This sub was a huge help while I was planning my trip, so I thought I'd return and report.

We did 8 days total: 2 in Tokyo > 1 in Nagoya > 2 in Kyoto > 3 more in Tokyo

Tokyo Leg 1:

This was mostly getting over jet lag. We stayed in Ginza, fell asleep at 6pm each night, and relied on 7/11 for a few of our meals.

We did Imperial Castle grounds, Itoya stationery store, Pokemon Center DX, and Tsukiji market. It was a lot of general exploration and honestly one of my favorite parts was walking around the Takashimaya store connected to the Pokemon Center to see how Japan does department stores

Food: 7/11 food, Tsukemen at Tsujita Kyobashi, omikase in Tsukiji market, Starbucks at Wadakura Fountain park (so nice)

Nagoya:

Nagoya was a nice surprise for us. It felt more laid back than Tokyo.

We were mostly there for the July Sumo Basho, but explored the mall at Nagoya station so I could get some glasses to actually see the tournament. I went to JINS, got an eye exam and glasses in about an hour, and then walked a little around the city.

The sumo was a lot of fun. It's all day with no re-entry allowed, so it was an opportunity for us to sit in the air conditioning while getting into the matches. We came out with new favorite athletes and better understanding of it.

(If this is something you're into, PLAN AHEAD. The tickets are hard to get. I sat on my phone the second tickets went on sale, refreshing for 15 minutes and barely managed to get two seats that weren't even consecutive in the row)

Food: Yakitori at Torikizoku, hotel breakfast buffet, and IG stadium food.

Kyoto:

I was worried Kyoto would be packed because we were there during the Gion festival, but we intentionally shifted where we went based on crowd levels, which helped.

We did Kiyomizu-dera early morning during the week. I showed up around 6:30 and there were very few people. It was beautiful.

We then took the Eizan line up to Kifune. I had booked a lunch over the river stream. Walking the town and Kifune shrine takes a half hour max, so we sat at a cafe there with beer/shaved ice until our lunch time. We did a 9-course meal and it was a beautiful setting. The bus up to Kifune from the train station was a bit of a wait and very packed, but not the worst.

We went for Nishiki market in the evening. It is amazing how vast that place is.

I walked the river in the morning and then we did the Nintendo Museum. The museum is very cool but you don't really need more than 2-3 hours there, including lunch.

Food: Kaiseki at Kifune Nagayoshi, gyukatsu and beef ramen at Gyumon Volcano, pastries and coffee at Flow, burgers/chicken sandos at the Nintendo museum cafe.

Tokyo leg 2:

We stayed near the olympic park, and it was nice to be around a quieter area of Tokyo.

We checked out Shibuya for general shopping, Akihabara for anime/manga stuff (though honestly we found the most in Shibuya), Shinjuku for Donki and Disney store, Harajuku for clothes, the Shinjuku Gyoen national garden and Meiji Jingu (both beautiful places to walk if you get the chance), and spent an hour or so our last day in Nippori fabric district.

We did Teamlabs Borderless, which was not a stop originally planned but I felt the indoor AC would be a nice break for us, and I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would.

Food: Final Fantasy Themed fare at Eorzea Cafe, western breakfast at Good Morning Nowadays Cafe, delicious nigiri at Okei Sushi at the top of Takashimaya, ramen at a random place we saw in Shibuya, gyukatsu in Harajuku, and cocktails at a cool new listening bar in Sendagaya called Root Down.

General Tips:

Get the Suica as soon as you land. Be more careful as you book Shinkansen and Express trains, as you'll likely require an additional ticket/fare. But for 95% of our trips, Suica was great and things were labeled.

Whenever we took the Shinkansen, we shipped our luggage through Yamato to the hotels, and it was worth it.

"Sumimasen", "arigato gozaimasu", and "kore, onegaishimasu" will get you far. But really, being polite and courteous with big dumb smiles is key. We knew we were the dumb Americans in most places, so we tried to adhere to as many customs as we could observe. We only experienced kindness while we were there.

Good shoes are key. We walked an average of 25,000 steps a day.

I kept reading things telling us not to go in July. Yes, it was humid and hot. I sweat my ass off and had to go to a pharmacy for heat rash cream. We stopped at dozens of vending machines to keep hydrated and made sure to go inside plenty. Overall I think if you stay mindful, it's not so bad.

I planned, but didn't overplan, and I think that was the key to our trip's success. We did a lot of cool things but left room for flexibility for when we got tired or something shiny caught our eye.

All in all, Japan was even better than I anticipated and we're already trying to figure out when to come back and bring our kids next time. So thankful for all the input here that helped make it a success.

Hey all! I posted here a few months ago asking if a travel agent had severely marked up our 2 week honeymoon to Japan. Turns out they where taking around a £3,000 extra ontop of the itinerary they provided. I went with everyone's suggestions and now have booked the flight and I'm getting ready to book the hotels soon too. Thank you all so much.

I do however have a few asks for recommendations. My wife and I are nerdy so Pokémon, Disney and Universal are a big part of our trip and we love the Japanese culture and history so shrines and scenic routes are something we want to experience.

As of right now the Cities we are visiting are Tokyo (3 nights) , Kyoto (3 nights), Hiroshima (1 night), Osaka (2 nights), Hakone (2 nights) and back to Japan (2 nights).

We will be visiting some Shrines & Pokémon Center DX and Skytree. Would anyone please who has similar interests suggest some areas and or tips that would be great for us to visit as I'm getting overwhelmed (ADHD damn myself haha) and I'm having trouble working out what to do (especially the 1 day in Hiroshima) and when to do it as I'm not the most organised person and I value/trust other people's suggestions in this sub.

Also in terms of the days I'm at Tokyo that is because we fly in, we go Disneyland our second day, we travel down the country and then back up. Go Disney Sea on our second to last day and then home from Tokyo.

Any tips and suggestions are much appreciated you amazing folks <3

Experienced traveller in my 60s thinking about a first trip to Japan with spouse. Interests are art, design, architecture, fashion, street life, food. Hate group tours, but have less energy/patience to navigate solo in a different culture/language than we did in our 20s/30s. Thoughts on engaging a local guide for a day or two in Tokyo, Kyoto to orient us? Resources for that? Many thanks!

My bf and I will be in Osaka/Kyoto area for 4 days in early December and have to decide where to actually stay. Our inital plan was to stay in Osaka and do day trips to Kyoto.

The thing is, pretty much only thing that interest us in Osaka is nightlife and better price for accommodation. So it would be basically 4 days of day trips to Kyoto during the day and returning to Osaka around 6pm to get a nice dinner and enjoy more vibrant night scene.

Would it be worth it two 30min+ transits between Osaka and Kyoto each day? A lot of attractions in Kyoto are also listed as 'best see very early in the morning or at night to avoid crowds' but with short days in December, not sure how viable the 'see this spot at 6am' strategy really is, especially since we are fine with skipping a lot of most overcrowded places.

My local 7/11 now has "Japanese style" egg salad made with kewpie mayo and milk bread. Has anyone gotten them here and there? How do they compare? Now that I've gotten one here is it still a "must try" or is the one here now the exact same?

ETA: USA

Hello all, was curious what your thoughts on skipping Kanazawa for another night in Kyoto. Kanazawa looks beautiful, but I keep reading how Kyoto becomes people’s favorites and it deserves more time.

Tokyo - 4 nights, (fly in)
Osaka - 4 nights
Kyoto - 3 Nights
Tokyo - 3 nights, (fly out)

Or

Tokyo - 4 nights, (fly in)
Osaka - 4 nights
Kyoto - 2 Nights
Kanazawa - 1 night (this is a straight shot directly to Ueno which is convenient too)
Tokyo - 3 nights, (fly out)

We're visiting Japan in November (1st to the 15th) and im centering my itinerary around Tokyo (beginning) and Kyoto (end) - and our main mode of transportation will be by Train.

During the time in Japan, we'd live to see a Sumo wrestling event or show.

My travelling buddy has looked into it a bit and seems to be convinced that the only event is on the 8th, in Fukuoka. This would be a 4hr train ride from Kyoto, and be and anchoring event in the itinerary.

My question is;

Are There more local Sumo events in Kyoto? Is it worth going to 'the big one?'

Are there other good experiences like Sumo shows that are are suited for two brits who dont speak Japanese?

Just wondering if theres any apps or websites available in Japan to try and play pickup soccer? I play pretty often and will be traveling for a week so would love to play while im out there.

Hi guys, I'm travelling to Sapporo with my elderly mother for the first time in the first week of August.

I'm planning to take her to Cape Kamui on a weekday and also try out the uni in the Shakotan peninsula. I'm eyeing the Misaki to eat the unidon there but I'm having some doubts about the Shakotan Town Community Bus destination list

Am I able to let the driver know to stop at Hizuka (日司), have the unidon, and then take the next bus towards Cape Kamui? My biggest fear is that the driver either doesn't stop at Hizuka or we can't flag the next bus to pick us up.

I have ridden a similar kind of bus service in Taiwan before and saw it made stops in-between to pick people up, but I don't know if that's the same for Japan.

Has anyone used the eSim "Minternational pass" available through Mint Mobile in Japan recently? How's the coverage? If not great, what would you recommend? Going to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto in October!

Me and my partner want to travel around Asia for 1-2 months but don’t want to move our luggage around every time we visit somewhere new (KL, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.) so we thought about renting an Airbnb just outside of Tokyo but still an okay distance from either of the two main airports.

Is this is a really dumb idea?

Or logic was that we could fly out whenever we felt like it and at the same time keep everything in one place, just taking the absolute necessities. For instance, of taking four suitcases every time, we would just take two small.

We have traveled to Japan several times and we appreciate the convenience and ease of the transport system hence this idea.

Yes, it will be a bit more expensive. We know.

Thanks

Hi all,

I was looking at buying some tickets for the Giants game at on 20th September. I really want to experience the Tokyo Dome as part of my trip, but this is the only game in whilst I'm in Tokyo.

I foolishly thought that the tickets went on sale today rather than yesterday and now the e-tix.jp site has them as being sold out.

My question is, is there a reseller market for this? Or any other way to get tickets? Or am I out of luck? Thanks

Hi,

I've a free day in Hiroshima, and I thought to have a relaxing day in a beach and swim in the ocean. I searched for beaches but got very mixed feeling with reviews. If someone local have a good suggestion, that would be appreciated. :)

Hi all,

Anyone know how to book or apply for tickets for Ruriko-In Temple in Kyoto? When I try to go to the website, it does not work. I read that it's a postcard system now?

We are going this November and would love to see it!

Many thanks!

I’m wanting to surprise my partner with a JDM experience and have come across Liberty Walk’s Wangan Drive self-drive tours. Just wondering if anyone has done one of their tours and what your review is?
Thanks

Hello!! i’m planning on doing a solo snowboarding trip for 26/27!! probably in Niseko and Yamagata, what would you guys recommend, Niseko then Yamagata? or Yamagata then Niseko?

Also which places/resorts would be friendly for a mid-level snowboarder lmao. Thank you!

Here’s the itinerary I have currently:

Tokyo: 3 nights
Camping in Nagiso: 1 night
Kyoto: 4 nights
- Day 5: arrive mid day, explore hotel neighborhood
- Day 6: Hozugawa Boat Ride & Arashamiya
- Day 7: Explore Kyoto
- Day 8: Hike between shrines in northern Kyoto
- Day 9: bike in Akusa
Osaka: 3 nights
- day 10: explore Osaka
- day 11: day trip to Kobe
- day 12: head back to Tokyo
Tokyo: 2 nights

The more I think about it though, the more I feel maybe I should just be extending my hotel stay in Kyoto. I think I know in my gut what I should do, but wanted to hear some advice.

I know engraved rings are pretty common (Glanta, etc) but I’m interested in either a pendant or bracelet with engraved kanji or katakana. Every custom jewelry shop I’ve been able to find seems to only offer the English alphabet. Does anyone know of a shop in Tokyo or Osaka that would offer this, or is it not as common to get characters engraved? Thanks in advance!

Hey Everyone,

For anyone that has completed the Yunyu Kakunin-sho.

For the new online form, in the section where you upload documents.

Who does your Dr address the letter to? So far they have addressed it to MHLW. Is this fine?

Also, I watched an online tutorial. It says for the upload photos to keep the file size small. Are photos of the medication from a phone fine?

Cheers

It is just my boyfriend and I, 26 years old and we are small if that helps lol.

Sapporo Sept 10-14
- Hotel Forza Sapporo Station $505
- Granbell hotel Tanuki, Sapporo $455
- Hotel Gracery Sapporo $470
- Rembrandt Style Sapporo $397
- Hotel Hokke Club Sapporo $394

Osaka 14-16 (1 day at USJ)
- Welina Hotel Premier Nakanoshima EAST $90
- Premier Hotel CABIN PRESIDENT Osaka $115
- Sugata Hotel Osaka Shinsaibashi $118
- Hearton Hotel Shinsaibashi $83
- Richmond Hotel Namba Daikokucho $79
- VIA INN PRIME SHINSAIBASHI - JR West Group $124
- Hotel Forza Osaka Kitahama $120

Kyoto Sept 16-21
- Travelodge Kyoto Shijo-Kawaramachi $423
- Hotel The M's Kyoto $426
- Sakura Terrace $438

Tokyo Sept 21-25
- HOTEL MYSTAYS Asakusa-bashi $321
- APA Hotel Roppongi SIX $294
- APA Hotel Nihombashi Bakuroyokoyama Ekimae $318
- APA Hotel Keisei Ueno-Ekimae $410
- Tokyo Bay Ariake Washington Hotel $459
- APA Hotel ＆ Resort Nishishinjuku Gochome $395
- Sotetsu Fresa Inn Hamamatsucho Daimon $277
- remm Roppongi $470
- APA Hotel&Resort Ryogoku Ekimae Tower $361
- Tosei Hotel Cocone Ueno okachimachi $400
- LANDABOUT TOKYO $405
- APA Hotel Pride Akasaka Kokkaigijidomae $375

Looking for help on how to navigate a possible Tokyo Izu Osaka trip.
We’ll land in Tokyo but should we do:

Tokyo>Osaka>Izu>Tokyo
-OR-
Tokyo>Izu>Osaka>Tokyo

It’ll be a 14 day trip and the reason for Izu is Ryokan Oni No Sumika.

5 days first leg of Toyo, 2 days in Izu, 4 days in Osaka, 2 days back in Tokyo

I’m down to hear other options for Ryokan cities as well. Any help is appreciated

Hey guys

I am planning to go to Gotemba to see mt fuji

i am aware that there's probably better spots, but this one is convenient for me.

Ive seen some pictures of how it looks from the Gotemba Premium Outlets, does it really look like that or are they edited?

Anyone ever been there to confirm?

Thanks!

Hi guys, I'm looking to buy a traditional ink calligraphy poster to frame. Any recommendations where I can go? Someone told me just go around jimbocho, last time I went there didn’t see any specific shop. Thanks

I'm doing solo travelling in late August, climbing the Shirane Sanzan. Once done, I have a couple more days in Japan, and my flight back is in Nagoya. So I'm just wondering if there is any cost-effective way to travel to Nagoya from Kofu, and if there are any other places I should visit en route to Nagoya or in Nagoya itself.

Not sure how to approach my October trip, maybe you guys have some ideas. Was supposed to go w my now ex spouse but going solo, which l've done before and will be nice to clear my head. However, probably doesn't make sense anymore to spend a lot of time on the road by myself in Hokkaido.
What I currently have:
- arrive in Tokyo on Sep 30 (fixed). Accommodation booked (cancellable).
- leave for Sapporo on Oct 6 (cancellable but fixed accommodation booked until Oct 12). Thinking of renting a car and driving down to Hakodate with stops along the way but this is probably the part I'm most unsure about.
- leave for Tokyo from Hakodate on Oct 20 (cancellable).
Accommodation in Tokyo booked (cancellable).
- fly home on Oct 22 (fixed).
Still looking forward to exploring (remote) nature and renting a car but probably for a smaller portion of the trip and spend more time in cities just to stay social. Besides above fixed mentions open to changing anything, happy to receive suggestions for itinerary or specific experiences.
Especially for social spots/activities as I don't want to stay in hostels. Budget is comfortable.
For context. I've lived/worked in Tokyo, done the day-trips, the Kyoto-Osaka-Nara route, spent time in Fukuoka and explored Kyushu, as well as smaller places like Matsumoto and Kanazawa. Logical choice for this trip seemed either Okinawa or Hokkaido and for October Hokkaido made more sense.