What were your favorite experiences in Japan?
April 11, 2017 8:14 PM Subscribe
What were your favorite experiences in Japan in the central/north region? I'm going on a one or 1.5 week trip at the end of May.
I'll be going to Japan at the end of May. This will be my second time. I did a lot of touristy stuff the first trip (in 2007) like go to Tsukiji Market, visit Kyoto, and Hiroshima Peace Park.
I'm going to be skipping Kansai (not going to buy a JR pass since I'm on a budget. I'll probably go for some overnight Willis bus rides) so that I don't stretch myself thin and will stay around the Tokyo region with daytrips or an overnight out. I'd love to hike Mt. Fuji but I know this is not the season to do it and I'll be traveling alone. I'm into food and nature.
I'm interested in hearing about some of your favorite experiences in Japan around Tokyo, not Kansai or Kyoto or beyond. Not the touristy must-dos, just the things that made you think of Japan very fondly that happen to be somewhat close to Tokyo. I know Kyoto ranks high on that list (it did for me in my first trip) but I'm definitely not going there for this trip. I'm planning to visit the snow monkeys at Jigokudani since a lot of people mention it as a favorite thing they've done in Japan. Thanks!
I'll be going to Japan at the end of May. This will be my second time. I did a lot of touristy stuff the first trip (in 2007) like go to Tsukiji Market, visit Kyoto, and Hiroshima Peace Park.
I'm going to be skipping Kansai (not going to buy a JR pass since I'm on a budget. I'll probably go for some overnight Willis bus rides) so that I don't stretch myself thin and will stay around the Tokyo region with daytrips or an overnight out. I'd love to hike Mt. Fuji but I know this is not the season to do it and I'll be traveling alone. I'm into food and nature.
I'm interested in hearing about some of your favorite experiences in Japan around Tokyo, not Kansai or Kyoto or beyond. Not the touristy must-dos, just the things that made you think of Japan very fondly that happen to be somewhat close to Tokyo. I know Kyoto ranks high on that list (it did for me in my first trip) but I'm definitely not going there for this trip. I'm planning to visit the snow monkeys at Jigokudani since a lot of people mention it as a favorite thing they've done in Japan. Thanks!
I've found that in Tokyo (and Osaka) you can just wander around in headphones and you'll end up seeing something you weren't expecting. It could be some example of homeless person ingenuity, a bit of nature that comes out of nowhere or a shop that may not have anything you would ever buy but is still interesting enough that you lose track of time while there. I'm sure there are other places you can do this in as well but I always enjoyed my urban wanderings in Japan.
Also, hanging out late at night when all the trains have shut down and people are just trying to stay up and busy until the first trains in the morning. This is more enjoyable with friends but can still be fun to do alone.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 9:09 PM on April 11, 2017
Also, hanging out late at night when all the trains have shut down and people are just trying to stay up and busy until the first trains in the morning. This is more enjoyable with friends but can still be fun to do alone.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 9:09 PM on April 11, 2017
Best answer: I say this every time this question comes up, but I swear I'm not a paid advertiser. Oze. The sunrise from Mt. Fuji was once-in-a-lifetime awesome, but heading out into the mist on Ozegahara just before dawn and walking in that incredible surrounding all day was still even better.
posted by ctmf at 9:34 PM on April 11, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by ctmf at 9:34 PM on April 11, 2017 [5 favorites]
Explore the shopping galleries and back streets of Asakusa. Check out Sensou-ji if you haven't seen it yet (wandering the grounds in the evening/night is lovely), but also just explore the neighbourhood. Lots of interesting small sights, and nice food opportunities. (Get extremely cheap ramen from one of the shops where you buy a token from a machine. It will be good.)
My other suggestion was going to be Jigokudani, so enjoy that too! I would recommend making that one an overnight.
posted by snorkmaiden at 9:39 PM on April 11, 2017
My other suggestion was going to be Jigokudani, so enjoy that too! I would recommend making that one an overnight.
posted by snorkmaiden at 9:39 PM on April 11, 2017
I stayed in Tokyo for 2 months last year, and for whatever reason the thing I remember most fondly is this: if you go to Shinjuku Gyoen, it's pretty nice, in the way that many metropolis parks are, and the gardens, although not quite incredible, are nice to wander around - and of course are a welcome break from Shinjuku - but if you go at the weekend when it's busy and stay until it closes (I think at 4:30pm), then at 4pm they'll announce on the tannoy that they're closing in 30 mins, and then at 4:15pm they'll start playing Auld Lange Syne, at which point the whole park like gets up and leaves in that trademark orderly Japanese way and it's so weirdly beautiful that the next time I go to Tokyo it's totally top of my list of things to do again. Also in complete agreement with any portmanteau in a storm - I got to know the city pretty well just by wandering around with headphones on, eating out of 7-Eleven, and taking the metro home when I got tired: simple pleasures, no guidebook required.
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness at 9:54 PM on April 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness at 9:54 PM on April 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
One of my favorite moments in Tokyo happened by accident - we were wandering around and happened on Kiyosumi Garden. It was a midweek morning and there were only a few people there and it was a beautiful day to walk in a traditional garden.
posted by mogget at 9:56 PM on April 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by mogget at 9:56 PM on April 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Mt. Takao is a nice hike and day trip from Tokyo.
Itoya is a huge store in the Ginza district full of both fancy and cheap but good office supplies. I can't imagine a store like it anywhere else in the world.
posted by meowzilla at 10:55 PM on April 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Itoya is a huge store in the Ginza district full of both fancy and cheap but good office supplies. I can't imagine a store like it anywhere else in the world.
posted by meowzilla at 10:55 PM on April 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
An unmissable Japanese experience is to stay at a high end ryokan, preferably with onsen attached.
Also recommended is drinks at the bar on the 41st floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku at sunset.
posted by dydecker at 11:44 PM on April 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
Also recommended is drinks at the bar on the 41st floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku at sunset.
posted by dydecker at 11:44 PM on April 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
If you go to Kamakura, try to get yourself a shojin ryori buddhist vegetarian meal.
Ghibli Museum! You have to buy tickets in advance.
Go watch the Yomiuri Giants play baseball, even if you don't like baseball. We sat in the pink seats and had a right laugh with the locals. You can also have a ride on the Thunder Dolphin rollercoaster that zooms around above the stadium. The staff give you a polite round of applause when you get off, congratulating you on your bravery.
posted by ZipRibbons at 2:15 AM on April 12, 2017
Ghibli Museum! You have to buy tickets in advance.
Go watch the Yomiuri Giants play baseball, even if you don't like baseball. We sat in the pink seats and had a right laugh with the locals. You can also have a ride on the Thunder Dolphin rollercoaster that zooms around above the stadium. The staff give you a polite round of applause when you get off, congratulating you on your bravery.
posted by ZipRibbons at 2:15 AM on April 12, 2017
Best answer: The Ghibli museum is only worth it if you're a big Ghibli fan, I think. It's mostly in Japanese so if you don't already know what's going on you might not get a huge amount out of it.
Your trip looks to coincide with the May sumo tournament in Tokyo (14th-28th), so you should absolutely go to that if you can at all. Ticket site here -- it's more difficult to get tickets at the moment due to the new Japanese yokozuna boosting the popularity, but it was absolutely the best thing I did in Tokyo when I went a couple of years ago.
posted by corvine at 3:32 AM on April 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Your trip looks to coincide with the May sumo tournament in Tokyo (14th-28th), so you should absolutely go to that if you can at all. Ticket site here -- it's more difficult to get tickets at the moment due to the new Japanese yokozuna boosting the popularity, but it was absolutely the best thing I did in Tokyo when I went a couple of years ago.
posted by corvine at 3:32 AM on April 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Probably getting a massage (along with acupuncture and accupressure, also called shiatsu) on one of my trips. It was great, and I felt as light as a piece of paper afterwards. It was also rather affordable, and done in English.
Going shopping for things like stationery, clothing, or food in department stores was also great. The customer service is amazing and the variety is great.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 5:00 AM on April 12, 2017
Going shopping for things like stationery, clothing, or food in department stores was also great. The customer service is amazing and the variety is great.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 5:00 AM on April 12, 2017
Go to the 8th floor of the Hikarie Building in the Shibuya neighborhood. There is a great design museum featuring the crafts of specific regions of Japan. There are also several pop-up exhibits and a fantastic store. I went twice!
Go to the Hakone region (5 small villages) for a hot springs/onsen experience. There are also some lovely musuems and shrines and good views of Mount Fuji. Especially go to the Tenzan hot springs. There's a bus that goes right in front of the facilities. It looks a little intimidating from the outside, but it's incredible on the inside. It also may seem like a hotel, but you can get a day pass. 5 different outdoor pools cut into a hillside. I was the only westerner there when I went, but had no problems. You could easily spend 2 days in Hakone and still not see everything.
Stroll around the Meguro neighborhood in Tokyo. It's on a canal and tons of cute boutiques and cafes.
And go to Tokyu Hands. It's like Japan's version of Target, but Japan! There are quite a few of them around. The one in Shibuya has 5 floors of awesome.
posted by brookeb at 5:31 AM on April 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Go to the Hakone region (5 small villages) for a hot springs/onsen experience. There are also some lovely musuems and shrines and good views of Mount Fuji. Especially go to the Tenzan hot springs. There's a bus that goes right in front of the facilities. It looks a little intimidating from the outside, but it's incredible on the inside. It also may seem like a hotel, but you can get a day pass. 5 different outdoor pools cut into a hillside. I was the only westerner there when I went, but had no problems. You could easily spend 2 days in Hakone and still not see everything.
Stroll around the Meguro neighborhood in Tokyo. It's on a canal and tons of cute boutiques and cafes.
And go to Tokyu Hands. It's like Japan's version of Target, but Japan! There are quite a few of them around. The one in Shibuya has 5 floors of awesome.
posted by brookeb at 5:31 AM on April 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Fukurou Sabou Owl Café. A weird little owl petting zoo in a residential area of Tokyo. Pet owls are a thing in Japan.
posted by pangolin party at 7:34 AM on April 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by pangolin party at 7:34 AM on April 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
I had a very lovely brunch at Takano Fruit Parlour in Shinjuku once, and it was a lot of fun to look through the fruit showroom and see all of the $300 cantaloupes and $40 Fuji apples and things.
Also, if you are anywhere near this area, there is a pink department store in Tachikawa called Daiichi that is the most surreal place I have ever been. I don't think I'd go so far as to say it's worth a train ride out to Tachikawa just to see it, but if you are really hankering to see a wig store, a snake and beetle shop, a manga shop that only sells shonen-ai, and a bunch of Gundam models all in one building, that's the place to go.
There is also a little hole in the wall gyoza place in Tachikawa called Gyoza 1059 (apparently the number is a pun in Japanese that means "gyoza heaven") that makes the hugest, tastiest gyoza I've ever had. The catch is that there are rules to this place: everyone must order at least one plate of gyoza, and you are not allowed to put in more orders for gyoza once you have placed your order. It's pretty strict. But the dumplings are SOOOOO WORTH IT.
posted by helloimjennsco at 7:49 AM on April 12, 2017
Also, if you are anywhere near this area, there is a pink department store in Tachikawa called Daiichi that is the most surreal place I have ever been. I don't think I'd go so far as to say it's worth a train ride out to Tachikawa just to see it, but if you are really hankering to see a wig store, a snake and beetle shop, a manga shop that only sells shonen-ai, and a bunch of Gundam models all in one building, that's the place to go.
There is also a little hole in the wall gyoza place in Tachikawa called Gyoza 1059 (apparently the number is a pun in Japanese that means "gyoza heaven") that makes the hugest, tastiest gyoza I've ever had. The catch is that there are rules to this place: everyone must order at least one plate of gyoza, and you are not allowed to put in more orders for gyoza once you have placed your order. It's pretty strict. But the dumplings are SOOOOO WORTH IT.
posted by helloimjennsco at 7:49 AM on April 12, 2017
Sugamo, aka "Harajuku for old people" - there's a 'small festival' every 4th, 14th, and 24th of the month with street food and flea market stalls.
Koenji is my favorite district in Tokyo - have some fantastic tempura at Tensuke and then hit up the Godzilla Bar around the corner, then shop for clothes and records on the small side streets. You can easily spend a day or two along the Chuo line in Nakano, Koenji, and Kichijoji just a couple stops away from each other.
And if you're in Tokyo the last week of May, Design Festa at Big Sight in Odaiba.
posted by Gortuk at 8:48 AM on April 12, 2017
Koenji is my favorite district in Tokyo - have some fantastic tempura at Tensuke and then hit up the Godzilla Bar around the corner, then shop for clothes and records on the small side streets. You can easily spend a day or two along the Chuo line in Nakano, Koenji, and Kichijoji just a couple stops away from each other.
And if you're in Tokyo the last week of May, Design Festa at Big Sight in Odaiba.
posted by Gortuk at 8:48 AM on April 12, 2017
ROBOT RESTAURANT, I know you said no touristy must-dos but this is what I think of most fondly when remembering Tokyo as a singular thing.
posted by wcfields at 9:29 AM on April 12, 2017
posted by wcfields at 9:29 AM on April 12, 2017
Stay overnight in one of the temples at Koyasan. You book a night there like it's a hotel, and you get to experience a funicular ride up the mountain to get there (if you arrive via train), the best vegan meal I've ever had, morning services, rambles around the town looking at temples, and exploring the ancient historic cemetery of Okunoin, deep into the woods (bring mosquito repellent).
posted by telophase at 9:31 AM on April 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by telophase at 9:31 AM on April 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Just to respond to corvine's comment, my wife and I were both totally charmed by the Ghibli museum despite not having seen a single Ghibli film or speaking any Japanese. We just went because it looked cool — and it was! A magical little place.
posted by ZipRibbons at 11:26 AM on April 12, 2017
posted by ZipRibbons at 11:26 AM on April 12, 2017
I love Asakusa for its cozy-shabby atmosphere and their small restaurants. +1 too to the Shibuya Tokyu Hands, but be aware that they have for each floor 3 connected subfloors at different heights and it can be a bit confusing. It pays, if you have some hobby or just like stationery. They have restricted the party supplies and silly gifts to the lower floors, which is a pity.
Last time I got a hotel in Asakusabashi (two metro stops down from Asakusa), wich isn't a prime tourist destination but it has the doll shops, with Boys' Day or Hina Matsuri displays, ichimatsu dolls, hagoita, and so on.
Another stop on the Asakusa metro line but a lot further down the line is Sengaku-ji, where lord Asano and the 47 ronin are interred. It's a quiet place with a small museum that has English captions and a video presentation.
The first time I went to Tokyo I stayed at the Tokyo Metro building observatory until past sundown. It's pretty cool to see the Shinjuku skyscrapers from up close, very Blade Runneresque. Last year I went up the Sky Tree but it's more of a Evangelion Geofront feeling.
posted by sukeban at 11:58 AM on April 12, 2017
Last time I got a hotel in Asakusabashi (two metro stops down from Asakusa), wich isn't a prime tourist destination but it has the doll shops, with Boys' Day or Hina Matsuri displays, ichimatsu dolls, hagoita, and so on.
Another stop on the Asakusa metro line but a lot further down the line is Sengaku-ji, where lord Asano and the 47 ronin are interred. It's a quiet place with a small museum that has English captions and a video presentation.
The first time I went to Tokyo I stayed at the Tokyo Metro building observatory until past sundown. It's pretty cool to see the Shinjuku skyscrapers from up close, very Blade Runneresque. Last year I went up the Sky Tree but it's more of a Evangelion Geofront feeling.
posted by sukeban at 11:58 AM on April 12, 2017
Yamadera. Basho and and a beautiful mountain temple (with stairs). Could be a day trip from Tokyo or an overnight from Sendai or Yamagata.
posted by chimpsonfilm at 6:18 PM on April 12, 2017
posted by chimpsonfilm at 6:18 PM on April 12, 2017
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posted by pombe at 8:43 PM on April 11, 2017 [6 favorites]