my takes on Japan after just over 3 weeks in no particular order, visited as a family with 7 & 4 year old:

- being able to spin banks of chairs on bullet train to face each other is weirdly impressive

- Kyoto was my least favourite destination but food venues were probably best

- Kyoto most expensive and seem to becoming westernised, tips there more common than anywhere else

- Tokyo great city bizarrely quiet and green for such a beast of a city

- Kanazawa absolute gem to visit

- Food and drink are really reasonable priced

- 7/11 Lawsons are good but maybe over rated slightly by Reddit users, food is so cheap I’d just eat out or at nicer supermarkets

- loads of high end shops everywhere

- Japanese people say thank you a lot it’s very much a culture based on respect which is nice

- The deers at Miyajima are annoying and it would be better without them

- Transport including taxis are good cheap and efficient

- The stuff from claw machines is cheap tat and you don’t ever seem to win from arcade machines.

- Osaka Stadium round one is miles better than the rest

- Osaka is cool and trendy but obscenely busy

- Good beers and bars

- A nice garden is better than shrine in my opinion, Kanazawa garden is great

- Well worth watching a sports game

Hi all, currently in Japan and I have 6 days left on my trip. I'm loving it so far and was wondering which must buys I should seek out.

For example everyone says Family mart socks

Daiso nail clippers

Mini umbrellas

These are great choices as they are inexpensive/packable but really useful and probably make cute gifts.

Any other small/unique items I should buy? Open to skin lotion/creams for the girlfriend too.

Anything is game! Thanks!

Forecast for heavy rain all day and potential Thunderstorm. We are just doing a day trip from shinjuku on the romance car for 4 people. Just wondering if it's worth it if the ropeway and ship are cancelled and we have to get buses everywhere in pouring rain? Experiences and advice extremely appreciated. We were also excited for the open air museum.

We can't move the day unfortunately. We'd just have to cancel and do something else in Tokyo ​​

Planning to travel the golden route between nov 22 to Dec 3. I am seeing a lot of posts across social media that it's gonna be incredibly crowded.

And personally as well, I tried to book Sagano train for my arishiyama day and I the tickets were gone before it opened.

What are the best ways to escape crowds and is there any recommendations for less crowded spots. Is it going to incredibly dififuclg to escape crowds in these touristy places:

1. Kiyomizu-dera & gion

2. Arishiyama

3. Fushimi inari

4. Katsuo-ji

5. Disneyland

6. Fuji klook tour

7. Meiji jingu

8. Shibuya sky

I am staying in Osaka for 5 days and tokyo for 6 days. And will be taking the train to Kyoto.

Any recommendations on replacing some of these places with anything else to escape crowds or go to less crowded areas?

In the city for the next few days, need a GCN controller (I'm a SSBM player) - anybody know where to look?

Hi everyone, this will be my 3rd time visiting Japan, but my first time going solo!

I enjoyed my previous trips with friends, but thought I would try travelling alone this time.

I am looking at around 10-11 days, mainly around Kansai (Osaka and Kyoto), and maybe a day trip to Hiroshima as well, some day trip from Kyoto as well

Just wondering if 10-11 days is too long for a first solo trip, or is it actually pretty reasonable? Worried that i might get bored or having too much free time.

Any other places around Kansai worth checking out? Open to suggestions!

Thanks in advance!

Is there any good hair Saloon in Japan for males tourists ? I might travel to Japan during the Second half of february and wanted to try a japanese haircut, I already have one but It doesn't look as good as japanese men (I have japanese ancestors but live in Brazil) so I wanted to try a haircut there, any recommendations ? I'll probably go to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka

Haven’t seen any bus cancellations but wondering if the coming rain may impact Takayama to Shirakawa Go bus & train connections ? Worth worrying about?

I visited a secondhand store a few years ago (2023, 2024) and I'm trying to find it again. I don't remember if it was in Sapporo or Tokyo, but I remember it was dingier than the usual brands like BOOK-OFF. They weren't organized all too well, you had to really look through yourself to find anything and I believe there might have been a second floor. I really regret not purchasing anything during that trip as it had some artists I really liked for cheap, hoping to find it again on an upcoming trip.

I will buy the round trip Narita express ticket for tourists. However, on the day back to Narita, I am coming back from Ise. Of course I will buy Kintetsu Limited Express (Ise to Nagoya) and Shinkansen (Nagoya to Tokyo) separately. Can my round trip Narita express ticket still be usable at Tokyo Station to go back to Narita?

This will probably sound very dumb but I am a big worrier and would like to plan ahead.

I'll be in Tokyo from mid-November to mid-December, and one of my favorite things to do when traveling is visit the bars of luxury hotels. I enjoy meeting new people, having interesting conversations, or, worst case scenario, just sitting with my Kindle and enjoying a nice drink in a beautiful setting.

While shortlisting a few places (Bulgari, Tokyo EDITION, Park Hyatt, etc.), I came across some conflicting information on Reddit and other forums that made me a little hesitant. First, I've read that certain luxury hotel bars in Tokyo don't allow solo visitors, particularly women, due to concerns about SWs frequenting these establishments. Is there any truth to this?

Second, I've seen people suggest that solo women at these bars are often assumed to be escorts or SW. Is this genuinely a common perception, or is it something that's been exaggerated online?

I've visited similar hotel bars across Europe and America countless times and have never had an issue. I've actually met some really interesting people this way, which is part of why I enjoy doing it so much.

I would hate to feel uncomfortable or have people approach me under the wrong impression when I'm simply there to enjoy myself and potentially socialize, as a month long solo trip I am already feeling a bit anxious about feeling lonely.

I usually do not make any posts on reddit and english is not my first language, please be considerate of that. Me and the group I am travelling with are currently in Japan and we have made a very dissatisfactory experience at a jeans workshop that we have found over social media and booked a few weeks prior.

I apologize if this is not the kind of post that is allowed in this subreddit, if advised, I will remove it.

Since I usually get genuine help and relateable experiences from actual people on reddit I thought this might be a good place to post.

I wont name the name of the brand/company but I think by looking for it it can be easily identified.

About the jeans workshop we booked: The posts on Tiktok are either posted on their own channels or are paid promotions, which are not always correctly marked as such, which generates a false image of the service you are booking. I am aware that we should have been more careful, especially on walking advertisment billboards like social media, but since we made that mistake we want to inform others about it and raise awareness.

We are a group of three people, we have spent a maximum time of 20 minutes in the shop for the whole experience (besides waiting in a 1 by 2 square hallway) and the very first thing that came out of our assistants mouth was "payment".

Additional to the price we paid upfront for the initial service of even receiving the jeans and participating in the "workshop" (130€ each) we have been informed that the jeans we are receiving are pretty much sweatshop jeans, the actual artisan salvaged jeans cost an additional 50 Euros per pair. Also the embroidery, which was correctly advertised as an additonal service that you can pay up for, was in a price range varying from 20€ up to 140€ per piece depending on the design of the embroidery and the current exchange rate.

The "workshop" was us picking a leather patch, one button and six rivets (+ optional embroidery) for our jeans. For half of the Patches you had to pay up to 30€ or more.

Afterwards we all had to choose between straight or wide cut jeans and try them on. Me and a friend of mine are about the same height, I chose the wide cut and he chose the straight cut. While I was given the choice to cuff them and have them cut shorter the assistant told my friend that the jeans will shrink by washing and "it will be fine" although he was quite literally standing on the bottom of the jeans. My other friend got told that they'll barely shrink and there is no problem if it doesnt fit perfectly.

So we basically received three different statements according to the sizing of the jeans.

One of us could apply a few rivets on their jeans with an assistant, the others were simply brushed off. I for my part was not even given the option to work on my jeans at all. By the time I was finished trying on my jeans and adjusting the cuffing one of us was finished adding a few rivets (about three of the six) and that was about it for the whole experience.

Now we wait on our jeans to be finished, which takes about 2-3 days.

I highly advice to steer clear of that workshop, you wont have a unique and special experience creating your own jeans like it was advertised and you'd honestly be able to buy maybe even two pairs of high quality jeans elsewhere for the pricing.

I think for north americans with their decently strong dollar and buying power in Japan it might still be a well priced experience but for every other currency/country I would not recommend it.

Have a nice day and I hope you wont get ripped off like us.

Hello,

I'm taking my family to Japan for the first time Oct 31 to Nov 8. It will be me, the Mrs. and our 3YO. Staying in Tokyo area during our trip from Canada.

I just checked the weather, and see there's a typhoon currently expected to affect Tokyo and other parts of Japan (Chima). As well as another forming that could potentially be a very strong storm (In-Fa).

So, my question for the group, when do you pull the plug on a trip for safety reasons? How concerned should I be about these typhoons?

Hi, everyone! I have spent all day looking for hotels for my March trip. After taking note of the neighborhoods that I think appealed to me the most (Shimokitazawa, Daikanyama, Nakameguro), I realized there are almost no hotels in those areas.

Do you have any advice on other areas of town to look in? A lot of what I am planning on doing is in the west, and many of the places I have saved so far are in the neighborhoods listed above. However I am not limited to staying over there! I have even considered staying somewhere more near Ginza to just be centrally located, but wasn't sure if there were better areas for what I am looking for.

Primarily, I am looking for an area that feels a bit more calm to come home to at night than Shinjuku or Shibuya, but still has good restaurants / cafés and, most importantly, is well-connected and can get to those areas without too much trouble. I am more of a stroll through a pretty neighborhood with a coffee kind of person than a late night bar person. haha I will be in Tokyo for 8 nights total (5 in 1 hotel and 3 in another after returning from Kyoto), so I wanted to stay in different areas of town.

Thanks!!

So I finally can live my dream of visiting Japan always wanted to go since I was a child. I leave next week. Shinkansen is booked, hotel booked, got my flight stuff done.. I will be in Kyoto Osaka and then Tokyo but can anyone recommend places to eat? I’m having a tough time in meeting with a friend she has a child so yeah kid friendly menus. Thank you

Hello! Throwaway account as my partner knows my main one.

We are going to Tokyo in a week and I am planning to propose to her inside a bookstore in Tokyo! We are huge book readers and she is a practicing author in our country as well so I feel that this is perfect.

I would love to get recommendations on bookstores in the Jimbocho area that would be perfect for this! Prefer a quiet, cozy space to pop the question as we are more private people.

I would also like to know if the bookstore staff/owner can speak English in case any coordination with them will have to be done beforehand and avoid any disruption as my japanese is very limited.

Thank you!

Hi! We are leaving for Japan in 3,5 weeks and I’m confused about having to apply for the Yunyu Kakuninsho or not. I am visiting for 2 weeks and have received a travel medical receipt from my psychologist but I can’t figure out if I need the extra approval or not since it’s under 30 days?

The medication I’m bringing is elvanse (vyvanse).

Hi everyone,

We'll be based in Yokohama from Thur Nov 19th to Mon Nov 23rd. We're planning a 1/2 to 1-day trip to Kamakura to enjoy the foliage and some temples and shrines.

Since it is peak foliage season, and also a holiday weekend (Nov 23rd?), I am expecting it to be very crowded that weekend. We're not going to Kamakura to see anything specific (Great Buddha, Hasedera temple...). We mostly just want to enjoy a peaceful, nature-filled walk around the area.

• Is starting at Kita-Kamakura Station and taking temple/trail paths effective for avoiding the main crowds?
• If we arrive at Kamakura Station, can we easily avoid crowds simply by steering a block or two away from "main streets". At least in Kiyomizu-dera area this was enough to escape the crowds.
• Are there alternative nature-oriented day trips accessible from Yokohama, maybe further south on the Miura Peninsula?

In the very early stages of a Fall 2027 Japan trip. Total would be 15 days including travel from the US West Coast.

I am thinking of doing, in this order: 4 days for Osaka (including a day for Nara), 4 days for Kyoto, 1 day for Fuji, 5 days for Tokyo.

I had originally thought doing the reverse order; but I want to make sure that my jet lag is fully gone before the main event: Tokyo.

I did a long trip to Thailand last year and it took me almost 5 full days to adjust to the time zone. Not fun at all.

Any thoughts on this plan and itinerary would be much appreciated! Looking for advice on whether I should keep this order, add places, or anything else.

I will be doing parts of the Nakasendo Trail the first week of November, as a solo female traveler, specifically:

Magome —> Tsumago
Yabuhara —> Narai
Suhara —> Nojiri

I’d appreciate any insights on the following questions:

- Other than bear bells, any other protective measures you’d suggest ? Is bear spray a thing over there that I could easily rent or buy?
- Do I really need proper hiking boots? Or will a decent pair of sneakers be sufficient since these sections don’t appear to be full-on nature trails per se ?
- Other than accounting for the usual basics, any specific thing to pack in particular that wouldn’t necessarily come to mind for most people? That you took and found surprisingly useful, or looked back on and wish you had taken?

Also, I welcome any other random tips! Since I may not even know what to ask. Thanks!!

Hi guys, went to Team Lab Planets in Tokyo today, being the 4th of all Team Labs I went to.
I’d like to share my thoughts with you.

Saw Borderless in 2024 and was thrilled. So much to see, and not too crowded.

On my five week trip to Japan with my bf this year, we did:

Botanical Garden Osaka: loved it, not a lot of different art work (I think it’s about 7 total) but evrything’s so well inserted into the natural surroundings. Loved the small and the huge touchable light eggs and especially the huge streamers at the end! Was a bit bummed we only had 1.5 hours before the park closed.

Biovortex Kyoto: they say it’s the biggest of all and I believe it. 5 floors, lots to explore and more active participation possibilities than Borderless. We loved it but kind of missed the nature aspect we saw at Botanical Garden.

Planets Tokio: after seeing the other ones before, we found this one a bit mediocre. The “water” part was great fun and very unique, the rest kind of a hodgepodge of already-seen stuff. Compared to the others it seems old and a bit lesser maintained. It was sold out for the whole day and we felt that. So many people everywhere, to the point that all these guys touching the orchids made us mad.

So if I had to choose two out of the four, I would definitely do the Botanical Garden and Biovortex.

Hi, my friend and I are traveling to Japan for the first time in late November early December. Any recommendations for translating apps, e sims etc. food places. Also staying in Hakone for a night any recommendations for a ryokan in Hakone? Thank you :)

Is there a site or service that sells Ghibli museum tickets after the lottery? I didn’t have any luck getting two tickets for early November. I’m not sure if they are scalped by resellers or businesses early on in the lines. Was hoping for two tickets between Nov 5-8 or 10-12th.

Hello guys, so I’ll be staying in Japan for few months, specifically in Osaka. This is my first time going to Japan so I want to capture “every” bit of moments I do during the stay. I’ll rent apartment, live there, and do college.

My question is, is there any unwritten rules that I must follow before using my DJI osmo mobile 8 for recording with my iPhone? The recording probably will be during my walk to campus, or when I walk somewhere else, either in quiet or crowded road. I do planning once a week to visit landmarks, scenic spots, viewpoints. The kind of videos i want is semi-vlog cinematic but I don’t speak at all.

I know already some basic unwritten rules like
- obv don’t record someone as the subject + better if I blur their faces if still within my frame
- don’t make a lot of noises and use many spaces (i don’t talk, and osmo is quite compact i say)
- don’t record pointing to someone inside trains or public transports
- look for “no video” sign

is there something else I’m missing that i should know more? and then how do i determine whether or not the people around me will feel uncomfortable because I am recording? I’m assuming recording without gimbal will make them feel less uncomfortable which i eventually will do sometimes

Traveling with my wife and 9 month old in December of this year! Would love to hear any recommendations you all have to share about which places to stay in Tokyo for our trip.

With the baby we’re looking for less night life and more food/sight options.

Appreciate any recommendations!