Insider info-Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone
 

Any insider info that I should be putting on my radar... like amazing restaurant (cheap or expensive) or hidden gems that a first timer might not ever know about from books, etc.? We love everything and are open to all suggestions even the bizarre and kitschy.

Also, we are going during rainy season...should we be spending two nights in Hakone and 2 in Kyoto or should we make Kyoto three nights?

This forum is truly the best "guidebook" I have come across. Thanks to all of you for all your great suggestions past & future.

monkey: Kuranosuke on this board reviewed 3 restaurants he went to in a thread a few months ago. One in particular might be good for getting out of Tokyo for a late afternoon/evening when it is hot in summer, Ukai Toriyama, in the lush hills (west I think) of Tokyo. Put in that name in the search box or Matsukan or Edogin (the other 2 places) and his 3 posts will come up. Mealea, who lives in Tokyo, originally posted about Ukai T. as a special place, look for his post also. I can direct you to that one if you can't find it.

From the research I did (alot) on Hakone and having gone to Kyoto, my vote would be go to Hakone early in the day, stay 1 night, add on extra in Kyoto.

I highly recommend the Luxe City Guide Tokyo. It has a lot of cool and off-beat advice on secret spots that mostly only people who live here know about. Has lots of good insider info.

One night in Hakone is enough. The more time in Kyoto, the better. With such little time, personally I would skip Hakone. The rainy season in Hakone is pretty dreary and you won't get any nice views. Kyoto is charming in all seasons.

If you have more specific questions on Tokyo, let me know. Do a search for the website called "Quirky Japan."

Once again...always good advice. Ok, before I go changing my reservations and such...We want to at least see Hakone. Who knows when we'll be back. Right now, we are scheduled to be there Sunday & Monday nights. If we are there all day Sunday, will we be able to enjoy the area or will things be closed? Here's our current schedule...

Thurs-Arrive Tokyo-Southern Century Tower
Fri-Tokyo
Sat-Tokyo
Sun-Hakone-Fujiya Hotel
Mon-Hakone
Tues-Kyoto-Westin Miyako
Wed-Kyoto-Ryokan
Thurs-Tokyo-Sofitel-Ueno Park
Fri-Tokyo
Sat-Leave Japan =(

We are jumping around a bit, but I really wanted to stay in a nice Ryokan & Hakone was supposed to be the relaxation part of the trip...I do think shorting Hakone would be fine, but all suggestions are welcome.

Quirky Japan is a very cool sight. Between the two of you, I think I will have lots of good info to make this trip just the way we'd like it.

Your trip is shaping up, customized for you, the best way IMO. Get one of those good luck charm papers in Kyoto and tie it to the line for me, ok? You'll understand when you get there.

I agree with Mealea that one night in Hakone would be enough. Maybe no nights in rainy season unless you have a nice ryokan with a nice onsen bath that you have picked out and are looking for some down time. But if you were planning on staying in a budget guest house then you could save Hakone for your next trip. Try the peach jusu.

I wrote my last reply and then pressed "Post My Reply" a half hour later. Now I see your itinerary and it looks great. You're right, who knows when you might get back to Japan. A visit to Hakone now is worth two visits in the future, I suppose.

I really wanted to go to one of the good restaurants in Kyoto close to Nanzenji (on the Path of Philosophy, in walking distance from Miyako). They are generally open during daylight hours, but one famous one, Junsei, is open later, you can get in til 7 pm I think. They are known for tofu dishes but also have shabu shabu, kaiseki, sukiyaki, etc. The grounds and several buildings that make it up are supposed to be lovely (originally aprt of a med school established during shogun era). Eng. menu; it does attract tourists. Google it.
There are several other places like this in that same area- Miyako has a map w/all of them and info.

Second Mealea's suggestion - my Luxe guide was a treasure trove. Discovered gems like Maisen a converted bath house near Aoyama where I ate for under 410. Buy one from www.luxecityguides.com.

Sorry - type in my hurry - that shd be under $10!

emd...I hope I am tying a good luck charm for general good luck and not swollen ankle & foot disease. Are you better? I hope you are on the road to speedy recovery.

All these suggestions are great. I have already added a night on to our Kyoto hotel & will reduce our stay at Fujiya to one night. I will also get the Luxe guide (I think I have a full library of Japan books now...Not so easy when trying to hide the surprise from hubby)

I have to say after capsule toys and food, I may have to move in with one of you because we will be broke! It's seems so difficult not to do everything. I have no will power when it comes to sticking with a budget. It will be worth it.

I have looked deeper into the Quirky Japan site and am highly entertained by it. It is very much in line with our thinking for this trip. Thanks again, Mealea.

Food does not have to be expensive there to be good. On the contrary, our most enjoyable meals were small inexpensive places we ducked into. We only had one big hoopla meal in Tokyo. Everything else was more modest but really good, IMO, and much more authentic.
Capsule toys are not expensive, $1 to $2. If you find ones you really like or that are more intricate and $$, go to Gee Store and buy the set instead of paying the machines. Just play the machines for fun and see what you get. And keep them in the plastic cases so that you have to haul them all back to the hotel, that way you are limited by how many you can carry.

I figure that with the keiseki meal at the ryokan, we don't have to go nuts, but temptation might be hard to resist. Maybe one great meal in tokyo (maybe shabu, shabu...we love it), keiseki in kyoto & call it a day. We love sushi, noodles, etc, so we should get by just fine. As for the toys, my collection is not as much a problem as my husband's. He collects pretty expensive die cast transformers and robotech. In the US they can sometimes be hundreds on dollars...I will just have to divert his attention. Fortunately, he has a little more self control =)

Benchmark today, I send in my forms for my JR Passes & Ghiblii Museum passes. Very exciting. I don't need anything special for Bandai do I? Also, can you get baseball tix from the states or not until arrival?

how exciting! I recall how really excitedIi got when I actually had my JR voucher in hand.
Nothing special needed for Bandai.
I just got tickets by going to the ticket window at the stadium. Mrwunrfl here ahs gotten walk up tickets on day of the games in regular season (recall I was preseason). If you are going to see the Giants play at Tokyo Dome, I ahve heard it said that it is good to get seats ahead if possible, but I don't know that it is a must. Check this website for ticket info: www.japanesebaseball.com
Search the forums there; the ticket issue is discussed all the time there.
I also have a link to a great site that gives you info on the stadiums, how to get there, what food is available, what shopping and eating is nearby the stadium, what seats are like in different areas, etc. I'll dig it out for you later.
So you will be going to Tokyo Dome for Giants, or Jingu stadium in Tokyo to see the Swallows, or are you going in Osaka to se the Tigers or Buffaloes? Schedlues for all the teams are on that japanesebaseball site also, on the left side of homepage, click on team name.

Saw an article (at japantimes.com, I think, or maybe Daily Yomiuri) that said that Giants tix were not so hard to get anymore. Could not find the j-ball schedule at japantimes.com like they had last year. It listed all of the games for each day with game times. The one at japanesebaseball doesn't show game times after April 6, unless I am missing something.

honestly, don't know too much about japanese baseball, but it sounds like fun (especially on opening day here in Boston...go Sox). What team is Gabe Kapler on again? Tigers? It might be fun to see one of our guys play. This is one of those "would like to do, but if we don't, not the end of the world" things. It just seemed like fun...I will check into the things you recommended.

Anyone gone to baths in Tokyo? We might want to do that in our first days in Japan rather than wait until mid-trip. We will have the opportunity in both Hakone & Kyoto, but thought we might want to "practice" early on =)

Random question emd...I remember reading something in your log about the Milwaukee airport...Just curious, why were you in Milwaukee?

GAbe Kapler is on the Giants. I saw him steal bases in Tokyo. But the real MLB player who shines on Giants is Tuffy Rhodes. He is doing well and I saw him hit a 3 run homer in the 1st inning. My husband told me that Tuffy has a record in the MLB- was it the most opening day home runs? I'll have to ask him again.
mrwunrfl, where are you looking on japanesebaseball.com? The schedules for the entire season are there, I just went and made sure again. Go to the home page, scroll down on the left side to the team you want, like Tigers, and click, and there is the entire schedule for the season.

Thanks, would like a schedule that lists all of the games on each day instead of each team separate. More important is the game times.

If you are in Tokyo on May 29 then you could go to the Japanese Derby. I think it will be at Tokyo Race Course in Fuchu. You can get to Fuchu via a Keio Rail line from Shinjuku station. It can be reached via JR but in a more roundabout way. If the (horse) race is not in Fuchu it would be at a course called Nakayama.

oh, i'm sorry i spaced on the work "times", didn't realize it was times at issue. I had to have the concierge find out time for me at the hotels a few days before we went to the games.

monkey, I was put in Minneapolis for 4 hours in kind of a purgatory situation, waiting to go to Narita on NWA. All I remember is watching the CNN stories on Brian Nichols being arrested finally in Atlanta, over and over and over for hrs. at the gate TV. Being on the plane to Narita was alot more fun.
OK, here's the skinny on Tuffy Rhodes. Prior to this year he was the last MLB player to hit 3 HRs in an opening day game; my husband thinks he did it in the mid-80s, and that he is one of only 3 to have ever done that.

This is a bit of a personal message, but monkey- I heard the Bo Sox beat the Yankees 8 to 1 today, Wakefield w/the knuckleball. And they got the World Series rings today- I guess they had to mail Kapler's to him in Tokyo...

Well, just figured out that the Giants will be playing at Tokyo Dome when we are there (one night against the swallows & one against the carps). This will be after we get back to Tokyo from Kyoto. Do you think this is an ok activity for our last night? Was it hard to get tix through your hotel?

Also, emd...Did you make reservations for Ninja through your hotel? Do you think it will be difficult getting same-day reservations? I was thinking it might be fun our first night since that is my husband's actually bday. Know anything about which room to choose for dining?

mrwunrfl...if you go to tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/ and go to their events schedule you can see all the teams games & times that will play there by month.

As for the Sox...we did a good job yesterday. Although, this year NONE of the games are broadcast on normal TV just NESN...So, no one without cable got to see the ring presentation or game (except on the news). People are MAD. It was a pretty bogus maneuver...

A baseball game is a great last night activity IMO. It will get you out and headed back to the hotel (or maybe out to have some more fun) at a pretty early hour. We did not get tickets thru the hotels, we went ourselves to the window to get them (day before for Giants at Tokyo Dome, day of game in Osaka).
I don't know about Ninja reservations one day before. Summer is a busy time, and it was very full when we were there. We reserved 3 days ahead. Could your hotel make the reservations for you in advance of your arrival? I don't think you get to choose your "room"- it is not really a room, more like a cubby room that just has your table and a wall hanging and a screen that closes but it is like lattice so you can see though it. But have the person making the reservation tell them it is his birthday, that migh tmake a difference. I did see/hear them bring a special dessert and sing to someone who was having a birthday (although it wasn't our version of Happy Birthday of course!)
Did you look into the New York grill place at the Hyatt at Roppongi Hills? Ooolala and nice view, but pricey. Maybe good for at least a drink.
that clucks about the ring presentation. All those years the fans waited and you can't even see the ring thing live.

I was there as a student so I know a lot of budget stuff. If you like tempura, try a fast food tempura chain. its almost a la carte. I know there is (or was) one just outside of Ikebukero station, on sort of in the direction of Rikkyo Daigaku.
Also, Curry House. You custom order your curry by grams of rice, and spiciness of curry and toppings like fried shrimp, fermented soybeans, quail eggs, bananas and even wierder.

Thanks for the Tokyo Dome schedule info, monkeyrhino. Now I'm tempted to go to Tokyo.

Food tips are great. I am trying to space out our fancier meals, so all these suggestions definitely help.

Does anyone know anything about the Women's Association of Kyoto? The offer all sorts of 1-2 hour workshops in everything from cooking to tea ceremony to origami. I also believe you go into a private home for some of these. Seems pretty neat, but wondering if anybody has any experience with them...

This is some of the best advice for Japan that I've seen anywhere! Cool! I'm taking about 15 students (college students - honors) to Japan for about 2 weeks in late July early August next summer (2006). We need to be in Hiroshima for the commemoration activities in early August, that is why we have to go then (I know it's hot and rainy, but it's better than Tampa, which is where we'd be otherwise!). I will definitely have questions for the group in the weeks to come.

birder, I took a quick look on the www to see if Tampa had a sister city in Japan. I think that the answer is no, but St Pete does with Takamtsu.

I did find the following website that might be of interest to you:
http://web.usf.edu/iac/florida-japan.htm
Perhaps you know about that already; there is a contact in Tampa.

I have a nice picture of a school kids posing for a group shot in Hiroshima. Please go to www.billk.org and click on "Japan, Bali, Hong". See the picture in the middle of the first row.

hey emd...did you end up going with Johnny Hillwalker on a tour? Do you think it is something we should do or are we ok without? Sounds kind of interesting...

Hi there. No, we didn't feel the need for it in Kyoto, but if I had had more time I might have done it. Also, recall that I was having foot problems in Kyoto and felt that I couldn't commit to a walking tour, it was better to do our own independently so I could sit when I needed to and get off the feet.
I asked about Johnny Hillwalker and someone on here gave me good feedback. Search for that post if you don't have it already.

monkeyrhino: this morning I posted some additional anime/manga, Ghibli, and other info for another poster that you might want to see. Check out the post by kswl, "Bought incredible tickets, spru of the moment-- now I need an iteinerary"

emd...you rock. I printed out that post and went to all the sites you mentioned. Very helpful. Things are shaping up nicely.

Should we in all cases possible, send our bags ahead? I am thinking we will take the limosine bus from Narita to Tokyo (it goes directly to our first hotel). Take a small bag to Hakone and have our bags sent ahead to Kyoto, then from Kyoto back to Tokyo. I can't decide if I want to send ahead to Narita for our departure. A little paranoid that time will be an issue. I was thinking of taking the Skyliner back to the airport since it leaves from Ueno. It claims only an hour in travel time. Is this true?