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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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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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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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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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shopping Osaka
7 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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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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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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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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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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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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Kansai international airport Osaka
1 Review Kansai Airport has an observation hall tour you can take thats intresting. Bus ride for the Observation Hall departs every 10-15 minutes from the AEROPLAZA, located in front of Kansai Airport. Bus...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Yoshino City Kyoto
3 Reviews Yoshino is south of Kyoto, located in Nara-ken. It's a famous place of watching cherry blossoms and red leaves. About 2 hours of trains from Kyoto, with a change of train at Kashihara-jingu-mae,...
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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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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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Niji-no-Matsubara, a rainbow pine tree field in Japanese, is located on the Karatsu bay coast in Karatsu, Saga-ken.It is listed as one of the Big Three Matsubara (pine tree field), and a part Genkai National Park.[Back to Japan]
The Kumano Kodo, the Scared Site and Pilgrimage Route in the Kii Mountain Range, listed on the World Heritage as a cultural heritage in 2004, There are temples and worship ways (the Kumano Kodo, the Omine Okugakemihi, Koyasan-cho Osamu Ishi), etc. over Nara-ken, Wakayama-ken and Mie-ken in Kii Mountains.[Back to Japan]
Genbaku Dome called Japanese, Atomic Bomb Dome at the at Hiroshima Memorial Park in Hiroshima-ken, a remnant of the city at ground zero of its nuclear bombardmentIt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in 1996.The building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzet.It was completed in April 1915, and the new building was named the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition. The 6 August 1945 nuclear expansion was almost directly above the building (the hypocenter was 150 meters ), and it was the closest structure to withstand the explosion. The building has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing, and now serves as the reminder of nuclear devastation and as a symbol of hope for world peace and elimination of all nuclear weapons.[Back to Japan]
A traditional village showcasing the style of buildings called gasshou-zukuri in Japanese in the following two regions were listed on the World Heritage Sites in 1995.- Shirakawa-go, located near Takayama in Gifu-ken- Gokayama, located in Toyama-ken[Back to Japan]
The following sites have been listed on the Cultural Heritage in 1998.-Todaiji temple-Kofukuji temple-Kasuga Shrine-Gangoji temple-Yakushiji temple-Toshodaiji temple-The remains of Heijo Palace-Horyuji temple-Shosoin[Back to Japan]
Himeji Castle is located in Himeji in Hyogo-ken. It is one of the oldest surviving structures from medieval Japan, and has been designated on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, it is one of Japan's "Three Famous Castles", and is the most visited castle in Japan. It is occasionally known as Shirasagijo ("White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior.[Back to Japan]
The Shiretoko Peninsula is a part of Shiretoko National Park located at the northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaido.Here is one of the most remote regions in all of Japan, much of the peninsula is only accessible on foot or by boat. The park is best known as the home of Japan's largest bear population and for offering views of the disputed Kunashiri Island, occupied by Russia.In 2005, UNESCO designated the area a World Heritage Site, advising to develop the property jointly with Kuril Islands of Russia as a trans-boundary "World Heritage Peace Park".[Back to Japan]
Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto Shrine on Itsukushima Island in the town of Miyajima in Hiroshima-ken.The sites registered on the World Heritage List of UNESCO in 1996 as a cultural heritageThe dramatic gate ("torii" in Japanese) of Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions. The gate has existed since 1168, though the current gate dates back to 1875. The gate, built of camphor wood, is about 16 meters high, and has a four-legged (yotsu-ashi) style to provide additional stability.The gate only appears to be floating at high tide - when the tide is low, the gate is surrounded by mud and can be accessed on foot from the island. It is common practice for visitors to place coins in the cracks of the legs of the gate and make a wish. Access to Miyajima by the ferryThe ferry boat operates from Miyajima-guchi to Miyajima, 10-minute journey time, Yen340 for an adult...
The sites registered on the World Heritage List of UNESCO1)Buddhist Monuments in the Hyoryu-ji Area, Nara-ken, listed in 1993 as a cultural heritage 2)Hemeji CastleHyogo-ken, listed in 1993 as a cultural hertage3)YakushimaKagoshima-ken, listed in 1993 as natural heritage4)Shirakami-SanchiAomori-ken and Akita-ken, listed in 1993 as a natural heritage 5)Historic Monuments of Ancient KyotoKyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities, listed in 1994 as a cultural heritage 6)Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and GokayamaGifu-ken and Toyama-ken, listed in 1995 as a cultural heritage 7)Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)Hiroshima-ken, listed in 1996 as a cultural heritage 8)Itsukushima Shinto Shrine Hiroshima-ken, listed in 1996 as a cultural heritage 9)Historic Monuments of Ancient NaraNara-ken, listed in 1998 as a cultural heritage 10)Shrines and Temples of Nikko Tochigi-ken, listed in 1999 as a cultural...
This complex is well worth a visit. Not only because of the two observatory floors with free entrances, but beacuse the building and the area is pretty magificent in itself. The Main Building 1 is 243 meters (797 ft) high with forty-eight stories above and three stories below ground. Main building number 2 is 163 meters (535 ft) high with thirty-four stories above and three stories below ground. And the 3rd, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building, is 41 meters (135 ft) high with seven stories above and one story below ground.The observatories are in:North side of Main Building No.1, 45th floor.South side of Main Building No.1, 45th floor.Take express elevators on both sides to reach the 45th floor. Be prepared to get searched by the guards. But the views are amazing. Look down on Tokyo City from a height of 202 meters!!!Opening hours (when I wrote this tip, might change):North...
Park Hyatt Tokyo Tokyo
7 Reviews and 526 Opinions Most memorable
Hotel Granvia Kyoto Kyoto
6 Reviews and 743 Opinions We stayed 3 nights at Kyoto Granvia Hotel from Feb. 27 to Mar 1, 2008. We paid Yen 17,600 per night,...
The Ritz-Carlton Osaka Osaka
1 Review and 353 Opinions
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Q: Hi there, Will arrive in Tokyo, Narit Airport for a layover and wanted to take advantage of seeing something. I will arrive at...
A: youre lucky to be arriving so early, so you will likely pass through immigration fairly quickly. lets still count with an hour just in case. you can either take the...
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