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[MikeHattsu]

Thanks for those tips, you're a really helpful fellow! Wow, so I should really expect Narita to be a bit of a bunfight? That might not be so bad actually, it seems like a lot of stuff in Tokyo doesn't open until after 10am anyway.
That's frustrating about the rail pass, I guess I'll call the agent up and complain.

It all depends on how many other planes arrive at the same time as yours, and the JR Pass exchange line is often longer than the immigration lines even if it looks shorter since there's less staff and people asking questions about tickets that takes extra time

If you're not going to use the JR Pass right away it's much better to exchange it elsewhere if there's a line that goes outside of the actual exchange office.

 

[Marion Cobretti]

This is what I got lined up for my last week.

July 12 - Tokyo Baseball
July 13 - Miyajima
July 14 - Hiroshima
July 15 - Osaka
July 16 - Hakone
July 17 - Snow Monkey Park
July 18/21 - Tokyo

I'm contemplating whether I should go to Osaka or not. Considering I'll have spent over a week in Tokyo, I'm wondering if that'll cover my city cravings, so maybe instead of Osaka, I should spend another day in Kyoto.

Is Osaka different enough that I shouldn't miss it, or am I better off spending an extra day in Kyoto? I should note that I'm more partial to nature at this point, and feel like I've seen enough temples.

 

[EuricaeriS]

Is Osaka different enough that I shouldn't miss it, or am I better off spending an extra day in Kyoto? I should note that I'm more partial to nature at this point, and feel like I've seen enough temples.

Osaka is cool, but you're right in that it's probably not worth it if you think you'll be done with cities at that point. Kyoto is probably the right answer, but if you haven't done it and can get to it, Enoshima is a gorgeous and not super well known place that might really appeal to you.

 

[Divvy]

Try calling Gurunavi and see if they can help you:
https://gurunavi.com/en/ge7h200/rst/

Thanks, will try this

 

[daegan]

This is what I got lined up for my last week.

July 12 - Tokyo Baseball
July 13 - Miyajima
July 14 - Hiroshima
July 15 - Osaka
July 16 - Hakone
July 17 - Snow Monkey Park
July 18/21 - Tokyo

I'm contemplating whether I should go to Osaka or not. Considering I'll have spent over a week in Tokyo, I'm wondering if that'll cover my city cravings, so maybe instead of Osaka, I should spend another day in Kyoto.

Is Osaka different enough that I shouldn't miss it, or am I better off spending an extra day in Kyoto? I should note that I'm more partial to nature at this point, and feel like I've seen enough temples.

Did this last time someone asked but seriously go to Osaka. Dotonbori is worth it alone.

 

[ys45]

It's better to rent a portable Wifi device or get a data sim card. Especially since you're going to Hakone and Takayama.

Depends on what you're planning to do. I've been in Japan several times without knowing any Japanese and I've travelled around just fine.

Thanks I think I will go with that option so I will have internet anywhere during my trip .
Any recommendation ? I did a quick search and found Ninja wifi .

 

[Stuart444]

Thanks I think I will go with that option so I will have internet anywhere during my trip .
Any recommendation ? I did a quick search and found Ninja wifi .

http://wifi.tocoo.jp/en/

This is the one Mike recommended to me and it worked great. No issues with it outside of getting it with very little charge in it. Enough to get me to my hotel though thankfully.

 

[ys45]

http://wifi.tocoo.jp/en/

This is the one Mike recommended to me and it worked great. No issues with it outside of getting it with very little charge in it. Enough to get me to my hotel though thankfully.

wow thanks, its a lot cheaper than what I found

Oh I also had a question about the voltage for electronic, is North America plug okay for Japan ? I know we use 120 v here and they have 100 v I think in Japan ? Do I need a converter ?

 

[Marion Cobretti]

I got a 30 day Sim card with 2.2GB for $40 at the airport. Between that, and all the wifi / pocket wifi at the airbnb, I'm more than covered. Been here for 10 days so far and have only used 500mb. Using it whenever I want.

Make sure you go to a tourist information booth at train station, and they'll set you up with that free country wide wifi hotspot access. You just have to download an app that does all the work for you even.

 

[Stuart444]

wow thanks, its a lot cheaper than what I found

Oh I also had a question about the voltage for electronic, is North America plug okay for Japan ? I know we use 120 v here and they have 100 v I think in Japan ? Do I need a converter ?

I believe America should be okay assuming you guys use two prong.

 

[Makeda]

I'm aiming to go to Tokyo again for a short weekend to visit a friend but was wondering can anybody recommend me a good shop to look for some niche music (old Visual Kei - smaller artists such as Sugar Soul / KAM etc) as well as some later night check in hostels / capsule hotels in Tokyo (preferably close to Itabashi area but either way is fine) as the flights i'm looking at are arriving quite late.

 

[nabe_shogun]

Well, a lot of the cheap hotels would be fully booked by now. But check for anywhere near the Yamanote train line in Tokyo, near Namba or Umeda/Osaka Station in Osaka and somewhere near Kyoto Station or Shijo Kawaramachi in Kyoto for easy access to different transport options.

Looking now, and yeah not many rooms left in a lot of them.

Anyway, I think my trip is going to go stay in tokyo monday till wednesday, then go to fukuoka and spend a night there, and then up to osaka and spend two nights there.

 

[KtSlime]

Osaka is cool, but you're right in that it's probably not worth it if you think you'll be done with cities at that point. Kyoto is probably the right answer, but if you haven't done it and can get to it, Enoshima is a gorgeous and not super well known place that might really appeal to you.

If you do Enoshima you should also do Kamakura which is only a few minutes away. I love the view from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Kamakura is great. Really beautiful and definitely worth a visit!

 

[SKINNER!]

Kamakura is great. Really beautiful and definitely worth a visit!

Love Kamakura. Anyone tried the amazing hike trail that starts at a temple next to Kita-Kamakura train station and ends at the big Buddha statue? So breathtaking it was walking through Japan's forests. So many great temples and shrines to check out on the way too (including this cave one where people were dipping their money in a river for good luck). Man, I love Kamakura so much. Beach is great too. Also, there's this amazing Kebab shop that's run by a Japanese citizen from Turkey or somewhere near North Africa who lived in Japan for like 35 years and learned the language before becoming a citizen. We got talking because he used to study in Scotland (Inverness) during his younger days and was impressed that I flew from there. Such a great guy

 

[Marion Cobretti]

Should I do Kamakura instead of Hakone?

Or maybe Kamakura instead of Osaka?

 

[Ken]

Until when do trains stop from Nagoya to Tokyo? We're thinking about stopping to look around Nagoya (from Osaka) for an afternoon/evening before going to Tokyo.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Until when do trains stop from Nagoya to Tokyo? We're thinking about stopping to look around Nagoya (from Osaka) for an afternoon/evening before going to Tokyo.

Depends on which day it is. If you're travelling with an JR Pass, the last train is at around 21:25 though.

 

[ys45]

I believe America should be okay assuming you guys use two prong.

Yeah we use two prong, alright that's good to know .
Thanks for your help

 

[ThreePiMatt]

Yeah we use two prong, alright that's good to know .
Thanks for your help

Only issue with electronics would likely be if you do have a three-prong grounded plug, which is usually only for larger things, but some laptop chargers might have one.

 

[Nista]

Well, depends on what you want to do. Either just check out Kyushu or also check out some of the cites between Tokyo and Kyushu. And if you're only gonna spend a week, then why not just get a 7 day pass?

Oh, and you could probably fly even cheaper with Peach or Jetstar.

Just going to Fukuoka and back by Shinkansen costs about 44000 JPY on it's own, and about 58000 if one goes all the way to Kagoshima

Yeah I think we could get away with just a 7 day pass if we timed it right. As a rough estimate, it might end up working like:

1 week in Tokyo
activate JR pass to leave Tokyo ->
Kansai Region for 6 days ->
Last day of pass to get to Kyushu ->
Rental car for Kyushu (yeah we're nuts) ->
Cheap flight back to Tokyo to fly home

Also thanks for the video link EuricaeriS!

So it's hard as heck to try to decide where to stay in Tokyo. Anyone have any favorite hotels or airbnbs to recommend or even just neighborhoods in general for getting around to various locations?

We don't need a lot of space with only 2 people, but I should try to save a little money so I can blow it on Ryokan in more rustic regions.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Rental car for Kyushu (yeah we're nuts)

So it's hard as heck to try to decide where to stay in Tokyo. Anyone have any favorite hotels or airbnbs to recommend or even just neighborhoods in general for getting around to various locations?

Make sure you got your international driving permit in order then. Oh, and make sure you get the 1949 convention one and not a 1968 convention one.

The Asakusa area is cheap especially for hostels, but if you're doing AirBnB just check any place within walking distance from the JR Yamanote line.

 

[sfedai0]

I stayed in Shimokitozawa last time and it was great. Of course, its know for some cool hipster shops and come cool cafes, but mostly it was nice and quiet. Not too far to ride in to Shibuya.

 

[Marion Cobretti]

GUYS!!!!

I just came up waaaay too hard.

Went to a hard off in Aizuwakamatsu.

Super Famicom $10!!!
Sealed FF6 $3!
Technos Dodge Ball for Famicom $5

I couldn't be happier.

Tomorrow I go to Kyoto. Definitely gonna take a picture in front of NCL with my newly acquired Super Famicom.

Childhood dreams do come true!

 

[danowat]

How would one best spend three weeks (or two if I decide to spend a week in China)

Tokyo - Kyoto - Hiroshima, a good route?, places in between?, how long to spend in each place?

 

[Trojan X]

It's been a while since I've posted in this thread but please let me remind every with one very important advice if you are planning a trip to Japan -

Rest day. Rest day. REST DAY.


I cannot recommend that enough, otherwise you'll be stressed rushing around to each location to the point that you won't truly give yourself time to appreciate it. Always give yourself at least one of two rest days on each location so you can truly soak everything in and go nuts. Otherwise, enjoy the exciting stress and exhaustion unless you are sticking to one location.

 

[danowat]

It's been a while since I've posted in this thread but please let me remind every with one very important advice if you are planning a trip to Japan -

Rest day. Rest day. REST DAY.


I cannot recommend that enough, otherwise you'll be stressed rushing around to each location to the point that you won't truly give yourself time to appreciate it. Always give yourself at least one of two rest days on each location so you can truly soak everything in and go nuts. Otherwise, enjoy the exciting stress and exhaustion unless you are sticking to one location.

Yes, we're a mid 40's couple, so it's important, so much so that we've planned a few days at some kind of "beach resort" for R&R before we fly home.

 

[Fritz]

I have the choice between hiking Mt Takao and visiting Kamakura for a day trip from Tokyo. Has anyone done both and would recommend either over the other?

 

[MikeHattsu]

How would one best spend three weeks (or two if I decide to spend a week in China)

Tokyo - Kyoto - Hiroshima, a good route?, places in between?, how long to spend in each place?

Well, what kind of stuff are you interested in?

 

[danowat]

Well, what kind of stuff are you interested in?

Scenery, museums, historical architecture, but also contemporary stuff, like geek shopping etc.

 

[Stalk]

http://wifi.tocoo.jp/en/

This is the one Mike recommended to me and it worked great. No issues with it outside of getting it with very little charge in it. Enough to get me to my hotel though thankfully.

Just ordered with these guys but not got a confirmation email or anything, this normal?

 

[ThatCrazyGuy]

Just ordered with these guys but not got a confirmation email or anything, this normal?

They might take a while. I didn't get my super quick either. I used them in Japan as well. Never had any problems.

 

[Kenshin001]

I have the choice between hiking Mt Takao and visiting Kamakura for a day trip from Tokyo. Has anyone done both and would recommend either over the other?

Mt. Takao. Kamakura beach is quite ugly. Dirty grey sand.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Scenery, museums, historical architecture, but also contemporary stuff, like geek shopping etc.

Well, as already mentioned by other people in that thread you made you should check out Akihabara and Nakano Broadway in Tokyo. The Sony building in Ginza can be interesting if you like Sony stuff. Also check out Nipponbashi / Den Den Town in Osaka for games/anime/tech/geek stuff.

For museums there's a lot of them in Ueno Park and there's the Edo-Tokyo Open Air museum in Koganei you'd probably be interested in if you want to see historical architecture. Check out the Miraikan in Odaiba if you're interested in robots and stuff, and they also got a car museum in Odaiba run by Toyota + there's lots of shopping malls, the indoor Sega amusement park, and other stuff there.

If you're gonna look at temples and shrines then Sensoji in Asakusa and Meiji Shrine near Harajuku are the 2 main ones in Tokyo. There's others of course, but since you're going to Kyoto there's a lot of them there including Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji.

If you want to see some historical districts check out Higashiyama and Gion in Kyoto. If you want to see a castle then check out Himeji.

And for scenery / relaxing you could go to one of the onsen areas like Hakone or Nikko. Nikko got the Tamozawa Imperial Villa and some waterfalls as well which I thought was interesting to see. While Hakone got some art museums and the Hakone Checkpoint.

 

[Fritz]

Scenery, museums, historical architecture, but also contemporary stuff, like geek shopping etc.

Just adding up on the other recs here. For scenery and historical architecture I would also recommend Takayama and the surrounding areas like Shirakawa-go and Kamikochi.

 

[Kenshin001]

Thinking about going to Tsukiji before it moves. Anyone care to share their experience? I'm not interested in getting there at some ungodly hour but I read everything shuts up by 11. If I got there around 9 would it be worth it?

 

[ThatCrazyGuy]

Thinking about going to Tsukiji before it moves. Anyone care to share their experience? I'm not interested in getting there at some ungodly hour but I read everything shuts up by 11. If I got there around 9 would it be worth it?

Its moving?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Its moving?

It's supposed to move in November, unless the people who protests the move delays it.

Thinking about going to Tsukiji before it moves. Anyone care to share their experience? I'm not interested in getting there at some ungodly hour but I read everything shuts up by 11. If I got there around 9 would it be worth it?

Well, it's the inner markets that 'close' at 11. There's still activity in the outer ones where most of the eateries are.

Edit: Looks like they've put more restrictions about when you can access the inner market as well. Was from 9 back when I went the first time, now it's from 10.

 

[Fritz]

Thinking about going to Tsukiji before it moves. Anyone care to share their experience? I'm not interested in getting there at some ungodly hour but I read everything shuts up by 11. If I got there around 9 would it be worth it?

Iirc I had been there around that time. You could tell some of the displays had been raided but there was still fish etc in abundance. It's also still busy and you will be a proper path blocking tourist. I'd say if your keen the time is fair.

 

[Marion Cobretti]

Have any of you guys been to Tottori? Wondering if I should spend 1 day/1night there.

Bah, I can't decide where to spend two days/nights.

Narrowed it down to Osaka, Hakone, and Kamakura.

I'm all templed out though, and not sure Osaka is gonna do it for me.

Dunno what to do, nothing seems appealing for some reason. Hakone seems like the most promising though.

 

[Marion Cobretti]

Screw it, gonna scrap all 3. Just gonna spend an extra day in Kyoto, then an extra day in Kanazawa, then head over to Snow Monkey Park. Then Back to Tokyo for a few days, then back to America : (

Should be a great way to end things off though. 2 weeks down, 2 weeks to go. So far, this country has shattered my very high expectations.

 

[SKINNER!]

Osaka, Hakone, and Kamakura. > Kyoto IMO

I found Kyoto to be a bit dull but then again, I will be exploring it again this september.

>.>

I would've spent that day either in Osaka if you want a great/city/lights day or Hakone for a chill day in onsens and greenery...Then again, Hakone's valcono thing is closed off so maybe Kamakura is a better shout.

Difficult choice dude.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Old town Kyoto, when you go up that hill to Higashiyama District, is pretty nice. The rest is meh.

 

[Marion Cobretti]

Your avatar gives you high credibility in my book.

Since I'm only doing 2 days in Kyoto, I think this extra day will allow me to do the things I missed out on, as well as my NCL Pilgrimage that I know my girlfriend wants no part of.

As for Kanazwa, I'm thinking I can do the chilling onsen bit at the beach in Nanao.

It also makes the trip to Snow Monkey Park afterwords much shorter.

I'm happy to listen to anyones suggestions though.

 

[hwalker84]

Osaka, Hakone, and Kamakura. > Kyoto IMO

I found Kyoto to be a bit dull but then again, I will be exploring it again this september.

>.>

I would've spent that day either in Osaka if you want a great/city/lights day or Hakone for a chill day in onsens and greenery...Then again, Hakone's valcono thing is closed off so maybe Kamakura is a better shout.

Difficult choice dude.

Pretty much feel the same way. Spent like 4 or 5 days in Kyoto my first time and don't really feel the need to go back.

 

[Raw64life]

Got back a few days ago from my 2 week trip and loved every second of it. Two weeks wasn't nearly enough. Plenty of things I ended up not having enough time to do. I already have 2 weeks worth of itinerary for whenever I can find the time and money to visit again. Still dreaming about the food.

Pics - http://imgur.com/a/5KDcV/all

Just wanted to chime in on http://wifi.tocoo.jp/en/ though because I see a lot of people recommending it. It was awful. Worked great the first 2 days and then I got throttled hardcore for the entire rest of the trip. Took ages to load anything or sometimes not at all. A lot of standing around waiting for directions to load when I could've been doing other stuff. I don't know if it was because I had 2 people using it the entire trip, or I couldn't figured out a setting or something, but I can't say I recommend it at all. And I wouldn't consider my usage of it heavy those first two days at all. Just normal web browsing and looking for directions.

 

[Kenshin001]

Iirc I had been there around that time. You could tell some of the displays had been raided but there was still fish etc in abundance. It's also still busy and you will be a proper path blocking tourist. I'd say if your keen the time is fair.

Great! Thanks for the info.

 

[SKINNER!]

Pretty much feel the same way. Spent like 4 or 5 days in Kyoto my first time and don't really feel the need to go back.

Yeah, I spent 2 nights there. My hotel was across the station. Spent the day sightseeing temples and castles but because everything was spaced out I didn't get the chance to see much as I foolishly chose not to use the bus. All I remembered was that there were so many quiet, empty streets with offices and stuff. So I walked and walked and then I stumbled into a cool outdoor/indoor market next to a temple. Cool market and there was a section of it that was decorated as a traditional ancient Japanese style market with Japanese restaurants and stuff. Pretty neat. Checked out the temple too. Massive place. Thought it was great. Then I continued walking through empty (and by empty I mean there were no zany lights/signs or anything. Just long main roads and office type buildings) streets and I stumbled near a castle. That was about it really. Night life, I wandered the streets looking for a place to chill but the streets weren't as vibrant as Tokyo and Osaka. I ended up checking out this live band/rock/studenty bar that had a sign stating no entrance fee + 1 free drink for foreigners (you had to show your passport) so I went in and the place was real quiet with only 3 people at the bar. The host was kind enough to help me out and gave me a drink. Told me to head downstairs to the basement because they had a local live rock/punk band playing. Went downstairs and there were a group of about 15 people sitting politely and quietly on the side watching this band play. What fascinated me was that the band played rowdy punk music but the audience were so calm. And after each song finished it was dead quiet too. I had my drink and enjoyed the show then left. The second night in Kyoto I arranged to meet up with a couple who were staying at a hostel nearby (they moved to Kyoto from Montreal) and we just wandered around Kyoto for a bit before retreating to the hostel's bar area.

So yeah, I felt that I've fully seen Kyoto and that I found it dull.

Later on, I had people tell me that I didn't fully explore Kyoto and that I missed out on all the cool spots that were north of the station. Hence the reason I'm checking out again this summer.

 

[Aquavelvaman]

My wife and I are going to go to Osaka in early August. We're trying to decide if we should do 3 days or 4. We can always come back and stay in another city next time, and I'd rather avoid spending a lot of time on a train or something, so we'll probably just stay in Osaka for the whole trip.

What do you think, is 4 days too much? 3 days too little?

 

[MikeHattsu]

My wife and I are going to go to Osaka in early August. We're trying to decide if we should do 3 days or 4. We can always come back and stay in another city next time, and I'd rather avoid spending a lot of time on a train or something, so we'll probably just stay in Osaka for the whole trip.

What do you think, is 4 days too much? 3 days too little?

Just stay 4 days and if you actually manage to get bored you could just go to Kyoto as well since it's only 30 minutes away by train. Not that much time on a train is it?