Visiting Japan

[Kirarakim]

Ill be going for Koyo at the end of November (23-Dec1st). I am hoping to hit the peak. I even had trouble getting a room more than 7 months in advance in Kyoto.

[Guardian Enzo]

Actually Kyoto has many wonderful places to see Sakura - Philosopher's Path was probably the most beautiful I saw anywhere in Japan, and I was lucky enough to be here for the full season in 2011 (three weeks after the quake).

As for predictions, yeah, the meteorological agency is always issuing and updating them, but it's wrong to see a month out they're necessarily accurate. We had a very warm spell in mid-March this year and they peaked about a full week before they were predicted to only a month out.

[Kirarakim]

I suppose if people want to be sure to see Sakura their best bet is to get a 2 month vacation from March to April (if only)

I was lucky to see some in Tokyo in March back in 2007 (I believe) in Ueno Park (there was nothing in Kyoto at the time I went)

Spoiler for Images:

Anyways it was either the tail end or tail beginning of them but I don't remember

[Guardian Enzo]

Nice pics. Koyo is thankfully a little easier to get the timing right - it lasts longer, anyway.

[AmeNoJaku]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Actually Kyoto has many wonderful places to see Sakura - Philosopher's Path was probably the most beautiful I saw anywhere in Japan, and I was lucky enough to be here for the full season in 2011 (three weeks after the quake).

Indeed, it should be really impressive, nevertheless, the castles of Kyushu, Chugoku and Shikoku are way better to experience, less crowded and more authentic then then destinations popular with foreigners.

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

As for predictions, yeah, the meteorological agency is always issuing and updating them, but it's wrong to see a month out they're necessarily accurate. We had a very warm spell in mid-March this year and they peaked about a full week before they were predicted to only a month out.

Nevertheless, it's the best bet for planning.

Originally Posted by Kirarakim

I suppose if people want to be sure to see Sakura their best bet is to get a 2 month vacation from March to April (if only)

That's what my brother had to do, and even that was not enough

[Garet Jax]

Yeah, I don't think I can swing two months. Thanks for the info and pics, everyone. It may be even harder to choose a time now but at least I have a better idea!

[Soliloquy]

Hey I'm going to Osaka and Kyoto about 2 weeks later, if you don't mind, would you recommend me the place to go to?

[AmeNoJaku]

Osaka -> try random bars in badmouthed neighborhoods (applies to Kobe too, generally wherever there is a lot of Yakuza), owners and clients are very friendly, unlike touristic joints in Roppongi and Shinjuku manifactured to please Chinese, American and German businessmen... otherwise Osaka sucks, it's just another big city without history, like NYC, LA, etc.

Kyoto -> Fushimi Inari Taisha >>> Ginkakuji > Kinkakuji > Nijojo >>> Heian Shrine (old imperial palace reconstruction turned into a shrine) > walk along Higashi and Arashi mountain temples > Toei studio (if you fancy old chambara films)

Nearby... Nara (cool with n00bs), Hiroshima/Miyajima (popular with Anglo-saxons and English teachers that want to fake some knowledge of Japanese culture and history), try out a sleep-over at either Koya or Hiei monastery complexes, if lucky you will be saved from American Buddhist creeps, and have a local monk that will narrate syncretic legends... historically though Himeji (if restoration is complete, otherwise try Hikone for another original flatland castle) and Bitchu Matsuyama hilltop castle at Takahashi village (if you are up to walking a lot) are much more important, as well as the grand shrines of Ise (devoted to Amaterasu and her chickens) and Izumo (devoted to Okuni-something) (both 3-6 hours away)... if you can speak basic Japanese and can stand slower transportation (still faster then the fastest in Europe and light speed for the Americans), definitely visit Shikoku in summer!

[aohige]

Originally Posted by AmeNoJaku

otherwise Osaka sucks, it's just another big city without history, like NYC, LA, etc.

Complete and utter BS.
We have more history than NYC and LA and Chicago COMBINED.

City without history? OSAKA? Are you *!)$ing kidding me. The Naniwa legacy goes back centuries upon centuries.

You must be one of them Osaka-hating easterners, go back to yer fancy clothes and choke on em!
/kansai-kantou rivalry

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

Hey I'm going to Osaka and Kyoto about 2 weeks later, if you don't mind, would you recommend me the place to go to?

Can you be a little bit more specific about your interests? That's like saying "I like food. What do you recommend I eat?"

I like Osaka and Kyoto, though they could hardly be more different. The fact that they're only 14 minutes apart on the Shinkansen makes that fact especially delightful. Kobe is an interesting place too, often overlooked.

[AmeNoJaku]

Originally Posted by aohige

Complete and utter BS.
We have more history than NYC and LA and Chicago COMBINED.

City without history? OSAKA? Are you *!)$ing kidding me. The Naniwa legacy goes back centuries upon centuries.

You must be one of them Osaka-hating easterners, go back to yer fancy clothes and choke on em!
/kansai-kantou rivalry

Chill out! if anything, I am a Kyushu lover... and I was exaggerating there about Osaka's history, of course any place in the world has a richer history then Chicago, NYC and LA, and I very much enjoy Osaka, a lot more then Kyoto in fact... BUT not for sight-seeing

PS: I also don't wear fancy clothes

[aohige]

Originally Posted by AmeNoJaku

Chill out! if anything, I am a Kyushu lover... and I was exaggerating there about Osaka's history, of course any place in the world has a richer history then Chicago, NYC and LA, and I very much enjoy Osaka, a lot more then Kyoto in fact... BUT not for sight-seeing

PS: I also don't wear fancy clothes

WE HAZ FOOD GOOD FOOD.
And they don't cost arm, leg, and a kidney like dem fancy snobby Kyotonians!

Well, and a freakin' castle of former ruler of Japan in smack middle of the city.

[SaintessHeart]

I thought Osaka is the centre of Yakuza activities.

Which means I can find pink salons manned by loli JS and JK! Hell yeah!

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by AmeNoJaku

as well as the grand shrines of Ise (devoted to Amaterasu and her chickens) and Izumo (devoted to Okuni-something) (both 3-6 hours away)... if you can speak basic Japanese and can stand slower transportation (still faster then the fastest in Europe and light speed for the Americans), definitely visit Shikoku in summer!

Speaking of Izumo....that place should be a must go for anyone interested in Shinto.

Much much better than Ise

[AmeNoJaku]

Originally Posted by aohige

WE HAZ FOOD GOOD FOOD.
And they don't cost arm, leg, and a kidney like dem fancy snobby Kyotonians!

Yes, Osaka and Hiroshima have the best food in Honshu, and is usually cheaper then in Kyoto and Tokyo. But that was part of my original point, not explicitly stated.

Originally Posted by aohige

Well, and a freakin' castle of former ruler of Japan in smack middle of the city.

Oh! that 90's (as in 1990's) reconstruction? and which ruler Hideyoshi? he died while the castle was being built and his son living there was never a ruler of anything, rather spend his short years trapped inside by the besieging Tokugawa rulers.

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

I thought Osaka is the centre of Yakuza activities.

Which means I can find pink salons manned by loli JS and JK! Hell yeah!

That would be Kobe, nearby

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Speaking of Izumo....that place should be a must go for anyone interested in Shinto.

Much much better than Ise

I disagree, the kami of Ise is much more important then the one in Izumo and the complex much more vast and varied, on the other hand some structures in Izumo are really otherworldy, nevertheless both grand shrines are magnificent and it will be a tough call which to visit after the more accessible (and popular) ones in Kyushu and Kyoto.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by AmeNoJaku

I disagree, the kami of Ise is much more important then the one in Izumo and the complex much more vast and varied, on the other hand some structures in Izumo are really otherworldy, nevertheless both grand shrines are magnificent and it will be a tough call which to visit after the more accessible (and popular) ones in Kyushu and Kyoto.

Ever since Amaterasu's cult gained prominence of course. Izumo is apparently the oldest.

Plus I still can't believe it used to be 10 storeys tall....

[AmeNoJaku]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Ever since Amaterasu's cult gained prominence of course. Izumo is apparently the oldest.

The worship of Amaterasu was always prominent among the nobility... as for which is the oldest, both were mentioned in Nihon Shoki, so I have no clue... and in any case they are much younger then most monuments in the Mediterranean so to me this matter is trivial.

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Plus I still can't believe it used to be 10 storeys tall....

I need more proof then the basis of the supposed staircase's pillars to be persuaded.

[Kirarakim]

I've been to Kyoto and Osaka, I personally preferred Kyoto (sorry Aohige)

I will probably try to go back to Osaka one evening though on this next trip.

The one thing I did really enjoy about Osaka is the aquarium. That was very nice. There was also a cool Ferris wheel there, but I didn't go because my friend wouldn't go up with me and I didn't want to go alone.

[aohige]

Originally Posted by AmeNoJaku

Oh! that 90's (as in 1990's) reconstruction? and which ruler Hideyoshi? he died while the castle was being built and his son living there was never a ruler of anything, rather spend his short years trapped inside by the besieging Tokugawa rulers.

Oh please. As if any of the castles are not repaired and reconstructed.
The castle has always been there, even back when I was born there in the 70s, it's not like they built that thing out of nowhere in the 1990s.
Hell, I bet you weren't even BORN when I was taking a stroll through the castle!

Also, details, details. I can just SMELL your hate on the monkey, I KNEW you were one of those east-biased Osaka hater, ya Kantou spy!
The whores of the sneaky fat tanuki always piss on history and never acknowledged Toyotomi first ruled Japan.

Jokes aside, I do think you're being a wee bit unfairly judgmental and pessimistic about the Osaka castle.
EDIT: Or, rather, looking your posts above, it seems about sites in general.
Yikes, I'm starting to read your critiques imagining your avatar as "Jigoku no Misawa" style! lol

[AmeNoJaku]

Originally Posted by aohige

Oh please. As if any of the castles are not repaired and reconstructed.
The castle has always been there, even back when I was born there in the 70s, it's not like they built that thing out of nowhere in the 1990s.
Hell, I bet you weren't even BORN when I was taking a stroll through the castle!

Also, details, details. I can just SMELL your hate on the monkey, I KNEW you were one of those east-biased Osaka hater, ya Kantou spy!
The whores of the sneaky fat tanuki always piss on history and never acknowledged Toyotomi first ruled Japan.

Jokes aside, I do think you're being a wee bit unfairly judgmental and pessimistic about the Osaka castle.
EDIT: Or, rather, looking your posts above, it seems about sites in general.
Yikes, I'm starting to read your critiques imagining your avatar as "Jigoku no Misawa" style! lol

You know there is a reason why they say that there are only 12 original castles left, because the rest are modern reconstructions... not reparations, renovations, etc. but complete modern reconstructions of at least the main keep. In Osaka castle's case if I remember correctly only the outer wall remained from the original complex after the WW2.