Stores selling Transformers in Japan

[Lord_Zed]

I concur with Zed, except for Kyoto. That place was a hellhole for me
I think I spent an appropriate amount of time in Osaka. Although I didn't do it myself, I hear its a really good base to visit other destinations from (Kobe, Himeji, Kyoto etc)

I used to dislike Kyoto too, due to the crowds of toursists, but then I went back there on a Tuesday and it was awesome, ofcourse the fact that we got the most lavish hotel room on our trip for the cheapest cost helped too. I thefore now think Kyoto is a nice place if you can avoid the tourist season otherwise it's no fun.

[mknell]

I used to dislike Kyoto too, due to the crowds of toursists, but then I went back there on a Tuesday and it was awesome, ofcourse the fact that we got the most lavish hotel room on our trip for the cheapest cost helped too. I thefore now think Kyoto is a nice place if you can avoid the tourist season otherwise it's no fun.

What hotel did you stay at there? My GF & I are planning for a couple of days there but during the week

[Saintly]

I've finally tracked down where we stayed in Kyoto -> http://www.ikoi-no-ie.com/home-eng.html, just north of Higashi Hoganji

Nice place, has an event calendar of what's happening around Kyoto, shared facilities for most of the rooms but there are rooms with its own toilet.

[Lord_Zed]

What hotel did you stay at there? My GF & I are planning for a couple of days there but during the week

During the week as far away from Tourist season as possible is best. You can reach most tourist spots easily using buses or trains. Navigation is easy enough if you get a map from the tourist info office.

I stayed in the New Miyako Can't recall the exact rate but it was the cheapest double room we got, even cheaper than Narita, and it made the room at Osaka and Hirsohima look bad in comparison, despite both those rooms being reasonable for the price paid.

[Lint]

I wouldn't recommend staying at a hotel near the JR station, stayed at the Capsule Ryokan and regretted it. The hotel was nice enough but the area around JR station is pretty bleak and is far removed from the good sightseeing locations.

Although JR station is a central transport hub it will take you 20 mins minimum to go anywhere interesting. If you're planning to see multiple locations, the transit times really do stack up. During busy times the bus rides are not pleasant at all. I do strongly recommend going to the tourist office in the JR station to get a bus map in english. The only real advantage to staying near JR is that you don't have to haul your luggage as far when you arrive and leave.

Shijo-dori (central-east part of the city) is the more central, prettier and livelier part of town. From there, its a much shorter commute to all the tourist spots or you can even do away with public transport completely if you're the walking sort, though I don't know what the weather is like in March. My friend stayed in a hotel around there and, in contrast, had a great time.