Trip to Japan

[Shakuyaku 0]

I will go to Japan in the end of march-beginning of april, thanks to a friend who offered to board me in her student room while she's finishing off some reseach for her Ph.D. in micro biology in Tokyo.

Which heyas are ok to go to when your nihong-skills don't reach much furter than "ganbatte!" "Yush!" "hakke-yoi" and "wakarimassssss" (yes, thank you Shogun) (Laughing...)

And what other places are rekommended? (Laughing...)

[Jonosuke 28]

Since that time of the year, top rikishis are around Osaka as they would have just finished off Haru basho so around Tokyo, you may not see many of them as they may be on a jyungyo tour.

Also the end of March/beginning of April is the loveliest time of year to be in Japan as you will be in the right smack of their cherry blossom season. So I'd suggest you'd get out and and see what Japan can offer you more than just sumo.

Due to time/money limitations, if you cannot get out of Tokyo, there are still great places to see "Sakura", for instances around the Imperial Palace, Yasukuni Shirine or even around the Sumida River.

I have my own favorite places in Japan such as Takayama in Gifu or Onomichi in Hiroshima, smallish places that offer real Japan to me but if you check a good travel guide, you may find an intriguing place that you may find as fascinating as well.

Japan is not just Tokyo or Osaka. It's really well worthwhile taking the time to discover something of all of your own, be it "Shita-machi" in Tokyo or little temples in Kamakura.

Enjoy!

[Kaikitsune Makoto 210]

Japan Rail Pass for 7 days is a real bargain if you want to do some shinkansen trips. Hiroshima is nice city to walk around and its famous nuclear bomb park thingie is good way to spend many hours. The museum itself is rather unique but the whole park itself is too. Takes 4,5 hours one way from Tokyo and you can see Mt Fuji and all sorts of items, houses, humans and 180989 Japanese roofs on the way. The train ladies are cute and you can buy super frozen ice cream from them. Never had so frozen ice cream anywhere before. Hiroshima has okonomiyaki and many bridges, I think it was at the platform of Hiroshima station where I witnessed a dramatic personal melt down of some young Japanese man. He was talking on the phone, the collapsed onto his knees and started shaking all over. Yelled at his cellphone for about 10 minutes while shaking all over. Desperation, overwhelming mental agony was all over him. Many worried citizens looked at him and two station employees surrounded him and probably warned some trains that he might jump in front of any train at any moment. Quite intense scene indeed. Maybe that was the way Japanese people collapse when they do. In Hiroshima station, there is a little tourist office where the Japanese woman may ask your nationality and the marks it in some book. They must be doing some screening on what nationalities visit their city. Very beautiful fact.

Detail of Japan: Many small drinking glasses at restaurants look shady. It is reasonably idyllic.

[Shakuyaku 0]

And what other places are rekommended?

Well as a 27 year old Swedish woman I would advise staying away from Tokyo University.

Well, it shouldn't be a problem, since I'm neither tall, blond or busty (Sign of approval...)

And according to a rude spaniard, not pretty either :-P

And thank you for all the wonderful advices :) I think I will have to check a vocabulary for some of the things you mentioned, but in all, I really want to see JAPAN, and not just Tokyo. And, even though the thought is very appeling, not only sumo wrestlers but some museums as well :) Hiroshima is definetivly a trip worth making, since I've read quite a bit about it.

What people do to each other sometimes... (Sign of approval...)

Edited January 23, 2007 by Chiisaiyama