• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aogashima

  • Amazing aerial view

• Enoshima

  • Setting for Tsuritama and Taritari

• Yokohama, Aomori

  • Featured in Clannad, it's got beautiful flower fields (and wind turbines)
• A long bridge to the end of the world (search danbooru for that piece of K-On art)

  • http://zeark969.blog38.fc2.com/blog-entry-1988.html

  • Tsunoshima apparently

  • http://tsunoshima.info/tsuno002.html

  • Way out on the south-western tip of Honshu, you'd do it on the way to Tanegashima
• Haikyo

  • http://www.kirainet.com/english/vault-of-an-investment-bank-that-went-bankrupt-in-1997/

  • This guy does a lot of them too: http://abandonedkansai.wordpress.com/special-nara-dreamland/

  • Any and all of these ruins: http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/ruins-gallery/

• Visit Shimane, the setting for the film Railways

• http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/101-things-to-do-in-tokyo

• An 18 hour ferry trip between Sapporo and Tokyo comes not recommended

• Koyasan cemetery: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4901.html

• Shinjuku Gyoen, the setting for Shinkai's new thing, Kotonoha no Niwa

• Go see Murakami's galleries in Nakano: Takashi_Murakami

• Check out the Toden Arakawa streetcar line

• Icecream in Ikebukuro: "If you ever go to Japan, you should check out Ice Cream City in Namja Town in Sunshine 60, Ikebukuro. 100+ flavours. Some that I tried were salad, onsen, sakura, octopus, eel, persimmon, ox tongue. They also has stuff like shark, viper, 12 types of tofu etc etc"

• Takeda Castle in Asago, Hyougo Prefecture in the Kansai region

• Kowloon walled city recreation

• Nagoya science museum and planetarium: http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lh1O4usmtwk/Vd89ixMbvCI/AAAAAAABGK8/yPjtIQlg3ew/nagoya-city-science-museum-8%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800

• Setting for Love Live Aqours: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.0172933,138.8922265,3a,75y,333.22h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sehGkVKF42h2hrJFDFmizcQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=ja

• Okinawa: http://www.wasa-video.jp/en/movie/1909/

• http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/10/12/gifu-prefectures-monets-pond-is-the-perfect-picturesque-place-to-paint-a-picture%E3%80%90photos%E3%80%91/

• http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/08/02/we-head-to-the-location-of-os-x-mountain-lions-desktop-blue-pond-and-soak-in-the-mysterious-beauty-first-hand/

• http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/04/02/japans-7-most-beautiful-views-in-blue/

• http://en.rocketnews24.com/2011/11/07/add-night-at-the-windsor-to-list-of-things-to-do-before-you-die/

• http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/11/03/four-awesomely-beautiful-shrines-for-your-next-trip-through-off-the-beaten-path-japan/

• Visit a fox sanctuary: http://zao-fox-village.com/

• Find somewhere to try Zunda Saryo, a vegetable juice speciality from Sendai
• Ishigaki and Yaeyama islands, down in Okinawa. Kyo said they're like hidden treasures.
• Cape Tappi in northwest Aomori
  • National Highway 339

  • https://soranews24.com/2022/05/17/staircase-national-highway-the-only-highway-in-japan-that-cars-cant-enter/

• Daisetsuzan National Park

• Tour of the giant underground stormwater system in Tokyo/Saitama: https://gaikaku.jp/

• Traditional merchant homes, machiya, in Kyoto

  • Maneki Machiya (~$100/night) - cozy home, free bicycles to borrow, AND supporting the @japancatnetwork

  • Kyoisuke (~$300-400/night)
  • Kyoto Machiya Zeniyacho (~$500-$600/night)

• Fancy dining on an old first-class train, the Aru Ressha: https://youtu.be/RAAAmhhWtoY

• Hashi (84) gaming bar run by an ex-Nintendo employee, EN guests well supported, kinda secret: http://what.tokyo/84/84-english/

• Amimegane, anime glasses! https://animegane.jp/

• Shibuya Sky is a rooftop bar that's a big glass box, meaning you get a spectacular view of the city at night time
• Shiretoko National Park in far northeastern Hokkaido. "One of the most remote regions in Japan, much of the peninsula is only accessible on foot or by boat"

• The Nakagin Capsule Tower has been demolished, but the architect build a holiday home in the mountains of Nagano, so it's the next best thing if you want the experience. Looks like a nice place to be in nature, too: https://soranews24.com/2023/01/11/200000-yen-per-night-airbnb-is-the-successor-to-tokyos-famous-nakagin-capsule-apartments%e3%80%90pics%e3%80%91/

• House of Light, out in the countryside: https://www.hikarinoyakata.com/English/

• This next trip will be a Reiwa trip. Make something of that.

• Lovely train station in the middle of nowhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oku%C5%8Dikoj%C5%8D_Station

Bars and Restaurants

• Paolo knows a bunch of them: https://youtu.be/2PaXAb8chuM

• Most remote ramen off the northern tip of Hokkaido: Rishiri Ramen Miraku https://youtu.be/8LUz6Zhud_k

• Kyoto Ramen: http://regex.info/blog/2013-04-25/2250

• Gyoza in Sendai: http://tabelog.com/miyagi/A0401/A040101/4002355/dtlrvwlst/3607143/

• Good ramen joints in Tokyo, as of March 2017: https://ramenraff.blogspot.com.au/2017/03/best-ramen-in-tokyo-2017.html?m=1

• Go visit Dear Stage sometime, probably with Blitz in tow as well

• That New Type bar in the same building as Cos-Cha and Little BSD

• Visit a butler cafe

• Maid cafe in Ikebukuro called Wonder Parlour (https://twitter.com/wonderparlour), maybe now in Den-en Chofu as well

• Sakanaya (さかなや), a sake place in Ikebukuro. Billboard has the name on in hiragana

  • Nishi-Ikebukuro 1-35-8, http://goo.gl/maps/1oDz

  • Alex: "it is my absolute favourite place but their english is about as good as that of a kitten. The boss man knows my name so if you say Mr. Sayle (or Mr. Alex for that matter) sent you, you may get away with murder."

  • This book has a glowing review

• HUB in Shinjuku, a chain, the Japanese version of an Irish pub

  • http://goo.gl/maps/PKcn

  • Alex: "the ones in Shinjyuku tend to speak english. They'll seat you like a japanese place and have bar maids which are friendly"

  • Here's one, nominally the JR Shinjuku Minamiguchi branch: http://www.pub-hub.com/shop/minamiguchi/

• Heaven's Door Bar in Shimokitazawa, run by a British expat, location here, closes at 26:00 every day

• Craftheads in Shibuya, looks like a beer and bourbon bar, closed on Mondays

• Bar and restaurant in Shibuya, cheap beer and expensive food: https://goo.gl/maps/3zDOf

  • "Izakaya Sachi-chan/Kou-chan", the reading is unclear

• Fantastic fancy restaurant in Tokyo, Peak Bar: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/3fe92x/im_ashley_barr_aka_adam_turner_the_first_mtgox/ctnvsss

• Experience Anna Miller's: http://www.annamillersrestaurant.jp/shops_takanawa_e.html

• Hamburg Strong in Akiba: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hamburg-Strong/1736470053235900

• Ramen recommendation from Tom-san: ramen + egg + cheese + curry powder minus soup, http://ootsuya-631.co.jp/kamibuta/menu.html

• Rock/Metal bars in Tokyo, via knocky on Discord
  • Fox God bar, that’s focused on BABYMETAL
  • From Dusk Till Dawn, awesome drinks they serve - FDTD
  • Rockaholic is my go-to on Mondays, because the other two are closed on Mondays. Rockaholic closes at... 5am

• HoukagoWeedtime reports good gyoza at this ramen joint out the east side of JR Akiba, called Ramen Kourakuen

  • https://goo.gl/maps/ytHudDWDMQRc5b4ZA

  • https://twitter.com/houkagoweedtime/status/1052973026071916544

• And it was pretty alright. He's also suggested this one, Tenryu in Ginza

  • https://x.com/houkagoweedtime/status/1797267004367450245

  • This looks like it, a full-on Chinese restaurant called Tenryu Gyoza: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iB2kDCwP4R47KrQG7

• Tsukumo Ramen in Ebisu (and other branches) puts powdered cheese on their ramen

  • https://tukumo.com/shop/ebisu/

• Mijinco in Ochanomizu does nice pancakes, alternative to Gram

  • https://mijinco-coffee.com/

  • https://maps.app.goo.gl/JAGSiStpz32fdiJP8

Onsen

• http://www.timeout.com/tokyo/museums/myojin-no-yu-oyata-onsen

• https://onsenkappas.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/myojin-no-yu-onsen/

• http://tokyoing.net/myojin-yu/

Other crazy ideas

Rent a Mercedes AMG in Miku livery! https://www.omoren.com/en/products/detail/419

April 2017 potential

Go in mid-late March for sakura hanami: http://sakura.weathermap.jp/

• Tokyo
  • Kamata
• Hakone

  • Yunessun beverage onsen: https://trip101.com/article/relax-and-soak-your-body-in-beverages-at-yunessun-spa-resort-hakone

• Hiroshima

  • Oukunoshima rabbit island is sorta nearby: https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Power+Plant+Ruins/@34.3051576,132.9944697,2794m/am=t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m19!1m13!4m12!1m6!1m2!1s0x60188bfbd89f700b:0x277c49ba34ed38!2sTokyo+Station,+1+Chome+Marunouchi,+Chiyoda,+Tokyo,+Japan!2m2!1d139.7662469!2d35.681298!1m3!2m2!1d132.9915266!2d34.3367804!3e3!3m4!1s0x0:0xa06a31674c9a64bc!8m2!3d34.3086803!4d132.9974078

  • Itsukushima Shrine
• Kyoto
  • Fushimi Inari
  • Kinkakuji
• Osaka
• Kobe (beef)
• Ehime / Kochi
  • Alpine adventure to nice river along twisty road, maybe rent a car from Matsuyama