Things to do in Japan: #10, visit a temple
Editor’s Note: We asked Cheryn for her top things to do in Japan, Tokyo, Kyoto and beyond for travelers planning a trip to Japan. This is her reply, updated with the latest links and info.
#1 Sleep on the floor
Things to do in Japan: #1, sleep in a 'ryokan'
Forgo the usual western hotel for a Japanese inn called a ryokan. While ryokans are often more expensive than hotels, and usually come with a few rules (a curfew, for example), they give you an intimate glimpse into Japanese customs: communal baths, peaceful gardens, the ability to wear a robe (yukata) in public any time of the day.
They also offer kaiseki (elaborate and highly traditional) meals and simple rooms with sliding rice-paper doors, shrines, tatami-matted floors, and futons (which are laid out on the floor each night). If sleeping on the floor doesn’t sound comfortable, have no fears: most ryokans provide padded quilting and cushions to soften the experience.
#2 Eat fish for breakfast
Things to do in Japan: #2, eat a traditional breakfast
Food is the most elemental expression of a culture, so while in Japan be sure to try a traditional Japanese breakfast (if you’re staying at a ryokan, it’s often included).
A traditional breakfast is served at a low table with cushioned seating on the floor and includes an assortment of small lacquer-ware bowls filled with grilled fish, a ‘rolled omelet’ called tamagoyaki, salad, rice, miso soup, fermented soy beans called natto, dried seaweed, and tea. Mmmm.
#3 Take a communal bath
Put fears of public nudity aside and dip into a steaming-hot pool at a communal bath. These are known as sento or onsen – the latter uses water from hot springs. Japanese traditionally bathe in the evening, but communal baths are open for several hours in the morning as well.
Things to do in Japan: #3, take a communal bath
Don’t worry about soap and shampoo – these items are always provided, along with moisturizing lotion, cotton swabs, and hair dryers. Just be sure to first wash yourself at a shower surrounding the bath, rinsing all the soap off your body before getting in.
Soaking in steaming hot water is relaxing, meditative, and a great way to immerse yourself in Japanese culture. Communal bathing is a tradition that goes all the way back to AD 700.
#4 Sit on the toilet (go ahead, the seats are warm)
My mother taught me to never sit on a public toilet seat, but in Japan, it’s hard to resist: The seats are warm. And the comforting feeling a warm toilet seat provides is hard to express… all I can offer is that the experience is a lasting and fond memory of my travels in Japan. Being on the cutting edge of technology and electronics as it is, Japan’s toilets plug into the wall, and often offer more services than just a warm seat. Many have something akin to an armrest with buttons that operate bidet-like features and fake flushing sounds for the shy.
#5 Ride a bullet train
Things to do in Japan: #5, ride a bullet train
With 12,400 miles of track, high-speed bullet trains called Shinkansen can take you pretty much anywhere you want in Japan at speeds close to 186 mph (300 km/h). The trip between Kyoto and Tokyo takes a mere 2 hours.
The trains are operated by the Japan Railways Group, who offers 7-day, 14-day, and 21-day rail passes for unlimited travel on all JR lines throughout Japan. It’s a great value if your itinerary includes a lot of destinations.
A pass is also convenient, and does away with the hassle of figuring out how to purchase tickets. Simply show your pass to the station attendant and you’re good to go. This is especially handy as the passes work for JR’s city metro lines as well. The only hitch is you must purchase a rail pass before arriving in Japan, so plan accordingly. Also note that you can organize a Mt Fuji day trip from Tokyo by bullet train over on the Viator site, including the popular Mt Fuji & Hakone from Tokyo (return by Bullet Train) trip.
#6 People watch in shopping districts
Things to do in Japan: #6, people watch
No matter what city you happen to be, there will be shopping districts. And that always makes for good people watching, especially in Japan where teenage fashion is so varied and extreme. Find a coffee shop or restaurant with a good view to while away a few hours. This is especially fun on a weekend in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, or any day of the week above Shibuya’s famous Hachiko crossing.
There’s a Starbucks with a great view of the crossing, with hundreds of pedestrians weaving in all directions at once in a mesmerizing stop-go-stop dance timed to the traffic lights. This type of crosswalk is called ‘scramble crossing’ and while there are about 300 in Japan, this one is the busiest, as it’s located right in front of the busiest train station in the world, Shibuya Station.
#7 Shop for toys
Even if your days of throwing tantrums in the toy store are long over, indulge your inner child and spend some time browsing the dense shelves of 6-floor toy stores. They sell everything from Miyazaki movie paraphernalia to scary Goth dolls, radio-controlled cars, and plastic figurines of just about any fictional character ever drawn or imagined. If the shops get too crowded, head over to an arcade and get yourself a cuddly stuffed creature from one of the many ‘claw’ game machines. And keep your eye out for vending machines that sell capsule toys–there’s one outside the Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto that dispenses Hello Kitty lunch bags for a couple of bucks.
#8 Check in to a ‘love hotel’
Things to do in Japan: #8, check into a love hotel
Take a ‘rest’ in a love hotel — so named for the activities of lovers that transpire within. Although some look ordinary and unassuming, they’re usually easy to spot.
Look for discreet windowless buildings or tacky structures with bright colors (think Vegas); neon signs that advertise amenities like themed rooms, costume play, and ‘rental goods’; and a backlit picture menu in the lobby.
Renting a room for a ‘rest’ will get you a few hours, whereas renting a room for a ‘stay’ is usually overnight, and only available in the late evening.
While the whole idea may sound kinky, a romp in a Love Hotel is apparently quite normal to the Japanese, who often have little privacy at home.
#9 Gaze upon Tokyo from the 52nd floor
If you’ve seen the film Lost in Translation, you’ll know the view from the “New York Bar” in Tokyo’s Park Hyatt Hotel. It’s spectacular, and well worth shelling out the 20-odd dollars for a cocktail. From 750 feet in the sky, the immensity of Tokyo is a sight to behold, especially when the city is lit up a night, full of red blinking lights that make it seem as if the city was breathing. And from here, you can actually see the curvature of the Earth.
Things to do in Japan: #9, check out the view over Tokyo
If you’re only interested in the view, it’s best to get here in the late afternoon/early evening to avoid the nightly $20 cover charge for live music (the cover charge starts at 8 pm). The bar also offers a casual dining menu, and includes a $60 hamburger.
#10 Zen out
A visit to Japan is not complete without visiting a temple. Kyoto alone has several thousand of them. Built with wood and simple in design, Japanese temples are quietly beautiful, usually set in the peaceful grounds of a garden. Kyoto is the place to go.
Spared destruction during WWII for its historical importance, today the city is home to countless temples and shrines considered national treasures. The nearby temple-laden city of Nara makes a great day trip from Kyoto, if only to visit the famous Todaiji Temple, the world’s largest wooden building.
Planning a trip? Research tours & things to do in Japan over on the Viator site, not to mention Tokyo tours, Mt Fuji day trips, and things to see & do in Kyoto. Also check out the complete set of photos from Cheryn’s trip to Japan.
January 31st, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I haven’t been to Japan but it looks nice in your pictures and I see that there are a lot of things to do there too. I would like to try the bullet train very much.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Great article. I hope to be traveling to Japan soon to put these ideas into practice.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Lovely descriptions which really bring back to me my time spent in Japan!
I agree wholeheartedly with you that Kyoto is the place to go. That was where I lived, and I think it has to be one of the best, if not the best, Japanese city. Why? Well, it was the capital for so long, and is still very much the seat of Japanese culture. Add to that that it was very much undamaged by World War II, and so still has intact so many of its fabulous traditional wooden houses. It also has loads of lovely temples, gardens and parks to look round.
Additionally, Kyoto has more universities than I can name, and so there is a high student population which makes for a lot of vibrant nightlife. If you want a good night out, dowtown Kyoto is the place to go.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:06 am
Great list. Are the communal baths coed or same sex only? I recall an old movie where an American family “rented” a bath, only to have a second Japanese family join them.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:33 am
Hi,
Thanks for the information. Though i have always dream of traveling to Japan, every year i always end up somewhere else. Anyway thanks for the information. Hey check out my blog, its about travel. am sure u’ll like it.
Thanks.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Interesting stuff, I thought Japanese people just sit and watch anime/manga all day long
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Hi there,
You’ve got some very insightful articles. My wife and I are planning on taking a trip to Japan later this year and didn’t know where to begin regarding “things to do” there. I’ve bookmarked your site for reference.
Cheers!
July 31st, 2008 at 7:39 am
hi,
i have already visited japan in 1979. i have visited tokyo/sendai/kyoto/osaka. but i feel the tour is not completed. last time i went on a free invitation. but my friend in sendai has expired suddenly. i am real sorry. i wish to visit again. but i am not sure at this age of 62, if i can make it again. you know i am retired now but very much travel oriented. may be i can exchange a vacation with some one in india at darjeeling/sikkim ? can some one recomend some thing ? you can send me email at bhaktipradipb@gmail.com. i can be a good travel company too. thanks
September 1st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Yes, Japanese hotels are worth to try, and also learn a bit how to bow in Japan could be useful, since the angles of bowing all have different meanings:-)
October 11th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
hi,
i found this site very helpful. my mum and i are planning to travel around the world next year and i’m very excited about visiting all the asian countries. one thing i thought of interest would be the universal studio. maybe because i’m young but i thought going there might be in your top ten rather then a warm toilet seat hehe
January 20th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
I really like your ideas on top ten places to visit^^ However, I thought something to add is that at almost any temple you visit that has a working staff or an admission fee…you can get a “signature” of that particular place; a temple stamp in red and on top of that a monk will hand write the temple name in beautiful traditional japanese right in front of you….and if you really beg they can even write something more personal (written in japanese..naturally). Furthermore, for 1000en or about 10 dollars, you can buy a book that is made especially for that purpose and the nice thing is that it actually folds out and can be hung like a scroll. The bad thing is those temple autographs can run anywhere from 200en to 500en (2-5 dollars). Most places will provide an area where you can stamp your book yourself for free…although sometimes these little stations are practically hidden…for anyone who is going up fuji-san…check out the outbuildings behind the main buildings at the last rest stop…its hidden there^^
Another thing…my favorite place of all time was used in the film memoirs of a geisha…where the girl runs through all those red arches….fushimi-inari temple, Ive been in the day and evening and the evening is best…the lanterns are all lit along the trail. There are never many people there and there are several miles of beautiful hiking trails…it was shown to me when I was on a date with a Japanese guy…I would have never seen it otherwise. He advised that it is a good date spot because girls get creeped out and want to hold hands with the guy..hahaha. A tip for all you guys:)
And lastly, someone asked about communal baths…some bath houses have two seperate baths for men and women, some have one main bath that is for men at some times and women at other times, and some have certain hours where it is open to men and women at the same time. Personally speaking…I have found that it doesn’t really matter…no one really seems to stare or care who is in there…or if they are staring they are very good at being unobtrusive. I have noticed that when I went with my other american friend who lives in Japan and there happened to be only one other (japanese) person in the bath she left immediately…who knows what that was about…perhaps my white butt was too scary? lol
Hope some people find this helpful^^ I have been living in Japan for some time and now that I am back in the states I miss it and plan on going back….if you have any questions feel free to email me at mnl764@gmail.com
March 24th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Excellent suggestions. I’d add the suggestion of going in the spring or fall when it’s still warm but isn’t as hot and humid as the summer. Cherry Blossom ‘Sakura’ season is quite nice, though sometimes still a bit chilly, and a great opportunity to picnic under the trees and admire the blossoms while sipping sake or beer with your snacks.
Don’t be afraid to try some new foods while you’re there. The Japanese take their food very seriously, especially in Osaka. The quality and textures are amazing and not taking advantage of the opportunity should be a crime. Speaking of which, there isn’t much crime in Japan at all. Japan is an orderly place, and though the norms might not be spelled out, you won’t have many problems if you keep an eye on what everyone else is doing. People will line up to get on the trains, stick to one side of the escalator to let others pass, and not take up more space than they need. Most Japanese will spot you for a tourist, and as long as you’re nice about it they’ll cut you a lot of slack if you mess up on the customs. Just remember to take your shoes off in any house and don’t leave your chopsticks sticking up in the rice.
One more thing worth checking out is Osaka’s baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers. Attending any game here is more intense than the most fired up crowd at any major league championship here that you could imagine. The fans organize into their own groups that practice cheers, songs, and bring their own brass sections and drummers. Make sure you wear some yellow or pick up a Tigers hat and support your new favorite team.
(Not to nitpick, but isn’t that the Todaiji in Nara pictured at the top of the page as a Temple in Kyoto?)
March 25th, 2009 at 7:33 am
Hi Andrius, yup, you’re right. The photo was mislabeled. It’s been fixed, thanks for keeping us honest!
Happy travels.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:35 am
i like thos public baths. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:55 am
I definitely recommend to go to the love hotel and the best area is in Shibuya, there are some many…it should be called Love Hotel town instead of Dogenzaka. here is the location on the mpa for the people interested:
The good thing is that it’s close to the main clubs, quite convenient isn’t it?
April 30th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Hi Nhatsu. The link you provided was broken, so we removed it. Just wanted to let you know.