Japan advice for April trip

[Plantman]

First time visiting Japan. First four nights in Tokyo then 3 nights in Kyoto with a final night back in the Haneda airport area. Any tips to make my time there easier would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Peter]

Google translate

 

[Dash man]

They drive on the left.
Try to avoid trains at rush hour.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, they’re very nice people. We once looked lost looking at the subway map. A gentleman asked in broken English where we wanted to go. He showed us on the map, but actually got on the train to make sure we got there.

 

[naggz]

Google maps work very well for the trains and subways.

Read about the subway / train cards before you go.

Most places only take cash (or train cards).

Learn some of the etiquette (like move to the side of a sidewalk if you need to stop and check your phone, don't eat /drink while walking)

Restaurants don't typically like to make substitutions, so if you have diet restrictions, it can be difficult (plan ahead).

Buy thing from vending machines (for coffee, red labels are hot, blue is cold)

The 7-11 and Lawson stores are great to grab a quick sandwich and other things during the day.

Garbage cans are hard to find (plan to carry garbage with you for a while)

Public toilets (like in a park or train station) are sometimes a squat toilet, and others are super nice (bidets, heated, sings to you, etc)

Be prepared to want to upgrade your toilet when you get back.

Watch a sumo practice (book ahead of time).

Try lots of kitkat flavours.

Go to a don quijote store.

Go to an animal cafe (cat, dog, owl, etc)

Kabuki theater was interesting to see once, but I wouldn't do it again. (I'm 6' tall and I didn't fit in the seats nicely (they warned me, and gave me an isle seat)

teamLab Borderless (digital art museum) was one of the coolest experiences I've been to (although it's moved locations now, so might be a bit different)

 

[Sunset]

OP - Why such a short visit ?

I would have to fly from USA and considering the length of flight, I will stay 2 weeks minimum when (if) we go.

 

[shanehus]

Don’t buy a JR Pass unless you plan to travel extensively by train. For your itinerary, you can use local trains or buses to get around Tokyo and Kyoto, and buy a shinkansen ticket for the one-way trip between them.

 

[Kork13]

Move your trip up a couple weeks -- around Tokyo/Kyoto, the cherry blossoms will be blooming in late March/Early April.

Stay longer. There's plenty to see/do, getting around is SUPER easy (the trains/subways really are fantastic), and traveling halfway across the globe for a measly 1-week stay makes me sad on your behalf.

Back to the trains ... Suica or Pasmo -- get one! It's a stored-value RFID transit card (or if you have an iPhone, you can get Suica on Apple Pay). It makes getting on/off trains incredibly easy, just scan & walk through. Plus, you can use it to pay in stores, vending machines, restaurants, and elsewhere. SUPER simple. In Haneda, there's a bank of machines that will issue a 30-day Suica, just past baggage claim before you enter the attached train station.

Have you thought about cell connectivity? Some carriers have easy & free international service (T-Mobile, Google Fi, etc.), others are very expensive. Know how you're gonna connect... WiFi is everywhere, but not always reliable/secure.

Use Google Maps, and download an offline map of the city. It'll be extremely valuable as you wander around. Not 100% reliable once you start looking at stuff like business hours & such, but for finding a particular restaurant or a sight to see, it's excellent. Likewise, Google Translate (and download the Japanese language for faster/offline translations). It's not perfect, but it'll get you by.

Speaking of sightseeing ... build a plan in advance for the places/things that you specifically want to see/do. Tokyo is a huge city with TONS of cool stuff. It's easy to get overwhelmed or lost if you don't know what you're trying to find.

 

[Plantman]

Thanks for the recommendations so far, please keep them coming. I am planning on doing the Skyhop on and off bus tours the first full day in Tokyo then getting a 72 hour subway pass to visit areas of interest. I am taking the shinkansen to Kyoto and back. The reason for the short visit is in case I don't like it there. If I do like it I can always go back.

 

[sparky08]

I ended up missing my connection back to the states and had to fly out the following morning.

Instead of leaving the Haneda airport and finding a hotel for a couple hours (expensive), I opted to spend the night in one of those capsules at the airport.

For me, it worked well. I got some sleep, took a shower and walked a short distance to check in and get to my gate. (Might not be the best if you are claustrophobic)

 

[Aerides]

Here's a semi-recent thread with a lot of ideas:

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/any-japan-travel-tips-115046.html

 

[Sunset]

... The reason for the short visit is in case I don't like it there. If I do like it I can always go back.

Ouch...

I won't even fly to Europe which is for me a shorter flight, for anything less than 2 weeks.

I feel I get a higher return on a trip this way, as the flight is a major portion of the cost, both in money and in time/exertion.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Ditto the cherry blossoms but it can still be very cold in early April in both Tokyo and Kyoto.

Personally I would spend more time in Kyoto even if it meant skipping Tokyo entirely. Kyoto has so much history. There is just so much to see there. We had a plan but got distracted with intriguing temples less than 200 yards from our hotel.

Kyoto is so important to Japanese culture that the US Army identified it as a primary target for the atomic bomb in World War II because it would break the Japanese will to fight. More knowledgeable folks convinced Truman that, on the contrary, an attack on Kyoto would cause the Japanese to fight to the last man/woman/child. I don't know if modern Japanese feel the same about Kyoto and I struggle to find and American equivalent of such an important city.

Kyoto is also very close to Osaka with a great foodie scene, Hiroshima, and Naro which are all worth a day trip.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Thanks for the recommendations so far, please keep them coming. I am planning on doing the Skyhop on and off bus tours the first full day in Tokyo then getting a 72 hour subway pass to visit areas of interest. I am taking the shinkansen to Kyoto and back. The reason for the short visit is in case I don't like it there. If I do like it I can always go back.

I respect your caution. And you may very well not like Japan. But if you make that decision based mostly on your experience in Tokyo I think that would be a mistake. Tokyo is a megacity that hardly reflects Japan overall. I've been to several places in Japan for work and tourism including weeks in central Tokyo many years ago. Judging Japan by an experience in Tokyo woul dbe like judging the US after a stay in Times Square NY.

I do not know how much the subway pass covers but in my experience most of the metro area outside the immediate downtown area is served by JR (Japan Rail) rather than the Tokyo subway. Just be careful what you are buying.

Good luck to you and happy travels!

 

[SecondAttempt]

Google maps work very well for the trains and subways.

Read about the subway / train cards before you go.

Most places only take cash (or train cards).

Learn some of the etiquette (like move to the side of a sidewalk if you need to stop and check your phone, don't eat /drink while walking)

Restaurants don't typically like to make substitutions, so if you have diet restrictions, it can be difficult (plan ahead).

Buy thing from vending machines (for coffee, red labels are hot, blue is cold)

The 7-11 and Lawson stores are great to grab a quick sandwich and other things during the day.

Garbage cans are hard to find (plan to carry garbage with you for a while)

Public toilets (like in a park or train station) are sometimes a squat toilet, and others are super nice (bidets, heated, sings to you, etc)

Be prepared to want to upgrade your toilet when you get back.

Watch a sumo practice (book ahead of time).

Try lots of kitkat flavours.

Go to a don quijote store.

Go to an animal cafe (cat, dog, owl, etc)

Kabuki theater was interesting to see once, but I wouldn't do it again. (I'm 6' tall and I didn't fit in the seats nicely (they warned me, and gave me an isle seat)

teamLab Borderless (digital art museum) was one of the coolest experiences I've been to (although it's moved locations now, so might be a bit different)

Good list. And public toilets do not always have TP and hand towels so I carry my own. Actually, they usually have TP but lacking hand towels is common.

 

[OnTheBeach]

We took the family to Japan in August for 12 days (10 days with Disney Adventures and 2 days on our own in Universal Studios in Osaka). The tour was amazing but pricy. If you are planning to go to Japan you should visit the Adventure by Disney website and review the itinerary - it will give you some ideas. The Sky Tower in Tokyo was amazing, shopping in Shibuya (they have a Tower Records), Hiroshima Museum, and so many temples and shrines to visit. Enjoy - you will have a great time!

 

[nphx]

If you have hotel picked out, restaurants that do take reservations i am finding are booked out weeks in advance so try get some slot for a sure thing on some evening or lunch. Midori Sushi in Tokyo (3 locations) is one of my favs. Heading over end of March

 

[Route246]

Midori Sushi (actually Katsumidori Sushi) is always packed but waiting in line is worth the wait. Price-performance ratio is off the charts. Flagship store in Ikebukuro Seibu is the best but the others are also fine, just be prepared to wait in line.

If you have hotel picked out, restaurants that do take reservations i am finding are booked out weeks in advance so try get some slot for a sure thing on some evening or lunch. Midori Sushi in Tokyo (3 locations) is one of my favs. Heading over end of March

 

[Plantman]

Well I'm finishing up my trip here to Japan. It's been very interesting. Even though it was a short trip I feel that it was about the right amount of time for me to spend here. I love the excellent transportation system. I must say that if you plan to come here, visiting the major cities, expect crowds everywhere. I enjoyed the cuisine, although I can't bring myself to eat sushi. I did not really have a problem adjusting to the time difference from Ohio. Another continent off my bucket list, only two more to go!

 

[Sunset]

Well I'm finishing up my trip here to Japan. It's been very interesting. Even though it was a short trip I feel that it was about the right amount of time for me to spend here. I love the excellent transportation system. I must say that if you plan to come here, visiting the major cities, expect crowds everywhere. I enjoyed the cuisine, although I can't bring myself to eat sushi. I did not really have a problem adjusting to the time difference from Ohio. Another continent off my bucket list, only two more to go!

Did you go anywhere besides the major cities ?
Just wondering if you have any tips or insights to getting around for someone that doesn't like crowds.

 

[OldConch]

Google Maps worked great for us when we started following directions more carefully. Some of the subway and train stations are massive. Our first time in Tokyo station we just exited at the nearest exit not realizing that the directions also included the correct exit for your intended destination. When transiting subway stations pay careful attention to the entry and exit directions. Wasted quite a bit of time the first couple of days.

We liked Osaka a lot. A couple of very good "foody" streets and markets. It's a very short train ride from Osaka.

 

[Plantman]

Google maps is indispensable when traveling abroad. Many times I got turned around and it straightened me out. The subway and train stations are sometimes very confusing, but the staff are pretty good at directing you in the right direction. If you want to avoid crowds at the major shrines and temples go early in the morning because they become packed by 10 am. I'm sure if you ventured to the less populated areas the crowds would disappear. But you would have a lot harder time communicating with people unless using Google translate, which even in some areas of the cities came in handy.

 

[Plantman]

I really lucked out with the weather. It rained hard the morning after I arrived but the rest of the time was very nice weather. 60s while in Tokyo and close to 80 in Kyoto. The cherry blossoms were peak in Tokyo and just past peak in Kyoto. They were delayed this year because of a cold stretch in March which worked out fantastic for me.

 

[Flyfish1]

Totally on my list- two continents left to see Asia and Africa. I think Japan would be a perfect Asian trip. Starting to look at Tauck Japan tours ! Thanks for the inspiration.

 

[OldShooter]

Totally on my list- two continents left to see Asia and Africa. I think Japan would be a perfect Asian trip. Starting to look at Tauck Japan tours ! Thanks for the inspiration.

We are currently in Japan on a Road Scholar tour. Very pleased with everything. Food is outstanding, logistics are near perfect. Group (14) very pleasant.