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So I have 2-ish weeks of holiday I have to take from work before the end of the financial year so I'm planning on a trip to Japan. Since it is a somewhat short-notice/impulse trip (and I grabbbed a conviently-timed Humble Bundle that give me a Lonely Planet guide), I'm planning to follow a suggested itinerary of spending a few days in Tokyo, then a few more in Kyoto, before moving on to Hiroshima and then doubling back to Tokyo. I'm just wondering, since the cherry blossom festival take place in late march, would aiming for booking in early march work out to be cheaper? I realise it's shorter notice, but still, given everything I've heard. Or should I go for it and book late March? I suppose while it's likely pricier, it sounds like something that's worth seeing at least once and I don't know when or if I'll be back. If people have reccomendations for places to stay/eat along the way, I'd also appreciate it. Obviously I have the guidebook, but I don't want to just rely on that. Honestly is it crazy to try and book on such short notice?
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Jan 29, 2024 21:18
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 03:36 |
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I've carved out the days I'm going to be in Japan, I'm just hammering out the details now. My current plan is depart from the UK Thursday the 29th and arrive in Tokyo the morning of the 1st, then my itinerary is going to be a few days in tokyo, followed by a few more in Kyoto, with day-trips to Nara, Osaka and Himeji, then heading further west to Hiroshima and Miyajima, before maybe stopping off for a day in Hakone before returning to Tokyo to leave on the 15th or March. Basically all the first-time tourism stuff. Does anyone have recommendations for a solo traveller?
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Feb 1, 2024 23:26
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Delita posted:Get to Miyajima early. I decided to do the Hiroshima museum first because it was closer to my hotel but by the time I could get to Miyajima most of the stalls were closing and everyone was getting off the island. Yeah I'm definitely going to fit in a trip to Yokohama Gundam, and it sounds like Teamlab is worth a try too. I guess I could try and grab a Ghibil museum ticket, but that'll be dependant on if I can remember to get/stay up til 1AM to book the ticket, as per the thread advice. bee posted:Ooo that reminds me, my travel tip is to look up what dates are public holidays or other days of local significance during your trip and consider how that might affect your plans. I really wanted to go to Miyajima but didn't realise that it wasn't do-able on New Year's day because everyone wants to go to visit the shrines on that particular day and the crowds are insane. My kid and disabled partner wouldn't be up for standing in queues for hours on end so we noped out.
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Feb 2, 2024 18:05
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bee posted:Possible but if I went to Hiroshima again I'd want to stay there for at least two days. teddust posted:It's possible if you get a really early train to Hiroshima, but I recommend staying a night so you can see the Hiroshima stuff the first day, and visit Miyajima the next morning. Definitely see one of the Teamlab museums in Tokyo. I haven't been to the new borderless since it moved but it's probably the better of the two. If it turns out that digital art is your thing you can visit Teamlab botanical garden in Osaka as well. totalnewbie posted:In Hiroshima, you will likely stop by the Peace Museum. Miyajima then, then stopping off in Osaka for 3 days, (possibly fitting in one or both of those daytrips at this point), followed by a stop at Hakone, then back to Tokyo to see out the rest of my trip. Does that seem like a reasonable amount of time for each place? Also: I was looking at that Kendo class, but given I wear glasses that seems like it might be a problem.
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Feb 3, 2024 14:23
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Saladman posted:You aren't supposed to be walking around alone without a Japanese chaperone, or at the very least a Japanese-speaking foreigner. You'll definitely get a lot of very strange looks on the street, and you definitely won't be able to get served in any restaurant. Fortunately, there are vending machines all over the place so you won't starve to death, but you'll have to survive on sugary liquids from vending machines, or whatever you can get from 7/11.  Well this is information I didn’t think to ask for. Guess I’ll be living on vending machine food.
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Feb 5, 2024 15:42
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Saladman posted:Well, I didn't want to go too far over the top to not be a huge dick to Cheese Thief, but at the same time I wanted to go sufficiently far over the top to make it obvious it was sarcasm, even though this is the Internet and people have a wide range of absurd and incredibly wrong beliefs.
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Feb 5, 2024 18:38
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Cheese Thief posted:And Saladman is usually so helpful, I was telling all my people I was going to be forced to eat out of the snack machine. Perscription arthritis medication should be OK, though, right? Do I need to get a doctor's note or something? Yvonmukluk fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Feb 6, 2024 |
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Feb 6, 2024 00:17
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 03:36 |
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peanut posted:Riding a full nozomi shinkansen right now and the tourists with big suitcases are looking frustrated. I shipped my bags from Tokyo to Osaka since I have a one day stop over at Hakone and it’s been a smooth experience. Of course I also realised when I was initially booking my trip and I initially shuffled the Hakone forward a day I didn’t also book the hotel in Tokyo for an extra day. So I guess I get to experience a capsule hotel! Does anyone have a recommendation for one in Tokyo or am I overthinking it? Edit: or maybe Yokohama since it’s on the way back? Edit 2: I actually was able to get a business hotel for cheap in Yokohama so it has all worked out well. I’m sure there’s a lot I have done wrong but I have been enjoying myself so far and I appreciate the advice everyone has given. Yvonmukluk fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Mar 10, 2024 |
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Mar 10, 2024 03:57
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