Hi friends! First time posting on this subreddit and first time going to Japan! I’ll be travelling with my LDR partner and this will be our first vacation together! Open to any ideas that will make our trip comfy and less stressful! Also have questions at the end of this post and will most likely have more after!
**Feb 18**
* Both depart Canada at 4pmEST
**Feb 19 (Tokyo)**
* Arrive at NRT around 5pm JST
* Customs/Immigration
* Limousine Bus to Tokyo
* Check in our Hotel
* Convenience store dinner :’)
**Feb 20 (Tokyo)**
* Sensou-ji Temple
* Mijii Jingu Shrine (MUST)
* Harajuku of lunch + explore
* Shibuya to see crossing and Shiba statue
* Sacchan Yatai Ramen Cart (MUST)
* Tokyo Tower + Shiba Park
**Feb 21 (Tokyo)**
* Gundam Factory (MUST)
* Unicorn Gundam
* Akihabara Shopping
* FF14 Cafe (MUST)
**Feb 22 (Tokyo)**
* Skytree (Would like to get a cityview during the day time\~)
* Kameido Shinto Shrine
* Pokemon Centre Mega Tokyo
* Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
* Suga Shine (MUST)
**Feb 23 (Shizouka- Mt Fuji)**
* Shiraito Falls
* Otodome Falls
* Lake Tanuki
\^Purchasing tickets for a sightseeing bus for these
**Feb 24 (Kyoto)**
* Okazaki Shrine
* Kiyomizudera Temple
**Feb 25 (Kyoto)**
* Bakikasai Plum Blossom Festival (Probably won’t stay for the whole event. Any experiences?)
* Kinkaku-ji
* Tea Ceremony w/ Maikoya
* Fushimi Inari (Mainly want to see the pathway)
**Feb 26 (Okunoshima)**
* Okunoshima Island (MUST- my birthday present :3c)
**Feb 27 (Nagoya)**
* Nagoya Castle
* Nagoya Science Museum
**Feb 28 (Tokyo)**
* Maid Cafe
* Last minute Akihabara shopping hehe
**Mar 1 (Narita)**
* Narita Express to NRT?
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*A little background info about ourselves:*
My partner is used to very relaxed vacations. One or 2 attractions a day or one whole day dedicated to one thing. He’s only ever travelled within the US. But other than that, he’s down to do anything and doesn’t mind early schedules, etc. Me on the other hand, I’m used to jam-packed, fast paced trips (waking up at 6am and arriving back at 11pm). I’ve also travelled to several countries in Europe and to Israel, so commuting by train is not a problem. Definitely excited to ride the Shinkansen and watch the view along the way! Heck even walking long distances is fine (not the most fit, so I could use the exercise, haha).
\–
**My questions are:**
1. How long are immigration/customs lines these days? I expect by the time we reach our first Tokyo hotel, it would be around 9pm-10pm and most restaurants would be closed
2. Should I carry physical CAD with me on the plane then convert at the airport? I read something about USD is more common to convert with? I just wanna avoid ATM withdrawals fees as much as I can.
3. A bit confused with IC/Suica/Pasmo cards. Given our itinerary, what would be best to use? I’m also purchasing a JR Pass when we travel to Fuji, Kyoto, Okunoshima, Nagoya then back at Tokyo before going home.
4. I’ve been trying to learn the Shinkansen schedules and just to be clear, I can take any line that ISN’T Nozomi/Mihoru? We can hop on the other lines listed and our JR passes will be accepted?
5. How long does it take to explore Okunoshima? I don’t plan to walk the WHOLE trail. I’d be stopping every minute just to take a picture of a bunny haha. I think there’s also a small shrine I would like to visit as well. I’m more concerned that the last train to Kyoto is at 7pm on a Sunday ;;
6. What’s the general weather like during this time of the year? Will I need big puffy coats?
7. How early should we be at the airport going home?
EDITED:
Fixxed some spelling errors
4 comments
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It’s Winter, so it’s very cold. Nothing that will beat Canada though, but it’s still is colder than some regions on the US.
1. Convenience store are open late and they have a lot of different food items. If you land at 5pm, you should be in Tokyo way earlier than 9-10pm tho.
2. Should you ? … not especially. You might as well find a currency exchange office or bank (honestly compare places) I exchanged a bunch in a place that offer decent rates in Montreal when the exchange rate was good.
3. Suica and Pasmo are both IC cards, they offer basically the same functionality. You can use them to pay for you bus/subway/train fare. Appart from some small differences, they are both the same, so you can get whatever. They are no necessary, but it’s just a much more convenient way to pay for your train.
4. Almost. You can ride on any shinkansen line, period. Hou cannot use the Nozomi and Mizuho service. I know it’s a detail, but for example, the Tokaido shinkansen is the name of the line between Tokyo station and Shin-Osaka station. It is deserved by 3 services, the Kodama, Hikari and Nozomi. The difference between the different services is where the train stop. The Kodama stop at all stations, Hikari will skip some and Nozomi skip more. With less stops, the Nozomi will take less time to cross long distances.
5. No idea where you saw the last train would be at 7pm, I see you can take the train at 21:26 from Tomonomi station to Kyoto…. The latest you can come back from the island is 7:30… but more importantly, [sun set at 6pm in early March around Hiroshima](https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/japan/hiroshima)…. so you probably don’t even want to stay that late.
6. [Just look at pas data](https://weatherspark.com/m/143809/2/Average-Weather-in-February-in-Tokyo-Japan), something between 0 and 10 C, but not impossible that it will snow. If you are Canadian, you probably know how to manage that kind of temperatures.
7. The usual… like 2-3 hours.
Have you looked at where your locations are in relation to each on a map?
Because you are going back and forth across Tokyo instead of picking one area to explore in a day.
While it may not seem like it’s far from Senso-ji to Shibuya, but having to walk down and to the subway platform and potentially have to stand the whole time, it feels long.