Japan tips please!

[Anonymous]

Right now they are allowing 20K tourist entries a day and you can only go on organized tours. There is a big election in July and they are taking a wait and see attitude. They were so slow to vaccinate and many people are not interested in allowing tourists in. I would not go until you can travel freely as a tourist:

For up to date info; listen to the Abroad in Japan podcast

Or watch the Only in Japan John Daub YouTube channel for regular updates.

The only real beach recreation in Japan is in Okinawa. So many of the cities on the sea are just concrete sea walls/

While many so the Golden Route, I like going north to Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.

Another YouTuber is Paolo from Tokyo who has been sharing a few hidden gems around the city.

I hate crowds and being around most Americans traveling internationally so I tend to go where you won’t find many.

[Anonymous]

For teens/tweens:

Shibuya, particularly for people watching on weekend days
Pokemon megastore
Nintendo megastore
teamLab Borderless - amazing digital art museum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

We did something similar, but we nixed Kanazawa to spend time in Nara and some of the islands are Hiroshima (we took a few ferries around there). Honestly Hakone was just OK, but we aren't the biggest hot springs people and it was a bit more touristy that we'd expected - I'd just do one, not two nights there.

I'm assuming you are using the rail pass? We ended up making some last minute extra daytrips since everyone loved riding the trains!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

This was our last big trip before lockdown. Our kids were about 9 at the time. We flew into Tokyo, went directly to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. We stayed at the Hilton right there, but could’ve just as easily stayed at the Sheraton (I think? It was a Marriott for sure). There is a hotel that’s INSIDE the park, but I understand you have to log on at midnight the day availability is released to have a shot at getting a reservation. Had I known, I would’ve tried, although I think it’s very very pricey.

We spent the next five days in Tokyo, which was enough to see some highlights and also wander a bit. Try to catch a baseball game if you can (you also have to log on the second they open ticket sales to get a ticket - we did that and still ended up in the very last row). There’s also a sort of amusement park outside of the Tokyo Giants stadium, and a bowling alley nearby. Lots of fun. Even your tweens might be impressed by the Ninja Cafe restaurant (I think that’s what it’s called).

Kyoto is a must do and much more difficult to navigate on your own. You will need a guide to try to see things, as the bus system in Kyoto is harder to navigate than the Tokyo subway. Japan actually offers English-speaking guides for free, you just buy their lunch.

Hiroshima is a couple of hours by train from Kyoto and worth a couple of days. The city is nothing like what you’re probably imagining. The museum of the bombing is difficult but worth it.

I would not take the time to go back to Tokyo to depart, wastes too much time. We flew into Tokyo and home from Osaka, which was much more convenient. We just spent one night in Osaka - long enough to see the famous “running man” ad and get dinner, then took the train to the Osaka airport the next day.

Have fun! We’ve traveled a great deal and Japan is the one place my son talks about all the time.

Interesting you had difficulty in Kyoto. We ended up just renting bikes there for everyone and had a blast going from shrine to shrine. We personally skipped the disney stuff (that is for grandparents and florida for us), but agree on catching a sporting event. We went to a soccer game that was a blast there. We now go to a game in every country we visit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right now they are allowing 20K tourist entries a day and you can only go on organized tours. There is a big election in July and they are taking a wait and see attitude. They were so slow to vaccinate and many people are not interested in allowing tourists in. I would not go until you can travel freely as a tourist:

For up to date info; listen to the Abroad in Japan podcast

Or watch the Only in Japan John Daub YouTube channel for regular updates.

The only real beach recreation in Japan is in Okinawa. So many of the cities on the sea are just concrete sea walls/

Super helpful, thanks!

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't bother going at the moment to be herded around in a group.

[Anonymous]

We were hoping to go in December but I’m assuming it’s not going to happen. I’ve considered a tour but we don’t love tours and think we would save money doing it ourselves so maybe next year.

[Anonymous]

I am going to disagree about taking the train everywhere. It really depends on the distance honestly. It can be cheaper and faster to fly from say Sapporo to Osaka. There are so many ULCCs in Japan that it really can be cost effective to go by plane. The train can be really nice…once but to maximize my time, I suggest flying.

If you are fit, I always suggest cycling the shimanami kaido along the inland sea. So beautiful but will be hot in August!

[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 think the PP was confusing Roman script with Arabic numerals.

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

[Anonymous]

We did a trip to Japan with kids a few years ago and had a great time. I would recommend Hakone—there are lots of options if you want to stay at a ryokan (traditional inn with an onsen (hot spring)), and it’s on the way to Kyoto. We loved the Open Air Museum in Hakone—amazing art collection incorporated into the landscape and very kid friendly. There’s also a water park of sorts that we all enjoyed. Kyoto is easy to get to on the train and is a must-visit. We also really loved Tokyo Disney Sea.