kate_nepveu | Japan!

So, as you may have seen in Chad's blog, we are going to Japan for Worldcon and making a major trip out of it. Our tentative plan is to arrive in Osaka on Sunday August 19, spend about a week in Kyoto, then head to Yokohama (30 min. outside of Tokyo) to the con hotel and do stuff in Tokyo and environs (Kamakura) until the con, which is Thursday August 30 through Monday September 3. We'll probably stick at the hotel until Tuesday, to both relax and get in some last-minute fannish socializing, and then do . . . something . . . that would get us back to Osaka to fly out that Saturday.

(The plan is structured this way because other commitments make this block of time the best one, and we want a good chunk of time in Kyoto.)

So! Tell me about traveling to Japan. We are planning to hit the major museums, gardens, temples, and shrines in Kyoto, maybe Nara, Tokyo, and Kamakura; what else should we see, particularly in the post-con period? Note that low-stress things would be particularly valued at this point in the trip.

Other things I'd like to know, off the top of my head:

Is an East Coast travel agent from a big chain going to be able to help us with booking airfare, hotels, rail passes, baseball tickets, etc.? Are there agencies that are better at travel to Japan than others?
Is there any likelihood at all that business fares will drop below five digits? Chad could really use the extra leg room, but when he looked quick at fares, they were in the $10K range—which was way more than when we looked at this several months ago. Maybe we were just looking at the wrong dates?
If I'm not willing to sleep on the floor, does that rule out hotels like Crossroads of rachelmanija's icon?
What can I eat if I don't like soy sauce and raw fish? (Yes, I know. This is one of the reasons it took Worldcon for Chad to be able to drag me to Japan.) Do you have restaurants you particularly recommend?
Souvenirs. Besides stuff I just like, are there particularly good things to bring back as gifts for people? Are there things to avoid?
What learning-Japanese audiobooks do you recommend?
What's the wireless internet situation like? I'm contemplating getting a Palm with wireless to carry around and possibly replace the laptop for the trip.
Besides kabuki, what live performances should we try? Would, say, the equivalent of a minor-league baseball game be worth trying, considering that we're really not that into baseball but enjoy live games?
Who else is going to Worlcon? What are your plans? Are you sticking around before, after, where are you going when?
What should I be asking that I don't know enough to?

(I am, by the way, keeping an eye on telephase's post for ideas too.)

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I'm contemplating Worldcon, though I don't know how likely it is for me. There's actually a lot of Japanese food that doesn't have raw fish; you might have a harder time with soy sauce in Japanese restaurants, given that it's used a lot like salt. But then, like Rachel says, there should be lots of western restaurants around. One of my favorite things to do was just go to a convenience store and buy the little pre-packaged things there, which were often quite good. I'd also go to the bakeries, which have things like tuna in a roll and other nifty stuff. The train stations will always have tons and tons of little food places.

Futons are actually really comfortable, but if you don't want to sleep on the floor, that will probably rule out all ryokan (little inn) style hotels like the one in Rachel's icon.

I'd recommend finding an onsen (hot springs) hotel to relax, but they do require you to go in naked to soak in the baths. But it's sooooooo comfortable. And you can wander around the hotel in yukata all day.

My favorite place in Kyoto was the old shogun's castle with the squeaky floors intended to catch assassins. But that's because I bounced around and made the floor squeak instead of paying attention to the guide. Still! Fun!

Akihabara in Tokyo will have tons and tons of anime/manga stores with merchandise, if you like that sort of thing ^_^. Also, they'll have tons of cool electronics. I like going to Harajuku (in Tokyo) and eating Japanese-style crepes and people-watching; that's where all the loligoth girls go. People wear some pretty incredible stuff!

You may want to get a JR pass; it covers all the trains and subways and buses in Japan. That way, you can take the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo ^_^. Also, the trains/train stations will serve local specialties in bento boxes. It's also nice because Tokyo and Kyoto and probably all of Japan has excellent public transportation.

Alas, it's been too many year's since I've been there to rec restaurants. But there will be lots of curry houses, if you like Japanese-style curry! If you're willing to do hole in the wall places and hit convenience stores and bakeries, it's actually not that hard to eat cheaply.

It's more that I don't believe futons are actually comfortable. I like give in my sleeping surfaces. Maybe this is not an issue?

Yes, the squeaky-floored castle is definitely on the list.

I think we were planning on a JR pass; we hadn't gotten around to doing the math yet, but I believe it's likely that it will pay for itself with Kyoto-Tokyo.

. . . what is Japanese-style curry like?

Japanese curry: not at all like any other curry: same texture, but not spicy unless you ask for it spicy. Kind of like an American heartland version of something Indian.

Um... I can't quite say about the give for futons, but they do come with nice fluffy blankets and I never want to get up. But I suspect you may want to try one first before booking, just in case?

Japanese-style curry is thicker than Indian or Thai curry, sans the sweetness of Thai curry. Um. I'm not sure how else to describe it -- it's usually thick with potatoes and chunks of meat and carrots and not as spice-full as Indian curry and not as sweet as Thai curry. It's spicy as in hot (though you can ask for mild ones), but doesn't have the same kinds of spices or as much, I think.

Japan!

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