Toyoko Inn Kyoto Shijo-Omiya

Cheap hotel chain

by beornot2be about Toyoko Inn

price exemple:
Single room ¥5,600(including tax¥5,880)
Double A room ¥6,600(including tax¥6,930)
Double B room ¥7,600(including tax¥7,980)
Business twin room ¥7,600(including tax¥7,980) many free services, free internet access in room and lobby, free telephone sevive, free breakfast and more, check the website

Japan Budget Hotels

by Maranyc

Here's a website listing many budget hotels throughout Japan - you can arrange booking with them also.

http://www.itcj.jp/eng/index.php

Another possibility is the Toyoko Inn chain - www.toyoko-inn.com

November is prime time because of the fall foliage in some locations so you had better try to get reservations as soon as you can....

Enjoy!

The sights, sounds and experiences that stand out

by albaaust

"Reflections"

1’ll start with a few reflections - we had a fantastic time mainly because of the Japanese people. They were without question always friendly, gentle, cheerful, welcoming and willing to help. They also responded enthusiastically to my puny attempts to say a few words in Japanese.

"Itinerary"

We flew from Perth to Sydney on August 31 and then on to Tokyo on September 1. From Tokyo we flew to Miyazaki on the south east coast of Kyushu and after 14 days there we activated our JR passes and wended our way back to Tokyo stopping at Hiroshima and Miyajima, Takarazuka (with a side trip to Osaka), Nagoya, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara and finally Tokyo.

"JAL"

 Flying with JAL !it was superb - the food and service was excellent -it took 10 hours but that went fairly quickly mainly because we had plenty of room (the plane was half full) but also we had personal monitors which had a selection of movies, games and an added feature of being able to see what was happening below and the pilot’s view.

"Sights, sounds and experiences that stand out"

 The outstanding infrastructure. Everything worked! There was a general air of cleanliness and efficiency especially with regard to the various transport systems.

 The Community Baths. Disrobing, washing oneself and then immersing in a series of hot and cold natural spring baths naked in front of complete strangers (a definite cultural experience!) at a number of on-sens. The one that is vivid in my memory was in Kirishima National Park (near Kagoshima). It was very small, cost only 200 yen but the view of the mountains and river down below was to die for!

 Walking across the world’s longest single suspension bridge at Aya Teruha and admiring the wonderful view down below and the low clouds above.

 Experiencing a typhoon first hand. It vented its full fury at around 3am but having put up the shutters around the house we were staying in we felt safe!

 The food-we ate a lot of raw fish, eel, ramen (noodles) and developed a taste for rice cakes filled with a sweet bean mixture! Japanese friends treated us to some spectacular meals including a sushi spread, a banquet (with ladies in Kimonos serving us) and a restaurant which served a selection of yakitori type dishes with the most delicious being tofu in soya sauce! We also sampled ancient fare (wild rice etc) at the Saitobaru burial grounds, preserved fruits at Aya Shusen-no-Mori, a range of beverages -Japanese beers and spirits are fine; the wine is misnamed!

 Travelling on Shinkansens -very smooth, comfortable, fast and always on time.

 Bento Boxes. The ubiquitous lunch boxes available at many outlets and particularly at the railway stations. Good food, always interesting, tasty and fresh.

 Visiting the Peace Memorial at Hiroshima – it’s worth while to allow extra time here to come to terms with the horror and tragedy of the past and to see and experience resurgent and optimistic Hiroshima.

 A number of shrines, temples, castles - for us the most interesting and spectacular were the Udo-Jingu in Nichinan City (near Miyazaki), Kanazawa Castle, Todaiji Temple at

 Nara -a truly awesome building, the 5 storied pagoda also at Nara, Heian Shrine, Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion) and Eikando Zenrin-ji (Kyoto) and Sensoji in Tokyo.

 Spending some time window-shopping at Nipponbashi (Osaka), Harajuku, Shinjuku and Akihabara to see the vast range of merchandise and to experience shopping among tens of thousands of people up close (a very different thing for Australians especially from Perth!)

 Visiting a number of beautiful gardens including the one at the Imperial Palace at Kyoto and Kenroku-en at Kanazawa (best to arrive at this one early (before 8.00 am). By 9.00am busloads of Japanese visitors make their presence felt.

 Relaxing for an afternoon at the world’s largest indoor pool at Seagaia. A Miyazaki Visitors Pass obtainable at the tourist office at Miyazaki Central railway station entitles you to some useful discounts at this and other local attractions.

 A stroll along Philosophers Walk between temples in Kyoto - very relaxing and a chance once again to embrace the environment and atmosphere without the hustle and bustle.

 Cycling through the padi fields in Miyazaki. Bicycle hire is easy although it sometimes means paying the wholesale cost of the bike and being recouped less about 500 yen per day when the bike is returned.

 Museums -We visited a number including the historical museum at Miyazaki Municipal Museum, Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya, Kyoto National Museum, Edo Museum, Tokyo National Museum. Apart from Miyazaki the museums were pricey and there were galleries closed but we saw some magnificent displays of Japanese swords, ceramics, and tapestries. The shops attached were great for woodblock prints and other middle range souvenirs.

"Shopping"

 Shopping: I am an avid shopper but Japan is expensive! However, we did do some browsing. 100 yen shops- worth it just to see what you can get for 105 yen and what they have produced in terms of Disney characters, Gion in Kyoto - the place to buy antiques, the Ginza (look, but the prices in the larger stores were preposterous), the flea markets outside temples in Nagoya, Nakimise Dori a great for buying gifts to take home. We also enjoyed just buying groceries in the local mart in Miyazaki. For interest what did we buy aside from souvenirs? Some wood-block prints, some Japanese kitchen knives, a camera and a card radio.

"Other suggestions"

Suggestions:

 Definitely purchase a JR pass before you depart for Japan. Great value and places every part of Japan within easy reach.

 We were advised to purchase travellers cheques because of the lack of ATMs in Japan. In fact we could have managed perfectly well using ATMs and our Visa credit cards. Make sure that you have a Cirrus card. If you do buy travellers cheques, get them in Japanese yen.

 Depending on your budget, the medium priced business hotels are good value. We stayed in the Toyoko Inn Chain. The cost for two was between $120 and $140 Australian. These hotels were clean, usually central and most offer free Internet access.

Kinkakuji temple

by bennieofzo

The Kinkakuji temple or golden paviljon is a replica of the 14th century building that was burned in 1950 by a monk who could not whithstand the beauty of it. It was rebuilt in 1955. The garden surrouding the temple is also very beautiful.
Open: oct-march 09:00-17:00
april-sept 09:00-16:30

GINKAKU-JI(Silver Pavilion) TEMPLE

by felicitywu

It is so called to distinguish from Kinkaku-ji(Golden Pavilion), and is not actually silvered.

If you take these two temples into Japanese history, you may understand their name and architecture. Here is what I learned
from the book:

Kinkaku-ji was built in 1397, when the Muromachi Shogunate was at its peak, representing rich and extravagant culture of the age.

Ginkaku-ji was built 92 years later, in 1489, when civil war had turned Kyoto into a burnt-out wasteland and people, despairing for the future, had turned to religion in the hope of achieving happiness in the after-life.
The mood of these times is reflected in the awesome beauty of this buildind, a beauty somehow tinged with sadness.

But the day I went to the Ginkaku-ji temple, it's covered by the snow, which make it so suit for its name.

You can climb the hill in the garden to have a whole view of the temple and the further areas.