Is it acceptable to eat the snack you purchased in FamilyMart or 7-11 right outside the shop? I know it’s not polite to eat inside the shop. I tried eating a sandwich inside the shop and then the staff member asked me not to eat it here. I stepped out and finished my snack but wanted to know if this is acceptable here.
I'm considering adding Sapporo to a future Japan trip. Does anyone have experience getting around Sapporo without a rental vehicle?
I haven't yet settled on time of year, but I'm strongly considering summer, but I'm interested in how to get around in each season to help with planning.
My trip began on May 10 just a few days after golden week. Travelled with wife, 4 yr old daughter and both in-laws.
Trip was short, only 7 days bit did the golden route of osaka, kyoto, tokyo. Also nara for the deer (tips for this later).
My goals, hit my must sees, disneysea and universal.
Weather - very nice weather. Not too hot or cold. A sweater can be useful at night if you get cold easily or for your young ones cuz it gets windy.
Crowd - barely any tourist for the most part. But trains are crowded during worker commutes so try to avoid those.
Trains - if youre using Google maps, just pay attention to the train line (M, S, etc.) And the platform number. Thats my suggestion anyway and it made it alot less complicated. You can check the name of the train also if theres multiple trains going on the same platform.
For kids - bring a stroller. Preferably the backpack stroller or one that folds easily and are not heavy. This allows you to quickly fold and ride escalators rather than looking for the elevator or carrying your stroller down/up stairs. Your child will get tired. And you will too. So bring one if you can.
First stop was Osaka.
This was in my opinion, the best place to be. We chose to stay in Shin- Osaka close to the station because i knew were going to kyoto and nara. Also because i made a mistake with our airport choice and flew to haneda rather than kansai so we had to take the shinkansen upon arrival.
Dotonbori is a nice stop for the photo with Glico but i DONT reccomend staying here for more than an hour.
Where you really wanna spend your time in, specially if you came here for the food is Kurumon market. Lots of choices, food everwhere, exactly what i was hoping to find. Dotonbori is just a strip mall now for every possible brand and if thats what youre looking for, i feel like theres better places for that.
Nara is a must stop for us and i think it should be for you as well. The deer do bow to you but heres the reality experience. They will crowd you if you show even a hint of having those biscuits.
The first attempt at feeding them, i was chased and they kept biting my clothes.
My suggestion, buy the biscuits and immediately put them in a handbag and walk away to a less crowded area. My reccomendation, find an adult dear thats alone. The adults will bow and be more patient. This allowed my daughter to have a great time feeding the deer and also less stressful.
You can buy buscuits from any vendor there. They get sold out by about 1pm. And the deer will all be resting by this point.
Kyoto - i was really only here for photos. Went to inari shrine and then the pagoda shot with the street. We arrive at inari at 9am. Not alot of people yet which allowed us to take some great photos but the crowd did start coming around 930am.
Tokyo - surprisingly not crowded. Went to all the photo spots and had no problems with crowd. Even shibuya crossing wasnt crowded so there was alot of cringe influencers.
Teamlab - my opinion - overrated. Went to borderless and they were very strict with entry times. I would much reccomend the other teamlab experiece instead for more variety of things to see but again, not really for everyone.
Universal studios - i came here for mario world that my daughter is a big fan of. Bought the express pass for the main rides and was very satisfied with our experience.make sure to book the restaurants right away if you plan to eat there cuz they fill up quickly. Very crowded as you would expect. We lined up at 7am and the line was already long.
Disneysea - came here for the typical disney experience. We sadly had to come on a weekend so the crowd was insane. Got here at 730 and got through the gate at 930ish. Majority of the early passes are gone. My suggestion, rush to fantasy springs to get on the ride sooner. 30 mins rather than over an hour. Book the soaring for the afternoon. You can take photos later in the day when everyone else is stuck in long lines. The goal is to not need to buy passes for fantasy spring other than the frozen ride. Journey was overrated and really just not worth it but if you like the idea of going into a volcano, go ahead. Under the sea - use the free pass.
Overall, Japan is a great place to visit to relax. Dont overthink and dont overplan. Whatever you plan, some things will just not go your way so just take your time.
At least in my experience, my in laws were an incredible pain in the ass that it almost ruined the trip. They didnt want to wake up early, didnt want to walk, didnt want to wait in line. We were late for every train because they walked so slowly. They kept trying to pass people in line but then take pictures constantly so i didnt understand the point of rushing and being rude. Had to be constantly reminded about etiquette. Literally asked what they want to do prior to the trip several times for over a year and they still managed to be the most annoying people to travel with trying to make changes to the plan. Being the one in charge of the navigation and itenerary, they made it extremely exhausting and stressful. They were literally worse than my 4 yr old daughter who was incredibly behaved.
Hello!
My wife and I are on our second trip to Japan, and have been having a wonderful time. We do our best to follow the norms and be respectful, and I think we are doing a good job, outside of the occasional mistake. My wife has been studying Japanese for a very long time, and is quite decent at picking up what others are saying in conversation which helps try to keep up.
However, this means that she also hears what others are saying about us, which is causing a lot of stress on her. On our first trip she could hear two people next to us at dinner joke about how we were doing things wrong, a shop owner calling us weird for just waiting for a receipt, and a bunch of school kids mocking us for looking like we were on a date. This culminates into our current trip, where she heard two men commentate on how we look like high schoolers on a date, and today’s where three women proceeded to give a play-by-play for everything we did while eating and laughing at us. The amount of stress that it is causing her is causing a lot of pain, as she just wants to exist and enjoy our vacation without worrying about overhearing people judging us.
Are there any recommendations or ways to handle or deal with overhearing others ridicule? We would love to be able to go to restaurants or events without having that fear of being someone else’s entertainment or subject of conversation.
EDIT: Thank you everyone for the advice; we shall try to incorporate it as we can!
Ok so my husband and I live in Eastern Washington. The only traveling we do has been anywhere we can drive to, so that’s usually MT, ID, Southern BC, anywhere along the WA or OR coast, or on rare occasions to CA for certain family or friend events. This year was my 40th birthday, and will be our 10 year wedding anniversary in September, so we decided we should do a big international trip and Japan was calling us over anywhere else. We found out one of his best high school friends is getting married, so now we are trying to plan that in tandem. We also have a 1.5 year old dog that would be very expensive to board at a facility (nobody we know in town would be willing to take him for THIS long, thus a boarding situation), so our cheaper option is to travel 3 hours west to my parents house in Montana where they said they would LOVE to have him for two weeks! They own his mom and his sister, so a little family reunion time anyways. So logistically the trip would look something like this:
Drive to Missoula, MT, stay the night at parents house (leave car at their house for free, free dog care)
Fly out of Missoula to Sacramento for wedding (3 days) - Wedding is October 3rd
Fly from Sacramento to Japan
Japan for 10 days (Osaka and Kyoto) - Oct 5-15
Fly from Japan to Missoula
Stay in Missoula for another day to decompress before driving back home
We were thinking of each having a carry on and the extra “day bag” or whatever it is the airlines allow you to stash under the seats so we don’t have to check luggage. We are light packers and NOT fashionable people. He owns mostly just Vuori shorts, joggers, and tees. My wardrobe is….not great. Mostly band tees and sweatpants. We both work from home and don’t go anywhere so the clothing game has really taken a dive since COVID. 😂
I’ve never purchased anything from Quince or Uniqlo but I like both brands from the looks of things. I’m a little apprehensive on Uniqlo’s tops because while my body proportions are normal (usually a medium to large in shirts depending on brand), the looser crop or higher hemline shirts just look so weird on me because they just hang straight off my boobs and I feel like that look makes me look huge! I usually have to go for the 2010’s style more form fitted longer hemmed shirts lol. Otherwise the AIRism fabric sounds fantastic.
Being 40 now, I feel like I sweat easier than I use too in the pits so that’s unfortunate and I’m a little worried about how the humidity will play with that even in October. I know it will probably still be in the high 70’s or low 80’s that time of year. Mostly, will I be drenched all day?
So ok, we could talk about shopping all we want but I’ll try to get to the point. Carry ons, two trips in one. We will have to haul our wedding clothes (whatever they will be) to Japan with us. The wedding attire is cocktail, at daytime in Sacramento so still hot. I was thinking a silk midi or maxi dress from Quince (says washable) with flats. That’s something that can probably pack down and could wear out in Japan for dinner or something (as long as it’s modest). My husband, idk. They say suit but I don’t want to be hauling a suit with us to Japan so how do we work light cocktail into this? Also for 10 days, how many and of what types of basic garments do you all recommend so I can get an idea of a shopping list before hand? I’m not sure shopping in Japan for our sizes will go too well. Thanks! 🙏
Is it physically possible to get a fulfilling experience doing both parks in one day? I've already booked tickets and noticed that some major rides like Frozen, Pirates etc are scheduled for maintenance. Since we won't be spending time queuing for closed major rides, does it free up enough of the day to make a two park blitz feasible, or is it still a bad idea?
Hello, I was looking through various websites to rent a car in Kyushu for my 8 days road trip and I realised that Toyota rent a car is quite expensive, however they give full complete coverage.
Have anybody tried orix? If I opt in for collision damage waiver and rental car assistance package isit consider quite comprehensive in terms of the coverage?
Separately is there a need to buy the expressway pass? Thank you!
On klook there's an offer for entry + all you can drink for only 17 CHF (21$). Is this actually true or how does it work? 17 CHF is like 2 beers in Switzerland.
Hi, I have an engagement ring that I’m brining in as a surprise for my partner on our trip to Japan. Will I need to declare this at customs under the gold question? It has a value of around 650,000 yen. If so what’s the best way to do this without revealing it to my partner
Hello,
I am coming to Tokyo this autumn for 10 days with my gf, and I’m already super excited planning our trip! I really want to experience sumo, I saw that there are official tournaments listed on the Japan Sumo Association website this November, but it looks like tickets aren’t available yet.
I also saw smaller sumo shows, where you can have something to eat while watching, they look pretty cool (and easier to book), but I’m wondering how they compare in terms of authenticity...
What do you think is the best option for us? There is quite a lot of mixed information online, so any recs would be really appreciated ^^ Thanks a lot in advance!
I will be staying at Sakura Hostel Asakusa and I am gonna bring a Medium Sized suitcase + 36L Backpack for a 9 days trip. Is it too much? I might bring just 5 days worth of clothes and do laundry but brought a bigger suitcase anyways for ease of storing souveneirs
Hi guys, I’ve been to Tokyo a few times but this is my first trip to Osaka and Kyoto. The desserts and snacks at Japanese airports kind of blow my mind, and there’s so much of them that don’t know how to pick.
So far I’ve tried Tokyo Banana, Shiroi Koibito chocolate and LeTao Double Fromage cheesecake. IMO the LeTao cheesecake is absolutely unforgettably good.
Looking for stuff that’s actually delicious, not just nicely packaged. Anything I should grab from Osaka, Kyoto or the Kansai International Airport?
Hi everyone, I am fortunate enough to be able to travel to Japan for 6 weeks this summer. It will be following a trip to a different country, and I will be flying into Osaka near the end of June. I have plans to stay in a sharehouse in Uji for the majority of the trip, and near the end I will spend 5 or so days in Tokyo. I mostly chose to stay near Kyoto due to how much history and culture there is in the area, as well as easy access to plenty of natural landscapes, gardens, museums, etc. It will be a calm, nice break since my life gets very stressful at home, but I do intend to balance it with some livelier days in Osaka since I also love shopping, fashion, anime, and street food. Uji as a location is of particular interest to me because I have loved matcha for years, and some of the highest quality green tea in the world is found there.
However, the more I read about tourism in Japan, the more I second-guess my decision to stay in Uji. Kyoto and Osaka seem much more crowded and filled with disrespectful tourists. Even though I'm also a tourist, I want to treat the country I'm visiting as respectfully as possible (people live there!), and I would like to avoid overcrowded areas and tourist traps. From what I hear, Tokyo is very, very large, and it's harder to get "bored" there than Kyoto or Osaka. It's also easier to avoid crowded places sometimes because there is just so much to do. I'm wondering if I should try to find a sharehouse in Tokyo instead, or if I should stick with my current plan and make the best of it since I'm staying in Tokyo for a few days at the end of the trip anyway. Any advice? Also, suggestions on things to do in Kyoto, Osaka, Uji, or in the general area would be greatly appreciated! If you don't want to share them here, my messages are open.
Hi, I have been struggling to decide how to plan out first half of my trip to Japan. We will be arriving to Osaka airport on 15.7. around 21:30. I assume the border control and luggage gonna take some time so lets say 23:00 out of airport.
Now my struggle begins. Do we stay night in Osaka or head straight to Kyoto? There will be the Gion Matsuri festival on 17th and I was thinking it would be nice to see it when we have the opportunity.
So what do you think is the best plan, try to get to Kyoto right after we arrive and base all our trips out of Kyoto? Including returning back to Osaka, Kobe, Nara,... Or do we just skip the festival and stay first few days in Osaka to avoid rushing somewhere right after we land.
I plan to stay around 7-8 days near the Kyoto area before se head north to Kanazawa, Takayama and finally Tokyo.
Thank you for the help!
Hi everybody,
My boyfriend and I are planning to travel to Japan in November this year for the first time! I've drafted a high-level itinerary but I'm worried that it's too jam-packed. We're going for 21 days with the intention of splitting time between busy cities and also spending time in nature. We'd prefer taking things a little slower rather than rushing from place to place.
I'm struggling to understand whether my high-level itinerary is too busy:
We've considered a few things like basing in Osaka and day tripping to Kyoto/Nara, taking out either the Nikko or Alpine Route day trip, but we're having trouble deciding whether it's necessary and what option would be best. Any thoughts or feedback would be incredibly helpful, thanks in advance!
Hello all!
I (24F) am from the U.S. and I am traveling to Japan for the very first time on May 28th with a mid afternoon arrival in Tokyo on May 29th. I have a few days (May 29-June 1) before I join the group I will be with for the majority of my trip. I have travelled abroad before but typically have been with my college or people I knew so I was not traveling alone. I’m incredibly nervous to be by myself the first few days. I’m wondering about safety and other ways to get my mind off of being homesick and anxious during my travel. The reason I’m arriving so early is to not be jet lagged once my program starts. Once my program starts I’ll be with other Americans and I won’t be as nervous using public transportation or going to restaurants. Sorry for the slightly long post but I appreciate you reading and any advice is greatly welcomed.
Hi I'm taking a trip to Japan in a few weeks and I was trying to figure out a strategy for bringing water with me. I dont mind buying water bottles while I'm there but I dont want to be waistful. Plus I heard there are not a lot of public trash/recycling bins. Based on my itinerary does anyone know if they have water fountains for refillable water bottles where I am going?
Akihabara
Nara
Kyoto
Shibuya
Minato
Hiroshima
Hi everyone. I’m going to Japan in 12 days for a holiday and I just have a questions about luggage transfer. I’m going from Tokyo to Osaka but only staying there for 2 nights then heading back to Tokyo. I don’t want to take my big suit case with me is there a way to have the luggage transfer place hold my luggage for the 2 days and then deliver it the day I’m back in Tokyo to my hotel?
For those of you that stayed overnight in Koyasan, what time did you arrive? Do you wish you had arrived earlier/later?
We won’t have time to explore the area/town after checking out, so we will only be able to explore before checking in on the day of arrival. We did book the night tour and are staying at Eko-in.
Would arriving at 11:30am be too early? Any lunch spot recommendations?
Hi I hope everyone is well. Sorry if this is a stupid question. I booked several trips for myself on the smart ex website since the app is not available in my country. Does anyone know if you can link multiple shinkansen tickets for different routes on different days onto a single IC card? The IC card is a digital suica card. For example 5 June Tokyo-Shin-Osaka 6 June Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima.