[tor]

Am off to Japan in July, spending first week wearing a dress and swinging a stick.

After that I have about zero plans. Anyone got recommendations? Going to hang out there for 3 weeks or so and will probably travel around a bit to visit different dojos.

Will be starting in Osaka.

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[Bernard L. Madoff]

Vist Kyoto (50km from Osaka), chill there for a few days. Ride Shinkansen to Tokyo. Visit Disneyland (same as Annaheim sans loud Americans).

Eat real Tempura. Drink Sapporo. Don't take cigs and whisky, cheaper there.

There was a great Single Malt bar in a back street of Shinjuku but I can't find details (probably because I was sh*tfaced when I walked out 4 hours after finding it). This looks like it...
http://www.bento.com/rev/2536.html

[Mr Medved]

Hang out with heavy metal bands. That's what I've done on my previous trips to Japan, highly recommended, check out Rock Rock bar while in Osaka.

Hiroshima is a beautiful city, worth visiting the A-bomb museum. I've heard nice things about Kyoto but haven't been there. There's a really cool castle outside of Nagoya (oldest original castle in Japan) though can't recall the name of the town. Downtown Shinjuku is nice to visit on a Sunday, all pedestrian traffic during the day. If you like live music DVDs or obscure titles check out Airs Rock Video, last time I was there it was a short trip from Shinjuku station. I have loaded up on CDs while in Japan to get the bonus tracks for different albums, their music stores are way better than anything in Australia. Tokyo is huge and there's lots to do, the tourist people at the airport can probably give you better tips than me. And don't forget to visit a karaoke bar with some locals - highly recommended with some sake, Asahi or your choice beverage! Kobe beef might go down well with such an occasion.

Rail pass = must have item.

[Bernard L. Madoff]

...visit the Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. I fould this massive oasis in such an awesome bustling city rather tranquil and uplifting.
http://www.meijijing...sh/about/1.html

It has a martial arts hall and is a short train ride from Shinjuku. The forest trail from the station to the Shrine is just magnificent and walking it, one can mentally picture armoured horsemen on the trail.

[Mr Medved]

Bernard L. Madoff, on 08 April 2011 - 04:40 AM, said:

...visit the Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. I fould this massive oasis in such an awesome bustling city rather tranquil and uplifting.
http://www.meijijing...sh/about/1.html

Yeah that's a nice place to visit, couldn't remember the name.

Also, if you like toys there is a famous toy shop named Kiddyland. I think it's in Shibuya (Tokyo).

[Bernard L. Madoff]

Mr Medved, on 08 April 2011 - 07:07 AM, said:

Yeah that's a nice place to visit, couldn't remember the name.

Also, if you like toys there is a famous toy shop named Kiddyland. I think it's in Shibuya (Tokyo).

It was folk like you, Urchin and Clogwog(?) plus others that put me onto places like that when I asked years ago on GHPC (before the loonies took over).

[urchin]

Bernard L. Madoff, on 08 April 2011 - 04:24 AM, said:

Vist Kyoto (50km from Osaka), chill there for a few days. Ride Shinkansen to Tokyo. Visit Disneyland (same as Annaheim sans loud Americans).

Eat real Tempura. Drink Sapporo. Don't take cigs and whisky, cheaper there.

There was a great Single Malt bar in a back street of Shinjuku but I can't find details (probably because I was sh*tfaced when I walked out 4 hours after finding it). This looks like it...
http://www.bento.com/rev/2536.html

i dunno about shinjuku, but this place kicks ass for single malts.

http://bar-navi.sunt...0090/index.html

map here:

http://bar-navi.sunt...coupon_map.html

i got to smell a 100+ year old scotch there didn't have the cash to afford a drink. the guy really, really knows his stuff. and if you like grappa too so much the better (that is their other speciality).

kyoto is really nice but in july its gonna be hot as hell. i will be in sapporo in july, though, so if you pop up there i can take you to my favorite restaurant--my treat. their grilled intestines are amazing (really) if you go through the tohoku region (you shouldn't, given the situation, but if you do) stop at yonezawa for the absolute best beef ever. i can find out the name of the shop if necessary... that and the onsens are the only reason to go. onsens are pretty amazing though. if you have cash and are in kyoto area, there are lots of onsen in the lake biwa area. if it were me and i were travelling with the partner and had the cash i would splash for a nice place with a private rotemburo (open-sky hot spring bath in your room... cannot be beat but best enjoyed in the winter). but they don't come cheap (figure 500+/night if there are two of you)

there is tons and tons of stuff to see in japan, and a lot of it has never been put in a guidebook. stop in small, interesting looking towns and just walk around. the big touristy things will be absolutely cheek to jowl with people so i prefer relying on serendipity when travelling. found some really nice spots in kyoto that way (though i will never be able to find them again). if you are ever looking for a good, cheap place to eat ask your taxi driver--they are excellent resources for good, cheap, local food.

[urchin]

this is the official page of the scotch bar--i strongly recommend it.

http://www.the-crane.com/

i stumbled across the place after eating at a mediocre thai restaurant in the area while heading back to my hotel. spent far more money than i planned but it was worth every penny... for reasons unknown to me the guy gets his scotch in italy... go figure (but obviously not italian scotch). at least he did about 5 years ago.

[Bernard L. Madoff]

you won't see me set foot in there nowadays...

http://www.zerohedge...ctive-wasteland

[tor]

Bernard L. Madoff, on 08 April 2011 - 04:40 AM, said:

It has a martial arts hall and is a short train ride from Shinjuku. The forest trail from the station to the Shrine is just magnificent and walking it, one can mentally picture armoured horsemen on the trail.

I will be spending some travel time with a semi important traditional martial arts guy so might be able to train at some great dojos (probably not super fancy ones like that though ). He is trying to source me some decent real armour as well. I am having my 40th birthday while there (actually the day of my grading to 4th Dan is my birthday, if I pass my present will be a nice suit of armour for when I build my dojo).

urchin, on 08 April 2011 - 01:00 PM, said:

http://bar-navi.sunt...0090/index.html

i got to smell a 100+ year old scotch there didn't have the cash to afford a drink. the guy really, really knows his stuff.

Bookmarked.

urchin, on 08 April 2011 - 01:00 PM, said:

kyoto is really nice but in july its gonna be hot as hell. i will be in sapporo in july, though, so if you pop up there i can take you to my favorite restaurant--my treat.

Longest trip for forum drinks ever! Heh, sounds a good plan.

urchin, on 08 April 2011 - 01:00 PM, said:

if you go through the tohoku region (you shouldn't, given the situation, but if you do) stop at yonezawa for the absolute best beef ever. i can find out the name of the shop if necessary... that and the onsens are the only reason to go. onsens are pretty amazing though.

Travelling partners are not of the romantic variety
Beef sounds good though.

urchin, on 08 April 2011 - 01:00 PM, said:

there is tons and tons of stuff to see in japan, and a lot of it has never been put in a guidebook. stop in small, interesting looking towns and just walk around. the big touristy things will be absolutely cheek to jowl with people so i prefer relying on serendipity when travelling. found some really nice spots in kyoto that way (though i will never be able to find them again). if you are ever looking for a good, cheap place to eat ask your taxi driver--they are excellent resources for good, cheap, local food.

This is my "once every 4 years" holiday. Generally I don't even set a budget or plan as it is nice to have a holiday with no stress. I usually have a couple of locals that are keen on having me come and train with them and they will often have ideas of things to do as well, having no plans but general ideas has always worked out well. This one ought to be fun.

[Don't Panic]

"There's a monster at my house

with red blood-shot eyes

and sharp pointy teeth ..."

tor, on 08 April 2011 - 03:12 AM, said:

Am off to Japan in July, spending first week wearing a dress and swinging a stick.
......

[tor]

Moved it to here from News of The World as my knife lovingness is probably not quite on topic:

Ruffian, on 14 July 2011 - 09:16 AM, said:

Mmm. A bit better than a souvenir tea-towel...

The tenegui we use on our heads and consider to be part of our armour is pretty much used as the word for teatowel as far as I can tell. So I got loads of teatowel souvenirs I found a bunch of star wars ones including this:



and grabbed most of the cool ones from this collection.

staringclown, on 14 July 2011 - 09:19 AM, said:

Nice.

If they're the same ones I'm thinking of then I love those knives. I saw some at the Tokyo mart at Northbridge plaza about 18 months ago. They look heavy and have a lot of steel. About as fat as a kukri knife.

I grabbed these:
http://www.chefsarmo...a/prod_317.html (actually slightly different to this one, handle is the same fitting as the other two).
http://www.chefsarmo...a/prod_522.html
http://www.chefsarmo...a/prod_516.html

I got them after chatting with an armourer and a couple of knife makers. I have a suspicion I got a pretty good price on them because of the martial arts tie in and friendship links between myself and the armourer guy through various people but I don't think the price was that amazing a discount from normal so the $600 odd I paid for all three might make it worth your time getting a cheap ticket to Japan rather than buying them here if the link prices are representative.

They also told me that I have a lifetime sharpening warranty thing where if I can't find anyone in Aus to sharpen them for me (all three are single bevel) then I can mail them back and they will resharpen for free. I thought that was a very nice offer. Apparently is standard though.

Mr Medved, on 14 July 2011 - 11:56 AM, said:

Hehe... I hope customs don't give you any hassles with them.

One of the advantages of turning up with knives and 6ft training weapons and armour[1] is that australian customs seem to get a little overwhelmed and wave you through The police at Narita airport were especially helpful, a couple came up as soon as I got off the train and asked if I was part of the naginata competition and then helped carry stuff and showed us to the right check in and everything. I guess they had seen a lot of fat white boys with long sticks getting confused

[1] Including a beautiful sharkskin chest protector:

All in all I had a blast and got to mix the stereotypical zany japanese thing (a reasonable haul of engrish badges and stickers) with the over the top traditional japanese thing (got to train in a 200+ yr old dojo which had the most amazing floor, no varnish just a 100 years of people training on it smoothed it down). Ate some great stuff (bugger me that marbled beef is good) and some interesting stuff (a menu with items translated as "rectum", "colon" and so on held fewer items of interest). Got my fourth dan on my birthday at the same time as one of my sensei got her 5th dan (we only go to 5 for dan grades then it is all teaching grades so 5 is massive). A friends wife went insane when she found out how much I liked drinking and how much I could drink so she took me to a sake bar and went through the menu with me which resulted in much hilarity for her husband and my travelling partner.

It is nice being back in the trees and the quiet though.

[staringclown]

Quote

I got them after chatting with an armourer and a couple of knife makers. I have a suspicion I got a pretty good price on them because of the martial arts tie in and friendship links between myself and the armourer guy through various people but I don't think the price was that amazing a discount from normal so the $600 odd I paid for all three might make it worth your time getting a cheap ticket to Japan rather than buying them here if the link prices are representative.

$600 is a bargain. The price on that site for knife 1 was $878! They are things of beauty. Pure craftmanship. Of course, I now need one.

[tor]

staringclown, on 17 July 2011 - 02:25 AM, said:

$600 is a bargain. The price on that site for knife 1 was $878! They are things of beauty. Pure craftmanship. Of course, I now need one.

If you want I will get pricing from one of my friends in Japan and see if he can find a place where you can get it online (or maybe call in a favour so he gets it and mails it - he has to mail me some stuff in the next few days anyway).

[staringclown]

tor, on 18 July 2011 - 07:43 PM, said:

If you want I will get pricing from one of my friends in Japan and see if he can find a place where you can get it online (or maybe call in a favour so he gets it and mails it - he has to mail me some stuff in the next few days anyway).

Yes please.

[tor]

staringclown, on 19 July 2011 - 08:56 AM, said:

Yes please.

Here is a link to the company site. You can have a bash at translating it and see if you order online. If not let me know as my friend will check out how hard mailing some over would be.

http://www2.odn.ne.j...yuki/ippin.html

Edit: and the catalogue request page: http://www2.odn.ne.j.../catarogue.html

This post has been edited by tor: 23 July 2011 - 02:34 PM

[staringclown]

tor, on 23 July 2011 - 02:32 PM, said:

Here is a link to the company site. You can have a bash at translating it and see if you order online. If not let me know as my friend will check out how hard mailing some over would be.

http://www2.odn.ne.j...yuki/ippin.html

Edit: and the catalogue request page: http://www2.odn.ne.j.../catarogue.html

Thanks tor. The translated site is interesting. I've sent off an inquiry for "The special one"

Quote

With steel and white Yasugi, Japanese knives are best for a professional in the lab.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Ruffian]

Bumping this thread as a friend of mine is going to Kyoto toward the end of March.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what to see/do while there?

[urchin]

Ruffian, on 18 February 2012 - 01:44 AM, said:

Bumping this thread as a friend of mine is going to Kyoto toward the end of March.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what to see/do while there?

wander around aimlessly and explore back alleys. don't be afraid to investigate tiny nameless temples that you stumble across. i like the small, hidden random places better than the famous ones (which are nice and all, but always mobbed with zillions of people). it's a beautiful city and small enough to let yourself get lost in safely. also tiny counter-style restaurants are definitely your friend. they usually only survive if they are frequented by regular customers. your friend should learn to recognise the japanese characters for the types of food s/he likes best so s/he can stumble into random restaurants. if your friend is lucky the cherry blossoms will be in bloom... so jealous.

osaka is only a 30 minute train ride away and well-worth exploring.