Vacationing in Japan, any recommendations?
 

Hello everyone,

The mrs and I have decided to go to Japan for the first time this coming October and we plan on vacationing there for two weeks. Our first stop will be in Tokyo, and will head south from there via bullet train.

The only thing we have planned so far is the motoGP race in Motegi. Anyone have any recommendations on must-visit places while we're there?

Thanks in advance!
Jonathan

Akihabara. :P

Went I went back in 2002 or 2003, I remembered Disneyland, the Aquarium, curry pizza, terriyaki burger at McDonalds, Nikko. I would make an effort to visit at least one shrine/temple/town. Surprisingly a lot to do and see there.

Some recs I passed onto a friend 2 years ago when I went, hope this helps:

Tokyo: Edo-Tokyo museum (very well done museum focusing just on Tokyo's history itself, free English tours, digestible 2hr focused history on the city from the Heian period through post-modern times), Akihabara electrical district, Shinjuku district at night, Shibuya district to see the giant intersection/crossing, try to go to a local baseball game and get wrapped up in the energy, overnight trip to surrounding area with onsens (spas)

Kyoto: Philosopher's path, Fushimi Inari Taisha (2hr roundtirip mountain walk with 1,000 red torii shrines), Tokugawa castle (if you're a history buff, most of the original mid-1800s shogunate style has been preserved), Golden Pavillion. There are a billion temples/sanctuaries in Kyoto so it's easy to get fatigued, I would recommend just focusing on 3 must sees unless you're a particular enthusiast. I didn't get to go to a Geisha show but that is something I want to do next time.

Osaka: This is a good city to live in but not necessarily fun to visit. If I could re-do my 10 days there, I would have skipped Osaka and spent more time in Tokyo and surrounding areas. We did 4 in Tokyo, 3 in Kyoto, 3 in Osaka. Since you have more time, check out the giant red torii in the ocean in the southern part of the country.

There is an endless amount of great food to eat. We did go to Jiro Sushi as well, and while it was an awesome experience and Jiro himself is delightfully quirky, if you're on a budget you can get better meal experiences (i.e. omakase but not in a subway station and with a chef who will talk/joke around with you) for less than half the price. That being said I'm not a picky eater. I also just liked the random sushi/snacks you could get out of their 7/11 style convenience stores.

Drive a R34 ($186 for 24hrs) or a RX-7 ($131 for 24hrs)

http://omoren.com/en/

@darkonion - That's the place! I was stuck thinking "what was that electronic place I've heard about as a kid...everyone loves that place..." Thanks man!! I'll definitely have to check it out

@statlab - Will definitely have to visit the Edo-Tokyo museum, Shinjuku and Shibuya. My buddies keep telling me to visit the Robot Restaurant :p

@Clipdat - I would love to rent an r34/rx7 as they were both my dream cars as a teen. Though, I'm a bit nervous about driving on the other side of car/road. Do you know if I'll have to take a test for a international license (this makes me think about Gran Turismo's international license test lol)

If you can get a reservation to Jiro's then go for it. My wife and I didn't do it because I felt it was a bit expensive and I think they only take reservations over the phone a month or two in advance. Looking back, I wish we did go. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a very good documentary. It might still be on Netflix.

In general, I love ramen and enjoyed it at every little ramen house we went to. The same with the sushi.

These are some of the places I went to a few years ago.

Tokyo:
Toyota Mega Web - You can test drive cars here if you have an international license.
Gundam Front Tokyo - Where the giant Gundam is.
Tsukiji fish market - there's some great food here.
Ghibli Museum - If you're a fan of Japanese animation, this is an extremely important place. You have to buy tickets ahead of time. I think my wife went through an agent.
Akihabara - for all your electronics needs

Hiroshima:
Mazda Museum and factory
Itsukushima Shrine
hiroshima peace memorial museum - a very sad place.

Kyoto:
Imperial Palace

Get yourself a Japan Rail Pass and a Suica card. I think the only time we didn't take public transportation was on our trip back to the airport.

How about one of those used car parts stores? UP Garage and something else???

Looks like you do have to have an International License unfortunately.

@obscene_gesture - thanks for all the great suggestions! We're definitely going to have to check out the Ghibli museum, Tsukiji market, and the giant gundam by Tokyo bay! As for food, we can't wait to discover how ramen, izakaiya, okonomiyaki, etc is like from the motherland!

@darkonion - i completely forgot about the UP shops, i just took a quick browse on their online shop. I wish I still had my wrx, they're selling STi seats for $80!

@Clipdat - I'll take a look into what it takes to get an international license :D