Japlanning 101 - Harajuku

August 10, 2013

The team at Japlanning are off in a couple of weeks back to Japan, and today's article is all about one place we can’t wait to be in. If Shibuya is the youth’s playground of Tokyo, then Harajuku is their catwalk. Nestled between Shinjuku and Shibuya, it’s the centre of teen culture and all styles of fashion.

Here you can literally see fashion trends being born. Harajuku is also a main place to come see legendary Japanese cosplay out in public, with many Japanese youth hanging out in their latest creations for all to admire. To fully experience this and see the Harajuku Girls that Gwen Stefani sung about, you have to visit Harajuku on a Sunday, where you will find many people gathered around the areas by Harajuku station in their cosplay attire. From some who look like a gang of 50’s greasers, to others dressed as their favourite anime characters, or looking like they fell out off Alice in Wonderland. It’s a sight for creative eyes, like dozens of walking artworks.

Japlanning 101 - Odiaba

August 7, 2013

Today, Japlanning are giving you the lowdown on one of the newer areas of Tokyo, right in the heart of Tokyo Bay, Odaiba. Odaiba is a major tourism and leisure zone for Tokyo with shopping, dining and attractions for the whole family. Come take a look at what Odaiba has to offer, and see why you should plan a trip out to the bay for your next trip to Tokyo.

Odaiba’s origins date back to 1853 when six island fortresses were constructed to protect Edo (then-Tokyo) from sea attacks. Over the years, the islands were connected via large landfills, and in the 80’s development plans were launched to make Odaiba a new showcase of futuristic living and business districts, however when the sky high economy of the early eighties burst in the nineties, Odaiba was left vacant.

Japlanning 101 - Asakusa

August 4, 2013

Today we are looking at one of Tokyo’s more historic areas, Asakusa. Home to Tokyo’s most famous and visited Buddhist temple, Sensoji, with it's rich history and great shopping, Asakusa attracted tourists for centuriesm. Come with Japlanning, as we take a look at the history, sights and shopping of Asakusa.

Asakusa, located north of central Tokyo, on the banks of the Sumida River, began as a quiet fishing village, then later thrived as people arrived in numbers to worship at Sensoji. For most of the early twentieth century, Asakusa was the entertainment district of Tokyo, and it became home to the first cinema in 1903, as well as many theatres. During World War II, the area was quite damaged, due to this, in the later years of the century, the area was surpassed for being the entertainment district by Shibuya and Shinjuku, amongst other areas in Tokyo. More recently, however, this has been making a comeback, with a downtown entertainment district that is rivalling Ginza, Shinjuku and others.

Japlanning 101 - Tsukiji Fish Market

July 31, 2013

oday Japlanning is back with a new entry in our 101 series, it's the biggest seafood market in the world, and one of Tokyo's biggest tourist draws: Tsukiji Fish Market, in central Tokyo. Each day this market sells the most seafood in the world, and the freshest catches with over 2000 tonnes of seafood handled a day! Read on to find out when to plan your visit, and where you'll find the freshest sushi breakfast in the world, at Tsukiji Fish Market.

Tsukiji Market is a massive fruit and vegetable market, however the biggest item on sale, and what draws the tourists is the seafood. Handling over 2000 tonnes of fresh seafood produce a day makes Tsukiji the biggest and busiest fish market in the world. The market opened in 1935, as a replacement for the Nihonbashi Market, which was destroyed by fire during the great Kanto earthquake in 1923.

Flight Review - Qantas

July 28, 2013

Today we’re revealing our review of our latest flight to Japan. Recently, the team at Japlanning flew Qantas direct from Sydney, Australia to Tokyo, Japan, flying into Narita international Airport. Read on to hear how the flight went, on one of only three direct routes to Tokyo from Australia, with Australia’s biggest airline, Qantas.

In April 2013, some of our team took flight with Qantas out of Sydney heading to the biggest city in the world, Tokyo, Japan. Qantas is Australia's oldest and largest airline, with daily flights to Tokyo direct from Sydney, this is the only route that the airline flies with their Qantas brand, all other routes flown from Queensland to Tokyo and Osaka are all under their low-cost brand, Jetstar, which we recently reviewed.

Day Trips - Nikko

July 25, 2013

After spending time in the biggest city in the world, Tokyo, Nikko is a great escape from city life and an excellent day trip to plan, and just a short trip out of Tokyo. Nikko is home to spectacular natural sights, and one of the most elaborate shrines in Japan, Toshogu.

Nikko is a small town just 125 kilometres out of Tokyo. It is a town rich in history and culture, and was once the centre of Shinto and Buddhist worship in the mountains for centuries, and is home to Japan’s most lavish shrine, Toshogu. If you happen to be there from November to December, the area around lake Chuzenjo, is particularly know for the beautiful autumn colours of its trees. The autumn colours start earlier in October at higher altitudes, and make their way down to the town centre of Nikko in the first half of November.