Boyfriend is in Navy stationed in Japan

Hi my boyfriend is stationed in Japan and I am going over to visit for about 45 days, he wants a list of things to do, and I am having a hard time making a list, any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Some ideas:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623a.html

If you give the place you're going, you'll probably get more responses for that area. Or are you planning on going all over Japan?

Yes all over Japan, he put no restrictions on the trip. Thanks

well he lives here... he should know where to go then to ask you to find places to go...

Many of the guidebooks such as Let's Go Japan & Fodor's as well as this site give ideas for different length itineraries. If you want to go the whole distance of Japan, a JR Railpass would pay off and allow you to backtrack or take long rides on a whim without paying extra. For a general idea of what one trip is going to be, you can check out http://www.uwplatt.edu/geography/japan/itinerary.html just to see one possibility. Don't spend all your time in Kyoto and Tokyo; there's a lot more interesting places if you seek them out, unless you like hanging out with other tourists and large crowds.

You don't mention which base your boyfriend is stationed at, but any base will have a local travel office with brochures and people that can help make reservations and recommendations, particularly areas local to the base.

The base will also offer tours in the area, sometimes overnight, and these are very good value - they will take buses to interesting places and all you have to do it go along.

One thing to consider is that while you can get a JR pass to travel on the trains, your boyfriend can't since he is living in Japan. One of the best ways for military people to travel is to rent a car from the base (NOT an outside rental agency!) because cars rented from the military exchange system are provided with free tickets for the highway tolls. The highways can otherwise be quite expensive but renting a car often pays for itself or is very cheap because of the toll offset.

I would be totally surprised if he has 45 days off, you might ask him how much leave he plans on taking at one time, so you know how far you can travel at one time. Also let us know which base you'll be starting from, people can make better recommendations.

I forgot to mention - each base has a website, which you could find with a google search. They will list the tours available and other local information as well. The base website would be well worth reviewing before you go.

ok he does have his own car, he just got his place, he has only been stationed there a couple months, I know that he is close to the NRT airport, I actually don't know what base, he is in the Navy if that helps at all. He is going to take a week off when I get there and then another week the last one that I am there, he has the leave to take but we have a wedding in California in September, so we don't want to use a lot of his leave, he also used 30 days when he was home. Basically he said as long as it isn't more than like 3 hours away he is game for anything. We did look into the Navy tours that they do and we are going to do some of those. Its hard because a lot of the places are tattoo free and I have 2, I can cover them but it is at the hot springs and all. So I am going to try some makeup that is supposed to cover them. Thanks again for all the posts, I look forward to the answers. Thanks!

Have him ask his Japanese girlfriend where he should take you.

Carrie,

So what are you interested in or what would you like to do in Japan?

-Urban life?(nightlife and shopping)
-Historic site and architecture? (Buddist Temples, Shinto Shrines, and Castles)
-Nature?(Mountains, Lakes or Sea)

Check Uji's link and this page if you'd like Japan's top tourist cities and attractions.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400_tokyo_11.html

JNTO
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/interests/index.html

well, if he says it's close to Narita my guess is that he's at Atsugi (which is not in Atsugi actually, but between Ayase, Ebina and Yamato towns) or Yokosuka, which is actually in Yokosuka. Neither Atsugi nor Yokosuka bases are 'near' Narita but they are closer than the other choices and it only takes 1 1/2 to two hours to drive from either of those bases to Narita. Relatively close, Japan-wise.

So first, you are within train distance of Tokyo, so you can do day trips or even go up after work. Something I'd recommend would be this, the New Sanno Hotel, which is for military people:
http://www.thenewsanno.com/
It's really nice and very reasonable. It's hard to get reservations on weekends but you can try to see if there are cancellations or you can try for a room during the week. Summer months are also hard because kids are out of school. Still, if you can get there, it's a great place to spend a night or two to see Tokyo.

You'll be within day-trip distance to Kamakura, too, which is very scenic. The tours people on base can give you directions on how to get there.

Also if you are then during the end of July, sign up for the base's trip to Soma Noma Oi - Yokosuka has one, I know; Atsugi may not. But if you can, go...you have to go at three in the morning and you get back around eleven at night but it's worth it - it's hard to get to on your own if you don't know Japan, but it's a totally fun festival.

Other places that would be fairly easy would be Hakone or Kawaguchiko.

What month are you coming?

June 3 to July 23

I would also recommend driving down to Kurihama (a short distance from Yokosuka) and taking the Tokyo-Bay Ferry across to Kanaya. You can visit Nokogiriyama (which has the largest stone Buddha in Japan) and head on down to Tateyama. This trip would let you experience the more rural side of Japan.