Hello all! I’d like to ask for some feedback on my itinerary. Is it too crowded? Too sparse? Any reccomendations or suggestions? Thanks y’all in advance for any help!
It is a trip from **Aug.7th to Aug.23th**. We’re traveling as a group of **five people**, with two older folks (my parents, close to their 70s), and me, my brother and his girlfriend (mid 30s). My brother’s girlfriend has a muscular disability that does not prevent her from walking but makes it difficult/tiring to walk for too long or for too great a distance, so we are planning to take things easy and slow. It will also be summer, so tips to mitigate the difficulties that might come from both the mobility issues and the heat are appreciated!
We’re interested in history, food (both cooking and eating :9 ), and handicrafts. We have japanese ancestry (dad was born in Okinawa, maternal grandparents are from Japan), so we can speak/understand japanese in the spectrum of “a little bit (younger folks)” to “fairly well (my parents)”, including uchinaaguchi (dad).
An important point – ***we cannot drive in Japan***. Driving licences from our country **are not valid there**, so **renting a car in Okinawa is (unfortunately) not an option**. Our planning in Okinawa is around taking buses and the Yui Rail, and in Tokyo taking any/all types of public transportation.
To the itinerary!
***August 7th to 9th***
**Flight to Japan – Arrival 22h30 in Naha**
\- Arrival in Naha, from Tokyo/Haneda
\—
# OKINAWA/NAHA
***August 10th (thu.)***
***(Our hotel is next to the Prefectural Office in Naha)***
\> Sleep as much as needed
\> Walk around the neighbourhood to check for restaurants, shops, etc. Maybe go to Makishi?
\> Go to a shopping center/store cluster to buy some basic stuff – sunscreen, umbrellas, maybe hats, also a SIM chip for emergencies. We thought of going to Pallete Kumoji (it’s across the street) or the San-A Naha Main Place (next to the Prefectural Museum) for all that.
\—
***August 11th (fri.)***
**>Shuri Castle area** (morning/early afternoon)
**>Tsuboya/Kokusai Dori area** (afternoon)
At Kokusai Dori we plan on buying tickets for Churaumi Aquarium and also arrange for a bus (probably the [**Okinawa Airport Shuttle unlimited 3 day pass**](https://www.okinawa-shuttle.co.jp/en/good-value/))
\—
***August 12th (sat.)***
\> Visit relatives (Urasoe area)
\> Prefectural Museum (if there’s time)
\—
***August 13th (sun.)***
**>Peace Memorial Park/Museum**
Would it be better going there by taxi rather than by bus?
Any recommendations in that area (south Okinawa Island)? Or would it be better to just go back to Naha and do something there?
\—
***August 14th (mon.)***
**>Churaumi Aquarium/Ocean Expo park**
We figure it will take all day, accounting for the bus trip there and back (about 2h30\~3h each way)
\—
***August 15th (tue.)***
**> Onna** (Onna no Eki, Cape Manza, probably some beach in the area)
We plan on using the Airport Shuttle service to get there 🙂
**> Pack our bags up.**
\—
**August 16th (wed.)**
**> Flight from Naha to Tokyo/Haneda (10h55\~13h55)**
**> Train(s?) from Haneda to Nippori station area** (where our hotel is located)
**> Stroll** around the neighbourhood
\—
# TOKYO
**August 17th (thu.)**
**> Yanaka Ginza**
**> Yanaka Cemetery area and temples**
**> Nippori fabric town**
\—
**August 18th (fri.)**
**> Tachikawa Area** (mom wants to visit a temple there)
**> Showa park**
Open to suggestions!
\—
**August 19th (sat.)**
**> Ueno Park** (probably National Museum)
**> Kappabashi**
**> Asakusa** (Kaminarimon/Sensoji)
**> Tokyo Skytree/Solamachi**
\—
**August 20th (sun.)**
**> Tokyo station** (Shop at Muji flagship/Itoya/Uniqlo)
**> Shibuya** (see the scramble and shop at Hands, Mega Donki)
**> Shinjuku** (Prefectural Building view, Kinokuniya)
\—
**August 21th (mon.)**
**> Last shopping** (luggage maybe, so it’ll depend on what we feel is missing)
**> Pack our bags up.**
\—
**August 22th (tue.)**
**> Keisei Skyliner to Narita** (11h00\~12h00)
**> Flight back home departs at 17h00**
\—
**August 23th (wed.)**
\>Arrive back home!
That’s pretty much it! We wanted to leave some space to just wander around and change things if we feel like it and taking enough time for lunch/dinner and some stops along the way. The days themselves are mostly interchangeable, so if there are plans for any specific weekday that’d be grossly misplaced, we’d thank you for warning us!
\—-
# Some general (and some very specific) questions:
**General:**
\- Has anyone had any trouble/problems using an **E-Visa** to enter Japan?
\- **Sunscreen** recommendations are welcome!
\- Restaurant/Bakery/Teahouse/Cafe recommendations in any of the areas mentioned are welcome!
\- Antirecommendations also welcome – is there any place/thing you would suggest us to avoid at all costs?
\- Are benches (or any seating) in public spaces common in Tokyo?
**Specific:**
\- Are there any places mentioned that might be difficult/impossible to traverse at all with a person with limited mobility?
\- **How can I bring a sanshin back from Japan?** Have you had any experience boarding the plane with it? I plan on buying a sanshin (without natural snakesin) and the most common (or only?) hardcase available is a tiny bit (4cm) larger in length than the maximum size allowed inside the cabin as far as I have been able to verify. On the trip back we’ll fly ANA (from Japan to the US) and United (from the US back home), and I’d love to know any tips to bringing one back.
\- Has anyone had lunch or dined in **Harukor (Tokyo)**? We have some Ainu ancestry and are planning on eating there. Are reservations necessary/required?
2 comments
If you add up the not walking too much, need to take breaks and summer weather, you will want to stop in cafe and tings like that often. There is not that many public benches, so even just sitting to rest is not as easy as you wish it could be, and you would not want to do it outside and especially not in the sun.
You do not want sim card for emergency, you want them to have internet access at all time to Google map to find where you are going. Also might want to get it at the airport instead of trying to find it in store. Or esim if your phone support it.
* No experience with e-visa as I come from a country with visa waiver program. But it should not be a problem if you have the proper visa.
* Got ont from a brand called Aqua because it was cheap sunscreen and FPS 50+, just take whatever.
* No specific recommendation of things to absolutely do.
* Would recommend to not do karting in the city.
* No, benches and public seating is not that common. Sometimes in park and some public space, on the train platform. Seen some at temple/shrine. Usually no bench on the street.
* No experience with Okinawa, but Tokyo seems quite ok, nothing seems impossible with lower mobility. Maybe just put pin on Google map and see what is the distance between the places you want to see and what are the transit options. Like I would walk from Ueno to Asakusa and stop by Kappabashi, but you might not want to do t hat.
* I do not have specific experience with music instrument, but if it’s too big, they might ask you to check-in, so you would have to pack it extremely well. Or maybe not use a hard case and find something smaller you can use as carry on.
Public seating unfortunately is pretty sparse, however Japan has some of the best cafes you’ll ever visit. Highly recommend stopping in for a drink or a snack periodically throughout your day. – Just make sure you pick one with AC lol!
Also any sunscreen you find in 711 is going to be pretty good! Biore, environmental spf, etc…