[imiss]

Originally Posted by samurai007

The point is, try to get OUT of the major cities. See the countryside, visit the inaka and enjoy the "real Japan", not just busy, crowded cities full of neon lights and shopping centers.

IMO, the best part of most countries are found outside of the cities. Cities are all alike, wherever you go... busy, relatively impersonal, and filled with all the same kinds of stuff. It's when you get out of the cities that you see the real country, the scenery, the local flavor which is all too often lost or diluted in a big city. It's when you are hiking in the Japan Alps, staying overnight in a mountain-top monastery, or eating at a mom-and-pop restaurant in a small village that you see the real, traditional Japan, IMO.

Of course, I'd be silly not to go outside of the cities, but I first need to *get* to Japan, via a city, so I can see the rest of it