Going to Japan Tell me what to see...

[Goodspeed]

I was there in February '05 for eight days, and travelled from Tokyo to Hiroshima, Osaka, and Fukuoka. A few thoughts...

Definitely read up on culture as was previously mentioned. It will be quite a culture shock when you get there and start walking around, and it'll help to learn the customs - don't expect anyone else to tell you, especially any native hosts.

Get ready for the food. Maybe it was simply my own experience, but I did not enjoy Japanese cuisine. Granted, it was a school trip, so they kind of "forced" us to try traditional cuisine in some odd settings, but I found it to be a lot of questionable, bland seafood, noodles, and rice (though it was pretty to look at). If you can, I'd bring some snack bars etc. However, there were a few instances where I did eat well, particularly at a few buffets that had well-done meats, seafood and soups/noodles.

Car culture - as mentioned, Motegi is a Honda-owned track, so try to visit that. Again, because I was on a school trip, I couldn't break off and explore the car scene more, much to my dismay. But, if I were to go again I'd head to a rest-stop along the highway or any decent sized parking lot near the Wangan to check out the car-scene. Try to find an Autobacs or Super Autobacs in your area - its a chain of performance part department stores:





You can pick up used parts as well for ridiculously low prices. Bring an empty bag and take home a steering wheel or something.

Other sites and sounds - we made a few stops to the corporate headquarters of a few companies, most notably Panasonic. I got the impression that most any of these HQ's in Tokyo will have a viewing hall of things you won't see outside of Japan, and our Panasonic viewing was incredible. If you're into neat gadgetry and electronics, inquire about visiting and getting a tour as we did. We didn't make it to any car manufacturers, but I have seen pictures from their displays and I think you can expect the same.

Fukuoka was my favorite city, but I did enjoy Tokyo a lot and had I spent more time there I'm sure it would've been my favorite. It is a gorgeous and thriving city at night, I was able to walk around a few districts on my time off and I know you could spend two-weeks just exploring this city alone



One thing I would really love to see next time is the Tokyo Fish Market. Its the largest in the world, and I've been told its where some of the best eats in Tokyo are.



Good luck!