knowing? This is my first international trip and while I'm extremely excited, I do have a bit of anxiety regarding basic daily communication and functioning in a foreign environment.

Just to add some things we like: we like touristy things as well as off the beaten path local things, good steak and food, whiskey, alcohol in general, nightlife, music, art, of course video games, anime, nature, scenic countryside, etc.

We are pretty much open to anything, but realize that one week is an extremely limited time, so as we plan we would like to prioritize things of interest and importance to us. Thanks for taking the time to read and reply. It's greatly appreciated!

 

[shira]

pm mikehattsu

 

[Glix]

Are you Jewish?

Or Chinese?

Be careful what hotel you book. ;-)

 

[forrest]

pm mikehattsu

Done. Thanks!

 

[forrest]

Are you Jewish?

Or Chinese?

Be careful what hotel you book. ;-)

Not Jewish nor Chinese, is this really an issue?

 

[BronsonLee]

The fact that it took this long for someone to post the Japan Travel OT is criminal

 

[forrest]

The fact that it took this long for someone to post the Japan Travel OT is criminal

Oh BronsonLee, that is perfect! Thank you, I had no idea this existed!

 

[jobrro]

Not Jewish nor Chinese, is this really an issue?

They are referring to this thread.

 

[sixteen-bit]

If I went to Japan I would want to look at the Gundam statue.

 

[ZetaEpyon]

If I went to Japan I would want to look at the Gundam statue.

Alas, it will be gone soon.

 

[forrest]

They are referring to this thread.

Ah thanks for the context

 

[StoOgE]

Kyoto is absolutely a must. Tokyo is fantastic as well, but Kyoto cannot be skipped.

I would also recommend Osaka and and Onsen village somewhere. I liked Shibu Onsen the most of the ones Ive been to because it has a night life of sorts.

I speak almost no Japanese beyond like 1 segment of Rosetta Stone. Google translate is your friend. In Tokyo you will have zero problems at all. Just lean the greetings and goodbyes and act much more polite than you normally would.

 

[Glix]

Not Jewish nor Chinese, is this really an issue?

Sorry, not completely. Didn't mean to alarm you.

There was an article posted yesterday where the head of one of the largest hotel chains there said some wildly anti semetic and anti Chinese things.

 

[forrest]

Kyoto is absolutely a must. Tokyo is fantastic as well, but Kyoto cannot be skipped.

I would also recommend Osaka and and Onsen village somewhere. I liked Shibu Onsen the most of the ones Ive been to because it has a night life of sorts.

I speak almost no Japanese beyond like 1 segment of Rosetta Stone. Google translate is your friend. In Tokyo you will have zero problems at all. Just lean the greetings and goodbyes and act much more polite than you normally would.

Thanks StoOge, Kyoto is definitely on the list and will not be skipped. We are both incredibly polite anyhow, so maybe it won't be a huge shift!

I'll look into Osaka and Onsen for sure. Thanks!

Sorry, not completely. Didn't mean to alarm you.

There was an article posted yesterday where the head of one of the largest hotel chains there said some wildly anti semetic and anti Chinese things.

No worries!

 

[Reckless Abandon]

I've always wanted to visit Akihabara. Sounds like it might make for a fun night or two for you.

I'd be interested to hear how your trip went after you come back. I would like to go sometime soon.

 

[distantmantra]

I cannot imagine spending more than two or three hours in Akihabara. Get in, buy your stuff and get out.

Yanaka, Sangenjaya, and Shimokitazwa are more my kinds of neighborhoods.

 

[Mesoian]

WEAR
COMFORTABLE
SHOES

I wore my freshies to Japan and by the end of those two weeks, my feet were covered in blisters. You walk in Japanese cities more than most other cities by almost 5 fold, make sure your feet are taken care of.

Beyond that, find hole in the wall bars to drink in. They're pretty amazing, super cheap and ultra friendly.

I cannot imagine spending more than two or three hours in Akihabara. Get in, buy your stuff and get out.

Yanaka, Sangenjaya, and Shimokitazwa are more my kinds of neighborhoods.

Yeah, the hardest thing about Akihabara was finding a good place to eat. I actually had way more fun in Den Den Town than I did in Akihabara.

 

[Subpar Scrub]

Osaka and Kyoto are definitely musts, I enjoyed them quite a bit more than Tokyo. If you're going to either, a day trip to Nara is fun if you like hiking a bit.

If you're in Tokyo and have a day trip to akihabara, go to the Tokyo sky tree. The view was pretty awesome!

I went to akihabara like 3 nights while I was there, but most of those nights was checking out the arcades or buying games. I got wrecked on Tekken 7.

 

[BronsonLee]

Oh and go to Golden Gai and get blasted

 

[Owari]

You're going to have a really great time. I suggest seeing a show at AgeHa, and eating amazing ramen at T's Tantan.

 

[forrest]

I've always wanted to visit Akihabara. Sounds like it might make for a fun night or two for you.

I'd be interested to hear how your trip went after you come back. I would like to go sometime soon.

I read about this place in a Kotaku article regarding Japan.

I cannot imagine spending more than two or three hours in Akihabara. Get in, buy your stuff and get out.

Yanaka, Sangenjaya, and Shimokitazwa are more my kinds of neighborhoods.

Thanks for the Akihabara tip, I'll look into these other neighborhoods too. I'm guessing they are more "low key" types of areas.

WEAR
COMFORTABLE
SHOES

I wore my freshies to Japan and by the end of those two weeks, my feet were covered in blisters. You walk in Japanese cities more than most other cities by almost 5 fold, make sure your feet are taken care of.

Beyond that, find hole in the wall bars to drink in. They're pretty amazing, super cheap and ultra friendly.



Yeah, the hardest thing about Akihabara was finding a good place to eat. I actually had way more fun in Den Den Town than I did in Akihabara.

Sage advice on the shoes. My wife practically lives in flip flops, though our recent move to Seattle has curbed that a bit. I will force her into some tennis shoes for the week! Definitely looking into some hole in the wall drinking fun!

 

[Herr Schwarz]

The malls in Tokyo, holy fuck. Those escalators wont stop going upwards hnngh.

 

[forrest]

Osaka and Kyoto are definitely musts, I enjoyed them quite a bit more than Tokyo. If you're going to either, a day trip to Nara is fun if you like hiking a bit.

If you're in Tokyo and have a day trip to akihabara, go to the Tokyo sky tree. The view was pretty awesome!

I went to akihabara like 3 nights while I was there, but most of those nights was checking out the arcades or buying games. I got wrecked on Tekken 7.

The Sky Tree looks pretty amazing! I love some of the shots from the website.

Oh and go to Golden Gai and get blasted

Okay, this looks really fucking cool and will take no convincing to get my wife to go have drinks here!

You're going to have a really great time. I suggest seeing a show at AgeHa, and eating amazing ramen at T's Tantan.

Wow, the AgeHa pics I found look pretty incredible! Nothing like a crazy night of dancing while on vacation. Might ruin me for a couple of days afterwards if I'm drinking hard though

 

[Owari]

Wow, the AgeHa pics I found look pretty incredible! Nothing like a crazy night of dancing while on vacation. Might ruin me for a couple of days afterwards if I'm drinking hard though

A great point. Try to plan it around one of the later days of the trip. I danced so hard to Capsule my knee died and I basically had to suffer through it the rest of the week.

Worth it

But I wouldn't advise it at the beginning of the trip.

 

[TheSaddestSort]

If you're going to Kyoto and enjoy food I personally had a lot of fun exploring Nishiki Market on my last trip. One of the things Kyoto is famous for in Japan is its fresh produce and pickled vegetables (tsukimono) and the shopping street has lots of stalls with samples you can try. They also have a lot of other small shops selling various souvenirs and other items. I personally enjoyed it a lot more than my visit to Tsukiji market, but YMMV.

I would also strongly advise renting a portable wifi hotspot while you visit as it makes navigation a lot easier. Google maps worked pretty well and as long as you're not out in the boonies there should be cell service for the device to piggyback off of.

In terms of general travel advice I would say be prepared to walk a lot, so travel light and wear good shoes. You might consider taking or saving a small throw away bag for you to store your trash in (public trashcans are a rarity in my experience). As for all the standard do's and don'ts I'm sure you can find more complete list that goes into them in depth. Some of the highlights include things like not sticking your chopsticks straight up and down in your rice, don't pass food from one pair of chopsticks to another while sharing, buy a JR railpass, photos are usually okay at shrines but don't take pictures of priests performing ceremonies, etc.