Japan itinerary and tips-any help appreciated

[CocoKoko123]

Have 10 night trip to Japan booked for spring next year.booking everything independently.have so far booked flights (to Haneda) and accommodation-have 4 nights in Tokyo,4 nights in Kyoto and then 2 nights in Tokyo.
Have an idea of the attractions we want to see (cherry blossom, my Fuji,including 1 day at Disneyland, a day trip to Nara from Kyoto and to the bamboo forest from kyoto).. there is no way we could fit in a day trip to Hiroshima in to such a short time is there? Also not sure if Osaka is worth a look given the sort time frame? We will have dc 9&12 with us.

My questions are are there any particular not to be missed attractions or restaurants etc (I am getting confused with how many shrines/temples there are and can't visit them all!)

Also I have heard there can be issues getting uk phones to work out there and have heard someone mention about getting a portable WiFi pack-does anyone have any advice on how to go about this?phone would be useful for WhatsApp calls/messages and looking up directions when out and about there.

Do I need to buy tickets over here in advance for attractions or just turn up?does anyone know the official link for the Ghibli museum as I've heard that needs booking online months in advance as books up quickly?

For transfers to/from airport am I best booking these in advance online (eg a taxi) or best getting a train when there?

Finally, for transport (mainly train/bullet train I guess) do I just buy tickets for this once there? I've heard mention of a rail pass....

Thanks in advance, any help appreciated

Just wanted to say thanks again to everybody for their invaluable help-I will get on it this evening once dc in bed.yep will prob give Osaka a miss on this trip then (not too fussed about universal as I have been to Californian once many years ago and the dc have been to universal in Florida and had the HP experience there).Shame I cant squeeze in Disneyland and Disneysea but as I Disney freak I can't go all the way to Tokyo and not drop into Disney.just really wanted to see the Tokyo castle and have a picture in front of it!

miyako-odori.jp/english/

This is the geisha dance we went to

It’s amazing! Went in spring this year.

Do not miss TeamLab Borderless digital museum borderless.teamlab.art/

Go first thing when it opens as it gets very busy.

Thank you all you lovely people
Ghibli and teamlab are definitely in my plans! So excited.just need to find a money tree from somewhere...🤣

TeamLab is amazing. Could have stayed all day.

OP there are ways to save money. We always had picnic lunches, bought at 7/11. they do perfectly good steamed buns, chicken skewers, sushi, pork and chickem katsu curries, even spag bol if you feel homesick. And they are incredibly cheap. I rarely spent more than £10-12 on a family of four with two hungry teens. In the evenings we went for street food - okonomiyaki, yakitori or Korean BBQ places - tiny cafes or fast food. (DC loved Coco curry houses - I wasn;t a fan but it was never more than £10 per head. We were amazed. We'd budgeted so much more for food than we spent, so we had lots of extra money to buy souvenirs and go on extra excursions.

I’m planning my trip to Japan as we speak as well - I’m off in April! Glad someone posted this topic - il be having a read of all your tips and will share anything I come up with also x

Oo same time as us kapten - exciting times!

Re money saving, poster who mentioned buying food at the convenience store is definitely right!
Konbini as Japanese call them, are here literally on every street corner, open 24/7 and offer also ATM.
Try onigiri 🍙 for a typical Japanese snack - with natto filling if you dare! My favourite is umeboshi (pickled plum).

Picknicking under the blooming cherry blossom trees is a typical Japanese spring must -do.
You can buy a picknick cloth with Hello Kitty print (saw them at Daiso yesterday) for less then one pounds also and off you go!

Hakone is amazing

And re eating out, sushi is usually inexpensive at conveyor belt restaurants, udon or soba noodles are widely available and inexpensive as well, so is curry. Yoshinoya is a chain of cheap and fast ricebowls (gohan).

And don’t forget to try the teriyaki burger at MC Donalds, it’s really delicious! Mos Burger is the Japanese version of MC Donalds and more expensive but very fresh and much better quality then MCD.

Re souvenirs: Daiso, Can Do and other hiyaku en (100 yen shops) are your friend here.

DH strongly advises against going in Kimono shops unless you want to buy a kimono, as they will not let you go until they fully dressed you and made you buy one.

My favorite shop to buy souvenirs from when I go home is the souvenir shop on the premises of Meji shrine, close to a restaurant and the main shrine.
They have beautiful things like gorgeous fan shaped postcards and gorgeous flower printed scarfs that were very well received at home, for an affordable price.

Koshikawa Korakuen gardens are one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen (close to Yotsuya and Shinjuku). DH took me here 2 weeks ago. The most beautiful autumn colors I have ever seen. Japanese people were queuing up outside the gate to visit.

Appearently the cherry blossom over there in spring is also gorgeous. The picture shows the schedule for the expected blooming of flowers and plants in the gardens.

Thank you so much everyone.Have made a start on itinerary this evening complete with hyperlinks and adding in all your various tips. Also watching the Guy Martin programme so thanks for the tip pp. watched the Mel Perkins and Joanna Lumley ones a few months back. Will be back on thread in a few days no doubt with any remaining questions!

Thank you so much-really appreciate your posts.

Our stand out place was Gion - we stayed in a small hotel that was pretty central, and very well priced. We did a dusk walking tour (Lanes and Lanterns) which was amazingly atmospheric, and were lucky enough to see a geisha and a maiko.

I had read Memoirs of a Geisha before we went, which was great for context.

We did Hiroshima and Miyajima in a day - travelled on the first train from Kyoto and got there early. We all found it incredibly moving (DH/me/DC in their 20's). We stayed over in the area, as we were travelling further south (Oita for rugby), but it would have been perfectly feasible to travel there and back in one day from Kyoto.

We also booked a day with Nobu (Mr. Nagata) who took us around the various temples/bamboo forest in Kyoto - not cheap, but well worth it.

We were there as the typhoon struck, which impacted on our time in Tokyo, but is was still quite an experience.

I day tripped for the Hakone ropeway and it was my favourite day of my whole trip. Got lucky with the weather and got beautiful views of Mt Fuji!

I really rated Arashiyama. We did a boat trip down the river into the town and then saw the monkeys and the bamboo forest. It's really pretty at night.

Nara is a definite must see too. The deer are 'spirited' and they have guides for the big temple (I forget the name) that are so good.

Kamakura, palace gardens and Fushimi inari all got a big thumbs up too.

Okinawa

Gonpachi in Tokyo- good food and atmosphere. Was also inspiration for the Kill Bill restaurant where Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu fight it out!

I agree with glasto that a day in Hakone is well worth it. Can you do it from Tokyo? You don't want to cut another day from Kyoto as there's so much to see in the city itself.

I did a big tour when I was 18. I didn’t much like Kyoto, it’s ok but doesn’t have much ahtmoaphere but of course worth going for all the temples. I loved Hiroshima, such a vibrant city besides the obvious. I really reccomend miyajima island for a day trip. So beautiful and magical. And lots of dear just wondering around.

Hakone is best visited from Tokyo.

You need all the time you have in Kyoto! 4 nights isn’t much if you want to see Nara. I would look to see if you could do Matsumoto on the way to Kyoto. The castle there is great fun.

The Philosophers walk in Kyoto is stunning. The gaikos and maikos are in the Gion area at around 5pm. They leave their houses and go to the tea houses at around that time. They are stunning. The shows are in May and October I think. We certainly saw one in May. I would forget about Hiroshima - you just don’t have the time. I would go to Nara which is must closer.

The best day trip from Tokyo is to Hase and Kamakura. You can take the monorail from Tokyo and then pick up the Enoden Line to the seaside towns. It’s a great trip and detailed in Japan by Rail. Lonely Planet is also the best guide book.

Book studio Ghibli tickets before you go.

When you land you can get you JR passes and a portable WiFi thingy then head over to your train to the are where your hotel is. We stayed in Shinagawa, close to the airport and good connections for both bullet and local tube.

The deer at Nara are a must and combines with a day to a temple.

The innovation museum is amazing. Can't remember it's exact name but all about the history and latest tech stuff. The robots are incredible. Near the museum is a place where you can have a taste of onsens. You have to hire a kimono and lots of food places. Odaiba odebo I think is the name. Online it says it's a but touristy but we were the only tourists. It's a lot of fun and after a long walk around the museum makes for a relaxing afternoon. You get the cheesy kimono pic too, our DX were 5 and 3 so they found it fun.

For teens Tokyo is incredible. So much to do. Harajuku is good and has a temple nearby too.

In Kyoto the Meiji temple. When you get there everyone stops to take a million photos but the walk continues for ages so walk past everyone and take your photos in peace further along.

I would say take your time and enjoy the places you're in. There is so much to do. Skip Disney.

Oh and the samurai museum is also good for teens. They do a guided tour throughout the day.

Also plan for extreme jet lag! It caught us out and the first few days we had to improvise on our plans!

I would forget about Hiroshima - you just don’t have the time. I would go to Nara which is must closer.

I really disagree. Definitely wouldn't prioritise Nara over Hiroshima, nor extra days in Kyoto.

Thanks all
bubbles thanks for tip about 5pm being good time to see geishas and the lonely planet book is the one I have so all good, Kamakura looks fab but just no way we can fit in to the number of days we have there! (Will have to go back to japan for a second trip I think!)
zedee definitely doing day trip to Nara which will include the temple
Being a Disney freak I simply cannot miss a day at Disney lol!
Hadn't really considered the jet lag (having historically worked night shifts I don't tend to suffer from jet lag but the dc will for sure!) when did you find it to be worse?-getting up the first few days as body clock still thinks you're in the middle of the night?thanks for all your tips everyone

alexa we plan to do day trip to Hiroshima