Talk to me about Japan?

[moutonfou]

I'm hoping to save up for a holiday to Japan for my next big birthday. It's 16 months away (Nov 2018).

It's still a very early idea, but can anyone who's been tell me what it's like, where to go, what to see and do? I wanna get excited

We loved it! Did 2 nights in Tokyo, 3 in Kyoto, including trip to bamboo grove and monkeys. Then we went to foothills of Japanese alps to village called Takayama and then flew from Tokyo to Ishigaki in south west islands which was totally unique, tropical experience. Would definitely go back!

We go visit family in Tokyo as often as we can. It's lovely. It's not what you would expect!

You decide what kind of holiday you want and your budget and we will see what is doable.

Had a lovely holiday there in February - went largely to go snowboarding in Hakuba- (my first time- very friendly , lots of snow). We stayed in a traditional B and B in Nagano which was very pretty and did a day trip to see the snow monkeys that live in the hot springs. That was slightly surreal as the monkeys bounce all over the tourists but kids loved it. The trains are fantastic , so clean and efficient and easy to use. We then did a few days in Tokoyo which was fun but very expensive ( I suppose like staying in London might be). If I went back I would use the trains to see more of the country- we felt at all times safe, and welcome, it was fascinating and great fun.

Thanks all, those experiences all sound fantastic!! So did you do all that with just trains - no need for car?

We did train to Nagano and the bus from train station to Hakuba. Very straightforward but then not a complicated trip so I don't know about going further afield . You can book a train ticket that lets you travel all over ahead of time but as we weren't going far it was cheaper for us to just buy tickets as we went along. We picked up a local mobile phone package at the airport which was useful as we were meeting a friend and also could contact each other.

Marking place

Have looked at getting train pass for a week,

Monkeys sound interesting

Went to Tokyo as part of my honeymoon, I loved it! The people, the culture, the hustle and bustle. Can't wait to go back! We used trains to get around everywhere and it was so easy! So many shops have wifi where you can quickly check the train routes if needed, think London tubes basically. It's also very easy to travel out via train to other districts if you have time and want to do even more exploring. Gonna have to go back through my honeymoon pics now and reminisce...

i live in Japan. I would say that there is little to no free wifi but that is changing very slowly. It is relativity safe but if you are main tourist areas there is the risk of pick pockets. Other than that you will see high school kids riding their bikes late at night or on the trains. When i come back to the uk i have to up my game. You will see people here leaving their bags at tables or phones out unattended. it is a strange mix of high tech and old. How long have you got?

I'll be hoping to spend up to two weeks. I'll be hoping to see a mixture of city and nature/wildlife if I can - and we love our food too

The public transportation is Japan is great so no need for a car. The trains are expensive though so definitely look into getting a rail pass. The bigger cities like Kyoto and Tokyo are easier to travel in, it can be hard to find English speakers in the sticks. Have a look on Air B n B as well you may find some good places to stay. November is a quieter time to visit which I prefer.

I recommend explore travel. They do guided trips, It's very expensive but you get to see sooooo much in two weeks. Looking at £3-4K for a packed itinerary for a fortnight but it's brilliant. Plus spends. I covered Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and my Fuji, whales, kaiseki, stayed in a ryokan, tried an onesen, sailed on a lake, temples, Buddhas countryside, city, harijuku, karaoke, sushi and loads more. Even met a geisha. Amazing and worth every penny - enjoy

We've been 3 times with kids and loved every minute of it. We've never hired a car, just travelled by train, subway, bus and on foot.

We stayed in a combination of traditional hotels, chain hotels and (on our last trip) an Airbnb mini house. The latter came with a mifi device so we had internet for navigation when we were out and about.

We've done Tokyo & surrounding towns, Kyoto/Osaka, Hiroshima & Kanazawa. My DS would happily eat his own body weight in sushi/sashimi!