Anyone been to Japan?

[Hazeleyez]

Thinking of it for summer 2023? Anyone any recommendations of who to book with or what to see? We're thinking 2 weeks. No idea what to see or do other than Tokyo and Kyoto and Mt Fiji but it is on our bucket list. Tks

We went in October 2016 it was amazing. We flew using Emirates to Osaka, went to Tokyo and Kyoto. All of it was brilliant and I’d love to go back in the spring. We had Halloween in the harajuku district of Tokyo and it was so good!

We went end July/start August 2018. The weather was fine, quite pleasant. Loved the trip beyond measure, as did our seven year old. We didn't book everything in advance, just got the train tickets (seem to remember we had to get the passes in UK before arriving in Tokyo.) We were there for two weeks and although it was expensive, it was very easy to get around and book everything when we there. We thought about going to Hokkaido to see bears and nature and even a day or two in Sakhlalin, Russia (it was reachable by boat when we there) but in the end thought that Hokkaido was for the next trip, and to do the more visited areas in the south first. Tokyo was unforgettable. Only positive memories, never had a good sushi meal since returning!

Coming late to the party p, but I second or third the recommendations for Inside Japan. We did a trip with them several years ago, making our own way to Japan and then meeting the group at the airport. They sorted out the train passes and put a wonderful itinerary together. We did Tokyo, Kamukura, Hakone ( which is an absolute must for the onsen experience and Lake Asti/Mt Fuji etc) then down to Kyoto on the Shinkansen. We also did a day trip to Nara which was beautiful. The next time we go we’ll do our own thing because getting around Japan was super easy with the trains and it’s a very safe and clean country.

Inside Japan were excellent; we split from the tour group a few times to do our own thing and they were totally relaxed about us joining them when we wanted.

We go in feb :) originally planned for 2020 April but obviously all got cancelled

rebooked and now have our nearly 2 year old coming so had to change up plans a bit

we are doing Tokyo 3 nights, then Disney for 2 nights

then Kyoto 2 nights

taking hello little bullet train to Hiroshima for day trip

Osaka 5 nights

back to Tokyo 2 nights

home

Kyoto at 2 nights scratches the surface.There's a lot you won’t see which is a real shame as it’s a first class destination.No time for Nara either. I would have tried some countryside or visiting Matsumoto castle too.

meajima island near Kyoto is beautiful for a day out, it has deer wanering around amongst everyone. I didn’t massively love Kyoto so I would spend loads of your itinerary there.
Hiroshima has a lovely vibe.
Takayma is a A beautiful historic small town if you fancy going off the beaten track a bit.
Make sure you book a few natural hot water spas while you are there.
Yoy used to be able to buy a train pass for two weeks which had to be bought as a tourist prior to arriving and was much cheaper than for the locals. Not sure if that is still around.

Just got a Christmas card from our Japanese friend in Tokyo who writes it's nice to see more and more overseas tourists coming back to the city

following with interest. thanks to everyone for their input. really inspired to visit. the explaination regarding the flight routes makes sense now. definitely on the bucket list now.

We found the main thing about Kyoto that differed from Tokyo is that it’s very, very spread out, and there’s a great deal of travelling to get between temples. We used the bus a lot so we could see more of the streetscape.

Takayama is indeed well worth a visit. We got stranded there by a typhoon…!

Tokyo is massive! Not sure where you went but the greater Tokyo area has 45 million people. It’s very spread out!

Kyoto is best explored by bus. It has 17 World Heritage sites so anyone not spending time there is missing a lot. It’s pretty easy to get around. It has an interesting area where the tea houses are and if you go at the right time you can see a Geiko/Maiko show. Utterly stunning. 2 nights is definitely not enough anx I have never heard of anyone not liking Kyoto.
There are deer at Nara.

Was that a reply to me? I know, Tizer, I’ve been to Japan several times and each time has included at least a week or more in Tokyo so I’ve travelled around it quite a bit. Yes, it’s a huge megacity.

Kyoto is best explored by bus - in essence that's what I was saying.

This website is quite good.

www.japan.travel/en/guide/august/

Shinkansen to to Gala Yuzawa (about an hour) go for a ski. Can rent kit there💕 Also bit sleazy but you HAVE to go to a maid cafe in Akihabara too 🥰 xxx

Oh wait just seen you’re going in August Derp. Still get the Shinkansen somewhere for sure xxx

Also sorry to spam 🥹 Definitely just take an afternoon with no plans to just walk through the backstreets near wherever you’re staying and explore there’s so many little cafes and gets coffee and cake💕

We have been twice, spent 4-6 weeks there each time and travelled around. Aimed for cherry blossom both times and loved it.

Tokyo, amazing but overwhelming. Definitely go to the Ghibli Museum (and theme park!) if you have any interest at all, the museum is a proper life highlight! Kyoto is nice and incredibly interesting but rammed with tourists (of which we were 2 more obviously!) Osaka was my favourite city, manageable, we made Japanese friends there who we're still in touch with. We also did Nikko and Shibu for the Onsen (from Shibu you can easily get to the monkeys at Jigokudani too, which is fun); Mount Koya is full of amazing temples, really gorgeous; and then ended both trips with a flight down to Okinawa for Iriomote and Taketomi island life and scuba with the manta rays.

For me as a European woman it's the most enjoyable travel I've ever done; SO completely foreign, thousands of years of culture and philosophy and religion that is incredibly rich but profoundly different to ours. And yet it's also super safe, and also very wealthy, so that there's no discomfort around hungry kids who need you to give them all your money.

I hope we'll get the chance to go back when our kids are old enough to enjoy it. We put our itinerary together in advance independently, including hotels and ryokans booked online. I'd also recommend the ear-worm language app to get a few useful words down before you go. Enjoy!

@WoolyMammoth55
Its interesting that you found Kyoto rammed. We went in mid May a few years ago and it was not remotely rammed. It was not Golden week - thank goodness. I would definitely avoid that. Cherry blossom season makes a huge difference too. However the Japanese enjoy their own country and it’s not huge numbers of tourists that you notice. It is, however, a busy country in its cities.

Long shot, but has anyone on this thread been to South Korea before? Desperate to go but not sure if I'd prefer Japan

If it has to be August, maybe go to Hokkaido? The lavender season might still be on, and it's a cooler climate than the more southerly islands. And/or have a beach holiday in Kyushu?

@chappysays DH has been to South Korea (albeit for work rather than leisure) so I just asked him. He says he found it more difficult to navigate in his view because there’s far less English around than in Japan - in terms of general getting around, street signage etc.

The transport system in Japan is incredible and certainly in big cities the underground system has English translations so it’s very easy to navigate. He was mainly in Seoul in S Korea and travelled around the city a lot, which does have a good bus/train network, but I suspect it might be less user-friendly for non-Korean speakers as you go further out.

But generally it’s like comparing apples and pears - they’re so different. If you really have a yearning to go to S Korea first then it sounds as though you should!

@blondieminx Would you mind sharing a bit more detail about what/where you did for Halloween? Was it just people watching or are there specific places to go?

@MoomiMama my daughter was only 6 at the time so this was all daytime. We flew home at 2230 that night with her still in her witch dress up costume, refusing to get changed 😂 We got the train to the Harajuku district from where we were staying in Tokyo. We aimed at the big toy store and there was this huge parade going on, all the shops had special decorations.

more info about 2022’s past event here Time out - Tokyo Halloween Parade

I loved Japan and would really like to go back for cherry blossom season!

We went in August (due to combining with a conference) and enjoyed it but did find it super hot and sweaty - I’m drenched in sweat in all the photos. We were also affected twice by bad weather - a big storm causing transport to be cancelled on the day we arrived and a typhoon in Tokyo. Still have amazing memories from the trip but would pick another time of year next time.

@noodlehen this is the thread I was thinking of for you
Unsure how to do a link. Good luck.

Thank you Carol!