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[Japan] Tokyo - Kyoto
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09-07-2012 5:58pm#1So to follow up on the flight report thread I figured I would do one on my actual time in Japan.
I spent about 12 days in Japan, starting in Tokyo with a half day trip to Yokohama during the week, and then to Kyoto for 4 days and finally back to Tokyo for 2 days.
This will be a fairly big thread covering at least 12 posts I imagine and it'll take me a few days to write so give me time to complete it.
If you want to know about my flights to and from Japan please refer to this thread. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056694498
Day 1: Arrival
Once leaving the airport I went down into the subway station where I could pick up my Japan Rail Pass and get the train to Tokyo city. I brought my exchange order to the JR office, where the queue was pretty big due to all the all the flights that had come in. So I queued up for about an hour or more in absolutely roasting heat, I regretted wearing jeans.
The woman who processed and gave me my pass was very helpfull and asked me where my hotel was, and advised me on how to get there and booked me a seat on the Narita Airport Express.
My JR pass with Shinkansen ticket
The Narita Airport Express is a great train service which goes direct from the airport to Tokyo station. It takes just under an hour, and its free if you have a JR Pass.
Narita Airport Express
When I arrived in Tokyo station I had to get my bearings. Tokyo station is gigantic and I think its safe to say probably bigger than Dublin airport terminal 1.
Allow me to explain the train lines in Tokyo.
The train lines in Tokyo are pretty confusing at first and it took me about 2 days before I could use them without hassle.
There are basically 2 main train companies in Tokyo. Japanese Rail (JR) and Tokyo Metro/Underground. After that there is various little lines like the monorail etc.
Now, Both JR and The Metro are absolutely Gigantic! Each have their own maps that cover a huge area.
If you have a JR pass, then all JR lines are free to travel on. But the JR pass DOES NOT cover Tokyo Metro/Underground or any other line that isnt JR.
JR Map: http://i.imgur.com/N9MHY.jpg
Tokyo Metro map: http://www.speedymole.com/Tubes/Tokyo/tokyo-subway-map.gif
To make it easy for you. JR lines = overground. Metro lines = Underground
This is when I realized I made a small mistake with booking my hostel. My hostel was in Asakusa, which is only served by Tokyo Metro. So I had to pay 250yen every time I wanted to get from my hostel to the nearest JR line for free travel. Just keep that in mind when you're book your accom.
Confused yet? Well there is more I want to talk to you about in regards to trains. Your best friend in Tokyo will be the JR Yamanote Line.
This line goes around the city in a circle and will get you almost everywhere you need to go. Tokyo, Ueno, Akihabara, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and so on.
It is the Green line in the middle on the JR map so have a look.
Yamanote line train will always be Green like this
And finally, Avoid rush hour trains like the plague!
I'm sure you've all seen pictures of people being squashed into trains in Japan. Well it does happen, and its not a nice experience. You will be squashed and shoved into that train like a sardine, anything in your bag will be squashed too. People push in Tokyo. Its not a rude thing but once you're stuck in the sea of people trying to get on a train there's no going back and its not a nice experience.
Whew! thats a lot to take in and I havent even got to my hostel yet!6
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I arrived at my hostel at about 11:30am, and check in wasnt until 3pm. So I had some time to kill despite being jet lagged and it was lashing rain outside. I decided to wander the streets a bit and see what was going on.
Asakusa is a brilliant location with so many sights and things to see, its a lovely area. I wandered a small bit and picked up things like toothpaste in the shops.
While walking down the street a man dressed in all orange robes walks up to me and says "ah!" while handing me this golden piece of paper. I took it off him without thinking. This is when he asks me to donate to his temple etc etc. An obvious scam. I took a few coins out of my pocket that didnt amount to more than 300 yen (about €3) and gave it to him. He said no! "1000 yen".
Not a chance was I giving him that much, I got angry with him and said no while handing him back the little golden piece of paper. He opted for the small coins in the end. Just beware of things like that in the Asakusa area.
There are River Cruises down the Sumida river right at the bridge in Asakusa, you can't miss it. So I decided to take this to rest my feet.
They're nice and I would recommend them. I took the cheapest one and nearly fell asleep on it.
the bridge in asakusa (looking towards asakusa. River cruise building on the right)
I made my way back to the hostel with still some time before check in, I sat down in the reception and began to write an email on the computer. This is where I met a German guy and his Japanese girlfriend. We chatted and he invited me to come to Tsukiji fish market in the morning with him and a swedish guy. I accepted his offer.
We got to check in early and I went up to my dorm, showered and washed etc. After this I went for another little walk around the town before returning to my bed and falling asleep from being absolutely jet-legged and wrecked.
The bridge from Asakusa's point of view. You can see Tokyo Sky Tree and then Asahi brewry in this picture (the thing that looks like a big shíte)
My hostel was called "Hotel Kawase". It was very cheap and I got what I paid for. A bed and public showers/toilet. It looks fairly run down in this picture but its not all that bad. Perfect for the lone backpacker who doesnt care about things like a bit of dust.
The dorm
Day 2 coming either tonight or tomorrow.0 -
After I my early bed night the previous day I was awake at 4am, which I had previously arranged with the guy from Germany as to see the Tsukiiji Fish Market Auction you have to queue as soon as possible. Its a very popular attraction and they only let about 60 people in every morning iirc
The 4 of us met up down in the hostel lobby area and went outside to grab a taxi. Some of the taxi's wouldnt take us there for some reason but after about 10 minutes we got one. The trip was only about 10minutes but it cost us something like 30euro in total.
The market itself is very big and confusing. We hadn't a clue where to go, but luckily some American guy ran past and shouted "Fish auction this way guys!". So we gave chase through the market.
The market was buzzing with activity, trucks and vehicles flying about everywhere nearly knocking us down at every bend it was a pretty dangerous place. I'm surprised they even have it open to the public as its just like a massive industrial factory, no footpaths really.
When we got to the place to queue for the auction we were given yellow hi-viz vests and told to wait in a room with everyone else.
You really have to have your wits about in this place unless you dont want to get run over.
After waiting some time our group was called to go see the auction. About 25 of us followed the guide through the dangerous roads again and eventually into a large refrigerated warehouse where the auction took place.
All the tuna was spread out on the floor and every now and then someone would ring a bell and begin shouting offers for his tuna. Buyers would bid using hand signals, and they were very strict about observers using flash-photography and moving about.
After about 15 minutes we moved out of the auction room and back to the start where we gave back our yellow jackets. Thats all the fish auction is...and I was disappointed.
However, the entire fish market itself is open to roam, and you can view all the various fish for sale to the public. You will many crazy things like giant crabs, eels still alive, puffer-fish, etc. The German guy I was with was fascinated by it so we spent some time here and explored the entire place.
To just view the market you dont need to wake up so early and I dont think its worth your time queueing for the auction.
The market.
After we were done we considered getting a sushi breakfast. Its famous as being the nicest freshest sushi in Tokyo as it was literally just prepared from that mornings auction. In the end we decided not to as the prices were crazy (€20 for a plate of 4 or 5 sushi pieces) and the waiting times were very long.
I had other plans for the day so I said goodbye with them and went my own way.0 -
Next up it was off to Tokyo Tower for some early morning city views. For some reason I thought I could make it there on foot, but it turned out it was much further away than that. I spent the next 2 hours lost, trying to find my way to the tower.
Eventually I found a subway station and tried to figure out the fastest way there.
Something I love about Tokyo was that if I stared at a subway station map looking confused for more than a few seconds, somebody would offer their assistance to me. Everybody is so kind and helpfull in this city
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A middle aged man pointed me in the right direction and I was on my way.
Tokyo tower is a large tower that is based on the Eiffel Towers design, but a few ft taller. There are 3 viewing decks and many food places and childerens play areas as well as shops in the building beneath it. I went up and took in some nice views from the different decks, as well as standing on the glass floor area which was quite scarey at first.
After spending some time at the tower and exploring the area around it I hopped on the train and went to Ueno.
Ueno is a busy built up area that has lots of shops, a large park with zoo, and a huge train station.
I bided my time here and took a look at shops and the streets surrounding them, but I didnt buy anything as I had saved 2 days at the end of my holiday for a shopping spree elsewhere
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Day 3, and I was settled into my usual lazy sleeping pattern by now. Up at about 10am I washed and headed off in the direction of the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace is a huge complex where the Japanese Emperor lives (as far as I'm aware). Unfortunately most of the complex is off limits to the general public but that didnt phase me. I went for a long walk around the perimeter which still provided me with some nice views.
It was about 29*c and I wasnt handling the heat so well
Not all of the complex was off limits, there was still a large park area open to the public in one of the corners.
Later that evening I went over to Tokyo Sky Tree, which is across the bridge in Asakusa and about a 15-20 minute walk.
Tokyo Sky Tree is the second tallest building in the world, and at the time I was there it wasnt open to the general public. It still provides a nice walk and is interesting.
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Up bright and early I decided to explore Ueno park, which is a very large park with a zoo and other things.
Another absolutely scorching day I was already sweating at about 10am, the first thing I noticed about Ueno park was the amount of homeless people. They are a lot of homeless in Ueno in general, but they cause no problems for people. They usually just sit in the corners asleep and dont beg etc.
I took a walk around the lake was fairly overgrown with reeds and plant life. There was lots of turtle's in one section which gathered a crowd of onlookers. In the centre of the lake there is a temple (or was it a shrine, I cant remember).
I made my way over to the zoo and went inside. Im not a lover of zoo's in general, and the tigers and bears did look pretty unhappy but hey, I checked it out anyway. There is a nice little monorail train in the zoo for kids as well as a petting zoo where goats and things roam around and you can rub them. (Hey! I like animals ok)
That night after dinner I took the various trains over to Roppongi. Roppongi is an area popular with foreigners and is often cited as the worst part of Tokyo but I was just going there for Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, which isnt located near the so called bad part. (bad by Japanese standards may aswell be brilliant by Irish standards)
Mori Tower is a large sky scraper with an Art Museum and exhibition halls. On the top floors there is an indoor viewing area and restaraunts, and then you can go outside onto the roof viewing area and take in the amazing views of Tokyo if its not too windy.
This has to be one of the hilights of my trip to Tokyo. The views of the city at night are breathtaking and I felt this strange melancholic sensation as if I was in some sci-fi movie. If you're going to Tokyo, definitely check this out at night!
Finally, I strolled through the art musuem which was displaying some crazy artwork from some Korean artist. There was also a Naruto manga exhibition, but I have no interest in that so I opted out of it.0 -
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Day 5 and I headed to Yokohama for a half day trip. Yokohama is a huge city about an hour train journey from Tokyo. At the time of me going there, I didnt plan it at all and just went. Looking back I wish I did plan it and saw more there because I really didnt do much aside from stroll along the harbour and boardwalks.
Yokohama has a famous China Town section which should be checked out, but I didnt at the time :rolleyes:
There are numerous attractions like ships and weird shaped boardwalks on the roof of buildings that look more like skateparks than anything, and there is also a huge ferris wheel. Its a nice place for a walk, and really is so much more laid back compared to the hectic bustle of Tokyo.
Upon returning to Toko I hopped on the Yurikamome line train and went to Odaiba. This is a recreational island in the bay full of family attractions, amusement parks, and other cool things to see. The train trip to it is an attraction itself as it goes across Rainbow Bridge, which is a huge suspension bridge across the river. and the train is automatic with no driver.
train
A giant Gundam statue.
While I was there, Toyota were holding a free car expo. They were giving rides in various different Super GT cars and had other cars on display such as F1 etc.
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Day 6 and my final day in Tokyo before I left for Kyoto. It was a sunday so all the activity was in Yoyogi park. This park is a popular hang out-spot and if you want to see weird fads and other interesting acts this is the place to be.
However, the majority of the park is a nice quiet walk with shrines and lovely gardens. If you want to have a nice walk, go to your right as you enter, and walk under the giant torii gate. If its the crazy displays, go to your left.
There was a line of teenagers on the bridge into the park holding signs offering "free hugs". :pac:
Giant torii gate
while I was there I happened upon a Shinto wedding. It drew quite the crowd, and I must say their dresses are fantastic. This was in the centre of the park where there is a large shrine complex.
Next up was Shibuya. This is a huge shopping district not far from Yoyogi on the Yamanote line. It also has one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world, and when you ever see Tokyo on the tv or in movies, this is what they will always show. This was my least favorite part of Tokyo. Watch out for African-Americans constantly trying to draw you into their shops. I also had a guy run up to me screaming "YOU WANT TO F*CK JAPANESE GIRL? 30,000 YEN!". I actually found that quite funny, and declined.
Sanja Matsuri
On the third weekend of May, Asakusa plays host to the biggest festival in Tokyo. The shinto festival attracts millions of people and is held every year. People parade around these miniature version of Asakusa shrine(called mikoshii), and the energy and atmosphere around the place is buzzing! Over the course of Friday, Saturday and Sunday I was regularly checking it out but mostly on the Sunday which was the main one.
Hundreds of mikoshi were paraded around the streets of Asakusa for miles, and with each one a crowd of hundreds or even thousands gathered and it caused chaos. There was also traditional music displays, festival foods, and crazy things like Yakuza gang members flexing their tatoo's.
The main shopping street leading up to Asakusa shrine. Lovely little place
Asakusa shrine
Parading the mikoshi through the streets
It caused absolute chaos on the roads, as they werent closed to traffic.
Yakuza gang members showing off their tattoo's
If you do plan your trip to Tokyo, I would highly recommend you try to check this festival out. I just hope you react well to crowds.0 -
I booked my shinkansen (bullet train) ticket earlier in the week, which is covered by the JR pass. The journey takes 2 hours and 40 minutes and you will see some nice scenery on the way including Mt Fuji. The train travels at about 300km/h and its worth the experience if you're going to be travelling anywhere outside Tokyo.
They're nice and roomy on the inside, pretty much just like a plane except with much bigger seats and lots of legroom. Food and toilets are available on board. Just remember that on your ticket will be the car number that you're seated in. It should also be marked along the platform so just match your number to the platform your train is on and just queue there. (you can see the 16 and 17 in the picture hanging from the ceiling)
Unfortunately Mt Fuji was covered with clouds and it was a hazy day, so I couldnt get a decent photograph of it. Its an impressive mountain and compared to the ones in Ireland it takes your breath away at the pure height of it. I've seen some huge mountains in the Tatra's, but Fuji was a sight to behold (and its only 12300ft!). I really want to see larger mountains now
Arriving in Kyoto I made my way to my hostel on Kyoto's subway system (which isnt covered by JR). There's only 1 JR line in Kyoto iirc. My hostel was called "Khaosan Kyoto", and I chose it because it was the highest rated hostel in the city and received hostel of the year award several times.
I would highly recommend the hostel, its huge, very clean, has many ammenities and nice showers/big washrooms. The Kitchen and social area is pretty big. Its a great hostel! The staff are also very knowlegeable of the city and its attractions. They even give out little maps on how to get to places and what bus to take.
The only downside was that its a bit hard to find it, but luckily I had looked it up on Google Street View before I left and knew where to find it.
view from my hostel dorms balcony. barry's tea advert anyone?
After I checked in and settled down it was already approaching evening time. So without much direction I said Id take a walk across the river and around the area.
I fell in love with the city almost instantly when I did. Its a beautiful place, like no other city in the world. Its almost like stepping back in time in some places. I saw some neat things and gardens but I returned to them the next day to see them properly so Ill post them soon.0 -
Up bright and early I walked across the bridge to the eastern area of Kyoto. This whole area is explorable on foot and there is literally hundreds of fantastic sights, temples, shrines, gardens and so much more to see here.
I firstly visited Yasaka Shrine which is one of the first things you will see here if you take the same route as I did from the hostel. Inside here there is the main shrine complexe, and as you walk up the hill further back you go through some lovely gardens.
entrance to Yasaka shrine
nice garden walk in Yasaka Shrine
After leaving here, I strolled through the old streets of the city and visited many gardens, little shrines, and other attractions along the way, some free, some with an entrance fee.
There really is so much to see here and Im not going to include every little thing but if you're in the area, I cant stress how much you should explore and ramble around the place.
And if you're into your history then this is definitely the place to be. You can enter some of the shrines and temples and you can see historical paintings and rooms etc etc.
one of the streets through the area
a small garden
one of the many beautiful street views in Kyoto
The next place I had on my list of things to see was Kodaiji Temple. As like everything else it is a fantastic place with so much to see. You can enter the temple's historical rooms and see the big garden complex.
A smaller sight I saw that was interest was Yasaka Padoga. This is a tall 5 story padoga that you can see from nearly everywhere in the Eastern half of the city. Unfotunately you cant go inside it and its fenced off all around so it only makes a nice sight to look at.
yasaka padoga
and again
Kiyomizu-dera was the next port of call. Its another one of the many temples in the area but has so much more to offer. The views from it are nice and there is a lot of strange/interesting history around it. I know that doesnt sound any different from the other things I've seen but trust me this place is one of the more interest ones.
Oh! I almost forgot. The street leading up to it is a steep narrow hill with lots of shops. Its called ninenzaka-slope (I think). I got some green tea icecream on this street. It was surprisingly nice.
ninenzaka
entrance to Kiyomizu temple.
The view from it as you ascend the steps
At the rear of the temple is the main building stage. Legend has it that if you jumped off the 13m platform and survived that you would be granted your wish. Needless to say, this isnt commonly practiced in this day and age
the platform
8 part 2 coming in a short while.
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It had started raining again unfortunately, but that didnt bother me. It rained for about 4 seperate days during my stay in Japan, sometimes acompanied with thunder and lightening.
I went in May for specifically one reason. I was told by a friend that the weather was most enjoyable and easy at that time. After May it goes into rainy season and will lash for weeks on end, and then the rest of summer is unbareable with the very high temperatures and all extreme humidity. Im glad I did, because most days the temperatures were around 27 degrees and I wasnt absolutely roasting in that
Anyway, as it was approaching evening time I wanted to get one more thing done in the area that I really wanted to see, and that was Fushimi Inari Shrine.
Once again, the main shrine building was similar to the rest in Kyoto, but this shrine had a specific attraction that draws in millions each year. This was a long walk up the hill and through the forest. The pathway was covered with thousands of torri gates, making for an amazing sight and some really nice views. The walk itself takes about 2 hours from the shrine, up the hill and around, then back. This depends on how fast you walk I guess, I did it in less than 2 hours. This has to be my favorite part of Kyoto. Truly stunning.
torii gates lining the pathway forming a tunnel
a placid lake, about a third of the way through the walk.
Yes there are wild monkeys in Japan. I didnt see any, probably due to the fact it was raining.
You'd want to be somewhat in shape for the walk Id say. I came across many people panting and nearly dying from the walk. I also came across a mountain rescue team that seemed to be desperately running up the path to somewhere. Also a few people were jogging the route
There are actually many other little paths and trails that branch off from the main one, but I just stuck to the main route. There are also various little shrines along the way, aswell as shops and vending machines.0 -
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I should have this finished in 2 more posts
I just want to stop and talk about how friendly and nice everybody is in Japan. People would fall over you to try help in any way possible.
As I mentioned previously I had numerous people ask me if I wanted help in Tokyo as I stared at train maps. I even had one guy walk me to my platform and ask me questions about where I was from etc.
During my time in Kyoto I had an old man with zero english help me, and he managed to explain what I needed to know perfectly and helped me get to where I needed to go.
While waiting for my shinkansen, about 50+ schoolkids were walking along to platform led by their teacher, and every single one of them waved and said hello to me. This happened all over Kyoto where ever there were schoolkids of all ages around.
I even had one school teacher grabbing me, and putting me in a class picture with the kids and then having the kids introduce themselves to me and and asking me questions in English.
Another thing I noticed about the school kids was that they are all so well behaved. None of them mess or cause problems, they're all so rule abiding and happy. The same could be said for nearly everybody in Japan.
Apparently May was school tour season, which explains the amount of schools everywhere, but it wasnt any hassle and didnt bother me at all.
Anyway, the next day I woke up bright and early to go to Kinkakuji temple (The golden temple). This is a lovely gold leaf covered temple in the Northern part of Kyoto, and to get there you had to take the bus.
The hostel I stayed at sold me the cheap 1 day bus pass and gave me directions on which bus to take and where to take it from.
The buses in Kyoto are simple to use and a bit different than here. You pay when getting off instead of when you get on, or swipe your pass through the machine while getting off. Somehow, I cant imagine that would work here :rolleyes:
The golden temple itself is a fairly small place. There is an entrance fee and you walk in, view the temple across the lake surrounded by beautiful gardens and then walk alongside the small lake and out. All in all I spent about 30 minutes here I think, but its still worth visiting. This is where I got put in the picture with the school class. Im regretting not giving the teacher my camera now. I wish I had a photo of it.
Afterwards I was off to Arashiyama. This is a small town on the outskirts of Kyoto city and offers beautiful scenery. Its situated on a river which you can get boat tours along, or just explore the forests of the area. There is also a monkey park you can go to which has hundreds of monkeys running around but I didnt see that myself.
I had to get the bus to Arashiyama but I didnt know how. After consulting my map and the bus time tables I was helped by the old man I mentioned at the start of this post. He explained to me that I needed to get a bus half way there and then get the train the rest of the way, and he sat with me until the bus arrived and told me.
When I got off at the bus stop I proceeded to get lost looking for the train station.I walked for about an hour around the area of the bus stop with no luck. Eventually, I found it.....right across the road from where I got off the bus :pac:. It looked like an old barn, or mechanics garage so it was easy to miss.
The train itself was a tourist attraction. It was part of the whole arashiyama trip and had colourful trains, pictures and map guides etc. Also when you arrived at arashiyama station you got a free hot foot bath included with your ticket.
the bridge across the river in arashiyama
I walked along the side of the river (on the town side), which led up the hills and into forests. Its a really nice walk and at the top there was a nice viewing area. The walk to here itself wasnt even that long, and I could have gone far further into the forests on both sides of the river but I opted not to. There was also a tourist train which ran along the riverbank down the valley, and you could get boat trips up river too.
One thing that really added to the atmosphere was an elderly Japanese man playing what sounded like a bamboo flute. It echoed traditional style music throughout the valley.
viewing point
Shortly from the viewing point there is an area full of Bamboo Groves. Basically, a large bamboo forest with roads through it for pedestrians. I was surprised as the sheer size and tickness of the shoots.
This can be accessed from either the town, or up the hill and through the forest like I went. Its probably easier to find them from the town itself.
Arashiyama is a must see in Kyoto imo, (as with everything else Ive posted here) and Id say its a great place for kids. There is just so much to do and see.
Instead of getting the same tourist train back to Kyoto, I got the JR line train as it was free of charge and brings you straight back to Kyoto central station. I booked my shinkansen ticket for the next day.
The one last thing I wanted to see in Kyoto was the International Manga Museum. If you like manga, anime or anything related you would probably like this place and it has been recommended to me by others and Ive seen a few posts about it on boards. When I got there I was sorely dissappointed to learn that it doesnt open on Wednesdays
Instead, I went to see Kyoto Imperial palace. The park is a very nice one for a walk but similarly to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, its off limits to the public. Instead I just walked around the outside walls which dont provide you with much to see.
I headed back to my hostel and got dinner that evening. I wandered the Gion district that night which is the area of Kyoto known for Geisha and Maiko. In Kyoto you will see lots of fake Geisha posing for pictures and lingering at tourist locations. Dont fall for these tricks, as they're not real. Real Geisha are very rare and you will be lucky if you see one.
While walking one of the streets one emerged from a building and walked ahead of me with another woman. Im not sure if she was a cutomer, manager, or just a friend but either way it doesnt matter.
I think this was a real Geisha but I cant be 100% sure. The main reason I think this is because all the locals were bowing and saying "konbanwa" (good evening) to her.
This is the best picture I could get of her.
Geisha on the right
Back to the hostel and I did what I usually did every other night in Japan. Buy a bar of chocolate and a few cans of Sapporo beer, and browse my netbook 0 -
The next morning I got the shinkansen back to Tokyo. I was provided with a much better view of Mt Fuji this time, however I was seated on the opposite side of the train and couldnt get a good picture of it.
My third hostel in Tokyo was "Khaosan Ninja". I chose this one because Khaosan Kyoto was a brilliant and had the best reviews so I thought surely this one will be good too. (Khaosan have several hostels in Tokyo). And the other reason I chose it was because it was advertised as being near Akihabara.
I found the hostel to be quite the opposite to the one in Kyoto. The drom had no A/C, and the bathroom entrance was inside the dorm room too. Also the dorm was situated right beside the reception, so any noise seeped in easily. Coupled with the fact that people were coming in and out to the toilet I didnt get a great nights sleep here.
The only good thing about it was that they had a nice social area downstairs in the basement, with couches, a big kitchen and playstations set up etc.
It was also situated on a really awkward JR line. Trains didnt come that often (about every 15-20 minutes) and it had poor connections so you would have to change lines at tokyo station.
Also Akihabara was a good 15-20 minute walk away, and wasnt connected to the train line. It didnt bother me that much as Im not lazy or anything, but it advertised itself as being in Akihabara so I felt a bit mislead.
I spent the next 2 days shopping in Akihabara. I dont have many photos but this place is pretty awesome. If you like Video Games this is the place to be, especially if you like old ones. There are hundreds of stores dedicated to selling old sega games, ps1 games, atari jaguar games, gameboys, and all the old consoles. You will find pretty much everything here. The shops are small and narrow, with retro items stacked from floor to ceiling so you have to be damn careful no to knock anything.
If you're interested in Anime, Manga, and otaku related things then this is definitely the place for you! Hundreds of shops selling everything you would want. Figurines, manga, posters, and all those other weird otaku things (you know what I mean).
on every street corner there are young girls dressed in maid costumes, and they try to get you to go to their Maid Cafe's. Personally, Im not interested in that sort of thing and find it quite odd but its still interesting to see none the less. Looking at a few of the leaflets handed to me, they charge outrages prices for things! and you even have to pay by how long you spend on the premises.
For those of you that are interested in computer building and electronics then this is paradise. Hundreds of huge shops with every piece of hardware you could want for computers. Walls lined with motherboards, shelfs stacked with empty computer cases, harddrives, cables, soundcards, video cards, and everything else. If I was able to easily transport them back, and had a bit more money I would spend thousands here. there are also shops dedicated to robotics etc.
All in all, I spent the about 200 euro here I think. Mostly on artwork books, t-shirts, cd's and a figure, etc.
Also, shops have about 5-8 floors of content. Each floor selling different things, but be careful as some floors might be selling explicit things and others may not. Its very easy to wander into an 18+ section without realizing it. Nothing to be embarrassed about but this place is not suitable for kids. I had a habit of exploring every single floor in each shop, and often found myself slightly uncomfortable when I ended up on the floor entirely dedicated to Yaoi Manga (drawn gay porn comics, basically). If you see anything with the name "Tiger and Bunny" on it. Bypass that floor :pac::D
akihabara. Notice the nisemonogatari billboard (if readers even know what that is)
Here is a small bit of what I bought. Mostly Anime and Vocaloid related things that I like.
On my final night here I treated myself to a big curry dinner, with chicken pork, shrimp, sausage and other types of meats lobbed into it. Unfortunately as nice as it was, it made me terribly unwell so after a failed sleeping attempted I spent a few hours wandering the dark streets at 2am getting fresh air and drinking water.
Tokyo is a very very safe place. There was even police officers on bicycle patrol at that hour all over the place.
The next morning I got the Narita Airport Express back from Tokyo station to Narita Airport. Make sure you book your ticket for this at least the day before you plan to travel on it.
If you want to read my flight report then you can do so here.0 -
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Great write up cocoshovel.
And very useful seeing as I'll be doing a trip very much like yours.
With regards to the JR Pass, I just assumed that it would arrive in the post. You must actually queue to collect it at the airport?
I'll have more questions as they come to me over the following weeks.
/Edit
question two.
We will be arriving into Tokyo on a Sunday evening and catching the train to Kyoto the following day.
From reading your comments, we should book a place on the train Sunday evening?0 -
Great write up cocoshovel.
And very useful seeing as I'll be doing a trip very much like yours.
With regards to the JR Pass, I just assumed that it would arrive in the post. You must actually queue to collect it at the airport?
I'll have more questions as they come to me over the following weeks.
Hi, you order your JR pass before you leave (You cant buy it in Japan unfortunately). I booked with an English company called JBT, very good company http://www.japanspecialist.co.uk/
They mail you out an Exchange order, and a bunch of other things like maps and guides. When you get to Japan you bring the Exchange order to one of the listed train stations and you hand it in along with your passport, they will process the order and give you back the pass like the one in my first post.We will be arriving into Tokyo on a Sunday evening and catching the train to Kyoto the following day.
From reading your comments, we should book a place on the train Sunday evening?
Its recommended that you do book your ticket before you travel. You can do this at any large JR ticket office like in Tokyo station or Ueno station etc. You dont have to book it but I would advise you do so at least the day before you leave to ensure that you get the ticket/train time you want. During busy times of the year trains can fill up quite fast.
When using the JR pass, you have to show it to the guy manning the barrier everytime you enter and exit a trainstation. Its not a hassle or anything, its just you cant walk through the barriers like you would with a normal ticket. To travel on the Shinkansen you need your JR pass, AND a ticket from the ticket office.
Eurgh, Im not very good at explaining things.0 -
Thanks for taking the time and effort for posting this thread and the one for your flight's.
Tokyo / Kyoto have been on my "Bucket list" for years, reading this has made me more jealous, and even more determined to knock it off the "list"
I have really enjoyed reading your posts, Thanks!!0 -
Thanks for taking the time and effort for posting this thread and the one for your flight's.
Tokyo / Kyoto have been on my "Bucket list" for years, reading this has made me more jealous, and even more determined to knock it off the "list"
I have really enjoyed reading your posts, Thanks!!
I concurr ,, fantastic write up with best insights into every possible thing you can do here !0 -
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Great write up cocoshovel.
And very useful seeing as I'll be doing a trip very much like yours.
With regards to the JR Pass, I just assumed that it would arrive in the post. You must actually queue to collect it at the airport?
I'll have more questions as they come to me over the following weeks.
/Edit
question two.
We will be arriving into Tokyo on a Sunday evening and catching the train to Kyoto the following day.
From reading your comments, we should book a place on the train Sunday evening?
Let us know how this went 0 -
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Fantastic write up, really enjoyable to read. I'm hoping to spend 2 weeks in Japan around Oct/Nov time so this is great inspiration.
My only question - how would you rate the hostel lifestyle in Japan? I've only ever traveled solo in Europe and found it quite easy to meet fellow backpackers to socialise with. Mainly because of bars in hostels, organized walking tours and group activities. Is Japan similar in that sense or are hostels more unsocial.
Sorry if this question makes no sense....
Thanks 0 -
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