I'm back... again.

[Troo]

So this time I mostly went shopping. I know this because my luggage was about 10Kg on the way out, and over 30Kg on the way back

As our hotel was in Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, much of our shopping goodness came from Animate, K-books, Toranoana, etc. We hopped over to Akiba, but there really wasn't much there that we couldn't get in Ikebukuro for far less hassle.

The weather was barely tolerable (I'm English, don't forget. This pasty white skin burns very easily), somewhere around 25-28C the whole week, and around 10% humidity. The insects were also nibbling quite voraciously

We also went out to Kawagoe, which was fantastic; climbed Takao-san, which was awesome; and took the Enoden down to Kamakura, which was grrrrrreat! I'd recommend all three destinations without hesitation.

We ditched the idea of getting seats to the Sumo. The cheap seats were around £30 a head, and so far away from the dohyo that you'd need binoculars. Instead we caught the 2am highlights and watched later bouts live on telly, which was awesome.

All in all I don't think I'll do a one-week trip again. Our body clocks never really adjusted (hence a lot of 2am sumo ), although it's proving quite easy to get back on GMT.

[spicytuna]

Glad you had a great time in Japan!

I can't imagine going for just a week. It must have been pretty hectic.

I'm looking forward to going back later this year. I'm thinking of the mid November time frame because I can't stand the heat. Heck, we're supposed to get 5cm of snow this weekend.

[Sangetsu]

Wow, 25 to 28 degrees, and 10% humidity? It sounds like heaven to me. You were lucky enough to visit during what was probably the nicest time of the year. Come back in August when temps are over 30, and the humidity hovering above 90%...

I moved to Japan from Miami, where the summers are even more hot and humid; I much prefer the "cooler" summer weather in Japan.

I'm glad you enjoyed your stay, but you are correct, one week is not enough time. My last vacation to Japan before I moved here was one month long.

[Troo]

Well I've been twice before, for a fortnight each. This time was essentially just a shopping trip with a little bumming around thrown in.

And there's a reason I'll never go between June and August

[Xentron]

Hmm and here I am planning a vacation from July to August next year...
I don't really mind hot weather though.

[GTJ]

[edit] self-deleted

[GTJ]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

I moved to Japan from Miami, where the summers are even more hot and humid; I much prefer the "cooler" summer weather in Japan.

What do you mean "in Japan"? It's flippin 30º in Osaka! Where are you, the top of Hokkaido? XD

Glad you had such a fun time, Troo! I hope you get a chance to spend more time there next time! I've never been to Tokyo, but maybe you can talk me into it

[Nathan]

Say what you will about Osaka's heat/humidity (damned concrete), but I never had to suffer through a full on typhoon during my stay there ;p