Japan trip 8 days August

[Japan8days]

We are spending 4 days in Tokyo snd 4 days in Kyoto at the end of August. Any advice of what things to see/not missed?

Do we need to take cash?

What about clothing? Cultural things we shouldn’t do?

Do we buy a sim card? Wireless internet? Where do we do that?

Any other advice would be appreciated. We haven’t done a lot of research due to work commitments?

Good idea

Will do, thank you

OP - I might look at getting a guide to drive you round the various sites in Kyoto, it's not all that close - and an air-con car between them might be nice!

You can get the bullet train Tokyo to Fuji, then from Fuji to Kyoto
Mount Fuji is stunning, you could possibly reduce Kyoto to 3 nights and spend 1 night in a Ryokan in Hakone area

@TizerorFizz - the point of the theme parks is that they are not all sweltering - some are indoors and completely air conditioned, so if you really need a day out of the heat it's a good teen friendly option

Plus there are some very specific Japanese-themed ones you would not see anywhere else
Not for everyone I know - but good to have choices

I agree on Disney Sea. We had a great time there. You can get evening specific tickets to go from 6pm to closing, so with limited time in Tokyo, that would be a good option.

It gets dark around 7pm even at the height of summer. Which I love, wish it did here! Which helps to cool things down a bit and everything looks so pretty lit up in the dark.

Use the jet lag to your advantage in Tokyo and get up early to go for walks when it’s cooler. I’d suggest the Meiji Shrine and then on to Harajuku. When I lived in Japan I used to hang out in Roppongi Hills when it was really hot because it was air conditioned.

If you are only in Tokyo for 4 days then I’d suggest doing the outdoor walking stuff early- imperial palace moat, Meiji, Asakusa etc. Then do the techno stuff at night- Shibuya crossing, Akiharbara Electric Town, Ginza. These are all better at night when the lights are on.

And go to at least one Monja place and one Raumen shop.

Which district of Tokyo are you staying in?

The Lonely Planet guide to Japan has a fantastic itinerary for Kyoto. Following that ensures you see all the main sites.

Public transport is amazing and easy to navigate. Google Maps is your friend.

We used our own phones but it depends on your contract whether that is feasible .

We went to Japan in August too. It is very hot. It rained a lot too very heavily. Invest in a beautiful Japanese umbrella. Far too hot for rain jackets.

Thanks for the advice; it looks like we may need umbrellas and fans

Thank you all; some very useful advice

Japanese plugs have two narrow, flat pins, like the American ones. I'd get a couple of adapters before you go (eg these ones www.amazon.co.uk/Pipestation®-UK-Travel-Adapter-Converter-White/dp/B0B9HH8C8J/) but these days a lot of hotel rooms have USB sockets so you can charge phones and laptops directly with just a USB cable. I wouldn't bother taking anything like hairdryers as the voltage is lower and they won't work.

Be aware that in Japan it can be seen as theft of electricity to plug your phone in to charge in a cafe or public place so be sure to check before you do that (it will usually be obvious if it is acceptable because everyone else will be doing it and there will be sockets at table height to use). If you are going to be out for long days, take phone power banks.

Winter is beautiful in Japan - usually cold and crisp with blue skies, and far fewer crowds.

@Takoneko My comment was really about importing American culture to Japan. Fortunately my DC wouldn’t have wanted a theme park in Japan, the best or not. Its culture is not Japanese and we tend to like seeing the best of Japanese culture (or wherever). It’s just us! I do understand others are different but a day at an American theme park cuts out other wonderful things in a very short itinerary and we don’t always go along wa with what dc want if there are better things to see and do. In 7 days there truly are.

@Japan8days We like Lonely Planet too. Gives plenty of options.

This might be a bit niche, but if any of you have visible tattoos you can’t go into Japanese bath houses. A friend of mine went recently and one of her teenage daughters has a lot of tattoos so couldn’t go in with her mum and sister.

The Japanese hakyuyen (100yen) shops which are everywhere are amazing for cheap/weird/useful/ Japanese souvenirs. They are also great for anything you may also need on your trip. The convenience stores (combinis)also stock great Japanese beauty/ sunscreen products like Biore and are very reasonably priced. I’m not a fan of Japanese sandwiches ‘sandos’. I much prefer their filled onigiri rice balls which you can again pick up at any combini

I think it’s perfectly valid for you to prioritise other things and not want to go to a theme park.

I suggested Disneysea because the OP said her daughters would like to go to a theme park. I don’t think there is a “right ” way to experience Japan.

I personally think you get a real insight into modern Japanese culture in those theme parks. Of all the tourist attractions we visited, it was the one where the highest proportion of visitors were Japanese. There’s an enthusiastic embracing of cute, whether that is character themed food or wearing ears by people of all ages that I’ve never seen anywhere else in the world. We met an older gentleman running a Ramen bar who told us he and his wife go to DisneySea every year for her birthday as a couple in their 60s-70s.

It isn’t for everyone but the OP isn’t doing Japan “wrong” if she decides she’d like to take her daughters to Disneysea for a day.

This is a really good tip that I hadn’t thought of because we don’t have any tattoos. If you have one or two small tattoos then you can buy flesh-coloured (for Japanese or white skin) waterproof patches in Japan that you can use to cover up a smallish tattoo in order to go to an onsen.

We had JR rail passes but you have to buy them outside Japan. We were staying with friends in Kobe and took the bullet train down to Nagasaki. The pass paid for itself in that one journey. Then back by bullet train to Hiroshima and then on to Kobe. We used the passes all but one day and they were OK on some of the ferries between islands.

https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravelTips/

https://www.japan-guide.com

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

esims on your phones. No losing travel wifi that way.
Luggage forwarding.
Humidity will be high, good excuse for icecream every day.
Buy small hand towel and carry on you (no hand dryer in toilets), also little packet tissues.
Don’t eat and walk.

The JR pass has gone up in price by over 70% at end of 2023, as before it was great value for money, not any more. Hiroshima is a trip we are planning. Fantastic place and very safe.

@muddyford Last October the price of the JR pass shot up dramatically. I think the price increase for the 7 day pass was about 80%. They no longer represent good value for most travellers. On a Tokyo-Kyoto trip the JR pass would be a lot more expensive than just buying individual tickets.

A couple of small tips, carry tissues or a wash cloths as many public toilets don't have paper towels and most hand dryers seemed to be off.

If you desperately want ticket to the studio ghibli Museum, go onto fivver and hire someone in Tokyo to go buy you tickets. I can recommend someone.

You find amazing & and cheap places to eat underground, in the subways.

Despite the name, Pocari Sweat is a fab drink and will help in the heat.

Carry a blank note book, lots of places, including train/subway stations have large stamps, all different, to collect.

Not going to lie, I thought pocari sweat lived up to its name! Disgusting 😂
They do have loads of lovely soft drinks though. I'm a fan of melon soda. Vending machines are everywhere.

For me, one of the best parts of being in Japan is the food and drinks. I get a little frustrated when people think it's just sushi and green tea or sake. There's so many options.

Try and make it into a big department store and check out the basement food hall. Some of the foods are pure works of art.

If you want something fun and very Japanese then go to Ikebukero Gyoza Stadium which is a gyoza themed mall with gyoza games and dozens of gyoza stalls. There also the fairground area in Tokyo bay.

What is the background to the tattoo issue?

In Japan tattoos are generally associated with criminality and the Yakuza in particular.

Until 2020 you had to have a medical license to legally tattoo in Japan. Obviously, most tattoo artists were not going to get a medical license. As a result, most tattoos in Japan were done by people on the wrong side of the law. That obviously skewed the demographic of people with tattoos significantly.

It’s part of a broader cultural taboo against tattoos, which were even banned in the Meiji era. Outside of Onsen, westerners with tattoos are unlikely to run into any real issues though.