Japan tips please!

[Anonymous]

We are looking to visit a friend who is living in Tokyo - husband, 3 boys (tween to teens), and me. This would be next summer (2023) and likely in August.

I've read it's really hot there then. But August is the time we can go and this will be our 1 summer vacation next year.

I would love tips on how to structure about 12 days on the ground.

- I think we will do something like Tokyo Disney or Universal. Because my kids LOVE theme parks and we'll do that for them.
- I'm interested in beach resorts or doing something that would alleviate the heat -- I've heard there are good places to go up north that might be a bit cooler? Totally fine having a few days of down time/relaxation since we won't be doing another summer vacation.
- We are interested in temples but would probably want to do 2 great ones, not 6.
- We like nature and beautiful places but also recognize it may be too hot to be outside hiking all day long.

We will likely be able to have a driver and money is not an object for this trip.

How would you structure this, Japan experts?

[Anonymous]

The heat isn’t so bad — about the same as DC — but the humidity is brutal and the mosquitoes are everywhere. A couple thoughts for you:

Take one overnight to stay at a ryokan or minshuku in the Izu peninsula. It’s pretty near Tokyo but out of the city and the coastline is STUNNING. Or take a ferry to one of the Izu Islands but you’ll find less English there so it might be a little challenging if you don’t speak the language. Staying at a traditional inn should be part of every trip to Japan in my opinion. This site let’s you do the booking ahead of time and sorts the language barrier: https://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/

For temple/shrines, the three biggest ones in and around Tokyo I would suggest are:
Asakusa: functional temple (Buddhist) in a district of Tokyo that was only minimally firebombed during the war so has a lot of older architecture leans into the “traditional” image. Has a wonderful street market and shopping near by as well as excellent tempura restaurants. Really fun area to shop and wander in, very tourist friendly.
Meiji Jingu: functional shrine (Shinto) in Western Tokyo. Feels much newer/fresher, and is mostly forest, but the main shrine is nice to see and there are few interesting museums on the grounds as well as an archery (kyudo) range etc. A good place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city of you need a breather.
Nikko: small city a day trip outside of Tokyo with several temples and shrines but most famous for the shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu. The region is famous for it’s wood carving and the Toshogu carvings are spectacular. Unlike the other two I mentioned, this one has much more of a “historic site” feel with lots of information panels and historical info.

If you want to do some light hiking/nature walks in Tokyo, Takao-San is easily accessible from the train system (Takaosanguchi Station). It’s about a small mountain (takes maybe 1-2 hours to go up depending on which trail you take) but if you’re lucky there’s a great view of Mt Fuji from the summit.

Tokyo Disney is fun! Maybe try Tokyo DisneySea because main Tokyo Disney is modeled on the Magic Kingdom park in FL but DisneySea is unique? I admit I’m not much of a theme park person but this is what my friends tell me. Also if you like roller coasters, Fuji Q Highlands is really fun and not too busy during the week.

[Anonymous]

Thank you!!

Would you send the entire two weeks in Tokyo or would you go to Okinawa or somewhere else you'd need to fly to? I'm seeing some beautiful beach resorts on the internet but have no idea where to begin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you!!

Would you send the entire two weeks in Tokyo or would you go to Okinawa or somewhere else you'd need to fly to? I'm seeing some beautiful beach resorts on the internet but have no idea where to begin.

Personal preference: I would never fly once in Japan. The train system is amazing and I love trains so if decideing to go further afield (down to Kyoto, up to Niigata, Miyagi, Sendai; wherever on Honshu or Hokkaido) I would get a JR Rail Pass (only available to tourists; involves basically free hop on hop off travel on regular trains and set number of Shinkansen or express journies, depending on which pass you get). But tbf, I’ve never actually been to Okinawa (it’s on my list someday; historically and culturally wildly different from the rest of Japan and I’d love to see it) so I can’t really say whether it would be a better choice and my dislike of air travel once I get to my main destination plays onto this bias.

Not sure how long you want to spend with your friends in Tokyo, but if you want 2-3 out of the whole trip at the beach, I’d definitely skip the flight and head to Izu for beach/mountains/onsen/scenery. If longer, I might be tempted to check the train access to a fancier resort that interests you and just stop in the way there or back so a ryokan for 1-2 nights. Best site ever for planning travel within Japan: https://www.hyperdia.com/en/sp/ It will also tell you if airplane will be faster and you can choose to overrule or not.

[Anonymous]

Is Okinawa the best place to go for a beach resort?

[Anonymous]

I did a similar trip to visit friends in Tokyo 12 or so years ago. Here is what I would do:

1) Start and end your trip in Tokyo, but use the excellent train system to head to Kyoto and at least one other city, maybe a more rural remote city to get some variety.

2) We went to Tokyo Disney Sea and loved it! It is a very unique theme park that is like nothing else in the world. Tokyo Disney itself it exactly like magic kingdom / Disneyland.

3) Getting around is easy, the signs aren't in English exactly, but they use Arabic letters so you can read and pronounce them. Having a local to help you out will be a big plus as well.

4) You don't / won't need a driver you can take the bus / train / subway almost any place you need to go.

5) It is hot, but so is DC in the summer. It isn't any worse than DC. Just mix indoor and outdoor things. There are some excellent museums in Tokyo, we particularly liked the Edo-Tokyo Museum.

6) The food in Japan is amazing. Be adventurous and try everything. Many places have menus with pictures or English menus as well to help you pick.

[Anonymous]

NP. Wondering if anyone has other recommendations of must-see towns if one has 2+ weeks in Japan in the late summer.
TIA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did a similar trip to visit friends in Tokyo 12 or so years ago. Here is what I would do:

1) Start and end your trip in Tokyo, but use the excellent train system to head to Kyoto and at least one other city, maybe a more rural remote city to get some variety.

2) We went to Tokyo Disney Sea and loved it! It is a very unique theme park that is like nothing else in the world. Tokyo Disney itself it exactly like magic kingdom / Disneyland.

3) Getting around is easy, the signs aren't in English exactly, but they use Arabic letters so you can read and pronounce them. Having a local to help you out will be a big plus as well.

4) You don't / won't need a driver you can take the bus / train / subway almost any place you need to go.

5) It is hot, but so is DC in the summer. It isn't any worse than DC. Just mix indoor and outdoor things. There are some excellent museums in Tokyo, we particularly liked the Edo-Tokyo Museum.

6) The food in Japan is amazing. Be adventurous and try everything. Many places have menus with pictures or English menus as well to help you pick.

I’m an Arabic speaker and didn’t see Arabic script in Japan. I do remember seeing transliterated Latin script though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did a similar trip to visit friends in Tokyo 12 or so years ago. Here is what I would do:

1) Start and end your trip in Tokyo, but use the excellent train system to head to Kyoto and at least one other city, maybe a more rural remote city to get some variety.

2) We went to Tokyo Disney Sea and loved it! It is a very unique theme park that is like nothing else in the world. Tokyo Disney itself it exactly like magic kingdom / Disneyland.

3) Getting around is easy, the signs aren't in English exactly, but they use Arabic letters so you can read and pronounce them. Having a local to help you out will be a big plus as well.

4) You don't / won't need a driver you can take the bus / train / subway almost any place you need to go.

5) It is hot, but so is DC in the summer. It isn't any worse than DC. Just mix indoor and outdoor things. There are some excellent museums in Tokyo, we particularly liked the Edo-Tokyo Museum.

6) The food in Japan is amazing. Be adventurous and try everything. Many places have menus with pictures or English menus as well to help you pick.

I’m an Arabic speaker and didn’t see Arabic script in Japan. I do remember seeing transliterated Latin script though.

As a frequent traveler to Japan, I think they meant Roman characters ("Romaji" in Japanese).

However, I've found this more common in China (phonetic spelling in Roman characters of local language), not Japan. In Japan, it's usually in English. This increased even more in preparation for the Olympics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Personal preference: I would never fly once in Japan. The train system is amazing and I love trains so if decideing to go further afield (down to Kyoto, up to Niigata, Miyagi, Sendai; wherever on Honshu or Hokkaido) I would get a JR Rail Pass (only available to tourists; involves basically free hop on hop off travel on regular trains and set number of Shinkansen or express journies, depending on which pass you get). But tbf, I’ve never actually been to Okinawa (it’s on my list someday; historically and culturally wildly different from the rest of Japan and I’d love to see it) so I can’t really say whether it would be a better choice and my dislike of air travel once I get to my main destination plays onto this bias.

Japan is multiple islands. In some cases, you can't take a train because the train doesn't connect the islands (trying visting Sapporo by train). They do have very nice ferries, but a lot of people just fly. The busiest air route in the world by number of passengers used to be Osaka-Tokyo, though maybe it's changed with the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

- I think we will do something like Tokyo Disney or Universal. Because my kids LOVE theme parks and we'll do that for them.

Universal Studios is in Osaka not Tokyo. It's pretty similar to the one in LA so I wouldnt' go out of my way to visit it. I've been to both.

[Anonymous]

I lived in Japan (Yokohama) for a year. Agree with everything said above. With 12 days I’d focus on Tokyo (with same day trips nearby) and Kyoto. Kyoto gives you the only in Japan more traditional experience.

I also found a night in Hiroshima to be worth it but I’d only do that if you are there a solid 2+ weeks. With everything going on now with Russia it would be especially timely to experience.

[Anonymous]

For a two week trip, we're looking into Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Hiroshima and Hakone.
My only question mark is Hakone because I'm worried that it will be hokey. We're with kids but not interested in Disney or anything theme-park.
Obviously missing a ton of fantastic places but wondering if there is a must-see destination that we're missing for a trip of this length? Also, is Hakone worth an overnight or two nights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Personal preference: I would never fly once in Japan. The train system is amazing and I love trains so if decideing to go further afield (down to Kyoto, up to Niigata, Miyagi, Sendai; wherever on Honshu or Hokkaido) I would get a JR Rail Pass (only available to tourists; involves basically free hop on hop off travel on regular trains and set number of Shinkansen or express journies, depending on which pass you get). But tbf, I’ve never actually been to Okinawa (it’s on my list someday; historically and culturally wildly different from the rest of Japan and I’d love to see it) so I can’t really say whether it would be a better choice and my dislike of air travel once I get to my main destination plays onto this bias.

Japan is multiple islands. In some cases, you can't take a train because the train doesn't connect the islands (trying visting Sapporo by train). They do have very nice ferries, but a lot of people just fly. The busiest air route in the world by number of passengers used to be Osaka-Tokyo, though maybe it's changed with the pandemic.

We took the train from Sapporo to Tokyo. It goes under the sea. Kinda freaky but it works. I love Hokkaido but I’m not sure it’ll make the cut on a short first time trip.

[Anonymous]

DisneySEA over Disneyland. Disneyland is basically the same as you can get the US (well without the obnoxious Americans!). August in Tokyo is miserably humid, but you can spend a couple days there seeing the main sites. Go up to the mountains (Nikko, Hakone) to get relief from the weather. I wouldn’t waste time on beach resorts, but Enoshima is also a day trip from Tokyo. Don’t fly once you get there - take the shin to Osaka/Kyoto. If you get the JR pass, it’s worth it to go all the way to Hiroshima. Japan is amazing, but the jet lag is insane.