Destination Tokyo
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Full Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 170
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From: MI
Destination Tokyo
Hiyas, a friend and I are going to be visiting Tokyo for a week in Sept. Anyone have any advice or attractions i should be sure not to miss? In all honesty this was a hastened trip on my part, as i have always wanted to go and it is costing me next to nothing. He got a sweet hookup on a hotel for the stay and the ticket cost me $200 so i couldnt turn it down.
Any locals that would be willing to give some advise would be most appreciated Thanks!
Any locals that would be willing to give some advise would be most appreciated Thanks!
We are here half way around the world from you. MI time is about 16 hours different from Japan time I believe.
Anyhow, September is a pretty good time to come to Japan in regard to the weather. It is still hot but not as humid. There are always car events almost everyweekend in the Kanto (tokyo quarter) of Japan.
It is hard to tell someone what to do in Japan if you dont know anything about them or their interests. You posted on RX7 club so I am sure you are interested in 7's. There are a couple of posts and even a sticky of places to go, how to get there, and places to get parts at in the far east section.
There are not a ton of threads in the far east so if you search this section you should find more than enough info in regards to car stuff.
If you are looking for other general japan stuff I suggest checking at www.japan-guide.com or at www.gaijinpot.com
Both of those sites have lots of good info and good ideas for things to do in Japan.
BTW $200 with tax and gas surcharge? That is pretty much impossible do you have a family member working for the airline or something? Congrats on getting such an awesome deal!
Anyhow, September is a pretty good time to come to Japan in regard to the weather. It is still hot but not as humid. There are always car events almost everyweekend in the Kanto (tokyo quarter) of Japan.
It is hard to tell someone what to do in Japan if you dont know anything about them or their interests. You posted on RX7 club so I am sure you are interested in 7's. There are a couple of posts and even a sticky of places to go, how to get there, and places to get parts at in the far east section.
There are not a ton of threads in the far east so if you search this section you should find more than enough info in regards to car stuff.
If you are looking for other general japan stuff I suggest checking at www.japan-guide.com or at www.gaijinpot.com
Both of those sites have lots of good info and good ideas for things to do in Japan.
BTW $200 with tax and gas surcharge? That is pretty much impossible do you have a family member working for the airline or something? Congrats on getting such an awesome deal!
Thread Starter
Full Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 170
Likes: 0
From: MI
We are here half way around the world from you. MI time is about 16 hours different from Japan time I believe.
Anyhow, September is a pretty good time to come to Japan in regard to the weather. It is still hot but not as humid. There are always car events almost everyweekend in the Kanto (tokyo quarter) of Japan.
It is hard to tell someone what to do in Japan if you dont know anything about them or their interests. You posted on RX7 club so I am sure you are interested in 7's. There are a couple of posts and even a sticky of places to go, how to get there, and places to get parts at in the far east section.
There are not a ton of threads in the far east so if you search this section you should find more than enough info in regards to car stuff.
If you are looking for other general japan stuff I suggest checking at www.japan-guide.com or at www.gaijinpot.com
Both of those sites have lots of good info and good ideas for things to do in Japan.
BTW $200 with tax and gas surcharge? That is pretty much impossible do you have a family member working for the airline or something? Congrats on getting such an awesome deal!
Anyhow, September is a pretty good time to come to Japan in regard to the weather. It is still hot but not as humid. There are always car events almost everyweekend in the Kanto (tokyo quarter) of Japan.
It is hard to tell someone what to do in Japan if you dont know anything about them or their interests. You posted on RX7 club so I am sure you are interested in 7's. There are a couple of posts and even a sticky of places to go, how to get there, and places to get parts at in the far east section.
There are not a ton of threads in the far east so if you search this section you should find more than enough info in regards to car stuff.
If you are looking for other general japan stuff I suggest checking at www.japan-guide.com or at www.gaijinpot.com
Both of those sites have lots of good info and good ideas for things to do in Japan.
BTW $200 with tax and gas surcharge? That is pretty much impossible do you have a family member working for the airline or something? Congrats on getting such an awesome deal!
Your Arch Enemy
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 701
Likes: 12
From: Under a Blue and Yellow Flag
Right, I just got back from ten days in Tokyo and it was the best holiday of my life ( I have been living overseas for almost 15 years). I will post the report I sent to my friends below. But the car stuff you gotta see is first the Toyota Web Center in Odiaba. Bring an international drivers license and you can drive any JDM car sold! Make sure you check out the Toyota Garage at the Venus Fort Mall right next door. The Toyota Amlux in the center of Tokyo is ok too. Go to the Honda Welcome Center as well. There aren't any specific Mazda attractions in Tokyo. But you could take the bullet train to Hiroshima to the Mazda factory and museum there. If you like bikes too, you can go to Korincho Road in Ueno. All of this stuff is in the Lonely Planet guide which is indespensible. Have a good trip man, if you have any other questions let me know.
So Japan, where do I begin to describe a country that captivated me from the moment I stepped onto the train out of the airport? Eleven days in Tokyo and I was not bored once. I arrived with a list of about twenty places to see and things to do, saw most everything I wanted to and left with new list just as long as the first. And yes, most of what I did was cliché Japan. But as a tourist, you gotta be a tourist, right?
Ok, so first of all Japan is not nearly as expensive as everyone would have you believe. I think that this myth is perpetuated by the Japanese themselves to keep out the hordes who would invade their beautiful island if they knew just how inexpensive and accessible it is. I was living on about $100 a day. My tiny single room with free internet (the Palette Takashimadiara) was about $40 a night. Transportation around the city on the immaculate and easy metro was about $15. All of those pictures you have seen of guys packed into the metro like sardines? Also wrong. I travelled during morning and evening rush hours and didn’t even see anyone rubbing elbows. I cooked my own bacon, mushroom and egg superbreakfasts; self catered from the supermarket and ate in Japanese style pubs for dinner.
The food was phenomenal. Supermarkets abound and carry many of the same things you can find anywhere else, but with different packaging that you cannot read. I was buying sushi sets plus a tray of fresh shrimp or some microwave dim sum and a few beers for about $10. Yes, of course I had to try McDonald’s, mostly for the beef which I cannot get in India. Other greats were tonkatsu (pork chops), gyoza (dumplings) and udon (big fat noodles). I also ate raw horse and whale. The beer was great too and not expensive. 7-11’s abound, and sell alcohol 24 hours a day. You can even drink while walking around on the street. Yes, just like Ukraine and nothing like India.
Highlights? There were so many I can’t even nominate a top five. Staying in the capsule hotel. It was spacious, clean and comfortable. The bullet train whisked me up to around 300 kilometeres per hour with a sound barely above a whisper. The huge fish market that can take all morning to walk around looks like the ocean exploded its most exotic riches into a huge warehouse. Here I ate excellent sashimi that had been swimming only hours before. An enormous fireworks show viewed right from my balcony that lasted more than two hours. The shrine and graveyard of the 47 Ronin. The Edo Tokyo museum, which even a museum avoider like me could enjoy. The Toyota Web Center is the largest car showroom in the world. I was piloted around the premises by a car which needed no input from the steering wheel. Holders of an international driver’s license can drive any Toyota car they want. Odiaba, the “future city” with upside down pyramid and suspended orb buildings. And the Imperial War museum which housed some beautifully restored WWII aircraft.
But as always, it is the people that make a place truly great. There are not many English speakers, but people will try to communicate and sometimes even approach you first. I was even able to polish off some of my rusty grad school Japanese. The manager of the hostel threw a great party with food and drinks to celebrate the occasion of the fireworks show. The Japanese have created a society that seemed to be harmonious and happy. That happy feeling was infectious, there was a silly, satisfied grin constantly plastered on my face. I can’t count the number of times that a random stranger walked me to a place I was having trouble finding. When was the last time that happened to you?
What is next? I chickened out of climbing Mt. Fuji. Left it until later in the week and by then I was pretty exhausted. The sumos were not wrestling during the summer, so I would like to see them. Exploring a historical city like Kyoto would be great. Also Hiroshima for the memorial and the Mazda factory. Bringing an international license so I can drive everything Toyota makes. I really want to stay in a ryokyan (traditional Japanese lodging). And I did not eat the infamous fugu (poisonous puffer fishy). I avoided that one just so I would have to come back to try it.
Anyhow, if you have not been to Japan, you need to go. If you are planning on going, let me know when because I am already making plans.
Your Friend and Comrade,
John
So Japan, where do I begin to describe a country that captivated me from the moment I stepped onto the train out of the airport? Eleven days in Tokyo and I was not bored once. I arrived with a list of about twenty places to see and things to do, saw most everything I wanted to and left with new list just as long as the first. And yes, most of what I did was cliché Japan. But as a tourist, you gotta be a tourist, right?
Ok, so first of all Japan is not nearly as expensive as everyone would have you believe. I think that this myth is perpetuated by the Japanese themselves to keep out the hordes who would invade their beautiful island if they knew just how inexpensive and accessible it is. I was living on about $100 a day. My tiny single room with free internet (the Palette Takashimadiara) was about $40 a night. Transportation around the city on the immaculate and easy metro was about $15. All of those pictures you have seen of guys packed into the metro like sardines? Also wrong. I travelled during morning and evening rush hours and didn’t even see anyone rubbing elbows. I cooked my own bacon, mushroom and egg superbreakfasts; self catered from the supermarket and ate in Japanese style pubs for dinner.
The food was phenomenal. Supermarkets abound and carry many of the same things you can find anywhere else, but with different packaging that you cannot read. I was buying sushi sets plus a tray of fresh shrimp or some microwave dim sum and a few beers for about $10. Yes, of course I had to try McDonald’s, mostly for the beef which I cannot get in India. Other greats were tonkatsu (pork chops), gyoza (dumplings) and udon (big fat noodles). I also ate raw horse and whale. The beer was great too and not expensive. 7-11’s abound, and sell alcohol 24 hours a day. You can even drink while walking around on the street. Yes, just like Ukraine and nothing like India.
Highlights? There were so many I can’t even nominate a top five. Staying in the capsule hotel. It was spacious, clean and comfortable. The bullet train whisked me up to around 300 kilometeres per hour with a sound barely above a whisper. The huge fish market that can take all morning to walk around looks like the ocean exploded its most exotic riches into a huge warehouse. Here I ate excellent sashimi that had been swimming only hours before. An enormous fireworks show viewed right from my balcony that lasted more than two hours. The shrine and graveyard of the 47 Ronin. The Edo Tokyo museum, which even a museum avoider like me could enjoy. The Toyota Web Center is the largest car showroom in the world. I was piloted around the premises by a car which needed no input from the steering wheel. Holders of an international driver’s license can drive any Toyota car they want. Odiaba, the “future city” with upside down pyramid and suspended orb buildings. And the Imperial War museum which housed some beautifully restored WWII aircraft.
But as always, it is the people that make a place truly great. There are not many English speakers, but people will try to communicate and sometimes even approach you first. I was even able to polish off some of my rusty grad school Japanese. The manager of the hostel threw a great party with food and drinks to celebrate the occasion of the fireworks show. The Japanese have created a society that seemed to be harmonious and happy. That happy feeling was infectious, there was a silly, satisfied grin constantly plastered on my face. I can’t count the number of times that a random stranger walked me to a place I was having trouble finding. When was the last time that happened to you?
What is next? I chickened out of climbing Mt. Fuji. Left it until later in the week and by then I was pretty exhausted. The sumos were not wrestling during the summer, so I would like to see them. Exploring a historical city like Kyoto would be great. Also Hiroshima for the memorial and the Mazda factory. Bringing an international license so I can drive everything Toyota makes. I really want to stay in a ryokyan (traditional Japanese lodging). And I did not eat the infamous fugu (poisonous puffer fishy). I avoided that one just so I would have to come back to try it.
Anyhow, if you have not been to Japan, you need to go. If you are planning on going, let me know when because I am already making plans.
Your Friend and Comrade,
John
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