2 week trip to Japan

[Gumby]

The young wife and I are planning to go to Japan with my nephew and his wife in October 2024 for two weeks. They have been before and can speak some Japanese, so we have given them free rein as to the itinerary. I'm sure they will choose well and we will enjoy whatever they choose, but I am wondering whether those on this board who have been to Japan can suggest some "can't miss" things to do and see.

We are not much for the bright lights, big city thing. We prefer quiet times in natural settings, good food, attractive art and architecture, and 'off the beaten path' authenticity.

 

[rodi]

My husband is a big fan of Kyoto. Lots of temples and beautiful city. (I haven't been but am planning a trip in the next few years.). He was also very moved by his visit to Hiroshima.

 

[upupandaway]

I will be following closely as we are planning the same trip next year.

 

[youbet]

My husband is a big fan of Kyoto. Lots of temples and beautiful city. (I haven't been but am planning a trip in the next few years.). He was also very moved by his visit to Hiroshima.

I also found the memorial at Hiroshima a moving experience. At the time, a couple decades ago, it wasn't large or sensational, just quietly moving and thought provoking. Hiroshima and Kyoto are connected by the bullet train.

Gumby - you're fortunate to be traveling with folks who know the country.

 

[marko]

Lived in Yokohama for a while. For me, the thing about Japan is that some of the most fascinating, unique and memorable things can be seen just walking around.

Yes, Kyoto is amazing, among other notables, but I found just walking into a small bar with seats for six, going to any train station, a grocery store or even a small neighborhood cemetery to be so counter to a Western experience; it can make you dizzy. Just everyday things are always just slightly "different" enough to be quite interesting.

The Japanese see the world entirely differently and it is absolutely my favorite place.

 

[Aerides]

We are not much for the bright lights, big city thing. We prefer quiet times in natural settings, good food, attractive art and architecture, and 'off the beaten path' authenticity.

Where are your main cities? Kyoto sounds like your best bet, but it would be a shame to skip Tokyo entirely. With two weeks I wouldn't plan on much more than two main towns, as you can easily do stuff around them, but there is a lot.

October is a good time, not too hot, and I think avoids any holidays, but you'll want to double check.

Kyoto: the typical spots will include walking around Kiyomizudera Temple, and the old village surrounding it.
Take a train ride from there to Fushimi Inari Shrine (thousands of tori gates), and take the hike up around the mountain for the views.
Also a short train to Nara, the temples and deer

(I have done the above twice and would again, I love Kyoto)

Toyko is basically a lot of neighborhoods. The SkyTree is nice to visit, and you're close to Asakusa from there - old Tokyo, and I would recommend the Ueno Zoo. If you like pottery and kitchen stuff, a couple hours spend up and down Kababashi Street is a lot of fun. I know you said not much for the big city, but you can't go here and not stop at Shinjuku. I'd also take a walk around Akihabara (gamer/anime paradise), especially if you're there on a weekend, just for the sites.

From there, a day trip down to Kamakura is a nice. Oh, and perhaps find a way to stop in a traditional Ryokan for a night? There are some nicer all-inclusives. We stayed in one with our own hot spring tub adjacent to our suite. Full on tatami-mat, roll out the futon at night (we checked in and I was... where's the bed?), served dinner and breakfast in our room on a low table. Anyone with back problems might find this a challenge. Not the best night's sleep I ever had...

Dinners: Plan to go to amazing sushi places that you will easily drop $200 per person. Also plan to find some Izakaya's for a fun setting for far less. You really cannot go wrong with food in Japan, unless you pick from "top ten" lists from american websites. English-menu does not mean english, it means japanese in english alphabet vs. kanji. You will want to learn a few phrases, as your hotel concierge will be the best english speaker you'll encounter there.

Oh, and you'll want to arrange in advance for a Japan rail pass, and get a metro card (not sure what they call it) when you arrive. The train system is amazing, convenient, and on time.

 

[Gumby]

Thanks. We did talk to them about the fact that we probably should limit ourselves geographically, so we can spend more time seeing and less time packing, unpacking and traveling. We also spoke about staying in a ryokan with onsen. They will be sending us a preliminary itinerary sometime in the next month and we'll be able to drill down more.

 

[Aerides]

Thanks. We did talk to them about the fact that we probably should limit ourselves geographically, so we can spend more time seeing and less time packing, unpacking and traveling. We also spoke about staying in a ryokan with onsen. They will be sending us a preliminary itinerary sometime in the next month and we'll be able to drill down more.

Oh, and re the packing/unpacking: If you are going from one major town to another (like Tokyo>Kyoto) you can arrange with your hotels to have them send your luggage, it will arrive the next day. For our two week trip, we had each one larger checked back, and one carry on. We sent the checked bags via our hotels on each end, as navigating train stations with them is not fun, and luggage space on the shinkansen's can be limited.

 

[tulak]

We had a few day layover in Tokyo on our way back to the US many years ago. I expected it to be expensive, but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t that bad. No where near $200/person for sushi, and we visited a lot of sushi bars including a place at the Tsukiji fish market. We were there after the auctions ended. I suspect a lot has to do with the type of sushi you choose.

We took a day trip to Kamakura/Hase to see Kotoku-in, which is an outdoor buddha statue.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kōtoku-in

It was an easy trip from Tokyo. I recall that we went past Kamakura so we could take the electric train back to Hase, but I don’t remember the stop.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoshima_Electric_Railway

We walked back to Kamakura on hiking trails surrounding.

Probably not high on the must see sights, but we had limited time and wanted to see something interesting outside of Tokyo, yet reasonably close.

I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time. Japan is high on my list of places to visit again, but next time I want to see a lot more outside of Tokyo.

 

[Aerides]

No where near $200/person for sushi, and we visited a lot of sushi bars including a place at the Tsukiji fish market. We were there after the auctions ended. I suspect a lot has to do with the type of sushi you choose.

Oh for sure, plenty of good inexpensive places. But you can also have a splendid time having a traditional Omakase style dinner, or a small place that only seat 6 or 8 at the sushi bar, each piece prepared in front of you. You aren't going to get a lot of good Toro without going BTD. I haven't found anything like it in the US even when I do go to somewhere claiming to have the "best" sushi around.

That said, one of my favorite places in Kyoto was about $60 for two, also omakase style, but decidedly lower-priced ingredients, and still amazing.

 

[acronymous]

That said, one of my favorite places in Kyoto was about $60 for two, also omakase style, but decidedly lower-priced ingredients, and still amazing.

Aerides, do you remember the name of this restaurant? We're taking our first trip to Japan in a few weeks to celebrate our son's HS graduation.

 

[FlaMariner]

We are heading to Japan in October (first time to Asia) via a cruise from Seattle and then planning to wear out a Japan Rail pass for 5 days basing ourselves in Yokohoma (Marriott points).

Thus far, we think this is where we want to go/see each day (train times one way):

Sunday: Debark, check in to Yokohama hotel, tour Yokohama
Monday: Kyoto (3 hour)
Tuesday: Tokyo (30 minutes)
Wednesday: Kanazawa (3 hour)
Thursday: Hakone (40 minutes)
Friday: Yokohama/4pm flight from Narita (1.5 hour)

 

[tulak]

That said, one of my favorite places in Kyoto was about $60 for two, also omakase style, but decidedly lower-priced ingredients, and still amazing.

DS and I had a reasonably priced meal at a sushi bar in Tokyo, $60-80, don’t remember exactly. It was a memorable experience, because there was no english menu and we had no google translate. We got by with two words: sushi and sashimi. They took good care of us and it was a joy to see our meal prepared in front of is.

This thread makes me want to visit again soon.

 

[livingalmostlarge]

Fly into Osaka and go from there to Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Arima and Hiroshima.

Arima- go to onsen experience kaiseki meal and full experience (not to be missed)
osaka - don't miss aquarium
kobe - ride boat across from osaka and do the tower it's just pretty
nara - deer temple, kids loved it one bite me last time
kyoto - charm and temples and gion

october might be too late for a baseball game, and i don't think there is a sumo tournanment there

himeji temple is a day trip from kobe. Also hiroshima is a 4 hour train, but I'd recommend an overnight from osaka/kobe. Can be a day trip.

with extra time you could go down to beppu and see the monkeys which would tie into hiroshima. that would settle two weeks easily. Flying into an out of osaka is easiests with this southern trip.

You could also do Tokyo and then mount fuji and then travel down to Kyoto/osaka/kobe. These three cities are like 1 hour apart by train. This would mean hiroshima and beppa are probably off the table.

Disneysea is amazing and fun if you are disney fans and to experience disney in foods in a foreign place and see rides differently is cool. And the other lights of tokyo.

 

[bearkeley]

We just returned from a month trip and already booked for another next year. We did the main cities, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and realize it's not our thing. Worth considering given your interest...Kumano Kodo's Nakahechi Route. You can hike the sacred forest from Ryokan to Ryokan (only Other recognized pilgrimage, like the Camino de Santiago) or just go to the towns directly. Some of the most amazing cultural, dining and onsen experience! Locals visitors center helps organize everything, much cheaper than tour operators https://www.kumano-travel.com/

 

[scfr]

You received good advice on the major cities.

During our most recent trip to Japan, we took a nice day trip from Tokyo to Kawagoe. It has charming historical architecture, good food, and a laid-back vibe. On You-Tube there is a video by "Japan-Guide" that narrates how to do a day trip and what you can expect to see there.

I also recommend visiting the food floors at a major department store. The basement food sales are mind-boggling, and the upper restaurant floors offer lots of dining options. You might even find one with a decent view of whatever city you are in.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[luckydude]

The young wife and I are planning to go to Japan with my nephew and his wife in October 2024 for two weeks. They have been before and can speak some Japanese, so we have given them free rein as to the itinerary. I'm sure they will choose well and we will enjoy whatever they choose, but I am wondering whether those on this board who have been to Japan can suggest some "can't miss" things to do and see.

We are not much for the bright lights, big city thing. We prefer quiet times in natural settings, good food, attractive art and architecture, and 'off the beaten path' authenticity.

I was just in Japan with family for 2+ weeks.

All first-time visitors do pretty much the same route through central Honshu:

Tokyo
Yokohama
Mt. Fuji
Kyoto
Nara
Osaka

This itinerary pretty much takes up two to three weeks and is the most popular itineary for all first-time visitors. You can pick up a guide to see the popular spots at each stop.

For the more adventurous, head out to Hokkaido (the northernmost of the 4 major islands). Fly to Sapporo the capital, and then you can either join a tour or rent a car and do a self-drive. Hokkaido is noted for ramen, onsen (hot spas), seafood, and all sorts of sweet treats. Lots of national parks to explore. Scenery is comparable to Washington/Oregon. Hokkaido is sparsely populated and it was only developed after Meiji restoration in mid-19th century (before then, it was inhabited by the native Ainu people) so there's relatively little "Japanese history" so to speak. Hokkaido is very popular with Asian tourists (Chinese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Southeast Asians) but off the beaten track for most Westerners.

I started traveling to Japan with my parents in the late 80s and have been there many times over the last 30+ years. One of my favorite countries to visit. Food is awesome.

I am currently traveling in the UK (after flying home with family and ditching them) for my annual country house tour. I'll provide more detailed recommendations when I have time.

 

[goingtotravel]

Train info

Took my 5th trip to Japan earlier this year. Just a few things I didn't see mentioned already:

1) There is a big price increase on JR East rail passes starting in October 2023. You can buy your rail pass in advance, before the increase. If for some reason you can't buy in advance do the math to make sure the pass still makes sense for your itinerary cost-wise. There are other passes offered by JR East and other regional train lines that may now be a better deal depending on your plans.

2) JR East is also suspending the sale of physical SUICA and PASMO cards due to a chip shortage. You can still use SUICA/PASMO by loading the apps on your phone. The ICOCA card (For the Kansai region) is still being offered.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[luckydude]

Some random observations from my recent 2-week trip with family:

With USD being near all-time high against the yen, traveling in Japan has never been so cheap.

The popular tourist spots are already getting very crowded with the return of Taiwanese and Southeast Asian tourists, but it will be a lot worse once the mainland Chinese tourists return. Right now, the Japanese government is still limiting the number of Chinese tourists being allowed into the country.

It's so easy to eat cheaply even in Tokyo. Plenty of hole-in-the-wall places on side streets and away from central parts of Tokyo that serve delicious ramen, sashimi, shabu shabu, Genghis Khan BBQ, bendo, etc. for a song.

If you fancy American food served with a Japanese/Asian twist, visit Denny's. It has restaurants all over the country, and it is surprisingly good.

Try the conveyor belt sushi restaurants. They are cheap, delicious and lots of fun.

We ended up taking a lot of taxis instead of riding trains and subway to get around the city. Taxis were just way more convenient and comfortable to get around. For transport from hotel to airport and vice versa, we didn't want to deal with the hassles of dragging luggage/changing trains/fighting the crowd so we used taxis all the time. I treated it as a BTD exercise and didn't care how much it cost. At this point in my life, convenience and comfort always trump cost.

On a related note, some of the train stations are so massive with so many lines that it is very easy for a tourist to get lost and it can take a long time to navigate and find one's way.

 

[Route246]

All good advice. The only thing I can add is to get in "walking shape" and be prepared to walk. Wear comfortable walking shoes, if you are prone to blisters take moleskin with you and band aids can be purchased at any convenience store. I go to Japan frequently and I always try to work up to 20K-steps/day before I go. I have walked as many as 42K steps in a day (this is extreme) and mostly average about 18K-22K steps per day, but I am an experienced traveler to Japan and I go to many venues on an average day.

 

[SecondAttempt]

We are heading to Japan in October (first time to Asia) via a cruise from Seattle and then planning to wear out a Japan Rail pass for 5 days basing ourselves in Yokohoma (Marriott points).

Thus far, we think this is where we want to go/see each day (train times one way):

Sunday: Debark, check in to Yokohama hotel, tour Yokohama
Monday: Kyoto (3 hour)
Tuesday: Tokyo (30 minutes)
Wednesday: Kanazawa (3 hour)
Thursday: Hakone (40 minutes)
Friday: Yokohama/4pm flight from Narita (1.5 hour)

I suggest you look into basing in Kyoto at the Westin, also Marriott/Bonvoy family points. Kyoto is amazing and within short train distance to Hiroshima, Osaka, Nara, and other places. Kyoto is simply amazing and you can't even begin to do it justice in 1 day. If you spend 6 hours round trip on the train to visit I would not even bother.

 

[marko]

We are heading to Japan in October (first time to Asia) via a cruise from Seattle and then planning to wear out a Japan Rail pass for 5 days basing ourselves in Yokohoma (Marriott points).

Thus far, we think this is where we want to go/see each day (train times one way):

Sunday: Debark, check in to Yokohama hotel, tour Yokohama
Monday: Kyoto (3 hour)
Tuesday: Tokyo (30 minutes)
Wednesday: Kanazawa (3 hour)
Thursday: Hakone (40 minutes)
Friday: Yokohama/4pm flight from Narita (1.5 hour)

Sounds exhausting. Reminds me of some European friends who once intended to see "all of the US" in 10 days.

 

[Harris4crna]

Lived in Japan from 2015-18. Will be returning in OCT/23 with my Japanese wife. Very familiar with the country. Although, I will be traveling to Okinawa.

With only two weeks, I would focus on one area. I spent 3 years in the Tokyo region and only saw a small percentage of the area. Although, been to most of the touristy areas of Japan such as Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Hokaido and others. These are not day trips, but on the Shinkansen (bullet train) you can do these over a weekend if desired.

In Tokyo, stay central and use the metro/subway. Recommend getting familiar ahead of time. Will cut down on frustration. Key Tokyo attractions: https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/tokyo-jpn-kn-t.htm Although, my favorite place to visit is Kamakura and the Enoshima train line. A third may be a visit to Yokohama and Hakone.

Specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

 

[Harris4crna]

We are heading to Japan in October (first time to Asia) via a cruise from Seattle and then planning to wear out a Japan Rail pass for 5 days basing ourselves in Yokohoma (Marriott points).

Thus far, we think this is where we want to go/see each day (train times one way):

Sunday: Debark, check in to Yokohama hotel, tour Yokohama
Monday: Kyoto (3 hour)
Tuesday: Tokyo (30 minutes)
Wednesday: Kanazawa (3 hour)
Thursday: Hakone (40 minutes)
Friday: Yokohama/4pm flight from Narita (1.5 hour)

Wow, this is quite the itinerary. I have been to all these areas, but would never do this. Yes, this can be done, but not recommended. Each one of these trips can be a weekend on its own. Good luck.

 

[Harris4crna]

Where are your main cities? Kyoto sounds like your best bet, but it would be a shame to skip Tokyo entirely. With two weeks I wouldn't plan on much more than two main towns, as you can easily do stuff around them, but there is a lot.

October is a good time, not too hot, and I think avoids any holidays, but you'll want to double check.

Kyoto: the typical spots will include walking around Kiyomizudera Temple, and the old village surrounding it.
Take a train ride from there to Fushimi Inari Shrine (thousands of tori gates), and take the hike up around the mountain for the views.
Also a short train to Nara, the temples and deer

(I have done the above twice and would again, I love Kyoto)

Toyko is basically a lot of neighborhoods. The SkyTree is nice to visit, and you're close to Asakusa from there - old Tokyo, and I would recommend the Ueno Zoo. If you like pottery and kitchen stuff, a couple hours spend up and down Kababashi Street is a lot of fun. I know you said not much for the big city, but you can't go here and not stop at Shinjuku. I'd also take a walk around Akihabara (gamer/anime paradise), especially if you're there on a weekend, just for the sites.

From there, a day trip down to Kamakura is a nice. Oh, and perhaps find a way to stop in a traditional Ryokan for a night? There are some nicer all-inclusives. We stayed in one with our own hot spring tub adjacent to our suite. Full on tatami-mat, roll out the futon at night (we checked in and I was... where's the bed?), served dinner and breakfast in our room on a low table. Anyone with back problems might find this a challenge. Not the best night's sleep I ever had...

Dinners: Plan to go to amazing sushi places that you will easily drop $200 per person. Also plan to find some Izakaya's for a fun setting for far less. You really cannot go wrong with food in Japan, unless you pick from "top ten" lists from american websites. English-menu does not mean english, it means japanese in english alphabet vs. kanji. You will want to learn a few phrases, as your hotel concierge will be the best english speaker you'll encounter there.

Oh, and you'll want to arrange in advance for a Japan rail pass, and get a metro card (not sure what they call it) when you arrive. The train system is amazing, convenient, and on time.

These are great recommendations. I concur 100% since I have done 90% what is suggested. I would totally get familiar with the Tokyo Metro/Subway system prior to going and get yourself a Suica card. Will ease the stress of buying individual tickets.