Question:
This one requires your patience. ^^
OK so I'm planning to visit Japan for a month on July-August (no specific dates yet).
I need tips for good places to visit around Tokyo, Yokohama and Kyoto.
Anything - temples, parks, entertainment places, restaurants, shopping centers, ANYTHING.
I'm also visiting Okinawa but I'm going around Japan with my girlfriend who's from Okinawa so she knows what we should do there.
Let's say 6-7 days in each prefecture.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Answer:
First of all, pack light clothes. July-August are very hot months especially in Tokyo area. And hydrate yourself always.
Tokyo, there's the main city Tokyo and the towns & cities surround Tokyo which is part of the Tokyo prefecture. Those cities are also worth visiting. Tokyo is a large city and so much beautiful places to visit and see. I'll just give you a summary.
In the morning you can spend it by exploring Chiyoda and the imperial gardens there. Chiyoda is known for the imperial palace, shrines and many other architectures. From here you can continue to Asakusa.
The Asakusa district in Taito, is very known for the temples like Sensoji. And there's a matsuri (festival) held every last week of August in there. Aside from temples, shopping and food is also good in Asakusa. You can spend a whole afternoon in this place.
The following days can be spent in the modern side of Tokyo like Odaiba, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Minato, etc. These places are known for shopping, night life, restaurants, and other modern hobbies.
If you are a gaming & anime fan, Akihabara is very worth visiting. Are you familiar with the famicon game console? The 80s authentic Japanese gaming system. It's rare to see now these days, but there are cafes in Akihabara that let's you rent and play it.
Outside the Tokyo city, there's this very beautiful place Okutama. It's an area at the very west of Tokyo. You can get in there by train in JR Ome line. Take a Chuo Line rapid service to Ome or Tachikawa, then change trains for Okutama at either Ome or Tachikawa. Okutama has a beautiful lake, mountains and many onzen (hot springs). It's a beautiful way for you and your girlfriend to relax. And this is just outside Tokyo :) And if your girlfriend is a fan of Hello Kitty, there's a Sanrio Puroland (themepark) in Tama, a city west outside Tokyo.
Yokohama is very accessible from Tokyo. There are many direct trains from Tokyo to Yokohama. It usually takes less than an hour to reach there. The cheapest and fastest would be from Shibuya.
The most known place in Yokohama is the Chinatown. It's very crowded and has lots of shops and restaurants. It's where Japan meets China thing. Minatomirai is also a known district in Yokohama. It has many attractions like Nipponmaru and cosmo world (theme park). There are also some dolphin shows in Yokohama. And because it's summer, beers are plenty in Yokohama.
Kyoto is a very beautiful city. It has lots of shrines and temples like the Kinkaku-ji & the Shimogamo & Kamigamo shrine. Central Tokyo is a mix of modern and traditional Kyoto but still it's very urban. You should try eating in the sushi restaurants here like Musashi Sushi (restaurant). The eastern Kyoto or Higashiyama is known for the Gion district which houses the maiko and geisha. You can see them walking but you have to book them if you want to see them perform though :) There are tea houses and restaurants that will have maiko and geisha but it's expensive.
This is just a summary. If I list all the things you can do and visit it will take me many hours to write it all.
Have fun..
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