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

@JapanOnceMore what type of excursions please? 59 is young in my opinion!

@Pusspot the snorkelling and some hikes, also some other water sports that I’m not interested it. 59 is so young!

@JapanOnceMore wow! I’m really surprised!

@JapanOnceMore Wow… that does feel very young as a cut-off.

The hotel I’ve gone with the cut off is 65 I guess it’s insurance related.

I’m reading At Home In Japan, Rebecca Otowa, ‘a foreign woman’s journey of discovery’ as the author takes in a generations-old Japanese household. It’s a beautiful read.

Just…putting this here:

https://guntu.jp/en/

We fly today!! I'm so excited. Japan here we come!!

Safe journey have a fabulous time! I would be interested in what the weather is like while you are there. The seasons had shifted and were unusual on my last trip.

It is hot but with a breeze and of course you are never too far from ac- unlike the uk at the moment!
I'm currently in Kyoto. It's totally manageable - lots of vending machine drinks, slow walking and air con breaks and cafe stops. I've bought a portable fan and uv umbrella and both are brilliant at helping with the heat. You just need to be realistic about what you can do and probably will do less than a spring or autumn trip.

Today we went out am. Came back to hotel had a shower. Went out for late lunch and afternoon. Came back had another shower then out for dinner! Central hotels a must imo!

In the Moon is a cute roof top bar by the river if it gets too hot. Stays open late. Have fun!

@Xiaoxiong Havr an amazing time! Please tell us all about it.

I booked my internal flights with JAL and got an e-mail confirmation but no tickets or boarding passes. Does anyone know if they come through automatically or if I need to do something please?

@JapanOnceMore Did you download the app and check on the app? It should have something there about 'your flight' or 'your booking' and then the boarding pass usually comes on the app to download after online check in, which usually opens 24 hrs before the flight departure.

@NellyBarney i think I’ve messed it up by booking through the website. The app won’t let me in. I read the e-mail receipt and apparently the e-mail is also the tickets , but they don’t look like tickets.

Has anyone received tickets by e-mail like this?

It probably is the ticket then but they will send you a reminder to check in on the website or in person at the counter before the flight, when you get the proper boarding pass. Just had a look at my emails. Never flew JAL but booked domestic flights with ANA. Just remembered now that they sent a reservation email first and that I then had to purchase the actual ticket. Not sure if that's how JAL does it, too? Did you already pay for it? Did the email say reservation or booking? But if it says thank you for booking and that's your ticket, it surely will be fine. For airport buses and even from Disney land and universal etc I only ever got confirmation emails that didn't look anything like a ticket. I printed the email off, showed them and all good.

I’m here now! Coming to the end of my holiday. We started in Tokyo, climbed Mount Fuji, then Kyoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Miyajima and now back in Tokyo. It’s wonderful!

@NellyBarney thanks for replying and the reassurance. The money has gone out and the e-mail says ‘This is your ticket’ I will wait for boarding pass reminder or just go to the airport a bit earlier in case it’s a print at counter job. Sweating bullets with the heat and imagined complex JAL ticket scam 😆

@JapanOnceMore I just rummaged through my old emails and we received email confirmation. As far as I recall we just pitched up at the check in desk with our passports and luggage and the lady behind the desk did everything and gave us boarding cards then. I paticularly remember that bit as we queried the gate arrival time which was 15 mins before departue!. It really was not an issue at all and I clealry did not read the email correctly when i booked as otherwise I too would have been anxious about no paperwork to show..

Please dont worry - several of us have used JAL domestic and have all had a smooth journey.

You will be able to access it in the app. It’s just temperamental. Do you have a middle name? If so you have to enter your first name as firstnamemiddlename with no spaces.

I’m in the app but my flights are not showing as I think I booked on website before signing up to the app.

I didn’t register as a JMB member before booking I think this has caused problems 🤔

@JapanOnceMore You don’t need to be a JMB member. You just do the check reservation option and it will ask you for a booking reference number and your name and date of travel. You put that it and it will add the flight to your app. Just be careful with middle names.

Thanks OP I made it in but got a message to call them as my particular flight can not be shown in the app.

@JapanOnceMore How strange. I’ve never had any issues and I’m not a JMB member and have booked my flights once through booking.com, once on the JAL website and most recently on the Finnair app because the same JAL/Finnair itinerary happened to be a few £100 cheaper if booked with Finnair compared to JAL. Hopefully they’ll sort it out for you, as it’s reassuring to be able to view your flight in the app.