I'd like to take a trip to Japan for one week. Where should I go?

Question

I'm mainly interested in understanding their use of technology, transportation, etc. I think I should go to Tokyo for a week but are there any other places I should not miss (for a day or two)?

Answer 1

china

Answer 2

well technology and transportationare fairly ubiquitous thoroughout Japan so it's not necessary to limit yourself to Tokyo.. (Tokyo is a big, expensive and relatively unfriendly city)

get a 7day JRail pass - about $400 USD and much less expensive than what residents pay. you MUST get it before your trip, overseas.. google their website to find where you can purchase.. toatlly worth it will alow you to see so much more than just Tokyo....

for inststance - The Kansai region: Kyoto and Nara.

both are amazing and easily accessible from Osaka or by train from Tokyo.(note that the afforemention JRail pass is not valid for use on the Bullet Train)

Kyoto was the ancient capital for over 1,000 years, never bombed in WWII (because of its PROFOUND cultural significance, US brass wisely decided to spare it). Cobblestoned streets, secret gardens, thousands of temples and shrines, the serene meandering Kamogawa River, the surrounding mountains, The Gion (Geisha district, movie "Memoirs.." couldn't even come CLOSE to replicating the magic and beauty of the area..), great shopping, food, crafts, arts, renowned for their pickles - you can wander from shop to shop and have a complete meal just sampling free pickles.

Kyoto, IMO is the quintessential traditional Japanese experience, I cannot reccomend it highly enough. Its not a huge intimidating metropolis like Tokyo or Osaka and people are VERY friendly here. Most speak some English - and if you make a rudimentary attempt to speak Japanese, they will often open right up (otherwise reseved and shy about their "engrish").

Nearby Nara, is an even more ancient capital and is a beautiful collection of pagodas and temples winding around a small mountain. The largest Buddha in Japan is here as well there are tame deer that wander the streets of the town.. Nara is a day trip from Kyoto and well worth it.

Answer 3

Tokyo is a huge metropolitan area. There is lots to do there. Yokohama and Chiba are near by and easily accesible from Tokyo.

If you want to venture out, but stay close to Tokyo, here are my recommendations.

Nagano
Kyoto, Osaka, Nara (You can see the 3 of them on a trip to the area for a few days)
Mt. Fuji and the surrounding area
Sendai

Answer 4

lets see, good places to go, if you are definately into technology, akihabara should be at the very top of your list, also people watching at one of the big train stations should whet your appetite for transportation technology, follow that up with a day trip to Osaka or Kyoto via shinkansen to experience the train yourself, Osaka is a very modern western style city, where Kyoto is much more 'traditional' So much to see, and do that you will be hard pressed to do lots of stuff in a week.

If I were going, I would definately need at least 2 weeks, if not a month to cross even half the stuff off my mental list of stuff to do.

Answer 5

Tokyo is enough for starters, believe me, just spent two weeks there. It costs $300 US by cab to drive across Tokyo and $250 US between airports Narita and Hanada. Bring $$$

Answer 6

Hi...
when I went home, I loved it. It was the best time of my life. No way can any country beat that one, EVER! Japan is beautiful, no matter where you go. You can try Kyoto, It is very beautiful. Kiyomizu(清水)Is a very beautiful temple. It is big, and there are sprouts of water coming out of the ground and you can drink it. The name in english is pure water temple.
Also, Kinkakuji(金閣寺). It is the golden temple. It is very beautiful also. It is big and made with gold leaf. There, is also many other temples in Kyoto. Kyoto also has very nice shopping areas.
Personaly, my favorite in Kyoto was the Kyoto Tower. It is very tall, and there is a very beautiful view up at top(espetially at night). If you need a hotel, try the Kyoto Century Hotel.

Now there is Oosaka. It is also a very beautiful city. There are onsen(springs), but I don't like those. then thereis the Oosaka aquarium. It is very big!

Then Nara, is a very beautiful city also. It is covered with lots of nature. There is the toudaiji(東大寺) it is the biggest building made of wood in the world. It also has the biggest buda statue, It is very beautiful. Also there is a park with tones of dear, they are very friendly.

But I don't prefer tourist areas...I don't like it very much.
Also Tokyo is very big and nice...lots of shopping areas.

Have lots of fun in Japan^_^ I am very envious!!
Hope this helps

Answer 7

Probably want to hang around in the Tokyo area. Sony, Panasonic and other main players are there. Do your research before you go and it should be a great time. I went to the Panasonic facility (it was awesome).

Answer 8

I envy you.