Going to Japan: Any old STW ppl around?

[Zen Blade]

Hey guys,

this is mainly for the old Shogun: Total War people, but anyone with knowledge, please feel free to comment.

So my general plan is to hit Tokyo, then Nagoya, then Kyoto/Osaka/Lake Biwa, and then perhaps trek out towards Hiroshima/kyushu.

I might make an attempt to get into the Nagano area, but I am trying to budget my time. I am also considering touring up by Tottori (west of Kyoto).

I was wondering if any of the old Shogun people know if any of the aforementioned places are particular worthwhile to visit, or not... and whether there is any place that I should go out of my way to try and see.

Looking in FWSEAL's direction... might have to go post at his site...

-Zen Blade

[Stefan the Berserker]

There are some places mentioned in Shogun you should visit: Ise contains the oldest Temple of the country. It is destroyed and rebuild every year. The first time it was build was even before the Shogunes ruled, so an interessting place...

Also the City of Nara is located in the Yamato region near Kyoto, which was the first City of Japan and founded by the first Generations of the Tenno's. They left there because the Buddist Clerics there became to important for them...

The Fuji-San is also there and the Warrior-Monk-Monastaries in Kaga (Nagashima). Look on your Shogun Strategy Map, I'm sure you find what I mentioned. (Fuji-San is in the Territory of the Imagawa, lightly to see it&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Stormer]

TOTOMI

if you could visit totomi and take pictures id love to see them does anyone know where totomi is. some great battles were held there i think http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[DemonArchangel]

actually I recommend this sweet sushi shop in narita, their shrimp kicks major A**

[rspete]

Be sure to visit the city of Edo, I hear that one is hard to miss http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif . More seriously though, you should probably pay heed to Kyoto, the old capital, if you want to see old style Geisha and Buddhist temples.

[Longshanks]

Tokyo is a must, especially if you are looking for some female companionship while you are there. Just head down to any of the bars or clubs in the Roppongi district. The girls that frequent those places love gaijin. If you have time take the train out to Gotemba from Tokyo for a day, and visit Mt. Fuji. Its about an hour and a half or two hours from Tokyo. Better yet, if you went to Roppongi first...you might have a ride out there. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Kyoto is also a must, especially if you were a fan of STW. Plenty of old castles, shrines, bridges and such. If you are leaving soon the cherry blossoms might still be blooming, great time of year to visit Kyoto.

[Ser Clegane]

I just returned from a 3 week sightseeing trip to Japan on Sunday. Following are the main locations my wife and me have visited with some comments:

Kyoto
Definitely a "must" if you are interested in historical sights. The city itself offers a wide range of temples and shrines and also serves as a great base for day trips. For example we went for day trips to Himeji and Hikone from there (nice castles, especially the one in Himeji). You could also make a day trip to Hiroshima using the Shinkansen train.
Make sure to pay a visit to the Tourist Information Centre near Kyoto Station to pick up the "Kyoto Walks" brochure

Nagasaki
Lovely city Can almost completely be explored by foot (but the streetcar is a cheap and convenient alternative). Has some nice temples, the museum on the atomic bomb explosion is definitely worth visiting, Glover's Garden gives good information on Nagasaki's role as a trade harbour

Beppu
Interesting if you would like to try a bath in the hot springs (however I would skip this one if I would plan our trip again).

Hagi
Beautiful small town with a lot of the old Samurai quarter still intact

Comment: Nagasaki, Beppu, and Hagi are rather far away from the most relevant tourist places (Kyoto and Tokyo) being located on Kyushu and the Southwest of Honshu so to go there requires some more travel time

Tokyo
Again a "must" as it gives a great contrast to the more historical places (we stayed in Shinjuku which is a really (&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif busy place). Also you can make great daytrips from here to Nikko (for some rather impressive shrines and temples) and to Mt. Fuji (unfortunately we did not make it there).
If you want to visit a museum on your trip to Japan IMO the Tokyo National Museum would be the best choice - also has a nice collection of swords and armor (the armor of Ieyasu Tokugawa BTW is exhibited in Nikko)

Some more tips:
- if you plan to travel around in the country be sure to get the Japan Rail Pass which allows you free use of JR trains (you will have to buy this before you go to Japan as it is only available outside Japan and only for non-residents)
- a goog place for practical information is the Japan National Tourist Organization (www.jnto.go.jp)
- we used Lonely Planet travel guide to plan our trip and to get around. I highly recommend this book
- we booked our accomodations via the Japan Travel Bureau. Worked very well. Might be worthwhile to check out if you have one of their offices in your area.
- I recommend staying in a Ryokan (traditional Japanese "hotel") for a night or two just for the experience. The stay there usually includes breakfast and diner and is a good opportunity to get some nice Japanese meals that you might not dare to order in a Restaurant.

Have great fun when you are going to Japan, it surely has been an unforgettable experience for us and we are sure that we will visit this country again at some point of time

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