So I got the chance to Go to Japan

[Rzerox21xx]

It was in the planning snice March 2013 and we gone through with it. It was a great time. we went for 2 weeks. Stay in Tokyo for 7 days and Kyoto for another 7 days. We event spent the day in Osaka while in Kyoto. it was a 13 Hour plane ride from Atlanta to Chicago to Tokyo, we went north and rode through Canada and Russia for some reason. well they had choices of movies on each individual seat to pass the time.

it was a beautiful modern and traditional country. Modern buildings and old shrines. We stayed walking distance to the oldest Tokyo Buddhist Temple Sensoji Temple. Yeah I know I'm Christian but I can't help but appericate the culture and style of these temples and shrines. we mostly ate ramen to stay on budget but we treated ourselves to some beef and sushi, we also ate a lot of 7 eleven food which is really good in Japan compare to the States.

We stayed at Hostel Sakura at Asakusa which is very foreigner friendly and you would have to sleep in small rooms that fit 4 people, we did a bulk beds for 4 people and I recommend you tried that hotel when you wish to go. its easy to get by without no car, its just very hard to memorize which subway line to get on and how many stops and what to switch. we visited the Imperial Palace where the emperor resides, Yasukuni Shrine, which is for veterans of past wars.

I did go to a church on the Sunday after we arrived. it was called Tokyo Baptist Church and it has a few campus all over Tokyo. heres the site. http://www.tokyobaptist.org/live/ I went to the Shibuya campus which was like the time square of Tokyo. Tokyo's huge.

for anime and manga fans. Akihabara is the mecca for people like us. a whole town district for anime manga, video games and electronics. stores and stores. different stores on different floors. you have to be careful you might walk in on some building floors that contain porn. but yeah I brought a bunch of figures snice its really the best place to buy them because well Japan has anti-bootlegging and piracy laws that they actually enforces. I brought mostly Kenshin figures but I brought a few Naruto, Bleach and Dragonball Z. I love going to that place, I ended spending a lot of money there. there's also a maid café which is like a innocent version of hooters with girls that dressed as maids and they served you sweets and get cutesy but not sexual or flirty. they call us master but that's. I also went to a cat café which you pay a fee and you play, feed and chill with the cats. Cats café and maid cafes are extremely popular that is even reaching the United States.

we went to Kyoto and visited Toji Castle and Hannoji Temples and Shrines. yeah I know that's idolatry but it has a history and its good to know history.

we spend the day in Osaka and went to Osaka castle and it was huge and great and then Den Den Town which is the Akihabara of Osaka.

we went to the Tsukiji Fish Market and went to those small resturants where they can only sit less than 10 people and had the best sushi.

tell me what you think or if you have any questions. you can either comment or pm me.

it was such a good experience that Im considering it as my mission field. snice Japan has such a low population of believers.

[PLCDreamcatcher14]

Wow that sounds like fun! I'd love to visit Japan someday. Glad you had fun!

[ClaecElric4God]

That's awesome! Glad you got to enjoy yourself. I'm jealous, I went for a month, and the only touristy thing I did was wander around Tokyo for a day. lol
Thanks for linking the church. That's very intriguing and I'll be looking into it.
What was your favorite thing that you tried there?

[Rzerox21xx]

my favorite thing is probably going to Akihabara where its the mecca of pure otaku things, anime manga and video games, nothing of, and electronics, we went to that place like 3 times, and we always come back from there with more figurines, we brought the figures from there because Japan is the best place because its almost gauranteed to legit and not a counterfeit or bootleg. Japan enforces piracy and bootlegging laws here, thats why CDs are really big over there still while its dying here due to digital downloads.

[anlptgtsg]

First time I heard Akihabara is in a anime. Cyber Team in Akihabara. . Then saw a video clip about it, I only remember electronic stuff.

Did you see the cherry blossoms on your trip? I want to see one. I see it in some animes and real pics and it looks beautiful.

[Rzerox21xx]

First time I heard Akihabara is in a anime. Cyber Team in Akihabara. . Then saw a video clip about it, I only remember electronic stuff.

Did you see the cherry blossoms on your trip? I want to see one. I see it in some animes and real pics and it looks beautiful.

we went on December during winter so the cherry blossom won't happen until the spring time.

[ClaecElric4God]

December! That's when I went! We should have hung out.
Sorry, I wasn't very specific. I meant what kind of food did you like? Did you have curry rice? That was by far my favorite thing, and potentially one of my favorite foods in the world now.

[Rzerox21xx]

the food I loved the most was Unagi which was grilled eel and Sushi. I only ate it rarely, the food I ate the most was Ramen or Soba noodles.

where you stayed at, in Japan what were the exact dates. I stayed at the Hostel Sakura Asakusa in Tokyo.

[ClaecElric4God]

Soba noodles!! I only had ramen once. XD
I stayed in Saku, from the second week in Nov. to the same in Dec. I was only in Tokyo one day, the 12th of Dec.

[Rzerox21xx]

so we were in Tokyo at the same time on Dec 12 I think that was the day we left for Kyoto via bullet train.

[Crossfire]

I'm the only one that ate grilled squid over there? Really?

Sounds like you had fun though. I myself spent the entirety of April traveling around the country, 6ish days in Tokyo and the rest going about Honshu. Spent the first four days in Akihabara, what an experience that was. I almost purchased a second suitcase due to all the Gundam/Transformers related goodness, but alas, I was a poor highschool student without a large expendable income. Speaking of which, did you go to the Gundam Cafe? Or any of the specialty cafes for the matter. I'm personally not into the whole maid scene, but I've been told that it's an interesting experience and I'm kinda kicking myself for not checking one out.

[Rzerox21xx]

I'm the only one that ate grilled squid over there? Really?

Sounds like you had fun though. I myself spent the entirety of April traveling around the country, 6ish days in Tokyo and the rest going about Honshu. Spent the first four days in Akihabara, what an experience that was. I almost purchased a second suitcase due to all the Gundam/Transformers related goodness, but alas, I was a poor highschool student without a large expendable income. Speaking of which, did you go to the Gundam Cafe? Or any of the specialty cafes for the matter. I'm personally not into the whole maid scene, but I've been told that it's an interesting experience and I'm kinda kicking myself for not checking one out.

Well most of my figures I brought from Akihabara weren't mobile suit related. I would like to go to the Gundam Café but my friends weren't interested and being cheap and well I been too scare to go on my own. I been relying on my friends to get around. the maid café was something, the girls were sweet and super cute and the food was delicious, it was a nice experience. I love listening to jpop anyway. Did you go to a cat café? so what other regions did you traveled, did you take the bullet train.

[Crossfire]

Nope. The only two cafe's I visited were the Gundam Cafe and Vie de France, the latter being a proper restaurant/bakery chain.

As far as other cities go... better do it chronologically. Started in Tokyo, then visited a Christian bible camp on the base of Mount Fuji, then spent a day in Nagoya, proceeded to Osaka for a few nights, took a day trip to Hiroshima, spent two (three?) agonizing days in Kyoto, back to Osaka for a night, Tokyo for a few hours while I waited for a train to Sendai, spent a night there, went to Ishinomaki (one of the towns wiped out by the tsunami), and then came back to Tokyo for my final two days. I feel like I accomplished a lot for the amount of time spent in the towns, but I still want to go back for a much longer stay. Eventually.

Oh, and another random question. Did you run into a family by the name of Woon? They're missionaries living in the middle of Tokyo, IIRC they've been there well over 20 years. They offered to show me around Tsukiji and that area, really cool people to say the least.

[Rzerox21xx]

Nope. The only two cafe's I visited were the Gundam Cafe and Vie de France, the latter being a proper restaurant/bakery chain.

As far as other cities go... better do it chronologically. Started in Tokyo, then visited a Christian bible camp on the base of Mount Fuji, then spent a day in Nagoya, proceeded to Osaka for a few nights, took a day trip to Hiroshima, spent two (three?) agonizing days in Kyoto, back to Osaka for a night, Tokyo for a few hours while I waited for a train to Sendai, spent a night there, went to Ishinomaki (one of the towns wiped out by the tsunami), and then came back to Tokyo for my final two days. I feel like I accomplished a lot for the amount of time spent in the towns, but I still want to go back for a much longer stay. Eventually.

Oh, and another random question. Did you run into a family by the name of Woon? They're missionaries living in the middle of Tokyo, IIRC they've been there well over 20 years. They offered to show me around Tsukiji and that area, really cool people to say the least.

How were you able to go to Japan and what lead you there, I'm considering returning there in terms of missions. I would love to go back I miss it already.

No, I have not heard of the Woon Family, do they have a facebook page. I would love to meet them. Tsukiji was great, I love eating there. we ate sushi and grilled unagi in tiny resturants.

[Yuki-Anne]

Sounds like a fantastic trip. I live in Kobe, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Kyoto, but I still haven't been! We were planning to go this fall but we just never got around to it... *sigh*

I also used to live a few hours north of Tokyo. I've been to Asakusa several times. I think I've stayed at the Sakura Hotel (I think the hotels and hostels are a chain, maybe? Either way they're pretty gaijin-friendly) in Ikebukuro. Never got around to going to Tsukiji, either, but I have been to Akihabara. I saw the Gundam Cafe but I didn't go, because a. I'd never watched any of the Gundam animes and b. there was a huge line outside.

[CalebFishy]

Awesome, good for you!

[Rzerox21xx]

I love Sakura Hotel, I left my Nintendo Ds there and I emailed them and they responded and then sent me the DS, came to me in a week and a half. They were really nice. I love going to the marketplace in Asakusa and trying Takoyaki(dough with octopus meat inside) and Manju(fried bean paste with different flavors). 7 eleven foods were pretty nice. I wish I could eat more sushi or other stuff but well we mostly ate fried rice, noodles and gyoza and 7 elven food because of our budget. Tsukiji is excellent for seafood athough the resturants are small and you most likely have to wait a while to get your seat,

[FourFourSeven]

Besides passing through Narita Airport between the U.S. and Korea, I've never actually *been* to Japan.

....But when I eventually get there, after stepping off the plane, I imagine virtually every Japanese national will facepalm and go, "......He's here!! And he's actually going to stay!!"

Yaahahahaha!!