Overall

I have been to Japan only three times, but as my wife is Japanese I have a somewhat local perspective. I am not particularly a Japan-o-phile so I don't really come here with tourism in mind but rather to spend a month with family, attend weddings, etc. Personally, I am not a big fan of Japanese tourist attractions or history, Roppongi, Tokyo Tower, temples, etc; every city has its share of particular sites like those. I do enjoy the temples, because like in Europe, you can always stay, every neighborhood temple is open and in "production"; you can sit and think (or not think; they call it meditation here as opposed to Europe where it has more specific religious connotation). The people are adorable and I enjoy the incredible beauty of the Japanese way of appreciating nature. Of course if you like Japanese food it is terrific here, and is usually very cheap (western food is both bad and expensive). I do a lot of walking around and marval at the Japanese way of integrating the extremely-advanced aspects of civilisation with the hightly traditional. If you are looking for an easy packaged-tour-guided-tour it doesn't really work in Tokyo, like it does in Paris or Rome (which are organised as sort of Disneyland-for-adults), nor will it really work with the rest of Japan. I do try to spend a week or so in Kyoto, Kobe, Kamakura (really worth seeing if you have not much time as it is close to Tokyo), Nikko. As of mid-2005, Japan is perhaps cheaper than Europe (contrary to its reputation, established in the 1990's, as an extremely expensive place to be); However, almost nobody really speaks much English.

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Value

6 June 2005 | valleeo

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