Help me with my Japan itinerary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only things non-negotiable are the month of travel (August - yes I know, very hot) and amount of days spent there.

We are a family of five so moving from hotel to hotel is a pain too frequently will be a pain. We have 3 teen/tween boys who have never been to Asia. I really want to visit a traditional Ryokan with Onsen. I thought about going to Hakone for a Ryokan on our way to Kyoto but I am worried that is just too many moves for the five of us, but if someone tells me that the experience will be much better we could do that. Otherwise we are pretty open - I have one aquarium/zoo lover, one who is really into sports. We are not super into shopping - maybe this is a day too long in Tokyo?

We are looking at hiring a guide to take us to some places since we do not speak Japanese and we want to make sure to have a good experience.

Here is what I am thinking:

Day 1: arrival mid-day, go to Tokyo and go to bed!

Day 2: Explore Tokyo

Day 3: Explore Tokyo

Day 4: Explore Tokyo

Day 5: Go to Disney Sea (somewhat non-negotiable, the kids love Disney and this is our nod to our typical Disney vacation...should we stay overnight there or just stay in our Tokyo hotel TBD?)

Day 6: Bullet Train to Kyoto. Explore Kyoto in the afternoon and stay at a Ryokan

Day 7: Kyoto sightseeing, overnight at Ryokan again

Day 8: Day trip to Nara, overnight in Osaka

Day 9: Explore Osaka, to the aquarium, take late evening flight - we are meeting extended family at a resort so will have several days of R&R to recuperate from our Japan adventure!

As you can see I don't have specifics laid out as what to do in Tokyo or Kyoto, but I am interested if Japan experts think this is an overall good amount of time to spend in these places, if I should rethink our movements, spend less time in Tokyo?

Thank you for any input!

Are you planning to travel on your own or as part of a group?

Japan is not the easiest country to navigate if you don't know the language/ culture.

For a trip like theirs (Tokyo and Kansai with shinkansen between, largely sticking to tourist destinations), they should be fine. There will be English or romanji almost everywhere (although the Tokyo subway is better at this than Kyoto: be warned), and if you're obviously foreign and start at a map long enough, someone will come up and offer to help you. Japan is very friendly to tourists.

Actually, this statement maybe true for white tourists, but less likely for other Asians and blacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went with our teenage boys (15 and 17) and had a blast. We arranged everything ourselves and found it perfectly manageable.

Ghibli Museum was awesome - tickets can be tough to get, so plan ahead
There is an impressive Anime museum in Tokyo if your kids are interested in that.

Like others suggested - spend less time in Tokyo and more time in Kyoto area. Nara is really lovely and there is much more to do in Kyoto. It would probably be hard to go to more than two areas in your time frame. Better to do day trips.

We also hiked part of the Kumano Kodo trail https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/
and stayed in a ryokan along the way and it was totally worth it. The kids loved it and the dinner and breakfast were the best meals of the trip. Where we stayed, there were men and women onsens and then a small family onsen as well that opened out onto the mountains.

Have fun!

How far/ tough was it to get to the Kumano Kodo trail? Would you spend 3-4 days walking there?

[Anonymous]

I would add a stop in Tsumago between Kyoto and Tokyo, staying in a ryokan overnight there on the Edo Road. It is worth the extra travel. I would also consider a day trip or side trip to Mt. Koya (Koyasan). If I were you I would look into temple lodgings, it would be a memorable experience for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Just be prepared for the heat and humidity. It's so much worse than DC. And after the tsunami and nuclear meltdown, they are very big on conserving energy. So indoor places are set at 78 degrees. It is brutal!
Bring cooling towels! In Japan you can buy little hand cloth towels. Buy a few and keep them in your bag to wipe sweat. Also bring an umbrella to use as a parasol or buy when you get there.

I'll come back with more specific information later...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just be prepared for the heat and humidity. It's so much worse than DC. And after the tsunami and nuclear meltdown, they are very big on conserving energy. So indoor places are set at 78 degrees. It is brutal!
Bring cooling towels! In Japan you can buy little hand cloth towels. Buy a few and keep them in your bag to wipe sweat. Also bring an umbrella to use as a parasol or buy when you get there.

I'll come back with more specific information later...

Forgot to post this. You can use a shipping service to ship your luggage instead of carrying it. And I alway advise people to bring a large empty suitcase with you. You will buy so much stuff while you are there!!
https://trulytokyo.com/luggage-shipping-the-smart-way-to-travel-in-japan/

[Anonymous]

We did a family trip to Japan a few years ago. Our kids were a little younger than yours. We had a great time!

We all really enjoyed Tokyo Disney Sea. Since we had to come back to Tokyo for our flight home, we tacked Disney on to the end of the trip and stayed by the park. This worked well for us. Also found the tips here helpful: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disneysea-best-theme-park/. Definitely check out the Teddy Roosevelt Bar!

Tokyo was fun, but a couple of days was sufficient for us. We did a tour of the fish market followed by a cooking class and would recommend that! Also would recommend catching a baseball game. We loved the Yakult Swallows experience—easy to get tickets and exuberant fans!

We spent one night in Hakone on our way to Kyoto. There are lots of ryokan to choose from, and the mountain setting is beautiful. Also in Hakone we LOVED the Open Air Museum—spectacular incorporation of art into the landscape, and very kid friendly. There’s an onsen-themed water park that was also fun (https://hakone-japan.com/things-to-do/onsen/how-to-enjoy-onsen/hakone-kowakien-yunessun-2/). So if you are so inclined, Hakone is worth a stop.

I agree that you should spend plenty of time in Kyoto. There are great day trips available (we enjoyed Nara and the Fushimi shrine). My favorite thing of everything we did in Japan was a day trip from Kyoto to Kurama and Kibune. You take the train to Kurama, hike up to a beautiful mountain-top temple, then continue down the mountain to Kibune. In summer there are restaurants where you can sit on platforms on top of the water and it is just delightful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went with our teenage boys (15 and 17) and had a blast. We arranged everything ourselves and found it perfectly manageable.

Ghibli Museum was awesome - tickets can be tough to get, so plan ahead
There is an impressive Anime museum in Tokyo if your kids are interested in that.

Like others suggested - spend less time in Tokyo and more time in Kyoto area. Nara is really lovely and there is much more to do in Kyoto. It would probably be hard to go to more than two areas in your time frame. Better to do day trips.

We also hiked part of the Kumano Kodo trail https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/
and stayed in a ryokan along the way and it was totally worth it. The kids loved it and the dinner and breakfast were the best meals of the trip. Where we stayed, there were men and women onsens and then a small family onsen as well that opened out onto the mountains.

Have fun!

How far/ tough was it to get to the Kumano Kodo trail? Would you spend 3-4 days walking there?

We did three days on the trail and three nights, starting at Tanabe. We took the train down from Kyoto to Tanabe, got on a bus for an hour or so to the starting point we had chosen, stayed that night at a ryokan and began hiking the next day. The trail is well marked and surfaced, and mostly not too hard, though there are some steep spots and the days can be long depending on how fit you are. We hiked for 4-6 hours each day, carrying only a small backpack each - we had sent our luggage ahead to our destination at Kii-Katsuura. The whole trail network is extensive so you can hike for much longer. Each night we stayed in a village in whatever valley we were in at an AirBnB and each was great. Limited english and limited food choices, but plenty of generosity and hospitality. It was one of the best parts of our trip to Japan.

I highly recommend the website above for trip planning - there are even videos in english for every aspect on youtube. None of it was hard, though does require some forward planning. We don't speak Japanese and were able to manage fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I’d skip the ryokan. It’s not going to be fun for the kids. They aren’t going to want to do onsen, are they?

I lived in Japan as a child. Some of my favorite memories are going to a ryokan. Maybe because I lived there and understood the culture, I thought it was a fun adventure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We went with our teenage boys (15 and 17) and had a blast. We arranged everything ourselves and found it perfectly manageable.

Ghibli Museum was awesome - tickets can be tough to get, so plan ahead
There is an impressive Anime museum in Tokyo if your kids are interested in that.

Like others suggested - spend less time in Tokyo and more time in Kyoto area. Nara is really lovely and there is much more to do in Kyoto. It would probably be hard to go to more than two areas in your time frame. Better to do day trips.

We also hiked part of the Kumano Kodo trail https://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/kumano-kodo/
and stayed in a ryokan along the way and it was totally worth it. The kids loved it and the dinner and breakfast were the best meals of the trip. Where we stayed, there were men and women onsens and then a small family onsen as well that opened out onto the mountains.

Have fun!

How far/ tough was it to get to the Kumano Kodo trail? Would you spend 3-4 days walking there?

We did three days on the trail and three nights, starting at Tanabe. We took the train down from Kyoto to Tanabe, got on a bus for an hour or so to the starting point we had chosen, stayed that night at a ryokan and began hiking the next day. The trail is well marked and surfaced, and mostly not too hard, though there are some steep spots and the days can be long depending on how fit you are. We hiked for 4-6 hours each day, carrying only a small backpack each - we had sent our luggage ahead to our destination at Kii-Katsuura. The whole trail network is extensive so you can hike for much longer. Each night we stayed in a village in whatever valley we were in at an AirBnB and each was great. Limited english and limited food choices, but plenty of generosity and hospitality. It was one of the best parts of our trip to Japan.

I highly recommend the website above for trip planning - there are even videos in english for every aspect on youtube. None of it was hard, though does require some forward planning. We don't speak Japanese and were able to manage fine.

Thank you!!

[Anonymous]

NP here.

I was last in Japan with my mom in the '80s. We were in a tour group. Now I plan to take my teenagers in 2024. Our trip would, like OP, be less than two weeks.

It never crossed my mind until I read this thread that non-Japanese-speaking Americans would go it alone. I have traveled extensively, sometimes in places where I did not know the language, but Japan? We really do not need a tour bus and guide?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only things non-negotiable are the month of travel (August - yes I know, very hot) and amount of days spent there.

We are a family of five so moving from hotel to hotel is a pain too frequently will be a pain. We have 3 teen/tween boys who have never been to Asia. I really want to visit a traditional Ryokan with Onsen. I thought about going to Hakone for a Ryokan on our way to Kyoto but I am worried that is just too many moves for the five of us, but if someone tells me that the experience will be much better we could do that. Otherwise we are pretty open - I have one aquarium/zoo lover, one who is really into sports. We are not super into shopping - maybe this is a day too long in Tokyo?

We are looking at hiring a guide to take us to some places since we do not speak Japanese and we want to make sure to have a good experience.

Here is what I am thinking:

Day 1: arrival mid-day, go to Tokyo and go to bed!

Day 2: Explore Tokyo

Day 3: Explore Tokyo

Day 4: Explore Tokyo

Day 5: Go to Disney Sea (somewhat non-negotiable, the kids love Disney and this is our nod to our typical Disney vacation...should we stay overnight there or just stay in our Tokyo hotel TBD?)

Day 6: Bullet Train to Kyoto. Explore Kyoto in the afternoon and stay at a Ryokan

Day 7: Kyoto sightseeing, overnight at Ryokan again

Day 8: Day trip to Nara, overnight in Osaka

Day 9: Explore Osaka, to the aquarium, take late evening flight - we are meeting extended family at a resort so will have several days of R&R to recuperate from our Japan adventure!

As you can see I don't have specifics laid out as what to do in Tokyo or Kyoto, but I am interested if Japan experts think this is an overall good amount of time to spend in these places, if I should rethink our movements, spend less time in Tokyo?

Thank you for any input!

Are you planning to travel on your own or as part of a group?

Japan is not the easiest country to navigate if you don't know the language/ culture.

For a trip like theirs (Tokyo and Kansai with shinkansen between, largely sticking to tourist destinations), they should be fine. There will be English or romanji almost everywhere (although the Tokyo subway is better at this than Kyoto: be warned), and if you're obviously foreign and start at a map long enough, someone will come up and offer to help you. Japan is very friendly to tourists.

+1. Was just in Japan in July. With the itinerary they've planned, they will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Ugenta Ryokan outside of Kyoto was lovely

[Anonymous]

I realize it might be a lot with your itinerary, but Hiroshima/Miyajima island is really wonderful to see if you could fit it in. You can access easily via Shinkansen. The Atomic Dome and museum is moving and sobering, regardless of your opinion on the history. On a food-related note, you can enjoy Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, which is different from the kind you’ll enjoy in Osaka.

Miyajima island also has tame deer you can feed/pet, but you also get to see the beautiful orange Torii gate as you approach the island via ferry. The beautiful Itsukushima shrine is on the water and is a truly beautiful site. There’s a small aquarium on the island. And if you like oysters, they are enormous and delectable.

For your sports lover, Hiroshima has its own baseball team called the Hiroshima Carp! Just an idea if you have some wiggle room in your itinerary!

[Anonymous]

There are some beautiful places in northern Honshu and much cooler. Lake Towada is gorgeous.