18 Things to do in Kyoto and 3 Day Trips from Kyoto
1) Heian Shrine (Heian-jingu)
This a large temple complex in Higashiyama north of Yasaka-jinja built in 1895 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of Heiankyo as the capital of Japan from the 8th century to the mid-1800s.
Shopping and Markets in Kyoto
Do you like fabric? silk (and cotton) kimono can be found for 500-1K yen each at the flea markets. Silk washes pretty easily and releases many stains well (cold water and very mild soap, hand washed for 10 min or less, and then dry flat). Obi–the sash for the kimono, also run 500Y and up. If you can’t make it to a flea market, you can find used kimono...
14 Places to Visit and Things to do in Tokyo
1. Asakusa
Asakusa is a mostly pedestrian section of Tokyo with various stores, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. At the northern end of Asakusa is the Senso-ji temple, a large complex with food stands, cherry trees and various buildings.
2. Ginza
In this fancy shopping area you can see many women dressed in traditional kimono, as well as others dressed...
11 Things to do in Sapporo
Shopping
Perhaps because Sapporo is snowy for much of the year, there is a great deal of shopping underground. There are two large stretches of mall-like shopping, one called "Aurora Town" and the other "Pole Town."
Day Trips from Sapporo
Yoiichi - home of the Nikka Distillery
Otaru - known for glass blowing and restored downtown shopping area
Jozenkai Onsen - lovely onsen town, good for a day trip or overnight.
Hakodate
We went to Hakodate for three nights as an extension of our Sapporo trip--targeting an uni-rich area.
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Below we have details on Food, Markets, Sightseeing, and Shopping.
Noboribetsu
Noboribetsu is an onsen town about an hour south of Sapporo along the coast. It borders the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. The onsen part of the town (about 15 minutes uphill from the town of Noboribetsu and the JR station) has several short hiking trails and beautiful nature areas. In particular, the onsen is known for Jigokutani Valley, Lake Kuttara and Oyunuma Pond.
