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.

Sorry that was for Seoul.

But I think we do a mix in Japan too...

@Actnaturally For Japan you’re definitely best off with a mixture of cash and card. I pay by card wherever I can and in Europe and at home I pretty much never use cash at all. In Japan I’ve always needed to withdraw some cash when I get there. Shrines, temples, small cafes and restaurants, food stalls, gachapon, vending machines (although some take Suica) and small museums are commonly cash only.

Cherry blossom forecast has been updated today. Doesn’t look wildly different from last time to me.

https://n-kishou.com/corp/news-contents/sakura/?lang=en

Hello all. My husband and I (early 60s, fit and healthy) first trip to Japan was in 2019: 14 nights Tokyo-Hakone-Kyoto-Hiroshima-Osaka. Best holiday ever.

We're going back in April this year, flying in and out of Tokyo. Draft itinerary looks like this and I'd be really grateful for any feedback/advice:

Six nights Tokyo with day trips to Nikko and Kamakura
Two nights each in:
Lake Kawaguchi
Matsumoto
Kiso Valley (staying Fukushima, walking Nakasendo trail from Magome - Tsumago)
Kanazawa
Kyoto
Osaka (including day trip to Nara).
Tokyo for last night before flying home.

Are we spending enough time in each place? Are we missing an obvious location that we would kick ourselves for not visiting? Any other thoughts?

Thank you 🇯🇵

@JudithChalmersPassport That looks like a great itinerary.

Two nights in each of those places is enough to get a taste for them. Probably not enough to do everything you might like to in somewhere like Kyoto, Osaka or Kanazawa, but it’s always a balance between seeing everything in one place or exploring more places. If you happy with having more travel days in order to experience more places then you should go for it. I prefer to have more nights in a base city and take day trips but everyone has different travel preferences.

@JudithChalmersPassport Only real suggestion that you might want to have more Tokyo days at the end rather than the start. If you’re a shopper then having Tokyo days at the end can be good, rather than carrying souvenirs around with you from place to place. If you’re not really a shopper then that might not matter.

Can I join in please? I don't know where to start planning. I went to Japan in 2009, to Kyoto, Tokyo and Mount Koya. I'd love to go again, probably to Tokyo, but I don't know where else to go. I think I'd have about 12-14 days, and I'm not sure when, possibly October. I'm more interested in culture and diff way of life, as well as scenery. I remember finding everything fascinating in Tokyo. Any ideas or suggestions would be great. These threads are so long it is a bit daunting too! Thank you! (editing to add travelling alone as single female).

@username246810 Welcome! Don’t worry, nobody here expects people to RTFT. It’s become monstrously long.

In October, what about heading up to Tohoku for a bit of scenery and culture? The autumn foliage starts earlier up there. There’s a 5 or 10 day JR East Tohoku rail pass that would open up travel to some amazing places.

https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/tohoku/

Or there’s the Hokuriku region. The Hokuriku Arch Pass is 7 days and can take you to places like Takasaki, Nagano, Karuizawa, Toyama, Kanazawa and Fukui. Kanazawa has a tea district and historic architecture, Toyama is known for its glass-making, Takasaki has a daruma temple, Karuizawa is a scenic resort town.

There are so many choices that it can feel overwhelming, but the good news is that there’s amazing experiences to be had wherever you look. My first trip to Japan was 2008 and when we went back in 2024 I was pleasantly surprised by how much easier it all is now. Google translate and the rationalisation of the transit network that happened in the 2010s have made everything far simpler. Hope you have an amazing time!

Thank you, that's given me something to think about, and a good place to start. I probably wouldn't want to stop in too many places, as I prefer to settle and stay a few days rather than keep moving, and probably especially if I'm alone I'd feel more comfortable. I was thinking that Google translate will have made things much simpler. None of that existed when I was there and we had some very funny misunderstandings at that time :)

@username246810 I generally prefer to stay in fewer places too. We’re doing the Hokuriku arch this spring but will only be staying in Kanazawa and Nagano.

Thank you so much @Takoneko

We're not huge shoppers and have friends in Tokyo, hence the longer stay at the start. However we've now cut it back a bit to give another day in each of Matsumoto and Kanazawa.

We're ok with the travelling too, although I can see the attraction of day trips from a base city. We actually built some day trips into the itinerary on the basis of your posts, so thank you for that.

Have a wonderful time on your holiday - not long now! Thanks again.

Hi there, would really appreciate some advice! We are hoping to have a “big holiday” next year, and Japan is high up on our list. We’re a family of three, my daughter will be 13 by the time we go. We are very much tied to school holidays (no scope to miss a day here or there, due to me working in a school, as well as DD being at school).

We are trying to figure out the best time to go. I understand the summer can be incredibly hot and humid, but would allow us 18+ nights, so would maximise our time there. If we went over the Easter holidays, on the other hand, the weather would be more manageable, but we would be limited to 14 nights.

We are not completely averse to hot weather - we have had various holidays in Italy/south of France where the temperature has reached 38 degrees. But the pace has been slower, and it didn’t matter if we lounged around doing not very much. Plus, there was always a pool to cool down in!

When choosing time of year to travel, is there anything else you think we ought to consider? Would really welcome any input, thank you!

I’d personally take 14 days at Easter over 18 in the summer. I’m a teacher and always take the Easter option.

The Japanese summer is really hot, incredibly humid and fairly wet. It’s the humidity rather than the heat that gets you. There’s also no real culture of lazing by a pool. it’s a bit of a running joke in Japan that beaches and poolsides are dominated by foreigners.

The summer would give you slightly more days, but you’ll be able to do far more in each day during Easter. At Easter you get to experience the cherry blossoms and it gives you a much better chance for viewing Mount Fuji, which is often not visible in summer.

@Takoneko thank you for such a quick reply!

I figured the humidity would also be a big factor. I can imagine feeling wiped out in the middle of the day and needing to rest. So of course it makes sense that we would get more done in 14 days over Easter. Cherry blossom would be a big bonus as well!

@Takoneko and @Specialnameforanoutingthread thanks once again for your very generous and thorough advice.

I agree, less time but probably get more in due to the weather. We’re going at Easter this year for that reason

Anyone got any recommendations for accommodation in Osaka to share?
4 weeks till we go and this is the last leg of the trip we need to book for!

We’d like to do day trips from Osaka (to Kyoto , Nara for example) so maybe near the train station? But in Europe I’d never get accomodation near the train station 😂

Leaving Osaka via boat to S Korea so maybe near the port?

@Actnaturally The area around major train stations isn’t somewhere you need to avoid in Japan. Having said that, I probably wouldn’t want my closest station to be Namba, just because it’s so incredibly sprawling and complex. Ditto Umeda. My advice on Osaka accommodation is always the same. Pick somewhere very close to a metro station on the Midosuji line. I’ve stayed at the Henn Na Hotel in Shinsaibashi and the Sotetsu Fresa Yodoyabashi (which actually has a lift that takes you directly down into the metro station). Both were really good for the price we paid, but you may find a better deal somewhere else.

Shinsaibashi is livelier and a short walk from Dotonbori along a busy shopping street. Lots of nightlife and restaurants on your doorstep.

Yodoyabashi is much quieter at night, perhaps bordering on a bit dull, but really well connected to livelier areas with a short metro ride of 1-2 stops in either direction. However, it has the advantage of being the first stop on the Keihan line which can take you directly to Kyoto and allows you to secure a seat, which is not to be sniffed at. I can also recommend a great ramen place nearby if you do end up staying in that area.

Thank you @Takoneko, I’m going to spend some time googling your suggestions and I MUST book something tomorrow!

ooooohh Yodoyabashi is in that middle bit near Utsubo Park. I was reading earlier that that is really pretty, especially in cherry blossom season. I was thinking being near a lovely park will be good for our family to cope
with the big cities. When we went to New York, Central Park was like an oasis.

However, it has the advantage of being the first stop on the Keihan line which can take you directly to Kyoto and allows you to secure a seat, which is not to be sniffed at.

This is gold. This might be our perfect area. We’ve got 5 days in Osaka and we want to visit Kyoto one or maybe 2 of the days (DH really wants to see Kyoto, it’s a non negotiable for him).

@Actnaturally It’s a really nice area, just not very lively at night. There’s the park and in the other direction is the rose garden. There’s also some lovely little cafes that face onto the river too.

I’d also recommend taking a walk over to “the most deserted ramen bar in the world” for dinner one night. It’s in what I’m sure is a busy office building during the day, but at night the rest of the building is completely deserted. It’s really good ramen. I think we paid about ¥1000. Total bill with a couple of drinks and some gyoza was under £20 for two people. I think it’s quite trendy… there were lots of young Japanese people in there taking photos of their bowls.

@Actnaturally I agree with @Takonekoabout Namba station. It took a long time for us to navigate, and that was at the end of our trip, so we were a bit more experienced by then.
We did enjoy walking around the Namba Park Garden. It’s an urban rooftop garden built in a spiral design, with lots of seating and places to eat and shops below. We bought a few things in the mall, and it seemed like a popular place for Japanese people, rather than tourists.

@Takoneko thanks for that great advice about Osaka. I’ve found a lovely Airbnb right near Shinsaibashi station. Reading your post a few times, then looking at the maps, and considering we’ll only really have a few days in Osaka as we plan to travel to Kyoto, it makes most sense to be near to the hussle
and bustle. We need to make the most of our time when we’re in Osaka. And that station and metro line, like you said, seems to be very well connected so it won’t be too difficult to get on the Kyoto train, and also to the ferry port when we have to leave.

Thanks for being so generous and thoughtful with your advice. Recommendations for food would be very gratefully recieved. Where exactly is the ramen one you described? If we’re going up to the Yodoyabashi station for Kyoto, it might be possible to have dinner there on our way back.

We’ve now booked all of our accommodation after a flurry tonight, booking Osaka and Seoul.

So our final itinerary is: Tokyo, Kawaguchi, Amanohashidate, Osaka, ferry to S Korea
the Seoul before heading home. We’re so excited! It’s going to be so overwhelming!

@Actnaturally I think Shinsaibashi is a good choice for a first time visit.

You could definitely go to the ramen bar after Kyoto. It’s a pleasant 10 minute stroll from that station.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GJGxZHafRXEN3ZMn7?g_st=ic

We also enjoyed this okonomiyaki place near Shinsaibashi. We were a group of 5 that time and we got our own little Japanese-style room with tatami where you sit on the floor. It’s not fancy and a bit hidden away, but the staff were lovely, the food was delicious and it was incredibly good value.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/JSD6b4B4yf5cFpEV6?g_st=ic