HELP! ABD by Japan - major changes to itinerary.

[DJJimmy9]

Hello All. I do not want this to come off as a whining post as I know this is totally a first-world problem. But this is a board related to vacation planning so I will assume most will understand my frustration.

We are booked on an ABD trip to Japan this August (note: this is our first trip using ABD). I was very excited to receive our Adventures Handbook via email a few days ago. However, upon opening the handbook, I quickly realized that a significant number of changes have been made to our itinerary. I understand that trip itineraries are subject to change for a number of reasons and that some things are totally out of the control of ABD. However, there are some changes that seem totally unnecessary and there are also significant removals without any comparable replacement. Below is a list of the changes...

Day 3 - Origami Crane Experience - REMOVED WITH NO REPLACEMENT
This almost seems like an oversight. Day 3 is still a trip to Hiroshima via the Shinkansen Train. All of the activities except for the Origami Crane Experience are still listed albeit in a different order. Per the handbook, we will now visit the Peace Park and Museum in the morning. Then we will have lunch on our own in Miyajima. After lunch, we will visit the Shinto Shrine and take a tour of the Buddhist Temple. Then we will have a Okonomiyaki style dinner. It seems like there is not a lot of activity between lunch and dinner. Why not keep the Origami Experience? And if removing it, how is it acceptable to not replace it with something comparable. My kids were looking forward to this experience. And it seemed like a fun activity to break-up the day of museums, temples, and shrines for the kids.

Day 4 - Hozugawa River Boat Ride - REPLACED with Kiyomizu-dera Temple
I totally understand that the river boat ride had to be removed from the itinerary given the recent tragic accident. My sincerest condolences to all of the people who were impacted by this tragic accident. From what it appears the Kiyomizu-dera Temple looks cool, but let's not pretend that seeing another temple is on par with a river boat ride - especially from a kid's perspective. But I totally understand that not much could be done about this one given the boat rides are not currently running. So adding a temple would be fine, if other kid oriented items like Origami and TeamLabs were not also removed from the itinerary.

Day 7 - Panoramic Tour of Central Tokyo & Shibuya Crossing - REMOVED WITH NO REPLACEMENT
This one makes absolutely no sense. I hope that this was just an accidental omission in the Adventures Handbook. Everything about Day 7 is totally the same right up until Dinner. The online brochure and Adventures Handbook both state that dinner on Day 7 will be at Gonpachi. The Adventures Handbook lists no activities after dinner. Even thought the restaurant is less than 10 minutes away from Shibuya Crossing, the Adventures Handbook no longer lists this as an activity. I really hope this one was just an oversight.

Day 8 - A complete overhaul of the itinerary PART ONE!!!
Day 8 was completely switched around which presents a major challenge for us. First, instead of starting the day at Tokyo Tower we are now starting the day at Tokyo SkyTree. This is a comparable swap, so no issue here. The biggest challenge is that Day 8 was supposed to be a totally free day as the original brochure lists "Lunch & Afternoon On Your Own in Tokyo" and "Dinner on Your Own in Tokyo". This did originally strike me as odd - having almost an entire day on our own. But because the original brochure listed Day 8 as as "on your own" day - guess what we did? We made reservations and plans ON OUR OWN. But wait, the Adventures Handbook now lists two new activities on the itinerary for Day 8...Senso-ji Temple and a Kintsugi Experience. While I appreciate ABD adding some activities since a few others from earlier in the trip were not replaced, the timing of the addition is maddening. We already filled the day that was supposed to be "on our own" with other ticketed activities. If ABD was going to make this significant of a change, why didn't they communicate this more than 50-days in advance. Many hard to get reservations in Japan open up 60-days in advance. ABD - you could have told me about this change like 2-weeks earlier and saved me a ton of frustration. I really do not know what we will do at this point. We likely may skip the Senso-ji Temple and a Kintsugi Experience and stick with our own activities. As a planner, I cannot tell you how frustrating this is. We have been planning this trip for almost 3-years and then 50-days before the trip, ABD just changes this.

Day 9 - A complete overhaul of the itinerary PART TWO!!! TEAM LAB BORDERLESS REMOVED!
Well to offset the changes made to Day 8, guess what - Day 9 is getting an overhaul too. The day starts the same with a visit to Happo-en Gardens and Tea House. But instead of visiting the Toyosu Fish Market we are now visiting the Tsukiji Outer Market. I have no opinion on this one. If ABD thinks one market is better than the other, then I am not going to question it. But the major change to Day 9 is that the visit to Team Lab Borderless has been removed from the itinerary without a replacement. After lunch on Day 9 is now listed in the Adventures Handbook as "On Your Own Time in Tokyo". Excuse me, what? ABD just moved the "on your own afternoon time" from Day 8 to Day 9. Thanks - but I already planned "on my own" stuff on Day 8. Now I have to try to move it to Day 9. I do not think anyone from ABD has ever tried to get a reservation at the Pokemon Cafe. And let's not gloss over that Team Lab Borderless was completely dropped from the itinerary. This was one item I was glad I did not have to reserve on my own because ABD was handling it. Not anymore. Because ABD was handling this one, I did not do any research on this. I have now learned that the Team Lab Borderless exhibit closed. So not much that ABD can do about this one. But I am not sure what ABD thinks they added to Day 8 that compares to Team Lab Borderless. And please don't say Senso-ji Temple. This is not an "adults only" Adventure. This is supposed to be a kid-focused itinerary. Stop replacing fun activities with temples!


A few questions...

1.) What do you think of all these changes?
2.) Do you think the swaps are reasonable / equitable?
3.) For those who are ABD Disney vets, is this normal?

Please, please, please, tell me that this is all OK and that ABD knows what they are doing and that our trip is still going to be amazing. As a detailed planner, I am struggling with all of these changes. And of course, I am focusing on what was removed vs. seeing the benefit of anything that was added. Words of encouragement are desperately needed!

Thanks for reading all of this (if you did)!

 

[sayhello]

OK, I'm done editing my reply. Sorry it was a mess for a while, it got posted by accident LONG before I was done with it!

Hello All. I do not want this to come off as a whining post as I know this is totally a first-world problem. But this is a board related to vacation planning so I will assume most will understand my frustration.

I'm going to start my reply by saying that I'm sure most of us here TOTALLY understand your frustration. This is, unfortunately, not something new with ABD. They do make changes based on "customer feedback" and logistics issues, and sometimes they replace it with something, sometimes they do not. It's *really* frustrating!

I did the Japan ABD the first year it ran (2019), and it is a fabulous trip. I think it's still fabulous, but they *have* made some changes to it, some understandable, some weird.

We are booked on an ABD trip to Japan this August (note: this is our first trip using ABD). I was very excited to receive our Adventures Handbook via email a few days ago. However, upon opening the handbook, I quickly realized that a significant number of changes have been made to our itinerary. I understand that trip itineraries are subject to change for a number of reasons and that some things are totally out of the control of ABD. However, there are some changes that seem totally unnecessary and there are also significant removals without any comparable replacement. Below is a list of the changes...

Day 3 - Origami Crane Experience - REMOVED WITH NO REPLACEMENT
This almost seems like an oversight. Day 3 is still a trip to Hiroshima via the Shinkansen Train. All of the activities except for the Origami Crane Experience are still listed albeit in a different order. Per the handbook, we will now visit the Peace Park and Museum in the morning. Then we will have lunch on our own in Miyajima. After lunch, we will visit the Shinto Shrine and take a tour of the Buddhist Temple. Then we will have a Okonomiyaki style dinner. It seems like there is not a lot of activity between lunch and dinner. Why not keep the Origami Experience? And if removing it, how is it acceptable to not replace it with something comparable. My kids were looking forward to this experience. And it seemed like a fun activity to break-up the day of museums, temples, and shrines for the kids.

The Origami Crane Experience takes place in a building (the Orizuru Tower) where you get a view of the Hiroshima Peace Park and the "Hiroshima Dome". You can't do it "after lunch" as it is in Hiroshima, and you will already be on Miyajima Island for lunch, which is quite a distance (and a ferry ride) away. There is a statue of Sadako Sasaki in the Peace Park, and there's a legend about her folding thousands of origami cranes. People from all over the world send paper cranes to the Peace Park, and the Origami Crane Experience is learning to fold an origami crane, and then dropping it down a glass chute on the side of the building, where you watch it flutter down to join the others there (which are eventually gathered up). When we went, we used pre-made cranes to send down the chute because it turned out the restaurant area where this all takes place was being used for a private party, and no-one had informed ABD or the Adventure Guides. So we did the crane drop, then went out to the observation deck to see the sights and learn to fold cranes that we just kept at that point. So it was fun, but it didn't work out. Perhaps they had a lot of issues with the area not being available. I don't know the answer to that. It was fun, but not the end of the world that it didn't work out. It would be sad if they aren't taking you up to the observation tower anymore. Does your itinerary list that anymore?

Day 4 - Hozugawa River Boat Ride - REPLACED with Kiyomizu-dera Temple
I totally understand that the river boat ride had to be removed from the itinerary given the recent tragic accident. My sincerest condolences to all of the people who were impacted by this tragic accident. From what it appears the Kiyomizu-dera Temple looks cool, but let's not pretend that seeing another temple is on par with a river boat ride - especially from a kid's perspective. But I totally understand that not much could be done about this one given the boat rides are not currently running. So adding a temple would be fine, if other kid oriented items like Origami and TeamLabs were not also removed from the itinerary.

I had not heard about the accident with the Hozugawa River Boats. I just Googled that. How tragic! I'm not sure what they *could* replace that with that would be even vaguely comparable. However, the Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera Temple (Pure-Water Temple) used to be a part of the itinerary, and I thought it was very sad that they removed it. So the fact that they've put it back in is not a totally bad thing in my opinion, even though it's not comparable to the River Boat ride.

Day 7 - Panoramic Tour of Central Tokyo & Shibuya Crossing - REMOVED WITH NO REPLACEMENT
This one makes absolutely no sense. I hope that this was just an accidental omission in the Adventures Handbook. Everything about Day 7 is totally the same right up until Dinner. The online brochure and Adventures Handbook both state that dinner on Day 7 will be at Gonpachi. The Adventures Handbook lists no activities after dinner. Even thought the restaurant is less than 10 minutes away from Shibuya Crossing, the Adventures Handbook no longer lists this as an activity. I really hope this one was just an oversight.

There really was no "Panoramic Tour of Central Tokyo". It was just driving to Shibuya Crossing, getting off the motorcoach to walk across Shibuya Crossing and get our photos taken, and going back to the Hotel. However, you're right, Shibuya Crossing is not that far from Gonpachi, and a quick stop there is *definitely* worth it. If it isn't an oversight, you might talk to the Adventure Guides and see if they can still fit it in even if it's not on the itinerary. Unless there's some serious reason they aren't doing it, it's totally possible the Adventure Guides might be able to make that happen. Just saying.

Day 8 - A complete overhaul of the itinerary PART ONE!!!
Day 8 was completely switched around which presents a major challenge for us. First, instead of starting the day at Tokyo Tower we are now starting the day at Tokyo SkyTree. This is a comparable swap, so no issue here. The biggest challenge is that Day 8 was supposed to be a totally free day as the original brochure lists "Lunch & Afternoon On Your Own in Tokyo" and "Dinner on Your Own in Tokyo". This did originally strike me as odd - having almost an entire day on our own. But because the original brochure listed Day 8 as as "on your own" day - guess what we did? We made reservations and plans ON OUR OWN. But wait, the Adventures Handbook now lists two new activities on the itinerary for Day 8...Senso-ji Temple and a Kintsugi Experience. While I appreciate ABD adding some activities since a few others from earlier in the trip were not replaced, the timing of the addition is maddening. We already filled the day that was supposed to be "on our own" with other ticketed activities. If ABD was going to make this significant of a change, why didn't they communicate this more than 50-days in advance. Many hard to get reservations in Japan open up 60-days in advance. ABD - you could have told me about this change like 2-weeks earlier and saved me a ton of frustration. I really do not know what we will do at this point. We likely may skip the Senso-ji Temple and a Kintsugi Experience and stick with our own activities. As a planner, I cannot tell you how frustrating this is. We have been planning this trip for almost 3-years and then 50-days before the trip, ABD just changes this.

ABD has had a really hard time setting up the days in Tokyo. They don't seem to be able to find activities that everyone enjoys. They had a cruise on the Sumida River to look at the Architecture of Tokyo, and it's something that I really enjoyed, although it really would have benefited from some narration to tell you what you were looking at. But a lot of folks found it *really* boring and pretty much hated it. They also used to go to Hamariku Metro Gardens, which, again, I liked, but a lot of other folks didn't, so it's gone. They used to go to the Senso-ji Temple, which the best part is the market between the Gate and the Temple. Lots of fun shopping. I'm not sure what the Kintsugi Experience is, so I can't comment. Kintsugi is the art of repairing pottery with gold so that it makes it art. If they are going to let you try Kintsugi, that could be a really cool craft activity. They used to have a visit on Day 9 to the Meiji Jingu Shrine & a Kagura Ceremony, and many people were Shrined-out at that point, and didn't want to participate in the religious Kagura Ceremony. Anyways, I think you should feel free to skip that activity, and do what you have planned. I bet you will enjoy it way more.

Day 9 - A complete overhaul of the itinerary PART TWO!!! TEAM LAB BORDERLESS REMOVED!
Well to offset the changes made to Day 8, guess what - Day 9 is getting an overhaul too. The day starts the same with a visit to Happo-en Gardens and Tea House. But instead of visiting the Toyosu Fish Market we are now visiting the Tsukiji Outer Market. I have no opinion on this one. If ABD thinks one market is better than the other, then I am not going to question it. But the major change to Day 9 is that the visit to Team Lab Borderless has been removed from the itinerary without a replacement. After lunch on Day 9 is now listed in the Adventures Handbook as "On Your Own Time in Tokyo". Excuse me, what? ABD just moved the "on your own afternoon time" from Day 8 to Day 9. Thanks - but I already planned "on my own" stuff on Day 8. Now I have to try to move it to Day 9. I do not think anyone from ABD has ever tried to get a reservation at the Pokemon Cafe. And let's not gloss over that Team Lab Borderless was completely dropped from the itinerary. This was one item I was glad I did not have to reserve on my own because ABD was handling it. Not anymore. Because ABD was handling this one, I did not do any research on this. I have now learned that the Team Lab Borderless exhibit closed. So not much that ABD can do about this one. But I am not sure what ABD thinks they added to Day 8 that compares to Team Lab Borderless. And please don't say Senso-ji Temple. This is not an "adults only" Adventure. This is supposed to be a kid-focused itinerary. Stop replacing fun activities with temples!

As you noted, TeamLab Borderless is closed for now. At the beginning of this year's season, they took folks to a similar installation, TeamLab Planets, but I heard people complained because it requires you to go barefoot and wade through knee-high water in some spots. Although I'm sure they keep it immaculately clean (it *is* Japan after all!) I read that some people were grossed out by it, so they apparently stopped going there. But, I have heard more than one person report that ABD bought them tickets to go to TeamLab Planets if they wanted to go on their own. So if that sounds like something you're interested in, I'd check with ABD to see if they'll buy those for you for Day 9.

A few questions...

1.) What do you think of all these changes?
2.) Do you think the swaps are reasonable / equitable?
3.) For those who are ABD Disney vets, is this normal?

Please, please, please, tell me that this is all OK and that ABD knows what they are doing and that our trip is still going to be amazing. As a detailed planner, I am struggling with all of these changes. And of course, I am focusing on what was removed vs. seeing the benefit of anything that was added. Words of encouragement are desperately needed!

Thanks for reading all of this (if you did)!

I think it's a lot of changes, but not overly surprising. I think ABD is doing what they can to mitigate the changes that were out of their hands, but I would not hesitate to ask about the couple of changes that are still possible for you to do.

And yes, this is all going to be OK. Dealing with the back office of ABD can be frustrating as all get out, but ABD (especially the Adventure Guides) know what they are doing, and your trip is still going to be AMAZING. You are still going to the Bamboo Forest (OMG amazing!) You are still going to the fabulous Shirakawa-go, and biking in Takayama. You are still learning Taiko drumming (so fun!) and going to the fabulous Fushimi Inari Torii Trail. You are still going to the Sumo Experience, which is a hoot! You are going to *LOVE* this trip, and the amazing Adventure Guides will make sure you have an amazing time! I'm sorry they've done this to your trip, but I think it will all be OK. I know that's easy for me to say, but I believe in the Adventure Guides and I believe in how wonderful Japan is.

Sayhello

 

[MeDisney]

ABD changed our trip itinerary AFTER they sent us the handbook and resent a new book. Some changes were so upsetting that I spent days talking to ABD about it. Definitely call and ask about each and every change.

I know I have heard that Tauck actually gives refunds back for itinerary changes. It’s time for ABD to do the same with all the downgrades. Or perhaps I should book Tauck instead.

Tauck policy: . Any savings realized by these changes will be refunded to guests.

 

[Lewisc]

I should book Tauck instead.

Makes sense

 

[calypso726]

I understand your frustrations. I went through similar ones myself when changes were made to the itinerary on my first ABD. I can tell you that I freaked out and all but lost my mind over the changes, contacted anyone and everyone I could think of associated with ABD to voice my concerns. I was very fortunate and one of the executives contacted me back and talked me down from the trees. I was super skeptical to be honest. So much so, that I was inspired to do a day by day trip report while I was on that ABD. You know what, every single change was way better than the original plan, even though it didn't appear so, on paper.

After 11 ABDs, I have reached a point where I no longer look at the itinerary anymore, unless there is something very specific I know I want to do in the area to see if it is included or I can plan on my own pre or post trip. If it's a region/country I want to visit, I just book the trip. We booked Egypt for January 2024 back in June of 2022. I literally just read the itinerary in its entirety yesterday and only because a friend asked if we were visiting a specific area that is on their bucket list. I had no idea and had to check. Sure enough, we are. I know it is frustrating but I am sure you will have an awesome trip. We did the Japan trip during the inaugural year and it was outstanding. I wouldn't worry too much about these changes.

 

[Marthasor]

I understand your frustrations. I went through similar ones myself when changes were made to the itinerary on my first ABD. I can tell you that I freaked out and all but lost my mind over the changes, contacted anyone and everyone I could think of associated with ABD to voice my concerns. I was very fortunate and one of the executives contacted me back and talked me down from the trees. I was super skeptical to be honest. So much so, that I was inspired to do a day by day trip report while I was on that ABD. You know what, every single change was way better than the original plan, even though it didn't appear so, on paper.

After 11 ABDs, I have reached a point where I no longer look at the itinerary anymore, unless there is something very specific I know I want to do in the area to see if it is included or I can plan on my own pre or post trip. If it's a region/country I want to visit, I just book the trip. We booked Egypt for January 2024 back in June of 2022. I literally just read the itinerary in its entirety yesterday and only because a friend asked if we were visiting a specific area that is on their bucket list. I had no idea and had to check. Sure enough, we are. I know it is frustrating but I am sure you will have an awesome trip. We did the Japan trip during the inaugural year and it was outstanding. I wouldn't worry too much about these changes.

It's funny you mention this - we just got back from the Arizona/Utah trip about a week ago and our guides, sort of on the fly, decided they wanted to cut our time in Williams, AZ short so we could have our scheduled pizza dinner as a late lunch and get to the Grand Canyon sooner. (they mentioned that, on the first night, the majority of the group was really looking forward to the Canyon as their #1 site to see on the trip) I was a little bummed at first because we had already planned our on-our-own lunch in Williams, but once we got to the Grand Canyon, about 2 -3 hours earlier than originally scheduled we were THRILLED! In the post-trip survey, I actually suggested they make this a permanent change. The guides are just so, so knowledgeable about the area of travel and the itineraries - I feel like they really make the right calls.

 

[Donalyn]

I generally have found the "on your own" time so difficult to plan on ABDs. You really don't know when it will start, where you will be when it starts, when you need to be back for the next activity, etc. When we were in Italy on our first ABD, we did very little for our OYO time (other than in Florence, where we did do one of the two things that I wanted to do, but the reason that we didn't get to do the second was because of my family and not ABD).

And then there is the potential for changes like to OP has in this case. Which again so makes it hard to plan.

And then there are just the changes that seem like cost cutting without any replacement. That is very annoying.

OP - I hope that you can change your stuff around. And I hope that you still have a great trip, no matter what.

Sayhello - interesting comments about their difficulty planning things that people want to do in Tokyo.

 

[sayhello]

Sayhello - interesting comments about their difficulty planning things that people want to do in Tokyo.

Yep, you would think with a city the size of Tokyo they wouldn't have an issue, but their batting average does not seem to be good! It's really too bad about TeamLab Borderless (which I did during OYO time) as it's outstanding, and I thought, how great they decided to incorporate that. But until it re-opens, not such a good option, I guess!

Sayhello

 

[Donalyn]

We've been looking into Tokyo on our own and really it seems like it is more of a place to go for experiences than to see specific things. I don't mean any disrespect, just an observation when I've been planning. I mean there is the crossing, the fish market and a few temples of note. But other than that, seems that there are a number of interesting thing to do to experience Japanese culture, but that will be harder to get consensus from a group as to what is interesting.

 

[Mathmagicland]

We've been looking into Tokyo on our own and really it seems like it is more of a place to go for experiences than to see specific things. I don't mean any disrespect, just an observation when I've been planning. I mean there is the crossing, the fish market and a few temples of note. But other than that, seems that there are a number of interesting thing to do to experience Japanese culture, but that will be harder to get consensus from a group as to what is interesting.

I think your last sentence is the key - just so many different things to choose from in Tokyo, and everyone has their wish lists in different priorities. Hence AbD trying to give more free time there, seen in changes from the original itinerary. We had to choose to skip the Tokyo River cruise to go to the Ghibli museum. No trip itinerary will be 100% to everyone’s liking, so it is a balancing act with tour companies between structured and free time.

 

[jimmymc]

It's funny you mention this - we just got back from the Arizona/Utah trip about a week ago and our guides, sort of on the fly, decided they wanted to cut our time in Williams, AZ short so we could have our scheduled pizza dinner as a late lunch and get to the Grand Canyon sooner. (they mentioned that, on the first night, the majority of the group was really looking forward to the Canyon as their #1 site to see on the trip) I was a little bummed at first because we had already planned our on-our-own lunch in Williams, but once we got to the Grand Canyon, about 2 -3 hours earlier than originally scheduled we were THRILLED! In the post-trip survey, I actually suggested they make this a permanent change. The guides are just so, so knowledgeable about the area of travel and the itineraries - I feel like they really make the right calls.

Looking at that itinerary, I'm a little surprised they even schedule a stop in Williams. The drive from Sedona to Grand Canyon isn't that long, and I never thought of Williams as a major destination, more a nice place for a layover or if you couldn't get hotels inside the park.

 

[Marthasor]

Looking at that itinerary, I'm a little surprised they even schedule a stop in Williams. The drive from Sedona to Grand Canyon isn't that long, and I never thought of Williams as a major destination, more a nice place for a layover or if you couldn't get hotels inside the park.

It was fun for the hour we were there! We walked along old Route 66, saw some places that inspired Cars and got a sense of what that town was like during its heyday in the '50's when Rte. 66 was the main artery (found some good coffee too!). The visitors center and Pete's gas station museum were also interesting. They also had clean bathrooms, which, I think is one of the reasons they stop here! I'm glad we got to see it. I think they used to stop here to visit Bearizona, which is no longer on the itinerary - but it was still fun for a brief stop - definitely not worth the 2.5 hours that is on the published itinerary!

 

[jimmymc]

1.) What do you think of all these changes?

It's one of many reasons I don't think the Japan ABD is worth the price. I don't want to sound too snarky, but truthfully there is so much to do in Japan that trying to schedule a trip appealing to a wide range of people is difficult. This might be one trip where ABD is better off lowering the price and scheduling more free time, so you still get the transportation and hotel benefits without getting temple exhaustion. I also don't really see anything that would be exclusive to ABD the way some other trips do, but if you know something I don't then please mention it.

2.) Do you think the swaps are reasonable / equitable?

Aside from the boat ride switched to a temple, I think they are. For the river boat, I think they should've replaced it with something more adventurous in the area. The bigger issue is how they flipped around the days. The guides/trip designers should know how difficult getting reservations is in Japan, so taking a whole on your own day and flipping it around is a bad move. Luckily there are so many things to do in Tokyo that I think you'll still have a great time, but it's still bad practice.

3.) For those who are ABD Disney vets, is this normal?

ABD changes things all the time, and since Japan is a pretty new trip and the country has only been open to tourists for less than a year, I'm not surprised with this many changes. The longer established trips do have minor tweaks each year, but that's usually just 1 or 2 activities.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

3.) For those who are ABD Disney vets, is this normal?

ABD changes things all the time, and since Japan is a pretty new trip and the country has only been open to tourists for less than a year, I'm not surprised with this many changes. The longer established trips do have minor tweaks each year, but that's usually just 1 or 2 activities.

We have definitely seen trips change over the years, and we're also looking at Japan in the future. I think I need to give them at least a slight pass for the upcoming trips, as they are just now getting them going again. Travel to Asia has been challenging for obvious reasons, and Japan is no exception. I'm sure some things changed in Japan that have caused these adjustments. One of my disappointments was the change of hotel in Tokyo for the last few nights - thought that to be a slight downgrade. But if there's one thing I really wish they'd offer for Japan is an add-on for Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea - but that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon.

 

[AquaDame]

Hello All. I do not want this to come off as a whining post as I know this is totally a first-world problem. But this is a board related to vacation planning so I will assume most will understand my frustration.

We are booked on an ABD trip to Japan this August (note: this is our first trip using ABD). I was very excited to receive our Adventures Handbook via email a few days ago. However, upon opening the handbook, I quickly realized that a significant number of changes have been made to our itinerary. I understand that trip itineraries are subject to change for a number of reasons and that some things are totally out of the control of ABD. However, there are some changes that seem totally unnecessary and there are also significant removals without any comparable replacement. Below is a list of the changes...

Day 3 - Origami Crane Experience - REMOVED WITH NO REPLACEMENT
This almost seems like an oversight. Day 3 is still a trip to Hiroshima via the Shinkansen Train. All of the activities except for the Origami Crane Experience are still listed albeit in a different order. Per the handbook, we will now visit the Peace Park and Museum in the morning. Then we will have lunch on our own in Miyajima. After lunch, we will visit the Shinto Shrine and take a tour of the Buddhist Temple. Then we will have a Okonomiyaki style dinner. It seems like there is not a lot of activity between lunch and dinner. Why not keep the Origami Experience? And if removing it, how is it acceptable to not replace it with something comparable. My kids were looking forward to this experience. And it seemed like a fun activity to break-up the day of museums, temples, and shrines for the kids.

Day 4 - Hozugawa River Boat Ride - REPLACED with Kiyomizu-dera Temple
I totally understand that the river boat ride had to be removed from the itinerary given the recent tragic accident. My sincerest condolences to all of the people who were impacted by this tragic accident. From what it appears the Kiyomizu-dera Temple looks cool, but let's not pretend that seeing another temple is on par with a river boat ride - especially from a kid's perspective. But I totally understand that not much could be done about this one given the boat rides are not currently running. So adding a temple would be fine, if other kid oriented items like Origami and TeamLabs were not also removed from the itinerary.

Day 7 - Panoramic Tour of Central Tokyo & Shibuya Crossing - REMOVED WITH NO REPLACEMENT
This one makes absolutely no sense. I hope that this was just an accidental omission in the Adventures Handbook. Everything about Day 7 is totally the same right up until Dinner. The online brochure and Adventures Handbook both state that dinner on Day 7 will be at Gonpachi. The Adventures Handbook lists no activities after dinner. Even thought the restaurant is less than 10 minutes away from Shibuya Crossing, the Adventures Handbook no longer lists this as an activity. I really hope this one was just an oversight.

Day 8 - A complete overhaul of the itinerary PART ONE!!!
Day 8 was completely switched around which presents a major challenge for us. First, instead of starting the day at Tokyo Tower we are now starting the day at Tokyo SkyTree. This is a comparable swap, so no issue here. The biggest challenge is that Day 8 was supposed to be a totally free day as the original brochure lists "Lunch & Afternoon On Your Own in Tokyo" and "Dinner on Your Own in Tokyo". This did originally strike me as odd - having almost an entire day on our own. But because the original brochure listed Day 8 as as "on your own" day - guess what we did? We made reservations and plans ON OUR OWN. But wait, the Adventures Handbook now lists two new activities on the itinerary for Day 8...Senso-ji Temple and a Kintsugi Experience. While I appreciate ABD adding some activities since a few others from earlier in the trip were not replaced, the timing of the addition is maddening. We already filled the day that was supposed to be "on our own" with other ticketed activities. If ABD was going to make this significant of a change, why didn't they communicate this more than 50-days in advance. Many hard to get reservations in Japan open up 60-days in advance. ABD - you could have told me about this change like 2-weeks earlier and saved me a ton of frustration. I really do not know what we will do at this point. We likely may skip the Senso-ji Temple and a Kintsugi Experience and stick with our own activities. As a planner, I cannot tell you how frustrating this is. We have been planning this trip for almost 3-years and then 50-days before the trip, ABD just changes this.

Day 9 - A complete overhaul of the itinerary PART TWO!!! TEAM LAB BORDERLESS REMOVED!
Well to offset the changes made to Day 8, guess what - Day 9 is getting an overhaul too. The day starts the same with a visit to Happo-en Gardens and Tea House. But instead of visiting the Toyosu Fish Market we are now visiting the Tsukiji Outer Market. I have no opinion on this one. If ABD thinks one market is better than the other, then I am not going to question it. But the major change to Day 9 is that the visit to Team Lab Borderless has been removed from the itinerary without a replacement. After lunch on Day 9 is now listed in the Adventures Handbook as "On Your Own Time in Tokyo". Excuse me, what? ABD just moved the "on your own afternoon time" from Day 8 to Day 9. Thanks - but I already planned "on my own" stuff on Day 8. Now I have to try to move it to Day 9. I do not think anyone from ABD has ever tried to get a reservation at the Pokemon Cafe. And let's not gloss over that Team Lab Borderless was completely dropped from the itinerary. This was one item I was glad I did not have to reserve on my own because ABD was handling it. Not anymore. Because ABD was handling this one, I did not do any research on this. I have now learned that the Team Lab Borderless exhibit closed. So not much that ABD can do about this one. But I am not sure what ABD thinks they added to Day 8 that compares to Team Lab Borderless. And please don't say Senso-ji Temple. This is not an "adults only" Adventure. This is supposed to be a kid-focused itinerary. Stop replacing fun activities with temples!


A few questions...

1.) What do you think of all these changes?
2.) Do you think the swaps are reasonable / equitable?
3.) For those who are ABD Disney vets, is this normal?

Please, please, please, tell me that this is all OK and that ABD knows what they are doing and that our trip is still going to be amazing. As a detailed planner, I am struggling with all of these changes. And of course, I am focusing on what was removed vs. seeing the benefit of anything that was added. Words of encouragement are desperately needed!

Thanks for reading all of this (if you did)!

Day 3
I feel like they replaced folding cranes with the kintsugi experience instead of an activity on the same day, though we won't know for sure until folks start coming back. As an adult, I LOVE this change, personally. Orizuru Tower just opened in 2016, so it did not exist back when I was in Hiroshima. I do think its neat, but that is a small moment of a long trip! I'm sure if your kids would like to fold cranes the guides could show them how on the bus, or they could do that OYO during one of the long down times too. Depending on if you have time, you may even be able to run over to the building on your own to drop the crane. (I would not mention this to your kids though, as I have no idea how that morning will play out!) Miyajima is definitely a wander around and enjoy the view kind of island. I wonder if the Okonomiyaki dinner will be at a different place as well, now they have switched things around? The later you are there the less tourists.. so just the timing may be a very positive thing.

Day 4
I thought the same thing about Meiji-jo but if you are forced to see a temple in Kyoto you can do a LOT worse than Kiyomizudera!! It would be like asking why are you going to another museum and its the Smithsonian... ok maybe not THAT big, but seriously it is a very popular and culturally important one. It is a staple of school trips to Kyoto. It's in dozens of animes. The main shrine is for love and matchmaking; there is a spot with two stones where you and your lover close your eyes and walk towards each other. If you meet up you're meant to be, and if not... well it's a miss. Otowa Waterfall is super fun and interesting in its own right too. It has three different streams - one for longevity, another for academic success and the third is for a good love life. You can only drink from two though, lest you be seen as greedy and get nothing, so choose wisely! There is also a large viewing platform for an amazing view - it really is quite striking. When we went they had a little tea hut setup along the path where we were able to snack on hot tea and sweets, which was also fun and memorable. You are not the first and will not be the last to complain about the shrine/temple visits on trips to Japan but this IS Japan after all. These are very important to the people there, and they are quite a bit more fun than most folks think if you enjoy pretty gardens and buildings, fortune telling, and history even as a non-believer. I say that though not really knowing how many temples/shrines are left on the tour. The website still has the old itinerary without your changes on it. I do recommend reading snippets about each shrine or temple before you get there. Most have some kind of theme or gimmick to them that keep them new and interesting.

Day 7
I wouldn't be surprised if they still walk whomever wants to go down to it to the Shibuya crossing. To be honest it felt weird to me they called it out specifically - it is just a large crosswalk. You cross it... and that's it. It's neat to go the Starbucks above and watch a few cycles with a nice drink as a break, but that would be very hard to do with 30-40 people as it is very small. We'll have to see what reports this summer say. As a side note Tokyo is also the home of the world's smallest escalator. If you're in to record holding spots.

Day 8
Ok switching days does indeed SUCK! And it sounds like groups before yours have even less time to scramble and rearrange things. I also wish ABD would make their changes well in advance and I'm sorry. As sayhello said before the market in front of the temple is likely the main draw here and I can imagine they got some folks who complained of the entire empty day. It is also the oldest temple in Japan, and very colorful. There are a couple of events here in August, so I'd be curious if anything especially fun lines up with your trip! I want to do kintsugi some day, and have had friends do private workshops for it and enjoyed it, so I hope your kids have just as much fun here as they would have with the cranes if you decide to go!

Day 9
There is an argument to be made that Tsukiji (old market) is better than Toyosu (new market) and vice versa. Tsukiji was THE fish market for Tokyo, and they held their famous tuna auctions there in the very early morning before the tourists show up and the fish is at its freshest. You used to be able to get a very limited number of tickets to watch, but I'm not sure they do it anymore and it was a total PITA. I never accomplished this. The site was in Japanese, the timing of the online lottery weird when they moved to that, and you still had to show up at 3am in some cases. Now, they've moved wholesale operations to Toyosu as of 2018 where there are viewing platforms, but you would still need to be there very early to actually watch it. 5:30-6:30 is what google tells me, so an improvement but still EARLY! Not sure if ABD did this or not on prior tours. Other than the auction it seems like some restaurants and stalls also moved to the new market, and some stayed behind. I've yet to go to Toyosu, but we have been to Tsukiji many times and enjoyed it. It is a tad more convenient to get to than Toyosu, but not hugely so. FWIW the move to Toyosu kept getting delayed as the ground they were moving it to was polluted and took some extra years to clean up before it was deemed safe. Yikes. As you've admitted closed is closed and if guests did not like the new Lab offering then I'm not sure what to say. Its a shame they cant do kintsugi on this day instead of 8.

I do think the swaps are reasonable, more than since the big ones are all completely out of their hands! I do wish the timing for OYO would have stayed the same though. I do think your kids are still going to have a blast!

 

[sayhello]

We have definitely seen trips change over the years, and we're also looking at Japan in the future. I think I need to give them at least a slight pass for the upcoming trips, as they are just now getting them going again. Travel to Asia has been challenging for obvious reasons, and Japan is no exception. I'm sure some things changed in Japan that have caused these adjustments. One of my disappointments was the change of hotel in Tokyo for the last few nights - thought that to be a slight downgrade. But if there's one thing I really wish they'd offer for Japan is an add-on for Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea - but that doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon.

I agree that changing from the Peninsula Tokyo to the Shangri-La is a sad thing, because the Peninsula is spectacular! I don't know a thing about the Shangri-La, and it may also be fabulous. However, according to the website, the 2023 trips are still going to the Peninsula, it doesn't switch until 2024. So I believe the OP will not have to worry about that.

As far as the Tokyo Disneyland Resort add-on is concerned, ABD *did* offer one for the first year in 2019 (I did it, as did at least 50% of the people on our trip). They had already eliminated it for 2020 well before the pandemic, but I have no idea why that was. So I'm not sure if an add-on will ever be an option again.

Sayhello

 

[chuff88]

1.) What do you think of all these changes?

It's one of many reasons I don't think the Japan ABD is worth the price. I don't want to sound too snarky, but truthfully there is so much to do in Japan that trying to schedule a trip appealing to a wide range of people is difficult. This might be one trip where ABD is better off lowering the price and scheduling more free time, so you still get the transportation and hotel benefits without getting temple exhaustion. I also don't really see anything that would be exclusive to ABD the way some other trips do, but if you know something I don't then please mention it.

2.) Do you think the swaps are reasonable / equitable?

Aside from the boat ride switched to a temple, I think they are. For the river boat, I think they should've replaced it with something more adventurous in the area. The bigger issue is how they flipped around the days. The guides/trip designers should know how difficult getting reservations is in Japan, so taking a whole on your own day and flipping it around is a bad move. Luckily there are so many things to do in Tokyo that I think you'll still have a great time, but it's still bad practice.

3.) For those who are ABD Disney vets, is this normal?

ABD changes things all the time, and since Japan is a pretty new trip and the country has only been open to tourists for less than a year, I'm not surprised with this many changes. The longer established trips do have minor tweaks each year, but that's usually just 1 or 2 activities.

I'm on mobile so heavy editing is hard, but I think the highlighted sentence really hits the nail on the head. The Japan ABD barely ran before COVID hit, so it's still in its infancy and experiencing growing pains. It's common for there to be a lot of changes to newer itineraries as the guides learn what works and what doesn't. Add to that the fact that Japan has been slow to reopen to tourists, the fact that the planned TeamLab activity is closed, and the recent river boat tragedy and I think all these changes make a ton of sense. I'm leaving for a Germany ABD in about 6 weeks and our guide has a lot more "on your own" time than I was expecting, but I also know the guides are great about making suggestions and I'm trying to just roll with it. I trust that they'll create a great experience regardless of any changes.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

OP, so sorry to hear about the last minute itinerary changes. Unfortunately this is not uncommon with ABD--some are understandable and some are not. I sympathize with your too many temples fears. We went the first year and by the end of the trip I was way templed out. We ended up bowing out of the last one in Tokyo, which i know people really liked, but I just couldn't take another one, LOL. My kids are older but with younger kids I think the breaking point would have been earlier I hope they will come up with some more kid-friendly activities by the time you travel. I would definitely call and/or write to them with your concerns and hopefully they can provide assurances or get someone thinking so that by time you travel options will be in place. The crossing removal does seem odd--it's a must do in my book. It was one of the pictures on our Christmas card that year

I agree that changing from the Peninsula Tokyo to the Shangri-La is a sad thing, because the Peninsula is spectacular! I don't know a thing about the Shangri-La, and it may also be fabulous. However, according to the website, the 2023 trips are still going to the Peninsula, it doesn't switch until 2024. So I believe the OP will not have to worry about that.

As far as the Tokyo Disneyland Resort add-on is concerned, ABD *did* offer one for the first year in 2019 (I did it, as did at least 50% of the people on our trip). They had already eliminated it for 2020 well before the pandemic, but I have no idea why that was. So I'm not sure if an add-on will ever be an option again.

Sayhello

OMG what a bummer! The Peninsula Tokyo was a highlight of the trip for us. I seriously could have stayed in that room all day. It's one of the best hotels we've ever stayed at (we loved it more than both the Shanghai and Hong Kong Peninsula hotels). Both DH and I cam out to the bus separately and told everyone we were moving in

We did the add-on the first year, and I would say it was well over 50% of our group. It was very expensive but IMO worth it due to the extra fast passes that we got. Bummer that they aren't doing that anymore.

 

[ejeellen]

Hello All. I do not want this to come off as a whining post as I know this is totally a first-world problem. But this is a board related to vacation planning so I will assume most will understand my frustration.

We are booked on an ABD trip to Japan this August (note: this is our first trip using ABD). I was very excited to receive our Adventures Handbook via email a few days ago. However, upon opening the handbook, I quickly realized that a significant number of changes have been made to our itinerary. I understand that trip itineraries are subject to change for a number of reasons and that some things are totally out of the control of ABD. However, there are some changes that seem totally unnecessary and there are also significant removals without any comparable replacement. Below is a list of the changes...

Day 3 - Origami Crane Experience - REMOVED WITH NO REPLACEMENT
This almost seems like an oversight. Day 3 is still a trip to Hiroshima via the Shinkansen Train. All of the activities except for the Origami Crane Experience are still listed albeit in a different order. Per the handbook, we will now visit the Peace Park and Museum in the morning. Then we will have lunch on our own in Miyajima. After lunch, we will visit the Shinto Shrine and take a tour of the Buddhist Temple. Then we will have a Okonomiyaki style dinner. It seems like there is not a lot of activity between lunch and dinner. Why not keep the Origami Experience? And if removing it, how is it acceptable to not replace it with something comparable. My kids were looking forward to this experience. And it seemed like a fun activity to break-up the day of museums, temples, and shrines for the kids.

Day 4 - Hozugawa River Boat Ride - REPLACED with Kiyomizu-dera Temple
I totally understand that the river boat ride had to be removed from the itinerary given the recent tragic accident. My sincerest condolences to all of the people who were impacted by this tragic accident. From what it appears the Kiyomizu-dera Temple looks cool, but let's not pretend that seeing another temple is on par with a river boat ride - especially from a kid's perspective. But I totally understand that not much could be done about this one given the boat rides are not currently running. So adding a temple would be fine, if other kid oriented items like Origami and TeamLabs were not also removed from the itinerary.

Day 7 - Panoramic Tour of Central Tokyo & Shibuya Crossing - REMOVED WITH NO REPLACEMENT
This one makes absolutely no sense. I hope that this was just an accidental omission in the Adventures Handbook. Everything about Day 7 is totally the same right up until Dinner. The online brochure and Adventures Handbook both state that dinner on Day 7 will be at Gonpachi. The Adventures Handbook lists no activities after dinner. Even thought the restaurant is less than 10 minutes away from Shibuya Crossing, the Adventures Handbook no longer lists this as an activity. I really hope this one was just an oversight.

Day 8 - A complete overhaul of the itinerary PART ONE!!!
Day 8 was completely switched around which presents a major challenge for us. First, instead of starting the day at Tokyo Tower we are now starting the day at Tokyo SkyTree. This is a comparable swap, so no issue here. The biggest challenge is that Day 8 was supposed to be a totally free day as the original brochure lists "Lunch & Afternoon On Your Own in Tokyo" and "Dinner on Your Own in Tokyo". This did originally strike me as odd - having almost an entire day on our own. But because the original brochure listed Day 8 as as "on your own" day - guess what we did? We made reservations and plans ON OUR OWN. But wait, the Adventures Handbook now lists two new activities on the itinerary for Day 8...Senso-ji Temple and a Kintsugi Experience. While I appreciate ABD adding some activities since a few others from earlier in the trip were not replaced, the timing of the addition is maddening. We already filled the day that was supposed to be "on our own" with other ticketed activities. If ABD was going to make this significant of a change, why didn't they communicate this more than 50-days in advance. Many hard to get reservations in Japan open up 60-days in advance. ABD - you could have told me about this change like 2-weeks earlier and saved me a ton of frustration. I really do not know what we will do at this point. We likely may skip the Senso-ji Temple and a Kintsugi Experience and stick with our own activities. As a planner, I cannot tell you how frustrating this is. We have been planning this trip for almost 3-years and then 50-days before the trip, ABD just changes this.

Day 9 - A complete overhaul of the itinerary PART TWO!!! TEAM LAB BORDERLESS REMOVED!
Well to offset the changes made to Day 8, guess what - Day 9 is getting an overhaul too. The day starts the same with a visit to Happo-en Gardens and Tea House. But instead of visiting the Toyosu Fish Market we are now visiting the Tsukiji Outer Market. I have no opinion on this one. If ABD thinks one market is better than the other, then I am not going to question it. But the major change to Day 9 is that the visit to Team Lab Borderless has been removed from the itinerary without a replacement. After lunch on Day 9 is now listed in the Adventures Handbook as "On Your Own Time in Tokyo". Excuse me, what? ABD just moved the "on your own afternoon time" from Day 8 to Day 9. Thanks - but I already planned "on my own" stuff on Day 8. Now I have to try to move it to Day 9. I do not think anyone from ABD has ever tried to get a reservation at the Pokemon Cafe. And let's not gloss over that Team Lab Borderless was completely dropped from the itinerary. This was one item I was glad I did not have to reserve on my own because ABD was handling it. Not anymore. Because ABD was handling this one, I did not do any research on this. I have now learned that the Team Lab Borderless exhibit closed. So not much that ABD can do about this one. But I am not sure what ABD thinks they added to Day 8 that compares to Team Lab Borderless. And please don't say Senso-ji Temple. This is not an "adults only" Adventure. This is supposed to be a kid-focused itinerary. Stop replacing fun activities with temples!


A few questions...

1.) What do you think of all these changes?
2.) Do you think the swaps are reasonable / equitable?
3.) For those who are ABD Disney vets, is this normal?

Please, please, please, tell me that this is all OK and that ABD knows what they are doing and that our trip is still going to be amazing. As a detailed planner, I am struggling with all of these changes. And of course, I am focusing on what was removed vs. seeing the benefit of anything that was added. Words of encouragement are desperately needed!

Thanks for reading all of this (if you did)!

Hi, I am not one to ever reply on a public forum but I just created a log in just to reply to your post. I felt compelled to share my recent experience with you so you can be prepared for your trip. I apologize if this is long but I will try to help you as much as I can. I recently returned from the trip and I traveled with my husband and 14 year old son. Our trip had changes as well and we were NEVER informed in any way. Where to begin: be prepared to be hungry. The food is challenging to say the least. Breakfast at the Hyatt is fabulous so fill up and bring some pastries for later in the day. You will need them! I consider us to be fairly adventurous eaters and I will tell you the food was difficult. We quickly learned that purchasing a sandwich from the hyatt and taking it with us for the day was one solution. Our wonderful group of people learned that food from the 7/11 is actually good in Japan and I would say everyone in our group bought 7/11 food on a regular basis.

Kyoto was lovely but expect to see a lot of temples. They begin to all look alike and all the teens on the trip were done with temples half way through the trip. The day you go to Hiroshima was way too long of a day. I am not sure if every trip gets back to the hotel at 11 pm but we were all exhausted and all agreed we spent way too much time "killing time" in very touristy little spots around the island near Hiroshima. In fact, I have a friend doing the trip in July and I advised her to go on her own if she wants to hit Hiroshima and then leave early without the group. She is doing just that.That day was exhausting and just way too long. And if I am honest not that enjoyable. Although, the museum was interesting and well done, graphic but nothing we felt was over the top there. We too were excited by the oragami experience. It was nothing. We didn't learn or do origami. We heard a brief bit about the reason so many kids and adults create crane origami. So if you're interested in an origami lesson you may want to pursue that on your own. I would have really enjoyed an origami lesson.

As far as Tokyo, it was a wonderful safe city. We did a ton on our own. We did buy tickets to the Teamlab Planets on our own. It was fabulous. I highly recommend it. But I will say if anyone in your group has a physical disability it will be almost impossible to manage. You must be steady on your feet and can manage flashing lights. We went with a big group from our trip and we all loved it. We also all agreed we can see why some disney guests that are older or disabled might find it way too much. We also did Shubuya crossing on our own. It was basically a very large intersection in the city and you can absolutely weave that into any free time in Tokyo. It was fun picture taking but not a must do.

we were also given a last minute switch of hotels in Takayama. To tell you this hotel was vile is an understatement. Disney should be ashamed they even put us up there. There was some issue with the original hotel in Takayama but only for our week so you won't have the same issue. This one was hard to choke down. My son who goes to camp in the woods for a few weeks each summer even commented how disgusting this hotel was and we are NOT hotel snobs. So I share this with you to let you know you weren't the only one that got a bait and switch with things.

So my best advice to you is DO NOT be afraid to take a break from the group and opt out of some temples or activities. Many in our group did. They would meet up at other times with the group or did their own thing for the day or half day. Bring snacks and more snacks from home. You will need them.

I am not sharing this info to scare you, I am sharing it with you so you are prepared. I wish I had read all this before I went so I was more prepped. All this said, we had a wonderful group of families on our trip. Our guides were lovely and i felt their frustration as well as they worked so hard to make everything go smoothly. We did have a wonderful time and enjoyed Japan very much. The people were kind and the environment feels safe, welcoming and clean. Even though there were too many snafus for our taste I would say we still came away happy we went and experienced the country of Japan along with meeting absolutely lovely families. Good luck and I hope this was helpful

 

[chuff88]

Where to begin: be prepared to be hungry. The food is challenging to say the least. Breakfast at the Hyatt is fabulous so fill up and bring some pastries for later in the day. You will need them! I consider us to be fairly adventurous eaters and I will tell you the food was difficult.

I'm curious to know what specifically about the food you found difficult. I visited Japan for several weeks in high school when I was a far less adventurous eater and did not struggle to find options that I enjoyed. Generally speaking, my experience with Japanese food is that it's pretty varied and largely approachable, so save some specific dietary restrictions (a soy allergy would be tough, and a strict vegan diet would also be challenging) I would expect most people will be able to find things to eat there. I don't want to minimize your experience, everyone has different tastes and comfort levels when it comes to food, I just also wouldn't want future travelers to go into a trip apprehensive about Japanese cuisine without knowing the specifics of what made the food situation challenging.

I will say that when I was there I did find myself getting hungry between meals more than I did at home, and I think that was mostly attributable to the smaller portion size. The food at convenience stores in Japan IS fantastic and abundant - personally, I highly recommend the onigiri (stuffed rice balls) for a quick and filling snack if you find yourself at a 7-11. Also, if you're like me and enjoy iced tea, be aware that most bottled iced tea in Japan is unsweetened, which can be jarring if you're not expecting it. If you're a soda drinker, Japanese peach Fanta is one of my favorite sodas of all time. I also highly suggest trying a canned Boss coffee from a vending machine. Honestly though, I think Japan has all of us beat as far as their snack game goes. I still fantasize about things I ate in Japan that just came out of vending machines or from convenience stores.