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Japan Mini-guide

Original Miniguide

This was the original miniguide i wrote in 2007 for my parents. It is 'ok'

Harper's quick mini guide to japan

Intro:

I decided to write this quick mini guide up while Hiromi and I were brainstorming for things to do in Japan. i figured that if i could translate the things that make traveling to Japan comfortable for me - it may make things a bit easier for the Japan Travel n00bs. I was thinking specifically about food and what happens if you don't like eating squid heads (Hiromi claims that they don't eat squidheads - but we know the truth).

So here goes my quick users guide to Japan. Feel free to add or X out whole sections.

Food:

Awesome Food:

There are a lot of awesome places to dine in wonderful japantown. We have quite a few different favorite "haunts" that we have experienced in the last year of traveling to Tokyo and about. Specifically:

  • Rondo - Italian/Japanese. Really awesome italian place. - Great proprietors and a hilarious atmosphere
  • Fish Market/ Restaurant in Roppongi - Fish. Really nice - fish place. Quite good.
  • Christon Cafe - Japanese/Fine Dining - Christianity themed restaurant.
  • Noodle shops - Awesome noodle shops everywhere
  • Sumo Restaurant - A sumo themed restaurant
  • Ninja Restaurant - A ninja themed restaurant
  • Macrobiotic restaurant - Great organic food place that hiromi loves and has excellent food.

Obviously there are a lot of excellent places to eat in Tokyo. We can choose any number of nice, yet inexpensive and fun places.

Easy Food:

As you may have figured out from such experiences as "Sushi" and "Gasho of Japan," Japanese food is mostly raw fish and people with swords (Just kidding, Hiromi is mad because i didn't say that they have a lot of cooked food as well). Because this risk taking can get tiring and possibly even dangerous - I have compiled a small list of possible "safe*" places to find food in case their is a dietary emergency (i.e. Hungry).

"Safe*" food places:

  • Mosburger - Awesome mini hamburgers. Easy to eat, good - meat. Like a fancy wendy's
  • Convenience stores - a myriad of different edible items. Lots of Rice/Meat combinations. A great place to find a simple sandwich or hotdog. Family Restaurants (Royal host,Denny's, - Basically like denny's. You can find pasta, steak, hamburger and japanese food. Pretty random.
  • Ramen Restaurants - these are awesome soup places. You order with a vending machine. Usually robots eat here.
  • Subway Sandwiches - Pretty much the same as in the US, but with "exotic" toppings like "salmon."

*- Safe purely means easily accessible.

Attractions:

Some places where I think we should go to:

  • Asakusa - The big red lanterns. Amazing temple and a great number of shops. Fun area. It is also accessible by boat. It may be cold - but it is a really nice ferry ride.
  • Shibuya - this is the big crosswalk
  • Tokyo station - an insane mall underground. like a mini underground city.
  • Fish market district - crazy fish market district
  • Kabukicho - Red light district and nightlife district. Great for finding a fun bar to hang out at. muji - A really neat japanese ikea like store. They sell premade houses inside
  • Parasite museum - pretty self explanatory
  • Kamakura - Big buddha. A half day trip. Totally awesome.
  • Tokyu Hands - awesome craft store. MANY MANY Stories Imperial Palace -
  • Akhihabara - Video game and electronic super area.
  • Bic Camera - insane multi floor electronics store.
  • Bar near hiromi's old house - crazy old ladies waiting for us to drink with them
  • Myazaki Museum - the animator that is responsible for toturo, Spirited away, Princess mononoke and others. Watching an American movie in Tokyo - a hilarious experience. Pretty fun.
  • Harajuku - really insane neighborhood. A place to look for crazy people. I like it there. We HAVE to go and stare. Wear your mohawk.
  • Roppongi hills - a neat upscale mall/neighborhood
  • Omotesando - Like the Champs Elysees of Tokyo.

Obviously this is a very limited list. I imagine that there are a lot of places we could visit. We should probably just play it by ear!

Interesting things:

  • Not everywhere takes credit cards. But there are a lot of ATMS around. Specifically postal ATMS. They have the best transfer rate and are open more often than crazy Japanese bank ATMS. Be careful because ATMs often close at 9pm. I have no idea why.
  • Bathrooms are almost always clean and easy to find.
  • We will attempt to get a mobile phone for us to use. If you have multiple people in your group, renting a Mobile Hotspot at the airport can be a great deal. The 4G ones are often faster than the hotel internet.
  • There are a lot of little tiny gifts that are perfect for bringing back to friends and super inexpensive.
  • Food is easy to find - so if for some reason a restaurant doesn't work out - never fear! We can easily find another quick place nearby.
  • The trains end at midnight. So unless we are near our Hotels, we will probably be home around 1am.
  • The trains are awesome and easy to understand. There are few places that don't have English - and most of the time it is easy to get around.
  • One of the most fun times my father and I had was when we got lost.
  • Japanese people are made of plants.
  • Most people in Tokyo seem to speak at least some English.
  • There are an insane amount of things to see.
  • There are vending machines every 3 feet. This is because you will need a new tea every 3 or 4 foot.
  • There are no trash cans, except next to vending machines.
  • Basically every restaurant is good. I've never gone wrong just walking into some random place.
  • All the good shops and restaurants are not on the big streets. You need to go one block off in either direction to find the back streets where everything is. Big streets are just for driving.
  • Google maps is super effective in Tokyo.
  • Everyone is very quiet. If you find yourself on a busy street you should try taking a moment to notice that there's no noise or yelling.