3 week trip Dec 2023, Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, Hokkaido

15 comments

1. First thing, getting a single room for 5 person might be a little bit more challenging to find than you might think and more than often, you pay by person and not by room. If you want to be a bit on the budget route, then you could always consider checking hostel as some do have rooms for small group/family, that might work well for you.

   Second, it is clear that what you listed is not in order as Todai-ji. Kasuga-taisha and Isuien Garden are in or next to Nara park, while you mixed them along other places in Osaka.

   Keep in mind that Himeji castle is an original castle, so there is a big difference between it and a concrete reconstruction like Osaka castle. Yes, from the outside, you can say that Osaka castle look cool, but inside it’s just a modern museum. On the other hand, when you go inside an original castle, you can see how they were made in wood. Nagoya castle is cool for the extremely well reconstructed palace and they are working on the castle keep, so I am curious on how it will end up, but it might still not be as good as and original, will have to wait for it to re-open to visitor.

   Unless you decide to go to somewhere interesting like Hikone that is next to lake Biwa, I do not especially see the interest. And the reason to go to Hikone is mostly to go to the castle, that is an original one.

   Samurai museum closed and it is not known if it will re-open.

   I would not go on top of Tokyo Tower but on Roppongi Hills Mori Tower instead as it have a museum and you can go on the roof.

   If you are concerned about animal welfare, do not go to animal cafe.

   Teamlab they are closing, so keep an eye open as they might open a new exhibition somewhere else in Tokyo.

   Ghibli museum, it is worth going it you like Ghibli movies. If you do not like it that much, you can pass.

   Yūshūkan is not exactly a WWII museum, but a revisionist war museum that is linked to the really controversial Yasukuni shrine. I would avoid giving them your money.

   Mount Fuji is off season in December, so the best you can have is a day trip to Kawaguchiko or Hakone and get a view on the mountain.

   Ski might be a bit tricky, you would be really early in the season.

   I think that you do not need 21 days pass as you seem to have planned. If you happen to take the pass, Green only have slightly bigger seat, not worth the extra in my opinion.

   First option would be to fly from Osaka to Hakodate/Sapporo then fly from there to Tokyo, do not use rail pass at all. The downside is that you have to cut Nagoya.

   Second option, use the 7 days pass from day from the moment you leave Kyoto up to the moment you bet to Hokkaido. And you wand to fly out of Hokkaido, even if it mean a connection in Tokyo. Here the downside is that you have to cut the two last Tokyo days.

   Depending on how much you want to move within Hokkaido, it could be worth getting a 14 days pass or if you fly, get a Hokkaido pass to move within the region.

   You absolutely do not need a 21 days pass, this is a total waste of money. Yes it might not cover everything, like going to Nara or Himeji if you decide to go, but these are not super expensive, like Nara you would prefer doing it with Kintetsu that is closer to the park and Himeji you can get a 1 day Kansai Area Pass and take the rapid train from Osaka station for only 2400 yen.

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   Not sure about being under 18, it will probably mean that they might not be able to book a room alone. Oh, and keep in ming that drinking age is 20.

   What you listed for Tokyo does not seem bad, just group things by area and it will likely make much sense, now it is all mixed without much logic so harder to evaluate if there is too much without doing your day by day plan.

   If you are into a specific anime/manga, there is different options. For manga, it’s easy enough to got to bookstores. There is obviously a lot in Akihabara and you also have the option to go to second hand stores like Book Off, that are still is really good condition and way cheaper. If the series is popular enough, there is likely merch and figures is that is your thing. Second thing is that if the series you like is based on some real location, sometimes it is possible to go to the location seen in the anime/manga. For example if you like Your Name, then there is a lot of Tokyo shot seen in the movie that you can also find in Tokyo.

   Food budget seem ok if you do not get expensive things, accommodation budget is possible, but if you want to keep it low, I would consider hostel.

   The problem with your budget is that you have one person who does not have enough money to cover the basic cost estimate you listed and one that will be really close to it. This mean that person have no money left for ticket to any place like shrine, castle, observation deck, museum, amusement park, ski…. oh, and also no souvenir and shopping.

2. >Is there anything worth seeing for christmas/new years? Ive heard theres price hikes between christmas and ny so idk if its worth bothering, but i imagine new years countdowns in a big city like tokyo would be really cool

   There usually isn’t a lot for Christmas specific events but a lot of places will do winter illuminations which are worth checking out.

   >Lake Biwa (dunno if theres really anything to do and its kind of out of the way)

   Not a must see on a first trip. There are some pretty neat towns (Omi Hachiman and Hikone) and Ishiyamadera Temple is worth a visit if you are there but you should prioritise Kyoto and only go if you end up having a spare day.

   >Dotonbori (look into, apparently iconic, i cant tell whats actually there though)

   It’s mainly shops, food and bright lights – definitely worth checking out especially at night.

   >Himeji Castle (apparently a really famous castle, but we are going to some other ones too so might not be worth the distance)

   It’s at least a half day trip but its more impressive than Osaka castle, and also an original unlike Osaka.

   >Ginza – shopping – worth doing? Whats there?

   Mainly shopping and a few places to eat. Only worth going if there is a specific shop or eatery you want to visit.

   >Suggestions? It’s a huge prefecture so it’s hard to tell where to start

   Depending on when you are going ski resorts might just be opening, so try and find one that tends to open earlier than others. Non-snow nature activities will be tricky and harder to access given Hokkaido will be mostly covered in snow. So my suggestion would be to spend a couple of days at a ski resort and a couple of days elsewhere. For elsewhere, Sapporo is pretty fun (inc day trip to Otaru) or maybe Noboribetsu Onsen.

   >Does the list of stuff for tokyo sound good? Too much? probably.

   For 5 days it’s doable if you don’t spend too long at each place but it’s easy to get distracted in Tokyo so have a rethink about the list and what the priorities are.

   >Rail pass green or standard? Is it that big a difference? Worth it in our case?

   Standard is more than fine. I’ve never gone with green and don’t feel there is a need to.

   >Is budget right? Too much in some places too little in others? Food and hotel im deff unsure about, im planning for the group mostly on my own and have never planned a trip before, dont know whats right and whats wrong

   Budget will be tight. $1k for flights from Sydney will be hard for Xmas time but I have no idea how post Covid prices are.

   Food budget is around $40 a day which is fine if you stick to cheaper options (which are still great!). But doesn’t give you too much room if you want to splurge or buy a lot of snacks.

3. In Hokkaido definitely check out Niseko for snow sports. I spent last Christmas at a resort in the mountains with some friends and it was great. Some places offer rooms with a private onsen so you can wake up and have a soak before hitting the slopes and soak again at the end of the day. Kinda pricey but worth it for the experience.

   Consider hitting up Sapporo, it’s one of my favorite cities in Japan and the miso butter corn ramen is to die for at any shop in ramen alley. The morning market is amazing for fresh seafood.

   Hakodate has an amazing morning market as well. One of my favorite memories was one of the fishermen sold me a snow crab for ¥5500 and prepared it for me to eat right there at his stand.

   Hokkaido dairy products are awesome as well. Some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had.

   Edit to add: SOUP CURRY…try it

4. If you consider yourself an animal lover, I suggest avoiding Ueno Zoo. The majority of zoos in Japan, Ueno included, keep their animals in (mostly) fairly out-of-date or plain bad conditions. It ranges from enclosures that are too small for the animal but still provide necessities and foliage/dirt to stand on, to cramped, concrete cages with nothing but a doggybowl of water. There are a few zoos that go against this and have good enclosures, but Ueno is very sadly not one of them.

   If you wanted to visit Ueno Zoo to see some native Japanese animals, there are better choices. In particular, since you’re going to Hokkaido with no plans, I’d suggest looking into Asahiyama Zoo. It provides up-to-date care, including proper space for all the animals as far as I’m aware. It also has a large variety of native Japanese animals – including cranes, monkeys, and tanuki, along with foreign animals like polar bears and giraffes.

   I also suggest, if you’re going to Disneyland in Tokyo, that you consider Tokyo DisneySea instead. If you have any plans of going to the American Disneyland or Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland is essentially a copy of those parks with one or two unique rides and some slight differences in the theming. DisneySea is more unique and is generally considered by the theme park community as among the best theme parks in the world, with many attractions that don’t exist elsewhere. So if you were going to spend the day on one theme park, better DisneySea than Disneyland.

5. For skiing in Hokkaido, Niseko is the most developed and would have the most options for accommodation and ski terrain. It typically gets the most snow annually and tends to be one of the first to open. Other resorts nearby are Kiroro and Rusutsu, both great, don’t typically see as many “western” tourists and aren’t as developed so might be limited in accommodation and dining options.

   Getting to Niseko is fairly easy via train first to Otaru then to Kutchan station (not the Niseko station) and then a short bus ride to the ski area or a cab. Lots of accomodation will provide pick-ups from Kutchan. There are also busses that run from Sapporo station fairly frequently.

   as u/yellowbeehive said, Otaru is neat (known for glass work and glass blowing) and could also see the Nikka Whisky distillery in Yoichi. Noboribetsu is great for onsens, lots of options to check out near Jigokudani. There are also onsens in and around Niseko, a lot of the larger hotels have their own onsens. Don’t forget about the onsen at the Sapporo airport!

   There are a number of companies that can help book accommodation and transport to Niseko, I’m partial to [https://www.explore-niseko.com/](https://www.explore-niseko.com/) (I worked there a number of years ago) and they can help book other non-ski activities and tours.

6. >Hokkaido (Days 14-19)

   Want to do skiing and snowboarding, onsens in the snow type vibe, nature stuff

   Suggestions? It’s a huge prefecture so it’s hard to tell where to start

   Most of the hotels should have their own onsen facilities, at least the ones outside of the cities . There are a few good onsen ryokans around Lake Toya which you can check out. For sightseeing, you can look at Jigokudani, Otaru and Shiroi Koibito factory (Shiroi Koibito is a white chocolate snack made famous in Hokkaido). You can sort of skip Furano since there will be no flowers there. You can also try to visit Sapporo. Skiing is a little tough and you’ll be too early in the season but if you guys really want to go, Niseko is the usual choice but the other great place is Rusutsu.

   Also when you are in Hokkaido, it will be helpful to get strap on shoe spikes. When it snows in the cities, the streets can get pretty icy and slippery to walk on. You can get them when you get to Hokkaido but you can also find them at Don Quixotes when you are in Honshu.

7. Man I hope you enjoy Japan! It is pretty dope

8. >Osaka castle (obligatory must-see)

   Skip it. It’s a concrete reconstruction. Go to Himeji Castle instead.

9. For lodging I HIGHLY recommend an AirBNB if you want to lower costs. On my trip in 2018, I stayed in Osaka for about 72 a night split across 4 people. We had the whole place to ourselves with laundry machine, free portable wifi, and a bed for each person. Laundry helped us lower amount of stuff to pack, so more room for purchased goods. Had another place in Shinjuku for 172 a night across 4 people and same deal. Not only that each place was located near a local main road which had tons of food and convenience stores nearby. Local trains fed into JR were only about 5-10 minute walks. Generally keeping a “base of operations” and using the JR pass saved us money. The trains are so useful that day trips about one hour or less were easily done. What we did was set up a base in Osaka, and day tripped everywhere in the surrounding area we could. Sure the cleaning fee adds on, but it was 90 for the entire stay, so not bad for each.

10. > Do we need to do anything about the under 18s with us when booking into hotels and stuff?

    That most adult hostels and virtually all capsule hotels would be off-limits to you. It’s worth noting that hotels have very strict occupancy rooms and you will have to book multiple rooms or AirBnBs.

    > Suggestions on what parts of hokkaido to go to (interest in skiing, snowboarding, onsens, nature stuff)

    Considering the season, I would probably stick to Kutchan/Niseko or Furano. Lake Toya area (Toyako Onsen) would probably make most sense, although since you will be going to Hokkaido towards end of your trip (and awfully close to New Year’s period), don’t be surprised in ryokan charging 15,000-20,000 JPY per person per night.

    > Any recommendations for late teens like us? stuff to do/look out for

    Note that 20 is legal age of drinking in Japan. Also note that Tokyo Prefecture has technically a curfew for under 18s 11pm-4am (it’s not effectively policed, but you should be aware of it).

    Also you have to note that Japan has a fairly strict set of nuisance laws and local ordinances (eg. prohibiting you from taking photos in certain areas of Kyoto) that you should obey.

    You should probably try to speak more quietly than at home, as Australians have a certain reputation of being loud and somewhat obnoxious – and talking loudly (or even as you would on public transport in major western cities) is not a thing, especially on public transport,

    > Rail pass green or standard? Is it that big a difference? Worth it in our case?

    Unless you need an electrical outlets at one per each seat, rather than one per row (per each side of 3+2 row on shinkansen) – you don’t need a green pass.

    > Is budget right?

    I would recommend 5,000 JPY+ per day per person to cover food, local transport and a couple of low-priced entries into temples/museums etc. after taking care of accommodation, flights, JR Pass and spending budget.

11. Two things that really helped me plan my Japan itineraries are Japan Guide (https://www.japan-guide.com) and Hyperdia app. You might want to check those out. Japan Guide has comprehensive info on places of interest including opening/closing times and general advice. Hyperdia is a transpo app with fare price details.

12. Parental consent may be required for minors staying at the hotel.
    I think that the correspondence will change depending on the hotel, so check with the hotel in advance.Email is recommended.With email, you can use the translator like this even if you don’t speak English like I do:D
    Thank you, Google Translate!

    I’m not familiar with anime, but it seems that Shirakawa-go is the model for “Higurashi ”
    It’s far from the plan, so you’ll have to use it for a day, but if you’re a big fan, check it out.Oh, but December? It may be better to stop the cold season.

    If you like Ghibli, you can enjoy the Ghibli Museum.
    Do you plan to go to Nagoya without fail?
    If you like Ghibli and go to Nagoya, I recommend Ghibli Park.
    Ghibli Park is not open yet.It will open this fall.
    Imagine a big park.People who have a world view and like Ghibli are looking forward to the opening.When it opens, various information will come out, so please check it out.[https://ghibli-park.jp/en/](https://ghibli-park.jp/en/)

13. that is a nicely designed plan and I could copy almost everything from it

14. In the time of your travel the Ghibli Park are already open in Nagoya! I also recommend that!

15. Just throwing this out there, I have been twice, I planned on using a WiFi travel device, and never used it, I didnt even use a sim card, there’s free WiFi in 7 11s and they’re basically every 5 minutes, it was nice to be disconnected from the world but knowing I can easily use any Internet based messenger service if i need too (LINE, Snapchat, Facebook) it was refreshing.

    You mentioned a jr pass, they’re good but go for the cheap one, they work on all jr trains including the subway systems in tokyo, also i noticed you mention alot of train journeys, japan has a tourist plane scheme https://www.japanistry.com/discounted-domestic-flights-japan/ which might be an option, so you can enjoy more of Japan. Its worth researching this.

    And I will also mention, nagoya also has a aquarium. I haven’t visited it (I didn’t have time) so you may enjoy that. In Hokkaido, Sapporo is nice for a few days, it has many parks and a mountain, otaru is also nice and apparantly looks amazing in the snow.