Going to Japan for 2.5 weeks - any advice on interesting and less touristy/outside the box things to do and see? (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto...)

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Baseball game!! Even if you don’t like baseball you must do it! It’s crazy and fun!

Which cities?

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If you like architecture, art and awesome landscapes, you should head to the port town of Uno, and visit the art islands Naoshima and Teshima (and Inujima if you have time). Those islands have some of the best architecture you'll ever experience from Tadao Ando and Ryue Nishizawa. Naoshima, you can see by taking transit. You'll want to rent electric bikes on Teshima to ride around to all the sites.

Koyasan. Well worth a night up there.

Kanazawa

Great temple near the airport, Narita San. And there's the "tallest buddha statue in the world" near Tokyo, link attached. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushiku_Daibutsu
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Ushiku Daibutsu - Wikipedia

And this is a cool experience, https://www.facebook.com/akiyoshi.yakitori/

Last suggestion - Hachijo-jima . One of the Tokyo Islands. Fly or take the ferry. https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!4b1!4m12!1m6!3m5...
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Visit the thatch-roofed houses in Gokayama. Go skiing in Hakuba.

Go to some obscure island such as Sado jima, or the Rikyu Islands down south. Rent a car. Don't worry. They drive rather slowly on these little islands. Rent a local house for a week. Settle in. Get to know your neighbours. You will be amazed.

I agree...we stayed on Nishigaki Island...so cheap and rentals cars are too. Took the ferry, with bikes, over to smaller island...hardly any cars! And the beaches...gorgeous!

Yup. That's what I'm talking about. I hope Mari tries it.

Beppu in Kyushu for hot springs. Try out a random older one that is literally like someone's basement for 100 yen. I second a baseball game. In Tokyo wander the Ueno district and head over to the Nakano shopping mall. Head to the back and up a few floors and it is second hand toys, hobby stuff, left behind on trains things, etc. There is a short line heading north from Kyoto to a bit of mountain side filled with Goblin statues. There is also an outdoor hot spring you can try out after a bit of a trek. Catch a ferry to Tsushima. It is a small island close to Korea. Rent a bike and head out. Ride the street cars in Nagasaki and then spend the night at Kagamiya guesthouse. She has an insane kimono collection. Stay at a ryokan or a capsule hotel.

Japan has the most amazing tourist information offices to cater to your interests. Information in any language. Have a picknick in the park with the locals on a Sunday. Kyoto, Hiroshima, Minimoto pearl island. Hiking in alpine areas. Every big City is beautiful!

Just came from Japan on Monday...2nd time. We hiked Mt. Kumara about an hr outside Kyoto by train. 2-3 hr hike without loads of tourists (like in Kyoto). Kuramadera Temple is located there, built 940....many many shrines....so interesting. Loads of tofu restaurants. Sakura just starting to bloom.

Also...we stayed in Osaka at Briller Nakazaki in the Kita prefecture...$81 per night CAD. Room with private bathroom. Kitchen downstairs, small fridge in room. Great funky neighbourhood with loads of cafes away from the hustle and bustle but walking distance to everything.

Cheryl how long were you there? Never been but dying to go. What would be an avg daily cost? And can you find under $100cdn/ nite places to stay easily? ( traditional or not) any safety concerns? Thanks

We were in Japan for 3 weeks. Went last year for 1 month. Daily cost can vary...if you have a kitchen, no need to buy breakfast. You're out and about all day, so you need to buy lunch and dinner. Also factor in cost of entrance fees to museums, etc. Perhaps avg daily cost wld be $50-100/day. Accommodations also vary...we paid $81 Cnd in Osaka for room with private bath, no kitchen. We paid $200/night in Kyoto for a traditional house with kitchen and 2 bedrooms. Very safe, clean, subway/train user friendly country. Flying within the country is cheap too! Highly recommend going!

Go to an Onsen!! Public hot springs in the nude. They are separated by sex. It was one of the most interesting and beautiful things I did while in Japan. Half of the hot springs were inside and separated by a large glass half window to the outside section. Pristine clean and beautiful.

You CAN find co-ed ones, if you look, and if you feel so-inclined.
Most onsen boast the special qualities of their water (high in iron or whatever), but there are also onsen of milk, coffee, sake, flowers, sand, etc. Lots of them are near Beppu on Kyushu, but you'll find lovely onsen all over the country.

Angie very cool!

If you like animals, Fox village is amazing. China town in Kobe is fun and delicious. Ryoanji in kyoto is less frequented but often is host to cranes, and delightful turtles. Also, thrift shops. In Japan, clothes are heavily marked down for the smallest scuffs. Lastly, flea markets. There are some lovely ones in kyoto where you can find a wide variety of items.

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Tea farm tours in Uji/Wazuka near Kyoto

Michelle Garrigo ideas for you

Bit of a hassle getting there but Koyasan is very cool

Kamakura is lovely and quite a different vibe. Hit up the seated Buddha there. If you're into stationary or anything related, Itoya in Ginza is a nice stop.

Nara City- outside Kyoto- stay at the Nono Nara hot springs hotel- beside the train station- best weekend- it has lots of tourists- mostly Japanese visiting it. Feed the deer.

Following...on my bucket list to go to Japan

Going in Sept

(Again)

I second an Onsen experience. There are many. Pick a small town and enjoy being in a non touristy environment where you don’t know what’s going on. Also second the art island of Naoshima if you have any interest in modern art and especially outdoor sculpture. So much fun!

https://www.japan-guide.com/thumb/XYZeXYZe5475_1680.jpg
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www.japan-guide.com

Go to Hiroshima.

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Koyasan is beautiful and so full of history. Stay in a temple ,go to prayers at 530 am and eat vegetarian . Great experience . Japan is a wonderful safe country to visit . We are on our 4 Th trip ?

If you are in Kyoto you can take a short train ride to a place called Nara. It's famous for the deer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n11Rrjq5LDI
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Things to Do in Nara : Day Trip Travel Guide

Hakone! Hot springs and the circle tour!

Japanguide.com is an amazing website for information and suggestions. Just left japan after 10 days and had an awesome trip. Stayed in Tokyo with day trips to hakone, enoshima island and Kamakura.
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japan-guide.com - Japan Travel and Living Guide

Definitely not unknown but the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo in an assault on the senses in the best way.

Used to live in Hakone Itabashi....wonderful inexpensive onsen in the area. A 1.5 hour trip from Tokyo by Odakyusen or really fast by Shinkansen if you get the JR pass. Change stations at Odawara, enjoy! Let me know if you need info.

Hiroshima, take the ferry to Miajima island. Tons of great food, hike mt misen, wild deer everywhere. Eat the Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima. It is amazing!
Koyasan, stay in a temple, learn to meditate with the monks. Pray with them in the morning.
Osaka is amazing! Loved everything about it! Go to kuromon ichiba market and eat your way through it.
Kyoto, go to Nishiki Market. Bamboo forest was quite underwhelming and packed! We wandered the stores and found a lot of hidden gems.
We are currently in Tokyo, doing Disneyland for a couple
Days with the kids and finishing up in Shinjuku.
You are going to love Japan! It is such an amazing country.

TeamLab Planets or Borderless! Planets is older and because of the timed entry was slighly less busy, while Borderless is bigger.