Japan and currency

[SingaporeSlinky]

We’re looking at travelling to Japan in the next few years and I know the exchange rate is really good at the moment. Can anyone advise if you need to carry cash while in Japan or will cards be accepted everywhere? I’m wondering if it’s worth buying some Yen now, but then if the exchange rate stays the same as it currently is, you get a better rate just using the card whilst there. Plus, if I exchanged say £1-2000 there’s the possibility that losing a few years worth of interest on that negates any benefit of the good exchange rate.

Also, while I’m here, I know flights from UK to Japan are currently taking the long flight routes due to avoiding Russian airspace so it’s adding a few hours to the flight time. Is there an obvious stopover we could do for a few days to break up the flight, or would you advise just getting one long flight over with, to spend all available time in Japan? We have young teens so a 14 hour flight is doable, but would be the longest flight they’ve ever done, and not particularly pleasant for adults. I’m torn between thinking it’s a good opportunity to see another county / city for a few days (maybe Dubai or Singapore?) but it would still be 2 long flights and once you factor in the extra travel time to and from airports, and waiting around at the airport etc that’s time we could have just had in Japan.

Sorry that’s so long!

Have a lovely time @FeltCarrot - do you mind me asking what your itinerary is like, roughly?

I did Japan last year with a flight from the UK to Dubai then Dubai to Tokyo. It took 18 hours end to end (plus time difference on arrival of course) and it really wasn’t too bad. I went to bed at normal bedtime the first night and did sleep until about 2pm next day but that’s because I didn’t sleep well on the plane at all (I never do). Jet lag the other way I thought was much worse!

In terms of currency I used a post office money card and took cash out from that as I needed it. I liked it as I could top it up on payday every month as I saved and saved for the trip.

Thank you @SingaporeSlinky We are travelling with our adult DC who jumped at the chance of a subsidised holiday to Japan!
Flying in to Tokyo and having 4 full days plus the afternoon of the day we arrive but I suspect we may be a bit weary!
One night in Hakone
One night in Hiroshima
Seven nights in Kyoto/Osaka

Am a little bit anxious about all the walking as I’m not vey fit especially since I had a second bout of Covid last year!

@FeltCarrot sounds great. Let us know how it went once you’re back!

@FeltCarrot have you made plans for when you’re there? The trip I did was organised via The Dragon Trip but it would be pretty easy to follow their detailed itineraries off your own bat - highly recommend as I was utterly bewildered when left to my own devices over there and I’m quite a confident solo traveller!

Meant to add flying home from Osaka.

Will come back and let you know how it went! 🇯🇵🌸🍒

@ImnotadickheadIpromise We have booked several things in Tokyo that were essential! Studio Ghibli, Shubuya Sky, Team Labs and also Universal Studio in Osaka and a tea ceremony in Kyoto.

We have trawled through loads of guide books so have planned an itinerary but of course things can change!

This website might be of interest to you all. The guy who made it also has a YouTube channel about living in Japan and has lots of videos about visiting Japan. His website also has a section for visiting if you scroll down to the end.

https://www.abroadinjapan.com ]]

Sounds good! The only one of those I did was Shibuya Sky but the company I mentioned have a detailed itinerary in their FAQs with tons of ideas.

Definitely recommend Nishiki Market tour in Kyoto (think I booked with GetYourGuide and ended up being a private tour as the only person who booked!). And a trip to Miyajima Island from Hiroshima, so beautiful and the deer wandering around are adorable.

Oh and Arashiyama Monkey Park too - I’ve never laughed so much at how mental the monkeys are (though very quietly as you can’t look them in the eye 🤣) Can you tell I loved it?!

Miyajima is on the list as is a trip to Nara.

Not sure about the monkeys, they freak me out! 🤣

Definitely avoid if you’re freaked about the monkeys! I have a video of one almost brushing past my nose and I don’t know how I didn’t scream out loud 🤣

Reading with interest as DH and I are taking older teen DS1 and 2 to Japan after exams at the end of June. DD and her DH are also going to meet us there. I haven't planned an itinerary yet but we are planning to be there for around 9-10 days and planning on staying in Tokyo and Kyoto with possibly one night in Hiroshima if we can't do it in a day.
Another trip I would love to do is the Shimanami - Kaido route across the islands and bridges from Onomichi to Imabari by bike and would love to hear from anyone who has done this. I am most worried about the weather as I think June/July is rainy season.

@Mumski45 this is the tour I did which might give you some ideas…the itinerary would be easy to follow even if not on an organised trip

https://thedragontrip.com/tour/13-day-budget-japan-tours/

I’m already planning what souvenirs I want to buy 😆
Pokemon Tokyo banana cakes. A book for shrine stamps. A Diptyque Tokyo candle (I believe only available in Japan). Stationery. Chopsticks. Possibly a yukata, but only if it can be worn as a dressing gown. More stationery 😆

I spent £300 in Don Quixote Shibuya - the biggest one in Japan apparently. Not sure if you’ve come across it but it’s like Japanese B&M on acid… highlights included a pan, wasabi Kit Kats and stem cell face masks 🤷‍♀️

@ImnotadickheadIpromise ah yes, I forgot Kit Kats! And matcha tea, possibly the whisk that goes with it.

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@SingaporeSlinky lots of useful information already given, may I also suggest the Japan forum on tripadvisor. There's a fantastic community of very knowledgeable posters there too.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g294232-i525-Japan.html

@beetr00 thank you, yes I’ve had a look on those forums in the past but found lots of argumentative posters who seemed to contradict each other for fun and it put me off.

@SingaporeSlinky yes, I know what you mean 🙈

I tend to look for this particular poster, her advice is usually pretty sound. 🙂

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Profile/Shibuyakko?

Nara? Watch out for the deer, one bit my carer when he was there.

One tip for any one going to universal studios Osaka- it opens roughly an hour before the website says it does, get there for 8am and run to Super Nintendo World. You won’t regret it. If you download the USJ app, once you enter the park you can reserve your time to enter Super Nintendo world, but if it’s later on in the afternoon, the queues will be so intense you will still be waiting for everything. You are so much better off getting there early and not waiting 2hrs for the Mario kart ride.

also the parades are so worth waiting and getting a good view of.

Speaking of Osaka, can anyone convince me it’s worth going to? I know it’s subjective, but we don’t feel the need to visit Universal. The Team Labs thing looks good, but we’d be staying in Kyoto so I think would leave Osaka before it gets lit up at night. I know it’s not too far from Kyoto if we decided to use a day once we were actually there. I just can’t see anything I feel compelled to see, but then again, if we only visit Japan once, should we go just so we’ve been?

@SingaporeSlinky I only spent one day and night in Osaka - it wasn’t my favourite but I enjoyed wandering around. The castle was beautiful but I didn’t go in, Dontonbori is worth a wander to see the billboards etc and the octopus balls are absolutely to die for. But there wasn’t anything I was massively overawed by to be honest! Also found it more expensive than Kyoto

We stayed in Osaka for 2 days at the end of the trip.

It's a complete contrast to Kyoto. I could have skipped it to be honest, I mean we had a great couple of days, but we'd been in Japan 3 weeks so it didn't feel like it had eaten into seeing anything else, if we'd been there a shorter time we'd have just done more Kyoto.

Osaka castle is good, very busy, but it's interesting even if it is a replica. We enjoyed the nightlife and wondering around the rather mad entertainment district. But I think it's skippable if you aren't there that long.

Some thoughts on Kyoto bear in mind Kyoto is a really big built up city and it's a long way between the historic sites - so if you go to a temple in the north of the city it can take 2 hours to get to one in the south - so pick and area for the day and explore or you'll spend all your time travelling. It's a very bikeable city too.

If you want a trip to what you probably think of as Kyoto then go to Nara for the day or Nikko near Tokyo - which are both lovely especially if you go on a weekday and get there early.