Japan destinations

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

At the moment we're planning a Japan trip for next year. My husband has been in 2014 but only to Osaka and Kyoto although he didn't have much time there as it was for an equipment test.

We're pretty confident that October 2024 is the time frame we're looking at. April was considered but looks like more October.

I've done a very brief look up of some places and interests but thought I'd go to the DIS here too. We may be doing another Europe trip next spring (we have a Med cruise this July that I asked opinions about) not sure yet but I may be asking eventually questions there.

I believe my husband has decided that we should get the JR Pass.

We know we'll be wanting to spend approximately 2 days for Toyko Disneyland/DisneySea and additional day to explore Tokyo. We're not sure if we'll fly into Osaka or Tokyo and if we'll do RT or go back home from the other city.

I think my husband would like to go back to Osaka and Kyoto. I don't think the southern/tropical islands are in the cards just due to distance and time. And I don't think we're interested in Hiroshima. But aside from this it's kinda open. Oh and I'm not sure we'd be open to visiting an onsen

So from some looking I found the following cities/destinations:

Tokyo

Kyoto

Osaka

Hakone

Nikko

Nara

Shirakawa-go

Kanazawa

We don't have a set number of days. Some of the above can be done in day trips if we wanted to (seemingly from Tokyo or Kyoto so it's possible that overnight may not be needed in accommodations for some places).

Are there any from that list you would nix and if so why? Are there any you would add and if so why? Any advice on any of those locations?

 

[ChrisFL]

Only 1 day to explore Tokyo? That isn't much....Tokyo is massive and has a ton of things to do, depending on what your interests are.

Yes, JR pass is definitely the way to go to get around the country.

I've been to Tokyo 5 times and I've been to Osaka and Kyoto once.

Kyoto I just checked out some of the temples as I wasn't staying long. Osaka I checked out Dotonbori which is the famous river area with lots of shops, restaurants and bars. Went to Osaka Castle which is really nice and you can walk inside.

Also visited Universal Studios Japan which was fun...they now have Super Mario World so that would nice if you haven't seen it.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

How long of a trip? We have done Tokyo multiple times for about 6 full days there, 2 of those days for Disney. We are also looking at an upcoming trip to Osaka where we will have 7 full days staying at same hotel in Osaka and day trips to Kyoto a couple times. Also day trip to Hiroshima.
I guess first thing is figuring out how long you want to be gone as I don’t think it’s realistic to do Tokyo (with Disney) and another area in about a weeks time.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I'm planning a Japan trip next year too! Hoping for late May/early June but if Fantasy Springs isn't open by then I'll move to late August/early September. Current plan is Tokyo (with a day trip to Hakone), Kyoto and Osaka. I do agree with ChrisFL that 1 day in Tokyo isn't enough. The city is HUGE and has so much to see, do and eat. I would feel extremely rushed if I only had 1 day, especially since a lot of places in Tokyo do not open until around 10-11 am.

Some other thoughts/tips:

- Get a Suica card. Extremely helpful for using trains in Japan.
- Buy a SIM card before your trip and pick it up at the airport. From my experience, barely any places in Japan have free Wifi and if you want to use Tokyo Disneyland's version of paid Fastpass, you'll need it. Here is some info about that.
- Stay at a hotel near or in the middle of a train station. I did this when I was in Tokyo and it was SO helpful in terms of getting around.
- Stay on site when going to Tokyo Disneyland. You get guaranteed access to the parks even if they're at capacity and you get early entry (some hotels only get you access to TDL and the others get you both TDL and Disneysea). Also cannot recommend rope dropping enough as it's very common to see the E-tickets get 120-180 minute waits. I've heard Beauty and the Beast can get up to 200+ some days. Buy their version of paid Fastpass if certain rides are must dos.
- I did an afternoon at an onsen and I actually recommend it! It was very relaxing and enjoyable, especially since you will be doing A LOT of walking. Yes, you will have to undress since you're not allowed to wear a swimsuit but after a few minutes it feels less "strange". Also you will be separated by gender.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Sounds like fun!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Only 1 day to explore Tokyo? That isn't much....Tokyo is massive and has a ton of things to do, depending on what your interests are.

Yeah you're right it's not much. We can always add an additional day there if we want.

Yes, JR pass is definitely the way to go to get around the country.

Did you find it easy enough to get around, find where to go like at the stations for the correct train?

Kyoto I just checked out some of the temples as I wasn't staying long.

I'm blanking on what temple my husband went to but he did one as well

Osaka I checked out Dotonbori which is the famous river area with lots of shops, restaurants and bars.

Ooohh I like this mention and looks so cool at night too!

Also visited Universal Studios Japan which was fun...they now have Super Mario World so that would nice if you haven't seen it.

So that was nixed fairly early on for a couple of reasons, we didn't want to make this a theme park trip but couldn't pass up DL as so many people rave about it and we also go to Universal Studios Orlando enough and their Super Mario World will be the biggest one yet (can't wait for Epic Universe). We skipped out on Universal Hollywood too even when my husband was on a field assignment there in Long Beach favoring DLR twice so it's not just Japan we've opted to skip out on. BUT I appreciate the mention, I know there's a uniqueness to Studios there in Japan (especially the food it seems for Super Mario World)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

How long of a trip? We have done Tokyo multiple times for about 6 full days there, 2 of those days for Disney. We are also looking at an upcoming trip to Osaka where we will have 7 full days staying at same hotel in Osaka and day trips to Kyoto a couple times. Also day trip to Hiroshima.
I guess first thing is figuring out how long you want to be gone as I don’t think it’s realistic to do Tokyo (with Disney) and another area in about a weeks time.

Yeah 7 days is way too short agreed. I *think* we're looking at between 10-12 days of actual exploring of Japan which includes those 2 days for DL but excludes travel days. Our restriction on days gone is more related to just how long we can leave our cat in the care of others lol. Vacation time-wise we won't have an issue.

 

[Kestryl]

We’re planning a trip this year (June), so I don’t have any solid recommendations yet, but this is our general itinerary:

First day- arrive Tokyo
2 days Tokyo
1 day Tokyo/Disney
3 days Disney
1 day Disney/Osaka
6 days Osaka
Last day- leave Osaka

For Disney, we have two nights at the Ambassador and two nights in MiraCosta. This might be overkill, but we did four nights at Disneyland Paris and thought that went really well. Our thought was that if we “oversaturate” with Disney and we ever had the chance to go to Japan again, we would have less Disney ground to cover. And to be honest, Disney is a driving force of us going to Japan in the first place.

Osaka we’re planning to use as a base for day trips (or maybe pack a bag for overnight). Not sure what exactly we’re doing, but on our list: Universal Studios Japan, Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara. We know we need to figure out USJ pretty quickly, because they tend to sell out. Our plan there is to buy tickets plus some kind of express pass to get us into Nintendo World. I personally wouldn’t go out of my way to go there since it is going to Orlando, but my husband really wants to go- and I can’t lie, I’m intrigued by getting on Jaws, ha.

 

[ChrisFL]

Yeah you're right it's not much. We can always add an additional day there if we want.

Did you find it easy enough to get around, find where to go like at the stations for the correct train?

I'm blanking on what temple my husband went to but he did one as well

Ooohh I like this mention and looks so cool at night too!

So that was nixed fairly early on for a couple of reasons, we didn't want to make this a theme park trip but couldn't pass up DL as so many people rave about it and we also go to Universal Studios Orlando enough and their Super Mario World will be the biggest one yet (can't wait for Epic Universe). We skipped out on Universal Hollywood too even when my husband was on a field assignment there in Long Beach favoring DLR twice so it's not just Japan we've opted to skip out on. BUT I appreciate the mention, I know there's a uniqueness to Studios there in Japan (especially the food it seems for Super Mario World)

Getting around is....hit or miss as far as how easy it is, each station is a different labyrinth. I recommend using an app to help you navigate.

Also, within Tokyo there is one train line, the Yamanote line which circles the city and has stops in most of the popular areas like The Imperial Palace, Akihabara, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza...or at least relatively close to those.

Separately, Odaiba which is kind of like an island in the center of Tokyo Bay has a lot of cool things to see and there's a monorail that goes around that area.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Getting around is....hit or miss as far as how easy it is, each station is a different labyrinth. I recommend using an app to help you navigate.

Also, within Tokyo there is one train line, the Yamanote line which circles the city and has stops in most of the popular areas like The Imperial Palace, Akihabara, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza...or at least relatively close to those.

Separately, Odaiba which is kind of like an island in the center of Tokyo Bay has a lot of cool things to see and there's a monorail that goes around that area.

Thank you, this is all good information!

 

[BrianL]

Kyoto is great i f you want to see a more traditional side of Japan. I will warn that the temples can be largely the same and if you've seen one, you've seen them all. I do recommend though the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto. - such a cool place! We only did one day in Tokyo proper but did spend three at Tokyo Disney Resort (and it is AWESOME!). I hear Osaka is the "foodie" destination and I definitely want to do that on my next visit.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I was hoping you'd pop in to share some wisdom as I remembered you were going there too

- Get a Suica card. Extremely helpful for using trains in Japan.

I had to look this up as I've never heard of it. Thanks for the mention

- Buy a SIM card before your trip and pick it up at the airport.

When my husband went in 2014 he did a wifi hotspot that worked well. But he only did Osaka and Kyoto and we're wanting to explore much more than that. He mentioned however an e-SIM so I guess he'll look into that but if not a physical one good catch!

- Stay on site when going to Tokyo Disneyland.

I'm going to try and convince my husband of this. It's way too early to book it from what I can tell although looking at some other threads I am watching just for information Ambassador Hotel is one of the most booked ones. I'm not sure that would be the category of hotels my husband would want but it was good to find out which hotel especially tends to get scooped up real fast.

Also cannot recommend rope dropping enough as it's very common to see the E-tickets get 120-180 minute waits.

I did warn my husband about this, we may have gotten by without Genie+ at WDW but it's a different story for Tokyo DL

- I did an afternoon at an onsen and I actually recommend it! It was very relaxing and enjoyable, especially since you will be doing A LOT of walking. Yes, you will have to undress since you're not allowed to wear a swimsuit but after a few minutes it feels less "strange". Also you will be separated by gender.

This is comforting although we're still undecided here, but I'm glad to know you were able to get used to it fairly quickly.

I would feel extremely rushed if I only had 1 day, especially since a lot of places in Tokyo do not open until around 10-11 am.

The not opening til later isn't something we realized for Tokyo so that helps out on the planning. This trip is one where we want to get to see much more than just the highlights which is why I looked at those other cities/destinations but we could certainly add another day for Tokyo especially if there's not as much to see/do early on in the day.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I will warn that the temples can be largely the same and if you've seen one, you've seen them all.

haha great comment! And likely very true. Something to keep in mind if a destination has a temple (and they def. do in Japan) as one of the main highlights to double check if that's really where we want to go.

I do recommend though the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto. - such a cool place!

Thank you so much for mentioning this as looking it up it sounds quite lovely!

I hear Osaka is the "foodie" destination and I definitely want to do that on my next visit.

My husband when he went for work flew into Osaka and he did say he enjoyed the food. One of the more prominent observations was the sheer amount of vending machines and just how many things you could buy from them. There are def. food we won't be interested in trying (we're not sushi, or seafood people) but I'm excited to get a different experience. We went to Puerto Rico in January and while I've had plantains before in other countries (I remember getting some in St. Lucia for example) I found a new appreciation or them there, so so good and in so many ways mofongo being one of the best.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So if you happen to remember me when you get back in a couple months from there I'd love for you to share some of your experience if you don't mind Not just Disneyland but your whole trip. I plan on perusing the Tokyo DL side of the Boards once things get closer in time as well.

Osaka we’re planning to use as a base for day trips (or maybe pack a bag for overnight).

That is one of the things I had considered, either Osaka or Kyoto or Tokyo doing this. We'll see but it wouldn't be a bad idea for some of the places that are more day style places.

Kobe,

Hadn't thought about this place though looking at it it's very close to Osaka.

Nara.

One of the places I'm interested in. Very easily a day trip from either Osaka or Kyoto so that could be a place to visit while maintaining a hotel overnight in Osaka or Kyoto.

I personally wouldn’t go out of my way to go there since it is going to Orlando, but my husband really wants to go- and I can’t lie, I’m intrigued by getting on Jaws, ha.

Yeah that was our thoughts because we'll absolutely be going to Universal Orlando we love it there.

But wait have you not ridden Jaws before at Universal!? It scared me as a kid but is a lot like Alien Encounter (replaced by Stitch) over at MK that I miss the ride now that it's gone. I wouldn't go to Universal Japan just for the ride but can certainly understand you wanting to sweeten the pot by getting to ride it!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Sounds like fun!

Thanks! My husband has been wanting to go back to Japan ever since he last went and this time really get to explore

 

[Kestryl]

So if you happen to remember me when you get back in a couple months from there I'd love for you to share some of your experience if you don't mind Not just Disneyland but your whole trip. I plan on perusing the Tokyo DL side of the Boards once things get closer in time as well.

That is one of the things I had considered, either Osaka or Kyoto or Tokyo doing this. We'll see but it wouldn't be a bad idea for some of the places that are more day style places.

Hadn't thought about this place though looking at it it's very close to Osaka.

One of the places I'm interested in. Very easily a day trip from either Osaka or Kyoto so that could be a place to visit while maintaining a hotel overnight in Osaka or Kyoto.

Yeah that was our thoughts because we'll absolutely be going to Universal Orlando we love it there.

But wait have you not ridden Jaws before at Universal!? It scared me as a kid but is a lot like Alien Encounter (replaced by Stitch) over at MK that I miss the ride now that it's gone. I wouldn't go to Universal Japan just for the ride but can certainly understand you wanting to sweeten the pot by getting to ride it!

I have a reminder in my phone to come back to this thread after our trip, ha.

I hate lugging luggage around, so the idea of having a “base” is appealing to me.

Kobe is on the list because of Kobe beef, which my husband is very interested in. I’m not sure what else we’d do- there is a zoo (with pandas!), the Godzilla zip line is roughly near by, and there’s a hot spring town also nearby, any of which could get combined. But I could also see us just getting a bunch of food!

Regarding Jaws- I rode it back when I was 8, and I was also terrified! The husband has never been on it. I’m wondering how I would like it as an adult. I do like coasters, which is another point of going for us. We’ll see!

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Yes to the Japan Rail Pass, yes to the Suica Card, and the mifi/pocket wifi. There are apps that can help you navigate the train stations and timetables. We used Hyperdia but it looks like the format has changed significantly as of last year so it may not be as useful as it once was. There are other similar services available but you’ll have to research them.

We were there 18 days, roughly broken down to:
4 Days in Tokyo
5 days Disney (4 park days and a half day for arrival/departure on either side)
5 days in Kyoto (with two day trips to Nara and Hiroshima/Miyajima Island from there)
4 days in Tokyo (day trip to Nagano to see the snow monkeys)

The parks were great, of course, and two days per park seemed like the right amount of time for touring. We rope dropped and did commando style the first day in each park, then were able to go at a bit more relaxed speed the second day. Nara and the snow monkeys were highlights for me but I’m an animal/nature kind of person. I’m not much of a history buff but I actually really… er, enjoyed isn’t the right word… appreciated seeing Hiroshima. We spent a few hours there in the morning and ferried to Miyajima Island in the afternoon. It made for a good day. And, not being a history buff, I agree with Brian’s comment upthread — pick one or two temples to see in Kyoto (and possibly Tokyo) and then find other things to explore. The view from the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and touring the Imperial Palace Gardens were a couple of the of the more memorable Tokyo sights for me. We saw the palace from the outside but didn’t bother going in.

If I went back, which I would do in a heartbeat, I’d add Iriomote Island and Mt. Fuji to the itinerary. The first we didn’t include because of time limitations; the second was meant to be a day trip from Tokyo that fell through at the end of our trip. We saw Fuji from the window of a passing Shinkansen but I’d like to spend some time exploring the area if we ever return.

Another tip that worked well for us was to get a Hilton Honors credit card. With the introductory bonuses and points earned for airfare, other trip expenses, and a few months of at-home charges prior to the trip, we ended up having half of our nights fully paid for. We stayed at Hiltons in Shinjuku and Disney and they were the nicer accommodations of the trip (plus free breakfast!)

If you have any allergies, dietary restrictions, or medical needs, get that translated and printed on a few index cards before you go. Mostly, the language barrier is not difficult to navigate and you’ll find they understand English a lot better than you understand Japanese.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I was hoping you'd pop in to share some wisdom as I remembered you were going there too


I had to look this up as I've never heard of it. Thanks for the mention

When my husband went in 2014 he did a wifi hotspot that worked well. But he only did Osaka and Kyoto and we're wanting to explore much more than that. He mentioned however an e-SIM so I guess he'll look into that but if not a physical one good catch!

I'm going to try and convince my husband of this. It's way too early to book it from what I can tell although looking at some other threads I am watching just for information Ambassador Hotel is one of the most booked ones. I'm not sure that would be the category of hotels my husband would want but it was good to find out which hotel especially tends to get scooped up real fast.

I did warn my husband about this, we may have gotten by without Genie+ at WDW but it's a different story for Tokyo DL

This is comforting although we're still undecided here, but I'm glad to know you were able to get used to it fairly quickly.

The not opening til later isn't something we realized for Tokyo so that helps out on the planning. This trip is one where we want to get to see much more than just the highlights which is why I looked at those other cities/destinations but we could certainly add another day for Tokyo especially if there's not as much to see/do early on in the day.

Haha, yup! I hope the trip happens - my sister was SO mad that I went without her so we plan on going together. I'm also getting great advice from this thread and it's making me consider dropping USJ and doing a day trip somewhere else instead. We're doing Disney regardless but we'd be okay skipping USJ.

The Suica card works for the train lines in the larger cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto but not in between cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. SO helpful! You can also use it for vending machines and in stores such as 7-11, Family Mart and I think Lawson but don't quote me on that.

Any SIM card or Wifi hotspot works! I found the stores I mentioned above have Wifi so if you need it desperately you can go in there.

I think it's Ambassador and Miracosta that get you early entry to TDL and Disneysea, but they're also the most expensive (like $300-400 a night minimum). Another hotel is being built for Fantasy Springs which I would guess will have early entry to Disneysea. I didn't stay on site since I went with someone who....well....doesn't like Disney so I kinda forced her to go. We stayed at an Airbnb about a 5 minute bus ride from the parks and it wasn't too bad. If you can swing it I would say definitely stay on site but there are also a lot of great hotels nearby that I see people constantly recommend. I see Hilton Tokyo Bay mentioned all the time.

Uh yeah if you have only 1 day for each day, absolutely rope drop and buy the Premier passes for certain rides. I was watching a vlogger on Instagram who went to TDL last month and people were already lined up at the gates at 6 am for a 9 am park opening. Crazy!

If you're going to Hakone, they are very famous for beautiful onsens so I would absolutely recommend going to one there if you had to choose one. I went to one in Tokyo and it was wonderful too. This is the one I went to. They have a restaurant too but we didn't eat there. I lived off of the 1000 yen or less ramen shops.

Yeah, I was surprised about things opening late too. Shops, restaurants and some tourist attractions didn't open early in the morning. Definitely look into hotels that have breakfast offered so you have somewhere to eat. Or you can do what I did and eat at Family Mart or Mcdonalds LOL (their Mcdonalds is pretty good though.)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have a reminder in my phone to come back to this thread after our trip, ha.

That's very nice of you

I hate lugging luggage around, so the idea of having a “base” is appealing to me.

Yeah honestly me too or at least not trying to hop every day or two as I think that's way too much

Godzilla zip line is roughly near by

lol godzilla how appropriate!

Regarding Jaws- I rode it back when I was 8, and I was also terrified! The husband has never been on it. I’m wondering how I would like it as an adult. I do like coasters, which is another point of going for us. We’ll see!

Whew you had me worried for a minute about not having experienced it! Well if you go let us know how it stacks up to the U.S. parks

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We were there 18 days, roughly broken down to:

Wow I'm so envious. I know we're getting to do a generous vacation but yours sounds so nice to have all those days. I can see why you could have more days for things.

Nara and the snow monkeys were highlights for me but I’m an animal/nature kind of person.

I'm a nature person as well. Are the snow monkeys in Nara or somewhere else?

I’m not much of a history buff but I actually really… er, enjoyed isn’t the right word… appreciated seeing Hiroshima.

I know exactly what you mean. We are history people but it's a lot like Pearl Harbor or the 9/11 Museum. There's a somberness and emotional aspect to it but still a great appreciation for it as well. I would always recommend at least the 9/11 museum to people so I guess I should take a second look at Hiroshima.

Mt. Fuji to the itinerary.

So that was one of the reasons Hakone was added although the caveat I kept reading about was be aware that weather can often obscure it. Now I don't think we would be getting too too close to Mt. Fuji but Hakone seemed to offer good background landscape for activities should the weather be good. But there were a few other things that caught my eye to do there in case Mt. Fuji was a good photo op day.

We stayed at Hiltons in Shinjuku and Disney and they were the nicer accommodations of the trip (plus free breakfast!)

You're speaking my husband's travel love language...free breakfast Hilton is actually a preferred brand for us. We have gold or silver level not sure. Hilton is def. on our radar especially if there's free breakfast