at some point in every anime fans career they decide to take the plunge into the
weeb pool and visit the Land of the Rising Sun for themselves when you first
start to plan your trip it's really easy to get absolutely overwhelmed with the
amount of things to see do and most importantly taste so I'm here today is
the resident Japan expert to share my personal experiences and help you decide
what's worth your precious time and what's a waste of your dime so in no
particular order let's begin just to give you guys a heads up this list is a
little biased to my personal opinions which are mainly just a passionate
burning hate for waiting in line and being cramped into really tight places
just to go ooh ahh so with that in mind let's get to the
first location number 5 it's better live the Studio Ghibli Museum is one of the
only locations that I'd recommend to anyone no matter how much experience
they have with anime from a total expert to someone who still thinks we all live
in our mom's basement wasting our lives watching Chinese cartoons
what this isn't a basement look I do get some sunlight though it does burn a
little bit but just about anyone will be able to find some enjoyment out of this
magical museum making it by far the most important stop on your trip if you've
watched the anime expedition which I highly recommend you do you'll already
know that this is one of my absolute favorite places in all of Japan they
don't allow any photography inside but honestly I think that's for the best
because this is something you definitely need to experience for yourself the
building was designed by Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki's eldest son Goro
Miyazaki who did a perfect job at channeling the spirit of Studio Ghibli
films into every inch of the museum and the surrounding area the museum houses
about a dozen exhibits some that just show original Studio Ghibli concept art
but others that showcase pre film animation devices like a zoetrope
along with your entry fee to the museum you'll receive a movie ticket made out
of Ghibli film strips that grant you access to a beautiful Ghibli movie
theater that screens original short films that you can't watch anywhere else
located in Inokashira park in Mitaka it's only a half-hour long journey
from Tokyo unfortunately they only sell a
very limited amount of tickets each day and they sell out months in advance so
make sure to channel your inner light yagami and plan 30 convoluted moves ahead
number four hit the stores there's only one place in the world that draws in
anime fans like a moth to a flame or should I say a weeb to a maid because of
course we're talking about the only city in the world that is based entirely
around selling anime merch and being meowed at by cats okay maybe they also sell
electronics and stuff but mostly the merchant cats mostly the merchants cats
walking through the streets at night is a phantasmagorical experience which is
totally a real word and not something i had to google just like you described
Akihabara you'll be absolutely bombarded with giant lights screens and billboards
advertising anime everywhere you look and people trying to entice you into
their cafes on every corner I recommend you learn the phrase Kyo wa gomen ne neko
which roughly translates to sorry cat not today which you'll have to use
several hundred times during your stay if you do manage to build up enough
courage to brave one of these skyscraping merch shops you'll be greeted
with endless aisles and floors of just about every piece of anime merch you
could imagine and although I'm no expert while I was there I did have a hard time
finding merch for more niche shows so if you have something specific in mind make
sure you've got several hours blocked off to visit these heavenly stores
you may recognize Akihabara as the home to everyone's favorite gang of otakus
otaku Otaki the future Gadget Lab so if you're a fan of steins gate make sure to
stop in at the anime themed cafe Mailish which is modeled entirely around the
May Queen Nyan Nyan from the show number three channel your inner kaonashi while
you take a dip in the Dogo onsen one of the most iconic cultural experiences you
can have in japan is visiting an authentic onsen thanks to the
countless images online both humans and monkeys alike travel from all across the
globe to submerge themselves into piping hot springs and brew some ningen cha
that's why this destination is perfect for the anime fan incognito
you can easily convince all your normy friends to come to the dogo onsen
for its architectural beauty relaxing baths and historical significance as the
Dogo onsen is said to be japan's oldest hot springs with a history spanning back
over a thousand years little do they know that they just converted to weebdom
and went on an anime expedition to the building that inspired Aburaya the
bath house in Studio Ghibli's spirited away located in Matsuyama visiting Dogo
onsen will take you pretty far out of your way but if there's one thing I
learned from my experience in Japan it's that the more off-the-beaten-track you
go the more rewarding of experiences you'll have so no matter how
intimidating it might be I highly recommend you make an effort to explore
unknown areas the entrance fee is a measly 420 yen and shockingly they do
allow people in who are of the tattooed variety which is super rare in Japan so
you have absolutely no excuse not to add a stop at the Dogo onsen into your next
trip to japan number 2 don't just pass through visit Ritsu if you're a fan of K-On!
the Toyosato elementary school is an absolute must and if you're not a fan
reflect on your decisions that made you hate joy the majority of people
traveling to Japan for the first time will visit its two most iconic cities
Tokyo and Kyoto and by far the most convenient way to travel between these
two destinations is via Shinkansen what I recommend doing is waking up early
enough to catch the first train out of Tokyo now I'm guessing I already lost
most of you at this point who planned to spend your Tokyo nights wandering the
streets with a strong zero in each hand but don't say goodbye to Kiran just yet
because if you follow my itinerary you'll have plenty of time to nurse your
hangover on the train chugga-chugga choose your seat wisely because you're
gonna want to sit on the right side of the trains so that you get those
beautiful views of Mount Fuji as you pass rather than riding straight through
to Kyoto ask the conductor to slow down a bit so you can tuck and roll out into
the Shiga Prefecture at Maibara station to be exact at this point you're not in
Kansas anymore and you will notice a very severe lack of English stay calm
take a deep breath follow signs for the Omi Tetsudo line where you'll find a
very nice old man selling tickets the pricing depends on how far you're
going so make sure you practice saying Toyosato so you don't sound as
dumb as I do once on the train hold on to your ticket because you'll have to
hand it to the conductor as you get off make sure not to miss your stop like
may or may not have because this train only runs in one direction at a time so
by the time it swings back around you'd have been better off walking if you've
made it this far congratulations your reward is exploring an abandoned
elementary school turned K on Museum there is no entrance fee or staff really
so just walk on in and explore the iconic classrooms make sure to stop in
at the gift shop on your way out where you'll find a merch museum housing
everything from the club's instruments to a Hatsune Miku crossover the
reason I recommend stopping in at Toyosato on your way to Kyoto rather than
making it a day trip is because it saves you a couple hours train ride from Kyoto
there and back that you could otherwise be spending exploring Japan number one
grab a hot curry bun at the gundam cafe in Odaiba this area has a little
something for everyone and also a big something for everyone because you have
to be a real Grinch not to appreciate a giant robot that lights up and plays
music as it transforms the reason Odaiba made the list is because of its density
of cool things to see if you're a fan of Gundam then there's the cafe Museum and
statue but aside from that there's the mori digital Art Museum Pallet Town
ferris wheel Tokyo joypolis Rainbow Bridge as seen
in weathering with you venus fort mall mega web car theme park
and mother Lady Liberty are you kidding me
scratch that trip to New York off your bucket list because there's no point
going now if you're looking for an action-packed day there's no better bang
for your buck than Odaiba and while you're in the area why not finish your
day off like OreGairu did at the Kasairinkai Park a beautiful and free
space to check out some fish ride a little train and watch the sunset and
now for some honorable mentions these didn't make the list either because I'm
just not a fan of the anime or as I mentioned before I'm really not much of
an ooer or an ahher but hey I don't discriminate so if you feel so inclined
why not visit Otome Road Nakano Broadway Captain Tsubasa town J world
Tokyo the Pokemon Center one peace tower or if you're a fan of animes know-it-all
older cousin there's the Kyoto international manga
museum thank you so much for watching if there's anything I missed please let me
know in the comments because I'd love to find some new places to visit on my next
trip to Japan and if you enjoyed the video please don't forget to Like
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whatever you want I don't judge