1st Trip to The Kodokan in Japan ?

[coolmartialartist]

Hi this will be my first trip to the Kodokan in Japan. What can I expect there ?

What hotels are the best on a budget but still has all of the amenities ?

What restaurants do you recommend in a reasonable price range ?

What special events can I see for free or admission for a small fee ?

I plan on going to the Kodokan next year and need your advice please ?

This will be a two week trip to Japan. Thank you.

 

[coolmartialartist]

There are 50 views and no one has answered yet

 

[lklawson]

There are 50 views and no one has answered yet

Maybe there's a high percentage of english speaking Judoka who read this forum but have not made The Pilgrimage nor have lived in Japan while simultaneously were unsure exactly what the subject "1st Trip to the Kodokan in Japan" might mean.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[coolmartialartist]

Maybe there's a high percentage of english speaking Judoka who read this forum but have not made The Pilgrimage nor have lived in Japan while simultaneously were unsure exactly what the subject "1st Trip to the Kodokan in Japan" might mean.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

Thank you Kirk.

If anyone has made the pilgrimage please talk about your experience, any advice you can give will be helpful. Thank you.

 

[jks9199]

You might look in the Ninjutsu forums; they have some detailed advice about traveling to Japan there, as I recall.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

One of my biggest quips of advice I can give when going to Japan is do not expect things to be cheap! Cheap and Japan usually do not go together. Now, having said that if you can find an older hotel you may get a better price but do not expect all the amenities. Food, training, hotel and airfare will all be expensive but... you should be able to manage probably in the range from $3,500 to $4,500. If you know someone else going and can room with them then you will both save money. Likewise if you know someone there who can board you up you will save some money. It is expensive but on every level worth it!

 

[coolmartialartist]

You might look in the Ninjutsu forums; they have some detailed advice about traveling to Japan there, as I recall.

Can you post the link please ?

 

[coolmartialartist]

One of my biggest quips of advice I can give when going to Japan is do not expect things to be cheap! Cheap and Japan usually do not go together. Now, having said that if you can find an older hotel you may get a better price but do not expect all the amenities. Food, training, hotel and airfare will all be expensive but... you should be able to manage probably in the range from $3,500 to $4,500. If you know someone else going and can room with them then you will both save money. Likewise if you know someone there who can board you up you will save some money. It is expensive but on every level worth it!

This is one of the reasons why I am asking what can be done to save money ?

The martial art center that I belong to only has three of us and we are thinking of joining up with a bigger judo club making the trip to Japan.

This is one option we are looking into since this is a very small judo club.

 

[David43515]

Okay, I live about as far north as you can get and still be in Japan. I`m not familiar with the neighborhoods in Tokyo, so my advice will be general.

Resturants in Japan are range in price, but food is expensive by western standards. (We import 61% of our food, can`t be helped.) Your best bet for a short stay will be convenience stores (kombini) or super markets (supa)with large sections of ready-to-eat bentos. If you want a hot meal most neighborhoods will have small diners (shokudo) that specialize in curry, Ramen, or some other dish. Anywhere there`s a train station you should be able to find a few bakeries (panya)with a huge variety of rolls and sandwiches at a good price.

If you need to take the train or the subway, figure out the fairs by looking at the map on the wall above the ticket machines. If you`re going several places, it may be cheaper to goto the window and buy a one-day pass, (Ichi nichi ken) if they have them in Tokyo. It may be just a Hokkaido thing, I `m not sure.

The Uenoyama Koen (Uenoyama park) is huge, with several museums, street performers, and a famous zoo. Most of the things there are free or low cost. Akihabara is a neighborhood known for cosplay and street performers so there would be lots to see for free just walking around.

I`ll try to think of some other things.

 

[David43515]

Most Japanese supermarkets sell ready to eat meals, salads, and side dishes that are made in the store fresh that day. By 7:00 or 8:00 pm they begin discounting whatever is left 20-50% so it all sells out by the end of the day. Some (but by no means all) convenience stores discount like that too. So if your room has a mini-fridge or you`re careful about what you buy, you can get dinner and the next day`s breakfast on the cheap.

 

[David43515]

I can`t believe I`m gonna say this.

I don`t know how you feel about porn, but one of my old karate teachers used to say that he could trade old porn magazines to the doormen at Japanese bars and drink free all evening. Japan has a law that none of the images sold here can show genitalia, so I guess foreign porno mags and DVDs are pretty highly saught after.

Man, I hope my bishop doesn`t see this.

 

[David43515]

Have you looked at the Kodukan`s website yet? As I recall it talks alot about the facilities. Maybe there`s some kind of a contact section where they could reccomend nearby hotels. Who know`s, they may even have temporary dorm space you can use.

 

[jks9199]

Can you post the link please ?

If you check the following areas on MartialTalk, you may find information to help you.

Ninjutsu - Traditional Ryu Discussions

Ninjutsu - General Discussion

Japanese Culture and History

 

[coolmartialartist]

Thank you David for some of the useful information and Jks, Thank you for the links.

The Kodokan has some information but not very specific information.

I am kind of nervous about going to Japan as this is a completely different culture. This is not like a trip to Europe.

I am trying to learn some of the japanese language one year ahead of the trip. Who knows I may fall in love with Japan.

 

[coolmartialartist]

This would be one of the cool sights to see in Japan.

http://www.ripleyattractions.com/international-locations/tokyo-japan/

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Cool things to see while you are there and since you will be in Tokyo.


Shrine to the 47 Ronin = must see
Tsujiki = fish market
Imperial Palace Garden
Budokan = Kyudo, Budo Taijutsu, Karate, Kendo, etc., etc. all under one roof
Roppongi = night life
and more.

There is a lot to do in Tokyo but not very much that is cheap!

 

[jks9199]

Have you contacted the Japanese Embassy? The embassies are often quite helpful to tourists preparing to travel.

 

[coolmartialartist]

As it gets closer to the time of the trip, I will be contacting the japanese embassy for special events and free things to do while in Japan. Maybe I should e-mail them now then follow up again next summer ?

The budokon is a good idea unfortunately the website is completely in japanese with no english information to read.

I am contacting the kodokan website tomorrow for more advice and will follow up again as it gets closer for the time to make the trip to Japan.

 

[David43515]

I asked a friend who lives closer to Tokyo than I do. Here`s her reply....


For eating, I recommend they take the Oedo line (there`s a station near the Kodokan, I believe) to Shinjuku for eating. Tons of cheap izakaya there!

(Or ramen shops, karaoke, pubs, gaijin, etc.)
The kodokan is near Tokyo Dome, too. There is an amusement park area there, with rides and shops and restaurants, but I don`t know the pricess of anything there.

The Sakura Group is a group-housing/hostel company. They provide housing for many gaijin teachers in Tokyo. It`s pretty damn cheap, may have shared bathrooms. Check out the site. It`s in Asakusa (famous for the gate with the giant red lantern)! Website below.
Anyway, if this stuffs not what they`re looking for, let me know. The encyclopedia of Japan (aka husband) will know more than I do. (I`m using limited knowledge and the web

)


http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/ (You can read the JP version, too, I`m sure!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunkyo,_Tokyo#Train_stations (stations near the kodokan)
http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/index.php

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Both Shinjuku and Asakusa are great places to eat!!!