The Old School Otaku Lounge

Hey, you Japan people: I have a friend who's planning a large trip to Vietnam for next year, and is thinking of stopping somewhere else for just a couple days, with Japan being one of the contenders.

He's debating whether he'd dive right into the usual Tokyo hot-spots for that visit, or if he'd rather go with somewhere less... high impact. (He'll be travelling with his 6-year-old son.) He doesn't have anything really in particular he *needs* to see or do... he tends to like to just walk around and soak up the atmosphere, from what I saw on the one trip we took together.

Any suggestions on ideal vacation spots if one can only come in for a couple days?

Well, Tokyo would be the most accessible, with likely connecting flights to Vietnam. Japan will certainly be a stark contrast to Vietnam, for sure. Osaka is the other major hub. Either airport has easy rail transits, but "Tokyo" International Airport is actually located in Narita, Chiba-ken. The newer trains make the commute to the city faster, at least. I know a place where he and his son can stay for less than 3,000 per person per night, in Ueno, called Hotel Meigetsu. There's another nice place in Ikebukuro, called House Ikebukuro. As for Osaka, it's been such a long time since I've been there, so I don't have any recommended places to stay. Either city has plenty of atmosphere to soak up, places to see, and things to do.