I'm going to be (most likely) making a trip to Japan in summer 2008, for a month, to visit some friends, practice the language, and see whatever there is to be seen. I'm probably going to be stationed mainly in the Ueno area, but am not opposed to traveling around a lot considering I'm going to be there for a month.

Can anyone recommend some things to see while I'm there?

To those that have been (I've asked a lot of friends who have been and some of my friends whom reside over there, but it's always good to diversify information), is there anything I should watch out for? Things I should bring with me? Preparations I should make? Any comments are welcome.

I speak enough of the language to get around, and survive, I suppose... so that shouldn't be a problem. I can read and write kana, and a limited number of kanji (the number is growing on a daily basis), so please exclude these preparations from your suggestions.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

~Ether

PS: If any of you are in the Ueno area, I'd be especially interested in speaking with you.

I don't know where Ueno is but if possible, you should definitely visit Hiroshima and see the Peace Memorial Park and the a-bomb dome. Also the japanese castles are interesting.

If you haven't fixed any dates yet, you should check the sakura time in Ueno and go then!
Also going during the rain season might not be a good idea..

Ether Wrote:PS: If any of you are in the Ueno area, I'd be especially interested in speaking with you.

Why Ueno?! Are you prejudiced against people from Kanda and Ikebukuro or the Aoyama crowd? Or do you have any particular mistrust for the public transport system in Tokyo? :-) (Which would be quite understandable, though, considering the recent gaijin Helloween parties on the Yamanote line trains...)

Well.. he said he was going to mostly stay in Ueno..

No offense meant to anyone..

Ps. I love the public transportation in Japan. =P

Temples and such you can read about in travel guides, so I'll just go ahead and tell you one of my favorite things when I lived there: Going to Womb on a night when there's a popular DJ (first Friday of every month, for example) is fun as helllllll.

Wondeful that you can travel there-- and that you have friend, who no doubt will have an inside track on things.

I've been to Ueno a couple of times (there's a dirt-cheap hostel nearby), and I always find myself wandering around Ame Yokocho, the former black market around the elevated train tracks. The food vendors leave around 6:30 I think, but it's fun to hear them hawking until then. There are some good museums in the park, which has some homeless people's squats, and the lily-pad lake with the temple is cool, just for an afternoon that will take in the immediate sights there. I found some free concerts etc. in the park one time on the weekend, and there is a flea market on weekends, but it might not be every weekend.

If you're from N. America/Europe, I think you will find it quite HOT, especially around late July/August, and quite humid, so prepare for that.

Oh yeah, make sure you get out to Harajuku/Yoyogi park on a Sunday afternoon!

Unfortunately I can't give you any suggestion since I haven't been there yet, but I'm interested in doing a very similar one-month trip in the future. The only problem is the expenses...

What would be a rough estimate of the minimum amount of money one needs to spend to stay a month in Japan?

I guess it mostly depends on where you stay. How much does it differ between Tokyo and other places?

You should consider getting a rail pass. It will let you ride the JR trains for one price for up to two weeks I think. You can use the bullet train, and really get to see a lot of Japan that way.

the online magazine for gaijin in japan metropolis.co.jp has "a whats going on" section in terms of arts, events, museums, night clubs and so forth. Check it out now and have a mooch round. Then remind yourself closer to the time to check it out so you can pencil in some specific dates.

In summer there are lots of hanabi (firework) displays that attract thousands of people to watch. Again thatll be in metropolis. They do get crowded though and getting a train afterwords is a pain.

Go to shinjikus redlight district though its all behind closed doors - nothing stopping you to walk in though. Go to 'piss alley' and teh street next door in shinjuku (golden gai?). a really small alley with loads of yaki tori and whiskey bars. I think ridley scot based (partly anyway) bladerunner on that street. 'piss alley' because all the salarimen leave these small bars to go round the corner for a piss. The cosey bars and restaurants are so small (seat around 4-5 cust) theres no toilet. expensive though! Theres also an old temple tucked away here right infront of some huge skyscrapers. Photographed a lot (old meets new thing).

Shibuya crossing, hachiko are a must - get a photo with the dog. Goto to shibuya 109 to see crazy girls with crazy makeup. Check out loft and tokyo hands for shopping (theres a muji in there as well). Have a latte in the startbucks overlooking the famous crossing. walk through the centre and just get lost!

Harajuku for the freaks on the bridge on a sunday, omotosando for ridiculously expensive items, walk from there back to shibuya on the back streets to see the trendy independant shops.

Asakusa for the biggest temple in tokyo (near ueno i think) and lots of tourist tat to buy... you need to get one of those cats with the wavy hand...reminds me of people dancing in a rave shouting "Tune" (uk thing)

odaiba island for the fuji tv viewing platform (beautiful view over tokyo bay looking back at the city)

ropongi has some sights but at night it becomes like blackpool on speed - full of wierdos .

Akihabara for technology (though you could just go to a yodobashi store and be wowed), though if you like manga and general geek stuff like gundam, figurines and maid cafes then its good to go.

Shimokitazawa - really trendy part of tokyo. Used to be arty part of tokyo with lots of artists and muscians living there. Then it became studentfied and then it became "the in place" due to its boheamian nature (boheamian in a japan sense). Lots of small shops, used trendy clothes shops and loads of cafes/restaurants.

then theres general stuff like
eating ramen - get loads of it in you.
matsuya/yoshinoya beef bowls
korean barbeques with kimchi....
izakayas
sampling every beer there is in japan and theres loads including the pea beers...get yebisu beer its expensive but damn good especailly draft.
buy mens pocky chocolate
piricula (photo taking stuff)
check out the japanese arcades - there on a next level with some of their games.
go to an onsen and get your plums out for the locals (you know they are dying to catch a glimpse)

damn this is a long post. .... ill others continue!

alantin
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Thanks for the recommendation. They aren't very close at all, but I might spend some time on the train to go anyway. I'm not worried about rain, either - it already rains quite a bit where I live now.

Serge
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Hehe, it's a nice, east-central location in Tokyo. The park seems nice as well! I wish the public transportation system where I live now was as convenient as it is there. Heck, we don't even have trains; if you want public transportation, you're banished to the bus or taxi cabs. And yeah, as alantin says, it's likely where my housing will be, so I'd like to get to know the area better.

billyclyde
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The place where I'm probably staying is literally _on_ the Ameyoko. It's one of the reasons I picked it (aside from the cheap price and recommendation from a friend).

nerdjnerdbird
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I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

nac_est
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From what I've discovered, from planning with my friends (both people who have visited and natives living there), I could technically make my trip for less than 3000USD. However, thats pretty much bare-bones, and I want to have some fun, so I'm taking around 4500-5000USD.

Tokyo seems to be one of the more expensive places to live, but not to a crazy extent.

zazen666
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Yes, I'm aware of the JR pass. However, the cost for the... I think 22 day pass... was equivalent to over 500 or 600 USD. I have to find out how much I'm actually going to be traveling and how much it'll roughly cost to find out whether that's an economical decision yet. With my current itinerary it doesn't seem to be.

thegeezer3
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Thank you for your... incredibly detailed suggestions. I will keep all of that in mind.

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I feel I should mention that it will be my first time in another country, and I will be going alone. I am eighteen years of age, and will be nineteen when I go.

In any case, keep the suggestions coming.
I believe they'll prove quite useful to me.

Thanks a bunch.

~Ether

Edit: Forgot to add that I will still have classes during hanami, so I won't be able to visit that early on, though I'd really like to. I'm probably looking at going for the entirety of June.

Edit(2): The heat and rain probably won't bother me. I live in Florida, which is sub-tropical - tropical. Rain and storms are fairly frequent, and so is humidity and heat.

Nac_est, my first time 5 yrs ago I did 18 days for $1000 US. I used frequent flyer miles and stayed with a friend. I think it can be done cheaper than most estimates-- you just have to find somewhere to stay that doesn't cost an arm & a leg. Friends are the best, and I've met some people doing long-term travel who do work exchanges (usually in rural towns) with volunteer organizations. http://www.couchsurfing.com is another way to go if want to meet locals and skip hotels.

There are other alternatives that can save money, like taking night buses (ugh) or ferries instead of express trains. Hitchhike at your own risk; I've done it and enjoyed it (Hokkaido Highway Blues is a good book, btw). You also get to practice Japanese, because you'll be the only foreigner on the ferry or bus!

The best travel tip I have is to meet somebody randomly, go out on the town and they pick up the tab. Because I could spend 5000 bucks on food in a week! ^_^

And Ether, may I ask where you're staying? I usually end up here: http://www.newkoyo.com/facilities.html which is actually in nearby Minowa, but I'd be interested in a better deal. That's great you'll get to stay in Ameyokocho-- I love that place.

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/prem...imachi.php is what I was recommended and probably where I'll be staying. It's a good location, and seems to be fairly inexpensive (considering you can rent for a month, and even fractions of a month, is beneficial as well).

So it's a guest house-- I've never stayed at one, as I've never been in Tokyo longer than a week. Let us know how it is.

1. Buy (or borrow) a bicycle. It's the best (and cheapest!) way to get round Tokyo. There are comparatively few hills and bicycles can go pretty much anywhere - on the roads or pavements (sidewalks), whichever you like (although I did hear that there might be a new law coming out requiring all bicycles to stay on the roads).

2. If you're going out of town, definitely try Nikko with a side trip up to Lake Chuzenji (I seem to remember there are direct trains from Asakusa, which is very close to Ueno). But don't go on a weekend.

3. Go to Meiji Shrine, if you're in the Harajuku area. It's well worth a visit and, if you're lucky, you may see a wedding going on.

4. Go to a 100 yen shop - one of the biggest is Daiso in Takeshita Dori in Harajuku. You will be astonished to find what you can buy for 100 yen. I challenge anyone to go in there and come out without buying anything (probably something you never knew existed and now can't imagine living without).

billyclyde
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Will do.

Foddy
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1. Might be an idea. I don't know though... I don't know the area very well, so a bike seems a bit fast when you don't have any idea where you're going. o_o

2. I'll keep that in mind.

3. A wedding, huh? Interesting.

4. Haha, suppose that's worth giving a shot.

Daiso, I spent 10,000 yen there once, no joke. And a friend bought a 200 yen bamboo steamer there yesterday. lol. I find it so funny that they have other prices there now. But yeah, go. It puts the dollar store to shame.

Why not climb Mt. Fuji? You're still young so there's just no excuse not to! And get a stick so they can brand stamps in it as you reach each level. It's a cool souvenir.

Aikiboy
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That would be great... but I don't think I'm in the physical condition to be doing that right now. Haha. I can barely run a mile these days. I spend too much time in front of the computer.

Plenty of time for training! Not much to it. Just start walking.

Really wish I had the time for it. I'm a full-time college student... getting a job soon, as well.

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to ask a question.

I'm trying to figure out and enumerate the things I should bring with me.

My question is (you guessed it), what should I bring?

Thanks.

bring a good guidebook with maps. As much as i hate lonely planet i find the maps in it useful as it enables me to spend more time getting to where i want to be than wandering around getting lost and in shibuya and shinjuku you will just do that. Sometimes its fun just wandering around and seeing where you end up and other times it grates.

An excellent online guide http://superfuture.com has guides for all the areas in tokyo with printable maps. The benefit of this guide is that its written for the shopaholic trendy consumer. Its also free.

bring some books like "Tokyo Underworld" to read whilst on the trains and in the park.

Thanks for the advice.

Anyone else?