Japan planning thread

[Takoneko]

I’ve just booked the hotels for my third trip to Japan next year and about to start planning the itinerary in earnest.

Japan threads pop up here quite a bit and I think people spend a lot of time on planning for Japan trips. I thought it might be nice to have a shared thread where we can pool questions, tips and share research for anyone who has a trip coming up.

All budgets and styles of trip are welcome, whether you’re going hiking, temple-hopping, skiing or visiting theme parks, maid cafes and arcades and whether you’re going to hostels or 5 star hotels. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to enjoy Japan. It has something for everyone.

We’re a couple in our late 30s and our trip will be mid-budget, probably up to about £3.4k per person with food and spends. We’ve splashed out a bit on direct JAL flights and have upgraded all our hotel rooms to at least king size beds in hotels that are in really well connected locations. They are all mid-range Japanese business hotel chains rather than luxury hotels though. (Candeo, Daiwa Roynet and Sotetsu Fresa). We like Japanese food but we’re definitely more likely to be eating eat in mom and pop restaurants and mid-range Japanese chains than in fancy kaiseki places. Any recommendations for mid range restaurants with relaxed atmospheres would be very welcome.

We plan to use the Sanyo-San’in rail pass in the second half of our trip and would be really interested to share ideas for places to visit with anyone else who is planning on using that pass (or who has used it in the past). At the moment we are thinking Iwakuni, Miyajima, Kurashiki and Onomichi from Hiroshima and Himeji and Uji from Osaka, but we are open to other ideas. I speak passable tourist Japanese and we are ok with going to places that don’t cater to English speakers and muddling through with broken Japanese and Google translate.

I haven't been yet but I think Boarderless is more like Monet (which I have been a number of times).

Sorry I've gone down a rabbit hole with this. Boarderless is bigger and less linear with hidden rooms. I am tempted to book on our second time in Tokyo.

@Pusspot Others have summed up the difference between them but I thought it might be worth mentioning that TeamLab planets isn’t good if you’re squeamish about feet. My sister was a hard-no to TeamLab Planets because of the need for everyone to be completely barefoot.

@Takoneko those eateries are just what we are looking for, thank you so much.

There's a useful video on the Ichiran Ramen website showing how their ordering works (they do tonkotsu-free ramen too) which looks interesting.

@NellyBarney vocab in that video will come in very useful!

I’d go for Shibuya Sky of the three, and possibly at night rather than daytime or sunset. We went in bright sunshine and the city below was hazy. I think the evening lights would look incredible,

Teamlabs is good, but I’d not prioritise it over other activities, as it’s in the same vein as the other Teamlabs around the world, so mot very Japanese. A good rainy day activity though.

The highlight of Kyoto for me was Fushimi Inari shrine, we went at the end of the day and the walk up the hillside through the tori gates was very atmospheric. Nara is fantastic, plan a few hours there to wander round, and when you’ve finished in the park, there are some lovely good quality gift shops.

I've read that Google maps is invaluable in Japan and I use it in the UK when driving every day but I get confused with it when walking...how do you which way to walk???

Just be aware that the Tonkotsu-free ramen isn’t sold in most branches. From the website it looks like it might be sold in only one branch in the country (Osaka namba). Some of our tripmates went to ichiran and it was all pork in the one they went to.

@Takoneko @Apfelkuchen @libertineagain
Thank you - I'm not keen on bare feet so that's good to know. I'd rather be outside if we have decent weather (October).
Sounds like a good activity for rainy or very hot days though.

Some less popular suggestions for those heading to Hiroshima and surrounds for a bit longer - my husband is Japanese and although we live in the UK now we regularly visit mother-in-law there. Try Higashihiroshima - you can visit the traditional sake breweries. The little tourist info gives out maps and you can walk around the traditional buildings popping into different breweries for tasting.

Just down the coast is Kure which we found fascinating. It's an old naval base that was taken over by the British at the end of World War II. The museum is fascinating (I say as someone not into war stuff) - there were diaries and really touching letters on display from the English Naval Chief and it was interesting to read about the history between our countries that I knew very little about. You can visit the western style house of the Japanese naval commander too.

If you like the idea of Kyoto but not the crowds, a short hop from Kyoto is Kurashiki. It has canals, ladies in kimonos, traditional craft shops and beautiful bamboo groves - touristy but not too crowded.

This summer we are heading over for six weeks and are heading to Naoshima to see the Yayoi Kusama and other art. We'll also be staying again at the Shiraishi Island International Villa and possibly look at Hattoji again.

We may also head to Osaka to see the Expo - the last one of which seems to have been equally famous in Japan for destroying local parks as anything else - they seem determined to make this one, on reclaimed land in the port, at least have the veneer of sustainability.

DD16 is determined to visit new Ghibli attraction - Granny was able to get tickets to the museum last time and it was great!

Ooh fab suggestions thank you, added to list for next time! We looked at Naoshima too but couldn’t make it work this time! Thanks

@OnedayIwillgetarest We’ve got Kurashiki on our itinerary and we’re really excited about it. I really like the look of it.

I’m also now very tempted by Higashihiroshima but our itinerary is now quite tight, so it might need to wait for a future trip.

It's about an hour from Hiroshima station to Higashihiroshima station and the sake breweries are two minutes away. You could defin do in a morning and be back in Hiroshima for lunch!

I love Kurashiki - it's very romantic. If you go to some of the traditional restaurants they serve shaved ice bowls with lots of toppings - a bit like a Japanese sundae. You can relax on cushions on the tatami and look out over the traditional tiled rooftops.

The art museum in Kurashiki is really good - lots of impressionists - Monet, Gaugin etc. In fact the Hiroshima art museum is really good.. As well as western art there was a stunning early twentieth century display of art deco period Japanese prints - the likes of which I had never seen before.

On Teamlabs for me a definite yes - it was almost an out-of-body experience! The smell of the orchids was overwhelming.

Another alternative to the towers in the evening is heading up to the Jazz Bar at the top of the Park Hyatt. It's the one featured in "Lost in Translation". We always used to take friends there when we lived in Tokyo as very impressive and no more expensive than a similar place in London. It looks like it is closing soon for a while but you may still catch it for live jazz and drinks before then: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/japan/park-hyatt-tokyo/tyoph/dining

Kyoto in Spring is gorgeous - you are very lucky! Look out for any of the temples opening in the evening to light up the cherry blossom trees. https://www.travelcaffeine.com/kyoto-cherry-blossom-guide-sakura-viewing-tips/

I may be a bit late to this, but, if you really want western food:

"Also a western food rec in case the teen becomes fussy."

then Pizza Studio Tamaki definitely has some of the best pizza in Tokyo (although it is more Minato rather than Shinjuku).

But there is a newer pizza place that is also very good indeed in Shibuya called Pizza Marumo that is definitely very good indeed. A very basic Margherita will be around JPY 1,900 (£10).

"Some of us love sushi ... But one of our party doesn't eat fish"

If one person doesn't eat fish then that does sort of limit the range of possibilities.

Sorry that I can't really help with Shinjuku ... but if you want some recommendations for Roppongi then that's a different story altogether.
.

"...one of our party doesn't eat fish, the other no pork."

Definitely challenging, but if that is the case then may I suggest a Korean barbeque place? Korean beef barbeque can be excellent.

If you are determined to stick to Shinjuku then maybe something like "Wagyu Yakiniku Yakiniku Tetsu" might be a good place to go. They have beef barbeque that starts from JPY 5,000 (£26) and up.

Can I add an afternoon pitstop recommendation - the best vegan cakes I have ever eaten (kids are allergic to milk and eggs so I have had a lot) absolutely delicious and right next to Shinjuku Park if you want some greenery before or after https://thejapaneserose.com/marbre-vegan-a-vegan-cake-cafe-in-tokyo/

That sounds wonderful. I am really looking forward to Kurashiki. I will definitely keep Higashihiroshima in mind in case something else takes less time than expected and we end up with a half day spare. It does sound great. Our plan is to go back to Japan around once a year and work our way through the country, seeing new places each time. Even if it doesn’t happen on this trip I’m sure we’ll go someday.

@OnedayIwillgetarest OMG I love that film! (I think I'm the only person that does)

Is it dressy? We are only bringing casuals
Which bar do you book for jazz?

Can you just go for drinks?

Suggestion for travel app (completely unaffiliated) https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/wanderlog-travel-planner/id1476732439

You can email it all your hotels and it puts it into an itinerary. Also drop pins for where you want to go, opening days/times.

@Another2Cats thank you for the detail, we've all eat out together around the world, with our differing requirements, but this destination may require a bit more planning.

@OnedayIwillgetarest those desserts look great! Added to spreadsheet.

@Takoneko Kura Sushi looks so much fun! And so reasonably priced too. A definite, thank you.

J S Burgers Cafe Shinjuku

Lads Dining in Shinjuku

Tokyo Skytree for the views particularly on a clear day,

@MondayYogurt We use Wanderlog too. It’s great. I like that when you add places it calculates the journey from and back to your accommodation each morning/night and you can just click to open the journeys between places in Google or Apple Maps.

I just had a look to see if we could add it to our itinerary and unfortunately it’s closed for refurbishments until the Autumn.

Itinerary as promised with hotels crossed out and dates removed