Japan Must Do / See Advice

[TomAllenWife]

I've saved the other Japan thread but it's 400+ posts long 😩

We have 7 days there and would like to pack things in with also having some relaxation / wandering round days

I was just wondering if anyone could advise me on a few things

1 we're going to stay in shibuya or shinjuku as recommended for tourists. Are these the best for us?

1. Is Kyoto worth a day trip? Or is there somewhere else we could go on the bullet train?

1. We definitely want to do Disney Sea but is it worth doing both parks?

1. Where is the best place to see the cherry blossom?

1. Can you see Geisha anywhere in Tokyo?

1. Which shrine / temple is worth picking out

1. I really love snoopy, is the museum any good?

1. Are there plenty of vegetarian options?

I'm sure I have lots more questions.
We have a hotel budget of £150 per night so any recommendations would be fabulous

1. Is Kyoto worth a day trip? Yes, Kyoto is worth a day trip. Head to Gion District. Nara is also an excellent choice, deer park (Tōwdai-ji 東大寺)
2. We definitely want to do Disney Sea but is it worth doing both parks? Disney Sea is great! Your Disney fix maybe met by one park.
3. Where is the best place to see the cherry blossom? Kyoto, Gion District, then walk to the philosopher’s path to the silver pavilion.
4. Can you see Geisha anywhere in Tokyo? Gion, Kyoto, most are tourists dressed up but you may book an experience.
5. Which shrine / temple is worth picking out: Kyoto Silver and Golden pavilions, zen Buddhist shrines.
6. I really love snoopy, is the museum any good? Can’t comment.
7. Are there plenty of vegetarian options? The broths in noodles may have bone broth base so maybe tricky. Print off and laminate your food requirements.if you eat eggs the jiggly pancakes are a must!
8. hotel budget of £150 per night - Tokyo sequence SUIDOBASHI hotel is good, and Kyoto, Terrace Kiyomizu Kyoto Hotel meets the brief. Osaka (if you’re interested in Universal Studios Hotel Ibis Osaka Umeda or J-Hoppers Osaka Universal)

Thank you so much for replying

We don't really want to stay in Kyoto, we were hoping to just base in Tokyo and day trip it but not sure if this works?

Whilst Kyoto is fab, I personally wouldn't do Kyoto as a day trip from Tokyo. It's 2 hours by bullet train each way, you've got to get to Shinagawa station from your hotel in Tokyo first before you even set foot on the bullet train, unless your hotel is right at the station. You then need to get on a bus/in a taxi to get to the sights in Kyoto. It's too much travel time. Maybe you could go to Kamakura there are some nice temples there.

Cherry blossom viewing is tricky, weather dependent and you can't predict when they will bloom, and if the weather is especially wet or windy it can all be gone in a matter of days, there is no guarantee you will see them. There are plenty of places of Tokyo for sakura viewing though if you somehow time it right.

So is there anything in Kyoto that you can't get in Tokyo?
Or is it worth staying say the last couple of nights there?

Kyoto is the more traditional city with lots of the tourist things you seem to be interested in. Like the most impressive temples, Geisha are more visible out on the street, known for cherry blossoms, etc. A lot of the iconic images of Japan are shot there, bamboo forest, the Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine, etc. It really is the one stop shop for the cultural/historical Japan experience. I personally much prefer it over Tokyo. If you haven't booked airline tickets yet, you could fly back via Osaka which can sometimes be cheaper as well as saving some train costs.

Echoing the recommendation for a day trip out to Nara, gorgeous palace and the deers everywhere are a unique experience.

Vegetarian food is tricky unless you're happy to play ignorant, a lot of what looks to be vegetarian vegetable dishes will use dashi (a fish based stock) and other fermented fish flavourings. The purist vegetarian food mostly gets served at temples that are still in function as the monks there keep a vegetarian diet. Well worth the experience of a kaiseiki style meal but not one you can do three times a day. Western style food is probably your best bet, the restaurants around the large train stations have the most variety of cuisines and tend to be very affordable.

For hotels, shop around for Ryokans, especially around Kyoto. Some are very expensive but budget options are out there as well especially if you search in Japanese (with Google translate).