Japan Summer 27
Discussion
My youngest lad has a crazy fascination with Japan & has told us that he wants to go there on holiday next year when he will be 12
So as a total neanderthal i have no clue, he just wants to explore it ....
Any hints, tips, pointers would be great
We plan to go the last two weeks of July 27
So as a total neanderthal i have no clue, he just wants to explore it ....
Any hints, tips, pointers would be great
We plan to go the last two weeks of July 27
Incredible place, you will have an amazing time. It's hard to do anything wrong in my view, Japan is a incredibly easy country to visit.
The main thing I will say, if I was you I would seriously look at going a different time of year. Summer in Japan is really uncomfortably hot, a humid heat that is repressive. Feb - May is the sweet spot, avoiding Golden week.
The main thing I will say, if I was you I would seriously look at going a different time of year. Summer in Japan is really uncomfortably hot, a humid heat that is repressive. Feb - May is the sweet spot, avoiding Golden week.
We're going end of July/August. Me and two teen boys. Everybody has said the same thing about the heat and humidity but I'm constrained by exams and school holidays, so we'll tough it out. Two years on the bounce in Orlando at the same time of year and we were fine.
Mainly going for theme parks, so you might want a very different trip.
So far all seems straightforward, some expectations to set about availability of some things (Ghibli Museum, some of the more sought after Disney packages), but research so far has been easy. Given the cost increases of flights to Orlando it's on a par.
Take cash, Suica and Wise.
Pack light or use luggage transfers.
Our itinerary is roughly Tokyo/Disney/Fuji-Q/Nagashima/Tokyo/Disney, with a few free days to not get stressed travelling.
Mainly going for theme parks, so you might want a very different trip.
So far all seems straightforward, some expectations to set about availability of some things (Ghibli Museum, some of the more sought after Disney packages), but research so far has been easy. Given the cost increases of flights to Orlando it's on a par.
Take cash, Suica and Wise.
Pack light or use luggage transfers.
Our itinerary is roughly Tokyo/Disney/Fuji-Q/Nagashima/Tokyo/Disney, with a few free days to not get stressed travelling.
I would strongly advise you start your research now.
Whilst its quite a tourist friendly country there are so many (and I do mean that) small little tricks, tips, rules and customs that unless you are fully bought in on the trip you might be in for a rude awakening on arrival - especially if you are flying from the UK.
A 12 year old will have seen stuff online and just assumes its easy to get to these places or easy to gain entry to certain spots but sometimes that isn't true and you need to plan way in advance. Not only for things like tickets for some attractions but the physical distances you need to cover. It can take 2 hours just to get from one side of Tokyo to the other.... the cities are huge.
Also, as said - get ready for the heat and humidity. Its not a joke at that time of year. Japans climate has huge swings in conditions between winter and summer. It also has significant variation in climate depending on your location. For example in the north its currently well below freezing in the low teens overnight in some places and lots of snow where as in the south its actually quite nice at 10-12c in the day and above freezing overnight.
In July expect 30c+ and some tropical rain storms at times.
Learn a little Japanese (you tube) - this goes a long way and can be a massive help. Google translate is fine but its a back and forth I find frustrating.
If you are going to drive you will need an IDP.
If you are taking the trains make sure you watch up to date videos on how to get tickets, which seats to get if you have luggage etc.
The rules do change (the tax free shopping rules change this winter for example) so do your due dil now but refresh yourself closer to the time.
Cakes with faces is worth watching for the latest news. Toshi Guide from Japan similar and probably more upto date.
Is there anywhere in particular he wants to visit?
Whilst its quite a tourist friendly country there are so many (and I do mean that) small little tricks, tips, rules and customs that unless you are fully bought in on the trip you might be in for a rude awakening on arrival - especially if you are flying from the UK.
A 12 year old will have seen stuff online and just assumes its easy to get to these places or easy to gain entry to certain spots but sometimes that isn't true and you need to plan way in advance. Not only for things like tickets for some attractions but the physical distances you need to cover. It can take 2 hours just to get from one side of Tokyo to the other.... the cities are huge.
Also, as said - get ready for the heat and humidity. Its not a joke at that time of year. Japans climate has huge swings in conditions between winter and summer. It also has significant variation in climate depending on your location. For example in the north its currently well below freezing in the low teens overnight in some places and lots of snow where as in the south its actually quite nice at 10-12c in the day and above freezing overnight.
In July expect 30c+ and some tropical rain storms at times.
Learn a little Japanese (you tube) - this goes a long way and can be a massive help. Google translate is fine but its a back and forth I find frustrating.
If you are going to drive you will need an IDP.
If you are taking the trains make sure you watch up to date videos on how to get tickets, which seats to get if you have luggage etc.
The rules do change (the tax free shopping rules change this winter for example) so do your due dil now but refresh yourself closer to the time.
Cakes with faces is worth watching for the latest news. Toshi Guide from Japan similar and probably more upto date.
Is there anywhere in particular he wants to visit?
I'm stuck on the dates unfortunately, we shut the business for those two weeks & school holidays as well
I'm going to chat to him tonight to see what he wants to do in Japan, then i can start to research & plan it a bit. I would like to finish it off with a couple of days somewhere near a beach & a bar .... Maldives maybe ?
I'm going to chat to him tonight to see what he wants to do in Japan, then i can start to research & plan it a bit. I would like to finish it off with a couple of days somewhere near a beach & a bar .... Maldives maybe ?
ComStrike said:
I'm stuck on the dates unfortunately, we shut the business for those two weeks & school holidays as well
I'm going to chat to him tonight to see what he wants to do in Japan, then i can start to research & plan it a bit. I would like to finish it off with a couple of days somewhere near a beach & a bar .... Maldives maybe ?
Best thing to do is make a list of where he wants to go and then plan around that.I'm going to chat to him tonight to see what he wants to do in Japan, then i can start to research & plan it a bit. I would like to finish it off with a couple of days somewhere near a beach & a bar .... Maldives maybe ?
If its a 2 week trip you might have to make some sacrifices just due to distances but it depends just how hard core of a travel plan you want.
If he just wants to be Tokyo based then its pretty easy tbh. But if he wants to go further afield then the complexity / difficulty can increase.
The usual Tokyo > Kyoto > Osaka route is also simple. If he wanted to go to Nagasaki though, just for example, then its a much different discussion!
We were there last 2 weeks of July last year - it is hot and humid as others have said but doable.
I would pack lighter next time we go - everything is much cheaper there: clothes, cosmetics/beauty, electronics etc.
Cash is very important - can’t top up the Suica metro card etc any other way (you can purchase it initially with a card but once your initial top up runs out then you need cash).
If you’re planning on going to more than 1 city then look into the JR pass which allows essentially unlimited travel including on the Shinkansen (although there is a separate fee to upgrade to the fastest one on some of the routes). We stayed in Tokyo initially and then got a 7-day pass on the day we left.
Availability on some of the attractions can be tight, as it’s the school holidays there too, and you may need to book tickets several months ahead or even enter a lottery to be able to buy tickets. We had to do the latter for the Nintendo museum in Kyoto (we had 4 members of the family register to get tickets and only 1 person was successful). I would recommend the Nintendo museum if you re going to Kyoto - lots of interactivity but also very nostalgic for anyone who grew up with the NES/SNES/N64 etc.
I would pack lighter next time we go - everything is much cheaper there: clothes, cosmetics/beauty, electronics etc.
Cash is very important - can’t top up the Suica metro card etc any other way (you can purchase it initially with a card but once your initial top up runs out then you need cash).
If you’re planning on going to more than 1 city then look into the JR pass which allows essentially unlimited travel including on the Shinkansen (although there is a separate fee to upgrade to the fastest one on some of the routes). We stayed in Tokyo initially and then got a 7-day pass on the day we left.
Availability on some of the attractions can be tight, as it’s the school holidays there too, and you may need to book tickets several months ahead or even enter a lottery to be able to buy tickets. We had to do the latter for the Nintendo museum in Kyoto (we had 4 members of the family register to get tickets and only 1 person was successful). I would recommend the Nintendo museum if you re going to Kyoto - lots of interactivity but also very nostalgic for anyone who grew up with the NES/SNES/N64 etc.
Edited by alfa aficionado on Monday 2nd February 21:01
Planning a trip October 26 or 27, few previous PH topic links below may be of interest
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Japan in the summer's both hot (certainly 30s/40s not unusual) and humid - but almost everywhere inside will have aircon so unless you go out in the sticks not hard to retreat when it gets too much.
Japan's culture is very much based on not inconveniencing others. Many things that seem odd make sense when viewed that way, like the fact there are very few public bins - if you put rubbish in a bin someone would have to empty it, which would inconveniencing them, so you just take your rubbish home with you. The same applies to using phones on trains/talking loudly in public/eating food while walking (you might spill some on someone else's clothes so either find a bench and sit down or stand somewhere out of the way while you eat)/etc. Keep that in mind with your actions and you'll get more respect from the locals.
It depends if your lad wants to explore Tokyo or get more rural but if the latter a rail pass will likely work, setting aside some days without a real plan. On those days just jump on a train and see where you end up! The Hakone loop makes a good day trip from Tokyo along those lines. Also if it's more Japanese culture as seen in anime he's after I'd try and include a summer festival in there somewhere. I mean who doesn't like some Japanese street food followed by a fireworks display?
More Tokyo biased but worth checking out some of the videos on https://tokyocheapo.com/. OK so a lot of the more bar focused parts might not apply so much but give a good overview of different areas of Tokyo.
Japan's culture is very much based on not inconveniencing others. Many things that seem odd make sense when viewed that way, like the fact there are very few public bins - if you put rubbish in a bin someone would have to empty it, which would inconveniencing them, so you just take your rubbish home with you. The same applies to using phones on trains/talking loudly in public/eating food while walking (you might spill some on someone else's clothes so either find a bench and sit down or stand somewhere out of the way while you eat)/etc. Keep that in mind with your actions and you'll get more respect from the locals.
It depends if your lad wants to explore Tokyo or get more rural but if the latter a rail pass will likely work, setting aside some days without a real plan. On those days just jump on a train and see where you end up! The Hakone loop makes a good day trip from Tokyo along those lines. Also if it's more Japanese culture as seen in anime he's after I'd try and include a summer festival in there somewhere. I mean who doesn't like some Japanese street food followed by a fireworks display?
More Tokyo biased but worth checking out some of the videos on https://tokyocheapo.com/. OK so a lot of the more bar focused parts might not apply so much but give a good overview of different areas of Tokyo.
Worth planning where you want to get to before buying a rail pass too as Japan's rail system is split up into lots of different companies. Japan Rail West and Japan Rail East are the 2 big ones that cover 80% of lines - but just because they are both "JR" they are still completely separate companies. As a result of that you can get passes that cover both (most of) the whole country but also JR West/JR East only passes. Clearly if all your travel will be in one or the other there's no point paying more for the full national pass.
And of course around Tokyo (and other cities) youhave the same thing, so a JR East pass will cover the "JR" lines it won't cover the Metro and some of the other non-JR lines. For those you just need to grab some IC cards (one per-person - think Oyster cards on London underground). You can get them all over but easiest at the airport where you can get a "Welcome" card. This doesn't cost anything/only last 28 days/doesn't refund unused money but means you can just tap through stations that aren't JR (or are if you don't have a JR pass). Don't worry about the "no refund" bit as while they started out like London's Oyster card these days you can use the same card on buses, in vending machines, in a lot of shops, etc so not hard to run down any spare balance, even in the airport before flying home! Oh, and if you have an iPhone you can get digital IC card in your wallet - but still one person per-phone.
There are a couple of different 'brands' of IC card, with each rail company having its own version. They all work the same and are cross compatible though so doesn't matter which you go for.
I'd also recommend downloading the Navitime app - though only pay for it for the time you're out there, the free version's fine for planning. Google Maps doesn't do a bad job of getting you around but Navitime's just that bit better in my experience. You can also check your IC card balance with the Navitime app.
And of course around Tokyo (and other cities) youhave the same thing, so a JR East pass will cover the "JR" lines it won't cover the Metro and some of the other non-JR lines. For those you just need to grab some IC cards (one per-person - think Oyster cards on London underground). You can get them all over but easiest at the airport where you can get a "Welcome" card. This doesn't cost anything/only last 28 days/doesn't refund unused money but means you can just tap through stations that aren't JR (or are if you don't have a JR pass). Don't worry about the "no refund" bit as while they started out like London's Oyster card these days you can use the same card on buses, in vending machines, in a lot of shops, etc so not hard to run down any spare balance, even in the airport before flying home! Oh, and if you have an iPhone you can get digital IC card in your wallet - but still one person per-phone.
There are a couple of different 'brands' of IC card, with each rail company having its own version. They all work the same and are cross compatible though so doesn't matter which you go for.
I'd also recommend downloading the Navitime app - though only pay for it for the time you're out there, the free version's fine for planning. Google Maps doesn't do a bad job of getting you around but Navitime's just that bit better in my experience. You can also check your IC card balance with the Navitime app.
Edited by //j17 on Tuesday 3rd February 16:57
I think they've changed the pricing on JRail passes recently and it's no longer such a good deal. We're just back from two weeks and 7 train journeys. It was 120'000 yen cheaper pp to just buy tickets at the machine vs. using the pass. Worth doing the research as that buys a lot of Yebisu!
Oh, another new thing is some Shinkansen lines require you to book a specific seat with luggage space if your bag won't fit above the seats. This was the only thing we saw the guards checking to see you'd bought that ticket!
Oh, another new thing is some Shinkansen lines require you to book a specific seat with luggage space if your bag won't fit above the seats. This was the only thing we saw the guards checking to see you'd bought that ticket!
Edited by seefarr on Wednesday 4th February 15:49
ComStrike said:
My youngest lad has a crazy fascination with Japan & has told us that he wants to go there on holiday next year when he will be 12
This is exactly what me and my boy did this year (well we did just over a week). BA business plus a companion + miles for £1100 for both of us 
As others have said, the JR pass is not such great value now (for an adult (i.e. >12y.o )) - However, if your boy turns 12 in the 3 months before you go, he qualifies for a kids JR pass which does present a big saving. This is what we did
exchange them in the airport for actual passes and travel "free" for the week. We landed and jumped straight on the Shinkansen to Kyoto as our first base - From here, we did Nara (boy loved it) and Osaka as well as Kyoto - We then schlepped down to the far south for a Wales Japan Rugby match in KitaKyushu, before heading back to Tokyo in order to go climb Mt Fuji.
Climbing Mt Fuji was rather epic - not easy (especially for a not-at-all-resilient autistic 12 y.o) but we made it (when many others didn't), and it was rather special. Stayed half wa up in a hut, carried on climbing at 1am, and got to see the sunrise from the 8th station at 4am with some altitude sickness before summiting at 7.30am.....
Then Tokyo for a couple of days. Fish market, Shibuya, the crossing, tall buildings, sushi etc....All unforgetable stuff
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