Japan Planning Thread 3

[Takoneko]

Hi!

This is a new Japan Planning Thread for when our last one is full.

Feel free to ask any questions here related to travel in Japan, regardless of budget or style of trip.

Walking the nakasendo sounds wonderful. We’ve never done it.

We spent about 5 days up in Tohoku on our last trip and really enjoyed it.

Hokkaido looks amazing but it’s logistically more challenging due to the lack of Shinkansen up there. We’re going in February for the Sapporo Snow Festival and decided to just fly up from Tokyo and then we’ll travel back down by train.

That’s ended up working out well anyway because going to Naritasan for Setsubun was on my must do list, so we’re staying in Narita the night before and after and will fly from there the next morning.

We’re not tight for time though. On a short trip fitting in Hokkaido or Okinawa is more of a challenge.

Oh wow! The snow festival sounds great. Yes my ambitions for Okinawa were floored (I wasted the internal flights as they were non refundable). I think I would need to be based in the North if I only have a week. Nakasendo is much easier to access from Tokyo. I’ve booked a rokysan with an outdoor osen as I’ve never tried one.

Oh no! Can you definitely not make Okinawa work if you’ve booked the flights already?

It was last year’s trip. The weather was so bad it wasn’t worth the travel time. I had a week based in Tokyo instead with lots of day trips.

Ah, that makes sense. You can’t really go wrong with a week in Tokyo. I love it there.

There’s lots of great stuff north of Tokyo. We particularly loved Matsushima Bay, Kakunodate and Aomori. I also want to spend some more time in Sendai. It’s a really cool city.

So so happy to finally be able to join a Japan planning thread. Booked yesterday for next year and all my dreams are finally coming true. Cannot wait to get stuck into the thread this evening 🤗

I cant find the 1st or 2nd planning thread so if anyone can link I would be appreciative.

@AirurandokaraNihone Welcome!

How exciting. Which season are you going in? Do you have a rough itinerary yet?

There is a link to the first thread in the first few posts on the front page of this one and there’s a link to the first thread in the OP on that one. I was more organised last time and remembered the link in the OP.

Rough yes. We went through an agency for varying reasons, just me and my 16 year old and just preferred going through a company. They have flights and accommodations booked but then obviously transfers and sightseeing etc are all on us to organise. It is early June for 11 nights - Tokyo 4 nights, Yamanashi 1 night, Kyoto 3 nights , Osaka 3 nights. It will be the first of many trips as we are both absolutely obsessed with Japan!

That sounds fabulous. If the people on this thread are anything to go by, you’ll definitely go back,

Transfers are generally pretty easy. Are you flying into Haneda and out of KIX?

In to Narita and out of Kansai. We are coming from Ireland so Dublin to Abu Dhabi and then on to Narita. We have done Australia a few times so jet lag thankfully does not phase us a lot so the flights and times are fine although at least two of my friends said they were exhausted at the thoughts hahaha We have loads of energy and very much a 'doing' type family so very excited to get planning now that it is officially booked!

I haven’t used Narita since our first trip in 2008, although we plan to take a domestic flight from there in February. Whilst it’s obviously a lot further away from Tokyo than Haneda, the transfers are still very easy.

That is good to know. I really have not looked into things too much. It was a bucket list thing I have wanted to tick off and the opportunity arose and I booked it yesterday and that is it. I have the itinerary with flight details and all hotels and things but nothing else even considered just glad to know it is finally happening. I am only on page 10 of the first thread and already so excited!

You’ll have the most amazing time. The planning is all part of the fun.

@AirurandokaraNihone Getting the broad outline is a sound base to plan on, now you can fill in the detail of what suits you both. Teamlab borderless is a really good fun interactive art exhibition. Are either of you interested in anime or gaming? If so Akiihabara. Enjoy the planning.

I would like to visit a kissaten (sp) a listening bar/coffeehouse in Tokyo if anyone has a recommendation please.

My son is very keen on anime so this will be a brilliant one for him thank you so much. I am so excited to be getting all the info together and almost like having the outside of the jigsaw made and filling in the gaps. I know one trip is not going to do it for us so I am happy to have a few down days too and just BE in Japan.

OP I need to read your post and investigate to understand the north of Tokyo.

This is my third visit to Japan and branching out makes it feel like my first, the new area names feel alien to me @Takoneko thanks for stretching my potential possibilities. Great thread.

@AirurandokaraNihone if he loves anime or gaming or anime adjacent interests plan a whole day there. Osaka has similar in Den Den town.

@AirurandokaraNihone Team labs Planets is more interactive than Team labs Borderless. If you want to do some really cool interactive art a 16 year old would enjoy I recommend it. Lot of stimulation if that’s your thing. Book before you go, always 20-30 min queue even with tickets but it’s sheltered and it moves.

Brilliant thank you. We are booked into Shinagawa Tobu Hotel for the 4 nights in Tokyo and I have not even looked at a map as yet. More excited about our 1 night stay in Yamanashi in this hotel to be honest Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko.

I have not been to Yamanashi it looks beautiful. It’s a balance travelling with a teen isn’t it. That’s the thing that Japan has, something for everyone.

I am more of a child than he is - probably why he still likes me! He will be just turned 17 when we arrive and fairly easy going but wants to see Japan itself not just touristy stuff which I am totally in agreement with but as an anime fan I will bring him there and disneysea as it comes highly recommended for sure. I cant believe we are finally going.

I’ve recently booked our flights to visit Japan next May for the first time. It’ll be myself, DH, and two daughters. One is 18 and one is 23. We’re planning on a few days in Tokyo, then Kyoto, then back to Tokyo for Disney.
I’m struggling with places to stay in Kyoto. In Tokyo we have an apartment hotel with 2 bedrooms and at Disney we will all share a room, but we need 2 rooms in Kyoto ideally. The added complication is that the 23 year old has both learning and physical disabilities so don’t want anywhere too tricky (steep steps or weird showers/baths that are tricky to get in to) although I would love somewhere that feels quite traditional. We don’t need tons of nightlife, but would like some stuff in walking distance as the oldest can’t walk for miles.
Any accommodation suggestions for Kyoto that aren’t thousands for 4 nights?

Ueno has quite a lot of kissaten.

I also have fond memories of bless coffee near Kyobashi. That was our local coffee shop in 2024 and 2025. It’s not a full on retro kissa but the menu is very Japanese. Pizza toasts and drip coffee sort of stuff.