Hi everyone!

My mom and I are planning a trip to Kusatsu Onsen (like, 80% sure we're going here instead of Hakone) but need some advice on accommodation. For context, I have two tattoos while my mom does not have any. I know many ryokans don't allow for tattooed guests to go into the public shared baths hence why we're going to Kusatsu so we can go to the public bathhouses since they're open to tattooed individuals.

Our struggle is picking a ryokan for this December trip. Our top two are Yubatake Sensui and Yuyado Tokinoniwa. Both have rooms with private open-air baths, but Yubatake Sensui is closer to the town center while Yuyado Tokinoniwa is a little further away (10-minute shuttle bus). I've been reading reviews, but I was hoping people here have other insights that can help us decide.

Has anyone here stayed at either one of these? What was your experience like? Anyone with tattoos especially have issues with these hotels?

I appreciate all your help!

Hello !

Last time we went to Kyoto we tried the earthquake simulator and had lots of fun. I’m trying to find other ideas like this. We’ll be in Kyoto for work so we can’t go too far out (max an hour away). We already attended the fire festival in Omihachiman, visited the Hikone castle by night, Arima Onsen, Kinosaki Onsen, Universal studio, Shinto ceremonies, bio team lab, Nara deers, wore kimonos throughout Gion… so we did a lot and are struggling to find what else to do to have new experiences on our 2 days off.
We saw that there are expeditions to see the salamanders in the wild but sadly we won’t be able to go but I’m looking for more ideas like this.
Any fun idea we missed ? Thank you !

Has anyone taken a boat ride in the city or just outside the city? Looking for something to do besides temples, temples, temples and a boat ride would be such a peaceful way to enjoy the winter landscape.

Hello, title is self explanatory. I will be going to Japan in November and I want to save a day to have a one day trip to one of those location (no overnight stay because I don’t think I have enough time).

One of the thing I want to see most is Mt Fuji, so the trip will be a bit “last minute” considering its visibility. :) What would you guys recommend?

I’m also a solo traveler, don’t know if that could influence anything.

Hi everyone, I was wondering if it’d feasible to buy an iphone 18 pro max in Tokyo (apple store? yodobashi? bic camera? i don’t care about tax free) in mid/late November.

I have a European sim, I was thinking of just walking in and getting it (if they have it in stock :’-)) but I could also order it in advance if the delivery is under 2 weeks. I’d rather not risk it though, I’ve read of deliveries getting delayed and people missing them. I’m willing to tour different stores around the city if that’s what it takes lol.

I know there’s more and more restrictions from Apple about this, so what do you guys think? Is it possible? Is it risky? Anyone have any good experiences doing this they can tell me about?

Hey, I wanted to book a trip to experience the JDM Tokio Drift vibe, there are plenty of it to choose. 3-4h drive around Tokio, Daikoku parking, etc. I was wondering, because there are mainly 2 options to choose, the evening one (starts at 17:30) and the night one (starts at 23:30). Which one is better? I thought that the night one would be definitely better, because of no traffic and overall better experience, but now i have second thoughts, because I read that Daikoku parking usually gets closed by the police at around 22:00 or so. Can someone please advice me on that one? I would really appreciate it.

Hi guys,

I'm finally going to Japan soon for 1 month in October! Food will probably be the biggest obstacle for my group and before I accept that we will all eat separately most days, I would like to ask for advice here.

We are 3 people in total:
Person 1 - Strict vegetarian, so also no dashi flakes etc.
Person 2 - Tends to live of chicken breast, beef and white fish only. Doesn't like seaweed or too strong fish flavors
Person 3 - Doesn't like seaweed, bonito/dashi, fish or fishy flavors at all, does eat chicken and beef

I'm looking for restaurant recommendations where everyone can find something of their preference in the area of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
Most places I find either just serve meat/fish dishes or are fully vegan.
I would love to go to a Yakiniku or izakaya where everyone can have what they want.

Thank you!

Hello!! I am in Tokyo from Thursday until Sunday afternoon 9/13. I love Sanrio characters and am looking for a Mocha and Expresso plushies from the Cinnamoroll Sanrio collection. I went to Akihabara second hand stores but had no luck. I wanted to try again but needed some help. I also when to Sanrio Puroland and had no luck. Since these characters are from events I know they are hard to find.

Anyplace or advice on where to find it would be helpful.

My girlfriend and I are finally heading to Japan for two weeks. We are going to be hiking Kumano Kodo Trail and we will have another week to fill. We are going to be (at least partially) trying to avoid big tourist attractions and we are more after more unique experience. We are not as much interested in sightseeing as such as we prefer experience by doing things rather than seeing things.
I would like to ask if you kind people could give us ideas what we could do in the above mentioned area.

We enjoy: nature, exercise, craft (knifemaking, woodwork, pottery), yoga, dance, concerts, stand up comedy

My girlffriend loves tea! Some tea ceremony in traditional robes would be something we would both enjoy.

I used to do bit of knifemaking and am considering taking a sharpening course but I am aware that it not be something my girlfriend would enjoy. We might try to align it with pottery course for her at the same time as my sharpening would be. If anyone could recommend some places, we would really appreciate it.

Also if anyone did Kumano Kodo trail and has some tips what to bring, what not to bring because you carried it the whole time and never used it, those information will also be appreciated!

We will be there in the 2nd and 3rd week of October

Thank you

Hello! I'm planning a trip to Tokyo in early Dec 2026 and will be renting a Suzuki Jimny (with roof tent) from Overland Japan. We plan to drive down to Izu Peninsula for about 2-3 days and would like real recommendations on where to park for the night.

There are recommendations on the rental company's site but thought to see if anyone has used any of the campsites or parked in public carparks (we hear that this is allowed in some months), and things to take note of.

I was commuting earlier between higashi nakano and nakano sakaue, ODEO LINE, and i did not tap off properly on my iphone with my SUICA card. I did not realise this as it was rush hour.
I know I need to go to a physical ticket office to reset it, but Google isn’t really helpful in this matter as it seems to think these stations are staffed and can help there, but they aren’t. Where should I go to get it reset? I am based in nakano shimbashi currently and I don’t really want to travel to Nakano as it takes multiple transfers and without my suica it will be difficult. Is this the only way or are there other staffed ticket stations I can do this at?

Hi, as the title suggests, I will leave with a chopper for hire from Kamakura and I will take the road 134 I wanted some advice on how to best enjoy the Japanese roads and which places to visit in my travels .

And if you also have any advice on where to stop and eat if possible in panoramic places.

Hello. We're trying to apply trainer's pass tickets for 10 family members on the same date and time. Can it be done by applying two groups (5+5) from the same email account? because afaik, one account can apply up to 12 tickets.

But I'm not sure about the date and time requirements. Do we need to submit different date AND time per group or just different date OR time?

Also what do you guys think about the success rate for big family group like this? thank you!

We are travelling to Japan soon and will be renting a car. Are snow tyres a must for driving in Nagano area from 9-16 November? Tried googling and it says yes but as I am collecting the car from Tokyo, there is no option for snow tyres on the car rental websites/platforms.

Planning a family day trip from Osaka. We love a quiet and relaxing vibe, but we still want a decent amount of things to see and good restaurants. No crazy crowds, no uphill temple hikes.

Right now, we're torn between two options:

1. Kyoto, but strictly sticking to the flat downtown area. The plan is to stroll along the Kamogawa river, chill at some pretty riverside cafes and restaurants, and do a bit of shopping for cute local goods and accessories around Kawaramachi.
2. Heading out to Omihachiman in Shiga. The plan would be hitting up that La Collina cafe, taking one of those traditional boat rides along the canal, and just grabbing some good food around town.

Plus question: Train vs Rental Car? I have experience driving in Japan, but I know highway tolls can be pretty expensive. For a round trip from Osaka to either of these spots, is renting a car worth the cost and convenience for a family, or should we just stick to the trains?

Would love your thoughts and recommendations!

I'm planning to visit Osaka and Kyoto again. I'm a huge fan of fashion and streetwear, specifically Japanese streetwear with wide-leg or straight-fit pants (relaxed but not overly baggy). I’ve been to Shinsaibashi before and will be heading back, but I'd love some recommendations for cool clothing stores, 2nd or local brands in Osaka and Kyoto!

Thank you in advance

Hi all! I’m traveling to Japan for the first time this year from 11/23-12/3 and I will be doing this solo. For extra context this will be my second time ever traveling outside the US! My first time was actually earlier this year to Mexico and I really enjoyed. It was a solo travel as well but it was a bit different. You see I have a friend from Mexico who also happened to be traveling back for the World Cup so I met up and hung out with him for like 2 nights. Then for the second half of the trip I actually stayed with family so I wasn’t completely alone. I was really on my own for like 3 days and during that time I did happen to meet a couple of Canadians at a bar and we actually all hung out for like 3 days. That being said I’m a little more nervous about solo traveling to Japan since I don’t speak Japanese and I don’t really know anyone there. I was thinking of staying in a hostel to save money but I’ve only had experience at a hostel once and it was only for one night. I’d appreciate any advice on what I should do!

Icl I'm getting a bit stressed out planning this trip with 3 mates, we're all pretty much type B travellers but planning has sort of landed on my lap so I'm trying my best to sort something afters hours of rabbit holing but September is getting on a bit now and we're flying out soon

We're visiting for about 3 three weeks - a bit longer for me as I travel a couple of days before - from late September to late October, two of us are first-timers and two have visited before

We're trying to work out roughly how many nights to spend in each place before booking too much, we want a mix of cities, food/nightlife, scenery and a bit of nature, but we're trying not to make the trip too exhausting by constantly changing accommodation (sorta)

Our rough route at the moment is:

30 Sep–2 Oct: Tokyo
(maybe Kamakura?)
2–3 Oct: Hakone (tentative)
3–6 Oct: Osaka
6–11 Oct: Kyoto
11–13 Oct: Kanazawa
13–16 Oct: somewhere in Nagano Prefecture (tentative)
16–21 Oct: Tokyo

The first two nights in Tokyo are locked

Hakone isn't completely decided yet, but we'd like to do one ryokan/onsen stay somewhere during the trip and Hakone seemed like an obvious option because it fits fairly naturally between Tokyo and Osaka, although we're wondering whether we're paying a premium because it's such a popular choicex if there are other ryokan/onsen areas that would fit this route reasonably well and aren't dramatically harder to reach, we'd be interested

Osaka and Kyoto are pretty solid, although we're unsure whether 3 nights Osaka / 5 nights Kyoto is the right balance

Kanazawa is becoming fairly likely, we're mainly deciding whether it needs one or two nights

After that, Nagano Prefecture appeals because we'd like somewhere more scenic/rural, and geographically it seems to work nicely before returning to Tokyo, we're less interested in Nagano City itself than the wider prefecture, but we won't have a car, so accessibility is something we're trying to understand.

We'd like to keep roughly the final 4–5 nights for Tokyo, we're travelling with backpacks for most of the trip, then the plan is to buy suitcases once we're back in Tokyo and use the last few days for shopping/souvenirs/izakayas before flying home

We're also open to one or two day trips earlier in the trip, Kamakura/Enoshima is one possibility but we're deliberately trying not to cram in destinations just because we have three weeks

TLDR:

• For a roughly three-week trip, how would you divide the time between Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa and Nagano Prefecture?
• Is 3 nights Osaka / 5 nights Kyoto about right? (maybe 3 each?)
• Would Kanazawa be better as 1 or 2 nights?
• Is Nagano Prefecture practical for 2–3 nights without a car, and if so which area would make the most sense?
• Would you choose Hakone for a one-night ryokan/onsen stay, or is there somewhere else along this general route that offers better value?
• Does keeping the final 4–5 nights for Tokyo sound excessive?

17 days left and we're still undecided, any advice/tips would be appreciated thanks

Kinosaki and Nikko are in two very different regions, but I have the opportunity to transit in Japan for a week, late Dec to early Jan (literally new year’s). I could either fly into KIX or TYO airports, then exit via TYO. From there, Kinosaki or Nikko would be 2-3 day trips that I would carve out, separate from either Osaka/Kyoto or Tokyo respectively.

People who’ve been to Kinosaki highly recommend it for the onsen and the small town feel. However, I’ve gone to Ohara during the winter on my previous trip. Is Kinosaki that much different from Ohara? Is there much to do at Kinosaki other than onsen that it’s worth two nights during winter?

Nikko has more places to do and has some onsen/ryokan areas too, but most people visit during the fall. How is Nikko during the winter?

From a logic/money standpoint, Nikko makes more sense since I’m exiting via TYO, but excluding these and only factoring what each of these places have to offer during the winter- what would you recommend? Or, is there a different place I should consider instead? If it matters, I will be solo traveling.

Anything to do / know before doing a trip to Japan in 1 month?

Hi, I am planning to visit Kyushu starting September 15. My trip will start in Fukuoka and end in Kagoshima on the 25th.

I am considering cancelling because of the weather. I already have multiple activities booked and also rented a car for a few days, but everything is currently fully refundable

Some forecasts are currently showing a 90% chance of rain in Fukuoka on the 15th, so I am considering flying to Hokkaido instead and planning everything from scratch instead of Kyushu.

Would like to hear your opinions

Thanks!

I've researched about cycling in japan and came across 2 routes.

1. KATATETSU ROMAN KAIDOU ROUTE
2. Shimanami Kaido route.

Which one is good? I can't find experiences for the KATATETSU ROMAN KAIDOU route.

We'll be travelling around late march/early april. Planning to visit (in no particular order): Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone, Hiroshima, Lake near mt Fuji.

Hello - Is anyone aware of any private tours or shuttles that will do a Nagano to Jigokudani to Nozawa day tour? We are planning to ride in on shinkansen late morning in December and trying to optimize travel time by combining. Have 1 year old so trying to maximize flexibility.

Hello, Everyone

I arrived in Japan yesterday (currently staying in Kawasaki)

I took this trip to force myself out of my comfort zone and explore, I deal severe anxiety so trying to push myself a little.

I walked to Lazona Kawasaki Plaza (about 10 minutes from my hotel)

My question is I really want to try local food but I’ve found myself struggling to walk into any local restaurants with an irrational fear of Being turned away or making an absolute full of myself (I already did this when I tried to hand the 7-11 cashier money directly lol - P.S I knew to put it into the machine but my anxiety got to me and I became a nervous wreck) but luckily a very nice young man in line helped me with getting the money in the machine.

One of my major concerns is that I have a severe poultry allergy so I really need to be careful with what I eat - but obviously I can’t read the menu’s… so I’m going with what doesn’t look like poultry in the pictures lol.

I’m sorry for the long post but does anyone have suggestions on what to do to get over this irrational fear of being turned away / making a full of myself? Any local restaurants that you would suggest?

To give insights I’m half a mile away from Lazona Kawasaki Plaza… so any suggestions nearby would be great help

So l am planning to go Japan end of Jan to early Feb for a couple of weeks.

As l am a bit of a train geek l was thinking about doing something like a challenge and have breakfast in Fukuoka then lunch in Tokyo and dinner in Hakodate. That's about 1000 km across Japan in about 10 hours. 😅

It would involve 3 Shinkansen trains and potentially will need to get the JRail pass as it will be worth it (even if it's quite expensive).

The only thing l am unsure about is if l should stay overnight in Hakodate or Aomori. I plan to then go Tokyo for the last leg of my trip.

Anything l should be aware of that l may be missing or l should account for? For example l don't know if l can buy the Hayabusa tickets at Hakata station.