recommendations for travellers

for those of you who have been to Japan, can you make some recommendations of places you stayed and ate, things you saw and did, etc, for those of us who might go sometime in the future? please post what area each thing is found in, if you have links to related websites that would be really useful also myself I'm looking for places to eat in Tokyo that will accommodate a variety of tastes and can accommodate a large group. there will be quite a few of us there for my brother in law's wedding, and some of us are picky or have restrictions, so finding places to eat will be a big challenge for us ^_^; and i'm also keeping an eye out for nice reasonably priced hotels in Tokyo. not sure if they have a place in mind for us already but if not i thought i could be useful helping them research a few places. still not sure what area of Tokyo they want to stay in which makes it tricky :P

cool i'll check them out ^_^ i'm the only veg in our group though so i'll mostly need to find vegan-friendly options at nonvegan restaurants. not that difficult here, but in a country where they put fish in EVERYTHING...tricky =/

What did you see in Tokyo? I'd recommend Zojoji temple, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Sensoji in Asakusa and Yasukuni Jinja...I think they're the most famous...personally, my favourite of those is the Zozoji (mind the mosquitos, though! XD ) That's if you're just talking about temples... And if you have time I'd HIGHLY reccommend Himeji castle, I loved it! The castle itself is very interesting, and the gardens are beautiful too!

Oh well, I stayed in Tokyo for 3 months but I didn't even see 1/100 of what I wanted to!...you'd probably need a lifetime for that! XD Also, I'm thinking about visiting Kyoto this summer...any advice? I've already visited Kiyomizudera, Heain Jingu, Sanjusangendo, Ginkakuji and Kinkakuji, so apart from that what's the best to see? :D

Sakakibara wrote: Oh well, I stayed in Tokyo for 3 months but I didn't even see 1/100 of what I wanted to!...you'd probably need a lifetime for that! XD
Also, I'm thinking about visiting Kyoto this summer...any advice? I've already visited Kiyomizudera, Heain Jingu, Sanjusangendo, Ginkakuji and Kinkakuji, so apart from that what's the best to see? :D

3 months! I am so jealous!

Thanks for the recommendations!!
I've been to Nara but, like, for half a day and I've only visited the Todaiji, so I'd love to hear if you have some recommendations about that too, as I'd like to visit once again!
And well, I was there for such a long time because I'm a graduate in Japanese language and culture, so it was studying for me! XD This is the only reason I could do something like that...still, I'm glad I managed to squeeze in some travelling between the study sessions! XD
And that's why if someone else needs some recs about Tokyo, I'll be happy to oblige! ^ ^

Sleepninja wrote: I just found an article from September 2011 about vegan restaurants in Tokyo.

Get your soy joy at Tokyo's 5 best vegan restaurants

There's also this article.

GREAT HELP! When I finally come to Japan one day...I will come back to this here <3

unfortunately i only been to tokyo once. stayed one night in shinjuku on route to sendai city. what i can say is that it's really expensive to stay pretty much anywhere in japan. i spent the night in shinjuku in a manga cafe cuz it was the cheapest option approx.1700Y a night in a tiny cubicle with computer, tv and reclining chair, not very comfy but there are showers available.
other options ranging from cheapest to expensive include
karaoke bars that's right i said kraroke bars, basically you pay for the all night karaoke option and the karaoke room is all yours for the night, you can do as you like...sing till you lose your voice, get drunk or just sleep. i almost decided to sleep in a karaoke bar in hiroshima but at the last minute we found a cheaper manga cafe. pricing depends on the place but it can start at as low as 2000Y. may not be a comfy option either. actually net cafe might be more comfy depending on how many ppl.
capsule hotels (coffin size 'rooms' you use just for sleeping) from what i heard they cost maybe a lil more than a karaoke bar. Also i heard from friends who used them that they are comfortable but some of them are gender specific. if you find one you want to use make sure they allow women.
hostels rooms with bunk bed shared with 6 other people or more depending on the place. i stayed in hostel in hiroshima for approx. 2500Y a night, might be more expensive in tokyo.
love hotels you all know what those are lol. pricing on love hotels depend on the place. i have never used one but from what i have been told you can chose an hourly rate if don't need the room for a long time or you can pay per night. not sure on the specifics.
business hotel it sounds a lot nicer than it is. it's a crappy lil room that you could probably touch the walls if you spread your arms open wide. tiny bed, tiny shower, just crappy. starting price on a good day approx. 3500Y per night. but generally they are more expensive. i paid 9000Y for 2 nights in that crappy business hotel in fukuoka. actually the manga cafe was more comfy that place.

the pricer options
Hotels.
onsen. onsen might be a good option. because the deals are usually packaged with use of onsen and meals. i've never stayed at onsen but the ones near me are over 10,000Y a night.

finding places to stay while traveling in japan is a pain in the ass cuz of the language barrier and just japan is culturally different. also pay special attention to when you plan to travel. if it's a long weekend /holiday in japan many people take family trips, tourist sites get jammed packed and it's not as much fun as it could be otherwise. also options for places to stay become extremely limited. do a lot of research.