At TeenCamp Ireland, Klara asked me what my trip to Japan was like, then I realised… I never posted a review! So here it is, about 7 months later…

So, it’s been my dream to go to Tokyo for a long time, but it only ever felt like a dream, never to become reality. When I found out my selected college course wouldn’t being going ahead, at first I was heartbroken, but then I began to see it as an opportunity. So I started saving money, got a small group of friends together, and started organizing our trip to Tokyo.

We first considered staying in Capsule Inn as we wanted a cheap place to stay, but were put off by some things about it. So I stumbled across The Oak Hotel, which was just outside Ueno, a thriving district of arcades and a few shops, including one of my favourites, Yamashiroya ^{[Jap Site]}, and just 5-10 minutes from the local train station on the main line circling Tokyo.

Transport around Tokyo was a breeze with the train system in place there. Very easy to follow for non-Japanese speakers, everything was in English as well as Japanese. Each carriage on the trains had a screen detailing the upcoming stops, when to change for other rail lines (even those operated by other companies), and information on delays, not that delays would matter with trains arriving every 2-3 minutes. The stations’ little jingles were a great little touch, something you would only see in Japan. This site ^{[Jap Site]} used to have a collection of all the melodies, but sadly the mp3′s are returning 404 errors now…

So, my favourite places… I think the quite obvious one would be Akihabara, or electric town as it’s also known, is a thriving area full of electronics shops, games shops, anime/manga shops and many arcades. It was pure otaku bliss. From Super Potato ^{[Jap Site]} for games both new and old, to Yodobashi Camera (pictured below) for your electronics, toys and games all in one place, Akihabara had it all from a shopping point of view.

A surprisingly good area was Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. First of all, we had to go on a driver-less train across the bay. The views were breathtaking. In Odaiba there was a to scale (but still quite big) model of the Statue of Liberty. Then we went to Aqua City shopping center, and then on to Sega Joypolis, a kick-ass indoor amusement park/arcade, a highlight of the entire holiday. I went on Half-Pipe Canyon (I’ll get the video up this weekend), and various other amusements, including a full 3D show called Dark Chapel. And it was none of that Red/Blue 3D crap. This was proper 3D using polarizing glasses, which gave amazing quality and realism. Also, in Odaiba was a massive ferris wheel, which I didn’t go on… I have a bit of a fear of heights. But Odaiba was certainly a gem not to be missed.

Of course there were a few disappointments… We planned on going to Nintendo HQ in Kyoto, but learned the visitor centre had closed some time ago. We planned on going to the Studio Ghibli Museum, but tickets had to be booked in advance.

All in all, Japan was amazing. An opportunity of a lifetime. There something for everyone, from technology, to anime/manga, arcades to temples and shrines. I can now also say I’ve survived an earthquake, two in fact. They’re very common and a very surreal feeling. Anyone considering going just please, save up and go. You will not regret it. I’ll gladly answer any questions in comments.

You can check out my entire photo gallery here and Ueno Zoo (which I just realised I never mentioned in my review :S) here.