japan must sees

[prashanthbk]

Been there once. Try Hakonei and the hot springs there... Guess i spelled the name of the place correct.

[thetokyoproject]

Ah, finally this thread is getting some action! Thanks for the excellent recommendations. So far I am thinking of something like: 1 night in Tokyo, 2 in Kyoto and a visit to Nikko (a couple of ppl have recommended it!).

if i had 4 days, i would do exactly the same itinerary too!

tokyo will be rushed in one day but yes you can do it in one day since i dragged my folks (who incidently are not used to public transport or walking) in that time.


i'd recommend starting off early around 5am in tsukiji fish market (if you indeed are interested in fresh fish markets!) and then moving on from there. Plan carefully as you should do all the sights from one side of tokyo in the same morning or afternoon to avoid back tracking.

i think the round trip to Nikko will take at least 4 hrs so allow for time to get back if you're not staying the night. the major waterfall there is a nice spot for photos. as the train to nikko is close to asakusa and the snesoji temple, you may as well do this befoer heading off to nikko if you get there early.

drinking would most likely be in roppongi ( can be a little seedy), shinjuku (also can be seedy) and shibuya, though you can drink anywhere in tokyo really.

if you you are feeling luxurious, then the lost in translation grand hyatt bar is supposed to be awesome.

A free view from the Government Metropolitan building is a good option.

akihabara is where the gadgets are.

ginza is fairly near the imperial palace and has some very pricey boutiques and the sony and apple centers are around there too!

yoyogi park, meiji jingu shrine, omotosando and harajuku are fairly close and nice places to stroll and watch the trendsetters go about their daily shops.

in kyoto, there's way too much to recommend but kiyomizu dera is a must and get there as early as possible. the other i really like is fushimi inari, which has a 1000 red torii gates as made famous in memoirs of a geisha. it's a nice stroll up the hill through the gates.

the only other thing is that if you would like to try an onsen (hot spring) then nikko is the best place that you;re going to.

other than that, have fun. probably be impossible not to!

ganbarre!!!

[Sand]

I have quiet a few photos from various places in Japan; Kyoto, Hineji, Inari, Nara, Takayama, Matsumoto, Tokyo and Hakone. They may help.

www.martynandjanet.com


For me the must sees are Kyoto, Takayama and Himiji.

[ramkiranju]

If we need to see around Tokyo how many days do you need and how is teh visa/ticketing procedure?

[nation]

Tokyo you can do in a day if you just stick to the main stops on the yamanote line (the green circle train line that circles central Tokyo - takes an hour for a loop) and don't spend too much time exploring. If you want to do it leisurely than 3 days would be good. But then again if you really want to explore.... well how much time do have - definitely worth it if you can, there's stacks to see and do in Tokyo.

Tourist is visa is dependant on your nationality - a lot of visa free nations.

[Tigerblitz]

If you have the time, visit Miyajima island (near Hiroshima) and the giant torii gate that juts out of the ocean. Miiyajima is officially one of Japan's "Three Most Beautiful Sights".

[freeier]

and the other two are matsushima (sendai) and kyoto amano hashitate