angra

I concur with the above 2 posts regarding Nara. IMO it is one of the shining jewels of Japan as far as places to visit as a tourist.

freecia

Google, mifi/local sim, cash, & patience will likely get you where you want to go on a tourist basis these days. You're going to major tourist areas for foreigners and most transportation signage is also in English in preparation for Tokyo 2020.

The bus system is a bit of a hurdle but Google's gotten more and more city bus transit schedules into the system. I reference Navitime for the countryside public transit with the help of Google Translate, but most people going between Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Himeiji, & Hiroshima will find themselves on trains, subway, trams, and tourist loop bus. Google Maps, Hyperdia, and Jorudan have you covered. Skip Apple Maps in Japan https://atadistance.net/category/maps/

Zerotai

oh jeez, this has gotten more complicated. Got to see what I can stuff in.

Data sim for the phone, I suppose I can just buy at the airport and works all throughout Japan and not just Kansai/Chubu/Kanto areas? I think i should be ok with the new information but I'm wondering how come I can't see my OP post.?

angra

I was wondering about your OP as well.

You should be able to get a data sim at the airport, but you might get a better deal if you can hold out until you have a chance to visit a BIC or Yodobashi in town.

All of the data sims that I have researched in the last few years work nationwide (quality of coverage varies but I've never had any trouble in a major tourist city)

jphripjah

I agree with everyone that there isn't much to see in Nagoya and your time is better spent in Kyoto or Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

Also, you don't have to take the Shinkansen between Osaka and Kobe/Kyoto, and it might be slower/inconvenient because you'll have to transfer to Shin-Osaka for it. You can just take regular 30 minute commuter trains from Osaka station.

ksandness

Seriously, go to the nearest bookstore that has a travel section and buy guidebooks for Tokyo and Kyoto. The Kyoto book will include information on Nara, Osaka, and Kobe, and the Tokyo book will include information on Yokohama, Kamakura, and other nearby locations.
If paper books are too twentieth century for you, there are guidebooks available in e-book form, e.g. The Rough Guide to Tokyo and the Lonely Planet Guide to Kyoto.

JamesBigglesworth

You *liked* the concrete castle in Nagoya?!

abmj-jr

Look again. She was recommending Inuyama Castle, which is definitely worth seeing. It is one of the few remaining original feudal era castles.

codex57

You can get Kobe beef anywhere. I'm actually taking a trip out to Himeji. Still undecided if it's worth it to stop in Kobe or not. One option is to eat Kobe beef in Kobe just to say I ate it in Kobe. But yeah, it doesn't seem to really be worth a stop for sightseeing. Maybe if one had more time. The other option is to just get back to Kyoto/Osaka and eat at a restaurant that serves Kobe beef there so I don't have too far to get back to my place.

jib71

Was there a travel show on TV where someone went to Kobe to eat beef? I'm struggling to understand why this is a recurring theme in people's itineraries.
I think, if you find yourself in Kobe, you might choose to eat beef for dinner. But I would not plan to go to Kobe for the purpose of eating beef.

FWIW, I happen to like Kobe.

Antonio8069

I am not sure its helpful to the FT to debate/argue the merits of particular attractions? So I am going to stick to my personal experience.......
We bought the national JR Pass (1st class) from a Toronto travel ageny in 2015 and had no regrets. Since then, the Hokkaido service has been added. That's an improvement. The only advice I ignored was to activate it at NRT. Its because ours was a 7-day pass and allocating 1/7 days to get to central Tokyo was not the best use of the JR Pass.
Be prepared to buy metro tix./passes in cities where JR Pass does not cover i.e. Osaka, Tokyo.
Last but not least, there is a sticky on this subject already, so consult it:
Hints for first time visitors to Japan

codex57

A lot of travel YouTubers do it. They go specifically to Kobe to eat Kobe beef. Even ones who have videos of them eating Kobe beef elsewhere in Japan. Plus, most people assume Kobe beef means the cows are from Kobe and assume it's "freshest" there. Sorta like Tsukiji market and the sushi. My travelling companions believe the Kobe thing. Like it gets bad if it travels outside the prefecture or something. I haven't bothered explaining to them since they'll do/go wherever I tell them to. Since we're passing Kobe anyways, I may do it, they'll be happy and that's all that really matters I guess. We can then all say we ate Kobe beef in Kobe since a lot of the general public thinks the same thing.

I've consistently heard it's at least 10% more expensive in Tokyo. Would like to know if prices are roughly the same in Osaka/Kyoto as Kobe. For some people, they philosophically are opposed to spending more for the same thing if they don't have to.

manneca

I ate in Kobe with the bad advice that lunch was the same as dinner and cheaper. The beef was not Kobe and not great. I have no idea if it's still around but Steak Ron (in Osaka) was highly rated on FT before my first trip to Japan. We went there and it was amazing. I'm just saying that you may wind up with awful beef in Kobe.

I'm a fan of Dorling Kindersley travel guides. They have lots of pictures. I just look and decide what I want to see. I wound up in Nikko because of a picture of a temple there. I had a fantastic time and discovered Utsunomiya (an industrial city where I changed trains) which was great fun. It's the dumpling capital of the world. I also bought a kimono for my niece at a department store with clerks who didn't speak English and I don't speak Japanese.

shuigao

Many many years ago I also purposely traveled to Kobe just to eat Kobe. It really was just to be able to say "I went to Kobe to eat Kobe" (and also cos Kobe is just 20minutes from Osaka). Taste / quality / freshness contributed exactly 0% in my decision-making process ... or else I wouldn't have gone to that atrocity that is Steakland Sannomiya

freecia

I've eaten Kobe beef in Kobe. But then, I've also tried A5 beef from other prefectures in those prefectures as part of the "local tourism promotes this" type of thing. It isn't as if there's a beef stadium where I can go about ordering similar cuts from different regions of beef seasoned/cooked in the same manner as where the cow comes from (or maybe there is and I'm not a member/in the know) ?

Oma maguro tuna is well known and most of the catch goes to the major wholesale fisheries, so the supply chain is harvest - > wholesale market (possibly not local) -> distributor -> restaurant. According to a restaurant owner in Oma, the tuna served in his shop goes from Oma->Tsukiji->Oma so "freshness" can really depend on the supply chain and some things are purposely aged, too.
Sushi in Tsukiji - safe to eat?

A lot of domestic Japanese travel shows will include the special foods in the region as a local attraction. I think even the "model touring plans" on Jalan showcases regional foods. This seems mostly part of the domestic tourism promotion and the accepted format to introduce a region. Local sights, foods, and omiyage all need to be pointed out by the intrepid roving reporter while the announcers in the home office provide affirming running commentary and envious expressions. Add a list, a few ding sounds as check marks, and a recap summary at the end for the full formula.