Schmennifer

It’s better outside the cities rather than in. Fewer beggers, more nature. Also give yourself some time to get over altitude sickness. It really is painful.

I’ve been to Matsuyama and also spent two New Year’s holidays in a row staying with a family in rural Ehime (probably a redundancy). Both were OK. The family was great, but there wasn’t much to do in Ehime at that time of year. And I’d like to spend more time in Matsuyama. I’d also like to go hiking around the island and visit the shrines and temples.

I’d like to visit Shingo Village for the so-called tomb of Jesus (Christ). I compiled info on how to do that here.

I’d also like to visit Osorezan where blind psychic ladies lead you up to the mountain to contact the dead.

I went to Ishikawa specifically to visit Moses’ Burial Mound in the very small town of Hodastu. I wrote about how to visit this place here, and an account of the actual visit here (lots of profanity). It was quite weird.
I also spent some time in Kanazawa, which was a lovely historical town. Visit the Ninja Temple!

If you’ve been to one Disneyland…
I only got a mild kick out of the Disney characters speaking in Japanese. But other than that, it wasn’t quite the good time that I expected. Maybe I’m just old.

I did like the Buzz Lightyear ride though.

I live here, so I don’t know if I should put this on my list. But definitely a great place to be. I’ve explored different parts of this city almost every weekend since I first moved here five years ago, and it amazes me how much more I have yet to see.

You don’t need more than a day and a half here, but make sure to take lots of pictures. It’s so beautiful. The deer are kind of aggressive though.

Kobe’s sort of a Westernized town. So if you’re from a Western country and are visiting Japan for a short time, this might not be that impressive. If, however, you’re Japanese or a foreigner who has been living in Japan for a long time, Kobe might be worth it.

I’ve never stayed there long enough to do anything more than sightseeing. But it’s a beautiful city.

I live in Tokyo, but like Osaka a lot better. The people seem warmer, the dialect is more colorful, and it’s a lot less crowded. If you’re just visiting, you can cover the basics in Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe within a week. You’d miss a lot of stuff, but it’s possible.