What’s missing from the ABD Japan itinerary?

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I totally agree that the Japan itinerary seems lacking compared to the price you're paying for ABD. It seems like they expect you to do a lot of Tokyo on your own either during or after the trip. The Kyoto and Takayama portions do seem pretty good. I'm putting together my own trip, and this video has been a huge help:

Thank you! Lots of great content here for other places to visit, and it also underscored a lot of why I’m feeling uncertain about Tokyo.

 

[Miffy]

If you like theater, then one must-do in Tokyo is the Kabuki-za (kabuki theater). I loved every show I saw there and the theatergoing experience is itself fantastic.

I haven't read the whole thread, so apologies if this has already been mentioned.

 

[aggiedog]

We did Japan on a self guided tour organized by Inside Japan this past December. I'm going to agree that there is sooo much to see and do in Tokyo that trying a one size fits all approach for a large group is probably doomed to fail. It's too bad ABD can't help you arrange your OYO activities, given the cost.

Consider looking at Inside Japan's itineraries. That will at least give you more ideas about what it available.

It is VERY easy to navigate the train/subway system there. Google maps will even give you which exit # to head for when you get off the train. You can purchase a transit card that will cover all your transit in the city.

For our family, we had diverse interests. We did an anime/manga tour one day. One kid brought an entire second suitcase for Pokemon items they brought back. I loved a family portrait session we did in kimono and samurai dress. This was in Asakusa and I did enjoy poking around the neighborhood there. We did a ramen food tour. We went to Yakatori Alley - it's next to Shinjuku train station and is a slice of old Japan. Admittedly touristy, but we had a lot of fun in one of the many tiny yakitori stalls trying new foods. DH and I lived in Japan 30 yrs ago, and had been to some of the main tourist check marks (castle, gardens, fish market) then, so we did not repeat them.

Teamlab gets a lot of traction on the TripAdvisor forum as far as recommendations. I do kind of wish we'd gone. It looks interesting.

I wouldn't recommend the Ghibli museum unless your family are Ghibli fans.

I find Kabuki super boring. (Sorry Miffy!)

 

[Mathmagicland]

. One kid brought an entire second suitcase for Pokemon items they brought back

My DS does the same for anime when he goes to Japan!

 

[Miffy]

We did Japan on a self guided tour organized by Inside Japan this past December. I'm going to agree that there is sooo much to see and do in Tokyo that trying a one size fits all approach for a large group is probably doomed to fail. It's too bad ABD can't help you arrange your OYO activities, given the cost.

Consider looking at Inside Japan's itineraries. That will at least give you more ideas about what it available.

It is VERY easy to navigate the train/subway system there. Google maps will even give you which exit # to head for when you get off the train. You can purchase a transit card that will cover all your transit in the city.

For our family, we had diverse interests. We did an anime/manga tour one day. One kid brought an entire second suitcase for Pokemon items they brought back. I loved a family portrait session we did in kimono and samurai dress. This was in Asakusa and I did enjoy poking around the neighborhood there. We did a ramen food tour. We went to Yakatori Alley - it's next to Shinjuku train station and is a slice of old Japan. Admittedly touristy, but we had a lot of fun in one of the many tiny yakitori stalls trying new foods. DH and I lived in Japan 30 yrs ago, and had been to some of the main tourist check marks (castle, gardens, fish market) then, so we did not repeat them.

Teamlab gets a lot of traction on the TripAdvisor forum as far as recommendations. I do kind of wish we'd gone. It looks interesting.

I wouldn't recommend the Ghibli museum unless your family are Ghibli fans.

I find Kabuki super boring. (Sorry Miffy!)

I get it. I despise most opera and I usually don't go for this kind of thing but I really love kabuki and I went a lot when I was in Tokyo. But it's definitely a very particular taste.

 

[sayhello]

@sayhello - Thank you for writing such a detailed description of the pros of Disney’s choices. A quick question though on why you like the arts and crafts activities so much. Are you and artsy person in real life? Is this something that you might choose to do at home if given the opportunity? We are not, so I’m trying to think about whether this is something that would appeal to us. Along the same lines for TeamLab Borderless, do you like (modern) art (museums)? It does look very Japan-ese, but it definitely isn’t something that I would have added to our family’s itinerary given that we have a rather limited tolerance for art (that can be measured in minutes). BUT I have had some great experiences in the past when letting other people pick things that I might not have, so maybe that’s ok?

I am artsy, no denying that. And yes, I would sign up for this class if it was offered near me. But so many times, I've seen other people do trip reports on an ABD, and say about the arts & crafts activities "I didn't think I'd like it, but it was really a highlight". Just my observation.

As for TeamLab Borderless, I do NOT like most modern art. I love classical art museums, but most modern art leaves me scratching my head. This is not modern art. It's digital art. It is extremely creative and is interactive. Nobody there (and there were a lot of tourists of all ages) seemed bored!

Sayhello

 

[Eastridge]

Can anyone confirm that the Hozugawa river boat ride is still part of the Japan trip? I.e. actually confirm experiencing that on a 2023 or 2024 trip?

I know it is listed on the itinerary but there was a fatal accident so I think ABD stopped doing it, at least for a while.

 

[AZ Mom]

We did the river boat ride in May 2024. It was a blast!

 

[sayhello]

Can anyone confirm that the Hozugawa river boat ride is still part of the Japan trip? I.e. actually confirm experiencing that on a 2023 or 2024 trip?

I know it is listed on the itinerary but there was a fatal accident so I think ABD stopped doing it, at least for a while.

They did stop doing the boat ride for a while because the company stopped running them for a period of time after the accident. The accident was in March of 2023. It was removed from the ABD itinerary at that point. The company started running them again in July of 2023, too late to make it back on the itinerary for 2023. I don't know if any trips in 2023 ended up doing it. I haven't heard if any of the 2024 trips have done it, now that it's back on the itinerary.

ETA: well, there you go! Posted at the same time as @AZ Mom . Looks like it's a go. I did really love it when we did it in 2019!

Sayhello

 

[AquaDame]

I've been to Japan six times now; most recently returned last week.

Everyone is right that ABD can't definitively do Tokyo in a few days, I don't think anyone can.

Top things people usually ask about/I see repeatedly on tours:
Shibuya Crossing (and pet Hachiko)
Tokyo Skytree and/or Tower (you could also visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Building instead for a free view, if a view is all you want)
Visit a temple (senso-ji usually, but if you happen to visit during a festival, whichever one is celebrating jumps to the top)
Visit a shrine (Meiji-jo usually)
Visit their parks; Ueno, or Shibuya usually, but there are so so many..
Visit the Imperial Palace (ok this is also mostly a park too... unless you happen to be there over new years or the emperor's birthday)
Cultural events - tea ceremony, kimono dressing/pictures, staying in a ryokan to experience kaiseki and onsen, etc.
Visiting Tsukiji (less often now that the auction isn't what it was) but certainly getting the freshest sushi at the markets for breakfast
Shopping in Akihabara if you're into electronics or anime (play in the arcades!), Ikebukuro as well for anime, or Kappabashi for kitchen stuff in Asakusa. Stop by Ginza to shop or at least have the eyeballs pop out of their sockets at the prices. Find an outdoor street like Nakano Broadway to peruse.
Visit museums - like most cities they have nice art museums and national museums to peruse.
See a sumo or baseball match
See Kabuki or Noh performance
EAT. You can eat the most expensive food of your life or just pop into a convenience store - its all good! They are masters at seasonal foods and many towns and areas have claim on things like 'best strawberry' or melon or what have you and its soooo gooood when they are in season! They have some very very old places which are fun IMO too... I just learned about Rairaiken, which has been dishing up ramen since the 1910s. We had a cat robot serve our sushi to us last week. Its just all so much to take in, lol.

Then of course there are the things further out like Fuji, Hakone, the Ghibli museum or Disney....

edit - totally forgot about Shinjuku because nightlife and red light districts are not my bag, but they are some folks'.... it also has some iconic department stores, hotels, and restaurants well worth visiting or staying at. The bar from Lost in Translation is atop the Park Hayatt.

 

[Eastridge]

To me, the ideal Tokyo itinerary for this trip would be one day of typical highlights like those previously listed and then two days at the parks, where they provided some expedited access and reserved seating for parades/shows, which is what I think the ABD China trip does for the parks in China.

Yes, I know the Japan parks are not owned by Disney. But they somehow manage to include them on the private jet trip...

 

[sayhello]

To me, the ideal Tokyo itinerary for this trip would be one day of typical highlights like those previously listed and then two days at the parks, where they provided some expedited access and reserved seating for parades/shows, which is what I think the ABD China trip does for the parks in China.

Yes, I know the Japan parks are not owned by Disney. But they somehow manage to include them on the private jet trip...

I'm assuming the logistics are a mess, because they offered an add-on for TDLR the first year like they do for DLP, but got rid of it after just that one year. And it wasn't due to lack of interest, because the vast majority of the folks on the trip did the add-on.

For $115,000 per person, for only 1 or 2 trips a year, they're probably much more likely to fork out the big bucks and make the extra effort and deal with the hassle to get it to work, than for several weekly trips for several months a year. I know even Shanghai Disneyland, which Disney partially owns, proved difficult for the Adventure Guides, as the SHDL reps didn't want them to carry or wear any ABD identifying items (like their shirts & pins and the paddle of power). I guess Shanghai didn't want folks to think the Adventure Guides had anything official to do with Shanghai Disneyland or something like that. I was on the very first ABD that went there, and we were delayed getting into the park for quite a while while Ralph and Joe argued with the SHDL reps (they did end up prevailing).

Sayhello

 

[WeLoveABD]

I'm assuming the logistics are a mess, because they offered an add-on for TDLR the first year like they do for DLP, but got rid of it after just that one year. And it wasn't due to lack of interest, because the vast majority of the folks on the trip did the add-on.

For $115,000 per person, for only 1 or 2 trips a year, they're probably much more likely to fork out the big bucks and make the extra effort and deal with the hassle to get it to work, than for several weekly trips for several months a year. I know even Shanghai Disneyland, which Disney partially owns, proved difficult for the Adventure Guides, as the SHDL reps didn't want them to carry or wear any ABD identifying items (like their shirts & pins and the paddle of power). I guess Shanghai didn't want folks to think the Adventure Guides had anything official to do with Shanghai Disneyland or something like that. I was on the very first ABD that went there, and we were delayed getting into the park for quite a while while Ralph and Joe argued with the SHDL reps (they did end up prevailing).

Sayhello

We were on the inaugural Japan ABD and ABD management were along for the ride. Lots of interesting discussions with them-- including about the difficulties of a park add-on, and the cost. We ended up booking the park add on ourselves (not particularly easy, with 3 days total...which was enough time-- loved DisneySea!!). We loved Hakone so were sorry to see that drop off. As for Tokyo-- highlights were fine, impossible to fit much more in really-- and especially at the end of a busy trip. Another highlight was hitting the Cherry Blossoms just at the right time, riding bikes below them (in a small village-- I don't have my notes in front of me, so can't spill out the name- I bet Mathmagicland or SayHello can!) And look, if you came to San Diego I wouldn't even know where to start re sights and sounds, and I am sure tour groups here hit big things but may not hit the spots I like. But that is all part of the adventure of travel, right?

 

[Mathmagicland]

Another highlight was hitting the Cherry Blossoms just at the right time, riding bikes below them (in a small village-- I don't have my notes in front of me, so can't spill out the name- I bet Mathmagicland or SayHello can!)

Takayama! Yes, that bike ride was so special….i still remember it. We got very lucky to see the cherry blossoms on that trip.

 

[sayhello]

Takayama! Yes, that bike ride was so special….i still remember it. We got very lucky to see the cherry blossoms on that trip.

I loved that bike ride, too! I'm *SO* glad James coaxed me into doing it! We didn't get cherry blossoms, but it was still beautiful there!

Sayhello