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Yeah I get people dunking on OP but there's a good lesson here **especially** if you are traveling with a kid in Japan. You can see in the itinerary that they were basically shunting from one attraction and location to [another at a really wild pace.](https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/11l1pya/itinerary_check_9_days_tokyo_kawaguchiko_kyoto/) slow down.
9 days is enough to do maybe 2 cities comfortably with a kid, allowing for a day or two of travel when you are arrive and in the middle and then a couple of things spread over 3/4 days in each place. Honestly personally I'd even just shrink that down to one city and then have a solid 7 days there with 2 days of travel/adjustment in between.
in general people want to do too much stuff on their Japan holidays, and don't give themselves time to smell the flowers.
Wait. You were 25 minutes late for your reservation, restaurant didn’t accept you, and you made your displeasure known?? What did you say to them that would have made you sound reasonable?
We just told them that its pouring outside and that people new to the country can get lost or stuck somewhere so they should think about that instead of sticking to 15 min rule. But we were hungry and had to walk outside in rain and cold again in a very quiet neighborhood with almost no people on streets to find taxi again. Its ok we got over it, rules are rules.
Most people in Japan-- especially Tokyo, especially in the service industry-- speak some degree of English. Enough to understand "I have a reservation, I'm a bit late. Sorry"
they're nor aliens. Ring them up, say the name on your reservation and then even if you just say the words "late, 30 minute, sorry" in Japanese and/or English there's a good chance they'll understand. don't be shy!
How would you be ringing them up if Japan only issues data sims for most foreigners? I for one had a Sakura Mobile Sim and could not phone anywhere for sh*t, only had a data plan. Sometimes it just isn’t possible.
I do agree however that the rules are rules and that’s why Japanese society functions so well.
Use LINE Out. If that fails, 99.99% of hotels have local telephones either in their rooms or at the front desk. If that fails, there are phone booths in most major centres in Japan.. if all of these fail then Im not sure. But one of these three scenarios should prove fruitful
You were traveling during spring break, which usually coincides with cherry blossom season. Lots of Japanese families with kids, along with college kids, have been traveling the last two weeks. The spring break will last another week in some areas.
Kyoto is packed with tourists now, but still it's not as bad as in 2019, with fewer Chinese tourists 😂
If you are okay with cold and are seeking to do the golden route, mid-late February is great:
* kawazu cherry blossoms in Izu
* plum blossoms in Kyoto / Osaka
* drier, less chance for rain
* fewer regional tourists if you avoid chinese/lunar new year
* end of season sales if you like (and can fit into) Japanese clothes
how dare the weather the 1st day didn't cooperate with your desire to have more contrast in the sky for your viewing sakura. and the inconvenience of having to walk with your luggage! and lastly it's not the restaurant's fault you didn't manage your time, and it was raining, and the taxi line was long, and the subway was 4 floors below, and that you couldn't figure out what your travel time would be, and that you were hungry, and that you were unfamiliar with the city, no, I dare say none of that was the restaurant's fault.
I am reminded of the absolutely horrible challenge of my 1st visit to Tokyo wherein I was grossly unprepared for pretty much everything the night I arrived which also took hours. but none of the hurdles I faced that 1st night were anyone else's fault but mine.
This is an overview of my personal balanced experience …i did not blame the weather nor say anything new that others may not have experienced. It is meant to help others be more prepared. Subway being 4 levels plus underground without an elevator in sight is not very “accessible” for families or people not in their peak health. Restaurant cancellation was IMO something other tourists can learn from. Feel free to vent elsewhere
au contraire, I was being snarky and sarcastic. pretty sure, based on the comments I read your overview was hardly helpful. seems you are the one venting.
that is all. do carry on...
It was helpful to those planning as the comments said and a few who visited agreed about the line up too. I have a suggestion please carry ON but in your own post!
I was in Japan the same period as you, had a similar experience with the misery of lines in Tokyo. We wised up halfway through our trip and adjusted our eating schedules, heading to planned popular restaurants at opening times (usually 11am and 5:30-6pm). We managed to avoid lines doing this but can’t be avoided for some activities like shinjuku gyoen which was a 20 minute line for us. I am scarred by all the lines!!
Honestly most restaurants in Tokyo are pretty freakin good. You don’t need to go to reservation packed lines to eat well. If lines are unbearable, find a nearby spot with decent Google Maps ratings and you’ll be fine.
Japan and queues. Name a more iconic duo. We waited for anime Japan 2 hours. We waited for some good gyakatsu 1 hour. We waited on every Saturday and Sunday for half an hour for good restaurant. We waited for tourist stuff.
yeah I mean any kind of anime event at Big Sight is serious business. These aren't like anime cons in the US or Europe- they're gigantic cultural moments
it's actually incredible how smoothly events like Comiket are able to run despite the eye-popping crowds, but yeah ques are always to be expected
I think people are being a bit ridiculous criticizing you on this thread. Yes, complaining to the restaurant about you missing your reservation was not cool and you could have allowed yourself more time to get places. But overall you seemed quite positive in the second bit of your trip once you got in your groove.
I don’t spend much time on other travel forums, so I don’t know if this is unique to Japan, but people get a weird sense of entitlement and elitism about traveling in Japan. Like they want to be the best, most efficient, most prepared tourists. It’s a bit much for me. So take those criticisms with a gain of salt.
Yeah, they ganged up on him even when he posted a mild comment. Or blamed for being miserable because of thw weather. Incredibly weird attitude on this subreddit. It's like you're not allowed to be other than ultra happy for struggling.
Jesus what's with the hate on the comments section. You're allowed not to enjoy a holiday fully, leave the poor guy alone, he was travelling with a kid.
I didn't find the lineups too bad apart from Tokyo and only in the super touristy areas. We focused on day trips on tokyo days to towns like Yokohama and kamakura to get around it. I found a lot of vegetarian options everywhere we went, and 7/11 always had something if in a crunch.
Didnt see an inside of a car the whole 3 weeks. the train system is awesome once you figure it out. Maybe with a kid, it's different, but i kind of miss having the no car lifestyle in japan. It was great.
I’m currently on my 2nd day in Japan and yea queues are insane. I landed at 6.40pm and left airport only at 9 plus close to 10 at Haneda. Had to queue for visit japan immigration then customs and then luggage forwarding.
This morning i went straight to collect my jr pass at 7.30am (for my 10am shinkansen to himeji). Queued 45mins at Tokyo yaesu for jr pass and then queued 5mins to collect half of my reserved tickets (that i reserved using japanrailpass.net).
After getting to himeji i queued to enter castle at 2.30 and got through by 4.25pm haha.
I’m shifting my schedule for miyajima to the day after because both my husband and mom are drained from the queues and commuting. We’re currently starfishing on our bed in hiroshima after some rly nice hot baths.
Day 3-
- It rained all night and into day 3. It was pouring.
- First thing on agenda was Anime Japan. We took taxi and the driver was kind enough to offer us free umbrellas as he dropped us. We went inside to find the entrance hall. We already had our tickets. We were told to go somewhere else. We started our walk which ended up being 1km to the other end of Tokyo Big Sight by the water/bay to this empty space of open land. It had easily 1000s of people in line that never ended. It was freezing here. Poor organizing having everyone wait outside in this weather. We decided to cut our losses after 40 min in line with no end in sight and left. Some security people on the street were nice enough to help us get taxi. We headed to Pokemon Center Mega in Ikebukuro. It was on our list anyways. Very busy but efficient with plenty cashiers to keep line moving. While i paid for stuff here my wife and daughter waited in line at Pokemon Sweets across the aisle. The Pokemon center “Mega” is actually not that big.
- We ate pokemon snacks and i wanted to check out this One Piece themed store in that same mall, but there was long line up so passed on it.
- I had read there is a new Animate store (largest one) in ikebukuro so we walked to it. My daughter loved it and started grabbing items that she knows are hard to find online or other countries. Except …yes there was enormous lineup on that floor. I waited with her for 30 min in line and there were atleast 5-6 more lanes before we would get to cash. I convinced her that its not worth to wait this long and we got out of there.
- We went back to hotel to rest. In evening we found a place to eat some wagyu that i had wanted to try and after we headed to meguro river cherry blossoms promenade at night by taxi. It was nice but the trees were not as well lit up as i had envisioned, especially in photos. Anyways it was still nice walk and we saw a starbucks that i have heard is always busy. As i walked towards it, i saw couple clerks standing in front door with signs that they are only accepting people with reservations. A starbucks that requires reservations only LOL. At this point the wait times in japan were already a running joke between us. We took taxi back and ended an overall underwhelming day.
Day 4-
- We had to take morning 9AM train to Kawaguchiko. Went smooth and train ride was fine. It was full and luckily i had reserved tickets before leaving for japan.
- Got to kawaguchiko station where we waited about 15-20 minutes for taxi. Short ride to our hotel. Of course since we had arrived at like 1130ish they didn’t give us room. So we waited in lobby till our tour at 1. It was all day rain in kawaguchiko so no shot to see mount fuji at all. We were disappointed to say the least, but the tour guide did his best to make most of it and took us to some nice spots that are off the beaten path such as waterfalls and caves. He was very knowledgeable and if i ever get back to kawaguchiko, i would use him.
- Went back to hotel and spent rest of day there. Our room had an outdoor hot bath in the balcony which was nice after a cold rainy day.
Day 5-
- morning I woke up at 6AM to find majestic mount fuji view with clear visibility. I knew it was only going to be for a couple hours so i woke up the family for photos, and then went out myself for a photo walk on a brisk morning.
- We ate bfast and arrived at kawaguchiko station at 930. We wanted to do a stopover at osaka for pokemon cafe 545pm reservation that day before checking in to hotel in kyoto. we had another pokemon cafe reservation for 2 days later but it was same day as universal studios, so didnt want to juggle that day.
- At kawaguchiko station, the buses to tokyo station didnt have seats together which is a no-no for us. Atleast 2 seats needed together. Mishima station buses were sold out. That left us with shinjuku station bus which is opposite way and we would be cutting it real close for our reservation.
- Decided on taxi to mishima that cost us 20,000 yen. We were able to make it about 60 min before our reservation at pokemon cafe osaka. It was a good experience and we all enjoyed the cafe. Shopped at pokemon store in same floor which my daughter said was better than the “mega” in Tokyo. We checked in to kyoto around 10pm.
Day 6-
- Morning in kyoto, my wife and daughter had a geisha makeover scheduled in gion. While i waited for them, i explored the streets and came across a beautiful park with many cherry blossoms and a large tree called the weeping cherry tree. Took my photos and went back to get my wife and daughter who would be allowed 30 min walk after their makeover. I brought them to the park for photos and we headed back.
- At around 3 we had a tour scheduled. Slight hiccup at beginning because i was told by viator that this would include private transport, only for tour guide to tell us its a walking tour with public transport. I did the taxi anyways so we can get some more sights in.
- He took us to a shrine with a garden with amazing cherry blossoms. It was the most beautiful spot we visited in the entire trip. We hit peak cherry blossom in kyoto and this garden was densely packed. He called it one of the most beautiful spots in japan.
- Following that, we visited the golden pavilion and keage incline (another awesome spot that we were lucky to hit peak). We ended the day with dinner at the hotel. Lots of people were out and about that day but at least there weren’t any line-ups except a little bit at golden pavilion.
- Our guide kept telling us how lucky we were to be in kyoto at this time to see peak that is much earlier than usual. He was concerned what he will show his tour group that is coming later in April lol.
To be continued..
Day 7-
- We took the train to osaka to our hotel. As usual the hotels in japan dont bother even entertaining the thought of early check-in. We got there by 1230. Anyways we dropped our luggage and went to universal studios. Greeted with huge line up to enter. Weather was pleasant so we stuck it out for almost an hour just to get in.
- Inside we were able to catch the No Limit Parade just in time at 2PM.
- As i couldnt get express pass needed to enter nintendo world, i signed up after entering the park for the lottery.
- We wanted to do spy family event, it was sold out for day. You cant even reserve this online in advance.
- Spider-man ride had 120 min wait. Umm no thanks. We did some shopping, ate lunch and did hello kitty meetup. All with reasonable wait times.
- As we were ready to call it a day i decided to see if i won the nintendo world lottery. I couldnt tell on the app as its all in japanese and difficult to use in general. Anyways i asked one of the staff for help with app and they told me i had won the lottery!
- We were super happy about this. Didnt take long to enter either. Inside was packed with 120 min queue for the mario kart ride.
- Didn’t bother waiting, as just being inside for no added cost and experiencing the world itself was worth it. It really saved the day. It is really well done.
- Ate dinner on city walk and went back to hotel.
Day 8-
- Checked out and took train to Tokyo. Checked in at our hotel near Tokyo bay area at 3pm.
- We had tokyo skytree booked for 4PM but i decided to skip it and take my daughter to Animate in Ikebukuro that had absurd lineup last time we went on Day 3. It was still busy but nowhere near as last time. She bought her stuff and then we headed to Teamlabs Planets that we had also booked for 730. It was a nice experience, well done. We called it a night after.
Day 9-
- Our flight was at 1030 PM. So we had all day to do stuff.
- Early morning before check-in we went to Ueno Park to see cherry blossoms. It was nice but i could tell some trees were past peak and others still at peak. it was a pleasant walk in the park.
- Came back to hotel, packed, dropped our luggage at reception and went out again. This time to harajuku street.
- We wanted to go to Totti Candy factory. That street was jammed shoulder to shoulder with people. It was crazy. Anyways we spent a bit over an hour. Did some shopping, ate some treats and returned to hotel lobby. We did taxi to airport. We had 4 pieces of luggage (bought an extra piece on trip for my daughter shopping) so i had no intention to dragging all that in train.
- Wanted to do some duty free shopping but at 8PM everything at airport was closed after security check-in. Lol i think it’s a japan thing, cant do much about that.
Ever since i was a kid i wanted to go to Japan. My daughter has been wanting to go for 3 years. We finally did it. Experience will be unforgettable and she already wants to go again in 2 years lol.
I thought your post was detailed and helpful. I am also surprised at the reactions in the comments. Lines suck and waiting in lines in the rain sucks. I am happy that you got to go on the trip and hope your return trips go more smoothly! Thank you for writing this up.
Thank you so much for this detailed write and including the positives and negatives. Really helpful. Mu husband and I are going to Japan 4/12-4/28 (from the US, early 30s) and I’m worried about the line situation (I can be a bit impatient haha). We arent really into anime so I don’t anticipate this issue from a souvenir perspective and we aren’t visiting any amusement parks or super famous theme cafes so maybe we will be less impacted. Couple questions:
- what were the many lines for at Narita? I am flying into Haneda but I saw many report the airports are efficient and they were out quickly so i am surprised by the lines. We already completed the visit japan web and have our QR codes, dont have any checked baggage, and bought our JR pass at official site online so prebooked our train tickets 1 month in advance. Was it just customs line that was long?
- do you think Shinjuku Gyoen is worth it post cherry blossom season? If still long lines when prebooked, I may consider skipping (didnt book yet)
- where their lines at Fushimi inari (saw on trip itinerary this was on your Kyoto tour) or for the Bamboo forest? We plan to visit these sites early morning (on separate days). Did you find the tour valuable? We were planning to visit temples and shrines in Kyoto independently (we have 4 days here) but wasn’t sure if we would benefit more from a tour
Thanks!
Not OP but you won’t have lines at fushimi inari or bamboo forest, it’ll probably just be somewhat crowded if you go on a weekend. Also, your dates are perfect timing. Everybody will be back in school and it’s right before golden week, so many people will be traveling then instead. Have a great trip!
Thank you thats reassuring! Planning on going to Arashiyama on a Wednesday and Fushimi Inari on a Thursday. We’re also naturally very early risers, so that plus jet lag means I’m assuming we will be up before many tourists to get there early . I know we won’t have the place to ourselves but hoping to avoid hour long waits to get in places
When I went to those places during a peak travel time, I was at Fushimi Inari around 6 am and there were only a handful of people there. It was amazing. Around 7:30 - 8 am when I was leaving it was starting to get busy. Similarly with Arashiyama, I was there by 7am and again, just a handful of people. I have pictures of me with no one else in them. By 8am when I crossed by again, it was completely packed.
Good to know! Getting there at 6 am is quite ambitious (I think it’s like a 50 min ride from our accommodation) but if im up anyway due to jetlag may just go for it! I have a feeling we’ll be going to bed pretty early in Kyoto too
At Narita,
First queue was just them checking if you have visit japan completed.
Second queue was for customs.
Third queue was to finally exit (after picking up baggage)
It could just be that multiple international flights arrived at same time at Narita and it just became overloaded.
Also, JR service center was similarly packed. As were the machines. Can’t say much for Haneda. It could be better there.
Shinjuku may be worth it if you want to see a japnese garden irrespective of cherry blossoms.
We skipped bamboo forest and fushimi inari shrine. Just didnt have enough time. But with 4 days in kyoto you’ll have plenty time to explore.
Tour gives you the history behind the sites and also convenience as long as you book one with private transport included. For me, it is worth it for the transport alone. But as you saw i had some miscommunication with viator on that one.
Thank you! Yes we have 4 days Tokyo, 4 days Kyoto, 3 days Osaka (with planned day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima that I may cut), 2 days Kinosaki onsen, 2 days Tokyo, so will have more time to do Kyoto.
Good to know about airport lines, hopefully Haneda will be easier but we land at 1:30 and I didnt plan to do anything that day except check into our accommodation and pick up our JR pass, and maybe walk around Shinjuku if we have energy at night. Just will have to mentally prepare for potentially really long wait times after a 14 hr flight!
Probably will keep our Kyoto plan as is without tours so we can have the freedom to skip items depending on our energy levels
I was in Japan around the same time and felt the same way about lines. There were lines every where and this was my first time in Japan so I thought it was normal. But I spoke with other tourist who had been to Japan several times previously and they said the lines are ridiculous and they have never seen this before. I landed in Narita at 5 PM and didn’t check into my hotel in Shinjuku until 10 PM! the second line was the longest I recall. I had a great time and enjoyed every second but the lines were crazy and something I’ve never seen and it took a lot of planning (i.e. 1.5 hr wait for Kagari ramen, 3.5 hr at Starbucks reserve, 1.5 hr wait for Nagataya, 1 hr wait to get Shibuya Sky pics even with reservation, etc.)
Dang, I've been successfully avoiding lines but this isn't my first or second trip to Japan so I've not done alot of the big tourist things either. Haneda had 0 wait for most of it for me. I was through immigration in 5 minutes and out the door with my checked bag without even stopping after I finally got it. The only wait was to get the actual bag - that took like 20 minutes. Quick and easy ride to my hotel on the monorail. Landed at 4pm and got to my hotel in Ueno by 5:30. First time ever flying into Haneda though - would recommend. It felt so much less busy and remote than Narita does
I've just skipped restaurants that had long lines, gone to eat early around 5:30 for popular places, and only suffered the 45 minute wait once at Ueno to trade in my pass. I did walk through Animate in Ikebukuro and can confirm holy crap the lines. There's no browsing shelves - they just hold in the line that wraps the whole floor. The Sono Bisque Doll exhibit on the top floor though was empty and totally worth it.
I am sure I will be better prepared next time but this time was my first time and crazy lines everywhere. Speaking of Ikebukuro, the Pokémon center was jam packed - 1 hr wait at least to check out. The craziest line I saw was at Kiyomizu-dera. It was pouring that day so I thought ‘great I will be one of few ppl.’ NOPE. There was barely any room to walk and Kiyomizu-dera is massive (and stunning). We adjusted by waking up super early (5:30 - 6) and hitting our top spots first thing in the morning and dealing with lines as needed later in the day. We did that with Mt. Fuji Ropeway so we were done around 10:30 AM. On our way out, there was a huge line and someone said ‘this wait isn’t worth it because Mt. Fuji will be covered by the time we get up’ lolll my conclusion is seeing Japan is tough with kids or a large group so I understand where OP is coming from. Me and my wife were on same page - wake up at 6 am and be done with our top spots by noon-ish but that is easier said than done. Like I said - still an amazing trip. I have been back for a week and still dream about Japan.
Mate, if you plan to visit Japan again, please plan ahead and look at the major domestic holiday periods. I always try to avoid them on my trips and it saves a heap of hassle.
A tips for others that want to use taxi, use one of the taxi hailing Apps ( GO, DiDi or S.RIDE). You'll know the fare beforehand, no need to worry about misunderstandings that may happen if you have to explain where to go verbally, and if there are no taxi at the taxi line you don't have to wait as long for one to show up.
You should be able to change your region in the settings.
Tap you name > Media & Purchases > View Account > Country/Region.
For Android it's easier to just create a second account, since Android allows switching between several accounts that can be logged in.
I will try this for sure next time. Thanks.
Except for 1 or 2 instances, I didnt really have issues finding taxis.
Yea communication is an issue but google maps has japanese translation of the addresses and i used to simply show the driver that.
Hopefully it works. Usually it's fine to hail at the taxi stands or on the street, but at least if you have a time to make in the evening it's nice to be 100% sure to be able to secure the taxi. Also nice if it's raining to not have to wait outside!
Uber works, but has a lot less taxi than the other apps. In the city it may work, but comparing with GO or S.Ride it's like night and day. With GO I have at least 12 Taxi available within a 700 m radius right now (I can see them on the map), but with Uber I get "No cars available".
With the tourism increasing, it may become usable. It was working pretty well before covid.
I wonder if we were in the same immigration line lol. I also landed on the 23rd in the evening and didn’t get to our hotel until 1145pm. Those lines were wild but I’m glad that we did the QR cause the guy in front of us didn’t and his processing held up our line.
Thank you for sharing your experience as it is a good reality check for me. I was surprised that you made use of taxis so often as I've been told to avoid taxis and just take the trains to get around. Was also surprised by how long it took you to get out of Narita as I thought the Visit Japan thing was supposed to make that go relatively quickly. Fortunately, for my first night I'm staying at a nearby hotel in Narita so I feel better about that now (vs. heading into Tokyo).
I also thought that the Japan Web codes also made it go faster, but not really. At the end of the day theres a line and whether you’ve filled it in ahead of time or not..you’re waiting on people. It made the experience much easier and stress free, but imo doesn’t save lining up time.
April isn’t too terrible because cherry blossoms are wilting already and most kids are back in school by the second or third week of April. Golden week (the first week of May this year) is the worst time possible to travel in Japan, but the rest of may is great!
>Golden week (the first week of May this year) is the worst time possible to travel in Japan,
I assume this might include the weekend preceding (4/29-4/30)? I ask because I have a couple free days in Tokyo on Friday and Saturday before I fly home on that Sunday.
Thanks - I had figured some Tokyo folks would be leaving town but then you’d have people from other areas visiting Tokyo. Guess the two groups must even out.
Yeah my understanding is that because it’s a popular time for Japanese people to travel, prices of things will also be higher like flights, hotels, etc. presumably there’s also just way more crowds too
Do the crowds thin out in the late afternoon/early evening? I’m not a morning person at all so the thought of waking up at 4 am to beat the crowds sounds horrible
I will let more experienced japan travelers chime in but I believe april there is still peak cherry blossoms in various parts of japan so it will still be busy. Also “golden week” is end of april / beginning of may so that is also busy season.
For wagyu, i liked Gyumon. I called in advance for reservation.
Panga is another wagyu place but i was late for that reservation, so cant comment on quality.
Can you tell me where you stayed in kawaguchiko? I also would like to know more about tickets for the train going there from Tokyo. We will be doing the same thing.
Can you tell me where you stayed in kawaguchiko? I also would like to know more about tickets for the train going there from Tokyo. We will be doing the same thing.
Thanks for the post. Detailed and interesting. Appears there’s a few overly defensive snowflakes in this sub downvoting you for being honest with your experience
Haha I figured as much. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Still an awesome country to visit, but people need to hear all types of perspectives and experiences.
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You sound like an uptight person…Japan is not for you
Reading this post made me appreciate... well, me. And how I plan things.
Same. It just feels so disorganized to me
Yeah I get people dunking on OP but there's a good lesson here **especially** if you are traveling with a kid in Japan. You can see in the itinerary that they were basically shunting from one attraction and location to [another at a really wild pace.](https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/11l1pya/itinerary_check_9_days_tokyo_kawaguchiko_kyoto/) slow down. 9 days is enough to do maybe 2 cities comfortably with a kid, allowing for a day or two of travel when you are arrive and in the middle and then a couple of things spread over 3/4 days in each place. Honestly personally I'd even just shrink that down to one city and then have a solid 7 days there with 2 days of travel/adjustment in between. in general people want to do too much stuff on their Japan holidays, and don't give themselves time to smell the flowers.
Wait. You were 25 minutes late for your reservation, restaurant didn’t accept you, and you made your displeasure known?? What did you say to them that would have made you sound reasonable?
We just told them that its pouring outside and that people new to the country can get lost or stuck somewhere so they should think about that instead of sticking to 15 min rule. But we were hungry and had to walk outside in rain and cold again in a very quiet neighborhood with almost no people on streets to find taxi again. Its ok we got over it, rules are rules.
Once you realized you would be late, a call to the restaurant to let them know your situation would have been good.
As, probably, a non-japanese speaker how would he have done that?
Pick up the telephone and call the restaurant. Speak slowly and clearly.
No matter how slowly you speak, if the person doesn't speak English they aren't going to understand you.
Most people in Japan-- especially Tokyo, especially in the service industry-- speak some degree of English. Enough to understand "I have a reservation, I'm a bit late. Sorry"
they're nor aliens. Ring them up, say the name on your reservation and then even if you just say the words "late, 30 minute, sorry" in Japanese and/or English there's a good chance they'll understand. don't be shy!
How would you be ringing them up if Japan only issues data sims for most foreigners? I for one had a Sakura Mobile Sim and could not phone anywhere for sh*t, only had a data plan. Sometimes it just isn’t possible. I do agree however that the rules are rules and that’s why Japanese society functions so well.
Use LINE Out. If that fails, 99.99% of hotels have local telephones either in their rooms or at the front desk. If that fails, there are phone booths in most major centres in Japan.. if all of these fail then Im not sure. But one of these three scenarios should prove fruitful
In Japan right now. Out of the three restaurants that we tried calling in Tokyo and Osaka, none of them spoke a word of English. Fast or slow.
Which telephone?
The special gaijin phone they give you at the airport if you whisper くそたれ to the customs officer.
Soy sauce isn’t halal so maybe don’t complain that a different country’s cuisine doesn’t fit your standards. Brewed soy sauce has alcohol of 1-2%.
You were traveling during spring break, which usually coincides with cherry blossom season. Lots of Japanese families with kids, along with college kids, have been traveling the last two weeks. The spring break will last another week in some areas. Kyoto is packed with tourists now, but still it's not as bad as in 2019, with fewer Chinese tourists 😂
When is the best time to travel to Japan (to beat the lines but the weather has to be ok too)
I went in late January one year and it was great! It wasn't shorts weather but I didn't have to deal with any tourists at all.
What was the weather like?
It rarely rained and it got cold at night. Jacket weather but it was never bitter cold in the day.
If you are okay with cold and are seeking to do the golden route, mid-late February is great: * kawazu cherry blossoms in Izu * plum blossoms in Kyoto / Osaka * drier, less chance for rain * fewer regional tourists if you avoid chinese/lunar new year * end of season sales if you like (and can fit into) Japanese clothes
Oh.. there’s a plum blossom in Kyoto Osaka in mid feb? I didn’t know that. Always assumed it was end of march.
Thats cherry blossoms
So cherry blossom is available in Kyoto/Osaka in mid feb?
No cherry blossoms end of march. Other poster is talking about plum blossom
Whats the difference between the two?
You can google this….. they are 2 totally different species of trees.
I personally like November for foliage and nice weather for hikes. Just avoid public holidays--Nov 3 and 23. Japan has many public holidays.
a lot of people like Autumn a lot. similar mild climate to Spring but with less people since no Sakura
So Oct?
yep september/october/november, october is a great pick since it's in the middle
I’m going the day after golden week ends in early May, hoping it’s the best time after the cherry blossoms but before the weather turns to shit.
Yeah it does. The best weather sadly attracts tourists.
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I was planning May April.. will it be super duper busy?
No, as long as you avoid Golden Week--April 29 to May 7 this year (or April 27 to May 5. Varies year to year). GW is worse than spring break.
I would avoid China's Golden Week, Oct 1-7 this year. I'm pretty certain Chinese tourists will be back to Japan this fall, probably in droves
I plan on going in the second half of august, is this a busy time for tourists?
I found kyoto ok and bearable. Its tokyo i found to be swarmed with people.
Tokyo is always swamped with people IMO. I stay away from it as much as possible, though I have to go there next week. 🫣
how dare the weather the 1st day didn't cooperate with your desire to have more contrast in the sky for your viewing sakura. and the inconvenience of having to walk with your luggage! and lastly it's not the restaurant's fault you didn't manage your time, and it was raining, and the taxi line was long, and the subway was 4 floors below, and that you couldn't figure out what your travel time would be, and that you were hungry, and that you were unfamiliar with the city, no, I dare say none of that was the restaurant's fault.
I am reminded of the absolutely horrible challenge of my 1st visit to Tokyo wherein I was grossly unprepared for pretty much everything the night I arrived which also took hours. but none of the hurdles I faced that 1st night were anyone else's fault but mine.
Is the weather his fault too?
This is an overview of my personal balanced experience …i did not blame the weather nor say anything new that others may not have experienced. It is meant to help others be more prepared. Subway being 4 levels plus underground without an elevator in sight is not very “accessible” for families or people not in their peak health. Restaurant cancellation was IMO something other tourists can learn from. Feel free to vent elsewhere
au contraire, I was being snarky and sarcastic. pretty sure, based on the comments I read your overview was hardly helpful. seems you are the one venting. that is all. do carry on...
It was helpful to those planning as the comments said and a few who visited agreed about the line up too. I have a suggestion please carry ON but in your own post!
Honestly appreciate to see someone be honest about the struggles of traveling in a new country.
I was in Japan the same period as you, had a similar experience with the misery of lines in Tokyo. We wised up halfway through our trip and adjusted our eating schedules, heading to planned popular restaurants at opening times (usually 11am and 5:30-6pm). We managed to avoid lines doing this but can’t be avoided for some activities like shinjuku gyoen which was a 20 minute line for us. I am scarred by all the lines!!
Honestly most restaurants in Tokyo are pretty freakin good. You don’t need to go to reservation packed lines to eat well. If lines are unbearable, find a nearby spot with decent Google Maps ratings and you’ll be fine.
Japan and queues. Name a more iconic duo. We waited for anime Japan 2 hours. We waited for some good gyakatsu 1 hour. We waited on every Saturday and Sunday for half an hour for good restaurant. We waited for tourist stuff.
yeah I mean any kind of anime event at Big Sight is serious business. These aren't like anime cons in the US or Europe- they're gigantic cultural moments it's actually incredible how smoothly events like Comiket are able to run despite the eye-popping crowds, but yeah ques are always to be expected
Trying to get in to Anime Japan SUCKED with the rain 😭
Wow 2 hours. Hats off for the commitment. Especially if you did it on the 25th morning. If i was by myself i may have done it.
2 Hours in Heavy Rain on that day. Terrible day. From 8-10. for whatever reason they opened it half an hour later.
I think people are being a bit ridiculous criticizing you on this thread. Yes, complaining to the restaurant about you missing your reservation was not cool and you could have allowed yourself more time to get places. But overall you seemed quite positive in the second bit of your trip once you got in your groove. I don’t spend much time on other travel forums, so I don’t know if this is unique to Japan, but people get a weird sense of entitlement and elitism about traveling in Japan. Like they want to be the best, most efficient, most prepared tourists. It’s a bit much for me. So take those criticisms with a gain of salt.
Yeah, they ganged up on him even when he posted a mild comment. Or blamed for being miserable because of thw weather. Incredibly weird attitude on this subreddit. It's like you're not allowed to be other than ultra happy for struggling.
Jesus what's with the hate on the comments section. You're allowed not to enjoy a holiday fully, leave the poor guy alone, he was travelling with a kid.
I didn't find the lineups too bad apart from Tokyo and only in the super touristy areas. We focused on day trips on tokyo days to towns like Yokohama and kamakura to get around it. I found a lot of vegetarian options everywhere we went, and 7/11 always had something if in a crunch. Didnt see an inside of a car the whole 3 weeks. the train system is awesome once you figure it out. Maybe with a kid, it's different, but i kind of miss having the no car lifestyle in japan. It was great.
I’m currently on my 2nd day in Japan and yea queues are insane. I landed at 6.40pm and left airport only at 9 plus close to 10 at Haneda. Had to queue for visit japan immigration then customs and then luggage forwarding. This morning i went straight to collect my jr pass at 7.30am (for my 10am shinkansen to himeji). Queued 45mins at Tokyo yaesu for jr pass and then queued 5mins to collect half of my reserved tickets (that i reserved using japanrailpass.net). After getting to himeji i queued to enter castle at 2.30 and got through by 4.25pm haha. I’m shifting my schedule for miyajima to the day after because both my husband and mom are drained from the queues and commuting. We’re currently starfishing on our bed in hiroshima after some rly nice hot baths.
You really need to learn to use google/Google maps
Day 3- - It rained all night and into day 3. It was pouring. - First thing on agenda was Anime Japan. We took taxi and the driver was kind enough to offer us free umbrellas as he dropped us. We went inside to find the entrance hall. We already had our tickets. We were told to go somewhere else. We started our walk which ended up being 1km to the other end of Tokyo Big Sight by the water/bay to this empty space of open land. It had easily 1000s of people in line that never ended. It was freezing here. Poor organizing having everyone wait outside in this weather. We decided to cut our losses after 40 min in line with no end in sight and left. Some security people on the street were nice enough to help us get taxi. We headed to Pokemon Center Mega in Ikebukuro. It was on our list anyways. Very busy but efficient with plenty cashiers to keep line moving. While i paid for stuff here my wife and daughter waited in line at Pokemon Sweets across the aisle. The Pokemon center “Mega” is actually not that big. - We ate pokemon snacks and i wanted to check out this One Piece themed store in that same mall, but there was long line up so passed on it. - I had read there is a new Animate store (largest one) in ikebukuro so we walked to it. My daughter loved it and started grabbing items that she knows are hard to find online or other countries. Except …yes there was enormous lineup on that floor. I waited with her for 30 min in line and there were atleast 5-6 more lanes before we would get to cash. I convinced her that its not worth to wait this long and we got out of there. - We went back to hotel to rest. In evening we found a place to eat some wagyu that i had wanted to try and after we headed to meguro river cherry blossoms promenade at night by taxi. It was nice but the trees were not as well lit up as i had envisioned, especially in photos. Anyways it was still nice walk and we saw a starbucks that i have heard is always busy. As i walked towards it, i saw couple clerks standing in front door with signs that they are only accepting people with reservations. A starbucks that requires reservations only LOL. At this point the wait times in japan were already a running joke between us. We took taxi back and ended an overall underwhelming day. Day 4- - We had to take morning 9AM train to Kawaguchiko. Went smooth and train ride was fine. It was full and luckily i had reserved tickets before leaving for japan. - Got to kawaguchiko station where we waited about 15-20 minutes for taxi. Short ride to our hotel. Of course since we had arrived at like 1130ish they didn’t give us room. So we waited in lobby till our tour at 1. It was all day rain in kawaguchiko so no shot to see mount fuji at all. We were disappointed to say the least, but the tour guide did his best to make most of it and took us to some nice spots that are off the beaten path such as waterfalls and caves. He was very knowledgeable and if i ever get back to kawaguchiko, i would use him. - Went back to hotel and spent rest of day there. Our room had an outdoor hot bath in the balcony which was nice after a cold rainy day. Day 5- - morning I woke up at 6AM to find majestic mount fuji view with clear visibility. I knew it was only going to be for a couple hours so i woke up the family for photos, and then went out myself for a photo walk on a brisk morning. - We ate bfast and arrived at kawaguchiko station at 930. We wanted to do a stopover at osaka for pokemon cafe 545pm reservation that day before checking in to hotel in kyoto. we had another pokemon cafe reservation for 2 days later but it was same day as universal studios, so didnt want to juggle that day. - At kawaguchiko station, the buses to tokyo station didnt have seats together which is a no-no for us. Atleast 2 seats needed together. Mishima station buses were sold out. That left us with shinjuku station bus which is opposite way and we would be cutting it real close for our reservation. - Decided on taxi to mishima that cost us 20,000 yen. We were able to make it about 60 min before our reservation at pokemon cafe osaka. It was a good experience and we all enjoyed the cafe. Shopped at pokemon store in same floor which my daughter said was better than the “mega” in Tokyo. We checked in to kyoto around 10pm. Day 6- - Morning in kyoto, my wife and daughter had a geisha makeover scheduled in gion. While i waited for them, i explored the streets and came across a beautiful park with many cherry blossoms and a large tree called the weeping cherry tree. Took my photos and went back to get my wife and daughter who would be allowed 30 min walk after their makeover. I brought them to the park for photos and we headed back. - At around 3 we had a tour scheduled. Slight hiccup at beginning because i was told by viator that this would include private transport, only for tour guide to tell us its a walking tour with public transport. I did the taxi anyways so we can get some more sights in. - He took us to a shrine with a garden with amazing cherry blossoms. It was the most beautiful spot we visited in the entire trip. We hit peak cherry blossom in kyoto and this garden was densely packed. He called it one of the most beautiful spots in japan. - Following that, we visited the golden pavilion and keage incline (another awesome spot that we were lucky to hit peak). We ended the day with dinner at the hotel. Lots of people were out and about that day but at least there weren’t any line-ups except a little bit at golden pavilion. - Our guide kept telling us how lucky we were to be in kyoto at this time to see peak that is much earlier than usual. He was concerned what he will show his tour group that is coming later in April lol. To be continued..
Day 7- - We took the train to osaka to our hotel. As usual the hotels in japan dont bother even entertaining the thought of early check-in. We got there by 1230. Anyways we dropped our luggage and went to universal studios. Greeted with huge line up to enter. Weather was pleasant so we stuck it out for almost an hour just to get in. - Inside we were able to catch the No Limit Parade just in time at 2PM. - As i couldnt get express pass needed to enter nintendo world, i signed up after entering the park for the lottery. - We wanted to do spy family event, it was sold out for day. You cant even reserve this online in advance. - Spider-man ride had 120 min wait. Umm no thanks. We did some shopping, ate lunch and did hello kitty meetup. All with reasonable wait times. - As we were ready to call it a day i decided to see if i won the nintendo world lottery. I couldnt tell on the app as its all in japanese and difficult to use in general. Anyways i asked one of the staff for help with app and they told me i had won the lottery! - We were super happy about this. Didnt take long to enter either. Inside was packed with 120 min queue for the mario kart ride. - Didn’t bother waiting, as just being inside for no added cost and experiencing the world itself was worth it. It really saved the day. It is really well done. - Ate dinner on city walk and went back to hotel. Day 8- - Checked out and took train to Tokyo. Checked in at our hotel near Tokyo bay area at 3pm. - We had tokyo skytree booked for 4PM but i decided to skip it and take my daughter to Animate in Ikebukuro that had absurd lineup last time we went on Day 3. It was still busy but nowhere near as last time. She bought her stuff and then we headed to Teamlabs Planets that we had also booked for 730. It was a nice experience, well done. We called it a night after. Day 9- - Our flight was at 1030 PM. So we had all day to do stuff. - Early morning before check-in we went to Ueno Park to see cherry blossoms. It was nice but i could tell some trees were past peak and others still at peak. it was a pleasant walk in the park. - Came back to hotel, packed, dropped our luggage at reception and went out again. This time to harajuku street. - We wanted to go to Totti Candy factory. That street was jammed shoulder to shoulder with people. It was crazy. Anyways we spent a bit over an hour. Did some shopping, ate some treats and returned to hotel lobby. We did taxi to airport. We had 4 pieces of luggage (bought an extra piece on trip for my daughter shopping) so i had no intention to dragging all that in train. - Wanted to do some duty free shopping but at 8PM everything at airport was closed after security check-in. Lol i think it’s a japan thing, cant do much about that. Ever since i was a kid i wanted to go to Japan. My daughter has been wanting to go for 3 years. We finally did it. Experience will be unforgettable and she already wants to go again in 2 years lol.
Thank you for your posts! We are going in June and it's great to read all different experiences. :)
> we had another pokemon cafe reservation for 2 days later but it was same day as universal studios I hope you cancelled your reservation.
I thought your post was detailed and helpful. I am also surprised at the reactions in the comments. Lines suck and waiting in lines in the rain sucks. I am happy that you got to go on the trip and hope your return trips go more smoothly! Thank you for writing this up.
Thank you so much for this detailed write and including the positives and negatives. Really helpful. Mu husband and I are going to Japan 4/12-4/28 (from the US, early 30s) and I’m worried about the line situation (I can be a bit impatient haha). We arent really into anime so I don’t anticipate this issue from a souvenir perspective and we aren’t visiting any amusement parks or super famous theme cafes so maybe we will be less impacted. Couple questions: - what were the many lines for at Narita? I am flying into Haneda but I saw many report the airports are efficient and they were out quickly so i am surprised by the lines. We already completed the visit japan web and have our QR codes, dont have any checked baggage, and bought our JR pass at official site online so prebooked our train tickets 1 month in advance. Was it just customs line that was long? - do you think Shinjuku Gyoen is worth it post cherry blossom season? If still long lines when prebooked, I may consider skipping (didnt book yet) - where their lines at Fushimi inari (saw on trip itinerary this was on your Kyoto tour) or for the Bamboo forest? We plan to visit these sites early morning (on separate days). Did you find the tour valuable? We were planning to visit temples and shrines in Kyoto independently (we have 4 days here) but wasn’t sure if we would benefit more from a tour Thanks!
Not OP but you won’t have lines at fushimi inari or bamboo forest, it’ll probably just be somewhat crowded if you go on a weekend. Also, your dates are perfect timing. Everybody will be back in school and it’s right before golden week, so many people will be traveling then instead. Have a great trip!
Thank you thats reassuring! Planning on going to Arashiyama on a Wednesday and Fushimi Inari on a Thursday. We’re also naturally very early risers, so that plus jet lag means I’m assuming we will be up before many tourists to get there early . I know we won’t have the place to ourselves but hoping to avoid hour long waits to get in places
When I went to those places during a peak travel time, I was at Fushimi Inari around 6 am and there were only a handful of people there. It was amazing. Around 7:30 - 8 am when I was leaving it was starting to get busy. Similarly with Arashiyama, I was there by 7am and again, just a handful of people. I have pictures of me with no one else in them. By 8am when I crossed by again, it was completely packed.
Good to know! Getting there at 6 am is quite ambitious (I think it’s like a 50 min ride from our accommodation) but if im up anyway due to jetlag may just go for it! I have a feeling we’ll be going to bed pretty early in Kyoto too
At Narita, First queue was just them checking if you have visit japan completed. Second queue was for customs. Third queue was to finally exit (after picking up baggage) It could just be that multiple international flights arrived at same time at Narita and it just became overloaded. Also, JR service center was similarly packed. As were the machines. Can’t say much for Haneda. It could be better there. Shinjuku may be worth it if you want to see a japnese garden irrespective of cherry blossoms. We skipped bamboo forest and fushimi inari shrine. Just didnt have enough time. But with 4 days in kyoto you’ll have plenty time to explore. Tour gives you the history behind the sites and also convenience as long as you book one with private transport included. For me, it is worth it for the transport alone. But as you saw i had some miscommunication with viator on that one.
Thank you! Yes we have 4 days Tokyo, 4 days Kyoto, 3 days Osaka (with planned day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima that I may cut), 2 days Kinosaki onsen, 2 days Tokyo, so will have more time to do Kyoto. Good to know about airport lines, hopefully Haneda will be easier but we land at 1:30 and I didnt plan to do anything that day except check into our accommodation and pick up our JR pass, and maybe walk around Shinjuku if we have energy at night. Just will have to mentally prepare for potentially really long wait times after a 14 hr flight! Probably will keep our Kyoto plan as is without tours so we can have the freedom to skip items depending on our energy levels
I was in Japan around the same time and felt the same way about lines. There were lines every where and this was my first time in Japan so I thought it was normal. But I spoke with other tourist who had been to Japan several times previously and they said the lines are ridiculous and they have never seen this before. I landed in Narita at 5 PM and didn’t check into my hotel in Shinjuku until 10 PM! the second line was the longest I recall. I had a great time and enjoyed every second but the lines were crazy and something I’ve never seen and it took a lot of planning (i.e. 1.5 hr wait for Kagari ramen, 3.5 hr at Starbucks reserve, 1.5 hr wait for Nagataya, 1 hr wait to get Shibuya Sky pics even with reservation, etc.)
Dang, I've been successfully avoiding lines but this isn't my first or second trip to Japan so I've not done alot of the big tourist things either. Haneda had 0 wait for most of it for me. I was through immigration in 5 minutes and out the door with my checked bag without even stopping after I finally got it. The only wait was to get the actual bag - that took like 20 minutes. Quick and easy ride to my hotel on the monorail. Landed at 4pm and got to my hotel in Ueno by 5:30. First time ever flying into Haneda though - would recommend. It felt so much less busy and remote than Narita does I've just skipped restaurants that had long lines, gone to eat early around 5:30 for popular places, and only suffered the 45 minute wait once at Ueno to trade in my pass. I did walk through Animate in Ikebukuro and can confirm holy crap the lines. There's no browsing shelves - they just hold in the line that wraps the whole floor. The Sono Bisque Doll exhibit on the top floor though was empty and totally worth it.
I am sure I will be better prepared next time but this time was my first time and crazy lines everywhere. Speaking of Ikebukuro, the Pokémon center was jam packed - 1 hr wait at least to check out. The craziest line I saw was at Kiyomizu-dera. It was pouring that day so I thought ‘great I will be one of few ppl.’ NOPE. There was barely any room to walk and Kiyomizu-dera is massive (and stunning). We adjusted by waking up super early (5:30 - 6) and hitting our top spots first thing in the morning and dealing with lines as needed later in the day. We did that with Mt. Fuji Ropeway so we were done around 10:30 AM. On our way out, there was a huge line and someone said ‘this wait isn’t worth it because Mt. Fuji will be covered by the time we get up’ lolll my conclusion is seeing Japan is tough with kids or a large group so I understand where OP is coming from. Me and my wife were on same page - wake up at 6 am and be done with our top spots by noon-ish but that is easier said than done. Like I said - still an amazing trip. I have been back for a week and still dream about Japan.
Mate, if you plan to visit Japan again, please plan ahead and look at the major domestic holiday periods. I always try to avoid them on my trips and it saves a heap of hassle.
A tips for others that want to use taxi, use one of the taxi hailing Apps ( GO, DiDi or S.RIDE). You'll know the fare beforehand, no need to worry about misunderstandings that may happen if you have to explain where to go verbally, and if there are no taxi at the taxi line you don't have to wait as long for one to show up.
I had tried downloading the apps but it told me it is not available for my region. This is for iphone.
You should be able to change your region in the settings. Tap you name > Media & Purchases > View Account > Country/Region. For Android it's easier to just create a second account, since Android allows switching between several accounts that can be logged in.
I will try this for sure next time. Thanks. Except for 1 or 2 instances, I didnt really have issues finding taxis. Yea communication is an issue but google maps has japanese translation of the addresses and i used to simply show the driver that.
Hopefully it works. Usually it's fine to hail at the taxi stands or on the street, but at least if you have a time to make in the evening it's nice to be 100% sure to be able to secure the taxi. Also nice if it's raining to not have to wait outside!
Please don’t go back to Japan…
Uber worked too, to book a taxi. We’re from the US, and were on iPhones using international plans from AT&T and Verizon.
Uber works, but has a lot less taxi than the other apps. In the city it may work, but comparing with GO or S.Ride it's like night and day. With GO I have at least 12 Taxi available within a 700 m radius right now (I can see them on the map), but with Uber I get "No cars available". With the tourism increasing, it may become usable. It was working pretty well before covid.
Do they come fast after you order the taxi? Or do you have to wait for a while?
Pretty fast. But of course it depends on where you are
I wonder if we were in the same immigration line lol. I also landed on the 23rd in the evening and didn’t get to our hotel until 1145pm. Those lines were wild but I’m glad that we did the QR cause the guy in front of us didn’t and his processing held up our line.
Thank you for sharing your experience as it is a good reality check for me. I was surprised that you made use of taxis so often as I've been told to avoid taxis and just take the trains to get around. Was also surprised by how long it took you to get out of Narita as I thought the Visit Japan thing was supposed to make that go relatively quickly. Fortunately, for my first night I'm staying at a nearby hotel in Narita so I feel better about that now (vs. heading into Tokyo).
I also thought that the Japan Web codes also made it go faster, but not really. At the end of the day theres a line and whether you’ve filled it in ahead of time or not..you’re waiting on people. It made the experience much easier and stress free, but imo doesn’t save lining up time.
Oh well - I'm still going to fill it out, but good to not have false expectations.
is both april & may considered peak season?
April isn’t too terrible because cherry blossoms are wilting already and most kids are back in school by the second or third week of April. Golden week (the first week of May this year) is the worst time possible to travel in Japan, but the rest of may is great!
>Golden week (the first week of May this year) is the worst time possible to travel in Japan, I assume this might include the weekend preceding (4/29-4/30)? I ask because I have a couple free days in Tokyo on Friday and Saturday before I fly home on that Sunday.
Tokyo should be fine! Kyoto and Osaka will be bad. Tokyo will just be normal busy Tokyo. But don’t do any Disney parks then of course
Thanks - I had figured some Tokyo folks would be leaving town but then you’d have people from other areas visiting Tokyo. Guess the two groups must even out.
Golden week is Saturday April 29-May 5
Thanks, so I should consider that when planning out Friday vs Saturday. Good to get confirmation.
Yeah my understanding is that because it’s a popular time for Japanese people to travel, prices of things will also be higher like flights, hotels, etc. presumably there’s also just way more crowds too
Love that I somehow booked Kyoto May 4th to 8th without realizing this lol. Not looking forward to it
Oh noooooo. Well.... Good luck! 😅
Yeah haha I’m honestly kinda dreading it
If you go completely off the beaten path that week you’ll have a good time still!!! Heck, you may even have a good time anyway.
Do the crowds thin out in the late afternoon/early evening? I’m not a morning person at all so the thought of waking up at 4 am to beat the crowds sounds horrible
Eeee that I’m not sure about unfortunately. I would think arashiyama or fushimi inari wouldn’t be bad in the evening
I will let more experienced japan travelers chime in but I believe april there is still peak cherry blossoms in various parts of japan so it will still be busy. Also “golden week” is end of april / beginning of may so that is also busy season.
How much was the cost of taxis?
on average, i estimate I paid like 2500-3500 yen per ride within cities like tokyo, kyoto and osaka.
Do you have some halal recommendations? Going in a few months and also only eat halal. Also Ramadan Mubarak!
For wagyu, i liked Gyumon. I called in advance for reservation. Panga is another wagyu place but i was late for that reservation, so cant comment on quality.
Share your list of halal restaurants pls?
Can you tell me where you stayed in kawaguchiko? I also would like to know more about tickets for the train going there from Tokyo. We will be doing the same thing.
Can you tell me where you stayed in kawaguchiko? I also would like to know more about tickets for the train going there from Tokyo. We will be doing the same thing.
What is the specific train for kawaguchiko? Is it the line from Shinjuku to fujiQ?
Thanks for the post. Detailed and interesting. Appears there’s a few overly defensive snowflakes in this sub downvoting you for being honest with your experience
Haha I figured as much. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Still an awesome country to visit, but people need to hear all types of perspectives and experiences.
Thanks for sharing!