Japan travel

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  • microkorg2

    TOKYO

    The following was a list a friend compiled when we visited Tokyo & Kyoto a couple of years ago. Be aware some of the 'popup' stores may not exist anymore - like 'The Parking'.
    Friend worked at UniQlo as a clothing designer for a while.

    ______

    Shibuya:
    RESTAURANTS
    Narukiyo Izakaya Shibuya – make reservation and request table seated on the floor. Best asparagus and tomatoes* Entire menu
    is in Japanese on a huge scroll – I ordered by pointing to what other people were eating. Super cool, traditional Japanese and
    delicious
    Tama – Japanese/Chinese fusion. Make a reservation or eat at the bar. Chef is awesome have him cook for you off the menu.
    Trendy scene, lively, good place to meet people, tell him you know me.
    Okei Sushi- Amazing sushi – seats maybe 10 do omakase
    Shirube – Izakaya
    Sora no Niwa – tofu near Shibuya station
    Bongout Noh – Japanese Italian, wine and small plates, open kitchen
    Chatei Hatou – old school drip coffee or streamer (young skater kids)
    NIGHT LIFE
    JBS- (on the 2nd

    floor) whole in the wall bar with famous vinyl collection run by cool old dude. International designer crowed –

    cash only
    Drunken Alley (Nonbei Yokocho)- old train tracks that has become an area condensed with tiny bars (sit 5-6) Some serve food,
    cant go wrong all are cool. Try to find Piano Bar (super ornate maybe most famous of the bunch)
    Womb- multi floor club famous for having the best sound system in the world. Electronic music, good DJs, rave (go late)
    Sega Arcade- 24/7 late night intense photo booth with props. Weird games, loud Japanese pop, fun people watching
    SHOPPING
    109 – Young, loud shopping mall with crazy clothes, less expensive, local Japanese girls shops here
    Harajuku:
    STREETS
    Yamashita Street – start at the top by the metro station and walk down towards Harajuku st. Young crazy are – no NY equivilant,
    girls dress like dolls and talk in weird voices.
    Harajuku Street – one side is vintage stores and the other side is street wear/world famous sneaker stores
    All the beams stores in a row
    Sneaker Stores to visit: Kicks Lab, Atmos, Undefeated, Billy’s, Chapter, ABC Mart
    Laforet – must see mall on the corner of Omotessando street in Harajuku. 9 floors of eclectic and unique Japanese clothing,
    accessories and random other stuff. One of the best places to shop.
    North Face Standard – cool store, purple label and namamica
    Human Made Store – just out side laforet – NIGOS store
    BARS
    Bar Bonobo – Trendy young bar with dancing and good music. Walk up to the second floor for a super trippy experience where
    you can sit down barefoot with a woman who does acupuncture in your ears while you’re having cocktails. Also has outdoor
    space.
    RESTAURANTS
    Curry Up – NIGO creator of bathing Ape Human made and Uniqlo Creative directors Curry shop.
    Butter chicken is the bomb
    Omotesando:
    STREETS
    Cat Street: Young cool shopping area – near Harajuku and more high end.
    Meji Dori: Beams shops
    Stores to look out for: Journal Standard, Beauty and Youth, Champion, Kids North Face, Visvim, Beams trico Field
    Patagonia, Adidas originals, opening cer, r newbold
    FOOD
    Okonomiyaki Yai Yai – Japanese savory pancake with tables that have grills in the middle of them so that the chef can cook
    pancake at your table. Also vegetarian friendly. Fun, lively, young atmosphere near Cat Street must order grapefruit shochu
    even if you do not like grapefruit.
    Nakameguro/Daikenyama:
    NAKAMEGURO
    More hipster area with great shopping and Yakitori
    SHOPS
    Nigel Cabourn, Mountain Research, Cow Books, J’antiques, Okura/Mother Natrure, H (Ash) – vintage clothes, walk around the
    river to small boutiques

    FOOD/DRINK
    YAKITORI:
    (skewer grilled meat and veggies)
    Kushiwakamaru – whole in the wall Japanese Yakitori restaurant with English menu. Authentic, go early can be a big wait
    Akira - modern Yakitori, lively atmosphere, sit on the floor *beware of raw chicken sashimi
    IZAKAYA:
    Tatemichiya – punk izakaya that has a super fun vibe for a night of drinking
    DAIKENYAMA:
    T-site : http://tsite.jp/daikanyama/store…
    (book shop, Ivy restaurant, upscale cute boutiques)
    APC
    Saturdays
    Nanamica
    Okura – very cool indigo store
    Shinjuku:
    SHOPS
    Tokyo Hands – 9 floor Japanese lifestyle store that caries, art supplies, home goods, stationary, luggage, and lots of weird things
    Lunime 1, Lumine 2, Lumine 3- three malls by Shinjuku station that are some how connected. Start at Lumine 3, then Lumine 1
    Lumine 2 is less good.
    Isetan – Japanese Barneys – awesome contemporary floor of small designers and labels I have never heard of
    NIGHTLIFE
    Golden Gai – 6 blocks condensed with over 200 tiny bars and restaurants that barely can fit 6-8 people – if even. Super intimate
    Japanese drinking and dining experience- must go
    Park Hyatt Tokyo – where lost in translation is filmed – great for just drinks or dinner
    Ginza:
    SHOPS
    Uniqlo Flagship, Dover Street Market, Sushi by Gari if you can get a reservation
    TSUKIJI FISH MARKET
    - early AM daily tuna auction at the biggest fish market in the world. (Go before 4 AM - free experience but max capacity is 60
    ppl per day. After auction (can also skip auction) go to any restaurant for amazing sushi. Get a tasting menu + add fatty fatty
    tuna. Many pottery stores, most shops and restaurants in this area are cash only
    FOOD
    - Shabusen (beef or pork dinner shabu-shabu)
    Bond Street– Whiskey Cigar bar – very cool but radio is better. Next to Dover street 2nd
    or 3rd
    floor

    Aoyama:
    ARCHITECTURE/FASHION
    - Prada, Comme de Garcon, Yoji, ect.
    - Pool Ayoama super cool shop on an old converted pool. Very cool
    FOOD/DRINK
    - Seasonally on Sat/Sun – fresh local food, can eat lunch here too
    - 246 Common – outdoor market
    - Higashiya – traditional Japanese snacks (mocha, rice crackers) beautiful packaging
    - drinks at Tunnel – fun / good music
    - Radio – old school establishment, excellent cocktails, one of the oldest if not the oldest bar in Tokyo – Must go AWESOME
    Ebisu/Meguru:
    FOOD/DRINK
    - Casbar – members only late night bar, hangout for fashion/design scene
    - Trench – small dark cozy whole serving high end cocktails
    SHOPS Kapital - 3 are all together near by.
    Kamakura:
    DAY TRIP
    - Smaller closer version of Kyoto (45 min by train approx. cost of transportation 25$) Traditional Japanese experience – opposite
    of Tokyo
    - Spiritual experience, monks, temples dating back to 12th

    century, zen gardens, bamboo forests, hike through mountain, walk

    through cave in mountain for ice cream and beer, giant Buddha statue
    - Allow entire and full day

    • sorry, just copy/pastedmicrokorg
    • Awesome list! Currently in Tokyo and will try to hit up some of these placesKrassy
  • antimotion2

    If you are in Tokyo but want a little nature within city limits:

    Mt. Takao is very pretty this time of year:
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3…
    They sell really tasty Dango and Fukuro Taiyaki right before you walk up to the top.

    There you can see Fuji on a good day.

    KOCHI
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5…
    The city is super "showa" style - they still have some trollies with wooden floors!
    many good spots for pics including Katsurahama with Ryoma's statue and the beach.

    if you're there on a SUNDAY - there's an amazing market:
    https://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/eng…

    Eat Katsu: broiled bonito ((soooo tasty)

    HAKONE
    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5…
    This spot is very photogenic if you take the boat to the base, then take the cable car up to the top -

    From the cable car, you'll be able to see Fuji-san as well (much better view than Takao-san, but different vibe.

    SAITAMA
    Omiya is now becoming a pretty cool destination. Many younger folks are moving there because its a little cheaper and not too far from Tokyo.
    https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/desti…

    - Hikawa Shrine and the very long road that leads to it - 4 Torii gates, very chill.

    - Bonsai Museum and the surrounding neighborhood (very ritzy houses and mixture of small bonsai growers)

    KAWAGOE
    is nice as well, but the main street gets mad busy these days.
    - Hit the kitain temple
    - check out the main street, but also float around on the side streets.

    NARA rather than Kyoto
    Kyoto is insane with tourists now... Nara can be, but it's way more chill. Little deer walking around everywhere and the temples have a real Miyazaki anime vibe...

  • colin_s1

    I did 30 days in japan about 6 or 7 years ago so things change, but my route was to fly in to / start in Tokyo. Got a rail pass so shinkansen was easy - darted south and began in Hiroshima and made my way north from there, eventually ending up back in Tokyo to fly out.

    Osaka was easily my favorite place, but even the major cities have their individual charms (Kyoto has height restrictions on buildings so it's a much smaller 'big city'... I loved Hiroshima as well.

    Kobe is cool, eat the meat obviously. There's also the hakutsuru distillery there which has a neat little museum/tour of their processes of making sake throughout history.

    Getting out to Fuji takes time and I stayed in a little town outside the mountain but in view of it (Kawaguchiko) and it's a nice respite from the major impact / sensory overloads of the urban areas. Also the mountain is quite beautiful.

    If you have the rail pass and time, Nagano is a neat place but I wasn't really enthralled by it, however it does offer an opportunity to see a more standard Japanese experience.

    Oh, and Miyajima is cool and has the famous floating gate ... also is an island with a ton of deer that just hang out. It looks like they're going to begin renovation on the gate in June of this year so if you're going there soon I'd hit it up before the scaffolding takes over.

  • mutanthands1

    Check out the more rural remote areas such as Tsumago, stay in a Ryokan, have an amazing kaiseki meal. Walk along a secton of the Nakasendo Way, it's beautiful.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/trav…

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ts…

  • microkorg1

    TOKYO

    If you've got an iPhone there's a couple of good apps to get
    - Tokyo Art Beat - Cool arty stuff that you'd only know about if you were local
    - TOKYO superfuture guide. You've got to pay for this one but seems worth it so far with recommendations of cool things to see n do

  • Bluejam1

    Posted this yesterday, check out this guy's channel ...

    https://www.youtube.com/user/Ram…

  • milfhunter0

    Wasn't there another thread where travel tips where shared? Just booked tickets for november and looking for some good of the grid spots.

  • Morning_star0

    This may give some inspiration.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes…