1. NEVER refuse an invitation. There will be many and they can often lead to
wonderful experiences and adventures.

2. ALWAYS at least try any food they put in front of you. Miso soup, grilled
fish, sea weed, rice, left over sushi, fruit and tea are not weird for
breakfast, they're terrific! My host mother and I had a little game, I'd
asked her not to make any special effort to make western food, she wasn't
planning to but took this as a que to try to find SOMETHING that I wouldn't
eat. I ate it all and it was delicious. Listen, many Japanese won't eat
"Natto", (small smelly, fermented beans), but they're really tasty on rice.
Granted, boiled Mochi is strange. And even better, I lost 6 kilos! And
always remember, eating cheap in Japan means getting a Bento, finding a
temple and having a picnic.

3. GO to the flea market in Nagoya at the Osu-Kannon(?) Temple on the 18th
and 26th of each month. Lots of great, old pots. I spent several hours in
one stall alone! Lots of beautiful and cheap, second hand kimonos as well.
Actually the whole area around the temple is a "cheap/trendy" shopping area,
well worth an exploration. There's a department store there (can't remember
the name of, it's on a corner) that has wonderful, reconditioned,
second-hand kimonos. A man's, heavy silk kimono, deep blue and black
pattern, WITH jacket was about $30. I could kick myself.

4. BUY a Japan Rail Pass BEFORE you go, by several! It's a win-win
situation, the voucher you don't use you can sell back to the travel agent
for 90% of the value (or 100% if you buy it from JAL). Train travel is
expensive! Other land travel is cheaper but slower. And the "Shinkansen
Experience" is something to be, well, experienced. Just the ticket from
Kyoto to Sendai (where a friend was studying) cost more than the one week rail pass and I was able to travel a
couple of times to Koriyama (to help them move), visit the "mad potter of
Miharu" (has a Shigaraki ware planetarium hanging in his foyer) and get down
to Tokyo on it.

5. GET all the free guides you can from the Japan National Tourist
Organisation Offices (near Kyoto station in Kyoto). And search the Clayart archives for
stuff on Japan. Many a Clayarter has gone before you.

6. PLAN to spend more than a few days in Kyoto! Stay at the Toji-An Guest
House (it's in the guides), it's not too clean but it's REAL cheap and
they're very friendly and pretty central. Plan to spend LOTS of time
wandering around the Gojo Zaka (Gojo-dori) below the Kiyomizu Temple, this
is the MAIN pottery area of Kyoto. Stay away from the shops selling "Tenooki
ware" (you'll know it when you see it). Avoid the Kyoto Tojiki Kaikan
("tenooki-ware"). Visit the gallery of Morioka Kasho, his work is wonderful.
His daughter, Hana studied jewelry in France speaks good french. I hope you
stumble onto the Naka Tani (?) Gallery. They had some of the finest artist
potter stuff that I'd seen, in ALL price ranges. I think I bought 5 pieces
there (all cups). A little bit west along the Gojo-dori is the house of
Shimizu Yasutaka, son of Shimizu Uichi, it looks closed but the sign in
front of the door says enter in Kanji (DO!). I have a sake cup of his that I
adore. Just a little further west down the road from there, past the second
pedestrian over pass, is a terrific old ramen restaurant. The owner has been
there forever, knows the Shimizu family and dragged out several pots that
Shimizu Uichi had given him when he lived there. Wander up and down ALL the
streets, poke your nose in, you'll stumble onto the most amazing things.
Kawai Kanjiro's house is a must! (all this is in the Gojo-Zaka area). I hear
that the Raku Museum has been renovated and they have a fantastic
retrospective of the Raku family there (thanks Robert Yellin!). It was CLOSED 
when I was there! We rushed to the Nomura Museum just in time for the 
closing but they let us look and buy some post cards so we would know
what we missed (sadists!). Judging from the post cards, I wouldn't miss it again.

7. STAY at the Kimi Ryokan in Tokyo (recommended by Clayart). It's not near
as cheap as the Toji-An but a whole lot cleaner, actually beautiful and the
staff are equally friendly. Tokyo was great but I really prefered Kyoto. The
Idemitsu Museum was closed for renovations, the National Craft Museum (WAY
over on the other side of the palace complex!) had some really nice
collection but was disappointingly small. However, do plan to spend a day
wandering around the Omote Sando area. Exit the metro stop going west. Very
hip, very bohemian, a run down area, inhabited by squaters/artists who
opened up workshops and galleries. It's probably on it's way to becoming too
trendy but still alot of fun. As above, poke your nose in.

If that's not enough to set your mouth watering......