Japan is among the widely visited places in the world thanks to its beautiful culture and the dozen of places that you can visit while you’re there. Japan is comprised of four major islands and more than 70 cities. (Read: An Amazing Trip To Japan)
One of these cities is Narita in Chiba Prefecture. Everyone who enters Japan via the Greater Tokyo area will pass by Narita, Japan because of the Narita International Airport. Narita is also among the layover cities for a lot of connecting flights. But even when plenty of tourists pass through this place before visiting the other destinations in Japan or hopping to their next flight, Narita isn’t receiving the proper attention that it truly deserves. So here are 5 awesome things that you can do while you’re in Narita City.
1. Take a Leisurely Stroll at Omotesando Street
Fulfill your desires for designer clothes and art by walking around the Omotesando streets. It is lined with boutiques, galleries, studio and first class restaurants where you can kill time and spend plenty of your pocket money here. The street connects the JR Narita Station and the famous Shinshoji Temple. It is famous for unagi eel products. There are about 60 eel restaurants along this rood leading to the temple.
2. Visit Naritasan Shinshoji Temple
Experience Buddhism in Japan like never before with this super popular temple in Narita. This temple complex is located near the Narita Airport so you can drop by quickly after your plane touches down. It was built back in the 940 and it has been popular ever since. There are a variety of structures that you would find here, some of which are the Three Storied-Pagoda, Daihondo Hall and a lot more. To know more about its history, I suggest you hire a registered tour guide.
3. Food Trip
Visiting another country will never be complete if you don’t sample the local cuisine. Everyone can bet a hundred percent that people who would come to Narita would automatically look for a sushi restaurant that can fill their desires with the most sumptuous rolls of meticulously prepared sushi. Apart from sushi, a visitor to Narita should also try its famous Unagi. Eel is lightly broiled using traditional methods, then is grilled after brushing a sweet soy sauce.
Get to feel the local tradition by trying on the beautiful traditional clothes of Japan. The kimono was a term that Japanese refer to as their clothing, but nowadays, tourists and even Japanese alike refer to kimono as their traditional clothing. It was introduced back in the year 740 as a simple garment, until it evolved to how you know it today. The gorgeous colors of the kimono and the silky feel of the cloth used to make them will be a sure reminder of their colorful history. You can rent a kimono starting at 500 yen and you can wear it the whole day while walking at strolling around the temple town.
Apart from Omotesando, you’ll definitely find other places for shopping. There’s the Aeon mall which is extremely popular among foreign visitors because of its proximity to the airport. It features 150 shops that sell a variety of items like make up, gadgets and other trinkets. If you want household and food items, MEGA Don Quijote is a good place to shop. It opened in June 2015 with enhanced services for foreign visitors and has a dedicated tax-free counter. For branded stuff, just walk a few steps from AEON and MEGA Don Quijote and you’ll find shops like Uniqlo, GU and whole lot more.
Jetstar Japan flies from Manila to Narita up to 7x a week. Book your tickets now at www.jetstar.com.
Narita, Japan is more than a place where you transfer for your connecting flight. It’s a beautiful city rich in culture, tradition and history. Have you ever been to Narita? What other things did you do there apart from those things mentioned above?
