Hi,
I'll be travelling with my husband, 13 and 15 year-old sons and a 4 year-old daughter to Tokyo this coming July. We'll be here for 12 night/13 days and we are planning to stay in Tokyo for the first 4 nights and then head to Osaka for another 2/3 nights and head back to Tokyo until we leave. We are planning to visit, Disneyland, Universal Studio, Mount Fuji, Ghibli Museum, Pokemon Mega Center, Tokyo Tower.
I would like to get recommendation from you on additional places where we can visit and also the passes we should be getting.
It is our first trip to Japan and would really appreciate if you could give us some feedback and advise.
Thank you.
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Comments
It's all up to your interests of course. Clearly you're focusing on your kids but why go to Japan for American theme parks? At any rate, the crown jewels of traditional Japan are Kyoto & Nara, and both are worth a lot of your attention.
Many people divide their time between Tokyo and the Kansai area, and it looks like you are ready to do the same. However, you could go anywhere in the country with rail passes and cheap air fares on low cost carriers like Jet Star, Vanilla Air, and Peach. You could if you wanted, go to Okinawa or Hokkaido, or even both, for peanuts. And in the southern half of Japan, with the brain crushing muggy humidity in July, going to Sapporo doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.
The well beaten path of Tokyo/Kansai is well beaten for a reason though - it has a lot of good places in it. If you pursue this method, than a 7 day or 14 day JR Rail Pass is a good way to go. If you don't mind a packed itinerary, you could use a 7 day pass and see Kyoto for 3 days, Nara for 1, a day trip to Himeji (with Japan's finest castle), a day trip to see Hiroshima/Miyajima, and USJ in Osaka for 1 day, returning in the evening to Tokyo. You'd rack up some huge savings.
The same itinerary would also make a 14 day pass pay off, though you'd get more savings of course with the cheaper 7 day pass.
For Tokyo, IMHO 3-4 days is quite enough, and some good day trips would add savings to a 14 day pass, or get a Tokyo Wide Pass for the Tokyo area if you use the 7 day JR Pass for going south. Nikko is a top destination, and your kids might like Edo Wonderland.
http://edowonderland.net/en/
Kamakura/Enoshima makes a great day trip, plus Karuizawa is a nice outing and way to escape the heat for a while. Look up all these places on www.japan-guide.com for more info.
For Mt Fuji, you'd need to decide if you want to see Hakone or the Fuji 5 Lakes area (they're on opposite sides of Fuji, and on Fuji itself there's nothing to see). The JR Pass is of little use for Fuji, but there are other regional passes you can use:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/deels/
Within Tokyo, there is also a 3 day subway pass that can help:
http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/travel/index.html#anc03
And if you're using Narita Airport and not using a JR Pass for the Narita Express train, then there is also a 1000 yen bus you can use:
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/
If you are American, you should exchange your dollars for yen in Japan. In the US the exchange rates are terrible. Overall it is far more convenient to use your ATM card in Japan at a 7-11 or Japanese Post Office at a good exchange rate compared to exchanging cash.
http://www.jp-bank.japanpost.jp/en/ias/en_ias_index.html
http://www.sevenbank.co.jp/intlcard/card2.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2208.html
If you do plan to use your ATM card in Japan, make sure the bank knows about it first so they don't don't suspect fraudulent usage and freeze your account.
You can also see what Japanese money looks like at
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/japanfaq1c.html
Note that you can not use
1 or 5 yen coins in vending machines and phones.
Some travel tips:
Have some aspirin and eye drops on you during the flight. Your brain will probably be melting and eyes burning red long before you arrive.
Use a website like www.hyperdia.com to find out the rail fares, schedules, and transfer info.
Have a back up plan. Stuff happens - someplace is closed, the weather sucks, you suddenly find someplace better you'd rather see. Know the opening/closing times of places (some stop admittance 30 minutes before closing time), plus each morning check the weather forecast and plan accordingly.
Learn as much of the Japanese language as you can - whatever you learn will make your time in Japan better and more productive. For learning Japanese, you might look at:
http://www.learnjapanesefree.com/
http://www.123japanese.com/
http://www.japanesepod101.com/
Learn Japanese manners and etiquette - don't come off as some idiot while there.
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/FAQ-Manners.html
Know metric conversions - nearly the whole world is on the metric system, and you will have to use it to get by. Such basic things are 23kg (50 lbs) - the typical airline suitcase weight limit, 1 mile is approx 1.61 km, 2.2 lbs = 1kg, 2.54 cm = 1 inch, 500 ml = a bit over a pint, 20°C=68°F, 30°C=86°F, etc etc.
Take all the OTC meds you think you are going to need - eye drops, aspirin, vitamins, allergy pills, sunblock, antacids, deodorant, cold meds etc - prices for them in Japan are pretty much highway robbery. That said, do not take anything with psuedoephedrine or opiods, or you could land yourself in hot water.
Carry a thin calculator, calculator watch, or a smart phone with a similar app for understanding prices. Many cities have a tourist info office in their main station - use them. Often you can get free maps and helpful info.
Carry tissues or hand towels with you – most of the public bathrooms don’t have hand-drying facilities, and a few don't even have toilet paper.
If you get hopelessly lost, it is better to find some older school or college age students and *write out* your questions in simple words. Japanese are still very poor at speaking English but are often glad to help you out if you lose your way. Carrying a business card or paper with your hotel's address or destination on it can be a big help.
Unless you want something fancier, a business hotel is often a good place to stay at. They are not fancy, but they are quiet, clean, inexpensive, and often conveniently located close to the train station. Many throw in breakfast for free, and have free wi-fi in their rooms. Some are Super Hotel, Toyoko Inn, Comfort Inn, Route Inn, Dormy Inn, and the Japan Economy Hotel Group. You might need 2 rooms but it still may be cheaper.
Good luck.
If you are planning on visiting Tokyo Tower, maybe you'd like to compare it with the newer Tokyo Sky Tree? It has some great views of the city. https://www.japan-experience.com/city-tokyo/tokyo-sky-tree
Kind Regards,
Japan Experience