Japan suggestions
Discussion
Heading to Japan with wife + 2 teenagers this October. We're starting in Tokyo (3 nights), then onto Kawaguchiko/Mt. Fuji (1 night), Kyoto (3 nights), Osaka (2 nights) and finally back to Tokyo for a night before home. Obviously Shinkansen-ing our way around where possible.
Some rough bits we've already planned, with Perplexity's help...
• Tokyo: Akhibara, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Imperial Palace, Sumida river cruise, Sensoji temple + shrine, Teamlab Planets after dark. Baseball and/or sumo would've been cool but neither on during our stay.
• Mt. Fuji: cable car, Chureito Pagoda, staying in a ryokan w/ onsen
• Kyoto: Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka, Bamboo Forest, maybe the manga museum though not thrilled by the idea
• Osaka: Castle, Umeda Sky Building, full day at Universal Studios
We're trying to balance "traditional Japan" and the fun modern/OTT side. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions we might've missed, especially for Kyoto as it feels like 3 days there might be a bit much. Also open to any food recs as we're keen to try everything from conveyor-belt sushi, poky ramen places, traditional street food, McDs/KFC Japan-style etc through to nice steakhouses and kaiseki.
Some rough bits we've already planned, with Perplexity's help...
• Tokyo: Akhibara, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Imperial Palace, Sumida river cruise, Sensoji temple + shrine, Teamlab Planets after dark. Baseball and/or sumo would've been cool but neither on during our stay.
• Mt. Fuji: cable car, Chureito Pagoda, staying in a ryokan w/ onsen
• Kyoto: Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka, Bamboo Forest, maybe the manga museum though not thrilled by the idea
• Osaka: Castle, Umeda Sky Building, full day at Universal Studios
We're trying to balance "traditional Japan" and the fun modern/OTT side. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions we might've missed, especially for Kyoto as it feels like 3 days there might be a bit much. Also open to any food recs as we're keen to try everything from conveyor-belt sushi, poky ramen places, traditional street food, McDs/KFC Japan-style etc through to nice steakhouses and kaiseki.
I'd add Nara park in there if at all possible, Hiroshima, Itsukushima/Miyajima also but you'd have to probably change your itinerary a little.
If using trains (why wouldn't you) be sure to buy your JR Pass weeks before you travel, you will receive a voucher in the post to take with you and hand over to receive your pass - will save you quite a bit of money.
If using trains (why wouldn't you) be sure to buy your JR Pass weeks before you travel, you will receive a voucher in the post to take with you and hand over to receive your pass - will save you quite a bit of money.
NowWatchThisDrive said:
Heading to Japan with wife + 2 teenagers this October. We're starting in Tokyo (3 nights), then onto Kawaguchiko/Mt. Fuji (1 night), Kyoto (3 nights), Osaka (2 nights) and finally back to Tokyo for a night before home. Obviously Shinkansen-ing our way around where possible.
Some rough bits we've already planned, with Perplexity's help...
Tokyo: Akhibara, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Imperial Palace, Sumida river cruise, Sensoji temple + shrine, Teamlab Planets after dark. Baseball and/or sumo would've been cool but neither on during our stay.
Mt. Fuji: cable car, Chureito Pagoda, staying in a ryokan w/ onsen
Kyoto: Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka, Bamboo Forest, maybe the manga museum though not thrilled by the idea
Osaka: Castle, Umeda Sky Building, full day at Universal Studios
We're trying to balance "traditional Japan" and the fun modern/OTT side. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions we might've missed, especially for Kyoto as it feels like 3 days there might be a bit much. Also open to any food recs as we're keen to try everything from conveyor-belt sushi, poky ramen places, traditional street food, McDs/KFC Japan-style etc through to nice steakhouses and kaiseki.
I've just done something very similar with my 12 y.o son. Came back a couple of weeks' ago.Some rough bits we've already planned, with Perplexity's help...
Tokyo: Akhibara, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Imperial Palace, Sumida river cruise, Sensoji temple + shrine, Teamlab Planets after dark. Baseball and/or sumo would've been cool but neither on during our stay.
Mt. Fuji: cable car, Chureito Pagoda, staying in a ryokan w/ onsen
Kyoto: Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka, Bamboo Forest, maybe the manga museum though not thrilled by the idea
Osaka: Castle, Umeda Sky Building, full day at Universal Studios
We're trying to balance "traditional Japan" and the fun modern/OTT side. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions we might've missed, especially for Kyoto as it feels like 3 days there might be a bit much. Also open to any food recs as we're keen to try everything from conveyor-belt sushi, poky ramen places, traditional street food, McDs/KFC Japan-style etc through to nice steakhouses and kaiseki.
We did Kyoto/Nara/Osaka for a couple of days, went down to the south (Kitakyushu for the Wales rugby match), back to Kawaguchiko for Mt Fuji - Climbed Mt Fuji, and then spent 2 days in Tokyo. 8 days in total - The good thing (now) about Japan is that it is cheap! - Epic Sushi etc for less than the cost of a chain restaraunt meal here in the UK.
Kawaguchiko is only worth going to get to Mt Fuji - it's a 90 min bus from Shinjuku (easy to book tickets online), and then Mt Fuji s another hour on a public bus. We spent 24 hours going up and down (it's hard, but worth it), before then travelling back to Tokyo. If you can climb it, do, but it is pretty knackering!
Tokyo, we stayed in the Lyf hotel in Shibuya which I'd recommend. Great location, nice style, cheap enough in central Tokyo.
We also stayed in the "Onyado nono Kyoto" which had an onsen - close to the station, cheap enough and nice. Again, would recommend., I now have a 12 y.o that loves a naked spa!
Near Kyoto, I'd recommend Nara for the deer park - It's super touristy but good fun - get the local bus from the station to the temple thing and go into the park to escape the crowds..(Nara is 40 mins on the local train from Kyoto, and then 30 mins from Osaka castle). We did Nara in the morning, Osaka in the afternoon.
Eat Okonomiyaki in Osaka - delicious. Lots of places near the running man in the middle.
If further afield, I like Miyajima (the walk/climb to the temple is good), or go to Kobe for a cool vibe but that's probably a change to the agenda.
The hotel we had in Kawaguchiko was OK (also with an onsen) but wasn't great - there didn't seem to be a lot to choose from here - we only did 1 night on the way to climb Fuji so it didn't matter, but I'm not sure there was a better option. I "might" suggest just going straight to Fuji from Tokyo if I was to do it again. The bus to Kawaguchiko takes pretty much the same time as the bus straight to the fifth station from Shinjuku.
The JR pass no longer makes sense if you are just going to Kyoto-ish and back again. They hiked the price last year!
We used one because a) my boy was 11 when I bought it and 12 when we left, so qualified for a child's price.
But if it wasn't for that, we'd have been about break-even on 2 adult (over 12 y.o when you buy it) JR passes and we did a lot of train travel. And without the JR pass, you can use the Nozomi trains which are faster.
We used one because a) my boy was 11 when I bought it and 12 when we left, so qualified for a child's price.
But if it wasn't for that, we'd have been about break-even on 2 adult (over 12 y.o when you buy it) JR passes and we did a lot of train travel. And without the JR pass, you can use the Nozomi trains which are faster.
ChocolateFrog said:
Apparently the rise of the right in Japan has a lot to do with increasing tourism.
I can believe that (I read an article on it this morning) but it being noticeably more touristy was my experience a few weeks' ago as well. Having done Japan by rail a few times, it is infinitely more touristy now than it was 10-15 years ago - Back then, outside of Tokyo, no-one spoke English, there were no English menus etc, and you felt like the only tourist there. Now you don't have to even think about it wherever you go and you can feel like there are only tourists in some places.
Get an eSIM and google translate, google maps for transport, and it's trivially easy now to get around. It used to be quite tricky!
I visited recently
You only need to see one each of shrines, temples, and castles.
I thought Borderless was better than Planets
There is very little access to the inside of the Imperial Palace
Kyoto is pretty much just for tourists now. Fushimi Inari, Kinkaju Ji, and the Bamboo Grove are worth a visit but you can do them all in a day
The deer in Nara park are less polite than their PR suggests. Downright pushy, some of them
Special mentions for organised activities. Try Viator.com
- 6 hour guided tour of Kyoto
- Sumo Experience
You only need to see one each of shrines, temples, and castles.
I thought Borderless was better than Planets
There is very little access to the inside of the Imperial Palace
Kyoto is pretty much just for tourists now. Fushimi Inari, Kinkaju Ji, and the Bamboo Grove are worth a visit but you can do them all in a day
The deer in Nara park are less polite than their PR suggests. Downright pushy, some of them
Special mentions for organised activities. Try Viator.com
- 6 hour guided tour of Kyoto
- Sumo Experience
October is Koyo season (autumn colours) and Kyoto will be mentally busy. Be prepared for lots of crowds.
Mt Fuji climbing season finishes in September, so I wouldn't plan on climbing it (it is one of the most boring climbs you'll ever do, but can be worth it just for the stunning sunrise).
As has been stated above, personally I would switch itinerary to include Hiroshima and Miyajima.
Mt Fuji climbing season finishes in September, so I wouldn't plan on climbing it (it is one of the most boring climbs you'll ever do, but can be worth it just for the stunning sunrise).
As has been stated above, personally I would switch itinerary to include Hiroshima and Miyajima.
Other little things -
I personally wouldn bother with the Pasmo or SUICA cards for buying things (inc train tickets). Pre loading them is a ballache and offers too little a-win imho.
My experience was that buying train tickets was as simple as ever at the ticket machines and gives you an opportunity to rid yourself of your pocket full of coins.
Vending machines either take cash, or on station platforms card - with a low cost forex happy card, it worked out fine to just tap to pay.
Tsukiji market for conveyor belt sushi - it has suffered from the closure of the actual market so is now touristy - but breakfast sushi is good sushi
Don't bother with the "green car" i.e. first class rail tickets. Whilst it is a "bit" nicer than regular class (I've done both over the years), the space in the regular cars on the Shinkansen is more than adequate.
Take backpacks not suitcases, That way, they fit easily on the overhead storage on the trains - otherwise you need to arrange the few seats that include luggage storage on each train carriage. Backpacks don't break the size requirements so you can just book any seat (last minute at the station)
I personally wouldn bother with the Pasmo or SUICA cards for buying things (inc train tickets). Pre loading them is a ballache and offers too little a-win imho.
My experience was that buying train tickets was as simple as ever at the ticket machines and gives you an opportunity to rid yourself of your pocket full of coins.
Vending machines either take cash, or on station platforms card - with a low cost forex happy card, it worked out fine to just tap to pay.
Tsukiji market for conveyor belt sushi - it has suffered from the closure of the actual market so is now touristy - but breakfast sushi is good sushi
Don't bother with the "green car" i.e. first class rail tickets. Whilst it is a "bit" nicer than regular class (I've done both over the years), the space in the regular cars on the Shinkansen is more than adequate.
Take backpacks not suitcases, That way, they fit easily on the overhead storage on the trains - otherwise you need to arrange the few seats that include luggage storage on each train carriage. Backpacks don't break the size requirements so you can just book any seat (last minute at the station)
Freakuk said:
Mr MXT said:
The Robot Restaurant in Tokyo
Don t Google it, just book it.
Is it open again?Don t Google it, just book it.
I loved it, but I'd read it had closed a few years ago.
If it's open go, it's a mad experience that you'll definitely never forget.
From what I have read, Japan is suffering from over tourism as tourists are all hitting the same places as the OP so be prepared.
Cheers all for the the suggestions so far.
Nara - looks like a decent shout and exactly the sort of thing I was after in terms of being very daytrippable from Kyoto so we'll definitely look at that. Will check out the Kyoto guided tours also as that looks potentially promising.
Trains - not looked properly yet but had seen the JR Pass mentioned, didn't realise there are trains it doesn't cover though so I'll definitely have to do some research.
Hiroshima - I'd find it absolutely fascinating given the historical significance, and Itsukushima nearby looks lovely, but I don't think we'll be able to get that far down in the time we have sadly.
Robot Restaurant - I'd already heard great things and earmarked it, but yes it closed in 2020 and has been (sort of) replaced by the Samurai Restaurant, which is adult-only so no can do.
Cost - not sorted internal travel yet, and obviously spending once we're there is a bit of an unknown, but looking at what we're down already on flights and accommodation I reckon all in maybe £15k. I'm expecting to just do everything on Revolut though so will know precisely in due course!
Nara - looks like a decent shout and exactly the sort of thing I was after in terms of being very daytrippable from Kyoto so we'll definitely look at that. Will check out the Kyoto guided tours also as that looks potentially promising.
Trains - not looked properly yet but had seen the JR Pass mentioned, didn't realise there are trains it doesn't cover though so I'll definitely have to do some research.
Hiroshima - I'd find it absolutely fascinating given the historical significance, and Itsukushima nearby looks lovely, but I don't think we'll be able to get that far down in the time we have sadly.
Robot Restaurant - I'd already heard great things and earmarked it, but yes it closed in 2020 and has been (sort of) replaced by the Samurai Restaurant, which is adult-only so no can do.
Cost - not sorted internal travel yet, and obviously spending once we're there is a bit of an unknown, but looking at what we're down already on flights and accommodation I reckon all in maybe £15k. I'm expecting to just do everything on Revolut though so will know precisely in due course!
With regards to the jr pass. In the last few years the price has risen sharply for it and whilst it can be the cheaper option still, and honestly likely will be given your itinerary, it isn’t the “no brainer” it used to be.
Also and im sure you know but shinkansen you want to be rhs when going tokyo to kyoto to see fuji.
Also check out flights. Kyoto and Osaka are right next to each other, so while kyoto doesn’t have an airport this can easily be overcome. We just booked a flight from tokyo to fukuoka for £70 each.
Also and im sure you know but shinkansen you want to be rhs when going tokyo to kyoto to see fuji.
Also check out flights. Kyoto and Osaka are right next to each other, so while kyoto doesn’t have an airport this can easily be overcome. We just booked a flight from tokyo to fukuoka for £70 each.
Dotonbori district in Osaka is lively, especially at night, good places to eat and shop; unlike the rest of Japan eating and drinking in the street is not frowned upon. There's a great Donki store with an U shaped ferris wheel in Dotonbori. There's a little America district in Osaka that's an interesting place to walk around day or night, shops, cafes, restaurants, vintage clothing, Harleys & Mustangs. It's not too far of a walk from Dotonbori.
Nara is a great day trip from either Kyoto or Osaka with the deer freely roaming the streets and park, make sure to purchase the crackers to feed to the deer. Japan's amazing, I hope to go back someday.
Nara is a great day trip from either Kyoto or Osaka with the deer freely roaming the streets and park, make sure to purchase the crackers to feed to the deer. Japan's amazing, I hope to go back someday.
I’ve just got back from ten days in Japan and a week in South Korea and previously been to Japan in 2001 and 2023. We also have two teenagers and it’s certainly great for that age group. As has previously been mentioned, be prepared for crowds.
Our 2023 trip focussed on Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka. We’ve just got back from Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Shimanami Kaido and Osaka. It was noticeably busier in Osaka this time compared to two years ago. Dotonburi was insanely busy.
In October the temperature should be pleasant, in July it was 30-35 which can limit your enthusiasm for doing too much. We decided to skip Expo 2025 because of the reports of long queues with no shade.
Used eSIMs, Suica cards loaded on Apple wallet, just had train tickets for the specific routes rather than JR Pass. Luggage fowarding is handy as on the Shinkansen if you have really big bags you have to reserve Row 1 in the carriage.
Like anywhere you can spend as much or as little as you like on food. My boys love the Kura sushi chain which is well worth a look once you decipher the table reservation iPad.
Our 2023 trip focussed on Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka. We’ve just got back from Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Shimanami Kaido and Osaka. It was noticeably busier in Osaka this time compared to two years ago. Dotonburi was insanely busy.
In October the temperature should be pleasant, in July it was 30-35 which can limit your enthusiasm for doing too much. We decided to skip Expo 2025 because of the reports of long queues with no shade.
Used eSIMs, Suica cards loaded on Apple wallet, just had train tickets for the specific routes rather than JR Pass. Luggage fowarding is handy as on the Shinkansen if you have really big bags you have to reserve Row 1 in the carriage.
Like anywhere you can spend as much or as little as you like on food. My boys love the Kura sushi chain which is well worth a look once you decipher the table reservation iPad.
NowWatchThisDrive said:
Cheers all for the the suggestions so far.
Nara - looks like a decent shout and exactly the sort of thing I was after in terms of being very daytrippable from Kyoto so we'll definitely look at that. Will check out the Kyoto guided tours also as that looks potentially promising.
Another day-trippable from Kyoto/Osaka is Himeji - The castle here is worth a visit if you like castles.Nara - looks like a decent shout and exactly the sort of thing I was after in terms of being very daytrippable from Kyoto so we'll definitely look at that. Will check out the Kyoto guided tours also as that looks potentially promising.
Everywhere is closer than you think with the Shinkansen - We tended to travel at 8am and you can be in a whole new place by lunchtime. I'd definitely recommend a stop at somewhere "less touristy" if you can make it fit.
NowWatchThisDrive said:
Cost - not sorted internal travel yet, and obviously spending once we're there is a bit of an unknown, but looking at what we're down already on flights and accommodation I reckon all in maybe £15k. I'm expecting to just do everything on Revolut though so will know precisely in due course!
That's good going! For us (2 people - 8 days - a couple of weeks' ago), I spent 1K on bus-class flights (BA airmiles plus companion voucher), £650 on hotels (including the stay on Mt.Fuji), £400 ish on the adult and kid JR pass, and 1K cash while we were there.
I was surprised how "cheap" Japan was as I remember it being heinously expensive in the past! Beers were 5-600Y and meals were good value as well.
We did Japan 2 years ago with 2 teenagers. Amazing experience.
Of you've not booked the accommodation yet, I'd visit Osaka from Kyoto and either get time in Hirishoma or more time in Tokyo.
Also if you are traveling back to Tokyo for the last day to get to the airport. You do not need to. The train will get you to the airport bang on time. You can rely on it more than the plane leaving as scheduled.
Time out have some great guides, which I'd look at. Also get up the Tokyo tower on the first day if you can, makes you appreciate just how big the place really is. It will blow your mind.
If any of your family is into art/stationary there is a 6 or 9 story stationary shop with a cafe on the top floor and a hydroponic farm just below for the cafe opposite the gucci story which is a real gem.
You could spend a month in Tokyo and not scratch the surface.
Have a great trip
Of you've not booked the accommodation yet, I'd visit Osaka from Kyoto and either get time in Hirishoma or more time in Tokyo.
Also if you are traveling back to Tokyo for the last day to get to the airport. You do not need to. The train will get you to the airport bang on time. You can rely on it more than the plane leaving as scheduled.
Time out have some great guides, which I'd look at. Also get up the Tokyo tower on the first day if you can, makes you appreciate just how big the place really is. It will blow your mind.
If any of your family is into art/stationary there is a 6 or 9 story stationary shop with a cafe on the top floor and a hydroponic farm just below for the cafe opposite the gucci story which is a real gem.
You could spend a month in Tokyo and not scratch the surface.
Have a great trip
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