What would you recommend that I see in Japan?
I've been planning a month-long trip to Japan with my sister and my soon to be wife. We have already planned out quite a few things we want to do, but if this was you, what would you want to see or do? Keep in mind that we're all rather old (I'll be turning 50 shortly).
Ghost towns where no one lives and places where elderly have created dummies of little kids and set them up in playgrounds. \s
Enjoy Tokyo, Osaka, and other tourist destination idk.
Grab a yakuza woman by her dirty parts, I think you'll have an adventure with her husband, lol. Okay, don't even think about doing that.
My sister and my soon to be wife
Roll tide
I highly recommend leaving the typical tourist route (Tokyo-Osaka-Himeji-Hiroshima-Kyoto) for at least a few days and visit some of the other main islands. Kyushu is my favorite island. So much to see but not yet overrun with tourists. Nagasaki and Kagoshima especially are lovely cities. I also recommend visiting an Onsen town for 1-2 days.
Some other tips closer to the main tourist route:
Try an onsen if you like cultural stuff. Read up on it before. There's a definite routine. BTW: You'll be naked and there are likely female workers wandering through the baths. (50 is not "rather old.")
I went in blind because tHeRE's sIGns eVEryWhEre aNd gOoGlE tRansLAtE EXisTs. Guess where you don't want to have your phone out with the camera open??!
It was pretty straightforward once I figured it out but in the moment I was super nervous
We went for a two week trip, starting up north and working our way down. Hakone is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
Tokyo is absolutely massive, we had a hotel in Ueno and I spent about 2.5 days there before realizing that's just one tiny part of Tokyo and there's SO much more. After that I just rode the train around Tokyo for a while, exploring everything that sounded cool. I easily could have spent a month just exploring Tokyo, give yourself plenty of time there.
It really depends on what your interests are but it's sure to have something for anyone. We were walking around Ueno Park and randomly stumbled on a local bonsai association which was such a magical experience.
Bring comfortable walking shoes that have already been broken in because you'll likely be walking a lot. I had really lightweight shoes but they didn't have enough support so I bought new shoes, only to get blisters from walking 50km in one day with shoes that haven't been broken in yet 🥲
Depends on what you are into.
Why did you want to go there in the first place? Just because everyone else does?
For me:
The food (I am cooking more japanese/asian cuisine than western)
Thr culture (inspired by anime but also several JP youtubers like 'abroad in Japan')
The scenery (I specifically bought a new DSLR. For example the bamboo forests)
Tea :)
Something different and possibly unique / whimsical.
A lot of train stations have a rubber stamp + ink pad of the station name and a logo / picture. As you trvel around Tokyo via their excellent public transport system, look around or ask their staff where the "ike-stamp" is.
It became a very unique souvenir of my holiday there.
Also along the same line, most shrines you visit will have an office where you can purchase a "shrine book" and for a few hundred yen, have a staff write in it the name of the shrine and the date you were there. Another unique souvenir.
Uncensored porn
Fushimi inari shrine has hundreds of orange tori gates
Cool af
You can also stop at family mart/lawson/7 eleven for some AMAZING convenience store fried chicken. So juicy biting into it will have the juices running down your chin
Akihabra
I've always been interested in the Ainu people and their culture, if you're ever in Hokkaido pay them a visit :D
Some of my personal faves from my trip last year:
Ōkunoshima or rabbit island. It is an island that is literally full of rabbits, everywhere you turn a cute fucking rabbit is lurking. It was awesome!
'rather old', 'turning 50'. Geez! Sounds like you're still young with plenty in the tank. Just like me!
I can't offer any assistance about Japan sorry albeit to say I'm keeping an eye on this as I hope to do something similar next year. I was considering a guided trip as I would be travelling solo, or hire local guides to show me around but I'm not sure if that's a good option.
Shibuya Sky is a must see. You'll need to buy tickets in advance to guarantee that you can get up there.
I'd also recommend the art exhibition/experience called Team Labs. It's difficult to explain what it is, but I believe anyone of any age would enjoy it. https://www.teamlab.art/e/planets/ Make sure to get tickets in advance and be on time.
That's really the key for everything. There's always a lot of people in Tokyo, and all of them have to eat, so if you want anything that is not McDonald's you'll need to reserve a table. It's not super difficult to get, but you just need to book in advance.
What part of Japan and what interests do you have?
Not of the top of my head, but there is plenty of weird things to behold. Here's a top search result from ddg: https://www.thetravel.com/strange-places-that-actually-exist-in-japan/
If you're into photography and/or just want to visit some of the most peaceful places in the world, definitely check out the temples, shrines and botanical gardens mainly in the Kyoto area, but also Osaka Castle and Matsumoto Castle.