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Hi everyone,

We're a couple, both 35, travelling to Japan for the first time this October, and we'd really appreciate a sanity check on our plan.

What matters most to us: we do **not** want to tick off a sight list every day. We'd rather see less and actually arrive somewhere – sit in cafes, wander neighbourhoods on foot, and have half days doing nothing at all. That's why we deliberately picked only three bases instead of five.

**Basics**

- Flying from Vienna on 6 Oct, landing at Narita 7 Oct at 08:50 (overnight flight)

- Departing Narita 22 Oct at 11:10

- 15 nights on the ground, no rental car, everything by train

- Mid-range budget, comfortable walkers, no kids

**Current plan**

- 7–12 Oct: Tokyo (5 nights) – first day written off entirely for jet lag

- 12–15 Oct: Hakone (3 nights, ryokan with onsen) – deliberate downtime in the middle

- 15–20 Oct: Osaka (5 nights)

- 20–22 Oct: Tokyo (2 nights, because of the early departure)

Kyoto is planned as a day trip from Osaka. We put Hakone before Osaka so we can continue west from Odawara by shinkansen instead of backtracking. We also plan to forward the big suitcase from Tokyo straight to Osaka by luggage courier so we only carry a small bag into the mountains.

**Our questions**

1. Is this pace actually relaxed, or are we fooling ourselves? Where would you cut more?

2. Is one day enough for Kyoto – or is that exactly the point where it gets stressful, and we'd be better off with two slower days or an overnight stay?

3. Which areas in Tokyo and Osaka are good for simply wandering with no agenda? We prefer neighbourhoods, cafes and back streets over observation decks and queues.

4. Ryokan recommendations in Hakone for mid-October – Gora or Sengokuhara? And how far in advance do we need to book?

5. As first-timers: what would you do differently on your own first trip – especially, what would you leave out?

6. Is the JR Pass worth it with this pattern, or are individual tickets cheaper?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Two years ago I had the good fortune to visit Japan with my cousin. We had a fantastic time.

At one point, in Kinosake, we met with a handful of other tourists, and one gave all of us a little gift-shop style magnet from his home in Spain. He brought them for exactly this sort of thing.

That never occurred to me to do that. To pack things to give to the people I meet. I thought it was really cool.

Has anyone here done that?

And, for a bonus question, any idea what might be cool to receive as a gift from a tourist while in Japan? I have heard that Trader Joe's bags are actually sought after for whatever reason.

Hello!
I’m attending a day of the sumo tournament in Nagoya. I’m planning on attending for several hours. My question is: I usually knit when I watch sporting events as it keeps my hands busy enough for my brain to pay attention. Is that acceptable to do at the sumo tournament? I don’t want to be disrespectful in any way!

Thanks in advance :)

Hi everyone!

Me and my girlfriend are currently thinking about taking a second trip to Japan, the trubbel is that she can only be off work between June 16th to August 6 (plus-minus a week or two if she uses her paid vacation that she saved)

June and July is rainy season, July and August is hot as hell, and August has typhoons. But even soo, I’m really excited to go back! Is it ideal, no. But we do what we can when we can.

My question is, when should we plan on going if we would like a 3-3,5 week long trip within this time span? Or at least close to it?

We would love to see some festivals and fireworks, but from my understanding they are in July or August which are the hottest moths.

We will probably stay in Tokyo for at least 5 days, visit Hokkaido for maybe a week, see Nikko, Sendai and maybe Aomori. It would be awesome to go back to Osaka as well, but I would love more suggestions on places to visit or things to do in the hot, rainy summer season.

Thank you all so much in advance 🙇‍♂️

I'm taking my kids to Japan in April for our first time, both kids are autistic and have fairly firm eating preferences. Eldest is vegetarian - pretty sure he won't be OK with dashi and bonito flakes. He'll eat fake meat things but doesn't have a huge range of acceptable vegies, even at home it's not easy to find things he will like. Youngest is seemingly less fussy, but he's not great with new foods, and most things will be new.

One thing they both eat without complaint every night is plain boiled vegies (carrot, broccoli, beans, cauliflower, peas, corn, are all acceptable) and I don't think I can get any of those anywhere (PLEASE tell me I'm wrong!) Neither one will each McDs so even that's not a safe option.

I love Japanese food so I'm not too worried about me, but what are some ideas for feeding both of them at the same place? (I don't really want to have to cook on the holiday, I know its a fallback if I need but I'd rather get out and enjoy Japan)

Joining a Mt Fuji bus tour which indicates it stops at Oshinko Hakkai for us to buy lunch. Is the food there good? Any recos?

Hi everyone, my partner and I are doing an 18-day self-drive winter loop around Hokkaido this Dec 19 - Jan 6. Renting a 4WD with studless tires, taking the full NOC waiver, and we've already read up on the standard winter driving advice (five sudden actions to avoid, tripling following distance on ice, whiteout protocol, deer at dawn/dusk, black ice below -3C). We're two drivers and will rotate on the longer legs.

Route is an anti-clockwise loop from Sapporo: Hakodate, Lake Toya/Noboribetsu, Otaru, Asahikawa, Wakkanai, Cape Soya, Monbetsu/Abashiri, Shiretoko/Utoro, Lake Akan/Kawayu over New Year, Kushiro, then Furano/Biei before heading back to Sapporo.

A few things I'd love input on: how rough is the Wakkanai to Cape Soya to Okhotsk coast stretch really in late December, and are there stretches locals just avoid that time of year? Also curious if anyone has experience with the Oshogatsu period specifically, since we'll be around Akan/Kushiro for New Year and I'm not sure what closes down Jan 1-3. And more generally, anything about winter driving up there that surprised you the first time, beyond the usual black ice warnings?

My current itinerary is:

Dec 20: Sapporo
Dec 21–22: Hakodate
Dec 23: Noboribetsu
Dec 24–25: Otaru
Dec 26: Asahikawa
Dec 27: Wakkanai
Dec 28: Abashiri
Dec 29–30: Utoro/Shiretoko
Dec 31: Lake Akan
Jan 1–2: Kushiro
Jan 3: Furano
Jan 4–5: Sapporo

Happy to share more details if helpful, thanks in advance.

Hihi!
I'm going on a family trip to Japan in 2 weeks. We're going to stay in Tokyo and visit Osaka and Kyoto. It's our first time there, and they have already made a whole travel guide on what we're going to do and such, but with my personal shopping, i dunno where to start. I want to buy cute clothing, like lolita fashion, platform shoes, and find nice street clothing as well. We're going to visit the big tourist areas like Harajuku (we're staying in Shinjuku unfortunately, the hotels are expensive). I know some stores are a bit expensive. Are there any cheaper options?

I'm also interested in buying a camera, planning on taking pictures and videos to avoid using the little bit of storage on my phone, but I don't want an expensive camera cause honestly, I'll be using it a lot on the trip, but once I get back, It'll be sitting on my shelf most days. I know of the stores in Shinjuku, but I know NOTHING about cameras, and I know walking into any stores and looking would feel intimidating..Any help on that would be sweet!

Of course I'm going to buy merch, like anime, Sanrio, and Vocaloid things, again I was thinking of just staying in Harajuku to buy all of those things, but if there's an alternative, please let me know. Thanks!

Hi all! I am planning a trip towards the end of August - I have been researching and have tried to curate my trip to my interests as opposed to going to super touristy places. i am not super jazzed about teamlabs, i'd rather check out temporary art exhibits in tokyo focused on fashion, design, zines etc., and have visited disney and universal in america, dubai and europe already. I am however super excited to shop and buy something from MANY categories (vintage, beauty, kitchenware, matcha, healthy snacks, refa... to name a few!)

I am also trying to be smart about neighborhoods - sharing a quick summary of my itinerary below

Day 1 - Land in, check out a Sasugaya store, Senso ji, Nakamise Dori, get dinner. Don Quijote trip 1
Day 2 - Meiji Jingu, Watari Museum, Omotesando, Harajuku
Day 3 - Museums in Tokyo Midtown, then rest in the hotel till evening. Go to Yoyogi park with a beer and snacks, people watch, then go get cocktails at SG bar
Day 4 - Koenji and Shimokitazawa for vintage shopping (would love some reccos here). Shibuya at night for views, dinner, and finish at mega don qui.
Day 5 - Daikanyama - I want to check out bookstores and vintage mags (Tsutaya). Evening would be nakameguro and Kappabashi (family of kitchen enthusiasts), and finish with a nice omakase
Day 6 - Akahibara for nintendo shopping, and then ginza later for people watching and stationery.
Day 7 - Rest/buffer day.
Day 8 - Shinkansen to Kyoto, check in to Onyado Nono. Onsen, dinner, rest.
Day 9 - Fushimi Inari super early, grab some matcha, walk through Kiyomizu-dera, Sannen Zaka, Ninnen Zaka, and do a tea ceremony. Evening dedicated to Gion, Shirakawa Canal, Pontocho Alley
Day 10 - head to Nara, feed some deer, take some picturs, wrap up by 12 m.
Day 11 - Kyoto to Osaka, checkin, go to Amerikamura, Orange Street, Street food dinner
Day 12 - Day at leisure in Osaka, gift shopping, drugstores. Evening will be izakaya, muscle bar (my mother and i would have a great laugh at the men's muscle bar haha), 1 more cocktail bar, head back to hotel
Day 13 - Evening flight out of KIX. :(

I'd love to know if this is a sensible itinerary given my goals, and if i am getting a good deal of culture in as opposed to just shopping. And would love some good store and restaurant reccos.
I am also travelling w my mom, so would be great to know if I am biting off more than I can chew here - she does need breaks whil walking which I have tried to account for.

Deeply appreciate all help!

I’m a stupid 19-year old. Forgive me.

I purchased some Japanese KitKats and ate them here. How can I pay the tax now?

Hi everyone! I’m traveling to Japan this summer and am planning on staying at Yamagata for a couple days! During the stay, I also plan on visiting Ginzan Onsen for a little day trip! Google Maps recommend I take the train to Ashisawa Station before hopping on a bus to get to Ginzan Onsen. For buses in that area, would I need to buy tickets beforehand? How would you guys recommend I prepare for the trip there? Thanks!

Hello everyone!

I wanted to ask the hive mind for some advice.

I've been learning Japanese for almost a year now, and I've been to Tokyo three times. On my second trip, I traveled alone for 11 days. To be honest, I didn't enjoy the whole trip because I felt quite lonely, and I was too shy to talk to people in bars. My Japanese also wasn't good enough to have proper conversations.

That said, I still got to see a lot of Tokyo, ate amazing food, wandered around the city, and had a great time doing nerdy stuff.

So here's my question: Would you go to Osaka alone for 11–14 days, or would you wait until you have someone to travel with?

I've asked my friends, but the only person who's planning to go to Japan wants to visit Tokyo again. My friends think I shouldn't go because I didn't fully enjoy my last solo trip, but part of me feels like I'd like to give it another chance.

What would you do? Am I just being stubborn? 😄

Visited Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka a few years ago and fell in love with the temples in Kyoto. Hoping to head back and see more of Japan, but looking for recommendations on less touristy areas to visit/stay in if we are more interested in visiting shrines/temples

I've visited quite a few places in Japan, but there's a few I'm curious about hitting up next. Curious if any of you have opinions if they're duds or worth a trek.

I've lived approx 4 years of my life in Japan (most of which was the 2023-2025), but currently I'm back stateside. I'm wanting to do a trip mainland again, but can't really decide where.

I've always wanted to do the snow/ice festival in Sapporo, but every single time it falls through for one reason or another. Is it overhyped? Or totally worth it?

Another I'm considering is Nagasaki, as I've been to Hiroshima's musuem twice and love that city quite a bit (and always attach Miyajima/Itsukushima as part if it). But I'd also like make a swing into Tsushima, it seems fairly feasible. Mostly just due to Ghost of Tsushima, idk what to actually do there.

And the last place I'm considering is Kamakura. After watching Elusive Samurai it made me realize I've been to Kyoto and Nara, both historical capitals of Japan. And of course Tokyo. But Kamakura was also a historical capital. Is there much of anything interesting there? Would probably add more of Yokohama with it as well since I only spent a couple days there but really enjoyed it and didn't get to explore much since I was at the mercy of others that time.

I've already been to Hiroshima & Miyajima twice, Sendai twice (Masamune Date fan, and some Japanese claim I'm an otaku with the sengoku jidai, although I really don't think my knowledge is all that advanced overall.), Kyoto twice, Osaka twice (don't actually like it tbh), Tokyo thrice, Okinawa most of my 3 years, and brief couple day pit stops in Miyakojima, Nara, Nagano, Iida, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Yokohama. (And Iga Ueno castle, Himeji castle, Aso volcano area, and Oita but we had no clue what to do the day we were there.) Oh! I also was near Kumamoto castle one night but it was heavy under construction at that point. Is that area worth revisiting?

Just curious on general opinions on the places I listed wanting to visit, as well as if you see any key places I've not been that you think are worth a stop, lemme know!

So I would be in Japan mid December and I love rides/thrill seeking and love taking photos with my partner. Would it be even worth going to Universal or Disney? I assume that they will have special shows and/or light shows since its closer to the holidays.

The two I do want to go to is Sanrioland and Yomiuriland. But opinions and if its worth the money and trip is greatly appreciated!

I been reading in the posts and comments that is not a very good area to be... is that the general option??? Did I shoot myself in the foot trying to get a nice/central place? Is it as chaotic as most people say??

Thanks for your time 🙏🏻!!

What's your top priority when picking a place to eat while traveling?

Whenever I travel, figuring out where to eat is honestly more stressful than it should be. I'm hungry and just can't decide where to go.

So I'm curious how everyone else picks. If you had to rank these five, what order would you go in?

1. Type of food (what you're in the mood for)
2. Ratings (Google, TripAdvisor, etc.)
3. Whether you can get a table right now (no wait)
4. Price
5. Distance (how close it is to where you're standing)

Personally I usually check ratings first, but then I show up and there's a huge wait and I end up bailing and going somewhere else. And even if a place has great ratings, if it's too far I just give up on it.

What order do you all go in? And if there's something not on this list that matters more to you, let me know that too.

Me and 2 other friends are going to Japan for a week with an agency helping us since we're 16, I was wondering how much that would cost (hotel, food, souvenirs and clothes etc.., AND a JDM tour probably with liberty walk or something) would 2,450 dollars be enough per person or do we need more or less??

Hello everyone, I am going to japan for the last two weeks of november and the first of december. Can someone give me some tips for Kendo and Sumo competitions for me to watch?

Thank you all!

I don’t rly like consumerist areas but anything else is fair game I also prefer hidden gems and very rural area if anyone know any good spots

I am an American, I will be traveling to Japan in November with myself and three other friends. We all travel together regularly, though this will be the first time we’ve visited a country where English is not the native language. I am often described as charming/friendly, and when we all travel together, it’s a big joke that I am our group representative. My three friends are big introverts, so talking to customer service, getting directions, ordering/bookings are all done by me.

Generally this responsibility does not concern me, since I am confident speaking to strangers, but I am getting anxious for this trip. I recognize that I do not know the language very well, also that there will be differences in social cues and taboos.

I generally try to greet strangers with a genuine smile, eye contact, and a warm greeting. When we visited the UK, I felt as if people were very receptive to my approaches, and elderly people especially would compliment me on being friendly and polite.

This may be a silly question, and I may be over thinking things, but will my “charm” translate well between cultures? I have been learning very basic words and phrases in Japanese so that I do not approach anybody expecting them to speak English, is there any other advice that you would have for the “group representative” in terms of being friendly and polite? Are there any subconscious social norms that an American may say/do that we be disrespectful in Japan?

Hi everyone!

I'm a 23 yo girl and I'll leave for Japan in the end of december, for a couple of weeks. I have planned the whole trip already (Tokyo-Kamakura-Takayama-Shirakawa Go-Kanazawa-Kyoto-Nara-Osaka). I am super excited, but I am thinking about the packing, the shoes and the clothes.

I'm allowed to bring 1 40L backpack with me, with a max weight of 7kg. I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations for a nice comfortable backpack that is going to work well for the trip. I'm also thinking about the shoes and the clothing. I was thinking about a pair of gore tex Salomons for the shoes, but I'm really not sure about the clothing. Do you have any tips/recommendations for clothing for a winter trip? thank you in advance!

Hi everyone!

Me and 3 others are heading to Japan soon, and I wanted to ask you all — if we visit TeamLab Planets at 9 AM and then head straight to Tsukiji, will we be getting there too late in the day? I've heard some shops close by 1 PM, but we'll probably arrive around 11:30 AM-12 PM at the latest. What would you recommend — should we just move Tsukiji to a different day instead? Or does the timing still work?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there,

I’m hoping to catch some baseball in the first week of October. I know the Postseason starts after this and the regular season finishes before this. I’ve read that there might be make up dates for weather during this week. My question is when are these releases and how hard is it to get tickets to them?

TIA!

Hi all! I'm preparing my third trip to japan with my wife and would like to ask for some advice on how to structure or where to go. Let me give you some context!

The first trip, October 2023, I mainly did the golden route with some friends and my wife. You know the drill: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto. We went to Koya as a day trip but didn't get to see the cemetery because heavy rain started to fall. I also feel like we spent too much in Osaka (We slept there and went to Universal, etc). Also was in Nara... No surprises here.

For the second trip, I went there to visit a friend that moved to Japan, on my own. January 2025. Spent some more days in Tokyo and then went to Kanazawa, Takayama, then Kyoto (where he lives). I feel like I got to know Kyoto much more during this trip. We spent 9 days there doing a lot of day to day things but also visiting nearby places. Also made a 2 day trip to Hiroshima and itsukushima. This last one, I loved. I really wish I could've stayed longer.

For this next trip, I'm going alone with my wife. We will arrive on October 24th and leave on November 11th. There are some pieces of the trip already closed:

- We will meet with another couple in Tokyo, friends who are finishing their trip, for 2 days. Possibly going to Kamakura for a day.

- We will go to Fujikawaguchiko for a night

- We will spend 2-3 nights in Kyoto so my wife can visit the city properly (I really loved it last time) and we can visit our friend again.

- We will go to Disney Tokyo for two nights at the end of the trip.

This leaves us with around 8 nights (October 30-November 6) to go somewhere we haven't decided yet.

What we want to do is rent a car, and so some roadtrip. Here is our first idea:

Our friend used to work in a Ryokan at the start of the Kumamo Kodo trail. We thought about going there, and do the trail proper. The Nakahechi Route. Both my wife and I are in good physical condition, used to mountain trails here in Spain. The issue is that my wife MIGHT be pregnant by then (We really cannot know, these things are a game of waiting) and then it would absolutely be a nono given how physically straining the trail can be for 3 nights.

Besides that, We thought that we could return to Koya to see the cemetery proper. With a car we could just do it quickly, we're interested in staying at the temples there but it's a bit more than what we'd like to pay and it's packed for those dates already but it's good. We don't mind just doing a day trip.

After that, we thought that maybe we could go around the Kii peninsula for a bit, visit Wakayama, some other coast Ryokans and maybe even visit "Parque España" which sounds like a fun little plan for a chill day in between.

So here is the issue: we think that this might not be enough to fill those 8 nights, specially if we cannot do the Kumano Kodo trail. We were looking for other alternatives like traveling around Shikoku or going West through Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima (come back to Itsukuahima so she can visit it) all the way to Kyushu and maybe come back through Shikoku. This, on the other hand, seems a bit too packed.

We really don't know the area and I feel like it's a less popular area for tourists but from my experience, every inch of Japan is quite amazing so I don't mind exploring and adventuring. We are even open to improvise some days as we go there, since we can stay with my friend in Kyoto for a bit while we plan some routes.

I'm also around N4 level (haven't made any exams but it's my approximate given my progress on studies) and am currently heavily practicing listening and speaking skills. I hope that will help us get by a bit better than knowing nothing. Last time it really helped (although my friend knows much more japanese so it was really his doing)

So, basically, and sorry for the wall of text: what 8 night roadtrip from Kyoto would you do as a couple who are more onto the adventurous side and would like to explore not so popular areas. What places would you visit and thinks are a must.

Thanks!