Going to Tokyo in September (tourist advice)

[bousozoku]

Just to add to which part DOES mean temple is 'jingu' of Meiji Jingu (actually, big/major shinto shrine). Perhaps the other poster was thinking of 'jou' (or however you romanize it) - castle.

My heart has just sunk. Tsukiji is no longer open to the public ?! WTF Can I blame Ishihara for that too? (I blame him for everything that goes wrong in Tokyo) EDIT: You can still go. It's 'just' the Tuna auctions that are closed. Still a shame.

RE Going to Kyoto/outside Tokyo: I thought tourists could get massively discounted tickets for any of the shinkansen trains. No? I think the tickets have to be bought in advance, possibly from the home country...

Kamakura is worth the visit. The OP is coming from France, so I'd hazard that seeing another Disney colony is not on his agenda... could be wrong. gauchogolfer?

I can't imagine Disney or an Apple store being on any tourist's agenda.

JR does sell passes outside the country but I was told that unless you're absolutely certain, don't buy shinkansen tickets in advance. At that time, I'm sure you couldn't get a refund on those, although refunds were available for local JR trains.

To add even more confusion about "temple", one of the most famous temples in Kyoto is kiyomizudera, where dera or tera means temple. The kind of temple helps to play tricks.

I was going to mention that going to Yokohama is not a worthwhile trip, even though it's close. It's a nice city but there is nothing to see but fog and haze.

 

[sushi]

I can't imagine Disney or an Apple store being on any tourist's agenda.

Except for the Tokyo one. It is really a site to see -- especially at night.

Besides, Ginza is fun to see at night as well.

 

[bousozoku]

Except for the Tokyo one. It is really a site to see -- especially at night.

Besides, Ginza is fun to see at night as well.

There are better things to do in Ginza.

I thought that Tokyo Disneyland was great to see as the plane I was riding went round it but that was enough for me.

 

[sushi]

There are better things to do in Ginza.

Agreed.

But I really do like the Tokyo Apple store and it's right there.

BTW, another fun store to see is the Sony Building. They have a display that changes on a monthly basis featuring their technology. It's usually pretty fun to see.

I thought that Tokyo Disneyland was great to see as the plane I was riding went round it but that was enough for me.

Seen one Disneyland, you seen them all!

Yeah, if I had a short time I definitely would not go to Tokyo Disneyland. Now that I think about it, with all else there is to see, I probably would not visit Tokyo Disneyland even if I was there for a long time.

As for places to see in Tokyo, there is so many. War buffs might want to visit Yasukuni Shrine. It is a really interesting experience.

http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/

Another one is the home place of General Nogi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maresuke_Nogi

His place is near Roppongi.

http://www.hostelbookers.com/guides/japan/roppongi

Another would be the Tokyo Edo museum.

http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/english/

I could go on and on. I enjoy Japanese history. There is so much to see in Tokyo.

 

[Doctor Q]

I was going to mention that going to Yokohama is not a worthwhile trip, even though it's close. It's a nice city but there is nothing to see but fog and haze.

We didn't think it was worth taking a separate trip to Yokohama, so we timed our trip to Kamakura so we'd be coming back through Yokohama just before sunset. I think we were rather clever, because it gave us the ideal way to make a short visit to that city.

We got off the train, took the elevator up the Yokohama Landmark Tower, and watched the sunset from the observation deck at the top, so we got to see a great view of the surrounding area in both daylight and evening.

The elevator is either the fastest or 2nd fastest elevator in the world, yet is very smooth, and the Landmark Tower is the tallest building in Japan. We had a great dinner there and then headed "home" to Tokyo. If you are going from Tokyo to see Kamakura, I recommend using the same "trick".

 

[gauchogolfer]

Homework assignment: Read or re-read my Doctor Q's Japan Photos thread, because it's not just photos, I also told my stories, and some are about Tokyo.

OK, I just finished my homework...thanks a bunch for all of the pictures. I know that I'm not going to get the same kind of opportunities as you did, since this is a business trip, but it certainly helps me to sort out what I should see in Tokyo.

 

[caveman_uk]

My heart has just sunk. Tsukiji is no longer open to the public ?! WTF Can I blame Ishihara for that too? (I blame him for everything that goes wrong in Tokyo) EDIT: You can still go. It's 'just' the Tuna auctions that are closed. Still a shame.

Really? That's a shame as it was the best thing we saw while we were there. Where else can you see people cutting off tuna heads with power tools and axes at five in the morning....

 

[sushi]

Where else can you see people cutting off tuna heads with power tools and axes at five in the morning....

There are other fish markets around Japan.

Tsukiji is one of the largest and most famous.

 

[okwhatev]

Agreed.

But I really do like the Tokyo Apple store and it's right there.

BTW, another fun store to see is the Sony Building. They have a display that changes on a monthly basis featuring their technology. It's usually pretty fun to see.


Seen one Disneyland, you seen them all!

Yeah, if I had a short time I definitely would not go to Tokyo Disneyland. Now that I think about it, with all else there is to see, I probably would not visit Tokyo Disneyland even if I was there for a long time.

If you're talking about Tokyo Disneyland I'd agree (although it still has many Japan-only things inside), however Tokyo DisneySea (which is next door) is like nothing else anywhere in the world. The whole park is built on a forced perspective at an angle so that it looks like the park is sitting on the edge of the ocean (when in fact it's about 100 feet from the water). If you're into archetecture, you'll be amazed at the brick-accurate reproductions of famous cities, and how they built out Mysterious Island from the captain Nemo books. Just tons of things that have never been built (or attempted to be built) before, and really worth checking out.

I also agree with one poster on taking the bullet trains out into the country. You can find places (and forests) that remind me of places in Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. Just beautifal, lush, GREEN forests that spread out for miles and miles. Just insanely beautifal!

 

[gauchogolfer]

Thanks for all of the ideas, everyone! I leave in the morning, and I'm looking forward to the trip. I'll let you know how it works out

 

[gauchogolfer]

Just an update, I'm posting this from the Ginza Store! Pretty sweet. I'll have pictures from the trip up soon.

Cheers!

 

[Doctor Q]

Glad you made it, gauchogolfer. I'd love to join you!

 

[gauchogolfer]

Thanks Dr. Q! I had a really nice time, and I've started putting up some pictures in the proper forums, starting with this one.