We tried all our and couldn’t get any to work.
It’s the added securiy. Once accepted we pick our date, time, and seat. When we hit the “ purchase” button we received a text from our CC issuer with a security code we had to enter in the app to complete the authorization. Kinda complex.
The problem is there’s no way to get accepted in the first place. We tried all our cards. And it sounds like any new card would have a similar outcome – we don’t seem to have a sufficiently old card like you mentioned worked for you.
We have a few more days in Tokyo, but I thought I’d give a quick update on luggage shipping service.
In short, it worked great. The hotel staff picked up our two very large roller bags at 4 pm and they magically appeared the next day in our new hotel. We did this twice : Tokyo to Kyoto and back again. We kept a duffel with us for essentials - an easy carry-on for the bullet trains.
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Thanks for all the tips.
Trip was great. The most exhausting vacation I have ever done, but worth it. We ended up tracking about 100 miles of walking in 8 days (not counting the to/from days), and over 250 “flights of stairs” worth of elevation change. And we did about 30 train legs between the Shinkansen and various city metros.
A few random thoughts or suggestions for anyone reading this planning a future first trip to Japan:
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We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka (day trip only from Kyoto) and Hiroshima. We could have spent more time in any of them, but surprisingly the place most of the family liked best and would have rather spent more time in was Hiroshima. It’s a great city in its own right, but everyone really loved nearby Miyajima Island and wish we had had an extra day or two to fully explore it and possibly even stay there. At least a couple of the kids also said if they were doing it over they might prefer to stay in Osaka and visit Kyoto rather than the reverse way we did it.
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We are absolutely in love with Tokyo’s metro system. Going in we had researched it a little and planned to try it but I was ready to use a lot of Uber-ordered cabs or even rent a private car service if it proved too daunting and I’m so glad we didn’t do any. We never needed any other form of transportation in Tokyo other than trains and our feet. When you have never been there and first look up the map of the metro, you will think this is a headache I don’t need – so complex (and I say that as a NYC worker who extensively uses the subway – the NYC subway is trivial compared to all the overlapping routes in Tokyo). But the complexity didn’t matter because of two things: 1) Google Maps; 2) Just how well signed the system was (including English). No matter where you were, you could Google where you wanted to be and Google would direct you to the nearest metro entrance, tell you exactly which platform to look for and which track to wait for. It even could show you exactly where the trains were along the line, how many minutes until the next arrival, how many stops you had before you got off, and even which car on the train would be the most efficient for your exit (and the tracks were all labeled with the car numbers). It was amazingly efficient and effective.
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Hiroshima’s and Osaka’s trains were also easy to navigate. Kyoto is the exception. It’s like it’s trapped decades in the past from an infrastructure standpoint. The train system there was poorly signed (not just lack of English but lack of consistency or continuity – for example, you could arrive at a platform with trains moving in either direction on the line but the signs would label both sides as going to the same destinations which obviously only one side was, so there was no easy way to know which side to take). Also, in Kyoto each track would have 4 different levels of express trains many of which skipped stops. And Google’s info was hit-and-miss here. I’m told buses are the way to go in Kyoto. Didn’t try that, but just know if you did Tokyo first and got used to their metro, you might get lulled into thinking it would be smooth sailing and then Kyoto is a surprise…
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Another heads-up, Japan doesn’t believe in the concept of public seating. It’s incredibly rare to find any benches or seats in any public area. Parks, shopping areas, train stations, etc. The airports are the exceptions. As noted above, we did a ton of walking but what really killed our feet was all the standing. If a couple people wanted to shop somewhere, there literally was no place for others to go find to sit down. As a result, we often were walking or standing for 10-12 hours straight, except while eating or occasionally if we got lucky on the metro. Just set your expectations accordingly.
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If you’re used to vacations in very crowded places like NYC, Las Vegas, Orlando, London, etc., then Japan won’t be too shocking. If you typically have vacationed in less super-crowded places it may be. Because it was CROWDED. Everywhere. And we were there before the cherry blossom season or Golden Week, so far from peak levels. But ordinary crowds in the major cities is just a 365 thing there. Like thousands and thousands of people. There might be a thousand who cross an intersection on a single light.
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We got used to this quickly and on balance appreciated it, but just like Japan doesn’t believe in public seating, they don’t believe in public trash. Finding a trash receptacle in public was extraordinarily rare. Even places to sold food it was sometimes rare - you often had to ask and the worker would simply take your food trash from you because there was no place for you to dispose of it yourself. It’s impolite in Japan to eat or drink while walking on sidewalks and you absolutely never see it on trains, etc. So there’s less opportunities to make trash out in the wild, but if you do you’re expected to hold on to it. We often carried empty water bottles for hours and miles. On the plus side we never saw any discarded trash on the ground anywhere, an occurrence that is common in every major metro in the US. Also kind of surprising given its historic reputation, we saw almost no smoking anywhere. There were designated smoking places here and there and on the train (but it was a sealed room), but those were the exceptions.
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We initially had a lot of trouble buying pre-booked Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets and setting up virtual IC card balances in Apple Wallet before we left until I realized that it literally could only be done in the evening here in the US. Once I arrived it only worked during business hours in Japan. Because crazily enough many sites simply didn’t process credit cards after hours on website or apps – it still worked fine at physical establishments in Japan. So when you try and create a Suica card from the US (which you need to use the trains and metros) and it’s not working, wait until before you go to bed and it will magically work, LOL.
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Despite being told I would need cash in Japan, we never did in Tokyo or Hiroshima. Not for anything – destinations, activities, food, snacks, transportation, etc. Kyoto was the opposite – many places only took cash. Fortunately ATMs were easy to find.
Overall, an amazing place. Everyone loved it. Would like to go back (notwithstanding the brutal 14.5 hour flight each way, in economy seats, and 14 hour time change). So clean, so beautiful, so orderly and polite, so distinctly different than anything we had seen in the US or Europe.
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Glad to hear you had a good time. I spent a few years there as a child then went for a two week trip when the kids were young and more recently last year. The integration of the Tokyo metro and google maps was amazing! The first time we visited Japan we did Kyoto as a day trip from Osaka, but that was mostly because we had a professor contact there. Hiroshima was a surprise to us too.
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Thank you for starting this thread and for sharing your experience! I’m grateful to everyone who contributed their suggestions. DH and I will start planning a trip once we decide what time of year will be best for us.
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What a wonderful trip!
Makes me want to go back so badly. Next time we go we will definitely go to Hiroshima.
We may have crossed paths. We just returned from Japan as well. We split our time between big and modern (~1 week in Tokyo) and smaller more traditional (~1 week in Kyoto). Many similar take-aways as you with some differences.
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Tokyo remains my favorite. You can stand on a busy corner next to a younger girl looking like she stepped out of a manga video standing next to an older Japanese businessman in in impeccably tailored suit, standing next to a woman in a traditional kimono. Kyoto, is a quiet, picturesque, and much more traditional place. Both places pretty crowded, but people are so well mannered it’s not a big deal.
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We used train (Shinkansen) service from Tokyo station to Kyoto station and back, and we took the Narita Express from Shinagawa Station to the airport when we left Japan. My wife and I have had previous experience with the train system and still find them easy to use. Busy? Yes. Every efficient? Yes!! We used the JR app to book the bullet train (Shinkansen) before we left the US. Many people have trouble with this app, but I guess we were lucky. We used Green Cars (reserved seating - upgraded service) on every train. Very enjoyable.
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We knew dining was going to be a challenge just because of everything that was available. Our strategy was to have brunch at anyplace that struck our fancy at the markets we would visit each day and have dinner reservations as key spots. Brunchs at Tsukiji and Toyosu markets in Tokyo and Niskiki in Kyoto were simply fun. Sometimes we would just find the longest line and que up finding out later what we were in for. Dinner reservations were another matter. We worked them in advance with our hotel concierge, and they did not disappoint. Every place we dined was small (seating 8-10) and in all but two we were the only non-Japanese in the room. We did fit in a few 1 and 2 Michelin star places but honestly all the food was great - fresh and seasonal (I’m looking at you blowfish).
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We always kept some yen on hand primarily for the smaller shops in the fish markets. Cash is still king there. Taxis were easy to get and US credit cards accepted with no problems. Credit cards at dinner restaurants were accepted.
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The shopping and restaurants at the train stations are fun, especially at Tokyo stations. We loaded up on Japanese Kit Kat bars (Kitto Katto) for our daughter that loves all the flavors available only in Japan.
Thanks to my wife’s airline status we always fly business class, because I don’t think my my old bones would make that long flight now. We love travel to Asia in general and Japan is, by far, our favorite destination.
We are currently planning our next trip to Japan as a surprise trip for with our two kids. We’ve bouncing between a winter ski trip or a late spring trip. Either way, we’re looking forward to it.
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If you want to get off the beaten path, go north to Tohoku. We were in Akita, Aomori, Iwate, Fukushima and Yamagata for two weeks with six days prior in Tokyo. It’s amazingly beautiful. The ski areas are like I’m guessing Nagano and Hokkaido were 25 years ago, no tourists.
We started early and left two days before they did. We flew from Yamagata to Haneda so we didn’t have to schlep skis on the train. It was cheap…$220 for two First Class tickets.
Already planning next year. Tickets are purchased. We’ll be there for two months. 
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My family will be visiting Japan for the first time from April 30 to May 8 (6 days in Kyoto and 2 in Osaka). In our poorly executed planning, we only learned afterward that our visit coincides with the golden week in Japan. We already made the airline ticket purchases and hotel reservations, so it’s too late to modify or cancel our visit. How bad is it for tourists during this week?
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I predict a great time. Crowded? Yep, but it should be fun.
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My feeling is that there’s never a bad time to be a tourist in Japan!
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It is what it is on the crowds. And on the plus side it will be beautiful and lots of things happening.
It’s up to your family’s personal dynamics, but my suggestion if you want to avoid the worst crowds is be the early bird or the night owl. Most people show up in the daytime. But some of the most popular attractions in Kyoto for example are open before or after and you can practically have it to yourself and get those enviable pics. For example, Fushimi Inari Taisha (the famous path with the thousands of red gates) is open 24/7. At magic hour it is like Disney’s Main Street on New Year’s right after the fireworks. But we went an hour after dark and it was deserted and magical. Similarly, Kiyomizu-dera opens at 6am. The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is also open 24/7. Etc.
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Yes, we plan on hitting all of those places you mentioned very early in the morning. I’m more worried about long lines in places like train tickets, restaurants and attractions that require a ticket. We’re arriving at Kansai Int. Airport (KIX) where we’ll pick up a pocket wifi, purchase ICOCA cards and Haruka limited express train tickets pre-ordered in advance and head straight to Kyoto Station. While in Kyoto, we’ll use one-day passes for unlimited subway/bus rides. After 6 nights in Kyoto, we’ll head to Osaka for a couple of nights to end our trip.
Is mask-wearing still common right now in Japan post-pandemic? We just learned about the dangerous streptococcal infections soaring in Japan. That’s another concern.
Most people weren’t masked, but a few were.
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I’ve only been there the one time (returned a week ago) so my perspective on what it will be like during Golden Week is speculative, but I think you will be fine. We observed several things about crowds in general in Japan: 1) They are better organized to handle them efficiently, 2) Without rude or oblivious people things move along better, 3) As a result, even long lines moved so much faster than any comparable thing we have done with crowds in the US or Europe. We never had any bad experiences waiting in lines – it was just the oppressiveness of every square inch of popular marketplaces or things like that being filled with people that was a bummer.
As for restaurants, there’s food places every few feet it feels like, some literally stacked on top of another. I have a hard time imagining you ever not being able to find an interesting place to eat without waiting unless you pick a place with reservations only and in that case my advice is to have a hotel with a concierge service you can reach out to in advance to start setting up reservations.
The train stations are super efficient. For example, with the Shinkansen (bullet) trains, they literally tell you which car of the train you are assigned to and you line up at the part of the platform that car will arrive at. A full train can be completely loaded at a popular station in Tokyo in a couple minutes at most. We did have a queue once when we were buying train tickets in-person last minute but it moved pretty fast. Everyone is courteous there so it would be considered rude to be holding up a kiosk.
We flew into Haneda and used a different train line to get into Tokyo so the experience may not be the same. We pre-loaded virtual IC cards (we used Suica but just as easily could have picked PASMO) on our iPhone Apple Wallets before we left the States. Those worked fine to get us through the turnstiles and onto the train from the airport to Tokyo without needing to buy or pick-up tickets. For the Shinkansen I used their app to pre-buy tickets and reserve seats. It generated QR codes for the tickets which you could print, use from your phone or load into Apple Wallet. That got us through the turnstiles that then generated physical tickets at the other side of the turnstile that you picked up. Never needed to go to a person or kiosk to do it (except the tickets for one leg that we didn’t pre-buy because we didn’t know our departure time in advance).
Its far more common than the US is now, but I would still say a minority of people wore masks. It was not mandated anywhere. Much higher ratio of people wore them, just not most. I would say maybe 1 in 10-ish (as opposed to the NYC trains or subways now were its like 1/50). And, yes we definitely ended up stuck near some coughing people on the metro who were not masked. On the plus side, unlike many places we have recently visited in the US, absolutely no one gave you dirty looks if you did wear them (as my wife and I frequently did – our adult kids opted out).
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Thank you for your responses. Hopefully, our walking during this Japan trip doesn’t end up tracking anywhere near 100 miles. Japan actually is the second stop of our month and half long trip, South Korea being our first stop. Combined, we might track over 100 miles.
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Ooh South Korea. That is one place I want to visit as well 
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That’s what my son and DIL experienced. Very early and late. Early they had areas to themselves before tours showed up and late at night it was quiet, empty and lit up beautifully.
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