Our July 2019 Japan trip report, including TDR and USJ, from a points-and-miles hobbyist, Complete

[newfamilyman]

Our family (DW, DS 14, and DD 18) just returned from an amazing, two-week trip to Japan where we visited TDL, TDS, and USJ. In spite of the growing tourism, it was difficult to find to find all of the information that we needed, so I wanted to share that with you in addition to our experiences. Please feel free to ask any questions.

This first installment details our trip planning. We have never done an ABD trip and are unlikely ever to do one, mainly for the high premium charged for both the Disney name and service which seems to be the hallmark of these guided tours. However, DW likes to copy the itinerary of ABD trips when it suits us. We did not follow the specifics of their activities but loosely copied their overall structure of the trip:
6/29: Left LAX
6/30: Arrived Osaka
7/1: Hiroshima
7/2: Kyoto
7/3: USJ
7/4: Ryokan in Takayama area
7/5-7/6: Odawara
7/7: Tokyo
7/8: TDS
7/9: TDL
7/10: TDS in AM, TDL in PM
7/11-12: Tokyo
7/13: Returned home

I am a miles-and-points hobbyist, so that played an important role in airfare and hotels. Our trip planning begin once I booked the outband award flight. The redemption highlight was snagging Delta One seats for all of us for only 60,000 each way on the LAX-HND serviced by Delta’s newest aircraft, the A350. I booked them through Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program. DW and I were able to earn all those points without one single flight because Flying Club is a partner with so many currencies, including Amex’s Membership Miles and Citi’s Thank You points. We also both got the Flying Club MC when there was a 90,000 sign-up bonus. Considering that Delta wanted 300,000 Skymiles for each leg, getting four seats for both segments for only 480,000 was the best redemption I have ever managed.

I booked the Intercontinental Osaka for the first four nights of our trip. DW and I both have IHG’s Chase cards. With the sign-up offers on these cards, we were able to take advantage of the fourth night free on award bookings with the premium version of the card. At 60,000 points per night and the fourth night free, this was another terrific redemption since the hotel was charging $1,000 a night for these rooms at the time of the booking. Because of our party size, the hotel required that we book two rooms for each night.

We chose the same Odawara hotel as used by ABD, the Hilton. This hotel also required that we book two rooms. They were charging 60,000 points per room on Friday, which rose to 95,000 points on Saturday. We both have Amex Hilton co-branded cards and used our free night certificates for spending 15,000 on the card to cover the free nights on Saturday, and I used Hilton Honors points to cover the lower redemption rate on Friday.

The final points redemption was our last three nights in Tokyo. I chose the Grand Hyatt with the club upgrade for 33,000 per night. The Grand also required that we use two rooms each night. All of the Tokyo-area Hyatt hotels had award nights for that period, and I also could have stayed at the Conrad. I chose the Grand Hyatt because as a family, we enjoy club lounges, which both save on breakfast expenses and are convenient, and from what I read, the Grand Hyatt has a nicer lounge than the Conrad. The Rappongi Hills location of the Grand Hyatt also seemed more desirable for us. We were able to get the required points by both cancelling our Hyatt Gold Passport Chase Visas and successfully applying for World of Hyatt Visas and its high sign-up bonus during the brief window before Chase’s strict 5/24 application limits were imposed.

I paid for the remaining hotel nights out-of-pocket. As DVC members, we always stay on property when visiting DL or WDW, and we had a wonderful Castle Club room when we visited Disneyland Paris several years ago. We knew that we wanted to stay on property for the Disneyland part of this Japan trip, and the main question was whether we would get a package or not. Of all the aspects of planning, there were the least amount of reviews for people who had booked packages. I was finally swayed to splurge for a two-night package by the TripAdvisor review where the reviewer stated that she found the bonus FPs included in the package to be “worth their weight in gold.” Even though she went during a more peak season, I decided that a package would enable us to hopefully minimize lines. The Mira Costa was sold out for packages, so I chose a Beauty and the Beast room for my second choice, the Disneyland hotel.

With only two nights left unaccounted for, I chose the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay. While I initially considered using free night certificates from our credit cards, I decided to splurge on the Japanese suite, which besides allowing us all to stay in the same room, also included private use of the hotel’s yu yu, essentially an onsen that uses city water instead of mineral springs. I chose the non-refundable rate because it was the cheapest.

As we got closer to the trip, on a whim, I checked the availability of the Mira Costa for the 7th, not expecting much given the hotel’s legendary reputation of selling out within minutes of the opening of the booking window. However, there were rooms available, and I again splurged on a partial Mediterranean harbor view.

There are obviously nowhere near the available resources for booking a TDR trip as there are for WDW. The heaviest resource that I leaned on was Chris Nilghe, who created the TDR Explorer webpage and podcast, the latter with his co-host Trish. I listened to most of their podcasts during the year which led up to our trip, though as their focus spread from only the Japanese parks to the other two Disney parks in Asia, I skipped more of the main episodes. As a $15 monthly Patreon contributor, I also enjoyed the monthly bonus episodes. In addition to purchasing Chris’ e-books on TDR and USJ, I also purchased a $100 private session which was conducted through Skype during one of his visits to his family home in Canada.

Another decision was booking tours. Chris recommended Maction Tours, so we booked private tours in Hiroshima, Kyoto, and two days in Tokyo. I could have booked with Mac himself or one of his trained guides, and following Chris’ recommendation, we splurged (I know, that word again) on Mac.

Finally, there was the decision about the JR rail passes. Initially I made the mistake to purchase a two-week pass. Only after I got them did I think about our needs enough to realize that there was only an 8-day period when we would be riding bullet trains. As a result, I returned the passes and purchased 7-day ones instead. The penalty was $15 per person plus the initial cost of shipping. Still, the savings more than exceeded this expense. I decided to again splurge on the green cars.

In the next installment, we’ll start the trip.

 

[aleh021]

Can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[newfamilyman]

Days 1 & 2: Leaving LA, arriving in Osaka

For miles and points hobbyists, scoring a first- or business-class award is the payoff for the hours of planning and research involved in applying for the right credit cards at the right times and using the best credit card for each purpose. While the best Virgin Flying Club redemption to Japan is on ANA, where first-class flights would have cost less than what I spent on the Delta redemptions, there is a requirement with ANA for booking a round-trip, and I could not find available dates for the four of us in business, much less first.

This was our first Delta One experience, and it was certainly a relaxing and luxurious way to fly. With Delta, they are supposed to send an e-mail three days before the flight so that meal selections can be confirmed in advance. When this did not happen, I called the airline and was able to confirm our preferences that way. DW and DD wanted the Japanese meal experience, and DS and I wanted Jon and Vinny’s meatballs, which had been recently detailed in a full-page spread in Bon Appetit.

I’m not sure if this is the case for all Delta international flights, but this one and at least the flights to Shanghai check-in at Terminal 2 at LAX, but the plane actually departs from TBIT. This is important to know if, like us, you have someone picking you up. Have them meet you at TBIT, not Terminal 2. The plane had arrived the previous night from Shanghai, so there were no concerns about leaving late.

Delta has a dedicated check-in space for Delta One in Terminal 2 with couches for guests who are waiting to be helped and drinks and snacks. Once checked in, there is a shuttle for all passengers going to terminals 3 or TBIT after security. Delta One passengers are supposed to receive a pass for a private shuttle to TBIT. We were not given one, and I did not realize that was even available as an option until seeing someone else take advantage of that perk.

Boarding for Delta One passengers started about 50 minutes before departure. The suites themselves are certainly private, if narrow enough to feel somewhat confining when the doors are closed. Because there are no individual air controls for the center suites, there were times when the even the thick Westin Heavenly bedding provided was insufficient for the cold.

The meal service was a bit underwhelming, though my high expectations may have negatively impacted that impression. We’ve never eaten at Jon and Vinny’s but certainly are familiar with their glowing reviews. I wouldn’t have known that the meatballs were made from meat ground in-house or that the lettuce was sourced from farmers’ markets if I hadn’t read that in the Bon Appetit article. The standout of the meal was actually the ice cream sundae made with McConnell’s and presumably with no input from Jon or Vinny. Unlike long-haul flights in Asian carriers, there was no mid-flight meal options, only a snack service consisting of surprisingly delicious apples and standard chips. The breakfast was an unappetizing scrambled eggs, though I could have selected a cold choice or the Japanese breakfast. The Delta service also could not match that offered by the best foreign carriers. The attendants were friendly enough without doing anything special to make their interactions memorable.

Delta always has a large selection of movies, which was particularly helpful since the outbound flight was two hours longer than the return. I appreciated their large selection of foreign movies, since my preference is always to see a title to which I normally wouldn’t have access in the States.

Upon landing in Haneda, we faced a true nightmare of a long, immigration line. While I feared that this would be the first of many such lines during our trip, it proved to be the longest by far. There were numerous switch-backs before we finally reached a customs officer after an hour or so in line.

As a CPAP user, this would be a good time to share my experiences. I read multiple posts in the Japan FB regarding bringing in a CPAP machine without a completed Yakkan Shoumei form. I reached out to the Japan Information and Cultural Center in Seattle and was advised that I did not need this form completed. I did not complete it, and it was never questioned. I did check the CPAP machine into my luggage. I also checked my prescription medications, and these were similarly not an issue.

We next picked up my Japan WiFi Buddy. It was easy to retrieve from the specified location. It came with a portable charger, which was helpful. Here are my impressions of the Japan WiFi Buddy and the need for an external wifi device: There is definitely an insufficient amount of public wifi available, so either some sort of external/internal device or paying for data from your domestic cell phone provider is required. Because we were four people, and our phones were still locked, an external device was required. We chose the WiFi buddy because I was lured into the idea that the data would be more unlimited or faster with the other options available. In the end, I would chose a cheaper product in the future. The speed was never faster than 12 mps or so and was always slower than hotel speeds. If you do get this, or a similar device, do not leave it turned on all day but turn it on only when you need it. If you leave it on all day, the battery and even the portable battery will be depleted. Using it only when we needed it ensured adequate battery life.

The final stop was to the infamous JR ticket office, which was smaller than expected and easy to find. There was nobody waiting in the outside queue, which was clearly marked at different points how long the wait would be from that point. It was easy to exchange our vouchers for passes even though I did not want the passes activated until the next day. Unfortunately, at the airport, they were only able to make one reservation, which I made for the next morning.

It was then time to transfer to the domestic terminal. Our flight landed on time, around 2:30 PM, and I had booked a 7 PM flight from Haneda to Osaka. In retrospect, I could have booked a 6 PM flight but I didn’t want to push it. We used our Suica to take the train to the different terminal, so there was a charge. I had read that it would have been free if we had a boarding pass for the next flight, but I had not been able to check-in online, so I had no such boarding pass.

One of the wonderful things about Japanese airports, at least these ones in Tokyo and Osaka, is that there were many information desks staffed with people with enough English to provide answers. I was given help for which part of the domestic terminal serviced the Japan Airlines flights to Osaka. Unfortunately, there was a language barrier in trying to figure out which check-in line to use, since it seemed to be just one line for all customers. The line was short enough, and we were quickly checked in.

American Airlines gave DW and I free platinum status for several months earlier in the year, and I must have booked these JAL tickets during that time, since the boarding passes indicated that we still had oneworld Sapphire status even though our AA elite status had ended in May. JAL has its lesser lounge, called Sakura lounge, for sapphire members. This was an expansive lounge, with abundant seating, and our children were admitted for no additional charge. What was strange about the lounge is that they only served the ubiquitous rice crackers, soup, and beverages. DW was disappointed that there was no wine, only multiple types of beer, as far as alcoholic beverages were concerned.

After a spending an hour or so in the lounge, it was time to board our final flight of the day. The boarding process was interesting since it was our first flight where the boarding process was completely in a foreign language, with no English used. The staff walked around the gate area with signs in Japanese and English which indicated which sections were being boarded. Exhausted, I easily slept through the brief flight to Osaka, which was comfortable in business class. One of the interesting things about Japanese flights is that even domestic ones have a three-class service. This 767 had one row of first class, 10 or so rows of business class, and the remainder in coach.

We finally arrived in our final destination of the day, Osaka. I had been communicating with our hotel, the Intercontinental, who had me concerned about limited transportation due to the G20, which had finished the day before. The hotel staff painted an uncomfortable picture of us having to stand for the half-hour train rides to the hotel. A helpful information booth staff recommended that we take subways to the hotel, since the closest limousine bus was no longer operating that night. Google maps, as it would for the duration of the journey, perfectly guided us to the correct line and platform for what proved to be an effortless trip to the hotel.

The Intercontinental is located in the Grand Front development in Osaka. Only a few years old, it also consisted of a huge shopping center and office buildings. Signs in English easily guided us from the JR station to the hotel. As part of my e-mail communications, I had asked about the cost to upgrade to a club-level room. IHG rewards is considerably less generous to elites than Hyatt, Hilton, or Marriott, as top-tier elites do not gain automatic access to executive club lounges or receive complimentary breakfast. In this case, the hotel wanted 16000 yen per room, per day for the upgrade, which was lowered only to 15000 at the time of check-in. I declined this offer, and I was then offered a discounted breakfast price of $32 a person, which was more than we wanted to spend. Because of our Platinum/Spire status, we were upgraded only one category.

The room was stunning and would be, by far, the nicest room of the trip. The bathroom was by far the nicest bathroom of any hotel room in which I have ever stayed. There was a monsoon shower head along with a hand-held attachment which ensured a powerful and relaxing experience. The mirror at the adjacent counter had a huge, anti-fog area which made shaving effortless. There was also an oversized bathtub with a powerful faucet for quick filling along with two types of bath salts. Finally, there was the obligatory Japanese toilet with its many features. My only complaint is that the wall behind the bathtub, which faced the rest of the room, was translucent, so anyone turning on light in the bathroom would also illuminate the bedroom area. As I had read and would be true for all future hotel rooms, the beds were considerably firmer than we are used to in the States.

View from the room, on the 26th floor:


View of the room:

Next installment: Hiroshima and Miyajima Island

 

[distravel]

Wow, that was an impressive use of miles. Thanks for taking the time to do a trip report. Will be following along.

 

[LovesTimone]

Wow.... I am new to the churning... so I am going to follow along very closely....and the room looks really nice... Can't wait for the next installment...

 

[bearette]

I love to travel and have wanted to do Tokyo with Disney for some time. I am enjoying hearing about your experience.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 3: Hiroshima and Miyajima Island

I just realized that I forgot to discuss ATMs. If you have begun researching your trip, you will have learned that only certain ATMs accept foreign debit cards. My checking account is with Charles Schwab, which I chose because they offer interest checking but most importantly rebate all ATM fees worldwide with no limits. Internationally, I have only used the card in Mexico, but there were no problems. Unfortunately, at Haneda, I tried the card at three different ATMs which accept foreign debit cards, but it was immediately rejected at all three. I had to use DD’s Bank of America debit card which resulted in steep fees, both from the Japanese bank and Bank of America, neither which I would have incurred if my Schwab card had worked. When I got home, I called Schwab, and they suggested that my chip was subtly damaged in a way that was not impacted by American ATMs but Japanese ATMs may have been more sensitive. Schwab suggested that I get a new debit card before my next foreign trip. In the future, though it will pain me to do so because of the costs, I will have to bring some cash to convert, or convert money ahead of time to be on the safe side. Now on to day 3.

Our guide, Jasmine Nakai, had e-mailed us ahead of the trip, and Mac had recommended a particular bullet train for us to take in the morning.

Let me begin by describing Japanese breakfast options. It was very surprising to us that relatively few restaurants or coffee shops open early for breakfast. Many restaurants, including Starbucks and Tully’s, do not open before 7:30, which made our options limited. For our first day, we breakfasted at the Tully’s nearest to the hotel, which again was ideally located to the JR Station. I ordered a waffle, which consisted of a small waffle with a scoop of ice cream on top, which I was not expecting. DS ordered a hot dog, which was just as surprisingly available at 7 in the morning. The next thing I learned is that there is no such thing as refills in Japan, at least not for coffee. Luckily, Tully’s did take credit cards.

We used our rail pass for the first time. We tried unsuccessfully to put our reserved tickets through the machine before learning that when you are using a rail pass, you have to always use the entrance on the far right or left, where there are staff positioned who will review the rail passes and let you pass.

I used Google Maps and Navitime to plan train travel, and Google Maps for the subway. Google Maps was extremely helpful in providing detailed information about what line to take and the platform from which the train leaves. I liked Navitime because it gave more information about the specific trains and sometimes the information was more accurate and provided more choices than is provided by Google Maps. Without a pocket wifi or SIM card, however, you will be lost if you are relying on free wifi.

Hiroshima and Miyajima Island were on DW’s agenda. As a history buff, I was interested in seeing where the bomb was dropped, but there was not enough about the area for me to justify the entire day.

Jasmine greeted us on the platform and quickly whisked us to a subway and then to the ferry for Miyajima Island. Miyajima essentially consists of a temple with a famous gate which is submerged at high tide, though we were there at low tide, so its impact was somewhat lost on us. Otherwise, there were many, many tourist-driven stores selling what my friend Cary calls T&S (trinkets and s**t) as well as snacks. Jasmine took us to an underwhelming restaurant, not at all memorable, which luckily would be the exception that proved the rule about how wonderful and amazing Japanese food can be. There are many deer on the island, but Jasmine cautioned us not to pet them and that they can, like goats, nibble on our bags and clothes.

We took the ferry back to Hiroshima after lunch. While not wanting to get entangled in the politics and sensitivity of Hiroshima in general and the Museum of Peace in specific, it is, I think, important for people to be informed about what they will be experiencing in the museum, which I called the Museum of Death. It is essentially picture after picture of the dead and dying, and we went through the museum quickly.

There were many school groups on field trips in Hiroshima. What was amusing and amazing to me was that each class had their own private photographer, taking Photopass-worthy shots of each student as they recited facts and even sang around the many monuments of the city.

Since we finished early, Jasmine was very helpful in bringing us to certain counters within the giant marketplace in the train station to get us dinner. It was easy and pleasant to eat on the bullet train. The sandwiches were extraordinary. It was when we were looking for fruit that we discovered in person what I had seen only in pictures, which is to say peaches, cherries, and grapes costing 10-100x more than what we pay. All of a sudden, it made a lot of sense why so many tourists visit the local Farmers Market in LA, where the abundance of colorful and cheap fruit must seem like miracles. Back at the station, I was able to find a reasonably priced fruit cup which contained delicious and ripe fruit.

I will share more thoughts about Jasmine after describing the following day in Kyoto with our guide Kosuke. I will say that Jasmine not only did not have a car, but she expected us to pay for all of her subway, ferry, and trolley fares in addition to her lunch. Because there is no tipping in Japan, I considered lunch to be her tip, which applied to the subsequent guides as well. She also did not read her audience terribly well. She did not adequately perceive our succumbing to jet lag by the end of the day, as she provided more detailed information than we could process. She was certainly well-versed in the history of the area, I will say that for her. DW and DD also enjoyed making origami cranes on the trolley from the ferry to the museum. On the other hand, she only suggested taking one family photo.

The famous gate at low tide:

The famous building in Hiroshima which partially survived the blast:


Next Installment: Kyoto with Kosuke

 

[indoshakespeare]

i'm an early riser as well. for breakfast, i usually just grab onigiris from mini marts.

 

[LovesTimone]

i'm an early riser as well. for breakfast, i usually just grab onigiris from mini marts.

Our friends that went last year, suggested that we bring something or plan the night before to pick up something, like breakfast bars, granola bars or muffins with us to tide us over until around 9:00 am when more stuff starts to open, or opt for the breakfast at the hotel.

 

[LovesTimone]

Day 3: Hiroshima and Miyajima Island

I just realized that I forgot to discuss ATMs. If you have begun researching your trip, you will have learned that only certain ATMs accept foreign debit cards. My checking account is with Charles Schwab, which I chose because they offer interest checking but most importantly rebate all ATM fees worldwide with no limits. Internationally, I have only used the card in Mexico, but there were no problems. Unfortunately, at Haneda, I tried the card at three different ATMs which accept foreign debit cards, but it was immediately rejected at all three. I had to use DD’s Bank of America debit card which resulted in steep fees, both from the Japanese bank and Bank of America, neither which I would have incurred if my Schwab card had worked. When I got home, I called Schwab, and they suggested that my chip was subtly damaged in a way that was not impacted by American ATMs but Japanese ATMs may have been more sensitive. Schwab suggested that I get a new debit card before my next foreign trip. In the future, though it will pain me to do so because of the costs, I will have to bring some cash to convert, or convert money ahead of time to be on the safe side. Now on to day 3.

Our guide, Jasmine Nakai, had e-mailed us ahead of the trip, and Mac had recommended a particular bullet train for us to take in the morning.

Let me begin by describing Japanese breakfast options. It was very surprising to us that relatively few restaurants or coffee shops open early for breakfast. Many restaurants, including Starbucks and Tully’s, do not open before 7:30, which made our options limited. For our first day, we breakfasted at the Tully’s nearest to the hotel, which again was ideally located to the JR Station. I ordered a waffle, which consisted of a small waffle with a scoop of ice cream on top, which I was not expecting. DS ordered a hot dog, which was just as surprisingly available at 7 in the morning. The next thing I learned is that there is no such thing as refills in Japan, at least not for coffee. Luckily, Tully’s did take credit cards.

We used our rail pass for the first time. We tried unsuccessfully to put our reserved tickets through the machine before learning that when you are using a rail pass, you have to always use the entrance on the far right or left, where there are staff positioned who will review the rail passes and let you pass.

I used Google Maps and Navitime to plan train travel, and Google Maps for the subway. Google Maps was extremely helpful in providing detailed information about what line to take and the platform from which the train leaves. I liked Navitime because it gave more information about the specific trains and sometimes the information was more accurate and provided more choices than is provided by Google Maps. Without a pocket wifi or SIM card, however, you will be lost if you are relying on free wifi.

Hiroshima and Miyajima Island were on DW’s agenda. As a history buff, I was interested in seeing where the bomb was dropped, but there was not enough about the area for me to justify the entire day.

Jasmine greeted us on the platform and quickly whisked us to a subway and then to the ferry for Miyajima Island. Miyajima essentially consists of a temple with a famous gate which is submerged at high tide, though we were there at low tide, so its impact was somewhat lost on us. Otherwise, there were many, many tourist-driven stores selling what my friend Cary calls T&S (trinkets and s**t) as well as snacks. Jasmine took us to an underwhelming restaurant, not at all memorable, which luckily would be the exception that proved the rule about how wonderful and amazing Japanese food can be. There are many deer on the island, but Jasmine cautioned us not to pet them and that they can, like goats, nibble on our bags and clothes.

We took the ferry back to Hiroshima after lunch. While not wanting to get entangled in the politics and sensitivity of Hiroshima in general and the Museum of Peace in specific, it is, I think, important for people to be informed about what they will be experiencing in the museum, which I called the Museum of Death. It is essentially picture after picture of the dead and dying, and we went through the museum quickly.

There were many school groups on field trips in Hiroshima. What was amusing and amazing to me was that each class had their own private photographer, taking Photopass-worthy shots of each student as they recited facts and even sang around the many monuments of the city.

Since we finished early, Jasmine was very helpful in bringing us to certain counters within the giant marketplace in the train station to get us dinner. It was easy and pleasant to eat on the bullet train. The sandwiches were extraordinary. It was when we were looking for fruit that we discovered in person what I had seen only in pictures, which is to say peaches, cherries, and grapes costing 10-100x more than what we pay. All of a sudden, it made a lot of sense why so many tourists visit the local Farmers Market in LA, where the abundance of colorful and cheap fruit must seem like miracles. Back at the station, I was able to find a reasonably priced fruit cup which contained delicious and ripe fruit.

I will share more thoughts about Jasmine after describing the following day in Kyoto with our guide Kosuke. I will say that Jasmine not only did not have a car, but she expected us to pay for all of her subway, ferry, and trolley fares in addition to her lunch. Because there is no tipping in Japan, I considered lunch to be her tip, which applied to the subsequent guides as well. She also did not read her audience terribly well. She did not adequately perceive our succumbing to jet lag by the end of the day, as she provided more detailed information than we could process. She was certainly well-versed in the history of the area, I will say that for her. DW and DD also enjoyed making origami cranes on the trolley from the ferry to the museum. On the other hand, she only suggested taking one family photo.

The famous gate at low tide:
View attachment 421022
The famous building in Hiroshima which partially survived the blast:
View attachment 421023

Next Installment: Kyoto with Kosuke

We are trying to decide if we want to make the trek to Hiroshima... and the floating Torii gate really is something that is not on our list... - Is there anything else that you know of in this area to see or experience, to make it more of a full day?

 

[newfamilyman]

We are trying to decide if we want to make the trek to Hiroshima... and the floating Torii gate really is something that is not on our list... - Is there anything else that you know of in this area to see or experience, to make it more of a full day?

Miyajima Island just seemed like a tourist trap to me. The island was beautiful, but I'm not sure what else you can say about it. Hiroshima in and of itself is not a full day.

 

[newfamilyman]

Our friends that went last year, suggested that we bring something or plan the night before to pick up something, like breakfast bars, granola bars or muffins with us to tide us over until around 9:00 am when more stuff starts to open, or opt for the breakfast at the hotel.

I couldn't justify the $30 per person price tag for breakfast. I'll share our subsequent breakfast experiences in future installments.

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 4: Kyoto

Before heading out to Kyoto, let me bring up a couple of issues on which I had meant to report. The first is mosquito repellant. I thought I had done my share of research for this trip, but I had not come across any recommendations for mosquito repellant. So if you haven’t, either, let me be the first to tell you: if you are going to Hiroshima and/or Kyoto, at least during the summer, you need mosquito repellant. This was not an issue in Tokyo or Osaka, but it sure was in those other two cities. I saw a poor teenager in Kyoto whose back of legs must have been a dessert buffet to the insects, since they were covered in red welts. I guess my blood is not as sweet, but they certainly made more than a few efforts to draw it out.

The second topic was the need, or lack thereof, of a travel/converter. Electricity basically ran at the same current. However, as has been reported elsewhere, a three-prong plug will not work, and most hotels, even luxury ones, do not have any or, depending upon the hotel, enough USB outlets for your electronics. Remember that you will more than likely need to be charging both the wifi buddy and its portable charger in addition to your own electronics, so some sort of travel adapter with multiple inputs helps, even if you don’t necessarily need the adapter part of it for this trip (at least not if you are coming from America).

Now back to the morning of our day in Kyoto. Because Kyoto is considerably closer to Osaka than Hiroshima, we did not have to have such an early start. As a result, we were a little later arriving at Osaka station but not later than 7:30, when again most restaurants that served breakfast opened. Today was to be our first day of trying one of the “insta-shammable,” as Mac calls them, of Japan’s favorite foods, the soufflé pancake. The restaurant where we went had to flavors, which Google translate had a hard time translating. I finally got one flavor translated as tiramisu, and the other looked lemon, but it alluded the app completely. These desserts, sorry breakfast items, were definitely a disappointment, but luckily the disappointments seemed to be most restricted those foods where looks trumped taste. In the case of soufflé pancakes, or at least these ones, they were puffy, roughly in the way that soufflés can be. But these ones were dense and not at all light. The flavor was also muted, mostly coming from the abundance of cream. I did not enjoy them anywhere near as much as our usually fluffy pancakes at home, though both DS and DD claimed to enjoy these more. I certainly can believe that there better versions of these out there, but I won’t be hunting them down. At this restaurant, the staff did not speak English, and it was cash-only.

We boarded the bullet train for the short ride to Kyoto and were met at the station by Kosuke. Kosuke, or Ko for short, was trained by Mac, by both of their reports, though I think most people tend to book Kosuke independently. I don’t know if he would have been cheaper booking directly or through Mac, though Mac charged less for his affiliated guides than for his personalized tours, and he did offer us a 10% discount for booking four days with his company.

Ko met us at the station. It was immediately clear that unlike Jasmine, Ko had a van, so there was no rushing off to subways. Based on a Japan Travel Group FB post from the person who toured with him the following day, Ko’s tours tend to have the same format, with opportunities for tailoring to individual needs. As he said, he was flexible. I had made it clear to Mac that even though it was Kyoto, I was not interested in spending the day looking at temples or shrines, and the couple that we went to were definitely ones that only a private guide would know about.

The first one we visited looked like a private house, and there were no other tourists there. We then went to the famous Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine, where Kyoto demonstrated his excellence as a guide by not only offering to take many pictures but taking them in a way that gave the ridiculous impression that we were the only tourists there:



The final one was known for having many fanciful buddhas, and from that aspect, it did not disappoint. There were a couple of tourists at that one, including what looked like a father and son from America. The dad joked with us that we weren’t in Kansas anymore, and that much was certainly true.



Ko took us to a street market, where you could sample some exotic delicacies, and to a Shiba café. While Japanese call these types of places cafés, you get a single beverage from a vending machine but no food. The shiba café was a bit of a bust in the sense that shiba are not the friendliest of dogs. They are cute, but the interaction was minimal. It was a nice place to rest.


Ko brought us to a delicious soba lunch at restaurant which also only took cash and where there were no other tourists. I certainly had the impression that Ko took all of his customers there, so while good, I’m not sure if he received any kind of incentive from the owners for bringing his clients there. It was certainly not our best meal of the trip, and I’d like to think that there were better restaurants in Kyoto even if it hit the spot.

The highlight, at least for us, was the monkey park. It was a somewhat brutal uphill climb, but the results were mostly certainly worth it:



I also had the best dessert of the trip on the way there, insta-shammable, yes, a but a delicious green tea, ice cream concoction. It had what tasted like corn flakes dipped in a sweet, green-tea coating which was a wonderful accompaniment to the ice cream. Even better, they took Suica, since I was out of cash at that point. Having the Suica card on the app made it tremendously easy to add value without ever having to use a machine.

DW was interested in geishas, so we made a stop to that neighborhood without seeing any and from there it was back to the station. We decided to take a train back rather than eat dinner in Kyoto, since there would have been a long gap between trains.

Kyoto made a strong impression on us, particularly DS. Ko reported that it was the second safest city in the world, after Singapore, and it was mind-blowing, as Americans, to see young elementary-school children walking home on their own, without any worries about being kidnapped or exposed to crime.

Ko was a wonderful guide. He never charged us for parking, saying it was included. As I expressed to Mac, I did feel overcharged at paying the same amount for both guides, whereas Ko said everything was included, and Jasmine nickel-and-dimed us, or whatever the yen equivalent to that expression is, for all of her expenses, including public transportation costs. In fact, one of the first things she did was to take one of my larger bills and give me back the difference after subtracting all of these costs. We were all glad that we had spent the day with Ko and wouldn’t have had it any other way.

When we got back to the hotel/shopping mall, we decided to eat at a sushi restaurant. We discovered that at many shopping malls, the top floor or two were dedicated to restaurants. We found a sushi restaurant which was both conveyor belt and you could order from a touch-screen at your table. We ordered many items and were blown away by their freshness, quality, and deliciousness. Many of the fish were unknown to us, and even the known ones, like tuna, came in multiple varities. It was a veritable sushi Shmorgishborg and the price at the end was a fraction of what we would have paid at the states made even better by the lack of need to tip. DW and I agreed that it was better than Nobu. That is one of the problems of going to Japan: every subsequent sushi meal back home will be truly depressing.

Next Installment: Universal Studios Japan (USJ)

 

[nono]

Really enjoying your report!

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 5: USJ

First of all, let me say thank you to all who have been reading so far, and I appreciate the kind words.

Before we get to USJ, now would be a good time to discuss jet lag. From reading various Japan Travel FB posts and talking to people (Americans) who had been there, the common experience seemed to be an effortless adjustment to the new time zone upon arrival to Japan followed by weeks of recovery and jet leg upon returning to the States. This was not our experience. We were glad that we hit the road running, so to speak, at the beginning of the trip rather than have an activity-free day first because we all woke up early the first days, so it only made sense to have full-day activities at the beginning. However, we continued getting up early, or at least most of did, meaning that we were pretty exhausted by our fourth full day, which unfortunately was our USJ day. We were definitely all experiencing crankiness.

Having read trip reports of hours-long waits for most rides, I had some trepidation about going to USJ. As an American, it felt strange that July 3rd would be considered off-peak, which it was, and I debated splurging on the royal pass versus getting express passes. In the end, I decided to buy the royal pass. There are primarily two vendors of USJ tickets, at least for international tourists, voyagin and klook. When it comes to the royal pass in specific, the difference was the voyagin was more expensive, presumably because they delivered the wristbands and tickets to your hotel instead of making you pick them up from an office, and that voyagin allowed you to buy tickets in advance of the official date of when the royal passes were released. For those reasons, I went with voyagin. After purchasing the tickets, the order is placed in what could be called abeyance for a couple of days until the order is approved, at which point you are charged. A couple of weeks later, I got an e-mail from voyagin telling me that the order was cancelled because USJ decided not to sell royal passes from June 24th-July 12th with no reason given. This was a good condition that the parks would not feel too off-peak that day. I then decided to go with a 7-attraction express pass, choosing the Sing show as the variable, and purchased through klook, which was still quite a bit cheaper. Because these passes were e-mailed and used electronically, this rendered the inconvenience of picking them up void. The express passes had some attractions with time restrictions and some without, and several attractions were either/or so that they could not be used for both.

As far as research, I did read a few trip reports online, and I purchased Chris Nilghe's TDR Explorer review of USJ. Again, I am a big fan of Chris, who is an immensely likable person and to be commended for helping so many people plan their theme park-centric Japan trips. In all honesty, though, I have to say that this book, for a book, was a bit anemic of some details which would be helpful. Chris' primary suggestion of using single-rider lines did not help us, since we wanted to ride as a family. His restaurant reviews, though, were probably the section in most need of beefing up. When you are buying a book, even if it is not particularly expensive, you do want more details.

We planned to rope-drop the park, so because we were leaving early, we gave Tully's another go. This time I ordered the pancakes. Tully's pancakes are plastic-wrapped for microwaving, so freshness is going to be lacking. The coffee was just so-so. Given the limited options, though, it got the job done. We headed again to the adjacent JR Osaka station and using our Suica cards on our iPhones, made it quickly to USJ. Walking through CityWalk was a little strange because it looked a lot like our Universal City, CA City Walk but with a couple of hotels instead of a movie theater.

There were long lines in front of the entrance gates, with security positioned in front of the turnstiles. While there were many people waiting, the crowds quickly dispersed once they entered the park. Team members scanned our passes, which I did not print but just presented on my phone, and we were in.

Before the park got two crowded, DW and DD wanted to do Flying Dinosaur, since this was basically the only ride not included in the Express Pass, other than the Cool Japan overlays. While they both love roller coasters, they spoke about how intense the ride was, and they would chose not to do it again.

We then went to Jaws, which was probably the main reason I chose to even go to USJ. Having never done Jaws when it was in Orlando, I really wanted to experience it. The express pass could be used on either Jaws or Spiderman, so we decided to wait on the line. It was a slow 30 minutes, especially given how cranky we were, but we really enjoyed the theming of the line. The "Re-Elect Mayor Vaughn" signs were hilarious. The Jaws ride did not disappoint. Even though it was in Japanese, it was exactly what I had been expecting and hoping for. Here is a picture which included both Amity and Hogsmeade:


Still not wanting to use our express pas yet, we headed over to Backdraft. Having enjoyed this attraction many times in California, this was about nostalgia and treating the kids to their first experience of it. It was essentially the same as I remembered. Though the second set was different, the fire display was the same. Again, the fact that it was all in Japanese did not detract from the enjoyment of experiencing this again, perhaps for the final time.

It was then time to start using the express passes. The weather in the trip started off hot in Osaka, which proved to be the only hot days of our vacation. As a result, even though it was still only around 10 or so in the morning, it was hot enough for Jurassic Park. The express pass paired Jurassic Park with Terminator, which would have been another attraction for nostalgia's case, but it was closed during our visit due to the Cool Japan overlay. Jurassic Park was pretty identical to what we had ridden in California and Orlando, with the main differences being that everything was working, and there were more animatronics.

Our final ride before lunch was Spiderman, which was identical to the version in Orlando. Perhaps because of its ample use of screens, which gets to be a bit old for many of the newer Universal rides, this attraction has proven to be a classic case of diminishing returns for me. At this point, I don't feel the need to ride this one again, which is the same feeling I have about the strikingly similar Transformers rides.

Lunch was the first indicator that the food at USJ was dismayingly dismal. Because we wanted to enjoy more of the Amity theming, we returned to eat in the Amity Landing restaurant. The theming proved to be superior to the food, which was just so-so and unmemorable. The view overlooking the loading area of the attraction was pleasant.

Minions are very popular with the Japanese, and this area of the park was packed. However, this is a ride that made me dizzy, and nobody else wanted to try it again, so we all skipped this one. We did use our pass for the new Sing show. This was a completely unnecessary use of the pass, and I would not recommend choosing the express pass with this option. Feeling pretty exhausted by this point, I got a seat in the back away from the crowd and attempted to sleep unsuccessfully but instead at least got some rest. This show was a curious hybrid of English and Japanese. The songs were all in English and some of the dialogue in English, but most of the dialogue was in Japanese. Again, I did not get the sense that I missed anything. The performers looked American and were of the quality of performers that you might think needed to find work in a Japanese theme park in order to make a living in their chosen profession. The set was minimal but made ample use of expensive and elaborate LED screens for backdrops. There was also clever use of puppets and animatronics.

After leaving the show, we still wanted to rest, and we had until 3 PM before we our express pass times for entry to the Harry Potter area, as it was called on the ticket. Resting near Mel's Diner, a parade began. It involved much spraying of water on guests, but we were sitting far enough away that we were not impacted. Suddenly, cannons on top of the Mel's Diner roof blasted us with water to the point that we were all soaked. When we saw the name of the parade at the end, the Water Surprise Parade, we all agreed that we had never seen a more accurately named entertainment. I also subsequently noted on the map that had been seated in one of the splash zones.

Soaking wet, or close to it, we decided to try the Cool Japan event that Trish said was the best in a recent TDR Explorer podcast, which was Attack on Titan. We knew going in that this would be all in Japanese, and we were unfamiliar with this show, but Trish explained the plot in the podcast, and we thought we'd give it a go, especially since the line was relatively short. The effects were pretty spectacular and impressive for an overlay, and we certainly got the idea of the show, if not any deeper intricacies.

It was then time for us to enter Harry Potter, which started with the express pass for Forbidden Journey. This attraction blew me away the first time that I rode it, but I've gotten progressively sicker and dizzier after each ride that like Spiderman, I have to give up on it at this point. Not having 3D glasses certainly removed the nausea, but it's just too unpleasant for someone with motion sickness. I would agree with those who've said that this version does have more effects.

We then used our express pass on the neighboring Flight of the Hippogriff. What made this ride particularly fun was the Japanese young woman sitting in the row ahead of us who was screaming as loudly and hysterically as if she was riding the most intense roller coaster ever created. I have to think this visitor for making this ride on Hippogriff my clear favorite.

I was tired again and decided to rest with DS while DW and DD explored the shops. They were surprisingly quick, and DD voiced her disappointment with the tininess of these shops in comparison to those in the States.

As late afternoon was falling, and it was starting to rain, we dropped in on the last performance of the Universal Monsters Live Rock and Roll show. The set was magnificent, arguably the most under-served set of any that I have seen. The monsters show that followed was, like Sing, mostly in Japanese with some English, with the songs being in English. The host, Beetlejuice, spoke entirely in Japanese. The performers, again mostly American, were of the same quality as those in Sing. It was a nice place to rest with a wonderfully spooky set, but the performers left me feeling a little depressed.

Our final ride of the day was Hollywood Dream. We used this express pass, since we had not waited on line for Backdraft, which was paired I was worried about getting a headache or feeling dizzy, but this ride was surprisingly fun. I enjoyed kicking my feet up like on a swing and enjoying the sensation of being lifted up.

Before leaving, we had dinner at Azzurri di Capri. Like all sit-down restaurants that we visited in Japan, this had only a price fix, or set meu, as they call it. The so-called salad was all meat, cheese, with maybe tomatoes. The pizza wasn't bad, but until we got to TDR, DW was convinced that we should avoid European cooking while in Japan.

Overall, USJ is not a park where we would ever return to. It was fun for the sake of nostalgia, but this is the only Universal park without a Mummy ride, which is my favorite ride at both American locations. The food is in serious need of an upgrade. The theming, however, is up to Japan's excellent standards.

Next Installment: Ryokan in Takayama

 

[LovesTimone]

We were wondering about Universal, my DH's brother works at the one here in Orlando, and we only go maybe once or twice a year, and he gets us tickets. So officially Universal Japan is off the list, it was way down the list to start with... I really want to us our time wisely, and basically it's the same as here so no big deal missing it...

Really enjoying your trip report...

 

[newfamilyman]

Day 6: Honjin Hiranoya Bekkan Ryokan in Takayama

Spending a night at a ryokan was on DW's wish list, and she chose one in Takayama based on the ABD itinerary. Based on reviews, it is one of the highest-rated ryokans in the country. We booked on hotels.com, since the price seemed to be same on all the different booking sites, and hotels.com also has a rewards program. My only regret is that I did not purchase hotels.com gift cards at an office supply center or online at staples.com, where I could have received 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar for using my Chase Ink card.

Because DS has a shellfish allergy, to err on the safe side, she upgraded the meal plan to beef, as the ryokan advertises using the area's famous Hida beef. While we were in Osaka, we began receiving notifications from the ryokan asking about allergies and the time of our arrival into the Takayama station for pick-up. I had been wondering how we were going to contact the ryokan to arrange for pick-up, since we did not have a cell phone plan and figured I would need to ask one of the guides to call for us. However, the messages finally came only a couple of days in advance, so if you book there, don't expect to hear from them until a couple of days before your check-in date.

We were able to get a late start out of Osaka, since we could not arrive to the hotel until 4 or so. We were craving an old-fashioned American breakfast and decided to visit the closest Osaka location of the Hawaiian-themed and -based chain Eggs 'n Things, which specializes in breakfast foods Hawaiian-style. It was a short walk from the hotel and actually the first time we had walked in Osaka beyond the adjacent train station and shopping center. DS ordered the chocolate banana pancakes, which were as fantastic as they sounded, and topped with what looked like an entire can of Reddi Wip. The eggs were delicious as well. In addition to maple syrup, which I didn't try, they also offered coconut and guava syrup, which were a pleasant change from the usual. It was an expensive breakfast which topped $60 but was a nice break from Tully's, and they took credit cards.

It was then time to leave Osaka. Even though we had not spent much time in Osaka, we enjoyed the location and elegance of the InterContinental. We took a bullet train from Osaka to Nagoya and then the Wide View Hida train from Nagoya to Takayama.

Anyone who says that the green car rail pass is not worth it has clearly never ridden the Wide View Hida train from Nagoya to Takayama. At first, I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't realize that you could reserve seats on trains other than bullet trains. We took a random car, and I observed some other passengers look at their tickets for where to sit. At that point, I stopped a conductor and showed him our rail passes. He returned after a few minutes and escorted us to magnificent green car up front and showed us to our seats. The green car had two seats on one side and only one on the other, affording incredible and unobstructed views of the beautiful scenery. In addition, the front of the train was similarly unobstructed so that you had a panoramic view of the scenery. It was amazing how close you got to the river. Here is a photo:



There was even occasional narration, in both Japanese and English, of what you were seeing. The seats themselves were huge, with vast legroom and ample recline. It was a delightful way to spend three-and-a-half hours.

Once we got to Takayama, things went a bit downhill. The shuttle bus driver met us at the station, as promised. The Honjin Hiranoya Bekkan is a bit of a hybrid hotel and ryokan. From the outside, it looks like a hotel, and has maybe six or so floors. The rooms themselves, however, were furnished ryokan-style. We were all allowed to stay in one room. From the moment the hostess, who escorted us to our room, opened the door, the smell of the apparently aging tatami mats reeked like something old and unpleasant, with a mildew-like odor. We acclimated to it, but any time you left the room and returned, the powerful odor returned.

The hostess oriented us to our room. The downgrade of bathroom from the InterContinental to this ryokan could not have been more severe, though the fabulous Japanese toilet was at least still present. At this point, DW and DD chose to use the onsen. They have visited Korean spas in our hometown of LA before, and they were comfortable with the nudity. Perhaps because DS was 14 almost 15, though perhaps any age would have been awkward, we both decided that we did not want to experience traditional onsens which required nudity. DW and DD reported enjoying themselves, and they shared it with an Australian mother and daughter who we subsequently shared the shuttle back to the station the next day and even saw again at TDS. DW and DD resisted the temptation to joke with the Australians about having difficulty recognizing them with their clothes on.

DW had arranged for dinner in the room, as opposed to the dining room, and after a couple of hours, the hostess returned with the meal. I can't remember how many courses were included, perhaps eight or so, and each one included beef. Beef sushi, custard with beef, and on and on. If you order the beef "upgrade," be prepared to be inundated with beef beyond even a meat-lover's tolerance or preference. Furthermore, Hida beef was nothing to write home about, at least the quality used by the ryokan. Here we are eating dinner:



An hour or so later, a staff member and her teenage children, presumably, set up the futons. This is how it looked the following morning:



I didn't expect the futons to be comfortable, and they were not. Luckily, I brought my pillow from home, which I recommend anyone do who prefer pillows that are not extremely firm. The room included a small TV which you can't see in the photo. I always bring an Apple converter which connects an iPhone to an HDMI cable so that we can watch TV wherever we are, so we enjoyed starting Stranger Things season 3 in Takayama.

Next Installment: Leaving Takayama, Arriving in Odawara

 

[indoshakespeare]

I'm going to Takayama this December (also taking the wide view train). Are the windows different between Green Car and Regular Car?

 

[newfamilyman]

The windows are the same, as far as I could tell. However, the lack of so many other seats made the views much less obstructed.

 

[FireflyTrance]

Thanks for sharing. Looks like an amazing trip!