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.

Are the umbrellas people use for heat regular umbrellas or specifically for sun?

This online textbook series is produced by the Japan foundation and has listening exercises etc. It’s pretty practical stuff too. https://www.irodori.jpf.go.jp/en/starter/pdf.html

I also think the Tofugu website is great. https://www.tofugu.com

頑張って！

I've bought UV umbrellas in Japan that also shield you from the rain. I don't know if a regular umbrella also protects from UV. I just liked the ones I saw and got them for that reason!

I got a UV umbrella in Taiwan and definitely felt it helped keep me cool better than a regular umbrella. It also worked for the rain. No how much of that is a placebo effect though.

@Takoneko thats the one! Thanks you are a star 😃

It depends how you handle/enjoy heat and humidity. I personally prefer the summer as I prioritise fewer crowds over colder weather. I personally find Easter or autumn too cold in Japan to sit outside or to stand still in a queue for long, especially when it starts raining. 16 degrees in the rain is not my idea of a good day.

2 buses questions!

From our hotel in Shinjuku to Shibuya Crossing, train is advised by Google maps. Are public buses not a thing??? Or should I use another travel app?

I've read that the limousine bus from Haneda Airpirt to Shinjuku is every 20-30 mins but on the timetable I can find, there appears to be a 2 hour gap after midday, is that correct???

There are public buses in Tokyo. They would rarely be the most efficient way to get between two busy places that are well connected by rail though. They tend to serve the less busy areas. Where in Shinjuku is your hotel? Shinjuku station to Shibuya station is 6 minutes on the Yamanote line. Buses will never be able to compete with that. Kyoto is different and buses are pretty essential to getting around there.

The guide below might be helpful if you want more information about buses n Tokyo.

https://tokyocheapo.com/travel/a-guide-to-catching-the-bus-in-tokyo/

Thanks for explaining this @Takoneko, my hotel is 1 minute from Kabukicho Tower which I've just read is the red-light district!

@YesYesKitten Kabukicho is a red light district. It’s a fun place to hang out in the evening but I’ve never been out late night there. As long as you keep your wits about you, you should be safe though. Don’t ever follow a street tour into a bar, don’t drink in bars without clear pricing, watch your drink carefully and never leave it unattended, don’t get drunk to the point where you aren’t alert. It’s a high-risk area for drink spiking, credit card fraud and extortionate bar bills. However, if you stay out of the seedier bars you’ll be fine. The new Kabukicho tower itself is touristy but super safe. There’s a lot of binge drinkers, but the Japanese are usually pretty affable and harmless when drunk.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/japan/safety-and-security#:~:text=Drink%20spiking%20and%20credit%20card%20fraud&text=Risks%20are%20higher%20in%20all,Kabukicho

The final cherry blossom forecast is out. It’s looking like it will be earlier than the last forecast suggested.

https://n-kishou.com/corp/news-contents/sakura/?lang=en

We’re going for three weeks in November and have zero plans currently. The words cat island and bunny island have been uttered. Hoping it’s not going to be too cold….

@YesYesKitten why are you going to the crossing? If that is the destination rather than a point of onward travel how about walking with a stop off at Meiji Jingu. You can see the crossing in the evening when it is lit up and the gardens and shrine in daylight. Hop on the train back.

Sounds like a great plan @SunnyTimes3, thank you, will add to the masterplan!

Watching NHK and the cherry blossom bloom has begun in Tokyo already. I’m not leaving for another three weeks so it will be well over by the time I get there. I’m hopping we’ll get to see some late blooming varieties and wisteria even if the main sakura bloom is over.

Correction- Not yet begun in Tokyo but in Kochi and Kumamoto.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250323_12/

@Takoneko Springwatch was in Japan last week: Springwatch Japan: Cherry Blossom is on BBC iPlayer. I haven’t watched it yet. Did you see it?

I didn’t see it. Presumably that must have been filmed last year? There would have been some early sakura and plum blossoms, but last week would have been too early for this year’s main cherry blossom bloom.

Yes I thought it must have been last year but it might be worth a watch for anyone going that time of year in case there are any good tips. Fingers crossed you get some late blooms 🤞

Thanks. If we miss it then it’s ok, we saw plenty last year. Hopefully we’ll benefit from smaller crowds.

Thanks for the suggestions for casual eateries to suit our party's mixed dietary requirements (1 no pork, 1 no fish) ... we all eat yakitori so any restaurant recommendations gratefully received.

We're staying a week in Shinjuku and then a week in Osaka.

@herownworstenemy what did you decide?

We had thought about this June / July but couldn’t book until now for a number of reasons. It felt too late for this summer but is it not…?

@toodles9still undecided, we’d be doing major tourist sites as its our first time so are wavering over colder but very crowded v hot/humid and a bit less crowded.

@YesYesKitten Yakitori places are plentiful in Shinjuku. The Omoide Yokocho has lots of little yakitori places.

In Osaka try be sure to try okonomiyaki and kushikatsu. You don’t have to go out of your way for a specific restaurant. They are all over the place. The places we went near our hotel were great, but I’m sure that would have been true if we stayed somewhere else. Osaka also has some really cool coffee shops and cafes.

Quick one, I'm planning to just travel by green car on the Shinkansen. Would it be OK to just turn up and get on the next one going? I'm travelling in the UK school holidays, not during golden week.