Hello r/JapanTravel! I have a trip to Japan with my family this holiday season. I had studied abroad in Japan in 2001 and 2004 in Kansai, and I want to show my wife and kids the area. I got the opportunity this winter because my brother and his family got transferred to Tokyo for three years, and we are going to travel along with them. Here is the basic itinerary. Bearing in mind we understand that a lot of travel happens leading up to and after Oshougatsu, are there any cool suggestions for a few days before we head back to the States? I put \[JETLAG\] tags on the days we expect to be dragging the most. Hopefully we can push through. I have lived in Japan twice, and I speak pretty well (degree in Japanese, work at Japanese company). My family will rely on my tour guide capabilities. I have 2 kids (10 & 8). My brother’s family is 5 people – 3 kids (16, 13, and 10). I don’t expect they will travel with us the entire time, but a good portion of it.
I am eager to hear any siggestions for the last leg of my trip, and any thoughts you may have.
12/16 – Flight to HND
• Depart from DTW
• Flying Delta Comfort+
• Trying to sleep to match Japan schedule ASAP
12/17 – Arrive HND
• Travel: Tokyo Haneda Monorail
• Hotel: Somewhere near Azabu Juban
• Meet up with family Azabu Juban
• Drop off luggage
12/18 – Osaka Day 1 \[JETLAG\]
• Travel: Shinkansen Tokyo->Shin-Osaka
• Hotel: Near Osaka Station
• Osaka Castle
• Dotonbori
• Check out some Game Center
12/19 – Osaka Day 2 – Day Trip to Nara (Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha) \[JETLAG\]
• Travel: Kintetsu Line Osaka->Nara (round trip)
• Hotel: Near Osaka Station
• Todai-ji – see the Daibutsu
• Kasuga Taisha – walk through the gardens
12/20 – Osaka Day 3 \[JETLAG\]
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Near Osaka Station
• Kaiyukan Aquarium
• Visit Shinsekai to wander through the stores and see what old fun stuff we can find, eat great food
12/21 – Osaka Day 4 – Universal Studios Japan
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Near Osaka Station
• Universal Studios Japan – specifically for Mario World. Kids are HUGE Nintendo fans and really look forward to seeing it
12/22 – Osaka Day 5 – Day Trip to Himeji (Himeji Castle) -> Kyoto (hotel change)
• Travel: Shinkansen Shin-Osaka->Himeji; Himeji->Kyoto
• Hotel: Kyoto Nakagyo Ward
• Himeji Castle visit and tour the grounds, get some amazing pictures
12/23 – Kyoto Day 1
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Kyoto Nakagyo Ward
• Kinkaku-ji
• Ryoan-ji
• Depending on weather, other activities around Sanjo area
12/24 – Kyoto Day 2
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Kyoto Nakagyo Ward
• Arashiyama area – Bamboo Grove, walk along river, potentially visit sento
• Nishiki Market (not too late since they close early)
12/25 – Kyoto Day 3
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Kyoto Nakagyo Ward
• Christmas morning spent with family in hotel. Nothing crazy, no big expectations
• Get views of Kyoto from Kiyomizu-dera
12/26 – Kyoto Day 4 – Travel to Hikone & Tokyo
• Travel: Biwako line Kyoto->Hikone; Hikone->Nagoya->Tokyo (Shinkansen)
• Hotel: Tokyo near Azabu Juban
• Hikone Castle & Genkyuen Gardens
• Old Town & Bell Road for food
• Visit JCMU (Japan Center for Michigan Universities) if possible to show the family where I lived and studied; bring snacks for students
12/27 – Tokyo Day 1
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Azabu Juban area
• Visit Senso-ji, Ameya Yokocho
12/28 – Tokyo Day 2
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Azabu Juban area
• Tokyo DisneySea
• Visit shops, eat food, see what Mickey has to offer
12/29 – Tokyo Day 3 – Bus Tour Mt. Fuji/Hakone
• Travel: Bus Tour to Mt. Fuji/Hakon
• Hotel: Azabu Juban area
• Arranged tour with travel agency for the day. 8am – 8pm approximately
12/30 – Tokyo Day 4 – Day Trip to Nikko (Spacia X round trip?)
• Travel: Tobu line Spacia X
• Hotel: Azabu Juban area
• Travel on Spacia X is part of the journey, enjoy the cool train
• See the great Nikko shrines and get photos
12/31 – Tokyo Day 5 \[Oshougatsu\]
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Azabu Juban area
• Understanding that many shops/attractions are going to be shut down
• Spend time with family, play board games, eat at brother’s apartment
1/1 – Tokyo Day 6 \[Oshougatsu\]
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Azabu Juban area
• Understanding that many shops/attractions are going to be shut down
• Spend time with family, play board games, eat at brother’s apartment, watch football (DirecTV Stream and US VPN will work for that)
1/2 – Tokyo Day 7
• Travel: local
• Hotel: Azabu Juban area
• Check out TeamLab Planets
• Get some great ramen or tempura
1/3-6 – **Short Trip to Next Destination? Okinawa? Aomori?**
• I spent most of my time living and traveling around Kansai, so I would LOVE suggestions.
• Potential Location 1: Flying to Naha to visit Okinawa, but the temperature is mid-60s (F), so no swimming.
• Potential Location 2: Aomori, but I don’t know activities for a few days.
• Potential Location 3: Beppu & Yufu in Oita. Check out the mixed-gender clothed onsen and sand onsen, Hells of Beppu, and Yufuin area
• Potential Location 4: Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo, but they look booked up because of Oshougatsu.
1/7 – Flight to DTW
• Depart from DTW
• Flying Delta Comfort+
• Return home and suffer UBER JETLAG the week of January 8-12
1 comment
Hi!
Last year tickets for Disney were sold by lottery around New Years, but then when they didn’t sell out that way, they went on regular sale. I don’t know what will happen this year, but just be prepared in case that is the case this year. We went 12/31/22. It was quite crowded, but we bought a few Premier Passes and still had a good time.
I personally don’t think my daughter would enjoy a bus tour to Kawaguchiko and Hakone, but you know your kids and I don’t. My daughter was 12 last trip to Japan.
A lot of things are still closed, but there is a lot more open on 12/31 and 1/1 than in 2004. I speak as someone who was in Tokyo for New Years 1/1/2005 and 1/1/2023. I was really surprised when my hotel in 2023 gave us free sake and a free wooden sake cup.
You might need to book the Spacia X as soon as bookings open. I found travel around Tohoku in 22/23 was much busier than travel from Tokyo to Kansai and back.
For options locations, I would think about what your family is interested and what you think they would enjoy the most and what will you get you back easily for your flight out on 1/7 cause you don’t want to miss your flight.
For things to do in Aomori, I would think #1 would be winter sports. For Okinawa, it would be sightseeing around the the island, and for Beppu and Yufuin it will be onsen. Aomori has a lot of onsen too, but they tend to be the naked gender segregated ones outside of a few more rural ones which are naked non-gender segregated.
I don’t know if you got one last time, but my daughter loved getting a Christmas cake when we were in Japan in 2022. I would say the only negative was it was a lot of cake, but we left it with a friend who lives in Osaka, We’re looking at doing an afternoon themed tea/buffet again, like we did on 12/26. It was a lot of fun, though it would get pricy with 9 people.
Good luck!