No trip is complete without a visit to the local amusement park – at least for my husband and daughter.  They go off and get turn upside-down, dropped from heights, eat sweets, and experience the other side of town while I do something “boring” like go to a historic house museum or temple garden.  Tokyo was no different except for the fact that the amusement park was like something out of Spirited Away.   Hanayashiki amusement park, originally opened as a flower park, has a history of more than 150 years. Located just a few steps from Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district, the miniature amusement park offers a small Ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel, a ride that is powered by you pedaling, Space Shot and great crepes.

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%)

As I have mentioned in other posts, my family consists of 2 vegetarians (who eat eggs & dairy) and 1 vegaquarium (aka I eat seafood).  I was concerned that my daughter and husband would have a difficult time finding foods they could eat because of the prevalence of fish.  After reading that, in Japan, vegetarians are an oddity and that ham is considered a vegetable, we resigned ourselves to the fact that the two of them would be eating rice and edamame.  I had even specifically researched vegetarian restaurants.  My concerns were completely unfounded and we never needed to search out a vegetarian restaurant.  Between the street food, tofu dishes, rice balls, mochi and abundance of seasonal vegetables (which did NOT include edamame), Japan served up a veritable feast.

I would like to add here that my husband and daughter carried around a small, laminated card that is called a Vegetarian Passport.  My husband ordered it online and it says, in Japanese, “I am a vegetarian and I do not eat seafood, meat, chicken or pork.”  I highly recommend this for people who have eating requirements. My husband ordered ours from Selectwisely.com.

Here is my problem – I did not write down and I cannot remember the name of any restaurant.  It was all random choices based on the photos, the little plastic food models, and whether the place was crowded.  I can honestly say that two of my favorite meals came from street stands.  The first was a bowl of soft, custardy tofu that we bought from a tofu stand in Sagano.  The tofu came in a proper bowl with soy sauce, green onions and ginger.  Along with several other Japanese, we sat on benches and ate our delicious little meal.  When we were done, we returned the bowl to the stand.  The second were the little stands that sell onigari, rice balls that are stuffed with various fillings.  They are particularly good when they are grilled!

Food display at White Lover Cafe & Restaurant

Rather than recommend any restaurants, I am going to provide you with a list of the foods that you can find in Japan and our favorites.  This works because, unlike your local Japanese restaurant, restaurants in Japan tend to specialize in one type of food.  If you want sushi, go to a sushi restaurant.  If you want tempura, go to a tempura restaurant. Even if you don’t read Japanese, you can always recognize the food because most restaurants have pictures of the food or a window case in which they display plastic menu items.  Very often, you can just point to the picture or model.  To read about restaurant/eating etiquette, go to my post Japan: Customs and etiquette.

First, I am going to list the most common Japanese food.  The, I am going to list the foods that we ate in Japan.

COMMON FOODS:

TONKATSU – Fried Pork Cutlet.

TEMPURA – Vegetables and fish in a light batter, deep fried.

Slurping udon at Buddhist temple

SOBA and UDON – Japanese noodles that are often served in a soup or fried. Soba are noodles made from buckwheat flour, while Udon are noodles made from wheat flour.

RAMEN – It’s not the dry noodles that you ate throughout college.  Ramen contain delicate, often homemade, noodles with a choice of broth bases and toppings. Often, a ramen restaurant will specialize in one kind of ramen.  Noisily slurping your ramen is perfectly acceptable and expected. A sharp intake of air can cool down the noodles that are best eaten as fresh as possible.

YAKITORI – Pieces of chicken or pork skewered on bamboo sticks and cooked over charcoal. After cooking they are dipped into a special sauce.

OKONOMIYAKI – A thick pancake-like dish made of a delicious mixture of batter, vegetables and small pieces of meat or fish. There are restaurants where the customers cook at their own table, adding spices as they desire.

DONBURI – Rice (unseasoned) topped with meat, seafood or vegetables.

SUKIYAKI – A one pot meal in which the main ingredient is thinly sliced beef, simmered in a skillet or pan with sukiyaki broth, vegetables and other ingredients. Once the food is cooked, the Japanese then dip the food into a small cup containing raw egg and soy sauce. Almost always, the cooking is done entirely by the customers to suit their own tastes.

SHABU SHABU – similar to Sukiyaki, thin strips of beef and vegetables are cooked in a pot of boiling broth. Very often, the customers usually cook their own food right at the table.

SUSHI – Small bite-sized blocks of rice topped with raw fish. Sushi actually refers to the style of the food, not the contents, and does not necessarily mean raw fish.  Here are a few tips on eating sushi in Japan:

• You can order a set of sushi with a fixed price or order sushi pieces as you eat.
• It’s nice to ask the sushi chef for his/her recommendation of the day.
• If you are not ordering a set of sushi, order a few kinds of sushi at a time.
• Put a small amount of soy sauce for dipping in a small dish provided and add the wasabi.  Refill as needed.
• To eat sushi, it’s common to use your fingers.
• When dipping sushi in the soy sauce, do not dip whole sushi. Just dip the end of the sushi as you eat, fish side down.
• When eating the rolled sushi, put the entire piece in your mouth as it falls apart.  With the pressed sushi, you can take bites.
• Eat pieces of pickled ginger between different kinds of sushi. It helps to clean your mouth and enhance the flavors
• Try not to ask the sushi chef to bring you things like a drink or your bill.
• It’s nice to offer to buy your sushi chef a drink if he/she is doing a good job.

Conveyor belt sushi restaurants, or kaiten-zushi, are great places to eat sushi. At a kaiten-zushi restaurant, you wait until your favorite sushi comes near you, then you pick up the plates from the moving table. If your favorite is not moving on the table, you can order it. The types or colors of plate which sushi pieces are on indicate prices of sushi. If you want to save money, you can avoid picking up expensive sushi. The prices are usually between 100 yen to 300 yen per plate.

SASHIMI - Thin slices of different types of fish served on a platter or in a bowl along with a few raw vegetables.  Sashimi is usually eaten as an appetizer or as one course of the meal, but sometimes it will be the main dish.

BENTO or O-BENTO – Japanese box lunch. Many are sold in train stations for travelers.  They are yummy and fresh – don’t be put off by the location.  Bento lunches usually include a large portion of rice and an assortment of meat, fish vegetables, and pickles. Bento are always made fresh the morning they are sold. There is no attempt to keep them warm, so the contents are always cold when you get them.  You can find Bento boxes in grocery stores, street stands and department store food courts.

JAPANESE CURRY – Japanese curries are more like a stew with curry than Indian curry.  It is commonly served in three main forms: curry rice (karē raisu), karē udon (thick noodles) and karē pan (bread). Japanese curry consists of vegetables and meats, including onions, carrots, potatoes, beef, pork and chicken. Usual garnishes are fukijin zuke, a sweet mixture of mystery pickled vegetables, and rakkyou, small pickled shallots.

WHAT WE ATE:

MITARASHI DANGO – These are wonderful, sticky, chewy balls made of rice dough, which are grilled on a skewer and covered with a sweet-salty barbeque sauce.  They are sold at little street stands and packaged.  According to my daughter “These are the best thing in the world.”

ONIGIRI – I LOVE these rice balls stuffed with all kinds of filling, ranging from salmon to ume paste.  They are sold in little street kiosks, often close to the subway station.  Sometimes, they are made into the shape of a pyramid!

JAPANESE SANDWICHES – If I read one more blog that bashes the Japanese sandwich, I don’t know what I am going to do.  They are tiny bundles of goodness, consisting of thin slices of fluffy, white bread and all kinds of filling: ham & cheese, egg salad, bacon & egg salad, tuna salad and my two favorites – potato salad and fruit filling.  You can eat several in a sitting.  I think people are just anti-white bread.  Personally, I think that Japanese white bread ROCKS!  Also, these are great for picky eaters who are having a little difficulty maneuvering the Japanese food situation.

INARI SUSHI – Inarizushi is a pocket of yumminess, which consists of aburaage (deep fried tofu) bags stuffed with sushi rice.  See my posto on Kyoto to learn about Fushimi Inari Taisha (Fushimi Inari Shrine), which is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the god of rice, sake, and prosperity.

DORAYAKI – Lovely little yellow sponge cakes that are pressed together and filled usually with red bean pasted. However, when we were in Japan, Yuzu (Japanese citrus) was in season and often used as a filling.  You will see street vendors all over with these cool little pans in which they make the dorayaki.  The name is based on its shape, which resembles a dora, or gong.

Here are several websites that will help you explore your culinary options in Japan:

Restaurant resources:

• Bento.com
• Gourmet Navigator

Vegetarian resources

• Survival Guide for Vegetarians (Not Only) in Japan
• Vegguide.org

Great Japanese food blogs – I love these two!

• Just Bento
• Just Hungry

Tofu:

Tofu in Japan is NOTHING like the tofu we eat in America.  It is a culinary delight that comes in many forms.  In fact, there are entire Tofu restaurants (not necessarily vegetarian). Learning about Kyoto: Tofu is a great article about the many delights of tofu.

Homemade tofu is delicious and not too hard to make (the hardest part is making the soymilk). Just Hungry has a great recipe.

Here are some absolute “must-haves” for creating authentic Japanese meals!

There are a few tips that I would like to give you when booking your lodging so that you can avoid the same mistakes:

1. Make sure that you are clear about the room cost – is it per room or per person?
2. Get a written confirmation.
3. Make sure that you are clear about the toilet and shower situation.  If you want/need a toilet and shower in your room, you will have to stick with a traditional hotel or ryokan (although not all ryokans have private baths).

With those few things in mind, here is a basic run-down of your choices:

Hotel Remm Akhibara: Really cool bathrooms and massage chair in each room.

Hotels:

Hotels range from super luxurious to the love hotel, which charges by the hour. Most hotels have western style beds and bathrooms, as well as restaurants and all the mod cons.  Business hotels offer reasonable prices for shorter stays.  Theses hotels are usually close to train stations. Rooms are small, but clean and provide all the necessities.

Love Hotels:

If only we had not been with our daughter and my step-mother, my husband and I would have definitely checked into a Love Hotel – just for the experience. Love Hotel Hill in the Shibuya district of Tokyo is perhaps the country’s most famous area for these houses of fun. Given the close living quarters in Japan, Love Hotels make sense for couples who require some privacy.

Capsule Hotels:

Definitely not for me – where is the air?  However, many others find these quite acceptable if not a curiosity. Usually used by commuters and business men, these generally consist of six to eight capsules built into a wall, just big enough for a person to lay down. I am hyperventilating just writing about them!

Youth Hostels:

There are plenty of youth hostels dotted throughout Japan. Most hostels require a membership, which can be purchased at the first hostel. Japanese Youth Hostels are safe, friendly and clean and are used to accommodating international travelers. Japan Hostels commonly apply a pre-midnight curfew, so these are not for the “all-night” partiers.

Ryokan:

Ryokan are Japanese style inns that provide the culture and traditions of historic Japan. Ryokan range from small wooden traditional buildings, where you bump your head every time you stand up, to the large concrete structures that are common-place in Japanese cities.  Although they can be as luxurious as hotels, ryokan will not provide all the mod-cons but focus on quality and traditional service, atmosphere and relaxation.  Ryokan rooms are usually furnished with tatami flooring, a low table and cushions (zabuton) for sitting.  Most ryokan rooms contain a tea set to enjoy some Japanese tea. Guests sleep on a futon which is rolled out and put away in an ‘oshiire’ (a closet for futons) each day by the Ryokan staff.

Most ryokan offer breakfast and dinner,  which is included in the room rate.  In many instances, meals are served in the guest’s room or taken in a large communal dining area. Ryokan pride themselves on their food and many Japanese choose a ryokan for its meals. The meals served are traditionally Japanese, consisting of fish, rice and sweets fresh from the local area.  Some ryokan will give you the option of not taking the meal, which will reduce the price.

Most ryokan have an onsen (Japanese spa, which may be either natural hot springs or man made.  They often have communal hours and gender separated hours.  Some ryokan offer private baths.  See my post Japan: Customs and etiquette to learn how to use the onsen properly and not embarrass yourself.

Minshuku:

I like the minshuku option as it provides a true “Japanese experience.”  They are more like Japanese style b&bs or budget ryokan.  In most cases, minshuku are simply a room, section or floor of a family’s home with a shared bathroom and common room. Like ryokan, rooms are simply furnished and guests are provided with a futon to sleep on which they may be required to put away and roll out themselves.  In some cases, meals are included in the price or available for a small cost.

Temple Lodging:

I did not get to stay in a temple but I really wanted to – especially since we are vegetarians and could experience the Buddhist vegetarian meal – shojin ryori.  Temple lodging, which are called shukubo, are similar to traditional Japanese inns, and anyone can stay regardless of his or her religion. If you are so inclined, you can join in their Zen meditation.  The prices are not necessarily cheap but the experience seems worth it.  When researching the shukubo, I found that most don’t have English speaking staff or take credit cards.  It appears that the best place to partake in the temple lodging is is Mt. Koya. There are over 100 temples in Mt. Koya, and about 50 temples offer lodgings.   I will definitely do this on my next visit to Japan.

Here are a few websites with information about and lists of lodging options:

General listings:

• Japan Accomodations has a great listing of many different style lodgings.
• Japan Travel Online lets you find lodging by neighborhoods and close to sites.
• Rakuten Travel offers good discounts and has complete listings
• Japanican.com is another great source for lodging.
• Japan Economy Hotel Group provides a good listing of less expensive lodging.

High End:

• Exquisite Ryokan The name says it all.
• IKYU lists the top hotels.  Check out Claska in Tokyo.  I really want to stay there!

Hostels:

• Japan Youth Hostels
• Hostel World’s Japan listings

Temple Lodging:

• Temple Lodging in Japan provides a good listing of the various temple lodging and travel instructions
• Article about Vegetarian Cuisine and Mt. Koya

Hot Springs and Nature Experiences:

• National Park Resort Villages of Japan contains a list of lodging, all of which are located in national parks.
• Hot springs onsen throughout Japan.

Phrases:
* Hello/Good afternoon – Konnichiwa (kon-nee-chee-WAH)
* Nice to meet you – Hajimemashite (hah-jee-meh-MOSH-teh)
* Please – (request) Onegai shimasu. (oh-neh-gigh shee-moss)
Please – (offer) Dōzo. (DOH-zo)
* Thank you – (normal) Arigatō. (ah-ree-GAH-toh)
Thank you – (less formal) Arigatō gozaimasu. (ah-ree-GAH-toh go-ZAh-ee-mahs)
* Thanks – (informal) Dōmo. (doh-moh)
Thank you very much – (formal) Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu. (doh-moh ah-ree-GAH-toh go-ZAh-ee-mah-ss)
You’re welcome – Dō itashi mashite. (doh EE-tah-shee mosh-teh)
Yes – Hai. (HIGH)
No – Iie. (EE-eh)
* Excuse me – Sumimasen. (soo-mee-mah-sen)
I’m sorry – Gomen-nasai. (goh-men-nah-sigh)
I can’t speak Japanese – Nihongo hanasemasen. (nee-hohn-goh hah-nah-seh-mah-sen)
Do you speak English? Eigo o hanasemasuka? (AY-goh oh hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH?)
Help! Tasukete! (tah-soo-keh-teh!)
Look out! Abunai! (ah-boo-NIGH!)
Good morning – Ohayō gozaimasu. (oh-hah-YOH go-zigh-moss)
Good evening – Konbanwa. (kohm-bahn-wah)
Good night – (to sleep) Oyasuminasai. (oh-yah-soo-mee-nah-sigh)
* Goodbye – Sayōnara. (sa-YOH-nah-rah)
Where is the toilet? Toire wa doko desu ka? (toy-reh wah DOH-koh dess kah?)
How much? Ikura? (ee-koo-rah)

Street sign in Harajuku: I hate smorking!

Eating:

• It is impolite to eat or drink something while walking down the street, with the exception of standing at a food counter or eating ice cream.
• It’s customary to say “Itadakimasu” (“I humbly receive”) before eating and “Gochisosama” (“Thank you for the feast”) after eating, if you’re being treated.
• In restaurants or when visiting it’s customary to get a small, moist rolled-up towel called an “oshibori” to wipe your hands. It’s impolite to wipe the face and neck with it though some do in less formal places.
• To remove the splinters from chopsticks, gently rub one chopstick against the other. Do NOT place both chopsticks between the palms and vigorously rub together. This signals the waiter that one thinks his utensils are cheap.
• When sharing a dish, put what you take on your own plate before eating it.
• Do not use your chopsticks to skewer food, move dishes around, and
NEVER dish out food to another using the same ends you just ate
from–use the top ends.
• Don’t use your chopsticks to point at somebody.
• Don’t leave your chopsticks standing up out of your food.
• It is normal in Japan to pick up your rice or soup bowl and hold it under your chin to keep stuff from falling.
• Traditional Japanese food is served on several small plates, and it’s normal to alternate between dishes instead of fully eating one dish after another.
• Do not put soy sauce on your rice–it isn’t meant for that.
• Do not put sugar or cream in Japanese tea.
• It is okay to eat sushi with your fingers. When dipping sushi in the soy sauce, dip the fish side in the soy sauce.
• It is normal to make slurping sounds when you’re eating noodles.
• It is normal to pay a restaurant or bar bill at the register instead of giving money to the waiter/waitress.
• It’s considered rude to count your change after paying the bill in a store or restaurant, but the Japanese themselves do give it a cursory lookover.

Drinking:

• It is polite to say “Kanpai” for “Cheers” before you drink.
• It is impolite to pour your own drink when eating with others–you pour your companion’s drink and your companion pours yours.
• When someone goes to pour you a drink, lift your glass with both hands.
• If you don’t want any more to drink, leave your glass full.

Personal interaction & behavior:

• Avoid excessive physical and eye contact.
• The Japanese gesture for no is fanning your hand sideways a few times in front of your face.
• Don’t talk loudly in public places, including the subway.
• Exchanging business cards is common in formal introductions. You should extend your card to the other person with both hands, right side up to them (upside down to you). You receive cards with both hands also. Be sure to look at the card and not just pocket it. Never put it in your pants pocket and sit on it in front of them.
• It is polite to put “-san” after anothers name, or “-chan” after a young girls name, or “-kun” after a boy’s name, but NEVER use these after your own.
• If you have to blow your nose, leave the room, or at the very least try to face away
from other people–and use a tissue–not a handkerchief!

Visiting someone’s home:

• Don’t wear tattered clothes outside, nor socks with holes when visiting someone.
• Don’t wear your slippers into the genkan (at the entrance to a home, where the shoes are kept), nor outside.
• It’s customary to sit on the floor in a tatami room (called “washitsu”); don’t wear your slippers into a tatami (straw) mat room.
• It’s polite to bring some food (gift-wrapped in more formal situations) or drinks when you visit someone. Avoid giving pricey gifts.

Toilets:

• In public places that don’t permit shoes, slippers are provided. When you go to the bathroom, there will be another pair of toilet slippers. When you leave the toilet, don’t wear the toilet room slippers outside the toilet room.
• There are Japanese-style and Western-style toilets.  The Japanese-style toilet is flush with the ground and you do not sit on it. Stand over the toilet stool facing the side with the hood. Then squat over it and conveniently place yourself close but not to the point of contact with the stool. It is rather awkward but you have to try it.
• Always carry a little container of tissue with you.

Bathing:
Bathing is a large part of the Japanese culture and it applies to private homes, ryokans, onsens, and sentos (public baths). You should not miss the opportunity to visit a public bath as it is an amazing experience and you will NEVER feel cleaner. Regardless of the location of the bath, there is a definite routine and a few rules that MUST be followed. This is because the bath is communal and used for soaking, not cleaning. The 3 most important are:
1. Clean yourself BEFORE getting in the tub.
2. No soap or cleaning in the tub.
3. Do NOT empty the tub.

Following is the procedure for using a public bath:

• Take off your clothes in the changing room.
• Put clothes in the shelf or basket.
• Enter the bathroom with a small towel and your amenities.
• There will be a place for you to shower that will contain a bucket, stool and showers.
• Wash and rinse thoroughly before getting in the bathtub.
• Soak in the bathtub. Remember not to bring anything into the tub, not even a towel.
• Get out of the tub rinse your body with clean warm water in front of faucet.
• Dry your body with your small towel before you go to the changing room.
• Dry your body with your bath towel and dress in the changing room.

JNTO provides a great visual diagram of using a public bath.

Paying:

• Place the money onto a small tray that is placed specifically for the purpose near the cashier machine. Do not hand the money directly to the cashier.
• Convenience stores, or “kombini”, normally do not stick strictly to this rule.

Tipping:

• Individual tipping is not common in Japan, not even to waitresses, taxi drivers, or bellboys. Rather, in lieu of tipping, a 10 to 15 percent service charge is added to bills at higher-priced hotels and restaurants.
• At higher-end Japanese inns with individualized maid service, a 10 to 20 percent service charge is added. No service charge is added to bills at business hotels, pensions, minshuku, youth hostels, and other inexpensive lodgings.
• Travelers can, however, tip tour guides and the head maid at a Japanese inn if special requests were made (guests should present the head maid with an envelope containing the tip at the beginning of their stay).

Bowing:

• For foreigners, a nod and slight bow are adequate.

A perfect gift for the bride and groom who don’t need another bowl!
My husband and I received a beautiful set of chopsticks, many years ago, which we use all the time.

The Tokaido Shinkansen connects Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, while its extension, the Sanyo Shinkansen the Shin-Osaka Station to Hakata Station in Fukuoka. The trains operating on the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen are of the following three categories:

• Nozomi: Nozomi trains stop only at the most important stations, and reach Osaka from Tokyo in about two and a half hours. The JR nozomi cannot be used with the JR pass.
• Hikari: Hikari trains stop a little bit more frequently than nozomi trains, and need roughly three hours to reach Osaka from Tokyo.
• Kodama: The slowest category. Kodama trains stop at all stations.

The JR pass is highly, cost effective way for temporary foreign visitors to tour Japan. If you plan on visiting more than one region in Japan, you will DEFINITELY want to purchase a JR pass. It provides unlimited travel on the nationwide network of Japan railways and many urban JR trains. Here are a few details – The JR Pass:

• Must be purchased and arrive to you in advance of your departure to Japan
• Is available for periods of one, two or three weeks and for either ordinary cars or first-class “Green Cars”
• Can be used to reserve seats
• Is valid on urban JR train and bus lines
• It is not valid for couchettes and private rooms or night trains
• When riding on such a non-JR owned section, pass holders will have to pay the fare for it on board of the train or at the station

When you purchase the JR pass in advance, you will receive an exchange order that has to be exchanged into an actual rail pass after your arrival in Japan and within three months of the purchase. The exchange can be done at various major railway stations, including Narita and Kansai Airports. It is not until the time of exchange, when you determine the starting date of validity of your Japan Rail Pass.

Few tips:

• The ordinary cars are very similar to the Green Cars. It is really not necessary to purchase the higher price Green Card passes – all you get for the extra cost is a little leg room.
• Purchase Bento boxes at the train stations to eat on the train.
• Train attendants pass around these wonderful little carts with drinks and snacks that you can purchase on the train.

Seishun 18 Ticket is another option for travel in Japan, offering five days of unlimited train travel. There are 2 main limitations: (1) tickets are only valid on local trains; and, (2) tickets are valid only during school holidays (March-April, July-September, December-January). Unlike the JR Pass, the days do not have to be consecutive and you can split a ticket so that one person uses it for two days and another for three days. So, timing is important with the Seishun 18.

Few helpful websites:
Kintestu.com and JTB USA are two great resources for the JR pass – both info and purchasing.
JapanRailPass.net provides step-by-step directions to use the JR pass.
JNTO.go.jp has information on the different train routes.
Wikitravel: Japan – Get Around has great information on:

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.

You can’t go to Tokyo without checking out a depachika, the lavish department store food basements that sell everything from dainty wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) and bento to$500 melons and European pastries.  Depachika is a combination of  ‘depa’ (department store in short) and (‘chika’) and they are truly a food lover’s paradise.  In addition to buying wonderful meals and gifts, you can also sample your way through and end up quite full.  Some of the highlights included:

• Handmade inari sushi made by nuns
• Refreshing fava bean and parsley smoothies from a smoothie bar called Vegetaria
• Fresh soy milk
• I also can say that I ate them most disgusting thing in the world but I am not sure what it was. The experience is seared into my gastrobrain.

You can find depachikas at:

• Takashimaya and Isetan in Shinjuku
• Matsuya, Mitsukoshi and Matsuzakaya Department stores in the Ginza

Desert Comes First is a great website that features some helpful information about Japan and beautiful photos of the depachika.

Convenience Store delights

Does the thought of convenience stores conjure up images of icees and melted cheese sauce?  Well, in Japan, konbini (convenience stores) are Tokyo’s corner one-stop-shop where you can pay bills, buy baseball tickets, and send mail and buy bowls of udon, onigiri and fancy desserts.  My favorite was the extensive choice of limited-edition Kit Kats in crazy flavors.   Late night eating has never been so easy and tasty.

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.