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| *Travel Tips>>>Japan Travel Tips |
Where should I go in Japan? and What should I absolutely see??? |
Travel Info I'm going to Tokyo, Japan for ~3 weeks to visit my girlfriend. What are the best places to see? She doesnt have many ideas because she lives there so she asks me what I want to see, and I don't know that much about the area. Yahoo Travel doesn't provide a lot of help, so I was wondering what your suggestions are. Travel Tips It depends on what you're into but you can squeeze a lot into 3 weeks. It's going to cost you and you're going to be doing a lot of travelling. In and around Tokyo, there are thousands of temples some of whom are nicer than the others. Some major ones would be the Meiji shrine, Asakusa temple, and the rather unique looking Tsukiji Hongwanji. If you go to Tsukiji, hit the fish market for some of the feshest and best sushi you'll ever try, Check out some of the neighbourhoods like Shinjuku, Akihabara & Odaiba. For some nightlife, try Roppongi. See the gardens like the Imperial Gardens, Shinjuku-Goen and Yoyogi park. If you want to go a little further afield, there's Nikko with it's wonderful temples and monkeys. There's Kamakura with it's giant buddha. There's the Kawasaki-City Japanese House Museum with it's 20 or so historical Japanese houses. And if you really want to travel, I suggest seeing the Hiroshima Peace Park, the famous floating gate in Miyajma, the town of Nara with the deer that walk through the streets, Shinsaibashi in Osaka, the various castles in Osaka and Kyoto. And Kytoto all by itself for the history. Others In Tokyo: Asakusa area where there is a famous temple, the Asahi Beer builidng, etc. Akihabara (if you are into electronics and interesting gadgets), Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku, Roppongi area (for people watching, window shopping and night life) Check out the Tsukiji fish market at 5am...WOW! Be sure to check what the holidays are before you go! Yokohama: China town, Sakuragicho area...go to the top of landmark tower and enjoy the view Kamakura and Enoshima Island. Mt. Fuji, Hakone national park (you can get a 1 day pass which includes all transport, to, from and around the park). Go to an "onsen" Japanese hotspring. (Whatever you do, don`t go to any of the shrines in Hakone....they have strict customs and dislike foreigners!) If you get a chance, check out Nikko (2 hour trip out of Tokyo). You can probably find out about bus tours or take a train package up there. Ride the train around the Chiba (boso penninsula) or Shizoka (Izu penninsula) for a nice scenic ride. There are some nice beaches the further out you go. Every year I go to Japan and the place I always go to is Tokyo. It's become like a tradition. They have beautiful shrines there, and the Tokyo Tower is a must. You go up in an escalator, and the experience is enthralling. Once up there you can see the City from way up (although there may be some smog covering it) And there are plenty of shops so you can buy some of their goods too. Of course there are other places you can visit, this is just one suggestion...Let me know how it goes. By the way, Tokyo is in the northern section of Japan, near China. And if you choose to go there, expect clean airports, clean shops, clean streets....everything is so clean. Experience If you have 3 weeks you should get a Japanese Rail pass to get out and about more. With the Rail Pass, I recommend: Kyoto - much to see and do here: *Kinkaku-ji: the Golden Pavalion http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/7100/... *Kiyomizu-dera temple http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/1187/... *Gion and Pontocho - geisha/geiko districts *Fushimi Inari Shrine Hiroshima particularly nearby Miyajima Shrien Himeji Castle - the best castle in Japan http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/3323/... Nikko - with the ornate Toshogu Shrine http://img420.imageshack.us/img420/8461/... Kamakura - with the outdoor Great Buddha: http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/6836/... You won't have any problems finding modern attractions, like shopping, arcades, etc. in Tokyo, so let me recommend a couple of day trips to more traditional areas. These are both easy day trips from the Tokyo area: Kamakura: The first shogun of Japan, Minamoto no Yoritomo, set up his capital in Kamakura. Today, it contains a complex of famous shrines and temples. The Daibutsu (or "Great Buddha") is a highlight, as is the famous tree beneath which Yoritomo's son was assasinated. Nikko: Another set of famous shoguns, the Tokugawa, built the Nikko complex to enshrine themselves as gods. They're not so much revered as gods these days, but they sure did build some impressive architecture to honor themselves! Nikko is also set on a mountainside in an area of great natural beauty. One highlight is the famous row of giant cryptomeria cedar trees line the road. When the shrine was being built, each prefecture was ordered to send a gift. One of the poorest prefectures couldn't afford to send something elaborate, so they planted cryptomeria seedlings along the side of the road. It may have seemed modest at the time, but they are huge and spectacular today- clearly the best gift they received! If you're going for 3 weeks, I would highly recommend a weekend trip down to Kyoto if you can manage it. There's tons of great historical sights down there. Enjoy your trip! http://wikitravel.org/en/Nikko http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kamakura,_k... |
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