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ALFbrot posted:Nara will be the only thing a 7-year-old girl will ever want to think or talk about for years afterwards, it's a slam dunk.
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Oct 18, 2016 21:29
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photomikey posted:Why? I love this idea though. Being surrounded/swarmed by adorable deer you can pet and feed is an awesome and cute thing that I tend to believe a 7-year-old girl would be very into. Unless she's afraid of animals?
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Oct 18, 2016 21:34
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She'd love the deer. She'd really like the architecture and Japanese history of the area. I love the idea of Nara. We'll have the JR pass I assume, so we may just day-trip it in from Kyoto or Osaka. For the record, I wasn't thinking we'd stay in both Kyoto *and* Osaka, just one, and then maybe day-trip to the other. I really want to see Hiroshima. I may never get back to Japan. It just seems like a must-see thing, but is there anything there to see?
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Oct 18, 2016 22:07
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There's the genbaku dome, the peace park, the museum itself (but I wouldn't take a 7yo round that personally, a few of the reconstructions of the aftermath of the bomb are a bit nightmarish). Miyajima is a short ferry ride away and has deer and a pretty accessible mountain with cable car up and great views of the inland sea. There's other minor stuff but those are the main things people visit Hiroshima for.
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Oct 18, 2016 22:19
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ALFbrot posted:Nara will be the only thing a 7-year-old girl will ever want to think or talk about for years afterwards, it's a slam dunk. i didn't think about this but this is a really good point, maybe cut a day off of tokyo on the trip and go a day earlier to kyoto and then take a day trip to nara? nara has this like beautiful park near the temple with all the deer and there are streams and rivers and a 7 year old girl could spend an entire day there and talk about it for years to come, and as an adult you can just kinda relax and look and cool and beautiful stuff and your kid will be happy. like tokyo is a great city but there's only so much that can keep a 7 year old interested. kyoto i feel would be easier to entertain a 7 year old than tokyo would. i'd recommend at least two full days in kyoto, one kinda hopping around with temples and then one going out to arashiyama. tons out outdoor stuff to do for a kid, which is mainly how i'm framing this trip for you. taking a 7 year old to shinjuku and being like "look at all the people, this is a major commercial area of tokyo!!" and she'll be like "k". take a kid to arashiyama and be like "look at this freakin bamboo forest outside, isn't it awesome?" and she'll just run around and be happy
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Oct 18, 2016 22:52
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photomikey posted:She'd love the deer. She'd really like the architecture and Japanese history of the area. I love the idea of Nara. Make sure you understand which trains you are and aren't allowed to take with the JR Pass, in case you decide to schedule your days tightly. I would suggest staying in Kyoto and taking a day-trip to Osaka. Or just skip Osaka. I don't think there's anything there you really need to see, even Osaka castle, which is a reconstruction and just a modern building inside; you'll get much better "architecture" in Kyoto. If you really want castle architecture, there's Himeji a bit to the west. As for Hiroshima, I just went there in July for vacation and basically: You can't do both the Peace Park / museum and Miyajima in a day. Those are the two main attractions. I would say that your daughter is not old enough for the museum. It is fairly graphic in areas (showing injured victims) and the other things on display are not of the "WOW!" variety. It's very much a somber and educational experience. While it was incredibly touching and I think an immensely powerful experience that people should see, I simply can't recommend it with your daughter in tow. As for Miyajima, getting to the island and up to the top, then back down again, will take you the better part of the day. It's beautiful but, unfortunately, I don't think it's doable with your schedule, especially considering travel times.
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Oct 18, 2016 23:05
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Nara is a super short trip from Kyoto/Osaka, like ~1 hour on a local express train. Hiroshima is an incredibly beautiful city, but you're trying to squeeze a 2 week vacation into 1 week. If Japan leaves an incredibly good impression on both you and your family, you'll make an excuse to go there again.
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Oct 18, 2016 23:28
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Thank you for all the help. I'm super confused about where to stay in Tokyo. It looks from the map like a NYC-style city with LAX-style sprawl. Can anyone recommend a part of town, or give me some options? I'm into nice hotels, I'm probably in a $150-$250/night price range, and it doesn't have to be western style. I really would love to try one of the capsule hotels for a night, but with three of us I can't imagine it'd make economic sense.
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Oct 18, 2016 23:37
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The Great Autismo! posted:we stayed in Tokyo Ueno Youth Hostel when we were there in july, and it was awesome. it wasn't like a 5 star hotel, but we had a private room that was really affordable, had a decent bathroom, tons of space in the room, and the location is incredible. we really only cared about location and cost, to be honest i didn't really care about cost but my wife was choosing everything so cost had to be factored in. the people there were super friendly and awesome and we didn't actually see anyone else there at all the entire time we were there until the last day when we met a korean family that was traveling together. my wife, son and i stayed here in early july for a few days. it was japanese style but had enough space, cheap, centrally located, safe, clean, and helpful. and everyone there spoke excellent english. gave us umbrellas when it was pouring outside. it isn't a "nice hotel" though. but if you're looking for an area, or something to get an idea of what the price range is, there ya go. it's not like a holiday inn, it's obviously more of a traveler's place, there was a korean family (mom, two kids ages 14-18?) staying there we met the last day that were super nice.
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Oct 18, 2016 23:42
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Did the three of you get your own room? I haven't hosteled in a long time, but my daughter would dig it. It would give her someone else to talk their ears off.
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Oct 19, 2016 00:27
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it's not really a hostel. we had our own private room, a lot of the rooms were private rooms, and it was tatami style, where like we moved the table and laid out the mat and futon and slept in the middle of the room. bathroom was a bit small but nothing that wasn't undoable. you can probably find something nicer near Ueno if you're looking for a nice place, i think just because my wife is from the rural countryside and is a supersaver she didn't want to go to a high end place. that and she has slept on futons since she was a kid, it is something she is used to. the location was great so maybe start near there if you're looking for a good place in terms of location but if you're on a nice holiday and you guys have a higher budget you can probably find something nicer near Ueno.
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Oct 19, 2016 00:32
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photomikey posted:Thank you for all the help. Staying somewhere on the Yamanote line will probably save you a lot of headache. Also know that there's two main train systems (JR and Metro) in case you're having trouble making sense of the maps or have trouble finding the Yamanote line (it's JR).
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Oct 19, 2016 05:29
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photomikey posted:Thank you for all the help. tokyo is basically seven cities that have grown together. so now it's seven city centers with sprawl between them. where youre staying isnt that important, you can get from anywhere to anywhere else in "proper tokyo" in 15-30 minutes.
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Oct 19, 2016 14:59
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Curious what you consider the 7 cities? Never thought about it that way.
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Oct 20, 2016 03:46
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Heads up for anyone in Tokyo on Nov 26 and 27, Moshi Moshi Nippon jpop Festival is giving free tickets to foreigners if they preregister. http://fes16.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/en/index.php
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Oct 20, 2016 03:52
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photomikey posted:Thank you for all the help. The one which I listed, Oakwood Premier is right in Tokyo station and is a really nice service apartment style hotel. They run you 350 USD a night. 250 if you are lucky and book early. The next in line I would stay is Mistui Garden. It's more along your price range. They are on par and I think nicer than your chains like Marriott, Hilton, etc. If you are with kids, there's no need to stay in Ginza, try the one in Ueno. It's cheaper http://www.gardenhotels.co.jp/eng/ueno/access/
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Oct 20, 2016 03:52
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In a couple days I'll be flying into Narita and then need to get to Sendai. I've done this before but forget how the ticketing for the Narita express and Shinkansen work. Do I buy the ticket for both trains from the same place (JR rail counter?) in Narita airport? I think I remember doing this last time I visited, but I was so tired that I don't remember it.
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Oct 20, 2016 04:10
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The shinkansen are on completely different lines, so that's a separate ticket on it's own. Things get "tricky" if it's a limited express train and has a surcharge on it's own (regular trains with bench seating and standing room vs individual seating).
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Oct 20, 2016 04:45
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If you are inside the station and just show up at the shinkansen counter, give them your ticket or suica and they'll fix it to charge you the right amount. If you go outside of the ticket gate you're probably out of luck if there's any discount - which there usually is.
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Oct 20, 2016 05:02
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I posted before but I've got a better idea of what we are doing now so I'm interested in any information/suggestions. We are visiting Japan for the third time and want to head north, going to stay in utsonomiya and visit Nikko then visit Ainu wakamatsu on the way to Sendai. We don't want to move around too much and we're thinking five or six days in Sendai to chill out and do some day trips in the area before heading back south to Tokyo. Is it worth heading to any other major areas in Tohoku while we are in the area? Some places seem a little complicated to get too and I'm not sure if it's worth the extra travel time to spend a day or two in the other cities.
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Oct 20, 2016 11:40
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turdbucket posted:I posted before but I've got a better idea of what we are doing now so I'm interested in any information/suggestions. We are visiting Japan for the third time and want to head north, going to stay in utsonomiya and visit Nikko then visit Ainu wakamatsu on the way to Sendai. We don't want to move around too much and we're thinking five or six days in Sendai to chill out and do some day trips in the area before heading back south to Tokyo. I quite enjoyed Hachinohe when I went but iunno if it's worth the trouble of going. The main attraction was the fish and mushrooms. Really enjoyed staying in Matsushima too, so if it isn't on your list already it's good.
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Oct 20, 2016 12:24
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Phone posted:The shinkansen are on completely different lines, so that's a separate ticket on it's own. I thought both trains operate on JR lines? I remember having separate tickets, but I also could have sworn I bought both tickets at the same time at the JR counter in Narita airport after telling them I was headed to Sendai.
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Oct 20, 2016 12:55
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Aredna posted:Curious what you consider the 7 cities? Never thought about it that way. uhm ginza, shinjuku, shibuya, ueno, shinbashi, roppongi? those seem to be the recognizable city centers
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Oct 20, 2016 13:31
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hot sauce posted:I thought both trains operate on JR lines? I remember having separate tickets, but I also could have sworn I bought both tickets at the same time at the JR counter in Narita airport after telling them I was headed to Sendai. Yeah, that seems doable. I'm not sure if you can buy a Shinkansen fare there, but I don't see why not.
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Oct 20, 2016 13:34
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Any JR window can issue you tickets for any JR line. I've never been to Tohoku but I'm curious about Osore-zan and the Jesus village in Aomori.
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Oct 20, 2016 14:26
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Ok cool, thanks for the replies. Unrelated question for any photography folks. I'm also spending a few days in Tokyo including Halloween weekend. Any ideas for cool spots to shoot? I'm already have a few areas planned including the Tsukiji Fisk Market, but was wondering if there is anything Fall/Halloween specific I should check out.
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Oct 20, 2016 14:40
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Isn't there a Halloween train party?
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Oct 20, 2016 14:51
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hot sauce posted:Ok cool, thanks for the replies. For Halloween: http://www.timeout.com/tokyo/things-to-do/halloween-in-tokyo Also the streets of Shibuya and Roppongi should be pretty lively with people in costume on the Friday and especially Saturday nights.
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Oct 20, 2016 17:13
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DiscoJ posted:For Halloween: If by "pretty lively" you mean overflowing and dangerously crushed, then yeah sure
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Oct 20, 2016 17:28
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The free tours given by Tokyo Tourism Center: https://www.gotokyo.org/en/tourists/guideservice/guideservice/ Anyone ever been on one? For something basically free, how come so little is written about it on the interwebs?
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Oct 20, 2016 17:54
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Wife and I are heading over next week for 3 weeks! It’s a little late to post an itinerary since all of the hotels are booked, but if I’m missing anything essential, suggest away. She’s particularly interested in vintage clothing stores. She's Japanese Canadian but doesn't speak a word of it, so she'll have fun repeatedly apologising, what's the best way to say "Sorry, I don't speak Japanese?" Nihongo o hanasemasen? Watashi wa nihon-go ga hanase masen? I’m in the LINE group with the same avatar. Tokyo October Monday 24th - Sunday 30th Staying in Shibuya. poo poo ton of stores the wife has picked out, lots of vintage clothing, flea Market on Saturday. Koenji. Ghibli Museum & Inokashira Park. Nakano Broadway. Goon recommended eats, Midori Sushi & Mouyan Curry Dining, anything else? Shinkansen to Hiroshima then Miyajima for two days at a Ryokan. Morning Torii, Daisho-in Temple, hike up Mt Misen, ropeway down. Half day for Hiroshima, Dome and Peace Memorial before heading to Kyoto. Kyoto November Wednesday 2nd - Saturday 5th Day trip to Himeji. Philosopher’s Path from Ginkakuji to Kiyomizu-dera. Arashiyama (Bamboo Forest), Fushimi Inari Shrine, Sanjusangendo. Skipping Kinkakuji (Gold Pavilion), and Nara. Enough deer in Miyajima. Osaka Sunday 6th - Thursday 10th Tattoo!! Kyoto Thursday 10th - Sunday 13th In Kyoto again but taking it easy, staying near Osaka in case the tattoo takes longer (and because Stringent recommends Kyoto so often). Leaving Kyoto early for Tokyo to check out Yoyogi Park. Tokyo Sunday 13th - 16th Then back to Toronto. I'm up for any meets, we're having dinner with an old friend in Tokyo, and then we're solo. He has a freaking flip-phone, the stories are true!
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Oct 21, 2016 20:02
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Are you planning to stop at himeji on your way to Kyoto? It's on the way. If you're spending that much time in the Kyoto/Osaka area, I'd recommend finding day trips to go on. Even if Nara's out, maybe somewhere like Hikone/Lake Biwa, or heading up to the northern part of Kyoto would be a good idea. Also might be worth checking out meetup.com (at least for tokyo) in case there's anything interesting. You should probably plan something for Halloween since you'll be in Shibuya anyway. By 'plan' I mean 'work out how to get back to your hotel through the horde of people that will be loitering on the streets.
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Oct 22, 2016 05:01
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peak debt posted:uhm ginza, shinjuku, shibuya, ueno, shinbashi, roppongi? those seem to be the recognizable city centers Oh with the sprawl Coombes I was expecting places like Yokohama, Kamakura, Chiba, Tachikawa, Etc
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Oct 22, 2016 05:03
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He said Tokyo, not Saitama. :P
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Oct 22, 2016 05:58
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As far as I know the actual "city center" is the area stretching from ueno down to taito and bunkyo and marunouchi and nihonbashi. Shinjuku was then built where it is because it's a seismically stable area, so that's where the skyscrapers are. The area around Shibuya is where a lot of big townhouses and embassies used to be (and the latter still are) so that became a center too. Ikebukuro is the entry point for every line from Saitama, so altogether they form a kind of big U-shaped string of city centers around the palace.
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Oct 22, 2016 07:39
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How you want to define city center here. -Tall buildings: this would probably make Makuhari a city center -Lots of restaurants/bars: where's Kagurazaka -a shitload of people live there: Setagaya and Nerima yay -pop culture influence: Harajuku and Akihabara? There's a concept of the Central Five Wards in commercial real estate which is your Chuo, Minato, Chiyoda, Shinjuku, and Shibuya kus. But obviously that leaves out the entirety of Shinagawa and Bunkyo. Sorry Haneda airport, Rakuten, Sony, Todai, and Ueno, you're not central. Chiyoda-ku for example is home to Marunouchi, Akihabara, and of course all the government stuff in Kasumigaseki/Nagatacho. But it's also got the lowest population of all 23 wards. Anyway that list given by peak debt is pretty dumb considering he said there's supposedly "sprawl between them." Sprawl between Shimbashi and Ginza, wtf, are 3 meter wide one-way roads considered sprawl now? You could easily look to the Yamanote line as being central (and it's even in the center of JR's maps) but then you would be including places like Sugamo or Uguisudani that few people care about, ever. And it leaves out everything inside the loop.
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Oct 22, 2016 08:28
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PeePot posted:Shinkansen to Hiroshima then Miyajima for two days at a Ryokan. Is your first and second sentence each day? If so, that's a fine plan. Otherwise, the hike up Mt. Misen is pretty steep and if you're not in good shape and can take a while if you're not in decent shape. It's beautiful up there. The viewing platform at the top closes at 4 so be sure to get up there with plenty of time to take in the sights.
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Oct 22, 2016 18:09
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Yup, each day. Spending the full day on the island. Then leaving the island early the next day for some time in Hiroshima. I'm assuming we can do the Memorial etc, from early morning to mid-afternoon and have time to grab a train to Kyoto. That wouldn't leave enough time for Himeji, so we'll back track from Kyoto for a day. Or is it possible to do both?
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Oct 22, 2016 22:53
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DiscoJ posted:If you're spending that much time in the Kyoto/Osaka area, I'd recommend finding day trips to go on. Even if Nara's out, maybe somewhere like Hikone/Lake Biwa, or heading up to the northern part of Kyoto would be a good idea. Am I wrong to skip Nara? I actually scheduled an extra day in Tokyo to check out the Halloween chaos. Should I get a lovely mask or just accept being an obvious tourist?
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Oct 22, 2016 23:14
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Gaijin it up with a 100 yen shop Santa hat. Miyajima and Nara both have deer. Miyajima deer are chill and Nara deer are aggressive af.
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Oct 23, 2016 07:15
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