Dec 2024 Japan Trip (no Disney)

[nono]

So, this trip doesn't include TDL or TDS, so it's just a summary of what we did in case it helps someone else round out their trip to the Tokyo region.

Flew ANA overnight out of JFK. Cannot recommend or not recommend. You gotta be in the mood to leave at 1 am and arrive at 5 am. We were for this trip so it worked well. One thing to note with this flight is you land in T2 which is mostly ANA domestic. So, if you are connecting in-country to a smaller city, this could be the flight to take to cut down on transfer headaches. We were only transferring to T3, so, not much of an advantage for us.

We shipped our luggage from T2, then took the bus to T3. My son said that his sister (our daughter) said she was picking up a welcome suica for us (we had a couple other suicas). I got in line in T3 also for the Welcome Suica, and after the lady in front of me was done, I woke up everyone in the area by yelling my daughter's name when I realized that lady was my daughter, as we had synced up to literally be 1 person apart trying to accomplish the same task! Our daughter is a Japan resident and college student...we were three sand dune bumpkins from southern coastal NJ who hadn't slept much Wed night, went to school or work all day Thursday, and then slept poorly on the plane. She was still glad to see us!

Picked up our Ninja Wireless, and were waiting on shower rooms. Our time came, and eventually Air Bic opened (best price on Ito En products at the airport, as far as I can tell). After that, there were no chores to do, so we shoved our carry ons in a coin locker and decided to take the free shuttle from Haneda Garden to Ariake Garden shopping center.

The food court and outdoor area was good, even above average, and a couple of us picked up a random shirt and my husband got a new coat, so that was cool. When we were done, we went to Shinagawa station to buy Shinkansen tickets for later in the trip and then commuted back over to the airport.

Stayed at Villa Fontaine that night...honestly would have been OK anywhere, but it was nice to have an onsen bath, the easy proximity to Haneda Garden made dinner a breeze. We at the the Seafood Izikaya...good times there. Food was above average, the staff was lovely (and funny) and the dining room was quite comfy.

Hotel room was great! Beds firm, but not insane, and I love an insane firm bed. (Yes, I'm American, I know it's surprising!) Price of our room included an onsen visit. That went fine, and that was about Day 1.

Hope this is helpful for someone still planning their trip.

 

[nono]

First part of the trip is Yokohama. We did a day trip a year or so ago, and my husband really wanted to hang here a little and do a day trip or two. Things were loose for the first few days to account for everyone's jet lag.

One highlight included taking the bus from Haneda to Yokohama station -- it was a beautiful day, Mt Fuji was in sight and the route gives riders a nice view of the harbor and Minatomirai area. Another highlight was poking around Chinatown on a weekday morning starting around 10:30. Found the atmosphere to be fun, not too crowded and a shout out to the little store called Koki that had just super versions of all things street food. And a small standing area in an alley along with 2 trash cans!

Our son needed to beef up his wardrobe, but is always too busy to shop at home. So, we headed to an outlet area at the edge of Yokohama area called Mitsui Outlet Park Yokohama Bayside. Very set up at the stores in the outlet section to give tax free "discount". He got a lot of clothes, we all got something, actually. It had a really nice food court where we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. They had a separate building of Uniqlo/GU called Uniqlo Park and there was minor rock climbing and slides along the outside of the building. Younger adults were using it to commute in and out of the couple levels of the building. I think we were the only foreigners there when we went, and the deals we got were substantial, even before the exchange rate.

We did a couple evenings walking around the holiday Illuminations. We seem to really like that based upon the sheer number of photos we took

I'll cover where we ate and the more major highlights and post photos in another post. Just wanted to mention these as they weren't supposed to be "things" we'd even remember, yet we all keep talking about them as highlights so I thought I'd share them.

 

[nono]

Uniqlo/GU Mitsui Outlet Park Yokohama Bayside





Koki in Chinatown Yokohama


Marine Tower Yokohama


Outside Hamafukutsuru Sake or Kiku-Masamune Sake in Kobe. It was worth the trip and had little banners through the town to direct you to their locations. At least 2-3 more right in this little neighborhood.


General Escalator Decor


Hanasato Hida Beef Dinner in Kobe


Waverunner Simulator Game in Kobe Maritime Museum


Captaining a Ship into Harbor Simulator Game Kobe Maritime Museum

 

[jujubiee4]

Can you please tell me how the weather is in December? Im look for a family trip to go in September
October November or December and weather will dictate it. Is it cold?

 

[nono]

Can you please tell me how the weather is in December? Im look for a family trip to go in September
October November or December and weather will dictate it. Is it cold?

So, I've only been in Oct., Nov.and Dec...and the only year it was cold was at night in Dec. In 2019 in the Tokyo area. I was glad for a warm winter coat with had and gloves while waiting for the Electric Light Parade that year, for instance.

I live at the "Jersey Shore" so I'm used to damp, chilly air though, so factor that in, esp. if you are from a dry area. These months are less rainy, but even so, I always pack a raincoat, and I've always gotten to use it.

 

[nono]

Added to this post at the bottom....

OK, so as I mentioned, we don't plan a lot at the beginning of any trip because with 3 of us adjusting to being 14 hours in the future, to meet the 4th of us who is on her resident time zone...it goes differently each time! Sooo, here's what we did that I think is worth mentioning.

I will say this -- check the opening hours of things you've planned. Hours and closed days do change, so, do some last minute double checking. In Yokohama, we did a couple minor museums (that's our thing -- go to smaller places that aren't a huge time/money commitment). Two that I would say are worth a visit are the Yokohama Customs Museum and the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum. I think both were free. The Customs Museum link I posted is to a quick article from Tokyo Cheapo, while the other link is to the actual site which has audio guides for the entire museum.

For food we had a lot of sit down meals at the beginning...spent a lot of time near Yokohama Station -- Mer de Napoli, Aloha Table, Mitsuri-bina at Yodobashi for All You Can Eat sushi... Oh and we did a celebration night at the Hilton's dinner buffet. Oh yeah...we had dinner in Yamashita Park at the Wharf House. That was a difficult night. It's the only place where none of us could really function in Japanese! We had fun though and the fish curry and fried calamari were delicious. Yokohama beers on tap there for those who are interested.

I'm forgetting some of Yokohama. Will come back and edit when I remember.

OK, I remembered! We also took the Sea Bass Water Shuttle at one point in the afternoon from Yamashita Park to Yokohama Station -- that was nice. Cheaper to take the subway, but it was a nice day and the trip was very relaxing. I think that was the day that we chased down the Disney Holiday Trees at a few locations in Minatomirai and just kept going to the end of the park. Oh and for some reason, Google maps refers to this as the Sea Bus.

And we only ended up doing 1 real day trip out which was to Enoshima Island. We had flurries that morning, so we decided, "HEY, let's go to the beach." It worked out. We did the Caves, spent a lot of time on the tide pools (coastal folks needing to commune with the sea). We found a brewery that is in a non-tourist area of the island called AMATERASU. If you ever happen to go there and they have the Blue Surf beer, get it. The proprietor also makes tacos and our kids ate a bunch of them! Only like 4 barstools inside, but about 4 tables outside to sit and relax. We also did the Illumination at night. It was stunning.

 

[nono]

Finally remembered stuff and added it to post 6 at the bottom.

 

[nono]

I like Yokohama, but I really have kind of a hate/hate relationship with Yokohama Station. It's not a bad station. It's easy to navigate. But I just dislike the location and how everything is or is not connected to it.
The Sheraton side of the station is just bleh. However, the Don Quijote there is a manageable size, and not many tourists, so the Tax Free counter up on the 4th floor was no line! <----Might be the overall highlight of the trip.

We stayed at the Hilton next to the K Arena. There were events when we were there, but the property has it down on how to navigate its customers through the masses. And masses of Japanese young people really aren't anything like we experience in USA. I've seen reviews of the Hilton saying "I wouldn't stay during an event at the K Arena." Well, I have and it was fine. There are better locations if you like being in the action near the waterfront, but I liked that property and its decor (art deco).

 

[nono]

Oh and after a few trips to Japan, I finally figured out a coin system to work for me: a 2 coin storage system for yen. One on the back of my wallet for the small denominations and a separate purse for 50/100/500. Maybe it'll work for someone else too.

 

[nono]

Next stop: Osaka. A first for all of us...

Osaka highlights -- Illuminations, Hotel Lively, Osaka Museum of Housing and Living and the Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street. And Universal. Oh, Universal.

 

[nono]

First, the Hotel Lively was in a perfect location for us. Not a wildly busy area of Osaka, and we liked that. We stayed in a room that had 4 beds...2 bunks and 2 singles. It was a L shaped room with a living area as well, and it was a well laid out room. A water closet, a shower closet, two sinks in the entry to the room... Industrial chic and we really thought the room functioned well.

The property has nice public areas including a rooftop area, a bar underneath that (super chill and fun), and then the first and second floor were public spaces including a restaurant. It's a boutique hotel with an efficient footprint, but very inviting. They operate like smaller Japanese hotels I've stayed at where you have magnets to indicate clean or not clean the room. You can skip cleaning but when you get back you will have fresh towels in a bag at your door. We also removed our trash as well, and it was whisked away before we vacated the room 15 minutes later. We weren't sure we'd be able to stay out enough that day to give the maid time to prep the room, as we were leaving but maybe only til late morning (day after Universal).

Enough delicious restaurants within a short walk. Many are only listed in Japanese on Google maps, but we had no issues finding good food. A really good 7 Eleven around the corner and a subway station a block away, the Sakaisuji Hommachi Station. The neighborhood was calm.

 

[nono]

There were lots of Illuminations around but somehow, not unlike some museums we wanted to see, weren't available on the days we wanted to see them. So, we did a lot of backtracking, substituting and generally subbing in so many "other ideas" because of schedules not being what they were a month ago. Looking back, it was like going to a party where people were surprised we showed up. They just didn't seem prepared for tourists and having things nailed down as to which days were on/off, etc. It seemed like too many things were closed at once. I guess the upcoming Expo 2025 is putting pressure on tourist areas being up to snuff. Maybe we just had incredibly bad luck with schedules being updated after I nailed down our final schedule.

Also, be very careful in Osaka. People walk on the right, the left, it's a crapshoot really as to which side one should be walking. Couple that with a zippy bike culture, and yeah, not pedestrian friendly to the foreign. Don't get me wrong, I live in a tourist town and don't expect people to be "thrilled" I'm in their town. But it was a hard town to navigate for me.

The Osaka Museum of Housing and Living and the Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street were a great, chill outing. The shopping street is more regular, not a tourist throng like some other places. Regular stores, not high-end international name brands. A couple of fabulous bakeries with fantastic treats about 1/2 the price of the highly travelled tourist zones. The museum has a kimono experience that looked lovely. We spent over an hour there playing their scavenger hunt and generally enjoying the exhibits. Worth a visit, I think.

 

[nono]

Universal. We were kind of doing it as a check box, a visit where we could ride all the rides still before we get too old...that sort of thing. All I can say is this day was hands down, the greatest day in a theme park for me in years. Maybe decades. I will get to this next I promise.

 

[nono]

We chose a Sunday to go to Universal, and the weather was for rain possibly during the morning. So none of the "We must get there 1.5 hours in advance" mindset. But we did navigate the subways well and got to Universal about 7:40 a.m. and it was a walk in. They were generous about us bringing in what amounted to a huge carry on with 4 winter coats, which we stored in lockers inside the park. We were layered in rain gear and all had rain boots.

We started walking around and noticed that Backdrop had a 30 minute wait. We got in line. It was a 30 min wait. I was really glad we hopped on the Vanish Roller Coaster (forgot to mention that) in Yokohama, otherwise Backdrop would have been the first coaster in 2 years... And I'm now 60 years old. So, you start to wonder.

Well, nothing to wonder about. It was a freaking great ride!!!!!! Crazy, unexpected first ride of the day. Adrenaline rush x 100. 11 out of 10. Highly recommend if you enjoy coasters. If you don't, maybe skip this one. And that was the whole rest of the day too. The Flying Dinosaur. Oh. My. Word! Epic. Mine Cart Madness and all of Super Nintendo World, just too cute!

The Electric Frosty stage show...a crazy Japanese holiday fever dream. LOVED it.

It was very cold though to stay out for basically 12-13 hours. Glad for our boots and extra coats, hats, gloves. We bought the crazy oversized Nintendo hats, and they were the best thing ever to keep warm. We did linger on food breaks, but really don't miss getting lunch early or late. Just too crowded and all inside seating was full, when you could really use a warm up.

Also, there is no stamp to leave and then re-enter at USJ, so plan accordingly. It is in and when you go out, you are done.

 

[nono]

Another side trip we did from Osaka was Kobe. So glad we went. We chose a day where it would be intermittently sunny. The port there is so nice...just more "there" there than Yokohama in my opinion. One of the highlights for us was the Kobe Maritime Museum. We loved all the miniature, and a few huge scaled boats/ships! Took a lot of photos. If you happen to go there, don't miss the outdoor space at the back of the first floor. It's for trick art shots, and it took us awhile, but we got some really good ones.

As part of this museum, there's a Kawasaki Good Times (not its correct name) area. It's a celebration of all things from Kawasaki, the manufacturing company. I love the capturing of contemporary history through presentations like this, and it was worth the 45 minutes we spent there. Near the museum is an area called Mosaic with all sorts of restaurants and shopping, and shopping continues all the way back to Kobe (and a couple other) stations.

Kobe also has an area of Sake Factories that we visited in the afternoon. We were starting to fall apart before we even got to the first one. We shopped, explored the presentation area and didn't taste at the first one. We really enjoyed the second one's presentation and the older man in the gift shop gave us some samples, even though this place was set up for buy some tokens, get some drinks.

Our problem is that we had dinner reservations at 6 pm nearby, but the sun went in, the wind was up, and the plan to visit a shrine and sit in a park to relax fell apart. So we backtracked to Kobe Station and realized none of us could even think about eating or drinking anything if we wanted to make dinner. So, if You go to B2 in Kobe station, near the Harborland connector, there are these blue pipes wrapped around the pillars that people use as seating. We did as well. And we watched 3 women make a New Year's display out of all natural materials while we took a 1/2 hour rest. It was the tonic we needed.

We made our way to Japanese Restaurant Hanasato KOBE (as it is listed in Google maps). My daughter had emailed for a reservation a couple months in advance, and it is a Hida Beef experience. We had a course meal in a private room, and the service and friendliness of the owner and his family/staff was lovely. It was 297,000 yen for drinks and course meals for 4 in a private room that could have fit more. The owner is on a mission to meet and entertain people from all over the world, so if in Kobe, I suggest giving it a try.

The rest of our time was spent in a neighborhood in Tokyo. I prefer to not discuss where, as there's few hotels. But for Tokyo, that's my best advice. Look around. Shibuya and Shinjuku? Why? They are great places to visit, but just a few stops here or there (spend a couple of yen to ride a train) and get yourself into a neighborhood not on the "Top 10 Places to Stay in Tokyo" list. It's my opinion that a non-touristy area is easier on the wallet and also less intimidating for you to figure things out. Just my 200 ¥ so take it for what it is worth.

I will do pictures if I can even find my home time zone. Please ask questions. I know this is just a mind dump, so I am not offended if you can't figure out what I'm even talking about in some of my posts.

 

[nono]

Oh, and in Kobe, 100% right hand side. Yeah...

AND, there were trash cans/recycling bins around. Like noticeably.

 

[nono]

The airport logistics are super helpful, especially the T2/T3 connection info. The family reunion at the airport is hilarious! Sounds like a fun, if slightly chaotic, beginning. I'm curious about your Shinkansen trip

Oh, ok. So, I'd previously done Narita Express a few times, but never the Shinkansen. Works the same though, you get to pick your seats at the machine and it spits out 2 tickets (base fare plus your segment ride on the Shinkansen) for each segment for each person. Then you get 1 receipt that looks like a ticket too. So in our case with 4 people, 2 segments (round trip) I got 9 "tickets". To go through the shinkansen gate, you just put your shinkansen and base ticket together in the slot. If you are feeling unsure, just go to an auto gate near the right as there will be an official nearby. If anything goes astray, you'll get help immediately.

Anyway, when buying the tickets at the machines, it didn't like my foreign cards, but I had yen, so I used that. I note this because I regularly read people saying they never need yen. I don't live in the same world as those folks, because I regularly am glad I have cash on me when in Japan. Maybe that is because I don't like to visit the JR centers for tourists where they probably have modern foreign credit card readers. I am seriously line-avoidant.

The ride to/from Osaka was fine. I slept both ways. But we started/ended at Shin-Yokohama station which is far less chaotic than Tokyo Station. We also shipped our luggage for the ride back as it was a busier travel time. We did bentos on the way to Osaka, but by the time we left, we did our travel back to Tokyo area as a fasting day because we were all so exhausted from being overfed. That ended up being a great decision. It was just the rest our bodies needed.

Let me know if I can answer anything else.

 

[nono]

Slowly adding some photos to post 3...once I max out I will do another towards the end here.

 

[nono]

OK, finally filled in some more photos in Post #3, and here's some really random shots from the trip.

Yokohama from the Sea Bass ferry


Enoshima Island Tide Pools


Enoshima Illumination


The Lively Hotel Osaka Vibe


Platform 9 3/4


Electric Frosty Show


New Year's Decor (seemed early almost everywhere)


Trash cans in Harajuku (after mentioning about Kobe, thought it was worth posting this!)

 

[nono]

Please let me know if you want to see photos from anything else I mentioned. I posted this sort-of report to help others who may want to add some days outside of Disney to show just a small slice of what's out there.