Paul's Japan travel recommendations

Where to go

The scale and density of Tokyo is impressive and visitors seem to want to spend all their time there. But it is crowded and tiresome. My advice is to get out of Tokyo and visit interesting regional cities. Here are some examples:

Kamakura - Near Tokyo but on the coast. Home of the Kamakura Daibutsu.
Shimoda - Lovely small coastal town with white sand beachs on the Izu Peninsula.
Kyoto - Yes, this is a major tourist magnet, but it is worth it for the history.
Nara - The capital before Kyoto was the capital. Home of the Daibutsu.
Kanazawa - Great relaxing city with one of the top Japanese gardens, an impressive castle, and the Japan Sea coast.
Takamatsu - A nice port city with ferry access to islands in the Inland Sea.
Miyazaki - Has a very long straight beach coast is a mecca for surfers. This natural rock formation was also impressive.
Okinawa - The Hawaii of Japan. I live in Okinawa.

Tokyo

If you must experience Tokyo, here are some of my recommendations:

BEWARE - Japan in general is super safe and scam-free. There are two exceptions to this: Roppongi and Kabukicho. You can go there, but DO NOT follow a tout to a bar. You might end up in a some faceless building in a tiny bar, drugged and have your credit card drained. If you want to bar hop, go somewhere else. Even Shibuya is safe. Choose your own bar, don't follow anyone.Do yourself a favor and fly into Haneda, the city airport. Narita is so far away.
Pick a topic and look for a museum here.
Look for a restaurant/bar/shop relating to your hobby or interest. Trust me. It exists.
Visit the massive Meiji Shrine. Good for an early moring visit if you woke up too early from jetlag.
Visit Kaminari-mon and Senso-ji in Asakusa. After that, you can take this futuristic ferry to Odaiba or another place.
If you go to Odaiba, have fun at a classic game arcade here.
Also in Odaiba, you can go to the beach and watch the sun set over Tokyo.
Also in the Asakusa area, you could take a dinner cruise on Tokyo Bay in a rustic "yakatabune".
If you like club music, visit Womb - the venerable techno/house club in Shibuya.
Search other club events here.
See Japanese and international pop and jazz artists at one of these dinner clubs: Billboard Live, Blue Note Tokyo, Cotton Club.
On a rainy day, go explore a covered shopping arcade in Koenji or Kichijoji.
Enjoy some Japanese craft beer almost anywhere.
It's not in Tokyo proper, but Japan has it's own original Disney park called Disney Sea.
It's hard to recommend dining for all tastes and price ranges, but here are a few places I go from time to time.
- What to have a nice upscale dinner? Try teppanyaki - steak or seafood cooked on a hot steel cook surface right in front of you. Think iof Benihana without all the cheesy showmanship. Here is one of my favorites.
- Amazing fine Italian food at Osteria Nakamura.
- Argentinian and South American food at Costa Latina.
- Decent izakaya with sushi too - Kinka.
- American pizza at Pizzakaya.
- Italian pizza at Massimotavio.

Kyoto

I have been to Kyoto many times for work and pleasure and I never get tired of it. There are tons of tourists, but I think it is worth it for the ancient shrines and temples such as Kiyomizu-dera, Ryoanji, Kinkakuji, Nijo Castle. There are so many more.

Other ideas:

The covered shopping arcade here is great to explore on a rainy day or when the sun is too hot.
I like looking at the canals here. Good dining in the area too.
The narrow alley that runs north and south of this park is fun to explore for eats or drinks.
Why not try a public bath called "sento".