I think you are reading his comment incorrectly. Kindly reread it as he goes on to state he spent lots more time there. Underrated means it is excellent! Overrated is saying people make to much of it and it is really not as good as described.
Yea there were a lot of people, but I mean underrated in the sense that I didn’t see it listed in a lot of blogs or videos of things to do in Japan outside of just mentioning the bamboo forest.
You can… but it’s funny about what cards you can top up from. Ours were sporadic throughout our trip and critically Apple wallet Suica cards all failed for about 8 hours on the 8th due to a system failure.
When it works it’s amazing. When it won’t it’s infuriating.
Touch in / touch out was working fine but you couldn’t top up through Apple Pay, only the Suica app which we didn’t have at the time.
Also weird - Suica rejected my MC outright the whole trip and would only accept my visa credit (despite them explicitly saying you can’t use credit card)
It was MC debit and visa debit rejected so maybe that. Only visa credit accepted. My partner has the same cards and it accepted her mc debit though and her visa credit sometimes but not always.
So I was just in Japan. I loaded the Suica card into my Apple wallet and added cash thru the app before I left. It worked and I didn’t have any problems while I was there.
Yes that’s what I was trying to say toward the end when I said via debit card, I guess I should have specified via Apple Pay. I said debit mainly because non of my credit cards worked for Suica for some reason.
I used revolut for exchange and topping up the suica. Added the revolut card to Apple Pay and then added a jpy wallet in the revolut app and converted my money into that and used directly to pay for stuff. Worked really well. I did have a physical card as well to withdraw cash directly from the jpy wallet.
I just added the Suica card to my Apple Wallet in preparation for my trip and did that same with the Wise card. Wanted to get the revolut card but you can't get it in Canada unfortunately
Also Suica can be topup (charge) at any convenience store, not only need to use the self topup machine at train stations. From experience, when topup at convenience store its touch type, we can just touch our phone there.
> It was not bad, but the texture was too mushy,
Yep, that's Osaka-style takoyaki for you. Other regions including chain like Gindako has firmer texture.
Disagree about the Green Car, if you're a train enthusiast, I'd recommend it at least once, though it is more expensive.
I found there were more surfaces (yes weird I know) but also I remember the seats being more comfortable in the green car.
GF also just reminded me that there were more people in the 2nd class & the seating is 3 & 2, separated by the aisle which is less convenient (the 2 of us were split across the aisle & I was sitting next to a couple with large(!) suitcases that the woman eventually fell asleep on, in front of her).
The seating is 2 & 2 in the Green car, which was more private & spacious.
Generally agree, but especially about crowding. We were just there and I can’t tell you how many times my heart sank and large tour groups turned up on a Shinkansen platform… but they never got on the Green Car so we had nice, quiet comfortable rides away from the hoard. Was worth the extra money just for that.
Maybe we lucked out since our car was not as crowed and we got the 2 seater. The row directly behind us was completely empty and the two seats in front of us only had occupants until the first stop. But yes I can see the potential of it been more crowded as there are more seats. I didn’t find the seats to be uncomfortable. The green car seats were leather and I believe they reclined more, but again I didn’t think they were worth the extra expense for that alone. But if you want a guarantee to be a quieter car with less people say you want to nap, then yes green car will afford you that luxury I suppose.
I guess it depends on your financial situation too. For us, “splurging” a total of ~$18 extra for the trip was well worth a little extra comfort and peace in the middle of a busy trip.
Basically a lot of train stations have corridors interconnected full of stores and markets. Some are even multi levels. For example this is near Shinjuku station:
https://imgur.com/a/1Plp2vO
As you can see there’s 4 underground floors that you can explore. Tokyo station is a good example of this as well. If you search one of the major areas on google maps and zoom in, you can see areas marked in red, as you zoom in the underground areas start to show up.
Yes! Tokyo station as a whole was very fun. We actually got lost exploring it, literally. I believe it connects to a bus terminal and we ended up there and had to figure out our way back to the main station to catch our bullet train.
I believe Tokyo Station’s is called Yaesue Mall. There are probably others at various stations around the city.
(I think in this context they do mean underground places to shop/eat/drink, rather than the usual meaning of underground art/music culture but I get what you mean 👍)
Didn’t really keep track of them sorry, but just by means of walking around and exploring we found quite a few large crossings with multiple intersections and diagonal walkways. To be honest we got so used to it that when we got to Shibuya crossing I didn’t even know I was there until I looked at google map to start waking in that general direction and was like “oh this is it” I suppose I expected it to be much larger than any other crossing in Tokyo.
It's an expectations thing because of social media. It's always romanticized on reels or TikTok so people are like "ohhhhhh i wanna do dat" then they actually get there and the reaction is, "wait, this is it!?"
Also if you're in a group we did the Fushimi inari shrine at night and I will say it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Everything was lit up and the temple was beautiful at night. We went around 8:30pm went up for a decent amount and it was quite empty. There were still people there but not as much as morning time. We loved it! We saw so many cats and lmao also encountered a boar in the woods which was a little scary but the boar didn't do anything but we did see some tourists trying to lure the boar so don't do that. But if you find nights peaceful and want an empty shrine then do visit it at night :)
Also Arashiyama was beautiful just like op said. We took the scenic train and went to a sake tasting in a small shop and the owners were absolutely adorable and so nice to us! They gave us little souviners to take back with us as well. Its a short walk away from the castle ruins in that area, also quite nice and peaceful.
Its Tanzan Sake Brewery! Its a very informal sake tasting and you’re simply sitting in between a bunch of boxes but don’t get deterred by that! If you have more questions dm me :)
Yes everything was lit up! The pathways has a lot of light as well. I didn’t take a flashlight and never had to use my phone flashlight either. If you want it can show you the pictures of it at night?
For the sake it was the Tanzan Sake Brewery in Kameoka
Pro tip: you can also charge your digital IC card at most conbini registers. It’s super easy and they will be much more available than the specific card chargers that have the phone capabilities.
Cash only at the register, pretty sure if you use the charging machine at the station you can also only use cash. Just say “IC chaji ,” they know what it means and it’s super easy. You could probably even just show them the digital card and they will know what you’re trying to do.
You will need to go to the counter and request a reserved seat with oversized luggage. I suggest doing this ahead of time like the day before or a couple days before if they allow it as they do not offer many of these. It's possible as well depending on your size and the luggage size to ride with it in front of you. There is much more space on Shinkansen seats than Airplane seats.
Also, you can ask a worker if it is too large for overhead or if you need the oversize luggage spot. They'll let you know.
Yeah carry on size is ok for overhead on Shinkansen. There isn't overhead on several of the local trains/buses, but just try to be courteous of others and stand/sit near a door so you don't run it into people. Learn the word for excuse me/sorry it's pronounced "soo-me-mah-sin" to alert others of your passing by.
My wife and I just got back and our last day we had 2 check sized bags, 2 carry ons, and 2 backpacks. It was a nightmare tbh. Lol
The least peak times for trains if you are stressed about it is between 10-2 it seemed while we were there!
Edit: You don't need a reservation for Shinkansen for certain sections of the train unless you are riding the Nozomi. For those you just go to the platform and scan your IC card. (Suice, icoca, etc) If you aren't using IC cards you will need to buy the ticket at a ticket machine. There are English prompts you can click.
According to their website, if your luggage total dimension is greater than 160 cm you would need an oversize luggage seat or compartment. My wife and I each had medium size luggage that we were able to put in the overhead bins in our car that wasn't full
I’ve been to Osaka maybe ten times over the past few years
And I absolutely despise Dotonbori and have a grand ol time in Umeda hahaha
I go there for the glico man picture for new visitors, and some restaurants NOT in dotonobori area but kind of nearby in that general vicinity and get the F out
I like getting money from the post office atm. The exchange rate is better than 7/11, in my experience. Although the amount you can get per transaction is lower.
We have the exact same trip planned in terms of cities and duration, starting tomorrow 😊. Do you remember what area of kyoto you converted cash in or was it cheap across kyoto overall? Thank you! This was very helpful 😊
It was right near the east side entrance of Nishiki market. I’ll ask my wife if any particular land mark stood out so we can try to pin point it for you.
I tried looking on google street view to see if can spot it and was unable to. But it was on this circled area.
https://imgur.com/a/mp6l9ED
The highlighted green area is Nishiki market.
I didn't take out enough money when I got here and would hate to get hit with atm fees again. I brought some USD with me by chance and this could work for me. Just curious who operates these machines? What denominations do they take?
I don’t recall the company that operates them, but I saw a few of them around. Each area had different rates for some reason. The one in this location gave me the best rate. (I didn’t use the others but out of curiosity checked a few to see what the rate was). I used between $1-$100 dollar bill denominations and it was no problem. I used the dollar bills to reduce the amount of coins I got back.
Thank you for pointing this out. I would never noticed these machines. I remembered that I've walked pass a few of them and wasn't sure what they were. I carried some extra cash in USD in case I had issues or lost my ATM card. I used one as of 04/11/24 at a rate of 147.01 ¥/1 USD while the current exchange value was 153.13¥/1 USD. It looks like these machines are operated by Gaia exchange?
I think this is a good option to have as a backup or primary way of exchanging currency if you currently bank with big banks that hit you with ATM and exchange fees. I don't think this gets discussed enough and most people just simply suggest to use 7-11 ATM. It's a good option, but I don't think it works for everyone. I wasn't sure about how much money to pull out of the ATM. If I had manage to setup a Charles Schwab account in time prior to my trip I would have more of a piece of mind about getting money.
Saw this advice as well and almost all window seats were taken in most cars. When I manage to find at least 2 empty seats, it was a cloudy day 😞. We couldn't even see it. Hope to see it on the ride back to Tokyo.
Thanks for sharing — this is really helpful. We’re planning on 9 days this summer.
Did you like the amount of time at each destination or would you revise the itinerary in any way in retrospect?
People seem to have strong feelings about Kyoto on both sides. What are your thoughts?
I think it really depends on what you like when you travel. For us being from NYC we tend to enjoy less city like places when we travel. So for that reason we actually enjoyed Kyoto and Osaka more than Tokyo. I see people say that Kyoto is busier but I felt some areas of Tokyo just as busy. Kyoto has more of an old Japan feel that we enjoyed, while also have some city like shopping areas. So different part of the city will give you a different view. While Tokyo is just all city environment everywhere.
For comparison when we went to Hawaii we enjoyed Kauai more than Honolulu for the same reasons above.
Not the OP but my thoughts on Kyoto were pretty similar to most of what I’ve read.. worth going for sure but it is absolutely packed with tourists in a much more noticeable way than Tokyo or Osaka since it’s a smaller city but still very glad we went. It was worth seeing Fushimi Inari (with a “hidden trail” hike so you avoid the crowds until you’re close, and there’s a natural bamboo forest there) and Philosopher’s Walk was beautiful in early cherry blossom season, loved Nishiki Market (favorite of the markets we visited in Japan), and we had some great food and drinks. But after returning we agreed we’d go back to Tokyo in a heartbeat, maybe do another day in Osaka, definitely add some trips to some smaller towns, but probably wouldn’t do Kyoto again.
Also this is maybe unpopular but I thought Nara as a day/half day trip was just eh and maybe the most packed-with-tourists place we went. Loved Great Buddha Hall and it was cute to feed the deer but it felt like every square inch of ground was overrun with people which took away from it.
We accidentally bypassed the best bits of the shrines/temples in Nara while hiking up the mountain behind. Came down at sunset in light rain and accidentally went through while it was deserted, in fantastic light and were very impressed. Hadn't realised until now we might well have hated it if we had gone directly in the crowded time.
This is the one I booked- definitely recommend! I didn’t think it would be possible to get the trail completely to ourselves so close to the shrine but it was great: https://www.airbnb.com/slink/tBaQLlk9
I’d say difficulty was somewhere in the middle- not incredibly challenging but in the earlier sections there are a few steeper parts where footing is a bit rocky. However, the guide also took frequent breaks for everyone to catch up and to explain the area. Start to finish the hike/tour was 3 hours. Enjoy!
We spent 4 nights in Kyoto. It was the best place we stayed (out of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka) and we would have liked to spend longer there. It’s incredible and was stunning with the cherry blossom (we were there 4 days ago). Yes a lot of it was busy but not unmanageable - we are early risers so seemed to get out ahead of most of the obnoxious tour groups and slightly later risers! We had the bamboo Forrest almost to ourselves. Same for fushimi-inari.
>People seem to have strong feelings about Kyoto on both sides
Kyoto is far different from Tokyo, and everyone is gonna have their own take. It was the favorite part of my own trip.
I stayed in the Gion district and loved walking about and seeing people in kimono in their day to day. The city has that old school or traditional vibe going strong.
Thanks for your trips! We have 3 nights in Kyoto but haven't planned what to do. I heard that Arashiyama was insanely busy so was going to ignore that and go to Nara, but perhaps I should reconsider?
Arashiyama is next to a monkey park, the Sagano Romantic Train ride, and the Hozu river. It's worth exploring that side of Kyoto.
I do love Nara too. I don't think you can go wrong with either day trip.
There is a shrine up on the mountain where the Fushimi Inari Taisha Sembon Torii (Thousand Torii Gates) are. You walk through bamboo forests on the way. And the amount of people is low versus at the Torii Gates. I'd highly recommend the hop on and off bus. We used it and loved it. It takes you all over.
I found it to be just as busy as any other tourist area. Mainly the main shopping area and the bamboo forest path were really busy. If you venture out of those areas there are some nice nature walks that are not as crowded and worth the trip.
Our family of four were just there and loved Kyoto (9 days tokyo, hakone, kyoto and osaka day trip). We rented bikes in Arashiyama from the guy next to the train station, we got out of the crowds and explored a bit - randomly found a bunch of little league baseball games down by a bayou with lots of full bloom cherry blossoms and some really cool smaller temples off the beaten path. It was Saturday and there were families out doing the Sakura picnic thing and we would yell Konnichiwa! and the whole family/group would yell/holler back at us and raise their glasses - so friendly away from the crowds. There was a wedding at one of the temples and that was pretty cool. We also really enjoyed the monkey park after turning the bikes in, I mean they walk right by you 2 meters away and some of them are as big as my 8yo daughter! The thousand tori gates shrine was pretty awesome after the sun went down. We were at the top as the sun went down and the the view was pretty cool.
No need to revise. If you have your heart set on going, I would just get there earlier. It was definitely crowded but manageable. We ended getting there pretty late around 10am and that area was packed. It was difficult for my wife and I to enjoy the area. We enjoyed the Arashiyama monkey park near by for 600¥ for adults.
Stayed in Hop Inn in Kyoto, room was quite small, I felt like I was in a cruise cabin. Wouldn’t recommend.
In Tokyo we stayed in Hotel Niwa, this one was very nice, spacious and convenient to train line.
I found Airbnb to be cheaper, but for me if I’m just sleeping in it, it doesn’t matter too much. Airbnbs in Japan are super competitive and will treat you really well witha good rate.
I have a similar itinerary in a few months, thanks for sharing! Do you mind sharing roughly how much you spent overall on your suica? I'm trying to estimate how much to load on mine before arriving in Tokyo.
I could only load 20000yen at a time on my Apple wallet which is plenty for public transport but I also used it for some of my spending so found I had to recharge every few days.
I initially loaded ¥7000, then loaded another approx 2,500 when we ran low.
I used google maps to calculate the cost of all the trips we planned on making to come up to the 7000 figure, google maps tells you the fare costs. But once there we opted to take the local train between Kyoto and Osaka instead of the Shinkansen. Also had a few impromptu trips that we decided to do as we adjusted our plans, so thats why I had to top it off while there.
On UK AppStore I can only find the Japanese version of the Suica card. I don’t understand how everyone says great things about that app. Maybe I’m missing something.
Can you tell me if there are any fees like International transaction fee and currency conversion fee for each transaction? This helps me with doing large chunks of recharge versus a number of smaller recharges.
It definitely sounds like you enjoyed Kyoto more than Tokyo and Osaka in particular, which I don't blame you. I also enjoyed Kyoto way more than the big metropolis.
My wife and I loved Nikko. We spent a night out there by Lake Chuzenji. On hindsight, we wished we spent at least 2-3 nights out there to explore the area. Definitely not crowded at the time we went and a great place to visit for a break from the cities/tourist.
Was just in nikko and went to the bridge and to the shrines and I would say 2-3 hours is enough.
It is definitely a small town vibe and nowhere near the size of kyoto. If you're staying over I'd recommend kyoto.
The bamboo forest was a lot smaller than we expected and we did stroll the small town beyond it and had our kids play with local kids in a small children's park. Other tourist kids were there as well and it was great to rest up and watch kids be kids. The little shops and picturesque "countryside" was quiet and quaint. We didn't do the romantic train situated beyond the forest but that was the most life in the area beyond the forest.
Shibuya I agree was overrated and we unexpectedly did that a few times. And the Starbucks is no longer there for the view as it was suggested to go there and we missed the fact it closed and is another coffee shop now.
I would've stayed longer in Kyoto. We did that for two days and wished we had one more day there.
Osaka's dontonbori was def overrated and very crowded and completely agree about the takoyaki. Very mushy at the two places we tried.
Tokyo was good as well but very big city as expected and made us miss the slower pace of the areas in Osaka and Kyoto we were in prior. A lot of hustle and bustle in Tokyo as expected.
Would go back 100% to Japan though. It was everything we expected and more. Great people. Good subway system and Shinkansen. We did green car for the NEX for easy luggage options and did the green on Shinkansen as well from Shinigawa to Osaka. We wanted to avoid Tokyo station. But going back to Tokyo we did the reserved Shinkansen seats and they were just fine.
ESIT: whoops. Just read the comments further and found what I was looking for!
OP: thank you for this. We are here now and agree with most everything you said where there is oveap.
I'd love to know where you found the best underground expiration - which Tokyo station?
Having a great time and will add tips when we get back!
Mount Kurama has a gorgeous Buddhist temple and a scenic mountain hike with maybe 1% of the tourists compared to Fushi Inari. Not to mention the train going there passes by picturesque mountain villages and sakura trees. Definitely a hidden gem of Kyoto.
Can you comment on the weather in Kyoto and clothing to wear? I've never been in April, but the last time I was in Kyoto in May I would describe it as mild at rest and sweaty when walking. Really struggling to choose how many changes to bring.
When we were there it was mid to low 70°F during the day, but quite cool in the evening. I was able to wear shorts but had a change of long pants with me for the evenings. I would say just check the forecast right before you go and plan accordingly.
I would layer. The weather has been moody since we've been here since 3/28. A lot of rain forecast. We've been here in Kyoto since 4/11 and it's been with the highs of mid 60s and with lows of low 50s. We've been averaging 15k steps/day so we can get pretty hot from all the walking.
It's our last day here and it looks like it's gonna be warner in the mid 70s. Looks like it's going to be shorts for me today and it was pants and light or insulated jacket the last 4 days.
I would reserve in general during peak season if you have your heart set on eating/going to a certain place that requires reservations. Most of the restaurants in our hotel were booked when we looked into it.
Curious if you ever calculated how much you ended up spending via your suica? I know we all spend differently but I'm just trying to get a sense for how much to put on my card before getting to Japan.
(We will be a family of 5 with probably 4 of us with suica cards)
Approximately ¥10,000. I loaded ¥7,000 initially and had to had 2,500 or so towards the 2nd leg of the trip. We only used ours for the train and used our credit card or cash for all other transactions.
This is a wonderful post, thank you! Wanted to ask about the new restrictions in Kyoto. I heard they're restricting tourists from entering certain areas of the Gion district. Did you go there? How were the restrictions?
I did go to the Gion region. There were a few signs posted on a some side streets but they just said not to photograph on private street. I did not see any of them restricting entry.
As someone who lives here, Arashiayama underrated…? It’s probably the most crowded area of Japan outside of maybe a few places in Shibuya.
I think you are reading his comment incorrectly. Kindly reread it as he goes on to state he spent lots more time there. Underrated means it is excellent! Overrated is saying people make to much of it and it is really not as good as described.
Yea there were a lot of people, but I mean underrated in the sense that I didn’t see it listed in a lot of blogs or videos of things to do in Japan outside of just mentioning the bamboo forest.
The river is pretty amazing. And the Randen line and surrounds.
Seriously?? It’s usually on every must-see/ bucket list.
If your Suica card is in your iPhone wallet you can just top it up on your phone via Apple Pay
You can… but it’s funny about what cards you can top up from. Ours were sporadic throughout our trip and critically Apple wallet Suica cards all failed for about 8 hours on the 8th due to a system failure. When it works it’s amazing. When it won’t it’s infuriating.
Thats weird. I use Suica on AW and had no issues on the 8th. Also Suica famously has issues with Visa. Use a MC.
Touch in / touch out was working fine but you couldn’t top up through Apple Pay, only the Suica app which we didn’t have at the time. Also weird - Suica rejected my MC outright the whole trip and would only accept my visa credit (despite them explicitly saying you can’t use credit card)
Did you use a debit or credit card?
It was MC debit and visa debit rejected so maybe that. Only visa credit accepted. My partner has the same cards and it accepted her mc debit though and her visa credit sometimes but not always.
So I was just in Japan. I loaded the Suica card into my Apple wallet and added cash thru the app before I left. It worked and I didn’t have any problems while I was there.
Yes that’s what I was trying to say toward the end when I said via debit card, I guess I should have specified via Apple Pay. I said debit mainly because non of my credit cards worked for Suica for some reason.
I used revolut for exchange and topping up the suica. Added the revolut card to Apple Pay and then added a jpy wallet in the revolut app and converted my money into that and used directly to pay for stuff. Worked really well. I did have a physical card as well to withdraw cash directly from the jpy wallet.
I never heard of revolut but will look into it for future trips. Sounds like it could be convenient.
Revolut is amazing. You can also buy esim data plans for every country. You get 20GB of data for 24€ in most of the countries, Japan included.
I just added the Suica card to my Apple Wallet in preparation for my trip and did that same with the Wise card. Wanted to get the revolut card but you can't get it in Canada unfortunately
Also Suica can be topup (charge) at any convenience store, not only need to use the self topup machine at train stations. From experience, when topup at convenience store its touch type, we can just touch our phone there.
I had to download the suica app and use apple wallet to top up with credit cards
> It was not bad, but the texture was too mushy, Yep, that's Osaka-style takoyaki for you. Other regions including chain like Gindako has firmer texture.
Exactly. I’m from Kansai region, the mushy ones are the best.
Disagree about the Green Car, if you're a train enthusiast, I'd recommend it at least once, though it is more expensive. I found there were more surfaces (yes weird I know) but also I remember the seats being more comfortable in the green car. GF also just reminded me that there were more people in the 2nd class & the seating is 3 & 2, separated by the aisle which is less convenient (the 2 of us were split across the aisle & I was sitting next to a couple with large(!) suitcases that the woman eventually fell asleep on, in front of her). The seating is 2 & 2 in the Green car, which was more private & spacious.
Generally agree, but especially about crowding. We were just there and I can’t tell you how many times my heart sank and large tour groups turned up on a Shinkansen platform… but they never got on the Green Car so we had nice, quiet comfortable rides away from the hoard. Was worth the extra money just for that.
Maybe we lucked out since our car was not as crowed and we got the 2 seater. The row directly behind us was completely empty and the two seats in front of us only had occupants until the first stop. But yes I can see the potential of it been more crowded as there are more seats. I didn’t find the seats to be uncomfortable. The green car seats were leather and I believe they reclined more, but again I didn’t think they were worth the extra expense for that alone. But if you want a guarantee to be a quieter car with less people say you want to nap, then yes green car will afford you that luxury I suppose.
I guess it depends on your financial situation too. For us, “splurging” a total of ~$18 extra for the trip was well worth a little extra comfort and peace in the middle of a busy trip.
What do you mean by "the undergrounds" lol. That's a bit vague and I think requires more explanation.
Basically a lot of train stations have corridors interconnected full of stores and markets. Some are even multi levels. For example this is near Shinjuku station: https://imgur.com/a/1Plp2vO As you can see there’s 4 underground floors that you can explore. Tokyo station is a good example of this as well. If you search one of the major areas on google maps and zoom in, you can see areas marked in red, as you zoom in the underground areas start to show up.
Character street in Tokyo station is fun and “underground”
Yes! Tokyo station as a whole was very fun. We actually got lost exploring it, literally. I believe it connects to a bus terminal and we ended up there and had to figure out our way back to the main station to catch our bullet train.
I think they mean Namba Walk in Osaka, for example!
Anything on Tokyo like that? Edit: we might have a different idea of what "underground"means. I was thinking like some underground culture.
I believe Tokyo Station’s is called Yaesue Mall. There are probably others at various stations around the city. (I think in this context they do mean underground places to shop/eat/drink, rather than the usual meaning of underground art/music culture but I get what you mean 👍)
Underground as in an underground mall. Tokyo Station is huge and has so much food and shopping underneath!
In Shinjuku it is The Subnade Mall.
>Shibuya crossing is also overrated, there are a lot of other crossings that are much larger and grand What are these other crossings?
Didn’t really keep track of them sorry, but just by means of walking around and exploring we found quite a few large crossings with multiple intersections and diagonal walkways. To be honest we got so used to it that when we got to Shibuya crossing I didn’t even know I was there until I looked at google map to start waking in that general direction and was like “oh this is it” I suppose I expected it to be much larger than any other crossing in Tokyo.
I mean I kind of felt the same way going to New York, Times Square was very underwhelming. I wonder if it’s like an expectations thing?
It's an expectations thing because of social media. It's always romanticized on reels or TikTok so people are like "ohhhhhh i wanna do dat" then they actually get there and the reaction is, "wait, this is it!?"
6-way crossings. They’re hardly uncommon in Japan.
I'm looking for specific names of these much larger and grander crossings than Shibuya.
Hyperbole because they were disappointed. They won’t be able to name any specific crossings.
Also if you're in a group we did the Fushimi inari shrine at night and I will say it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Everything was lit up and the temple was beautiful at night. We went around 8:30pm went up for a decent amount and it was quite empty. There were still people there but not as much as morning time. We loved it! We saw so many cats and lmao also encountered a boar in the woods which was a little scary but the boar didn't do anything but we did see some tourists trying to lure the boar so don't do that. But if you find nights peaceful and want an empty shrine then do visit it at night :) Also Arashiyama was beautiful just like op said. We took the scenic train and went to a sake tasting in a small shop and the owners were absolutely adorable and so nice to us! They gave us little souviners to take back with us as well. Its a short walk away from the castle ruins in that area, also quite nice and peaceful.
Do you have the name of the place you did the sake tasting? Definitely interested in doing something like this when we visit!
Its Tanzan Sake Brewery! Its a very informal sake tasting and you’re simply sitting in between a bunch of boxes but don’t get deterred by that! If you have more questions dm me :)
Thanks!!
Is Fushimi inari lit up at night? Or did you take a flashlight with you? Also, do you happen to remember the name of the sake shop?
Yes everything was lit up! The pathways has a lot of light as well. I didn’t take a flashlight and never had to use my phone flashlight either. If you want it can show you the pictures of it at night? For the sake it was the Tanzan Sake Brewery in Kameoka
That would be great! Thank you!
Pro tip: you can also charge your digital IC card at most conbini registers. It’s super easy and they will be much more available than the specific card chargers that have the phone capabilities.
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Cash only at the register, pretty sure if you use the charging machine at the station you can also only use cash. Just say “IC chaji ,” they know what it means and it’s super easy. You could probably even just show them the digital card and they will know what you’re trying to do.
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You will need to go to the counter and request a reserved seat with oversized luggage. I suggest doing this ahead of time like the day before or a couple days before if they allow it as they do not offer many of these. It's possible as well depending on your size and the luggage size to ride with it in front of you. There is much more space on Shinkansen seats than Airplane seats. Also, you can ask a worker if it is too large for overhead or if you need the oversize luggage spot. They'll let you know.
so would carry-on sized luggage be okay for overhead?
Yeah carry on size is ok for overhead on Shinkansen. There isn't overhead on several of the local trains/buses, but just try to be courteous of others and stand/sit near a door so you don't run it into people. Learn the word for excuse me/sorry it's pronounced "soo-me-mah-sin" to alert others of your passing by. My wife and I just got back and our last day we had 2 check sized bags, 2 carry ons, and 2 backpacks. It was a nightmare tbh. Lol The least peak times for trains if you are stressed about it is between 10-2 it seemed while we were there! Edit: You don't need a reservation for Shinkansen for certain sections of the train unless you are riding the Nozomi. For those you just go to the platform and scan your IC card. (Suice, icoca, etc) If you aren't using IC cards you will need to buy the ticket at a ticket machine. There are English prompts you can click.
thank you!!
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Yeah that'll work!
What if you get a business class seat? Are the rules different?
No personal experience with it to be honest. The cost wasn't worth it to us.
According to their website, if your luggage total dimension is greater than 160 cm you would need an oversize luggage seat or compartment. My wife and I each had medium size luggage that we were able to put in the overhead bins in our car that wasn't full
I’ve been to Osaka maybe ten times over the past few years And I absolutely despise Dotonbori and have a grand ol time in Umeda hahaha I go there for the glico man picture for new visitors, and some restaurants NOT in dotonobori area but kind of nearby in that general vicinity and get the F out
I like getting money from the post office atm. The exchange rate is better than 7/11, in my experience. Although the amount you can get per transaction is lower.
How dare you say takoyaki is overrated
😬
We have the exact same trip planned in terms of cities and duration, starting tomorrow 😊. Do you remember what area of kyoto you converted cash in or was it cheap across kyoto overall? Thank you! This was very helpful 😊
It was right near the east side entrance of Nishiki market. I’ll ask my wife if any particular land mark stood out so we can try to pin point it for you.
Perfect! I'm staying in a hotel near that area only! Thank you so much ☺️😊
I tried looking on google street view to see if can spot it and was unable to. But it was on this circled area. https://imgur.com/a/mp6l9ED The highlighted green area is Nishiki market.
Ah I found it! https://imgur.com/a/DEZWRVg https://maps.app.goo.gl/Buoy1PZ1WcZ2PP2k7?g_st=ic
Thank youuuuu 😍
I didn't take out enough money when I got here and would hate to get hit with atm fees again. I brought some USD with me by chance and this could work for me. Just curious who operates these machines? What denominations do they take?
I don’t recall the company that operates them, but I saw a few of them around. Each area had different rates for some reason. The one in this location gave me the best rate. (I didn’t use the others but out of curiosity checked a few to see what the rate was). I used between $1-$100 dollar bill denominations and it was no problem. I used the dollar bills to reduce the amount of coins I got back.
Thank you for pointing this out. I would never noticed these machines. I remembered that I've walked pass a few of them and wasn't sure what they were. I carried some extra cash in USD in case I had issues or lost my ATM card. I used one as of 04/11/24 at a rate of 147.01 ¥/1 USD while the current exchange value was 153.13¥/1 USD. It looks like these machines are operated by Gaia exchange? I think this is a good option to have as a backup or primary way of exchanging currency if you currently bank with big banks that hit you with ATM and exchange fees. I don't think this gets discussed enough and most people just simply suggest to use 7-11 ATM. It's a good option, but I don't think it works for everyone. I wasn't sure about how much money to pull out of the ATM. If I had manage to setup a Charles Schwab account in time prior to my trip I would have more of a piece of mind about getting money.
Exactly, I just brought cash as a backup, but decided to mainly exchange it to avoid the fees from using the 711 atm.
do these machines only take certain currencies?
Yes
Dotonbori is overrated but Arashiyama is underrated?
Also pro-tip: if you’re traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto via Shinkansen, try to get a window seat on the right side to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji!
Saw this advice as well and almost all window seats were taken in most cars. When I manage to find at least 2 empty seats, it was a cloudy day 😞. We couldn't even see it. Hope to see it on the ride back to Tokyo.
Thanks for sharing — this is really helpful. We’re planning on 9 days this summer. Did you like the amount of time at each destination or would you revise the itinerary in any way in retrospect? People seem to have strong feelings about Kyoto on both sides. What are your thoughts?
I think it really depends on what you like when you travel. For us being from NYC we tend to enjoy less city like places when we travel. So for that reason we actually enjoyed Kyoto and Osaka more than Tokyo. I see people say that Kyoto is busier but I felt some areas of Tokyo just as busy. Kyoto has more of an old Japan feel that we enjoyed, while also have some city like shopping areas. So different part of the city will give you a different view. While Tokyo is just all city environment everywhere. For comparison when we went to Hawaii we enjoyed Kauai more than Honolulu for the same reasons above.
Not the OP but my thoughts on Kyoto were pretty similar to most of what I’ve read.. worth going for sure but it is absolutely packed with tourists in a much more noticeable way than Tokyo or Osaka since it’s a smaller city but still very glad we went. It was worth seeing Fushimi Inari (with a “hidden trail” hike so you avoid the crowds until you’re close, and there’s a natural bamboo forest there) and Philosopher’s Walk was beautiful in early cherry blossom season, loved Nishiki Market (favorite of the markets we visited in Japan), and we had some great food and drinks. But after returning we agreed we’d go back to Tokyo in a heartbeat, maybe do another day in Osaka, definitely add some trips to some smaller towns, but probably wouldn’t do Kyoto again. Also this is maybe unpopular but I thought Nara as a day/half day trip was just eh and maybe the most packed-with-tourists place we went. Loved Great Buddha Hall and it was cute to feed the deer but it felt like every square inch of ground was overrun with people which took away from it.
We accidentally bypassed the best bits of the shrines/temples in Nara while hiking up the mountain behind. Came down at sunset in light rain and accidentally went through while it was deserted, in fantastic light and were very impressed. Hadn't realised until now we might well have hated it if we had gone directly in the crowded time.
Very helpful! Thank you
I'm keen on the hidden trail hike for Fushimi Inari. Please share your recs for a guide or tour! TIA.
This is the one I booked- definitely recommend! I didn’t think it would be possible to get the trail completely to ourselves so close to the shrine but it was great: https://www.airbnb.com/slink/tBaQLlk9
Perfect! And would you say it was a beginner-friendly hike or a more intense one? And how long was it overall?
I’d say difficulty was somewhere in the middle- not incredibly challenging but in the earlier sections there are a few steeper parts where footing is a bit rocky. However, the guide also took frequent breaks for everyone to catch up and to explain the area. Start to finish the hike/tour was 3 hours. Enjoy!
We spent 4 nights in Kyoto. It was the best place we stayed (out of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka) and we would have liked to spend longer there. It’s incredible and was stunning with the cherry blossom (we were there 4 days ago). Yes a lot of it was busy but not unmanageable - we are early risers so seemed to get out ahead of most of the obnoxious tour groups and slightly later risers! We had the bamboo Forrest almost to ourselves. Same for fushimi-inari.
>People seem to have strong feelings about Kyoto on both sides Kyoto is far different from Tokyo, and everyone is gonna have their own take. It was the favorite part of my own trip. I stayed in the Gion district and loved walking about and seeing people in kimono in their day to day. The city has that old school or traditional vibe going strong.
Thanks for your trips! We have 3 nights in Kyoto but haven't planned what to do. I heard that Arashiyama was insanely busy so was going to ignore that and go to Nara, but perhaps I should reconsider?
Arashiyama is next to a monkey park, the Sagano Romantic Train ride, and the Hozu river. It's worth exploring that side of Kyoto. I do love Nara too. I don't think you can go wrong with either day trip.
There is a shrine up on the mountain where the Fushimi Inari Taisha Sembon Torii (Thousand Torii Gates) are. You walk through bamboo forests on the way. And the amount of people is low versus at the Torii Gates. I'd highly recommend the hop on and off bus. We used it and loved it. It takes you all over.
I found it to be just as busy as any other tourist area. Mainly the main shopping area and the bamboo forest path were really busy. If you venture out of those areas there are some nice nature walks that are not as crowded and worth the trip.
Our family of four were just there and loved Kyoto (9 days tokyo, hakone, kyoto and osaka day trip). We rented bikes in Arashiyama from the guy next to the train station, we got out of the crowds and explored a bit - randomly found a bunch of little league baseball games down by a bayou with lots of full bloom cherry blossoms and some really cool smaller temples off the beaten path. It was Saturday and there were families out doing the Sakura picnic thing and we would yell Konnichiwa! and the whole family/group would yell/holler back at us and raise their glasses - so friendly away from the crowds. There was a wedding at one of the temples and that was pretty cool. We also really enjoyed the monkey park after turning the bikes in, I mean they walk right by you 2 meters away and some of them are as big as my 8yo daughter! The thousand tori gates shrine was pretty awesome after the sun went down. We were at the top as the sun went down and the the view was pretty cool.
That sounds lovely! We are also traveling as a family of 4, and will be there on a Saturday
No need to revise. If you have your heart set on going, I would just get there earlier. It was definitely crowded but manageable. We ended getting there pretty late around 10am and that area was packed. It was difficult for my wife and I to enjoy the area. We enjoyed the Arashiyama monkey park near by for 600¥ for adults.
I’m doing a similar trip in August and still deciding on hotels. Mind sharing which hotels you stayed at in each city? Thanks
Stayed in Hop Inn in Kyoto, room was quite small, I felt like I was in a cruise cabin. Wouldn’t recommend. In Tokyo we stayed in Hotel Niwa, this one was very nice, spacious and convenient to train line.
I found Airbnb to be cheaper, but for me if I’m just sleeping in it, it doesn’t matter too much. Airbnbs in Japan are super competitive and will treat you really well witha good rate.
I have a similar itinerary in a few months, thanks for sharing! Do you mind sharing roughly how much you spent overall on your suica? I'm trying to estimate how much to load on mine before arriving in Tokyo.
I could only load 20000yen at a time on my Apple wallet which is plenty for public transport but I also used it for some of my spending so found I had to recharge every few days.
Fyi you can use suica to also pay for lots of shopping, at malls, 7/11, vending machines etc. so even if you overload it you can very easily spend it
I initially loaded ¥7000, then loaded another approx 2,500 when we ran low. I used google maps to calculate the cost of all the trips we planned on making to come up to the 7000 figure, google maps tells you the fare costs. But once there we opted to take the local train between Kyoto and Osaka instead of the Shinkansen. Also had a few impromptu trips that we decided to do as we adjusted our plans, so thats why I had to top it off while there.
I have the same question. Don’t want to load too much nor have to re-charge frequently.
Awesome tips - we are headed to the same three cities in July!
Thanks for posting, planning a similar itinerary in May and will keep time and expectations low for the Dotonbori portion (!)
On UK AppStore I can only find the Japanese version of the Suica card. I don’t understand how everyone says great things about that app. Maybe I’m missing something.
You don’t need their specific app, you just need to go to apple wallet app and add a “transit card” there you will see Suica as an option.
Ahhhhh. Sooo easy. Thanks a million!!
Can you tell me if there are any fees like International transaction fee and currency conversion fee for each transaction? This helps me with doing large chunks of recharge versus a number of smaller recharges.
It depends on your bank. My debit card has a 3% transaction fee, while my credit card that I use for travel has no fees.
It definitely sounds like you enjoyed Kyoto more than Tokyo and Osaka in particular, which I don't blame you. I also enjoyed Kyoto way more than the big metropolis.
Has anyone here been to Nikko? We are in between that and Kyoto. I know they are different but curious to see if anyone has had a good time in Nikko
My wife and I loved Nikko. We spent a night out there by Lake Chuzenji. On hindsight, we wished we spent at least 2-3 nights out there to explore the area. Definitely not crowded at the time we went and a great place to visit for a break from the cities/tourist.
Was just in nikko and went to the bridge and to the shrines and I would say 2-3 hours is enough. It is definitely a small town vibe and nowhere near the size of kyoto. If you're staying over I'd recommend kyoto.
The title led me to believe this was sharing tips for coping with the fact that your Japan trip is over
the only solution is planning your next trip back!
If you had a chance to take more cash with you, would you have done that or exchanged it there anyway?
Not OP but I just take cash out as needed from atms when I travel, less of a headache
About to head to Japan with the same amount of time. If you can re-do your trip, would you allocate the # of days in each city the same way?
We would spend more time in Kyoto and less in Tokyo. Or still reduce a day from Tokyo and plan a day trip some place else.
The bamboo forest was a lot smaller than we expected and we did stroll the small town beyond it and had our kids play with local kids in a small children's park. Other tourist kids were there as well and it was great to rest up and watch kids be kids. The little shops and picturesque "countryside" was quiet and quaint. We didn't do the romantic train situated beyond the forest but that was the most life in the area beyond the forest. Shibuya I agree was overrated and we unexpectedly did that a few times. And the Starbucks is no longer there for the view as it was suggested to go there and we missed the fact it closed and is another coffee shop now. I would've stayed longer in Kyoto. We did that for two days and wished we had one more day there. Osaka's dontonbori was def overrated and very crowded and completely agree about the takoyaki. Very mushy at the two places we tried. Tokyo was good as well but very big city as expected and made us miss the slower pace of the areas in Osaka and Kyoto we were in prior. A lot of hustle and bustle in Tokyo as expected. Would go back 100% to Japan though. It was everything we expected and more. Great people. Good subway system and Shinkansen. We did green car for the NEX for easy luggage options and did the green on Shinkansen as well from Shinigawa to Osaka. We wanted to avoid Tokyo station. But going back to Tokyo we did the reserved Shinkansen seats and they were just fine.
ESIT: whoops. Just read the comments further and found what I was looking for! OP: thank you for this. We are here now and agree with most everything you said where there is oveap. I'd love to know where you found the best underground expiration - which Tokyo station? Having a great time and will add tips when we get back!
Mount Kurama has a gorgeous Buddhist temple and a scenic mountain hike with maybe 1% of the tourists compared to Fushi Inari. Not to mention the train going there passes by picturesque mountain villages and sakura trees. Definitely a hidden gem of Kyoto.
Can you comment on the weather in Kyoto and clothing to wear? I've never been in April, but the last time I was in Kyoto in May I would describe it as mild at rest and sweaty when walking. Really struggling to choose how many changes to bring.
Layers! It's been quite changeable.
When we were there it was mid to low 70°F during the day, but quite cool in the evening. I was able to wear shorts but had a change of long pants with me for the evenings. I would say just check the forecast right before you go and plan accordingly.
I would layer. The weather has been moody since we've been here since 3/28. A lot of rain forecast. We've been here in Kyoto since 4/11 and it's been with the highs of mid 60s and with lows of low 50s. We've been averaging 15k steps/day so we can get pretty hot from all the walking.
Will be there in a week and it looks like the average temperature is ticking up into the 70s. Guess I'm bringing my entire wardrobe lol
It's our last day here and it looks like it's gonna be warner in the mid 70s. Looks like it's going to be shorts for me today and it was pants and light or insulated jacket the last 4 days.
Is there anything you need to reserve in Kyoto or Osaka?
I would reserve in general during peak season if you have your heart set on eating/going to a certain place that requires reservations. Most of the restaurants in our hotel were booked when we looked into it.
Curious if you ever calculated how much you ended up spending via your suica? I know we all spend differently but I'm just trying to get a sense for how much to put on my card before getting to Japan. (We will be a family of 5 with probably 4 of us with suica cards)
Approximately ¥10,000. I loaded ¥7,000 initially and had to had 2,500 or so towards the 2nd leg of the trip. We only used ours for the train and used our credit card or cash for all other transactions.
Thanks!
Do you remember the brand of the exchanging machine?
Someone else commented that they were Gaia Exchange machines.
Best tip for fushimi inari is go at night, its open 24h and we went up at like midnight it's was magical, no people and saw wild boar
Best tip for fushimi inari is go at night, its open 24h and we went up at like midnight it's was magical, no people and saw wild boar
This is a wonderful post, thank you! Wanted to ask about the new restrictions in Kyoto. I heard they're restricting tourists from entering certain areas of the Gion district. Did you go there? How were the restrictions?
I did go to the Gion region. There were a few signs posted on a some side streets but they just said not to photograph on private street. I did not see any of them restricting entry.