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Originally Posted by poe
Thanks, ADG.
Good idea, I'll drop by japan town this week.
Also, I'm planning to stay for about 6 months.. I'll have to do a "visa run" after 3 months, so I'd like to make the best of it and travel around the area for a few weeks.. Any recommendations?
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My favorite places are Kyoto and Nara, the capital of Japan before Tokyo. While Tokyo was heavily firebombed during WWII (only a few places such as the Imperial Palace were spared), the U.S. did little damage to Kyoto (it was considered a possible target for the A bomb, but was removed due to it's historical significance).
Kyoto is also close to the large port cities of Osaka and Kobe. The more you read in advance about the history of Japan, the more ideas that will come to you with regards to what you will want to see.
In my case, I truly wanted to make a trip to Hiroshima. It was an incredible experience, as I was able to meet and talk with actual Hibakusha ("A" Bomb survivors).
Japan is steeped in a rich tradition of arts as well. Much like Europe of old, apprentices would study for years under master artists/craftsman, so the level of skill and artistry in many areas is amazing.
Younger Japanese are very much into popular culture and various avante garde art movements, and that is fun to see as well.
If you look at Japan on the surface you will at first see a good deal of homgenity, conformity and sameness, because traditionally the idea is to fit in (an idiom is the peg that stands up, gets pounded down). However, once you get past the surface, you will see the great diversity that exists in Japan today.
As others' said, do try to get off the beaten path. When I lived in Japan, Americans were rare, except near U.S. military bases, now Americans and foreigners from all over the world can be seen practically anywhere.
One excursion which is difficult to coordinate is to hike up Mt. Fuji (this is because it is only open for hiking for a month or so per year). A fun thing to do is start your hike up in the afternoon, and then spend the night in one of the inns on the mountain (in a room with 100 or so other people). Then you get up and hike the rest of the way in the very early morning so that you arrive at the top for sunrise - it's an incredible experience.
It sounds like you have the right attitude, so I'm sure you will have fun.
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