A little over two years ago, my family had the opportunity to visit Japan. The definates included Tokyo and a wonderful coastal town, Kochi. The rest was up to us. After weeks of exploring travel options, including trains schedules and accommodations, our trip looked as follows: 4 days in Tokyo, 2 days in Kochi, 3 days in Kyoto and back to Tokyo for 3 additional days. This required some serious planning and advanced details. If we had more time in each city, we could have allowed more to chance. However, with such brief stays in each place, we had to have certain things in place and be well versed in our travel cities to make the most of our time. So the research began.

Although I have written specific posts about Tokyo and Kyoto, I am writing four posts that will provide some important background information (and some cost savings). The four posts are: (1) transportation; (2) accommodations; (3) language; and, (4) food. There are just a few tips that will help you organize your travels, create a unique experience and enable you to take MANY 1wrongturns.

The following three links are to sites that I found really helpful in understanding and navigating Japan, as a whole.

Japan National Tourism Organization was my first stop. It provides a very thoughtful understanding of Japan culture, food/dining, transportation and accommodations. I highly recommend that you download the brochure Your Guide to Japan.

Japan-guide.com is rather commercial but has a tremendous amount of information.

Wikitravel: Japan – I like Wikitravel – get over it!

Useful tips:

• Dialing Code – the international dialling code for Japan is +81.
• Time – Japan is +9 hours GMT.
• Capital: Tokyo
• Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

We spent 7 incredible days in Tokyo. Despite the hustle & bustle of a crowded, vertical city, Tokyo is extremely manageable and easy to navigate. Street signs and public transportation are easily identifiable and restaurants always have pictures/plastic models of the food they serve.  Ultimately, Tokyo set a new standard upon which I judge all other cities.  This is what Tokyo offers that I want: clean, well-maintained public spaces, easy-to-use public transportation, great street food, extremely helpful people and public baths.  Tokyo has all of this, plus magnificent ancient structures that co-exist with uber-modern architecture.

Tokyo is a city of neighborhoods, each with its unique character and personality.  If you are the meandering type, visit the Yanaka district where you can wind through the streets, enjoy lovely little gardens, explore the shops and stumble onto amazing temples and/or shrines every few blocks.  On the other hand, if neon, technology and cute girls in maid costumes are your thing, Akihabara is the place for you.  Like shopping???? Try Ginza for the high end and Harajuku for the funky – do one in the morning and one in the afternoon to experience the contrast of cultures and generations in modern day Tokyo.

The Yanaka area is not as well known as some of the other neighborhoods but definitely worth a visit as it has retained its historical ambiance and character.  Yanaka was developed as a temple town in the Edo period (1603-1867) and prominent temples like the Tenouji and the Kaneiji still exist in the area.   Yanaka is next to two neighborhoods, Sendagi and Nezu are collectively they are called Yanesen: Ya (Yanaka) Ne (Nezu) Sen (Sendagi).  In addition to the temples, there are beautiful cemeteries, little stores with exquisite crafts, and amazing shrines.

Taito Culture is a wonderful website that contains all kinds of information on this area.  Don’t miss the walking tour page!  Here is a Yanaka Map.

Here are a few places that I missed but want to see next time:

Asakura Choso Museum was the Fumio (1883-1964), famous for his statues of statesmen, women, and cats, many of which are on display here.  I have read that the house combines modern and traditional architecture and, wraps around an inner courtyard pond fed by a natural spring, and contains some furniture and antiques in its many tatami rooms, including a beautiful library, a tearoom, a room for enjoying the morning sun and a rooftop garden.  The museum was closed when I was there due to renovations and is scheduled to re-open in 2013.

Meguro Parasite Museum.  Really, the name says it all.  In addition, I read that the Parasite Museum is a popular spot for lunch dates!  I don’t know about you, but parasites always put me in the mood for love.

The Ghibli Museum was designed by Hayao Miyazaki, the incredibly creative, Oscar award-winning director of My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo. The Ghibli Museum, which opened in 2001, was designed to present the studio’s works and is built as both a fantasyland and an art museum.

The following links are to sites that I found really helpful in understanding and navigating Tokyo and Japan, as a whole.

• Tokyo Tourism Info is a great source of information and very easy to navigate.  You can sort by neighborhood, interest, videos, etc.  This site has great Self-Guided Walking Tours and suggested tours.
• Tokyo Essentials is GREAT.  It has everything from how to get from Narita airport into the city to “Quirky Tokyo.”
• Tokyo Metro also offers a GREAT feature that provides 6 Sightseeing plans, each with several attractions, mapped out station to station.
• Wikitravels is also a terrific resource.
• Narita Express: Gets you from the Narita airport into Tokyo city.  It is included with the JR Rail Pass.
• Tokyo Metro map can seem daunting.  But, most of the neighborhoods and “major” sites are on the circular JR Yamamote line.

Say what you want but I am a Dollar store junkie.  Some of must best finds have been at Big Lots in America, the Pound Store in London, and the 100-Yen Shop in Japan.  You can find these 100 Yen shops all over but the biggest one that I visited was the Harajuku Daiso with four floors full of things you just have to have.  I bought 4 lovely little yellow ramikans that I use ALL THE TIME.

A Style and a State of Mind

Harajuku refers to the area around Tokyo’s Harajuku Station, one station north of Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. It is the center of Japan’s most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles, The focal point of Harajuku’s teenage culture is Takeshita Dori and its side streets, which are lined by many trendy shops, fashion boutiques, used clothes stores, crepe stands and fast food outlets geared towards the fashion and trend conscious teens.

Takeshita Dori Street is opposite the Takeshita Dori Exit of Harajuku Station. Turn right at the bottom of Takeshita Dori Street, walk along Meiji Dori Avenue as far the crossroads, then turn left into Omotesando Dori Avenue.

On Sundays, visit Yoyogi Park, which is located near Harajuku station.  This is a place for musicians, artists, and people engage din cosplay (“costume play”), dressed up in crazy costumes.

Close by is Omotesando Dori, often referred to as the Champs Elysee of Tokyo.  OnSundays, it is littered with street performers. At the end of Omotesando Dori, you’ll find Aoyama, a stylish area full of expensive shops and boutiques.  Omotesando, accessible from the south exit of JR Harajuku station (Yamanote line), the subway Meiji-jingu-mae station (Chiyoda line), or subway Omotesando station (Chiyoda and Ginza lines), has all the big name fashion houses.  Walk all the way along Omotesando to Aoyama-dori (or take the subway from Jingu-mae to Omotesando station – Chiyoda line), cross the intersection and keep walking two blocks to take in Prada’s Tokyo flagship store on your right.  The Prada store, six stories of “insect-eye” glass, was built in 2003 at a cost of $80 million.  It is, as a New Yorker magazine article noted, “one of Japan’s most provocative public spaces”.  Leave it to Prada!

Here is a great map of Harjuku

Life is Nothing but a $100 Piece of Chocolate at Bulgari

Where else can you sit and eat chocolates in the Bulgari Café while gazing at the Chanel building across the street?  Ginza is associated with luxury and the cost that goes along with that characteristic.  In addition to the best of the best, Prada, Gucci, Vuitton, et al, there are the great department stores with their depachikas.  On Sundays, the main Ginza shopping street is closed to all cars so you can stroll freely up and down the avenue sans soucis. In addition to great shopping (window shopping for me), Ginza is a great place to people watch.

Chuo-Kanko.com has a great map and information about the Ginza neighborhood.

Plastic Food, anyone? Don’t miss Kappabashi-dori

Want to bring home some lovely little Japanese plates or find the perfect knife for making sushi when you return?  Then you must visit Kappabashi-dori, a street supplying professional kitchens with everything from lacquer soup bowls to plastic food models that you see displayed enticingly in restaurant windows across the city.