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

Really easy. There are restaurants everywhere. I’ve very rarely had a bad meal in Japan. There’s loads of affordable chains. Ootoya serve teishoku (Japanese set meals), Ippudo and Ichiran serve tonkotsu ramen, there’s coffee chains like Doutor, Komeda’s and Tully’s that also do light meals like sandwiches, pasta and hot dogs. I have a soft spot for Tully’s.

My favourite chain is Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu. Really delicious Gyukatsu at very reasonable prices.

Are you only going to Tokyo? In Osaka and Hiroshima okonomiyaki places are plentiful and are usually speedy service with good food.

Don’t rule out just wandering into the little non-chain places that are dotted all over.

What is worth bringing back from Japan for 2 girls (6&10) that are really into Asian culture? Micro wave rice pots/ kimonos / skincare?

We went to a baseball game tonight on a bit of a whim. It was so much fun! I cannot recommend it highly enough. Getting to a game is now going to be a feature on any future trips wherever we can squeeze it in. I’m not a baseball fan and knew only the basics of the game, but you pick it up and the atmosphere is just brilliant. It’s all very good natured and family friendly.

If anyone else has a trip coming up, do look to see if you can make it to a game. We turned up to the ticket office just a few hours before the game because online it said tickets were available. We got great seats for around £20 each.

My son just back from Japan and he really enjoyed the baseball. He sent a video of the spectators raising their umbrellas when they scored. It looked such fun and fascinating.

Snacks, Kit Kats, bath salts, bag charms, skincare etc are all good options.

I’m going to guess that was a swallows game. Their fans had little umbrellas tonight. It seems to be their thing. They were hugely outnumbered in Hiroshima, but there was a little group sitting by us who cheered and chanted for the whole match and got their little umbrellas out (even though they lost pretty badly) and it was all so good natured and friendly even though the fans are all mixed in together.

Thanks for the recommendations 😊 we’re travelling around Japan/ South Korea but mainly by cruise ship so there’s only really Tokyo and Seoul we will be buying proper meals. Which is a bit of a shame really.

I did about three months of Duolingo, but it was last year, so when we went to Japan over the Easter holidays I'd forgotten loads of it! Idiot that I am. I found it comforting to have a few basic words and phrases and to understand how sentences are constructed in Japanese. TBH though, unless you're going off the tourist trail (which on a first trip you probably won't be), you don't really need much more than good morning, hello, thank you, etc, because all signage is in English too, all announcements are in English too, many restaurants will have an English menu, and you can always use Google translate if not.

@Takonekothe baseball game sounds fun - was this in central Hiroshima?

I'm going in July - I know it will be very hot but its when we can go. We are flying on to Hong Kong.

Has anyone been to Ishigaki Island, part of Okinawa? We are planning beach days at the end of our Japan trip.

I've done Finn air to Bangok and in economy they had no meal choice at all (was beef). Luckly they had a spare special meal but almost caught me put as I don't eat red meat. Only booze was with meals too. It wasn't ideal but fine.

Thanks, no I meant as we loved Himeji we wonder if Osaka Castle would be a let down! Think we may give it a miss!
also super interested in baseball, it’s on our list so great to hear it was so good!

@2025istheyeari Ah… got it. After Himeji Osaka castle would definitely be a let down. It is a pretty castle to go and see if you’re nearby but it’s not a castle to go out of your way for. Okayama castle is similar. We swung by because we were going through Okayama anyway and it was just a short hop away from the station on the tram. It is a reproduction though.

Japan has 12 remaining original castles. The rest are reproductions.

There’s a list here, so you can check if you’re going to be nearby any.

https://www.japan.travel/en/ca/inspiration/discover-japans-twelve-original-castles/

@Pusspot Yes. The Mazda stadium is about 10 minutes walk from the main train station. We were able to walk from our hotel.

We're off next week - dreading the flight and the jetlag but so excited. Have booked Team Labs and Disney Sea (really not us, but am weirdly looking forward to it). Have basic itineraries for 7 or 8 days and otherwise will just wander.

@Reetpetitenot Safe travels and hope you have a fabulous time. Are you aware that you’re arriving during Golden Week? Things might be a bit busier than usual next week with Japanese tourists and the Shinkansen may sell out faster. You’ll
probably be able to catch some good events and festivals. There have been announcements this week that the fastest bullet trains (Nozomi) will be reserved seat only from this Friday until something like 5th May, just in case you’re not aware.

We'll be in Tokyo and Osaka in July. I know it will be extremely hot but what is the air con like indoors?

Do i need to lug a cardi around for lunch and museums and trains etc?

Takoneko, yes - there's a parade in Tokyo we're hoping to catch
We're staying in Tokyo, so luckily don't need to use the Shinkansen (although DH really wants to experience a trip on one - we might do that the week after)

These threads have been so great for planning.

@Reetpetitenot its probably quite a good week for Tokyo. Big tourist attractions will be busy but there won’t be much of the usual commuter rush.

@Takoneko thank you!

I am going next week as well! We are going to teamLab planets on the 3rd so I’ll say konnichiwa if I spot you 😁 I didn’t know it was golden week until just now, hoping it’s a bit easier to get round than I was expecting. I assumed the tourist stuff will be rammed anyway, but I guess that is part of the experience 😁

@SomethingFun I hope you have a wonderful time!

We’re flying home the day after tomorrow and have had the most amazing time. We were a bit worried that we’d over-packed the second half of our itinerary with day trips but we’ve actually found this part of our trip with lots of day trips the most enjoyable and have found the Shinkansen journeys a good way to decompress. It actually feels less hectic than days in the cities, where you’re often getting around using crowded metros, buses and commuter trains.

We’ve got very good value out of our 7 day Setouchi Area pass. We’ve seen so much of Western Japan in the 7 days of the pass, travelling across 6 different prefectures (Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi and Fukuoka). We have one last day trip planned to Okunoshima tomorrow to see the bunnies and then will spend the final day in Hiroshima and see the peace museum and park before heading to the airport in the late afternoon.

Thank you so much for everyone on this and the last thread who shared experiences and recommendations. It was all enormously helpful nd we’ve had a better trip for it.

SomethingFun, we booked TeamLab for 6th May - let me know what you think once you've been.

Takoneko, you'll be planning your next trip before you know it!

@Takoneko so pleased you’ve had a great time.
I hope the trip home also goes well.
Bunny Island is on my list too!

@Takoneko sounds like an amazing trip, I’m so glad especially as you have been so kind and generous with your advice to us all. I hope Bunny Island was fab and that you have a good trip home, ready to plan the next one!!

has anyone been to Kamakura other than for a day trip? It’s our first stop after landing at 7am, and at the moment we’ve got that day and a night there before we head off to Hakone for 2 nights then we have the spare night before having to be in Kyoto and we’re really pondering what to do.
i happened to see an article on Kamakura yesterday which made me wonder about spending 2 nights there, seems to be loads
to do, and beach and poss surfing and I think it may just be the ‘easy’ transition after the long flight and tricky arrival time. Then Hakone for 2 nights and straight to Kyoto with a possible afternoon trip to Uji before our bike tour the following day. OR we stick to the original plan and then have an extra night in Kyoto and do the silver temple, philosophers path and Uji but I’m still worried about just how busy Kyoto will be and we’ve been there and done most of it. Argh! Seem to be procrastinating!!! Any thoughts?! We’re then off to Takayama, Kanazawa, Nagoya ( for hopefully grand sumo tournament!), will do part of the Nakasendo trail before ending in Tokyo. Thanks!