Weekly Japan Travel Information and Discussion Thread – August 16, 2024

19 comments

1. I’ll be going for 8ish days from 26 Dec to 2nd Jan, Would love any feedback.

   Day 1 (26 dec): Have not booked, checking flight ticket for osaka/narita airport but first day should be making my way to hotel in nagano and exploring around the hotel

   Day 2 (27 dec): Matsushiro/Tenkyu Ji, Matsumoto castle/nawate street at night

   Day 3 (28 dec): obuse, monkey park(yamanouchi), Yudanaka Onsen,shiga kogen

   Day 4 (29 dec): karuizawa, Nunobiki Kannon(komori)

   Day 5 (30 dec): Togura Kamiyamada, ueda, unno

   Day 6 (31 dec): Togakushi-jinja, zenkoji temple, Nagano’s Alps Azumino National Government Park, 

   Day 7 (1st jan): chill in tokyo then return the next day

   First time experiencing winter(ever) and hatsumode so any feedbacks including places that can be included in you opinion would help, thanks!

2. I’m looking into reserving a few bus trips via https://www.highwaybus.com/gp/index. Mainly Tokyo – Fujikawaguchiko and Fujikawaguchiko – Hirayu Onsen (likely via Tokyo).

   Do they accept pdf tickets on your phone? Or do they require a printed ticket?

3. Hello, I need your help.
   I’m on holiday in Japan for the first time and I’m ill. It all started with a normal cold a few days ago, then I got a bladder infection and now I’ve had back pain for 2 days. I’m very worried that my kidneys have become infected.
   I have to go to the doctor, but there is no one here at Lake Towada on Sundays and we only travel by public transport. Now I’m thinking of calling an ambulance because I’m so desperate.

   But I don’t speak Japanese and I’ve never had to do anything like this in my home country (I’m only 21).
   Do you think I can manage with English? Will I be taken seriously?
   Does anyone have any experience in this area?

   Thank you very much!
   I am grateful for any message.

4. Wanting to catch the Narita Limo Bus to Ikebukuro from terminal 1. We are arriving around 5pm.
   Limo bus departs at either 6pm or 8pm.

   Is there a chance we could make the 6pm? Seems like a stretch. Would you just go ahead and reserve the 8pm and give in to the fact that you might be stuck in the airport for a couple hours but at least not be rushing around trying not to miss your bus?

   Is it worth booking these in advance or would being a couple hours early be enough time to buy on the spot? Only hesitant to book as there might be a chance we arrive in time to catch the 6pm and then wouldn’t need the 8pm reservations.

   Any insight much appreciated.

5. Hi friends! I am planning my trip and I have a query regarding the luggage forwarding services (such as Yamato). What I would like to do is send my luggage from Kyoto to Osaka, but I won’t be heading straight from Kyoto to Osaka. I would like to leave Kyoto and head for Nara, Mie and Wakayama over the course of maybe 2 nights and arrive in Osaka on the third night from leaving Kyoto. I plan to just take a backpack with me for the time/nights between Kyoto and Osaka and just have the bigger luggage waiting for us when we arrive in Osaka.

   I am wondering if anybody has done something like this before, and if it presented any issues? I know the luggage forwarding is super efficient and usually same day, but will, say, my hotel in Osaka refuse to accept the luggage if I am not checking in until two nights later?

   Please let me know if you’ve done something like this and how you managed!

6. Is anyone planning to visit the eastern coast of Japan in the near future? I have the Izu Peninsula etc. on my to-do list but second guessing myself now because of the earthquake thing. Would like a vote of confidence.

7. Anyone here have experience with snowboard rentals in Niseko and/or Hakuba? My outbound flight to Japan is with Zipair so I’m limited on weight for that leg w/o paying extra, debating what to bring. I’m also only riding 2-4 days total, the other 19-odd days will be tourist time and hiking. On to the point.

   What boards/brands have you rented there?

   Clothing: Anyone know if you can rent full coverage bibs (not just pants or pants with suspenders)? I have a lighter jacket but it lacks a powder skirt so I’d prefer a full bib if renting.

   Boots: I wear a US women’s size 6 boot which is small and somewhat hard to find at home. Problem or not for Japan? Can anyone comment on the typical boot options? Are they decent quality? For reference I just wear Vans Encore Pro, but brands like ThirtyTwo with a shorter instep hurt my feet.

   Thanks in advance, JP travel hivemind 🙂

8. Hey everyone, I’ll be traveling to Japan in October, landing in Sapporo on October 4th and departing from Osaka on October 22nd.

   Mainly interested in the Sapporo region, Tokyo, Kioto and Osaka. Without anything specific that I want to visit, and this being my first time in Japan, how would you divide the city/regions in terms of length/days?

   Thanks in advance!

9. I’m going on holiday to Japan for 5 weeks on the last week of september. I have barely any endurance and get pretty winded after a half hour walk. I want to be somewhat prepared so I started working on my endurance. I started with walking more but now I’m in week 3 of Couch to 5K because I thought this would be “more demanding” exercise and increase my endurance more than walking 10k steps in the evening. I do notice that if I supplement the rest days with some extra walking that I’m not able to rest enough for the program.

   Am I on the right track by doing C25K instead of walking because it would increase my endurance more? Or should I be walking instead of doing C25K because walking is what I would be doing on holiday?

10. Going to Japan in November/December.

    How do you determine cost of rail pass v individual tickets?

    Is there a trusted site you can order rail pass or train tickets from?

    In total we will need around 7 trains all together including one bullet train towards the end of the trip.

11. I’m doing a 7 day tript to mainly Tokyo in the end of October. Will I have any issues with taking my CPAP into the country?

    Also, I have a Galaxy s22+,and will probably only use Viber to keep my family back home updated, take pictures and use it to translate and navigate. I’m debating whether to get a Pocket Wifi or an eSim, would love feedback on it. Will there be any issue taking my phone into the country?

12. Going to Japan this weekend, I’m a woman and I know it’s going to be very hot. I know the fashion there is more conservative. Would a backless top (that doesn’t show cleavage) be out of place? I tend to rely on backless tops to cool down since my back gets so sweaty.

13. What is the best way to buy USJ tix on the JP USJ site, the English USJ site or from Klook?
    Do people generally have trouble using a not Japanese credit card of the Japan USJ site?

14. I’m a tourist about to visit Japan (Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo) for the first time. I’m planning on taking an overnight bus to Tokyo from Kyoto but the time for travel is quite late. Does anyone have any recommendations for a place to rest and relax from evening to night, maybe a shower before heading to the bus station?

15. Any idea if Akita airport has luggage forwarding service to a hotel in another city like Aomori? Will be heading to Nyuto Onsenkyo on the first night and do not wanna lug my baggage around there

16. eSIM recommendations? I’ll be there for 2 months so want something a bit more affordable. I’ve used Ubigi 20gb for 2 weeks but it would cost too much for my upcoming trip.

17. Hi all,
    I’m planning a trip to hokkaido in November. The problem is I want to do as much as I can but at the same time I don’t know what would be worth experiencing on those dates.

    Currently, I’ve split the plan as such
    7th arrive in Osaka
    8th fly to Kushiro, get to lake Akan

    Stay for two nights in Akan (8th and 9th)
    10th get to Sapporo
    Stay in Sapporo as a base for 5 nights (10th to 15th)

    Areas I’d like to visit but not sure if they’re worth it during the fall:
    Shakotan peninsula
    Otaru
    Furano
    Biei flower fields (is this valid outside of the summer)
    Noboribetsu
    Lake Toya
    Mt turumae and moiwa
    Hill of the Buddha

    What would you recommend I focus on, I don’t think I’ll be able to do all of that given that each requires a day trip (?)

18. I’m wondering if Akihabara really is best on Sunday afternoon with they close traffic, or if it doesn’t make much difference? Also, would things close (specially considering it’s culture day?) I had planned on going on the 3rd of November, thinking about moving it to a week day (maybe the 6th).

19. Hi all – I have a Sunrise Express ticket for this Friday (8/23) from Tokyo to Izumo-shi and I won’t be taking it after all. Given how competitive it is to secure one of these tickets, I was thinking of giving back to the community if anyone is interested in taking it down. Please PM me if interested!