Taking the family (4 adults) to Japan in July. I know we are starting late with the planning but I am seeking advice in what to make sure we see.

On the list already are Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.

Looking for advice on 1) What others cities to consider and 2) What to make sure and see within each of these 4.

Plan to be on the ground there for about 14 days.

Thanks in advance.

Good routing already, I'd put Hakone in there for an onsen experience especially with all adult travelers.

Also, if anyone has stayed at some good, reasonably priced hotels that they would recommend that would be very useful.

We don't need fancy. Clean and well located is paramount.

It will be hot and humid, so prepare for that.

My wife and I just spent 2 weeks there in October. We spent 5 nights in Tokyo, 3 in Osaka, then 5 in Kyoto before spending our last night in Tokyo before flying back.

Three nights in Osaka was plenty, and we took a day trip to Nara from there for one of the days. I highly recommend the day trip to Nara. It was a 45 minute commuter train ride from Osaka and I think a bit longer from Kyoto. The famous Nara deer are there and they are taught to bow for food rewards, but they can get aggressive if you have food in your hands. Our favorite temple we visited on the trip, Todai-ji (big Buddha temple) is there. Also one of our favorite meals of the entire trip was at Zagin Sobu in Nara and walking distance from the train stop (excellent ramen).

In Tokyo, visit Shinjuku in the evening to see the 3D cat, giant Godzilla and if you are interested in bar hopping for a night, the Golden Gai bar district. We enjoyed Tokyo Skytree as well, it's the highest observation tower in the world. It's near the best temple to visit in Tokyo, Senso-ji, so we did both in one morning.

Definitely visit Fushimi Anari Taisha (orange gates temple) in Kyoto. We stayed at the Kyoto Hilton, which was a great location for walking around downtown Kyoto. We felt the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was a bit overrated. Finally, two excellent meals in Kyoto were Katsukura Tonkatsu (breaded, fried pork) and Chao Chao Gyoza (japanese dumplings).

If you have larger luggage, or two carry on per person, look into luggage transfer services at your hotels. There's little overhead room on the shinkasen (city to city bullet trains) and for larger luggage like you would check on a flight, you have to reserve space for it and there isn't a lot of space available. We transfered our larger suitcases and traveled with our carry on on the trains. Made it a lot easier to navigate the train stations too. Very reliable and reasonably priced. You get the suitcases the next day.

One more thing, I wouldn't add another city to stay in, 4 is plenty. Then look at day trips like I recommended for Nara.

You're going to have an incredible trip but I'm going to be direct: July in Japan is peak season, and you're already tight on timing. Biggest mistake I see. Waiting. Right now, hotels, guides, and tours are booking out and some in-country operators are already limiting new requests. I only say this as I have several clients traveling to Japan this summer.
If you want this to go smoothly, lock in ASAP:

• Hotels in prime locations
• Private guides (Kyoto/Tokyo)
• Timed tickets + trains

Your route is great just don't over pack. Add Nara or Hakone at most and keep it strategic.
I work with a lot of Japan clients and am already seeing limited availability for summer. If you want help securing everything, my contact info is in my bio.

How many days are you planning on spending in Osaka? Aside from Universal Studios and the Osaka Castle, there isn't much to do there that you couldn't do in Tokyo or Kyoto. Osaka is basically a smaller version of Tokyo, so I wouldn't spend more than a few days there.

I say this with all sincerity, go to a Women's Professional Wrestling match.


I bought tickets to one thinking it was a regular WWE match and found out later it was a Women's league. It was one of the most bizarre and wonderful cultural experiences of my life.

The venue was in a random warehouse right on the bay. Despite what you might think it was not a bunch of old creepers ogling young women who pranced around the ring. I was for sure the only westerner but the crowd was a good mix of men and women from all age groups. They wrestlers also went all out.

I mean they really beat the **** out of each other. Like bruises forming during the match. I had purchased a premium seat which translated to a chair at the ringside. At one point a wrestler was thrown head first directly into the chairs and I caught a stray foot as I scrambled to get out of the way. The matches themselves were over the top and not speaking Japanese didn't matter. I could still follow along with the storylines, who was the heel, etc. The night finished with a battle royal of 5 or 6 wrestlers going all at once, no team mates.

At one point I found myself looking around and thinking, "WTF is going on and how did I end up here?". Everyone was super nice though and genuinely seemed happy that I was interested and in attendance.

Here is the official league website. It looks like they have some matches at the end of July!
https://seadlinnng.com/

You should also see if Baseball or a Sumo Tournament is in season. The baseball games are a lot of fun, and seeing sumo wrestling is on my bucket list.

Captain Winky said:

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You should also see if Baseball or a Sumo Tournament is in season. The baseball games are a lot of fun, and seeing sumo wrestling is on my bucket list.

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Agreed on the baseball game. I saw the Chiba Marines but the Tokyo Dome is on my bucket list.

Since it's both hot and a very busy season, you definitely should plan really early visits to the sites. Most temples and shrines open at 6AM. Late October was mid busy compared to summer and cherry blossom season. We were lazy and arrived in the 8AM to 9AM range and usually it got too crowded by the time we finished up. I bet everything will be slammed by 8AM everywhere in July.

I'lll second getting to places early. The temples and shrines fill up quickly early in the morning. Also, don't underestimate the heat. Almost everything is outside, and it is relentless.

One more thing would be to take advantage of the food at 7-11.

We're going in late July 16~27 : Kanazawa, Kyoto and Tokyo.

This thread has been super helpful, thanks to everyone that's posted tips.

An additional note on Shrines and Temples

Consider buying a Goshuincho aka a Book of Seals
https://www.japan.travel/en/blog/collecting-goshuin-shrine-and-temple-stamps/

When you visit a shrine or temple you can have the seal (Goshuin) of that shrine or temple stamped and inscribed in your Goshuincho. It's basically a record of your visit that day. The Goshuin are usually less than 500 yen and the priest/attendant will fill it out for you. You can buy the books online but most larger temples or shrines will offer them for sale. I've also found the selection to be much better in Japan vs online. Because it's considered a sacred book, you wouldn't put other stamps in it (like train station stamps). This is the one that I got in Sensoji, but the have more plain ones too.


And here is what the seals look like


Sometime they will have premade ones if for special occasions or if it is exceptionally busy. You just paste them in when you get home. This is one was handed out during the Cherry Blossom season


Looking back it's probably my favorite souvenir of my trip and a cool reminder of all the places I went. Also there are so many shrines and temples that you should look at branching out beyond the big ones. One of my favorites was the Temple for Tobi Fudo. He is the deity associated with safe flights. I ended up buying an Ema (wooden prayer/wish board) and writing the name and number of my flight home on it to hang at the temple for good luck. I also bought a little Tobi Fudo sticker which goes everywhere with me on my laptop
https://www.gltjp.com/en/directory/item/13933/

Secured everything insofar as air/lodging/train. Still need to get tix for the hotterattractions.

Will be seeing Tokyo, Kanazawa, Takayama, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka.

Day trip to Hiroshima.

Used Grok a lot. It is amazing the things it can do to help you build the tools for designing your trip.

One prompt I gave it was to provide Grok the cities that I was was traveling to (all by train) and then asked it:
1) What is the most optimal route to take to see all these places. It completely reversed the order that I had visualized.
2) Give a list of the top 10 attractions to see in each city
3) Create a .kml file that:
a) Show dropped pins on all of the train stations I will be using.
b) Dropped pins on the top 10 attractions it came up with...containing a brief description of each and, if possible, the Wikipedia link to that attraction.
c) For planning purposes, draw a circle with a radius of 0.5 mile around each of the train stations.

It required a bit of refinement...but it pretty much did it.

Amazing.

Bringing this thread back around. How is Japan in early June? Crowded? Hot? My son wants to go after school lets out next year and I have a ton of Hyatt points to burn. I'm thinking Tokyo for a week, Kyoto for a few days, and scuba diving Mikimoto.

BSD said:

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Bringing this thread back around. How is Japan in early June? Crowded? Hot? My son wants to go after school lets out next year and I have a ton of Hyatt points to burn. I'm thinking Tokyo for a week, Kyoto for a few days, and scuba diving Mikimoto.

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Man, I just started looking at where to stay in Tokyo and I'm pretty overwhelmed. I don't mind spending points on the Park Hyatt but be read reviews of people not liking the location. Any ideas? My son likes gaming and some anime so I'm thinking Shibuya or Ginza.

Following for any advice. Recently booked 2 weeks in November! Staying in Shibuya.

Who are your points with?

Tons of Hyatt points. I'm trying to lock things in before the big devaluation that's coming later this month.

I would suggest the Hyatt House in Shibuya. It's not as luxe as the PH but the location is a lot better. Alternatively, the Andaz Toranomon is connected to the underground subway and is a short walk to Ginza line.

We stayed in Ginza. Can't help with a hotel since I'm a Marriott guy, but the neighborhood was nice. If you can get a reservation, you'd like Tempura Kondo.

Yeah, I'm thinking of that Hyatt House or the Centric which is in Ginza. I know absolutely nothing about Tokyo so I need to research. I'll probably go ahead and book both with points and then cancel one once I'm certain. I actually don't need super luxury since I'll be out exploring all day and night. And I get two rooms so that adds up fast. That said, we'll probably go back to Tokyo after Kyoto and after our scuba dives so we'll stay on the Park Hyatt for a few nights before flying home.

jh0400 said:

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We stayed in Ginza. Can't help with a hotel since I'm a Marriott guy, but the neighborhood was nice. If you can get a reservation, you'd like Tempura Kondo.

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Man, I haven't even begun to think about restaurants yet but I just added that to my notes.

I book almost all my clients in Shibuya or Shinjuku (especially first timers) because of access to public transportation.

Other thing I tell a lot of my clients to plan for is luggage forwarding. Almost all the hotels can either do it or help arrange it but sometimes it takes 1-2 days so you'll want to pack a small bag you can use for overnighting. Taking the long distance trains between towns is a pain if you have big luggage (IMO anyway).

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Most places don't take direct reservations from tourists, so you'll need to go through a third party. Tableall and Omakase were both good. For Tempura Kondo I had to go through MyConcierge.

Good to know. I think I'll try to get a Michelin star or two every other night. Looking at Monk in Kyoto, too.

I do want to hear more about dining at 7-11.

is the robot restaurant show still a thing? that was pretty fun when i went to tokyo about 10 years ago

fuunji ramen was also memorable for me (tsukemen dipping noodle style)

The egg salad and katsu sandwiches are surprisingly good. In Tokyo we went to Yotsuya Minemura in addition to Tempura Kondo. In Kyoto we went to Nijojo Furuta. It's a very small husband and wife run restaurant with a star. The night we were there we were the only seating and hung around for a couple of hours drinking sake and having a conversation via Google Translate.

Matsui said:

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I'm on a flight to Tokyo as we speak!

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Username checks out

Squadron7 said:

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Also, if anyone has stayed at some good, reasonably priced hotels that they would recommend that would be very useful.

We don't need fancy. Clean and well located is paramount.

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Funny story, at my old company, the office was in Shinjuku so we always stayed at the Tokyo Hilton, or the Hyatt near there. I don't think I ever stayed at the famous Park Hyatt which was featured in the movie "Lost In Translation", or if I did, it was only one time.

My new company's office was by Tokyo Station so I had to find a new place to stay. Being a Marriott lifetime status guy, I found a hotel on the east side of Tokyo that looked good to me on paper.

But, one of my sales guys refused to let me stay there. He said it was in an area that was really rough and was controlled by the Russian mob. That hotel was - Moxy Tokyo Kinshicho

So, I stayed at some tiny little local garden hotel in Ginza. It was serviceable but you had to decide if you wanted to lay down on the bed, or open your suitcase because their wasn't enough room to do both.
https://www.gardenhotels.co.jp/ginza-gochome/eng/?

I do recommend the Mitsui Garden hotels but... they're not spacious.

BSD said:

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BSD said:

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Bringing this thread back around. How is Japan in early June? Crowded? Hot? My son wants to go after school lets out next year and I have a ton of Hyatt points to burn. I'm thinking Tokyo for a week, Kyoto for a few days, and scuba diving Mikimoto.

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Man, I just started looking at where to stay in Tokyo and I'm pretty overwhelmed. I don't mind spending points on the Park Hyatt but be read reviews of people not liking the location. Any ideas? My son likes gaming and some anime so I'm thinking Shibuya or Ginza.

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In Tokyo, Ginza is probably better due to the fact it's more centrally located.
Lots of high end shops and especially the Nissan Crossing so you can see what the future looks like with respect to automobiles.

For your son, you'll probably want to make a trip to Akihabara (Electronic City) and of course Harajuku (which is close to Shinjuku).

Probably the main thing is that when he sees some Anime chicks, don't stare, just be cool.

Speaking of females, Ginza is where they have the traditional Kabuki theater so if you're out walking the streets at night, you'll see ladies dressed up in full traditional Geisha girl outfits. Again, just be respectful and be cool.

If you have any interest in cooking, you'll want to check out Kappabashi for restaurant supplies including things like knives, chop sticks, other kitchen must haves.

BSD said:

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jh0400 said:

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We stayed in Ginza. Can't help with a hotel since I'm a Marriott guy, but the neighborhood was nice. If you can get a reservation, you'd like Tempura Kondo.

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Man, I haven't even begun to think about restaurants yet but I just added that to my notes.

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There are loads of good restaurants around Tokyo.

There are some things you can only get in Japan like - Kobe beef.

But, one of the things to keep in mind is that a lot of the good restaurants in Tokyo are actually foreign cuisine. Italian, Korean, etc. A number of good burger places too. I do have to confess that I did eat at Taco Bell in Ginza - because we didn't have T-Bell in Australia.

There's tons of good food around Shinjuku, Ginza, etc. And anything else is just a train ride away.

One piece of advice, especially with your son, is stay the hell out of Roppongi and steer clear of the Nigerian scammers.

Short of Gangnam in Seoul, and Koreatown in Los Angeles, I had some of the best Korean BBQ in Akasaka.

Last one because it was funny, one of the guys in my office in Shinjuku took us to the Hooters in Shinjuku. That was entertaining.

Good insight. I appreciate it. Akihabara Is certainly on the list from my early research. I may let him do that one day while my wife and I venture out elsewhere. I'll look into Harajuku.

I doubt my wife will let me buy more knives at Kappabashi, though. We already have a good collection (including Takeji Saji and Toyama Kasumi). But we'll see….. . I'd love to find the guys who made my current knives and watch them in action. I'm not sure if Toyama is still alive at this point. He was aging when I bought it.

Two guide books just arrived so I'll be looking at those this weekend. And I'll be figuring out trains and how to get to the town where we dive with hammerheads. I rarely get phased but train stations in foreign countries give me anxiety.