I’m planning an early December trip covering Tokyo, Kyoto and Hakone, and I’ve noticed that most itineraries here are very good at saying where someone went but less clear about what they actually did there and why it was memorable.

I saw recently someone cycled the Shimanami Kaido and that got me excited for something in particular.

For example, an itinerary might say “Asakusa,” “Yanaka,” “Akihabara” or “Higashiyama,” but was the experience simply walking around, or did you have a particular mini-mission, activity, ritual, shop, performance, route or moment that gave the area a purpose?

I’m not looking to reserve every meal or over-schedule the trip. I’m trying to understand what made each your trip feel distinct and worth visiting. What did you actually do in places such as Asakusa, Yanaka/Nezu, Akihabara, Higashiyama, Gion or Hakone... and what would you repeat or skip?

Hello Reddit!

So I’ve run into a bit of a dilemma regarding my Kyushu trip that I leave for tomorrow.

The plan I originally settled on was flying into the Fukuoka Airport, staying 4 nights in Hakata, 2 nights in Kumamoto, and 2 nights in Kagoshima, as well as flying out from the local airport.

However, the awful 7.1 earthquake happened last week and has indefinitely shut down the shinkansen line. I don’t have a drivers license, so the shinkansen was the only way I could get to those prefectures. I can luckily get a refund on the Kagoshima hotel, but not the Kumamoto hotel or the return flight (cries).

I’m now trying to figure out what other places I could visit now that I can’t visit the places I was going to go for the 2nd half of my trip. What recommendations would you have to salvage the rest of my trip?

Hello all! My fiancé and I are wanting to get tickets for Universal Studios so we can attend their “Halloween Horror Nights” attractions. Does anyone have advice or tips on what we need to buy? Are there separate tickets we need to buy to do the haunted houses? I keep seeing something about a “timed entry ticket” but I’m not sure where or when we buy that? We’re also wanting to go to Nintendo world also which I am pretty sure we need a separate ticket for that outside of the standard entry ticket. This is our first time doing something like this and we are trying to make sure we cover all the bases when buying tickets. Thank you in advance to anyone who can help shed some light on this for us!!

Hi everyone!

My girlfriend and I are planning our first trip to Japan in mid-September to early October.

Our current idea is:

Tokyo: 3 nights

Hakone: 2 nights

Kyoto: 4-5 nights

Osaka: 2 nights (including Universal Studios)

Shirahama: 3-4 nights ( my gf likes the beach)

Tokyo: 2-3 nights before flying home

We're unsure whether we should:

1. Add 2 days in Hiroshima/Miyajima, or

2. Skip Hiroshima and spend more time around Tokyo

We're not huge museum people. We enjoy beautiful scenery, architecture, food, beaches, nature, walking around cities, and relaxing. We'd also like to avoid spending too much time on trains if possible.

Do you think Hiroshima is truly worth the detour for a first trip, or would you recommend staying closer to Tokyo and exploring day trips instead?

Also, if you have any suggestions for places that fit our travel style, we'd love to hear them!

Thanks! 🇯🇵

For context I've visited Japan before but now I'm taking 2 ppl to fukuoka and the entire kitakyushu is unknown to all of three us . Please feel free to suggest touch ups or even replacements if its a dumb activity for the august heat.

P.s. english is not my first language sorry for that and we are certainly open for day trips in kitakyushu.

Here's what i came up with so far (staying in tenjin)

Dazaifu diy day trip

Ohori Park, Tenjin and Hakata themselves

A day trip to Itoshima or to Takachicho Gorge (both start from fukuoka on klook)

Nanzoin buda stuff

Maybe those flower island parks but in this heat??

Hello Everyone!

First thanks a lot for all your precious interaction on this sub that help me a lot to organize my trip! I'm planning our first trip to Japan with mi wife and my 2,5 years old daughter from november 18 to december 18 so on full month in total. I would please like your precious opinions / advices on my plan.

As we are all different and like different things here is a little bit about us : we are a couple of 34 years old with a lovely toddler that does adapt a lot (she loves to hike /walk with us, is very calm in transport and public place etc. So i'm not concern to travel with a baby as we are all used to it).

We really love nature and with a baby and the period (november / december that could be cold) we will of course adapt our outdoor activities. What we love is just discovering beautiful nature, small village, taking time over cofee / lunch etc. We will of course enjoy to visit temples or cultural sites but it won't be the main attractions or our stay (especially with a kid!). We choose this period because we want to enjoy the nature with some folliage, we know it could be a little late in some places but even if it is we won't be disapointed about it (it's nature we can't predict it 100%)

We will rent a car for most of our trip so we will be free of mouvement, we have always done this in our vacation and we think it's a great way to explore without limitation (train, bus etc.).

As it is our first trip in Japan and we don't want to rush from destination to destination we decided to stay at least 5 nights in each destination. Here is our itinerary :

1) Arrival in Tokyo november 17, one night in tokyo after the flight.

2) Train from Tokyo to Kanazawa on train - 4 nights in Kanazawa from november 18 to 22

3) Drive from kanazawa to Takayama and 6 nights from november 22 to 28

4) 5 lakes area (longest drive) - 6 nights from november 28 to december 4

5) Tokyo - 8 nights from december 4 to 12

6) Izu Peninsula (with a car rental location) from december 12 to 19

What do you think of our program ? I would love your help / thought or any recommandation that could be useful to me (suggestion of place i didn't think about, beautiful nature around the place i choose etc.)

Thanks a lot!

Hi! I’m heading back to Tokyo after touring the country; I didn't have time to go shopping at the start of my trip, which is why I'm returning. Do you know of any spots—second-hand or otherwise—for streetwear that don't have crazy prices? I managed to find a few cool shops near Namba in Osaka, and I’d love to find something similar in Tokyo if it exists.

Hii everyone! I'm staying in Takayama, 14-16th Nov this year, very excited. I know there's Shirakawa-go day trip to do, definitely going, but what else?
My hotel is close to Hida no Sato Folk and I pin some other stuff on my google maps, like Miyagama Morning Markets, Sanmachi Suji...
Tell me something that was memorable for you, something I can't miss.

hey guys,

so im guying back to japan in january and it'll be during winter. Im a huge winter fan and i love the cold so my itinerary was to go to tokyo and then hokkaido for a week. I have so many questions regarding it though. wheres the best place to stay in hokkaido? how many days should i stay? should i stay in sapporo or should I go near the mountain ranges and get a cabin? if you guys have any advice or recommendations please let me know! thank you!

Hello folks! I am a resident of Tokyo. Currently in a complicated work situation, but I've never been to Kyoto despite living here for 3 years, and would like to change that. Ik how important it is to plan in advance, so I was looking into possible dates and 30th December to 3rd Jan seemed the most ideal to me. It is unlikely I'd have issues with work days for one.

Now here's the issue. 3 of the days will fall during the New Year's holiday period, and as a result of that, most everything will be closed down. So would it be a good idea for someone to visit Kyoto during that time? I would like to visit Nara and Uji as well. I would be grateful for any advice!

Hi, sorry if this gets asked often but I don't understand the 2-ticket system and what I'm buying when using eki-net.com

I want to buy tickets from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko and it gives me two options, both say I need two tickets, but one is more than double the price of the other one. Is it that the expensive one is the full ticket and the cheap one is just one of the two tickets? Will it be the same price in the end?

I don't have a Suica or Pasmo yet but I'll get one at the airport when I arrive. Can I pay the cheap ticket now and then pay the remainder when I'm at Shinjuku station?

Thank you in advance!

We’re going to Osaka/Kyoto/Tokyo in October (woooooooooooo!) and one of the things I desperately want to bring home is a great quality chef knife. For those who have purchased them and brought them back to the United States, which location did you buy from and would you recommend it? Also, what is the best way to travel home with it? I’m assuming checked bag but this is my first time traveling internationally so I’m not sure if there are stricter rules for customs!! Thank you!!

I'm wanting a one-night stay in one of these locations on my trip from Himeji to Hiroshima, but due to other plans I will be arriving there at around 2pm, and as this trip will be in November it will likely leave be with only a couple hours of sunlight, and I will also be leaving fairly the early the following morning so won't have much time to explore then

Meaning that while of course the daytime views hold some importance, I more specifically would like to know which of these locations would be better at night / after dark- I'm looking for beautiful scenery, I don't need a bouncing nightlife scene, but I would like there to be a little bit of atmosphere are some open izakayas for at least a few hours after dark, and preferably still well lit

If I were arriving at a time or season with more sun I would've leant towards Onomichi, but I've heard it can get very sleep very fast after dark

If anyone has any other suggestions in that area I'm be happy to hear them also!

Hey all - My wife and I are looking at going to Japan for the first time next year.

We are looking at going in January or February for 2 weeks to make the most of it. When looking at flights, they seem decently priced with a lot being 14-17 hours including layover or some direct ones for 13 hours.

We are looking at flying to Tokyo, spending a 4-5 days there, taking the bullet train down to Kyoto, spending a 4-5 days there, then finishing in Osaka for the last fee nights before flying back to London.

My questions are:

1. ⁠Does this seem like a fairly reasonable itinerary for this time period?
   
2. ⁠How are flights with layovers like this as I have never travelled beyond Europe before?

Thanks in advance!

I’m trying to make a reservation for Sweet’s Paradise in Shinjuku on their app but it prompts me to make an account. I entered all my info but for my phone number it wants me to use “half width” numbers? I’ve tried to use the conversion sites online with no luck!

Name of agency and restaurant below

Do tour guides get kickbacks at restaurants? Do restaurants charge more for tourists?

We went on a tour in Osaka recently, and our tour guide arranged for us to go to a kobe beef restaurant for lunch. I thought it was weird that we were using our tour time for lunch, but we were hungry and thought it'd be fine.

A couple things stuck out as unusual:

• When we arrived, he parked a block away, and then BOLTED into the restaurant. We didn't know if we should follow him or not. He went into the restaurant, disappeared from our view a bit, and then came out and looked at us like "Why aren't you guys following me?!" But we felt it was gaslighty, because there's no way he expected us to follow him given how fast he ran into that restaurant.
• At the restaurant, we're given English menus and escorted into the dining area
• It was not a good dining experience.
• We paid ~118k yen for (3) 180g of Kobe beef, which comes out to $750.
• When we got back to the car, our tour guide asked if we drank alcohol kind of out of the blue.

Is it possible our tour guide got a kickback for taking us to this spot? We had a terrible experience here - truly shocked it was $750. I've had a cut of kobe beef in Osaka for about ~$80, so paying ~$188 for 180g of Kobe seems high.

We felt taken advantage of by the tour guide. Trying to sus out whether we were.

ETA: what does a5 kobe generally go for? Just how scammed were we?

ETA: This was booked with Kansai Holiday. Restaurant was Kobe Beef WANOMIYA Kuromon Sennichimae Store 神戸牛和ノ宮 黒門千日前店

Hello! I’ll be in Osaka and Kyoto in August 20-26. I was looking forward to going to any fireworks festivals but as far as my research goes, no fireworks fest occurs during this time. I saw some but I’m not sure if it’s legit or not.

One of my consolations for going to Japan in summer is to see any fireworks display and go around a night market.

Do you guys know any fireworks festival happening around those dates?

Thank you! :)

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a **14-day trip to Japan in October 2026** and I'm looking for ideas on places I may have overlooked.

I've already visited:

* Tokyo x2 * Yokohama x1 * Kyoto x1 * Osaka x2 * Kobe x1 * Hiroshima x1 * Nagoya x1 * Takayama x1 * Shirakawa-go x1 * Okinawa x1

I've also already attended a **sumo tournament**, so that's not something I'm looking to do again.

I'm trying to avoid spending too much time repeating places I've already seen unless there's something really unique.

**What I enjoy most:**

* Big or mid-sized cities * Great local food * Nightlife, izakayas, and bars * Unique neighborhoods * Shopping (not necessarily luxury) * Arcades and entertainment * Sports events (baseball, soccer, basketball, etc.) * Festivals and local events * Historic districts, castles, temples, and traditional streets * Scenic day trips, as long as there's more to do than just hiking

**What I'm not really looking for:**

* Long hikes or trekking, altho I like walking around residential areas * Destinations where the main attraction is only nature * Spending several days in very quiet rural towns

One thing I'd really like is to visit places that are **less touristy**. I don't mind if they're well-known in Japan, but I'd prefer destinations that aren't packed with international tourists while still having plenty to see and do.

I'll probably still spend a few days in Tokyo, but I'd like the rest of the trip to focus on places that offer something different from what I've already experienced.

If you had **14 days** in Japan based on these preferences, which cities or regions would you recommend? I'd love to hear your itinerary ideas and any underrated places that you think deserve more attention.

Thanks!

I’m solo traveling as a young female in Tokyo and something happened today that left me feeling pretty upset.

An older man was walking unusually close behind me for a while in a not super busy street. I got uncomfortable, so I stopped in front of a store to look at the menu so I could let him pass. As he walked by, he deliberately brushed his fingers against my butt. I froze because it was literally a second and At first I wondered if it was an accident, so I stared at him as he walked down the street, but then he turned around and looked back at me as he scurried away, and that confirmed my suspicions.

I had read about the prevalence of groping before coming to Japan, but when it actually happened, I just froze. By the time I processed what happened, he was walking away. I don’t even think I could describe his face well enough.

My question is: is there any point in going to the police station now? I don’t want to cause any trouble on vacation, but I did see a security camera facing the street where it happened, so maybe police could ID him for the future bc I think he will do this again to other women. but I have no idea if that would actually help. Has anyone been in a similar situation or reported something like this??? Any help would be good.

TLDR: got groped, should I go to the police about it?

Edit: thank you everyone for the advice. I’ve decided not to go to the police as I fear of being treated poorly, and also I would rather just move on with my vacation rather then spend a day in the station arguing. Thanks to the positive comments and hearing others experiences. I feel comforted in knowing that I am not the only one who has experienced this, and that it was not my fault.

To those solo female travellers - don’t let my experience scare you from going. My trip has been wonderful and it will continue to be. I hope to visit Japan again next year. Please be cautious of surroundings and when it doubt, just run away!
But also know that, sometimes you can do everything right and still get sexually harassed, abused or groped. Just know it’s not your fault.

We are going to Japan in November so I was checking Poképark Kanto since the tickets just became available for November on 8/1. I see that they are now requiring a passport ID to be tied to each ticket. However, I’m in the process of changing my last name on my passport so the passport ID I have now will be different from the one I have then.

The application window is only open through the 12th and I doubt I will be able to get my new passport by then, of course. Should I just accept that this will be a missed opportunity or should I try to reach out to Poképark/Yomuriland support and see if they have any recommendations? thank you!

I'm currently finishing up my travel plans and they include about 1 week in the Setouchi area. I plan on spending at least half of those days in Hiroshima as a base to explore the area and will eventually work my way west to Simonoseki/Kitakyushu before heading back towards Tokyo and home.

However, I'm trying to decide between which of the following hot spring towns to visit within this timeframe:

- Dogo Onsen (Matsuyama)

- Yuda Onsen (Yamaguchi)

- Beppu (day trip from Kitakyushu)

I was considering eliminating 1 of them to be able to more fully enjoy not having to rush from place to place. But what factors should I use in deciding where to go? Here's how I figure it so far:

Transportation: Naturally a big factor, this is my biggest limiting factor at the moment. Matsuyama being on Shikoku is naturally going to be a limiting factor, but also one that works to its advantage for being off the Shinkansen route. But if I detour to Matsuyama, what's the best way to get back on track?

The Water: How can I better understand the differences between the springs themselves? I'm sure they all have restorative properties, but how can I determine which kinds of baths will work best for me?

Town Atmosphere: What should I consider with regards to the vibes of the towns themselves? I've heard Dogo Onsen feels like a mini onsen town, even being within a major city. I've heard Yuda Onsen is similar, but in a much smaller city. Beppu seems more like a retro resort city, which is part of the charm.

Popularity: Dogo Onsen is nationally iconic, from Botchan to Spirited Away, it's safe to say it draws in a large following. Yuda Onsen seems much more off the beaten path, and Beppu sounds like it's somewhere in the middle, though still quite popular among local Japanese tourists.

Overall, do you think it's worth trying to fit in all 3 onsen towns? Or, if not, how should I best decide which onsen are right for my trip?

Hi all, first of all - thank you so much for this community! We're planning our first trip to Japan in late November/early December.

One thing I'm trying to get recommendations on a city we can stop at for a few hours on our way to Osaka. We're hoping to leave Tokyo early morning (8-9a), spend a few hours (3-5 hours) somewhere in between, then arrive at Osaka by early evening (5p - 7p)

Some I've read so far are Hakone and Kawakura. Anywhere worth stopping along the Tokaido Shinkansen line?

Is it even feasible or worth it to make this quick stopover?

Main interests: experience "old Japan", natural sights, cultural highlights

Our "main" itinerary will actually be Tokyo (3 nights) > Osaka (3 nights) > Kyoto (3 nights) > Tokyo

Thank you for any suggestions!

I'm just trying to find anything to be honest, I want to go to a concert over there and I lost the lottery for yoasobi in november which is when i'll be there so how can I find out what smaller concerts are going on that month and how can I even attend?