OFFICIAL TRAVEL GUIDE: JAPAN

[sfc415]

I just came back from Japan today (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone)

Man, everything is 2-3X more crowded than when I used to go before 2020. I remember walking into so many restaurants with zero or minimal wait; this time we were struggling to find good places to eat without hour long waits unless we headed there at 10:30-11 AMish. Of course we made reservations at sushi and wagyu spots, but I just mean it was really hard to get into good izakayas, ramen spots, etc. without massive lines or reservations.

Places seem to close earlier than before, similar to the US. I was surprised to see so many spots close at 8-9 PM. So many businesses have closed down permanently too

Number of English speaking establishments has gone down A LOT. It’s understandable, since most places have gone 2-3 years without English speaking customers, but just warning you that it’s harder to communicate sometimes compared to pre 2020 . Google Translate and having a Japanese friend help out was key during this trip.

One positive thing that came from Covid there is that smoking has gone down massively. Smoking on the street and indoors is pretty much banned in most places (smokers have to smoke in closed off booths), while the last time I went, it was annoying to enjoy food/drinks sometimes without some people smoking indoors and leaving the smell on my clothes.

You should all go before fall; they’re increasing the JR Pass price by 60-70%. For now it’s worth it to spend a few hundred for a 7 day pass if you plan to go to different cities by Shinkansen, but later on the year you might as well fly.

Haneda Airport was a mess today- I swear I’ve never seen so many Americans in Japan at one time before, even during sakura season.They’ve really been dying to visit the country after 3 years of watching Japan videos on social media

Still had an amazing time though-coming back to the US after spending time in Japan always feels like returning to a dump

 

[sfc415]

I’d say my favorite part of this trip was my girl renting us kimonos and walking around Arashiyama, Gion, etc. during non-busy hours in Kyoto. I know it sounds corny to some people (it did to me at first), but she found some kimono for me that made me feel like a samurai from hundreds of years ago, living the life while enjoying kaiseke+sake by the river and among the traditional architecture. Kyoto’s atmosphere really is something else if you can avoid large crowds.

Just don’t be like those American tourists wearing Vans and fitted caps with their kimonos

 

[stuntman mike]

not sure if the exchange rate is still very favorable to the u.s. dollar but it was super nice to eat out every meal and not spend an arm and a leg like we do at home.

 

[sfc415]

not sure if the exchange rate is still very favorable to the u.s. dollar but it was super nice to eat out every meal and not spend an arm and a leg like we do at home.

Definitely is- the rule used to be just divide the Japanese price by 100 to get the USD price right?

I had a 1000 yen bowl of ramen that would’ve come out to $10 in 2019ish and comes out to $7.45 as of today. This wasn’t even a regular bowl; the regular ones would probably come out to $5 or something.

Either way it’s so much better than the disgusting prices we deal with here; that same bowl of ramen would be at least $15-20 minimum.

If any of you have any high price shopping you want to do this year, make sure to combine it with your Japan trip to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate+ tax free shopping (extremely easy in Japan, you get the discounted rate right away instead of having to line up at the airport to get your refund)

 

[Fozz]

Would love to visit within the next 10 years. What is the minimum length of stay I should plan for?

 

[seb87]

Kawaguchiko is real beautiful at that time of the year bro!

Went there last time and took the Trolley car up hoping to see Mt. Fuji lol. You’ll have an awesome view if there are no clouds.

I’m going with a group that has never been to Japan before so they want me to show them around.

We’ll be based in Tokyo but I’ll have to bring them to Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kawaguchiko, and Fukuoka.

I’m going to find out the places they really want to see though.



-Drew

Nice, I'll see if I can make Kawaguchiko work, it's just a bit isolated and will need to go through Tokyo to get to Kyoto.
Are you gonna try to go watch some sumo wrestling? There's the September tournament. I'm not into sumo at all but could be a fun experience.

 

[seb87]

not sure if the exchange rate is still very favorable to the u.s. dollar but it was super nice to eat out every meal and not spend an arm and a leg like we do at home.

it's slowly going back up compared to the dollar, the pound is fairly strong right now, hopefully it stays like that.
sfc415 it was also the first Sakura season since the pandemic so it makes sense that it was super busy, I hope that by September it will be a bit less busy, don't feel like queueing hours to eat.

Is it still worth it going to Tsukiji market since they moved the inner market to Toyosu?

Looking forward to going back to Asakusa and eat here again - https://goo.gl/maps/PMPhwSRzmXps9Enx8
It's pretty much a DYI Okonomiyaki spot but there are ladies going around helping you out to cook it. Shoes off and seating is on the floor.

 

[Madeforatc]

Got my watch from Tokyo department store! What a lovely country! Shica card is recommended for any transport for subways and buses. People are so polite here and the food can be hit or miss depending on tourist traps! Got my Shunbun Sbga443 here after going to 4 dept stores.

Also visited Korea and that was amazing as well but everyone smokes in Korea.

 

[Kamara4Life]

Mannnn I haven’t been to Japan since ‘18… I plan on taking a 2 weeks trip out there.. want to hit up Osaka.. my fav city in Japan.. and maybe a few days in Tokyo… how was Osaka these days?

 

[sfc415]

Kamara4Life Osaka was cool but insanely crowded We could barely move while walking around Shinsaibashi/Dotonburi, but it became more tolerable around 9pmish when the stores started closing down. There were still a decent number of spots open until 10-11ish, but not much after that. Just like Tokyo, things seem to be closing much earlier than before.

seb87

True, I know a lot of people went for Sakura season, but I’ve been to Japan during this season a few years ago, and it’s easily twice as crowded now.

Most of the sakura trees were dead anyway by the time we got there due to an early bloom this year.

 

[seb87]

sfc415 damn, people were really eager to go!

Nice Seiko Madeforatc tempted to grab one as well when I go, as I am a bit limited in what I can buy there in terms of clothing (US 12/12.5) and XL to XXL in clothing with long arms...
Only things I have on the shopping list is a Porter counter shade backpack and a cooking knife.

 

[sc415]

Thinking of a 4 night trip to Osaka. Any recommendations for a hotel to stay at? Cafe, restaurant? First time visiting any tips welcomed.

 

[stuntman mike]

.

Thinking of a 4 night trip to Osaka. Any recommendations for a hotel to stay at?

i've stayed at hotel granvia a few times. it's connected to the train station so it's super convenient. it's not super fancy but the price is good.
another perk for us was that it's right next to a department store that has a tomica shop inside for my son and he got to "build" his own car (he picks some parts and they assemble it in front of you).

 

[s0lefunk]

I just came back from Japan today (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone)

Man, everything is 2-3X more crowded than when I used to go before 2020. I remember walking into so many restaurants with zero or minimal wait; this time we were struggling to find good places to eat without hour long waits unless we headed there at 10:30-11 AMish. Of course we made reservations at sushi and wagyu spots, but I just mean it was really hard to get into good izakayas, ramen spots, etc. without massive lines or reservations.

Places seem to close earlier than before, similar to the US. I was surprised to see so many spots close at 8-9 PM. So many businesses have closed down permanently too

Number of English speaking establishments has gone down A LOT. It’s understandable, since most places have gone 2-3 years without English speaking customers, but just warning you that it’s harder to communicate sometimes compared to pre 2020 . Google Translate and having a Japanese friend help out was key during this trip.

One positive thing that came from Covid there is that smoking has gone down massively. Smoking on the street and indoors is pretty much banned in most places (smokers have to smoke in closed off booths), while the last time I went, it was annoying to enjoy food/drinks sometimes without some people smoking indoors and leaving the smell on my clothes.

You should all go before fall; they’re increasing the JR Pass price by 60-70%. For now it’s worth it to spend a few hundred for a 7 day pass if you plan to go to different cities by Shinkansen, but later on the year you might as well fly.

Haneda Airport was a mess today- I swear I’ve never seen so many Americans in Japan at one time before, even during sakura season.They’ve really been dying to visit the country after 3 years of watching Japan videos on social media

Still had an amazing time though-coming back to the US after spending time in Japan always feels like returning to a dump

The IG algorithm definitely got to my wife

We were planning a Euro trip for our honeymoon this year but she said she wanted to do Japan again. We did the same cities as you the first time around. My main goal is to do the full Fushimi Inari hike.

 

[sfc415]

The IG algorithm definitely got to my wife

We were planning a Euro trip for our honeymoon this year but she said she wanted to do Japan again. We did the same cities as you the first time around. My main goal is to do the full Fushimi Inari hike.

That’s the good thing about Japan; you can keep going over and over since there’s so many different and interesting things to do in each city/region, and it’s actually not a massive headache to get to a variety of places like it is in so many parts of the world. People complain about the lack of English speaking staff, but IMO Japan makes up for it 100X by making everything else efficient and useful for tourists.

 

[s0lefunk]

That’s the good thing about Japan; you can keep going over and over since there’s so many different and interesting things to do in each city/region, and it’s actually not a massive headache to get to a variety of places like it is in so many parts of the world. People complain about the lack of English speaking staff, but IMO Japan makes up for it 100X by making everything else efficient and useful for tourists.

We went in 2019 and the language barrier wasn’t a huge deal. I’d say 70-80% of the places we went to had English speaking staff or at least menus. We had to break out Google translate a couple times. Good thing numbers and pointing are pretty universal

Complaining about the lack of English in non-English speaking countries is dumb as hell. You are the visitor and need to adapt. Or find some ex-pat hangouts. But Japan really wasn’t that hard and I speak 0 Japanese.

 

[seb87]

I saw a few of your write about Fukuoka earlier in this thread, do you mind sharing a bit more why? I might be able to squeeze it in my next trip and wondering what can be done there or what kind of vibe is down there?

Alternatively I am considering Okinawa, wouldn't mind a bit of sun and maybe beach to relax after 2 weeks of intense walking.

 

[drew]

I saw a few of your write about Fukuoka earlier in this thread, do you mind sharing a bit more why? I might be able to squeeze it in my next trip and wondering what can be done there or what kind of vibe is down there?

Alternatively I am considering Okinawa, wouldn't mind a bit of sun and maybe beach to relax after 2 weeks of intense walking.

I wanted to visit the White Torii gate facing the sea, check out Nonzoin temple to see the reclining Buddha, and the view of Fukuoka at night is supposed to be exceptionally beautiful.



-Drew

 

[seb87]

I wanted to visit the White Torii gate facing the sea, check out Nonzoin temple to see the reclining Buddha, and the view of Fukuoka at night is supposed to be exceptionally beautiful.



-Drew

Good points! I will do a bit of research on it!

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Cool YouTube page

https://youtube.com/@LifeWhereImFrom

 

[streetlights]

are nikes cheaper/different/better in japan?

im going to tokyo for two weeks and cant really decide if i should just take a pair of white af1s and look to buy something out there or if i should just take the shoes i like with me?

 

[sn00pee]

are nikes cheaper/different/better in japan?

im going to tokyo for two weeks and cant really decide if i should just take a pair of white af1s and look to buy something out there or if i should just take the shoes i like with me?

if you are taking advantage of the exchange rate, and maybe research a few select shoe shops around tokyo, then sure, maybe itll be a little cheaper i guess.

 

[hennessy beach]

We plan on going during the Christmas/new year holiday this year.

Is that a bad time to go?

 

[stuntman mike]

We plan on going during the Christmas/new year holiday this year.

Is that a bad time to go?

aside from the one or two times we encountered heavy rain, i love it in japan that time of year. some great xmas light displays too. if you're thinking of having kfc for xmas dinner in the restaurant, i hear you need to book it way in advance.

 

[suberzat1]

We plan on going during the Christmas/new year holiday this year.

Is that a bad time to go?

I went 2019 into 2020 for NYE. NYE is pretty quiet around Tokyo but the other days I was filled with adventuring the city.