Japan Tour

[furan]

ano.... well... i'm in Leicester Cathedral choir... and in October, we're going to be touring Japan for 10 days...

the main reason we're going is to sing in the opening of the new curch in toyama...

anyways... my geography SUCKS, and so i have NO chance of knowing where all these places are and such... but i'm kinda a panicy flyer...

ok, basically, i'm hoping we'll get a little free time in all these areas... and ofcause i have things i wanna do/buy, but i've NO idea how long we'll get... so i was hoping people would be able to tell me what was possible where...

k, so, Friday we arrive in Narita Airport, Tokyo and the transfer to Haneda Airport (please tell me this transfer is usually don;e by train/coach? i don't think i can handle more plains after a 12 hour flight >.<)
then we fly to Toyama (...damnit >.<)
and we're staying at the National Youth Center in Tateyama.... *yes, i have no idea where these places are )

*sigh* we're basically singing the entier time...
Sat 15th, Jorakuen Old Peoples Home, Toyama
Toyama City Concert Hall with Toyama Male Voice Choir
Sun 16th, moring Eucharist in the new Toyama St Mary's Church

... then we have a 'party' hosted by the Church... but it seems we may get some time that after noon... is Sunday an 'off' day in Japan too? :?
Mon 17th activities in the alps.....
then we go to Kyoto by coach... how long d'you reccon this'll take?
i dont get travel sick... but the people in my choir tend to drive me insane
ano... we 'sing at a church in Kyoto with Cecilia Choir of the Kyoto Diocese'..... what? (i have limited understanding of many things )

aaaaand, we're staying at the Palaceside Hotel....
if i wanna sneek out in the evenings... will there be anything for me to sneek out too?
apparently we're not aloud to go anywhere by ourselves... and i presucme this is because our choir master's paranoied we'll get lost and not find anyone who speeks english... but... even tho i've extremely limited in Japanese vocabulary... i think i'd be able to understand it at least... if i listen hard enough

pluss... do i care if i get lost in Japan? err... no... especaiily in Kyoto

Tues
ok, Sightseeing in Nara... where's Nara?
is itanywhere near Shimbara? i really wann see the old pleasure quarters buildings and such... and i'd love to see some really old cultural stuff while i'm there - it's what made me fall inlove with Japan in the first place ^.^
but.. yeah, what about shopping there? i woudn't be able to get hold of Jrock and manga there would i :?
err, and we sing in that curch too (god my thoat's gunna be so sour after this week)

Wed
sightseeing in Kyoto - that's potentialls great but... how big is Kyoto? i mean... i'm sure it's not like sight seeing in London or New York...
then a 'farewell' dinner with the bishop of kyoto...

Thus
BULLET TRAIN!
Rikkyo Girl's school.... there's chance i get to visit this... but i heily doubt he'll let me go... he'd probably think i'd be a 'bad representitive' of our choir....
yeah, when i'm the only one how actually shows an interest in the Japanese history and culture and actually know a truck load of stuff and could get by with simple greetings in Japanese whereas everyone else would just be ignorent pigs and either speek in english or in really ickk englishaccents....
(sorry... issues ^^; )

AH! ok, here's the info i was looking for (yes, i'm working through a list here XD)
we're staying at Hotel Metopolitan in Ikebukuro, Tokyo....
how far is that from Harijuku?
or even Shinjuku?
Tokyo in it's self doesn't interest me so muh... i'm not much of a city girl... but... i'd really like to visit those places if i could...

Fri
...then we go to Yokohama.... for the day...
is that right? i thought Yokohama was miles away from Tokyo?
or is that just blatant proof of my appauling geography? ^^;
err... we sing with St Andrew's Cathedral Church there and have a welcom reception hosted by the Bishop

so many bishops
how d'you greet them? is there a special way?
i reeeeeally wanna make a good impression... this is my chance to show Mr Greggory that i'm not some fat 'goth' 'lesbian' (i can't believe even he thinks i'm gay )

err... Sat
big thing with Rikkyo University...
id Rikkyo a district in Tokyo?
(god i'm terrible ^^; )

err... then we go home...

so... yeah... as you can see we REALLY don;t seem to have that much free time...
but i'd appreciate ANY information anyone has about any of these places/schools/churchs...

arigato gazaimasu

(o, and btw, sorry if this is in the wrong place >.<)

 

[pipokun]

Toyama is the place where Asian tourists go to see the beautiful mountanious area after they get bored with temples or tokyo/osaka stuffs.
Toyama-Kyoto
332km=206mile
4 hour by bus
I suppose you've got at least one or two stops somewhere on your way to Kyoto. When you stop at a parking area with a souvenir shop, don't miss it when you or your friends love the Hello Kitty, for they tend to sell localised Hello Kitty stuffs there.

Since your hotel is close to the Kyoto Palace, it would be easy to get back there even if you get lost.
You can find a lot of temples or cultural stuffs in Kyoto or Nara, so don't worry.

In Tokyo, I don't know how much you can get your sneaking out time, do you have time to go and see a gig at night?

All trains for your sneaking out from Ikebukuro would be Yamanote line.
15min to Shibuya
12min to Harajuku
10min to Shinjuku
20min to Akihabara
The last Yamanote line departs from Shibuya at 00:52.

You should go to Shibuya instead of Shinjuku to see more youth culture.

I don't know much about manga, but mandarake is a kind of must-go place, isn't it?
http://ekizo.mandarake.co.jp/shop/en/index.do

Rikkyo University is at Ikebukuro.

Ikebukuro-Yokohama
About 1 hour by train

 

[pipokun]

One more.
I suppose it is good time to take a nap on the Bullet Train, but wake up couples of minutes after Nagoya station. You can see the Mt. Fuji from the train when it is sunny.

http://www.city.fuji.shizuoka.jp/m_fuji/mite/shizuoka1.htm

 

[furan]

OMIGOD thank you soooooooo much!

gees.... ok, thanks, lol... now i shall memorise this information and DEFINATLY be sneeking out if we're that close to Harijuku...
THANK YOU!

*sighs* but 4 hours on a bus.... *whimpers*

thank you ever so much for all of this information

yeah, Shibuya i'd love to go to... it's just i just finished reading a novel bassed in Shinjuku and i'd really like to see it

amnd than you so much for all of the links ^.^

 

[furan]

o yeah, and thanks for the info on hello kitty, i LOVe her XD
and i'm sure a lot of the girls going will be happy about that ^.^

 

[Silverpoint]

k, so, Friday we arrive in Narita Airport, Tokyo and the transfer to Haneda Airport (please tell me this transfer is usually done by train/coach?

It's normally a shuttle bus.

 

[furan]

*phew* thank you

i really am the worst flyer... which is stupid... i've been flying since i was 6....

 

[pipokun]

After reading your post again, it seems to me the Thursday night would be the only night when you can enjoy your time.
If you are lucky enough to have much time to go and see a gig at night, Rockmaykan is you choice where you can see gigs of indie J-rock bands, for example, on Oct. 6, ﾂ"Visual-Kei Girls Bands Only Nightﾂ".

Ikebukuro Area
Kiddy Land, a toy shop
Metropolitan Plaza, next to your hotel
Sanrio Gift Gate, an official Sanrio shop in the East of Ikebukuro
http://www.sanrio.co.jp/bus_info/shoplist/ikebukurogg_m.html
Cando, a 100yen shop in the East of Ikebukuro
http://www.cando-web.co.jp/mapimg/1101.gif

Shinjuku and Shibuya area
Don Quijote, a 24-hour discount store
Shinjuku Higashiguchi or Shibuya
http://www.donki.com/c/shop/shop_en.php?lang=en&shopid=29
http://www.donki.com/c/shop/shop_en.php?lang=en&shopid=21

Observatory of Shinjuku Metropolitan Gov. Building
Till 23:00, but you have to enter there before 22:30
Free of Charge
http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/TMG/observat.htm

Shibuya109, a trendsetting department store for Shibuya gals
SHIBUYA109｜渋谷 109