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

Hoping to do some shopping while in Japan, probably clothes. Is there a shopping limit? Do I need to declare everything I buy?

The limit on what you can bring back is the same as for any other country. At the moment that is up to £390 of goods per person (excluding alcohol and tobacco, which have a separate allowance). In Japan you can shop tax fee in some shops if what you are buying totals more than ¥5000. Anything you buy tax-free has to leave the country with you and consumable products will usually be put into a sealed bag that you aren’t allowed to open until you leave the country. For non-consumables like clothes and shoes they can be opened and worn/used as long as you take them with you when you leave. You will need to carry your passport with you, but this is a legal requirement in Japan anyway. If you are buying consumables that you want to eat/use in Japan, they will do a separate transaction for those if you ask. I don’t think there’s any limit on tax-free shopping.

If you go over your £390 allowances coming into the U.K. you have to declare it and pay tax on the whole amount not just the amount over your allowance. If you are there or thereabouts I wouldn’t bother declaring. If you’re miles over then you can do the declaration and pay the duty online in advance before flying home. I’ve never needed to declare anything.

Has anyone got recommendations for a restaurant near Showa Kinen Park please? Has anyone hired a bike at the park?

I thought I had my itinerary sorted, but I'm now wavering about the middle part, specifically the 2 nights in Osaka. I had a quick look and personally nothing in Osaka jumps out at me as an absolute must do. And it seems like the kind of place you need to stay a bit longer in to truly appreciate.
I'm wondering about staying in Kobe instead, obviously it's still a big city but it sounds slightly less hectic and a bit more my vibe with the harbour area, herb garden ropeway (although it will be December...) and so on. Anyone on here been to Kobe who can weigh in? Should I skip Osaka, especially as I will have spent a week in Tokyo already?

The other option I think is an extra night in Hiroshima and one night somewhere (maybe Nagoya?) on the way to Takayama.

@DustOnEveryPage So much of this is personal preference. Osaka can be a bit marmite. I personally love it. I think I even prefer Osaka over Tokyo. It’s a perfect base for day tripping from and I’ve not found anywhere else in Japan that feels quite like Osaka.

I also love Hiroshima for similar reasons. It’s a great place to hang out in the evening and has really convenient transport links to an amazing range of day trip destinations.

I don’t think you can really go too far wrong with anywhere in Japan though. I think wherever you choose, you’ll find plenty to do and enjoy. I wouldn’t choose to skip Osaka myself, but I’m sure if you did, you’d still have a wonderful time and Osaka will still be there for next time.

Thank you @Takoneko and you are right of course, it's so personal. I'm overthinking things now! Wherever I end up will be a great experience I'm sure.

@DustOnEveryPage we had a similar quandary about Osaka. Eventually we decided to only stay one day/night before we head to the airport. We are going to Okayama instead, as I think there’s more there to interest us. The transport links look good too.
Btw, for anyone near London, we went to Japan House in Kensington High Street today. They have an interesting exhibition about pictograms, and we got some physical maps and tourism leaflets (old school!) I also used my first fancy Japanese toilet, which I was a bit excited about. Afterwards we went to Wasabi for food, popped into Muji and then walked to the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park. Husband pointed out that we probably don’t need to actually visit Japan now.

Only six weeks til we go, and does anyone have a recommendation for a tea ceremony experience in Kyoto? Not necessarily dressing up, we just like the idea of learning the art.

@Pusspot I love the Japan House. I really enjoyed the pictograms exhibition too.
Did you try anything from the little tea counter by the entrance? Their little wagashi are usually really good.

@Takoneko we didn’t eat there, but I’m sure we will pop back in. The shop is expensive, but I got some ideas for souvenirs. I’d like to bring back a traditional tea pot (and hopefully for less than £180!)

The shop prices are absolutely insane. I can’t believe that anyone buys anything there.

The little tea/coffee counter is a bit pricy but nothing too wild. The hojicha is always great and they always have different little wagashi. They are incredibly slow in the most Japanese way though. The matcha/hojicha is hand whisked, the coffee is pour-over and they do everything as slowly as humanly possible. I don’t mind it, but it is noticeable.

Thanks for the tip about Japan House @Pusspot. I'm in London for work soon, hopefully I'll get a chance to pop in.

Has anyone been to see the snow monkeys? From the reading I did previously it sounded a bit of a sad tourist trap but now I'm not sure.

I'm no further forward with our trip in December and i don't think we'll have the time to visit anyway so mostly I am thinking out loud and wondering if anyone has actually been.

@Specialnameforanoutingthread Oh really? I’ve never read anything negative about it. We are planning to go next Spring.

I have seen people say that the monkey park in Arashiyama is a bit of a tourist trap. My understanding of the snow monkey park in Nagano was that the monkeys are completely free-roaming and there is no feeding by tourists or anything like that. I have high hopes for it. Hopefully someone will be along who has already been.

Hopefully I've muddled my monkeys...... 🙄

@Specialnameforanoutingthread I hope so. Japanese animal attractions are always a bit of a risk, I find. We went to the aquarium on Miyajima, which was lovely until we got to the end and encountered the most miserable penguin, otter and seal enclosures that I’ve ever seen.

I’m afraid the snow monkeys weren’t magical for me. Not a fan of the smell of monkey poo!

Oh no! That’s a shame to hear.

What time of year did you visit? Did the monkeys seem to have good conditions, even if they were smelly?

I can cope with the smell of animal poop, but I don’t want to go if it’s cruel and miserable. I loved Nara, Okunoshima and Miyajima but have found Japanese zoos and aquariums to be pretty grim and depressing.

I’ve found out today that the Sky Lobby at the Azabudai Hills Mori building is still accessible to the public. When we went in 2024 there were signs saying it would no longer be publicly accessible from the following week. I’ve now learned that all you have to do is buy something from the cafe to access it. You have to buy a drink (about ¥800-900) and then pay a ¥500 cover charge, but that’s still cheaper than what they charge for a lot of the other observation decks.

I’m not really an observation deck person, but DP is, and it is by far his favourite one that we’ve been to in Japan. It’s not super high, but the view of Tokyo Tower is pretty unbeatable. I even enjoyed it.

April 2013 - sure, they seemed happy enough, freely roaming around and being fed by the staff. I remember it was muddy and I was surprised how busy it was.
We are also cautious of animal experiences over there.

^^this was Nagano btw

We’ll be there roughly the same time of year then. I had seen that it can be quite slippy in winter (which I’m not great with) and then muddy when the snow melts.

Thanks for sharing. That’s given me some food for thought.

How to beat Japan 2025?! Thinking of DIY Costa Rica for 2026 (but not driving, hiring a driver) so if anyone knows of any good online resources/forums please let me know.

Can't fly direct from UK in summer so not sure how luggage transit or missed connections work if DIY / different airlines. I know some of you have a layover for Japan do perhaps you can advise?

@TheyNotLikeUs I’ve taken connecting flights but would never do a DIY connection unless the second flight was a very cheap one that I could afford to just eat the loss on.

Different airlines that are part of the same alliance and booked on one ticket is different. I have booked those. E.g JAL and Finnair. If you miss the connection on those, it’s still the airlines’ issue to solve. If they are separate tickets then it’s completely on you. So connecting onto an expensive long haul flight on a different ticket is really risky. If your first flight is cancelled or delayed you would have to buy a new ticket and sort a new flight yourself. I’m far too risk averse for that.

Hiya
I think BA fly directly from LGW?

Places we’ve been in summer which are up there are Borneo, and Indonesia ( Flores etc). We’re currently planning Brazil next summer.

Still want to go back to Japan though 🤣 I don’t think anywhere else we’ve been beats the food!

@2025istheyeari thanks, unfortunately BA don't fly direct to Costa Rica in UK summertime.