Have fun in Japan, Chang & Gina!

My friend, Chang, is going to Japan with his fiance, Gina, in a few days. I told him I'd let him know where I think he should go based on my past experiences. Since he will spend all of his time around Tokyo, here is what I recommend:

Go to Asakusa and check go to the Kasuga Shrine. It's a very popular shrine where people burn incense and wish better health to themselves and others. They "rub" the smoke on the part of the body that needs healing. Below you can see the shopping area leading up to the shrine. It's unique icon is the green leaves lining the pathway.

When you are there be sure to get some unagi (if you actually like the stuff). It's famous there. When I went there, I walked around and asked complete strangers, "Unagi doko?" which means "Unagi where?". I know very, very little japanese. But, it was worth it.

You can make a trip out to the new Disney amusement park (other than Tokyo Disneyland). It's called Disney Sea with a complete water theme. It was fun.

I also recommend making some trips just outside the Tokyo area. Make a trip out to Yokohama. It used to be a popular port city, but is now very modern in its architecture. There, they have the Landmark Tower which has the world's fastest elevator. It even has a speedometer! If it's a clear day, you can get a great view.

You can also travel out to Kamakura where they have one of the largest Buddha statues. It's pretty cool and you can even go inside it. It's a very famous Japanese landmark.

One thing you can't go do anymore is visit the Tsukiji Fish Market early in the morning. People used to watch the fisherman auction off the tuna at 5:00am every morning. It became too popular so you can no longer partake in this event. Here is a small picture of the tuna preparing to be auctioned. (I didn't take this picture)

I'm sure you will, but make lots of time to just walk around the town and see all the people walking around. You'll see some interesting things. At night, you can see all the great lights in Shinjuku and Roppongi.

And one thing you can't avoid is seeing the crowd in all the subway stations. It can get so crazy during the rush hour. The train directors will even physically cram you into the train if it is too full since it is considered rude to be left behind.

Have a great trip and make sure you post some pictures on your blog when you get back.