3 Week Japan Trip

[NORBY]

Hey guys,

i have searched around here and on the net a bit to find more about japan and where is good to travel

Im going from around the 4th november to the 24th november

Im going with my girlfriend as well so it has to be a good balance of both things i enjoy and she enjoys, neither of us speak any japanese really (though we plan to learn a little before our trip)

We will be landing in Osaka and departing from Tokyo. We plan on getting a JR Rail pass just for convenince sake, i heard its the best way to be getting around.

many tourist guides focus on the main cities but from what i have read thats not the best way to explore the country and its culture

Im very interested in cars and technology, my girlfriend is more interested in the shopping. We are both interested in the history / culture / sights there is to see in japan also

A few things we have been reccomended

Sado Island - See the taiko drummers

yoyogi park

Ginza / Yurakucho / Shinuya for shopping

Tokyo tower

Try an onsen somewhere in rural areas

Mt Fuji and Bepppu

Akihabara

Nismo Factory

Just some recomendations for good things to see so i dont miss anything would be awesome!

[HOSTILE]

Yeah bud you will love it for sure...

In Osaka there is Universal Studios (better than Tokyo Disney), Kaiyukan (Osaka aquairium) which were both cool.

Checkout Namba area also.

Definitely get the Rail pass if you intend to trek about....

There is a mount fuji bus tour leaving tokyo including Hakone area (full day - beautiful) for 15000 yen which is well worth it.

Plenty of places to go skiing out from Tokyo also.

In tokyo check out Asakusa (sensoji temple/gate) or the Imperial Palace.

Roppongi for nightlife/clubs.

[akeenan]

Plenty of places to go skiing out from Tokyo also

in november? i dont think . . . the official ski season doesnt start till late december

just follow the guide books and youll have an awesome time

ginza, shibuya, shinjuku, akihabara, ikebukuro, harajuku(check out the freaks) tokyo dome hotel 43rd floor bar, shimo kitazawa DOT (all you can drink 980yen), roppongi hills (skip roppongi), 1 or 2 temples thats enough

take the boat from asakusa down to daiba (tokyo)

see a Japanese "doctor" thats always an experience ....

hit some clubs www.metropolis.com

yaki niku, yakitori, shabu shabu, some izakayas, monjya/ okonomiyaki restaurants, ramen restaurants

stay in a love hotel

if fuji is open at that time of year( i forget) go check it out, go to fuji kyuu highlands

hakone, nikko,

hiroshima

kyoto, nara, osaka

couple of day trips here and there

hokkaido is boring (unless its winter)

avoid anything western and youll have a great time.

Checkout Namba area also

lol

Edited March 19, 2009 by akeenan

[HOSTILE]

^^ Yep what he said.

Sorry ...is Namba not the station where you come up to find shitloads of shops? Possibly thinking of Umeda instead... dunno it had short name!

.... And I will cut my testicles off in shame also coz the ski season starts a few weeks later!! LOL

[dr1ft.jp]

Well fairly unsurprisingly I would recommend checking out my website for events http://www.dr1ft.jp/

More events will pop up closer to the day but these are what I know about so far

NOVEMBER

07 :: Ebisu :: D1SL Round 5

08 :: Ebisu :: D1SL Round 5

14 :: Nikko :: Techo Pro Spirit

14 :: Ebisu :: Autumn Drift Matsuri

15 :: Ebisu :: Autumn Drift Matsuri

24 :: Mobara :: D1SL (Central) Round 5

p.s. I know for an absolute fact that the ski season starts in November

[akeenan]

drift.jp, please notice I used the word official, ( the japanese official snow sason starts around DEC 28) there are patches of snow in late november ... but the lifts etc dont open to at least early december... in most places, hence all the bus sno trips starting then

[elrodeo666]

hokkaido is boring (unless its winter)...

Akeenan have you been up here...

Mate Susukino..small area with 5000 clubs,bars,kabba kuras, soaps...its famous to the japanese for the amount of sex bars...I have a ball there..Come to japan and eat sushi off the back of a naked girl then negotiate 2000yen blowies, what more can a virgin aussie want!!

Sapporo beer festival..26 day Beer garden festival from 10am - 10pm strtches thru odori koen (park) about 8-10 blocks of drunken daily madness and so much loose fresh candy.

Also did I mention Sapporo has the BEST candy there is in Japan...what more do you want from ya hols!!

[akeenan]

elrodeo666 I have been up there many a times. for snowboarding(5 times) and for off season trips. havent been to many clubs and have been to 0 beer events .

Hokkaido thoughout Japan is also sold/ marketed because of its beautiful nature(if your coming from Australia would be boring i assume)

id guess a tourist to japan probably would be the same, unless they were well informed about these beer, free virgin events. ive lived in Japan for 5 years and love a drink ... and have never heard about these festivals.. its a shame since Im leaving in 2 weeks. but was a virgin well before I came....

for snow it is the undisputed champion of the world (from what i have seen. america, canada japan)

for girls I agree there are a lot of cheap short skirt, high heel wearing >>> girls there , attractive yes, hot yes ....... STRANGE ...... hell YES, easy ...... 正解

have never been to any beer garden festivals(in hokkaido,..wish i had), nor have experienced any "loose hokkaido candy" thank you god .. as thats not really my thing

dont really want to do a vs thread, as im sure if you can talk to people no matter what area of the world you are in your or their language, im sure anybody can score a girl here or there + 性病(日本の首都じゃない？北海道..）　.. (babblefish.com)

the point I was trying to get across in short words. Hokkaidos travel (in non winter times) vs Osaka areas and Tokyos areas doesnt compare. very beautiful and not crowded but boring.. for a normal traveler

for a normal traveller

[dr1ft.jp]

drift.jp, please notice I used the word official, ( the japanese official snow sason starts around DEC 28) there are patches of snow in late november ...

Yeah, all good. I just wanted an excuse to post that stupid video of me

Ski resort broad minded persons are the best kind! Not just in Japan!

[elrodeo666]

Dont need the babel for ping pong tranny bloke..been here almost 10 years and pretty fluent in me reading writing...shithouse at english..

Hokkas has more than its nature..Yep snow cannot be beaten..

Had a mate recently do a tour ..landed in Narita.(watch out for fedex planes) and did a 3 week train tour to hokkaido stopping at various spots along the way, reckon it was great way to see the flamin mongrelry. Been here 6 times and had the best trip doing this on his pat malone

Tokes is a shit hole..kyoto is special..okinawa is not too bad , just have to avoid the seppos..love osaka..best humoured japanese there are I reckon..Especially the Irezumi boys, seem to get on well with them as in same line of work

If you dont know the sapporo beer festival you've been living under a rock for 5 years..its a major must for most japanese

Edited March 23, 2009 by elrodeo666

[akeenan]

elrodeo666 I agree, Hokkaido would have more than its snow. I think from a vistors point though that is its major attraction. Beautiful in the summer time.

Ive heard of the Sapporo beer festival, just didnt know it was such a crazy event.

[elrodeo666]

Mate I was out practising for it last night so if my post was a bit obtursive, sorry for that.

Its that big an event that usually I get out of the country after the first 10 days as its a gaurantee for liver failure. Honestly it goes off!! Its basically a party for almost a month rain or shine and I reccomend it to anyone travelling to Japan as a great way too meet the japanese, alochol bonding!

my 2 cents worth.

[dr1ft.jp]

I don't think you were being obtursive at all, if anything you were a model of cromulence.

[Bakadesu!!!]

Mt Fuji and Bepppu

The Beppin around Mt Fuji are quite nice, yes.

[Beer Baron]

I concur. obtursive is a perfectly cromulent word and state of being.

and I must say hokkaido in general and sapporo more specifically is definitely on my list to spend some time in soon. I've been meaning to get some naked sushi for a while now...mmm fishy.

I can see akeenans point though. the first time (few times) i went to japan I was massively interested to see lots of tokyo, osaka, kyoto etc. tokyo is great as it's such a huge contrast to any city in australia even for people who live in sydney CBD like I do, let alone for people from the burbs! for the first timer in japan I would say tokyo is a must and you could spend most of your trip doing things in and around tokyo and not be disappointed. but after you've done things there, and in osaka etc you get keen for something different but still japanese.

[GTR-N1]

Have a wonderful time Trav + G/f!!!

Tokyo > Nikko > Irohazaka hairpins

Tokyo > Hakone

Kyoto > Nara (mentioned before)

Fuukuoka > Kumamoto > Mt Aso (volcano has been active recently) Island of Kyushu

or alternatively, Kagoshima > Kumamoto > Mt Aso (since Kagoshima has its own volcano ie Mt Sakurajima right in the harbour & get a hotel looking at it)

Kushiro > Lake Masyu (crater lake with moonscape look to it) Island of Hokkaido (snow at that time of year: looks & more like Canadian forests with beech + larch trees)

[Green_s13]

sorry to hijack i'm going to be in japan at a similar time, does anyone know the dates for the nismo festival of speed?

[N1GTR]

Id love to know that one aswel

Plus more about the beer festivals

[Mr. Keets]

^^ From memory they change it each year...November/December and they are a little slow in making the call. If it works out with my next project I'm going. It would be great in December...off to Hakuba for some more snow

[N1GTR]

Thats the plan, if the dates are right id love to be there aswel

When do they usually release the dates?