Food

Japan has a huge variety of foods. When people think of Japan, they usually imagine fish. There is definitely a lot of fish in Japan but there are also at least six other styles of food, from fried pork cutlets to barbecued pork noodle soups…

Tonkatsu: This form of Japanese cuisine is fried pork cutlet. Tender pork is fried in breadcrumbs in various forms, including: filled with spring onion, plain fried pork and filled with prawn.

Ramen: One of my favourite. Large bowls of tasty chicken, beef or vegetable stock (soup). These bowls are piled high with your choice of thick or thin noodles. The thick noodles are called udon and the thin vermicelli noodles are called ramen noodles. Thinly sliced barbecued pork, beef or chicken is added along with ginger, spring onions and sometimes chilli. Probably the most hunger satisfying dish, ramen is often served with duck, chicken or vegetable gyoza, which is a crescent shaped parcel, often steamed and soft at the top but crispy at the base. Eat these with chilli sauce for a spicy treat.

Kaiseki: Most common in traditional Japanese ryokans (inns), this type of meal is not hard to find in Tokyo but is invariably quite expensive. A many course traditional Japanese meal which consists of tiny plates with intricate designs of fish and vegetables. One may find, for example, a slice of salmon on a bed of Japanese pickle topped with salmon roe and fish sauce. Dishes are a lot more imaginative than this, but only true fish lovers and curious travellers should try this as a number of the courses can involve various fish parts, including heads, eyes and tails.

Sushi: Thinly sliced pieces of raw fish are either served alone or in seaweed parcels with rice. There are many combinations of sushi with odd ingredients such as fish eggs and sometimes sea urchin, a yellow paste. Sushi restaurants are very common in Tokyo.

Yakiktori: This type of cooking is where skewers of chicken or other meats are dipped in a thick sauce and grilled before being served. Sometimes the plain meat is put on skewers however more commonly used is the unwanted parts of the animal. Gizzards, wombs and cartilage are turned into a rich, saucy dish.

Tempura: Tempura is the name of the batter that various objects are deep-fried in. Despite the word “Deep” fried, the object is usually visible through the thin batter. Crunchy vegetables, fish and prawns are served with various sauces including sweet chilli or sesame.

Shabu-shabu: This style of cooking is exciting, healthy and a real experience in itself. Look at the section about Ginza for my favourite shabu-shabu restaurant. The story behind this restaurant is that I was walking through the streets of Ginza, very hungry indeed and I noticed the sign for this restaurant outside the shopping arcade. I went in and the food was a very decent price. The food was also delicious. I don’t even know the name but I go back there whenever I am in Ginza. I have been there 4 times now. It has become a tradition. What is shabu-shabu though? Named after the supposed sound the chopsticks make while swishing through the water during the meal, wafer thin raw meat is put on a plate, usually beef and pork. There is a pot of boiling water in front of you. After a piece of raw thin meat is put in, it cooks after about 20 seconds. The meat is then eaten while your designated waitress continuously offers free refills of iced tap water (Japan water is safe to drink and you will crave it after trawling the humid Tokyo streets in summer), rice, vegetables, delicious sesame sauce and chilli oil. By the end of the meal, you will always be filled to the brim… Guaranteed! Oh, and when you have cooked all your spring onions, lettuce, mushrooms, noodles and meat the boiling water is seasoned with pepper and chilli oil before being poured into a bowl and drunk as a delicious soup.

Teppan-yaki: If you like steak or seafood, this would be ideal. Although many teppan-yaki restaurants are expensive, there are a few well-priced ones, you have to find them first though. I recommend “Pandora’s steakhouse” in Shinjuku, near the Main Post Office. You sit at the bar counter with a huge flat metal grill in front of you. Sit and watch as master chefs prepare your food on the grill before your very eyes. Juicy steaks and garlic rice, chilli squid and bok choy. This is definitely worth trying.

Planning Transport

Before you leave for Japan, you will obviously need to have decided where you will go. I suggest using Tokyo as a starting point, but you can use the rest of this guide to help you decide if you would like to start somewhere else. The reason I am going to start with Tokyo is because Narita is a major and easily accessible airport. I also assume that after the 11 hour flight (from London Heathrow), the last thing you will want to do is travel further. However Narita is still a 90 minute journey by either bus or train. There is a very convenient shuttle bus which will take you from Narita airport to various places around Tokyo, direct to your hotel. You can find out in more detail about the various routes the bus takes by asking your hotel concierge. There is also a train which leaves from Narita. Tickets are obtainable at the airport. Or you could buy N’ex (Narita express) tickets using this combination whereby you can save money on both Narita express fares and the cost of a Suica card (please see next paragraph)

For a beginner in Tokyo, getting around can seem rather daunting. Another aim of this guide is to help you with general transport within Tokyo. One option is to simply take taxis around. However this is very costly and besides, where’s the fun in that? For a real adventure, I would highly recommend buying a Suica card. This is a multi-use pre-pay card which works in a similar way to a London Oyster card. Top-up this card with money and then scan it as you enter and as you leave stations. It can also be used in certain convenience stores in stations, as well as in some taxis. It is extremely useful and I would say a requirement for navigating around Tokyo painlessly. In the long run, it saves both money and time as it only takes two seconds to scan it each time and each journey costs 150-300 yen). For those with enough money to spare, buying a JR rail pass is suggested. There are two main rail services in Tokyo, just as there is the underground and national rail in London. JR rail passes are not expensive, and using the JR lines have many additional stations, including the extremely useful Yamanote line, which takes a large circle through many of the main places of interest in central Japan.

A couple of items which are really worth getting hold of: a Tokyo subway map, a JR rail map and a general map of Tokyo. Both Tokyo subway trains and JR rail trains leave often and one of the things I find most astonishing about Japan is how precise the timings are. You can be almost positive that the train will leave to the minute. On some occasions, I have even seen subway trains leave to the second! Check google images for Tokyo subway map and Tokyo JR rail map. Once you have all of the maps, you will find that navigating around one of the most densely populated cities in the world is easier than you think.

Places of Interest

In this section, I will recommend a few places to see and give a brief overview of each area. I will try not to tell too much as most of the fun is exploring for yourself. However I have obviously not listed everywhere in Tokyo as that would take days, months. Use the subway to explore more areas of Tokyo as you please.

Shinjuku: This is my favourite area to explore i.e. walk around backstreets to find sleazy ramen restaurants (see food section). This area is home to the skyscraper district and also one of the best places for nightlife. Very easily accessible by subway and on the JR Yamanote line (see transport section) and central to Tokyo.

Ginza: This area is great for shopping, with an apple technology store and a major toy shop called Hakuhinkan. In the toy shops in Tokyo, the Japanese have turned the edimame bean into a cute, fluffy toy. Edimame towels, chopsticks, bouncy balls, stuffed dolls and other merchandise are a must-see. My favourite shabu-shabu restaurant (mentioned in the food section) can be found on the middle/upper floors of Ginza core, a minor shopping arcade near the main Ginza crossroads. I highly recommend walking up and down the main Ginza street a couple of times, although it is about a kilometre long.

Akihabara: This is the technology centre of Tokyo. Anyone who is interested in cameras, computers, gaming, music etc. should go here. There are many technology shops, technology markets with tiny stalls selling things which are not available in other countries. Akihabara also contains my favourite shop, Yodobashi camera. There are many branches of this shop, however out of the 5 that I have been to, this is the best one by far. Yodobashi is very near Akihabara station (see a subway map online), which is on the silver Hibiya line. This amazing shop has about seven floors of pure heaven in technology. One floor is dedicated to cameras, another to computers, another to CDs and DVDs, another to Televisions and the hidden surprise, there is a tower records on the top floor, a successful Japanese CD shop.

Omote sando and Takeshitadori: Omote sando is the fashion district of Tokyo. The main street here is filled with exciting Japanese brands. There is not much else I can say about this area because the best way to find out about this street is to walk up the main street. Takeshitadori is very close by. This is the main fashion street in Japan. It is where hundreds of teenagers hang out in their original outfits. All the wild and wacky fashion trends start here. Highly recommended because when you arrive there, you feel like you are on a completely different planet. When I was there, I walked up and down Takeshitadori three times. It takes roughly 10 minutes to walk up Takeshitadori, that is without stopping.

Shibuya: This is the shopping district in Tokyo. This is where you can find the Shibuya crossing, the world’s busiest zebra crossing. Photographers and interviewers can be seen talking to random people off the streets. Another tower records is situated nearby. This branch of tower records has eight floors. Numerous other shops include loft, a huge department store which has a vast range of stationery and toys. Always packed with people, Shibuya is one of the most vibrant and lively places to visit.

Roppongi: This is an interesting place to walk around. The restaurant “Gonpachi” inspired the creation of the gruesome scene in “Kill Bill.” Gonpachi is a nice restaurant near Roppongi which sells ramen and yakitori. Probably most famous is the shopping mall, “Roppongi Hills.” The grand Hyatt has a delicious, but extremely pricey teppanyaki restaurant. If you are not prepared to spend up to £100 per person, then don’t go. However Roppongi Hills shopping centre has some very interesting shops and definitely worth going to.

Using the JR Rail pass to access other parts of Japan

If you buy a JR Rail pass, you will be able to access other parts of Tokyo using the shinkansen, in other words bullet train. There are three types of shinkansen: Kodama, Hikari and Nozomi. Kodama is the slowest and stops at all stations. Hikari is the medium-fast train which skips all minor stations and Nozomi is the fast one. As well as only stopping at the largest stations, the Nozomi also travels 10% faster, meaning that on the longest journey which is 6 hours, it saves about 40 minutes. The Nozomi cannot be used for free with a JR rail pass and extra fees must be paid, but the other two trains which travel at around 200kmph are included in the JR rail pass price. See the section on other locations for ideas about where to travel to in Japan.

Creating an Ideal Trip to Japan with Balanced Ideas

A whole fortnight in Japan just shopping can get boring and expensive. For this reason it is important to balance the trip in the following categories: Religion, Shopping, Museums, Relaxing. Even if you may find museums rather boring, it is still important to go to a couple, because not only do you learn quite a lot, you will leave Japan with fond memories. You may not think so, but your feelings about Japan after you leave are very important as well. Use Tokyo as the shopping part of the trip, but I would suggest Kyoto as the religion category as there you will find some of the most stunning architecture in the shinto Buddhist temples. You can use any spa or hotel room to relax in but this is very important as you probably don’t want your trip to be too rushed and you should unwind for an hour or so every day in the spa or swimming pool.

Locations

Kyoto: This is an ideal place if you want to learn about Japanese culture. Kyoto is home to some of Japan’s most spectacular temples and pagodas. I suggest staying in a traditional Japanese ryokan here, for a Japanese village feel. A ryokan is a Japanese inn. There are no beds. Instead you sleep on matresses on tatami mats and paper windows. You are also given the opportunity in some ryokans to experience a Japanese hot bath or even an onsen, which is a hot springs pool. Kyoto is also a place where Geisha sightings are common. Go to Gion, where Japanese women in traditional dress and with completely white faces walk around together. Traditionally geishas were supposed to keep men happy by pouring their tea, bowing to them, dancing for them etc.

Nagoya: There are quite a few places to visit here like Nagoya castle. But by far the best time to go is when the national Sumo competition is held, which is every year in July. This is a fascinating experience where you can watch professional sumo wrestlers in the semi-finals or finals. You sit on purple mats in little square rings. This year it was held in a gym. Japanese culture in this way is completely different and you will be amazed by it. Something extraordinary happens at the end of a sumo competition, which I will leave for you to find out. Aside from the sumo, I suggest walking down the main streets in Nagoya: Hirokoji-dori (Hirokoji street) and Sakura-dori (Sakura street). Look in some of the shops at your leisure.

Hiroshima: This is where the first atomic bomb was used in the second world war. This bomb forced Japan to surrender after causing a horrifying amount of damage. I don’t think you can truly understand how much pain and suffering this bomb caused until you visit the Hiroshima museum and memorial. This is a fascinating yet harrowing museum which teaches about atomic bombs, the type of damage caused and the plane that dropped it, the “Enola Gay.” Before going to this museum I did not know of such a thing as a fourth degree burn, not before seeing pictures of children with skin burned so much that it had actually charred and turned black. After the museum, visit the eternal flame, a flame which is constantly lit in memorial of the dead. There is an air of unrest and unease at the same time as peace when you stand and look at it.

Rikugien

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Rikugien is one of Tokyo’s lovelies landscaped gardens, filled with gorgeous maple and cherry trees. Visit in autumn when the leaves turn into shades of red, amber and gold. Built in 1702 by feudal lord Yabagisawa Yoshiyasu, who is famous for his literary accomplishments, Rikugien means “six poems garden”. It is said that 88 scenes from the famous poem were recreated along the path surrounding the pond. It will take about an hour to wander around the pond, forested areas and tea houses. In fact, you may quickly forget that you’re in one of the world’s largest bustling cities.

Showa Kinen Park

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Built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Emperor Showa’s reign, this huge park is filled with maple trees. Meander along the tree-lined paths or go cycling, boating or jogging here. Enjoy bird-watching in the bird sanctuary, splash water in the Water Playland or visit the Children’s Forest, where the highlight is the “Foggy Woods” area covered in artificial fog. There is also a Flower Tree Garden that features gorgeous cherry trees.

Meiji Jingu

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One of the most famous Shinto shrines in Japan, Meiji Jingu was build in 1920 as a dedication to the souls of Emperor Meiji, the emperor of modern Japan, and his consort, Empress Shoken. Located in a wooded park area next to the popular Yoyogi Park, the shrine was rebuilt after being destroyed during World War II.

Various events and festivals are help throughout the year. The Imperial family members, particularly the current Emperor and Empress, frequent the shrine during special occasions. The shrine is packed on holiday, such as January 1 and November 3 (Emperor Meiji’s birthday). Many weddings are help here too, and it is common to see solemn processions led by a temple priest with traditional wear. Sometimes you will also see small children dressed in kimonos and accompanied by their parents to get blessings at the temple.

Tokyo Tower

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The Tokyo Tower has been the world’s tallest self-supporting steel tower since its completion in 1958. The 333-metre tower is modeled after Paris’ Eiffel Tower, only it’s 13 metres taller. Today it efficiently serves as a TV and radio broadcast antenna.

From the main observatory, you will get a 360-degree bird’s eye view of Tokyo. Grab a coffee there and pick a souvenir at the store before heading further up to the special observatory, where Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance. In the evenings, the city’s glittering neon lights are an amazing sight. You also can visit the Guinness World Records Museum on the ground floor as well.

Tsukiji

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Although the massive Tsukiji fish market is not the best place to bring children, families can certainly visit the outer market to browse through the small shops and have a sushi breakfast.

The market’s inner section is where licensed wholesalers auction a plethora of fish and seafood as early as 5am, while the outer market sell kitchen tools, tableware, snacks, and all manner of dried, smoked and pickled seafood.

It is also a morning ritual for many to swing by one of the eateries flanking the market for hot noodles, tempura, and of course, sushi and sashimi. Tsukiji fish market is open daily except on Sundays and two Wednesdays per month.

Shinjuku

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This massive shopping, entertainment and business district has several major department stores. The Isetan and Takashimaya department store offer a good variety of clothes for men, women and children. Their basement food halls are highly recommended as there is so much great food to sample at reasonable prices. There, you can pick up some beautifully packed wagashi or Japanese confectionery to lug home.

The flagship Isetan store at Shinjuku has an amazing food hall that features plenty of fresh and ready-cooked food, plus exquisite French pastries by Pierre Herme and Jean-Paul Hevin.

1. Shibukawa Heso Matsuri

   The Shibukawa “Bellybutton” festival is probably the best place to go with friends, have a few beers, and act like idiots. After all, the whole point of the festival is to paint your tummy with a cartoon-face, put on a kimono for your lower-half with fake plastic arms, and dance to make it “talk.” Some might wonder why someone would devote a parade to this, but I think there needs to be a lot more holidays that require you to make a fool out of yourself in public. The reason for the occasion is supposed to be local pride for Shibukawa being near the center of the country and therefore the “bellybutton,” but come on. We all know it’s for the hell of it. But If you’re thinking that acting like a fool isn’t worth the travel, then ask yourself this: could you do this anywhere else without getting arrested as a domestic disturbance? I thought not.

2. Kaze no Bon

   In the small village of Yasuo, Obon was mixed with a traditional dance the villagers done to appease the wind-since this is usually the time of year that their crops may be destroyed by it. The celebration, dances, and songs are idiomatic to the town, and for the majority of the holiday’s history, it has only been seen by villagers. But increasing awareness of the ritual has spread and brought more and more attention to the sleepy village of Yasuo during the festivities. The curiosity may not just come from the dance’s hidden history, but from the strange melancholy effect of these traditions. The dancers faces’ are hidden by tall reed hats in hopes that the gods they’re trying to appease will find it harder to seek retribution. This is also supposedly the reason that the dancers must all be unmarried, so that there’s no worry about leaving widows and orphans behind after the gods’ retribution. Of course, now, this really means that the single dancers get an opportunity to show off and flirt, but the traditions of the festival help add to the overall atmosphere. After all, the Kaze no Bon traditionally takes place at night. And you’ll be hearing the usual plaintive wails of Japanese old songs being accompanied by faceless, perfectly-synched dancers. A lot of travelers have said that the rituals feel downright creepy up close. Since it was created to avoid supernatural death and looks almost like an Edo-era imitation of a zombie movie, I can certainly see why.

3. Kanamara Matsuri

   Some of you, like me, may usually feel more sexually-evolved than most people, especially when an exposed nipple sends an entire country into panic. Well, the giant phallus being paraded down the streets at Kanamara Matsuri is here to knock you down to size as the Victorian-era prude you really are. And its not just the centerpiece either: penis sculptures, penis candy, sweet vulva rice balls, and just about everything you could imagine being fashioned into genitalia. It’s like that kid from Superbad was given full rein of every bachelorette party gimmick ever made. The veneration of the penis at this shrine has occurred for many years and for many different reasons-fertility, easy delivery, couple harmony, prosperity, resistance to disease-but the predominant one involves a story.

   Apparently, legend says that there was once a girl inhabited by a demon who castrated two men on each of their wedding nights(ow) until a blacksmith fashioned an iron phallus to break the demon’s teeth. The next person that asks me, “Why do you like Japan so much?” is going to get this story verbatim; you can’t make up stuff this great. Now imagine what the Victorian Commodore Perry saw when he began inhabiting the island, knowing now that the West largely got Japan to tone it down after that. According to one theory, the famous Maneki Neko you see in just about every Japanese business was originally created to disguise the usual good-luck penises with the cat’s upraised arm(now you’ll never look at them the same way again). Because of this, the Kanamara Matsuri is the best place to force yourself over your culture shock and haze yourself into having a good time. Once you eventually convince yourself that munching on penis candy won’t wind up across the internet, you can get into the spirit of things. Carve penis-daikon radishes, pose for a picture on the giant rideable wang, dance with some she-males, or give a prayer to the portable penis shrine. Not only that, but the festival today is used to raise money for HIV research, and you’ll no doubt have the most interesting vacation slideshow grandpa’s ever seen.

4. Sapporo Snow Festival

   Normally northern Japan in winter wouldn’t be worth the cold(at least to this Southerner), but the Sapporo Snow Festival draws about two million people every year to see mind-bending sculptures of ice. “Ice Sculptures” seems like a misnomer for some of these though, since a more apt description would be ice buildings. Ever wanted to visit the Forbidden Palace of China? Well, here’s a scale replica. Ever wanted to drink and sing karaoke in a bar made completely out of ice? Now you can. The precision, hard work, and skill is downright stunning, especially for something that’s going to inevitably melt away. Maybe Buddhist monks should switch from sand art to ice sculptures to display the impermanence of life. Given the Japanese love of shaved ice, I’m kind of surprised that the artists don’t take it a step further and color it with syrup-but then we’d probably have an epidemic of kids with stuck tongues. Instead, children are taught how to make igloos, ride ice slides made for the occasion, and enjoy the breath-taking sculptures just as much as the adults. After all, a lot of the sculptures are of the fun and familiar: Wallace and Gromit, Mickey, The Chronicles of Narnia, the characters from Spirited Away, etc. Try to resist going through the festival with your mouth agape, since here your face might freeze that way.

5. Jidai Matsuri

   Jidai Matsuri, often known in English as “The Festival of Ages” was created in Kyoto once the capital was moved from there to Tokyo. And if there’s anything a Kansai denizen hates, it’s losing out to Tokyo(heck, maybe this is when the rivalry began). So Kyoto decided to celebrate its illustrious history as the capitol of Japan with a festival honoring those periods-which is most of Japanese history, incidentally. What this basically led to was the most renowned geisha of the geisha-capitol of Japan dressing up in painstakingly detailed and gorgeous period costumes for an extravagant parade. If you were ever curious to see how the hell a woman in a twelve-layer junihitoe from the Heian period actually did anything, this is your chance(although the answer to that is “They didn’t do much at all”). You can see just about any historical figure rendered probably a thousand times more gorgeous and romantic than they ever were in real life. Anyone, even without a lick of knowledge of Japan, can certainly appreciate the exorbitantly expensive and stunning visual display. For someone who does know a bit of history, they’ll probably get Stendhal Syndrome from the sensory overload. The parade of Jidai Matsuri is nothing short of an art museum come to life and walking down the street. It is the most lush and stunning of Kyoto’s local parades, and given Gion Matsuri and others, that’s saying something huge.

Hostels are key. Get a hosteling card. HiUsa.com has great resources for international and domestic hostels. Most hostels I stayed in were very accommodating, you may have to sleep in a 28 person room, but if you like to travel, this isn’t a problem, your never there but to get some shut eye. Hostels are also flexible about dates and some are flexible with prices!

Many nights I slept in train stations and bus garages. I’m not advocating this for everyone but I traveled with a friend and Japan is a very safe country. The best way to do this is to pack light and put your backpack behind you, lock it with a zip tie or combo lock and put a strap around your wrist so no one can pull anything out while you sleep.

When traveling around the country, save money by taking buses instead of trains. A great method if your only traveling a few hundred miles is to take an overnight bus, while saving money on a hostel for that night and awaking at your destination. I went from Osaka to Tokyo on an overnight bus costing $50, and saving an extra $15 by not spending it on a hostel.

Remember when staying in a hostel to bring a small combination lock for your locker. Make sure you lock things up when your not in your room, even if you are using the showers.

While you lodge, instead of spending money on washers and dryers bring a small clothesline and hand wash your clothes in a sink and let them dry on a clothesline in a bathroom or outside, depending on hostel and time of year.

My friend only brought 2 pair of boxer briefs with him, he would take a shower with one pair on, then let them dry while wearing the other pair during the day, and repeat this every day. Might sound weird but he always had clean boxers and saved room on packing!

View the rest of this series on my $2000 trip to Japan, with tips of lodging, travel packing, and eating.

Safe Travels.

Snowboarding

Since the Olympic winter games in Nagano 1998, the Japanese have developed a fondness for winter sports. From ice-skating to skiing, every sport practiced in the snow or on ice has gained popularity. Initially there were only a lot of skiing places around Nagano, but the rising popularity of skiing has led to the birth of a lot of skiing areas with good facilities. While Nagano is still popular, a lot of Japanese choose for Hokkaido now. Being more Northern than Nagano, there are areas with guaranteed snow and the facilities are growing to an agreeable level. With all this attention to skiing, it is easy for snow-boarders to use the facilities too. Being not as popular as skiing, there should be no trouble for you to find your snowboard gear in any skiing area. Even the après-ski is bound to be as fun as it would be in one of the expensive ski-resorts in the Alpes. So Japan is good to go.

Skateboarding

While skateboarding can be done in Japan and is regarded as cool amongst the youth, there are some obstacles to overcome. Skate-parks are rare and only located in the big cities. Most of them are indoor skate-parks and since there is little choice, you can grow bored and you get no alternative to choose from. As for boarding outside, it can be hard to find places suited for boarding. Almost in every town the police won’t be happy with your performance. So good luck with finding a private place that’s good for skateboarding. There are some places in the big cities, where you can hang out with fellow skaters, but they are rare and not easily discovered. The same goes for finding gear. You can find some skate-shops, but they will not be cheap and only a few can get you everything you want. I think if you have some skateboarding Japanese friends, you’re good to go, but just going there by yourself you’ll be completely lost.

Wave Surfing

Geographically Japan is interesting for wave surfing. The reefs near Okinawa and the weird cracks under the sea near Kyushu can bring you some weird waves. In Okinawa all year through and in Kyushu in summer, surfing gains popularity. It’s considered as one of the cool sports and more places where you can buy or rent equipment are starting up. Most of the equipment is imported from Australia and the quality is pretty high. Since surfing in Japan is still in growth status, you can find untouched havens and so on. I would really recommend Japan for the experienced surfer. If you are not yet very experienced, you may want to try some more touristic places in Okinawa. Or you can always try to find a Japanese friend who likes to surf and knows a certain area pretty well. Like I said Japan has some weird waves and you better be careful before throwing yourself into the water.

Wind Surfing

Japan has a lot of sea and quite enough wind. For the conditions for windsurfing you will never have to look far. But climate-wise and equipment-wise you are better off South in Kyushu or Okinawa. Wind surfing is not extremely popular in Japan. It doesn’t mean that you can’t find it anywhere but you will have to inquire first. Either there is a club and you’ll find everything or people will stare at you like you’ve asked them whether the synchronized swimming team practices in this part of the sea. In some places they will even have a synchronized swimming team, but no windsurfing. So in short: you will not have to complain about circumstances, but more about material or finding a club.

Senso-ji:

Location: Asakusa, Tokyo. Use the train from anywhere in or near Tokyo.

Number of Tourists: Incredibly high. Just a little more than a crowded shopping street

Things to See: Giant lanterns. On the bottom of the lanterns are carved dragons, most people don’t know of this and just pass without looking underneath. Shopping for souvenirs is also one of the interesting things you can do at Asakusa.

Suggestion: Because of the high number of tourists, there are lots of souvenir shops in the Asakusa district. People who have a flight from Tokyo back to their home country could visit Asakusa and Senso-ji to fill their baggage with Omiage (Japanese souvenirs).

Hase-dera:

Location: Hase temple is located in Kamakura, not too far by train from the city centre.

Number of Tourists: Moderate.

Things to See: the temple is a nice place to have a view all over the city Kamakura, also there are a lot of statues.

Suggestion: It is a nice temple to visit if you have not visited a lot of temples. I would call Hasedera the standard temple for tourists.

Kinkaku-ji:

Location: Kyoto, not too far from the centre by bus, car or taxi (you can walk from ryoan-ji)

Number of Tourists: High, especially in the afternoon and late morning.

Things to See: The building is covered in a layer of gold and gives you a fairy-tale view. The pond and garden are also nice to see.

Suggestion: Visit early in the morning and don’t plan to stay too long. You can’t go inside. Besides taking a few pictures, there is very little to do as it’s a very crowded place and you can’t go inside the building.

Ryoan-ji:

Location: Kyoto, not too far from the centre by bus, car or taxi (you can walk from kinkakuji, but it’s uphill)

Number of Tourists: Moderate, but it’s a small place and a lot of people stay long so you may get a more crowded feeling.

Things to See: The stone garden. The stone garden is unique and a lot of people sit down and meditate or contemplate there. The special thing about the stone garden is that wherever you stand, you will never be able to see all the stones in the garden. The temple also has a nice tree garden; you can take an alternative route through the garden on your way back.

Suggestion: If you like Zen Buddhism or combine the visit with the kinkaku-ji it’s worth going.

Todai-ji:

Location: Nara, located in Nara Park, which is pretty central. You can take the train and walk through the park to the Temple complex.

Number of Tourists: Very high, but the place is extremely big, which makes up for it. You never really get the crowded feeling.

Things to See: The world’s largest bronze Buddha. The temple is the world’s biggest wooden structure. You can crawl through a hole the size of Buddha’s nostril, which should grant you luck.

Suggestion: It’s really worth visiting. You can also walk around the park (there are a lot of deer in the park, don’t feed them. If you bow to the deer sometimes they will bow back, but not all animals are trained to do this.) Nara is worth a whole day of your time at least.

Muro-ji:

Location: Muro village, city, Nara prefecture. You can take a train from Osaka, Kyoto or Nara but it’s not close.

Number of Tourists: About five to ten and maybe one or two classes of school children

Things to See: It has the worlds smallest five story pagoda and a range of interesting Buddha statues. You can also take the 400 steps up the mountain to see the view and the building highest on the mountain.

Suggestion: It’s a nice temple located in Japan’s nature. If you like hiking you can combine a hiking trip with the temple’s visit.