Travel

You could easily spend the rest of your life touring around Tokyo and not see it all. The city is so large that its almost impossible to see everything it has to offer, especially if you take into account the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area rather than focusing on the 23 wards alone.

So I will give you a short list of things that would be fun for a first time visitor to Tokyo.

Shinjuku: Its almost impossible to visit Tokyo without at the very least passing through Shinjuku, the station is the biggest in Japan and the busiest in the world with an average of 3.64 million people using the station daily. As you can imagine with that many people passing though each day, the area around the station is always busy, right up until the final trains at night. Shinjuku is one of my favourite places to wander around because it has so many different sides to it. From the huge Skyscrapers, down to the tiny bars for the golden-gai area. There is always something to see and hear. I highly recommend getting off at the station, picking an exit and just exploring.

Ameyoko: Located between Ueno and Okachimachi Stations this long shopping street is one of my favourite places in Tokyo, the whole Ueno area holds a special place in my heart, it is quite unlike the rest of the city, it has an old Edo period feel to me, that is hard to explain and should just be experienced. The area as an interesting history and was home to the black market after WWII. The vendors here now sell everything from fresh fish, clothing, bags, dried food and chocolate. Its one of the few places in Tokyo where people will haggle on price. Standing watching a man selling chocolate create a larger and larger pile for the same price as a single bar to entice customers is a fantastic and fun thing to see.

Asakusa: Formerly one of the most famous entertainment areas in Tokyo, it was very badly damaged during the second World War and after being rebuilt had lost its status to areas like Shinjuku and Shibuya. But the major attraction in Asakusa is an absolute must see, the Senso-ji temple. This Buddhist temple first build on the site in 645AD is the oldest temple in Japan. The temple and the grounds are beautiful, specially at night when its very quiet and the buildings are lit up. On my first visit to Japan I stayed in a guesthouse very near the temple so would often visit it at night.

Picture Sources: malias Hikosaemon terryy71

For some the idea of a specialist holiday package is an unappealing thing.  You are basically stuck to a schedule and don’t have full autonomy. However there are some huge advantages to packaged holidays, especially if you have never been to the country you wish to visit before and don’t want to spend hours online researching things to do.

Package tours allow you to fully enjoy being away from home and to make the most of your precious vacation time.

I’m sure there are a vast number of package tours of Japan available out there, though the company I want to talk about today specifically deals in tours catering to Gay friendly tours in Japan “that are most interesting to Gay travelers”. Let’s dive in and see what they offer.

Travel Options

There are currently three separate tours on offer, with some added extras available should you wish to do so.

1. Tokyo: The first package not at all surprisingly focuses on Japan’s largest and best known city. Spend 3 nights and 4 days exploring some of Tokyo’s most fascinating neighborhoods, It would be impossible to see a thousandth of what this city has to offer in this amount of time, but its just enough time to find out if the Japan/Tokyo fever will take hold of you. From US$620

2. Kyoto: Kyoto is very much the spiritual center of old Japan. This package is 5 nights and 6 days. You will start in Tokyo for 3 days and then catch the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto. Traveling on the Shinkansen is an adventure in and of itself. Once you arrive in Kyoto, the difference between the two cities will become very apparent. The contrast and symbiosis between the old and the new is in my opinion one of the greatest joys in Japan.  This tour package will provide you with a perfect taste of that. From US$1,300

3.Osaka: Famous amongst the Japanese for its food. There is a saying “Dress (in kimonos) till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka” (京の着倒れ、大阪の食い倒れ). Famous dishes include okonomiyaki (pan-fried batter cake), takoyaki (octopus dumplings), udon (a noodle dish), as well as the traditional battera (バッテラ) sushi. As unappealing to you as octopus dumplings might sound, they are absolutely delicious and really are a must try. Spend your 3 nights and 4 days eating until you might burst they spend the evening enjoying Osaka’s vibrant gay scene.