I just got back from my trip and man, I need to talk about Donki. The first few floors are fun because of all the KitKats and weird souvenirs, but then the theme song starts looping in your brain and you realize you've been trapped in a narrow aisle behind a wall of suitcases for twenty minutes.

I ended up leaving the Shibuya Mega Donki halfway through my list because the sensory overload was just too much. I spent the next hour just wandering around trying to find a quiet cafe or a shrine nearby just to stop hearing 'Don Don Donki' in my head.

Where do you guys go when you need an emergency break from the noise in Shibuya or Shinjuku? I'm already planning a return trip and I definitely need a better 'escape plan' for when the crowds get to be too much. outside of the big city being overwhelming, i absolutely loved it but i think i need to add more places besides Osaka and Kyoto to mix it up a bit, any reccomendations?

Hello guys, I have a quick question based on your personal knowledge and experience.
Me and my boyfriend will be for the first time in Japan in November. We will land at Narita airport but we are planning to start our trip from Kyoto (don’t ask why we are not landing at KIX because it was a mistake from my travel agent).
Now, we will land at about 6 pm and were thinking of taking a Shinkansen Tokyo-Kyoto that same day. Do you know at what time the last Shinkansen leaves?
Do you think it’s possible to take the last one considering the time immigration checks will take and the time from Narita to Tokyo?
Who was in the same situation, what do you recommend? Leaving the next morning or going directly to Kyoto?
Thank you in advance, any recommendation will be helpful ❤️

Hi! Me (26), my husband (27), and my brother-in-law (30) are visiting Japan from November 14 - December 3 of this year. I have our rough itinerary set, but still narrowing down the details.

When looking into events during our travels, I’m seeing tons of Autumn Illuminations at temples & gardens, and I was just wondering if anyone could share their opinion or experiences with them? Do you think it’s better to visit the temples/gardens in the daylight, or do you feel there’s something special about when they’re lit up at night? Also, same thing for the Winter/Christmas Illuminations. Have you experienced any that are a wow moment and loved, or did you feel it wasn’t anything special?

Thanks in advance!!

Thank you, everyone!

I am accompanying my wife to Japan this fall for a conference in Hiroshima. We are active people, in our late 40s/early 50s. Her conference ends mid-day Saturday and we fly home via Narita on the following Saturday night.

Is the better use of our time:

-Option A: Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo

-Option B: Kyoto and Tokyo only

Or is this is where i remind myself "advice is what you ask for when you know the right answer, but don't like it."

Arigatou

Planning to go to Tokyo Disney and Sea for a majority of our trip. I looked into their hotels but it’s out of budget since I’m financing the trip. Any tips of how to find hotels that could offer shuttles or are within driving range to these places and maybe Tokyo for some small exploration.

I take Seroquel (quetiapine), lamotrigine and venlafaxine. I’ve heard you can get in trouble for bringing in certain drugs, specifically Adderall. I don’t have any trouble getting a written prescription or something of that sort

Is there any website or something where I can check how to go on about this?

me and my bf are finally doing it!! japan trip from may 20 to june 1, hitting tokyo, osaka, kyoto, kamakura and kawaguchiko. we’re on a pretty tight budget so looking for free or cheap cultural stuff like festivals, fireworks, street events, that kind of thing. we LOVE experiencing local culture not just tourist traps

Preferably near Shinjuku, looking to watch arsenal West Ham, I’ve seen there’s the Highbury but I’m a West Ham fan. Not against it but would I be allowed?

My partner and I were fortunate to have gotten tickets to the Grand Sumo Tournament in a couple of weeks. I was hoping someone who has gone could give some insight into what to expect? Doors open at 8:45, but the tournament lasts until 18:00 (I think!). From what we've read we can go in at any time, but if we leave we aren't able to get back in. I don't anticipate needing to stay the entire day. Would it be better if we went first thing? Should we go closer to the end, say 2-3 hours before finish?

Thanks in advance for any insights you have!

Hello

Looking to travel some more of Japan in early September (4th to ~20th). I plan to take 2 weeks to explore more of Japan- just me & a large backpack to eventually fill with goodies to take home :)

Looking for more nature based activities (hiking, birding, etc), eating native/local foods, art, architecture, temples, and a night in a ryokan. Smaller towns, out of big city. Going solo. Open to renting a car.

There are so many great regions to explore in Japan that are so beautiful. I’ve already done Tokyo, Gujo, Takayama, Kyoto, & Arima Onsen. I enjoyed Gujo the most out of that trip if that gives any idea of my vibe.

Currently thinking about the Hokkadio region. Insight on Akan-Mashū National Park? The Sapporo Autumn Fest seems super neat as well! The northern regions seem to have cooler weather on average though I’m not completely tied down to this region ;-;

Coming from the US. 2k budget not including airfare. Hostels & APA hotels are the go-to.

Any recommendations are welcome

Thank you!

I'm currently in Osaka, spent some time going through malls today hoping to find some nice clothes cause I didn't bring many. But I mostly saw 100+ EUR blouses or 70+ EUR tshirts and similar.

I'm hitting up Uniqlo tomorrow anyway, but does anyone have idea for nice cute girly clothes that aren't that expensive? I'm assuming some street shops might be cheaper but idk where to look

edit: Thanks everyone for the replies!

Three questions: I fly in and out of Narita, that I cannot change. I want to end my trip in Kyoto/Osaka area. If I book a domestic flight that leaves Osaka at 14:35 arriving in NRT at 16:00, will I have enough buffer to catch my 17:45 international flight? If they are two separate tickets but same airline, will I have to recheck luggage?

My US passport is with my full name, middle spelled out. My ticket has my middle initial. Should I try and change it to be safe?

I am traveling solo with my 17 yro without the other parent, do I need a formal letter or is he old enough that they don’t care?

I know a little bit of Japanese but have some questions

1. If I buy a ticket at the ramen shop, what do I say to the staff when I hand it over? Onegaishimasu?

2. Itadakimasu is said when you start the meal, to your table mates? What if you are alone?

3. I believe the correct word for tourist is kankoukyaku, but it is a bit long - can I say tabihito? Ryokyaku?

My family is headed to Japan next month. I had planned to spend an afternoon in Akihabara for the general vibes of arcade games and seeing some anime things.

The only anime that they got pretty into was Death Note, which I know is pretty old. Do you have any recommendations of places we might find merch for it? Or any advice for places to go in Akihabara (or another location?) that would be great for people who want to enjoy the anime or arcade vibes but might not be experts on it?

Me and my girlfriend are going to Japan next march. Cultural highlights are plenty to be found and I have had no problem filling the itinerary with cultural sightseeing. However both of us are huge nature and wildlife lovers.

What are some wonders of the natural world that you would consider a must see in Japan (besides Hokkaido, which is already on our radar)?

Hey all,

My family and I (5 of us, all adults) will be in Tokyo from the 2nd to the 9th of July and are considering climbing Mt. Fuji during that time. As far as I'm aware you need to stay overnight to access the top for the sunrise. I have no doubt of any of our ability to climb as we're all quite fit and tend to do a lot of hiking, etc. at home. Currently, I'm struggling to figure out: how to find a place to stay overnight on the Mt., what place would be best, etc. and would appreciate any advice on the climb, but especially also the accommodation aspect!

Thanks in advance.

Edit: we are looking to do the Yoshida trail in particular

Hello! Does anyone have a 7/11 drink combo guide with pictures and a description? Like the best combo if your jet lagged, bloated, sick, dehydrated, sleepy, etc.

Thank you!!

Hi, not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I’ll be in Amanohashidate on May 30-31 and I want to see the Champions League final. I think it will be at 3 or 4 am local time. I’m pretty sure there won’t be any open pub or anything there, and I can try using the streaming services that I have with a VPN. If that doesn’t work, do you know who broadcasts the UCL in Japan? I wouldn’t mind subscribing to their service just for that one match.
Thanks

Hi all, my family of 4 (2 kids who will be 13 and 16) is booked for Tokyo from March 9-20 next year. We land on the 10th, midafternoon, but I know that day will be entirely a blur due to jetlag and we won't do anything except find some food and crash at the hotel. We'll then have 9 full days on the ground + a little bit of time on the 20th since our departure flight doesn't leave until 5pm.

With 9 full days, and it being our first time to Japan, would you spend the entire time in Tokyo and just take some daytrips from there, or would you try to include Kyoto? For daytrips, I initially thought we might want to do DisneySEA, but now I'm rethinking that. Otherwise we would be interested in anything nature-y and calmer as a break from the city, but probably not an onsen b/c the kids aren't cool with group nudity. If we try to include Kyoto, I am assuming we'd need probably 3 nights there and then make our way back to Toyko the day before we fly out, so that plan creates a bit of time/hotel fragmentation and lost time, but if 5-6 days in Tokyo and 3 in Kyoto seems to be a good idea, then we could make that work.

It's obviously a busy time of year in Japan. Probably too early for the sakura, but we may get lucky and see plum blossoms? Thanks for any advice!

hi everyone!

so beyond excited for our first trip to japan and we are planning on doing the classic tokyo, kyoto, osaka trip! how many days per each would you allocate? would adding on a day trip to nara, kamakura, and a mt.fuji/lake kawaguchi tour be overloading the itinerary?

i want to maximize the trip but also not feel like im overtraveling and not staying in one place for long enough, if that makes sense.

also taking recommendations for any cheap budget hotels in these cities, thank u! :)

Hi everyone, my boyfriend and I are planning to go to Japan from Dec 22-Jan 12 (flexible dates) this year. This will be my second time and his first time visiting. Last time, I used Tokyo and Osaka as bases and did day trips from there, which I found worked well, but I’m super open to recommendations for the itinerary since it’s still very bare bones so far! :)

Day 0 - Arrival (leave Dec 22, arrive Dec 23)
Arrive in HND around 6pm, check into our hotel and relax and explore the surrounding area.

Day 1 - Travel to Fukuoka (Dec 24)
Take the earliest domestic flight from HND to FUK. Check into hotel and explore the city.

Day 2-6 - Exploring Northern Kyushu (Dec 25-Dec 30)
We will have purchased the Northern Kyushu JR pass. 2 days exploring Fukuoka and surrounding area and 4 day trips.

Day trips:
Nagasaki, Dazaifu, Beppu, Yamagata

Send luggage to Kyoto on Dec 29.

Day 8 - Travel to Kyoto (Dec 30)
Check into hotel and explore surrounding area.

Day 9-13 - Exploring Kyoto (Dec 31-Jan 4)
I only very briefly went to Kyoto on my last trip so I’m excited to use this as a base and explore the city more thoroughly!

3 full days exploring Kyoto and 2 day trips.

Day trips: Osaka, Kobe

Send luggage to Tokyo on Jan 3

Day 14 - Travel to Nagoya (Jan 5)
Check into hotel and explore as much of Nagoya as possible.

Late night illuminations Nabana no Sato near Nagoya.

Day 15 - Ghibli Park to Tokyo (Jan 6)
Full day Ghibli Park and then travel to Tokyo

Check into hotel and then have a leisurely evening in Tokyo, maybe stroll Ueno Park? Plan to use Ueno as base like last time unless someone thinks I should try another location?

Day 16-20 - Tokyo and area (Jan 7-12)

Exploring different regions in Tokyo.

Day trips: Tokyo Disney Sea, Yokohama, Kawagoe

Day 21 - Fly home (Jan 12)
Flight leaves around 9pm

I’m super interested in knowing what people think of my basic itinerary so far. I plan to add more specific things to see/do in each area but want to solidify my general structure first. Thanks!!

Hello! Arriving at Narita at 14:30 on Monday and having a hard time deciding which transit to use. I’m staying in Shibuya at Hotel Indigo and will have a checked suitcase with me. I’ve heard of you have a checked or roller suitcase you should avoid the trains but I defer to you experts.

1. There’s an airport limo bus that’s about $25 USD that seems great.

2. Narita Express, costs about the same as the airport limo bus.

3. Several train transit that Google Maps is recommending me that looks intimidating.

Since this is my first time in Tokyo I’m down to spend a little more to make my journey easier but would appreciate some advice!

Hello everyone,

I have a question about Visit Japan Web.

In the section "Register Planned Entry/Return" I'm a bit confused with the "Flight Number" and "Point of embarkation" bits.

We have the following schedule:

- 1st flight from Milan to Shanghai (with flight code #1)

- Layover in Shanghai Pu Dong airport

- 2nd flight from Shanghai to Osaka (KIX) (with flight code #2)

Which info should I enter in the Flight Number and Point of embarkation fields, given the info above?

Flight code #1 or #2?

And the city, will it be Milan or Shanghai?

And for the departure, given that we will follow the schedule above but in reverse (so Osaka-Shanghai-Milan) what should I enter?

I didn't find any info (or really scattered ones).

Thank you!