Japan

[travelbug27]

Im looking to go to Japan at Easter next year. Before I start looking into it can anyone give me any advice, where to stay, things to do, are there any islands I could tag on the end? I'll be travelling with an 8 and 12 year old. Thank you

How long are you going for?

When you say islands to tag on the end, do you mean more holiday / tropical? You could look at tagging on Okinawa

I am in the process of planning similar! It really depends how long you have to spend there and what you’re in to. It is a bit overwhelming - I have spent hours working out trains already and am no further 😂

I am interested in this too, inside Japan gets quoted here a lot. Worth looking at some of the travel agencies itineraries to get an idea.

Thank you, I've got two weeks, so not long. Was thinking of a week of sightseeing then a week more on a beach. I'm getting so lost trying to plan!

@travelbug27 Thats a waste of going all that way I think!! Why have a week on a beach? It’s missing the point of Japan. The culture there is very unique and fascinating and worth most of your 2 weeks. I would limit a beach to a few days or no time at all. Tokyo, Kyoto, and lots around Kyoto, Mount Fuji area and Hakone.

Islands take time and I think, another flight? Travel by train and use an agent to sort it out. Way easier then diY and you get it covered by abta. This is actually worth it on long haul. inside Japan, Audley and other decent tour operators all have great itinerary and can add in experiences. We did cooking and a theatre show plus guided walks.

Agree, I would not want to spend a week in beach going all the way to Japan. But I do understand having a few days to chill out before a long haul flight back home. Okinawa or Iki islands are supposed to be good and they are completely different to main land. Okinawa has history too.

Getting a good travel agent will save you a lot of hassle. Booking good places and experiences will make or break your holiday.

With two weeks you can easily fill that in Tokyo, Kyoto and surrounding day trips alone, plus maybe an onsen and inn in the mountains. But even then it will feel full and busy. Fitting in a beach too sounds a lot for two weeks.

I'm planning for 2025.

I've joined Japan Planning Groups on Facebook and they are really useful. We are currently at the stage of learning more about the country and how things work, we've only made a few decisions so far

Tokyo
Kyoto and walking tour Gion district
Tea ceremony
Ryokan and onsen (no restrictions - we don't have tattoos)
Maybe osaka (as we have friends there)
Hiroshima
Not Nala but your children might like it
Possibly Disney but possibly not
Probably not rail pass due to increases in prices coming
Possible stopover flight and few nights whenever that is
Would love premium economy but probably not affordable

That's as far as we have got!

Thank you all. With the beach idea is wasn't necessarily to lie on a beach but just to slow things down a bit as my youngest will still only be 8. I think a travel agent might be my best bet. I just don't like doing excursions with other people. I'd rather research and book privately.

There are islands you can get to on a ferry from Tokyo which have beaches with hot springs on the beach. Slightly tricky to get to but worth it if you want a beautiful empty beach.

Haven’t read through all the thread, but I think if the idea is having a more relaxing time, I’d look at spending some time in an onsen town or two. It’ll mean less travelling than going out to one of the islands and will still be a uniquely Japanese experience

Kyoto for the cherry blossoms at Easter
If the kids can ski, a day trip for skiing might be more fun that a day at the beach (it’s way out of season for beaches unless going to Okinawa, which is another return flight in a 2-week trip)

Do join the Facebook groups, they are great. I'm going to book independently too.

I joined a tour group online chat a few weeks ago and there was one person who took over the full session and I fear there will be one like that in every tour group and probably another thats always late back. It would drive me nuts. Plus the inability to stay longer somewhere if there was more to see.

Have a look at the rail passes in 2 weeks you could to Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto and head down south to Kyushu to some tropical beach
https://www.jrailpass.com/shinkansen-bullet-trains
i travelled alone in my early 20’s and the traditional ryokan inns are more affordable than western style hotels and a lovely experience

Just placemarking as this is a trip we are planning too.

@travelbug27 All the companies do bespoke tours. We didn’t do anything in a group. Costs more but it’s an experience for you. Our cookery was in a house and we are what we cooked at her dining table. We made sushi and tempura prawns. You could do all sorts of activities. It was booked through WAK. Women’s association of Kyoto. The tour company booked the Pontocho Kamogawa Odori but it’s not child friendly. We also had a walking tour around the tea house area of Kyoto - just us and a guide.

I would book a reasonable stay in each place then you are not rushing around. Hakone area is geared up to relaxing. The Alps is quite a distance away so I would stay on the main tourist routes. 8 is young to do this holiday in my view. We did holidays with down time like safaris at that age.

We're planning a similar trip in March with 3 children (6, 8 and 11). We're staying in just 2 places, tokyo and Osaka (and will do trips to nearby Nara, Kyoto from our base in Osaka). I am trying to plan lots of child friendly activies and not cramming too much walking.

I also prefer to book independently like you OP, and have not found Ryokan's to be in any way cheaper than hotels (western style or otherwise). Probably because we are 5 though, and perhaps easier to find for 4 or fewer guests.

I believe Ryokans include traditional food?

There are also temple stays, but I've not explored their pricing

hiya
we’re going to Japan for 2 weeks in October with our 14 year old and like you we were quite overwhelmed with choices and what to do. We decided to focus on just a few places, so we’re having 4 days in Tokyo, 3 in Kyoto, 2 in Osaka, 2 in Hiroshima and 1 more in Tokyo. We looked at lots of different places and originally booked Hakone but my husband hates heights and after seeing the cable cars we cancelled! We’ve booked mostly ryokans but none which include dinner as they were too expensive! We’re getting a Japan rail pass but luckily for us, purchasing before the huge increase in price!

we have only booked team lab planets, one dinner and universal studios so far. We’re looking at cookery classes but not found any for less than £100 pp so that may not happen! We’re planning a mixture of history, culture and relaxing in onaens/ many places we’re staying have them. Will report back

I fly to Japan relatively frequently as my family live there. Since the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the flights are now almost 14 hours long as they no longer go over Russia, so bear that in mind. The Japanese do not really have a beach culture, unless you travel down to Okinawa. It is a beautiful country and the food and landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. Everyone loves to visit at Easter to view the cherry blossom, but you need to decide on where you want to visit, and check on the peak blossom date calendars as they peak at different times depending on location. It will be extremely busy in the Spring, but the country is glorious at that time.

InsideJapan Tours are really good, they sort self-organised trips, and are good for families- especially if you need to book theme parks or sightseeing like Tokyo Skytree or TeamLab Planets.

Easter/cherry blossom season is high peak. I wouldn’t delay booking, particularly hotels.
Although it seems like a hectic, full on destination, it’s remarkably peaceful just a few streets from the main hot spots. And extremely serene in the countryside.
For the best sakura viewing, do get up early and be there first thing if your prefer to avoid crowds.
Personally, I wouldn’t waste time with a beach.

https://www.japan-guide.com/