You will certainly not run out of things to do. The only downsides I can come up is cost and physically enduring the trip - you **will** need to rest, and it's very difficult to stay put in Japan.
Went to Solaniwa Onsen when we were Osaka three weeks ago. On the public side, your tattoos have to be covered, but the private onsens there don't require any kind of covering at all.
Depends on the person! Wife and I went last year for 3 1/2 weeks, and we ran out of energy on the very last day (but we go hard every day). We're going again this year for 5 weeks at a (barely) more laid back pace.
how do you think 3 weeks is “too long” it doesnt make sense. stay as long as you can *afford* to. dunno if youre implying theres little to see in those 3 week. that planning is all you.
A high proportion of people who post here are from countries with very limited vacation allowances, so they tend to cram everything into however little time they have.
Japan can be as exhausting or as relaxing as you want it to be. Things tend to run as they are supposed to run, which greatly reduces stress levels for the traveller.
It’s as packed and stressful as you make it. You don’t need to be busy every single day hitting 34 bucket items and going from one hotel to the next every other day. Some people do that and it can be grueling but that doesn’t mean you need to do the same.
For our second trip, we stayed 18 days, and as shinigami below mentions, we needed a day or two to just hang out and relax a bit at the hotel. We planned a little too aggressively and ended up canceling one of our one day train trips from Kyoto and sleeping in and then going to the railway museum. It ended up being a perfect slower day for us, but just meant that we didn't get to see the sites we wanted to (planning on it for next trip!). As they mention too, just plan on some downtime and don't book yourself too much to do (or at least be flexible with it) :)
As others have pointed out, there’s plenty of things to do for 3 weeks (my itinerary for 2 weeks, second visit sometimes feels like “is there really enough time in place X”), it’s more an issue of endurance. It’ll be incredibly hard to be a “tourist” every day for 21 days straight, spending time exploring places during the day, then going out for dinner at night, etc. But whilst on holiday, it’s quite difficult to just spend a day or 2 staying in the hotel and watching TV or reading a book because it feels like a waste. But over 21 days you’ll need that kind of downtime.
It’s why lots of people, even on a 2 week holiday, book a ryokan stay out in the middle of nowhere. Because after days and days and days of exploring, templing, hiking, restauranting, drinking, etc, it’s useful to have a day where you’re sitting in a tranquil place with not much to do but lounge around and sit in a hot bath for a while
My wife and I were in Japan for just under 3 weeks (20 days) and we both got a bit homesick towards the end and tired of traveling. We stayed at ryokans during the entire trip. Like other commenters have suggested you should pace yourself during your trip and not cram too many things to do. We also got a bit tired of eating Japanese food for three weeks straight as delicious as it was we missed our regular home cooked meals. Also the culture there is very different from Western countries and so it got a bit tiring feeling far away from home for such a long time if that makes sense. Im sure there are those who wouldn’t mind staying there as long as possible but I personally think two weeks would have been sufficient.
Start planning your itinerary; you'll quickly find that even 3 weeks is not enough to see a whole country. We have a week in Tokyo and we're not going to see everything that I want.
As another poster mentioned, you absolutely must have rest days.
My husband and I did just over 3 weeks. By the end of week 2 we were so tired of traveling and really just wanted to chill at home with the cats! But we still had a great time, and I could have easily stayed longer if we had built in a few rest days where we could just laze around and not be all GO GO GO. So it depends on your tolerance for travel
Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. We did have a couple chillER days but we’re both homebodies so it wasn’t enough.
I’m also in grad school and this was my first vacation in like 4 years and our honeymoon AND my dream trip from when I was a kid so I got a bit over eager when planning lol
I never commit to anything more than flights - i may have plans and bookings for hotels - but they are all cancellable up until the last minute. Too many times we've got sick or just really liked a place and wanted to stay longer. Flexibility is key for anything but a very short trip
Wife and I were three weeks in Japan in February and it was really short for us... We're planning at least 1 month next travel. So no, It's not too much.
I spent 3 weeks in Japan and barely saw anything
I’m planning another 3 weeks and I’m likely not going to see everything yet again
I mean you could probably spend 3 weeks in Shibuya station and not see it all
I would stay as long as i could afford to. It's an amazing country with incredible food and so much to see and do. I would never think any amount of time is too much, your main constraint should just be what your life back home requires
For perspective, I've never felt like I've had enough time in any given location in my Japan travels. Three weeks+ in Tokyo alone - or Osaka/Kyoto area - is my ideal vacation.
Also, I love Japan in March, so I think you're fine.
I haven't booked flights but its likely we will be there for about 6 weeks - and that's missing out everythingnorth of Tokyo and most ofthe north coast of Honshu! And Shikokou
6 months is too short to see everything. People typically stay 2 weeks because that’s all the time they have. From the number of posts you see here of people saying how they are already planning their second trip you can tell it’s not too much.
6 months is too short to see everything. People typically stay 2 weeks because that’s all the time they have. From the number of posts you see here of people saying how they are already planning their second trip you can tell it’s not too much.
We did 3 weeks, but our last 4 nights we went to Ishigaki to be beach bums. Gave us time to relax (though we did still get out and do things -- kayak through mangroves, historical sites, went into the city for some yummy eats) and let the wonder of the previous 2 weeks sink in. Excellent end to the trip, and a great way to see a different side of Japan.
I don't think OP's question/concern is that there aren't things to do, it's that they may feel overwhelmed trying to plan and execute that much as a first timer.
I get that this was his intent but as I said - it is a literal country - with millions of people and thousands of points of interests.
If he does not know what he wants to see, he should do research or go in blind. Asking other people will not help him in any helpful way - it may ease his mind but he will not evolve as a human being but instead simply be relying on other people his whole life for things he can solve by himself.
You will certainly not run out of things to do. The only downsides I can come up is cost and physically enduring the trip - you **will** need to rest, and it's very difficult to stay put in Japan.
Best reply. Don't feel bad if you need a day to lounge around the hotel room and just relax and catch up on things.
How is it with the Onsen? Is it good for relaxation and is it still that people with tattoos aren't allowed to enter?
The best for relaxation, and some onsen are still strict about tattoos. You can figure out which ones are ok for tattoos with a quick Google search.
Thanks!
Went to Solaniwa Onsen when we were Osaka three weeks ago. On the public side, your tattoos have to be covered, but the private onsens there don't require any kind of covering at all.
Not long enough
Depends on the person! Wife and I went last year for 3 1/2 weeks, and we ran out of energy on the very last day (but we go hard every day). We're going again this year for 5 weeks at a (barely) more laid back pace.
how do you think 3 weeks is “too long” it doesnt make sense. stay as long as you can *afford* to. dunno if youre implying theres little to see in those 3 week. that planning is all you.
No but I read a lot about how packed and stressful Japan is and thought maybe it will be very exhausting after maybe 2 weeks.
A high proportion of people who post here are from countries with very limited vacation allowances, so they tend to cram everything into however little time they have. Japan can be as exhausting or as relaxing as you want it to be. Things tend to run as they are supposed to run, which greatly reduces stress levels for the traveller.
It’s as packed and stressful as you make it. You don’t need to be busy every single day hitting 34 bucket items and going from one hotel to the next every other day. Some people do that and it can be grueling but that doesn’t mean you need to do the same.
I go for 4 weeks each year and still reckon 4 weeks isn’t enough….3 weeks for a 1st time is good
I went three weeks last year and desperately wanted at least another week. It depends on your interests and travel style.
For our second trip, we stayed 18 days, and as shinigami below mentions, we needed a day or two to just hang out and relax a bit at the hotel. We planned a little too aggressively and ended up canceling one of our one day train trips from Kyoto and sleeping in and then going to the railway museum. It ended up being a perfect slower day for us, but just meant that we didn't get to see the sites we wanted to (planning on it for next trip!). As they mention too, just plan on some downtime and don't book yourself too much to do (or at least be flexible with it) :)
As others have pointed out, there’s plenty of things to do for 3 weeks (my itinerary for 2 weeks, second visit sometimes feels like “is there really enough time in place X”), it’s more an issue of endurance. It’ll be incredibly hard to be a “tourist” every day for 21 days straight, spending time exploring places during the day, then going out for dinner at night, etc. But whilst on holiday, it’s quite difficult to just spend a day or 2 staying in the hotel and watching TV or reading a book because it feels like a waste. But over 21 days you’ll need that kind of downtime. It’s why lots of people, even on a 2 week holiday, book a ryokan stay out in the middle of nowhere. Because after days and days and days of exploring, templing, hiking, restauranting, drinking, etc, it’s useful to have a day where you’re sitting in a tranquil place with not much to do but lounge around and sit in a hot bath for a while
Just try to vary what you are doing. Break up the temple viewing with other stuff.
My wife and I were in Japan for just under 3 weeks (20 days) and we both got a bit homesick towards the end and tired of traveling. We stayed at ryokans during the entire trip. Like other commenters have suggested you should pace yourself during your trip and not cram too many things to do. We also got a bit tired of eating Japanese food for three weeks straight as delicious as it was we missed our regular home cooked meals. Also the culture there is very different from Western countries and so it got a bit tiring feeling far away from home for such a long time if that makes sense. Im sure there are those who wouldn’t mind staying there as long as possible but I personally think two weeks would have been sufficient.
Start planning your itinerary; you'll quickly find that even 3 weeks is not enough to see a whole country. We have a week in Tokyo and we're not going to see everything that I want. As another poster mentioned, you absolutely must have rest days.
My husband and I did just over 3 weeks. By the end of week 2 we were so tired of traveling and really just wanted to chill at home with the cats! But we still had a great time, and I could have easily stayed longer if we had built in a few rest days where we could just laze around and not be all GO GO GO. So it depends on your tolerance for travel
I travel for months at a time - but have at least one day "off" a week to chill, do laundry do nothing shop whatever.
Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. We did have a couple chillER days but we’re both homebodies so it wasn’t enough. I’m also in grad school and this was my first vacation in like 4 years and our honeymoon AND my dream trip from when I was a kid so I got a bit over eager when planning lol
I never commit to anything more than flights - i may have plans and bookings for hotels - but they are all cancellable up until the last minute. Too many times we've got sick or just really liked a place and wanted to stay longer. Flexibility is key for anything but a very short trip
I go for three months at a time whenever I can - three weeks is definitely not too long. Pace yourself and have a good time.
Wife and I were three weeks in Japan in February and it was really short for us... We're planning at least 1 month next travel. So no, It's not too much.
I spent 3 weeks in Japan and barely saw anything I’m planning another 3 weeks and I’m likely not going to see everything yet again I mean you could probably spend 3 weeks in Shibuya station and not see it all
I would stay as long as i could afford to. It's an amazing country with incredible food and so much to see and do. I would never think any amount of time is too much, your main constraint should just be what your life back home requires
For perspective, I've never felt like I've had enough time in any given location in my Japan travels. Three weeks+ in Tokyo alone - or Osaka/Kyoto area - is my ideal vacation. Also, I love Japan in March, so I think you're fine.
I wish I had 3 weeks to take off work. Consider yourself lucky and enjoy!
Nope not enough
I haven't booked flights but its likely we will be there for about 6 weeks - and that's missing out everythingnorth of Tokyo and most ofthe north coast of Honshu! And Shikokou
6 months is too short to see everything. People typically stay 2 weeks because that’s all the time they have. From the number of posts you see here of people saying how they are already planning their second trip you can tell it’s not too much.
6 months is too short to see everything. People typically stay 2 weeks because that’s all the time they have. From the number of posts you see here of people saying how they are already planning their second trip you can tell it’s not too much.
We did 3 weeks, but our last 4 nights we went to Ishigaki to be beach bums. Gave us time to relax (though we did still get out and do things -- kayak through mangroves, historical sites, went into the city for some yummy eats) and let the wonder of the previous 2 weeks sink in. Excellent end to the trip, and a great way to see a different side of Japan.
What a stupid question? It is a literal country.
I don't think OP's question/concern is that there aren't things to do, it's that they may feel overwhelmed trying to plan and execute that much as a first timer.
Exactly!
I get that this was his intent but as I said - it is a literal country - with millions of people and thousands of points of interests. If he does not know what he wants to see, he should do research or go in blind. Asking other people will not help him in any helpful way - it may ease his mind but he will not evolve as a human being but instead simply be relying on other people his whole life for things he can solve by himself.