Kawaii Kinomoto wrote:SUGOI!! ARIGATOU!! i gotta write all this stuff down!! ur giving me a lot of great tips and places to go...
just another question... i'm really into japanese music, mostly Johnny's Jimusho groups like Arashi, NEWS, Kanjani8, Tackey and Tsubasa, V6, Kinki Kids and TOKIO.... other than HMV and the johnny's shops, do u know any good places that sell stuff like that? liek cds, posters, uchiwas, etc.
thanks again sooo much!! ur helping like crazy!!
Not really into posters or other paraphernalia like that so can't really help you with that; although I do recall seeing some poster shops in either Harajuku or Shibuya... Shinjuku and Akihabara probably would have some of that stuff too. In any case, you should be able to come across that stuff as you walk around anyway.
Be sure to check out the toy stores - you'd be amazed at the kind of stuff they sell. For instance, they have a huge range of Disney and Toy Story stuff... stuff which I haven't been able to find in other western countries... and this is on top of all the Japanese anime and manga stuff they have.
The comic + internet stores in shibuya are a great place to rest for a bit if your feet need a rest. They charge you 200 or 300 yen for the first hour, then they charge you about 100 yen for each 15 minutes or half hour after that (my memory's vague on that). You get your own cubicle, so you'll have some bit of privacy and the seats usually are quite comfortable (since people there seem to stay overnight and use the net and read comics). A bonus for you is that at some places women pay 100 yen less than men for the first hour.
One other thing, when using their keyboards, if you start typing stuff and Japanese characters appear on screen, hit the "~" key (top left button, under "ESC", next to "1")... that should switch between Japanese and English.
In Osaka, I'd recommend staying at Umeda. There's an undercover mall type area there where there's heaps of restaurants, video game arcades, and pachinko parlours; so you won't be strapped for stuff to do at night. Bonus is that the JR and private subway stations all have a station at Umeda; so you have your pick of train service to get where you need to go in Osaka.
If you're into interesting architecture, check out the Umeda Sky Building. It has a really nice view of the city, but it will cost you 700 yen.
I read that Namba's meant to be a happening place, but when I was there at night I thought Umeda was more interesting. Maybe I didn't go to the right areas.
Back to Tokyo... Ueno Park is famous and all, but I rushed through it cause I thought it was rather dull. Ueno itself is worth wandering around.
If you're into gadgets, check out the Sony Building in Ginza. Entry is free.
The Godzilla statue in Yurakucho (near Ginza) is a waste of time... it's pretty much a one and a half foot tall model stuck on a pedestal. (I still took photos like a dumb tourist, even though I felt cheated.)
Roppongi is expat land. Lots of bars and lots of clubs - Gaspanic, Motown, Wall Street, Velfarre (was being rennovated when I was there), etc... you've probably heard of them. I didn't go in any of them, so can't say how good any of them are, but search YouTube - the videos in there should give you some idea of what each one is like.
Roppongi Hills - it'll cost you 1,000+ yen to head to the top of the tower to check out the view of Tokyo. The viewing tower is open til midnight, so you can go there late if you have other stuff to do beforehand, but just keep in mind trains stop at midnight. I went up at night, so it was quiet but there were lots of couples getting cozy on the benches though. Brilliant view of Tokyo though.
If you want to check out a maid cafe, then you'll be wanting to head to Akihabara. There usually should be at least one girl dressed up like a French maid handing out flyers just outside JR Akihabara station; so grab a flyer and follow the directions on the map. There are probably "school girl" themed cafes there too if you look... but I'm guessing that's not really your thing. This is more for the anime/otaku folk.
Aside from dodgy cafes, Akihabara is pretty much gadgetland - not called Electric Town for nothing. You'll probably get sick of looking at digital cameras and all things "tech" after a few hours... there's that much stuff there.
The Tsukiji Fish Market (as vulcan300 mentioned) is definitely worth a visit. I didn't visit it when I was there, but a friend went, and he somehow managed to get sample some toro for free. With toro (tuna belly), bear in mind that as ridiculously tasty as that is, it is also ridiculously expensive (one piece cost 650 yen at the sushi bar in osaka i ate at). Otoro (the higher grade - it has more fat - toro) costs even more, so if you do end up eating this in a sushi bar, just remember it's expensive.
If you want relatively cheap sushi, then hit up one of the sushi train restaurants (I'm sure everyone knows how the payment works with those places) ... but it's not near as fun as eating at a place where your sushi is made in front of you.
Erm... since I went during the New Year, lots of people were heading to shrines to pray for a good year, etc. And due to that, there were heaps of stalls around the shrines selling stuff like okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yakitori, etc. Not sure if these stalls will be around if there isn't any festival or anything during the time you visit. If there is a festival or something happening during the time you are in Japan, I seriously recommend you try to go to that - if only for the certainty of knowing these stalls will be there... and being able to later watch a drama or an anime with some festival scene and saying "I did that when I was in Japan!"
Anyway, hope all that's helped you that bit more in planning your trip. Whatever you end up doing, I'm sure you'll have a blast... Japan is so beautiful, quirky, and weird... it's awesome!
and she also said that youth hostels are pretty good to stay at as well... but just incase does anyone know of decent and decently priced hotels as well?
There are also some shops selling antiques and other stuff if you walk further away from the area right around the temple.
Visiting Hida no Sato was excellent! If anyone is into trains, my recommendation is the Hida line from Toyama to Hida Takayama. The train passes through deep mountains and the views are BREATHTAKING.