There is (was) a shopping mall in Odaiba called Venus Fort. The shops aren’t that exciting, but it’s still worth a visit if you’re there, because the whole interior is designed to resemble a European city circa the Renaissance. I don’t know why, either.

Isn’t there a Dutch theme park somewhere as well?

(As in a theme park in Japan that is a fake Netherlands with windmills and clogs and the like)

Hahaha I found it. And this week they’re having a dutch wine festival. Hahaha.

http://english.huistenbosch.co.jp

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Yep went there last time. Lots of cool little stores and the coolest dog store and restaurant ever. The fountain there is cool too. I see Minato has a Snoopy museum now :grin:

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Sounds perfect for @xylo

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Sorry got a reply the other day and it was about the place we had booked in Kabukicho.

Looked into it and like everyone has said in here it doesn’t sound that bad. Just sounds like there are a load of people trying to get you into their bars.

We’re going to stay somewhere else though just because it feels a bit rude completely ignoring their advice and the have been super helpful with booking things and we can get another cheaper hotel.

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Hey, could you tell me why Hiroshima was great please? I can’t decide whether or not to go there there when we’re in Japan. Other that the obvious reason to go I can’t find much else that I’d want to do there.

I accidentally stayed well close to the red light district in Tokyo immediately after Fuji Rock this year because I was just doing a ‘book an area I’ve not stayed in before’ thing. Was probably nicer than any area of an American or British city I’ve ever stayed in so I wouldn’t be too worried.

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Haha it was Kabukicho. Didn’t get propositioned by one prostitute nor enticed into one bar. Feel a bit cheated now. I was a thirty year old solo white male with a beard and glasses, surely a prime target.

It was very close to the biggest Disc Union in Tokyo though.

Thanks. I did look into it and pretty much everything said it was fine. I felt a bit bad though completely ignoring their advice and they have been super helpful and got us a discount at their friends onsen and helped us book a few things.

Will definitely going to have a look at the hotel to see what it is like round there.

Where have you traded up to?

Thinking on it I think the worst place I’ve ever stayed in terms of sleaziness was Roppongi, which is full of men handing out flyers for strip clubs and that.

Near the station in Shibaura now. Looks like a nice place.

Think that is all of our hotels done now so I can start looking more into the interesting stuff.
First thing is to sort out a birthday meal in Kyoto.

I got tickets to the Ghibli museum :+1:

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Sent this to my girlfriend and I do not understand how she was not super excited. Said we can go though.

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We’re also planning on going. It looks amazing!

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Even if I don’t get to go on anything I would love to just go and watch people.

Think I’m gonna have to fork out for some expensive package tour thing to go.

I’m staying in Minato if anyone has any food/drink recommendations

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Do you mean Minato-ku? A ku is an administrative district, and Minato-Ku is one of the central Tokyo ones. Wherever you are in there you won’t be very far from the Yamanote Line, which you get you pretty much anywhere in central Tokyo. There will be no shortage of places to eat - I once read a (possibly madeup) stat that Tokyo has more restaurants than the whole of Western Europe.

A few places I used to like (with the caveat that it’s a fair few years since I’ve been to any of them). I’m a vegetarian, so a lot of traditional fish based Japanese food was out for me but I never went hungry. I did once go to a very high end very traditional vegetarian place where the food was fantastic, but I literally spent the whole evening terrified that every single move or gesture I was making was some appalling etiquette faux pas.

Nirvanam in Kamiyacho, which does fantastic Indian food - http://www.nirvanam.jp/home
Nataraj in Ginza is also good for Indian food -
http://www.nataraj.co.jp/en/ginza/E_GinzaTop.shtml
Junkadelic - Mexican food in Nakameguro - http://www.junkadelic.jp/
Pure Cafe - vegan cafe in Aoyama http://www.pure-cafe.com/
Mominoki House is a good vegetarian place in Harajuku http://www.mominoki-house.net/essence/concept_en.html
Gonpachi in Azabu -more of a tourist trail thing than a destination restaurant, this is where the big fight scene in the first Kill Bill was filmed. http://www.gonpachi.jp/nishiazabu/?lang=en

There are lots of chain / family restaurants around, which are mostly competent but uninspiring. There are also several “English” pubs, all of which are worth avoiding. The brilliant thing about almost every restaurant in Tokyo is that you just get up when you’re finished and pay at a till near the door and leave. No faffing about with catching waiters’ eyes or pantomining signing bills.

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This is also a good site for checking what gigs will be on while you’re there

and it’s accompanying blog http://blog.tokyogigguide.com/ (which I wrote some bits for years ago)

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I guess I do. Also veggie so thanks :slight_smile: have just got the happy cow app too.

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