Japan!

thegeekyduo

The darling Fiance and I want to go to Japan. We have a while till our wedding, so what we are going to be doing is getting the Rosetta Stone CD's and books to learn Japanese, so we don't seem like 100% tourists. I was wondering if anyone here has either been to Japan or knows someone who has. We will be going the morning after our wedding in April. Our date might change from late April to early/almost mid April instead due to the Golden Week festivities at the end of the month. So any info about the island of Japan would be fantastic!

kara811

Ditto PP, what sort of information are you looking for? Is there a specific area that you are more interested in experiencing? I've spent quite a bit of time there as my H was stationed there for 3 years. It's such a great country, the culture and food are so amazing, I miss it everyday! 

One of my favorite places there is Kyoto, definitely a must see. Tokyo, of course will take at least a few days to explore as well. If you need any food recs, let me know too! 

dazyabbey

We want to go in 2014. :-) They are opening a Harry Potter park in Universal and we want to just go somewhere fun. I love reading about peoples experiences. What is your budget?

thegeekyduo

We will be in Tokyo for the first two days of our Honeymoon. Then we will be going to Hiroshima, Mount Fiji, Fukushima, Volcano Island of Miyake-jima, Osaka. And other places in between. We don't really have a budget for our Honeymoon. We want to see as much of Japan as we can in 2 weeks. 

pockysquirrel

If your goal is to see as much of the country as possible, I would look into a pre-arranged tour. That's what I did when I went in 2009. Our major stops were Kyoto and Tokyo, but we also did shorter stopovers in Nara, Hakone and of course Mt. Fuji. We were there for a week, and we got to see a LOT of stuff. It's nice because in addition to the included tours and activities, you also get unstructured time in each city so you can go exploring and do whatever you want.

We used affordabletours.com. Also, as much as I wish I knew more of the language, I wouldn't worry much about being totally fluent by your honeymoon. Most everyone in the major cities speaks English.

kara811

If you will be in Osaka already, I definitely recommend going to Kyoto, it is just a train ride away, depending on which line you take it could be from 30mins-1hr. You can also do a day or half day trip to Nara. 

In Tokyo, to see as much as possible, it might be best to keep on the Yamanote line. It makes a stop at all the major districts(Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno, Akihabara, Ginza, & Harajuku). A couple of highlights in some of the districts. In Shinjuku, there is Shinjuku Gyoen, it's a very large park with a variety of gardens. It's quite beautiful in every season, we actually did our engagement shoot there. If you are looking for a fancy dinner, I recommend New York Grill inside the Park Hyatt Hotel, on the 52nd floor. The food is quite delicious and the view is beautiful. In Shibuya, if you want to people watch, go on the 2nd floor of the Starbucks on the big intersection. This is the shot that you often see in movies/tv. This is more of a shopping district also. If you are into trying "themed" restaurant, look into The Lock Up. "Scariest" restaurant I've ever been to and definitely a fun experience. The major attractions in Ueno  are the park and Ameyoko, a street market across the park. If the cherry blossoms are in bloom when you get there, definitely go to Ueno park, this is where everyone hangs out for Hanami. 

If you'll be going to Mt Fuji, you also might want to look into FujiKawaguchiko. It's a town located near Mt Fuji, at the foot of it almost actually. There's is a theme park(Fuji Q, with a hotel/resort) if you are into that, they used to have some of the world's fastest and tallest coaster rides. A ride around the local tour bus for a small fee is a must, it will take you around town and there are various stops you can take(such as the ice caves and an old country village), and you will see amazing views of Mt Fuji this way like those pictures of it you often see with a lake right in front. 

Okay, I will stop here. I know this is a lot already! 

thegeekyduo

Thank you ladies, for the awesome info! I know that the people there will speak english in the more touristy parts of town, but when we walk down the market ways, we want to be able to understand them more clearly. Plus we have always wanted to learn Japanese and the easiest way other than waiting till we get there to learn it, is the Rosetta Stone stuff. 

I am writing down all the places you ladies have recommended, we have a little memo book just for places to go in Japan. All this info is very helpful  

Thanks again Ladies

anssett

I've been to Japan and many other countries with challenging languges. I applaud wanting to learn and encourage you to focus on phrases you'll need in markets, restaurants and cabs (or trains stations). Tokyo is a big city like no other I've been to. The train station had 3? companies in the same building so finding the train and line had the added challenge that we were often in the wrong part of the building. Also, the signage was pretty incomprehensible. This isn't for the feint of heart!

The best parts of Japan (and most places) turned out to be the surprises. We went to Nikko to see temples, which was great, but walking toward a famous temple we found a bonsai shop full of amazing trees and a bonsai master. That turned out to be more amazing to me than the temple. So, head toward the sights you think you want to see, but don't rush so fast you miss the awesome journey on the way.

keochan

As far as learning Japanese goes, I wouldn't reccommend rosetta stone, I've studied Japanese for about 4 years and I just don't really feel like the RS is as effective as it could be. there are a ton of great free resources online, just do a quick google search. Me and my FI will also be honeymooning in Japan, we're doing 3 weeks, 1 in Kyoto, 1 in tokyo and 1 in Hokkaido, and will explore the surrounding areas in each. Definitely check out the shrines in Kyoto!