Planning far in advance....ya!

[seichan]

Finally getting a small amount of free-time or at least getting my weekends back.
Calling Japan-experienced travelers (who are still alive on lj).
Decided to travel beyond the layover this fall, and venture outside the Narita airport for the first time.

For those who have been there before, any advice?
1. Places to stay
2. Places to play and shop?
3. What not to bring, must bring, what to get (tickets) beforehand?
4. Tour group, or map-it?

I'd rather not spend my brain power on figuring out stuff, or getting hung up on language barriers.
(We'll be focusing our time in Tokyo, Kyoto and a day trip to Mt Fuji.)

...now to figure out what to do during the summer...

Comments

[starlady]

I know boatloads about Kyoto, obviously, and am happy to give you detailed recs based on how long/when you'll be there and what you want to do. If you want a centrally located hotel that's reasonably price in Kyoto, I really like the Co-op Inn. In Tokyo, I know a decently located business hotel, and also had consistently good experiences with the Sakura Hostel in Asakusa, though it's about a 20 minute walk from the subway--through the most picturesque area imaginable, really, so it's no hardship.

I'd say it's worth buying the J-rail pass or whatever it's called; if you go to Kyoto and take one more ride on the shinkansen it's paid for itself, and/or if you take JR around Tokyo.

I can give you more in answer to #2 if I have a more specific idea about what you want to get out of it. Definitely bring a hat, because the sun is intense; depending on when you go it may also be hotter than hell, in which case bring cool clothes. But which month you'll be there is an important factor in that.

I'm heavily biased towards not-tour groups, and I think that with the Rough Guide in particular it's perfectly possible to get around on your own. I'd also recommend, though, having a separate small guide for Tokyo--and in any case, you should definitely buy Kodansha's Tokyo City Atlas, because it's worth its weight in gold, I kid you not.

So yeah, let me know what else you want to know...

[seichan]

thx for the hotel/inn and map recs. i'll add them to my list to look up.

we'll be traveling late, late fall, no longer than 2 weeks, and going to hit the tourist spots and maybe one Animate. :)

i'll probably bug my flist again when i get more planned. like the most convenient way to visit this, this & this...stuff like that.

something to look forward to for me. :) i know you have your grad school adventure coming up, too. hope your cross-country-move planning is fun.

[starlady]

I think the best Animate in the country is the one in Ikebukuro.

Late fall? Like November? You'll almost certainly hit the tail end of momiji season, in that case, which means I have some momiji-specific recs.

"Fun" is not maybe the first word I would choose for shifting my mortal existence three time zones west, but I am looking forward to it (being over, that is).

Yeah, more specific questions welcome any time!