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 Traveller's Tales: Entertainment suggestions in Japan
Sample the happening nightlife near in Japan. You may read about their entertainment tips and guides. Find out about entertainment centres, recreation, theatre, arts and night life. Also, you might want to read our
city guide.
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| A Gers |
15 June 2005 |
Stayed at Mansions at Roppongi, The - Tokyo, Japan.
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Good location. Just 5 walking minutes from Roppongi Station. Japanese restaurants and international cusine are within walking distance ( 5 - 10 minutes ). For those who look for the Hard Rock Café, it's 10 Minutes from the Mansion.
The only thing is: Have the phone number ready when you come with a taxi. Even though they have GPS they couldn't find it. They had to call. Take the "Friendly Limousine" Bus Service from Narita Airport to ANA Hotel Tokyo and then take a cap. It's 3000 Yen for an adult and 1500 for a child (Airport transfer) and the taxi from ANA Hotel Tokyo to the Mansions is about 740 Yen (depends on how quick he finds the hotel - lol). Tokyo Tower one of Tokyo's attractions is within walking distance. But when you come there, I would recommend that you do one of these day tours to see the highlights. For all families: Disneyland and Disney Sea are very easy to reach from the Mansions. It just takes 30 Minutes. The waterpark "Summerland - Water Adventure" is two hrs. away. But in the summertime a blast for kids. And the train ride is fun anyway.
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| H Suh |
10 May 2005 |
Stayed at Nagoya Marunouchi Tokyu Inn - Nagoya, Japan.
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I visited the World Expo in Nagoya. It was a fascinating experience. However, I felt that the whole experience was very commercialized and the organizers could have been better organized. At times the Expo seemed a little bit chaotic. If you are going to the Expo, I would recommend that you go for more than a day. The waiting lines for the various exhibits are tremendously long. Wait times greater than 30 minutes are the norm and they give out reserved tickets for exhibits at designated times which you must obtain if you want to visit them.
Nagoya Castle is a destination you must visit if you are in Nagoya. It's an impressive destination and there's a lot to see and experience.
Nighlife in Nagoya is pretty quiet. Don't expect late night drinking sessions and much frenzied action like you would find in Tokyo. Compared to Tokyo, Westerners and foreigners are not that many and visible in Nagoya. I'm not sure if this is a benefit to you or not, but I found it refreshing not having so many Westerners and foreigners around.
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| S Olofsson |
29 March 2005 |
Stayed at Sunroute Hiroshima, Hotel - Hiroshima, Japan.
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We didn't have a lot of time in Hiroshima so decided to visit Miyajima on the afternoon we arrived and save the Memorial Park and museum for the following morning. Would definitely recommend Miyajima, so quite and peaceful after the hustle and bustle of many of the cities we visited...the tame deer, the temples, the wooden buildings and the atmosphere. Unfortunately we didn't have time to take the forest walk as well. The following morning we visited the Hiroshima Memorial Park, Hall of Rememberance and the A-bomb Museum. Also, consider using a JR railpass if you intend to travel around. Our children had a great couple of hours at 'Edo Movie Land' in Kyoto, 10mins by JR from Kyoto main railway station. It is a smaller japanese version of Universal Studios, with lots of traditional houses and sets used in japanese costume dramas, soap operas, films etc. The children really enjoyed the stunt show featuring the samuri and the ninja. You can also dress up as a geisha or a samurai warrior and have your photo taken (for a fee!). Could be an excellent bribe if the younger ones are all 'templed out'!
Universal Studios Osaka is wonderful but the queues are long, you need a full day or try to go on a weekday which is not a school holiday and remember to check the information boards in the park for attraction queue times...Also I would recommend Himeji Castle...we were lucky and had an english speaking guide who explained the history of the castle including all the secret defense mechanisms much to the delight of our sons who couldn't wait to discover the whereabouts of the next 'booby trap! For me, strolling around Kyoto's Gion district at dusk and catching a glimpse of the Geishas/Meikos on their way to their engagements was definately one of the highlights of my stay. I was reading *Memoirs of a Geisha* at the time and it was literally as though the novel was brought to life in front of me. Oh and don't forget Nara, full of history,culture and easy to walk around.
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| Z Yoshida |
23 December 2004 |
Stayed at Park Hotel Tokyo - Tokyo, Japan.
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Good shopping at Ginza and Roppongi. There is a great German bar on the main stretch of Ginza.
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| H Seiffhart |
04 October 2004 |
Stayed at Kyoto Hotel Okura - Kyoto, Japan.
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We selected a JTB Sunrise morning tour as an orientation to Kyoto. We visited the Golden Pavillion, The Imperial Palace and the Nijo Castle. The tour was rushed and should have gone for at least another hour. The two Tokyo JTB morning tours (Edo Tokyo and the Tokyo Bay Lunch Cruise) we went on by comparison were enjoyable, well-paced and relaxing.
The transport system in Kyoto is so easy to navigate that we spent the rest of our week stay travelling on our own. We recommend the following places as must-sees -- Kyoto station's rooftop observatory, Takashiyama and Hankyu Department stores, the 400 year old Nishiki market and the covered shopping arcades around Teramachi. If you are going to see temples you must limit yourself as there are so many. We went to the Silver Pavillion which has a beautiful garden, Nanzenji, which is huge and has a fantastic Zen dry stone garden for contemplation and the beautiful Kiyomizu. One of the more impressive temples and the most accessible as far as photography was concerned is the atmospheric Chion-in. Also you must visit the very unusual Sanjusangendo Hall.
We went to the Gion corner and found the traditional entertainment to be virtually incomprehensible. Wait until you witness the Ikebana demonstration!! Most visitors were bemused. This entertainment is rather expensive so think twice before you go. At dusk the Pontoncho and Gion offer a number of restaurants available to foreigners, just look for the English menus outside. We dined at two Pontoncho restaurants Kaiyoutei (French style, located directly on the river) and Ka-Shin-tei (Japanese style - reasonably priced and marvellous food). At dusk it is possible to witness geisha or maiko walking around in Gion and the Pontoncho. It is not necessary to book yourself onto a tour to see this. You should be neatly and smartly dressed to eat here.
If you have children we would recommend a day trip to Osaka from Kyoto. Time wise we took in three sites - the Umeda Sky Building, the Osaka Aquarium - which houses a whale shark, the nearby ferris wheel and the Osaka Castle. Again, transporation in Osaka is OK and we even met some very kind locals who went out of their way to assist us.
If you wish to buy souvenirs you must visit the Kyoto Craft Centre near Gion. Do not confuse this place with the Kyoto Handicraft Centre, which sells tacky stuff by comparison. The Kyoto Craft Centre is the best place to buy quality handicrafts. In fact we found no better place to shop for traditional wares even in Tokyo, and that includes the Oriental Bazaar.
We recommend that you stay for at least one week in Kyoto. We ran out of time and would have loved to have gone on other day trips.
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| D Mok |
29 April 2004 |
Stayed at Kinki, Hotel - Osaka, Japan.
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Osaka is a lively city - but it's edginess might wear you down a bit after a while. At night, wander around the overhead bridges or train stations and listen to passionate Japanese musicians performing 'live'. From Osaka, take day trips to beautiful Kobe (try Kobe beef - it ain't that expensive if you scout around - about $10,000 Yen for truly scrumptious teppanyaki steak meal at "SteakLand"). Or venture out to Kyoto, just 30 minutes away - in Spring and Summer, you can easily spot geishas and maikos trotting about the lovely streets of Gion.
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| R Smith |
20 November 2003 |
Stayed at Kinki, Hotel - Osaka, Japan.
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I mostly used a taxi to get around as I was on business, but both the train lines and subway lines are within a 7 minute walk of the hotel. There are several restaurants in the area and if you walk across the street, you can visit a big shopping mall that has stores such as GAP, Disney, Starbucks, etc. There is an English friendly bar called 'Bar Isn't it' within 3 minutes walk of the hotel. And walking through this district at night (9:00 PM - 3:00 AM) is very entertaining. You will be approached by several girls and guys solicitating you to come into their club (if you are a male).
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| R Romulo |
25 August 2002 |
Stayed at Nagoya Kanko Hotel - Nagoya, Japan.
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Nagashima park is one of the best THEME PARK in the world.
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| R Cuyugan |
25 August 2002 |
Stayed at Nagoya Kanko Hotel - Nagoya, Japan.
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went to Nagashima Spaland to ride the highest and longest roller coaster.
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| M Levison |
18 November 2001 |
Stayed at Grand Palace, Hotel - Tokyo, Japan.
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Tokyo was awesome! The subway system is easy, cheap and fun. The sushi is incredible. There's too much to do!!!
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