BIG THINGS AFOOT

[topazera]

So, unfortunately, I haven't kept up with posting every week! What a shame! I really loved posting more frequently. I miss photoshop and lady posts and random screencaps! I've really been far more removed from lj than I'd like. BUT I do have a reason for the drop off as I've had a lot on my mind recently. Including some DEVELOPMENTS

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[animefreak42]

Kyoto was really beautiful - we were lucky to have gone when the sakura were at their peak! The Path of Philosophy, Bamboo Path, and Ginkakuji were our main stops, and they are all recommended. I don't know much about the other places, since we only stopped in Osaka for our lodging and food, though there is a huge mall attached to the Osaka Railway Station that would be fun to explore. We went there for two meals (there's an entire floor of just restaurants) and the food was yummy, though not cheap (lunch came out to around 5000 yen for the 4 of us?). There is definitely cheap, yummy food everywhere, though we didn't do that much budget eating since we had such a short time there.

Tokyo definitely has some great sights, though it's good to have more Kyoto than Tokyo for sure, lots more history there. All the main places: Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara, etc, are easily accessible on the Yamanote line. Ebisu is on the line too, maybe you could take a picture at Ebisu Garden Place! In Akihabara, we spent some time in a crazy 8 story arcade and played 4 person Mario Kart where you actually drive! It was also a cool burst of culture, with lots of girls in the streets dressed in their maid cafe uniforms. It's supposed to be especially good on weekends since more people dress up. We went to our first onsen around Tokyo - it was more like a spa then an onsen you would see in Inuyasha or something, but it was very nice and relatively inexpensive (around 1500 yen per person?). It's on the map at Sugamo station on the Yamanote line (www.sakura-2005.com), and you can bathe nude with the Japanese women which is a cool experience (no tattoos allowed though). At the ward office in Shinjuku, you can get an amazing view of the surrounding area, and sometimes even see Fuji. Kamakura is a nice day trip from Tokyo, though since you're staying in Kyoto for a while you'll probably get everything there. If you're a Ghibli fan, the Ghibli Museum is supposed to be amazing, though if you're going to do that, get your tickets early since they sell out ahead of time. The Ghibli Museum website has instructions on how to use the machines at Lawson station to get tickets (the machines themselves are only in Japanese).

We decided against getting a phone plan in Japan only because it was a relatively short time and we wanted to stay off the grid. From what I looked at, it seemed pretty expensive to get data and calling for a phone, though I didn't look all that hard. If you're lodging with friends, you might be able to just make do working off their internet and getting a calling card in Japan for phone calls? Unless you and your brother plan on separating often, then phones would be a good idea.

Ishigaki and Iriomotejima were beautiful. We stayed at a resort on Iriomotejima where they have all these guided nature tours. We got the sweetest lady who spoke good English, and she took us hiking in the jungle. We got to slide down small waterfalls and kayak down the "Amazon of Japan". It was also pretty expensive, though we got a good deal on it. Iriomotejima was really hot most of the time, though Ishigaki had really nice weather (warm but not uncomfortably so). Ishigaki had lots of fun shops and yummy food - Ishigaki beef! We stopped through Kagoshima for a night too and got to see the active volcano, very cool. Booking hotels was pretty easy - we used jalan.net and booking.com. There were other lodging places that needed phone booking, but again, if there is an English website, you can probably book in English on the phone. Travel was more difficult since you can really only get there by plane and ferries. We flew Star Alliance into Japan, so we got domestic flights at 10000 yen apiece through the airpass (http://www.ana.co.jp/wws/us/e/wws_common/fare/special/airpass.html). It took some time - I was on the phone with Singapore Airlines for around 2 hours over a couple days, but the end result was that we got 4 flights for around $500 (regular price would be around $1500). This was calling in a week before we left, so it's possible this will still work for you (though you do have to get it set up before you leave the country). I can tell you more if you want to pursue this further! PM me so we can Skype or IM to talk faster!