Recommended Destinations and Hotspots!

[josiah]

This is a topic to discuss the places you've been and places you recommend to anyone who wants to travel to Japan on either a holiday, work-related, or just whatever kind of trip you want.
I thought it would be a good idea to create a topic on places that you can recommend to the 'would-be' traveller
Depending on how many people comment and so-forth, I think it would be best to outline it like this to make browsing easier and if this topic becomes larger than expected we could have several going at once per region etc.All depends on how many of you have been to Japan and where you've been

I've divided it up into the different regions of Japan to make it easier for everyone.

* Hokkaidō (the island of Hokkaidō and nearby islands, largest city Sapporo)
* Tōhoku region (northern Honshū, largest city Sendai)
* Kantō region (eastern Honshū, largest cities Tokyo and Yokohama)
* Chūbu region (central Honshū, including Mt. Fuji), sometimes divided into:
o Hokuriku region (northwestern Chūbu)
o Kōshin'etsu region (northeastern Chūbu, largest city Nagano)
o Tōkai region (southern Chūbu, largest city Nagoya, Hamamatsu, and Shizuoka
o Chūkyō region (southwestern Chūbu, largest city Nagoya, Gifu,and Yokkaichi
* Kansai or Kinki region (west-central Honshū, largest cities Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto
* Chūgoku region (western Honshū, largest city Hiroshima, and Okayama)
* Shikoku (island, largest city Matsuyama, and Takamatsu)
* Kyūshū (island, largest city Fukuoka) which includes:
oRyukyu Islands including Okinawa

Lets see how it goes!

[momo88]

I were in japan during my summer holiday this year, for the first 7 days I lived in a hostel called K's house in Kuramae , every morning I ate toast for breakfast in a small almost unnoticeable café called Mairudo, (Mild) The owner is an older lady of cause her name is Mairudo-san, I became very very good friends with her, and she were very friendly to me as I am 180cm tall and almost slammed one of her customers down by accident because I didn't see her. ^^ the last day of my stay in Kuramae she kept her café open just for me, though it was Monday and her café's usually closed. She also invited her family, two sisters and a daughter and grand daughter. they gave me a splendid breakfast and nice presents. On the counter stands a small statue of the danish little mermaid, thats from me. ^^

the café is located: (MILD) 111-0034 kaminarimon 2-9-1, Tokyo, Japan.

my usual meal: butter toast and ice-cocoa. great choice.
Bring a present from your country, like a small souvenir of something famous. like the danish little mermaid. she'll treasure it. ^^

[Niku]

Lovely story. I just might make her café a pririty on my to-do-list. Just have to think of what to bring for her.

[visual_gaze]

I would really recommend Katsuyama, Okayama. I stayed there for about 3 weeks when I was in Japan and it is just an amazing and beautiful town. There's a country side feel to it as it is surrounded by mostly trees and such but it is just an amazing town and i'd recommend it to anyone who just wants to escape the city and go somewhere more relaxing.

[gerald_ford]

Nara is awesome too. You really get to see classic, classic Japan (before the Samurai period), and the city is pretty quiet and peaceful compared to bustling Tokyo or Yokohama. The big attraction of course is Todaiji Temple, but you should explore the rest of the grounds as there's a lot of historical treasures and artwork that's splendid, but oft-ignored. The "February Hall" (Nigatsudo) is one such example. From Kyoto you can get there via the Kintetsu line, IIRC.

I love Kamakura as well. I've been there many times and never get tired of it. I love the Great Buddha there, but we also always walk over to the famous Shinto shrine of Tsuruoka-Hachimangu, and then from there the shopping district with its excellent food. Kamakura's kind of hard to get to from Tokyo despite not being too far away, but it's a few trainlines to go.

[kailahana]

I visited Japan for a week in April 09 with my 18 year-old daughter (I'm 40). We had an amazing holiday!

I recommend the Sakura Hostel in Asakusa, Tokyo, if you're okay with "no frills" accommodations. About 3000 yen per night in a dormitory and 8000 yen per night for a private twin room. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and various members speak different languages (all spoke English). They schedule outings for their guests and have tons of information about the local area. Located just a few minutes from three different train lines and Nakimase Street and Senso-ji; it's a good location and is fairly quiet. Lots of small cafes in the area and scads of shopping, including a 100 yen store. (It is now known as the 14,000 yen store in our family....ack!) Taxi to Tokyo station (we had lots of luggage for our trip home) was about 2500 yen during morning rush hour.

We also traveled to Hakodate, Hokkaido and stayed at the Smile Hotel directly across from the JR station. Around 8000 yen for a twin room on weekends, a little less during the week. Not much in the way of English-speaking staff, but they were exceptionally helpful and patient with my limited Japanese. The rooms were comfortable, clean and spacious. Hakodate has a nice trolley system that is easy to use; the hotel staff wrote our destination in kanji on the trolley map so we could show the driver. I was hardheaded and figured it out on my own, but the staff's effort and high level of customer service was much appreciated. The trolley drivers are happy to assist you with calculating the fare until you get the hang of it. The trolley takes you close to all of the major attractions in town, including the baseball stadium.

If you visit Hakodate, you absolutely must visit the morning market a block from the train station. Delicious food, great people. I wish I could relocate it to my back yard.