What are /r/JapanTravel's favorite Products & Services?

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I'm assuming you're looking at this.

$1600 out of LAX for 6 nights.

You can easily get your own flight out of LAX for $700 and find accommodation under $100/night. I'll say $75 for accommodation, which is still more than what I've ever paid for a night in Tokyo. So that comes to $1150 for flight and lodging.

Even after you pay to get to/from Kyoto and Mt. Fuji, it's still coming out less than Groupon. If you're asking about not doing tours and doing your own thing, why even consider this? It's not cheaper.

I guess it is expensive, but it's REALLY good. My advice is to BUY sunscreen in Japan—they have higher standards for it. I wish I'd bought more from conbini stores when I was there... as it is I order it on amazon.

Stomach problems are very common when traveling abroad. They can be caused by viruses, unusual foods, etc. Traveler's diarrhea in particular could be the problem. It usually goes away within a few days. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and seek medical treatment if you start having a fever or nausea.

Also I found this document(PDF) that lists common medications in Japanese. Take that to the pharmacy and point out the medicine that you need.

Source: Mom is a nurse

If you have an Android phone with NFC, there's a free app called Suica Reader that will let you check the balance and transaction history of a Suica (or Pasmo, or Icoca...) card without having to find a train station or vending machine first.

Actually, you're being the asshole. He gave you perfectly valid information.

You want historical information, then look it up for yourself. It's called an Almanac.

https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/JAXX0146:1:JA

The lowest temp last year in all of Feb was 30 one night.

Everything else you want someone to 'predict', we're not the fucking weather channel here. If we could predict if it's going to be a wet/dry snow, exactly where it's going to cover, the ice, and everything else you want to know almost two months in advance... they sure as fuck wouldn't be on Reddit.

And btw, when it snows in Fukuoka, it's usually on the news because it's a fairly unusual event to start with. It's like when it snows in Los Angeles. Fairly rare, but does happen.... asshole.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.translate

Google translate allows for photo detect and photo translation. It was a lifesaver, because we could snap a quick photo of a menu or direction's and get a pretty good translation quickly.

Just because I like pointing out to people that seemingly pull shit information out of their ass... how the fuck did you come to that conclusion?

Unless your definition of 'dry' is 90% humidity, you are incredibly wrong. And given the number of days at 100% humidity, you're even dumber.

https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/RJTT/2016/1/1/CustomHistory.html?dayend=30&monthend=11&yearend=2016&req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=

Scroll down to the bottom, and look at the actual data.

Try Google Flights first to get an idea of which airlines and ballpark prices. Enter SAN and TYO (for both Narita and Haneda), and travel dates. I did some random dates in October and it looks like ~$1000-$1100 round trip.You can then go directly to airline websites (e.g., Japan Airlines, ANA, American Airlines, etc.) or to a travel site (e.g., Expedia, Kayak, etc.) and book your flights there. You should also check out JTB's website. In addition to air tickets, hotels, and JR rail passes, they also have lots of tour packages if you want a guided tour first time out.

If only there were some sort of online resource that could give you average or even historical weather, including things like humidity and rainfall, in a given area for a given time.

We stayed several nights in Tokyo with hosts Jun and Junko (Designer Room #1) and I would highly recommend it. We didn't meet them, but they were very helpful and the place was very nice.

5 minute walk outside of Shinjuku station. Tokyo is great, enjoy!

Edit: I miss Japan so much. Especially Tokyo. I tell this to my wife all the time

This map?

http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fukushima.asp

Or the fact that the wind was blowing away from Tokyo for several days after it went pop?

https://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/RJSF/2011/3/12/DailyHistory.html?req_city=&req_state=&req_statename=&reqdb.zip=&reqdb.magic=&reqdb.wmo=

Here, you can look at the wind directions all you want... But shit wasn't falling like you think it was.

Are you going to Okinawa? If not, you're under no threat.

It's PROJECTED to be a Category 4 when it nears Japan, but this will still be when it is hanging out over the ocean. Okinawa will get the affects of it, but it's not even projected to make landfall on Okinawa. There's a HUGE difference between a Category 4 storm hanging out in the ocean and giving residual rain to a nearby landmass versus a Category 4 storm making landfall on actual land.

Projections have it lowering down to a Category 3 when it approaches the southern edge of the mainland. By the time it hits Tokyo, it will have lost a majority of it's power. The eye isn't projects to pass through Tokyo, either.

You're freaking out over nothing.

The Lockup is a "monster prison" (think Universal horror movies, Friday the 13th, etc)-themed izakaya, and in terms of entertainment value (atmosphere, the bit where the 'prisoners' escape and run around jump scaring everyone) and food (which is decent for izakaya fare, plus the mad scientist-themed drinks are fun) is a pretty good bang-for-buck investment.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1066456-d3359390-Reviews-The_Lock_up_Shibuya-Shibuya_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g528910/

If I'm not mistaken they recently renovated the Shibuya location so I'd definitely consider it.

> Is whether the whole "the tourist attractions are too crowded during sakura" thing is real or not?

The truth is that it is even worse than what you've heard - and every year it gets even more crowded. Unless you actually like to enjoy it like _this_.

But that does not mean that everywhere in Japan is like that - there are many beautiful places in Japan to see the blossoms - and some of the most beautiful are not in the big cities where most of the people are at all. Have a look at the Top 100 cherry blossom spots - most are not where the tourist mobs go. As said, for the dates you mention, you are talking about northern Tohoku or even southern Hokkaido.

For the plum blossoms, if you are not familiar with them, you would likely mistake them for cherry blossoms - they do look similar. But the fragrance is also part of it, and mentioned a lot in ancient waka poetry.

Never again will

I plant a plum tree near my house

for I mistook the scent

for the perfumed robes

of the one for whom I wait.

-- Anonymous

-- Kokin Wakashu #34 (Early 10th Century)

For the plum blossoms, perhaps the best place is in Mito - the Kairakuen Garden, or try any Tenmangu Shrine.

Don't attempt camping. You won't have a good time, especially in the winter.

With that said, it's possible. I actually met a couple in Nara who were biking and camping across Japan, and they had nothing bad to say about their experience. People were allegedly very welcoming of their endeavor, to the point of approaching and offering them snacks and such. They also weren't weirdly grimy or crusty or any other adjective you'd expect somebody camping across a country to be. They told me that they were punctuating their trip with hostel and hotel stays.

But, again, don't try it. Even if it saves you money, it won't save you time. The couple mentioned above had months to spend on their trip. You have two weeks. A hostel bed ranges from 20 to 40 dollars a day, and is totally worth it.

Ah, the references to newspapers and manga cafes made me think you knew the language. Very few Japanese people speak English conversationally, and it's not realistic for you to be conversational in Japanese or reading for entertainment by the time you travel. There are lots of language exchange or foreigner social meetups on Meetup.com that might be fun for you.

If budget isn't a major concern, but you're also not planning to go back to Japan in the immediate future, consider spending a few days outside Tokyo. Even though there's definitely enough stuff in Tokyo to fill 12 days, it's so easy and affordable to get around, and whether you go to a tourist town or a town or city with near-zero foreign tourism -- you can get to all these places with different vibes easily from Tokyo. Yeah, you could "save it for later," but there are so many things to see that you will never run out :-)

Oh, and YYMV but I disagree with other poster's advice to stay on the Yamanote loop. You definitely want to check travel times on Google Maps, etc. before booking anything, but between the subway and JR there are a lot of nice parts of Tokyo that aren't on the Yamanote loop but still very easy to get places from.

Amazon in the US!

We have this one - https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-SW2034-01-Elongated-Washlet-Cotton/dp/B00UCIOWRM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484608204&sr=8-1&keywords=toto+bidet

Paired with this toilet - https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-Drake-Elongated-Cotton-White/dp/B0012HINC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484608240&sr=8-1&keywords=toto+drake+cotton+white

edit: not only is voltage and different but the toilet fittings are likely in metric so good luck with that. just use amazon and get the US version

I also fell in love with Japanese toilets. So I got one. I have the TOTO Washlet E350 I bought it on Amazon. You can buy a "Japanese toilet" that is made for American toilets. The sizes match up, and the voltage is 120. (although I didn't need an electrical adapter in Japan, and the toilet seat sizes appeared to be the same)

I had a handyman install the toilet seat. He was able to run power from the other side of the wall into the bathroom, so the toilet can plug right in there. Then he put a fitting on the water supply to split the water source. The actual toilet seat clipped right onto my existing toilet.

I don't know how many toilet sizes you have in Canada, but in the US we basically have two: a round seat and elongated seat. The actual dimensions of the toilet don't really matter here. just the seat size. Take a tape measure and figure out your dimensions, and you are set to shop. It seems that the voltage in Canada and the USA is 120 v, so that shouldn't be an issue.

If you just want something heated, it won't cost you as much as the multiple wash toilet seat. There's a price point you have to break to get the front / lady wash.

My best advice is to enjoy the toilets there, and then buy one when you get home. You won't have to transport it around Japan, worry about damage, and if you need to exchange it, you can. Also, you are more likely to get instructions in English if the toilet is manufactured for the North American market.

Best of luck and follow your toilet dreams!

Mt. Fuji Wikitravel

This gives a pretty good run down on why it's ill-advised to climb during the off-season. Also, not only is there's still snow in June, it can still snow because it's cold enough up top and June is the start of the rainy season.

For $1,113 you can get (6/1) LGA -> NRT then (6/11) HND -> HKG then (6/18) -> LGA. Get creative and take a look at multi-city or book a RT to TYO and buy your HKG fare separate. Just a thought? I'm sure you've done more research then I have.

No, Osaka has flights pretty much everywhere. I've even seen it cheaper to fly out of Osaka on one of your legs. It can be more expensive to fly out of a smaller airport like Hiroshima.

Just as a completely arbitrary example:

https://www.kayak.com/flights/BOS-TYO/2015-07-15-flexible/2015-07-29-flexible

https://www.kayak.com/flights/BOS-TYO/2015-07-15/OSA-BOS/2015-07-29

JR Pass all the way!! We did a similar trip over 17 days in September (Tokyo - Enoshima - Takayama - Kanazawa - Miyajima/Hiroshima - Osaka - Nara - Kyoto) It was one of the best things we bought. Also usable on some busses and ferries too. Made for stress-free travel as the one ticket covers everything. No need for separate bookings.

You're only there for two weeks - you want to spend as little time on transport as you can, and this is where the JR Pass is great. Having the flexibility to jump on any train you want (minus the fastest bullet train) as your itinerary changes was something we really appreciated. Finish a few hours early in a destination? Don't need to wait for your booked bus - just jump on the Unreserved carriage of the next train. And don't stress about not being able to get a seat... a lot of the places you're going to are start of the line for that particular route (e.g. Kanazawa, Osaka), so just get there 15 min early and line up.

If you are worried about bookings, just head into a JR office a few days before and secure the trains you want. You can change these at any time at no cost. Sometimes we'd book as we got to the station just for peace of mind - otherwise we hopped on the unreserved.

Download the Japan Travel app - this was the most helpful app we used for planning our travel itinerary. Even tells you what part of the train to hop on to for best connections at the next station.

If you already have an HBO online package I can vouch for the VPN, keep in mind most free VPNs won't work so you'll probably need a premium one (many of them have free trials though). I've used several in the past including NordVPN, Express VPN and Torguard. Most of them will require you to contact support (very efficient and fast) to see which server will work with HBO.

As an aside it seems you can get HBO in japan via amazon prime, not sure if the amazon prime from the US will work though

You don't need data connection to use GPS, offline maps or even offline directions.

For complete offline maps, just download any app that allows you to do so (Used this on 4 trips). For offline directions you can download the area in google maps once in town, using your hotel wifi or any other free hotspot.

The only thing that won't work offline is traffic display.

If you do get a pocket wifi, they are pretty reliable because the directions is generated once you start your trip (most likely in a city, so guaranteed signal) and won't change unless you decide to move away from the path, at which point it needs to recalculate, so even in areas not covered by mobile signal (very rare in Japan anyway) you shouldn't even notice.

Depends on what you are looking for I suppose. Personally, I like smaller places where you can meet the locals. Like Cafe Tepui, which Isn't too far from Ueno. Its a friendly and fun place, with good food, including the best pizza in Toyko. And I'm sure someone there will guide you to the local shrine for free New Year's sake. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1066461-d4926270-Reviews-Cafe_Tepui-Taito_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html In the days after New Years, check out the big temple in Asakusa (Sensoji). It's going to be incredibly crowded with people trying to throw their New Years offering of money into temple collection boxes for good luck. It's a pretty interesting experience. Be cautious if you head to Roppongi (I got drugged there once on New Years eve, the hang-over lasted three days)

It'll be passed the autumn season by the time you arrive, but I'm a fan of Shiretoko (especially in the summer). Kushiro has a really nice seafood market (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298147-d1311648-Reviews-Kushiro_Washo_Market-Kushiro_Hokkaido.html).

Both places are a bit far from Sapporo. For a day trip, I'd recommend Otaru.

I've heard good things about Ninja Akasaka and the Tokyo location was on a travel show. We're going to try the one out in Kyoto.

The type of store sounds like Oriental Bazaar, but I don't know if I've seen thimbles in there before.

You might find something wondering around Kappabashi (aka Kitchen Street).

Gotokuji temple, which is known as the temple for maneki neko.

Here is a article about it.

I had excellent shabu shabu in Osaka, and the staff was so friendly and helpful. AYCE Wagyu beef and drinks !! They also have an English menu. link

Is there the place you search on the map of this site? Well, how about search in this site?

There's actually a really good Jamaican food place near Ebisu station, if you want to experience some of the multiculturalism of Tokyo. Supposedly the (Japanese) chef there goes to Jamaica every year to work on his recipes.

As mentioned make sure to memorize the kanji for 大 ("oo"), meaning big (or best, great, etc – in this context, big flush) – it looks like a person stretching their arms out wide. Some of the high-end toilets flush via an electronic button with kanji only. (If you're in a sushi restaurant, look out for 大トロ (ootoro) delicious very fatty tuna)

On this type of control panel you'll want to hit the button in the upper left: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wireless_toilet_control_panel_w._open_lid.jpg

I don't think too many places outside of hotels serve Japanese style breakfast. From this post:

>* Imperial Hotel Tokyo Japanese breakfast ¥2940 in Nadaman, buffet ¥3360 in Imperial Viking Sal. * Peninsula Tokyo Western style breakfast ¥3800, Japanese style ¥3900. * Westin Ebisu breakfast buffet ¥3600. * Grand Hyatt's French kitchen western and Japanese breakfast ¥3700.

A cheaper alternative would be Yoshinoya

I'm not sure if this would be up your alley but there's a really cool air bnb I found called Ikebukuro Gallery which was made by a few artists in Tokyo. It's close to the main train lines and it wasn't too bad price wise! Air BnB the main artist sent me some places to check out so it might be worth reserving for a night just to get an insider's viewpoint!

During our trip to Japan we stayed at a lot of different airbnbs but our all time favorite one was in Shinjuku! This is the apartment we stayed in https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8549161 and our review is the one by Lenaya. It was a great location, only a 20 minute walk to shinjuku station or a 5 minute train ride. It had a massage chair which was amazing after spending the whole day on our feet, she left snacks for us which were really appreciated, and it was one of the larger apartments we had stayed in.

If you are interested in seeing our trip, this video shows all the highlights from our summer in Japan! https://youtu.be/UA9A4KTjHrY

Google Maps is your friend. Here.

Once in Niigata, the bus is probably your best option, according to WikiTravel. Or just walk.

Where are you staying in Tokyo?

https://www.google.com/flights?lite=0#flt=/m/07dfk./m/0g3cw.2018-09-27;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:f;tt:o

Take the JAL 253 flight and you're on the ground by 0830 and you can do all of the activities you want. Then you can either JR it back or take JL266. You can look up different flights if you're flying out of NRT instead of HND. 11 hours is a lot of time to get your sight seeing in.

I think you're reading into this a bit too much. Check out Flights.google.com. Start with your ideal length of stay. I started with 8 days, London to Tokyo. I found a flight leaving October 24 and returning November 1. It's $654 USD (so like 500 pounds). Other flights on that day are $900+, but that's because they have fewer layovers. This one has a layover in both Rome and Milan on the way there.

https://www.google.com/flights#flt=/m/04jpl./m/07dfk.2018-10-24.LHRFCO0AZ201~FCOMXP0AZ1026~MXPNRT0AZ786*/m/07dfk./m/04jpl.2018-11-01.NRTFCO0AZ785~FCOLHR0AZ210;c:USD;e:1;sd:1;t:f;sp:.USD.65335*.USD.65335

You can run all sorts of searches to find better deals than what you have, all it comes down to is what your flexibility level is. If you don't care that you have two layovers in Italy, that's not a bad deal. But if the additional 4 hours of travel matters, maybe it's not. Just keep looking.

Why not airbnb? I stayed at this great place in Kyoto for 5 nights. It's a good location for getting around. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4681650?checkin=01%2F13%2F2016&checkout=01%2F22%2F2016&s=hEXLbqNs

There are plenty of options, though. Check it out!

We stayed in this place near Shinjuku and thought it was great: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4472320

Right on the Yamanote line at Shin-Okubo, and also really close to the Chuo-Sobu line at Okubo. One stop from Shinjuku. We didn't meet the hosts but the room was really comfortable and we liked the location a lot.

We stayed here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4260066. We only slept there for 3 hours total so it worked perfectly. It was walking distance to shopping, restaurants, and Shibuya station. If you're just looking for a convenient place to sleep and shower and not something lavish or super comfy, I'd recommend it.

Japanese people are really friendly once you get to know them.

Being 17 limits some of the "meeting new people places" such as bars, pubs or partys.

With that being said, Just do what you would do in your own country, Japanese people arent aliens.

Find a common interest with them and befriend them.

Also Meetup Is a great site to find people with common interests as you.

I need to give my friends time to save so we are buying my tickets on August 4th and I am tracking tickets out of Boston, New York, Hartford, Orlando, and Miami (I'm south and my friends are north). The flights are floating around $750. Some of the Chinese flights are as low as $620, but they have a 17 hour stop in China which is far too damn long. The tickets over all have gone up ~$100, but are still more reasonable than the $1,200-$1,500 I was looking at originally.

P.S. If you aren't using Google Flights things are going to be very expensive.

TLDR: Here is the link to find booking. Just change the dates and you are set:

https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f=LAX;t=HND,NRT,23K;d=2016-11-01;r=2016-11-30

Note that the best deals that I could find are from LAX to Tokyo. It's usually around $500 round-trip on ANA, JPL, United and I think a few others.

My 2 friends and I got our tickets this morning and all 3 of us spent $1700 total, which is usually the cost for 1 person round-trip.

Maybe check out AirBnB? Most places have a minimum stay of a few days, so make sure to plug your dates in. It can save a lot of money over hotels.

This one has a tree house?!

Whatever you do don't stay at airbnb host Emiri's places. I'm in her shared house now. It's filthy. There's mold everywhere in the bathroom. The trash is constantly overflowing in the kitchen. There are ants and gnats in my room. There is no key to my room. The sheets on my bed were not changed from the last person(s) to stay so I get to sleep in a bed with other people's hair, boogers, and pimple scabs on it (I have seen all of these and taken pictures). When I asked another person here if he knew where clean sheets were he got me some "clean sheets" that are covered in cum stains. Seriously, I can count six from where I'm sitting right now. I have sent the owner three emails, one SMS text message, and tried to contact her on airbnb and she has not responded. As you can see, I'm a bit disgusted. Can't wait to leave my airbnb review.

Edit: however, Christian's places are amazing, I have stayed at one and am moving to another one today. You get much more than you pay for with him, very nice.

None of those points should be a problem for them, so I'm not sure why they didn't want to give you a ride, unless there was some confusion with the address.

I haven't used it myself, but with the JapanTaxi app (iOS or Android), you can request a taxi and enter your destination on your phone, which should make it easier for the driver and reduce the amount of communicating you need to do. You will have to pay a few hundred yen extra for the pickup fee (vs. hailing a taxi on the street), but it might be worth a try in your case.

Of the things I bought Aerial chips were the best. Curry Instant Cup Ramen was good. Royce white chocolate. The regular green tea KitKat and not the strong flavor one that's a darker green packaging. Pocari Sweat powder packets. I should have bought 2 liter bottles of drinks I liked but forgot.

Download this Japan Travel app. I just used it on my trip for train scheduling and I like the layout so much better they any other app I used for travel in Japan.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navitime.inbound.walk

If visiting Sapporo, I would recommend getting the Sapporo Info app (Google Play link). There are some discounts in the app for visitors. While not too big of a discount, it's still nice to save 100 yen here and there.

I'd like to piggyback off your comment and say that Maps.me is my app of choice for offline maps and navigation for Japan and elsewhere. I've used it for the past two vacations in Japan without any issues. I can highly recommend it.

As a brief example, Osaka is 27mb worth of map data, Kyoto only 24. I already had Tokyo downloaded so can't say exactly how much that takes (I guess around 40-50mb).

Tabimori https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.narita_airport.android.tabimori&hl=es

It is an All in One with a pocket conversation guide, links to japan guide, Currency converter, weather forecast, a transfer guide based on hyperdia, etc.

Get the google translate app (iOS and Android) and there is an option to take a picture and translate. It's not perfect, but enough to get by!

Last year I spent a couple of days in a small town called Kato, just outside of Obama. It ended up being an exceptional stay, with my host, Manami-san, being a dream hostess. All I wanted was a place to crash before exploring the coast and catching the boat tour to Sotomo Caves (which I recommend!), but I ended up making friends I still talk to today!

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/7295895

Masami runs what is effectively a boarding house, and meals will be a bit extra beyond the Airbnb booking fee, but trust me when I say that it's worth it. Despite speaking zero English she managed to make me feel welcome and at home. She invited friends over for a dinner party and one of her friends actually splits her time between Obama and Brooklyn, about 10 minutes away from where I lived.

I could go on but really all you need to know is her home is a great place from which you can explore Obama and the area. There aren't many food options in the immediate area so eating in her home is probably best, she is a wonderful cook and all of my meals were delicious and satisfying-- even for me!

This is the Airbnb I stayed in when I stayed in Osaka: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13918765

It's very close to Den Den Town so it might be perfect for you! Not sure if the owner's situation changed but I'd recommend it if you're travelling with 2 people. It is a 10 minute walk to the nearest station as stated but we didn't really find that troublesome at all.

5min→STA Shibuya 5pax TV

Link to the building on google street view below. Like I said, very quiet neighborhood, but a short walk to Shinjuku Station. This place was a great base of operations for our sight seeing, shopping and drinking throughout the city.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6826991,139.7077369,3a,75y,172.33h,97.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9NmaPQQGR1SJccEw7XqwOg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Speaking of Kumamoto, the fried pork chop and shrimp of Katsuretsutei is amazing. I'd be willing to take the Shinkansen from Kansai over there just for a meal (if I have a JR pass, that is).

I stayed at Capsule Hotel Cabana for 6 days in November. It was great! It's in Dotonbori, so very close to transportation, food and nightlife. The staff was excellent and was great to be able to go back to the place and enjoy the jacuzzi. It is a men only place though.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298566-d6993410-Reviews-Cabana-Osaka_Osaka_Prefecture_Kinki.html

Kushiya Monogatari! http://www.kushi-ya.com/ http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1066460-d1177979-Reviews-Kushiya_Monogatari-Toshima_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

Every table has its own deep fryer and there is a buffet of little skewers of food that you can fry and eat. Oh and a chocolate fondue fountain. There are locations throughout Tokyo, in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Odaiba and a few other places.

Japan Guide and TripAdvisor have community reviewed and rated attractions.

TripAdvisor usually has info on how much time people usually spend in each place. Like on the right hand side here, you can see that people say 1-2 hours is enough for the Metropolitan Government Building. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1066457-d320640-Reviews-Tokyo_Metropolitan_Government_Office-Shinjuku_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

I'm fairly certain that anywhere that's good, in Tsukiji, is going to have long lines. There's lots of good places outside Tsukiji without lines.

Edit: Multiple reviews on TripAdvisor claim the wait at Yamazaki is much more reasonable.

We did this while in Tokyo: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/92?location=Tokyo%2C%20Japan&source=p2&currentTab=experience_tab&searchId=0cd4aca1-60f2-47cb-98d1-00ac55f88823

Brad provided bikes, helmets, food and knowledge of the routes within multiple parts if the city. Well worth the fee IMO.

Airbnb. You can get some really cheap places.

This place is about $20 each a night

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15626827?guests=2&adults=2&location=tokyo&check_in=2017-08-20&check_out=2017-08-28&s=YNa5Ql5S

Something like this cheap enough? Any cheaper than around $20 a night each is going to get really ghetto on airbnb. Depends on when you are going. If you are going past august, there may be more places opened up.

https://www.airbnb.com/s/tokyo/homes?adults=2&allow_override%5B%5D=&checkin=2017-08-20&checkout=2017-08-28&guests=2&ib=false&ne_lat=35.74152797500409&ne_lng=139.80546171190497&price_max=44&room_types%5B%5D=Entir...

Here is a search for reference, you can probably find something much better if you are willing to spend slightly more or look around at other options for the same price. It's set to search for places where you have the entire apartment to yourself, not shared. Make sure you read what is included, such as bathrooms/showers. Also try to stay at places with a few reviews or more. Also the place I linked doesn't have air conditioning and apparently the washer wasn't working in the last review, keep that in mind if you do decide to book during a hot time of the year(august).

We've thought about the gorge, but our initial investigations made it look like it's very hard to reach without a car or impossible to spend much time there using public transportation -- http://wikitravel.org/en/Takachiho. Too bad the rail line is under indefinite closure. Maybe we can be creative?

I enjoyed Ume no Hana. We got a private room just for two of us. It's a tofu based meal and quite delicious. Large course aNd they had only 2 seatings when we went. So you'll need reservations for sure. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298564-d1671278-Reviews-Ume_no_Hana-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html

No personal recommendations, but on TripAdvisor: Kyoto Special Lodging select "Capsule Hotel" under "Style" to see the top rankings and reviews.

Ok, it's not in Kyoto, but since you're only 15 minutes or so from Kobe (via shinkansen, not sure on regular train), you could always hop a train there and treat yourself to some Kobe Beef?

For in Kyoto, you can always check here for some suggestions.

Best Onsen i have ever been to is Seni Onsen in Nagano. I have been to many onsens in my day but this one is by far the best. It is quite expensive, but worth every penny (yen). Please check this place out. Words can not describe how amazing this place is. It has private baths and a huge natural cave hotspring.

http://www.hikyou.jp/detail.php?shid=30239

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1021312-d1230073-Reviews-Seni_Onsen_Iwanoyu-Suzaka_Nagano_Prefecture_Chubu.html

Hell yes. Miyajima and Hiroshima were awesome. Miyajima is gorgeous with some awesome temples and Hiroshima is a surprisingly great city. Of course the Peace Park and museum are powerful, but we also ended up having a great night out, too.

We ate really well at Japan, but our favorite non-fancy place was probably in Hiroshima - it's out by the docks, so a taxi is recommended, but it was so worth it. Amazing experience, amazing seafood, and service that was so good it stood out amongst all the great service in Japan. After our great meal, we asked for bar recs back downtown and they called ahead, reserved spots for us, and then explained in great detail to the taxi driver where it was. So much fun! Didn't expect to be out until 4am in Hiroshima :)

Also I think it's worth pointing out that Kyoto is actually incredibly suburban. I biked through it - other than the area right around Kyoto station, it's all quiet suburbs. The major attractions are overrun with tourists but just a few train stops away from Kyoto station and you get people who can't handle talking to English speakers at all haha.

I stayed here and had a wonderful time with the host who is super kind and welcoming! It was also as authentic a taste of suburban life as I could imagine. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1733018

Greetings,

I can offer a little advice, we went to Kyoto in 2014 and are planning on going back in 2017, actually looking at planning around either the fire festival or the Jidai Matsuri.

Kyoto seemed a bit spread out to me when we were there, the subway system is nowhere near as good as in Tokyo. In Tokyo, we were never more than a 5 minute walk from a subway. In Kyoto, at times, we found ourselves walking for 20-30 minutes to go somewhere.

I really like airbnb, we rented an apartment right near Kawaramachi station, here's an airbnb search link. It was practically on top of the Kawaramachi station. I found it particularly well connected, easy access to either of the main train lines on the left/right side of the river, and there's a lot of bus stops in that immediate area.

For the festivals, I cannot help you at all, but I sincerely hope you get good advice and if you successfully visit either one, I hope you will let us know how it was, especially the transit. When I last looked them up, I found this which seemed to indicate trains got very crowded in the Access section, so I wonder.

You didn't understand the new law, in fact from April people in Osaka can rent apartment with a minimum stay of 1 week. (usual tourist barely stay this amount of time in the same city, that's the biggest issue) So definitively for 1 month, in all those cities, airbnb would be more appropriate than (sakura or leopalace) in quality.

OP can certainly book in those cities, example with Osaka for 1 month in October https://www.airbnb.com/s/Osaka?checkin=10%2F01%2F2016&checkout=10%2F31%2F2016&guests=2&room_types[]=Entire+home%2Fapt&price_max=179564&ss_id=ise0bjrc&s_tag=LFPhc044

But keep in mind there is no rush in booking with airbnb, especially on this period. I usually book max 1 month in advance and if there is any issues just contact airbnb staff, they are helpful.

If you have Netflix, you might find episode 18 of Japanese Style Originator interesting (jump ahead to 2:30). The episode is about staying at a Zen temple, but it's probably similar to staying at Mt Koya's Shingon temples.

For more stuff on Netflix, try this:

Japanese Style Originator

It's a Japanese TV show that talks about various parts of Japan and Japanese culture. It's Japanese audio with English subtitles.

It says on Wikipedia that it means district. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Villages_of_Shirakawa-gō_and_Gokayama

The dictionary says it means countryside or a small collection of neighborhoods: http://jisho.org/search/郷

Checkout meetup.com. I noticed a few large meetup.com groups picnicking at Yoyogi Park for cherry blossom viewing.

Go to some of the bars in the Golden Gai and you'll definitely meet other travelers.

The Nakasendo is one of the original routes between Kyoto (or Osaka) and Tokyo. If you google it, you will find a ton of refs. It has many small post towns dotting it. Here is a book (and a good read) by a guy who hiked it about 130 years ago. I haven't been on it yet, but after reading that book, I'd really like to go.

I use google maps and tag stuff to it. Wikitravels and Japan Guide.

Make sure you book Ryokan and Hotel/Hostels early because you're going in Autumn! It's going to be hard packed. I'm already struggling for my September trip and I'm no where near the Autumn period for booking stuff.

One day in Hakone should be fine. Hakone shrine and Owakudani is recommended. http://wikitravel.org/en/Hakone

If you are heading to Himeji, perhaps you could bring the day to 19th and stop by Osaka or Kobe so that you don't need to go back to Kyoto unless you have been there already.

Early July is rainy season in Tokyo. Visiting beach may not be a good idea...

Wiki Travel Mt. Fuji

Temps can reach below freezing IN THE SUMMER, it's not the steepness, it's the altitude, there are oxygen masks on site during the on season because people have trouble breathing. Also all the service stations and such are closed because no one wants to be up there.

Google has a nice website that lists prices for flights.

https://www.google.com/flights

Choose your dates, airports, and number of people and it'll lay out flights and you can choose which one works best. Not entirely sure which airline is best but I hope this helps.

Me and some friends will be there during that time as well. We have friends who will show us around Tokyo and Fukushima but as for our trips to Kyoto and Osaka We're planning to visit some historical sites of Kyoto and the food of Osaka which I have been searching on TripAdvisor of things to do in those places. Majority look really well worth it from all the reviews I've read especially the samurai demonstration in Kyoto where you get to actually get a hands on lesson of being a samurai.

Just check these out and see what interests you: Osaka Kyoto

Tokyo Disney is supposed to be pretty decent.

Ghibli Museum is great for kids of all ages There's a catbus they can play in. You need to reserve your ticket in advance though: http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/ticket-information/

Sega operates a chain of arcades in Japan called Joypolis in Osaka (Kep Five) and Odaiba (in Tokyo). There are even rides there.

Same goes for Akihabara, which is also a cool place to go shopping for new gear (with English instructions and everything) or foreign media (and get it duty-free at some places with a purchase over a certain amount). There's also a Gundam Cafe here.

Take your kids to Tokyo Tower or to Tokyo Skytree, the second tallest structure in the world.

Osaka is also home to Universal Studios Japan and the world's largest Pokemon Center. Here's some more ideas: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Guide-g298566-l397-Osaka_Osaka_Prefecture_Kinki.html

Catch a baseball game: NPB might be in season. Check for tickets to see the Hanshin Tigers (Osaka) or Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo) play. The Giants play at Tokyo Dome which, even if there's no game, has Tokyo Dome City, a miniature amusement park with a pretty great roller coaster called Thunder Dolphin, one of the tallest in the world.

If you're looking for something on the cheap there's always this share house. It's right behind a subway entrance and only about a 5-8 min walk to the larger station the subway connects to.

Room is private but kitchen and bathroom facilities are shared. The owner Soichi is a really nice guy although his English makes him come off as a bit odd at times.

Depending on when you're going it could be as little as $35 per night (+ whatever AirBnB fees)

Maybe consider a night or two in an AirBnB private room, vs renting the whole place? Not very private for a honeymoon, but if it's the experience you're looking for, could be worth a night or two.

Usually a hosts that rents out a room vs a house will be as interactive as you want to be. It may be harder in smaller space like Tokyo, but you usually can find one with a private bath too.

For example, when we traveled to Portland we were only staying one night so we rented a room that essentially gave us the entire floor of a two floor unit. Our bath wasn't attached, but was only used by us. We ended up chatting with the hosts for two hours on 'their' floor and had a great time.

Like these two, for example:

one

two

If your purpose is not only being a tourist here, but also like to experience some real Japanese life, please try a home stay with us. Then you could experience the real Japanese life here, eat like a local Japanese and go to those places where there are more Japanese people than foreign visitors.

Have you listened to the Tofugu podcast on Japanese Whisky? They have some great recommendations for Osaka Japanese Whisky.

https://player.fm/series/the-tofugu-podcast-japan-and-japanese-language/japanese-whisky-ft-brian-ashcraft

That's a lot to do. Keep in mind that a lot of buses don't drop you off right at the entrance of a place, so there might be a bit of a walk just to get to the 'main event'. so if you have to walk a quarter mile to get to the actual Kinkakuji building, you might be giving yourself basically enough time to walk up there, get a few pictures, and turn around and leave.

(Edit: another thing to note is that Kinkakuji and to a lesser extent Ryoanji aren't really 'explorable' - as I remember Kinkakuji, there was basically a path to follow to walk around the building to catch it at various vantage points.)

Also keep in mind that the sun sets really early in Japan vs a lot of America (it sets between 7 and 7:15pm in June in Kyoto), so if you are running late in Arashiyama you aren't gonna be able to see or get pics of the bamboo groves very well. If you want to see all that, don't mind early mornings, and can tolerate that much walking (because it's going to be a lot), you might want to consider leaving earlier in the morning and do Ryoanji first since it opens earlier in the day. Have fun!

You can see snow on the top of the mountains, of course, however at Echigo-yuzawa station, there will be no snow, i think. This is a weather forecast of yuzawa, there will be no loe temp. day until the end od nov.

https://www.accuweather.com/ja/jp/yuzawa-machi/219347/november-weather/219347

Since the OP seems to be from the UK, I would recommend a Revolut card - very easy to set up (all you need is a smartphone and photo ID), you'll get much better forex rates than your bank (you'll pretty much get the daily rates you see on Google), and there are no fees on ATM foreign cash withdraws up to £200/€200 per month (2% after that). No fees on foreign point-of-sale transactions.

It basically works as a pre-paid MasterCard once you order the physical card, and you can top it up with any other credit/debit card or SEPA transfers.

Revolut is available to most countries in Europe (not just the EU).

Use this site to track flight prices: https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Play around with the filters like dates and stops. Check the other major airports around you also. I checked that site almost daily for 2 weeks or so in January and got an October LAX->NRT for $650 nonstop roundtrip with Singapore Air.

I always start with the ITA Matrix -- https://matrix.itasoftware.com/ or even expedia. You don't have to book through them -- both are just good at showing a lot of flights.

ITA is giving me around £450 for a flight at the moment from my smaller local airport to Narita for the last week in October. I think I could do better if I change the dates around a little.

Oh cool! I've been to the Ring of Kerry, but not cycled it yet. I'm from the north east of Ireland so it's quite far from me. I've cycled the Shimanami Kaido twice. It was great.

I don't know Kanto that well, and I didn't choose a great route through that area. But maybe Izu Peninsula? (Technically not Kanto, but close enough.) I wanted to cycle around it but didn't have time. Or there might be some routes around Mt Fuji?

https://ridewithgps.com/ - If you do a search on this site you might get some ideas. Search keyword with something like "Mt Fuji" or "Izu Peninsula".

It is called sygic travel. I don't know exactly how accurate it is but I used it as a guideline to see where things are on a map and what to group together a little bit more efficiently. It is still obviously hard to tell how much time each thing will take but they do give some rough estimates and certain forms of travel time to and from different activities. https://travel.sygic.com/en

So far only about $175 Canadian for a pair of JR passes that I'm going to get a 75% refund on.

United refunded me my entire purchase price

Hotels.com refunded me my Ryokan booking

AirBnB is in the process of talking with my host to get my money back.

You'll probably have a better time using something like hotels.com and adding your dates and price preferences to see what's available. There are tons of hostels under $50 a night.

I saw those around March or April. CRAZY! Here are two of the NY flights now.

November 10-21

November 15-29

I'm assuming that you have a 14 day JR Pass from Apr 18 to Apr 20.

Short answer: Overzealous? Not excessively, but could use a little streamlining.

Long Answer: Some portions could use a little work - for example:

1. You probably are going to Hida-Furukawa (not Hida region, that's just plain large, and may cause slight confusion) for the Furukawa Festival.

2. Heading to the Alpine Route by car (and parking at Tateyama station) will require backtracking from Kurobe Dam. Just remember that the route is freshly-out-of-peak-snow-season, and there will be HORDES of lines. Plan accordingly to the timetable.

3. Since you are heading to Kyoto / Osaka region, you may want to base yourself in one city and commute to the other for flexibility. Additionally, other members of r/japantravel by bellyache if you spend just ~2 days in Kyoto. (And I can see you are returning later, but YMMY.)

4. I don't think Koyasan merits two nights, honestly. An afternoon, evening, and the following serene morning was good enough for me.

5. Travelling from Koyasan to Naoshima doesn't strike me as a particularly long journey. There's 5 transfers over 4+ hours, though.

6. The longest train journey will be the one from Kyoto to Hakodate. Personally, I don't fancy train journeys that are 7+ hours long. Otherwise fly.

7. Kushiro to Tokyo. Fly. Pricey, tho.

8. Boyfriend portion... Consider adding in onsen stay somewhere, and / or going to Matsumoto as a day trip. I found it to have a calm vibe.

Other concerns:

Book your accommodations ASAP if possible. Particularly for the ones surrounding Golden Week.

Be aware that you can book your train tickets with an JR Pass once you exchange it (of course, being applicable only on your valid days).

Try this for $855: https://www.google.com/flights/?f=0#search;iti=SFO,SJC_HND,NRT,23K_2017-04-13*HND,NRT,23K_PVG_2017-04-21*PVG_SFO,SJC_2017-04-22;tt=m;sel=SFONRT0NH7,NRTPVG0NH921,PVGSFO0UA890;eo=e

SFO-NRT-PVG-SFO on your exact dates. (I'm actually doing this at the end of Nov, well SJC-NRT-HGH PVG-SFO)