Travel to Japan in June- too hot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have lived and worked in Japan, and travel there often to see clients. June in Japan is horrible (setting aside the mountains or up north). Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto will be pretty miserable. Is it less miserable than August or July, sure... Keep in mind also that Japan is a country where they have managed to paint the entire place with concrete, and I am being honest.

What nonsense. This person has obviously never visited Japan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here again who lived in Japan for 2 Years. I lived in a town 1 hour from Osaka and Kyoto, so on the main island of Honshu. So not Kyushu or Okinawa or something more tropical.

It was humid in the summer but just like DC to me. (The first phrase I learned in Japanese was, Mooshi atsui desu ne?. Which means, “it’s very hot and humid, isn’t it?”)

Still would prefer to travel in June than December for lighter packing and easier walking. Also, agree that June is better than July or August for humidity.

Anyone going to Japan should look up the dates for Golden Week (April/May) and Obon (August) as those are like Memorial Day and Labor Day here, and many Japanese people are on vacation as well around those times.

OP here - thank you for this! We decided summer sounds too hot, so just booked DC-Tokyo for a March vacation. We will have seven full days in Japan, but haven't figured out exact itinerary yet. We definitely plan to spend time in Tokyo and take the train to Kyoto. Any day trips from Tokyo you would recommend? The kids want to be in cities but I'd love to spend a little time in the countryside, even if it's just for a day trip from Tokyo or en route to Kyoto. What is the Mt. Fuji - Five Lakes region like? We have guide books of course, but it always helps to hear from someone who's actually been there.

Thank you!

1 week is too rush for all the hassle traveling to japan. 2-3 weeks or more is better.

If you must go, focus on Tokyo and places you can take bullet trains to reach within a couple hours.

Five Lakes is a rather rundown area, not much to offer other than if you are lucky, you would see Fuji sometimes. Reaching and getting out of there takes a long journey. Not worth it when you have only 7 days.

I disagree

If you a r e only going for a week, make Kyoto the focus with 2-3 days top in Tokyo.

[Anonymous]

Yes Kyoto is more interesting (to me) than Tokyo.

[Anonymous]

Day 1- arrive. If you take the direct flight from IAD you’ll get in at noon. You’ll get to your hotel around 3pm. Wander around hotel. Take in the sights. Department stores, go up and down all the floors. Wander around the labyrinth of stores around and inside the train station. Look for some tucked away shrines or temples. You’d be surprised where they turn up.
Find your local convenience store and stock up on snacks, drinks and onigiri (rice balls). You will wake up at odd times and having something to eat or drink will save you!

Day 2 Tokyo not much guidance about what to see since so much depends on your likes and dislikes. But you can’t miss Akiharaba or Harajuku

Day 3 Tokyo

Day 4 early train to Kyoto. Spend the afternoon and evening wandering around. Stay in a Ryokan. We loved Ryokan Montonago. It allows co-ed usage of the communal (but private) bath area. The food was amazing! Plan to eat dinner and breakfast there. Expensive, but worth it. And you can order Japanese or Western meal (set menu). It is close enough walk to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Just be careful because there are lots of tourist shops that you could waste all your time at.
http://www.motonago.com/en/top.html

The room won’t be available until after 4pm. But they will hold your luggage. I would drop off your luggage when you arrive (take a taxi from the Shinkansen station. Bring a map of the hotel from their website. Japan doesn’t have addresses like most other countries). Then go to places the furthest from the Ryokan. I love Kinkakuji (gold temple) and Nijo Castle with the nightingale floors. Work your way back to the Ryokan. Eat dinner there (make sure to order ahead and schedule you bath). Learn the etiquette for using a shared bath in japan.

Day 5 Eat breakfast at the Ryokan. It was so worth it. have to be checked out by 10 or 11, leave luggage at the front desk. Walk to Kiyomizu. Do a little shopping. Eat lunch around the temple. See if there are other sightseeing things you want to see in this part of town. Go back to pickup your luggage. There is a cute little cafe across from the Ryokan. Have a little Japanese ice cream sundae and enjoy the koi pond. Take a taxi to the Shinkansen station. I would suggest going back to Tokyo in the late afternoon. Buy bento box and snacks in the station and eat dinner on the train.

Day 6 Tokyo

Day 7 Tokyo

Day 8 Leave get to the airport early. The little shopping mall in the airport had some great souvenirs. More expensive than in your local stores. But some really cute stuff. Plus, duty free.

Have fun!!

[Anonymous]

If you don't want to share a single hotel room with your kids, you might want to take a look at Airbnb. You can get an apartment for less than most hotels, and we've always had good experiences with places that have lots of positive reviews.

[Anonymous]

23:21 here

Here's a great link
https://santorinidave.com/tokyo-with-kids

I stayed at the Hotel Sunroute in Shinjuku. I didn't have kids at the time, but the hotel was nice. In a convenient location. Lots of restaurants around and near the train station.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have lived and worked in Japan, and travel there often to see clients. June in Japan is horrible (setting aside the mountains or up north). Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto will be pretty miserable. Is it less miserable than August or July, sure... Keep in mind also that Japan is a country where they have managed to paint the entire place with concrete, and I am being honest.

What nonsense. This person has obviously never visited Japan.

I am the PP that wrote this, and yes, I have lived in Japan (central Tokyo). I also visit at least for one week - twice a year; mostly Tokyo, side trips to Osaka. I am sorry you don't like my hyperbolic explanation, but summer in Japan isn't something I enjoy. Others might. And yes, they have more concrete than anywhere else I have seen in the world. Perhaps you weren't paying attention when you were there last.

For OP, I am not sure if this has been mentioned but there are daily ANA and United Flights from IAD to NRT. They are around the same time, so you have to be careful not to go to the wrong gate (there are always attendants at each gate steering people to the correct gate). The airplane configuration is a little bit different between the carriers, and ANA is a little bit more expensive normally. ANA economy is a little bit nicer, as United tends to use some pretty tired 767 and 777 air-frames on that route.

As a first timer, I would not be nervous at all about using the Narita Express train instead of one of the airport buses that go straight to the hotels. Your kids will also think that train is neat because it splits in half at Shinagawa. Cab from Tokyo station or any other station would be easy, and to bridge the language gap you can just show the driver your hotel on your phone (AT&T/Verizon, etc.. all have passport plans that are $10/day for Japan and other international destinations).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The humidity is one thing. The other thing to consider is the way they have the AC set - very high (i.e. like 78 or 80). That includes on the shink (bullet train); super not comfortable. In a western style hotel like an Okura branch or Intercontinental you can control your AC.

The reason for this is after the Fukushima disaster, they were running short on power. The government mandated all buildings set thermostats to 78, and encouraged companies to relax dress codes so wearing short-sleeve button-downs to work and no jacket was ok for the salarymen. At buildings that draw an international crowd (like a convention center), theyw ill often have a sign near the door explaining why they set the thermostats high.

Yeah, that was super cool biz. Cool biz started back in 2005. Even our foreigner (mostly) office building has always the AC temp set pretty high, which was difficult for me. Either way, the OP will have great experience in Japan. Also, if OP finds interesting things they like in terms of food, there are a few H marts and things in the area that allow you to purchase those items when back here in the DC area!

[Anonymous]

I went for 10 days last June. It was fine.

[Anonymous]

The people saying it's more humid than DC are completely full of S. It's the same. The exact same. You won't even notice the difference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people saying it's more humid than DC are completely full of S. It's the same. The exact same. You won't even notice the difference

The temp and humidity might be the same, but the AC situation isn’t. They keep the indoor spaces much warmer. Think 78 instead of 72. And they don’t have AC in the entire space. So imagine a shopping mall with ac only in the stores and not in the hallways. So the hallways are hot and humid and the individual stores are less humid, but still warm compared to what we are used too.

I was there in Aug and never felt I could quite cool off.

[Anonymous]

Don’t forget, you can fly into Osaka/Kyoto which is Kansai Airport. Great modern facility and then you just go up to Tokyo for a few days. I think there’s more temples/ryokan stuff to do in that region, and it is about the distance from dc to ny between Osaka/Kyoto and Tokyo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t forget, you can fly into Osaka/Kyoto which is Kansai Airport. Great modern facility and then you just go up to Tokyo for a few days. I think there’s more temples/ryokan stuff to do in that region, and it is about the distance from dc to ny between Osaka/Kyoto and Tokyo.

But from DC, easier to get the nonstop from IAD on ANA or United (they code share) direct to Tokyo.

[Anonymous]

How long does the train take from Tokyo to Osaka or Kyoto?

Is any other documentation needed besides just your American passport?

Can we use our a American credit cards there, or do we need a bunch of Japanese yen to pay for things like the hotel, taxi, train and food? If we need yen, do they have ATMs we can use, or do we need to bring lots of dollars to exchange?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How long does the train take from Tokyo to Osaka or Kyoto?

Is any other documentation needed besides just your American passport?

Can we use our a American credit cards there, or do we need a bunch of Japanese yen to pay for things like the hotel, taxi, train and food? If we need yen, do they have ATMs we can use, or do we need to bring lots of dollars to exchange?

Shinkansen takes anywhere from 140 mins to 4 hours, depending on the type of train.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

I was in Yokosuka in Aug. (Flew into Tokyo and took train/bus to Yokosuka). I exchanged a couple hundred $ here just to have cas on hand when I arrive. But as it turns out, I really didn’t have any problems using my credit card or atm card. Just make sure to call your bank and let them know the dates you are traveling.