thanks for the map. you guys are being super helpful. VERY glad I posted up on here.
Anytime boys! 
@spacetravelmadeeasy and @jonesy_op
I forgot to mention, when I went to Kyoto I stayed in a hotel with an onsen on the top floor. This hotel to be precise http://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/aranvert-kyoto-kyoto.html?aid=306395;label=jp-kyoto-p6X8v3_HUbEuzElE3rl*EwSM107382252869%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1520%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg%3Afi%3Atikwd-308086177%3Alp1009310%3Ali%3Adem%3Adm;sid=e20d0994094e11f080c7bb136822e8cb;dcid=1;checkin=2016-07-21;checkout=2016-07-22;room1=A,A;matching_block_id=19219513_88822868_0_2_0;m_occ=2
And now, every time I go on holiday I always try to book one with an onsen. An onsen is basically a hot bath and it is without doubt the finest way to end the day. There were a lot of happy travelers from all over the globe. We sat around in the pool laughing and joking about each other’s national traits and sharing traveling experiences. The 50+ Italian that had driven all the way to Japan had fantastic stories, especially about Russia. But I digress… Haha
@jonesy_op its not bad for that.
Personally, I would stay overnight in each of the places instead of spending time traveling back to Kyoto to wake up travel somewhere else the next day. At the end of your time in Kyoto take the train to Osaka and check in to your hotel, dump bags, venture out. Go back to the hotel to catch some Z’s and then when you wake up you can spend a full day in Osaka. This way you will maximize your experience. If you go with your initial idea you will spend an unnecessary amount of time of trains and reduce your experience by a good 30%. In my opinion anyway, but you may be a trainspotter who’d get a kick from building beats on the Op-1 whilst traveling on a super fast bullet train across Japan. The hotels are easy to find and will cost about ¥10,000. Somewhere cheap and cheerful like a Toyoko Inn would be my choice, unless you can get a hotel with an Onsen/hot
bath.
It would be fun to meet up. If we got some ideas down before hand I could even get us a live gig, but perhaps I dream too big. The place I DJ in would be down.
Another brilliant thing just zapped into my brain - The ICC in Tokyo. As well as being audio orientated they have a special exhibit. It gets booked out fast so my advice is to go early, get
your ticket, and go back later. This is an excerpt from subtle.net;
The viewer is placed in the completely lightless chamber and exposed to densely composed sine waves and white noise. There is an emergency stop button under your hand in case the blackness and sound become too intensely frightening or physically painful. Just when you think you can take no more, the piercing, grating noise abruptly stopes, and a non-speaking attendant ceremoniously leads you out into an adjoining room. This new space is the antithesis of the anechoic chamber - here you are confronted by an infinity of images of yourself reflected by mirrors on every surface, in sound proofed silence, bathed in intense white light.
The alternation of the sensory on/off switch, from black intensity to white intensity produced a floating sensation in me. I literally felt a lightness of being unlike anything I have experienced without chemical enhancement or deep and sustained meditation before. Time suspended, it was a delightfully long and crystal clear few minutes. Perhaps it was something akin to the religious ecstasy reported by those having white light near death experiences. That light and dark, sound and no sound could be so profoundly consciousness expanding, and such a full experience inspired me seek out other
works which make intelligent use of minimalism.
If that doesn’t float you audio boat I don’t know what will! Sadly, when I went it was fully booked for that day. I really want to go again, especially after reading that!
That’s it for now folks! If I think of anything else I plop it on this board!
I second fushimi inari. Your plan for kyoto should be; dump bags, rent bikes. Everywhere is rideable by bike.
Japan is right up there on my global to do list, even more so now!
Everyone has to go to Japan.
I’ll be back ! Tadaima and o kaeri : )
I'll be back ! Tadaima and o kaeri : )
いいね
If you like guitars, visit Ochanomizu Stayion in Tokyo - it is nickname guitar street! It also has a few used synth shops. And millions of used guitar pedals.
Osaka: Definitely check out Namba, it's like Osaka's hipster/indie district. There's a tiny video game bar called Space Station in that area, they tend to put on electronic/chiptune gigs quite often.Tokyo: FiveG synth museum!!
http://www.fiveg.net/
Also if you’re into buying records, check out the various Disk Union places, especially the one in Shimokitazawa (which is a cute little district where I spent 5 hours just wandering around; definitely worth a visit).If you’re in Tokyo early September, the Square Sounds festival is a lot of fun. Chiptune and retrotech music over a few days; a good place to go to check out some local and international electronic artists.
Hehe, I record my last album in shimokitazawa!
Gonna second renting bikes in Kyoto. I did it just a little over 2 months ago and it was one of the most fun ways to explore a new city that I’ve ever experienced in my life. Especially if you’ve never ridden one of the awesome Japanese electric-assist bicycles, they take all the pain out of any hills you may encounter and will give you incredible range for exploring.
Like everyone said already, EAT. Seriously, EAT LIKE YOU’VE NEVER EATEN BEFORE. Go to Tsukiji market early and see it before they demolish it this November. Get sushi for breakfast and have that “lightbulb moment”. Go to Shinjuku in the evening, look up “Piss Alley” and go eat lots of awesome things grilled on skewers. Find the Golden Gai neighborhood and force yourself outside of your comfort zone by striking up a conversation with a total stranger in one of literally hundreds of the tiniest bars imaginable.
Try and take in a show at SuperDeluxe in Roppongi, especially if they have any sort of modular or noise event going on, or anything with KK Null or Merzbow involved if you want an experience that Tokyo excels at creating.
Find a place that serves “horimun-yaki” and eat massive amounts, especially the ones that come in little pots of sauce. Get shochu and Hoppy and pound them like they were tapwater.
Don’t buy vending machine drinks at your hotel, find a Lawson or 7-11 and save a ton of yen, load up on the Kirin can chuhui citrus malt drinks, they make the greatest shower beers you’ll ever have. Make it a law that you stay at places with an onsen (but make sure they’re tattoo-friendly if you have visible tattoos or you’ll be shown the door). If you can’t get an onsen, make sure your hotel has a big soaking tub and use the hell out of it. Nothing erases the aches of a day stomping around and riding the JR lines and Tokyo Metro like a good soak in a hot tub, followed by a cold shower (with aforementioned beverages for pro-calibre bathing experience).
Take the Chuo line out to Mt. Takao and spend an afternoon hiking around and getting some great views.
For camera gear, go to Nakano and visit Fujiya Camera, they’re a haven for used equipment at decent prices. Nikon, Fuji, and Olympus (as well as a few others, like Pentax and Ricoh) all have stock multi-language OS and can be set to English and you’re G2G. Sony and Canon put a Japanese-only OS on their non-export camera, and as mentioned before, they charge a premium for english language “duty-free” export models. Getting used stuff is sweet for camera gear, as Japanese “used” is typically like American camera store “new” condition and you can find some real bargains, especially in lenses.
While in Nakano, check out the rest of Nakano Broadway, which is a haven for Anime and Toy Otaku’s due to the massive sprawling labyrinth of Mandarake shops scattered throughout the main building. If you’re a fan of Takashi Murakami’s art, make it a point to visit Bar Zingaro in Nakano Broadway, as it’s his place and you may even bump into him as he has several studios, stores, and galleries in the Nakano Broadway complex as well.
These are my Tokyo/Japan standby activities whenever I go there, and they haven’t failed me yet. ENJOY!!!
I’d love to live in Osaka! I feel so much at home there.
One thing you should absolutely not forget is to eat different food every day. The Japanese kitchen is so rich, and there’s so much great fish and other dishes. Not just the obviously stuff. Ask locals to recommend stuff, also the weird food.
Hmm I was in a great little synth store in Osaka, what was it called again… Implant 4. They’ve got a collection of both old and new stuff. It’s located a little off, but not too far away from the shopping districts.
Even more insider info. This is awesome guys! 
Don’t worry @cuckoo my favourite food is Japanese. I’ll be doing plenty of eating! I could eat sushi until it comes out of my ears! The wife is Chinese - she’s a big ramen fan. We are travelling with her parents too so there will be BIG feasts each night.
@stoic_dolphin Totally going to keep my eye open for 2nd hand camera stores. It’s a Sony Nex5n I use at the moment so might pick up a new lens or two. Was hoping to get the Sony a6000 camera over there for much cheapness - hopefully I can find a 2nd hand one that has an English OS
Definitely plan on hitting FiveG and will hopefully get the chance to do a little something special there for a current project
Really need to get myself organised for this holiday. Usually I let the wife plan most of the touristy stuff to do on holidays but there’s so much on my (and our) want list that need to make sure nothing is missed.
Even more insider info. This is awesome guys! :)Oh, I'm so relieved to hear that!! Then I can breathe..
Don't worry @cuckoo my favourite food is Japanese. I'll be doing plenty of eating! I could eat sushi until it comes out of my ears! The wife is Chinese - she's a big ramen fan. We are travelling with her parents too so there will be BIG feasts each night.
A friend of mine suggested Echigoya Music in Shibuya, by the way.
thanks @cuckoo i’ve added that to my list, its in the area we are staying
just checked their site http://www.echigoyamusic.com/
looks like a mix of new and old gear.
Hmm I was in a great little synth store in Osaka, what was it called again… Implant 4. They’ve got a collection of both old and new stuff. It’s located a little off, but not too far away from the shopping districts.
Definitely hit up this place in Osaka. The guys that run the place are nice and will let you try about anything. Smaller than FiveG, but more personal.
Holler when you come to Nara!
If you like guitars, visit Ochanomizu Stayion in Tokyo - it is nickname guitar street! It also has a few used synth shops. And millions of used guitar pedals.
oh yesss, that place was like heaven for me. I still want that 9-string Ibanez (or was it a schecter?)…
Where we are staying gives us a personal WiFi dongle. I presume we can take this out and about with us for internet connection.
Where can we get ourselves perhaps another one of these? are they relatively cheap and are they pay-as-you-go kind of thing?
Where can we get ourselves perhaps another one of these? are they relatively cheap and are they pay-as-you-go kind of thing?
you can get a data only sim for tourists from most electronic shops. Gives you a few gb of data to use over a week.
I have used these with good results:
They are unlimited 3G/4G data over 14 days, order online and pickup at airport post office (you might need google maps to find your hotel!) or hotel when you arrive - ¥2,204 ex Tax
Cheers guys, will check these out.
The unlimited deal looks pretty decent!