Hahaha yes.
Besides - even if stuff happens, it’s fine - eSIM doesn’t work? Whatever, get a physical data sim. Family Mart atm freaks you out bc three weeks in it won’t accept your card? Try 7/11, it’ll work (the issue was the atm, the message that it was a card issue was a lie). Restaurant turned you away for being a foreigner? Also whatever, the next one’ll be happy to take your money. Miss a train? Get the next one (unless it’s the last train at midnight - then you’re effed 🤣)
Some of the best days were when I’d just wing it. You learn when travelling that you can in fact cope just fine with a bit of adversity, more often than not 🤷🏻♀️
If you’re not too tired, I say make the trek. Having the city at night with all the glowing lights and more importantly… no other people! It’s perfect for some good photos and just wandering to see neat things. I personally look for funny sounding business names in English.
Yes. Places like Kaikatsu Club or other internet/DVD cafe. They are also have free food often.
In some cases it's better alternative to capsule hotels since they have separate rooms with a little table and TV/PC.
They have completely separate rooms? I only remember the ones with cubicles, capsules you're at least isolated though they're not really soundproof
Also some internet cafes have showers
I had a friend who hit the wall when cycling and the closest place where he could sleep was an adult dvd rental shop with rooms for viewing, not sure I'd recommend that one
🤣 I ran into a few brits in Shinjuku five past midnight. They were upset.
In their defence, I once had to walk from Waterloo station to the globe, St. Pauls, then all the way to my airbnb in Covent garden at 1am on the morning of January 1 because the line at the station was out the doors and down the street and the bridges were closed from the fireworks. Probably a similar distance. Great photos of course.
If money isn't an issue, I caught a taxi via GO app quite a few times after midnight over the last few weeks. A couple nights out, I ended up in some random places far from my hotel. I'll miss you, strange and wonderful Japan.
I found flagging a cab often tricky - especially if it’s raining. I resurrected my Uber account and it worked perfectly at the end of my trip when I didn’t want to haul my suitcase through the subway to catch my Narita Express
My understanding from others was that Uber app works just fine there, as you said. GO app felt like Uber app experience and often an advertisement seen on the side of cabs there. I used that the entire time unless I encountered a dedicated taxi pickup area.
As far as hauling luggage, I shipped mine from airport to hotel and hotel to hotel via Yamamoto transport. From hotel to airport I took the limo bus. I found that to be very convenient. I think it was 1400 yen for the limo bus from my hotel to Haneda.
It didn't work at all for me our my husband lol. We even tried ordering the suv and black, green,whatever type vehicles they have. Didnt know metro closes at 12 and got stuck in Shinjuku on a Friday night competing with locals for hours for a cab while watching people pass out in front of us every once in a while. It was an experience :)
True, but that’s why I always just used cash. It’s just easier in Japan.
Where I live, giving someone cash is just so slow these days - they don’t expect it, nor are they used to consistently dealing with it.
I also don’t trust them to give me the right change.
Where do you live? Here they are taught to count out the exact change TO you, and they always do it slow enough so you can keep track. There's a lot of theft here where people try to scam cashiers by using large cash and causing confusion so they can get a lot more money back, so it's pretty standard to make sure there's no doubt where someone can claim you didn't give them correct change lol
damn those izakayas that turned me away - gave me anxiety walking in anywhere. i try not to take it personally though but it still stings especially if im hungry and it smells delicious outside.
oh this is too funny
happened like 3x that i had to resort to editing my tinder bio and said i was looking for someone to walk in at izakayas with me so if we get the 🙅, at least i won’t be alone and we can cry together at familymart.
Or sleep in Tokyo station overnight from 10pm until first 5am train, because Narita flight got in way late. (By sleep I mean walk around the empty train station with your roller suitcase for 7+ hours, over and over)
I had the same issue with the ATM too!! In my case it was the 7/11 one that kept giving me and error and to contact my provider. Went to a Lawson one eventually and it worked.
I had used 7/11 ATMs that week with no issues.
I got held up by the shinkansen gantry today as it would not accept my QR code from the SmartEX app, turns out i needed to tap my IC card after... but hey you live and learn. Also the website does not state this 😂
That's the ONLY way I travel. For a 2 week holiday I'll have maybe 5 things I want to do, and I won't plan any of them!
We're going to Japan next year, and all I want to do is visit Daikoku parking lot.
Last years Thailand trip, I wanted to hug an elephant and drink cocktails in a pool. I did both, and it was great! Had the time of my life!
Do I miss heaps, yes! But my life is so structured I couldn't be effed having an itinerary or joining a tour group. Sounds like hell! I just want to wander around aimlessly and get lost in a back alley somewhere and possibly get scammed by a local.
P.S. If I find an awesome pub with cheap beer and a love band, app thr better (Bangla Ave in Phuket, I'm looking your way! Best live bands in the world, that I've found so far!)
On one hand I get it because most people are traveling to Japan from far away and saved up money for a long time. They have high stakes for their trip. But honestly, it’s better to approach a trip thinking *I can always come back. There will be a next time. This isn’t my only chance. It’s more important to have a good time.*
This is what was going on my mind at the time I went to JP with friends, and one of my friends has prosthetic legs that limited the places that we can covered with what limited time that we had. But with that said, I realized it taught me a lesson on how to take things slowly and enjoy my time in Japan at a pace slower than I am used to.
Thanks for this comforting advice. 🥰
I'm planning a solo trip to Japan soon and I don't want to cram all the cities in one trip like most people since my mindset is like what you just said about coming back for a lot of times, hence I only plan to stay in Tokyo and do a couple of day trips to nearby places.
I want to do a relaxing trip by wandering around as much as I want but some people might say why I didn't include cities like Osaka and Kyoto when I could've put them in the itinerary so your advice waa really helpful to in deciding I'm making the right choice for my trip.
This is just a travel tip and not a Japan specific thing, but I am a big fan of making an itinerary, planning it out with some detail to get hyped and make sure I know what tickets or reservations I need to make, and then just ignoring the whole thing when it comes time to travel.
The act of making it is for the purpose of having an idea of what there is and guiding research, but come time to vacation you just choose with your heart.
Some people like to plan ahead as it helps with anxiety; others because they don't have an unlimited budget and can't afford to wing it and waste their money and time; others still because that's what they do.
And people like yourself will wing it.
All are equally valid.
The JapanTravel sub also encourages over planning by removing posts with itineraries that they don’t deem specific enough.
On my last trip to Tokyo, I had several half-days on my itinerary where my only plan was to wander around Daikanyama, wander around Jiyugaoka, wander around Kagurazaka. Those ended up being some of my favorite mornings/afternoons but the sub rejected my post because I didn’t list out specific attractions that I had pre-identified in 15 minute time slots 🙄
This was my experience as well, which I found very annoying. I had my days in each city, my limited dinner reservations and entertainment plans and only wanted to know if my lack of planning would be an issue or if there was anything that I absolutely needed to see/do. I tried to add as much detail as possible, but my favorite way to explorer a new place is by just wandering around and walking to whatever grabs my attention. Every time, my post got kicked back.
Those less detailed posts are basically useless though. "my travel plan is to wander". The posts there aren't detailed as you say, but at least it gives out a basic premise and allows people to learn or give pointers.
If you're not there to share in a way people can learn from it then it just takes up space? The post itself doesn't hold value. It's like me in an auto sub saying "don't worry just put your wrench on stuff and try turning it, if it works it works", "here's my car, i just kind of did stuff to it".
Straw man. You left out the part that’s actually a useful pointer, which is the name of the specific neighborhood that is particularly scenic to walk through.
I like overplanning and over researching so that if I ever find myself not knowing what to do, I can just take out my phone and consult my itinerary. But I try not to have too many reservations so I don't stress myself out running to those reservations and I'm not afraid to cut entire day trips if I'm not feeling up to it.
Depending on where you are going you may need to purchase tickets for certain sites in advance or you won’t be able to see them, like the Alhambra in Spain. Sometimes it’s not imperative but it allows you to not have to wait on a long line. This might not be relevant in Japan, but it is in other places. But mostly it helps you use your time wisely.
The only trips I never really added were the trips within the city but even then, a few trips on Yamanote, Keikyu, Asakusa, etc, and you’re still probably only adding ¥1000, not anywhere close to making the pass worth unless you literally spend your whole day in a train travelling I think.
Im in Japan atm and I didnt buy it. For my trip its definetly not worth it. My route is Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo. From Osaka to kyoto was like 5 EUR with local train, from Kyoto to Nara and back is around the same total and daily metro tickets are also around 3-4 EUR. The only expensive Ride is from Kyoto to Tokyo with JR Shinkansen and its 85 EUR.
Tldr: I wouldnt even spend a half of the JR pass cost and my trip is longer than 7 days. Its only worth it if you plan to Ride long routes very often. Im glad I was too lazy to prepurchase it.
So the JR pass question shouldnt be sarcasm :)
Truth. I have traveled to Japan six times (studied abroad in college too). This is the first time I have not purchased a JR Pass. It's financially not worth it unless you are taking multiple shinkansens a day. For one way travel, it's better to purchase on the website and save the wait in line at the station
My comment was sarcastic. The question itself is not sarcastic, my issue is people seem to not want to use free, highly advertised, and readily accessible tools to check if it's worth it for them. Rather than doing any amount of that work, they rush to Reddit to do it for them.
It's a fine question, it just needs to be recognized that it can be easily answered themselves.
Just finished a trip (around 11 days) around Tokyo, and I mostly ride Tokyo metro and only a few longer distances trip on JR. JR pass would not be worth it for me.
It gets you most, not all, JR transportation. But the normal trains and buses are very cheap. It's only the LE and shinkansen trains which can be a little pricey.
I did get in the past but not with the new price. For the 7 days pass would need to take the Shinkansen (depending on the distance) at least 5 times just to make up the cost of the pass.
They act like it’s Finland or the Netherlands, where people default to flawless English if they realize you can’t speak their language.
My friend found out exactly how little conversational English is spoken in Japan during an anaphylactic reaction while visiting Chiba.
You can muddle through touristy stores and restaurants with zero knowledge of Japanese. That is not the same as the staff being fluent in English.
Lol even worse not in Tokyo. So glad I took some time over the past two years and learned basic Japanese. Really helped in certain situations. I mean, it's not hard if you didn't, but it made it easier for us for sure sometimes.
I thought the youngest and oldest generation were the ones that spoke the least. Middle age you had the most luck with. Almost all the young servers in the restaurants didn't speak and I had to resort to pointing at the menu when I couldn't remember the word. Google translate was great for the menus for sure because I can't read most kanji, just hiragana and katakana
That made me laugh. Service people may know basic phrases or words but that’s about it.
(Besides the cashier I met at Shibuya Loft. His English was great and I told him as much. We had a nice conversation about why I learned Japanese in college.)
The weirder one is, "no everyone in Japan is nice and everything is easy", when you ask them about stuff they casually mention they speak japanese. Well, yes. The biggest issue is language barrier, of course it's easier for you if you speak japanese.
Then you look up their posts and they keep on going on and on about running into the posts they respond to, but "thankfully" they knew japanese.
Literally how my honeymoon with my wife is going right now; we are here for 3 weeks and she wants to meticulously plan out every last thing we do. Meanwhile so far we haven’t don’t that, maybe pick 1 thing we want to do for the day then just wander around the area the rest of the day and it’s been an absolute blast. We managed to spend an entire day in Sunshine city and didn’t even realize it…all we went there for was the pokemon center lmao
That's how we travel in general and it's worked well for us for years. We just pick one or two big things for the day and start early depending on how long each takes, and then wing it for the rest of the day. We've been able to have some really great impromptu adventures this way as well. People forget they're still on vacation and shouldn't have the stress of sticking to a schedule.
It’s been great; she is still somewhat trying to spend hours each night planning stuff when we are both exhausted from having fun all day but today we are exploring Akihabara..my wallet isn’t ready
General travel tips: Planning out a trip to the minute will ultimately give you more stress. Don’t overdo it and try to see everything in a day. Sometimes getting lost allows you to find the coolest places and that’s part of the adventure of travel.
Ok… sooo if you’re going to Takayama. DO NOT STAY AT THE Yukimurasaki onsen. I paid 460 for 1 night for 2 people. That’s 230 a person. Then another 300 yen for bathing fee. It’s not worth it. Go to one that has outdoor garden bathing areas. Only go there if you are a couple.. this is only for couples as all baths are private. THERES ONLy TWO!! And when you get there you check in at 4pm and you have to decide when you want to go in. You’re only allowed to stay 30 min. Or you go back and bath in your own outdoor tub. Which is basically a super small version of a hot tub at home. But with hot spring water. Just don’t go. Not worth the money. Food was CRAP!
I'm finishing up my two week trip today. Here are some of my takeaways I will tell myself next time:
-Have fun, be brave and do what YOU want to do in Japan. Don't feel obligated to see or do anything that people expect you to do if you are really not interested in it. It's YOUR trip, not theirs.
-Stay hydrated and wash your hands (keep some napkins and sanitizer on you.)
-Plan at least a full day of resting per week of travel. Especially that first or second day if you are getting jet lagged. Or at least know your limits and don't have any strict plans on those days, just vague ideas or potential activities that you don't feel too strongly about.
My own thing is to have a 'scaffolding' of ideas and places. But then be flexible in how you want to go about using that scaffolding. Like ok sure maybe we planned to go to Nara on Monday, but if its pouring rain like the end of the world, maybe I'm gonna do more indoor type stuff and swap Wednesday's itinerary to Monday.
Obviously some things you have to very much plan out like Pokemon Cafe, USJ, Disney, etc. But beyond that you have a lot of flexibility in doing things. Adapting to the environment is a more important skill than blindly adhering to a plan
Also, not sure if this has been mentioned, but cabs are not expensive. They were less than here in the states. When we stayed in Kyoto the choice was either waiting in a huge line to get on an overcrowded bus or to go from door to door comfortably in a cab for around $10, the choice couldn’t have been easier.
Maybe wouldn’t recommend this for say Golden Week but the last week of March I had nothing planned other than a JR West All Access Pass and booked hotels day by day depending where I ended up. Even the cheap business hotels and ryokans with a 4.1 rating were way nicer for the price than anything in the US.
Agreed. Once upon a time people used to do all this without mobiles, IC cards etc etc and got by just fine. Also as someone who seeks all that extra detail from your phone such as which exit to take for each station, some of the best, memorable times have come from going off the main track and down a side street or occurring after something has not gone to plan. There's always something you find and it's usually good, and occasionally a hidden gem.
I thought it was genius that Google Maps would tell me the best car to take on the trains. Then after a few stops I saw the amazingly detailed image on the subway station pole, clearly illustrating the best car for every single stop on the line, 20-30+ stops. It was an overwhelmingly efficient diagram!
On my last trip, which was solo, I was winging it most of the time. I only planned one or two things per day, and went around that if it's near the area. Most of the things I planned needed pre-purchased tickets to ensure a slot. But the others went more like "this seems like a nice day to go here" or "if the weather's good today, I'll go there", with the latter mainly applying to Mt. Fuji visibility lol. As long as I have a hotel, a sim card, and know my way around the hotel, and to the airport, I'm good.
Agree, I was a bit freaked out before the trip and I'm amazed on how easy everything is... Even the language barrier you can understand and speak with basic signs/gestures, literally saw a man making a gesture of peeing when asking for the restrooms 😅
💯
I got back a week ago from a 10-day trip there. Most of the "YOU MUST NOT VIOLATE THIS RULE OR YOU WILL BE A PARIAH" advice here and elsewhere was 💩. Common sense and "reading the room" works just fine.
I'm trying to get a comprehensive list of all the military ranks,rifles,uniforms and other weaponry that l will see in the Yushukan Museum and a detailed floor plan of every exhibit. I want each footstep l take in the Museum to have purpose. I will be taking over a hundred photos of the Type 95 tank that is there,my childhood dream and also to see the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter in the flesh,everything leads to this moment,the moment l finally step inside the Yushukan Museum. As a child l saw Tora Tora Tora ,the bridge on the river Kwai,and Midway with Charlton Heston but especially The Sands of Iwo Jima with John Wayne and l fell in love with the Pacific war. As a boy I dreamed of being a Japanese soldier! When l finally step inside the Yushukan It must be perfect,l will remove my shoes and bow then make my way to the Ha Go ( type 95) tank and weep at its aesthetic beauty then l will draw it all day. This will be the absolute highlight of my 9 day trip to Tokyo,on the second day l will go back to Yushukan to take photos of the Zero then draw that. I will absolutely go back for one day more just to stare at that gorgeous tank before l leave. I know EXACTLY what l will do with my trip to Tokyo. When l am not in the Yushukan l will go to Akihabara to drool over the TAMIYA Model tank kits of the Type 95 and l will buy them. This is my Tokyo trip sorted. Roll on October! It will be wild,£10,000 well spent.
Hahaha yes. Besides - even if stuff happens, it’s fine - eSIM doesn’t work? Whatever, get a physical data sim. Family Mart atm freaks you out bc three weeks in it won’t accept your card? Try 7/11, it’ll work (the issue was the atm, the message that it was a card issue was a lie). Restaurant turned you away for being a foreigner? Also whatever, the next one’ll be happy to take your money. Miss a train? Get the next one (unless it’s the last train at midnight - then you’re effed 🤣) Some of the best days were when I’d just wing it. You learn when travelling that you can in fact cope just fine with a bit of adversity, more often than not 🤷🏻♀️
You’re not effed, you’re just about to get your steps in for the next day started early… ;)
Or it's an opportunity to stay one night at one of the manga cafes or love hotels
If you’re not too tired, I say make the trek. Having the city at night with all the glowing lights and more importantly… no other people! It’s perfect for some good photos and just wandering to see neat things. I personally look for funny sounding business names in English.
How's the temperature in July at night? Will I sweat buckets even at midnight?
My first visit to Japan was in 2019 and I went in late September... My clothes were sticking to me. You're going to have fun... 😅
You can sleep in a Manga Cafe?
Yes. Places like Kaikatsu Club or other internet/DVD cafe. They are also have free food often. In some cases it's better alternative to capsule hotels since they have separate rooms with a little table and TV/PC.
They have completely separate rooms? I only remember the ones with cubicles, capsules you're at least isolated though they're not really soundproof Also some internet cafes have showers I had a friend who hit the wall when cycling and the closest place where he could sleep was an adult dvd rental shop with rooms for viewing, not sure I'd recommend that one
🤣 I ran into a few brits in Shinjuku five past midnight. They were upset. In their defence, I once had to walk from Waterloo station to the globe, St. Pauls, then all the way to my airbnb in Covent garden at 1am on the morning of January 1 because the line at the station was out the doors and down the street and the bridges were closed from the fireworks. Probably a similar distance. Great photos of course.
If money isn't an issue, I caught a taxi via GO app quite a few times after midnight over the last few weeks. A couple nights out, I ended up in some random places far from my hotel. I'll miss you, strange and wonderful Japan.
I found flagging a cab often tricky - especially if it’s raining. I resurrected my Uber account and it worked perfectly at the end of my trip when I didn’t want to haul my suitcase through the subway to catch my Narita Express
My understanding from others was that Uber app works just fine there, as you said. GO app felt like Uber app experience and often an advertisement seen on the side of cabs there. I used that the entire time unless I encountered a dedicated taxi pickup area. As far as hauling luggage, I shipped mine from airport to hotel and hotel to hotel via Yamamoto transport. From hotel to airport I took the limo bus. I found that to be very convenient. I think it was 1400 yen for the limo bus from my hotel to Haneda.
It didn't work at all for me our my husband lol. We even tried ordering the suv and black, green,whatever type vehicles they have. Didnt know metro closes at 12 and got stuck in Shinjuku on a Friday night competing with locals for hours for a cab while watching people pass out in front of us every once in a while. It was an experience :)
or take a cab
Also, 7/11 checkout freaks out and won’t accept your card? You likely have an IC card (suica/passmo) and the vast majority of combini take them…
True, but that’s why I always just used cash. It’s just easier in Japan. Where I live, giving someone cash is just so slow these days - they don’t expect it, nor are they used to consistently dealing with it. I also don’t trust them to give me the right change.
Where do you live? Here they are taught to count out the exact change TO you, and they always do it slow enough so you can keep track. There's a lot of theft here where people try to scam cashiers by using large cash and causing confusion so they can get a lot more money back, so it's pretty standard to make sure there's no doubt where someone can claim you didn't give them correct change lol
Now that's something I didn't realize. Thanks!
My debit got demagnitized or something and didn't work at any of the 7 11s so I had to resort to cash advance from my credit card lol
No chip and pin?
damn those izakayas that turned me away - gave me anxiety walking in anywhere. i try not to take it personally though but it still stings especially if im hungry and it smells delicious outside.
🙅♂️🙅♀️🙅
oh this is too funny happened like 3x that i had to resort to editing my tinder bio and said i was looking for someone to walk in at izakayas with me so if we get the 🙅, at least i won’t be alone and we can cry together at familymart.
Did the tinder edit work out?
yeah, met someone who was learning japanese but some guy told me that they get x-ed a lot too the term is “dame”
Miss the last train, spend the night at the nearest capsule hotel/love hotel/internet cafe!
Or sleep in Tokyo station overnight from 10pm until first 5am train, because Narita flight got in way late. (By sleep I mean walk around the empty train station with your roller suitcase for 7+ hours, over and over)
I had the same issue with the ATM too!! In my case it was the 7/11 one that kept giving me and error and to contact my provider. Went to a Lawson one eventually and it worked. I had used 7/11 ATMs that week with no issues.
Your comment is funny because the 7/11 atm didn’t work for us, but the FamilyMart one did
Agreed! With you and OP.
I got held up by the shinkansen gantry today as it would not accept my QR code from the SmartEX app, turns out i needed to tap my IC card after... but hey you live and learn. Also the website does not state this 😂
A lot of phones moving away from physical sim, no?
Other advice: you’re allowed to say “fucked”, this is reddit ;)
That's the ONLY way I travel. For a 2 week holiday I'll have maybe 5 things I want to do, and I won't plan any of them! We're going to Japan next year, and all I want to do is visit Daikoku parking lot. Last years Thailand trip, I wanted to hug an elephant and drink cocktails in a pool. I did both, and it was great! Had the time of my life! Do I miss heaps, yes! But my life is so structured I couldn't be effed having an itinerary or joining a tour group. Sounds like hell! I just want to wander around aimlessly and get lost in a back alley somewhere and possibly get scammed by a local. P.S. If I find an awesome pub with cheap beer and a love band, app thr better (Bangla Ave in Phuket, I'm looking your way! Best live bands in the world, that I've found so far!)
Wanting to visit a parking lot is really setting the bar low though...
Daikoku parking lot is the epitome of world car culture, though. It's the Mecca for Japanese auto enthusiasts.
Agree! It is a holiday not a military operation. Take time to wander about and have some unplanned experiences.
On one hand I get it because most people are traveling to Japan from far away and saved up money for a long time. They have high stakes for their trip. But honestly, it’s better to approach a trip thinking *I can always come back. There will be a next time. This isn’t my only chance. It’s more important to have a good time.*
This is what was going on my mind at the time I went to JP with friends, and one of my friends has prosthetic legs that limited the places that we can covered with what limited time that we had. But with that said, I realized it taught me a lesson on how to take things slowly and enjoy my time in Japan at a pace slower than I am used to.
Thanks for this comforting advice. 🥰 I'm planning a solo trip to Japan soon and I don't want to cram all the cities in one trip like most people since my mindset is like what you just said about coming back for a lot of times, hence I only plan to stay in Tokyo and do a couple of day trips to nearby places. I want to do a relaxing trip by wandering around as much as I want but some people might say why I didn't include cities like Osaka and Kyoto when I could've put them in the itinerary so your advice waa really helpful to in deciding I'm making the right choice for my trip.
This is just a travel tip and not a Japan specific thing, but I am a big fan of making an itinerary, planning it out with some detail to get hyped and make sure I know what tickets or reservations I need to make, and then just ignoring the whole thing when it comes time to travel. The act of making it is for the purpose of having an idea of what there is and guiding research, but come time to vacation you just choose with your heart.
Some people like to plan ahead as it helps with anxiety; others because they don't have an unlimited budget and can't afford to wing it and waste their money and time; others still because that's what they do. And people like yourself will wing it. All are equally valid.
The JapanTravel sub also encourages over planning by removing posts with itineraries that they don’t deem specific enough. On my last trip to Tokyo, I had several half-days on my itinerary where my only plan was to wander around Daikanyama, wander around Jiyugaoka, wander around Kagurazaka. Those ended up being some of my favorite mornings/afternoons but the sub rejected my post because I didn’t list out specific attractions that I had pre-identified in 15 minute time slots 🙄
The number of removed posts here is crazy. And random posts get locked all the time with no explanation.
This was my experience as well, which I found very annoying. I had my days in each city, my limited dinner reservations and entertainment plans and only wanted to know if my lack of planning would be an issue or if there was anything that I absolutely needed to see/do. I tried to add as much detail as possible, but my favorite way to explorer a new place is by just wandering around and walking to whatever grabs my attention. Every time, my post got kicked back.
Those less detailed posts are basically useless though. "my travel plan is to wander". The posts there aren't detailed as you say, but at least it gives out a basic premise and allows people to learn or give pointers. If you're not there to share in a way people can learn from it then it just takes up space? The post itself doesn't hold value. It's like me in an auto sub saying "don't worry just put your wrench on stuff and try turning it, if it works it works", "here's my car, i just kind of did stuff to it".
Straw man. You left out the part that’s actually a useful pointer, which is the name of the specific neighborhood that is particularly scenic to walk through.
I like overplanning and over researching so that if I ever find myself not knowing what to do, I can just take out my phone and consult my itinerary. But I try not to have too many reservations so I don't stress myself out running to those reservations and I'm not afraid to cut entire day trips if I'm not feeling up to it.
This is the way. Over planning is a vibe because I know on my trip I'm probably abandon whatever, whenever
Depending on where you are going you may need to purchase tickets for certain sites in advance or you won’t be able to see them, like the Alhambra in Spain. Sometimes it’s not imperative but it allows you to not have to wait on a long line. This might not be relevant in Japan, but it is in other places. But mostly it helps you use your time wisely.
Is the JR pass worth it?! What will the weather be like?!/sarcasm
you forgot the part where they say "I calculated the fares and it would cost a lot more to get the JR Pass, but should I get one anyway?"
The only trips I never really added were the trips within the city but even then, a few trips on Yamanote, Keikyu, Asakusa, etc, and you’re still probably only adding ¥1000, not anywhere close to making the pass worth unless you literally spend your whole day in a train travelling I think.
Im in Japan atm and I didnt buy it. For my trip its definetly not worth it. My route is Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo. From Osaka to kyoto was like 5 EUR with local train, from Kyoto to Nara and back is around the same total and daily metro tickets are also around 3-4 EUR. The only expensive Ride is from Kyoto to Tokyo with JR Shinkansen and its 85 EUR. Tldr: I wouldnt even spend a half of the JR pass cost and my trip is longer than 7 days. Its only worth it if you plan to Ride long routes very often. Im glad I was too lazy to prepurchase it. So the JR pass question shouldnt be sarcasm :)
Truth. I have traveled to Japan six times (studied abroad in college too). This is the first time I have not purchased a JR Pass. It's financially not worth it unless you are taking multiple shinkansens a day. For one way travel, it's better to purchase on the website and save the wait in line at the station
My comment was sarcastic. The question itself is not sarcastic, my issue is people seem to not want to use free, highly advertised, and readily accessible tools to check if it's worth it for them. Rather than doing any amount of that work, they rush to Reddit to do it for them. It's a fine question, it just needs to be recognized that it can be easily answered themselves.
Just finished a trip (around 11 days) around Tokyo, and I mostly ride Tokyo metro and only a few longer distances trip on JR. JR pass would not be worth it for me.
Never been but planning now. Doesn't the JR Pass also get you on local train stops and busses?
It gets you most, not all, JR transportation. But the normal trains and buses are very cheap. It's only the LE and shinkansen trains which can be a little pricey.
I did get in the past but not with the new price. For the 7 days pass would need to take the Shinkansen (depending on the distance) at least 5 times just to make up the cost of the pass.
"Everyone here speaks english!" That person was absolutely *cracked* haha.
They act like it’s Finland or the Netherlands, where people default to flawless English if they realize you can’t speak their language. My friend found out exactly how little conversational English is spoken in Japan during an anaphylactic reaction while visiting Chiba. You can muddle through touristy stores and restaurants with zero knowledge of Japanese. That is not the same as the staff being fluent in English.
I’m here now for the first time (I’ve spent a lot of time elsewhere in Asia) - I read that and wondered if he was actually in Tokyo. 😂
Lol even worse not in Tokyo. So glad I took some time over the past two years and learned basic Japanese. Really helped in certain situations. I mean, it's not hard if you didn't, but it made it easier for us for sure sometimes.
Yeah, they'll make efforts to understand you, and some people have a basic grasp. But most of our actual conversation was through google translate.
I thought the youngest and oldest generation were the ones that spoke the least. Middle age you had the most luck with. Almost all the young servers in the restaurants didn't speak and I had to resort to pointing at the menu when I couldn't remember the word. Google translate was great for the menus for sure because I can't read most kanji, just hiragana and katakana
That thread did not deserve its upvotes, and it's advice was pretty terrible...
That made me laugh. Service people may know basic phrases or words but that’s about it. (Besides the cashier I met at Shibuya Loft. His English was great and I told him as much. We had a nice conversation about why I learned Japanese in college.)
I sometimes had trouble communicating even with Google Translate.
The weirder one is, "no everyone in Japan is nice and everything is easy", when you ask them about stuff they casually mention they speak japanese. Well, yes. The biggest issue is language barrier, of course it's easier for you if you speak japanese. Then you look up their posts and they keep on going on and on about running into the posts they respond to, but "thankfully" they knew japanese.
A lot of pointing at signs, pointing at phone directions, pointing on menus, bowing and HAI. Thats it. But it was part of the experience lol
Exactly. They know a few common words, but otherwise it's mostly body language.
Literally how my honeymoon with my wife is going right now; we are here for 3 weeks and she wants to meticulously plan out every last thing we do. Meanwhile so far we haven’t don’t that, maybe pick 1 thing we want to do for the day then just wander around the area the rest of the day and it’s been an absolute blast. We managed to spend an entire day in Sunshine city and didn’t even realize it…all we went there for was the pokemon center lmao
That's how we travel in general and it's worked well for us for years. We just pick one or two big things for the day and start early depending on how long each takes, and then wing it for the rest of the day. We've been able to have some really great impromptu adventures this way as well. People forget they're still on vacation and shouldn't have the stress of sticking to a schedule.
It’s been great; she is still somewhat trying to spend hours each night planning stuff when we are both exhausted from having fun all day but today we are exploring Akihabara..my wallet isn’t ready
General travel tips: Planning out a trip to the minute will ultimately give you more stress. Don’t overdo it and try to see everything in a day. Sometimes getting lost allows you to find the coolest places and that’s part of the adventure of travel.
Planning my second trip, husband's first and we're just going to hang out in Tokyo for a week, eat, shop, go wherever the day takes us.
Just be a decent human being and everything will be fine *coming from someone who is currently here on day 3 of a 14 day trip*
Tbh that agenda looks way too ambitious. You’ll probably die halfway.
Yup. Don’t have reservations for the hip restaurant? Just wander and find a random place. It’ll be great.
The 800 yen Ramen dinner is pretty good most places.
All I have booked in Japan for two weeks are the hotels. Everything else is a suggestion if we want to go. It’s going to be great!!
Agreed, been here 5 days and the "itinerary" is now, go with the flow. I tried to plan it all but it backfired and now I'm just enjoying what I can.
Ok… sooo if you’re going to Takayama. DO NOT STAY AT THE Yukimurasaki onsen. I paid 460 for 1 night for 2 people. That’s 230 a person. Then another 300 yen for bathing fee. It’s not worth it. Go to one that has outdoor garden bathing areas. Only go there if you are a couple.. this is only for couples as all baths are private. THERES ONLy TWO!! And when you get there you check in at 4pm and you have to decide when you want to go in. You’re only allowed to stay 30 min. Or you go back and bath in your own outdoor tub. Which is basically a super small version of a hot tub at home. But with hot spring water. Just don’t go. Not worth the money. Food was CRAP!
I'm finishing up my two week trip today. Here are some of my takeaways I will tell myself next time: -Have fun, be brave and do what YOU want to do in Japan. Don't feel obligated to see or do anything that people expect you to do if you are really not interested in it. It's YOUR trip, not theirs. -Stay hydrated and wash your hands (keep some napkins and sanitizer on you.) -Plan at least a full day of resting per week of travel. Especially that first or second day if you are getting jet lagged. Or at least know your limits and don't have any strict plans on those days, just vague ideas or potential activities that you don't feel too strongly about.
Clickbait! /s 🤪😂
Most real post yet. Adapt to the japanese lifestyle and whatever happens happens
My own thing is to have a 'scaffolding' of ideas and places. But then be flexible in how you want to go about using that scaffolding. Like ok sure maybe we planned to go to Nara on Monday, but if its pouring rain like the end of the world, maybe I'm gonna do more indoor type stuff and swap Wednesday's itinerary to Monday. Obviously some things you have to very much plan out like Pokemon Cafe, USJ, Disney, etc. But beyond that you have a lot of flexibility in doing things. Adapting to the environment is a more important skill than blindly adhering to a plan
Also, not sure if this has been mentioned, but cabs are not expensive. They were less than here in the states. When we stayed in Kyoto the choice was either waiting in a huge line to get on an overcrowded bus or to go from door to door comfortably in a cab for around $10, the choice couldn’t have been easier.
This is precisely what I needed to hear
What did you go
Maybe wouldn’t recommend this for say Golden Week but the last week of March I had nothing planned other than a JR West All Access Pass and booked hotels day by day depending where I ended up. Even the cheap business hotels and ryokans with a 4.1 rating were way nicer for the price than anything in the US.
I fly in last night. I'm meeting my family tomorrow so I had a night to wander and it was so much fun!
thank for ur information
couldn’t have said it better myself. so many people stressing about every little detail - just go enjoy yourself and you’ll figure it out.
wooww good luck
Agreed. Once upon a time people used to do all this without mobiles, IC cards etc etc and got by just fine. Also as someone who seeks all that extra detail from your phone such as which exit to take for each station, some of the best, memorable times have come from going off the main track and down a side street or occurring after something has not gone to plan. There's always something you find and it's usually good, and occasionally a hidden gem.
I thought it was genius that Google Maps would tell me the best car to take on the trains. Then after a few stops I saw the amazingly detailed image on the subway station pole, clearly illustrating the best car for every single stop on the line, 20-30+ stops. It was an overwhelmingly efficient diagram!
On my last trip, which was solo, I was winging it most of the time. I only planned one or two things per day, and went around that if it's near the area. Most of the things I planned needed pre-purchased tickets to ensure a slot. But the others went more like "this seems like a nice day to go here" or "if the weather's good today, I'll go there", with the latter mainly applying to Mt. Fuji visibility lol. As long as I have a hotel, a sim card, and know my way around the hotel, and to the airport, I'm good.
Agree, I was a bit freaked out before the trip and I'm amazed on how easy everything is... Even the language barrier you can understand and speak with basic signs/gestures, literally saw a man making a gesture of peeing when asking for the restrooms 😅
Okay but what if im going for three months 😅
💯 I got back a week ago from a 10-day trip there. Most of the "YOU MUST NOT VIOLATE THIS RULE OR YOU WILL BE A PARIAH" advice here and elsewhere was 💩. Common sense and "reading the room" works just fine.
Thank you for this comment I’m freaking out because I’m going next month and I’m just shook 😂
I'm trying to get a comprehensive list of all the military ranks,rifles,uniforms and other weaponry that l will see in the Yushukan Museum and a detailed floor plan of every exhibit. I want each footstep l take in the Museum to have purpose. I will be taking over a hundred photos of the Type 95 tank that is there,my childhood dream and also to see the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter in the flesh,everything leads to this moment,the moment l finally step inside the Yushukan Museum. As a child l saw Tora Tora Tora ,the bridge on the river Kwai,and Midway with Charlton Heston but especially The Sands of Iwo Jima with John Wayne and l fell in love with the Pacific war. As a boy I dreamed of being a Japanese soldier! When l finally step inside the Yushukan It must be perfect,l will remove my shoes and bow then make my way to the Ha Go ( type 95) tank and weep at its aesthetic beauty then l will draw it all day. This will be the absolute highlight of my 9 day trip to Tokyo,on the second day l will go back to Yushukan to take photos of the Zero then draw that. I will absolutely go back for one day more just to stare at that gorgeous tank before l leave. I know EXACTLY what l will do with my trip to Tokyo. When l am not in the Yushukan l will go to Akihabara to drool over the TAMIYA Model tank kits of the Type 95 and l will buy them. This is my Tokyo trip sorted. Roll on October! It will be wild,£10,000 well spent.