NAGOYA

Nagoya is not really a city for tourists, but it was really intersting to meet come friend in a new place (new to me) I had luckilly arrived there on a day of a festival. The festival had Noh performances, carvial games including the catching the fish game with a paper net. It was rather wet there, as it was raining before..

...Finding the way with Shacho, the president...

Nagoya Castle
Nagoya castle is not a reconstruction, such as the Osaka...so it is the original one. It had many traditional king and queen items displays and the "dolphin" (dragonfish, looks more like). Pretty intersting.

I went to a Kannon temple, the Nagoya tower, and shopping. I ate good Kishimen there, Curry flavoured that is. I stayed at a home of a student of Nagoya University of Commerce and Business Administration. That means that I had the chance to go to the countryside. So he drove us in his nice car. It take about 20 minutes to drive to the nearest Underground train station, and takes 1 hour to get to the Nagoya centre. They have good bookshops there called "Vanguard" that sells more than just books, strange things are there like disguises, liscense plates, incense, pens that look like needles...etc.

Other places I went to are the Ozaki castle, and the Tokugawa musuem. By this time I had learned a deal about Nobunaga, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa...

After, we went to Tokyo. I stayed in Kasai, at a friends place. It was not that far from center of Tokyo.

TOKYO

CENTRAL TOKYO

Kitanomaru Koen

I saw the Budokan here. I wanted to see thisbecause I had played video games with the Budokan.

Ginza

lots of shopping here. Comparable Causeway Bay of HongKong.

Sony Building

I had much time, so I went here. One can test the latest sony products here. 6 floors of electronics.

Tepco Electric Museum

Free admission, you can see the exhibits there such as model nuclear reactor, electric cables, etc.

Kabuki-za Building

I did not have much interest in going to see Kabuki, but I wanted to see the building. It was a mix of Western of Japanese architecture. I am intersted in architecture...

Tsukiji Fish Market

I did not go here, but the travel book really recommended it. One problem was that you had to be there by 5 AM... to see all the action, it said.

I also got to look around at the Imperial park, but there isn't much to see. I also stepped on the rock roads. One cannot go in the palace gates....


AKIHABARA

Lots of good things for sale that are not only electronics. There is a good electronic store that has cheap plastic models models. It also has lots of cheap stores with clearance things. I got a SD Gundam model for 100 yen and some sega Saturn games as well. Also good are the second hand CD shops. I found things that I wanted...in fact I bought most of my CDs here (and I bought many!) But this place closes too early...at 8pm and most shops are closed! except the game centres. There are many good games shops. They have many old games and new ones as well. But as for electronics, Akihabara is not the cheapest. I beleive the Camera shops right in Shinjuku West is the cheapest. Those shops have many electronics things.

UENO

Ameyoko-cho Shopping area

This shopping area is under the JR rail trains. Many things can be bought here...food, clothes, electronics. Lots of people here.

Tokyo National Museuem

This is very recommended, especially the 100 yen admission to students! There are works from many asian places, displays on the Ainu peoples, etc. It may take at least 2 hours...

Shita Machi Musuem

Another recommended musuem. This is a small museum but different. It displays Meiji Tokyo, there is a replica of old bathhouse, tearoom, a street, old toystore, a nagaya, dagashiya, etc. One can actually pick up and feel the displays. You can play with Japanese toys, and this grandfather of hte Pachinko game. Outside is a beautiful lotus pond...with many people selling used crafts.

ASAKUSA Here is a good Kannon temple. I really recommend this place. Other than the temple there is a shopping street with many souveneirs. This is a major tourist attraction. I saw many Hong Kong peoples here. Be sure to take the big "Thunder Gate" lantern in a photo if you go there...

SHINJUKU

In Shinjuku I went in many of the major buildings like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings, the Shinjuku NS Building (it has a large clock inside), the Sumitomo Building. The sumitomo Building is recommended for a free viewing platform. Be impressed by the Tokyo view. The MEtropolitan building #1 has a free viewing platform also, but it was closed for some reason.

SHIBUYA

Outside of the station is the Hachiko's Statue, a place where many young people gather and meet together. There is a very good and cheap tenpura resturant here. You can go to the Love Hotel Hill to see the strange Love hotel buidling architectures. Lots of high class shopping.

HARAJUKU
Next to Shinjuku, this has the Meiji Shring, with many many foreign visitors... ONe should go here on Sundyas, where many people give free performances. There are many X-Japan fans here dressing very createively, and strangely. Some had eye-patches, some had face masks, and th eusual dyed hair, in strange styles. Very intersting. The shopping street was filled with many people also. It is a place for young people to have fun. Lots of energy here. Many food shops and clothing stores. There is a big toystore with many ultraman toys.

Harajuku station, I am in the photo, can you see me?

Takeshita dori, busy place with young people

IKEKUBURO

Sunshine City Building is a good place for shopping. Outside of the building, (outside of the Sunshine 66 Building) has 2 good anime shops. One is called animate. I bought a Mononoke Hime hankercheif there. The other shop has a big selection of second hand anime CDs. Toyota Amlux building here wasn't as good as the osaka one. But around it was many game centers and movie theatre. It is a very busy shopping street.

ROPPONGI

This place had 2 major sites. The Tokyo Tower and the Zojo-ji. They are next to each other, and it makes an intersting contrast between the Tower and the temple. The Tower is very expensive. 800 yen to the middle, and in addition, 300 yen to the top. I did not go, being a poor student. In fact I was eating some snacks as a meal sometimes. I discovered that I love melon bread. Anyway, the Tower is very beautiful, painted red. The night view is even more beautiful. Near it is the Asakasa area which has the NHK Studio. This place is mainly interest for locals there, as most things are in Japanese.

ODAIBA

I also had a chance to take the new rail to the artificial island of Odaiba. It is very beautiful at night, especially the rail ride. They have a nice beach that reflects all the light from the Tokyo mainland. The Fuji Building there is intersting. You take a long escalator up to the outside platform and from there, take the lift to the free viewing platform.

YOKOHAMA In the City of Yokohama, I went to the area Minato Mirai 21, a very very spacious area of shopping, eating, and offices. Right outside is the large ferris wheel. I wanted to see it and ride it, but for some reason, it was dismantled. I also saw the Yokohama Bay Bridge and Chinatown. The Chinatown is quite big. Many resturants again, and they have a very good Guanyu temple there, with very elaborate decorations. Yokohama has a very different feeling from Tokyo. It is a big city, but it is very spacious.

This is a shop in Yokohama that sells Chinese ceremonial and ritual items, such as incense, hell money, and tao symbols.

CONCLUSION