Strap in for a long post!
We got back from our trip last week and I have to say that we absolutely loved it and will be booking a flight back to Japan next year very shortly. Apologies in advance for the epic post, and as this will be so long I’ll post separately for advice on the next trip!
Just like at least a couple others from this group, we were on the BA flight back, which was a little bumpy early on. Although BA flight times are pretty good and direct, we won’t be flying BA next time. Service was pretty good on the way out, not so great on the way back. Planes are a little tired (Business Class looked properly shabby in places) and economy seats aren’t exactly roomy. As with most airlines at the moment, the increment being charged for premium economy (~100% additional cost) is pretty hard to justify when paying for a family of 4. The same flights for next year will be released in the next few days, but are looking like £6k including seat booking, or £12k in premium economy vs. £4.6k this year!
We had 14 full days and an afternoon in Tokyo after the flight out, thanks to a 2 week October half term holiday and the kids unfortunately getting “ill” on the last day of term 😉
On the first afternoon, we just spent a few hours wandering around Kappabashi trying to get some daylight to try to manage the worst of jet lag. Definitely worth doing, as after conking out at 7.30pm on the first evening, we managed a more normal bedtime on the second night and 99% onto a normal sleep pattern.
We stayed at Mimaru Ueno Inaricho and we loved the quiet location, which was a 3 min walk or less to Inaricho station on the Ginza line, whilst being ~5 min walk straight down one road to Ueno station and the Yamanote line. There’s a good sized supermarket just around the corner as well as the usual konbini
and a couple of extremely well reviewed restaurants (び び び - bibibi and Bayleaf Kitchen), which we didn’t get to sample due to picky eater children!
We also stayed at a Mimaru in Osaka and that was equally as good whilst substantially cheaper than Tokyo. On @Takoneko ’s recommendation we stayed in Shinsaibashi (Mimaru Shinsaibashi West) and loved that area too. Sort of like the Mayfair of Osaka! Think Harry Winston and Van Cleef jewellers, A. Lange & Söhne and Richard Mille watches, Ferrari and Lamborghini dealers within a few hundred yards! Fantastic location a few mins from Shinsaibashi station on the Midosuji line and 1 min from Yotsubashi station.
Rooms are a great size for families (boys aged 7 and 9 with us) and have useful kitchenettes. Laundry room etc. Not cheap but we’d definitely use them again.
Without going into too much detail, as I’m sure we did a lot of the usual things others have done on a first time trip and this post will be way too long, just a few point from our experience:
- a week in Tokyo and Osaka worked really well. Only forwarding luggage once (£25 per case) between cities and a good balance of time covering different areas.
- We got to Senso-ji at 8.30ish as it was quite close by. Perfectly acceptable at that time - plenty of tourists but not bad at all. By the time we looped back around it was midday ish and it was utterly mental. Literally a sea of people solidly along Nakamise St.
- For anyone who wants a viral Age3 fried cream sandwich, there’s a branch in Asakusa which seem to be waaay quieter than ones I’ve seen on social media
- There’s some really nice views from the Asakusa tourism centre
- Dandelion Chocolate in Kuramae has the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. There can be quite a wait to get in and the chocolate is hilariously expensive but it’s a great little place. Nakamura Tea shop just down the road is nice and the lady who runs it is lovely.
- Kamakura and Hakone Freepass are both worth it. They keep things simple from a transport perspective. Romance car is probably worth it for Hakone but not Kamakura. Don’t plan a day to visit Hakone, just check for the best weather and chance of seeing Fuji and move the rest of your plans if you can. We managed to get some amazing views with the first snowfall of the season the night before giving it the classic snow cap. The Open Air museum in Hakone is excellent.
- TeamLab Borderless was really good and worth the money. Just be cautious if you’re easily disoriented.
- If you’re anything like us, be prepared to spend way more than you’re comfortable with at Loft. Both Ginza and Shibuya stores are great for gift shopping. We had two maximum size cabin cases (55x40x25) inside two larger empty cases. Everything was filled by the time we came home.
- Shibuya can be a little awkward to navigate near the station due to all the construction.
- Tokyo station is mad. So utterly massive and filled with people. Shinkjuku is similar. 95% of the time the stations are pretty easy to navigate but sometimes the curvy arrows can confuse things when you’ve got kids in tow and it’s rush hour. Stay calm and it’ll be fine. Google Maps is great for giving you the best exit.
- Anyone who thinks Osaka is “gritty” needs to find some perspective or drag themselves away from whatever passes as the red light district they’re dwelling in. You might see 3 pieces of litter in a day vs. 1 in Tokyo. It’s not even close to the level of “grittiness” of any UK city you can think of. It’s a fantastic city with a great buzzy feel and probably a better base than Kyoto and cheaper to boot.
- Osaka aquarium is awesome and definitely worth a visit. Perfect for a rainy afternoon/evening (as it was for us) but go anyway. USJ was crazy busy. Unless you/kids really want to go on rides it can feel like you’ve spent a load to be able to queue up and visit expensive merch shops. Otherwise you need express passes and you’re looking at £500+ for a day out.
- Kyoto felt comparatively quiet so we may have been lucky. At Arashiyama at 8.30am and it was fine and not particularly busy. You’re not going to get the empty ‘gram shot unless you’re there really early. Gion was fine. Only really busy part was between the Yasaka Pagoda and Ichinenzaka Hill, which was heaving. Even Fushimi Inari at 4pm wasn’t bad.
- You can happily get a feel for Nara and Uji in one day. Both are lovely places. Kids absolutely loved feeding the deer! There aren’t many places to get crackers if you go up the forest path to Kasugataisha. You need to go across towards Toda-ji, buy some, stick them in your pocket and walk away. Don’t just give your toddler a stack of crackers over that way and leave them on their own, as we saw with one poor little girl. Byodo-in temple in Uji is simply glorious.
- Himeji is a great little city. Koko-en gardens next to the castle are beautiful.
Lastly, I’d say just accept that plans will change and you’ll miss stuff. The day we went to Shinjuku and Shibuya was very wet and consequently decided that Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu and Shinjuku Gyoen gardens just weren’t going to happen. That’ll just have to be next time.
The people we met and interacted with were, without exception, kind, helpful and just all round great human beings. Despite very limited Japanese we never had a problem communicating and Google Translate was kept only to checking ingredients or writing in general.
A fantastic experience which ended far too soon, but we’ll definitely be back. We’ve already got a rough outline for at least the next 3 trips!