Spring in Japan with a 13 year old DS...worth it?

[Treatmewell]

I really, really want to go to Japan. So does DH and DS...but DS also likes lots of 'downtime', pools, beaches. Which Japan is not. Am I mad considering it at his age, given it won't be cheap? I think it will be such a unique, amazing trip...

Has anyone done it with teens and what were the highlights?

i have been to Japan and wouldn’t waste one second on a teen who needs “downtime”. Honestly go now without him or wait until he can enjoy it to the max.

We went with 2 primary kids.
And they - now teens - would go back like a shot.
But, I don't think taking a teen who wants beaches and pools will lead to a harmonious holiday.

I agree. We need to have a proper chat before we go ahead with it.

But can you advise where you went?

Would he enjoy onsen/hot springs? I know it's not the same as lounging by the pool, but its very chill, and a uniquely Japanese experience. There are onsen towns, and some onsen right on the sea.
Or Okinawa for beaches?

I can't imagine many 13 year old British boys would want to get naked in front of a bunch of older blokes in an onsen.

When are you going? There are nice beaches in Japan (it's an island country) although they are mostly located in the south. We went to Chirihama Beach which is near Kanazawa.

Someone mentioned going to an onsen earlier. My kids are not teens yet but they love onsens. We go to the bigger ones with more facilities. They like the communal showering and scrubbing, going into all the different pools and then blow drying their hair, applying all the moisturisers, changing into their yukata etc when we're done. After that we go for a nice massage or they lounge about the place watching movies, playing games, getting snacks, etc.

It would be a waste to go to Japan just to want to go to pools and beaches. As pp said it’s not the place for downtime!
So much to see and do, maybe travel to one of the beaches but don’t make that the main priority. It’s really a question of whether you think ds would be wowed by what the country has to offer, or if he would be a miserable git and complain the entire time.

My DS went last year with DH when he was 14. They went to Tokyo, took the bullet train to Kyoto, visited a Nijo Castle and various other sights.

DS enjoys historical sights though, is fairly into martial arts, manga, etc. He likes beaches, but they aren’t a holiday essential for him. He'd go back like a shot.

Surely a teen understands every holiday isn’t what he wants? Ours didn’t demand downtime and lazing around every day. A compromise is a safari or the Galápagos Islands! Japan is fantastic but talk to him about what you want to see and where lazing might be fitted in. If anywhere! Or can he go to grandparents?