July's Japan Journey

[Sambalina]

Hey NFers, I'm headed to Japan for one week at the end of July. My boyfriend and I are spending 4 nights in Osaka and 3 in Kyoto. For anyone who has visited this region and these cities, I'd love some recommendations of restaurants and things to see. I've already got a bunch of things to see like temples, the geisha area, and so on. If you know of anywhere a bit different, or somewhere you really enjoyed, please share!

In terms of food, anything from hole-in-the-wall to fancy restaurant is great, as long as it's awesome Japanese food. Know of a great ramen place? Takoyaki? Okonomiyaki?

Thanks, guys

[Mordechaj]

This is the endless well of fascinating informations about life in Japan.

Enjoy: http://gaijinchronicles.com/2004/11/11/my-kids-are-perverted/

[Sambalina]

Looks pretty funny, thanks Mordechaj. That particular blog post you've linked to sounds a lot like kids in Korea - they do the same things.

[ICB]

Oh man. I just went from "kind of sleepy" to "awake and totally jealous." Kyoto is my favorite place to visit in Japan.

I hope you're into temples! You probably already have these on your list, but the Golden Pavilion temple and the Silver Pavilion temple are as spectacular as you've heard. In particular, the Silver Pavilion rock garden has a four-foot-tall Mt. Fuji made out of poured sand. It is ridiculous.

Also awesome in Kyoto:

-Nijo Castle in central Kyoto. Giant stone battlements and squeaky floors designed to sing out if an intruder walks on them. If you're into samurai and feudal Japan, this is like Mecca.

-Kyoto Imperial Palace has been turned into a giant park, but it is beautiful. (Not really a ton to see, though, mostly just a very nice park)

-Ryoan-ji temple is my favorite place in Kyoto. It has an enormous garden with a beautiful pond, but the real feature is the kare-sansui rock garden. It's smaller than you'd expect, but it features 15 stones placed so that you can never see all 15 at once. Have fun walking around trying to snag a peak at all of them - you can't. If you like meditation, this is a good spot for it.

-You HAVE to check out Toei Studio Park, which is a giant museum/movie set for Japanese cinema. They have fight choreography demonstrations and the biggest Power Rangers Museum you could ever hope for. Just sayin'.

-The Nijo Ninja house was an inn during feudal times, and for the security of the lords it was fitted out with all kinds of hidden rooms, trapdoors, and escape tunnels. They do tours, but they can be hard to pin down because the times are sort of random. Definitely worth it, though.

As for food, I recommend the Lonely Planet Guide to Japan. It got me through two trips to the area, and the food recommendations were particularly good. It will also have more info on the stuff I linked above^^ like phone numbers and addresses.

Oh, while you're in Osaka, check out the aquarium. It is absurd in size and scope. Absolutely beautiful.

[waterbendingmaster]

Kyoto is wonderful! There are some really great eats at the Kyoto train station. You guys should also try to take a side trip to Narra city (former capital of Japan). There are deers there and they poop everywhere but the temples are beautiful. There are some great ramen houses in Osaka (I can't remember the name ) but it should be inside or in front of a restaurant with a huge crab placed in front. If ever you see one, you should also try checking out these sushi bars in kyoto where they have sushi conveyer belts AND the Nishiki market! Absolutely so many great food from sweetened or spicy anchovies with nuts (they're packed so you can bring them home) and just so many fish and shiitake mushrooms. TO DIE FOR. Hope you guys have a great stay! Japan is really for food tripping, and of course the temples.

P.S. You have to try out the "vending machine restaurants" where you pick your food from a vending machine, a ticket pops out and you give the ticket to the chef so he can cook your order. It's fun.

[JediJem]

Don't have much to add to what's already been suggested but (1) an extra emphasis on seconding a visit to Nijo Castle - it's lovely, and (2) I am SOOO jealous... Have a great time!