Japan...Tokyo only?

[NutcrackerPrincess]

Hi Shaz.

I lived in Japan for 8 years and loved it - it is very easy to get around without speaking the language. I didn't speak Japanese for the first few years - I always assumed it wasn't worth it because I wasn't going to be in Japan long. After a few years, I conceded I wasn't going anywhere and made an effort.

Now for travel. Tokyo is a huge city and can feel like just another bustling big city that could be anywhere. Some of the other places others have recommended are great (Nara for one), but for a snapshot of old Japan, you can't beat Kyoto. It has one of the highest concentrations of temples in Japan, and the gardens in those temples are spectacular. Ginkakuji (the Silver Pavilion) and Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion) are some of the more famous, as well as Kiyomizudera (sp?). You can take the bullet train (shinkansen) from Tokyo and it will take about 2.5 hours to get to Kyoto. I know you said you don't want to mess about with trains, but the shinkansen is easy to use, has its own tracks in the major stations (meaning it is less confusing to find) and has assigned seating. The seats recline, there are tray tables, you can take a packed lunch or buy on board. Australian travel agencies can even make the bookings for you at cheaper prices than the Japanese have access to (there are special tourist passes). Train stations have all signposting in English and Japanese and there is always an information office with English speakers on duty.

When you get to Kyoto, there is a tourist office inside the train station where the staff speak English and can give you English guide maps. There is a tourist bus system that you can get a day pass for that allows you to hop on and hop off at the attractions. It means for a bit of walking to see temples, but no more than at a Disney park!

If it were me, I would book an early morning train and sleep on the way there (set an alarm for the time you arrive in Kyoto, they are obsessed with punctuality in Japan). I would look around for the day, then take the shinkansen back in the evening after things start closing (6pm) and have another nap.

If you are going in the April holidays, you might be lucky enough to be there for cherry blossom season. It is amazing.

As for food, I understand that you want Western food at good prices. I second the vote for the convenience stores. You can pick up a sandwich and a can of drink for a few hundred yen. They also have fresh salads (that are fresh) for a couple of hundred yen, as well as cheap pastries and chocolate bars. Personally, I also recommend you get a chu-hi. Ask for a lemon chu-hi if you are not adventurous. It is an alcoholic soda that tastes like a UDL for about a dollar. Can't beat that refreshment! If it is still a bit chilly, you will be able to get hot coffee and hot chocolate in a can at the convenience store and in vending machines nearby for a dollar or so. Very convenient!

Other than that, you will see coffee shops everywhere, both Starbucks and local versions, that have coffee, sandwiches and pastries for very reasonable prices, and they have plastic versions of the dishes and the prices in the window. If you are struggling, smile, point to the food you want, and indicate with the other hand how many serves you want. All Japanese study English and almost all will understand you if you speak slowly in standard English (no Aussie-isms!), but a cultural fear of being wrong keeps many from voluntarily speaking English with you. They get easily flustered. On the other hand, others will try and speak English for the practise. You will manage easily.

Learn to say 'sumimasen' (a catch all excuse me used 200 times a day) and 'arigato' (thank you) and you will find they can't do enough for you. The Japanese believe that their language is the hardest language in the world to master, and any attempts are greeted with a lot of goodwill.

You will have a great time, no matter where you go. It is a wonderful place. If you have any questions for me, I will check back in this thread over the next few days. Enjoy the planning!

 

[aussie shaz]

Thank you Nutcracker Princess
I've let it out to my eldest son (the one who would love to go to Japan) that its a possibility that we'll go, so I think I've decided that's its something we'll work towards.
I thought that we might do Tokyo and Osaka, and do day trips to Kyoto, Nara and possibly Hiroshima. Has anyone done Hiroshima? My favourite book as a kid was Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Not sure if it would be worth the day to go to Hiroshima or not.
Have been looking at hotels. Someone on Tripadvisor commented that a lot of hotels can only be booked 3 months in advance. Is this true? Not sure I could deal with that!
I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with the idea of Japan from all of your responses. Thanks again.

Oh, and Nutcracker Princess, my son told me you could get an alcoholic fizzy drink in Japan. I guess that's the Chu-hi. Is it wrong that my 13 year old knows about alcoholic drinks in Japan?? Apparently he's been researching all things Japan for a while now.

 

[NutcrackerPrincess]

I think it shows that you have a normal teenager - keen to learn and experiment! Chu-hi is available in vending machines as well as convenience stores, which makes access all too easy. Almost anything is available in vending machines - less reputable areas have unmentionable items you will not want your 13 year old to see!

Chu-hi comes in seasonal flavours as well as the regular citrus flavours - one time, they were making one that tasted like Skittles! I think I bought 2 cases.

Basing in Osaka to see Kyoto and Nara is a good idea. I didn't go to Hiroshima because I find it unbearably sad - the book you mention makes me see horrific images of the injuries. It was so sad.

As for hotels, that doesn't sound right to me. I lived in Japan, so I went home at the end of the day rather than staying in hotels, but 3 months out seems like a weird gross exaggeration to me. Perhaps someone had a bad experience with a particularly popular hotel?

One thing you as the adults should keep in mind is a wonderful little thing called 'nomihodai'. It is the Japanese equivalent to happy hour - all you can drink for 2-3 hours for ridiculously cheap prices. My friends and I used to go to the Hilton nomihodai in the Sky Lounge. It cost about $20 for 2-3 hours of unlimited cocktails from a list of 100. We did a lot of girls' nights there. Weird sexist thing - girls could only get nomihodai with cocktails, and men could only get it for beer. Weird.

They also have tabihodai at some places - all you can eat. It might be worth asking your hotel concierge if your family has big eaters.

One last tip - find a nearby 100 yen shop and look for souvenirs there. The 100 yen shop has better quality stuff than dollar stores here. You can get the fans, chopsticks etc for a dollar, making it easier to get cheap souvenirs for the kids' friends. The other nice thing - they have Disney stuff, too. The Japanese are nuts for Disney. Grown women cover themselves and their cars in Disney stuff. Weirded me out at the time. That said, my daughter eats her morning Weetbix from a Winnie the Pooh melamine set I bought in Japan for 100 yen, as well as socks, stationery, all sorts. Worth a look.

I admit I never went to Disney in Japan, despite living there as long as I did. I had no interest before I procreated and I now have a Disney-obsessed toddler who, though she can't read, sure as heck recognises the word 'Disney' and could start her own store with all the Disney princess merchandise she has accumulated.

 

[NutcrackerPrincess]

Oh, and if you are doing all of that, definitely look into getting tourist passes for the shinkansen (bullet train) before you go - you will save a packet and it makes things easier to have a week pass, for example. Kyoto is minutes from Osaka on the bullet train.

I am getting jealous - I won't be getting back to Japan any time soon, and there are many things I miss! Try the melon bread at any bakery or convenience store. It sounds weird, but is seriously addictive.

You are going to have a ball. Let the 13 year old research the temples in Kyoto to be the tour guide - he will have fun planning it. Don't miss Sanjusangendo in Kyoto. The name means 33 pillars, but it is the 1000 buddha temple - 1000 man-sized golden buddha statues. It is breathtaking. Ginkakuji's gardens are the best. And try the yatsuhashi - it is a souvenir cookie in Kyoto that tastes a bit like crisp gingerbread dipped in chocolate. Yum, yum, yum.

 

[Luisa]

NutcrackerPrincess, what a great amount of info! I'm going to make notes of lots of it for when I do go back - I write stuff like that in my old Lonely Planet guides to refer to before another trip.

One thing I did for souvenirs that was great fun and not too expensive was see how many different flavour Kit Kats I could find - if you see the box of Mt Fuji ones they are amazing! Family loved them. Totally agree about the 100 yen shops, so much fun too!

 

[newkie]

Nutcracker Princess, you're making me want to go to Japan now! Lol. DH mentioned it as somewhere he'd like us aim for next (in about 5 years!) and I was a bit overwhelmed with the whole idea. Granted I don't do well with massive crowds, so that was a downside to the plan, plus I was a bit worried that our kids are too young, but you make it sound like a walk in the park!

 

[NutcrackerPrincess]

I went to Japan intending to be there for a year, but found it hard to leave 8 years later. There were down sides, but it is by far the most easily accessible and kid-friendly country to visit that I encountered in my travels in Asia. I flew my 8 and 10 year old siblings over for a couple of weeks at one stage and they had an absolute ball and we didn't do anything overtly kid-friendly. They joined me in my everyday life and saw a few local tourist attractions. It is clean, safe and friendly. You can't get much better than that!

Luisa, I did the Kitkat thing, too! I did find some really crazy flavoured things there. The most bizarre was the lamb flavoured caramels. That was one I didn't try, I confess. Really, really strange. I loved the green tea chocolate everything - good thing, too. It is everywhere, all the time.

Newkie, if I could go back tomorrow, I would. However, one toddler and 4.5 months pregnant, even I can see it will be a while before it is a sensible choice. Sigh. It really is an easy place to travel in, and like so many other places, being known to be Australian is an advantage. Sport an Aussie flag on your cap and you will benefit from our good reputation in Japan.

One other thing I thought of. I don't know how you feel about green tea, especially the powdered green tea, but most tea shops will give you a free cup of matcha (the powdered green tea). It is served sprinkled with real gold flakes - quite an experience. You will see the tea shops near train stations.

I recommend this over going to an actual tea ceremony. I did it - once. The tea ceremony is an elaborate ritual where every movement is ritualised between server and customer and it is easy to get it wrong. That isn't the bad part. The bad part is that it can take 3 hours to serve 6 people tea (I was there, I remember), and guests must sit in the seza position (essentially sitting on your legs). The Japanese are used to it. For Westerners, your legs get pins and needles after 10 minutes, fall asleep after 20 minutes, and by the end of the ceremony, you will wish they had fallen off - when you try and stand up, you can't, you fall down, and then the pain when the blood starts circulating again... It is certainly memorable if you have masochistic tendencies.

One other recommendation: if you go to Kyoto, you can get a Maiko makeover and photo shoot. Maiko are the trainee geisha. I never did it, but my sister did, and she considers the cost well worth it to this day (it was about $100 or so 12 years ago).

If you go, I will look forward to the trip reports!

 

[aussie shaz]

Oh my goodness. I can see myself having to take an extra suitcase just for the KitKats!!

 

[orion2185]

Just in case you are planing a trip to Tokyo.....

In less than an hour Hilton Hotels in Tokyo are having a 50% off sale!

Sale only last for 72 hours (Sep 2 - sale ends Sep 5 2pm JST)

Valid for hotel stays Sep 3 2014 to December 1 2014


Hilton Tokyo Bay Hotel is apart of this sale.

Visit the sales page for more details and to book
http://hiltonhoteldeals.com/jpsale/en/

but here is the "fine print"

Offer is subject to availability at participating hotels within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio in Japan and South Korea. Book between September 2, 2pm, 2014 and September 5, 2pm, 2014 and stay between September 3, 2014 and 1 December, 2014.
Full non-refundable prepayment required at time of booking.
Your credit card will be charged immediately for the total amount quoted for the entire stay as reserved and refunds or credits will not be issued.
Charges cannot be applied to other stays, services or merchandise.
Booking cannot be changed. Blackout dates may apply and vary by property. Additional restrictions apply.
This offer may not be combined with other select promotions, offers or discounts (including Hilton Premium Club Japan) and is not valid for existing reservations or groups. Rates are exclusive of all taxes, incidental charges, gratuities and resort fees where applicable.

 

[aussie shaz]

Thanks Orion. A pity I'm not going until 2016. My problem is I am always so organised that I pre-book everything as soon as I can and always miss out on these last minute specials.
I hope someone might be able to snap up a room at the Hilton though.