COSMOLOGIST GUIDE TO Japan


Typical place for visitors to stay when you come to IPMU

A few recommended places are here! The more entry will come!

Shops in the neighborhood.

The Hōzōmon, the inner gate of Sensō-ji.

Another view of the Hōzōmon.

ASAKUSA／浅草／あさくさ (by marta)

With the Tsukuba Express (TX), it only takes 30 minutes to reach the Asakusa (浅草) district (Taitō, Tokyo) from Kashiwanoha-Campus Station. From the TX station, then, it's just a few minutes walk to reach Asakusa's most famous Buddhist temple, the Sensō-ji (浅草寺).

However, rather than rushing your way to the temple, it's worth getting a little bit lost while exploring the many old-style shopping streets in the district. This is the right place to look for traditional handmade items and high-quality souvenirs.

The streets get more and more crowded as you move closer to Sensō-ji. By when you enter Nakamise-dōri (仲見世通り) street, you're most likely slowly strolling, rather than walking (at least, this was the case in September, when I visited). Still, it's a great place to grab sweet treats and all sorts of souvenirs: both sides of Nakamise-dōri street are packed with small shops, selling everything from samurai swords to matcha green tea ice cream.

Nakamise-dōri street starts and ends at two gates: the outer Kaminarimon(雷門), and the inner Hōzōmon (宝蔵門), from which one enters the beautiful Sensō-ji temple [loc].

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Asakusa was the first district I've visited in Tokyo and it was definitely a good place to start! I loved how the red architecture (from the Sensō-ji itself, to the gates you find around the district) stands out against the surroundings; and I was amazed by the different atmospheres I experienced within just a few minutes walk. Definitely recommended!

Atomic Bomb Dome

Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima

Okonomiyaki (soul food in Hiroshima)

HIROSHIMA／広島／ひろしま (by HIDEKI)

Hiroshima is located at the west region of Japan. With Shinkansen, it takes 5 hours to reach the Hiroshima from Tokyo Station. At Hiroshima, it is convenient to use a tram (streetcar) to go around the city. Hiroshima's tram network is the longest and most used streetcar network in Japan. Hiroshima trams are operated by Hiroden (広電). (Note: You can pay the tram fee by cash or Suica/Pasmo.)

To do at Hiroshima

This building was the only structure that remained standing in the area around the atomic bomb of Hiroshima the end of World War II. The ruin of the hall serves as a memorial to the over 140,000 people who were killed in the bombing. It is permanently kept as a reminder of the destructive effects of nuclear warfare. You can also visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial nearby.

The Itsukushima shrine is one of Japan's most popular tourist attractions. It is most famous for its dramatic gate, or torii on the outskirts of the shrine, the sacred peaks of Mount Misen, extensive forests, and its ocean view.

Hiroshima Castle is a castle in Hiroshima, Japan that was the residence of the daimyo (feudal lord) of the Hiroshima domain. The castle was originally constructed in the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. The castle was rebuilt in 1958.

Hiroshima Tōshō-gū is a Shinto shrine in Hiroshima. It is the place which enshrines the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate and was completed in 1648.

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese teppanyaki, savoury pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on a teppan (flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include okonomiyaki sauce (made with Worcestershire sauce, ainori(dried seaweed flakes), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger.

Weekend short trip in Tokyo for beginners: Omote-sando→Harajuku→Meiji-jingu→Shibuya (by Tomo)

Weekend short trip in Tokyo for beginners: Shinjuku（新宿／しんじゅく） area (by Tomo)

Ramen／ラーメン／らーめん

Ramen: something that you should try during your stay in Japan. When you face it, you realize that there are many kinds and sometimes it is difficult to choose one within your limited time in Japan. So, this is the cosmologist guide to ramen :-)

Basic parameters:

Random suggestions:

Place to eat ramen collectively:

Everyone loves dipping into an onsen on a cold winter day. Snow monkeys at Jigokudani - Nagano Prefecture.

 A BRIEF AND INCOMPLETE LIST OF NICE ONSENS All AROUND JAPAN (by TOMMASO)

Onsens or japanese traditional hot springs are a must visit especially during the winter months. This is an incomplete list of my favorite spots I have visited in the past 5+ years all around Japan. I tried to split them into made-up categories, several of them could belong to multiple categories so don't take it too seriously.

This is a list of onsens I would recommend if you would like to try something different from your average onsen. Not recommended if you are looking for something very relaxing.

This is a list of onsen with water containing a high concentration of sulfur and other chemicals that give a characteristic strong smell, as well as a milky color to the hot water. I personally love this type of onsen but it is definitely an acquired taste.   

hiking trip in Kamikōchi (上高地 ) by julien

松本市 (Matsumoto), 長野県 (Nagano prefecture)

Yasaka Tower

Kyoto Tower

Ginkaku-Ji

Eikan-do Temple

Saga Arashiyama

Monkey Park

Sagano Romantic Train

Kyoto／京都／きょうと (by toshiya)

Kyoto is one of the oldest municipalities in Japan. The best way to go to Kyoto is to use the bullet train (新幹線, Shinkansen) from Tokyo station to Kyoto station. It takes approximately 3.5 hours from the Kashiwanoha campus station. Once you arrive in Kyoto, I recommend you to use a bus. There are also two subway lines. You can buy a day pass ticket for the bus at Kyoto station (the bus Information office in front of the JR Kyoto Station central entrance). You can also find travel guidance online (here is an example). Below is my list of places I want to go again / recommend you to visit.

Near the JR Kyoto Station 

East / Northeast

Central

North

West / Northwest

South

Hotel recommendation by Nobu

Looking up the H2 rocket from the bottom (50 m tall).

Mt. Tsukuba

Tsukuba-shrine at Mt. Tsukuba

one day trip to tsukuba（つくば／筑波） (by Tomo)

Tsukuba is one end of TX line, ~20 min from Kashiwanoha campus station. Besides visiting national labs, e.g. KEK, JAXA, U. of Tsukuba, AIST, for work, Tsukuba is an ideal place for a day trip from Kashiwanoha campus.


Below: View from the top of Mt. Tsukuba. You can see the full Kanto plane from the north end. If the weather corporates (usually clear day in winter), you can see Mt. Fuji and Tokyo sky tree.

View from Mr. Tsukuba

Shimoda - A SUMMER Getaway 3 HOURS from Tokyo (by Tommaso)

Shimoda is a small town in Shizuoka prefecture. It is located on the tip of the Izu peninsula, just south of mount Fuji. It can be reached in about 2.5 hours from Tokyo station by shinkansen (bullet train) to Atami + local train from Atami to Izukyu-Shimoda station. The cost is roughly 5000 yen, cheaper (but much slower) options are available if you take a local train from Tokyo. For a multi-day trip a car is probably a better option to explore the area.





Pictures (from top to bottom): Hirizo beach, Irozaki cape, Shirahama beach, Kawazu Seven Waterfalls, bike tire fixed with tape on my way to Hirizo beach. 

A full day in Kamakura (by Thuong)

Kamakura, just south of Tokyo, is a perfect place for a day trip. It takes about an hour to get to Kamakura from the Tokyo station. Kamakura was the political capital of Japan, this city is an attractive place for tourists with ancient Japanese history and culture. It is famous for the Great Budda statue, many shrines, and temples. We can visit Kamakura for a walking tour.

Kuju-kuri beach (by ryota)

Two symbols in tokyo: Tokyo tower & SkyTree (by Tomo)

In both places, you can go up to the observatories and see the awesome view of the greater Tokyo area. The hard choice one has to make is if you go during the day time or night time. During the day time, you can see the view (see left). It's small, but you can see Mt. Tsukuba from Skytree in the photo (right-top). Also, you should be able to watch Mt. Fuji from both observatories. If you go at night, you see the beautiful night view. If you go around the sunset, you might be able to see the dark Mt. Fuji in the sunset and that's very impressive. 


map


Downtown Hotel recommendations by Nobu

Few days in Nikko (by Louise)

Nikko is a very nice place to spend few days or even more if you like hiking. 

In the Nikko city:

Nikko is easily accessible by train, from Tokyo it takes less than 2 hours. Nikko is a small city, very famous for its temples, especially the Toshogu sanctuary. You can easily spend one day to visit it, the place is very nice because temples are hidden inside the forest. The Shinkyo bridge, on the way when going to the temples, is also very impressive.

Chuzenji lake:

This lake is located in the mountains above Nikko, about 40 minutes by bus from the Nikko train station. You have many buses (much more than what Google map says) and you can ask the times at the tourism office in the station. You can also buy a pass for 1 or 2 days to takes the bus as much as you want. At the office, they also have a map with hiking trails around the lake. For example, there is a path which follow the shores of the lake, about 20 km which is essentially flat. It is a very nice hike, below the trees, with many beautiful beaches where you are basically alone.

Kegon falls:

This is a very high fall, about 100 m, located next to the lake, 5 min by walk from the bus stop. You can take an elevator to go down and look at the fall. It is very impressive: the noise, the quantity of water falling down, the fact that it never stops...

Hiking from Yumoto:

With the same bus that goes to Chuzenji lake, you can reach Yumoto, a small village with an other lake at approximately 1500 m. From Yumoto, you have many trails in the mountains. One that you can do is going to Shirane mount which is at 2578 m. The view is awesome and you are was basically alone in the mountains (except at the pic which was crowded because there is probably another simpler path coming from the other side). However, do not do it if you never hiked in mountains, it is pretty difficult, no climbing but the path is very steep and rocky so I do not want to be responsible for any cosmologist lost in the Japan mountains! 

MUST EAT typical (lunch/dinner) FOOD in JAPAN

This is to introduce a set of foods you can eat in Japan. Introducing a specific restaurant can be found in other sections, and here is just a list of foods! Though there is no strict rule, some foods are commonly found in lunch and some in dinner. The list is marked by B (breakfast type food), L (lunch type food), or D (dinner type food).

MUST drink items in JAPAN 

This is to introduce the set of drinks you can try in Japan. Introducing a specific place can be found in other section, but here is just a list of foods!

Alcohol


Non-alcohol

MUST EAT Japanese bReads 

This is to introduce the set of breads you can find in Japanese bakery. Introducing a specific restaurant can be found in other section, but here is just a list of foods!

MUST EAT ``Traditional'' SWEETS in JAPAN

This is to introduce the set of Japanese ``traditional'' sweets you can eat in Japan. Introducing a specific restaurant can be found in other section, but here is just a list of foods!

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

MUST EAT Seasonal foodS in JAPAN

This is to introduce the set of seasonal foods you can try in Japan. Introducing a specific restaurant can be found in other section, but here is just a list of foods!



Stationery in Japan

As you spent a long time studying over the years, stationery goods are your very close friend. Japan is known as a country that makes a variety of stationery goods in design and functionalities. The examples are 

It is worth stopping by a stationery shop, and you will enjoy finding various things. It can be also a good souvenir for your family and friends.