Weekly Japan Travel Information and Discussion Thread – September 01, 2023

17 comments

1. Thoughts on Kyoto 4 nights vs 3 nights and one night in Osaka for a full day trip? Basically, is Osaka for a single day worth the hassle?

   Currently booked for 4 nights at Kyoto (arriving tomorrow – figuring hostel this moment). A Japanese friend suggested I was better off spending more time in Kyoto since I’ve already been in Tokyo for 5 nights but I’m starting to think Osaka could be worth a day (and one night) trip.

   Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

2. Has anyone been to Kejonuma Leisure Land in Miyagi? I’m considering making it a day trip from Sendai. There is apparently an owner-approved tour from Sendai, but I can’t find info on the English internet.

3. Just noticed on the TeamLabs website that the Planets exhibition in Toyosu will now remain open until the end of 2027!

   I wonder if this means they will invest in refreshing/renewing the parts of the exhibition that are starting to show signs of their age?

4. Hi, i need advice, i am traveling in november and need to know what kind of clothe should i wear? I am from a tropical country with a very hot and humid weather 34-38 C , and i heard that it gets very cold on november

5. Hey! If I have a layover for 9 hours, and need to travel between Narita and Haneda, do I need to fill out the VJW? What would I put my address as if yes?

6. I am struggling with how to handle my luggage the last morning I’m there right before my flight as I don’t want to lug it around while I’m shopping at the airport. I will need it to repack and whatnot the day before my flight. Is there a service that will take it to the airport for you the night before the flight or the morning of and hold it til you’re ready to pick up? Im aware of luggage storage but I know that that typically needs a 2 day lead time and if that’s the case I’d have to ship it from Kyoto. Will have 1 carry on 1 large suitcase and carry on will be full of the breakables thus staying with me the whole time. Someone suggested send the large 2-3 days early from Kyoto, buy a collapsible duffel bag, use that instead for any last shopping, then repack my bags at the airport.

   My original plan was use the temp luggage store at the airport that morning while I shop and keep bags with me til then, however I have heard many reports that the temp luggage storage has been maxed out every day at Haneda. My suitcase is too big for their coin lockers.

7. **Official vs Resellers**

   I’m ready to buy my JR pass, but I was wondering if there was any benefit to buying them straight from the [official site](https://japanrailpass.net) vs a reseller like [japan-rail-pass.com](https://www.japan-rail-pass.com)? The price is higher on the official site, so I wasn’t sure if that came with better customer support or pass options.

   I’m buying it in Canada, and was going to go for a local reseller, but they’re charging in Canadian currency that is *way* more than what the exchange rate is currently going for, so I was going to go for a online reseller that charges me in JPY directly.

   **Voice vs Data-Only Sims**

   Also, is it worth buying a sim card with voice calls, or can I get buy on voice calls via Whatsapp? (What about emergencies?) I see that Mobal offers it, but almost everyone else is providing data-only sim cards (Unfortunately I don’t have esim and need to order a physical sim).

   Thank you

8. I booked a last minute trip to Japan, leaving next week (September 5). I’ll be there for 10 days, staying in hostels. The biggest reason I’m going is to attend a [Yuru-chara character festival](https://susaki-charafes.com/) in Susaki on Shikoku. Other than that, I’ll be spending a bit of time in Tokyo, Osaka, and Sapporo.
   I’m a somewhat experienced traveller, but I’m a bit nervous to be honest, so I’d appreciate any suggestions on “must have” items to pack or things to have ready. Thanks for your help!

9. My group has a rezervation at a Ryokan at Hakone (yamanochaya) and we are spending one night there. (coming from Kyoto)

   From what I read there isn’t much to do around hakone? SInce we are only going to be there one night and the suggestion is to just make the most of the Ryokan.

   Is this true?

   If so then since check in is at 3 is it better to just show up around 5 at the Ryokan and stay in? (maximizing time in Kyoto?)

10. Is the Chofu City Fireworks Festival worth going to?

    My s/o and I will be arriving in Narita on Sep. 24 at 15:00 for a two week trip. Is it feasible to make the festival in time and is it worth buying tickets? The festival starts at 18:10 – 19:30, has three viewing locations, and the cheapest tickets are Y3500.

    If we can’t make it to see the fireworks on time I was also considering the Tokyo Tower Milky Way Illumination. Can anyone who’s been comment on whether it’s worth seeing? The 24th is the last day of the display and I thought it might be a nice way to spend the first night in Tokyo. Reading some past posts though not many seem to recommend Tokyo Tower as an observation deck? https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/things-to-do/tokyo-tower-milky-way-illumination

    Last but not least, could someone offer input on the Manjushage Festival in Komahongo? I would love to see some flowers in bloom but not sure if it’s too out of the way. The festival runs from Sep. 16 to Oct. 1st. I thought September 30th would be a good day to go as there’s a Hidaka Kuri Festival at the same time.

    Thank you in advance. I know these questions are rather random. We’re interested in structuring our trip around interesting events/experiences rather than just sites, e.g. festivals, live music, sports, food/drink events, exhibitions. Our trip is from Sep. 30 to Oct. 7.

    We are particularly interested in attending a Sumo tournament/exhibition, a New Japan Pro-Wrestling match, and a baseball game. I would greatly appreciate any input on such.

11. Hey folks!

    I’m likely to be walking a lot when visiting Tokyo later this year, though I do have a bit of plantar fasciitis, so my feet will probably be quite sore and/or painful at the end of the day!

    Which leads to my question: Are there any good places for foot massages that might also speak English? Push come to shove I can always try using google translate on my phone to get the meaning across.

    We’ll be staying between the Minato and Chuo parts of Tokyo, but it doesn’t need to be there. We’ll probably end the day near Shibuya so that as a last stop before heading back to the hotel is a good option!

    Thanks for any help 🙂

12. Do you know of any nail salons around Akihabara? Thinking about getting my nails done (hopefully with some fun art) while he explores deep into the area.

13. Hi guys,

    When and where will the first koyo forecast be reported? Last year the fall colours prediction report was first posted on the first of September, but I can’t seem to find it this time. Thanks!

14. i’ve last minute decided to spend only 24hrs in osaka, and instead will spend 2 nights in wakayama city before heading to kyoto. i want to visit koyasan while i’m there and the route to koyasan from wakayama city seems more JR pass friendly. other than that, i just want to enjoy being in and cycling in a chill seaside city. does anyone else have some top tips for wakayama city?

15. Probably a dumb question again, but does it matter that I’m an American citizen and I purchased my Japan Rail Pass from [jrpass.com](https://jrpass.com), which is in London? My exchange ticket just arrived today and on it, it says the place it was originally issued was the UK. When I try to exchange the ticket for a JR Pass, are they going to question why I have an exchange ticket from the UK?

16. Hi all, I have two questions I’m hoping this community can help with.

    Firstly,we managed to secure tickets to the September Sumo Grand Tournament. What would you recommend we see around that area?

    Secondly, we’re arriving at Narita and will take the limo bus to our hotel in Shinjuku. Do you recommend we pre book the bus or just buy at the airport once we’ve cleared the checkpoints?

17. I’ve seen a few posts mentioning them, but has anybody used InsideJapan for planning trips?

    What are the typical prices for a fully planned trip?

    I’m looking to bypass a lot of the stress with planning.