Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Darkeru]

I'm looking into taking a trip to Japan via the ferry in the Winter vacation.

I was thinking of visiting Kyoto and Tokyo specifically. Does anyone have any suggestions of where specifically to visit, anywhere else to see, where to stay (and how much it'd cost per night), etc? I'm not interested in the clubbing or drinking in Tokyo.

Also is there anything to see in Busan or Fukuoka specifically?

[JBomb]

Busan
- Jalgachi Fish Market
- Gukje Market
- UN Cemetery

Fukuoka
- Castle Ruins
- Shinto Shrine by the Ruins
- Tianjin for some shopping
- Their ramen is famous

Also make sure to get a JR Rail Pass or you will be financially decimated. If you are also looking to keep costs down make sure to make friends with Yoshinoya and other beef bowl places. I would also recommend checking out Osaka. Especially if you are a Spa or Sauna enthusiast. Spa World there is something else. Osaka also has some great food places in and around the same area as Spa World.

In Kyoto, I highly recommend the short trip to the Inari Station on the Kyoto Line. It is right next store to the Shrine of a thousand torii. Those are those famous red gate way arches that Japan is famous for. Here there is a beautifully and somewhat haunting walkway through the mountain with thousands of torii lining the pathway making into a virtual tunnel all the way up the mountain. The same shrine is also known for its fox statues which are also quite interesting. I also really liked the Kuramadera area just north of Kyoto and accessible through some of the local trains. It has a great little mountainside temple complex as well as a neat little small town with an open air hotspring on the other side of town. It was quaint, quiet, and had some gorgeous mountain scenery. It is nice break from temple hopping and the crowds all over Kyoto.

[Darkeru]

Thanks! I'll make sure to get a JR Rail Pass for one, as long as I end up going. The Shrine of the thousand tori sounds amazing too. Kuramadera sounds good too, if there's time.

Do you have any idea about transportation costs or costs for places to stay? Or where to book things?

[JBomb]

City Buses run about 200 Yen in Kyoto and are really useful for getting around to the big tourist spots like Gikakuji, Niji-jo, and Kikakuji. The rail pass costs 28300 Yen, which seems a lot but really isn't once you see the price of a simple train tip from Tokyo to Kyoto. You can also use it on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo which is a great loop line around the city connecting all the big neighbourhoods like Akihabara, Shinjuku, Ueno, etc. In Tokyo I stayed at a great little business hotel called Tsukuba Hotel right by the Ueno Station. Here is the website http://www.hotelink.co.jp/english/index.html It is a business hotel and you can get a small sized Japanese style room for 3800 Yena night. They also give you a Yukata to use as jammies which is kind of fun. In Kyoto I stayed here http://www.guesthouse-kyoto.com/index.jsp Really closed to the station, run by a cool Korean expat, and is a really comfy hostel. It also has a great roof top patio to kick back on after a long day of sightseeing. In Fukuoka, I stayed at Mystays right by the infamous Oyafukudori, which is a pretty good bar, club, and shopping area. Despite the location it was actually pretty quiet. You might want to also look into staying at a Ryokan. I heard that is a pretty good experience. Take a look around on the net and see what you find.

[meaghan]

You can, in most parts of Japan, stay in a "media cafe" (which is similar to our pc bangs but has sleeping rooms, like a jimjilbang), one of these little closets gets you enough room to lie down, plus a computer you can use and access to free drink machines. At 2600 yen for 10 hours (a little over 30,000 won) it's as cheap as a hostel and they are all over the place.
Downsides: it's not the most private ever, there are no blankets or pillows (but that's what backpacks and coats are for, right?), and you have to pay extra for a shower.

[bbb0777]

Kyoto was my favorite Japanese city to visit, and Tokyo my 2nd favorite (which probably makes me very common), but anyway - great choices

About 30 minutes via train from Kyoto is Nara, which was the capital just before Kyoto. It's main attraction is a giant park full of temples - and extremely aggressive deer that will bite you clothing/hands to solicit snacks from you. Kinda fun for an afternoon.

Anyway my favorite sites:

Within Kyoto:

Fushimi Inari Taisha - google image search - it goes on for miles in various winding paths up and down a large hill. Especially interesting at night. Graveyards are all along it as well.

Iwatayama Monkey Park - feed wild monkeys on top of a large hill/small mountain with a great view of Kyoto

Golden Pavilion

Potoncho Street at night

Within Tokyo:

Shinjuku Park

View from World Trade Center building (view of Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Bay, etc.)

View (free) from Tokyo Municipla Governmental Building

Harajuku Neighborhood

Shinjuku Neighborhood

Ginza Neighorhood

Paying $10 to enter a make-believe house full of ~35 very desensitized but horribly over physically stimulated cats (very calm, but hate being petted), as they were awkwardly interacted with by domestic-cat-ignorant Japanese). - present in various locations.

I listed more 'best-to-me' things in Tokyo, but overall Kyoto was better (which surprised me at the time). It's just in Tokyo the various sights were more evenly ranked, so it was harder to whittle the list down.

Also while you're in Kyoto - Osaka is only ~35 minutes via subway from Kyoto. Osaka is a bit boring, but if you have free time - the aquarium is the best I've seen anywhere and...that's about it. There's an amusing museum setup for the inventor of instant noodles (founder of Cup-o'-Noodles). You get to make your own flavor noodles! Oh my.