We breezed through Tohoku last year but I wished I could have stayed longer. Two months sounds incredible. I would put it off for something other than a first trip (or perhaps even second trip) to Japan, but it is quite worth it. Sapporo (in Hokkaido) does not feel crowded despite having many of the amenities one would enjoy/need. And Aomori… wow, if you love nature, the river hike is worth all the effort (but try to go off season or at least when the crowds die down).
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I think we’ll hit Nagano and Hokkaido for about a week, and spend the rest of the time in Tohoku again. There are VERY few English speakers. It feels SO authentic. Love that place, especially around Lake Tazawa. Agreed though, you should see Tokyo and Kyoto first.
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If your family is up for something fun, familiar, yet memorably different, you might consider going to a Hanshin Tigers game near Osaka. They play in town during the time you’re in Kyoto.
(It should be within a train ride from Kyoto, but you will want to verify, esp the return trip after the game).
They will play Hiroshima and then the Tokyo Giants. And they will do their balloon release during the 7th inning stretch:
I’m hoping in the future to get to a Yakult Swallows game where they do their umbrella dance:
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Thanks for re-opening this thread.
DH and I just got back from an almost 6 week trip to Japan. It was our first trip there and this thread was helpful. I thought I’d share our experience. (Sorry in advance for the length of the post.)
First we were grateful that neither of us got sick (got the updated Covid and flu shots before our departure). We didn’t wear a mask except at the airport, but actually saw a surprising number of people wearing them…even outside. I’d say it was roughly 10-20% out in public and most hotel and restaurant workers.
Second the weather from the end of Sept through yesterday was warmer than expected. It drizzled off and on the first few days in Tokyo and only had 3 days with steady rain for a part of the day…so we were lucky. Because of the chance of rain we carried an umbrella with us. We were surprised to see many people using umbrellas on sunny days…I actually did too several times, as 75 degrees felt really hot in the sun for this Chicago girl. It was less important when walking by high rises, but was useful when I knew we were going to walk outside without a lot of shade.
Here was our itinerary:
- 8 nights in Tokyo (stayed near the Shinjuku train station)
This included a day trip to Kamakura. - 2 nights in Hakone (stayed at a ryokan)
- 2 nights in Takayama (stayed at a ryokan)
- 2 nights in Kanazawa (stayed in a hotel near the castle park)
- 7 nights in Kyoto (stayed in a boutique hotel)
This included a day trip to Nara. - 4 nights in Osaka (hotel a short walk to the train station)
This included a day trip to Himeji. - 2 nights in Hiroshima (stayed at hotel adjacent to the train station)
This included a day trip to Miyajima. - 3 nights in Fukuoka (hotel close to the train station)
- 2 nights in Sapporo (stayed at a hotel adjacent to the train station)
- 2 nights in Lake Toya (stayed at a ryokan)
- 2 nights in Hakodate (stayed at a modern ryokan)
- 2 nights in Tokyo (same hotel near the Shinjuku train station)
We found the trains easy to navigate. Google Maps worked well, but we did upgrade to the T-mobile international data plan as someone suggested. Suica in our Apple Wallet was easy to use once we figured out how to put money on it through the app. Initially we had to use an Amex card but for some reason the Visa which we prefer to use worked after awhile…no idea why. Gmaps was great especially toward the end of the trip because it does tell you how much it will cost to go from point A to point B.
We traveled with a rolling carryon and a 30 L backpack. We did a bunch of souvenir shopping in Kyoto and then sent it to our Tokyo hotel. From a blog it was suggested to use a duffle bag versus a hard sided suitcase and it worked well for us since we purchased a bunch of clothes and could put the more fragile items in the middle of a bunch of clothes. Did I mention I love Uniqlo? (Yeah, went a little crazy there.) And the breakable stuff did make it home safely. The Japan dept stores did a great job packing things well. Customer service was excellent. For instance we bought some tea cups and sake glasses. They opened the packages for us to inspect the items then re-packaged everything in front of us. Then they bubble wrapped the boxes. In fact the salespeople were definitely professionals. I found some things I wanted and was going to walk it to a counter to pay for it and a salesperson rushed over and insisted on carrying it for me. The number of salespeople per square footage is really high.
Things we really liked in Japan:
- the people. We really like the respectful culture. We’ve never bowed so much and we liked it!
- the food. We went out to just a few restaurants which required reservations and the concierges helped us there. DH emailed the various concierge in advance and they set the reservations. The rest of the time we either were fed at the ryokan or ate at mall restaurants. We found we liked eating with the locals. You can’t eat big meals all the time…and the mall restaurant food was tasty, inexpensive and is often scalable.
- the trains. We found it easy to navigate with lots of signs and color coded train lines. They are so clean, orderly (even if extremely crowded) and quiet. Everyone follows the protocols…stand behind the yellow line, line up on the sides and let the people getting off the train get off first and then get on.
- taxis. The taxi drivers were very professional. We used the Go app, since that’s the one our hotel used. We had no issues with it and found it useful in Kyoto.
- the bathrooms. They are so clean! But if you are a large person it may be challenging at times…think stalls the size of an airplane bathroom minus the sink area. In fact everywhere seemed clean. We only saw graffiti twice and no dog poo on the sidewalks.
- the toilets! Loved the Toto toilets. It may sound weird but we miss them already. DH would love to buy some for our house. Heated seat, auto open/close lid, bidet, privacy noise, deodorizer are much appreciated features.
- safety. We felt so safe there. Unlike some other trips where you have to be extra cautious, like in Barcelona, Japan feels extremely safe.
- DH choice to stay adjacent to the train station on some of our 2 night stays. It helped reduce stress when catching a Shinkansen train at a specific time with luggage. We’d purchase the tickets online a couple of days before and print the departure tickets upon our arrival.
- pedestrian lights at intersections and people actually heed them!
Things we didn’t enjoy:
- the lack of places to sit. As someone mentioned earlier, you stand A LOT in Japan. Walking a lot wasn’t an issue, but the amount of standing we did was unanticipated.
- people who don’t wear socks (tourists, I believe). Many shrines and temples require you to remove your shoes, so make sure you have socks. Walking among people with bare feet was a little gross.
- bikes. We survived without getting hit but we never got used to bikes on the sidewalks. If you’re walking with your phone using gmaps don’t make sudden changes in your direction without looking for a bike.
Lastly, we took 2 domestic flights…Fukuoka to Sapporo…and then Sapporo to Tokyo. It was easy even though it was a full flight, because we got there early.
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This was my issue too. We averaged 100 miles of walking in 9 days on our trip – so more than 10 a day. But when we were not actively walking, there was rarely any place to sit in public places. I did more damage to my feet standing than walking. Just not part of their culture to have any public benches, not in the parks, not in the massive street malls, not in the shops, etc.
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Also in Japan it’s generally considered RUDE to walk while eating or drinking. You are supposed to stay wherever you bought the item to consume it.
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- the toilets! Loved the Toto toilets. It may sound weird but we miss them already. DH would love to buy some for our house. Heated seat, auto open/close lid, bidet, privacy noise, deodorizer are much appreciated features.
My family lived in Japan for years, and when my parents returned to the US 20+ years ago they were given a container for their move back. In addition to dozens of carpets from Singapore and antiques from shrine sales, they brought back five Toto toilets. Once you’re accustomed to them you can never go back!
(As they were purchased in Japan, the controls are all in Japanese, but most everyone figures it out from the symbols accompanying the kanji 
)
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Glad you enjoyed it! I loved the gardens even in late December! The only issue I had was between the walking and the salty food my feet swelled up. Since we also had to take our shoes off every time we entered a temple - it was rather annoying. I’d purposely picked shoes that would be easy to get on and off.
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FIVE Toto toilets!!! I’m green with envy.
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Great trip report @88jm19. We are currently in Yokohama and fly home tomorrow. I agree with your observations. We spent 6 nights in Tokyo (including a day trip to Nikko), 2 in Takayama at a ryokan, 2 in Kanazawa, 6 nights in Kyoto (including a day trip to Nara and also an exhausting day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima), and finally 2 nights in Yokohama. Mr. Corinthian has Hyatt status so with the exception of the ryokan in Takayama, we stayed at all Hyatt hotels. We found the train system pretty easy to navigate but we sent our luggage ahead using the Yamato Transport luggage delivery service from one hotel to the next. We used digital Suica cards on our iPhones and we also rode the subway in Tokyo and buses in Kanazawa and Kyoto.
My favorite stops on this trip were Nikko, Nara and Miyajima. I found Tokyo to be too crowded and overwhelming. I preferred Kyoto. I’m also not a big fan of seafood and we ate a lot of lunches that were udon or ramen. We had a few fancy dinners, 2 at teppanyaki restaurants and one at a fancy tempura restaurant. But we also ate several meals at Italian restaurants to get a break from unfamiliar seafood.
As mentioned, I agree with your observations. I’d just add a couple: we saw a LOT of people pushing strollers with little fancy dogs in them. We also saw a ton of school groups at many of the sites we visited.
It was also helpful to wear shoes that easily slip on and off, for visiting shrines. Before the trip I bought Mr Corinthian a pair of slip-on Skechers sneakers just for that purpose, and had a similar pair of Dansko sneakers for myself.
The combination of salty food, tons of walking/stair climbing and few places to sit took a toll. I bought myself a pair of compression socks a few days ago because I noticed my ankles swelling a bit, which is not usually a problem for me. We also loved the Toto toilets. We were also super impressed by the wide availability of public toilets that were very clean. They didn’t always have soap, however. We carried little soap sheets we bought on Amazon. Usually they also didn’t have dryers or paper towels but we got used to that. Paper napkins are also rare.
All in all we had a very enjoyable trip!
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“including a day trip to Nara and also an exhausting day trip to Hiroshima/Miyajima)” - we did that too when staying in Kyoto, tiring but no regrets. I went along for husband’s business trip and enjoyed Nara and other sights (but on my own, as part of tours). Loved Kyoto but actually am not keen on going to Tokyo.
Location name trivia https://www.quora.com/Is-Kyoto-just-Tokyo-backwards
Thanks! And you reminded me of a few things.
The ‘little dogs in the strollers’ was a thing. It took us by surprise the first couple of times, but we got used to it. We even saw a couple of dog clothing stores. DS and his gf joined us for part of the trip and they purchased a winter sweater for their dog.
I can understand this sentiment. Tokyo can be an assault of the senses with the huge crowds, the density of stores and all the lights. If you are unfamiliar with large urban city centers it could be overwhelming. However, for a large, densely populated city it is so clean and not smelly in that unhygienic way.
Yes. I always carry hand sanitizer with me, just in case. I also purchased a small towel (thin, maybe 6”x6”) early in the trip. They’re sold in many places, even the fancy Japanese dept stores. By the time we flew home I’d bought roughly a dozen. It was my cheap souvenir choice. I have a Hello Kitty, a deer one from Nara, a red gate from Miyajima, a Mt Fuji…are some examples. In hindsight I wish I had found a Godzilla one.
Glad to hear you had a great trip too. We’re already talking about “on our next trip there”.
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Last night, we had dinner with friends who just came back from Japan with loads of desserts! They wanted us to taste everything. It was so much fun (and sugar). They had a double cheese cheesecake that was super light and fluffy and creamy that they bought 3 of and had packed in dry ice and hand-carried on the plane.
13 people attended so we were able to divvy up the treats and sugar—haha!
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