See this at: fodors.com| Added on 11/20/06

If you're not sure where to start planning your trip to Japan, your best bet might be chatting with those who have gone before you. Our talk forums are brimming with helpful folks eager to pull you from merely daydreaming about Ginkaku-ji in your... See more

If you're not sure where to start planning your trip to Japan, your best bet might be chatting with those who have gone before you. Our talk forums are brimming with helpful folks eager to pull you from merely daydreaming about Ginkaku-ji in your office cubicle to daydreaming in the temple's Zen garden. Here's just a few threads: Preliminary Japan itinerary 2 day side trip from Tokyo...any recommendations to see the real Japan? See less

See this at: japan-guide.com| Added on 11/13/06

Tokyo is Japan's capital and the country's largest city. Tokyo is also one of Japan's 47 prefectures, but is called a metropolis (to) rather than a prefecture (ken). The metropolis of Tokyo consists of 23 city wards (ku), 26 cities, 5 towns and 8... See more

Tokyo is Japan's capital and the country's largest city. Tokyo is also one of Japan's 47 prefectures, but is called a metropolis (to) rather than a prefecture (ken). The metropolis of Tokyo consists of 23 city wards (ku), 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages, including the Izu and Ogasawara Islands, several small Pacific Islands in the south of Japan's main island Honshu. The 23 city wards (ku) are the center of Tokyo and make up about one third of the metropolis' area, while housing roughly eight of Tokyo's approximately twelve million residents. Prior to 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo. A small castle town in the 16th century, Edo became Japan's political center in 1603 when Tokugawa Ieyasu established his feudal government there. A few decades later, Edo had grown into one of the world's most populous cities. With the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the emperor and capital were moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo ("Eastern Capital"). Large parts of Tokyo were destroyed in the... See less

See this at: japan-guide.com| Added on 11/13/06

Himeji Castle is widely considered Japan's most spectacular castle. Unlike many other Japanese castles, Himeji Castle was never destroyed in wars, earthquakes or fires and survives in its original form. It is both, a national treasure and a UNESCO... See more

Himeji Castle is widely considered Japan's most spectacular castle. Unlike many other Japanese castles, Himeji Castle was never destroyed in wars, earthquakes or fires and survives in its original form. It is both, a national treasure and a UNESCO world heritage site. In the 14th century, a fort was first built on the current castle site. Over the centuries, the various clans, who ruled over the region, gradually enlarged it. The castle complex, as it survives today, was completed in 1609. The well defended castle and its wooden interior are fascinating, and the castle's sight is spectacular, especially during the short and crowded cherry blossom season, that usually takes place in the first half of April. It takes one to three hours to explore Himeji Castle. Many travelers visit it on an easy day or half day trip from Kyoto or during a 3-6 hour stop over on a journey along the Sanyo coast, for example, from Kyoto to Hiroshima or Kyushu. Any advice or question? Voice them in the forum!... See less

See this at: quirkyjapan.or.tv| Added on 11/13/06

THE 23 TINY MUSEUMS OF SUMIDA WARD Sumida ward, one of the more traditional and historically minded areas of Tokyo, has 23 tiny museums dedicated to traditional Japanese crafts and small industry. Some of the more interesting sounding museums include... See more

THE 23 TINY MUSEUMS OF SUMIDA WARD Sumida ward, one of the more traditional and historically minded areas of Tokyo, has 23 tiny museums dedicated to traditional Japanese crafts and small industry. Some of the more interesting sounding museums include the Lighter Museum, the Tortoise Shell Museum and the Tabi Museum. There is a homepage with brief descriptions of the exhibits, addresses, and telephone numbers at: http://www.city.sumida.tokyo.jp/english/guide/museums/ Lighter Museum (Raita Hakubutsukan): 800 exhibits including lighters that look like planes, cars, cameras and samurai. Address: Tokyo, Sumida ward, Mukojima 1-27-6. Tel: (03) 3622-1649. Closed Sundays and holdidays. Open 10-6:30. Tortoiseshell Museum (Bekko Shiryokan): Features products made from tortoiseshell, like combs and ornamental hairpins. Address Tokyo, Sumida ward, Yokoami 2-5-5. Tel: (03) 3625-5875 Tabi (Japanese socks) Museum (Tabi Shiryokan): Displays cover the history of Tabi and the tools used to make them.... See less

See this at: japanfortheuninvited...| Added on 11/13/06

Here's a quick guide for playing pachinko: * Get some change. * Sit in front of a machine. * Put some money into the machine. This puts balls into the tray in front of you. * Turn plastic dial a bit. This shoots the balls into the game. Hold it... See more

Here's a quick guide for playing pachinko: * Get some change. * Sit in front of a machine. * Put some money into the machine. This puts balls into the tray in front of you. * Turn plastic dial a bit. This shoots the balls into the game. Hold it there. Watch balls run through. Smoke a few packs of cigarettes. Once in a while, one of the little balls drops into a hole. Then, something magical happens. You win more balls. * Turn dial. Watch balls run through. * Repeat steps 1-5 until (a) you don't have any money, (b) you have to go back to work, or (c) your wife drags you out. The most difficult aspect of the game, apart from watching your money fly away at dizzying speed, is controlling the flow of balls. Many serious players avoid this irritating element of skill by getting the control dial into a good position, and jamming a coin in to lock it there. This leaves both hands free for cigarette smoking and nose picking. Truly Japanese, pachinko rewards patient obsessiveness. See less

See this at: impactlab.com| Added on 11/13/06

Imagine a beach where the sky is always blue, it's never too hot or cold, the water isn't filled with salt and pollution, and the surf is always perfect - welcome to Ocean Dome, the world's only indoor beach. Amazing photos. Ocean Dome has its own... See more

Imagine a beach where the sky is always blue, it's never too hot or cold, the water isn't filled with salt and pollution, and the surf is always perfect - welcome to Ocean Dome, the world's only indoor beach. Amazing photos. Ocean Dome has its own flame-spitting volcano, crushed white marble "sand", and it also boasts the world's largest retractable roof, providing a permanently blue sky. Temperature, wind and humidity are closely controlled to provide an ultra-safe "sea-side" experience. Every hour, the volcano erupts and the hi-tech wave machines start up, starting a few minutes of sanitised surfing. Entrance costs US$50, which seems especially expensive given that there is a free, natural beach only 300 metres away. See less

See this at: tcvb.or.jp| Added on 11/13/06

Few people in the westernized world are as well-off, privileged and having the time of their lives as the Tokyo teen. These kids show up the rest of the Japanese populace as the overworked dopes that we are, and as a TV commentator pointed out:... See more

Few people in the westernized world are as well-off, privileged and having the time of their lives as the Tokyo teen. These kids show up the rest of the Japanese populace as the overworked dopes that we are, and as a TV commentator pointed out: "There are two kinds of Japanese: the high-school kids, and everybody else." Shibuya is where one can gape at this special chunk of demographics first hand. Only 15 square kilometers, Shibuya is and remains what ad agencies call "the ultimate trendsetter". Everything worth anything in the way of popular culture is launched from Shibuya's streets, from thick-soled shoes and exposed belly buttons to girlie slang and Hello Kitty cell-phone cases. The state of frenetic permanent revolution that characterizes Shibuya's teen culture is also reflected in the area's physical landscape, as the turn of the millennium has seen the once mid-height neighborhood around the station transformed by two massive high-rise redevelopment projects. Mark City... See less

See this at: tcvb.or.jp| Added on 11/13/06

Shops full of wax food samples You can be excused for thinking you have just entered a street full of Japanese restaurants that serve everything from banana splits to lobster in French sauce in the one establishment. But at Kappabashi none of the... See more

Shops full of wax food samples You can be excused for thinking you have just entered a street full of Japanese restaurants that serve everything from banana splits to lobster in French sauce in the one establishment. But at Kappabashi none of the samples in the windows advertise anything to eat inside. This part of Tokyo sells restaurant supplies, and the wax food itself is for sale. How about a delicious plate of spaghetti bolognese, strands of the pasta dangling from the prongs of a fork balanced in midair? A talking piece for the home such as this will cost you about 6,000 yen. A scrumptious sundae with swirls of chocolatey cream or a plate of assorted sushi will be about the same. But there are many cheaper items as well, and a browse along the streets here will soon tell you which shops do the most realistic job in modelling the food. The quality of the reproduction is quite amazing. How are they made? In fact, a mold is taken by pouring wax over the actual potato or prawn and... See less

See this at: tcvb.or.jp| Added on 11/13/06

Loft: A store in a similar vein. Seibu, Marui, 109, Tokyu, Parco: All excellent department stores. NHK Studio Park: For a peek behind the scenes at the nation's public broadcaster. Yoyogi Park: To sit down and relax. Tower Records: A multi-story... See more

Loft: A store in a similar vein. Seibu, Marui, 109, Tokyu, Parco: All excellent department stores. NHK Studio Park: For a peek behind the scenes at the nation's public broadcaster. Yoyogi Park: To sit down and relax. Tower Records: A multi-story music CD megastore, topped with a good selection of reasonably priced books and magazines in English. See less

See this at: tcvb.or.jp| Added on 11/13/06

Electronic playground and more Sony's showroom (3573-2563) is always a fun browse. On display are all the trend-setting electronics company's latest offerings and often a few prototypes as well. You can try out all their latest video cameras, give a... See more

Electronic playground and more Sony's showroom (3573-2563) is always a fun browse. On display are all the trend-setting electronics company's latest offerings and often a few prototypes as well. You can try out all their latest video cameras, give a listen to car stereos, be amazed by a demonstration of high-definition television systems and have a little hands-on fun with the company's newest computer marvels. The showroom is wonderfully laid-out, taking up the greater part of six of the building's eight floors. But there's a lot more to the Sony Building than Sony. Also on the premises are two of Tokyo's finest restaurants, Sabatini di Firenze (3573-0013) on the 7th floor, and Maxim's de Paris (0120-55-6291) in the 3rd basement. Also AVIC, an electronics shop (B1 level, 3571-2614) where you can purchase the goodies you've been playing with upstairs, and Sony Plaza (B2 level, 3575-2525), purveyor of all kinds of imported snacks and various gewgaws. The Sony Building's first-floor... See less

See this at: tcvb.or.jp| Added on 11/13/06

Akihabara is Tokyo at its most frenetic. Ten percent of all electrical gear - CD players, TV sets, vacuum cleaners, computer games, zoomeroid robots - sold in Japan every year are sold in Akihabara. It's consumerism pushed to the brink. You can find... See more

Akihabara is Tokyo at its most frenetic. Ten percent of all electrical gear - CD players, TV sets, vacuum cleaners, computer games, zoomeroid robots - sold in Japan every year are sold in Akihabara. It's consumerism pushed to the brink. You can find stuff here that you can't find anywhere else in the world, like RCA vacuum tubes that went out of production in 1945, in their original boxes. If you are nostalgic, you can buy one of the first video cameras ever produced (it's heavy!). You can buy all sorts of equipment that will never be exported because it's too weird - like a battery-powered pogo stick with a counter of times jumped. Japanese manufacturers send prototypes of their new products to Akihabara to see if they will fly, dispatching young engineers to question potential customers about their color and shape and the feel of the knobs. People go to Akihabara for the scene, much as they would go to the circus, not necessarily to buy anything so much as to be swept along by waves... See less

See this at: tcvb.or.jp| Added on 11/13/06

Peace and quiet - at least during the daytime A vast expanse of trees and grass, Yoyogi Park (in Japanese, park is koen) lies between the Meiji Shrine grounds and the NHK Broadcasting Center. During the occupation after the Second World War an... See more

Peace and quiet - at least during the daytime A vast expanse of trees and grass, Yoyogi Park (in Japanese, park is koen) lies between the Meiji Shrine grounds and the NHK Broadcasting Center. During the occupation after the Second World War an American housing complex called Washington Heights stood here, and then Kenzo Tange's distinctive Yoyogi National Stadium was built for the 1964 Olympics. The stadium remains one of Tokyo's most impressive landmarks. Foreign visitors once marveled at the exhibitionist Japanese rock-n-rollers here when the road through the park was closed off on Sundays, but that's been stopped. Not a lot about the place is unusual; it's just a good place to get away from it all for a while and perhaps take a nap on the grass. A nice fountain with changing patterns punctuates the middle of the park, and there's a bicycle path for kids that features free rental up to junior high school age. Yoyogi Park is also a popular spot for jogging. Early in the morning, you... See less

See this at: links.net| Added on 11/13/06

Just In Tokyo, a cheap, handy, printed guide to Tokyo. The print edition is no longer for sale; though you can look at all the hype here. Enjoy the September 2002 version - download 750k pdf. Most of the material is about adjusting to Japan, less... See more

Just In Tokyo, a cheap, handy, printed guide to Tokyo. The print edition is no longer for sale; though you can look at all the hype here. Enjoy the September 2002 version - download 750k pdf. Most of the material is about adjusting to Japan, less about specific restaurants to eat in. It's an overview experience. If you download the PDF, consider a donation. Suggested price: US$ 7-10. Email me money with PayPal: See less

See this at: travel.yahoo.com| Added on 11/13/06

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