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Hi all, longtime lurker after a bit of a sanity check / ideas on my itinerary that I've been doing for a Australia to Japan trip coming up in March. This will be my third trip to Japan, though the last two trips were 8 and 10 years ago so I expect my info and ways of doing things are a bit dated in general. I've already costed most of the train travel point to point with Hypedia so I have some ideas around that. I've organised part of the trip so far, but I've hit a bit of a mental block and am just chasing some feedback for good ideas. So far my itinerary looks like this March 11 - Arrive Narita, staying at the Hilton (since I have their points card). I'm then at Narita for 3 nights, last time I went to Japan I did actually enjoy wandering Narita and surrounds so I thought I'd do some more and settle in a bit. March 14 - Head into Tokyo via Bus / Train, Staying in Ueno in a cheaper business hotel that I've used before. I'm then staying in Tokyo to the 19th, I'd like to do the architectual museum and some of the museums I missed last time, window shop in Ginza a bit, check out SkyTree since it didn't exist last time I was here, but generally take a more relaxed pace and wander around and check things out. March 19th - Head to Hakodate via Shinkansen, staying at another business hotel in Hakodate. I'm planning to pick up a 21 day JR pass for this purpose, which I would activate for this date. I am still aware that getting a flight might be more cost effective but I hate airports and enjoy the Shinkansen and the trip through the sea tunnel sounds interesting to me. Once in Hakodate I've got a contact with a work friend's family to show me around, and I'll be checking out the food, star fort and etc. March 23rd - From Hakodate I'll be heading to Noboribetsu to check out Hell Valley and stay 2 nights at an Ryokan there March 25th - From Norboribetsu I'll head into Sapporo and spend the next 4 nights checking out the city, don't have too many concrete plans apart from trying some more ramen varieties and the Ghengis style bbq they do there. March 29th - Heading to Lake Toya for an overnight Ryokan stay - Unfortunately due to availiblity, I couldn't do a two night stay here so I am heading straight to Aomori afterwards March 30th - Aomori - This is more of just an ovenight stay so I wasn't trying to cram too much in one day, the stop in Aomori is mostly so that I can be fresh for the 31st, when I am hoping to get on the Resort Shirakami train to Akita, which is a scenic route along the west coast on a tourist style train. 31st March - Arriving in Akita pretty late the first day due to the specific train, I've booked two nights in Akita so far From Akita I was thinking of doing two nights in Lake Tazawa to check out the lake and also the nearby Nyuto Onsen (though depending on what site I check I seem to get conflicting information about whether it'll be open or snowed in), then from Lake Tazawa I'd like to visit one or more locations, perhaps sticking to the west coast and head down to Niigata / Toyama or going into Sendai and then doing a day trip out to Matsushima bay, then heading down to stay at Gero for the Onsen and close proximity to Takyakama. Ultimately I'd like to arrive at Osaka by the 8th of April when the rail pass expires, then spend 4 or 5 nights in Osaka to check out the aquarium, street foods and base myself to head out to Himeji, Kyoto and potentially Nara. I was even thinking of splurging and staying at somewhere like the Conrad Hilton, and I should mention last time I stayed in Kyoto, though I am open to staying there again if it's a better "base" location for a while. Then from Osaka on the 12th or 13th of april I'd like to stay somewhere between Osaka and Tokyo, maybe at a Ryokan on Lake Kawaguchiko, soak in a hot spring for a couple of days and maybe see if I can visit some of the spots in Yurucamp. That would take me through to my only other hard stop, which is from the 16th of April I have three nights booked at Tokyo Disneyland Resort booked, then staying in Tokyo again until the 23rd, maybe doing some day trips to more regional areas, finalizing any shopping etc before flying back. Sorry for the rambling mega post, just hit a bit of an impasse on my own so after some feedback and possible better suggestions, been going through a giant backlog of youtube travel videos for ideas and checking things out that way. I should also mention budget is around $200~300 AUD per day, though I've gone over that at points for special reasons, and that's excluding my flight and rail pass costs. I'm not comfortable with hire cars, though I will get my international driving permit for this trip so ideally any spot will be availible by train / bus. I kind of booked this vacation out of frustration with work which is why it's such a large chunk, and I haven't thought things through very well, I've looked into some of the scenic gorges and the kurobe alpine route and neither seem to be open during the time period I'm there.
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Jan 6, 2019 07:37
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| # ? May 27, 2024 16:31 |
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imo stay longer in aomori because it kicks rear end there
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Jan 6, 2019 07:49
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mikeycp posted:imo stay longer in aomori because it kicks rear end there That's doable, I can swing back around after Akita or change some bookings around.
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Jan 6, 2019 08:08
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go apple picking in hirosaki. i have a friend who works at the apple park and it's a fun time.
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Jan 6, 2019 08:23
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I say pick regional passes instead of the full Jr. take a plane up north and then travel around train but if you hate airports I guess full JR it then
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Jan 6, 2019 10:21
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Ok now this is something i can help a bit on. Just confirming that it's a big no to cars for you, since Tohoku and Hokkaido are regions best served by cars. Couple of things: Consider skipping Narita if you are focusing on a couple of rural regions. Not going to push you away from it because it's a good area, but you might be served having more focus. Check what parts of Hakodate you are going to. It's really hard to spend more than 2-3 days in Hakodate, so I'm assuming your friends are taking you somewhere nearby. The ryokans in Akita and Aomori beat Noboribetsu straight. Noboribetsu has too many Chinese people and Taiwanese tourists, and the service I have found there has been priced out. Sort of like Hakone in a different way. It's worth visiting Noboribetsu, but consider splurging somewhere else. Toyako is kind of a strange one for a lot of Westerners; I find it ok but a bit underwhelming, mainly because it's a resort area specifically targeted toward what Japanese people think of the west to a small extent. In Aomori, check out Tsuta Onsen, it's one of the beautiful oldies there. Technically there's also Sukayu, which a lot of folks also stop at (but Sukayu isn't as luxurious). Spend at least one more day on the Resort Shirakami, or you'll miss out. Instead of apple picking do strawberry picking if possible - apples are more common in Australia and the US, and strawberry quality is usually much higher in Japan. If you have more further plans/details i've been to every part of Japan you've mentioned so far so can answer.
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Jan 6, 2019 10:22
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Thanks for the tips I think this trip cars will be a no for me, I'm a bit paranoid about getting lost / getting in an accident, but that's just me. I might look into that Onsen in Aomori then, would you recommend that above the Lake Tazawa region or as well as? Noboribetsu still has a draw to me as I'm pretty keen on checking out the volcanic activity in the area as well as the onsen. The lake Toya suggestion came from the same co-worker who insisted I had to go there :P Since I'll have a JR pass I could do that Resort Shirakami a couple of times, especially if I am staying in Akita / Aomori a couple of times, looking at the schedule it's pretty frequent past the 31st of March. Narita is baked in a bit because it's about the only location I have with a non-refundable accommodation (special rate), but I do want to spend a bit more time in Narita, I kind of regretted just doing an overnighter last time. As for strawberry / apple picking, are you thinking of later in the year? it looks like from a google that the apple season is august - November, so I don't think I could do it in April. Edit: Looking at that onsen it appears booked out the dates in April I'll be around Nekodeev fucked around with this message at 11:04 on Jan 6, 2019 |
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Jan 6, 2019 10:53
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Hey guys again, some dates set so looking for things (any things) to do with mysefl and my girlfriend 2nd Feb-10th in Tokyo 10-19th in Kyoto All options and ideas available edit: will be making a day trip to Osaka on the 11th to see New Japan New Beginnings if i can work out how toi get tickets at convenience stores Lid fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Jan 6, 2019 |
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Jan 6, 2019 10:55
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Lid posted:Hey guys again, some dates set so looking for things (any things) to do with mysefl and my girlfriend Well, what kind of stuff do y'all do for fun ordinarily?
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Jan 6, 2019 11:00
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Stringent posted:Well, what kind of stuff do y'all do for fun ordinarily? museums, art, eating, eating everything, gardens, pro wrestling
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Jan 6, 2019 11:02
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Ok, well this is just off the top of my head, but here goes. You'll definitely want to hit up Ueno, they've got the Royal Museum, the Western Art museum, Metropolitan museum and the Natural history museum at least, maybe more. Skip the zoo though if you like animals. I really like Old Edo museum: https://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/en/ Here's my foursquare, it's kinda heavy on non-Japanese stuff but if you want recs on Japanese places we can find something: https://foursquare.com/user/53160958/list/restaurants For sushi I've become a big fan of this place. Lots of food, good quality, not too expensive, easy to get reservations and you can book online: https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1301/A130101/13189458/ One thing you have to try if you can handle a $40 lunch is Narikura. Another goon just took me there recently and it was the best pork I've ever eaten. You need to show up and be in line by like 9:30am if you're going to make the first seating. You can show up later and wait, but they only serve 90 ppl at lunch and 80 for dinner. Can talk you through the whole process later if you're interested, or you can look it up yourself online: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1305/A130503/13114695/ For gardens I'm very partial to Shinjuku gyoen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Gyo-en There is pro wrestling here but I know nothing about it. Also know nothing about Kyoto.
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Jan 6, 2019 11:22
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Driving in Japan is generally easy. Everyone's polite and there's Google GPS. Yeah lots of people do it and are fine. Just skip driving in the major cities. Just came back from a driving trip in New Zealand and I wish I drove around Hokkaido instead of taking public transport. You get to go way further out when you go by car and deep into the natural parks and all. Which may or may not be accessible by public transit. Japan is pretty good in this regard though
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Jan 6, 2019 11:22
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Lid posted:museums, art, eating, eating everything, gardens, pro wrestling If it’s not on your intinerary already people usually love the teamlab exhibitions https://www.teamlab.art/e/?type=pickup May need to get tickets early so look into it
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Jan 6, 2019 11:33
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caberham posted:Driving in Japan is generally easy. Everyone's polite and there's Google GPS. Yeah lots of people do it and are fine. Just skip driving in the major cities. Just came back from a driving trip in New Zealand and I wish I drove around Hokkaido instead of taking public transport. You get to go way further out when you go by car and deep into the natural parks and all. Which may or may not be accessible by public transit. Japan is pretty good in this regard though I know, it's just a confidence thing with me really, I think I could do it if I wasn't travelling solo. drat for some reason those Aomori onsens are closed a bit during those first weeks of April.
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Jan 6, 2019 12:00
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You can check if Romantopia's bath is open. I have a more narrow experience than Ntan, but I thought it was pretty nice. It has an extremely pretty view of Mt. Iwate.
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Jan 6, 2019 16:51
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Lid posted:Hey guys again, some dates set so looking for things (any things) to do with mysefl and my girlfriend Check the OP of the 2018 NJPW thread, I made a guide including pointing out how to get tickets through convenience stores. It may also be possible to get them walk-up too, most shows only sell out the day of.
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Jan 6, 2019 22:48
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Nekodeev, Your itinerary and budget are beyond most of us, lol. It will be perfect season for strawberry picking (definitely not apples, sorry!) Are you traveling with a buddy, or is it just you? https://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-festivals/festival-march
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Jan 6, 2019 23:43
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Tazawako is fine and has Kakunodate, Nyuto, and Tamagawa nearby. Double check the weather; April is barely not winter.caberham posted:Driving in Japan is generally easy. Everyone's polite and there's Google GPS. Google GPS has the problem of announcing every map location while navigating in incomprehensible Chinese in Japan. I hope they fix this soon.
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Jan 7, 2019 01:29
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Most rental cars I’ve seen have English as an option, and searching via phone numbers is also totally a viable option. Driving in Japan is also Fine, and better than dealing with True Inaka Transport.
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Jan 7, 2019 04:17
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If you're getting a rail pass you can even get a discount on car rental through JR.
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Jan 7, 2019 06:49
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peanut posted:Nekodeev, This is a bit of a 40th birthday gift to myself really, which isn't til June but whatever. mikeycp posted:If you're getting a rail pass you can even get a discount on car rental through JR. I'll check that out as well.
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Jan 7, 2019 07:12
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Nekodeev posted:It's just me, as usual. I notice some of the Ryokan optionsn dry up as soon as you drop the number of guests from 2 to 1 sometimes which is annoying, but also business hotels are no problem. Urban legend is that lots of them refuse it because they don't want to have to deal with people committing suicide in the rooms. But realistically. They charge by the person so they make less money when rooms have only 1 person vs. 2 people. In theory they could still make money by letting someone stay alone instead of leaving the room empty, but I'm guessing they wouldn't be able to make that call until it's like 2PM on the day-of, so basically too late anyway. There are plenty of onsens that allow (single person) day-use though, some even include private baths and lunches etc. if you look around. You could stay at the business hotel and hit a local izakaya for dinner, then an ultra-inaka snack for nomihodai and karaoke with old ladies and probably still come out on top. edit: also jfc 3 nights in Narita? What is there even to do besides Narita-san? TDR for 3 nights I guess if you're a Disney addict it could make sense. But Narita... there are plenty of places better than that to mill around sidestreets and take pictures of old vending machines or whatever. I suppose you could spend time in Chiba-shi or take the 1000 yen bus back and forth every day, but you probably should have chosen a different place to use your points. zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 08:08 on Jan 7, 2019 |
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Jan 7, 2019 07:59
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Nekodeev posted:I know, it's just a confidence thing with me really, I think I could do it if I wasn't travelling solo. Not useful to you specifically but I read somewhere recently (phoneposting so can't find easily) that renting a camp car is surprisingly cheap in Japan and there's a few companies that do that. I'm considering a camp car trip to Hokkaido next time I'm back there. Driving to the east coast of Hokkaido in a little house on wheels seems like a really cool trip.
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Jan 7, 2019 08:08
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zmcnulty posted:Urban legend is that lots of them refuse it because they don't want to have to deal with people committing suicide in the rooms. I do love taking some pictures of Narita side streets and vending machines though  IMG_3332  IMG_3212  IMG_3227  IMG_3210 I'm just taking it chill, also I am a bit of a Disney addict
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Jan 7, 2019 10:50
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honestly if you're trying to "go native" 3 days anywhere in the country is probably fine. it's just when you try to be touristy that you run out of things to do.
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Jan 7, 2019 11:05
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Shibawanko posted:Not useful to you specifically but I read somewhere recently (phoneposting so can't find easily) that renting a camp car is surprisingly cheap in Japan and there's a few companies that do that. I'm considering a camp car trip to Hokkaido next time I'm back there. Driving to the east coast of Hokkaido in a little house on wheels seems like a really cool trip. Full-size RVs require a special license, but there is a new market/trend for converting light vans into sleeper cars for 1-2 people. Also you seem pretty loaded so I bet you could find someone to keep you company in your big, lonely ryokan rooms.
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Jan 7, 2019 11:56
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What is the best way I can buy sumo tickets for May in advance? I'd like to attend a match in Tokyo while I'm there.
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Jan 8, 2019 00:27
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Sumo tickets for May go on sale April 6th. You can buy them at a convenience store. http://www.sumo.or.jp/Admission/isolate/594/
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Jan 8, 2019 01:26
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peanut posted:Sumo tickets for May go on sale April 6th. You can buy them at a convenience store. What is the best way to buy them from not in the country?
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Jan 8, 2019 03:36
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Cbear posted:What is the best way to buy them from not in the country? http://sumo.pia.jp/en/ This is the site I used when I bought my ticket for the tournament in Fukuoka.
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Jan 8, 2019 08:19
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^^^ That site is the same as the convenience store ticket systems, it's good, use it! If you're going on a weekday, don't worry, you can probably get same-day tickets. If you need a box seat on a weekend, definitely use a travel agent.
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Jan 8, 2019 10:27
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Cbear posted:What is the best way I can buy sumo tickets for May in advance? I'd like to attend a match in Tokyo while I'm there. May basho goon meet? 
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Jan 8, 2019 14:18
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GOON MEET SATURDAY TOKYO FOR DINNER, EATING ISRAEL/ARAB/MIDDLE EAST/NO LAMB/ BEEF ONLY. I don’t think I will catch any lurkers because honestly I have been coming to this city too many times. I’m old and boring
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Jan 8, 2019 14:22
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caberham posted:GOON MEET SATURDAY TOKYO FOR DINNER, EATING ISRAEL/ARAB/MIDDLE EAST/NO LAMB/ BEEF ONLY. Where are you eating Israeli
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Jan 8, 2019 15:16
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What're some good ways or sites to find & buy concert tickets? I'm looking for some lesser known/indie hard rock, visual kei and metal acts to check out when i'll be in Osaka and Tokyo..
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Jan 8, 2019 16:28
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LimburgLimbo posted:Where are you eating Israeli Probably this place. http://www.ta-imebisu.com/english/ I googled Jewish food my first time there since I missed delis and ended up here, crushed to see it was Israeli and not New York.
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Jan 8, 2019 17:49
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Grand Fromage posted:Probably this place. http://www.ta-imebisu.com/english/ Yeah I know all the Israeli restaurants was just wondering which. I used to be a cook at one of the way back in the day haha David's Deli is more New York Jewish style btw, so you missed outtt Funnily enough despite cooking Israeli food for work I'm now in Israel for the first time in my life many years later
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Jan 8, 2019 18:42
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Still tempted to schedule a trip for this April anyway, even though it’s late in the year. How feasible is it to procure things like train cards, lodging, etc. on site? I can speak and read a little so I’m sure I could buy some Suica cards if we need them, but I dunno if I could do something more complicated like renting a hotel or  Airbnb.Also, is it worth doing any particularly social things while I’m over there, and if so, is it better to stick with other foreigners/tourists? Or should I focus on sightseeing? I had considered walking around Nichoume but I get the sense it’s not very open to foreigners.
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Jan 8, 2019 19:48
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Pollyanna posted:Still tempted to schedule a trip for this April anyway, even though it’s late in the year. How feasible is it to procure things like train cards, lodging, etc. on site? I can speak and read a little so I’m sure I could buy some Suica cards if we need them, but I dunno if I could do something more complicated like renting a hotel or My brother and I have booked all our stuff for April pretty easily. Booked all our stuff online well in advance. Can't help ya if you're asking about doing it when you get there. Just an FYI, if you want an unlimited rail pass, you have to get the JR pass ticket delivered to a foreign address and then exchange it for the pass proper when you get there. Ordering online is pretty easy.
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Jan 8, 2019 19:53
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I never did much advance planning, all I would do is book my hotel rooms and figured out the travel when I got there. I did get a rail pass once but I just picked that up at the JR office in the station, I didn't have to have anything mailed to me. Showed them the email and that was it. It was a regional pass for Kansai-Hiroshima area though, not the national one.
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Jan 8, 2019 19:57
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