Looking for interesting/quirky/unique ideas for my trip.

[kidtokyo]

Hello!

I'm going to Japan soon, only staying for a week.
I'm trying to think outside of the box and come up with some extra ways to make the trip memorable. I'm looking for some more ideas.

I know that sounds vague, but lemme explain by listing some examples of things I've thought about doing:

• Bring a little toy with me and take pictures of it in various places so it can have its own photo album.
• Connect an 'interview-style' microphone to my camcorder and attempt to talk to a few people and document my limited Japanese language knowledge while its fresh.
• Leave little notes with my email address in random places to see if anyone actually emails me.

Anything else that would be interesting to do?

Thanks!

 

[Nisei88]

I like the picture taking with a toy idea. I wish I had a Flat Stan with me in Japan it would have been fun.

Do you know who Ultraman is? If you do, try to take a trip out to Shoshigaya-Okura. There is a cool statue of him right next to the train station.

 

[Mike Cash]

I like the dry land message-in-a-bottle idea. Actual bottles would be a bad idea, since they would just get trashed, but you know what I mean.

Some folks might balk at the camcorder (younger people probably wouldn't), but most definitely take advantage of the opportunity to talk to people while you're here. No telling what you may learn, and there's a good chance you'll run into somebody nice enough to include you in some local events or take you around to some interesting places. I like the idea of when travelling not having a specific itinerary but instead being open to going with the flow of whatever comes up. Talking to people vastly improves the odds of interesting things coming up, and even if nothing comes up, I think you'll find it one of the more rewarding parts of your visit.

 

[princessfiona]

Hello, kidtokyo! I've been doing that first idea of yours since last year when I got an Ugly Doll as a gift. Got the idea from "Amelie" But it's bulky so I'm changing it to a smaller one (a keychain version). I might be going to Tokyo next month too so the Ugly Doll's gonna travel with me, of course.

Would be interesting if you'll dress up like a local. The first time I went to Tokyo, I was fascinated at how people can freely dress up any way they like. Have fun on your trip!

 

[kidtokyo]

Yeah, since this will be my first/last trip for quite a while, I'm going to get as much out of it as I can. :51:

As for clothing, I'm definitely going to try and dress very fashionably. I have a few special outfits picked out just for the occasion. I may be wearing a backpack, holding a camera, and running around without a clue of whats going on, but I'm certainly not going to dress like a tourist. :38:

The only t-shirt I'll be wearing is one that I created especially for this trip, sort of a celebratory "I finally made it to Tokyo" shirt (Created through Cafepress, and I'm a Graphic Designer so yeah it looks nice ;-) )

I'll also have a tripod with me most of the time. It's kind of an inconvenience, but I want my photos to be perfect and since I'm essentially going by myself, I want to be in the pictures! :84:

So yeah.. I'm basically gearing up for this trip like an astronaut gears up for a space mission.. Many months of thinking about it, only 1 week in Japan. Oh well, thats part of the experience! And after all, I have been wanting to go for over 10 years.. so thats a decade of anticipation!

Hello, kidtokyo! I've been doing that first idea of yours since last year when I got an Ugly Doll as a gift.

Strange, I know someone who uses an Ugly Doll for such a purpose! I have a toy that other people have taken to a few countries to take pictures with, but its been a while since I've been out of the country, so I haven't had the opportunity.

 

[princessfiona]

Wow! 10 years! What's on your places-to-go list?

Actually, it's so funny that my trip this time is for an appointment at an embassy but as I've been doing research on how to do some shopping and other side trips, I stumbled upon great places to go to--thanks to this site and some other links--so I wanna extend my trip. If you're a fan of Ghibli films, the I guess you're going to the Ghibli Museum? That was the best place I went to. I would love to go there if I have time and money.

Btw, my Ugly Doll is Bop n Beep

 

[kidtokyo]

Wow! 10 years! What's on your places-to-go list?

I'm going on a group-tour kinda thing, so I'll be visiting a lot of the popular destinations with the group(I actually won the trip.. see here for my initial thread about it.). The main cool thing is the Tokyo Game Show.

But I have about 2 days where I'll be on my own, and I'm pretty much going to be moving at full-speed from early morning to late night, so I plan on covering a lot of ground. As for where I'll be going during that time... well.. it's still up in the air. I'm certainly using this site to get ideas though.