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

I did the rail pass when I was very young.
recommend ;

Tokyo ( avoid Mt Fuji - check out todays CNN article on over tourism)

Kyoto - obviously although I didn’t love the place but great for a bit of temple visiting and all that.

Hiroshima - apart from the obvious peace park it has such a lovely vibe.
Miyajima island ( near Hiroshima) - so beautiful with free roaming dear they are very tame everywhere

Takayama ( small historical town famous for its Historic festivals ) - if you are dong. takayama - Nagoya is it’s nearest big city - not a don't miss destination but worth a stop if you are doing Takayama.

Osaka- I didn’t make it there but wish I had. Apparently the Liverpool of Japan. So can’t actually reccomend.

I was there in March 2023 with DH and two DC - 13 and 9. Found it tricky to decide on Tokyo neighbourhood to stay in as we had plans to go to most of the tourist spots all over. Also tricky trying to get a hotel for 4 people. We ended up close to Tokyo Station. We were about 2 weeks early for the cherry blossoms. There is a website tracking when they bloom.

A big shock was the time it took from landing the plane to getting to our hotel in Tokyo - 5 hours. Customs/Immigration and Covid checks took awhile and then we had to pick up our pocket wifi and train tickets (90 minutes in line). Plus, 1 hour on the train to Tokyo Station.

Recommend getting a pocket wifi while you're there. You can order one ahead and then pick up at the airport. then just drop in a mailbox before you leave the country.

We got an unlimited train ticket for one week - we could use on one subway 'brand' of trains in Tokyo and Osaka and could also travel from Tokyo to Osaka. It was expensive and I've heard this pass is changing a lot (higher price, more restrictions) around October 2023. This was a little tricky to navigate as our brand of train didn't always go directly to our tourist spot, so there was some walking from a nearby station.

We went to Tokyo DisneySea and Universal in Osaka. Very enjoyable but the lines can be massive (2+ hours) for a ride. We had fast passes at Universal which practically doubled the entry fee but well worth it in the end.

Food was excellent everywhere.

Our guide got our pre ordered rail pass. Took 15 mins. The organised bespoke holidays do help smooth things out. All trains and seats booked.

Ryokans might include all food but not necessarily. Some will have tatami mats. Some will have only Japanese food. Are you ok with a Japanese breakfast every day? I would read up on each one. We were advised to mix up the style of hotels. We had traditional ryokan in Tsumago for 2 nights. A western style one in the Hakone area for 2 nights. That was enough.

Hotels are not cheap but I don’t think Japan is a budget destination. I’d rather have a decent hotel above going to the Disney theme park for example. I don’t really think it’s great for young children. Better for teens when they might remember it.

I think you can only buy passes 3 months in adjacent, then can activate a month in advance. So to get existing rail pass you need to buy towards end September, to travel around Jan.

After that, higher prices :(

We are thinking Tokyo, five lakes or hakone for a couple of nights, Kyoto, then Osaka. Fly out from Osaka rather than Tokyo.

universal is a must for my kids!!

@Asiatoyork That's why I would wait. I think Japan has amazing cultural sights of its own without an American import. It was a closed society until around 1868 and as such has a rich cultural heritage. I tend to think that’s wonderful to explore as it’s nowhere else on earth. Theme parks are universal.

@TizerorFizz we live in Asia now but are moving away next year so it makes sense for us to do it now for a much shorter flight.

Plus, Nintendo World is only in Japan. Nintendo is a massive part of Japanese (modern) culture. That’s how I justify it anyway 😂

Okinawa is a really interesting place, we went a few years back. Worth a visit just for the aquarium. Okinawa world was also a really good day out.

I thought it was Universal?

Dh and Dd did Tokyo, osaka and kyoto.

If you're kids like Pokemon there are Pokemon Cafes and cat cafes if they like cats.

Dh doesn't speak any Japanese and would say outside the major cities you will struggle with the language. Dd does speak a little.

They did go through a Travel agent and said they would have struggled to do it themselves.

Do factor in as well that it's a very long flight for younger children and they will need a bit of downtime to recover.

I thought it was Universal?

Yes, it is. Nintendo world is within universal in Japan.