Japan in the summer: transport and advice

[Japan8dayssummer]

We are going yo be in Japan for 8 days in summer, 4 nights Tokyo and 4 nights Kyoto.

Looking at how to get from Tokyo to Kyoto? Will the train be better or car rental?

Also, what should we not miss on this trip? What to see?

There’s a bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka, then another to Kyoto. it’s really quick and much better than hiring a car.

Definitely shinkansen over hire car from Tokyo to Kyoto.
There are direct shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto that take just over 2 hours. Driving would take about 6 hours.

What kind of trip are you hoping for?

For some people the Ghibli museum and Pokémon cafe are must see, for others its temples and shrines, some want the big cityscapes and neon lights and others have lists of particular foods that they want to try.

My personal highlights from my most recent trip were Kamakura and Nara.

On our list for next year we have Hiroshima, Miyajima, Onomichi, Kurashiki, Kawagoe and Nikko.

Thank you. We will book the train.

Haven’t thought much about the things to see. We are travelling with our daughters who are 17 and 13. Just experience Japanese culture, food, sightseeing. A bit if everything.

Do we need to book things in advance?

Most things don’t need booking in advance.

Shrines, temples, gardens, museums all sell tickets at the door or are free. Train tickets can be bought on the day. I know some people like to have advance bookings but it isn’t really necessary outside of golden week and new year.

Some popular things need to be pre-booked.

The Ghibli museum and the Pokémon cafes have to be booked in advance and tickets usually sell out within minutes of the booking opening. You need a booking strategy if you care about these. We didn’t do either of them and don’t feel that we missed out enormously.

The popular observation spots like Shibuya Sky or Skytree often need advance booking, especially if you want the go at sunset. How far in advance you need to book depends on how picky you are about the time of day.

Teamlabs (there’s a few) are really popular with tourists and you’d usually pre-book, but they seem to pretty reliably have tickets right up to a couple of days before. Theme parks would usually also need pre-booking, but can also be done just a couple of days in advance.

For general sightseeing and soaking up the atmosphere, you probably don’t need to stress about having loads pre booked.

Thank you. That’s very helpful

Watching with interest - going in november to Tokyo, kyoto, hiroshima and Miyajima. With a small onsen town in the mix. We will be using trains throughout