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Day Trip out of Tokyo Tokyo
44 Reviews ....Every year in late April/Early May, the 1300-year-old Shiofune Kannon Temple's grounds come afire with brilliant azaleas blooming on a stadium-like landscape that is focused on a huge standing...
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Ohara Area Kyoto
6 Reviews Ohara is a major stomping ground for Japanese 'aki-front' followers; when the nation gets bored of pining for cherry blossoms and instead glues its eyes to NHK for the first news reports of Kyoto's...
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temples & shrines Osaka
16 Reviews We came accidentally to this small garden with a shrine and a cemetery inside and had a look around: Shinko-in Temple A ceremony had started shortly after we came and we were invited to participate....
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Shrines and Temples Tokyo
23 Reviews Gotokuji temple, a Soto-sect zen temple in Setagaya-ku, is best known by the legend of Manekineko better known as "lucky cats" or "beckoning cats". It was originally built in 1480 in a part of...
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Otsu City Kyoto
4 Reviews Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan and among the top largest lakes in the world. It is actually surrounded by a few prefectures, one of which is Shiga. All the usual lake activities can be found...
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Sightseeing outside Osaka Osaka
8 Reviews Just three hours from Osaka by Shinkansen, Imabari is a beautiful city on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea. It is the home to beautiful Imabari Castle, one of the most outstanding examples of medieval...
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Experience Tokyo
17 Reviews It is common to see the beautiful Mt Fuji from the window of the Bullet train (direction: Kyoto, Osaka). It is particularly a superb experience to see the snow-covered Mt. Fuji in early Spring...
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Fushimi Inari Shrine Kyoto
5 Reviews Two train stops south out of Kyoto, a brilliant walk right from Fushimi station takes you to the temple of Fushimi-Inari, and continuing up the hill through 10,000 red torii dedicated by companies to...
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shopping Osaka
5 Reviews This almost went in as a "warning" tip, but I think seeing things like this are essential if you want to get a good sense of a foreign country. On Sundays there is a flea market west of the pedestrian...
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Shinjuku Tokyo
10 Reviews Shinjuku Nichome (literally Shinjuku 2nd District) is a name known to most straight Japanese but visited by very few- it is the "notorious" epicentre of gay life in Japan. In a four block radius,this...
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Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple Kyoto
2 Reviews Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, beautiful buddhist stone sculptures. In Arashiyama, go to Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, where one can walk the bamboo grove. pass this temple, follow the walking path north,till one reaches...
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culture & history Osaka
3 Reviews This little gem hides in a sub-urban area of Osaka. Located in the heart of Hattori-Ryoukuchi Park. It contains a collection of 11 old Japanese Farmhouses from all over Japan. Most of them are...
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Local People and Lives Tokyo
16 Reviews Don't speak much or any Japanese and looking to meet some friendly Japanese people who do? Com Inn is a cozy, little English conversation cafe in Ebisu, near the Doutor building. Most of the time it...
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Arashiyama Kyoto
2 Reviews If you fancy something different to do in Kyoto or simply suffering from temple fatigue and like animals, how about a trip to the Monkey Park at Arashiyama. You enter the park strolling up a steep...
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Parks, Yards, Gardens and Squares Tokyo
14 Reviews The Ueno Zoo is just like most every other metropolitan zoo. The calling card for this one though is its Panda Bears. The panda's are pretty cool to look at, and there are a few other animals which I...
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General Kyoto
6 Reviews Kyoto is not really a very large city, although there are many places to visit! The bus, train, and subway system really makes most of the city very easy to access. What many people consider to be...
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Tsukiji Market Tokyo
7 Reviews Though not a fishing trip in the usual sense of the word, you will see more fish here than you ever have before. I struggled to find a way to describe it. I have come across the following passage...
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Hozu River Kyoto
3 Reviews Old Cliffie is a bit too old for white-knuckle pastimes such as bungee jumping or whitewater rafting. But he did enjoy the 'Hozugawa Kudari' - trip down the river Hozu - near Kyoto. Take the train (20...
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Theatres and Museums Tokyo
8 Reviews The Yebisu Beer Museum is one of those places you can only find in Tokyo. The admission is free, although the beer isn't. It is in the Yebisu Garden Palace, and is a place that commemorates the...
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Nanzenji Temple Kyoto
4 Reviews This is a huge temple complex situated in the eastern part of Kyoto at the foot of the hills, and can be considered off the beaten track as it doesn't seem to get as much visitors as the other more...
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Odaiba & Ariake Tokyo
4 Reviews What greeted me next was quite a surprise (even for a liberal thinker such as myself!) & even though I had mentally prepared for it. A sea of women of all ages and a few girls, were changing out of...
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Otani Mausoleum Kyoto
1 Review A little unusual, but we found this by accident. Rather than following the main route up to the Kiyomizu Temple with all the usual stalls selling souvenirs we found a path at the bottom of the hill...
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Ikebukuro Tokyo
6 Reviews The world's biggest car showroom is just under the railway bridge in front of sunshine city. On five floors you can see all Toyotas cars, including some that only seem to be made for the Japanese...
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Hyogo Prefecture Kyoto
3 Reviews Many say that one will not need to visit any other castle after seeing the most beautiful castle of Japan, the Himeji Castle. Although a bit far from Kyoto than other nearby places, this castle is...
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Ginza Tokyo
5 Reviews I stumbled across this small shop on my way back to Ginza from the fish market. I was drawn in and I couldn't help it - it's so beautiful. It's only like 5 mins walk from all the Ginza glitz and it's...
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Go to the Government buildings (2 Towers). One of them you can actually get a lift to the top floor to the observation deck.Sorry, but I can't remember exactly which suburb these buildings are, but the view was awesome (better than the Sunshine building in Asakusa).
Kamon/Crests, In the period of Japanese civil war, it was beginning each family made this unique mark 'kamon'. It was standardized one mark for one kanji(chinese word), if there were more than 2 kanji, the mark must be transformed some part of it. It's carved on the tombs, for example, has been in each family for generation. It's said there are more than 10 thousands sort of it.
Hakone is often missed by international travelers on their way between Tokyo and Kyoto. It's a charming little town with a centuries-old castle worth the visit. It's not worth spending days here if that would mean missing out on some of Japan's more important cultural centers, but it's certainly worth a visit.
This is my friend Jessey and I snowboarding up at Hakuba Goryu, in Nagano, the mountain that the Olympics were on (when was that again?). To say this mountain and surrounding area is beautiful is pretty much an understatement, but then again, that seems to be true for every mountain area I've been to. They are just incomparible. If you go to Nagano in winter, make sure you visit one of the local onsens at night when it's real cold outside, it's quite an experience!
In a country smaller than the state of California, most Nihonjin live and work in a relatively small area of Nihon: the cities. If not on a kanko, take a VT look at such areas as towns on the Sea of Japan, the Pacific Ocean or countryside near the great Mt. Fuji. You can get just about anywhere in Nihon by train.
Use the local trains. They are cheap and pretty reliable, but they give you a view of the country and the people you would otherwise miss. Try to visit towns like Hagi - just walking around the old streets among the beautiful wooden houses is worth a trip.
Okayama. Not many tourists travel there, but it's a small and nice city. And it's not too far from Himeji-jo, one of Japan's most famous castles. Okayama hosts the Korakuen garden, which is one of Japan's top four gardens.
Go outside the regular city of Tokyo and still be in the city . Go to Sakura or Mimomi, Narashino City or really anywhere and experience the more japanese city. Just take the tube to the outskirts of Tokyo to the above mentioned places. Go to a yaki-nikku restaurant or to a local karaoke-bar with some friends and just have fun. The tempos a bit slower
I have to recommend Kurashiki, nicer than Okayama but easy to visit one from the other. The Ohara Art Museum is full of modern art and although I'm more into Japanese art, I really did enjoy it's exhibits. The little garden at the rear is also a delight. Himeji is a great town with a fabulous castle, worth a stopover or a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka.
Hokkaido - the, sorry, already discovered but nevertheless beautiful northern island has a lot to offer. My bike trip was unfortunately dominated by heavy rain but was still very enjoyable and a great experience in nature, hospitality and food.
Park Hyatt Tokyo Tokyo
7 Reviews and 328 Opinions Most memorable
Hotel Granvia Kyoto Kyoto
6 Reviews and 478 Opinions We stayed 3 nights at Kyoto Granvia Hotel from Feb. 27 to Mar 1, 2008. We paid Yen 17,600 per night,...
Dotonbori Hotel Osaka Osaka
7 Reviews and 88 Opinions I've personally stayed in this hotel twice in my previous 2 trips to Osaka. Famous for their...
Reviews and photos of Japan attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Japan sightseeing.
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Q: Toyoko Inn Club Card - I read that the price for this membership card is 1500yen. When is the expiration for this card for...
A: Generally the price of the room listed on the website should be the price of the room, at least for Japanese hotels. I can't guarantee it though. Booking.com may add...
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