Originally Posted By Mr X Okay, so I thought I'd help keep things active here by starting a topic unrelated to Tokyo Disney Resort, but still pertinent to anyone who might be making the trip to the Tokyo area in future. What's your favorite Tokyo or Tokyo area attraction? (attraction can be flexible, as Tokyo does seem to deal more in "zones" or cool areas as opposed to just a particular place to check out) So in the spirit of said flexibility, I'll go ahead and offer up my favorite "attraction", or one of my favorites anyway, as the Akihabara "electric town" district. It's so cool to stroll around and check out all the electronics shops with their state-of-the-art gadgets. And as SuperDry can attest to, if you need something gadgets or gadget-accessory wise, no matter how obscure, chances are you can find it in Akihabara.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I like how Akihabara has morphed into also a place for Otaku (even though that's not my thing.) Me, aside from the electronics, I love the hobby shops. I could spend hours looking at trains and stuff.
Originally Posted By MagicalNezumi It's always been a place for otaku. Just previously focused on electronic otaku, now its expanded because of various media content. But you can't really say you've experienced the new "Akiba" without visiting a maid cafe. (wink wink) As for my favorite attraction, thats kinda tough. Perhaps not an attraction, but I love Shinjuku Gyoen and the various spots the surrounding area has to offer. It's also near my workplace. -- MagicalNezumi
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones I stayed far away from Akihabara. I wouldn't say I have a single favorite attraction in Tokyo, but I simply liked riding public transportation and absorbing the atmosphere of a metropolis. Next time I visit I would like to see more of rural Japan, but that is certainly more of a challenge.
Originally Posted By Mr X Too bad. The electronics are cool as hell, and you can avoid the anime easily enough.
Originally Posted By Malin I second MagicalNezumi on Shinjuku. Reason I like to stay in this area while on visits to Tokyo. I also love Shibuya. Great atsmophere and vibe. And some of the best shopping in town. Disney Store, Tower Records, HMV, Tokyu Hands, Apple Store, need I go on?
Originally Posted By SeaTokyo Tokyo International Forum - my favorite building in Tokyo. Cathedral-like ceilings and modern architecture is awe inspiring. Must see at night and during day for different experiences and don't forget to walk the catwalks. <a href="http://k53.pbase.com/u35/johnglascock/large/23215604.TokyoInternationalForum032000RG.jpg" target="_blank">http://k53.pbase.com/u35/johng...00RG.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By SeaTokyo Yushima Seidou near Ochanomizu - the MOST unique of all temples that I have visited in Japan and I have see lots. Plain, simple and all black. <a href="http://www.seido.or.jp/yushima.html" target="_blank">http://www.seido.or.jp/yushima.html</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X Malin, I'm a big fan of Shibuya as well. One of my favorite zones! The Apple store is much better in Ginza though (4 floors of Appley goodness). SeaT, thanks for that recommend on Yushima Seidou! I will have to check it out sometime soon! Thanks all for the comments. This is good stuff!
Originally Posted By leemac I think it has to be either Roppongi Hills or Shiodome (both in Minato) for me. I'm a huge fan of the architect firm Kohn Pedersen Fox who designed the Mori Tower (and the excellent Shanghai World Financial Center - the one that looks like a bottle opener) and although I don't totally agree with Minoru Mori's business practices he is a remarkable mixed-use real estate tycoon. Omotesando Hills' is the most recent Tokyo development. Shiodome is another skyscraper heaven - I think there are 13 of that site - and the main Tokyo Shiodome Building houses my preferred hotel the Conrad. It isn't as spectacular as a mixed-use site as Roppongi but the area has a lot to offer particularly with the theater district being so close. I guess Shinjuku and Shibuya should always be mentioned too although I don't visit them as often as I did in the early years of the TDS project.
Originally Posted By barboy2 Yushukan war museum A shining example why I will never give too much credence to tour books, 'travel experts' and word of mouth again.
Originally Posted By Mr X Having recently taken your advice and visited that museum BB, I must say it was a very interesting experience. I enjoyed the details of the exhibits (seeing an actual Emperor's War outfit, one I'd actually seen pics of in a history book, was very cool), and I would recommend it to Tokyo travelers (particularly during cherry blossom season) along with the nearby shrine. However, it had a distinctly jingoistic bias and I really don't think that can be ignored (the bias was so strong as to become propaganda and misinformation in some cases), so the place is not to be taken seriously. But yes, it's certainly not something to be missed in any case. It obviously represents a side of Japan that we rarely see (in public, anyway). Interestingly, nearly all the Japanese folks I mentioned this to had no idea that a museum at that War Shrine even existed!
Originally Posted By barboy2 ///However, it had a distinctly jingoistic bias and I really don't think that can be ignored (the bias was so strong as to become propaganda and misinformation in some cases), so the place is not to be taken seriously./// CORRECTOMUNDO!!! ("The Fonz") And that, my friend, is why I found the place so interesting.....the cool exhibits coupled with the flagrant nationalistic pride/bias. The biases were so obvious that Wife and I still have some good laughs about it.
Originally Posted By Mr X I didn't want to derail this "favorites" topic too much (though again I second your recommendation of the place), so I started a new topic on Yasukuni. <a href="http://mb.laughingplace.com/MSGBOARD-T-113861-P-1.ASP" target="_blank">http://mb.laughingplace.com/MS...-P-1.ASP</a> Barboy and others who've visited the place (or not), please feel free to chime in over there if you'd like.
Originally Posted By Malin *** Malin, I'm a big fan of Shibuya as well. One of my favorite zones! The Apple store is much better in Ginza though (4 floors of Appley goodness). *** I was unaware that Ginza has a Apple Store. Will certainly have to check it out on the next trip. In fact I really need to spend a little more time around Ginza. My plan this time around is to spend three days at the Resort and a couple of days around Tokyo. So this thread is very helpful, being able to read other people's recomendations.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< I think it has to be either Roppongi Hills ... for me. >>> I stayed there on my last trip. One thing that occurred to me recently about Roppongi Hills is that "Hey, this reminds me of what Epcot was supposed to be like!" I Googled this, and saw a few references to other people making this comment, but none on Disney message boards. Or more precisely, Roppongi Hills reminds me very much of the core area of Epcot as presented by Walt Disney in the mid-60's: a dense, mixed-use, master-planned core of a city. RH starts with common mixed-use space that combines shopping, restaurants, cinemas, and the like, and adds 50+ story skysrapers with office space, residential housing, and hotels. It also has museums and an amphitheater. It's connected to the city's subway system via an underground connection. And, in the main complex itself, there are no above-ground roadways: instead, the service roads are underneath the complex, complete with intersections and parking. I think Walt would have liked it very much.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Will certainly have to check it out on the next trip*** It's easy to find. Across the street from and about a block or two away from the Mitsukoshi Department Store.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Roppongi Hills reminds me very much of the core area of Epcot as presented by Walt Disney in the mid-60's>> To be fair Walt did pinch this idea from a host of different town planners at the time. The '50s saw the advent of self-contained neighborhood communities in the UK in particular. The New Towns Act of 1946 was designed to regenerate areas devastated by WWII bombing and also to cope with the burgeoning population explosion after the soldiers returned home. The first one appeared in '49 and they continued until the late sixties. Only a handful have been built since then (if you are interested google Poundsbury which is the Prince of Wales' model town in Cornwall - Charles loves "traditional" architecture). There are several US town planners that tried to mimic the UK system but the bureaucratic system in place in the US made it very difficult. However a host of architects wanted to develop the type of mixed-use mini-cities that Walt desired including the likes of Buckminster Fuller (the father of the geodesic dome). Mori-san did want to provide for everything on the Roppongi site - more from an altruistic POV - he wanted to capture every dime of those working and living on the Hills. Why go elsewhere when every waking (and sleeping) moment can be accommodated and the cash can be spent locally?
