We're leaving on a jet plane...

Hello! This is my first entry in my first blog so bear with me while it stays pretty ugly and basic over the next while. Just testing out a few items but the main thing is that we are planning a trip Japan this May and i'm going to try and use this throughout the trip (or after depending how bad i need internet over there..).

Been doing a LOT of planning and researching here and on TripAdvisor and have received many reviews/opinions on places to do/see in Japan. Also, i've collected a few tips for us while we go to make our exploring a bit easier. (Would have been great to acknowledge the contributors but no time..) I'm going to post these here as my 'bookmark'..

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TOKYO
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-->Instead, head to the Municipal Building to the west of Shinjuku station, where you can get up high and get a view of Tokyo for no cost

-->Also to the west of Shinjuku is the Shinjuku NS building with it’s amazing 30 story atrium and the Park Hyatt hotel, which is a good place to go for some expensive drinks with a great view. It’s the same hotel featured in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation

-->Look for little trinkets as souvenirs to give instead of tipping which is not recommended

-->"rentafone" - http://rentafonejapan.com/faq.htm

-->Tokyo tourism centre - http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/info/index_info.html

-->Tokyo walks - http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298184-i861-k1875824-Tokyo_Walking_Routes-Tokyo_Kanto.html

-->Local food specialties - http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/info/basic_info/basic/basic2.html

-->Onsen - http://www.japanhotelsonline.net/jho/sys/a_contents.asp?f=ryokan3.html&data=QVQ6OTA1OVE_

-->Shopping
http://www.superfuture.com/city/home/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298184-i861-k1867295-Shopping_and_Window_Shopping-Tokyo_Kanto.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298184-i861-k1866427-Shopping_hours_in_around_tokyo-Tokyo_Kanto.html

-->Other - http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298184-i861-k1815381-First_timers_in_Tokyo_need_help-Tokyo_Kanto.html

-->Akihabara is the electronics town and offers free tours on certain days: - http://akihabara-tour.com/en/

-->Department store in Shinjuku include: (for authentic food stalls) Odakyu Keio Takashimaya Isetan

-->Harajuku/ Omotesando: Shopping from hip brands to luxury. Thousands of you Japanese teens walking around. Just walk around and look.

-->Shibuya (Sunday morning): the heart of Japanese pop culture

-->Shinjuku and Kabukicho: major department stores, entertaiment district with virutally thousands of bars and clubs

-->Ginza: Luxury shopping mile

-->Ueno: Ueno park and National Museum (must see)

-->Roppongi: Mori Art Museum (depends on the exhibition schedule), fantastic view on Tokyo. Super new department store "Tokyo Midtown" (not in the travel guides yet).

-->Other highly recommded museums: MOT Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.

-->Meji Shrine

-->For something different: Odaiba: a new (through land reclamation), quite futuristic district

-->New hip districts: Naka-Meguro, Daikanyama

-->Very old fashioned: Asakusa, with Tokyo's most famous buddhist temple: Senso-ji.

-->Oknomiyaki (which is called Japanese pizza, but it is no Pizza at all)

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OSAKA
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-->"Floating Garden Observatory" in Osaka. It is a tall building that has a cool observatory at the top in which you get to by taking a clear escalator.

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KYOTO
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-->Himeji castle - from Last Samurai movie

-->Nara

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HAKONE
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--> Ryokan with Kaiseiki dinner

--> Onsen