Originally Posted by
Keyser
Apologies for piggybacking on this thread but I have a similar question so thought I would ask here rather than starting a new thread.
Planning a trip to Japan. This will be my first trip & will be traveling with my wife & 2 kids aged 11 & 9. We haven't decided whether to go in June or December. In June we will only be able to go for 10 days while over Christmas/New year we can stretch the trip out to 2 weeks. I'm getting the award space I want for 4 tickets both for June & December so I need to decide quick & book before the seats go away. What are the advantages & disadvantages of traveling to Japan over the summer or winter?
The plan would be to visit Tokyo & Kyoto for sure. Maybe one more place if we are going for the longer duration in December.
I was looking at ways to travel within the country & am undecided on the mode of transport. One option would be to fly between Tokyo - Osaka. I'm once again getting plenty of award space so this would be the cheapest way for me. The second option is taking the train from Tokyo to Kyoto & back. This would be more expensive but I am open to taking the train in Japan & have been told this is something I must do as a first time visitor. The third option would be to rent a car. A 5-6 day rental would again cost the same as taking the train but would give us the added flexibility of moving around on our own schedule. I'm comfortable driving anywhere & use this as our general mode of transport between cities no matter where we go so I've driven in Asia, Europe, US, Middle East, Africa, etc without any problem. Having said that, how easy or difficult is it to drive in Japan & what would the drive be like between Tokyo & Osaka/Kyoto?
Still undecided on hotels as of now. Was initially looking to use Bonvoy points so that would mean sticking to Marriott properties. This would also mean booking 2 rooms wherever we go since none of the properties will accommodate 4 people in a room. The second option would be to book an apartment wherever we go. There seem to be tons of options on hotel. com & Vrbo but I'm unsure which area of the city would be best & which areas to avoid.
Finally, what are the things that are a must for a first time visitor, keeping in mind that I have 2 small kids with me (one of who is obsessed with Pokemon so is counting the days before we go)? We have been to Disney Land & Universal in the US so that is of no interest to us.
I'm looking to pull the trigger & book my tickets this weekend so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
So much to answer -- but I'll give you a few things to think about
:
1) The rainy season in Japan typically begins the first week of June and runs to mid July. It will be VERY hot and VERY humid. I have visions of the kids wilting (we are typically out of Japan in the summers due to this).
2) December is our second favorite month in Tokyo (we live here) -- humidity is low and the weather is typically sunny and pleasant -- but cool. Average high temps of around 10-15 usually - cooler at night.
3) Definitely take the Shinkansen at least once -- we use it all the time and love it as it is so much more relaxing (to us of course). Flying domestically in Japan is quite easy -- but don't forget the expense of getting from the airport to the city -- some are quite far away and taxis are not cheap.
4) Rental cars are pretty easy as well -- just make sure you have an international drivers license -- or a license that is accepted for rentals in Japan. Just a note -- parking in major cities can be expensive and sometimes difficult to find...
5) Pack as lightly as you can -- the more luggage you have the more of a pain it is to get around...
6) On the hotels -- see if you can find ones with "family" rooms -- or book a suite if possible. There are hotel rooms that will accommodate 4 -- but perhaps not available for award travel -- and yes they are a bit harder to find -- especially at global chains like Marriott...
7) Renting an apartment is also an option -- if you go this route I would suggest you determine the sites you want to see and then figure out where to find an apartment. We live in central Tokyo and our building does not allow any short term rental apartments (MANY buildings have this rule). I won't go in to all of the reasons why in Japan things like AirBNB are not as popular -- but they aren't as plentiful or as well located as they are in other countries around the world.