Going to Japan, looking for advice on my current itinerary! :)

• 

  tanoshiiki on 01/01/2016 - 16:32

  +1

  itinerary is a bit rushed

  It sure is! Would you consider dropping some places? If you want a very go-go-go holiday, this will be doable. Otherwise, you will come back feeling like you need a holiday from the holiday.

  Morishita seems a bit further away from central Tokyo for a tourist. This means you could waste a lot of travelling time going to other places. I presume you will be getting a 7 day JR Rail Pass? Are you flying out of Kansai or Tokyo (Narita/Haneda)?

  It is worth trying Kobe beef, or at least a high ranking wagyu. I tried Kobe beef at Steakland in Kobe.

  • 

    Neilzy on 01/01/2016 - 18:04

    +1

    +1 for Kobe beef.

  • 

    anoykw on 01/01/2016 - 18:48

    Thank you for your advice! We probably will cut out some things.
    We haven't thought about whether to get the JR rail pass yet or not. We are flying out of Osaka (ITM)

• 

  saine on 01/01/2016 - 16:51

  Personally, I wouldn't do more than 2 things on average a day. Tokyo is pretty easy to get to from Australia - maybe leave some things for next time?

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  NancyCat on 01/01/2016 - 18:12

  +3

  You are doing too much….no need to visit so many shrines/temples. How about spend a night in a traditional japanese inn 'ryokan', in Kyoto (Gion area). Such beautiful place, like a movie set.
  Hire a bike and ride around in Kyoto would be very nice too.

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  frinik on 01/01/2016 - 19:09

  +1

  Go to the Ramen museum! :D

• 

  takezo on 01/01/2016 - 19:40

  +3

  It's a personal thing but I think you may have planned too precisely. I generally try and have one thing planned a day and then leave either the morning or afternoon free to work out whilst there (maybe after having a look at what's on in).

  As others have said I think you'll be exhausted by the end of the trip. Some of the Tokyo days seem ok, but all the temple hopping in Kyoto will leave you totally drained.

  In terms of food feel free to check out my review on TripAdvisor (lots of Ramen and Tsukamen reviews!:

  https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/members/Funkigreendog

• 

  Daabido on 01/01/2016 - 20:00

  +5

  Just some random thoughts.

  As others have said, two things a day is much more manageable and enjoyable. Even if you end up back at your hotel / AirBnB early in the afternoon, the cities don't shut down until around 10 pm, so you can always catch a nap and then head out again.

  A lot of places don't open until 10 am too, so there is always time to find a nice leisurely breakfast somewhere.

  I would definitely grab a one or two week JR pass. It can be used around local Tokyo stations that are JR too. Even if you don't think you will use all the value, I found it was easier to say, "Hey, I have it. I may as well go on the Shinkansen today," rather than "mmm, that will cost me $150. I might not do it."

  Osaka Castle is not worth seeing in my opinion. Himeji is, on the other hand, absolutely amazing. Make a day in it at Himeji by climbing Mount Shosha after visiting Himeji Castle. We were "fortunate" enough to visit when the cable car was on "holidays" and the mountain was empty, even the temple near the top, where we rang the massive bell. I have been to Japan a number of times and without a doubt the climb up and down and the fact there were only two other people we saw in five hours made it the best day I have ever had. Even the climb up and the cable car down is a good choice, but we had no choice. If you decide to walk down, grab a walking stick along the way. You will need it and come down well before sunset unless you want to be using the lights of Himeji to light your way.

  Ghibli Museum is a gem. Just make sure you get your guaranteed tickets before leaving for Japan.
  For Disneyland and Disney Sea, check out a website that gives you an idea of the best days of the week to go, by past attendance numbers. It will make a big difference to your experience. Both parks are magical.

  If you do the Philosopher's walk and Nazenji temple, consider climbing the mountain behind it. It is a fair walk, about 45 minutes up to a three way junction. There you can decide to continue climbing the mountain, which apparently takes two hours according to a local, but we took the trail to the right which took us down the mountain through a small cave, past some beautiful houses and then down the abandoned railway of Keage Incline.

  If you haven't done it previously, Fushimi-inari in Kyoto is a jewel just one or two stops from Kyoto Station.

  If you have not been to Hiroshima, put it on your agenda. The Peace Park and Miyajima Island are outstanding. Have a boiled oyster on Miyajima straight from Hiroshima Bay. Take the cable car if it is operating and walk to the top. The viewing platform is currently out of action, but it might be back by the time you go. If it is, looking down on Hiroshima Bay is like standing on top of the world.

  P.S. Check out the Japan travel thread on Whirlpool. All 200+ pages. And japan-guide.com

  • 

    anoykw on 01/01/2016 - 22:44

    Thanks so much for your thoughts, really appreciate it. I thought the JR pass was expensive, but wasn't sure at all whether it was worth grabbing them as we are mainly staying in tokyo, kyoto and osaka. So you think its worth getting the JR pass versus buying them individually?

    We complete forgot to slot in Fushimi-inari! Thanks for reminding haha :)

    • 

      Daabido on 01/01/2016 - 22:57

      +2

      Check out http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ for an idea on Shinkansen prices and then you can work out wether it is worthwhile or not. You will need to include the basic price plus the reserved seat price. You can try for unreserved ticket and most of the time it will be fine but of course there is a risk that you could end up standing. I never have, but my son did once.

      You can use the JR pass on JR railways in Tokyo and also one of the two ferries between Hiroshima and Miyajima. If you are trying to work out a price between Tokyo and Osaka remember than the main Shinkansen station is called Shin-Osaka.

      Osaka to Kyoto you can do on a local train but I still like to take the bullet train. Bullet trains are restricted to Hikari and Kodama and I think I new one called Sakura. Nozumi is not allowed on the rail pass.

    • 

      sheepy on 02/01/2016 - 08:23

      +1

      I highly recommend you to grab a 7day pass then use it for the 2nd half of your trip (Tokyo to Kyoto Shinkansen and onward).
      From my experience, we mainly used private subways in Tokyo but we used JR a lot in Osaka and Kyoto.
      Besides, you are going to Nara & Kobe, both are covered by JR Pass so it should be worth it.
      In all OZB spirit, just check roughly how much it will cost 'without' a JR pass to travel between cities on Japan guide to help you to make the decision.

      The advantage of JR pass is the flexibility and convenience.
      You can make impulse decision to travel between cities without worrying about the cost - we caught Shinkansen from Tokyo to Yokohama China town, just to have dinner over there! :p I'm sure we wouldn't do that if we need to buy tickets.
      Also you can always make free seat reservation with JR pass, which you need to pay on top of the normal fare (and is quite expensive) if you buy a ticket the normal way.

  • 

    CryssieJade on 15/01/2016 - 09:50

    I'm headed to Japan in a month, and I love your suggestion of the 45 min+down path behind Nazenji…it sounds so pretty (I'm a photographer, and practically salivating at the thought of it - you had me at 'abandoned railway' lol)

    Adding it into my itinerary!!

• 

  m2000 on 01/01/2016 - 20:46

  +1

  Personally I would skip some of the highlights in tokyo, especially the shrine/temples..
  Just too crowded in Tokyo, you may enjoy more of these in Kyoto or else, especially if you like taking photos…
  As for the rest, just up to your interests or preferences.

• 

  Ic3man on 01/01/2016 - 21:29

  +1

  Okay I went to Japan in 2013 and want to offer the following comments specifically around your daily events.

  February 4 (Thursday - Tokyo)
  Tsukiji Fish Market (is this to either buy knives or see the auctions(as there are limited guests allowed at the auctions). I believe this place was meant to be winding down soon so may be worth still seeing)

  February 5 (Friday) - Tokyo
  Ghibli Museum (not really close to anything (that I found worthwhile) takes about 2 hours if you watch the movie not including transport around the area.
  Tokyo National Museum
  Tokyo Skytree (will you see this during the day or night ? could be an overly busy day)

  February 6 (Saturday) - Tokyo
  Akihabara ( I love electronics and anime/gundam stuff so I nearly spent 2 days going to the top of every building and making my way down.. ** warning some of the higher levels can be adult oriented and weird me the hell out..)

  February 7 (Sunday) - Tokyo
  Harajuku (this and shibuya if you take your time can take a whole day, depends on how fast you walk and if you like to see everything)
  Shibuya

  February 10 (Wednesday) - Kyoto (would need to get out a map.. very hard to see a lot in a day here unless you stick to a corner of the city as it is far and wide.)

  February 13 (Saturday) Osaka - Kobe
  Namba Shopping District (namba is nothing special, if you like stationary shops there are a few like typo but more custom and cool)

  February 16 (Tuesday) - Osaka
  Ooooh reminds me if you like cheesecake go to Pablo's cheesecakes!!!) which is in shinshibashi half way up the mall. Not far from where i stayed at hotel grasmere.

  If you like pork kuraboto (panko crumbed pork fillet with daikon) In shinjuku theres a tokyo hans tower which is like shopping mall for the first 6 levels; On Level 11 there's a great place that specializes in these (costly) but worth it.. Went there twice)

  • 

    anoykw on 01/01/2016 - 22:49

    Tsukiji fish market, friend of mine said there is some good food there, worth going in the morning?
    Tokyo skytree during day - i read lots of reviews about it being crowded too :(
    I love anime and electronics too! Akihibara, do you think its worth spending whole day there instead?
    I love shopping too.. want to spend whole day in Shibuya and harajuku too..

    I freaking love cheesecake and pork, will put that on m food list thank you ^_^

    • 

      Daabido on 01/01/2016 - 23:03

      +1

      Personally Akihabara isn't interesting. Years ago when there was a big lag between electronics being released in Japan and here it might have been worth visiting. These days I don't see anything there that isn't available here. It's just noisy and crowded. I couldn't imagine spending a whole day there. My wife loves Harajuku.

      Whatever you do in Japan, you can't go wrong. After all, if you missed out seeing something the first time, just go again!

      • 

        Ic3man on 02/01/2016 - 09:04

        Can see what Daabido's saying here on Akihabara depending on your interests(electronics were nothing special).. Maybe you get up early enough maybe do half a day Aki(mind you some stores don't open till after 10am in Aki. followed by half day Harajuku

        for the cheesecake : www.pablo3.com
        I was wrong about the pork floor level.: look up katsukura shinjuku.

        Oh another recommendation. I saved the JR Tokyo rail maps to my phone so if we had a change of mind or needed to plan train stops etc it became invaluable to my and my friend.

• 

  jennkei on 02/01/2016 - 00:17

  I'll post in a new reply though I'm replying to your last comment. :)

  Yay, Japan!

  Tsukiji…we had the omakase at Sushi Dai, which is just outside Tsukiji, and had some sushi around the market as well. Being lazy, we weren't actually there early in the morning so can't tell you whether there's anything good then. XD But the sushi WAS superb.

  Akihabara is definitely worth a day if you love anime. (I didn't really see much of the electronics stuff, cough.) We spent more like two or three days there…haha.

  Pablo cheese tart definitely worth a try, also Rikuro cheesecake. \o/

  Not sure if it'd help you but feel free to message me for the maps/comments from my trips. I've been to a couple of the places you mentioned. (It's a bit embarrassing to just link here because it has things like "OMG CHEESECAKE"..)

• 

  [Deactivated] on 02/01/2016 - 01:09

  +3

  Tokyo

  I'd personally cut one of your less interesting days (consolidate 4&5 Feb) and substitute with the Hakone round course

  Akihabara is maximum one day. FYI on a side note maid cafes are weird and over priced, you'll see some touts for these. I went to one to tick it off the list, the girl brought over a coffee and literally did a song and dance as a 'spell' to make it taste better. Not even Gandalf could've made that crap coffee taste decent.

  Tsukiji - have lunch at sushi zanmai, reasonably priced and delicious.

  Sky tree is expensive and vastly overrated, though the Sora-machi shopping complex is okay. If your heart is set on it, go the same day that you're heading out to Asakusa. You could also consider Tokyo tower.

  Harajuku wasn't my cup of tea (unless you like the young Japanese fashion) but Shibuya is great, iconic and lots of mainstream appeal. Check out Shibuya 109, the hachiko statue, H&M and sushizanmai's Shibuya branch if you have time.

  Kyoto

  I'd recommend Kiyomizu-dera by far my favourite temple. You can also visit a studio to get your hair and make up done and dress up in traditional costumes, I did this with the missus one Valentine's Day and it was really cool (except random tourists and Japanese people kept asking for photos with us!)

  In Gion there's a restaurant called Karyo which I liked but it's pretty pricey (can't remember exactly but about 25,000 yen for two). I also hit up an Ippudo ramen in Kyoto, it's far better than the Ippudo ramen we have in Sydney.

  Monkey park / Arashiyama / Todaiji is a long day plus you will be freezing after walking outdoors all day in early Feb, make sure you get an early start. This is one of my favourite places in Japan.

  Osaka / Kobe

  Definitely Himeji over Osaka castle - Himeji is the best original castle that survived ww2, Osaka is a reconstruction that feels like a modern day museum.

  Must go to Namba and eat at Kanidouraku (for crab) or Zuboraya (puffer fish).

  Kobe - you're travelling an awful long way just for some Kobe beef, you can eat it in other cities too. It's got a more relaxed feel to it compared to the likes of Tokyo but it's lighter on the tourist attractions. Highly recommend a kaiseki ryori lunch at Tamura restaurant at the Portopia hotel. Nishimura coffee at Sannomiya is famous with the locals.

  Other
  I would buy a JR pass you can also use it on the express NEX train from Narita

  You may see something called 'Kansai Thru Pass' this isn't worthwhile at all

  Agree with Daabido Hiroshima / Miyajima is a good day but you'll struggle to fit it in. Honestly you're just scratching the surface here, there's so much more to see but what you've listed covers off a lot of the main attractions for first timers. I've been 8+ times and there're still places I need to tick off.

  • 

    anoykw on 02/01/2016 - 02:21

    We laughed out loud at your Gandalf comment haha!

    Thanks so much for your suggestions, will note it down! :)

  • 

    ThirdRonnie on 02/01/2016 - 10:10

    +1

    Himeji is the best original castle that survived ww2

    It is the castle to see and is the one used in just about every movie requiring a white castle. Inside is the model and photo story of it being completely rebuilt in 1969 - using traditional tools and methods, of course. It's just recently had a major makeover, too.

• 

  tendliya on 03/01/2016 - 10:01

  Do not miss to visit Piss Alley and Golden Gai areas in Tokyo. And, The Robot Restaurant as well.

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  ukulele on 03/01/2016 - 18:13

  Hi guys thanks for the suggestions so far I have 5 or 6 days that are as yet un planned. Any suggestions on where to stay in Osaka Airbnb or hotel is fine!

  • 

    Cattaby on 04/01/2016 - 13:50

    As close as you can get to Dotonbori. Anywhere near or close to the Namba district considering 3 of your days have activity around the area.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 08/01/2016 - 15:58

  +2

  I've just come back from Japan. Tokyo —> Osaka —> Kyoto —> Kobe —> Hiroshima —> Miyajima —> Yokohama-Tokyo). Plenty of geotagged images/thoughts here on my Instagram account if you want to have a look.

  A few selected thoughts:

  • Disneyland/Universal/Disneysea et al - we skipped these, but did go to Universal City's Takoyaki "Museum"
  • Tsukiji Fish Market - a must-do if you like seafood. Do your best to avoid being run over. Forget the tuna auction.
  • Metro Government Building - superb and free.
  • Shinjuku Shopping - Isetan is a must. The Don Quiote is very good. Avoid the deafening pachinko halls.
  • Ghibli Museum - make sure you've booked your tickets well in advance (we hadn't…and missed out).
  • Tokyo Skytree - this is a tower done right. Wonderful experience.
  • Asakusa - consider doing a Tokyo Kitchen cooking class here. One of the best 3-4 hours of our trip.
  • Akihabara - I'm a retro console collector/gamer. It's a wonderful place if you avoid the place westerners tend to flock to (eg Super Potato). Try Friends, Trader2, Trader3 etc. And yes, go to a maid cafe. It's one hell of an experience. Oh - if you're into electronica, DenDen Town (Osaka) is even better, price-wise.
  • Shrines/temples etc - we got a bit bah-humbug about them after the first week.
  • Harajuku - do it on a weekend and smash a few crepes as you gawk at people.
  • Shibuya - better shopping than Shinjuku and then there's that crossing.
  • Kyoto Tower - it's pretty pissweak once you've been to Skytower, Metro Govt, Tokyo Tower et al. Avoid (great gift shops on ground floor however (entrance near Starbucks). Pick up some chocolate-filled mochii.
  • If you'll be in Kyoto go to Honke-Owariya for lunch! A 550 year old(!!!) noodle restaurant. Sadly it was closed for repairs on the day we turned up. :-(
  • Kobe Beef lunch at Wakkoqu - worth every cent. ~AUD160ea for a 200g A5 sirloin. So buttery!
  • Osaka Castle - one of the best we went to
  • Shinbaibashi Shopping Centre - best shopping of the entire trip, I think.

  Also….

  • Yokohama is worth a day trip from Tokyo for the ramen museum (incl an AMAZING underground "city"); cup noodle museum (great fun for all ages); and the cleanest Chinatown I've experienced anywhere in the world.
  • If you're an espresso drinker, brace for the worst - and occasionally you'll hit the jackpot
  • JR Rail pass is a must. Treat yourself to reserved Green Class if you can afford it.
  • See if you can squeeze in a Kaiseki (traditional 12-13 course Japanese version of a degustation).
  • Locate, and fill your suitcase with, Japanese confectionery (especially Choco Flakes and the bake at home Kit Kats)
  • Coin lockers for luggage (incl excess shopping) are everywhere. They are cheap. They are secure. Use them!
  • Treat yourself to the Japanese version of a Mont Blanc cake - they are a national treasure IMHO
  • Umeda Sky Building in Osaka is great
  • NHK Studio Park is massively underrated - 90mins or so very well-spent. Check out the brand new Thunderbirds while you're there
  • Sony Headquarters in Ginza is part shop, part museum and part heaven
  • Odaiba is fun at night if you're looking to kill some time in Tokyo
  • The HAKUTSURU Sake Brewery Museum in Kyoto was an unexpected highlight for us. Oh yeah - they even have softserve ice cream blended with sake.
  • Golden Gai and Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku is a must.

  And finally…beware the HORRIBLE 1 yen coins. Pretty much useless (other than for charity collection containers and guitar picks). Most other coins can be used to load-up your Pasmo or Suica card for train travel, convenience store shopping etc.

  • 

    stan86 on 08/01/2016 - 22:51

    Is Odaiba more entertaining at night?? I went during the day last time I was in Tokyo, and it was pretty dead. Maybe i went at the wrong time?

    And totally agree with those 1 yen coins. Just adds to the bulk of coins. They are not accepted by any vending machines. The only way to get rid of them is at a convenient store or shops.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 09/01/2016 - 07:00

      Yep, Odaiba comes to life at night :-)

      …and if you're there during a festival, they repurpose the windows in some of the buildings to make massive animated displays https://www.instagram.com/p/_L8q3Qh85v/

      DJ

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  Donaldhump on 09/01/2016 - 11:17

  +1

  this is just a tour of temples, unless you get off on them, after a while will boring as helll…. drop some of them…go to a sunmo match, or mt fuji, or just keep days free

• 

  sal78 on 09/01/2016 - 18:28

  not sure if u need jrpass if just going from tokyo to kyoto but can check out hyperdia. i find it easier to use suica card in tokyo.

  we were in japan a few weeks ago. we have kids so our itinerary was very kids focussed. we had been before so this time didnt even go to the busy areas of shinjuku, harajuku, ginza, shibuya etc i can highly recommend J World in Sunshine City if you are an anime fan. It's cheap, fun and interesting and their meals are the cutest and delicious. Great Japanese theme park. Dont go to Disney on weekends. We purposely made it our last stop and ended our trip in Daiba which easy free shuttle to Disney and airport. DAIBA is very family friend, beautiful tokyo bay views, heaps of restaurants and great to spend a day or two to explore. Disneysea was packed the day we went but we were well prepared and got there early, raced for toy story fast pass and managed to go on every single ride we wanted. Big call but i reckon its the best out of all the disneys in the world. we didnt bother going to tokyo disneyland as we went before and its like the other disneys but with more crowd n long queues.

  we hired a car n drove around. great experience! was able to go to places thats hard to get to by train. driving in japan is sooo easy! we didnt get lost once! the only thing is that tolls are expensive but it was still cheaper n more convenient than jr pass. we picked up car outside tokyo in Kawagoe to explore gunma, nagano and yamanashi prefectures. Firstly the supermarkets are fantastic and all the convenience stores.. we could eat at places not close to stations and cheaper n plentiful. One evening we saw a flyer for an illumination display at dinner. It was abt 20mins drive n free entry. It's Yamanakako flower park… wow incredible beautiful winter illuminations! beautiful.. we went to karuizawa snow park but being a slow start to winter it was all man made n way too icy for my kids but the friendly old man said we could use the free sleds so kids had hrs of fun sleding, went to hot springs in famous gunma hot springs town, and so convenient to drive to snow monkey, visit the largest green tea farm in japan and its free entry! the shiraito falls in karuizawa, i dont think bus nor trains go there its so far n remote. The pagoda in kawaguchiko, driving around the lake to get the perfect photo of mt fuji etc

  i highly recommend renting a car to sightsee the outer prefectures.

• 

  jeffjj on 10/01/2016 - 17:17

  Couple of thoughts based on my trip to Japan last year….I highly recommend that you allow at least a half day for each of the Inari Temple (Kyoto) and also Miyajima Island, they are both spectacular in their own way. Nara was also very enjoyable. Some of the best moments of the trip came from just wandering around , rather than rocketing from one " highlight" to an other…I agree with the above comments, relax, soak in the atmosphere, don't rush too much.

  • 

    Cattaby on 12/01/2016 - 13:51

    However, please note that the Giant Buddha statue in Kamakura will be undergoing maintenance from 13 Jan - 10 March 2016.
    http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002654303

• 

  stimpyjcat on 15/01/2016 - 19:25

  Short version:

  At least a day for Asakusa and surrounds (Kaminarimon, nakamise). 24 hour Don Quixote in Asakusa (like Daiso except over 3-4 levels with groceries, electronics, apparel, kitchen sink). Across the river at the ground level of Asahi building for a nice reasonably priced set lunch (get there early), interesting building (Philip Stark). Back across the river is also the grand old Matsuya Dept store (basement for food/bentos!).

  Few blocks or 5 mins walk from Asakusa is Kappabashi for kitchenware (chef quality knives at excellent prices, ceramics, chopstick shop, wax food replicas/magnets altho not cheap). This is where industry goes for supplies - much of the street is lined with these kind of shops.

  Also nearby… Ueno Park (nice walk, lotus ponds, Museum of Modern Art (LeCorbusier) - Rodin's thinker, Monet, year round exhibitions, nice gift shop).

  Ginza - walk through Imperial Palace Hotel (built 1880s), Ibaraki Marche restaurant for Ibaraki regional cuisine (very nice). Check out some of the department store around Ginza. Rose Bakery at the top of dept store is where you can get a decent coffee/sweets. Nice place to relax and rest too.

  Kyoto has awesome scenery everywhere. Don't stress if you miss out on any temples due to time unless you specifically want to. They are all different and quite awesome in their own way. Golden Temple and Kiyomizudera are often mentioned but the others a good too - each to their own. Philosopher's Walk is very nice, picturesque and while I recommend it, personally I wouldn't rate it any better than a walk through some other beautiful temple grounds or say Ryoanji (zen garden) or the Bamboo Forest walk. The walk up the long hill to Kiyomizudera is lined with gift shops, sweet shops etc but its likely to be packed - just don't be shocked by the number of tour groups, school kids running around :)

  Recommend little less time for Osaka and extend Tokyo for more day trips (Hakone/Mt Fuji?) or like others have suggested at least a day trip/stopover at Himeji. Can't be matched for scale and grandeur if you want to experience a castle.

  If you want to travel light you can always request Kuroneko or other luggage forwarding service (depending on hotel). If you are travelling heavy it can be worth the cost if you are doing day trips rather than be burdened with luggage. You have to usually fwd it the night before (check at the hotel desk for times) for the next evening arrival at your next destination (check if they accept luggage fwding). Ask the hotel desk for assistance filling out the form, have all the contact details handy and work out what you need for the night/following day.

  Yokohama is excellent for a daytrip (short train ride from Ueno stn). Lots of local craft gift shops down the main street. Large Chinatown and a surprisingly very European Motomachi main shopping street.

  Have a great trip.