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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Excellent-Ruin3085 on 2024-12-10 18:36:29+00:00.

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Yesterday was my first time trying to buy Studio Ghibli Museum tickets. I just want to share my experience. Perhaps it will help others who are planning to go.

1. Tickets for the following month go on sale on the 10th of current month at 10am in Japan local time. For example, tickets for the month of January go on sale on December 10th at 10:00am japan time at this website
2. If you open the above website at 9:30am you will be RANDOMLY put on a virtual/online queue. My experience tells me there is no point in trying before 9:30am.

2.1 Here is my tips, I had 5 different browsers opened at different times (9:30am, 9:45am, 9:50am). And guess what?! The browser opened at 9:50am was the shortest queue (15min wait time). The browser opened at 9:30am was the longest queue (over an hour wait time). Maybe it was just a fluke but doesn’t look like “early bird gets the worm” ;-)

I only had to wait for 15 minutes in the virtual queue to buy my tickets. At that time, I could have any pick I want on the calendar. For curiosity sake, I checked another browser with a 30 min queue and there were still plenty of tickets left on any given day.

The transaction to purchase tickets was smooth. No glitches. I was surprised at how easy it was compared to what people had reported. Hope this helps.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Fudwick on 2024-12-10 21:13:27+00:00.

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Hi everyone, I wanted to post a trip report from our second time to Japan. We went in November for three weeks and basically followed the foliage throughout our trip. In general, we’re pretty aggressive with our trips and usually wake up on the earlier side and crash by 9 or 10pm. We’re not night owls or party people.

Day 1: 11/6: Arrival into Tokyo

We arrived in Tokyo, picked up our JR Pass, checked into our hotel. Went to go see Tokyo tower at night, get some food, then crashed.

Day 2: 11/7: Tokyo to Sapporo

We activated our 7-day JR pass here and started our travel day up to Sapporo. We took the Shinkansen to Hakodate, then the limited express to Sapporo. Our train left at 6:30ish in the morning and we got to Sapporo around 2:00pm. Since we were coming from the US, the early morning was perfect and this allowed us to rest the whole way. We sprung for the green car pass as well so it was nice and we didn’t have to navigate another airport while still getting the afternoon/evening in Sapporo. It started snowing about halfway on the limited express train and was beautiful to watch from the train. We explored Sapporo station area on arrival then checked into our hotel at 3pm. We explored shops around Sapporo and had miso ramen, which was the best ramen we’ve ever had.

Day 3: 11/8 Sapporo

We woke up, got some delicious coffee at “Love Espresso”, then went up the Sapporo TV Tower (worth it) then went to the old Sapporo factory mall, then the Sapporo museum and beer garden. Got Genghis Khan at the beer garden right when they opened at 11:30 am. You do have to get a reservation ticket from the museum but if you’re early there won’t be a problem. We then went back to the room to rest for a bit and catch a second wind before heading out shopping, exploring, and visiting the arcade. That night we had Yakitori near Odori park before calling it a night.

Day 4: 11/9 Sapporo to Hakodate

We woke up early and headed over to Hokkaido University. We like exploring college campuses when we travel and this was a nice one! There is a street lined with Ginko trees that was very pretty as well. We then checked out and hit up a street market for Oysters and a Salmon bowl (both some of the best seafood we had the entire trip). We took the limited express to Hakodate and got in around 5pm. We went out for sushi then walked around the red-brick storehouse district which had christmas lights and was quite pretty. Unfortunately our plan to go up to the top of Mt. Hakodate was squashed as the gondola was not working and could only be reached by private car or hiking, which we did not have time for. We called it a night after walking around a bit.

Day 5: 11/10: Hakodate to Hirosaki

We got up early in Hakodate and got a taxi to Cape Tachimachi to see the sunrise. Beautiful spot and made Hakodate feel worth it. We then got a Taxi to the old Public Hall and walked through the historic district back to the fish market where we had breakfast. Then we took the train to Hakodate Station and caught a 9:30 ish shinkansen to Shin Aomori. We then took a local train to Hirosaki and then dropped our bags off at the hotel since we were there a few hours before check-in. We went to the Roman Tea room for lunch (recommend) and then explored the Castle and two botanical gardens. Unplanned but it was the last day of their fall festival which was so fun to join. The leaves here were at peak and I got some amazing photographs this day. After that we made our way back to our hotel but got stopped by a Fuji worshiping cult. We didn’t go with them like they wanted but that was a notable experience lol. We did laundry this night at our hotel.

Day 6: 11/11: Hirosaki to Aomori to Morioka

Woke up early and explored the castle grounds again, then got coffee and breakfast at a little mom-and-pop place before checking out and catching a limited express train to Aomori. We only stayed in Aomori for an hour or so to do the Nebuta Museum and A-Factory. We planned on longer but got bored and decided to make our way to Morioka earlier (good call). Took the train to Morioka and checked into our hotel on arrival. Got Morioka Jajamen for lunch then went to the castle ruins and walked around before heading back to the room for a quick recharge. Then went out shopping and dinner at an Izakaya.

Day 7: 11/12: Morioka to Kakunodate

Spent the morning in Morioka and walked to Hoonji Temple. Got an early lunch at Karakoma (vegan place that was VERY good). Then took the train to Kakunodate. We booked an old Samurai warehouse that was turned into a little townhouse. It was huge and worth the experience. We walked around the village, got ramen for dinner, and called it earlier to recharge and enjoy our fancy accommodations.

Day 8: 11/13: Kakunodate to Sendai to Toyama

Last day of our JR pass so we made alot of use of it! Explored Kakunodate again in the morning then got the train to Sendai. We gave ourselves about 5 hours in Sendai so we got soybean milkshakes and went to the Zuihōden grave / temple area. Very pretty. Had lunch at an Izakaya that had lunch specials near the station. Got some taiyaki and shopped for a bit. Then got the train to the outskirts of Tokyo to transfer and go to Toyama. Checked into our hotel in Toyama and went out for Sushi (Toyama is famous for it).

Day 9: 11/14: Toyama to Takayama

Woke up early and explored Toyama. Went up the observation tower and visited the glass art museum (cheap and in a beautiful building/library). Then went to the Japanese sword museum and had Sushi again for lunch. Got our bags and headed by train to Takayama. For the first time in our trip we felt like we were in a tourist town and it was a bit of a shock lol, we adjusted (we’re also tourists afterall). We went to both the retro museums and had dinner a bit off the beaten path and it was very very tasty.

Day 10: 11/15: Takayama

Woke up early and walked to Hida no Sato open air museum. Highly recommend if you’re not going to Shinagawa-go like we were not. There is a wood carver there off to the side where you can see him at work and buy his goods. I got an owl and it is probably my most treasured souvenir from Japan. We walked back to our hotel and stopped to get some sweets and hit up the grocery store on the way. Then we went to lunch at Wabisuki (best soba I’ve had and I keep thinking about the duck soup I had). Then walked to Hie Shrine (another amazing fall foliage spot) and walked through the big park complex nature path area nearby to get back to the historic district. Hit up the sake brewery then went back to the room to finish up laundry and rest for a couple of hours. Went out for Takoyaki since most other places needed a reservation on a Friday night. Not disappointed though, the guy making them was from Osaka and was very friendly.

Day 11: 11/16: Takayama to Fukuji Onsen (Ryokan)

Slept in… whattttt. We were tired and the next day or so was about rest so we slept in a bit, got coffee and breakfast, then took the bus out to Fukuji Onsen where our Ryokan was located. Enjoyed the night there, had A5 Hida beef, did Ryokan things and called it a night.

Day 12: 11/17: Fukuji Onsen to Takayama to Nagoya

Woke up and had breakfast at the Ryokan, then took the bus to Takayama where we killed a few hours at a matcha shop and our favorite grocery store. Took the train to Nagoya and then checked into our hotel. Walked around Odori Park and went up the Electric tower (eh, ok to skip). Went out for udon then walked around and enjoyed the Christmas decor and shopped a bit before crashing for the night

Day 13: 11/18 Nagoya/Ghibli Park

We got Ghibli park tickets so that ate up most of the day. We got Unagi for dinner and purchased limited express tickets for the next day to Nagiso.

Day 14: 11/19 Nakasendo Trail day tripfrom Nagoya

We did the Nakasendo Trail this day but did it backwards from what most people do so it was mostly uphill. We walked from Nagiso, through Tsumago, then ended in Magome. Great hike, loved it, got soba for lunch in Tsumago. After getting back in Nagoya we did some laundry and went out for Yakitori.

Day 15: 11/20 Nagoya to Tokyo

This was our travel day from Nagoya to Tokyo so we checked out of our hotel and got a locker for our bags in Nagoya station. We then went to go explore Nagoya castle and the palace and got a healthy vegan lunch before catching the train to Tokyo. We stayed in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo, it was quiet and the hotel was nice but a bit of a walk to the station. I definitely recommend being 5 minutes or less not 10 like we were from your closest station. It just added time when you want to be bouncing around. That night we went to Skytree to do tourist things and went to the aquarium. Had a burger because my system needed some western food at that point.

Days 16-21: Tokyo

Days 16-21 were in Tokyo. I won’t go into extensive detail here as this was mostly exploring different parts, going shopping, and having fun. My favorite places are Akihabara and Naka-meguro. Most overrated i think was Korea town, honestly feel like we have way better Korean food back in the states. I found that with the Vietnamese we tried as well. Japanese food in Japan is legit the best but I’d never tried international food internationally (if that makes sense) before and was kinda disappointed.

Day 21: 11/26

Last day with a late flight out of Tokyo so we explored the city in the morning before getting to the airport

Take a...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/TokyoExplorer27 on 2024-12-10 11:12:10+00:00.

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Hello, it's my second trip to japan, first time going to Nagano. It was only 4 days but I wanted to share my experience with you all because it was a lot better than I expected. I travel solo, originally from Spain.

DAY 1 - Zenkoji Temple. It was very beautiful. The temple grounds are very big and it feels very old and calm even with many people around.On the way to Zenkoji there are many shops and the overall atmosphere is very good. I also ate Oyaki which is typical from nagano.

DAY 2 - Togakushi. The path to the shrine is super beautiful. There were many big cedar trees and it feels like you are in a different world. There is also a Ninja museum that was interesting! I ate soba that day, it was my first time eating soba and it was pretty good.

DAY 3 - Countryside tour. There was some activity called "Picking Pears and Cook Onigiri" tour. A married couple in the countryside are doing it and it was a trully wonderful experience. You can see and pick fruits and vegetables in the farm in the outskirts of Nagano city.

They spoke in English and were very friendly. They live in a reformed warehouse. It's more than 100 years old. We also had lunch together, we cooked some onigiri together! Some Onigri and vegetable dishes were super good. I never had an experience like that, but it felt very close to what life in the countryside would be in Japan.

I happened to find it by chance, and I don't think it's very known, so I would like to share the link if somebody is interested in an experience like this:

DAY 4 - Obuse. I went manly for the Hokusai museum (I love the art), the city is also pretty and quiet. I was a bit tired so it was perfect for the last day. I ate some rice with chestnuts that day, I don't remember the name, but it was surprisingly good.

Conclusion

Nagano was a perfect escape from more busy locations like Tokyo or Kyoto. There is a lot of nature, even in the city, and getting to know some of the locals and getting closer to the rural life was an incredible experience for me. I guess it's not for everybody, but as someone who loves japan, I feel very lucky.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/tsemochang on 2024-12-10 04:16:29+00:00.

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Hi guys, I just wanted to share my itinerary for my recent Japan trip. I built my trip by reading similar threads here and wanted to share mine. It consists of boat rides, theme parks, attractions, food spots, temples and even a theater.

I tried to build my itinerary 2 sites/attractions per day as suggested here and still my feet and back hurt each night. One during day and one during night.

General suggestion of advice: The night we arrived to our hotel, I visited Donki to buy myself the body patch and foot pads that soothe aching muscles. I have mild scoliosis and on the second day, even standing on the trains, my back hurts a bit and there usually no bench so I have to suck it up. Every morning, before leaving, I put the body patch everywhere in my back to alleviate the pain.

Dress for the weather. In my home country, you can get away with dressing pretty much the same clothes all year round but man, 12°C is already cold. The wind will also make it so much colder. Check the temperature the week before your trip and make sure to bring the right clothes. For me, it was winter jackets, scarf and gloves.

I got by using the words "Sumimasen"(excuse me) and "Arigato Gozaimas"(Thank you so much). This is a bit of a challenge on other attractions because Belle on Beauty and the Beast ride wont speak english to you. I heard other foreigners in the line asking for subtitles but you are in Japan, what do you expect.

On the airport: I arrived in Narita airport. Dont forget to visit Japan website to declare your trip. We had other foreigners on the line that took too much time and was politely asked to fill up forms because they did not do this before arrival. They were shooed away in the queue. Fill these up and preprare to show your QR code to immigration.

After going through the long lines of immigration, use the atm to get money, get a welcome suica card(red card), load half of money to your suica and use it whenever possible. My mistake was using my credit card because after the trip, I realized my credit card charges around 2 USD per txn.

When you go to any JR station, get yourself a green Suica card - you can put your name on it so its awesome and it doesnt expire unlike the red welcome suica. So exhaust your red one until you can get a green one.

On getting around, just use google maps. It will say what station and platform to wait. Just look for arrows at the floor and the color for the signs. Its pretty easy. You can set settings also to use elevators only so dont be afraid. Just dont talk loudly on the train. Pls respect their culture.

Accommodation: We stayed at Apa Hotels and learned quickly that the term "Ekimae" means it is right beside the station. So if you dont like walking too much, book any hotels with "Ekimae". Every night, I soak my feet and body to a warm bath. It helps. The room is very small but I only use it to bathe and sleep so its fine. I only have a hand carry item and I used the 100 yen coin operated laundry machine on the 4th day to wash clothes. You can leave your luggage with them if you have spare time before or after the check in and they will ask you to go to a site that gives you a QR code to get back your stuff. I heard you can also arrange luggage transfer to other APA hotels but I only had a backpack so I wasnt able to use it.

Purchasing attractions: We used KKday and Klook app to book attractions. Sometimes, the day/time on Klook is not available so we used KKday. Generally, KKday is cheaper but Klook has more day/time available for example, the Shibuya sky day/time we needed was not on KKday but was on Klook. So check both and plan accordingly. Book these 2-3 months in advance.

Tokyo:

1st day: Asakusa Sumida River and Boat Cruise to Odaiba. What a fun way to sight see! Hanging out at Sumida river while waiting for our boat ride was an attraction in itself. Its so open and peaceful. And the boat cruise was so perfect for sight seeing. There's an open deck on top of the cruise perfect to hangout. We timed our boat cruise during sunset and it was amazing. So cold though. Below the cruise boat, there's seating but we stayed mostly on the deck. If youre cold, you can go below and still see things but with a mirror.

2nd day: Sensoji Temple, Team Lab Planets and Shibuya Sky Sensoji temple - dont forget to roam around for snacks/food around nearby areas and go inside the temple and have a fortune read. There's english translation how to do it and dont forget to put 100 yen coin. You need to tie the fortune paper and leave it in the temple if its bad fortune.

Team Lab planets - I honestly feel I can skip team labs. I enjoyed hanging out at Sumida river more than this.

Shibuya Sky was just OK. We didnt catch the sunset but it was still beautiful at night. Dont book this if you have fear of heights though. Its so windy up there.

3rd day: Disneyland Download the app the night before and scan your group's qr passes in the app to book timed attractions using the anniv passes. Its free. I heard you can use paid passes but we have no use for it. In the morning, we queued for around an hour for the Beauty and the Beast then they announced it was broken. We stayed in line to get to the castle but they gave us priority pass for any of the ride and got to check out inside the castle. During our lunch, I was checking the app if the Beauty and the Beast ride was open and it was! So after eating, we used the same priority pass to get into the ride. No lines! Thank goodness. It was the best ride in the park by a mile. Next best was Winnie the Pooh - it was so trippy and I dont know whats going on but still so wacky and fun.

(Osaka/Kyoto)

4th day: Flight to Osaka and explore Dotonbori and Namba at night. I used this day to just explore so I ate at a wagyu restaurant I booked in advance and just roamed in the area. I checked out the small hidden Hozen Ji temple which has the moss statue. I wanted to have a picture but somebody is deep in their worship that I had to restrain myself because they might find it offensive.

5th day: USJ By far, the most expensive attraction I did because I bought the express pass to skip the lines. I dont think you'll enjoy this park without the express pass because most of the attractions are 2 hours long wait time for the popular attractions. Nintendo World is still doable at night without the express pass because there's barely any lines even in Koopa ride. By noon, I had to lie down because my back was killing me. Was able to nap and lie down at the bench close to Demon Slayer ride while waiting for our timed entry. Just wanted to warn you that Demon Slayer ride is kind of intense. I saw other foreigner riders at end of the ride having their BP checked and the staff was asking me if I was OK. This is not a kid's ride I thought it was. I did ride the flying dinasaur ride but you know what you're getting into. The Demon Slayer one though, it took me by surprise.

6th day: Kyoto Daigo ji temple and GEAR theater. Kyoto by far has the quintessential Japan experience and I would say, it has the heart of Japan. Its just so gorgeous on autumn season. We had to use bus during this trip and it was so peaceful. In the morning, we visited Daigo-ji temple and it was so beautiful. The japanese garden and the pagoda at the end is so beautiful with the autumn colors. Most tourist are in Arashiyama area, Gion or Fushimi Inari so I wanted to skip that and pick a least touristy temple. I read someone here that this is her favorite spot and thank goodness I added this in the itinerary. At noon, we hangout by the river and it was so calming to people watch.

At night, we watched the GEAR non-verbal theater - also recommended by this sub and it was so magical. I truly recommend this because there's no lines. I wonder why Disney haven't bought the IP for this yet. Come in blind, best way to see it! Just book it if you're in Kyoto.

7th day: Shopping and Roam. Shopping at Namba area, had to buy a large suitcase for this to bring back home and finally had time to mingle with fellow travellers. I visited a foreigner friendly Karaoke, drink and hang, roamed Dotonbori and do shopping. Dont forget to eat Takoyaki - the best food there. Ate melon pan. Filled myself with whatever food I see. I also visited the tiger head temple a few minutes walk from Namba area called Namba Yasaka Jinja. Visited a Bic Camera building which is basically a mall. I visited Donki near Shin Sekai which was utterly chaotic (cant find the exit sign). I visited Shin Sekai which was dodgy to be honest, theres homeless people in the bridge but good photo op on the tower. I came across a pachinko area which is like a casino for them? Also dodgy to be honest.

In summary, I suggest to plan your itinerary around attractions or areas. Preferably one in morning and one in evening. And dont forget to plan food spots, shopping and give yourself some days to just explore or rest and people watch. I think the magic of Japan is really just finding little things like the small swan origami in your room and interactions with the locals. They are so polite and cute. I had encounter with a friendly chatty local on a Starbucks one time and how she and her friend will do a "free time Karaoke" at 11am. Its so cute. Also find time to shop at local groceries. I had the best strawberry in Japan in my life that I bought there. It was so sweet and juicy. Dont forget to eat famichiki on family mart - its reall...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/akakaiibaraaaa on 2024-12-08 17:30:46+00:00.

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It'll be our first time in Japan and we decided to go to Nikko for a day trip on December 26. We booked a limited express train, round-trip. We'd be arriving at around 8:30am and leaving at around 5pm so we basically have around 8 hours in Nikko. We initially wanted to see Kegon falls but seeing as how it's about an hour away from Tobu-Nikko Stn., we'd rather just stay near the town and I've seen from other threads that including it for a daytrip might make it feel rushed. Because of this, we only got the Nikko Pass (mainly for the basic fare required in getting the limited express tickets).

Is 8 hours too much though for just generally exploring the town at a leisurely pace near the train stations? For reference, here are the main places we were planning to go to:

Shinkyo Bridge

Nikko Toshogu (and Museum)

Rin'noji Temple

Nikko Tamozawa Imeprial Villa

Kanmangafuchi Abyss

Are there other places you might recommend that's not too far out from the station? Tyia!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/DoctorOfMathematics on 2024-12-09 08:14:21+00:00.

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As you can see a very packed itinerary. I actually avoided posting my plan on this sub because I knew it would be discouraged for being too busy. But honestly it worked out really well and I'm happy with how much I got to see.

Day 0 (Nov 24): arrive at Tokyo at night. Get some 7/11 food and go to bed.

Day 1 (Nov 25): Senso-ji, Asakusa, team labs borderless and Akihabara. Tried out that Instafamous fluffy pancakes place (meh) and Ichiran (yeah!)

Day 2 (Nov 26): Ueno (museums, etc), Shibuya, did some rock climbing at b pump, some shopping, Shinjuku, met a friend who lives in Japan for dinner. Some more shopping.

Day 3 (Nov 27): Meiji Jingu (favorite shrine in Japan!) Ginza, Imperial castle area, Intermediatheque museum, went to a viewpoint, etc.

Day 4 (Nov 28): Day trip to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. It didn't snow (it snowed the very next day 😑) but it was still absolutely fantastic. I was on the fence as reviews were mixed but a highlight of the trip. Returned to Tokyo and explored a quieter area of Tokyo (Yanesen I think?) to pick a nice dinner.

Day 5 (Nov 29): Morning train to Takayama. Had so much food at skewer stalls and stuff, walked around the historic neighborhoods, checked out some museums, onsen.

Day 6 (Nov 30): Morning bus to Shirakawa Go. Heavy snow gave it a unique vibe. Spent a few hours there and took another bus to Kanazawa. Explored Kenroku En, the fish market, and had some gold foil ice cream. Finally an evening train to Kyoto. That's 4 cities in a day! Busiest day of the trip but honestly it worked out very well. I had a limited list of things that I really wanted from all these places and I feel I really got everything I wanted.

Day 7 (Dec 1): Kyoto. Got my portrait done at the manga museum (an unexpected highlight, my favorite trip souvenir of all time, highly recommended). Fushimi Inari, climbing Mt Inari, explored Pontocho a bit. Went to a fancy ramen place with a 2 hour wait.

Day 8 (Dec 2): Day trip to Nara in the mornings. Amazing time with some deer, got the famous mochi, went to Todaiji and explored a bit idly. On my way back I noticed Uji was slightly along the way so I thought fuck it let's go. Went to the main temple (forgot the name) and then a smaller temple recommended on Reddit where I struck up a really lovely conversation with some old Japanese couples who taught me how to write my name in Katakana and Kanji, and we exchanged emails. Great experience. Had plenty of matcha and returned to Kyoto. On a whim walked into the Samurai museum (meh) where someone convinced me to take the Samurai class (also meh). Needless to say incredibly tired at the end of this day.

Day 9 (Dec 3): Arashiyama - crowds were super unpleasant. And then just kinda rested a bit and regained energy. Went to a Gion corner show and took an evening train to Osaka.

Day 10 (Dec 4): Morning/afternoon journey to Koyasan where I had an overnight temple stay booked. Didn't really do much this day but travel sadly due to some traveling/booking mishaps. Probably the only wasted day but even then got to participate in my temple’s evening ritual.

Day 11 (Dec 5): Morning rituals at temple. Koyasan exploration. Very small place so basically saw everything there was - the cemetery and the mausoleum were the highlight. Surprisingly good food. Returned to Osaka, explored Americamura a bit.

Day 12 (Dec 6): Osaka aquarium and Dotonbori area. Evening train to Hiroshima. I'll admit Osaka was a bit untapped but not a lot really jumped out to me while planning anyway which is why I went to Hiroshima.

Day 13 (Dec 7): Day trip to Okonushima (rabbit island). Felt like I was in the Mediterranean or something, great seascape. Rabbits were cool and the island in general was interesting. Went to Miyajima straight from there. Explored the main shrine and surrounding area, had some food. Returned to Hiroshima, had some Okonomoyiki (I think I prefer Osaka style!)

Day 14 (Dec 8): Hiroshima exploration - the nuclear bomb memorials and museum, and the castle. My return flight was actually in Tokyo so I took an evening train back to Tokyo.

Day 15 (Dec 9): Morning flight out of Japan.

I won't deny that it's super busy, but apart from Osaka (which I was never big on to begin with), I never felt like I missed much. In fact I feel very happy that I've managed to get such a broad range of experiences dowm in two weeks without things becoming too overwhelming or feelings too over planned - a lot of the overstuffing was due to spontaneity actually. I'll admit I did get tired at times and I did let myself relax when I needed to!

Overall absolutely fantastic trip, let me know if you have any questions.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/sh1nyburr1t0 on 2024-12-07 02:58:49+00:00.

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Hi all! My family (2 adults + 6 yr old) is planning a trip to Japan in Fall of 2025 and have been putting together an rough plan. We're planning to mostly get around via train (sadly the JR Pass doesn't seem like a good deal anymore) and would love some input on the plan. Appreciate any advice!

Days 1-6: Tokyo, Mount Fuji, and Hakone

• Day 1 : Arrival in Tokyo. Settle into Shibuya. Explore Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko Statue, and nearby shops and restaurants.
• Day 2 : Tokyo - Morning at Tsukiji Outer Market for sushi breakfast. Visit Pokémon Center DX in Nihonbashi and explore Akihabara.
• Day 3: Tokyo - Visit Meiji Shrine and Takeshita Street in Harajuku. Afternoon in Shibuya for shops and dinner.
• Day 4: Visit Mount Fuji. We're thinking this may be a good opportunity to book a guided tour but also up for exploring ourselves if it makes sense. Return to Tokyo in the evening.
• Day 5: Tokyo - Spend the morning at the Imperial Palace East Gardens. Open to suggestions of what to check out for the afternoon/dinner. Maybe some conveyor belt sushi, my son would love it! lol

Days 6-7: Kinosaki Onsen

• Day 6: Travel to Kinosaki Onsen. Check-in. Relax
• Day 7 : Spend the day visiting the town, onsen hopping, eating. Any recommendations on other things to do in the area?

Days 8-12: Osaka, Himeji, and Kyoto

• Day 8: Travel to Osaka. Explore Dotonbori and Namba areas for food and shopping
• Day 9: Universal Studios Japan.
• Day 10: Visit Himeji Castle. Maybe another good option for a signing up for a guide/tour?
• Day 11: isit Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building, and Osaka Aquarium.
• Day 12: Nara Day Trip. Tour again? Maybe?
• Day 13: Travel to Kyoto. Explore Fushimi Inari Shrine, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and Kinkaku-ji . Stay overnight in Kyoto.

Days 14-15: Return to Tokyo

• Day 14 : Travel to Tokyo. Last chance for shopping and food! Maybe checkout some more pokemon centers?
• Day 15: Departure from Tokyo

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/loveislandbruv on 2024-12-08 19:14:20+00:00.

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Hey everyone, my boyfriend and I visited DisneySea during our one week stay in Tokyo on Nov 26th and it was amazing!! I’ll preface this by saying we are not huge Disney fans, we appreciate it and were excited to go but we were NOT about to show up any earlier than 8:45am to get in the park considering it was a one hour journey from Shibuya and we had a fun cocktail bar night out the night before.

Even though we arrived at that time and there were already hundreds of people in line in front of us (actually got into park at 9:17am), we still got to do everything we wanted and left the park around 6:30pm.

We are from California, so we are used to a single park ticket costing $200 USD a head. Considering the DisneySea tickets were only $65 each, and we didn’t have any kids with us, we decided we will splurge on the Premier Access to skip those crazy likes and it was WELL worth it.

We used Premier Access to skip the line for: Tower of terror Journey to center of the earth Soarin Toy Story mania

We used the anniversary pass on Indiana Jones

We single rider’d Ragin spirits (definitely recommend this, the ride is so short and I feel like it doesn’t matter who you sit by)

The only thing we waited in line for was the carousel (15 min) as we killed some time waiting for our Indiana Jones slot, and luckily as I was refreshing the premier access page on the app around 3pm I landed premier access to the Frozen ride!!! At that point in the day I had totally given up on seeing fantasy springs and I was ok with it since we showed up to the park pretty “late” and I didn’t even think there would be any more passes for the day.

So we got to do the frozen ride and explore fantasy springs later in the evening and omg it really was magical!

All in all, we got to get good sleep the night before, got to the park at 8:45am, did 7 of the most popular rides without waiting in a single line and even got to see fantasy springs without really any prior planning. I think being proficient with the app and obviously being willing to spend $ on fast passes is really crucial to having a solid experience. On top of the tickets, we spent 9000 yen each (~$58 USD) to not waste a moment standing in line bored out of our minds and it was totally worth it, especially when the rest of our Japan trip took such a toll on our feet!!

I saw a lot of posts here prior to actually going that made me thing if I didn’t show up to the park at 7am I was basically going to be out of luck with fantasy springs and waiting in lines all day but I just wanted to give some hope to others that that doesn’t have to be the case :) it also helped we went on a weekday I believe! Thanks all for all the tips in here, helped us have an amazing day

EDIT: I should add that as soon as we got in the park there were premier access passes available for Peter Pan and frozen for quite some time. We opted for something else at the time naively thinking they’d be available later but then after 10am they were gone until 3pm or so when I luckily snagged a frozen pass. I did not see standby passes available for anything all day long.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Abyssight on 2024-12-08 08:22:05+00:00.

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I completed a two week trip in Japan in November 2024. This was my fourth trip and I had seen enough of Tokyo and Kansai already. So for this trip I wanted to explore other cities and some of the islands in the Inland Sea.

Day 1 - Osaka: By the time I got out of Osaka Itami airport, it was already night. I stayed at a hotel near Shin Osaka station in order to catch an early Shinkansen to Okayama the next morning.

Day 2 - Naoshima: I first shipped my luggage to the hotel at Takamatsu. took an early train to Okayama, changed to a bus to Uno port, and finally took the ferry to Miyanoura port on Naoshima. It was about 11am when I reached the island. The bike rental places were right across the ferry terminal and they all charged the same price for the whole day. Fortunately I managed to get one of the last e-bikes still available. It would have been difficult for me to ride up the roads to Chichu Art Museum without an e-bike.

My only reservation of the day was Chichu Art Museum at 14:00. This gave me some time to visit the Honmura side of the island where the Art House Projects were. I ended up visiting the Ando Museum, which was a rather small place that introduced the architect Ando Tadao. In retrospect, I probably should have visited the Art House Project places instead.

Riding from east to west towards Chichu was rough, even with an e-bike. I did not properly adjust the seat height and my calves suffered for it. By the way, the Benesse museum staffs do not allow people to ride their bikes along the coastal path where the Yellow Pumpkin is. Chichu Art Museum however was very much worth visiting, with its interesting architecture and art works, plus a rewarding view at its cafe.

The island notably did not have too many places to eat, relative to the number of tourists. I went to Chikurin 5 minutes before the old man opened the door. The man managed the entire place on his own and only served 8 guests for the evening. While the food was not the best I had for the trip, the place easily had the best vibe. It was just fun and relaxing to talk with other locals and tourists for the 2 hours I was there.

Day 3 - Teshima: There was only one item on the itinerary today: Teshima Art Museum. I took a ferry from Miyanoura port to Teshima, and quickly started exploring after picking up the e-bike I reserved ahead of time. This island was beautiful, with its old villages, farms along the hills, and the seas around it. After a few turns I found a scenic spot to take some photos. The Teshima Art Museum was amazing. Some people recommend against looking it up before going, and I'd agree. Take your time there. After the museum, I just rode the e-bike around the rest of the island. I'd suggest visiting the south side of the island. There are no tourist attractions but I liked the views there also.

I returned to Naoshima for the night. Dinner was curry rice near the hotel.

Day 4 - Naoshima, Takamatsu: Started the morning with a very nice cup of cappuccino. I rented an e-bike again, and revisited the Honmura area for Minamidera, which I should not spoil. I spent a bit more time visiting roads and outdoor attractions that I missed on day 2. Then I took the ferry to Takamatsu before noon.

Obviously I had to try udon in Takamatsu once I arrived. For the afternoon I visited the Shikoku Mura, a very good place to see historic buildings and artifacts from the region. Outside the museum, there was an infrequent bus that took me uphill to Yashima temple and observation deck. From there I could see the city, the hills behind it, and the nearby islands.

It took more than an hour to take the bus and train from Yashima to Kawaramachi, where my hotel was. The location was excellent, just one stop from Ritsurin-Koen and the harbour. The Kotoden line to Yashima also started there.

Day 5 - Takamatsu, Ogijima: Another early start to visit Ritsurin-Koen to avoid the crowd. This is the best garden I visited on this trip (out of two). The lakes, trees, bridges, and rocks are all masterfully laid out. The hill behind it forms a nice backdrop. Walking the entire garden took about 2 hours.

I had a beef udon for an early lunch with some tempura on the side. The place was popular with locals. The food was good and quite cheap even by Japan standard. I took a ferry to Ogijima. There is a village built along the hill facing the harbour. I really liked the view from the shrine at the top of the village towards the sea. The village itself noticeably has quite a few abandoned houses, and most of the locals are old, but there is a surprisingly nice school building.

I took a late afternoon train to Okayama. Unfortunately for me, there was a marathon in Okayama the next day and the hotels were expensive for the night. I ended up staying at a guesthouse about 15 minutes walk away from the station.

Day 6 - Kurashiki, Okayama: I spent the morning in Kurashiki to avoid the marathon. The main attraction was of course the historical quarter with the canal. The view was alright, and I took a nice photo or two. There was even a couple taking wedding photos on a boat. For me the shops selling denim products were more interesting. I saw a few rather unique designs that I did not recall seeing elsewhere. I would later regret not buying a jacket there.

In the afternoon I visited the main attractions Okayama had to offer. With Ritsurin still fresh in my mind, I was quite disappointed by Okayama's Korakuen. It just felt too open and flat, with only a handful of beautiful spots. I am sure it'd be much better during cherry blossom and peak autumn colour. The Okayama castle nearby was nice from the outside. Inside may be worth a visit if you are interested in its history.

Day 7 - Onomichi: Took a long local train ride from Okayama to Onomichi. Here I met up with my sister and a cousin (they each had other plans). The small city is beautiful and absolutely worth at least one whole day. We took the cable car up to the observation deck. The view from there is phenomenal. Then we slowly strolled downhill through some temples, stopping here and there for a drink or snack. The shopping street across the railroad had some nice shops and cafes to chill for the rest of the afternoon. The ramen lunch at Shoya was the best ramen I had for this trip, very much worth the 15 minutes wait.

Day 8 - Shimanami Kaido Onomichi to Omishima: We picked up a cross bike from the rental place near the ferry. With a reservation you can avoid lining up for too long. The short ferry ride (with dozens of school children) took us to the starting point on the nearby island. The routes are clearly marked the whole way. With the provided map and smart phone, it's very easy to navigate. There were uphill sections when approaching a bridge, but they were not hard to ride up with the cross bike. I saw other people struggle with those city bikes with a basket. So may be don't get those. The oranges and lemons from the local area are very, very good. And needless to say, the views are fantastic. We ended the day at Omishima, staying at an Airbnb guesthouse.

Day 9 - Shimanami Kaido Omishima to Imabari, Matsuyama: A special mention for the host because she kindly booked the dinner for us, and advised us to take a turn to the northern coastal path on Oshima. The hardest part of the cycling route is probably the uphill section on Oshima. We took the right turn as suggested at about halfway through the island. It took us to some shipbuilding industrial area, where we randomly walked into the best pastry shop that I can remember. After that was more great coastal views and the longest bridge of the trip. we ended the ride at Imabari station and took a bus to the Dogo Onsen area in Matsuyama. We stayed at a ryokan to reward ourselves with onsen and kaiseki ryori after two days of biking.

Day 10 - Matsuyama, Hiroshima: Visited the Matsuyama Castle in the morning. Being lazy, we took the ropeway to go up. The castle area is on top of a hill and the castle complex is quite large, with several watchtowers and gates. Inside there are some exhibitions with the usual armors, weapons, and other artifacts. From the top floor of the tenshukaku, one can see a sweeping view of the nearby area.

I also should mention the orange juice. There are quite a few places selling orange juice. Some offer a variety of orange juice. Some offer orange juice on a tap. I would soon come to miss the orange, hassaku, and lemon from this area.

The ferry to Hiroshima was quite a long trip, but the ship was comfortable with many types of seats to offer. There is even an area where you can lie down, if you like. We arrived in late afternoon. There was not much to do other than okonomiyaki (at Nagataya, expect long lineup) for dinner and some shopping.

Day 11 - Miyajima: Everyone knows about the famous torii gate in the water. We checked the high and low tide times and made sure to visit at both times. It was unfo...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/wharf_rat_01 on 2024-12-06 12:22:29+00:00.

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Background: I previously visited Tokyo April 2023 (previous trip report) and did not have as great a time as I had hoped due to jet lag and lack of energy (I had just finished 6 months of chemotherapy 2 months prior). Decided to go back and do the golden triangle now that I feel much more normal.

Flew into NRT from DFW and decided to use the Narita Express roundtrip ticket, my Airbnb was in Shinjuku and while not the cheapest transportation option from NRT, it was a direct drop-off at Shinjuku Station so I would not have to fight rush hour traffic to transfer if I used Skyliner. If you decide to do the roundtrip option, make sure to keep your NRT return ticket that gets printed out along with your NRT outbound ticket, you'll need it to get back. You can use the return ticket on any local JR subway line to get to Tokyo Station and take the NRT Express from there back to the airport. This worked out well.

Jet lag was still an issue on this trip, I would wake up at around 3am for the first few days but I was more prepared for it this time. I took this opportunity to walk the quiet streets of Japan when no one is around and take pictures. I never once felt unsafe doing this, but I am a 5'6" Asian American male so YMMV.

I purposely chose Airbnb's close to popular destinations (Shinjuku in Tokyo, Dotonbori in Osaka, Gion in Kyoto) so that there would be restaurants open close by during my late night/early morning walks. This kind of backfired on me since there were still quite a lot of (sometimes drunk) people on the streets even late at night. By the middle of my trip, I was getting tired of crowds so for the last 2 nights of Tokyo, I canceled my original Shibuya rental and chose the quieter neighborhood of Asakusa instead. By the end of my trip though I was sleeping pretty normally so ended up not being a big issue.

I visited 3 areas famous for otaku culture, Akihabara and Nakano Broadway in Tokyo and Denden Town in Osaka. I am in my late 40s and grew up on G1 Transformers, Robotech/Macross, and the 1988 anime film Akira and those are what sparked my love for all things Japanese. I am less interested in current anime (although I still watch some) and most stores in the area seem to sell figures from current series. However there are retro stores in all 3 areas that sell older stuff second hand, but you have to look for them. Mandarake locations in particular seem to have a good selection of older stuff and I found out they have an online database you can search for particular items to see what locations have them in stock.

I visited a couple of street markets (Kuromon in Osaka, Nishiki in Kyoto) and to be honest, if you've been to one, you've been to them all. They are all tourist traps nowadays similar to Tsukiji in Tokyo and they in general have the same street food for sale. I also found the street market food to be a bit hit or miss, the grilled food in general was good but I ordered a seafood curry in Nishiki that had a picture of big shrimps in it, but when I got the actual food, there was only a pitiful amount of salmon and oysters in it. Restaurants were more consistent quality wise, but I still recommend visiting at least 1 street market if you've never been to one, it is a pretty wild experience.

During this trip, I found I did not care for the typical tourist destinations like Kabuchiko, Dotonbori, the aforementioned street markets, etc. It was too crowded and did not feel "authentic", my most memorable meals were from walking back from these tourist traps back to my Airbnb and just using Google Maps to find a highly rated local restaurant on my way. Had a great chicken udon soup from a mom & pop shop in Osaka this way.

This was a great time to visit Japan as the cities were decorated with holiday lights and beautiful autumn colors were everywhere. In Osaka, there was a festive European style Christmas Market going on at one of the parks.

All in all, I had a much better experience this trip even though I walked a heckuva lot more this trip than previous (I clocked over 40k steps my last full day, which is over 18 miles). Even after 2 trips, I feel like there's still so much more I want to see in Tokyo let alone the rest of Japan. I can't wait to go back!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bredcrumbz on 2024-12-06 21:14:52+00:00.

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I write this trip report as a means to cope with post-Japan blues. It was the trip of a lifetime and I still get teary-eyed thinking about how much it meant to me to spend this adventure with my wife. I've rewritten this a few times since the first draft was too long. Instead I will list our itinerary and only comment on things that I feel aren't touched on in this sub very often. I'm putting the extensive budget report (brought to you by YNAB) at the bottom for those not interested in reading my thoughts. Also feel free to ask me any benign or tedious questions. Even if you stumble on this post years later. I check reddit occasionally, so I will respond. Many here did the same for me.

Background

My wife and I spent a year planning our first trip to Japan (my first time traveling internationally). My first piece of advice would be to plan in the 6-8 month range. Waiting a year+ is agonizing and not really necessary for making reservations anyways. We both just turned 30 and had been dreaming of a Japan trip for a long time. Huge thanks to this subreddit for all the info. I spent many many hours doing research here. I really don't think you can overdo the research for the trip. But I would avoid looking at too many pictures lest you spoil the novelty before seeing the place in person. Highly recommend you use Wanderlog or some other itinerary app. It really helps to break down each day and have useful notes written ahead of time. We revised our itinerary a lot (check my last post to see how laughably overpacked each day was). We tried splitting the experiences between city life, cultural traditions, and the natural beauty of Japan. Tokyo, Takayama, Kyoto, Hakone, and Tokyo again. I'll try to stick to the interesting thoughts/experiences and not list out the entirety of each day.

Travel Info

We traveled on Japan Airlines from the DFW airport in Texas all the way to Haneda. Splurged for premium economy because this would be the longest flight of our lives. I had a hard time deciding if it was worth the extra cost. On one hand, ~$6k for plane tickets is obscene. On the other hand, I would've been even more miserable if the seats were even an inch smaller. Bottom line, premium economy was a very nice experience if you've always been an economy flyer your whole life. And Japan Airlines is my new gold standard. We even flew on their new A350 Airbus which just made the whole experience feel even more premium.

Itinerary

Oct 2 - Travel Day

• Left from DFW to HND around 11am central time.

Oct 3 - Arrival in Tokyo

• Landed around 3pm at Haneda.
• Took a cab to our hotel at the Conrad Tokyo
• Fought through the jet lag and made it to our 8:30pm omakase reservation at Sushi Kagura (great experience and amazing food)
• Passed out

Notes: Sushi Kagura is great for English speakers. Chef Sho Mochizuki enjoys practicing his English and he was happy to teach us a few Japanese phrases as well. He did an excellent job telling us about each dish as we ate. A great opener to the trip as his enthusiasm will force you through the jet lag.

Oct 4 - Harajuku and Shibuya

• Explored Harajuku at 10am
• Hit the Shibuya Scramble by 1pm
• Shibuya Sky 2pm entry ticket (highly recommend)
• Explored Shibuya
• Tower Records
• Quick nap at the hotel
• Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu 8:45pm reservation (the Kill Bill restaurant, do not recommend)

Notes: Go to Shibuya Sky even if you can't get the sunset entry time. It gives incredible views of Tokyo and really puts into perspective how huge it is. Also, they changed their reservation system so it's much harder for foreigners to fight for those spots. It's really not a big deal. Just go any time of the day. Just make sure you get a ticket ahead of time.

Oct 5 - teamLab Planets and Ginza

• ~~Tsukiji Outer Market~~
• teamLab Planets at 11am
• Suitengu Shrine
• ~~Art Aquarium Museum~~

Notes: We shifted our itinerary quite a bit across the whole trip. But today we definitely skipped the most. We just couldn't keep the energy up and we also spent soooo much time exploring Ginza. The Tsukiji market was skipped to sleep in. And we ended up doing some shopping instead of the art aquarium. Also, we did visit the Suitengu Shrine, but we didn't go inside or stay for very long. The locals take this stuff seriously, so it didn't feel right to wander around. TeamLabs Planets was the highlight and definitely worth it.

Oct 6 - Shinjuku

• Laundry day!
• The stairs at Suga Jinja (from the famous scene in Your Name) at 1pm
• Cafe LaBoheme (restaurant from Your Name)
• Kinokuniya Main Store
• Explored Shinjuku
• Rokkasen AYCE sukiyaki and yakiniku reservation at 5pm (plus all-you-can-drink)
• Explored Kabukicho
• Shinjuku McDonalds (the one from Weathering With You) at 8:30pm

Notes: Yeah today was the anime pilgrimage day mixed in with lots of Shinjuku exploring. The neighborhood that has the famous stairs is actually very cute and surprisingly quiet for being in the middle of Tokyo. If you like wandering, I recommend allotting two full days for Shinjuku. You spend so much time just exploring from store to store. We didn't even hit 1% of what it had to offer. We also did laundry at the coin laundromat in the morning which cut into the rest of our day.

Oct 7 - Tokyo DisneySea

• Left early and took the Keiyo Line to DisneySea to get there before open (9am)
• Stayed until 7:30pm

Notes: I've never been to any Disney park so I had to research a bit for this. Highly recommend reading TDRExplorer guide for DisneySea. We didn't hit everything, but still had a fantastic time. The park wasn't as decked out with Halloween stuff as you'd think it would be, but they still had a ton of Halloween merch. We bought it all. Get the fancy themed popcorn bucket, you won't regret it.

Oct 8 - Arrival in Takayama

• Took the 9:56am shinkansen to Toyama
• Got on the 1:08pm Hida limited express to Takayama
• Arrived at our small ryokan, Oyado Yoshinoya at 3:15pm
• Funasaka Sake Brewery at 4pm
• Explored Takayama old town

Notes: The Hida limited express does NOT do IC cards at all. Make sure you buy TWO paper tickets at the Toyama (or Nagoya depending on which end you're coming from) station. It isn't a huge deal if you mess up, just be prepared to pay when you're on the train because they will check for both your base fare ticket, and your limited express ticket.

Oct 9 - Takayama Autumn Festival

• Miyagawa Morning Markets at 9:45am (highly recommend)
• Explored the town all day
• More sake breweries
• Sukiyaki restaurant at 3pm
• More exploring
• Watched the parade floats from 5pm to 8:30pm

Notes: We timed our trip for the Takayama Autumn festival and we were happy we did! The morning markets happen year round. But to get to do both fulfilled our dreams of experiencing a Japanese festival. Takayama is also quite the picturesque town, so the atmosphere was perfect. Our accommodations were quite different from Tokyo (think staying with your long lost Japanese grandma and grandpa), but the Watanabes were so friendly. Oyado Yoshinoya had a few other guests staying there too and it was so much fun getting to start each morning eating a traditional breakfast with them! Our stay in Takayama was probably the most memorable of the whole trip.

Oct 10 - Kamikochi

• Took the 10:30am bus to Hirayu Onsen and then another to Kamikochi
• Arrived at 12:30pm at Taisho Ike Pond
• Walked north to Kappa-bashi Bridge
• Left at 4:30pm

Notes: I won't write much about Kamikochi. I can't even find the words to describe how incredible it is. Just go. It's gorgeous. I was the most unsure on planning this part of the trip. But you can easily hop on a bus out of Takayama during the second festival day. Be warned that unless you're staying in Kamikochi or Hirayu Onsen, your last bus out is the 4:30pm bus. They say the last bus is 5:30pm, but that's also the last bus out of Hirayu Onsen. We made it out, but just barely. And that's because we took the 4:30pm out of Kamikochi.

Oct 11 - Arrival in Kyoto

• Took the 9:36am Hida limited express to Nagoya (it was jam-packed)
• Hopped on shinkansen around 1:45pm for Kyoto.
• Arrived at our hotel, Nohga Hotel Kiyomizu Kyoto at 3:30pm
• Explored downtown Kyoto a little bit

Notes: Try to get on the Hida limited express early if you can. We had to stand the whole way to Nagoya (2.5 hours).

Oct 12 - Gion District

• Kimono rental reservation at 9am
• Explored Gion
• Tea Ceremony at Camellia Flower at 2pm (recommend if you're already in Gion)
• Explored downtown Kyoto some more

Notes: I'm happy we did the Gion district and Kyoto, but I would be perfectly content if I never went back. Gion felt more like a theme park than the actual theme park we went to (DisneySea). The highlight was the kimono rental and tea ceremony. We did the 45 minute tourist version since my knees can't last for the real deal. It was very enjoyable and the staff at Camellia Flower took great care to explain the meaning behind everything.

Oct 13 - Nishiki Market

• Laundry day!
• Nishiki Market
• Fushimi Sake Village (highly recommend)

Notes: Our legs were giving out on us by this point, so we heavily reworked today to skip the Fushimi Inari shrine. Surprisingly, we had a great experience at the Fushimi Sake Village. A buddy of mine stumbled upon it during his trip and recommended it to us. So now I'm doing the...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Ok_Syrup_190 on 2024-12-06 06:44:39+00:00.

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Yesterday, I completed the Shimanami Kaido. Before I went, I couldn't find anything on Reddit about doing it in December so I wanted to feedback.

I organised for my luggage to be collected from my hostel and paid 2200 yen for one bag one way. This all went really smoothly, the hostel was clearly used to organising this service and my bag was waiting for me when I arrived at my hotel in Imabari at about 16:30.

The weather was mostly okay, about 10-14 degrees C and sunny/cloudy. The wind picked up throughout the day so crossing the last 3 bridges was pretty blustery... Generally, I was warm enough, I wore leg thermals and a pair of leggings, then a gym top, long sleeve gym top and an ultra light down jacket from UNIQLO - the jacket was windproof which was very much needed. I wasn't able to stop for very long because you very quickly get cold but as long as you are on the move, it's okay.

I hired a road bike from Onomichi which cost 3000 yen and started the route by using the Fukumoto ferry to cross for just 70 yen (including bike) to Mukaishima Island. You pay when you get off the ferry and then follow the blue line from there. Initially to the end of the road and when you get to the traffic lights, you want to turn right - along the blue line you will find small arrows saying "Imabari" and the distance so about 73km to start.

Importantly, if you want to follow the recommended route, you must follow the blue LINE not just the blue ARROWS - I accidentally came off the line onto the arrows and ended up detouring onto the advanced route for 25km (not ideal when it's cold and it gets dark at 4:30/5pm).

The recommended route is lovely, suitable for any cycling ability, only hills are going up onto the bridges but these are gentle inclines, and there is a bit of uphill as you cross the Oshima Island (the final one if you go from Onomichi to Imabari) as the route cuts across the island instead of following the coastline.

I didn't wear padded shorts but really wish I had - 95km is a long cycle with no padding and it was sore by the end.

There are plenty of 7/11s, Lawsons and Family Marts all the way along - I was worried I might not have access to shops/restaurants on route as Onomichi had been so closed up (off season) but all the konbinis were open. You could easily go with a bottle of water and some brekkie and just pick up bits along the way if you are worried about weight.

I set off at 9:30am and arrived in Imabari about 16:30 (my watch died just before the end), and honestly I didn't stop much along the way. I averaged 17km/h so the detour really set me back. Elevation gain was 583m although I think it's only about 500m if you don't detour - total distance was about 95km.

I would recommend this route, it was truly beautiful and the fact it's still very doable despite being winter.

Top tips -

make sure you follow the blue LINE and keep an eye out for road signs too (I missed this and this is what caused the detour as I was so fixated on following what was on the road)

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/BrujitaBrujita on 2024-12-05 11:56:11+00:00.

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Hi everyone, posting this itinerary in case anybody has any advice for me, just wants a chat or if anyone wants to take notes from my highly intricate planning lol:

[Background: Two 25 year olds, first time outside of Europe (we love anime, games, fun activities, drinking, food, exploring. Definitely not allergic to walking and are totally cool on running on 6 hours of sleep most days. Also I speak - some - Japanese and feel perfectly comfortable ordering food and having small talk)]

For travels, my strategy usually is to have a very general structure and then plenty of points of interest per area, because nothing is worse than paying hard-earned money to be in a place and then being so overwhelmed, tired, or indecisive that you waste time on not knowing what to do. The planning may look OD but keep in mind I don't feel the need to follow everything to the T, at all.

Day 1: 18-hour journey to Haneda Airport & Shinjuku

We arrive at Haneda Airport at 14:25 P.M: Get Suica card, get cash, activate e-sim and have QR ready.

Taking the monorail or limo bus will arrive at hotel in Shinjuku (Kabukicho area) at around 17:00 P.M.

Relax a bit and then go to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (if we feel like it, or leave for other day) and explore around the Godzilla plaza, kabukicho, arcades, and have an easy dinner at Torikizoku (Why torikizoku? because we'll be tired, you order through tablet, and it's cheap, looks tasty, and like nothing we have in my hometown).

Day 2: Asakusa & Akihabara

Wake up around 8:00 A.M for Shinjuku -> Asakusa around 9:00 A.M.

Go to Culture Information Center for views and from there go to Nakamise Dori, Kaminarimon, Senso-ji and then Denboin Street and Asakusa Underground.

From Asakusa -> Ueno (if we feel like it, if not directly go to Akihabara)

Points of interest in Akihabara: Radio Kaikan, Mandarake, Animate, Taito HEY, Super Potato, Gigo Arcades, M’s Department Store., Akihabara Horror Vending Machine Corner.

Akihabara -> Shinjuku.

In the evening, probably go to Sake Market to try a bunch of different sake in a casual setting. Also jotted down the Batting Center, Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai.

Day 3: Tokyo -> Hakone

Wake up around 8:00 A.M, buy some food and have a little picnic in Gyoen National Park (opens at 9:00 A.M) and chill. Want to have a cheap gyudon lunch before taking train.

Around 13:30 take train to Hakone Yumoto Station (Are you supposed to reserve the direct Romancecar?)

Ryokan check-in at 15:00 P.M. Unsure if we're spending the day at the ryokan or if we should splurge and take a taxi to explore Lake Ashi? Partially I think it's a wasted day if we stay at the ryokan, but we could also arrive a bit later to enjoy Tokyo and then relax in the onsen.

Day 4: Hakone -> Osaka (Friday)

Check-out at 11.00 A.M and go to Hakone Yumoto -> Odawara -> Shin Osaka (3H approximately)

Arrive in Osaka around 15:00 P.M. Unsure if we can leave luggage in lockers in Osaka, or if we should spend a bit more time in Hakone to arrive at check-in time.

Visit Dotonbori, Amerikamura and just do whatever we want till whatever time we want.

Points of interest for all 3 days in Osaka:  Dotonbori, Amerikamura, Round 1 Arcade, Taito Arcade, Namco Arcade, Karaoke, Shinsekai, Teamlabs Botanical, Hozen-Ji, Namba Yasaka, Kuromon Market, Osaka Castle Illumination, Harukas Observatory.

Day 5: Osaka

Wake up whenever we want and go to: Hozen-ji Temple -> Namba Yasaka -> Kuromon Market.

(Undecided) Go to Harukas Observatory through Nipponbashi OR go to TeamLabs Botanical.

In the evening, go to Shinsekai.

Day 6: Nara and Uji

Wake up whenever we want or try and wake up around 7:00 A.M to be in Nara around 9:00 A. to go to Toda-ji, Kofu-ji Temples, Kasuga Taisha and stroll Nara Park.

Around 14:00 P.M go to Uji and arrive around 15:00 P.M to go to Byodoin and Byodoin Omotesando.

In the evening, do what we didn't do in past evening (Shinsekai or Harukas Observatory or just whatever we want lol)

Day 7: Osaka -> Kyoto

Check-out is at 10:00 A.M

Arrive in Kyoto around 11:00 A.M

Osaka-Umeda -> Sanjo Station (I noted this station as - apparently - it has plenty of coin lockers so we can explore Kyoto before the god-awful 16:00 P.M check-in time)

Walk around Nishiki Food Market and maybe go to the basement supermarket and eat around Kamo River, then visit Yasaka Shrine and maybe Yamaneko craft beer before check-in.

Check-in is at 16:00 P.M in a Machiya in Gion.

Leave luggage and explore ninnenzaka, Sannenzaka, etc.

Early evening as I hope to wake up super early to see Kyoto in its prime the next morning.

Day 8: Kyoto

Wake up around 5:30 A.M to go to Kiyomizu-dera which is 20 minutes away from our machiya.

Around 8:00 A.M, aim to be in fushimi-inari.

Relax a bit in the hotel in the afternoon because the machiya has a lovely bathub and then explore around and about.

Day 9: Shibuya and Shinjuku

Machiya check-out is at 11:00 A.M. (will definitely wake up earlier to explore)

Kyoto Station -> Shinjuku Station around 15:00 P.M for check-in in Shinjuku again and head off to Shibuya.

Points of interest in Shibuya: Shibuya Sky, Shibuya Nintendo Store, Pokemon Center, Tower Records, Mega Don Quijote, Shibuya 109, Love Hotel Hill, Dogenzaka,center gai, muji vanguard, Niku Yokocho.

Go to Shibuya Sky in the evening because I give up on seeing the sundown lol

End evening in Shinjuku doing whatever we want, probably go to Koreatown.

Day 10, 11 and 13: Still unsure, am thinking of just leaving it blank and do whatever we feel like when we're there. (Harajuku, Ueno, Teamlabs Borderless + the surrounding area)

Thanks in advance, would love to hear from you guys :)

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/chuckd388 on 2024-12-03 03:12:49+00:00.

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First post on reddit!

I would like to start by expressing my thanks to this reddit community for everyone sharing their itineraries, recommendations, and experiences of their Japan travel. Immeasurable help with my planning and semi-squashing fears. I actually did not know what reddit was until I started researching my trip - this place can be wild; the "death scroll" my friend called it...

Mid-thirties man, wanting to go to Japan since a young one. Realized life is short - time to pull the trigger. So I am headed to Japan (solo) December 8th, coming back to LA on the 23rd. Have been studying Japanese language and phrases this past month, because...respect.

General Itinerary is below - most things are not fixed, but a guideline to things I hope to explore - culture, primarily jazz clubs and listening rooms, maybe some salsa or dance. Would love to hear any food suggestions - I figured I would just walk around, maybe google maps some recc's. And maybe this could give someone else idea's about their next Japan trip. I'm excited!

December 9 - Goal: Survive time change and explore Shibuya

• Land HND -> hit pocketchange -> cab to hotel - near Tokyo tower
• El Cafe Latino (salsa) -> Shibuya scramble ->The Room (live music)

December 10 - Goal: Recover & Explore Tokyo

• Tokyo Tower -> Garden and Art Museums
• Little Soul Cafe (listening bar) -> Nightfly (listening bar) -> Red Bar

December 11 - Goal: Get to Kanazawa

• Enjoy Shinkansen -> Higashi & Kazuemachi -> Kanazawa Castle
• Jazz spot Bokunen (listening bar) -> York (listening bar)

December 12 - Goal: Drive Safely

• Rent car and drive: Shirakawago Purin no le -> Takayama for culture and beef -> drive back
• Furansu Cocktail -> MusicBar Minshia (karaoke)

December 13 - Goal: Get to Kyoto

• Kinpakuya Gold class -> Shinkansen to Kyoto
• Arashiyama Bamboo -> Togetsukyo Bridge (hopefully both illuminated)
• Jazz spot for the night

December 14 - Goal: Explore Kyoto

• Explore Ohara -> Pontocho -> Gion -> Gyoen Garden
• Jazz Spot Yamatoya (jazz) -> Explore Kamo River area -> Kitsune Kyoto

December 15 - Goal: More Kyoto

• Church ->Ninja Kyoto ->Nijo Castle
• Sannenzaka -> L'Escamoteur

December 16 - Goal: Kyoto & Nara

• Marumasu Nishimuraya (Dyeing class)
• Nara -> Deer Park
• Vinyl Record Music Bar (listening bar) -> Birdland (live music)

December 17 - Goal: Get to Osaka & Shopping

• Get JR West Pass
• Nishiki -> Namba Shopping
• Osaka Salon Bar (listening bar)

December 18 - Goal: Hiroshima

• Itsukushima -> Hiroshima
• Swissotel Nanki (salsa) -> Jazz Cafe Sub (vinyl or live music)

December 19 - Goal: Explore Osaka

• Osaka Castle -> DenDen ->Rubric
• Whiskey Bank (shopping) -> Dotonbori -> Bible Club

December 20 - Goal: Get to Shinjuku

• Fly or Train to HND -> Shopping in Shinjuku
• Explore Shinjuku -> Golden Gai or wherever

December 21 - Goal: Explore Shinjuku

• Wherever the wind takes me

December 22 - Goal: Fun2Drive

• Bus to Fun2Drive -> Drive through Hakone, do not crash
• Get to Kawasaki -> Teen Spirits Music Bar

December 23 - Goal: Go home

• Kawasaki Aquarium
• HND -> LA

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Itismeuphere on 2024-12-03 16:01:07+00:00.

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My daughter uses a wheelchair. She can walk when needed and sit in a normal taxi seat, but the wheelchair would need to be put in a trunk or the like. Do mobile taxi's exist in Tokyo and Kyoto? Is there a way to easily call them (a common app with that option for example)? We had zero issues finding accessible taxis in NYC, but I suspect it won't be as easy in Japan. A quick Google search pulls up companies specializing in mobile transportation, but they look like they need to be pre-arranged, and are a bit of an overkill for a simple fold up wheelchair.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/AdhesivePolarBears on 2024-12-02 07:34:49+00:00.

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20th - 25th January 2024 Kyoto

25th - 26th Hakone

Just thought I'd share my experiences no matter how repetitive/basic just in case it comes in handy for anyone. I travelled with my husband and caught up with 3 other friends while in Kyoto. Please feel free to ask any questions and if you have any feedback for anything we missed/shouldn't have done then please let me know because we're planning a second trip!

See previous post for Osaka

Hotel:

• Hotel Forza Kyoto Shijo Kawaramachi - Very comfy stay. Great amenities including a free sake every evening.
• The Machiya Kamiumeya - A traditional aesthetic hotel closer to Gion with tatami and futons
• Suiun - Ryokan in Hakone

Weather: It unexpectedly snowed while we were here! If it wasn't for illness getting in the way of our plans we definitely would have gone straight to the Golden Pavillion for a beautiful view of it capped with snow.

Something we missed on purpose: Arashiyama - from reading posts on this sub it felt like it took up a large proportion of the day, felt rushed and just wall to wall with tourists doing it for the sake of hitting all the must do spots. We also had plans to go see the snow monkeys in Nagano. For this reason we decided to skip it and enjoy a slow paced few days here. But we didn't really experience large crowds while we were in Kyoto during our dates so I wonder if this was a mistake to miss out on. We are travelling back here in November next year and I'm in two minds on whether we make the point to go.

Day 1:

• Traveled from Osaka and dropped our bags at the hotel
• Nishiki market 12:00pm - a decent amount of people walking through but easy to walk without being squished. No crazy lines for food.
  • Croquettes from Hanayori Kiyoe 10/10
  • Marion Crepes 10/10
  • Fish cakes from Houkyuuan 4/10 - probably really good and as you would expect but it was the first time we ever had non-Thai fish cakes and we didn't enjoy them
  • Yataai Mura STALL VILLAGE - got a 100 yen sake and regretted it, straight alcohol isn't for me. This place looked amazing and I wish we ate here but at the time we were full. There were stalls selling grilled seafood and tempura!
• Walked around the area finding small temples
• Checked into our hotel and headed back out to explore the shops around 4:30pm
• Nintendo store: got an obligatory photo in front of the giant mario head. There was an attendant there taking photos for people. Notable purchases;
  • Blind bag collectable magnets featuring the old game covers
  • Yoshi egg bathbomb featuring a mystery coloured yoshi inside
• Disney store, Edion - admiring all the different tech
• Pokemon store: Exclusive Kyoto Pikachu plushie in a sweet little kimono!!
• Tokyu hands: Dragon ball uno - unique rules! Ono 99 - a fun game! (We had also purchased pokemon uno in Osaka which also had unique rules)
• Stumbled upon an underground cave styled restaurant that served unlimited lemon sour on tap. Yakitori was very nice but the drinks were a big mistake. We didn't realise how strong they were until it was too late. Lets just say til this day I still can't stomach Yakitori or lemon sours.

Day 2:

• We had already written this day off as a hangover day so we had low expectations
• Enjoyed McDonalds in bed for lunch and tackled the laundry
• Headed to Shijo-dori in Gion around 5pm - The stores closed at 7pm from memory.
  • Notable purchase: Chopsticks engraved with our names in both English and Kanji. Probably one of the best souvenirs we bought. Also had fun picking out unique novelty chopstick rests.
• Hanamikoji dori - Absolutely beautiful to walk through as the sun was setting, only a few other people there
• Yasaka shrine: 6pm - sun had completely set and the temple was lit up and absolutely stunning. There were a handful of couples walking around but I wouldn't say crowds so it was really peaceful. We walked around the grounds until we were starving.
• Dinner: Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu Gion Yasaka 6:30pm 12/10 - We randomly came across this place and it was the best 'stumble in' no plan dinner we had the entire trip. Tender beef katsu with a variety of dipping options including onsen egg which was my favourite.

Day 3:

• Fushimi inari: 7:30am - Only a handful of people on the way up. We weren't feeling too good so we were only there for half an hour and didn't walk up too far.
• Breakfast: Walked around the area but nothing seemed open at the time (8:30am) Found Cafe goo. I can't even remember what I had so I wouldn't say it was very notable. But I do remember it was run by very lovely women and it was cosy.
• We didn't expect to be back so early so we decided to walk around Gion without a map.
  • Kennin-ji - 9:30am - we were the only ones there. It was peaceful and beautiful.
  • Yasaka Koshin-do
  • Hokan-ji - 9:45am - maybe a handful of people but we were able to get some nice photos without anyone in the way.
  • I think the stores along the Sannen-zaka path only opened at 10:00am so we were able to enjoy the walk without the crowds
  • Once they opened we got some more engraved chopsticks and a set of very decorative tea mugs
  • Snack: Croquettes from Kikakuan okamoto Sanneizaka 10/10!
  • Walked down Ninenzaka and spent another hour getting lost
• Lunch: My pet peeve on this trip was eating fast food and wasting opportunities to eat regional exclusive dishes! But travelling with a bunch of boys we ended up doing this quite a bit. KFC today and it wasn't even good.
• Shopping
  • Daishodo Japanese Woodblock prints - found this store and loved looking at all the prints
  • Husband bought a few Dragon Ball figurines and they were the cheapest prices we found compared to Osaka and Tokyo
  • Onigiri - I can't find where it was but picked up some freshly made onigiri from a store and it was incredible!
  • Ochanokosaisai Nishiki - Got a sample of rice with their furikake - SOLD - bought two packets and regret not getting more. It is the most tasty furikake I have ever had. Exclusive to this store as far as I'm aware
• Round 1: a good place to have some fun while you wait to work up an appetite
• Dinner: Kairikiya - Ramen 8/10 with a side of gyoza and fried rice 10/10. Cheap too!
• Dessert: Strawberry sandwich with custard and cream from 7-eleven - 7/10 Super fun but I feel like i'd enjoy it more if the bread was sweet too

Day 4: Nara day trip

• Breakfast: Egg sandwich from 7-eleven 10/10 still dream about these
• Had a hard time making it to Nara this day getting lost in the train station and missing the direct train. Hopped on another train that terminated at a random station in the middle of nowhere and then had to buy a limited express ticket to finally make it to Nara
• Caught the mochi pounding demonstation - 11:00am - wasn't a huge line. The mochi was so fresh and warm but no one in our group enjoyed the flavour
• We were stopped by a group of lovely older ladies who wanted to practice their English with us. This happened quite often on our trip
• Got a sweet potato from a vendor around the park. It was nice and warm but not sweet and didn't have much flavour at all. Note: The signs are priced 200 yen per 100g (I think?) and we were lined up behind a man who argued with the lady for a long time thinking it was meant to be 200 only.
• I'm not sure if this is all throughout the year or just because it was winter but a lot of the deer looked quite skinny and malnourished, lots had balding patches in their fur, broken antlers and cataracts or missing eyes. It was quite a shock and unsettled me.
• Todai-ji - beautiful
• We walked around the park for maybe 2 hours before heading back to Kyoto
• Lunch: Famichicki and some onigiri 10/10
• We stopped at Kyoto station and explored. Got a lovely view from the skyway including some incoming snow!!
• Snack: Mister Donut - kind of stale 4/10
• Dinner: Niigata Katsudon Tarekatsu - 8/10 pork cutlet set meal with very salty pickles
• Dessert: Naruto Taiyaki Honpo - 10/10 piping hot custard is always a great treat on a freezing cold night

Day 5: Hotel transfer day

• I went to get some 551 Horai takeaway from Daimaru and on my walk it started lightly snowing and did so for the rest of the day! This was an amazing surprise as we didn't expect to experience snow until our stay in Hakuba.
• Breakfast: 551 Horai - 12/10 Pork buns and gyoza - this was my second time having them (went to Osaka first) I didn't have them enough, they were so juicy and the flavour is unlike anything I have had before.
• We checked out of our hotel and used their luggage forwarding service to send our two suitcases to Tokyo as we were spending 1 night in Gion and the following night in Hakone. This was a simple process and the receptionist phoned the Tokyo hotel for us to confirm everything. I could be wrong but I think it was $24 (AUD).
• Bought a sturdy tote bag with a cute shiba wearing glasses from a vendor in Shinkyogoku.
• We had to go to a separate check in location for our next hotel which was located near Kyoto station. They gave us instructions on how to then locate and enter our accommodation.
• Lunch: Katsudon from a restaurant in Kyoto station 12/10 delicious! I'm not sure what the correct name is because we had issues finding this in Japan. Back home Katsudon is rice with chicken katsu, sweet onions and an egg scrambled over top. In J...

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/WobblyPudd1ng on 2024-12-03 01:56:45+00:00.

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Just returned from a trip to the Hyogo region - Thought I would leave this here as a reference for others. (Sorry for the lousy formatting - typed this on my phone)

Day 1 - Landed in KIX, Headed for Kobe

• Cleared custom at KIX and left straight for Kobe via the JR Osaka loop line + Tokaido Sanyo Line
• Had dinner at Sannomiya area - とんかつ七兵衛 三宮店 - awesome miso tonkatsu and katsudon (Credits to @japaneat on YouTube for Kobe food recommendations - check out the channel here - )

Day 2 - Kobe (Herb garden, Nunobiki falls) > Himeji (Sannomaru Square)

• Took the gondola up to the herb gardens which was a pretty nice place for a morning stroll.
• Bought the return ticket initially as it was raining but as the rain subsided we decided to trek down towards Nunobiki falls which ended up being the highlight of the day. There was a restaurant (おんたき茶屋) on the way down overlooking the area but decided to forgo it in view of time.
• Left for Himeji via the Tokaido Sando line
• Grabbed dinner near Gofukumachi and went to see a night view of Himeji castle from Sannomaru Square

Day 3 - Himeji (Mt Shosha, Himeji Castle)

• Left early for Mt Shosha via the Ropeway - definitely the highlight for me in Himeji; Awesome to see the area with the autumn leaves all around
• Grabbed a late lunch from the combini and left for Himeji castle / Koko-en before it was closed for the day
• Left Himeji castle around sunset; dinner and called it a day

Day 4 - Himeji > Takeda

• Spent some time in the morning exploring the area around Himeji station
• Took the Bantan Line bound for Takeda. Always enjoyed the rides towards the countryside
• Checked in at our accoms in Takeda and left for nearby Wadayama station to stock up on supplies before our early climb to Takeda castle the following day.
• Ended up walking for 15-20mins to the nearest supermart in the rain; On our way back it was completely dark but we managed to find a small eatery (お食事処 ゆめじ) still open for dinner (Tsukesoba was awesome)

Day 5 - Takeda (Takeda Castle) > Kinosaki Onsen

• Woke up before the break of dawn for the climb up Takeda Castle; the steep climb was made difficult with the morning rain and recent cold wave (it was only 5°C during the climb), but it was all worth it for the view at the top
• Didn't manage to see the sea of clouds due to the cold wave though 😔
• Descended around late morning, ended up at Hyomai shrine and hiked to the nearby Lawson for some hot coffee
• Went back to the accoms, rested until our next train time and left for Kinosaki Onsen via the Bantan Line + San-In Line
• Dropped our luggage off; went up the Kinosaki Onsen ropeway and ended up hiking down from Onsenji station
• Checked in, grabbed our Onsen pass from our accoms and went Onsen hopping in the 6 available public onsens (Satano-yu is still undergoing renovation)
• Had an hearty sukiyaki teishoku dinner at 創作料理 near the train station

Day 6 - Kinosaki Onsen

• Checked out of our first accoms in Kinosaki Onsen and checked in to our first Ryokan (あさぎり荘) for the trip
• Did an impromptu trip to toyooka and bought some お土産 (slightly cheaper than the Kinosaki Onsen region); More Onsen hopping
• Had an awesome kaiseki meal at the Ryokan in our rooms (steamed crab was was perfect)

Day 7 - Kinosaki Onsen > Miyazu (Ine day trip)

• Checked out early after breakfast at our Ryokan and left for Miyazu via the San-In line + Tantetsu line (Unable to use the IC card on the Tantetsu line)
• Checked in at our Ryokan in Miyazu (which was in a museum) and left for Ine via the bus from Miyazu station
• Enjoyed the seaviews and the seaside town vibes at Ine (Views from Ine Cafe and Funaya-no-sato park were great)
• Headed back to Miyazu and had a cheap but delicious dinner at 回転寿司 金ぱ銀ぱ (conveyor belt sushi - only one outlet in Japan from what I can find)

Day 8 - Miyazu > Amanohashidate > Osaka

• Checked out early after breakfast and left for Amanohashidate where we stored our luggage
• Walked across Amanohashidate park; went up to Amanohashidate Viewland via the chair lift
• Took a highway bus from Amanohashidate back to Osaka around noon. Was lucky to secure seats without reservation and broken Japanese

Day 8-10 - Osaka

• Spent the time at Osaka doing the usual stuff (Dontonbori - the crowds were crazy compared to my previous trip 6 years prior; Shopping and getting lost in the labyrinth called Umeda station, trying Glitch Coffee Osaka, etc)
• Eating my favourite takoyaki from たこ焼道楽わなか (Awesome takoyaki chain in Osaka)

Main takeaway from this trip

• Book highway buses in advance as much as possible. I still can recall the anxiety from waiting at the bus stop in Amanohashidate; hoping for an empty seat.

-If you are heading to the countryside: -> Bring sufficient cash and keep some loose change on hand (especially when paying for transportation) ->Pack light if you are not driving; Accomodations in the countryside can be quite far from the city center or train station . (Brought a Osprey Farpoint 55 for the whole trip)

• Waterproof (or at least water-resistant) jackets are lifesavers in autumn, given the perpetual light rain. The Uniqlo Blocktech jacket did me good on this trip

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/glocks4interns on 2024-12-03 00:59:48+00:00.

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This is a little niche but wrote this up and figured it might help someone in this sub. This is a guide to Tokyo for someone who plays Warhammer or other minis games. Tokyo is amazing for plastic model kits and anime figures, but it’s not a wargaming hotbed. You can find plenty of Warhammer but it will be expensive and there isn’t much reason to buy it there unless you’re a local. So this will be more focused on what you might want to visit, and some non-gaming shopping to consider. Also I’ll note that prices will be in yen, but price comparisons will be in US dollars as that’s what I know. So prices may be better or worse than what I discuss here based on your local currency and local hobby market/markup.

I’ll also note that I’m sure I’ve missed things, this is a guide for tourists, not anyone living in Tokyo. If you have advice on other things to add please reach out via email or social media.

You can find a map of these locations here. The map includes some other sites that I know less about or don’t think are worth going out of your way for, but you can stop by if you’re in the area.

Gundam Front Tokyo

I don’t care how much you hate Tau, the Unicorn Gundam on Odiba is worth seeing. GW’s 1:1 scale models, eat your heart out, this thing is 65 feet tall. I recommend visiting Gundam Front Tokyo in the late afternoon or early evening, depending on the time of year. It’s best if you can see the Gundam in the day but also lit up at night. There are set times where there will be light shows after dark (depending on time of year) and at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, and 17:00 it will activate it’s transformation mechanism (panels moving, not like turning into a plane). Getting there in the late afternoon you can check it out, go inside, come back for more pictures at night.

When you head inside at Gundam Front Tokyo you’ll find a large Bandai-run Gundam store with plenty of exclusive models and some interesting displays. If you’re luck enough to be going around the end/start of the year you may see Gunpla Builder’s World Cup models which are truly stunning. This store also has a lot of Gundam clothing, often collaborations with other brands. When you’re shopping here get the merch and exclusive models, this isn’t the place to pick up your next HG or MG kit, these are full retail price.

Cost: Free

Hours: 11:00-20:00

How long will I spend here?: 30-90 minutes

Address: Japan, 〒135-0064 Tokyo, Koto City, Aomi, 1 Chome−1−10 ダイバーシティ東京 プラザ７F

Small Worlds Miniature Museum

Small Worlds Miniature Museum is a fairly new museum that displays a number of models. The focus is on large scale dioramas and while nothing is directly related to wargaming there is infinite inspiration to take from it. They have some exhibits that change, but it’s mostly permanent exhibits. It starts with a large space exploration model that has some great little scenes in it, but overall it lacks the cohesion of the better exhibits. There is a large airport model and full scale airport lounge, which sounds kind of strange but I enjoyed sitting down and having a coffee while watching model planes take off and land.

The highlight for me is the Evangelion section. This is a large part of the museum and there is a lot to see. There is a model of the Eva launch cages from the series in something like 1:48 scale. There is then a partial 1:1 scale Eva Unit 0-1 model and a 12 or so foot tall Lance of Longinus. Now, all of that may sound like gibberish if you’ve not watched the series, or it’s been a long time. But trust me, it’s cool but those are the two weakest parts. The highlight of the Eva section is without a doubt the scale model of Tokyo-3 where Eva takes place. I’m bad with trains but I think this might have been in N scale which is ~1:160 or about 10mm scale for our toy soldiers. And it’s huge, they’ve created a number of areas of the city, with a backdrop using forced perspective to show the transformation of the city when the skyscrapers descend into the Geofront. Again, some of that probably sounds like gibberish, but I think it’s worth seeing because there are a lot of clever things going on. There are hidden (well, small) scenes with characters from the show scattered about. The forced perspective trick is used in Tokyo-3 and the airport lounge and I think under-utilized by modelers. So you’ll just see a lot of Neat Stuff and I hope it inspires you.

The last bit of the Eva section to talk about is less applicable to scale modelers but is super cool. There are models there that look unfinished, on first seeing them I recognized them as the city from the 1.0+3.0 rebuild movie, and I thought maybe they were building them in place. That isn’t the case. These miniatures (which are quite large) were built for the filming process, they were not used for filming but to establish shots, locations, and provide a physicality to the digitally animated movie. For anyone who has seen the movie you can agree it pays off, Village 3 feels like a real place with physicality and a sense of place.

Okay, that’s enough weebing out about Eva. I think the other thing that will really appeal to miniature hobbyists is the workshop. I wish they had a little more here, but you’re able to walk through their workshop and see their models in progress, their 3d printers, their laser cutters, it’s really cool and I’d love to know more about the process. You can get a 3d scan of your body and a colored 3d print out of it sent to you,

The other good news here is that it’s pretty close to the giant robot above so you can do both of them in the same day. What I’d recommend is starting off with Teamlab Planets in the morning, a fantastic immersive art museum, then hit Small Worlds and see the Gundam as it gets close to sunset. I will say as a word of warning, that I loved it and got a lot out of this, but reviews online are a bit mixed. I think any wargamer will enjoy seeing this but your family may be less excited at the experience.

Cost: ¥3,200

Hours: 09:00-19:00

How long will I spend here?: 1-3 hours

Address: Japan, 〒135-0063 Tokyo, Koto City, Ariake, 1 Chome−3−33 有明物流センター

VALKYRIE VF-25F - Chiba Institute of Technology

So next up is a much smaller, much more niche sight but one I recommend if not too far out of your way. This is a 1:1 scale model of a Macross Valkyrie, which readers of a certain age may recognize from Robotech, or even as a Land Air Mech in Battletech. This particular one is from a newer series, Macross Frontier (the best Macross show, now streaming in most non-US countries on Hulu) and it’s not a complete model. You can only see part of the fighter/mech but what you can see really resembles a scale model. It’s staged as in a repair bay and there are tons of lovely details, check out all those warning notes.

The Valkyrie is a little hard to find but in a convenient location. Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower in the world and the third tallest structure in the world. Paying for a ticket is well worth it for the the best views of Tokyo of any observation deck. The Skytree is build on top of a 4 story mall, and at one end of that mall there is an office tower. And in that office tower on the 8th floor Chiba University has a display space. This isn’t worth a long trip but they have some pretty cool stuff, beyond the Macross fighter you can see a sword forged from meteoric iron, touch a meteor, see a scale model of a satellite, and see the robots being used to observe the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. And it’s all free. The Skytree and this exhibition space are some of Tokyo’s most famous shrines and also the Kappabashi area known for knife stores and other kitchen shopping.

Cost: Free

Hours: 10:30-18:00

How long will I spend here?": 15-45 minutes

Address: Japan, 〒131-0045 Tokyo, Sumida City, Oshiage, 1 Chome−1−2 ソラマチ8F

Warhammer Cafe Tokyo

Very much worth a visit is the Warhammer Cafe in Tokyo. The cafe is in Akihabara, the center of anime and nerd fandom in the city and probably won’t be out of your way for that reason. This is the only Warhammer Cafe I’ve been to and they did a good job. Not a ton of playing space but a ton of painted models are on display, they stock a wide range of online or Forgeworld exclusives and some GW Exclusives such as the Realm of Chaos books.

I didn’t try the food or drinks, I’m sure they’re edible if not the best option in the area. The staff is friendly and if they have something you want feel free to buy it, but keep in mind for most visitors you’ll be paying a small premium on your local prices. The exclusives of course make the most sense to buy.

At this point I’ll mention the other Warhammer stores in Tokyo, they’re fine, in the context of what one-person Warhammer shops are, they kinda suck. I didn’t stop by any but the last time I went I checked them out and if you’re near by stop in but don’t expect much. No slight to the staff, it’s just a bad format for a store ...

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This is our 3rd time to Japan but first time visiting Kyushu! The focus of our trip was shopping and eating, and one night at a ryokan. I loved that Fukuoka and Kumamoto are not as crowded or big as Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and it’s easier to find your way around by bus or train. Surprisingly, a lot of people spoke a bit of english and many restaurants had English translated menus. My favorite part was how festive everything is! We happened to go to multiple Christmas markets, and all the malls are decked out in winter decorations.

Hope this trips report helps anyone planning to travel to Fukuoka or Kumamoto. Feel free to ask any questions!

Day 1 (Fukuoka, Hakata)

• Arrived in Fukuoka Airport in the evening and took the bus into the city
• Explored Hakata Station which has a lot of underground food courts, as well as several department stores (Hands, Hankyu, AMU) and shops all interconnected by the station.
• Spent time at the Christmas Market which was right in the outdoor plaza by Hakata Station. Caught a live opera solo performance on stage.
• Stayed in ANA Crowne Plaza which is about 5 minutes walking from Hakata Station.

Day 2 (Ohori Park, Tenjin, Canal City)

• Visited Ohori Park and the Fukuoka Art Museum (we went in mainly because it was raining, otherwise might have skipped it and explored or biked around the park). After the rain stopped we walked around the Fukuoka Castle Ruins. There were many birds at the park!
• Went to Bayside Place and had sushi at Hakata Toyoichi. We got the to-go option where you pick up a plastic box and fill it up with nigiri from a buffet-like set up. Also checked out the mini aquarium fish tank inside one of the buildings, which was quite nice. (Originally wanted to take the ferry to an island but due to rain we skipped it.)
• Spent the afternoon shopping around Tenjin Underground Mall. The underground mall has a European vibe, and is even more beautiful during Christmas season. We shopped at Muji, Uniqlo, Daiso, Mitsokushi.
• Got soufflé pancake from A Happy Pancake Fukuoka Tenjin store. It’s a bit hidden as its entrance is a hole in the wall stairwell. Very nice spot to rest, away from the hustle and bustle.
• Went to Canal City and shopped at Snow Peak inside Alpen Fukuoka (it’s like REI in the US, but even bigger)
• Omakase at Hakata Sushi Matsumoto. We got the special weekday omakase which was the cheapest option (around $60) which is a steal… booked in advance through Tabelog
• Christmas Market “Forest” next to Fukuoka City Hall. It’s so magical with all the picnic tables set up under the fairy lights and trees, but we only walked through it since it was raining pretty heavily
• Canal City Fountain Show. Really cool design of fountains and light projections. There is one Gundam show, and the second show has a Christmas story.
• Late night snack at Yakitori Hachibei in the underground of Hakata Station, and had a honey lemon sour

Day 3 (More shopping, Asakura)

• Shopped at Maru-Take Kitchen Supplies for some sake cups, and walked around the Yanagibashi Rengo Market which is a small traditional food market. We had tuna donburi at one of the food stalls but the portions were quite small and pricey. (Probably better value to just eat tuna sashimi from a supermarket.)
• Ramen Stadium at Canal City. The ramen was good but nothing super special. We passed a tempura restaurant that looked really good.. wish we went for that instead
• Returned to Hakata Station for more shopping in the lower level food shopping areas. Tried Daimyo Soft Cream ice cream.
• Took a bus to Asakura for our stay at a traditional ryokan and onsen. Felt amazing to soak in the onsens after so much walking. They served Kaiseki dinner in our tatami room, the service was really great and food very satisfying.

Day 4 (Kumamoto)

• Took the train from Asakura to Kumamoto. Always love traveling by train in Japan!
• Had conveyer belt sushi at Sushi Restaurant Mekkemon which was one of the best meals of the trip. The sushi just kept coming (you can take it from the conveyer belt or order on an iPad). We ordered all kinds of premium stuff like tuna, sweet shrimp, uni, scallops… and it was super affordable and delicious
• Shopping at AMU Plaza. It has a really beautiful atrium with a multiple-story waterfall and waterscaping, and many indoor trees and plants
• Visited Kumamoto Castle. The park is quite beautiful and you can go inside the reconstructed castle. However all the exhibits labels are Japanese (they provide QR code for translated text, but personally I recommend using Google Translate’s camera option). It got pretty crowded and stuffy inside so I recommend going early in the morning.
• Got Tofu Skin Ice Cream at one of the shops in Sakura no baba Josaien near the entrance of the castle
• Shopping at Sakura Machi mall. We went to the upper roof garden as well which has a view of Kumamoto Castle in the distance.
• Walking and shopping around Shimotori Shopping Arcade a large covered shopping street
• We got turned away from a few restaurants in the area (busy Saturday night) so we returned to AMU Plaza. The 7F has a bunch of restaurant options along with window displays and menus to help you decide what to eat, and waiting lists, so we decided to try a yakitori restaurant. It turned out pretty good!
• Walked around Kumamoto Station Christmas Market and enjoyed some hot chocolate brandy and live music
• Stayed at The Blossom Kumamoto, it’s a fancy new hotel with beautiful indoor/outdoor architecture. There’s also a modern style public onsen for hotel guests.

Day 5

• Had breakfast buffet at The Blossom before taking the bus to Kumamoto Airport
• At the airport we did some shopping for snacks to bring back home

Overall it was a really awesome trip and we returned with our suitcases and bellies full. 5 days (more like 4 and a half) were definitely not long enough to slow down and enjoy Kyushu, and I know we missed a lot of the major attractions. We loved both Fukuoka and Kumamoto, and would likely come back to see more of the nature and cultural attractions in the future and try to make it to Kurozawa Onsen and Mt Aso.

Tips:

• Lots of places are still cash only.
• Get Suica on Apple Wallet so you can just tap your phone for bus or subway
• You can buy an eSIM (eg Ubigi) before the trip (it’s more expensive than getting a SIM in Japan but worth it for the convenience)
• Bring your passport with you for Tax Free shopping
• We walked a lot (4-10 miles per day), my shoe actually got a hole in it mid-trip so I bought a new pair… bring sturdy and comfortable shoes!
• Use Google Translate’s camera feature to translate signs and menus
• Always check out vending machines for interesting drinks. My favorites were almond milk tea and a hot maple latte.
• It’s surprisingly annoying figuring out how to flush the toilet (could be a button/multiple buttons on the bidet control board, a separate button above or next to the control board, a traditional flush handle but it’s hidden behind the toilet seat, automatic flush, motion sensor/hand wave to flush). But at least every toilet is very clean and well maintained

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This is kind of crazy considering how long they've been around. A few months ago they essentially killed the Seishun 18 Ticket, a mainstay since the 1940s, making it all but useless for the very people it's supposed to be meant for. Then last week announced they were taking away a car full of unreserved seats on the Tokaido Shinkansen, and now this. Feels so insanely greedy and making everyone's experience all-around worse in effort to focus purely on profits. Not a fan!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/8o8asian on 2024-12-02 10:46:55+00:00.

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11 day trip report – Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe

Background: This trip was my wife and I honeymoon trip so I went all out in terms of booking first class flights and staying at relatively nicer hotels. Funny enough, I only spent money on the flights as I was able to book all of the hotels with points so luckily didn’t spend a dime on those. We also did not come to Japan with much of a plan in terms of doing specific things. We figured we hit up 2 cities each day and go where the wind took us. I did make some reservations beforehand and there were some places my wife and I wanted to shop/see but we didn’t make a minute by minute itinerary.

Day 1 ( Travel day)

Departed HNL to HND in the afternoon. Arrived at HND at about 5pm. It took us about an hour to get through immigration as at least 3 flights arrived at the same time as ours. Luckily, we were able to get our bags relatively quickly.

Took a taxi to our hotel, Andaz Toranomon Hills, and we arrived in about less than 30 minutes. It would’ve taken us an hour on the metro to get us from HND to Andaz and since we had our luggage, I figured it would save us some headache to take a taxi instead. I think I paid around $60 but it was worth it in saving time. I must say, Andaz is a beautiful hotel and Toranomon is a nice quiet neighborhood at night. We were pretty tired from the flight and were still getting adjusted to the different time zone, we decided to not do much exploring. The Big 3 convenience stores (7-11, Family Mart and Lawson) were right down the street from the hotel so we decided to get dinner from there. I made myself the egg sandwich with a Family Mart chicken and my wife and some onigiri and other snacks. We went to sleep pretty early so that we could wake up in the morning refreshed and ready for Day 1.

Day 2 (Shibuya & Harajuku)

Day 2 started with my wife and I waking up at around 6am as we were still getting adjusted. We decided that we would get an early start so I could find a Suica card. We headed to Tokyo Station first but I realized I looked at the wrong JR East center and it didn’t open until 830 and it was only 7am. We decided to come back later and head out to Shibuya.

We got to Shibuya pretty early and nothing was really open yet so we settled for breakfast at Café Gusto. It was a pretty nice place and we both had the hamburger steak and it was good for the price. We then went to the Don Quijote to look around. I went to Shibuya Station to inquire where I could get a Suica card and the worker told me I could get a personalized one at one of the machines just outside. Thankfully I was able to get a personalized Suica card to use. After that, we stood in line for our Shibuya Sky reservation which was at 10. Unfortunately due to the weather, the top roof observation and escalators weren’t open but the views from the indoor deck was still amazing. We then headed to the Shibuya Parco and went shopping in stores like Hands and checked out the Pokemon Center. Lunch as was at an Omurice place which was super good then we went to Harajuku for shopping. I think we spent at least 3 or 4 hours shopping before we finally had dinner at Red Rock Harajuku (my favorite place to eat in Japan now). After dinner, we did a little more shopping before heading back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the next day.

Day 3 (Odaiba, Tsukiji, Shinjuku)

Day 3 started the same way Day 2 started, both of us waking up at 6am. Luckily, Odaiba was pretty far from the hotel so we didn’t mind a longer train ride. We had breakfast at Bills Odaiba, eating the Ricotta pancakes and the Aussie breakfast which was super filling. We then walked to Diver City to see the Gundam Statue. During the time we were there, there was a car show outside the building so it was cool to see. Also saw the Fuji TV headquarters. After that, we took a taxi to Tsukiji, as it was pouring rain. Tsukiji wasn’t as crowded as I thought it was going to be, possibly because of the rain. Eating all the fresh seafood is great, especially the fresh crab. After staying there for about a couple of hours, we headed back to the hotel to get a short nap in. We headed to Shinjuku as I have never been there before. I saw all the main tourists stuff, Kabukicho, Godzilla head, Mega Donki, Takashimaya Times Square, 3D cat board, etc. Had dinner at Ichiran and after that, did some shopping and found a nice dessert place, Caramel Monday’s. Went back to the hotel after to get some rest and get ready for the next day.

Day 4 (Asakusa, Akihabara, Ginza, Shinjuku)

Finally got adjusted to the time zone and was able to sleep in a little. We headed to Senso-ji in the morning right as everything was opening. Got some omiyage on Nakamise Dori before we walked around the area to try and find lunch. Saw a nice tonkatsu place, Tonkatsu Toyama, which was a nice little shop. The tonkatsu was super good and the quality of it was great. We then walked to Fan Fun Street by the Bandai Namco offices to take pictures with the characters outside. After that, we headed to Akihabara because my wife needed some earphones. We went to Yodobashi-Akiba to get some headphones and also checked out Radio Kaikan. Dinner was in Ginza as we went to one of the restaurants at Ginza Six. After that, I took my wife back to our hotel as she wanted to rest for the night while I went out with some friends who just so happened to also be in Japan at the time. We went to Shinjuku and hit up some of the bars in Kabukicho. One of the places we went to was Beer Pong Grove, a super cool bar with karaoke, darts and beer pong. We hung out there for a few hours then went to Ichiran at around 2am for food. I was able to taxi back to the hotel and was able to get some rest for the night.

Day 5 (Shinkansen to Osaka)

I got only about 3-4 hours of sleep after the previous night and luckily we weren’t doing much as we had to catch the shinkansen to Osaka. My wife and I got a convenience store breakfast before we packed up our things and headed to Shinagawa station to catch the Shinkansen. The Shinkansen was a nice 2 and a half hour ride to Osaka and I ate a MOS Burger that I picked up before leaving Shinagwa. It was raining heavily so there wasn’t much to see outside. When we arrived to Shin Osaka, we took a taxi to our next hotel, the Conrad Osaka. After we got settled, we went to dinner at Sushiro, which I thought had more choices than Kura Sushi and thought the fish tasted a bit better. Due to the rain, we went back to our hotel and decided to have a night in and enjoy the view of Osaka from the hotel.

Day 6 (Osaka Castle, Umeda)

We got another early start to the day but luckily the hotel had complimentary breakfast service which we took advantage of. We then headed out to Osaka castle. It was a very overcast day but it brought very cool weather. We walked the grounds of the castle which was pretty cool and also saw the capsule display that they had in one of the buildings of characters like Godzilla, Kamen Rider and Ultraman. After spending a few hours at the castle, we walked to a Sukiya’s for lunch. Love those gyu-don bowls. After that, we headed to Umeda to do some shopping which took some time. We were super tired by this time and headed back to the hotel to rest. We were planning to go to Dotonbori but it began raining super hard again so we just decided to rest up and have dinner at the hotel.

Day 7 (Kyoto)

My aunty and her family live in Osaka so she and one of my cousins decided to show us around Kyoto. They picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the Kyoto area. Along the way we passed Yamazaki, and my cousin tried to get us into one of the tours of the distillery but they were sold out. Our first stop was Arashiyama, where we saw not only the bamboo forest but also the Togetsukyo Bridge and the Monkey Park. We had lunch at MUKU, which was a very interesting experience. We then headed to the Toei Kyoto Studio park, where they shot a lot of old, Japanese samurai shows. It was cool to see some of the sets from shows that I grew up watching. After that, we went to the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine. I was definitely interested to see all of the Tori gates but we didn’t make it far because of how tired we were lol. My aunty then took us to her house, which is about 30 minutes out of the main city in Osaka and we had dinner at a local yakiniku place run by an older husband and wife. I had some of the best wagyu meat I’d ever eaten. We hung out for a little after that at my aunty’s house before my cousin dropped us off back at our hotel later in the night.

Day 8 (Kobe)

My wife and I got a very late start to the day and our travels were finally catching up to us but we managed to get to Kobe at a pretty good time. We checked out Chinatown, Motomachi street, the Port Tower area, Daimaru and Ijinkan-Gai. We honestly didn’t stay here very long but we still managed to see a lot of cool things. We headed back to Osaka and met my aunty at Shinsaibashi because she wanted to eat dinner with us before we left for Tokyo. She took us to President Chibo for okonomiyaki and it was really good. She also gave us some gifts to take back home and also bought us a Rikuro Cheesecake LOL. We then went back to the hotel and packed our stuff again before we headed back to Tokyo.

Day 9 (Shinkansen back to Tokyo, Ginza)

We took a taxi from our hotel to Shin-Osaka station to catch our Shinkansen back to Tokyo. ...

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Japan trip november 2024 ( 3 weeks)

Hi all! Just wanted to share my journey that me and my wife have had the past 3 weeks.

I am on my phone, in the lobby of the last hotel waiting for my taxi to take me back to Haneda airport, and won't be able to edit this for some time. Sorry for All the mistakes and miss punctuation..

Before I start I have to tell you a bit about ourselves, we are a couple in our 30s, come from the Netherlands and both of us wanted to go to Japan since ever we were old enough to know what travel is haha. We are both anime and rpg game junkies, love food and could not be more happy then to be inside a 500 year old building.

My wife grew up in a medium income household and I grew up in a pretty poor household. Due to a string of bad things happening and some lucky things happinging ( both my parents passed away last year and my wife's dad passed away a few years ago, but the housing market being the way it is and both our dad's owning small houses.. We suddenly have had a big increase in finances)

So we really wanted to make this a “once In a lifetime” trip and the budget was about 10k in euro. This is life changing amount of money.. But it was worth every penny.

Here we go!

Travel. Friday 8 Nov - Day 0

KYOTO

9 Nov - Sat Day 1: landing in Tokyo at 1:45pm, used Yamato transport to send out luggage to the hotel and then travel to Kyoto, with the shinkansen.

Hotel KABIN Kyoto: Amazing hotel! I highly recommend it! The room we had was fitted with a rain shower and the bed was big and clean.

10 Nov - Sun Day 2: , kiyomizu-dera temple eat in the streets of ninenzaka and sannenzaka yasaka shrine and next to it maruyama park explore gion district, ended the day with a visit to the Kyoto Pokemon Center ( a total let down to be honest and the worst pokecenter we went to) dinner was a high class unagi place that was super tasty!

11 Nov - Mon Day 3: Daytrip to Nara.Visit the Great Buddha at Todai-ji Nigatsu-do and Sangatsu-do (February and March Hall) Nandaimon (Great South Gate) Stroll around Nara Deer Park, Kasuga Taisha Shrine on way back to station go to Naramachi (Nara town) and here is omogi mochi pounding at Nakatanidou!

Thoughts on Nara : one of the highlights of our trip! Nara is great! The deer where sweet and loved the senbei, you do need to handle the deer with care.. We saw a lot of stupid people making huge mistakes and getting attacked, but this was 100 procent there own fault. If you have any basic animal handeling skills you will see that the Nara deer are the sweetest wild animals you wil ever get the pleasure to meet.

The temples and shrines were amazing! There was a little bakery next to the station that sold me the best melon pan I had all holidays.

The day ended with us going to a chicken place in Kyoto near our hotel that served some special kinda chicken.. It was amazing! Best chicken I ever had.

Nov 12 - Tuesday day 4:

early to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest then had an pleasent walk trough a movie stars garden, walking back we took a little boat trip on the river that took about 45 min. After we jumped In a taxi to kinkakuji temple (golden temple).

After the temple we jumped into a taxi to nishiki Market.. And this was not that good.. Certainly not compared to the other markets we went to later in the trip! It's still fun! Just don't expect to much.

That night we met up with a friend who was in Kyoto by pure luck! And had yakitori dinner In a super small local mom and pop shop.

Nov 13 - Wed Day 5:

Bit of an off day, my wife was overwhelmed and we had underestimated the amount of walking we were doing. So we took the morning off.

Around noon we went to the big tori gate shrine at fushimi Inari, and that was a bigger hike than we thought! But it was beautiful! Everything we read about it was true, at the bottom a boatload of people! Going up 30 minutes and you get space. Get to the big lookout point and you are basically with 10 others.

Getting back at the hotel and sending our luggage to Hiroshima trough an 7/11 close to our hotel.

Had some sushi for dinner, that was at the time amazing.. But thinking back on it., actually pretty mid haha ( it would be world class in the Netherlands.. But it turns out we where not ready for the real deal a week later).

Closing thought on Kyoto :

Wow! Just wow! Kyoto is amazing, it's the old capital of Japan and littered with the most beautiful temples and shrines, the people we met where a bit more stiff/rude then the rest of the country. ( my wife was called names for being big a few times by people/teenage girls who thought we could not understand Japanese).

Public transport was a bit confusing at first but Google maps will get you all the way where you need to go. Kyoto was the only city where we felt the “need” to take a taxi, because the stuff we wanted to see and do did not line up with public transport all that well. Taxi was not cheap, but compared to Dutch prices, very well worth it!

Trip to Hiroshima / Osaka

14 Nov - Thu Day 6:

Daytrip Osaka, Den Den Town shopping, Ghibli store, eating okonomiyaki in Dotonbori, and visit the monster hunter Cafe. sleep in osaka hotel Sosetsu Grand Fresa Namba.

hotel was fine, a typical “Asian” hotel. Clean room and nice bed,but small bathroom ( for me not enough room to comfortably shower). Right next to the famous street and 5 mins walk form the big running man sing.

Closing thoughts on Osaka:

40 min away and a completely different vibe from Kyoto! Kyoto was all culture, Osaka is where my gaming and Otaku heart started to bloom.

15Nov - Fri Day 7:

Getting on a train from Osaka to Himeji Castle, and here is the first small letdown of the trip.. Don't get me wrong, the catzke looks amazing, I can totally see why people are proud of it. But.. There is littery nothing inside.

I might be way to European for this.. But I would not go again.

Then a shinkansen to Hiroshima, hotel Kuretakeso Hiroshima Otemachi.

Dinner at an really nice tempura place.

Hotel in Hiroshima was almost a carbon copy of the one from Osaka, although there where 2 major diffrances.

1: the people, I have never met such nice staff in my life,big shout out to the staff of this place!

2: here we booked breakfast, and there was a option for unagi breakfast! On my best Japanese ( which is to say almost none haha) i told the old lady I loved eel and thought his eel was also very good! She now knew I liked eel. And.. Kept bringing me extra pieces! ( there was a limit of 3 pieces per person) bless this old lady's heart!

Hiroshima time:

16 Nov - Sat Day 8: breakfast at hotel, Hiroshima peace monument an museum.

Friend we met in Kyoto was also in Hiroshima to visit her parents. Lucky us! Her parents took us out to an okonomiyaki place to proof Hiroshima okonomiyaki was better then the Osaka one. Wel I can say there right! The dinner was amazing!

Back the hotel the misses was poofed and went to sleep early, I went out to get a drink and found this amazing bar! It was a great night and highly recommend anyone to venture out into Hiroshima and have sole fun with the locals!

17 Nov - Sun Day 9: breakfast at hotel, Hiroshima Day trip to Miyajima. Going to the island was breeze because the hotel staff booked a boat ride for us that started in the peace park ( 10 min walk from the hotel).

This island is not to be missed! It has deer again! ( also friendly, although you can't feed them and I think these deer where a bit more used to being petted then the Nara deer). We had some really good cakes/cookies the island is known for.

After that adventure we went out and got some dinner, sushi this time again and bam! When you don't expect it you run into the best places! Super cheap super fresh and delicious sushi!

Closing thought on Hiroshima: Before the trip my wife was a bit low on this city, it was far and she did jot really know what to do except see the peace museum.

Turns out it was one of the best things we did, the people where great, the food was somehow even better and the peace museum and park where made with such reverence and thought that it made me burst into tears. ( this is the only museum in the world where I have cried..)

18 Nov - Mon Day 10: breakfast at hotel, check out and from Hiroshima to Kanazawa by shinkansen to The Hotel Sanraku ( spoiler alert, best hotel of the trip!)

Dinner at a local izakaya that was again, amazing ( it's a theme.. Japan has great food)

Kanazawa 19 Nov - Tue Day 11: explore Kanazawa, Omochi market for breakfast, and this was by far the best market we have been to! 20 times better then those of Kyoto!

kanazawa castle. And kenrokuen garden, the garden is absolutely stunning! Done some shopping and ended the day with an meat restaurant that was oke. For the price we expected a little bit more.

Closing thoughts on Kanazawa:

Kanazawa is a gem! I wish I could have spend more time here. It's everything you will ever want from an Japanese city, amazing market, castle, gardens, food. I could heva spend my whole 3 weeks here and be happy.

Road trip to Tokyo 20 Nov - Wed Day 12: check out and Rent a car at kanazawa station (Toyota rent a car place behind the station)

Kanazawa to Takayama. In Takayama we visit Mura Folk Village and Sanmachi and eat hida beef for lunch.

Another hour's drive to sleep at hotel Kazeya in Kamikochi. Our first real ryokan!

Ryokan was great! Huge room (could say appartement) and had th...

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Caveat that this is a long post but I hope it’s useful for folks! My partner and I like to travel with very packed itineraries and I’m very type A so I plan most things down to the hour. It was his first time but I’d been to Japan before, so I have experience in navigation etc. It also helps that I’m Chinese so I can read kanji which helps a ton with menus and signs etc. Also we’re from New York City so we’re used to public transportation and walking everywhere - that being said, my feet were still sore after the first two days. We spent 6 full days in Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchiko & Kyoto. Note that all prices below are for the two of us! —

Day 1/Arrival: Arrived HND at 5:25 and took public transportation to my friend’s apartment - arrived ~7:30. Took a quick shower and nap, and left around 9:30 to explore the area. Quick coffee stop and walked around the Waseda area. Headed to an omakase tempura lunch (shunkeian arakaki, Michelin 1 star) in the Tsukiji area. Lunch was amazing and lasted ~2 hours, easily top 10 meals of my life ($305). Then did harajuku, Meiji shrine, and shibuya crossing. Went back to friend’s apartment and finished the day with an easy 7-11 dinner (plus was still waaay stuffed from lunch). * Steps: 22k * Spend: $21 transportation, $325 food

Day 2: Headed to Tsukiji for brunch; it was super crowded and we were there for ~2 hours ($40). Wanted to go to the national museum but it was closed (bad planning on my part). Headed to Asakusa / Sensoji - walked around for ~1hr. Wanted to go to the imperial palace gardens but was also closed! Did the Korakuen instead ($4, which turned out great - they had a little stamp scavenger hunt in the park and you ended up with a beautiful postcard souvenir), then Akihabara, and then Tokyo City View ($22) in Roppongi. Went to Ginza for a little shopping appointment (we got his wedding band!) then finished off the day with a sukiyaki dinner at Kisoji ($87). * Steps: 27k * Spend: $17 transportation, $147 food, $26 sightseeing

Day 3: quick taxi ride ($25) to Tokyo station before hopping on the bus ($30) to Lake Kawaguchiko. We took a taxi as I just had zero desire to navigate morning rush hour commute with two carry-on suitcases. Took the sightseeing red line bus directly from the train station to our hotel (Ubuya) and dropped our luggage off. Weather was awful with no Fuji in sight. Did the ropeway ($13, which was silly in hindsight because there was nothing to see), maple corridor, and oishi park. Wanted to go to the kubota itchiku museum but closed (again). Checked into the hotel around 15:00 and spent time in the hot springs / chilled in the hotel lounge for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner was served at 18:50 - it wasn’t bad, but I was expecting slightly better food to be honest. The whole day was a slight bummer due to not being able to see Fuji, but the hot springs really cured my sore body/ feet. * Steps: 6k * Spend: $73 transportation, $18 food, $13 sightseeing, $452 hotel (1 night, inclusive of 2 meals for 2 people)

Day 4: woke up at 6:00 and lo and behold, the mountain!! For those of you debating whether Ubuya is worth it or not, it IS. This view from our bedroom was just insane, I easily stared out the window for 30 minutes. Went for a quick morning hot spring dip, then breakfast. Again - wasn’t bad, but expected slightly better. Checked out at 9:30 and the hotel shuttled us to the train station where we stored our suitcases ($6), then hopped on the train to shimoyoshida for arakurayama sengen park. Spent ~1.5 hours there, got amazing pics, then train-ed back to Kawaguchiko. Got on our bus ($30) to Mishima from there, then transferred to the Shinkansen at Mishima ($140). Everything was seamless and easy and before we knew it we were in Kyoto! Quick subway ride to our hotel (the new Four Points Flex - it’s clean and new but beware that it’s TINY! Staff were super nice though). Walked to a conveyer belt sushi place nearby ($27, food was nothing to write home about, but I love the concept), then a 20 min subway ride to Fushimi Inari Tasha. It’s indeed way less crowded at night, but deeper into the temple it started to get a bit creepy. Subwayed home and PTFO’d. * Steps: 16k * Spend: $186 transportation, $39 food, $6 luggage storage, $215 hotel (2 nights, no meals)

Day 5: late start today! We left the hotel around 9:30 and took a taxi ($13) to kiyomizu-dera. It was super crowded with a bunch of students on field trips. Spent ~1hr there, then walked around in the small streets of Gion. Waited ~20 min in line for Gyukatsu Katsugyu ($33, good and honestly well priced!), then took a long bus ride to Kinkaku-ji. Again, sooo many people but this temple was beautiful! Totally worth it. Spent ~1hr there ($6), then took a bus to the manga museum. Slightly overpriced tickets ($15) but was pretty cool - we missed out on slots for a manga-style portrait though (sad). 10 min walk back to hotel, then rested for a bit before heading to Nishiki Market and Pontocho. Had dinner at a great little izakaya in the alleys (kokodonemo, $44), then walked back to our hotel. * Steps: 20k * Spend: $18 transportation, $85 food, $21 sightseeing

Day 6: checked out of our hotel and left our luggage there, then took a train to arashiyama for the bamboo forest and tenryu-ji. Didn’t end up going into the temple but spent ~1hr in the bamboo forest / surrounding area. Quick stop at the rilakkuma cafe and the miffy cafe (obsessed with both, honestly), and enjoyed a fish cake snack by the river. Took a bus to Nijo Castle ($17) which was super cool to see for those of us who enjoyed watching Shogun on Hulu. Walked 20 min back to our hotel with a family mart fried chicken pit stop on the way. Scored two pairs of adidas sneakers for $50 total on a Black Friday sale, then collected our luggage and made our way back to Kyoto station. Shinkansen-ed to Tokyo ($186), got back to the apartment, and went for a quick dinner at a popular student spot nearby. Re-packed and got ready to depart the next day. * Steps: 19k * Spend: $199 transportation, $50 food, $17 sightseeing

Day 7/Departure: that’s all folks! If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading 😂 public transport back to HND for our morning flight out! * Steps: 3k * Spend: $9 transportation

— Spending summary * Actual shopping (ie things I needed and were cheaper in Japan than in the US): $2165 (95% of this was wedding band which is irrelevant to the trip) * Food: $664 * Accommodation: $640 (3 nights) * Distance transportation: $386 * Meals I invited my friend to to thank her for hosting us: $196 * Local transportation: $137 * Sightseeing: $77 * Misc: $26 (e-sim, luggage storage, etc) * Gifts for family & friends: $28 * Random shopping (ie things I didn’t need): $24 * Not including flight prices here as our tickets included onward flights to china

Overall it was a great trip and I’m super grateful to have had a friend who we could stay with in Tokyo and leave our larger suitcase with. Suica made transportation super easy and 8G of data on Airalo across the two of us was perfectly sufficient for 6 full days of traveling. And the favorable exchange rates definitely helped a ton!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/borkathons on 2024-12-01 03:45:39+00:00.

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Hi All,

This sub really helped me plan and prepare for my trip to Japan, so I wanted to add some of my own tips in order to help others plan as they embark on their own travel adventure. Some items to note: I was in Japan this past October/November 2024. The tips/recommendations are derived from my experience and are just my opinions! To each his own. Now with that out of the way: I'm going to catalog my recommendations so you can skip sections you aren't interested in. Happy Travels!

A Couple Chill Areas to Stay in Tokyo

You are doing your research on where to stay in Tokyo and you are not sure the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku or Shibuya is for you. If you would like to step out of your hotel and stay somewhere a little less crowded, yet still have good train access and great food nearby, I recommend Asakusa. You get fantastic food (and shopping!) and you are still in a good area for accessing the rest of Tokyo, It also has good access from Narita Airport. Another area to check out would be Ebisu. It's the southernmost part of Shibuya Ward and also chill/less touristy. You also get an amazing amount of izakayas, restaurants and bars. You'll eat and drink well.

Get the Suica Card!

Talk about convenience. Before I left for Japan, I downloaded the digital card to the Apple Wallet on my Iphone and loaded 5,000 yen (~$33 USD). The entire trip I paid via Suica for my train/subway rides and anytime I went to a 711/Lawson's (frequent!). If you take a limited express train, you'll need a second ticket to purchase a reserved seat - you can pay for that with Suica as well. I always used the ticket counters to speak with an attendant. Made life easy. Also very easy to top off your digital card anytime.

You don't have to open your phone when you scan your digital Suica!

Going through a turnstyle at the train station? Just point your phone screen-down and it will register!

Lost at a train station? Ask an attendant.

By the turnstyles of almost every train/subway station I went to, there was a small room adjacent to the turnstyles and an attendant present. Be a good world traveler and learn how to say 'excuse me' in Japanese (Sumimasen) and they are more than willing to help you find your way. Also, if you walked into the wrong station (not the train line you thought you needed), that attendant can also help you get a refund and let you out. I know this because it happened to me. Ha.

Don't be afraid to get a cup of coffee at 711.

Scenario: It is 6am and you are wide awake. No one else in your party is. Coffee shops generally don't open until 11am. YOU NEED COFFEE NOW. Go get a cup at 711. It is pretty damn decent! Go up to the cashier and tell them exactly what you want (coffee, latte). Then go use the machine. Pretty easy to figure the machine out, but if you stand there long enough looking confused, someone is going to help you out.

Hiking Recommendation #1 - Choishi Michi Trail (Hike to Koyasan)

Koyasan was a highlight of the trip. Buddhist temple overnight stays, meditating with the monks, being served traditional vegetarian meals - what's not to like?

You can find plenty of info on the town on this sub. My goal is to let you know you can hike there via the Choishi Michi Trail. After debating a few options, we got off the train at Ki-Hosokawa because it allowed us about 4 hours (with stops) to complete the hike to the Daimon Gate at the edge of Koyasan. You can easily find trail maps of the area online. It was fall weather when we completed this hike - please check around online for seasonal/weather considerations.

Hiking Recommendation #2 - Ten-en Hiking Course - Kamakura

Great day trip from Tokyo and a great little hike in the hills down to town. Again, plenty of sites out there to get you aquainted with the area. If you decide to go for it, here's the route we followed:

Starting point: We took the Ten'en Hiking Course trail to Zuisenji. That takes about an hour. If you do that, instead of turning back to come out the way you went in, you can walk through town to Kamakura Station or the beach. On our way to the station once leaving the trail at Zuisenji, we found the most amazing bakery: Mon Peche Mignon. It's about 20 min from Zuisenji. You won't be disappointed if you find it! You've got a 10 min walk from the bakery to the station. From the station, it's a 20 min walk to the beach. Definitely worth checking out and watching the surfers. Again, all seasonal dependent - I was there in early November.

Tennis in Osaka, anyone?

Yep this tip is hyper specific! If you are looking to play some tennis in Osaka, go to the Utsubo Tennis Center. They take reservations for court time and you can rent both racquets and shoes. They are very friendly and there are a lot of courts there.

Final Tip - Explore!

Don't plan all of your meals in advance. Go wander around and see what looks and smells good! You'll probably have one of your best meals/experiences this way. Easter egg if you're still reading: Check out the izakayas near Nakano Station in Tokyo!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Plastic-Act-7905 on 2024-11-29 19:25:36+00:00.

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My wife and I took a trip Nov 8-27. Posting rough itinerary and takeaways below.

Nov 9-16 Tokyo

• Biggest thing for Tokyo is prioritize and do what you want to do. I wouldn’t feel pressured to do certain things because even with a full week there was still so much we felt like we missed. Nov 9
• Arrived around 5 PM and just ordered Uber Eats to the hotel lol

Nov 10

• Teamlab Borderless - very cool, worth the hype
• Harajuku Thrifting - everything here was very expensive. Like even more than you would see in the US but I don’t thrift outside of like Goodwill in the US lol
• Harry’s Animal Cafe - I know there is a lot of hate about the animal cafes on here but if you are going to do one I would suggest doing your research. The Harry’s that we went to had conditions similar to what you would see in a US pet store so didn’t seem too bad

Nov 11

• Pokémon Cafe - really cool if you can get a reservation. Reservations open up 30 days prior but we managed to get one the day before ~10 PM Japan time. You can also lineup at the cafe (was no line when we were there)
• Ginza 6 - very very very bouje mall
• Ginza Art Aquarium - this was a skip for us if we had to do it again. Did the whole thing in maybe 20-30 min and tickets weren’t very cheap
• Ginza Shopping - GU and Uniqlo are GOATed shopping stores for men and women’s. Made us wish we brought another suitcase

Nov 12

• Ueno Zoo - Another pass for us. Cool to see a Panda but took up over half a day to see a lot of animals you can see at US zoos
• Senso-Ji Temple - this one is probably the highest on the list of temples we saw in Tokyo. Ton of food and vendors around the temple as well. We ended up hanging around here for dinner and did a batting cage afterwards

Nov 13

• Food Tour in Kichijoji - one of the best things we did our whole trip. Kichijoji was a great city that had very few tourists but was still upbeat. We did our tour with Culinary Backstreets. It was a little expensive but cool to see restaurants and food we wouldn’t have known existed
• Yebisu Christmas Plaza - from what we have seen, the US seems to do Christmas a lot bigger than Japan. There was a Christmas tree and some lights here 3-4 shops and the mall was pretty but kind of a let down

Nov 14

• Rabbicour Head Spa - my wife loved this so much. It was relaxing and a much needed break after all the walking we had been doing. Worth it for me as 2.5 hours of treatment between us both was ~$200.
• MiPig Cafe - this was the best animal cafe we went to from the animal treatment as well as experience. If you’re doing one animal cafe here, MiPig is good.
• Shibuya Sky - Very cool. Heard you only needed to do one sky tower and this one was worth it. We did it at night.
• Mixology Salon - very thoughtfully made drinks but location is a bit strange in the top floor of Ginza 6

Nov 15

• Imperial Palace - We went at 11 AM and didn’t realize you needed to wait in line for tickets. I would recommend doing research before you go here if you want to actually go in and see the grounds
• Yokohama - we traveled to Yokohama’s China town which was beautiful and had a lot of very cool buildings and architecture (again not many tourists here at all)

Nov 16

• Traveled to Kawaguchiko via Bus
• When I was researching hotels/AirBnBs around Mount Fuji I couldn’t find much but we found the most AMAZING place even looking it up after staying it was hard to find but it’s a private single bed villa with a sauna and hot tub with gorgeous Fuji Views. Phenomenal breakfast and dinner included. Very new so can’t find much info.

Nov 17

• Rented car and drove around Kawaguchiko Lake - this was probably my favorite day. Fuji is so beautiful and the drive around the lake all day with fall leaves was incredible. There was some festivals going on with food stalls and vendors. Would recommend staying in Fuji for at least a day in Japan. Gives a change of pace from the cities.

Nov 18

• Traveled to Kyoto via Bus -> Shinkansen
• Autumn Festival at Nijo-Jo Castle- this was something to do but was a little pricey for what it was. Castle was cool to see lit up but was a bit disappointing

Nov 19

• Cooking Classes - Booked through TripAdvisor and had a great class making Gyoza and Ramen
• Sanjusangen-do Temple - this was very cool. The 1001 golden statues were incredible to see but sad you couldn’t take pictures
• Tenjuan Temple - This one was also very pretty. A bunch of temples in this area. Garden was very scenic with beautiful Koi

Nov 20

• Fushimi Inari - Tried to wake up early for this one to avoid crowds. Arrived at 8:30 and there was still a decent amount of people
• Osaka Day Trip - We did the Aquarium (very cool and able to see the animals very close. Exhibits are very wide and deep) and then went to downtown Osaka. Side note: we got Rikuros cheesecake and thought it was mid/below average

Nov 21

• Arashiyama Monkey Park - top three coolest things we did. The hike up to the top is TOUGH but totally worth it once you’re up there. Monkeys are all free roaming and you can feed them through a fence.
• Arashiyama Bamboo Forrest- Very crowded but cool to see bamboo I guess
• Downtown Kyoto - Great shopping in downtown Kyoto. Kyoto t-shirts at the anime Store are very cool as well.

Nov 22

• travel to Kanazawa - Shinkansen
• Just did dinner, grabbed dessert, and headed back to hotel

Nov 23

• Tea Ceremony, Ring Making Class, and Pottery - fun classes all booked through TripAdvisor
• Omicho Market - if you are here you have to find the beef stand that sells A5 beef. The seared steak nigiri was one of the best bites of the trip

Nov 24

• City Tour- this was the only tour tour that we booked and I kind wish we didn’t. No shade to people that like tours but we would have probably found all the spots on our own and the cultural info wasn’t worth what we paid.

Nov 25

• Travel back to Toyko - Shinkansen

Nov 26

• Last minute Donki Shopping
• Shuttle to airport and flight

General Takeaways

• I learned a decent amount of Japanese (Duolingo) and it was helpful. I would try to learn a few phrases.
• We shipped our big bags three times and didn’t have any trouble. The hotels will handle most of it
• walking on the other side of the sidewalk takes some getting used to
• the cities are extremely crowded especially around rush hour. People will cram into the trains
• the fire trucks sound like an apocalypse. I was legit scared the first night when I heard one at like 4 AM. I thought it was an earthquake something
• people are so kind. Definitely ask for help if you need it
• Google/Apple maps is so helpful
• Suica Card on your iPhone is a must for subways soooo much easier (I didn’t understand how to do this when I first arrived but you just scan in when you enter the gate and scan out after and it charges based on where you scan in and out)
• don’t be too worried about societal rules just be respectful of others
• Generally, we didn’t wait in line for restaurants and still had plenty of very delicious food. That being said, make reservations where you can.

Happy to answer any questions anyone has! Overall, we loved Japan so much. Lot of walking and lot of people were the only real downsides but those were anticipated.