100 To Do’s in Japan

[AsahinaKimi]

#1 – Create your own instant Ramen mix Momofuku Ando invented instant Ramen in 1958. There is a Momofuku Ramen Museum in Osaka and in Yokohama. When visiting the museum you will learn everything about instant Ramen and also get the opportunity to mix your own instant Ramen mix.


#2 – Make your own Japanese umbrella



#3 – Visit a Maid Cafe Maid Cafes are a kind of theme restaurant where waitresses are dressed in maid and servant costumes. The customers are treated as masters. The maids not only serve drinks but might even go as far as to spoon feed customers. Visiting a Maid Cafe is a unique experience of Japanese subculture.



#4 – Visit a Japanese Castle, Japan has many beautiful Castle and it is always interesting to see the difference between them and the beauty of each. Also, visiting a castle also means learning the history of the place. It is a very nice way to discover Japan’s culture and history. Japanese Castle are traditionally made mostly of wood.

more...with photos.. http://nihon-ichiban.com/100-things-to-do-in-japan/

[Art_from_Ark]

1. I've never been to a maid cafe,

although when I visit the Akihabara electronics district of Tokyo, I often get flyers for maid cafes handed to me by girls dressed in maid costumes.

A lot of Japanese castles, like those in Osaka and Nagoya, can be disappointing, because they are little more than modern reproductions with modern amenities like elevators. Three castles that I would recommend for getting a better feel for a real Japanese castle would be Himeji-jo in Himeji (near Hiroshima), Hikone-jo in Hikone City, Shiga (a stone's throw from Japan's largest lake, Biwa), and Matsumoto-jo, in Nagano Prefecture.

Matsumoto-jo is probably a little too far out of the way for the average tourist, but it is quite impressive and imposing.

http://www.google.co.jp/search?q=松本城&hl=ja&client=safari&tbo=u&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=yVsGUYP_NceikgXE1oCgAg&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=632

Hikone-jo Castle (which is the setting for many samurai movies) is fairly easily accessible, as it is walking distance from Hikone Station, which is one hour by local train from Kyoto. Or, 5 minutes by local train from the Bullet Train station at Maibara.

http://www.google.co.jp/search?q=彦根城&hl=ja&client=safari&tbo=u&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=JF4GUZyqEIn7kgXyy4H4Bg&ved=0CG8QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=632

Himeji-jo Castle is about a 10-15 minute walk from Himeji Station, which is a Bullet Train station. It is said that respect for the castle is what saved the city of Himeji from bombing during World War II.

http://www.google.co.jp/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=姫路城&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=ja&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=T14GUefEH8ztkgXz_4DQDg&biw=1024&bih=632&sei=V14GUZ3hPMvPkAX-64GIDA

[Kablooie]

2. I went to a maid cafe in Akihabara a year or so ago.

I talked my Japanese wife into going with me.
Boy, how she hated it.
There were some other women customers there at least but its primarily entertainment for men.
It's kind of a cartoon version of a geisha house.