Reply With QuoteWatching with interest, we are planning to go to Tokyo for our honeymoon in spring 2019
Quite a few places are still cash only, however more places are accepting cards by the day. There are family marts and lawsons all over the place, open 24 hrs with an ATM.
Okinowa is not worth the rush in winter, Peach have crazy cheap flights even extra hold baggage was only £6.
Watching with interest, we are planning to go to Tokyo for our honeymoon in spring 2019
Bumping this to see how you got on Toshk and to ask a few question as my missus and I are planning a trip there in May.
We’re looking at flights at the minute – will be flying from Dublin. Would anyone recommend one airline over another? My chief consideration is comfort/leg room. I’m 6’2 and we will be flying economy so I dread the thought of long-haul squashed into a seat, I am however more than happy to pay for an emergency exit seat. Emirates is looking like the most favourable airline at the minute.
Watching this with interest as I have booked via Emirates to Tokyo in October. Like the above I am 6'2" but always managed to bag an exit row seat, without paying, at the check in desk. Booked for just under 2 weeks and don't have a clue where we are going or doing. Exciting!!
Were you given the option the buy exit row seats once you booked the tickets?Originally Posted by rgee
Hi gents. Apologies for late report.
Such a great place to go! Landed in Tokyo then went to Hakodate, Sapporo for the snow festival, Matsushima, Nikko, Kyoto, Hiroshima, mount Fuji and back to Tokyo. Two weeks wasn't enough though... Must go back soon!
Many thanks for JR pass tips! Paid for itself times over. Should have bought first class for even greater savings :)
My tickets have not been issued yet so can't select seats.
Good advice in this thread about the Japan Rail Pass!
In addition for more local transport;
You can get a SUICA (green) or PASMO (pink) card at most large stations
Top the card up at a machine in the station (these machines have an English option and are easy to use) with any amount you like.
You can then use most local trains and buses and underground. You tap the card when you get on and again when you get off - easy. You can get off and on anywhere you like, saves having to buy specific tickets. If you run out of money you can top the card up again at a machine. You can also check your balance at the same machine
These cards can also be used in many convenience stores for small items.
Go to a tourist office in a large station and they will give you a leaflet (in English) which will tell you which lines take SUICA and which PASMO usually both are acceptable but there are exceptions.
We have family in Japan and have been visiting regularly for last 20yrs
If you want a day out away from Tokyo I can recommend - a trip to Kamakura and Enoshima by train. Kamakura - one time capital lots to see in itself but would take you more than a day. From Kamakura station you can take the Enoden there is a ticket machine by the main entrance. You can buy a special ticket which allows you to get on and off at any station on the line as many times as you like in one day. Almost every station on the line is worth exploring but especially, Gokurakuji, Hase and Enoshima island all have interesting things to see and do. If you find time is getting short you can get the overhead monorail (opposite Enoshima station) which will take you to Ofuna where you can get a fast train back to Tokyo otherwise if you carry on to Fujisawa you can get a train back to Tokyo from there.
If you are looking to plan a trip its worth watching NHK for ideas (channel 209 freesat - on freeview as well but don't know channel number)
Have a great time,
Rick
I skim read this thread and didn't pick up that you had already been and come back.
Still maybe the info will be of use to others thinking of going - glad you enjoyed your trip
R
Thanks for tip. Plan is to go back before the end of the year, so good to know.
I noticed google maps for Tokyo cannot be downloaded for offline use.
Any recommendations for offline maps for iOS?
I strongly suggest that you get Pocket WiFi when you get to Tokyo - it can be picked up at the airport or be waiting for you when you get to your hotel. It’s really well priced and works in most parts of the country. It also saves a fortune on roaming charges and means you don’t have to fart around with offline maps.
If you are on Vodafone, its only £5 a day to use your UK plan in Japan.
I totally agree with this. It was so useful on my recent visit to Japan.
Or get a pre payed data SIM. Should be available at the airport, if not have a look at BIC, Yodobashi etc.
Many Thanks.
Have ordered my Pocket WiFI to be sent to my Hotel.
Hi
Do you have any details/link as I will be interested in this for my Sept trip? What was the advantage of this say over taking a personal wifi from here and getting a local sim?
Google pocket wifi gave this https://www.japan-rail-pass.co.uk/services
Not vast difference in cost (pocket wifi vs sim card) but pwf has unlimited data.
Citymaps2go
Only in beta for Tokyo but I really like Citymapper.
Has a useful subway map in English
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Thank you.
Thanks will investigate.
If you don't need to use your phone in Japan, google BMobile and buy a visitor sim. The pocket Wifi things are okay, but it's one more thing to charge, and I find it better just to use my own phone (albeit I usually stick the visitor sim in an iPad mini, and carry that).
Google maps is absolutely invaluable. Offline maps can get you around, but google maps tells you the train to use, which platform, even pick you the right local, rapid, or super-rapid trains for the journey you need to make (makes a huge difference in time).
There was also an app called "Japan Travel" which allows you to restrict searches to routes that suit JR Pass (SUICA and PASMO are excellent, but no point to pay for any trip that could be done free when using the JR Pass).
EDIT: Should add that as has been pointed out elsewhere, you can use SUICA / PASMO in convenience stores, vending machines and the like. Very handy for avoiding ending up with a pocket full of coins.
Last edited by Senninha; 2nd May 2018 at 21:55.
After a false start earlier in the year, my wife and I have booked flights to Japan:) We will be spending 16 days there beginning 1 March.
We're going to spend three or four days in Tokyo thereafter it's a blank slate as to what we do. Other cities we'd like to visit are Nara and Kobe. Has anyone visited Kanazawa - is it worth the trip, as it's somewhat off the beaten track?
We would like to do some R&R so don't want to spend all of our time in cities. I like the look of Takayama and the surrounding area as it seems somewhat rural and quiet with plenty of onsen in the vicinity. I would be grateful to hear any recommendations you guys might have?
I'm going to buy a Grand Seiko whilst there. I have been researching stores in Tokyo that sell them. On my list so far are:
Seiko boutique in Ginza
Wako
BIC Camera, and
Yodobashi
Is there anywhere else I should add to my list?
Cheers.
Last edited by ronnie3585; 13th December 2018 at 15:44.
A lad at work told me his has been there for 3 weeks and travelled a lot says the people very friendly he stopped in hostels very cheap compared to hotels and he thoroughly enjoyed his trip there.
If you're leaving 1st March and staying 16 days, you should overlap with cherry blossom season, especially if you travel west later in the trip. That's always really good to see, beautiful in itself, but also participating in the cultural significance to the Japanese, with cherry blossom parties (hanami) in parks.
Kobe is a city I've always really enjoyed - small enough to get around and see it all (unlike Tokyo!), but still with very good restaurants and shops. There's not a huge amount of watch culture in Kobe, shops and the like, Tokyo and Osaka are better. But if you are in Kobe and have a JR rail pass, you can use shinkansen to 'commute' between Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka basically free. As it's very quick by shinkansen, in the past we've stayed in Kobe as a base, and commuted to Kyoto or Osaka and back on day trips. From Kobe, Himeji is also worth a trip.
Takayama is nice, although I'm not sure I\d make a special trip there on a first visit. It is beautiful, and very old, having survived the war much more intact, but if going to Kyoto you will already see a lot of the older areas.
If using a rail pass, using it to head further west would be easy, allow to take in a lot of areas, and give a good chance of optimum cherry blossom viewing. Places like Hiroshima, and from there Miyajima island are really good to visit (around there lots of places like kintaikyo).
Watch-wise, even if looking for Grand Seiko I'd recommend a trip out to Nakano for Jack Road and the many other watch shops in the same mall. It's only one stop and a short walk from Shinjuku, so really easy to get to, but can enjoy hours there. (I'm literally just back yesterday, and went to Jack Road on my first day - despite not being on the lookout for anything I still spent about three hours looking around. A birth year Speedmaster 321 was a sore temptation!).
It's really worth spending a decent amount of time planning a trip beforehand. Japan can be a bit overwhelming on arrival, but it's reallly quick and easy to get around and see a lot if planned. Also recent years have ben REALLY overrun, especially many Chinese shopping in Japan, so the main areas can be less enjoyable as too busy. But get just a little of the beaten track and that can be much better.
^^
That's exactly the type of info I was looking for, thank you!
We will be using the JR pass. Is it worth going as far south as Hiroshima/Miyajima island? Is there anything new/different to see as you move further south?
Tough question! I guess it depends.
Bullet train takes about 5 hours to Hiroshima, but it's for sure not 'dead time'. You see an awful lot of Japan while on the train, and shinkansen is super comfortable. (You can do the trip quicker, but JR pass doesn't allow to use the two fastest shinkansen).
I think if you plan to go back to Japan some time, I might concentrate more on Tokyo / Kyoto / Osaka / Kobe / Nara type of area. But if it's potentially one trip, I'd personally be tempted to spend few days Tokyo, two or three days Kyoto / Kobe type of area, and 2-3 days in Hiroshima / Miyajima area.
I have both work and family in Japan, so lost count how many times I visited, but we took my sister and her partner there for a trip (their only visit), and that was how we set up for them - Tokyo, Kyoto/Kobe, Hiroshima/Miyajima, then back to Tokyo - which worked perfectly. Not to say another itinerary wouldn't have worked also, but it's a good balance. Tokyo has impact and incredible shopping, Kyoto the history, Kobe is a cooler more worldly vibe and Hiroshima / Miyajima more of modern history and vacation style.
One advantage of going west is that cherry blossom moves south to north. As you go west you are also going gently south, so crossing the cherry blossom. It would give you some chance of catching cherry blossom time.
https://www.kyuhoshi.com/japan-cherry-blossom-forecast/
Other great places to think of are
Japan Alps: Really great to visit, and some very good wine-tasting in shops there
Kamakura: Has been mentioned earlier in the thread, and again really nice place to visit
Nikko: Again really nice place, with fabulous hot springs, and nice history and hiking
Really depends what you fancy, Japan has an incredible amount to offer. Picking a few places to visit and make a good trip will be great, and then you can always plan to go back :-)
Note Wako is owned by Seiko anyway so u get special Wako editions. But there are literally LOADS of GS ADs, go to their website and there are loads. Bic and Yodobashi are not ADs, they are Grey but the upside is that you get good discounts.
Thanks chaps.
I bought a couple of GS from Bic and both came with GS warranty book stamped on the day.
Can shop tax free in Japan? I've read stories of some stores offering 8% off if you produce your passport. I've also read that some stores offer 5% off if you purchase with Visa, but I can't find anything concrete online.
I was in Japan back in February and Bic were doing 8% minus 8% VAT on top of promo offers.
Tax free is no problem, Japan has such an influx of Chinese / SE Asia visitors, and shopping is a huge part of the reason for their visit. As a result tax free is an everyday occurence in Japan, so even small purchases like you night make in Tokyu Hands(*), you can show your passport and get instant 8%
(* Just my opinion, but everyone should visit Tokyu Hands when going to Japan!)
This whole thread has raised a question here in my house: is a visit to (Southern) Japan something to consider during the period around Christmas and New Year? Any experience or experience?
Menno
I love Japan, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
The Japanese decorate as Christmas, but it's a nod to commercialism, and they don't actuall 'do' Christmas (shops are open, people are at work - Dec 25th is just a normal day). New Year is big in Japan, but it's more subdued - visit shrine with family type of thing. If you go out on Dec 31st you find places with hot sake etc, and it's quite fun, but it's not a riot compared to other times of year in Japan.
Added to that it gets pretty cold, although the south will be less so.
I think it would be a lot of fun, but more enjoyable to visit at other times of year.
Yes BUT you MUST show ur passport stamp so bring it along with u! It’s not like the U.K. where u can fill it in later.
And i agree i love Tokyo Hands and LOfT.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Booked flights for the summer. 4 weeks July and August.
July and August are very, very hot -- 40C and higher many days -- so be prepared. I love Japan (have been 5 times and I'm going back in 2 weeks), but summer can be rough.
Highly recommend spending some time in Kyoto and seeing Himeji Castle, but Tokyo itself is amazing. The Osaka aquarium is spectacular.
Definitely buy your rail pass before you leave the UK because it can't be purchased in country.
4 weeks should be an amazing trip!
Summer is the only time of the year to allow for such a long trip. It will be hot I know. Do you think it’s going to rain a lot?
Last edited by Toshk; 2nd January 2019 at 09:07.
Rain-wise you should be okay. Rainy season is 'tsuyu', but ends by mid-July for the areas you'll be visiting. You might catch the last couple of days of it, but basically no issue. Weather forecast in Japan is really reliable, so you can just check every day. When they say it will rain, it really will rain. Often it's cats and dogs kind of stuff. Especially in the big cities though, you can walk more or less everywhere underground (most of Shinjuku, Marunouchi etc you can cover the whole area without venturing above ground).
Agree with alljay about the heat though - it's seriously hot at that time. It feels worse, as our UK heat is dry heat, but summer in Japan is so humid, and once you heat up or sweat, that's you for the day. Places like Kyoto are especially bad, as it's located in a 'bowl' of mountains, so the heat just sits in there, and little wind to cool off. Added to that it's a fairly hilly place, and lots of temples are located uphill. Kiyomizu-dera you can get a bus, but it's a lovely walk up through the old town. Others like Fushimi-inari, the entire thing is on a hill (thousands of torii gates that you walk through, but scrolling up and down hills).
It's manageable, but do prepare for the heat.
Thanks for info. This will be my second trip. First was winter 2018 when I started this thread. I know summer is not ideal, but no other option for now.
Really wanted to go in April/May, but not enough days off.. And no availability for Avios bookings :).
I am off the Japan at the beginning of April, doing a cherry blossom tour
- Osaka (4-Nights), Hiroshima (1-Night), Hakone (1-Night), Tokyo (2-Nights)
I know it is't a lot of time but it will give a flavour for future trips. A lot of useful information in this thread, thanks to those who have been and given advice
Here is a excellent website for the Seiko enthusiast who does go to Japan
https://www.plus9time.com/blog/2018/...mmer-2018-trip
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