Pre trip report - 70 days to go... update 5/4 -Last entry

[MimitoAlex]

Hi everyone,

Its been a few minutes since I last posted. About 31 Days till our trip.

The reason I haven't posted is that my Dad fell, and broke his femur, and hip and completely shattered his shoulder and arm.. So 2 major surgery's in 4 days, they had to put a pin and screws in his leg, and then a whole new shoulder, socket and ball. Its been terrible for him, then he got C-diff, his sugar is sky high, and his sodium is way to low. Honestly it has been tough. Yet he is a fighter and tough as nails. He said we are going to get through all this.


So here is what I have accomplished,

I bought our park tickets I ended up having to go through Klook. I tried and tried to buy them through the TDR site, and absolutely no luck... I tried all the tricks no go, used the prefer CC and still nothing. So we decided just to go with Klook, which was fairly easy. After I bought and printed the tickets, I saw where it said that they had to be on your smart phone, so I downloaded the app, and set it all up and they appeared like magic. I have read that you just really need the paper ticket with the QR code on it and they work just fine... So I have both. Yes I'm that person who prints everything out as well. I can not tell you how many times that it has saved us.

In talking about the parks, We decide on 1 day at Disneyland and 2 Days at Disney Seas. We don't ever tour commando style, and I really want to be able to take in Disney Seas. Normally I have some type I touring plan, and I haven't even begun to figure any of this out. Needing your suggestions for sure. Please and Thank you.

I picked up the travel fans, they are plug in only, and a bit heavier than I wanted, yet when I turned these little gems on they actually up out some air, and make a quiet whrrring noise, and they have a stand. So a win for sure, we are planning on putting them in the carry on's.

I found some passport holders from travel on that have a neck strap. As well a small Sling from Travel On that can be used several ways. I picked them up from TJ Maxx. Our other passport holders were to big to deal with since we have to carry the passports at all times.

We pretty much are still trying to figure out what we want to do in Tokyo, we have got to nail it all down in the next two weeks. I'm reaching out to a few tour guides today. I did reach out to one, earlier on. I could not get a clear answer on the real cost of the tour, from Tokyo to Kyoto in 1 day. Not sure if it was a language thing or what. It stated that he was fluent in English and had live in the US for around 15 years. It just was all very vague, except the part that we had to pay him in cash at the beginning of the tour almost 900.00 US, When I asked him what it was for, thats where things got vague. Our Friends suggested that if we really want to go to Kyoto that we should just buy the ticket for the Nozomi ourselves, then hire a guide for Kyoto, making sure that they will meet at the train station and take us back to the train station. She said that's what they did. She went on to say that we could get a taxi to take us to the train station, and that there are plenty of signs in English to get us on the right train. She suggested getting the green seats, as the other seats are small, and DH is 6'4" and a big guy, so that we would be comfortable. Thoughts on this?

That's all for today. I will try to do better keeping up with everything.

As always I appreciate all the suggestions and info.

 

[AndyR]

We've used Shinkansen Tickets Online for numerous trips. They even deliver the tix to your hotel. The Green Cars are reserved seats - worth getting as the non-reserved cars can get full and end up with standing room only.

 

[gelatoni fan]

For Kyoto, the main benefit of having a guide is someone to tell you about the history of the place you're visiting and to get ground transportation to some of the places that are a bit further out such as the Golden Pavilion. I don't see the need to pay someone to go from Tokyo to Kyoto with you unless you frequently get lost in train stations and airports. Things are clearly marked but Tokyo station can be big and confusing.

For the shinkansen, there are non-reserved seats, reserved ordinary seats and the green car first class seats. Since you're traveling in a group, a reserved seat is a good idea. Since the regular reserved seats are already quite spacious for trains and way more spacious than even premium economy on airplanes, I'm perfectly fine with them although if you were considering 900 USD for a guide then the green car may be within your budget.

 

[MimitoAlex]

We've used Shinkansen Tickets Online for numerous trips. They even deliver the tix to your hotel. The Green Cars are reserved seats - worth getting as the non-reserved cars can get full and end up with standing room only.

I will check out this site, how far in advance did you purchase your tickets and have them delivered to the hotel?

 

[MimitoAlex]

For Kyoto, the main benefit of having a guide is someone to tell you about the history of the place you're visiting and to get ground transportation to some of the places that are a bit further out such as the Golden Pavilion. I don't see the need to pay someone to go from Tokyo to Kyoto with you unless you frequently get lost in train stations and airports. Things are clearly marked but Tokyo station can be big and confusing.

For the shinkansen, there are non-reserved seats, reserved ordinary seats and the green car first class seats. Since you're traveling in a group, a reserved seat is a good idea. Since the regular reserved seats are already quite spacious for trains and way more spacious than even premium economy on airplanes, I'm perfectly fine with them although if you were considering 900 USD for a guide then the green car may be within your budget.

We never use trains, as we live in Florida, and its not really a thing. We do travel and can get through an airport without issues.

It's just DH and I, so we are leaning toward the green seats. I did look at guides in Kyoto, and they the fees seem fair to us.

Still with only 3 full days and half day in Tokyo, I'm not sure if we want to take on a long day trip like this.

My friend said just wait till you get there then decide.

Thought on all this?

 

[CanucksRock]

I’m T-4 days eek! If you still plan to do TeamLabs recommend being tickets ahead of time. Many dates sold out. We are going during the second week of the trip.

I’m going to Osaka - but not with a tour. We are going to Universal Studios for a day, then to Kyoto for a night before we go back to Tokyo. (4 nights Tokyo, 2 nights Osaka, 1 night Kyoto, 5 nights Tokyo)

 

[AndyR]

I will check out this site, how far in advance did you purchase your tickets and have them delivered to the hotel

For our last trip we ordered them 3mths in advance.

 

[gelatoni fan]

We never use trains, as we live in Florida, and its not really a thing. We do travel and can get through an airport without issues.

It's just DH and I, so we are leaning toward the green seats. I did look at guides in Kyoto, and they the fees seem fair to us.

Still with only 3 full days and half day in Tokyo, I'm not sure if we want to take on a long day trip like this.

My friend said just wait till you get there then decide.

Thought on all this?

It really depends on what you want to do. There's a lot more large temples with beautiful gardens in Kyoto than Tokyo.
But there's plenty to see and do in Tokyo too. I wouldn't recommend making a day trip to Kyoto unless there are things you absolutely want to do and you really can't plan another trip to Japan sometime in the future.

Your friend is right in that you can definitely wait till you're there to decide. Other than crazy holiday periods, it's very easy to get shinkansen tickets. I've always just shown up at the station and was on a train in under 1/2 an hour. I don't know about booking a guide though.

 

[MimitoAlex]

It really depends on what you want to do. There's a lot more large temples with beautiful gardens in Kyoto than Tokyo.
But there's plenty to see and do in Tokyo too. I wouldn't recommend making a day trip to Kyoto unless there are things you absolutely want to do and you really can't plan another trip to Japan sometime in the future.

Your friend is right in that you can definitely wait till you're there to decide. Other than crazy holiday periods, it's very easy to get shinkansen tickets. I've always just shown up at the station and was on a train in under 1/2 an hour. I don't know about booking a guide though.

Thanks for all your info.

 

[MimitoAlex]

I talked to my friends at length, the other night. I'm really confused about what to do.

On one hand

We could go the route of hiring a guide for the whole trip Tokyo to Kyoto and back for the day, it is easier yet way way more expensive.

On the other hand,

We could book a guide for just Kyoto meeting at the train station and we have up until the day or so before to cancel without a penalty, and buy the Nozomi tickets ourselves, at the station... this option is cost wise much more effective, I ran the numbers and going this route it would be around 400.00 US less than the first option. I even added in paying for unforseen taxis, or buses, paying for the guides lunch and snacks, and entrance fees. We still come out way ahead.


DH and I talked about it. He is like this is our 20th wedding anniversary trip, and we won't be back to Japan most likely for a couple of years at least. We do have 3 more international trips planned for the next couple of years. We really had not planned on this trip we put it on the back burner due to the pandemic.
When DH said mentioned making this trip just not for the original 14 days, he was like we could do 10 days, I was on board. He is like this is your department, so whatever you want is okay with me...

Yet.... there is so much we want to do in Tokyo and if we go to Kyoto we will not be able to get to everything in Tokyo on our list, and we do not like the commando style you know rushing around to check a box. We like to wander around and take it all in.

Thoughts?

I need a car service suggestions? DH and I prefer going this route to and from the airport, for us it is the simplest way.

On arrival day, we land around 1:45 we are flying into Haneda , so after going through customs and all that getting our bags and wifi, and hitting the cash exchange desk, and getting a sucia card. So that we will be all set. I am thinking about we should arrive at the Hilton Tokyo Bay some time around 4:00 to 5:00, is this an accurate time frame?
If we are lucky and slept on the plane, we will head over to Ikspiari to walk around, which means shop around and have dinner suggestions? If we don't sleep on the plane we will most likely be close to hitting the wall, so dinner in the hotel or even room service, and much needed sleep.

Now lets talk about the weather and clothing. I'm at a loss on what to bring. My one friend sent me her pictures of their trip, a week early than we ( Golden Week) are going from right before covid, and they are in shorts in the parks, and pretty much in shorts and jeans with the rest of their trip, my other friend showed me pictures of their trip last year which is pretty much the week after we are planning (mid May), and they are in jeans, sweat shirts and hoodies, and she said it was cold as heck, so much so that they had to buy what I call a coat for the last week of their trip it was so cold, thank goodness for UniQlo, she said. They both said bring a rain jacket, which was on my list in addition they both said travel size umbrellas, is this really needed? We have good rain jackets with hoods. As well some type of water proof shoes? one friend said even some type of water proof shopping bag, our backpacks are water resistant. One said they put everything in over sized ziploc bags inside the backpacks.? Living in Florida, we are use to crazy weather, thunder storms, rain coming out of no where, sun shinning and sudden down pours. Is this really something that is necessary to plan for? They made it sound like hurricane weather. I'm all for being prepared, but I don't want to haul stuff that is completely unnecessary.

Still having gotten headphones, DH is like we can just use the headphones on the plane, our seats come with them. So I think will just go with it them. Not unless the ones we really want go on sale, like 50% off.. lol

I replaced a bunch of our travel bottles, picked up a couple of extra luggage tags, and a strap for the luggage so we can piggy back them together.

So what are your top 5 places to visit in Tokyo? Trying to narrow down the list.

So how am I doing?

As always thanks for all the info, and suggestions.

 

[afan]

Skip Kyoto. If there's stuff in Tokyo you want to do it really shouldn't be a consideration. Go to Kyoto next time.

I'm not going to Kyoto during my trip because there's nothing there I want to see more than other stuff on my list. I also don't feel like I need to go simply because it's on almost everyone's list of must see cities in Japan. I have my own must see list

 

[AndyR]

We hired a "Tours By Locals" guide on our 1st trip. She was very helpful, our trip to Kamakura and all the temples/gardens.

We landed in Haneda just before 3:45pm and were in our room at the Hilton by 6:30pm. We'd bought Early Evening Passports for DisneySEA and were in the park by 7:30pm in time for Believe!

Clothing - layers and GoreTex shells & sneakers. Pretty much what we do for WDW in the summer. We also have small (8" when folded) umbrellas from previous trips.

5 places to visit.... difficult.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Given that you're able to travel internationally with some frequency, I'd say you should save Kyoto for some future trip to Japan.

The arrivals hall in Haneda is very small and when there's no traffic, the drive is not that long. Once out of baggage claim, you should be in TDR area in less than an hour. Immigration is crazy right now and can be anywhere from 5 minutes to over an hour depending on how many people are in line. I suspect you'll arrive before 4 unless you happen to be right behind a bunch of international flights.

Ikspiari food is overpriced and tends to have long lines. That said, I do like Tonkatsu Wako on the top floor and also recommend the Shabu Shabu place next to Outback steakhouse and the Disney store in the back.

For around Golden Week, I would wear jeans and probably a long sleeved but not super thick shirt during the day. But at night, it can get quite cold so I'd have at least another jacket or two that I would keep in my backpack during the day. In Japan, I generally don't wear long coats and heavy jackets after March but if you're used to Florida weather, you may find evenings in Japan to be very cold. Japan has sudden rain like Florida and the amount of rain is even more than Florida. While it may not necessarily rain each day, I would bring an umbrella or poncho to be safe. I don't bother with proper rain shoes but may keep a couple extra pairs of socks in a ziploc bag.

 

[MimitoAlex]

We hired a "Tours By Locals" guide on our 1st trip. She was very helpful, our trip to Kamakura and all the temples/gardens.

We landed in Haneda just before 3:45pm and were in our room at the Hilton by 6:30pm. We'd bought Early Evening Passports for DisneySEA and were in the park by 7:30pm in time for Believe!

Clothing - layers and GoreTex shells & sneakers. Pretty much what we do for WDW in the summer. We also have small (8" when folded) umbrellas from previous trips.

5 places to visit.... difficult.

Tours by Locals, is one of the tour companies that we are looking at to use. I wanted to ask you were there any hidden fees, or was everything up front?

 

[MimitoAlex]

Given that you're able to travel internationally with some frequency, I'd say you should save Kyoto for some future trip to Japan.

The arrivals hall in Haneda is very small and when there's no traffic, the drive is not that long. Once out of baggage claim, you should be in TDR area in less than an hour. Immigration is crazy right now and can be anywhere from 5 minutes to over an hour depending on how many people are in line. I suspect you'll arrive before 4 unless you happen to be right behind a bunch of international flights.

Ikspiari food is overpriced and tends to have long lines. That said, I do like Tonkatsu Wako on the top floor and also recommend the Shabu Shabu place next to Outback steakhouse and the Disney store in the back.

For around Golden Week, I would wear jeans and probably a long sleeved but not super thick shirt during the day. But at night, it can get quite cold so I'd have at least another jacket or two that I would keep in my backpack during the day. In Japan, I generally don't wear long coats and heavy jackets after March but if you're used to Florida weather, you may find evenings in Japan to be very cold. Japan has sudden rain like Florida and the amount of rain is even more than Florida. While it may not necessarily rain each day, I would bring an umbrella or poncho to be safe. I don't bother with proper rain shoes but may keep a couple extra pairs of socks in a ziploc bag.

Thanks for the recommendation in Ikspiari for dinner. I going to check them out for sure. We will be in Japan the 2nd week of May, So just missing Golden Week. We planned on rain jackets, and each a hoodie. We both have a nicer jackets, that we have been back and forth on bring. I look at the weather everyday to see what its like.

 

[MimitoAlex]

Thanks for the recommendation in Ikspiari for dinner. I going to check them out for sure. We will be in Japan the 2nd week of May, So just missing Golden Week. We planned on rain jackets, and each a hoodie. We both have a nicer jackets, that we have been back and forth on bring. I look at the weather everyday to see what its like.

OP to above post, I wanted to add, that I actually have a pair of rain boots, they are cute and come up over the ankle, but they do the job, I have worn them at Disney Springs and they kept my feet nice and dry. Not sure if I really want to bring them though.

 

[MimitoAlex]

I really need a car service suggestion, I am looking at Black lane just because I have used them in the past. They seem to be a bit more expensive than the other companies, my issue is that they do not have alot of reviews which is kinda strange for a private car company.

Thoughts?

Hopefully by Monday, we will have made up our mind on Kyoto.

I have alot of stuff to do for the rest of the weekend. Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.

 

[AndyR]

Tours by Locals, is one of the tour companies that we are looking at to use. I wanted to ask you were there any hidden fees, or was everything up front?

It was all up front. We also used them for a day trip to Nagano and the Snow Monkeys one year.

 

[nycdisneygal]

Following along as we are headed to Tokyo in June. 3 days disney then 7 tokyo . (thinking side trip to Nikko and side trip to Kamakura). Planning has been overwhelming!

 

[MimitoAlex]

OP here, Wow time is flying by... 13 days till flight check in.

I have been soooo busy, between trying to get ready for this trip, take care of my Dad and Mom, deal with family non-sense, birthdays, and just everyday life... whew!

Okay lets see what I have gotten done.

I did book a private tour through Tour by Locals, I choose a guide that would let us customize our full day tour. To which I got answers and price within 12 hours, we booked him right away. As well he said he would teach us how to use the trains, and even help us plan ahead on where we wanted to go, just we need make sure we know what other destinations we wanted to visit.

Still trying to pick a car service, most likely going to book today. It's between 2 companies.

I did pick up 2 small travel umbrellas, as one was completely worn out, and the other has gone missing. I also replaced a one of the neck pillows, due to the fact it had a hole in it and was dripping out stuffing and little beads.. LOL.

I pulled out the suitcases, and they are laying on the guest room bed downstairs. I like to pack downstairs so I don't have to drag the heavy things down stairs, plus I can shut the door.

I did manage to wade through the dinning reservation process, and did get Sakura for dinner one night. I'm still checking for Magellans no luck as of yet.

I have absolutely not a clue how we are going to tour the parks, I do need to at least sit down and check out the lay out, and figure out what we really want to see and do.

Still up in the air about Kyoto, we both really want to go, yet to much in Tokyo. I do have a question, my friend told me not to buy tickets for the bullet trains on line, to wait and till we get there, due to the fact that the site's double the price of the seats? She said that they waited and bought tickets in the train station and they were half of what the sites would have charged? anyone any thoughts on this? true or false...
As well she said not to use a guide in Kyoto, that they just used google maps and where able to find everything quite easily. She sent me their itinerary, what they saw in 7 hours, Had lunch and shopped for around 2 hours, so 9 hours or so in Kyoto and it was impressive what they got done on their own, she mapped it out where they kinda made a circle. They used taxi she said it was more than the bus, yet the actually saved money because they did not have to pay for a tour guide, and had more control on time frame, so paying for a taxi's really wasn't that much.

We have decide to go to the Ueno Zoo and see the Panda's ( giant and red), DH and I love animals, we even sometimes just will go to Animal Kingdom, to ride the safari, and walk the trail.

Not sure about Team Lab Planets, I really want to check it out, Dh said it looks cool. Our friends went not long ago, and she liked it, except for the water, and her DH was not impressed at all. Plus they said there is nothing else around it to do, or see? Thoughts?

So that's where I am at right now.