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Anonymous
Dear /jp/

I'm in Japan for a few weeks including Tokyo and Kyoto. I already have a few plans like seeing Akihabara and Shibuya. What are some must-see/must-do things that the normal travel guide books won't tell me?
>> Anonymous
apologies. I meant /trv/
>> Anonymous
Oh fuck no you didn't.......
>> Anonymous
Google Tokyo Damage Report.

Very much WTF and Only-in-Japan.
>> Anonymous
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If you're planning on going out of the cities somewhat, I really reccomend you see Shirakawa-go in Gifu prefecture if you can. (There's no train there, obviously, but buses run from Nagoya, Kanazawa and Takayama, all of which you can access from the delicious rail system.) A lot of us animu fags go there because it was the setting for Higurashi, but even if you've no interest in any of that stuff it's a beautiful, idyllic village with some of the nicest scenery you'll see and some very unique architecture.

Guidebooks do mention it, as it's a UNESCO world heritage site. Unfortunately, this also means it sees a lot of tourists. But if you can stay overnight in a ryokan there, you'll practically have the place to yourself after the buses go home (around 4pm) and before they arrive in the morning (before 10am), and even when they're around it's still gorgeous.

If you can't speak Japanese, you can reserve a room through Japanese Guest Houses (google it), which is an English language site. Actual transport there will be a little more difficult to reserve, though, as you'll have to call the bus companies directly and fumble through conversations with people.

Of course, if you know Japanese, none of that matters anyway.

Pic very related.
>> Anonymous
take a short trip to the izu peninsula here in beautiful Shizuoka
>> Anonymous
>>29916

>Dear /jp/

Why do we have /trv/ again?
>> Anonymous
>>29916
Post on futaba bbs

actually, spend an entire day on futaba
>> Anonymous
>>30011
Because /jp/ makes /b/ look like a respectable board.
>> Anonymous
Suck some longshoreman cock in Osaka.

(I hope to god you're not who I think you are.)

But seriously, Osaka is pretty fucking big. You should check out Shin Osaka, which is like West New York, NJ.

There's a famous Kabuki theater in Kyoto, if you 're into that kind of stuff. Gifu has some hot springs and stuff. Yah, that's all I got.
>> Anonymous
>>29986
Seconded. Shirakawa-go is certainly worth the trip. ~4000 yen is a bit steep for the bus, but every single yen is well spent.
Actually, when I went there I didn't see any Higurashi fans. At least I was the only one taking photos of the characters' houses more extensively. The shrine's ema are priceless nevertheless.

You can book the bus (Takayama - Shirakawa-go - Kanazawa) online using http://secure.j-bus.co.jp/new_module/asp/hnsent3.asp?mode=1&uncd=2102 . It's a bit of a hassle to make the registration formular accept latin letters, but if you can use the IME, you should be able to overcome this.

Oh, and before I forget it, if you plan to go to the view point, buy sound-isolating earmuffs in advance.
>> Anonymous
I'm similar to OP, I've been to Japan 3 times before doing basically nothing but cultural stuff. It was cool but I've seen most of it now, a couple times.

If I'm trying to have fun and party where should I go?
>> Anonymous
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>>30088

Guy you responded to here. I didn't know that bus was bookable online, that's good advice and I'll remember it for next time.

What's with the earmuffs, though? I don't understand. But then, the only time I went up there was one afternoon after all the tourists had gone home, so it was pretty much empty.

(Oh, it's also worth mentioning for anyone else - when I say 'tourists', I mean 'Japanese tourists'. We did see two Americans while we were there, but they were seasoned travellers and I think that was kind of a one-off.)

In unashamedly weeaboo fashion, my small party of two walked around for a few hours on one day dressed up as the characters. (I was Mr. Delicious because I'm FAT, she was Mion.) Most people either just didn't get it, didn't notice, or didn't care. One or two of the younger-looking tourists gave us knowing nods or grins, and we did see a Tomitake in the distance, but lost him before we could catch up. Perhaps somewhat weirdly, an old man at the tourist information counter seemed to understand, and was laughing, grinning and waving to us.

So yeah, I guess there are people there who know the show and understand that as the context, but the vast majority of people are just there because it's fucking beautiful, and I know that's certainly what I'll remember about the place. I want there because of the connection, but fell in love with it for less shameful reasons.
>> Anonymous
>>30119

Haha, wow, I feel stupid now. Looking in more detail at my OWN FUCKING PICTURE, I see how packed the lookout is.
>> Anonymous
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Die and then visit the UG, win your life back in seven days.

ACTUAL ANSWER: In Kyoto, visit Fushimi Inari, an awesome mountain shrine. You can climb it and see the entire city. Additionally, you can walk one station up to Tobakaido and see the Nintendo World HQ. It's like the pilgrimage to Mecca for geeks.
>> Anonymous
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>>30119
>>What's with the earmuffs, though?
There is a tape of some old woman making HORRIBLE music playing in loop. How could you miss that? She is even mentioned in a Japanese tourist guide book I saw in Takayama.
I would go so far to call her the real Oyashirosama.

There are not many foreigners around, indeed, but I had the luck to rush into a considerably large French-speaking tourist group at Wadake. Haven't seen them elsewhere, though. Guess it was only a quick stop-over.

The trip was exceptionally interesting for a Higurashi fan as you could often see where the inspiration for the story has come from. Like the big dam next to the road towards Shirakawa-go, the devastated nature around the dam lake and the lot of white vans and pickups driving around the village for no apparent reason at all. Unfortunately, the shrine was still partly under wraps, since it was early April. Mid-September really looks like the better choice.

Even so, a beautiful small village, that works perfectly as contrast to Tokyo and even Kyoto.
>> Anonymous
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>>30131

Huh, that's weird. I didn't hear that tape at all, it wasn't playing when I was up there. And it wasn't mentioned in my guidebook either. Which one did you have, and when did you go? I had either Rough Guide or Lonely Planet (guide to all of Japan), and I went in September 2007. I hope that's not a new addition that's on constantly now.

I agree entirely on what you said about seeing where the inspiration for the story came from. We actually had a good bit of luck one night - we were there a few weeks before the village's big festival, and every evening you could hear the sound of people practicing. It was lovely walking around the village at night listening to the taiko drums in the distance.

But more to the point: After dark one night, we went to visit the shrine that serves as Furude Shrine in the show. (Can't remember its real name.) A group of schoolchildren of widely mixed ages, about 7 to 16, were practicing chants together on the shrine steps for a good long while.

It made me think - I wonder if there's some truth to the idea of the school having so few pupils that they mix up the grades like that?
>> Anonymous
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>>30129

Speaking of Kyoto, does anyone know what this place is called? I'm ashamed to say I can't remember. It's just outside of Kyoto on the train, and it's a mountain where all the paths are pretty much entirely covered in torii gates, to the point where a lot of them are pretty much tunnels. The mountain is supposed to have quite the yokai population.

Either way, it was awesome to go there after dark and get creeped out, and the OP should do it.

(Also, OP, go to Nara - It's not as "magnificent" as old Kyoto, but it's like Shirakawa in that after the tourists go home, you have a lovely place all to yourself.)
>> Anonymous
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Furude Shrine = Sirakawa Hathiman Shrine
>> Anonymous
>>30134
>I wonder if there's some truth to the idea of the school having so few pupils that they mix up the grades like outhat?

My American school did that. As far as I can tell, it's a common practice in grassroots schooling. Classes were split up K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. It has its own pros and cons.
>> Anonymous
>>30134
I used LP as well. Additionally a Hinamizawa map and a Shirakawa-go map. The note about her was in a guide book lying around at my accomodation in Takayama. Couldn't make much sense of it, but it sounded very tourist-trappy to me.
Went there this year, so I think the tape should be still in place. It's certainly no cultural asset.

>>30135
Hint: The train station is called Inari.
>> Anonymous
>>30146

In all fairness, I didn't even know the name of the train station, now, did I?

That aside, that "wailing woman" thing is a real shame. I don't understand why they'd do that when the village's natural silence works so well already.

Which ryokan did you stay at, incidentally?
>> Anonymous
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>>30135
Fushimi Inari shrine. As Anon says, you get off at JR Inari, or Keihan Fushimi Inari.

Picture is of JR Inari.
>> Anonymous
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More from my personal photos of Fushimi Inari for Anon:

JESUS CHRIST, IT'S A YOKAI NOGITSUNE, GET IN THE TRAIN!
>> Anonymous
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More photos. And for the record, the creepiest thing I ever did was go to Fushimi Inari after dark. I'm not one to believe in ghosts, but there is something... very, very creepy after dark there that will raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

Have you played Fatal Frame? It's that level of creepy.
>> Anonymous
>>30129

damn you, I think you just spoiled part of that game for me. I have been playing it and plan to try and see places mentioned in the game. The dog statue for example.
>> Anonymous
>>30164
DRR... DRR...
>> Anonymous
>>30165

>>30135here.

I know exactly what you mean. Something about it was the creepiest thing in the world.

In fact, when we checked out our photos from that night, we had a photo of the blackness between two torii gates, with some strange, blotchy, shifting lights inexplicably present in the middle of the photo, taking up a sizeable chunk of the visible area.

It could have been something totally normal, I guess, but we still deleted that shit pretty fast.
>> Anonymous
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>>30233
Foxfire? Scary.

Look on the right side of this photo. I INVITE YOU TO THE FEAR.
>> Anonymous
>>30272

I see a tree
>> Anonymous
>>30279
Look between said tree and the right side of the torii.
>> Anonymous
If you want a cool bar you should go to tha New York Bar. It's on the 52nd (or something) floor of the Park Hyatt hotel in west shinjuku I think it was. It's the hotel and bar from the movie Lost in translation, and it really has a wonderful atmosphere, and a great view of Tokyo. It's a bit expensive though, but well worth it.
>> Anonymous
And then there's the Ghibli museum, altough you need to buy tickets a few months in advance.

And the fishmarket, if you like dead fish.

Oh, and you have to go see sumo wrestling.
>> Anonymous
in tokyo:
Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Royal Palace (you cant enter but the park is great)
Kyoto: Take a day and walk a lot in the eastern part of town, great shrines there
>> Anonymous
>>29943
Listen to this man

also Miraikan in Odaiba.