16 days in Japan - help me plan an itinerary

[wong]

If you're going in April - you may catch the cherry blossom time - very pretty.

[Sheetmaself]

Japanese rail pass definitely you can get a full country one or an area one so may be cheaper to get a week full and area ones depending what your up to. You can pre book seats on bullet trains with the normal pass and i would suggest that it is worth it even if your booking ng the seat for the next train into the station.

The passes are not the quickest to arrive at your door though so i would get a move on and buy as soon as poss.

As for driving i wouldnt if it were me. We have a car we share with others over there but i only use it lol cally or for up into the mountains anything it becomes expensive with toll roads and takes longer than the train.

[parabolica]

wong said:

If you're going in April - you may catch the cherry blossom time - very pretty.

I went end of March and the cherry blossoms were just coming out - it was a major media event and almost every park had tons of news crews and citizens with elaborate cameras (because Japan) taking photos and videos like it was the first time.

It was very pretty, especially at night with the parks lit up. Late March meant everything else was pretty bare though; would be more spectacular in April.

[loafer123]

We stayed in Japan last year as part of a round the world trip and it was our favourite destination.

Highlights were staying in Yama No Chaya - traditional Ryokan with private in room onsen as well as shared ones. The food was exceptional, but I wouldn't want it every day.

The bullet train was great - well worth the money, and a great way to get between big cities.

In Tokyo, eat at Andy's aka http://www.andysfish.com/ and if you get on with him, he'll take you around the fish market the next morning when he buys the next day's supply. The food is amazing - it is a traditional Japanese "pub" with salarymen smoking and drinking sake, so a real experience. You need to book, but Andy is English, so it isn't hard.

We also ate at Amoroso - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1... - where you are one of 12 diners sitting at the kitchen bar watching him cook for you. Don't touch the wine bottle - apparently he can get very cross, but he is a master chef. Very small so you need to book.

We had a guided tour of Akihabara with a "french maid" which took us to places foreigners don't normally go, and we learnt alot about the culture as a result. It isn't as sleazy as it sounds and was suitable for our 13 and 10 year olds. I did check four times beforehand, though!

We had a fun evening at the Robot Restaurant - terrible food, but hilariously japanese over the top show.

Very easy to get around Tokyo on the metro and trains with the PASMO card, and very cheap.

Kyoto was more chilled, with lots of temples - very hot when we were there. Visit the market - 1km of street/alley with fabulous shops and restaurants.

You'll have a fantastic time. We are planning a trip to Hokkaido next.

[smithyithy]

I fly out on Saturday for 3 weeks!

Doing Tokyo - Nagoya (base for the F1), Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo.

Flights were about £900 return, Birmingham to Tokyo Haneda with relatively short transfers at Munich. This is with ANA operated by Lufthansa.

Staying a regular hotel in Tokyo, AirBnB in Nagoya, and Ryokans in Osaka and Kyoto.

PockeyWiFi was about £80 for 3 weeks, unlimited data 4G etc. JapanRail pass was about £420, it was just (by about a fiver) worth me buying the 3-week pass over a 2-week.

http://www.japan-guide.com/ is one of the main sites I used for research, very helpful. Think about what you want to see and do there, look up some itinerary suggestions and go from there. I changed mine up loads of times but happy with what I've got, it covers enough stops to also allow for day trips out to other places like Nara, Hiroshima etc.

Have fun planning it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Regarding onsens: Yeah, tattoos are pretty much a no-go. However, after searching high and low, I found this place, located just over an hour from Tokyo (easy train ride): http://www.yamatonoyu.com/eng/

I'll be spending some time there before my morning flight back

ETA: @loafer - did you prebook for the Robot Restaurant or get tickets on the day?

[loafer123]

smithyithy said:

I fly out on Saturday for 3 weeks!

Doing Tokyo - Nagoya (base for the F1), Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo.

Flights were about £900 return, Birmingham to Tokyo Haneda with relatively short transfers at Munich. This is with ANA operated by Lufthansa.

Staying a regular hotel in Tokyo, AirBnB in Nagoya, and Ryokans in Osaka and Kyoto.

PockeyWiFi was about £80 for 3 weeks, unlimited data 4G etc. JapanRail pass was about £420, it was just (by about a fiver) worth me buying the 3-week pass over a 2-week.

http://www.japan-guide.com/ is one of the main sites I used for research, very helpful. Think about what you want to see and do there, look up some itinerary suggestions and go from there. I changed mine up loads of times but happy with what I've got, it covers enough stops to also allow for day trips out to other places like Nara, Hiroshima etc.

Have fun planning it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Regarding onsens: Yeah, tattoos are pretty much a no-go. However, after searching high and low, I found this place, located just over an hour from Tokyo (easy train ride): http://www.yamatonoyu.com/eng/

I'll be spending some time there before my morning flight back

ETA: @loafer - did you prebook for the Robot Restaurant or get tickets on the day?

We pre-booked the Robot Restaurant - and it was full.

[parabolica]

You have to pre-book the Robot Restaurant; they run 4 shows a day but they are always busy, especially the evening ones. You can book online easy enough.

[smithyithy]

Cheers guys, will do. Definitely don't want to miss it!

[Mr MXT]

Came onto the thread just to recommend the robot restaurant.

[WD39]

Konnichi-wa...good morning
Ohayo gozaimas...Hello
Arigato..Thank you
O genki desuka...How are you.
Honto ne...Is that right.
Kombanwa...Good evening.
Kohee...Coffee
Gomen nasai...Sorry.

Two beers please, my friend will pay.. the same the world over!

Have a great time

[kiethton]

Thanks all - much appreciated

GF's bday next week whilst we are away (Croatia, not Japan unfortunately!) - can't remember if I said the trip (well flights anyway) are a bday present to her

Looks like we've got a lot to plan!

[Sheetmaself]

WD39 said:

Konnichi-wa...good morning
Ohayo gozaimas...Hello
Arigato..Thank you
O genki desuka...How are you.
Honto ne...Is that right.
Kombanwa...Good evening.
Kohee...Coffee
Gomen nasai...Sorry.

Two beers please, my friend will pay.. the same the world over!

Have a great time

Just to add to this
nandare , but why?
Nandare , are you sure?
NANdare, come off it idiot!
NANDARE, get proper bent you tool!!!!!

[kiethton]

Thanks for all the pointers all, a great wealth of material to look at.

I've just got the flights now after surprising bet whilst away last week - LOT, connecting in Warsaw, leave on good Friday, back on the bank holiday Monday (1 May). Land on the Saturday morning and leave Monday morning, not too bad! - for £480 especially!

Now to start the full itinerary planning, thinking to have a few days in Tokyo at bother the beginning and end?

Decided on the train too - so much less hassle, will get a JR pass sorted ASAP too

[frye]

Evening

I didn't bother buying pocket wifi whilst in Japan and if I really needed to send something over the net on my phone while I was out, I just found the nearest 7/11 or Mcdonalds and used their free wifi standing outside them.

I recommend buying a Suica Card, it pays for a lot more than the subway. I grew quite attached to mine.

I just need to go back now in the winter. The summer there was hooooot!

[kiethton]

Thanks for all the pointers, we're only 6 weeks away and the house refurb has meant I haven't yet booked anything beyond the flights....

I have however, scoped out a broad itinerary based on both comments here and this: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2400_tokyo_14.html

We take off on Good Friday, arrive Saturday morning and fly back early on 1 May.

Basic intentions so far are:

Date	Day Start	Day End	Activity
14/4	Heathrow	Air	CFA Revision
15/4	Tokyo	Tokyo	Arrive & explore
16/4	Tokyo	Tokyo	West Tokyo
17/4	Tokyo	Tokyo	Nikko
18/4	Tokyo	Tokyo	Kamakura
19/4	Tokyo	Nagano	Asukusa half day then on
20/4	Nagano	Takayama	??
21/4	Takayama	Hakone	Onsen
22/4	Hakone	Kyoto	Onsen and explore Kyoto
23/4	Kyoto	Kyoto	Nara
24/4	Kyoto	Kyoto	Arashiyama
25/4	Kyoto	Mount Koya	Cell2
26/4	Mount Koya	Osaka	Mt Koya morning then Osaka
27/4	Osaka	Hiroshima	Osaka morning then Hiroshima
28/4	Hiroshima	Miyajima	Cell2
29/4	Miyajima	Tokyo	Leave Miyajima mid-morning to go to Tokyo
30/4	Tokyo	Tokyo	Mega Web & Mario Karts around Tokyo
1/5	Tokyo	Fly	CFA revision...

[Sheetmaself]

6 weeks to go get the rail pass booked now, last one came after a week before that ive waited a month.

Dont bother with green car pass plenty of room in standard. Always reserve a train seat even if your at the station and about to get on.

Im going in a week for a few days so can let you know about weather kyoto type way, im going to Kyushu, i would also consider renting a phone, but again they run out quickly so may be worth doing this now. You will either need a phone or to have a data sim card and a phone of yours to bring that allows data calls as uk phones will not have the correct bandwith to work in Japan.

Edited by Sheetmaself on Friday 10th March 16:45

[parabolica]

Urgh... exactly a year since I went back to Tokyo; can't wait to go back (again!). Will be impressed if you can actually 'arrive & explore' - jet lag wiped me out for a whole day when I arrived and I slept most of the way there!

[loafer123]

Looks great - I am very jealous!

[kiethton]

Thanks guys, fingers xed we've got the the majority covered, main question in my mind was the Kyoto/Tokyo balance and whether Hakone is worth a night to chill?

Yeah JR passes have been on our mind for a while, planning to order them asap and then collect at the terminal? - wel start them after a few days to get best value?

[Sheetmaself]

For the railpass you order it and they send you a voucher, the voucher you redeem at a main japanese station but you do need the voucher delivered to an address not in Japan.