kyoto?

http://www.hotwire.co.jp/alpha/index_e.html

it was located right on Kawaramachi-douri in the Sanjo district which is centrally located and probably the ideal place to stay (1 block from the Kamo river). There are about 50 restaurants on the river and 100s more in that neighborhood. I recommend hunting down a couple okonomiyaki bars, or maybe go for a full kaiseki/koryori-ya style dinner if you're feeling fancy. Great record stores abound... including one just a block away (Jet Set which had the 2nd best Boredoms collection of rarities I saw on that trip).

which of the following should i order one of the following pizzas? bonito/mayonaisse, potato/curry/mayonaisse, corn dog PIZZA with peanut/cabbage sauce (i swear to god i:m not making any of this up) or the very appealing "butcher king" special which quite frankly looks like an amalgamation of assorted meatfoods and my travelling companion prposed the question "what butcher?" for someone to answer, and i:m certainly not in the state of mind to provide the answer to that. good night! oyasumi!

ps+ the corndog catch copy can be translated as "good old but new taste!" fuck, gimme some holds or some steals. A LOT OF BEEF FULL MENU!

-- gygax! (gygax0...), April 25th, 2003 9:09 AM.

you BASTARD

But if you are only staying a short time (two nights or less) and don't need to return to your room in the day, try love hotels. They're cheaper than regular hotels, and they're certainly more interestingly decorated.

This guy writes interesting articles, and he has a page about love hotels:
http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~edjacob/hotels.html

I wanted to stay in the Hello Kitty S&M room at Hotel Adonis in Osaka, but it was occupied when I came to look. : ( Unfortunately, reservations cannot be made. They have a website, but the S&M Kitty-chan room is not pictured at their site (in Japanese).
http://www.pamp-net.com/
Ed Jacobs (see above) provides a small picture of the famous room.

Ed Jacobs also offers seasoned advice on traveling in Japan and other related things:

http://www.quirkyjapan.or.tv/

I'm going to be in Kyoto for a week at the end of the month - my first ever visit to Japan. Will be busy with work stuff during the day, but evenings and some half-days will be free (plus whatever random time the jetlag gives me). Is there anything I should definitely do?

kyoto?

Sanzen-in temple is my favourite? The moss garden is beautiful and there are a series of awesome pickle shops on the walk up the hill. Pickled cucumber on a stick FTW.

Two Kyoto breweries , not in town but Inaka-inaka. Kinoshita-shuzou home of Tamagawa (and brewer Phillip Harper, “older is better, hotter is better”.

Mukai shuzou , they have a really great sweet sake that they serve of ice cream, sit on their boat dock and enjoy. Extra marks if you arrive by boat. Ine-mankai red rice sake is good too.

Liojozo vinegar brewery is up that way and good too.

I’ve got a restaurant and dobouroku brewery called onibaba up that way on my todo list as well.

In town(ish) near Asahikawa go to kamoshika for tofu, especially the Yuba tofu. In fact eat a lot of tofu in Kyoto.

If you like pottery then stop by Robert yellen’s store on the philospoher’s path, say hi from me, but he’ll also tell you what shows are on and which potters might give you a studio tour etc.

On the subject of pottery head up to the Sagawa art museum on Lake Biwa, the paintings and sculptures are the collection of one dude in the 80s with lots of money and no taste(バーバル経済）the building is stunning and the underground lair under the tea room has a massive collection of tea bowls by the fifteenth Raku. Try and book in for a tea ceremony there.

just had a ridiculous tofu set meal (at yudofu sagano) for the princely sum of 20 british fun bucks. delicious. downtown kyoto grim with tourists but surrounding areas so pretty. will work through some of that list above over next few days before heading to osaka

If you are heading down Osaka way - an internet mate has just opened a sake bar called 酒house. Akashika is maybe the pick of sake breweries in Osaka. And just over the border in Nara is Miyoshino Jozo which brewed hanatomoe, hanatomoe Honjozo has been my favorite bottle for the last couple of years, an absolute banger warmed up. Find a bottle if you can.

Next weekend Osaka monorail has their sake train. 6000yen for tastings and a bento, alaways looks fun.

https://www.osaka-monorail.co.jp/info/detail/613

If you are there on the 21st, do NOT miss the Toji temple market.

This mountain is worth a visit if you're up for a climb.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fushimi_Inari-taisha

Also if you're in the Kansai region I can recommend Himeji castle, which I always do as it's in my wife's home town and I feel a strange sense of pride about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_Castle

We had the most incredible bakery in Kyoto, everywhere was a hit.

At the big temples (like Fushimi Inari) we got off the main path and had some really beautiful little hikes.

Love Kyoto and want to go back.

Also there's a little record store called Meditations that I really regret not going to. They carried one of my tapes, and I was a block away (walking to the palace grounds) and didn't realize it.

meditations owned. good tip

the myoshin-ji temple complex was super low-key and not crowded despite being easily walkable from the much more beat ryoan-ji--no tour bus parking makes the difference i think

lots of cool stuff to see including one temple with a site-specific sound installation by chihei hatakeyama (taizo-in iirc)

I don't think you can really go wrong in Kyoto, the whole city is like a dream. I saw many of the famous places but had just as much fun wandering around streets and alleys. Even the train station is fun to explore

And I'll second Matt's suggestion for Himeji Castle