Japan ABD coming back?

[Goofy4]

We did some the Disney stops on our own trip. We enjoyed Takayama. Sad that they may be dropping it. But, there's is only one way there in the sense given that crossing the mountains to West-East and perhaps even going north is challenging.

 

[sayhello]

We did some the Disney stops on our own trip. We enjoyed Takayama. Sad that they may be dropping it. But, there's is only one way there in the sense given that crossing the mountains to West-East and perhaps even going north is challenging.

I haven't heard anything about them dropping Takayama and Shirakawa-go. What have you heard? Crossing the mountains getting there was not that bad, and leaving they have changed to taking the Shinkansen train to Tokyo.

Sayhello

 

[Goofy4]

I haven't heard anything about them dropping Takayama and Shirakawa-go. What have you heard? Crossing the mountains getting there was not that bad, and leaving they have changed to taking the Shinkansen train to Tokyo.

Sayhello

Perhaps I was 100% wrong there. I just saw the comment: "Day 8 was completely dropped. It was a drive from Takayama to Tokyo" and assumed Takayama was out. To catch the bullet train we had to backtrack back to Nagoya.

 

[sayhello]

Perhaps I was 100% wrong there. I just saw the comment: "Day 8 was completely dropped. It was a drive from Takayama to Tokyo" and assumed Takayama was out.

No, it's the *drive* from Takayama to Tokyo (and the stops along the way) that's out. They're taking the Shinkansen train now rather than driving between the two. The drive, with a stop overnight, and several activities and stops along the way took a day and a half. The Shinkansen train takes half a day, so that extra travel day (and all it's fun activities) was just dropped. I'm not sure what route they are taking for the Shinkansen train to Tokyo...

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I'm sad to see them drop so much from the Japan trip. I *loved* the cup-o-noodle museum. I know it's cheesy, but I grew up eating top ramen and it was such fun kitsch for me. The kids loved making their own noodle cups, too. I also can't believe they got rid of the temple in Nara with the big Buddha. That was amazing. I've always said you have to do ABDs the first year before they start cutting things, but this is pretty bad. The worst changes to tours that I've seen are the Alaska Cruise Add-on (years ago) and the Scotland trip that @sayhello mentioned. The original Scotland ABD was right up there with China as one of the best. It is odd how they've kept China pretty much alone all these years. China, Scotland and Japan are still up there as my faves. Completely agree with you SayHello about China as well. Such an amazing but very busy trips. And those hotels ...

 

[Mathmagicland]

If they were going to add anything, isn't the Studio Ghibli museum really popular? I don't think that would be such a controversial decision when Disney World's Epcot happily includes anime-related goods

Studio Ghibli is also about an hour or more outside of Tokyo, so it would take a bit of time to get there and back. As @sayhello notes, it is a timed ticket to get in.

The kids are huge Ghibli fans. When we asked about the museum and park, we were told that currently it's nearly impossible for foreigners to get tickets, but hopefully by December it will be doable. We're building in a day to try for the park and if it doesn't work, will do something else in the area.

We did the Ghibli on one of our free Tokyo afternoons, skipping out on the river cruise to do so. Getting the tickets was an adventure in itself - I practiced ordered for three months to get used to the website, so I'd be ready when they opened up for month we were there. That helped, as I had no problem getting our tickets as I was online right when they were released.

Not sure if you are aware, the new Ghibli park is not in the same city or close to the Ghibli studio; it is approx 40km away.

 

[aggiedog]

Thanks, yes, we know. Our trip will be Toykyo to Osaka, with places between, so we're adding a day near the park and will pivot to plan B if we can't get tickets. That would honestly be the one place in Japan that we'd regret not trying to see. My kids grew up on Hayao Miyazaki films as much or more than Disney movies.

 

[ngl]

Thanks, yes, we know. Our trip will be Toykyo to Osaka, with places between, so we're adding a day near the park and will pivot to plan B if we can't get tickets. That would honestly be the one place in Japan that we'd regret not trying to see. My kids grew up on Hayao Miyazaki films as much or more than Disney movies.

HI @aggiedog - just found your post from 2023 and curious if you used InsideJapan for your trip and had any feedback? We just started to plan our 2027 trip (daughter's grad gift that she said she wanted to do since she was 11!) and started our initial consultation with InsideJapan. Would love any feedback on them. Thank you!

 

[aggiedog]

We had a fantastic trip. Inside Japan was great to work with. The total package was inclusive - from a very detailed day to day guide, all our train/bus tickets, to on the fly help rescheduling a tour. I'd not hesitate to use them again. They had great recommendations as well, for things that were not on my radar. Below is my trip report. I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...e_Japan_self_guided_trip-Japan.html#120880321

 

[hardcorestitch]

I'm sad to see them drop so much from the Japan trip. I *loved* the cup-o-noodle museum. I know it's cheesy, but I grew up eating top ramen and it was such fun kitsch for me. The kids loved making their own noodle cups, too. I also can't believe they got rid of the temple in Nara with the big Buddha. That was amazing. I've always said you have to do ABDs the first year before they start cutting things, but this is pretty bad. The worst changes to tours that I've seen are the Alaska Cruise Add-on (years ago) and the Scotland trip that @sayhello mentioned. The original Scotland ABD was right up there with China as one of the best. It is odd how they've kept China pretty much alone all these years. China, Scotland and Japan are still up there as my faves. Completely agree with you SayHello about China as well. Such an amazing but very busy trips. And those hotels ...

As Much Cuts As Possible by Disney™

 

[ngl]

We had a fantastic trip. Inside Japan was great to work with. The total package was inclusive - from a very detailed day to day guide, all our train/bus tickets, to on the fly help rescheduling a tour. I'd not hesitate to use them again. They had great recommendations as well, for things that were not on my radar. Below is my trip report. I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...e_Japan_self_guided_trip-Japan.html#120880321

Thank you so much for your reply and link. The trip report was great! Great to hear re Inside Japan. They are working on our itinerary now and looking forward to see what they come up with. Love the Cocomo Geisha Experience idea!

 

[aggiedog]

Happy to help. I loved Japan, and our trip was amazing. Feel free to ask any questions.

 

[karomy776]

Is the Japan ABD coming back now that Japan is open again? I don't plan on doing the ABD, because I'm doing a study abroad there in the spring instead. I'd be in Hokkaido (the northern most part of Japan) and doing a homestay and later go to a language school. But if I ever get to the Honshu part of Japan, I might try and imitate the ABD itinerary. Actually since I love travel so much I like reading all the posts under Adventures by Disney, even if I don't post anything. Also any tips for Japan in general are welcome! It'll be my first time going.

I have not seen an official update about it returning yet, but Japan travel has definitely picked up again so it would not be surprising if it comes back at some point. Your plan actually sounds great though, Hokkaido and doing a homestay will probably give you a much deeper experience than a short organized trip. For a first visit, learning a few basic Japanese phrases and getting comfortable with the train system helps a lot.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I have not seen an official update about it returning yet, but Japan travel has definitely picked up again so it would not be surprising if it comes back at some point. Your plan actually sounds great though, Hokkaido and doing a homestay will probably give you a much deeper experience than a short organized trip. For a first visit, learning a few basic Japanese phrases and getting comfortable with the train system helps a lot.

Don’t forget as well that there is a Disney store in Stellar Place near Sapporo Station…