Japan Planning Thread Part 2

[Takoneko]

This is a thread for anyone planning a trip to Japan. All budgets and styles of trip are welcome.

I got so much out of the first thread and would love to be able to continue the conversation with everyone who has been so helpful.

I fly tomorrow morning!

First Thread

Have a great trip! Thank you for starting a new threat, we are all burning to hear what you've been up to on your trip!

Thanks for the new thread! Where are you flying from? We're going from Gatwick this morning.

Have a wonderful trip! We’re flying from Heathrow. We’re currently having breakfast in the lounge.

We are flying today from Manchester, I am so very excited and all the tips on the previous tread have been so useful can't wait to get there just have to get the long flight over with!

Have a great trip. It sounds like there’s a few of us flying out today from various airports. Safe travels!

Best of luck everybody flying out today - have a fab time!

Hope those of you who are there now or are going in the next few days have an amazing trip.

Can I ask what time of year you booked your flights? We went in 2019 and I booked the tickets very last minute, but I am not sure when the best time to book for Easter 2026 is.

@TravellingSpoon We booked our flights last August.

@KenAdams @Chocaholics Hope you’re having a good first day. We’ve just checked into our hotel to rest up a bit before heading out for something to eat and a wander around the shops. Getting through to bedtime without falling asleep ridiculously is going to be our main challenge. Our flight got in early this morning which is challenging in terms of jet lag.

I’m off to Japan in May, we’re flying with Finnair. If anyone has done the flight from Helsinki to Tokyo in economy what is it like? I’m not a great flyer and want to prepare myself best I can 😊

We’ve got a packed itinerary in Japan as we are doing a cruise when we get there then we’re off the Korea for a few days. In Tokyo we’re doing Shinjuku station for the cat billboard, skytree tower and teamlabs with general sight seeing in between as we only have an afternoon and a day there. We’ve got trips booked to see Mount Fuji, Nara, Osaka, some volcanic hot springs and monkeys!

Has anyone been to Pearl sea resort in Sasebo? It looks beautiful but I don’t really understand how you do things there.

Also I downloaded the suica app but everything is in Japanese and I’ve been learning but it’s more phonetic what I’m picking up 😁 How do I use it or should I just get a card when we get to Tokyo? Thanks

@SomethingFun We flew Finnair from Helsinki to Osaka last year and found it fine. It’s a decent long-haul economy. The Finnair app is really good and the transfer experience at Helsinki is the best I’ve encountered. I’d use them again.

You don’t need the suica app. Just add the suica as a transit card in your wallet. https://support.apple.com/en-us/108772

Thanks so much @Takoneko! can I use my suica card for other people? The person I’m going with has an android phone.

Thanks for this new thread @Takoneko
Have a brilliant trip!

We got to Osaka International airport around midday and trying to desperately stay awake a bit longer now. But been out exploring and had some delicious food so that is definitely helping to forget the very long flight. But already having a great time. Hopefully a good night sleep tonight and hope others who have just got here do as well!

Last year we got to Osaka around midday and found that so much more manageable than arriving at 7am. We’re really struggling to stay up this evening. I’m mumsnettimg just to stay awake.

If anyone else ends up with a similarly early flight I do definitely recommend the shower rooms at Haneda. We paid ¥1500 each for 30 mins. We each got a shower room with an adjoining powder room with sink, hair drier and big mirror. They provide soap, shampoo, towels etc. It did make a huge difference being able to have a proper hot shower and somewhere to get changed/brush teeth etc as soon as we arrived, rather than having to wait until hotel check-in in the afternoon. The cleaners go in after every use, so they are spotless and the water pressure was great.

That's good to know! We are also flying with BA and are supposed to land at 7am. Check in at our hotel is from 3pm, so we'll have to make it somehow till then. The plan is for an afternoon nap as soon as we can get into our room and then hopefully a second wind in the evening with a trip to Skytree. It's luckily just a 10 min walk across the bridge, we are staying directly across the river from Skytree, so we'll hopefully manage (the Pokemon shop at Skytree is a big pull for my son).

@Waffles21 we went to Atami from Tokyo, lovely seaside town, fantastic museum. I think it's doable as a day trip.

I second the Haneda showers! I used them before our overnight return flight, so needed to wash the sightseeing off me before the 13hour flight.

Hope you all enjoy your trip in Japan, I want to go back already!

Has anyone used a portable WiFi box for phone data? I wonder whether that might be better than an eSIM. It says you can connect multiple devices, so everyone in our party could connect their phone but also iPad etc.

Yes, I’ve used it as some of us had phones too old for an e-sim. It’s worked well, I carry it around in my handbag all day and charge it overnight. It does mean that if we split up some of us have no internet, so we have back up arrangements about where to meet, but apart from that it works well.

I went for the Japan Wireless one that I could pick up at the airport near the machines to get Welcome Suica cards, but I suspect you can get a better deal if you shop around.

For the first week of July, we'll be in Japan, primarily in my hometown of Akita. My parents have kindly booked an onsen for us in Tazawako. What's rather amusing is that my English husband is far more excited about the hot springs than I am. I certainly hope more tourists will discover Akita; it truly is a beautiful place.

We flew JAL. They sometimes codeshare with BA, so might be worth checking whether your BA flight is operated by JAL. JAL is the best long-haul economy experience I’ve ever had. The service is brilliant, the seats are wider on that route and you are very well fed and watered throughout the flight.

I’ve just spent 6 months travelling through Japan. It’s fantastic.

My top tips would be to avoid Kyoto in Sakura season… go a touch before to skip the crowds.

Be aware that from next year a two tier pricing system is being introduced that will see foreigners charged higher prices.

‘Dozo’ means ‘go ahead’ - if someone says this they want you to go first, go inside, go forwards or simply… to move.

Stay at least one night in a Ryokan. It’s worth it.

For cheap food head to mall food courts, restaurants in hot spring baths, underground tiny cafes and izakaya. All have amazing food for a few quid.

@SapporoBaby That sounds amazing. Did you do the whole length of the country, Okinawa to Hokkaido?

Any particularly stand-out places?

When you talk about two-tier pricing, where will that be? I know a few places already have something like that but I haven’t encountered it yet that I’ve noticed.

We are going next month and I am currently booking the last of our accommodation!

Exciting! Where are you going?