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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Visible-Reporter-433 on 2024-10-16 15:11:17+00:00.

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Happily welcome questions of any kind!

Highlights - Going into a traditional sushi bar with no English menu for our first meal rather than easing into things.

Going into ChicagoRock in Osaka for a drink and walking into an open mic night which included a Japanese comedian who improvised a scene of a drunken Englishman eating ramen in very broken English.

Walking around the record stores and vintage shops in Kichijoji and Koenji. Main regret of the holiday is not going there until our last day in Tokyo.

TeamLab Borderless and Planets - can see why it doesn’t tick some people’s boxes but it definitely does mine.

Seeing the sun set on a couple of observatories and in Odaiba on the water.

General Thoughts - Places weren’t anywhere near as busy as I expected, even places such as Gion and the shops near the area. Other than Shibuya crossing at 6pm I never felt overly crowded, and many shops, bars and restaurants I went in (even in golden gai, though less so) were not busy. Maybe owing to this, a lot of places seemed overstaffed.

Walking 30,000+ steps a day in 30-35 degree heat and 70% humidity wasn’t pleasant, but having a vending machine every 100 yards meant keeping hydrated was easy.

Food was as high in quality as I expected and lower in price. It’s easy to get a very good meal for 1,000 yen and had several around 500 yen that did the job.

Service was invariably excellent.

It was easier to find places to dispose of rubbish (including supermarkets on every block) than I feared.

People were much more willing to speak in English despite not being fluent than Reddit had suggested.

Transport was much less confusing than I’d anticipated, though google maps helped.

Everything is very well signposted in English and the couple times I had to check the tube I was getting was going to the right place the first person I asked was able to confirm.

Ubers/Taxis in Osaka were reasonably priced, Tokyo less so.

Even in Tokyo it was remarkably easy to find somewhere to escape to somewhere more chilled. Hanazano Shrine outside of Golden Gai being a great example.

Highly recommend Ninja WiFi which was well priced for 3gb a day and gave us great coverage everywhere.

! - recommended activity , !! - highly recommended

Day 1 - Osaka: Tenmangu Shrine with Doll Museum which was our local shrine, Osaka Castle, Dotonbori inc Don Quixote w/ Big Wheel, TeamLab Botanical Garden

Notable Food & Drink - Izakaya Toyo for lunch (not outstanding quality food but worth it for the experience, was only a 20 minute walk from Osaka Castle). Drinks at Salamanca which does a great margarita and run by a very old, very interesting man who speaks English and Spanish.

Day 2 - Nara and Osaka: Few hours walking around the city and of course seeing the deer (found a couple hanging around alone in the afternoon which were much more pleasant to feed), Manyo Botanical Garden (!), Nara National Museum, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Todai-Ji Temple (!!), back to Osaka and Dotonbori inc Round One Arcade and Hozen-ji Temple (!).

Notable Food and Drink - Delicious vegetable tempura dish at Mizuya Chaya in Nara for lunch (around 1000 yen), which was served before we had sat down, and dinner at Okonomiyaki Fun Bar in Osaka. Beautiful if not traditional okonomiyaki and self service drinks are 200 yen. Also hit a couple of Sake breweries in Nara - preferred the family run Kasaguyama to the more popular Harushika, but both were great and cheap.

Day 3 - Kobe & Osaka: Janjan Yokocho for breakfast, walk around Tennoji park and the Oktoberfest set up, trip to Kobe for the herb garden (!) and china town, train back to Umeda for the Sky Building (!)

Notable Food and Drink - oden, a miso cartlidge skewer and a beer for breakfast at Nonkiya for 1000 Yen. Ate on a couple of crates with salarymen as the bar area was full. Kobe Beef from Kobe Beef 5Star - touristy but very good quality.

Day 4 - Osaka to Kyoto: Walk around Gion (!), Geisha and Geiko Experience (!), night walk around Kyoto National Garden.

Notable Food and Drink - Honke Shibato for an incredible Eel dish (one of the best things I’ve eaten), New York Style pizza with a punk vibe at Pop Pizza, great cocktails at The Bar Straight and drinks at Bar Tonbo Anzu (both run by lovely people).

Day 5 - Kyoto: Kinkaku-Ji, Arashiyama including Bamboo Forest (!), Fushimi Inari. This was the only day that the weather was close to unbearable, possibly as we were mostly outside for 8-10 hours straight in 35 degree weather. Pocari Sweat was a saviour. Didn’t do the whole 10,000 gates at Fushimi Inari, it got a bit samey after 6,000 or so..

Notable Food and Drink - Amazing tofu based meal with lots of sides at Yudofu Sagano, one of the best meals we ate and at a beautiful location with its own Japanese garden.

Day 6 - Kyoto to Tokyo: Another walk around Gion before heading to Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Building (!), walk around Shinjuku including Golden Gai and Omeide Yokocho

Notable Food and Drink - drinks with free snacks and puzzles at Bar Lonely, cold tempura udon noodles for 500 yen somewhere in Omeide Yokocho.

Day 7 - Tokyo: TeamLab Planets (!), Small Worlds (!!), Joypolis, Odaiba Beach to see the Statue of Liberty and see the sunset (!) - the entire area was surprisingly quiet. drinks again in golden gai before a club night at Zero Tokyo (which has an amazing soundsytem and had a good mix of different strands of hip hop and dance)

Notable Food and Drink - ramen at the place associated with TeamLab Planets, wasn’t amazing for a Michelin recommended place but well priced and great ambience. Drinks at death match in hell which is a must if you like metal and or horror movies.

Day 8 - Tokyo: Late start due to a late night, strolls through Shibuya including a browse of Tower Records, walk down to Ebisu for a gig at Liquid Rooms (Again superb sound and atmosphere), followed by drinks back in Shibuya and Nonbei Yokocho.

Notable Food & Drink - Apple pancakes from Micasedeco. I’m not a dessert guy but these were incredible, especially the hot apple at the base of the pancakes. Had a really good tempura udon meal at 1am at Takemura in Kabuchiko. I read a couple comments about the wait staff being inattentive on google reviews - I found the staff to be lovely but did have to call them over when I wanted to order or pay. Which I don’t think is an issue at all personally..

Day 9 - Tokyo: Asakusa including Senso-Ji Temple and the surrounding shops (much more pleasant in the morning, started to get busy around 11ish), Tokyo Skytree (the only observation tower we did that had a long queue to get up/down), KuraSushi (more of an experience than anything, the food was good but no more than that), walk around Shinjuku before more Golden Gai drinking

Notable Food and Drink - within golden Gai: Bar Ji had probably the most pleasant ambience, more of a whiskey bar than anything else but had a chandelier and nice lighting. Hair of The Dogs was playing Killing Joke when I walked it so instant favourite. A punk equivalent of Death Match In Hell, and perhaps less touristy. Bar Roundhouse kick had an amazing yuzu sake and the bar woman was lovely. I’d walked past a couple days before and it seemed to be a little overly boisterous but not when I returned.

Day 10 - Tokyo: TeamLab Borderless (!!) which I thought was amazing and could’ve spent longer than the two hours we did, Azabudai Hills inc the food market, Momoji Park and shrine for views of Tokyo Skytree (!), Rikugien Gardens where we stumbled on a couple of entertainers doing tricks and playing a koto and also had traditional tea, Sugamo for shopping, back to Shibuya for some walking and shopping. Shibuya Sky observation deck (!).

Notable Food and Drink - various items from Azabudai Hills Food Market which were all of a very high standard if pricy, Coco Curry for dinner which was good, better than the equivalent in England would be. Drinks at Bar Piano which had an abundance of decorations and a frightening steep set of stairs but good cheap drinks.

Day 11 - Hakone: Essentially did the typical Hakone loop. The weather had cooled down a few degrees so this was more pleasant than it might’ve been. The pirate boat ride (worth getting the first class option for an extra 1,000 yen) and the chair lift were highlights, as was stumbling on an overgrown seemingly un-used shrine where a raccoon was mooching around.

Notable Food and Drink - Not much other than some chocolate rusk snacks sold on the pirate boat.

Day 12 - Kamakura and Yokohama: Went to Kamakura for the beach, which was a wasted trip due to strong winds kicking up sand, but the giant statue at Kotoku-in and a delicious cheese bread from a bakery nearby almost made it worth it. An unscheduled stop at Ofuna to go to Kannon-Ji (!) with a similarly giant statue is more highly recommended, and then it was off to Yokohama for the Cup Noodle museum (!), chairlift and CosmoWorld (!) - loved the VR coasters there.

Notable Food and Drink - Steak at Ribera. I went as a wrestling fan but really enjoyed the steak outside of that. Cooked perfectly medium rare and brought out sizzling with rice.

Day 13 - Kichijoji and Koenji: Kichijoji for vintage clothes and gift shopping before a walk to Inokashira Park and Pond, did go to the zoo but wasn’t planned or recommended. Then to Koenji for record shopping at a number of alternative record stores (Base being the highlight) then to Koenj...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/SophisticPenguin on 2024-10-16 16:06:38+00:00.

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From the Mainichi, it seems that with contracts up for renewal, ridership still down since COVID, and percentage of travelers using IC Cards being a minority; several regions are/will be ditching the IC Cards, especially rural ones.

Kumamoto Electric Railway and Kumamoto Bus are ditching them as early as next month. And Hiroshima's street cars and buses will stop using the Paspy IC cards next March. On the plus side, the replacement seems to be contactless credit card payments.

Edits: typos

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/lostmemento on 2024-10-15 17:41:07+00:00.

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This was out first time going to Japan after wanting to go for our honey moon but then COVID hit. There were some things I'd do again and some things I definitely would avoid. I go into detail but I ramble and my memory is hazy so feel free to ask questions about the specific places and I'll see if I can remember better!

*Prices in USD

Biggest recommendations:

• Buy the comfiest shoes OR schedule breaks

At the end of everyday we had walked about 20k+ steps. Our peak steps were probably 30k but there wasn't a day we didn't walk at least 20k steps. This was including taking taxis and public transportation different places. We are in our 30s and were feeling it. Plus you have to think of it cumulatively that the next and next day will feel "worse" cause you're not having much time to rest. We still slept from 9/10pm - 6am and we were out like a light.

• Time investment

Make sure you are scheduling time for things such as walking breaks and shopping! We didn't think of putting time to shop because we wanted to see things. We did end up shopping sporadically but we did do the thing of shopping a bit before our flight time to get souvenirs for friends and co-workers last minute. Also, there were those times when we were window shopping on our walks near our accommodations and said to ourselves: "We'll get it later." then never did. So, just keep some of these small things in mind.

E-sim vs Pocket WIFI

Me and my partner are from the US so he had AT&T and I had T-mobile. He had better coverage than me and didn't need anything extra. Sometimes his service was spotty but overall at 5G. For T-mobile I had LTE most places but it would load a snails pace compared to my husband. I got Airalo (Esim) to supplement but it didn't do very much, so I would recommend pocket wifi if you can if you don't have a good AT&T plan. Not sure about other American carriers.

Pocket Wifi a huge recommendation!

Transportation

I say this but take it with a grain of salt because I am from New York and are use to large sprawling train maps: I thought navigating the subway system was easy. Google maps is really helpful in letting you know which train car is least busy or would provide you a better exit towards the exit you need to get out of the train station. I really appreciate Japan's number system for stations as it reminds you that "oh 2 stops from now is 19 that's my stop."

What I did notice is that in Kyoto and Osaka vs Tokyo - that the numbers of the stations weren't listed in google maps as much so you need to pay attention. My easiest advice surrounding this is just look up the stations that are on the gates, if the station is farther on the google maps or lists one of the closer ones then it is probably the direction you're going. If it isn't listed at all, then you're going the wrong direction.

For example: the stops will say like Namba, etc. etc. if Namba is a stop after yours but on the train itself it says something else it's still your train if you are on the right side. We would get confused as some trains will list another stop. This just might mean express or something, so keep that in mind. But, it was easier than saying on we have to get on this one particular train that google said. Google can be wrong.

Go Taxi app is definitely your friend. The prices can be kind of costly to some who aren't used to it but it's about $1 per min and more if it's rush hour time. So for example instead of taking 1hr+ train to a shrine we decided to take a 40min taxi which was about $56.

Shinkansen. Always opt for this. This was a small battle I had with my husband but we went from Osaka to Himeji Castle and did the limited express. We were doing this during morning business hours so it was kind of busy. If you aren't aware what a limited express is, it is basically a normal subway car that goes to fewer stops. It was kind of crowded and you just didn't have nicer seats like on a Shinkansen, so if you're able opt for those instead of the local express trains. Also, definitely recommend getting tickets ahead of time even ahead of your days while in Japan. Otherwise, you'll be waiting in semi long lines depending on the day and hour to get our day of tickets either at a ticket machine (if you can operate it) or at the ticket counter.

Definitely use Yakamoto or other luggage shipping options when possible. It is kind of false to say there are no escalators/elevators for this at train stations. There ARE just at very particular exits that you will have to find via the signs. There are no notable signs on the outside of the stations, just inside.

Accommodations

Tokyo - Tokyu Stay Ginza (5 nights, $1500)

I really liked this hotel, we opted for a bigger room which gave enough space and had a bath and heated toilet. It can include breakfast which provides both western and eastern choices. Sometimes there are restaurants that only let you book once you check into a hotel. My only bleh about this hotel was that they didn't really assist in help booking restaurants, I think in case something went wrong? I'm not sure but it was kind of frustrating as it was a nice hotel. My other bleh was that there were stains on the carpet but I still felt the room was clean.

Hakone - Matsuzakaya Honten (1 night, $780)

We stayed at this place for the Ryoken and onsen experience. We opted for a room where there is a private onsen, but they had private onsens you could book or public ones as well. We also chose to have the traditional dinner and breakfast. If you are not one for seafood (like my husband) they were great at making swaps for that. The room was cool to experience and the private onsen was great. Their hospitality was very great and would go back in a heartbeat.

Hakone is up in the mountains. It is a nice place to try and view Mt. Fuji and the Hakone gate which is an instagram spot. I say try, because it was cloudy and foggy the 2 days we were there an unable to see the mountain but the lake there is beautiful. They provide boats to go out on the lake if you want but because it rained they shut it down early even though the rain wasn't too bad.

I would just keep in mind that the buses in Hakone run at a snails pace and are few and far between. It is a nice quaint area for viewing the mountain or having a onsen experience but the buses are ill equipped to handle the amount of tourists.

Kyoto - Nol Kyoto Sanjo (4 nights, $900)

This was probably my favorite hotel. It had great service was on the medium to small side. They have a really cool hotel lobby (past the hotel desk). It had a nice layout and a wonderful Hiba wood tub that smelled really good.

I felt like Kyoto was the most ill equipped with tourism infrastructure. Since there are a lot of tourists or what it felt like when I went, Kyoto just didn't have the public transport or organization that I felt like the other cities sort of had to support the abundance of tourist.

Osaka - Hotel Cordia Hommachi (4 nights, $350)

This was probably my least favorite hotel. It was cramped and didn't have a bathtub to soak your worn feet. There were a lot of Western customers, which is fine but it didn't feel like a Japanese hotel, if that makes sense.

Food & Restaurants

This part is pretty short cause I don't recall all the restaurants we went to but the ones that stood out were:

Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San (Tokyo) - we didn't plan on eating here but we were in the area. It opens at 11am I believe and we waited at 10. We were maybe the 20th in line but because it only seats 12ish, we waited 2 hours before eating. The meal was great but the waiting kind of took away from the experience. I chose the small but the time we got to eat and seeing the portion my husband and I agreed we could have gone a size up each. (Him large and me medium.)

Serves: beef katsu

Ryan (Tokyo) - this restaurant specializes in soba noodles. They have a set menu or you can order a la carte. We made a reservation because my husband doesn't do seafood but I love soba. It was probably one of our best meals we had in Japan. We ordered cold soba and some wagyu which was delicious. Some seating is by the prep stations and since it caters to Japanese clients we unfortunately didn't get to talk much with our chef. But a neat thing was they save the soba water and you can drink it after your meal. It was actually pretty good and I will remember the experience fondly.

Serves: Soba noodles

Hyakuten Manten (Kyoto) - I have a fond memory of this place because it was after a long day and I didn't think I'd be up for curry again. But, we had katsu and curry. My husband had curry ramen. They curry flavor was amazing and the owners who work there are a sweet elderly couple. The husband asked where we came from and the wife didn't know much english but I used a translator to let her know it was very delicious and to keep going and she was so sweet. Definitely recommend.

Serves: curry ramen or with rice

Kichi Kichi Omurice - was hard to get reservations even though I got on on time. We had the form filled in but when we went to select a time the drop down glitched and didn't give us a time. We did the time first then put our name the 2nd attempt but it was just so busy. However, we went to another omurice place and honestly it wasn't for me. It's an omelet with rice in it...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/TrainBuff256 on 2024-10-15 13:53:39+00:00.

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Hey everyone! I just got back from an unforgettable trip in Japan, and as a massive train nerd, I thought I’d share my experience with some of the most unique train rides you can take in the country. Whether you’re into trains or just looking for an amazing way to travel through Japan, this route is an absolute gem.

So, a bit about me – I’ve been obsessed with trains since I was a kid. I’ve ridden trains across the US and Europe, but Japan is on another level. The country has a mix of cutting-edge technology and old-school charm that makes it perfect for a train journey. This time, my friends and I set our sights on three iconic trains: the Sunrise Express, the 500 Series Shinkansen, and the SL Yamaguchi. If you’re even remotely interested in trains, or just want a memorable way to explore Japan, you’ve gotta check these out!

We started with the Sunrise Express, Japan’s last overnight sleeper train, which runs from Tokyo to Okayama. I got myself a Solo cabin – it’s a small private room with a bed, just enough space to stretch out and relax as you speed through the night. Some of my friends opted for the Nobi-Nobi Seat, which is more of a flat floor space that you can lie down on. My friends said it was surprisingly comfortable but I enjoyed having my own little private nook.

The ride was super smooth. I fell asleep somewhere after Yokohama, and when I woke up, we were passing through the gorgeous rural landscape near Himeji. The timing was perfect – the sun was just rising over the horizon, and we got this incredible view of the Akashi Bridge, shrouded in early morning mist on the Seto Inland Sea. At one point, I even spotted a crane standing by a rice paddy, which felt like such a rare and peaceful moment. This was one of those "wow, I’m really in Japan" experiences.

Once we arrived in Okayama, the next train on our list was the 500 Series Shinkansen. This thing is a piece of history. When it debuted in 1997, it was the first bullet train to break 300 km/h. And here’s a fun fact for fellow train geeks – its nose was designed based on the shape of a kingfisher’s beak, using biomimicry to reduce air resistance and make it quieter. How cool is that? The design alone is worth the ride. As we zipped down the tracks toward Shin-Yamaguchi, I couldn’t help but marvel at how futuristic it still feels, even after all these years.

But the highlight of the trip had to be the SL Yamaguchi, a steam locomotive that runs between Shin-Yamaguchi and Tsuwano. Now, this is where old-school charm meets raw power. The train itself is a beautifully restored locomotive from the early 20th century, and riding it is like stepping back in time. The sound of the steam engine chugging, the whistle echoing through the mountains, and the sight of black smoke puffing into the sky made it feel like we were on a movie set. The train moves slower than the Shinkansen, but that just gives you more time to appreciate the stunning scenery – we passed through lush green mountains, tunnels carved into hillsides, and rivers that cut through valleys. Every moment was like something out of a postcard.

If you’re planning a trip and want a unique way to see Japan, riding these three trains is an absolute must. We booked our tickets through Sunrise Express Tickets, and it made the whole process so easy. Getting seats on the Sunrise Express can be tricky, but these guys really came through, especially for reserving the SL Yamaguchi, which is pretty popular. Seriously, check them out if you’re thinking about doing a similar trip!

TL;DR: For a once-in-a-lifetime train adventure, take the Sunrise Express, 500 Series Shinkansen, and the SL Yamaguchi. You’ll experience Japan in a way few travelers do – through its most iconic trains!

Happy to answer any questions if you’re curious about the journey or want tips on how to plan this!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/persimmonsareawesome on 2024-10-14 20:20:06+00:00.

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Hi everyone! I (solo F) just got back from my trip and wanted to leave a report in case it helps anyone else plan their trip. A quick note: this is technically my second trip to Japan, but since my first was a study abroad semester, I've done most of the more "typical" things during my semester abroad (Ex. Shibuya Sky, Kiyomizu-dera, Osaka Castle). So that's why they're excluded from my itinerary.

Luggage: I brought one large suitcase, one duffle, and one backpack. The duffle was for overnight trips, which came in handy. Though I didn't plan on using luggage-forwarding, I ended up using it once my big suitcase got too heavy.

$$$: I brought the equivalent of $1000 USD in yen. I used it pretty sparingly and put most of my expenses on my credit card. I have the Bilt card and highly recommend it: no transaction fees and I stayed at most of the hotels for free by redeeming them with Bilt points. Really helped keep my costs down.

Shinkansen Reservation: for all trains on the main island, I used the SmartEx app to reserve seats with oversized luggage space. Pretty easy to do and no charges for changing the time of the train on the day of if you suddenly realize you can't make a train. I bought the All-Area Kyushu Rail 7-day pass, starting from the Hakata-Kumamoto trip. I did the math and it was much more worth it than buying each ticket separately. To reserve an over-sized luggage seat with the pass, just go to the JR Station Office and the staff there will help you do that.

Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo

• I arrived pretty late (6pm) so I just had dinner with a friend before tuning in for the night
• Hotel: APA Hotel Ningyosho Eki Kita
  • Close to several different subway lines; 35-ish minute train ride to Disneyland
  • Room was pretty small and it was hard to maneuver my big suitcase in the room.
  • I chose it for its proximity to the Yurakucho BicCamera lol

Day 2: Tokyo Disneyland

• I downloaded the Tokyo Disney Resort App and used the Priority Pass & Standby Passes. I didn't need to get the paid Disney Premier Access and went on all the rides I wanted Ex. Pooh's Hunny Hunt, Beauty & the Beast, Big Thunder Mountain
• Highly recommend staying for the Electrical Parade Dreamlights show at night!
• Didn't go to the new Fantasy Springs since that was in Disneysea
• Paid out of pocket

Day 3: Kyoto/Kibune

• Took the 6:42 AM Shinkansen to Kyoto Stn. Dropped off bags at hotel, and then took transport to Kibune. Ended up just taking the bus there and the train back.
• Activities:
  • Hirobun - read online that the wait time was long so I went here first to get a number
    • The nagashi somen was pretty worth it as an experience, I think. Definitely had better food during the trip but I do recommend trying this.
  • Hyoue Cafe - kawadoko-style cafe; can have desserts and lattes while dipping your feet into the river
  • Kifune Shrine - really pretty but pretty overcrowded. Hard to get nice pictures of the scenery without getting 10000 people in.
    • the mizu-mikuji was pretty cool (omikuji in water)
    • also got a goshuin here
  • I considered doing the hike to Kuramadera but I wasn't dressed for hiking and the bugs were pretty intense
  • Went back to Kyoto around 4pm and spent a few hours shopping at Nishiki Market
    • if you love spicy food, highly recommend Ochanoko saisai!
• Hotel: Kyoto Universal Hotel Karasuma
  • It looked pretty close to Kyoto Station on Google maps, but in reality, it was a bit of a walk and not really accessible if you have a big luggage (it wasn't a big deal for me)
  • Paid for with Bilt Points
  • Included a half-board (2 meals) and had an onsen!

Day 4: Amanohashidate

• I left my big suitcase at the Kyoto hotel and just took my duffle bag on the bus. I booked the bus ticket in advance on this website. The trip was from 7:20 am to 9:25 am.
• I rented a bike from this store. The area was pretty bikeable in my opinion.
• Attractions:
  • Amanohashidate View Land - took the monorail up (chair-lift was not working)
    • had pudding
    • tried and failed at the pottery toss
    • Bought a "ryu no onegaidama" for Naraiji Temple
    • Tried matanozoki (looking between your legs) - VERY cool experience
  • Chionji Temple - got goshuin and the fan omikuji
  • Biked across the sandbar
  • Had lunch at Hashidate Chaya (located on the sandbar)
  • Biked to Kasamatsu Park - went to Manai Shrine, Motoise Kono Jinja to get goshuin, and then took the chairlift up to another lookout
  • Hiked to Naraiji from the park (half an hour?)
  • I considered biking to Ine but it was getting a bit late and I had to return my bike back to the original shop to get my deposit back.
• Hotel: Auberge Amanohashidate
  • LOVED this spot! Paid out of pocket for the stay and dinner at the restaurant. But you get access to the big onsen at Amanohashidate Hotel next door. The bathrooms are shared but since each room has its own faucet, I didn't find this to be inconvenient.

Day 5: Uji

• I took the earliest bus (booked through same link as above) back to Kyoto Station and because the hotel was again, kind of far, I left my duffle in a coin locker at the station and went directly to Uji
• Attractions:
  • Byodo-in Temple and Museum - pretty cool but looking back, I don't think it's necessary to wait around to go see the Phoenix Hall. It's just one room and the tour is given in Japanese. You do get a brief brochure in your preferred language but it's definitely not as thorough as what the guide is saying
  • Uji-Shrine and Ujigami-Jinja - these two are next to each other and if you love bunnies, they have lots of cute rabbit motifs
  • Walked along Uji River and to To-no-shima Island
  • Tsuen Tea House - had lunch here (cha soba), had ice cream, and bought souvenirs
  • Mimurotoji Temple - a bit of a walk from the other attractions (40min-1hr) but I thought it was nice
  • Walked through Byodo-in Omotesando Street and bought souvenirs

Day 6: Osaka/Katsuoji

• Left Kyoto early-ish, dropped off stuff at hotel, and headed to Katsuoji. Be mindful of the bus times. Katsuoji took half a day, and I spent the rest of the day in the Namba area.
• Attractions:
  • Katsuoji Temple - really cool experience seeing all the darumas and completing the 6 stamps postcard
  • Lunch at Cinnamoroll Cafe in Namba
  • Namba Yasaka Shrine
  • Had dinner in Dotonbori
  • went to Umeda Sky Building at night - the escalator was super cool
• Hotel: Sunny Stone Hotel
  • I really liked the location: it was 8 minutes by subway from Shin-Osaka Station, so it was easy to get there right after getting off the shinkansen. Highly recommend staying near Shin-Osaka Station rather than Osaka Station.
  • Paid for with Bilt Points
  • Breakfast included

Day 7: Universal Studios Japan

• Went mostly for the Demon Slayer attraction lol
• I got on pretty much every ride without waiting a long time since I was a solo rider. If you're by yourself or don't mind sitting with strangers, this is a faster option and you don't need to buy a fast pass or anything.
• Kinopio Cafe - had lunch here. Reservations are pretty hard to get so try to get this as soon as possible.
• I got the time reservation for the Harry Potter and Nintendo areas
• Stayed for Halloween Nights - it was alright

Day 8: Himeji

• To be honest, there wasn't much to do here other than the castle. I considered doing Engyoji Temple and Mount Shosha too but was too tired.
• Attractions:
  • Himeji Castle - they had a lot of English descriptions in the castle so it was quite interesting to learn about the castle and its inhabitants' stories
  • Miyuki Shopping Street
  • Koko-en Garden + Soju-an Teahouse
• Hotel: Himeji Station Universal Hotel South Exit
  • included half-board and onsen
  • Paid with Bilt Points
• Overall: I'm glad I got to see Himeji Castle since it's a national treasure, but I don't think I'd return again.

Day 9: Okunoshima (rabbit island)

• Had some transportation mishaps getting here. My shinkansen was delayed by 40 minutes and threw off all the local transportation I had planned. The local train doesn't run that often from Mihara Stn. (shinkansen) to Tadanoumi Port, where you catch the ferry to the island
• Remember to buy pellets at the cafe at Tadano-umi port! They don't sell pellets on the island. But also hold off on buying souvenirs at the cafe since there are more/better ones at the Island hotel shop.
  • I bought 4 packs and ran out. The rabbits are especially hungry at dawn and twilight.
• The island is pretty small so I opted for walking rather than biking. Finished walking in half a day.
• The poison gas museum is just 2 rooms and everything is in Japanese so it wasn't a big part of my trip
• Overall: coming to rabbit island has been a dream of mine since I was very young since I love bunnies and owned bunnies. I'm glad I came but I met some activists(?) on the island who exposed me to issues such as how none of the money generated from tourists goes towards the rabbits' care (there were several rabbits who looked in need of vet care). The rabbit population is also noticeably smaller than Youtube videos from 10 years ago show.
• Hotel: Kyukamura Ohkunoshima
  • Included a breakfast and dinner buffet, and two onsens
  • Paid out of pocket
  • Honestly one of the friendliest accommodations I've ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/jetteaupied on 2024-10-14 19:10:33+00:00.

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Hello, since this subreddit (and the associated discord) was quite helpful, I'm doing a trip report. I hope it can useful to some people.

I'm from France and traveled solo from Sept 11 to October 8. It was my first time in Japan (and in Asia in general), my main goals were more or less visiting cities and eating.

The itinerary :

• Sept 11 - Sept 18: Tokyo
• Sept 18 - Sept 25: Osaka
• Sept 25 - Oct 2: Nagoya
• Oct 2 - Oct 4: Fuji (lake Shoji)
• Oct 4 - Oct 8: Tokyo

I reserved the accommodations for Tokyo and Osaka a few weeks before leaving, and the rest while I was in Osaka. I didn't prepare a detailed schedule, so the contents of my days were usually improvised the day before or right on the spot. Often I didn't do any particular attraction but just walked in the streets. I usually tried to avoid too touristic places.

For accommodations, I just wanted a bed to sleep, so except for the 2 days at lake Shoji, I only stayed in dormitories in hostels. A bit spartan, but it worked for me. Between AC fans, people waking up early to catch a plane, etc. you probably want to sleep with earplugs.

Weather was in general hot. I had seen that the summer was really hot in Japan, and by checking historical temperatures, I thought it would be relatively OK from september. But days at >32°C with high humidity were common and those weren't pleasant. There's a lot of AC everywhere (or at least in big cities) so if you're inside it's not an issue, but just walking outside is brutal. Japanese people I talked to said that this year was hotter than usual in September and October.

• Sept 11 - Sept 18: Tokyo

Accommodation: Tomariya Ueno, near Ueno as the name implies, 29000¥ for 7 nights. Pretty much only a place to sleep.

There was a nice view of mount Fuji from the plane. Didn't really sleep in the plane so I was a bit tired the first few days. Random bakeries (e.g. this one, which was just next to the hostel) are pretty good for breakfast, as well as chains like Matsuya/Yoshinoya/...

I went to Tokyo Skytree, apparently there's debates on what the best observation tower in Tokyo. I didn't try the others, so I can't tell, but it's quite mind-blowing to see how big Tokyo is. If you want to see farther (mount Fuji for example), it's probably better in winter due to less humidity.

Tokyo National Museum was great (even if I only went to Toyokan (Asian gallery) and Honkan (Japanese Gallery)).

If you're looking for second-hand books (mostly in Japanese though, but not always), Jimbocho is the place to be. The imperial palace gardens are nice, though probably more interesting in spring.

As with all the modern art museums I visited, the MOT (Museum of Comtemporary Art) had things that I liked and others that left me indifferent, but pretty neat anyway. The ward it's in (Koto), despite being just next to the center, feels a bit like a village, I even saw people playing pétanque in a park.

I went to a couple of shows featured on GigsInTokyo which were great, though the day after the 10pm-5am one was obviously a bit harder ^^. Also met up a bit with people from the Discord in Shibuya/Shinjuku.

• Sept 17: Day trip to Yokohama: Lot of stuff to see (Chinatown, old foreign settlements, the docks...). I wonder what's the price of land in Yamate/The Bluff. Nice views at night from the Marine Tower.
• Sept 18: Visiting Kyoto on the way to Osaka.

Did my quota of temples/shrines with Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizu-dera. I found the contrast interesting between the hordes of tourists visiting Kiyomizu-dera and the Ryozen shrine/cemetery/museum, just 500m to the North, a quiet place with really nationalist vibes (for example there's a statue of a kamikaze pilot, or a monument to the only judge who thought all the defendants in the Japanese war crimes trial were not guilty). The gardens of the Heian Shrine were nice and pretty calm compared to other more touristic places.

• Sept 18 - Sept 25: Osaka

Accommodation: Mitsuwaya, 25000¥ for 7 nights. As hostels go, this one was pretty much the best I went to. Dormitories aren't too big, there's some nice common areas and staff is friendly.

Didn't went inside the Osaka castle, but the gardens around were really nice. Beside the tourists, there were a lot of locals just chilling there. I spent almost a day just looking at various shops of Nipponbashi, even if I had no intention of buying stuff there, some are almost like museums. Good music show at Namba Bears (Buddhadatta, Kegawarashi, Zipper Clone). Also met some people from the Discord.

For some reason there's a lot of temples near the hostel. Do they all have their specialities? Tennoji was nice anyway.

• Sept 23: day trip to Kobe: There was some kind of festival in Chinatown, various dances/martial arts demos. The sight from the hills behind the Shin-Kobe station at night was quite nice.

The aquarium of Osaka was interesting. There was a temporary exhibit on jellyfishes.

I often heard that people in Osaka were friendlier (or at least easier to approach) than in Tokyo, and it seems true. I found a good way to talk to Japanese people was to go to a random, small izakaya (like 8 seats and only one cook/server), and just eating/drinking whatever.

• Sept 25 - Oct 2: Nagoya

Accommodation: Glocal Hostel, 216€ (~34000¥) for 7 nights, though contrary to other place that I booked directly on their websites, this one I reserved via booking.com. Quite nice, though the beds were not completely enclosed beds like the previous hostels, but simply bunk beds with curtains.

Each time I told Japanese people I was staying one week in Nagoya they seemed surprised, but I found enough stuff to do there (or around).

The main towers of Nagoya castle are closed, not sure when they're supposed to open again. The Honmaru palace decoration is a bit flashy (they sure loved gold). There's lot of interesting stuff to see, for example they're showing the archives made before WWII that allowed to rebuild the castle as it was before it burned down.

• Sept 27: day trip/hike between Nagatsugawa and Nagiso: I decided to pick a train line, go to the end of it and find whatever is interesting there. Apparently the thing to do once you're in Nakatsugawa is to walk on the Nakasendo. I went all the way to Nagiso to take the train back to Nagoya, though I started a bit late so I ended the hike in the night. It would probably be better to start sooner and/or take a bus for part of the way. Anyway, really nice hike, with old buildings (some rebuilt after the usual fires) and it was a nice change from the city. There were warnings for bears, but not sure how common they really are.

I met a friend and we went to the SCMaglev and Railway Park (a JR museum with a lot of trains), interesting stuff, even if you cannot enter the driver's compartments :(. They had an impressing railway model/diorama, some train model nerds probably had the time of their life building it. Next day we went to the Toyota Commemorative Museum which is really interesting if you like machines and engineering. They have a lot of working machines as well as live demonstrations of metal working (foundry, forge, machining) and usually explain in detail how things work.

I went to Legoland, which honestly was more for children, though all the things built in lego (decorations, the miniatures cities) were impressive.

• Oct 1: day trip to Shinojima: I wanted to go to the beach, so I took the train to Kowa, but it didn't really look great there, so I took a boat to Shinojima. The island was really nice. Even if it probably wasn't the high season, I was surprised that no one was taking a sea bath (or even was on the beach itself).
• Oct 2 - Oct 4: Fuji, lake Shoji

I took the shinkansen to Tokyo and stopped at Shin-Fuji to get on a bus. It stopped just in front of the Shoji Lake Hotel which was practical. The hotel was 29000¥ for 2 nights, it was nice, though there was no meal included (which would have been practical since there's not a lot of things around). The sauna/exterior bath was nice.

The weather was clear on the 2nd so there were nice views of Mount Fuji, but the next days were super cloudy.

Hiked in the mountains on the 3rd which was nice but a bit frustrating since despite walking on a mountain ridge for a few hours, there were almost no good point of view because of the trees. On the other hand, there was nobody else and I saw a deer. It started to rain at 1pm so I ended up soaked.

Since weather didn't seem to be better on the 4th I took the first bus to get back to Tokyo.

• Oct 4 - Oct 8: Tokyo part 2

Accommodation: Plat Hostel Keikyu Haneda, 17000¥ for 4 nights. Not as spartan as Tomariya Ueno, but still pretty basic. I went there to leave more easily for the airport on the 8th, but that makes it a bit far from the center.

During these days I mostly walked around the city and searched for a few souvenirs. The Fukagawa Edo museum was interesting, they recreated a fe...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Fast_Guarantee8358 on 2024-10-13 10:58:17+00:00.

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Hello, me and my husband are travelling to Japan for the first time and we have curated an interinary after some research. Would much appreciate it if you could give suggestions on any modifications or if you have any better places that you think we should cover. Thanks a lot in advance.

Interinary:

November 13 - 15: Tokyo (3 days)

November 13 : Arrive in Tokyo. Explore Shibuya

November 14 :

Asakusa’s Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo Skytree More exploration

November 15 : Explore Shinjuku

November 16 - 17 - Kawaguchiko (2 days)

November 16 : Travel to Kawaguchiko Stay at a traditional ryokan with an onsen

Visit Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station if accessible

November 17 :

Explore Fuji Five Lakes and Chureito Pagoda, Aokigahara Forest

November 18 - 20 - Kyoto (3 days)

November 18 : Travel to Nakatsugawa for the Magome-Tsumago hike. Explore and Travel to Kyoto

November 19 : Explore Kyoto Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and Higashiyama District, Fushimi Sake District

November 20 : Explore more of Kyoto Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Ryoan-ji, and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Okochi Sanso Villa in Arashiyama.

November 21 - 22 Osaka (2 days)

November 21 : Travel to Osaka from Kyoto. Visit Osaka Castle and explore the Namba District. Off-beat suggestion: Explore Hozenji Yokocho and Hozenji Temple.

November 22 : Day trip to Himeji. Visit Himeji Castle, Kokoen Garden, and Mount Shosha. Return to Osaka in the evening.

November 23 - 24 Miyajima (2 days)

November 23 : Travel to Hiroshima . Visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum.

November 24 : Take a ferry to Miyajima Explore Itsukushima Shrine and Mount Misen. Stay overnight on Miyajima

November 25 - 26 Tokyo (1.5 days)

November 25 : Return to Tokyo Explore the area, including Shinjuku nightlife.

November 26 : Return home

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Mahxxi on 2024-10-09 18:23:12+00:00.

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Yes I know Shinjuku probably might be a bit overwhelming for first time travelers, and I can confirm it is. My fiancé and I stayed here cause close friends of mine stayed here and they told me “it’s like New York but Japan!”

As someone who’s frequent New York and lived in LA, I can confirm that’s 100% true without the violence. We arrived around 3pm, plenty of time for us to sightsee, go eat, get konbini food, all the things you do. We took a nap, woke up, 2am and we’re feeling ramen, so why not try ichiran? It’s a 6 min walk from our hotel, and man did I feel back in downtown LA/NY:

• drunk gals laughing and holding each other up
• young looking clergymen kicking a can around while displaying ultimate bromance
• police officers trying to separate drunk people fighting
• people standing outside clubs
• taxis trying to maneuver around people who aren’t following the walking signals
• a guy literally peeing into a sewer grate

All in 6 minutes!

Honestly, definitely overwhelming for introverts/first timers. Thankfully I grew up in the chaos and it was fun to see that it wasn’t as quiet and introverted as social media claims Japan to be (at least my For You page).

The only downside were the fellow foreigners. For example, minutes ago as we were walking back to our hotel, this couple (I’m going to assume Italian? Kept hearing the man call his parter amore and bella) were drunk af. They were screaming and jumping at people, there were these poor guys waiting for an elevator and they just jumped right at them and screamed “fook me.” Thankfully after they feinted hitting a guy riding on a bike an officer showed up before we were allowed to cross the street to attempt to chill them out.

Otherwise, if you love the chaos and the lights, come to Shinjuku!

Edit: realized posting day by day report would be pretty bad/spamming, so I’ll follow everyone and do a final report of my 14 day trip and report there. I’ll say I did get to visit Harajuku, Shibuya, and more of Shinjuku at night, specifically golden gai. An absolute fun time the entire day throughout!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Junior_Woodpecker519 on 2024-10-12 01:35:59+00:00.

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I benefitted so much from reading people’s experiences on here when I was planning my trip to Japan, I thought I would share my own. Feel free to browse on, but if this can make life easier for anyone else - mission accomplished.

Who we were: 2 adults and our 6 year old son, and two grandparents in their 70s who had always wanted to go. Time of year: Sept 26-Oct 13.

Itinerary: Tokyo (6 days), Disney Sea/Land (2 days - grandparents did their own side trip elsewhere until:), Hakone (2 days), Kyoto 5 days, Osaka (for Universal - 2 days - grandparents did their own side trip to the west), stayed at Hotel Excel at Terminal 2 Haneda then flew out. This was a good amount of time for us all.

Weather: Hot and humid when we arrived, but not as bad as some have had it recently. In the last week, the weather was far more pleasant. You either accept it or suffer with it I guess! Dress accordingly and for comfort most of the time. Accept you look like a tourist (if the confused look and constant reference to your phone doesn’t already show that).

Accommodation:

• Tokyo - Shinjuku - Hundred Stays Hotel. Three of us stayed in a 2 br room at the top floor. More like a serviced apartment and roomy for Tokyo standards (had a tiny kitchen and dining room). Quiet, 5 mins to the local station. The hotel was v good but on reflection we would rather have stayed in Rappongi or Shibuya. Next time!
• Disney - Disneyland Hotel - excellent hotel with early entry into the park. Not cheap but made life a lot easier for starting and ending the day with less stress.
• Hakone - Gion Hanaougi - Superb ryokan in the hills of Hakone, at the top of a rope way. Found it via Reddit. Cannot speak highly of it enough - our first experience of Japanese traditional hospitality, food (both breakfast and dinner provided each night), and onsen. Conveniently located near the ropeway exit (which helped because it was pouring down when we arrived).
• Kyoto - Gion Shiraume - I thought we would be done with ryokan experiences after leaving Hakone, but Tomoko san and her staff at this amazing little ryokan in the old district of Kyoto were phenomenal. This was a real highlight and if you are going to splurge anywhere, this would be it. Perched on top of a small stream running through town - there was nothing Tomoko would not organise or know. The food was incredible.
• Universal/Osaka - Universal Port Hotel. It was fine. Mostly a room to stay in to do USJ conveniently. We had split opinions on the buffet here. I see a buffet at a hotel filled with families (like ours!) as a bit of a health hazard, and this was the only option in the hotel. Do not plan on a great diet if you go here.

Transport:

• Three of us had iPhones so life around local trains was super easy. Use Wallet and add a card (any will do - we used Suica) and charge it using your usual method. Activate express pass on either your Apple Watch or iPhone and off you go. Do not stop walking.
• The system worked through all of the cities we visited on all trains aside from Shinkansen (although you can link this I believe).
• One of us (the kid) did not and we had to find a Welcome Suica card at a JR Service Centre at Shinjuku for him. He didn’t come w me when we got it, and so they wouldn’t see us a child ticket - we bought an adult one instead. It did cause some headaches later on the Shinkansen so try not to make the same mistake.
• One of us had a Samsung - sorry android users - but the Japanese train system does not welcome you! Get a Welcome Suica card or regular one from a JR service desk and then you will enjoy train transport a lot more.
• Even by the end of the trip, we were still somewhat confused by the Shinkansen ticketing process. We used SmartEx (official app) and got a QR code to ride. But sometimes you tapped on w your Suica/ICOCA card and sometimes you didn’t. There seemed to be different systems - but it was probably just us. One of us forgot to tap off with their iOS suica at one station - and couldn’t use it for the rest of the trip. Staff couldn’t fix it. Lesson learned. (Edit: and now I know )
• Shinkansen is amazing though. The whole transport system is. But there seems to be a mix of companies and paper tickets are not always compatible. Suica/Icoca will get you through that.
• Staff will always help if you ask. Be patient and use Google Translate.

Language/culture:

• I did Japanese at high school 30 years ago, and no one else had ever. I also started doing Busuu and Duo Lingo (the first is better, although the latter is better to learn hiragana and katakana) to get an understanding of the language. I did some lessons for a while too.
• Google translate is useful but not foolproof.
• Japanese people are amazing at trying to understand you.
• Learning a few phrases will really help you and make life more fun. Reading the alphabets (maybe not kanji!) also helps a lot. Our 6 year old really got into it and you will too - the Japanese were so appreciative/surprised/good humoured when any of us tried it, and that made our holiday more enjoyable.
• Learn some of the basic rules - no loud/or any talking on the train, line up everywhere you need to, bowing is good, stand on the left side of the escalator in Tokyo, and right in Kyoto/Osaka (I think?), be considerate of others, try not to sit on the floor (hard with kids sometimes) and don’t walk on places people sit (eg walls, benches), take your litter with you and find a bin.

Diet/eating/health:

• I read that a lot of Westerners get constipated on travelling to Japan (TMI?). There’s not a lot of fruit, and probably less salad/vegetable than we were used to. Buy when you can. Grapes and bananas, apples, and kiwi are mostly around.
• Take psyllium (and lots of water) to maintain regularity. Plus fibre is good for you generally. I used a Metamucil supplement the whole stay. It definitely worked.
• We took Parachoc for our son and used if we thought things were getting a bit “slow”.
• One of the grandparents was on a low FODMAP diet and in particular had to avoid garlic and onion. It was doable despite some negative posts I saw about this. Soba noodles, sushi/sashimi, lots of other things. She also has problems with gluten (not Coeliac) and yet still was able to eat Japanese omelette and other foods without significant consequence.
• Contrary to what we were told, sushi/sashimi is common enough. There are lots of conveyer belt restaurants and the quality was always great. This was good because our son really loves these foods, and was reluctant to try new food (and is stubborn). However, he did branch out to soba noodles, izakaya, etc and loved it.
• I read that restaurant reviews are rated slightly differently in Japan than in the West - the scores might be lower but still represent a good meal. We were never disappointed eating out.
• We booked a couple of restaurants ahead of time but otherwise just stumbled across places and took a chance. Never lined up for anywhere. Some of the best places had 10 seats, a tiny kitchen, and were on a back lane or upstairs in a plain office block. Get out there and look.
• Ryokan meals - highly recommended to try at least once if you can.

Clothing/luggage:

• I took two pairs of shoes, worried that I would get one wet but I only wore 1 pair and the other was wasted space. They were super comfortable and required no breaking in.
• I took three pairs of Smart Wool socks (merino) because they can be worn for 5 days without washing, don’t smell, and wick away sweat. They worked as advertised.
• Don’t take a change of clothes for everyday. Pack enough for a week and do washing regularly at hotels. Hundred Stays in Tokyo had a washer/dryer in the room!
• We took a suitcase inside another suitcase on the way over so we could expand as needed and this helped at the end of our trip.

General:

• Tokyo was a shock for the first 3 days. We are all travellers, but had never been somewhere so intense. It was hot, humid, intensely crowded, and then there was the cultural and language differences. After a particularly enjoyable day we felt we had adjusted and then things got easier. Anticipate this and plough on.
• Get an eSIM and use data without concern. We used Airalo. You’ll use it a lot.
• Google Maps is not infallible but it is very useful. Use common sense as well, or ask (xxx wa doko desk ka).
• Activities (and some forms of transport) do book up. Don’t leave everything to the last minute. Accommodation options open up 6 months +/- before your dates so keep an eye on things.
• Klook is quite helpful to book things - but also look at the official websites too.
• My (elderly) parents did fine on their own when not with us. They probably benefited from us organising and navigating generally, but then went off for a few days on their own. They just kept accidentally ordering double portions of sake somehow…
• Money - we used Wise and a spare credit card. We had some cash on hand that we withdrew on arrival from a 7/11 ATM. I would say we used the card mostly and cash about 40% of the time.

Activity highlights: I won’t go into everything I did as it’s too much and there are lots of online opinions. Tokyo:

• Teamlabs - we did Planets and Borderless and we all loved both.
• Disney Sea - an unexpected highlight that we almost didn’t do. I’m glad we did. So unique. Disneyland was also grea...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/saccerzd on 2024-10-10 16:55:00+00:00.

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Hi, after lots of reading and researching, I've pulled together a draft itinerary for our trip in 10 days. Group of 5: Me, my partner, our 5 year old daughter, and two active/fit grandmas. We're used to a lot of walking and travelling quick and light (basically hand luggage only plus a foldable pushchair/stroller). Very excited about walking around all day, to see plenty of stuff and just soak it all in, and eating all the food! Any ideas/criticisms/suggestions welcome, especially for anything in italics and the last 2-3 days where I'm still very undecided what to do exactly re Kanazawa/Tokyo/Hakone.

Land late on 21/10, Leave afternoon of 5/11, 14 full days, 15 nights: 4 nights in Tokyo, 2 in Hiroshima, 5 in Kyoto, 2/3 in Kanazawa + 1/2 in Tokyo or 1 in Hakone (~Ryokan?).

(ignore the colours; they refer to pins I've put on a google map).

Sun 20/10 - Depart Gatwick, UK at 1900.

Mon 21/10 - Land in Shanghai PVG at 1315. 4 hour layover. Fly to Tokyo Haneda 1715-2120. Get cash and maybe mobile wifi at the airport (perhaps leave Suica/Pasmo until the next day). Depending on tiredness, train/metro, taxi or limousine bus to Asakusa, grab food, bed. 4 nights in Asakusa.

Tue 22/10 - Tokyo day 1 (blue): Asakusa/Ueno/Akihabara area - Senso-ji Temple (very near our apartment), try o-mikuji sticks; Nakamise St shops; Ueno park, lunch in Ueno Ameyoko; Akihabara ('electric town') and arcades, fun at night also. Jet lag dependent, obviously, but is this enough for a full day?

Wed 23/10 - Tokyo day 2 (green): Shinjuku/Shibuya area (some say start in Shinjuku and walk downhill to Shibuya instead) - 40 mins Asakusa Station to Asakusabashi Station to Yoyogi Station; Meiji shrine (either in last hour or before 8 am); wander the shops in Harajuku, try a crepe; try purikura photo booth; Shibuya crossing and Hachiko statue; quick visit to Pokemon & Nintendo shops in Shibuya, #C=Pla Gachapon toyshop; and/or Cat Street; check out Don Quijote Shibuya megastore (24/7); maybe grab lunch in Omoide Yokocho (might not open until mid-PM). 3D Cat. Godzilla head. Late afternoon/evening: view from Met Govt Building; Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (illuminated?); Shibuya Center Gai or Golden-Gai (or Harajuku) at night (karaoke?). Near Golden-Gai, make sure we see Shinjuku neon lit up at night.

Thu 24/10 - Tokyo day 3 (yellow) Roppongi/Odaiba - *TeamLabs Borderless booked for noon, annoyingly, I left it too late to get the early slots. Hoping it won't be too busy, but it means we need to find something to do beforehand. Tempted to move it to 4/11 *if* we're in Tokyo that day, or to the evening of day 3?;* Before Borderless, maybe visit Tsukiji Outer Market first thing, or a quick look around Tokyo Imperial Palace beforehand (don't think I'm bothered about the tour), or Character Street, or Azabudai Mori JP tower sky lounge at the 33rd floor; see Tokyo Tower; Zojo-ji Temple grounds; Hamarikyu Gardens; wander over Rainbow Bridge to Joypolis and Unicorn Gundam (time it for 11/13/15/1700 or 1900-2130 (half hourly)). If returning to Roppongi later on, museums in the area and karaoke nearby.

There are a few other things it'd be nice to see (Nakano Broadway, Suzume-no-oyado Ryokuchi Park bamboo forest, Omote-Sando architecture, National Museum & stroll through Yanesen) if time, but we may have an extra day or so in Tokyo at the end. Won't be visiting Studio Ghibli museum or Disneyland this time.

Fri 25/10 - Train to Hiroshima via Shin-Osaka (using Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass (5 days)). Because we have a child who travels free, probably go for unreserved seating and hopefully get a Mount Fuji view. Probably start from Tokyo Station rather than Shinagawa Station for better chance of seats (and more convenient for us). Plan is to get the train to Shin-Osaka and then continue to Hiroshima using the Area Pass (not sure if we need to get off the train at Shin-Osaka?). If we time it right, get the Kodama 849 at 11:37 from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima (the Hello Kitty train, although I can't see either of the Hello Kitty train times on Google Maps for some reason). Aim to get to Hiroshima early afternoon, and then:

Hiroshima (Green): Do what we can of this itinerary today, anything else the next morning. Peace Memorial Museum, Atomic Bomb Dome (also wander past in evening); Orizuru Tower View (£10); Hiroshima Castle (skip?); Gokoku Shrine; eat Okonomiyaki; Shukkei-en Garden (if time, but meant to be v good in Autumn). Night: wander past Atomic bomb dome. 2 nights in Naka Ward.

Sat 26/10 - Miyajima Island (pinky red): do stuff in the afternoon, high tide at 1805ish for Shrine view. / Senjokaku Pavilion; Mt Misen view; eat Momiji Manju pastry; Itsukushima Shrine.

Sun 27/10 - Train to Kyoto via Himeji. If we didn't get the Hello Kitty train on Friday, try to get the 08:38 Kodama 838 from Hiroshima to Himeji. Stop off and see Himeji Castle. Himeji (purple): Himeji Castle, Himeyama Park, Koko-en gardens next door (buy a combined ticket). Will be busy on a Sunday but can't be helped. Undecided whether to go into the Castle or not.

[At some point in the next few days, visit Osaka in the afternoon/evening. Might be after Himeji, might be after Nara, might be a standalone day. Currently have 2 days (AFAIK) worth of stuff for Osaka, so need to narrow this down to 1 day: Day 1 (orange): Osaka Castle (reconstruction so probably skip); Shinsekai + Tsutenkaku Tower; Namba Shrine; Nipponbashi Den-Den (computer game shops - skip if no time); Dotonbori food and lit up at night. / Day 2 (green): Umeda Sky Tower; Shitennoji Temple; Kurumon Food market.]

Continue to Kyoto, 5 nights in Sakyo Ward near Highashiyama Station.

Mon 28/10 - Nara day trip (while 5 day Area Pass still active). (light green): Deer Park; Isuien Garden; Todai-ji Temple (giant Daibatsu buddha); Kasuga Taisha Temple; (if time) Kofuku-ji; Nigatsu-do (only if time); Nakatanidou (mochi pounding shop). [Possibly Osaka in the afternoon/evening].

Tue 29/10 - Kyoto day 1 (purple) Fushimi, Gion & Higashiyama: Fushimi Inari Taisha (early hike! or go in the evening); walk around Geisha district (Gion + Higashiyama), see Kiyomizu-Dera (if time today, if not day 3), Sannenzaka, Ninenzaka, Kodaiji Temple, Hokan=ji, Kenninji, Gion Corner etc; dinner and evening walk around Potoncho Alley.

Wed 30/10 - Kyoto day 2 (green) Arishayama: early start for Arashiyama bamboo grove (and Arishayama Kimono Forest; better at night?) and Arashiyama Iwatayama Monkey Park (some say the views are great, some say it's sad to see the monkeys and should skip this); Sagano train line; end the day in central Kyoto to see Kyoto Tower, Gundam Base, lots of bars and restaurants in this area.

Thu 31/10 - Kyoto day 3 (orange) Kinkaku-ji: Kiyomizu-Dera temple if missed on day 1. Head out to the Golden Pavilion Kinkaku-ji (half a day) (although I've heard some say they just go to take a photo and it's not really worth the journey?). Anything else? [Possibly Osaka in the afternoon/evening, in which case might swap this with day 2].

Try and see some of these at night (black): wander Gion; Yakusa shrine; Pontocho Alley and Kiyamachi St nightlife; Kiyomizu-Dera and Yasaka St; Fushimi-Inari; Kyoto Tower & Station; Kifune Shrine; Arishayama Kimono Forest; Eikando Temple. Anything Halloweeny in the evening?

Added to the map to visit if there's time, but there probably won't be: Honenin Temple, Adashino Nenbutsuji, Otagi Nenbutsuji, Enkoji Temple, Daitoku-ji Zuiho-in.

Fri 1/11 - Travel to Kanazawa. Aim to get there for lunchtime. Wander around as much of Kanazawa day 1 (orange) as possible, moving things to the next day if necessary: Nagamuchi Samurai district; (Oyama Shrine possibly); Ishikawa Gate and Kanazawa Castle park (probably not go in the castle itself); Kenroku-en and everything in the gardens (Kotoji Toro, Kasumiga-Ilu pond, Honomi-Bashi Bridge, 7 Fortunes etc). Probably do a quick informal tea ceremony at Shiguretei. Head over to Kazuemachi Chaya & Higashi Chaya geisha districts, wander round (Shima Geisha House, Kaikoru House etc); See Gyokusen Inmaru Garden (in the evening); dinner in Seseragi-Dori St. **2/3 nights in Kanazawa, v near to Kenroku-en.***

Sat 2/11 - Kanazawa day 2 (blue) - things we didn't do one day 1 (Myouryuji Ninja Temple etc). See the modern side of Kanazawa. Breakfast at Curio ; Omicho Seafood market; Oyoma Shrine (if missed on day 1); 21st Century Art gallery; dinner at Kirari Sushi? Another Onsen at some point - maybe in Kanazawa?

If time: DT Suzuki Zen museum; Renshoji Temple; Onsen (Miroku onsen Motoyu?).

**[Currently got 3 nights booked in Kanazawa, very near Kenroku-en. Am debating whether to cut this to 2 nights and add a night in Tokyo, which will give us a bit more time in Tokyo and split the journey up en route to Hakone. Also contemplating cancelling Hakone for our last night, which would give us either 3 nights in Kanazawa and 1 in Tokyo, or 2 in each].*

Sun 3/11 - [Culture Day National Holiday] Either Kanazawa day 3 (mooch around, relax, onsen etc) OR head to Tokyo and have an afternoon/evening there. Probably the latter, especially if we're staying a night in Hakone as it will break the journey up.

[Probably get a Hakone Free Pass (need to check if it covers the return to Haneda instead of Tokyo).]

**Mon 4/11 - Hakone. [*****C...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Heatmanofurioso on 2024-10-10 08:53:18+00:00.

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Hi everyone, first time trip here.

I feel like I've crammed too many things, and the trip starts in 2 days, so I know I can't change much, considering the things I've booked in advance, but I'd still like to try and get some opinions in my itinerary for me and my girlfriend.

I might be able to change some things, or at least manage our expectations better.

Osaka

Day 1

• Early Morning
  • Arrival in Osaka
  • Bags sent to Hotel
• Afternoon
  • Osaka Castle
  • Tennoji Park
  • Umeda Sky Building
• Evening
  • Dotonbori District
  • Minami

Day 2

• Morning
  • Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine
  • Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping District
• Afternoon & Evening
  • Dotonbori District
  • Minami
  • Osaka Hard Rock Cafe

Day 3

• All day

  • Nara Park
  • Todai Temple House

• Day 4

• All day

  • Horishima Field Trip
  • Miyajima Visit included

Day 5

• All day
  • Universal Studio
  • Travel to Kyoto in the evening

Kyoto

Day 6

• Morning
  • Fushimi Shrine
  • Kiyomizu-dera Temple
• Afternoon
  • Gion Geisha District

Day 7

• Morning
  • Arashiyima Bamboo Groove
  • Monkey Park Iwatayama
• Afternoon
  • Kinkaku-Ji-on
  • Afternoon-Evening
  • Nishiki Market

Day 8

• Morning
  • Kyoto Imperial Palance and National Garden
• Afternoon
  • Kyoto Tower
  • Samurai & Ninja Museum
  • Hard Rock Cafe Kyoto
• Evening
  • Nishiki Market

Day 9

• Morning
  • Philosophers Path
  • Nanzen-ji Temple
• Afternoon
  • Heian Shrine and Garden
  • Kyoto Handcrafting Center
  • Pontocho Alley
• Evening
  • Kyoto Tower

Nagoya

Day 10

• Morning
  • Shinkansen to Nagoya
• Afternoon
  • Nagoya Castle
  • Atsuta Jingu Shrine
• Evening
  • Osu Shopping Street

Day 11

• Morning
  • Nagoya City Science Museum
  • Nagoya Public Aquarium
• Afternoon
  • Travel to Tokyo

Tokyo

Day 12

• Morning
  • Teamlabs Borderless
  • Tokyo Ruppongai Hard Rock Cafe
• Afternoon
  • Shinjuku Goyen National Garden
  • Shinjuku District
  • Isetan Department Store

Day 13

• Morning
  • Senso-ji Temple
  • Hard Rock Cafe Taito Tokyo
• Afternoon
  • Ueno Park
  • Kappabasi Street
• Afternoon/Evening
  • Akihabara

Day 14

• All day
  • DisneySea

Day 15

• Morning
  • Teamlabs Planets
• Afternoon
  • Oedo Antique Market
  • Tsukiji Market
  • Sakurai Tea Experience

Day 16

• All day
  • Warner Brothers

Day 17

• Morning
  • Meji Shrine in Shibuya
  • Harajuku District
• Afternoon
  • The Bellwood Coffee House
  • Takeshita Street

Day 18

• All day
  • Mt Fuji Trip

Day 19

• Morning
  • Imperial Palace
  • Palace East Gardens
• Afternoon
  • Tokyo Tower
  • Odaiba

Day 20

• Morning
  • Sumida Park
  • Tokyo Skytree
  • Skytree Pokemon Center
• Afternoon
  • Yokohama Chinatown Hard Rock Cafe
  • Yokohama Chinatown

Day 21

• Morning
  • Shibuya
• Afternoon
  • Bohemian Tokyo in Shimokitazawa
  • Tokyo Tower

Day 22

• Morning & Afternoon
  • Walk around Shibuya & other places more
• Evening
  • Go to airport

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/odkfn on 2024-10-09 14:10:52+00:00.

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I'm not long back from my first ever trip to Japan and absolutely loved it. This subreddit featured heavily in my planning so I figured I'd pay it forward and post an update of what I did in case anybody else finds it useful.

General Tips / Comments

1. Get a suica card - if you're on iphone you can add this directly to your wallet and top up remotely in seconds. My friend who had an android said you can only get them if you're joined to the japanese android store - unsure how true this is, but my friends without iphones had to get a physical suica card and head to a terminal to top theirs up. Either way, these cards make navigating japanese trains a breeze - you just walk up to the gates, swipe your phone or card, and do the same when you leave the destination station and it knows how much to deduct. If you don't have enough on your card there is a little "fare adjustment station" next to the exit gate.
2. Google made navigating the trains super simple also - if I was, say, heading to "Teamlabs - Planets" I would just put that into google and select by train. It'd show me where to walk, tell me what train to get on, what stop to get off at, what the next train was, etc. Between this and the suica card it made travelling so trivial. This really is how public transport should be done.
3. Klook was very useful for longer haul trains, such as going between Tokyo / Osaka / Kyoto. Buying them here gave us a QR code so we could, again, just use the E-gates.
4. Airalo - I bought an E-sim on this app. It was around £20 for 20gb of data if I remember correctly. In my whole 2 weeks of japan I used around 8gb of data. My UK provider was going to charge me £9 per 150mb of data used - so it was obviously hugely cheaper to use this. Buy it in advance but just activate it once you land.
5. Japanese people seemed to be hugely helpful and friendly. My wife accidentally dropped her passport on the bullet train - we went Osaka > Kyoto, but the train kept going to Tokyo. The worker behind the desk at our Kyoto hotel went out his way to phone around, source it, and asked them to leave it in Tokyo station lost and found for us, which we collected on our way back to Tokyo. I imagine in any other country a bag with cards and stuff in it would have been pilfered. In Japan the staff were too polite to even open it to see what was inside - we had to get the hotel worker to phone them back and request that they do open it to see if my wife's passport was still present.
6. Google translate is super helpful. Japanese people speak a varying range of english, and all of them speak infinitely more english than I speak Japanese (despite trying to learn some!). We had some conversations with non-english speakers using google translate, which lead to some nice interactions with people we otherwise couldn't have communicated with.
7. I found Japan surprisingly affordable / cheap. When we went we got ~200 yen per £1. My friend who was with us said last time he went to Japan he got roughly 140 yen per £1, so I suppose that factored in a lot. A nice bowl of ramen was like £7, each plate of sushi at kura sushi was around 80p, cocktails universally seemed cheaper than beer which was weird but welcomed.
8. I stupidly made no effort to look up the weather when we booked this trip. It was 33 degrees pretty much every day. I'm Scottish and more accustomed to like 8-12 degrees in September. Needless to say we were grotesquely sweaty the whole time. I read (unsure if this is true) that Japanese people don't sweat as much. Anecdotally I thought this may be true as even when they were fanning themselves or looking hot there were no visible signs of sweat, whereas we were literally sweating through our t-shirts like cretins.
9. Something I found unusual, but is not a complaint, is how few places seemed to be open during the day. In British culture you'd often stop off for a single beer during the day to have a break or cool down if it was hot, etc. In Roppongi we really struggled to find anywhere like a bar that was open before 5pm. Weirdly when we moved from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto we found them to have much more food and drink options during the day.
10. There are lots of etiquette rules and some posts here made it seem a lot more hassle than it is, or like you needed to memorise them. As with most things, if you just copy the locals you'll figure it out. Be quiet(ish) in public spaces, stand on the same side of the escalator as them, don't eat whilst walking if it can be avoided, etc.
11. Tax free - if you show your passport and you're not in the country for longer than a certain period of time (a couple of months??) you get things tax free. Consumable items must get sealed up in a bag, but things like knives, suitcases, etc. don't. Then at the airport on the way home you just go to the tax free bit, they scan your passport, and that was it. They didn't check any of our stuff as it was sealed away in our hold-luggage.
12. Luggage Forwarding - If you go to reception of your hotel with the Japanese address of your next destination you can pay a nominal fee (we were like £8 per bag) to forward them on. This saved carting multiple bags through the subways, on trains, etc. We used this at every opportunity and don't regret it. The form is in japanese but the reception staff were always happy to help us fill it out.

My Trip

• 17th - 20th Tokyo;
• 20th - 25th Osaka;
• 25th - 27th Kyoto;
• 27th - 28th Hakone;
• 28th - 30th Tokyo.

Tokyo

For both our Tokyo stints we stayed in APA hotels - one in Roppongi and one in Shinjuku. The hotels themselves were clean and nice. The rooms were TINY but I assume this is just a Tokyo thing. The Roppongi one was more bearable as there was under-bed storage, so even if the room was small, it wasn't cluttered. The Shinjuku one did not have under-bed storage so the whole room was taken up by the double bed, the desk, and our suitcases. Literally if I wanted to pass my wife I had to stand on the bed to get round her. This wasn't an issue as I guess it's just part of the Tokyo experience and we were out our rooms much more than we were in them.

• Sumo Wrestling - this was probably the highlight of the trip. Sumo tournaments run every odd month of the year I believe. We used the "buysumotickets" website to get our tickets. We honestly thought this would be a novelty and we'd just go have a look then leave. How wrong we were! Your ticket covers you for a full day and there are 4 divisions (???) spread out throughout the day. The "buysumotickets" guide says the latter two divisions begin at 3pm so maybe head for that sort of time. Had I known how much we were going to enjoy it we would have gone for the full day. The actual bouts are very short (like 10-20 seconds) with a lot of ceremony inbetween, but it's all really enjoyable. You can have beers or snacks whilst you watch, and the crowd was very into it. There is some thing where both sumos have to begin at the same time, so if one sumo doesn't, it's a false start. There seemed to be a lot of posturing and at the last minute one sumo would stand up and just walk to his ring-man (or equivalent!) and get a towel and just wipe himself down. This was quite fun after we understood it as the crowd gets really into them mugging each other off, and some sumos would do this multiple times. Regardless - would highly recommend this.
• Mario kart - I wasn't sure what to expect with this as my friend booked it, but this was also great. We did it in Shinjuku and it wasn't like a race or zooming about, it turned out to essentially be a lovely site-seeing tour by kart. There were outfits you could wear, but due to the heat we just stuck some open shirts over our t-shirts. A lead car (an actual car) drives, and you follow in single file. Japanese drivers seemed very courteous and we had no issues. The "scary" part was if lights went red when only half of you were through, then you had to try navigate some busy junctions to catch up with the lead car (which pulled over very quickly to wait). You need an international drivers licence for this, and to take your own licence from your home country. This was such a fun way to just see large parts of the city with a breeze. We did this with "Japan Kart" and I would highlight recommend it.
• BBQ Eden - We were just wandering around Shinjuku and looked up and saw what appeared to be a bbq near a glass balcony on a restaurant, so we sauntered up and it was a little place with 4 tables, each had its' own bbq food and you ordered raw things to cook. This was a cool experience, the food was good, and the view was great.
• Kill Bill Restaurant - Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu. This restaurant was cool to look at, the staff were friendly, and the food was good. The service wasn't amazing - my friend ordered the set menu which had like 8 dishes or something. Throughout the night our waiter finished their shift twice, so we went through 3 waiters. Each time we got a new waiter they completely forgot about our friends set menu / the food he still had to get. We had to keep prompting them and what should have been like an hour meal ended up taking 2 hours or more. This is a minor criticism as the food and decor were good, and we had no issue spending "too much" time here.
• Golden Gai - We wandered her for a look. It was our first experience of small japanese bars, but they were pretty cool. These streets were worth a look but, again, we seemed to come too early as only one bar...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/erythemanodosum on 2024-10-09 12:29:11+00:00.

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We (my fiancée and I) just came back from a three week trip to Japan, and felt like writing a post to summarize my thoughts.

Our itinerary ended up like this:

Day 1-5: Tokyo. Visited Meiji Shrine, walked around Shibuya/Shinjuku, visited Ginza/Ueno/Akahibara etc, and Koenji. TeamLab Borderless.

Day 6: Overnight stay in Matsumoto. Saw the castle, visited the City Museum of Art, bought some local crafts.

Day 7-9: Climbed Mt. Yarigatake from Kamikochi. Stayed in the mountain lodges.

Day 10: Rest and relaxation at Hirayu Onsen after the hike.

Day 11-12: Two days in Takayama. Old Town, ate some amazing Hida beef, went bouldering at the local gym.

Day 13-14: Kanazawa. Visited the fish market, Kenroku-en, Kanazawa castle, Museum of Modern Art. Ate a bunch of sushi.

Day 15-19: Osaka. Shopping, street food. Osaka castle. Went out with a couple of friends we made at Yarigatake. Had a sick day. Day trip to Nara to see the deer park.

Day 20-21: Hiroshima. Visited Miyajima and took a hike up Mt. Misen. Peace Park + Dome Building.

Day 22: Return to Kyoto for one day. Saw a couple of shrines/temples, ate food.

Day 23: Left Japan from Osaka airport.

Positive experiences:

1. The absolute highlight was Mt. Yarigatake. Holy hell what a view, and the mountain hut being a 15 minute climb from the peak meant that you could get up at 05:00 to see the sunrise from the top. One of the best mountain hikes of my life. The first 2-3 hours of the hike on the first day from Kamikochi were pretty uninteresting with a long, flat stroll with way too many other hikers, but once you got away from the Kamikochi area there were far fewer people around, and the first lodge had an onsen which was unexpected and amazing. The second day climbing the actual mountain range was amazing, and we did a detour to do some adjacent peaks on the way to Yarigatake. I'd say it's perfectly hikeable for anyone with an average level of fitness.

The downside of climbing Yarigatake in late September was that we had to pack accordingly, and carrying around hardshell jackets, hiking boots, fleece jackets, silk liners etc for the rest of our trip was very cumbersome. In the end we didn't need warm clothing but we were lucky with the weather (no wind or rain). If you're climbing in the summer months you won't need to pack as extensively.

1. Tokyo was great, and much quieter and cleaner than I expected. The Meiji Shrine was not at all as overcrowded as I'd thought it would be. I can't understand what the fuss is about Shibuya Crossing though, it felt like a perfectly ordinary, if a bit busy, crosswalk. Koenji was a highlight and if I'd recommend staying there if visiting Tokyo. TeamLab Borderless was overrated, but to be fair we visited on a Friday evening so the immense crowd might have ruined our experience a bit. Unless you're interested in some good photo-ops, I'd say skip it, or at least plan your visit outside of peak hours.

3: Miyajima was beautiful, and I recommend climbing Mt. Misen so that you are at the top around sunset, as you'll get a great view from the top and also get a nighttime view of Itsukushima Jinja with a stunning reflection from the water. You'll need light on the way down, though!

1. Japan was much less complicated to travel around than I thought. With an IC Card, eSim and Google Maps getting around was a breeze. I'd heard some people say that you have to plan everything and have bookings weeks to months in advance, but that wasn't the case. When we landed in Tokyo we had booked the first four nights, and the mountain lodge, and that was it. For the rest of the trip we booked our hotel 1-2 days before, and stayed longer/shorter some areas as we felt like it. Sometimes we shipped our luggage to our next hotel, but even when we didn't we were several times able to meet up at the train station and book a Shinkansen with extra bag space that left in 15-30 minutes. We may have just been lucky, though.

Now some negative opinions/experiences:

1. When going from city to city, we quickly got sightseeing fatigue. In Tokyo and Matsumoto, we were excited to see all the temples, shrines, parks and castles, but after a few cities things just felt... Too similar. I can't help but be a little disappointed that almost every castle in Japan is a reconstruction, and Kanazawa Castle was a real letdown as we paid to enter the castle only to realize that most of the exhibition is just a display of the renovation efforts. Kenroku-en was also disappointing, but thats probably because we visited in late September. We didn't bother going inside Osaka castle as we read that it was pretty much the same as Kanazawa.

The absolute low-point was taking a day trip to Kyoto. We were at the end of our vacation and were already feeling tired of Old Towns, Castles and Temples, only to arrive in the arguably most touristy area in all of Japan. In the end, we only visited for 5-6 hours before we called it quits, bought snacks and chilled at the hotel and took an early night.

In hindsight we would have skipped at least one of the cities (maybe Kanazawa) and found a calmer region with a smaller city centre and easier hiking opportunities to stay for 2-3 days just to relax, and feel more excited to go sightseeing again. Perhaps Noto Peninsula would have been a good idea? This is just a personal preference though, as we are definitely more nature lovers than metropolitans.

1. Food: While most of the food we ate in Japan was amazing (shout-out to Udon Noodles and Umeshu), it is definitely possible to get bad and/or bland food in Japan. I'd be very careful to trust Google Reviews as some restaurants have artificially inflated ratings (e.g. free dessert if you give 5 stars). Japanese people use Tabelog which is more reliable but I'd still just recommend winging it and take the L if you had a bad meal (which is still unlikely). Restaurants that have local customers is usually a good idea.

If there is one advice I'd give to people visiting Japan, it's this: Skip Japanese breakfast. I can understand much about Japanese culture, but starting your day with soup, fermented/pickled vegetables, slimy fermented beans and then a piece of grilled mackerel with rice is incomprehensible. Either don't have breakfast at all or eat Western-styled breakfast. We are Norwegians though, and breakfast is a big deal for us.

1. I love Japanese culture and Japan is a calm, safe and comfortable place to visit. It is, however, a culture with some strange contradictions. I get the impression that it's important to act properly and not do anything that's viewed as obscene/rude. While nobody reacted negatively when I kissed my girlfriend or if she gasp used a toothpick in public, I've heard that both things could be frowned upon, among many other things. At the same time that this "proper and well-behaved Japan" is showed, when walking around the bigger Japanese cities it is brimming with Love Hotels, Erotic Spa Treatments (did someone say testicle massage?) and girls in skimpy outfits advertising their prices (which I understand is actually just for talking with them, but you get the drift). The contrast is startling. Also, in the land of extreme politeness, I can count on one hand the amount of times I saw someone give up his or her seat on the metro/train to an elderly person.

4: Nightlife: We didn't really get a hang of it. In Kanazawa we randomly stumbled upon a beer festival at 6:30 PM, and were excited to spend the evening there drinking good beer and eating street food, only to realize that all the stalls close at... 7 PM. On a Saturday. This seemed to be a general theme where the night life seemed to die out at around 7-8 PM, and the streets emptied (Shinjuku and Namba were obvious exceptions). Do people go home or do they all go to the bars behind closed doors with no windows? Out of fear of ending up somewhere shady, we didn't enter any of these bars.

Final thoughts: We had an amazing time, but remember to relax while you're there. It's a vacation, after all. If you're feeling fatigued and/or overwhelmed by all the things you want to/should do, just take a break for half a day or a day and recharge your batteries and enjoy reading a book in one of the many parks and cafés.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/HomeworldMoA on 2024-10-07 19:12:29+00:00.

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I was spending two weeks in Japan with the majority based out of Kyoto. (2 days in Osaka, rest Kyoto)

I had a split itinerary, with one week focused on Osaka and Kyoto themselves and another week focused on daytrips to things I could get to using the sanyo sanin area pass. This is a region specific JR pass that you can get for 23000 yen that lasts 7 days. Here is a coverage map.

It allows you to ride the JR lines between Osaka/Kyoto and Fukuoka even including the Nozomi, (fastest), Shinkansen as many times as you want. This really helps with a day trip based itinerary. (It should be noted that you can’t ride the Shinkansen between Kyoto and Osaka on this pass.)

This pass also gives you access to several express trains that depart a few times a day to specific touristy locations, these were very useful when I was putting my itinerary together.

The pass also allows you to book the HARUKA express that travels to/from KIX.

I was aiming to get out as early as possible and return to Kyoto by ~6/7pm most days.

If I were to do this again, I’d suggest making a base in Osaka rather than Kyoto simply because it’s so much easier to not have to think of how you are going to get to Shin-Osaka station to get the really early Shinkansen.

The day trips were as follows:

1. Hiroshima.

Simple, just get the Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka. When you arrive, there are several JR tour busses that are covered by this pass that depart from the station main entrance.

Your pass gives you free travel on the Miyajima ferry. Make sure you take the Sanyo line down to the ferry terminal and not the metro as the metro is not covered in your pass.

Hiroshima was amazing and I would 100% recommend visiting. This one daytrip almost entirely pays for the pass itself. I personally split the day between extensively visiting the peace museum and Miyajima shrine with a small amount of walking around downtown inbetween while killing time waiting for public transport.

It's so easy and quick to get there and as it's essentially Shinkansen all the way. You could do two day trips to Hiroshima and not run out of things to do.

2. Tottori.

There is a dedicated train to get from Kyoto called the HAKUTO that goes to Tottori. If you have a full day to dedicate to Tottori I would suggest just getting this train and calling it a day. The train leaves Kyoto at 7am and you will arrive at 10am.

You can then catch the Super Inaba Limited Express from Tottori at ~7pm to Okayama before switching back to the Shinkansen to get back into Osaka/Kyoto around ~10pm. Remember to not stay on the Shinkansen after Shin-Osaka as this is not covered by the pass.

You will see talk of supplement fares needing to be paid to get to Tottori that are not covered by the JR pass online but these are specifically covered by the sanyo sanin pass and you do not have to pay anything extra at any point.

Tottori is the least visited prefecture in all of Japan and that is a shame. It’s beautiful, interesting and I don’t regret making the journey out there. I would recommend taking advantage of something the local government is offering called the ‘Foreign Tourist Taxi Service’ where for 4000 yen, you get a taxi to ferry you around between the points of interest for 3 hours. This all departs from / is organized by the Tottori Tourist Information Center which is in the same building as the station but accessed from the outside.

If you want to go to the Tottori Sand Museum, buy your ticket at the train station as you arrive and not at the museum itself as it’s cheaper. If you stay in Tottori for the entire day you do not have to limit yourself to Tottori City, if the weather is nice I’d recommend bringing your swimming gear and spending time at Uradome Coast or looking at the neighboring Kurayoshi city as well.

3. Kinosaki-Onsen.

You should spend the night at Kinosaki-Onsen at a Ryokan. A day trip does not do it justice but it could be done if pressed for time.

The Hashidate departs from Kyoto to Kinosaki early in the morning and there are several ‘special’ trains that leave back to Osaka/Kyoto in the late afternoon / evenings. You need to reserve seats for these so make sure you leave some time to talk to the JR staff at the station if you don’t pre-book a specific train back. There can be large gaps of several hours between these trains back so it’s really worth figuring it out.

You can purchase a day pass from any of the 7 ‘Mythic Onsen of Kinosaki’ for 1500 yen that gets you access to them all for the day. If you stay the night, this is usually given to you for free by your ryokan.

There isn’t much to specifically say about this one; if you like Onsen, you will like it. If you say the night, your ryokan will usually provide you with traditional dress and footwear for making the onsen pilgrimage in the evening.

The pass you receive from the Ryokan is valid until 3pm the next day. I’m not sure if this is the case for the bought day pass.

2+3) You can do a combined Tottori day trip with overnight at Kinosaki-Onsen with minimal time wastage so long as you take a very specific set of trains. This enables you to do the 3 hour taxi tour in Tottori and then get an express train to Kinosaki-Onsen just as the Ryokan are opening check-in.

• Take the 5:20am Rapid Himeji from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka.

• Take the Hikari Hakata Shinkansen to Aioi (You must pre-book before the journey as there is no time to do so at the station)

• Take the San-yo Line from Aioi to Kamigori.

• Take the Super Inaba Limited Express up to Tottori Station to arrive at 8:36am.

• Take the Taxi Tour on your selected route from ~9am-~12 midday.

• You have an extra ~hour to shop in Tottori. I’d suggest buying tottori pears and honey.

• Take the 12:56pm Hamakaze from Tottori to Kinosaki-Onsen. (Must be pre-booked) This gets you there at 2:11pm which gives you more than enough time to get to your ryokan.

The pass booking system will not let you pre-book this journey in one go, you must book the Shinkansen, Super Inaba and Hamakaze separately.

If you do spend the night at Kinosaki-Onsen, consider getting one of the trains back to Kyoto that goes via Amanohashidate. (One of the ‘three most scenic views of Japan’) The Kyoto Tango Railway is not a JR route but is included in this pass. I didn’t end up doing this because the weather was bad on the day.

5. Himeji.

Get a rapid train down to Shin-Osaka and switch to the Shinkansen. No real advanced planning required beyond booking the Shinkansen seat.

The roads leading up to Himeji-jo are shoutengai. I’d suggest getting their early-ish in the morning and going on a food tour along the shoutengai. I stopped in at 4 places on the way up the castle and the food was all cheaper than it was in Osaka/Kyoto, there were no lines at all and it was very high quality. I particularly liked Tamagoya.

I can’t recommend the official guided tour enough. The guides are very passionate, and it greatly enhances the experience. There are very limited places on these tours so I’d get there early for the timeslot. They happen at 10am and 1pm each day.

5. Nara.

Again, very easy. There is a direct JR line from Kyoto. Make sure you don’t get the non JR line.

You know what Nara is. Go get attacked by deer and visit Todai-Ji. I thought Nara was going to be overrated but I enjoyed it.

Much like Himeji, the shoutengai here have hidden gems, totally worth going up and down them to see if anything catches your eye. I want to call attention to ‘Treasure Off’ with their 500 yen giant plushies.

If you are staying in Kyoto, Nara and Himeji could easily be half day excursions with an evening in Osaka as to take advantage of the free travel between them while you have the pass. The JR rapid train between Kyoto and Osaka is more expensive than the non JR line that is not covered by the pass so may as well make the most of it while it’s free.

I spent the other two days in and around Osaka/Kyoto with friends. Even then with ‘wasting’ two days of the pass on cheap transport days, what is described above Is ~52,000 yen worth of travel for only 27000 yen. If I had used it book the HARUKA, it would’ve saved another 6000 yen on top of that. (I happened to have it covered by something else.) You could very easily get loads more value out of this pass.

Something to be aware of is that once you have collected the pass at the JR desk / machine. You will be unable to book more reservations through the online portal and you must book seats at the JR desk from that point onwards.

Here is the link to the pass. Look at the regional passes for your trip, they are probably much better value than the main JR pass!

The rest of my trip was spent doing the usual things in Kyoto / Osaka that you've read about a million times before! All I'll say is that Gion is overrated and to be careful that you may get charged an extra fee if you do tax free shopping in some shopping malls where you have to go to an external desk outside of the actual store.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/drgolovacroxby on 2024-10-06 19:40:43+00:00.

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Hello all!

I'm pretty new to this sub, and while I'm in the process of planning a trip for next year, I figured I'd share my experiences from my first trip to Japan earlier in February with my wife.

Day 0: Arrival

• Arrived at Haneda, set up our e-sims, and made our first foray into the Tokyo subway systems

• After some initial difficulty with the way Google Maps behaves when using the metro, we were able to navigate to our AirBnB in Shin Okubo

• We were pretty exhausted, but still went out to dinner (as we heard the tales of people messing up by going to bed too early on the first day) - our first meal consisted of tempura and sashimi, and I discovered the joy of lemon sours (how are these not more popular internationally?!)

• Finished the evening with a conbini trip (Family Mart was our first (more on that later)).

Day 1: Shinjuku

• Started the day with a Lawsons breakfast (folks were not kidding about these egg salad sandos!!!!)

• Walked from Shin Okubo to Shinjuku as we wanted to stretch our legs a bit.

• We didn't really have a lay of the land, so our first destination was the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. This place was amazing, we got an excellent view of the city (and it was free!!). We also happened to go on a super clear day, so we got to see Fuji-san on our first day :D

• After a bunch of walking, we found a well-rated chicken ramen place in Shinjuku that is to this day the best ramen I've had in my life.

• We spent the afternoon just wandering around Shinjuku taking in the sights, heading towards Kabukicho as it got dark. We found a little izakaya for dinner (that honestly was not too great - avoid places with too much english signage).

• After dinner we hit up Golden Gai. I absolutely love it there. As a drinker and a smoker, this was heaven to me. We found a couple of rock'n'roll bars and stayed out way too late (worth it!)

Day 2: Yokohama

• We surprisingly woke up (reasonably) early, had a nice breakfast a Lawsons, and hopped on a train a headed down to Yokohama.

• Our first stop was the Chinatown. I know it seems weird to want to visit a Chinatown in Japan, but let me tell you, it is absolutely worth the trip. The whole fried squid was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

• We walked down to the bay, and took a boat tour on a whim. The Gundam was still there (though the display was closed), but we got to see it from the water, and it was pretty reasonably priced.

• From there, we headed to Cosmo World as my wife is quite fond of Ferris Wheels. We got a nice afternoon view of Fuji-san again from the top of the wheel.

• We headed back to Chinatown to grab some dinner at a lively Chinese restaurant before heading back to Shin Okubo.

Day 3: Shibuya

• Another day, another Lawson's egg sando for breakfast. I'll also state for the record that after trying all three of the major chains, my ranking of the conbinis: Lawsons -> Family Mart -> 711

• We took the train down to Shibuya and did the Hatchiko statue and the crossing before heading into town to do some shopping.

• My main goal was to hit up Tower Records. I found some really cool LPs and some CDs of some of my favorite Japanese bands (Maximum the Hormone, Ningen Isu, Band Maid).

• We also shopped at the huge Donki here, where I hit my head pretty bad coming down the stairs too fast :P (for the record, I'm 6'3"/190cm - and I was fine)

• We had some kaitenzushi for lunch which was fantastic for the price.

• After doing a bunch of shopping, we headed back to our AirBnB to unload our treasures before heading back out to explore our neighborhood a bit and find something for dinner.

• We stumbled across a local ramen place where I tried salt ramen for the first time (it wasn't my favorite, but the shop was super nice, and the owner was friendly even though we didn't share a language outside of the few Japanese phrases I learned).

Day 4: Meiji Jungu, Harijuku, Koenji

• We got a little bit of a later start, but we wanted to first hit up a Michelin starred tempura restaurant in Shibuya. It was absolutely amazing.

• From there, we walked to Meiji Jingu and explored the park and the temple. I know this is a super touristy thing to do, but it was well worth it to me. It was really nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a bit and enjoy the tranquility of this area.

• From there, we looped around to Harajuku. I don't have much to say about this place - it clearly was not designed for me (I'm a 40 year old man who is not concerned with fashion at all). This part was more for my wife :P

• After freshening up back at our AirBnB, we went to Koenji to meet up with some people I had met on a forum some time ago.

• We got a little tour of Koenji from a local, and had dinner at a metal-themed restaurant.

• Afterwards, we hit up a bar until we had to leave to catch the last train.

• One of my few regrets was not spending more time in Koenji. I absolutely loved it there.

Day 5: Shinkansen and Osaka Arrival

• We had to be out of our AirBnB pretty early, so we packed our stuff and headed to Tokyo Station to catch our bullet train.

• This is another place we messed up. We had a bunch of luggage, and all the luggage lockers were full. We didn't pack in such a way that we could use the luggage forwarding service, so we were basically stuck in Tokyo Station for hours. We had hoped to explore the area around the station, but that just wasn't feasible with so much luggage :(

• We bought some ekiben and drinks for our ride on the green car, and the trip itself was actually quite nice. I loved having the smoking rooms aboard the train, and I was even able to buy more beers once the first ones I bought were gone (apparently this is only available on the Green Car).

• It was actually lightly snowing when we arrived in Osaka

• After a mixup in locating our AirBnB, we finally dropped our stuff and headed out to dinner.

• We found a sukiyaki place with a VERY energetic hostess. I was also able to try horse meat which was surprisingly good.

• We walked around Dotonburi for a bit and snacked before finally heading back to bed.

Thoughts on Tokyo:

We had initially skewed our trip more towards Osaka because we didn't know how much we would enjoy Tokyo. In hindsight, I wish we had split the days a bit more evenly, and started and ended the trip in Tokyo instead of flying out of Osaka. My wife and I were both surprised by how much we loved Tokyo. It was super busy, but it had a charm unlike any other place we've been to. I'm quite excited to explore it more thoroughly on our next trip!

So this post is already super long, so I will turn this into part 1. If there's any interest, I'll be happy to type up our experiences in Osaka, Nara, and Kobe as well. I'm also happy to answer any questions or clarify on any of the stuff from above :)

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Material_Adagio_522 on 2024-10-05 10:38:40+00:00.

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It's been a week since I boarded my flight from KIX to go home, and I feel ready to talk about my trip.

Some precontext, I haven't travelled internationally for 20 years since I was a child. I had slowly over the last few years become more interested in Japan through the Persona Games, Yakuza Games and Abroad in Japan and other YouTube channels.

May 6th I played Yakuza 2 for the first time, and I thought Dotombori (sotonbori in the game, but very accurate) looked incredible, if you'd told me with anxiety, prediabetes and depression that in just 5 months I'd BE THERE, I'd have called you crazy.

A month or two later we got very short staffed at work, causing me to need to work some INSANE overtime, and I suddenly realized I had the money to go to Japan. I applied for my first passport since the 00s, and as soon as I got it I booked for 6 weeks time.

I didn't really believe I was going until I landed in Hong Kong airport for a short layover, it was then that it hit me.

My first day in Japan was incredible, landing in KIX at 6 am, the bus over the bridge, staring in wonder out of the window for 45 minutes. Seeing Japanese people living their day to day lives, for this small town sheltered guy, it was magical. Arrived near Osaka station and it was 30 degrees at 8am, I lugged my case 2km to my hotel, stopping every 2 minutes to take it all in. My hotel had mercy on my soul and allowed a super early check in for me to shower. I walked to dotombori and stood on that bridge I've walked over so many times in Yakuza and had to pinch myself.

The next 10 days were all magical, I met with my Japanese penpal on day one and spent every day I was in Japan with her. People ask what we "are". I can't answer that, I don't know, it's complicated but all I know was those two weeks were the best of my life.

USJ was amazing, we went on Harry Potter, Mario Kart, Jaws, Hollywood Dream, saw waterworld and enjoyed Halloween horror and the hami Kuma dance party. It was the best day of my life.

Kyoto and Nara were magical, we only did one day in each but seeing the famous sights was healing on a level I never knew. The deer in nara and almost having a heart attack climbing the hills in nara, only to find a young couple taking wedding photos at the peak, and watching the sunset.

The aquarium and the whale sharks was mind blowing, Tennoji tower and shinsekai, den den town, the MAID CAFE, Osaka castle, Kani Doraku Crab Resturant, making our own takoyaki, Abeno Harukas observatory at sunset, these are some of the things we did.

I cried twice leaving Japan, when I had to say goodbye to my penpal, who for those 10 days was the closest I've ever felt with someone, and again at KIX while waiting for my flight. I haven't cried in over 10 years.

My plan, god be good is to return in March. I set a countdown app on my phone while at KIX to exactly 6 months and promised myself I would return and set foot in arrivals in exactly 6 months. That promise to myself was the only thing that got me on that plane.

Please ask any questions if you want to know more about what I did, or anything really. I had the best time of my life and even in just that short time I had there, Japan changed me forever, I don't feel like the same person since I got back, I'm not withdrawn anymore, I don't have negative depressing thoughts, I don't want to waste money on nonsense like Uber eats and overpriced food and clothes here anymore. It was a turning point in my life.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/KuroMango on 2024-10-04 00:16:15+00:00.

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Hello all! I’ve decided to post this trip report in particular because I found it a little difficult to find solid resources for planning my trip to the south of Kyushu this past September. I will include a detailed itinerary of how I spent my time, and a collection of tips/thoughts at the end. I arrived on September 14th and returned to my home prefecture on September 21st. So it will be a long one but I hope a couple people find it useful. After the itinerary/commentary I've included a notes section at the end. 

Overall, I think this was a good amount of time to spend in these cities and prefectures, and I don’t think I missed out on much. If I had stayed for longer, I may have gotten bored.

 

Night 1: Arrive in Kagoshima (staying at a friend’s house)

-         Arrived at Kagoshima Airport at 4:45pm.

-         Went outside and bought bus tickets from the booth to go downtown, closest to friend’s house. I should note that you can’t use a regular Pasmo/Suica to pay bus or tram fares here, so either get the Cute Pass or pay in cash.

-         Arrived around 6pm, dropped bags and together we went to a community Mochi Making Event held at the Kagoshima Kenmin Koryu Centre. It was to celebrate the upcoming Tsukimi holiday and was a lot of fun! Very foreigner friendly. Though apparently advanced reservations were required, I think they had enough space that potential drop-ins in the future would be fine.

-         Friend and I parted ways momentarily so I could grab some dinner and they went to a party that I would later join. I ate tsukemen at Vagabond Ramen and I HIGHLY recommend getting the tsukemen with chashu – the portions were so delicious and succulent. I actually chose to eat here again later in the trip because it was so dang tasty.

-         Attended the party at Luck Apartment (not actually an apartment, it’s a café which usually closes at 6pm but they seem to have frequent events that lead late into the night). I’m not really a huge party person but it was fun enough. Had a couple drinks, they had a DJ, made some friends (also a very international crowd here and there were many Japanese people in their 20s who were very practiced at casual English conversation).

-         Headed back home around 10pm, and the party was still boppin when I left.

 

Day 1: Sakurajima and the city

-         Got a latte at Luck Apartment, was good.

-         Set off to the ferry terminal around 9am, took me about 15m to walk from the café though I went a bit of a roundabout way to stroll through Minato Odori Park on my way, which was pleasant. It was quite sunny so I was using my umbrella to give me some shade. It was already 25 degrees despite being 9am.

-         Boarded the 9:40 ferry to Sakurajima. When you get to the terminal you just walk on to the ferry and you pay the fare when you get there.

-         Bought a Cute Pass at the info booth in the arrival terminal which was all-encompassing for city transit (basically anything that isn’t JR). Proved to be worth my money since it will also cover the ferry.

-         Got on the 10:30am red line tour bus. There are two buses every hour, one blue and one red. The red seems to stop at every point whereas the blue skips a couple I think? At least that’s what it looked like to me on the diagram. Line up ~20mins early to get a good spot. (Used Cute Pass for this, there is also a bus day-pass you can get on-board for 500yen)

-         Finished my tour around 11:30, at which point I had the “ash” ice cream at the café in the ferry terminal which came with *the* perfect sweet potato chip. The softcream was fairly standard otherwise but was nice to cool down.

-         Took the 12pm ferry back to the mainland.

-         Walked to the tram and took a 1-hour journey to Amaminosato, where I had a reservation for the hand-looming experience. This was super fun, but you have a hard deadline of 1h30m to work, which is was the reservation was for. I think it would be easiest to do if you have basic Japanese (key words being left, right, up, down). If not for this reservation I would have spent more time on Sakurajima. But it proved to be worth it. They have other things you can make reservations for, and there was a couple making the little woven keychain thing they offer which seemed fun too. I enjoyed the garden on site as well as the little museum/displays of the Oshima Tsumugi ash-dying fabric process. I probably spent 2 1/2 hours here, between my weaving and exploring.

-         Took the tram 1 hour back to my friend’s place where we met up and we went out to dinner. I had Kurobuta tonkatsu at Kurokatsutei Kurobe Tenmonkan. It was tasty!

-         We walked around the Tenmonkan area for quite a while, and stopped to have dessert at Mujaki Main Shop, known for its Shirokuma Shaved Ice. It was pretty good, better than the average I’d say.

-         We tried going to a local izakaya named 017 Yokaban, which came HIGHLY recommended by several people I spoke to before going on this trip and unfortunately it was completely full when we got there around 7:30pm. I think if you want to have a chance getting in you need to either go early or late. The owner came out and spoke to us for a minute, and she was super sweet. She recommended we come back around 9pm, but we didn’t end up having the energy.

-         Returned home for the night after this.

 

Day 2: Last full day in the city before heading to next destination

-         Went to Reimeikan for 9am. The gates were open a little early and it was very dead when I got there, and when I left. I think there was only one other group of people. I took my time around the ground and inside the museum to appreciate the history. My Cute Pass got me a discount for entry.

-         Walked over to Tenmonkan area again after I was done to eat a donut from Satsuma Jokiya Kakashi Yokocho, as recommended by my friend the day before. It was good, and I think if you don’t like super sweet things you’d enjoy it but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. The shop was cute and had a lovely water feature where you can sit and eat your snacks.

-         Spent some time at CenTerrace Tenmonkan, which was fairly standard for malls in Japan but they had a few shops that were owned by locals making their own products and art which I enjoyed. I also found these small soy sauce plates that looked like traditional Japanese plate art but had dinosaurs on them – absolute 10/10.

-         Took the bus to Sengan-en Garden. I was really looking forward to this because it was a beautiful clear day and they had really good views of Sakurajima. It was quite a dynamic park with many different areas that felt unique. I ate mochi at one of the first shops there that are prepared traditionally to the area and they were very tasty. I then made my way over to the craft workshop area, where I paid 4000yen to do pottery painting. This does not require a reservation, nor is there a set amount of time you have to complete your work. I did a plate, and I think it came out quite nicely! You do need to have an address in Japan though for at least another week and a half after you do this because you use glaze paints, so they have to fire it in the kiln and then send it to you (all included in the initial price) before you get to keep it for good. They also had cups you could paint, or other little charms you could make which you would get to keep right away. I think I painted for about 2 hours, and was at the park for 3 hours overall. My Cute Pass got me a free post card upon entry.

-         Took the bus to Ishibashi Memorial Park. It was nice enough for like 15mins. I just wanted to see the bridge architecture and that was about it, so I didn’t stay too long.

-         Realized that I forgot my mobile battery at CenTerrace so had to make a detour back there to get it back. The staff were very helpful.

-       While I was in the area I decided to get a matcha latte and chocolate tart at TEAWAVE, which was highly recommended by a local and I thoroughly enjoyed their offerings. I don’t like my matcha too sweet, and this was perfect. The chocolate tart was also quite rich and delicious.

-         Returned to my friends place to drop off stuff, and then went back out to eat at Vagabond Ramen again where I had the tsukemen again and enjoyed it even more than last time. If you like thicccc noodles you’ll like this place.

-         Turned in for the night.

 

Day 3: Shinkansen to Kumamoto (staying at another friend’s place).

-         Had a breakfast sandwich as Seattle Coffee (chain) at Kagoshima Chuo Station, was a standard egg salad.

-         Took the 8:30am shinkansen for Kumamoto. Cost about 8300yen for the green car (7000 for regular).

-         Stored my backpack in the coin lockers upon my arrival to Kumamoto station.

-         Took the tram (used my regular Pasmo here) to Kumamoto Castle. Sure, there are better castles in Japan but this was nice enough, and the area around it like the river and surrounding parks were quite beautiful. I liked seeing the view of the city from the top. There are also some areas that are under construction because they were damaged by a recent earthquake, so it was pretty interesting to see the process of refurbishment. Also walked around the traditional shopping area here and got a yummy honey-blueberry drink mix syrup.

-         Bided my time until 12pm, where I had a reservation a...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/honeylemon00 on 2024-10-02 15:44:07+00:00.

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Disclaimer: I'm just a random person who overanalyzes things, no sponsorships. They didn't even ask me to leave a review anywhere and were super professionally neutral when I mentioned I thought their service was better than more well known alternatives.

When I was looking for Tokyo activities, I saw several reels about making your own custom perfume. After a quick look at the main trending options, none of them really seemed like a genuine 'custom perfume' to me. D.Anda was exactly what I was looking for aka:

• detailed guidance from someone trained in making fragrances so I don't make something crazy
• a "proper" perfume composition aka not essential oils; at least eau de toilette (D. Anda has you make eau de parfum); structured with top, middle, base notes.
• actual customization: being able to choose whatever direction I wanted to create a unique product. I got to pick from 100 scents and used 12 for my perfume. Compare to 3-4 scents out of 20-30 options for the other places.
• affordable: I think their pricing is amazing for the perfume industry and personalized service they're providing. $50-60 for 1 oz for a 90 min session, which is already affordable by perfume standards, much less one you get to design.
• Bonus: I also got to mix the perfume myself instead of the store employees, which was fun and made it feel more like *I* made it.

Some pet peeves I had with other options on the market:

• The general model doesn't seem like it'd create a great perfume. For most places, they have 20-30 scents (which are either fragrance mixes the store has or more singular scents like Jasmine) that you can pick 3-4 to mix. The store's workers will choose the ratios and you get to adjust to your liking.

So 1) there is no mention of creating a balanced fragrance or even base vs middle vs top notes. Top notes smell the best, so you could totally leave with a combo that's all top notes. 2) Not that many options. Among 20-30 scents, only some combinations would actually smell good together which further limits how much you can customize your product. 3) Little guidance. I have no clue what I'm doing and I imagine most store workers are minimally trained.

-My only fragrance - points above

-Ann Fragrance Atelier and The Flavor Design- it's not actually perfume, you're making a "fabric spray" per their website and pts above.

-Le Labo - am I missing something? The only customization I could find in the description is you get to name the perfume.

-Scent/incense workshop classes - essential oils, usually meant as a room spray

-I don't remember their name but I ran across one in Nakameguro that was $$$

Okay this is already long, review of the actual experience.

• The process is described on their website. You choose 3-4 scents in each base > mid > top last. I had full decision making power but asked my consultant for a lot of advice and for his thought process behind the recommendations to make my choices. The consultant was great at giving me the reins but letting me know if I was about to choose a bad idea (ex. using a really strong base note as my main base). He came up with the ratio at the end but asked for my input to determine it (ex. "do you want rose or lily to be stronger?" "do you want it to be more sweet or more fresh?"). He also gave advice on what scents to add to balance the perfume out which I think is definitely missing from the other custom perfume options. Sometimes you gotta eat your veggies too (cough using not only fruit top notes for me).
• I mixed the perfume then we adjusted as I desired. This was more fun than I expected! I felt like a little chemist even though I've pipetted plenty in labs.
• The end product: I went in with the idea "very fruity, fresh, and to not just try to recreate a perfume I already like" and generally gave input like that. When I got to my top note selections, I decided on a "fruit soda" vibe in my head but didn't tell him. The initial product surprised me -- it definitely smelled good but wasn't what I was expecting as the combination of my scents. It did match the descriptions I gave him, just not quite what I wanted. Honestly, his mix was probably better for most people. It smelled sophisticated but I wanted to smell like fruits exploded on me. I did 2 adjustments to get it to the fruit soda vibe I wanted. I wouldn't say I walked away with my forever signature scent but I like my perfume (whereas I dislike the majority of perfumes I've sniffed), I'll definitely wear it often, and it's a genuinely unique to me creation and souvenir. I haven't smelled anything similar before.
• They had a great selection of scents including ones I haven't heard of before like tomato leaf.
• I think you will get a more satisfying product if you know more about perfume or have a stronger idea of what you want. I still had a great time and product from going in pretty blind.
• They save the scent mix so you can reorder later.
• It was so fun! I kind of want to go again during my trip already.

Reasons why you may not want to come:

• Language barrier: The consultants are fluent in Korean and Japanese, with pretty good English. My guy only needed to use google translate for English 2-3 times.
• It's not at a major tourist train station and you're short on time: Totally fair! I do think it's located pretty well though: residential neighborhood in between Ueno and Asakusa + 12 min walk from Kakimori custom notebooks for a whole DIY day. I also stopped at Dandelion chocolates, found a cute whimsical animals themed leather goods shop Ozio, and enjoyed the architecture of the neighborhood during my walk. It's a peaceful get away from the main tourist sites.
• I know nothing about perfumes: Me too! I just had a basic understanding of my preferences. No background is expected but I would at least go sniff through Sephora and read the main descriptions (ex. floral/fresh/earthy/sweet) to get an idea of what you like.
• 100 scents is too much decision paralysis for me: The standard course is 80 scents. I think if you came in with a strong idea of what you wanted then you could let the consultant take over a lot more.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/yusoffb01 on 2024-10-02 03:41:26+00:00.

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Im sharing my experience so those who don't drive can consider this too. All tour buses have free wifi on board

Day 1 - Kokusaidori street, Fukushien garden, Almont Hotel Omoromachi, Shuri Castle Park

Arrived in the morning, bought the monorail tickets from the airport station. Alighted at prefectural office stop, and just wandered around kokusaidori. Then walked to fukushien garden. in hindsight, i should also walked to naminoue beach which is very near fukushien garden. Checked in at Almont Hotel omoromachi which is like $50 a night with public bath, 3 stops away from kokusaidori, beside a mall with a supermarket and many food options. Also beside TGalleria which has 4 rental car companies, and teamlab. After that went to Shuri Castle Park

Day 2 - Cape Chinen Park, Okinawa World, Gyokusendo Cave, Okinawa Outlet Mall Ashibinaa, Umikaji Terrace

Followed South Okinawa day tour booked on klook. The tourists were mainly chinese, but the tour guide can speak English if you have any questions. There is a performance at okinawa world but recording was not allowed. Tour was quite affordable ($50) and Gyokusendo cave is a must visit. Tour ended at 5.40pm

Day 3 - Okinawa Churaumi aquarium, Emerald beach, okashigoten onna village, cape manzamo, Ryuku mura, Banta cafe kanai beach

Followed a Churaumi aquarium bus tour by cerulean blue also bought from klook. Aquarium tickets, ryuku mura tickets were included, and also has free drink at Banta Cafe. Don't miss the show at ryuku mura, recording is allowed. Really worth the $50 price. Tour ended at 7pm

Day 4 - Kouri island, Nago pineapple park, kouri island, dolphin show, native okinawa village, tropical dream center, tamatebako

Followed hiphop bus by jumbo tours bought from klook. Only the pineapple park entrance ticket was included. Bus then went to kouri island for a short while. didnt have time to go to the observation point and heart shaped rock here. After that stopped at marine park for 2.5h, since i already went to aquarium day before, i went to the mockup of okinawa village, watched a free dolphin show, and went to see the botanic gardens. Last stop was okashigoten but wasnt as interesting as the onna branch one from day before. Tour ended early at 3pm+. As Naha has many vegan options, i tried okinawa soba at tamatebako

Day 5 - Japanese navy underground hq, Rakuen cafe, american village

In the morning, I went to the japanese navy underground hq to learn about the okinawa war. you can come here by bus, or walk 30min from the nearest monorail station. Had lunch at rakuen cafe on the second floor of RYUBO department store. It has many vegan options. After that I went for open top bus tour by cerulean blue at 12:20pm slot to american village for $15. You could take public transport for the same price, but open top is a nice experience since driver will take a coastal route. We had 1h to spend at american village which is sufficient to just walk around and take pictures. On the way back, the driver drove past kokusaidori street and it was a nice experience too. Tour ended at 3.30pm. after that I went to San-A naha shopping center near my hotel and bought stuff from supermarket and daiso. in the evening, I also booked ticket to zamami island and a rental car.

Day 6 - Zamami Island day trip

Went to the harbour and took queen zamami to go zamami island. If you want to snorkel, there are a few shops you can rent from at the island. or you can buy from donki at kokusaidori before coming. I drove around the island to visit all the recommended viewing spots. If you dont drive, you can rent a bicycle or electric scooter.

Day 7 - okinawa zoo, pokemon center, nyansore cat cafe

The last day before going back. Using google maps, I took a public bus from omoromachi station near my hotel to go to the zoo. topup 2000 yen to your okica pass. Taking the public bus was not as bad as I thought. There are multiple buses going the same route, so despite the long waiting time for each bus, you can take whichever that comes first. I waited less than 15min. After the zoo, I walked to aeon mall okinawa rycom less than 2km away which has pokemon center. Check the bus timing to go back, and you can plan to have lunch here. There was also an electronic display at the bus stop which indicates upcoming buses, estimated time or arrival and how many minutes late. With nothing much left to do, I visited Nyansore cat cafe, Don Quijote and bookoff.

Day 8 - going back

Going back wasn't bad. the ride from omoromachi to airport just takes 20min and costs 300 yen. Another advantage of not staying near kokusai street is that you will definitely have space to board.

If I were to change my itinerary, I would have tried staying at onna village area for 2 days to try glass bottom boat, parasailing or marine walk.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/We_are_all_monkeys on 2024-10-02 00:14:19+00:00.

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9 days in Tokyo and environs 9/21-9/30. A summary.

Day 0: Arrive in Tokyo. Get Suica card and train to hotel in Akasaka. Get food at 7-11. Crash.

Day 1: Tokyo Tower. Meh. Very touristy and kitschy. Next stop was Teamlab Borderless. I was completely blown away. Very very cool and hugely recommended. Next was the Art Aquarium in Ginza. Verdict: cool but overhyped. Walked around Ginza and ate dinner at some little Ramen place.

Day 2: Started the day at Shibuya Crossing. People everywhere! Walked around a bit and discovered the 8th Wonder of the world that is Don Quixote. What an amazing ode to chaos! I both love it and hate it at the same time. Lunch was at Maidreamin Maid cafe. What a bizarre and awkward place. Maybe I just don't get it. After that was Harajuku and Takeshita St. If you like crowds and people everywhere, then this is for you! I'm glad I checked it out, but once was enough. Ended the day at Meiji Jingu. Impressive.

Day 3: Kamakura and Enoshima. So, this was Monday the 23rd and no one told me it was a holiday! Kamakura was shoulder to shoulder. Took the train, saw the big Buddha, went to Enoshima. Walked around and shopped and ate. Checked out the sea caves. All in all, a good, if crowded day. Pro tip: pay for the escalator to the top! It's worth it.

Day 4: Akasuka and Senso-Ji. Walked around. Took pictures. Shopped. Went to Ueno Park in the afternoon. What a really nice park! Went to the art museum there and was going to go the science museum but it was closed. Ended the day at Skytree at sunset. Amazing views! 

Day 5: Went to the Mori Art Museum in the morning and saw the giant spider and the Louise Bourgeois exhibit.  Afternoon was spent in Akihabara. I was like a kid in a candy store. So many cool stores. Yodobashi is amazing! I so wish there was something like that in the States. In the evening went to an owl Cafe and saw lots of owls! 

Day 6: Took the train to Mt. Takao for another day trip. Took the chairlift up and hiked up to the top. Weather was favorable and the views were amazing. Monkey park was closed though, which was slightly disappointing. Took the chairlift back. A good day.

Day 7: Feet were hurting and needed an easy day. Went to the National Museum Modern Art and then back up to the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno Park. That museum is absolutely amazing! The number of specimens is astounding! It is a real jewel in Tokyo.

Day 8. Shabuya Sky in the morning (only time I could get a ticket). Being out in open air on top of the city is a cool feeling. Went up to Shinjuku and had lunch at the Alice in Wonderland Cafe. Gimmicky as hell, but a lot of fun! Checked out Kabukicho, saw the giant cat, Godzilla, and got drunk in Golden Gai at an awesome bar called Deathmatch in Hell. Excellent end to a day!

Day 9: Odaiba. Saw the beach and the Statue of Liberty. Walked around by the water and checked out the Small Worlds Museum, which was really cool! It's amazing how detailed everything is. Got lunch and ended the day at Teamlab Planets, which was cool, but I thought Borderless was better.

Day 10: Flight home. Goodbye Tokyo!

Observations:

As noted by others, the lack of garbage cans is quickly apparent. Bring a small plastic bag with you for all your garbage. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Tokyo is the cleanest city I've ever seen. 

Once you figure how the trains work, navigating around is pretty simple, even thought some of the stations are huge and it can take forever to walk from one track to another.

I got away with knowing practically zero Japanese. It seems everyone knows at least some basic English and you can get pretty far just by pointing. 

All in all, an amazing trip and I can't wait to go back!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/tawonracunte on 2024-10-01 09:20:05+00:00.

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In Shibuya Ward, a strengthened regulation on street drinking will come into effect in October 2024, introducing a year-round ban. Previously, restrictions were only in place during specific times like Halloween and the New Year, but rising issues related to noise and littering, as well as an increase in tourists, led to the decision for a comprehensive ban.

Under the new ordinance, drinking will be prohibited in designated areas around Shibuya Station from 6 PM to 5 AM the following morning. Although there will be no penalties for violations, security personnel will patrol the area to provide warnings to those who do not comply

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/cadencetimeletsgo on 2024-09-30 01:27:48+00:00.

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*Japan absolutely slaps, so if you’re thinking of taking a trip there, just bloody do it! You won’t regret it!*

Trip Dates: Feb 29 - March 12, 2024

About Us: 1 female (Aussie vego) and 1 male (Canadian meato), iPhone users, VISA and MC holders, Intermediate skiers

General Notes

1. Luggage Forwarding Service: Use it! It’ll change your life. This efficient/secure luxury really made traveling around seamless. Couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
2. Cash: We withdrew 25000 yen in advance. This got spent quickly at markets, luggage forwarding, mom and pop restaurants etc. Often places do take card, but I’d definitely advise bringing some cash. That said, withdrawing from an ATM in Japan is easy and inexpensive (check with your bank) so it’s totally cool to rely on that if need be.
3. Shinkansen ticket booking: booking online in advance (once already in Japan) was a major fuckaround for us for a few reasons: we had to turn our Canadian sims back on to get verification codes, our credit cards would work with some websites and not others. Prepare for it to get confusing, but just go with the flow. You will end up with a ticket!
4. VISA vs MC: Often my Visa worked, often my MC worked. Sometimes both worked and sometimes neither worked. From our experience, there’s no method to the madness. My advice is (if you can) bring both. It’s Japan, so we never felt *stuck* - just had to patiently figure out which method of payment was going to work on any given day.
5. Narita vs Haneda: When booking flights, I was given both options. I decided to go with inbound Narita, outbound Haneda. Next time, roundtrip Haneda will be my preference. It’s much closer… like, it’s actually in Tokyo lmao.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 0:

• Flight from Toronto to Tokyo, Narita. 14 hours on Air Canada. Nothing glamorous but the only direct option from Toronto.
• We booked 6 months in advance and paid $1600 CAD return PP for economy.
• Food on board was gross but I was glad to have pre-ordered a vegetarian meal. The general offerings were dire and exclusively meat. It made us keen for 2 weeks of Japanese grub!

Day 1: 

• Landed and took the Narita Express straight to Shinjuku. This route was a little longer, but we preferred not having to change trains after such a long flight. We bought our tickets from a machine right before boarding using VISA.
• Using train wifi, we activated our Ubigi e-sims: 10GB for $17 USD. Plenty of data considering there’s also wifi everywhere. You WILL need access to the internet (especially for Google Maps) so make sure you’re hooked up.
• We checked into our hotel: Hotel Gracery, Shinjuku (the Godzilla Hotel). Tiny, clean room, which was all we needed since we were always out and about. Shinjuku is WILD. It’s so busy/bright/hectic/awesome/fun. Next time we’ll try another more low-key neighbourhood, but for our first time in Tokyo it was the perfect way to throw ourselves into Japan!
• We had a quick bite near the hotel, browsed some combinis (convenience stores) for snacks  (actually really yummy!) then ventured out to Shinjuku Golden Gai, an awesome string of tiny alleys filled with even tinier bars/restaurants. Highly recommend!

Day 2: 

• Woke up super early because jet-lag! Approximately zero coffee shops/ breakfast spots were open early, so we explored the streets (all very clean, go Japan!) and ended up grabbing breakfast onigiri from 7/11. Meat and veggie options, often labeled in English. Convenience stores became reliable, cheap options for meals we didn’t care much about (like breakfast).
• Added our Suica cards to our Apple wallets. This was shockingly EASY after a lot of confusion. If you have an iPhone, here’s how you do it: Make sure you are on wifi (not data). Go to your Wallet app. Click “add card” then “Transit Card” then “Suica”. Load up using the credit card you have stored in your Apple Wallet. Both VISA and MC worked for us. We loaded 1000Y increments regularly and easily. It’s much easier/faster than buying individual tickets for transit and you can use Suica for a bunch of things! We paid for ramen at a place that didn’t take credit cards with Suica! Also, forget about getting a physical version of the card. They basically don’t exist anymore for tourists. Just add it to your phone! Voila! (NB: you only need wifi for the initial set up. Reloading works fine with just data. One of the many mysteries of Japan!)
• Grabbed coffee and a snack from Blue Bottle Cafe. Right near Shinjuku station and pretty trendy looking.
• Ventured over to Akihabara (a very anime part of town). My boyfriend is a major Magic the Gathering fan so we went to bunch of nerdy stores. He could’ve stayed there all day!
• Had lunch at Tempura Rice Kaneko-Hannosuke in Chuo City. We waited over an hour BUT it was our favourite meal in Tokyo. The service and food were exceptional. As a vegetarian, it would’ve been impossible for me to eat here without at least having fish broth, so I decided to be a little bit *flexitarian*. They have a very basic English menu, so I chose the first option and traded my fish/chicken tempura pieces for my boyfriend’s veggies.
• There was a Byron Bay Coffee Company a few doors down. I grabbed a lamington from there while we waited in line. Not very Japanese, but as an Aussie who now lives in Canada I had to indulge.
• For dinner we headed to a side street in the quieter part of Shibuya called Kamiyamacho. It had a bunch of cool looking restaurants and the one we chose wasn’t great, but we’d definitely try others in the future. It had a very cool vibe.
• We saw one of the surreal Japanese gas stations (where the pumps hang from the ceiling!)
• After dinner we walked around Shibuya crossing. I thought it would feel more touristy but it was actually just BUSY AF.  I felt like I was in Lost in Translation. So cool.
• We also went into the mega Don Quijote in Shibuya and it was chaos but so fun. We bought a bunch of treats (like cheesecake Kitkats) and I dabbled in Japanese hair products.

Day 3: 

• Picked up coffee and quick breakfast from All Seasons Coffee, Shinjuku. I grabbed an egg salad sandwich from Family Mart. It was amazing. We planned to walk around Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden while eating, before remembering that walking while eating/drinking is taboo in Japan! We sat on a bench and ate, then began the pursuit of finding a trash can. There’s so few on the streets, but we found one in a convenience store.
• We then went to our 11am booking at TeamLabs Borderless, which we booked about a month in advance. It was completely sold out on the day, so book ahead! I’d heard mixed reports about both the area and the exhibit itself, but we LOVED both. The area is a cool, new section of town with interesting architecture. Initially, the exhibit felt a little small scale and we were ready to leave after about 40 mins. Then we discovered that there were a bunch of secret rooms we had yet to explore. I’m so glad we stayed, because what we found was mind blowing and so fun. Go in with an open mind and explore!
• We took the subway to Ginza, a fairly ritzy part of town with lots of great shopping, then ate lunch at Yomoda Soba Ginza Branch. This was our first experience ordering from a vending machine and we looked like true idiots for not understanding how it worked. But people helped us and the food was delicious. I ordered a vegetable soba soup.
• We hit up the massive Muji in Ginza. It was much cooler than any other Muji I’d ever been in. Highly recommend the matcha chocolate covered dried strawberries! We took advantage of the tax-free program here. If you’re interested, you’ll need your passport and won’t be able to use the items purchased until you’re out of the country (they seal them in a plastic bag) Worth it for the discount!
• We tried to go to the Pokemon Cafe but it was completely booked out for the day. Reserve in advance if you’re keen!
• For dinner, we ate ramen at Afuri Shinjuku Lumine. This is a chain but a really, really good one with vegan and meat options (most other ramen joints only had pork!) Don’t be discouraged by the fact that it’s in a food court. Plenty of locals were eating there and the line up was out the door. So yummy!

Day 4: 

• We started our day at Tsukiji Market. Very crowded, but fun. We arrived at 9:30am and it was already chaos, so get there early if you want to avoid crowds. We tried a bunch of viral foods here, like the omelette, strawberry daifuku (Mochi), wagyu beef (for my boyfriend), matcha and fish. The food was good but I’d say if you don’t go early (like 8-10am) it might not be worth it.
• We then caught our first Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo Station. We had already sent our luggage to our destination using the hotel’s luggage forwarding service, a massive relief given how busy the station/train was. It was only $50 CAD to send both suitcases from Tokyo to Nozawaonsen. Well worth it!
• We purchased our tickets for the Shinkansen at the station, right before departure. If you can buy in advance, do it. It will give you a better chance of sitting together. We sat behind one another in the Green Cabin (a little more expensive). Just remember that it acts like a flight, so if you miss your train you will have ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/TightLadder6003 on 2024-09-30 08:53:13+00:00.

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I’ll be in Osaka with my 14-year-old for two days during October 11-12. I’m having trouble planning our day in Kyoto. I’ve listed some options below but am open to suggestions. Could you help me create an itinerary based on these spots? Are there any shrines that have night time illumination in October?

I’d really appreciate your insights if you’ve been there! Thanks!

Option1:

• Sagano Romantic Train
• Hozugawa River Boat Ride
• Lunch
• Kiyomizu-dera
• Gion District
• Yasaka-jinja Shrine.

Option 2:

• Fushimi Inari (I’m fine with not reaching the summit of Fushimi Inari.)
• Explore nearby area (suggestions are welcome!)
• Lunch
• Kiyomizu-dera
• Gion District

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Shyam3540 on 2024-09-29 09:51:08+00:00.

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Hey, 

Me and my wife are travelling to Japan for the first time in late October for 14 days. We are both in our late 20’s and coming from Germany. We came up with this itinerary after a bit of research reading blogs, reddit, youtube etc. I would really appreciate your help and suggestions in the following itinerary. 

A little about us: We are very much into Anime. Hence, we hope to spend a lot of time around Shibuya and Akihabara. Apart from that, we love Japanese food and hope to shop some skincare and fashion products.

Day 1 – October 27 (Tokyo): 

• Arrival at Narita around 6 PM.
• Check-in to Hotel and rest.

Day 2 – October 28 (Tokyo): 

• Asakusa – Sensoji Temple, Kappabashi Dori
• Nakamise-dori Street
• Ueno Park
• Tokyo Sky tree

Day 3 – October 29 (Tokyo) 

• Meiji Shrine
• Harajuku -Takeshita Street
• Shibuya – for shopping and nightlife

Day 4 – October 30 (Hakone day trip) 

• Romance car train to Hakone (Hakone Free Pass) - Reach around 9:30 AM
• Here we will take the Hakone Cable Car + Ropeway to visit Owakudani, Lake Ashi
• Hakone Pirate Ship
• Hakone Shrine
• If time permits and worth it, then also book an Onsen for 2 hours

Day 5 – October 31 ( Tokyo – Takayama) 

• Shinkansen from Tokyo – Nagoya + Bus from Nagoya to Takayama – Reach around 3 PM
• Walk around the streets of Sanmachi Suji (our hotel is close by)
• Short evening walk along Miyagawa river

Day 6 – November 1 (Takayama) 

• Miyagawa Morning Market
• Hida no Sato open air museum to learn about the local history and culture
• Sake Tasting + Food exploration

Since its cheaper, we might also try buying Hida beef from the local butcher/market and try to cook it from our stay. 

Day 7 – November 2 (Hiking day trip to Kamikochi) 

• Take the 7:00 AM Nohi bust from Takayama to Kamikochi
• We will start the hike from Kappabashi bridge and then walk towards either Myojin Pond or Taisho Pond. There are two hikes – one is 6 km and other is 10 km long. We have not decided which one to take yet.

Day 8 – November 3 (Takayam - Kyoto) 

• Hida wide view expess to Nagoya + Shinkansen to Kyoto. Reach around 2 PM
• Nishiki Market (Lunch + Shopping) - Our stay is close by
• Rest at Hotel
• Evening walk and dinnner around Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka

Day 9 – November 4 (Kyoto) 

• Start early around 6:30 AM to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
• Walk to Daihikaku Senkoji Temple and back
• Sagano Romantic Express to Kameoka + Hozugwa river boat ride back to Arashiyama.
• If time permits and not too tired, then walk along Philosophers Path
• Eat dinner from Pontoncho district

Day 10 – November 5 (Day trip to Uji/Nara) 

• Start at 7:30 AM to Uji.
• Nakamura Tokichi Honten
• Byodo-in Temple
• Take the train to Nara
• Nara Park
• Todai-Ji

Day 11 – November 6 (Kyoto – Tokyo) 

• Fushimi Inari Tasha(full hike)/Kiyomizu dera in the morning
• Take the Shinkansen post-noon to Tokyo

Day 12 – November 7 (Tokyo) 

• TeamLab planets – morning slot
• Lunch at Toyosu Fish Market
• Akihabara

Day 13 – November 8 (Tokyo) 

• Shinjuku City
• Yanaka Ginza
• Visiting places that we missed from the initial days in Tokyo.

Day 14 – November 9 (Leaving Japan) 

• Last minute shopping + Souvenirs
• Return to Germany

Some questions:

1. We were initially planning to go to USJ in Osaka, but cancelled the plan after knowing that it's usually very crowded. Since we have a couple of extra days in Tokyo, is it worth going to Ghibli Museum/Disneyland? Or is there any other similar experiences around Tokyo?
2. Between Teamlabs planets and Borderless, which one is better?
3. How accessible is Uber in Tokyo and Kyoto? Since some of our hotels don't accept Takkyubin, we might need to rely on Taxis to get the Shinkansen stations from our hotels
4. Any recommendations on an E-SIM? Currently considering Sakura Mobile

Thanks you so much for the help :)

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Jieas on 2024-09-25 22:50:22+00:00.

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So we (gf & I - 28yr olds) just booked flight tickets to Japan a few hours ago. This is all we've booked so far, and the trip is from September 30th (landing day) to October 18th. Yes, 2024. Here are the locations and a few activities that we've been thinking about for each. Please bear with me as this is a very anxiety-enduncing trip for me, but I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone! If you notice anything that doesn't make sense or we're not accounting for, please do let me know! :)

Day 0 - Sept 30th - Tokyo

Landing at 3h30pm at Narita. probably just going to get Suica cards (are they back? I've read a few things about chip shortages but maybe since Sept 1st they seem easily obtainable?), take transit into the city to our AirBnB (currently not booked at the time of writing), and head out to walk around the area, get acclimatized

Day 1to3 - Oct 1st to 3rd - Tokyo

Shibuya crossing, ikebukuro (recommendation), Shinjuku, Akihabara, yoyogi park, Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena, tokyo tower, senso-ji Temple

There's also the possibility of doing a day trip to Kamakura for a hike, as I've been told you could have views on Mt Fuji.

We would sleep in Tokyo that night, and leave on Day 4

Day 4-5 - Oct 4-5 - Either Nikko or Nagano

Looking to find maybe a Ryokan and Onsen in those areas. DEfinitely seems difficult considering our last minute trip!

Day 6-8 - Oct 6-8 - Kyoto

Taking a shinkansen to Kyoto. Fushimi Inari hike, Arashiyama bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji Temple and the Iwatayama Monkey Park, Gion District, Rengeoin sanju-sangendo, Gold & Silver temples.

Day 9 - Oct 9th-10 - Nara or Takayama?

We were initially thinking of going to Nara and sleep there, but now we've just been made aware of the Takayama Autumn/Hachiman Festival. Is this worth trying to attend? There doesn't seem to be available accomodations in the region, but there is maybe the option of staying south of the festival in Gero. Any thoughts?

Day 10-12 - Oct 10-12 - Osaka

We're currently a little low on Osaka activities other than the Osaka Castle. Here we could take a day trip to Nara if we do end up going to Takayama. There's also been talk about going to eat Kobe beef in Kobe.

Day 13-15 - Oct 13-15 - Hiroshima

Shinkansen to Hiroshima in the morning. Himeji, Peace Memorial Park & Museum. Mayajima Island, Mount Misen (might either do the hike or the rope cabin)

Day 16-18 - Oct 16-18 - Back to Tokyo

Shinkansen back to Tokyo, explore any other things we might have missed, want to see more of, etc. anything that wasn't listed in the first tokyo stay maybe!

Leaving at around 5pm on the 18th, going back to Canada!

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Few additional questions/help

• In our case, would the JR pass be worth it, even after the increase in price last year?
• How much do you disencourage having suitcases? Especially for transit.
• How much money is worth taking out for this type of trip? I know that cash is king, but I was thinking like 2000 CAD (1000 each), but this seems excessive a bit. Is it worth taking out money in Japan at the ATMs or before leaving? Kind of getting mixed info on that one with travel vlogs on YT.

The itinerary feels quite... loose, and as we literally bought the plane tickets this morning, it feels very unorgniazed, and I am panicking (my gf is as cool as cucumber though, hence why I'm the one making the post). There are currently no accomodations that are booked for any of those places, so even those suggestions, warnings, good-to-know's are all welcomed :) I am no seasoned traveler by any means! Thank you soooo much for any input and help.