Heading to Japan after I graduate school.

[timothymoore]

A friend and i are going to go over to tokyo after i graduate and get some money put together. In the mean time my friend and i are going to learn as much japanese as possible for the trip so we are not completely useless and vulnerable over there.

My question is have any of you been over to japan before and if so, what is it like over there? any cool sights to go see or anything to go do?

we plan on going and trying some authentic japanese quizine. I am extremely excited to go over there.

[Spittybug]

I've been to Tokyo a couple of times. I really like it. It's huge and congested, but polite and clean. Whenever I travel I get a kick out of just wandering where the locals do. Go into little tiny restaurants, be friendly, adventurous and gracious. Yes, it IS crazy expensive and you'll need 3x what you think you will. Although I did not do so, look into staying in boarding houses rather than hotels. Try the little things like squid snacks, crazy candy, cold coffee served in cans from vending machines right on the street. I was there on business and didn't do much that was touristy, but it didn't stop me from hopping a subway (a site to see at rush hour) and visiting an old temple. Find street markets. Be cautious with the karaoke or late night bars. The geisha girls are wonderful (very attentive, but not sexual), but their mission is to always keep your glass full and drinking in Japan is EXPENSIVE. Take lots of pictures, not just of tourist sites but of everyday stuff. You'd be amazed how those end up being your favorites. Read up before you go, but don't over plan. Soak it in.

By the way, it's cuisine.....and it goes WELLLLL beyond sushi. Locals eat lots of cheap noodle dishes with all kinds of crazy things in it. Meat & fish are expensive. Tofu is not.

[ccurzio]

I've been there. One of the coolest trips I've ever taken.

Go see the Great Buddha at Kamakura. Check out Tokyo Dome City and ride the ferris wheel. Go to the top of the Sunshine 60 building. (The elevator ride alone is pretty worth it.) See the Imperial Palace. Check out the Koishikawa Korakuen garden. Visit the Edo Tokyo museum - a MUST see. Party in Roppongi (just not TOO hard). Go see the Monster Lantern. Oh, and if you can find that little noodle house on the platform of (I THINK) Asakusabashi station, stop in and have some soup. It's a tiny little noodle house literally on the platform itself, and it's so small it's standing room only. But the noodles are delicious.

That's just a sampling of ideas. If you want to see pics from my trip, go here:

https://www.accipiter.org/gallery/browser/index.pl?album=japan

Things from Owen's post I agree with:

"It's huge and congested, but polite and clean." - Totally, and very efficient. However I would definitely avoid riding the trains during peak times, unless you want to be packed into the cars - literally. No seriously, train staff will physically herd people into cars to get absolute maximum occupancy.
"Whenever I travel I get a kick out of just wandering where the locals do. Go into little tiny restaurants, be friendly, adventurous and gracious." - This. You can't get a feel for a culture if you're visiting only the touristy places. I spent a lovely day simply walking around in Yokosuka. If you're hungry, don't go to the big flashy places. Duck into the small shops with blue curtains out front. If you want to get an idea of what they serve, they almost always have several replicas of their meals out front.
"Try the little things like squid snacks, crazy candy, cold coffee served in cans from vending machines right on the street." - oh god pokka milk coffee how I miss you so. (Thankfully I discovered you can buy it locally at Super H Mart.)
"Take lots of pictures, not just of tourist sites but of everyday stuff." - Absolutely. This is evident in my album.

Things I disagree with:

"Yes, it IS crazy expensive and you'll need 3x what you think you will." - This is a hugely common (and frankly kind of annoying) misconception about Japan. It's only expensive if you want it to be, just like any other huge city on Earth. If you plan ahead and take into consideration where you stay (not in the dead heart of the city, again just like anywhere else) it's totally doable to visit and enjoy Japan without it being massively expensive. When I went, I booked my air/hotel on Expedia and the whole trip cost me, from beginning to end all inclusive, around $1800 - for TWO WEEKS. And not only did I not "cheap out" on anything, I also stayed in an actual hotel with an actual room with its own bathroom - the Pearl Hotel Ryogoku, if you're curious. It's simple and no frills, but it's clean and it's a place to sleep and shower, it has a real toilet, and internet. I highly recommend it.
"look into staying in boarding houses rather than hotels." - See above. Shared bathrooms and bunk rooms are for suckers. If that's your thing then by all means go for it, but I much prefer my own room with my own bathroom.


One last protip: If you get caught out and about and you find you have to take a shit, beware... not all Japanese toilets are created equal. That country has both ends of the spectrum; on one end you'll find a glorious Captain's Chair of a toilet with more controls and readouts than a 747 cockpit which can do everything from clean your ass with a spray of water then buff it with powder while it plays songs (seriously). On the other end? A hole in the ground. Those are called squat toilets and they SUCK. (That's what I meant above when I said my hotel had a "real toilet".) :)