i am looking for any and all recommendations of things you like/find special/remember fondly in TOKYO and KYOTO. i like food, interesting shops, museums, arcades, shrines and temples, beautiful views
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I had a plate of pasta with roe and a cup of coffee on a sunny afternoon in an upstairs record store called CITY COUNTRY CITY in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo. I think of it often.
Atelier Sekka had the most incredible shaved ice (pictured), team labs, Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai has a free rooftop footbath near teamlabs planets that was perfect, kappaboshi was great for ceramics/kitchenware shopping.
Found this delightful modern restaurant in Kyoto that I haven't been able to shut up to people about. One of my favorite places we ate on a recent trip: https://www.instagram.com/rokkaku_ace/?hl=en
Asakusa Shrine in Tokyo is beautiful and if you’re lucky you may run into the funniest old guy of all time who will ask to practice his English with you
Haven't seen anyone mentioning Ginkakuji (Silver Temple) yet - personally I prefer it to the flashier Kinkakuji. The Steam Locomotive and Piano Museum in Arashiyama is something only Japan would come up with, and it's definitely worth dropping in if you're in Arashiyama anyway!
Ozu Washi is a cultural centre specialised in traditional Japanese papermaking that's descended from a paper wholesaler founded on the same spot in 1653. There's an exhibition gallery, a history museum, a paper shop, and they run sessions where you can do your own papermaking https://www.ozuwashi.net/en/.
for views, nothing will beat Amanohashidate in kyoto. It is a mountain you take a skilift up and looks down on a tiny little strip of land connecting the two sides of Miyazu Bay. People like to face away then bend over at the waist to view it through their legs, giving it the name "bridge of heaven"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ck%C5%8Dchi_Sans%C5%8D it's right next to the bamboo forest in kyoto but imo much more beautiful and less crowded. Also the fushimi inari shrine, but go up in the late afternoon so it's less crowded and you reach the top just before dusk. It's magical.
Kamakura: day trip. if you see one giant Buddha statue, make it this one. Zeniarai Benten and Sasuke Inari are really great shrines but the hike to them was non-trivial.
Arashiyama is a nice day trip, I saw Okochi Sanso already recommended and that was really nice. Tenryuji's gardens are also nice, but the big draw there is the vegetarian (might be vegan?) restaurant inside, Tenryuji Temple Shigetsu, that does a wonderful lunch set
The history of Soto and Rinzai in Japan and abroad is quite interesting and deeply tied to the American conception of Buddhism. Notably D.T Suzuki was part of Rinzai and was partially responsible for the beat poets in the 50s and early 60s focus on Zen practice.
you might be too far north for it, but if you can get specifically hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, it is Incredible and i far prefer it to osaka-style. the restaurant we went to (in hiroshima (in 2005)) had a signed photo of stone cold steve austin on the wall
sort of a whole afternoon affair because it's a big multishrine complex but: Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto is really cool and the view of the city from this stage is fantastic
also Nara is absolutely worth the trip from Kyoto - not just for hand-feeding the deer but also for my favourite shrine in Japan, Kasuga-Taisha (especially good in the evenings, there are lanterns all the way up the path through the woods)
oh! and book and bed Kyoto is a cool hostel with bunks inside the bookshelves - it can get quite warm and not ideal if you're claustrophobic, but a really fun place to stay for a night
Fushimi Inari Taisha is an extremely obvious spot to visit but I'm here to tell you the not-obvious thing of going during dinner time. one of the only times it's not absolutely mobbed. also cable car to Mt Hiei summit is maybe the coolest thing we did
On my first trip to Japan I went to the Gotokuji shrine, which is said to be the birthplace of the maneki-neko. I really loved the walk there from the station and the shrine itself was very green and beautiful. I make sure to go back each time I visit!
In Tokyo I loved both TeamLab experiences, and you can’t beat Skytree for a view on a clear day, esp sunset.
In Kyoto I loved Kiyomizu-dera but it was very busy. I also liked the Arashiyama area for the bamboo forest and some other cool nearby sites. Also Nishiki market for food.
SO many things were amazing visits in Japan, but I haven’t seen your replies mention the Ghibli museum yet, it is totally worth it. Warning: can’t take photos inside so all you get is the memories.
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Tô-ji: fun monthly market
Himeji Castle (hour away), very cool
Konchi-in: amazing Zen garden
Ginkakuji: stunning landscapes
Nijo Jinya: inn with peak Tokugawa-era security
Daitoku-ji: high density visit, many subtemples
Fushimi Inari, so many red torii and stone foxes (my old blog post says you don't need to climb the hills to get the full effect)
and I'm sure you can get this lots of places but we had kushikatsu at the train station, which is food deep-fried on sticks, highly recommend
Sukeroku: shop with amazing miniatures in Asakusa
Koishikawa Korakuen: beautiful Edo-era stroll garden
Kamakura: day trip. if you see one giant Buddha statue, make it this one. Zeniarai Benten and Sasuke Inari are really great shrines but the hike to them was non-trivial.
Tokyo National Museum, especially the archeology section
Hakuhinkan Toy Park: much to gawk at
I think that's it!
Sengakuji, where the 47 ronin are buried
and the bookstore district, Jimbocho
In Kyoto I loved Kiyomizu-dera but it was very busy. I also liked the Arashiyama area for the bamboo forest and some other cool nearby sites. Also Nishiki market for food.