Travel

[mstice]

I'm headed to East Asia and have three weeks to travel. I'm planning on hitting up Tokyo and Kyoto, as well as Shanghai and Beijing. If anyone is from, or has traveled in, that area of the continent, I'd really like to hear what you have to say about it. If there are anime/manga sights I have to check out or anything else, let me know.

[Ani_MaSTeR]

this thread is more for the FFA.
so im moving it there.

anyways, regarding tokyo and kyoto:
first things first, get a
JR Pass this will save you hundreds of dollars. if you dont already know about it, its a pass available to outsiders ONLY and similarly is only sold outside of japan.
basically, its a pass that will allow you to ride most of the country's railway system for free.
yes, that means even shinkansens and that. so you can go from tokyo to osaka and back as much as you like.
ok, now; in tokyo:
if you are an anime fan regardless of to what degree, you will want to check out Akihabara. its a big hobby / electrical centre of japan.
maid cafes, hobby stores, anime boutiques, arcades, electronics, just about anything can be found there.
if you are looking for anime stores, akihabara has them, and just to name a few: Animate, Asobit A, Asobit B, Asobit C, the Kotobukiya store and theres dozens of little stores too. mostly all around the main road which is quite near the station. 3 mins from tokyo central.
Jimbochonot as hustly bustly as akihabara, but still just as big. its mostly got bookstores and that, as depicted in Read or Die OVA.
Asakusa Big huge temple as well as the ancient heritage Pagoda. i think its the biggest temple in the country, but im not sure. mostly a tourist site except around new years when its packed full of prayers and that. its a nice tranquil place and not so noisy.
Roppongi and Ginza these are your fashion stops. high end fashion at high end prices. ive never been there, but lots of the best fashion comes from there.
the emperors estate is in tokyo somewhere. if you see it, takes pics please. thats about it for tokyo i think....
Kyoto is quieter and has more tradition than tokyo. kyoto is where you will find artworks, kimonos, traditional wooden houses, just about everything that defines japan's culture.main district in Kyoto is about 30-40 mins walk from the Kyoto station. its got shopping, stores, malls and everything in it.
otherwise, you can hang around the station. Kyoto station is impressive as it is. around xmas time, they erect a huge tree and its so beautiful.
go to the top of kyoto station, and see just how massive it really is. take pics
outside the station is a large tower with a white dome, thats the kyoto tower i think and theres a revolving restaurant inside. thats what i heard anyways.
Gold Pavilioninfamous golden pavilion in kyoto is a MUST. theres a tour that can be arranged outside the station under the above mentioned tower that will take you to it, then a samurai mansion and the imperial estate.

well i hope that helps. sorry, i dont know anything about china.
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[xenocrisis0153]

simliar topic, but since it's going to be two seperate experiences, I'll leave them both open for now. If an FFA mod wants to change it, then I leave it to them

Going on a trip...
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GTX: Great Teacher Xeno... my daily blog about teaching in an elementary and middle school in Japan (see right-menu)

[kevinchaosvs]

Shanghai :You gotto check out the Science center. Fabulous.
Beijing : Great wall and the usual place of interests.
The Summer palace is great. Also, the Temple of Heaven(天�)
Theres also the TianAnmen(天安门) Square which leads to the famous Forbidden City.
And you MUST check out Wang Fu Jing street.(王府井)located in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, is one of the Chinese capital's most famous shopping streets.

*the local delights may not appeal to you*
*no, Im not referring simply to the fried scorpions. The food there tend to be very oily and salty*

BUT you gotto try the Peiking Duck---its the signiture dish and its good.

As for anime related products---beware !!! suspect counterfeit if product is cheap. Suspect it even if it is expensive ! Im serious ! I "saved" a friend (who isnt that much of an anime fan) form buying an expensive but upon closer inspection, a fake. (colour quality wasnt good and stuffs like that... ) And they sell cheap quality anime cds/dvds in posh looking bookshops.
(one look at the cover and you know its not official and is of cheap quality
---they even spelled some of the stuffs wrongly )

Since youre going Japan anyway, just buy all your anime stuffs in Japan.