Lake Kawaguchi

Lake Kawaguchi is also known as Kawaguchi-ko (河口湖), is located in the center of the Fuji Five Lakes district. Fuji Five Lakes is the name of the area located around the north foot of Mount Fuji. Fuji Five Lakes which is also known as Fujigoko (富士五湖), consist of Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Motosu, Lake Saiko, Lake Shoji and Lake Yamanaka. Lake Kawaguchi is the most famous among the five lakes.

You can enjoy the wonderful view of Mount Fuji on a pleasure boat. The boat runs every 20 minutes during the day. You can get the ticket from a machine near the boat dock. It is about 950 yen per person.

When you are on boat, you will see the inverted image of Mount Fuji reflected on the lake surface, which is very beautiful.

You can get to Kawaguchiko station by

Train (1 hour and 30 minutes)
From Shinjuku Station/Tokyo Station - JR Chuo Honsen line then change to Fuji Kyuko Line

Bus (1 hour and 45 minutes)
From Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal ( 1st Floor, MY Shinjuku Daini Building near Shinjuku Station West Exit)
- Keio Dentetsu Bus (09:00-20:00)
- Fuji Kyuko Bus (07:30-20:00)
- 1700 yen for one way

From JR Highway Bus Terminal at Tokyo Station ( In front of Yaesu South Exit for departure, in front of Nihombashi Exit for arrival)
- JR Bus (2 hours and 40 minutes)
- 1700 yen for one way, 3200 yen for round trip (valid for 7 days)

Universal Studio Japan

Universal Studio Japan is extremely popular theme park. It was opened on March 31, 2001 in Osaka. It is similar to Universal Orlando Resort as it contains certain attractions from Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.

The park consists of 9 areas with a variety of exciting theme rides such as The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park. 

There are amazing attractions and shows such as Backdraft , a fire special effects show from San Francisco area, 

A Live Sea War Spectacular from Waterworld area and Jaws from Amity Village. 

Moreover, you will meet popular characters like Snoopy, Hello Kitty, Elmo and Shrek. Get ready your camera! Also, make sure you watch the Magical Starlight Parade at night before you leave the theme park.

Universal Studio is a fun place to for adults and kids. Let’s look forward for the 10th area, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter which will be opened in 2014. 

To go to Universal Studio, you can get to Universal City Station on JR Yumesaki Line. 

Admission:
There are few type of passes available 1-day Studio Pass, 2-day Studio Pass and etc. You can refer the passes price here. You can get the Universal Express Passes to avoid long queue.

Dotonbori

Dotonbori is a street that running alongside to the Dōtonbori canal in the Namba ward of Osaka. It is the city’s famous dining, shopping and entertainment district that busy day and night. At night, it is a beautiful and amazing place that lit up by hundreds of colorful neon light. You may see the popular landmarks such as giant blow fish lantern, Glico Running Man sign, and mechanical Kani Doraku Crab flashing and moving.

When you see the restaurants with giant blow fish outside, they normally serve Fugu. Fugu is very delicious to eat yet it is said to be the most poisonous fish. Thus, it needs to be prepared properly before serving.

There are many restaurants offer nice food with affordable prices. You should try their local specialties such as okonomiyaki (pan-fried batter cake), takoyaki (octopus balls), udon (a noodle dish), and regional sushi.

Besides tasting the varieties of food, it is a great place to shop. There are a lot of cosmetics stores, fashion stores, souvenir shops, 100 yen shops and Hello Kitty stores. You may find interesting stuffs such as handmade cosmetics, Dotonbori t-shirts, postcards, sushi key rings, hello kitty sandals, bags, and etc.

Dotombori is a fascinating place that you should visit. You can get there by 5-minute walk from Namba Station on Midosuji Line.