Japan

Seems like I might be off to Japan for a week in mid September. Not going to be too much room for travel while I’m there, and I expect I’ll spend most of my time around Tokyo and Yokosuka.

So hit me with your best Japan sights and tips …

 

No sex, no drugs, no wine, no women
No fun, no sin, no you, no wonder it's dark.

 

My kid spent 12 days there at start of summer, EVERY bathroom is immaculate.

Even the food in 7-11 is fresh and tasty.

 

Not sure what previous experience you have with Japan, if any. If baseball and/or soccer are your thing, I strongly recommend catching some NPB and J-League games. There's plenty of teams in and around Tokyo, great atmosphere, and most of their stadiums have easy access from public transit (I write with a hard side-eye toward the Seibu Dome). A nice day out is to go wander around the Meiji Jingu shrine in Shibuya before making the short trip to Meiji Jingu Stadium for a Swallows game. There's also a top-tier sumo tournament taking place in Tokyo from September 10-24.

There are your established tourist sites -- the temples in Asakusa, Imperial Palace, National Museum, Tokyo Tower, Ueno Park, Tokyo Disney (I recommend Disney Sea), the Ghibli Museum (get tickets well in advance), etc. -- but it also depends on your interests. Into pop/geek culture? Check out Akihabara and Nakano Broadway. Want to sample the bar culture? Roppongi it is. Want some top-tier people-watching? Stop at Harajuku station on a Sunday morning and marvel at the cosplayers. Just want to soak in the Tokyo-ness of it all? Wander around Shibuya and Shinjuku at night (but maybe steer clear of Kabukicho, just to be safe).

As for food, you can eat very well in Tokyo on not a lot of money. The convenience stores alone have sustained many a broke college student. I am a card-carrying Famichiki (Family Mart's fried chicken) sellout, but Lawson and Seven-11 also have plenty of good, cheap options. The fast food joints are worth a look, too. The likes of McDonalds and Burger King will have unique offerings, sure, but consider going fully local -- Yoshinoya, Matsuya, Sukiya, MOS Burger, Lotteria, CoCo Ichibanya, etc.

A prepaid Pasmo or Suica card will make getting around on trains easier and more affordable than buying a ticket each time. No sense splashing out on a Japan Rail Pass unless you're taking multiple shinkansen trips. I'd also recommend learning some survival phrases in Japanese, even if it's just 'please', 'thank you', and 'where is the toilet?'. There should be a decent standard of English, especially in the more touristy spots, and you can get by in Tokyo with no Japanese since most signs also have English, but people will appreciate your making the effort.

 

Odd to think the closest I’ll get to Japan is a Buc-ee’s.

 

See if anyone there has figured out what he whispered in her ear.

 

I think the last Tower Records in the world is in Tokyo. I'd check that out.

 

Many things struck me about Japan when I was there in 1988 and 1989 (also Tokyo and Yokosuka).

--- The people are closer to my size.
--- The work ethic displayed even in the most mundane jobs is inspiring.
--- You ask where a metro station is, and they'll take you by the arm and walk you to it.
--- Most restaurants had 3-D plastic representations of their dishes in the windows and not just pictures.

 

I think I’m turning…

 

From working at Honda it became clear they’re just better at being people than us.

And it’s really annoying that they know it and act like it.

 

Thanks for the great pointers!

 

It's really annoying we can't (won't?) follow their example.

Although they're starting to follow ours by a sharp increase in defense spending.