Originally Posted by louis&me

im also going to japan late march and was wondering if any of you had bought tour packages. if so, what did your package include and how much did you get it for? from researching online, looks like it costs almost the same as my airfare. will be there for 6 days and want to explore japan as much as i can. what did you guys buy there specifically during your trip? any beauty product, clothes etc that you recommend me getting not sold here in u.s.?

check http://www.yokoso-japan.jp for tour packages.

6 days is not a lot of time to visit all of japan but i think the best places to visit would be tokyo, mt. fuji, and kyoto.

there are lots of cute clothing retailers in japan, some popular ones being cecil mcbee, ingni, comme ca, beams, muji, uniqlo, etc.

muji is a cool lifestyle store that carry inexpensive clothes and housewares.

I've been living in Japan for a little over two months now, and although I still think that brand goods/clothes, etc. are significantly more expensive than Canada, I have found a good used clothing chain store that offers some pretty good deals. It's called: Book Off Super Bazaar (not to be confused with the normal "Book Off" chain. Super Bazaar has used books AND clothes in addition to brand bags & houseware).

I usually go to the one in Sakae (in Nagoya) and it is HUGE. The non-Japanese used goods aren't that great of a deal (they had used H&M clothes for ~Y1200-2000), but the Japanese brands like Cecile McBee were about half their normal price (in good condition too).

They organize the brand name clothing by brand so it's really easy to find a certain brand (unfortunately though, it also eliminates the chance of finding a "steal" in a high-end brand). About half of the clothing section is dedicated to the lesser known brands (the brands are all mixed together in this section). They have "200 yen" corners too where they have marked down clothing.

I'd be wary of trying to buy brand name bags from here though if you don't know your reals from fakes. I've seen a few fake Balenciaga bags the last few times I went there (it's pretty easy to tell they're fake though because the leather is stiff & feels off...plus, the price is cheap [~Y3000]). They did have an authentic Rebecca Minkoff Morning After bag for ~Y12000, so you can sometimes find a good deal

I'm heading to Tokyo in June and staying with a friend, but there will be days when I'll be alone in Tokyo and when I'm in Hiroshima, so good tips all round! I like the idea of taking a photograph of the station; thanks!

I love watching NHK World ( Japanese TV chanel)

It's in english and has lots of useful information. I watched two very good programs last week one was called 'Meet and Speak' - Welcome to Japan and the other one was called 'Tokyo eye'- How much?.... This one was very good showed all the building's in Toyko with a viewing decks and given price's for each ( and said which one's were free even better!) restaurants and clothes prices etc. Well worth watching!

Osaka was my favorite by far. Tokyo was great, but I felt I enjoyed Osaka much more.

FOOD: No matter what you do, you MUST have Osaka style okonomiyaki before you leave! You won't have to search far and wide to find it, but once outside Osaka, good luck! It's japanese pancakes that are decadent! Also, ask around and get yourself the real deal tonkotsu ramen - hand-made, no crappy packaged ramen noodles. Make sure you find a "Mochi Cream" store, it's like the Godiva of mochi, and is ice cream based.

Visit HEP 5 to ride one of the many ferris wheels (but this one is located on top of a shopping mall!) for the BEST view of Osaka you will ever see.



(tonkotsu ramen, fresh with homemmade ramen)


THE most fantastic place in Kyoto by far (for me, anyway!) Was Uji City! It's home to the Byodo-in Temple (I believe that's on the japanese penny) and it has a whole village of green tea. All the rarest and tastiest green tea to drink, as well as green tea mochi and other pastries.





Adventureland in Wakayama is fantastic, too! It's the most interactive zoo I've ever been to. You can just about touch all the animals. http://www.giantpandazoo.com/panda/p...orld-shirahama

my best shot of the trip! :)


Check out the Golden Pavillion. Kinkaku-ji, in Kyoto. It's made of 24k gold. Watch out for HUGE spiders in LOW webs there though. *shudders*



Nara is BEAUTIFUL! All the deer in Nara are super friendly and the scenery is great. Nara is home to Todaiji which you absolutely MUST visit. It's one of the oldest temples in Japan. It's gigantic and so majestic.

my fiance feeding a deer in Nara:


It goes without saying that you have to see Fushimi-Inari in Taisha!




If you go to Kobe, you definitely have to visit their Chinatown!

PS - here is an album of the street fashion of Tokyo I compiled while there. It's pretty wild! Loved it!

http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/e...eet%20Fashion/

Originally Posted by AndagainSalvage

PS - here is an album of the street fashion of Tokyo I compiled while there. It's pretty wild! Loved it! http://s230.photobucket.com/albums/e...eet%20Fashion/ http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/e...n/b711dd05.png

I LOVE your photos! I will be in Tokyo for just a few days in July. can't wait!

Thank-you!!

Oh you are going to have a blast! And i have the GREATEST spot for you in Tokyo to visit for food - but mainly for the really neat atmosphere. It's fashioned to look like an old shop in the 1950s or so. It has all old decor and old movie posters. It's called Yurakucho and it's in Yakitori alley. We really enjoyed it!

Originally Posted by uhkiwi

I LOVE your photos! I will be in Tokyo for just a few days in July. can't wait!

Hello All, I am leaving for Japan next week and was wondering what mode of transportation to take when going to Tokyo Disneyland? I will take my 2 kids with me. Is Tokyo Disneyland easy to navigate around? Thanks!

You can also check the shops that sell vintage and used designer handbags in Japan below

http://www.2ndhandbagshop.com/location/japan/