First timer questions
 

Hi all, what a useful forum this is. We are about to head off on our first trip to Japan. Please could soemone help with a few questions?

Do we need to take cash with us? Are there cash only food places for example? If we need cash, can we rely on Mastercard, Visa withdrawals from 7-11 bank rather than take cash with us?



Do we need to pre book airport limousine coach from HND to Hilton Tokyo? Or do we just turn up at a tickets desk in HND and get tickets for the next coach? or is there a metro or train which is better than the limousine bus?



We will go from Tokyo to Kyoto, is it better to have the hotel ship our large cases when we check out from Tokyo and just take backpacks on the train?



We will go from Kyoto to Osaka, as this looks to be only 30 mins, could we take our large cases on this train? Or again is case delivery recommended?



For the JR pass, can we order that online from the official site once we arrive in Tokyo or does it need to be ordered whilst still in the UK? We won't activate it for about 5 days after we arrive. We think it looks just about worth buying as we will do a trip to Hiroshima as well as Kyoto and Osaka and understand we can prebook seats with the pass.



For a trip to Mount Fuji and Hakone from Tokyo, is this something easy to do on our own or should we look on tripadvisor or the hotel concierge for an organised tour?



For a trip to Nara from Kyoto, this looks simple to do on the train, or are we missing something and should look to take an organised tour?



Do the hotels typically have English breakfast tea, decaf tea etc? I saw one hotel review where they only had Earl grey and herbal teas.

Quick tip - You'll find answers to all your questions if you use the search function.

There are a few restaurants that only take cash. You could probably manage without cash, but I guess you'll find it inconvenient once or twice over the course of a week or so. You can get cash from a 7-Bank ATM in Japan.

No need to reserve transport from HND in advance. Check train and monorail options with Google maps transit directions.

Delivery won't arrive same day but it makes for a less encumbered trip. If you want to take large luggage on the Shinkansen you must reserve space when you buy your tickets..

My preference is not to change hotels - Make a day trip from one city to the other. Leave the suitcase at the hotel.

Don't bother with the JR pass. Since the prices increased it is only a cost saver in extreme scenarios (e.g. if you make long distance train journeys every day).

You don't need to join a tour.

Ditto.

More likely to find green tea or hojicha at a Japanese hotel. You can find Twinings EBT at most Supermarkets. Not sure about decaf. Bring your own if you need Yorkshire Gold or Barry's.

Couple of additional points.
Depending on where you are, public transportation may be cash only as well. Restaurants are usually good about taking cards, but sometimes they have high minimums. Having 10-20k jpy on you at all times is probably a good idea though. It feels like a lot but it won't paint a target on you.

Luggage reservation on Shinkansen is only needed for 'oversize' bags according to their sizing chart. Smaller bags and suitcases can just go on the rack above your seat.
Day trip between Kyoto/Osaka I'd stay in the same hotel as well. Traveling between the cities, I would just take the luggage with me on the train.

Yes, the JR pass price increase hurts. I could never find a way to break even on that pass now unless I spend over half of my vacation traveling, less actually doing something.

Thanks for all the answers! Very helpful. We are going for two weeks so were going to spend a few days in Osaka but we will have a think about staying in Kyoto instead, we're staying in the new Doubletree Kyoto station so should be a good base.

Re the JLR pass, their calculator shows the pass costing 50,000 and tokyo - kyoto, kyoto - hirsohima, hiroshima - kyoto, kyoto - Tokyo trips as 52,380, so it seems it's a bit cheaper even without any Osaka or Nara trips unless I'm missing something.

I can't speak for your financial situations, but personally I found it's more of a hassle to get the pass to save <5000jpy.
The line is a good 1-2 hour wait at Haneda Airport when I was there to pick it up. They give alternate locations, but you do have to pay and travel possibly out of your way to get there as well.
Previously it used to be a paper pass you showed to a station agent, but now it's a magnetic one you have to put through a turnstile so you have to look for a non IC-card only turnstile.
Prior to the increase, it was 30,000jpy for a 7 day and I've rode about 60,000jpy in Shinkansen a visit which made it very worth the effort to get it, now, not so much.
Just my 2 cents tho.

Boogle
We've used a debit card (don't use a credit card-it will be a cash advance with interest charges) to withdraw cash at 7-11 stores and at Post Offices.
A SUICA card (stored value card) has been handy for train/subway/bus fares. As long as the cards have a stored value remaining, you won't have to buy tickets for individual trips.
Nara: You can do it on your own, but we've found Goodwill Guides to be very helpful. Without an explanation, the temples are look alike. The tours are free and the guides are knowledgeable and the service is available in many cities all over Japan. Our Nara guide was allowed to enter the "tourist areas" without any fees. Offer to buy refreshments and lunch. In our experience, token gifts (omiyage) presented at the end of a tour have been well received.

I would definitely plan on using some cash, in the tourist areas you'll visit as part-timers, you'll mostly be able to use cards but many small shops and restaurants may not take them.
Just withdraw from the 7-11.

I disagree with the "stay in Kyoto or Osaka, not both" crew, if you stay only in Kyoto, you miss out on Osaka at night when it's at it's best, likewise not staying in Kyoto means you miss out on easy morning advantage in seeing busy places as well as the atmosphere. Both cities are great but are very different in the morning and at night, enjoy them both fully.
Also, day tripping several times adds plenty of wasted time, it's not "just 30 mins", it's time from hotel to station + waiting time + 30 mins + time to get to destination., twice in one day.

IDK what calculator you used, but that 52,380 total ticket price sounds like it includes Nozomi shinkansen which you can't use (with JR Pass) without paying a supplement. For Tokyo <-> Kyoto with the pass you will have a choice of 2 Hikari trains per hour. Without the pass you could choose between 12 Nozomi trains per hour plus the 2 Hikari trains.

I got these fares from the JR West website for travel April 17

on Nozomi shinkansen
13,970 Tokyo -> Kyoto
11,740 Kyoto -> Hiroshima
25,710 one way
x2
51,420

with the pass, exclude Nozomi and get:
13,650
11,100
24750 one way
x2
49,500
You probably would have to change trains between Kyoto and Hiroshima. That was the case in olden days with the pass. You can probably find a Hikari that does that trip, maybe one or two per day. But there are plenty of Nozomi departures that you can use - if you don't use the JR Pass.

Here is a 5-day pass that could save a bit, but it has the issue of no shinkansen between Kyoto and Shin Osaka:
JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass (japan-guide.com)

I agree that staying in both Kyoto and Osaka is worthwile.

Am not clear on your plan but it sounds like Tokyo- Kyoto- Osaka- Hiroshima- Kyoto- Tokyo

If you aren't making (don't make) that second stop in Kyoto then you could just fly back to Tokyo from Hiroshima.

ok, leaving soon, 5 days in Tokyo, etc I picked April 30 as Hiroshima departure day and see that - right now- jal.co.jp has economy fares of 17,090 and J-class fares of 19,290 for the one-way 1hr 20min flight HIJ-HND. Other carriers could be less expensive.

Just realized that you are leaving soon and staying 2 weeks which means you will be there for at least part of Golden Week, Mon, Apr 29, 2024 – Sun, May 5, 2024

Yes - If you do all of those trips within 7 calendar days, you'll save a couple of thousand yen. More if you include trips to Nara and Osaka within the 7 days. On the Shinkansen, JR pass users must pay a surcharge to ride Nozomi trains, which are the fastest and most frequent services between Tokyo and Osaka, so you sacrifice some convenience for the savings.

An alternative approach to save some money would be to fly one way. For example, using trains to go Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Hiroshima, and take a domestic flight from Hiroshima to connect with your international flight home. Or Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Hiroshima-Fukuoka and fly back to HND from there. Domestic flights can be very good value compared with trains - especially if you book in advance.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japa...ors-japan.html + search in thread might also help you find some other answers to questions you haven't yet posted


Also take a look at Google Maps to see if there are stairs on your way to and from shinkansen stations/subway connections and if you'll be looking for locker space if you want to sightsee near the destination station before check-in if your hotel is a bit further from the station.

If you want use coin lockers, the major train station lockers usually take IC card but I also like to keep some 100 and 500 yen coins just in case. 100 and 10 yen coins are useful for vending machines further from train stations and 100 yen coins for business hotel washer/dryer. I bring a coin pouch even after primarily using suica/credit card for in-store payments.

Thanks for all the hints and tips, very helpful. Our plan is 5 nights Tokyo (include a Mt Fuji day trip), 5 nights Kyoto (include a nara trip and we will go to Hiroshima for 1 night mid way through the Kyoto stay keeping the room on in Kyoto), 2 nights in Osaka, 1 night in Yokohama to finish. We will be there over the golden week so I guess that might not be ideal but I'm sure we will manage. Now we have to plan what we are going to see in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, not done that part yet!

In that case, you definitely don't want a 7-day JR Pass. Those 7 nights make for an 8-day trip.

The pass days are calendar days, each day ending at midnight. If day 1 was the day you traveled Tokyo to Kyoto then the travel from Osaka to Yokohama would be day 8.

I’m curious why everyone always wants to go to Hiroshima. Is it the Bomb? Or is it to visit Miyajima? Nothing wrong with going of course, just truly curious.

Just as some people are famous for being famous, so some places become visit-worthy because they're well visited. The reason that Hiroshima is on so many tourists' itinerary is because outside of Japan's top five most populous cities **, Hiroshima and Nagasaki are probably the only two that EVERYONE has heard of, and Hiroshima is easier to get to. Clearly Hiroshima's fame is largely a result of its history as the first city to have been destroyed by an atomic bomb.

The city has few pre-war historical buildings or neighborhoods of the kind that tourists flock to in other places ... Only the castle ruins, and a few buildings that are famous for having survived the bombing. For that reason, the typical tourist visit takes in the various peace memorials, some time in the park, and then on to Miyajima. That said, it's a very pleasant city with an unusual amount of green space and wide avenues. It's a nice place to cycle around and the people are welcoming. I feel that it has a more outward-looking / international feeling than most places in Japan. Whether that's because of its history as a trading port or its status as a peace city, I can't say for sure. Probably the latter.

EDIT - It also plays host to a greater number of international conferences than similarly sized cities, including trade conferences and academic / scientific / medical forums etc. . Again, that probably stems from its status as a city that has set itself up to promote global peace. All of this creates a virtuous cycle that makes it visit-worthy.

FInally, perhaps we should look at the visitors rather than the city to understand why some places are more visited than others. I think a lot of people go to the same four or five places as everyone else because they want to be able to tell the folks back home that they went to those four or five places. It's tempting to say that this is because of social media but I think it predates that.

** Or let's say outside of the top three and Kyoto.

(And, ironically, while Hiroshima's fame stems from the fact that it was destroyed, Kyoto's popularity among tourists can be attributed to the fact that it wasn't ... so perhaps we should credit Secretary of War H. Stimson as the modern-day tourists' original influencer).

Up until October last year (2023) another additional reason for its inclusion on itineraries was that it was an easy way to give value to the JR Pass. Rather than worry about whether or not to buy individual tickets (and include a ride on the Nozomi) between Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto or buy the JR Pass, the addition of Hiroshima (and that Miyajima side trip) made the purchase of a JR Pass into a slam-dunk obvious choice.

I sent my parents there without me (I included Kurashiki and Himeji as well as Miyajima on that short solo tour) and their visit to Hiroshima included a memorable encounter with Crown Prince Akishino, but that’s a part of their visit that only happened because it increased the cost-performance of the previous JR Pass.

Hope you saw the post quoted below below.

You can visit Hiroshima and/or Miyajima as a day trip from Kyoto. If you were to spend that night in a nice ryokan on Mijajima then that makes some sense. But the only reason to spend that night in Hiroshima would be to attend a Hiroshima Carp baseball game. (I like Hiroshima and the only reason am suggesting a day trip is because you are wasting a hotel room night in Kyoto).

I reccommend attending Miyako Odori in Kyoto.

We weren't sure how long to spend in Hiroshima, so we booked the hilton (for less than 14000JPY so not a big extra cost) and thought 2 days to be on the safe side and not rushing around, we will have a look at the logistics of doing it in a day trip though!

The atomic bomb memorial is definitely an experience I'll never forget.
I found Hiroshima to be a good central place to stay for the area, I booked the Hotel Granvia Hiroshima attached to the station when I was there which gave me easy access to the shinkansen, JR, and Hiroden trams, and spent a few days going to surrounding areas such as Iwakuni and Miyajima to the west, the bomb memorial, Mazda factory tour, fooding in the city itself, take the ferry to Etajima for the naval academy and Cruiser Tone memorial, and a day trip to Kure for the Yamato and JMSDF museums.

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The extra cost is that 14000JPY or the cost of the Kyoto lodging, whichever is higher.

Two part-days would be better than a day trip but that takes time from Kyoto, where you don't have a whole lot of time already.(especially given you are planning a Nara day trip). A Kyoto fan would urge skipping Hiroshima and even skpping Osaka altogether (or Osaka as day trip at most from Kyoto). People love Kyoto. I don't, but you might.

A day trip plan gives you an option of which day to go depending on weather. A two part-day trip gives you two chances of a good weather day and would give you the option of visiting Himeji Castle on the way.

Are you interested In visiting Miyajima? If not then day trip will definitely do.

Here is info for getting to Miyajima: Hiroshima to Miyajima: How to get to and around Miyajima - Access, Transport and Orientation (japan-guide.com)

Here is the timetable for the ferry between Peace Park and Miyajima: Timetable - Hiroshima World Heritage Sea Route (aqua-net-h.co.jp)

Here is Peace Memorial Museum info: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (hpmmuseum.jp)

For a day trip I think I would go to Hiroshima first, so:
shinkansen to Hiroshima, tram to Genbaku Dome Mae stop, visit park and museum, ferry from park to Miyajima, enjoy the island and then JR ferry to Miyajimaguchi, JR local to Hiroshima Station, then shinkansen to Kyoto.

Would be a good idea to look at the tide table for Miyajima, assuming you want to see the Itskushima Shrine torii standing in water and not mud.

Good point re: checking tide schedule/times at Miyajima. It’s fun to be able to walk to it, but also take photos with it “floating.” Also cool to see the water underneath the shrine.

If you plan it right, you will be able to do it all in a day trip from Kyoto… couple hours in Hiroshima (peace park, eat Hiroshimayaki), a good 5-6 hours on Miyajima (Itsukushima shrine at low and high tides, ropeway to top of mountain with a bit of hiking). It will be a long day but, if you limit the number of sights to visit, it will not be too rushed.

The atomic bomb museum is one of those places you may or may not decide to visit. I went once and it was quite depressing. But at least go visit the peace park and the dome building.

I did not know that Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is aka Hiroshimayaki. I think you would just order okonomiyaki.

yah the JR pass made people do some stupid stuff and stupidly long day trips. And it seemed like some kind of competition to get the most out of a pass versus go to where people wanted. I never understood it. Thank goodness for regional passes and crap loads of Avios for JAl.

booogle, you can just drop Hiroshima from your plan. Your transportation cost would then be about 30,000 JPY for the shinkansen from Tokyo and back to Yokohama. Cancel the Hilton res and now you have 14,000 JPY to spend on regional Kansai travel which is plenty. Go see Himeji Castle.

My first time to Japan too. I need to go and stay in Osaka for a couple of days and then go to a place called Takamatsu City. I will be arriving from MNL and then going to Toronto.
What is the best city to arrive then. Takamatsu or Osaka or there are more and better flights to Tokyo? I may have to leave from Tokyo to go to Toronto. Is it easy to travel in Japan if you do not know Japanese? How do I get from the airport to a hotel and how expensive are the taxis from the airport?
Any advice would be much appreciated.

Are you/work paying cash or going on miles? Splitting the inbound and outbound on different LLC/alliances might be the most time efficient.

Takamatsu's a smaller airport. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takamatsu_Airport It probably makes sense to fly to KIX and take the train into Osaka https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2033.html Which train might depend on where in Osaka you might need to stay. JR Haruka makes sense for Osaka Tennoji area while the Nankai line goes to Namba, which tends to have more of the entertainment sector.

JR train between Osaka and Takamatsu https://maps.app.goo.gl/EodzgaXSS7jTb12E6.

Air Canada does offer a 3x weekly flight from KIX to YYZ during the summer months https://www.flightsfrom.com/KIX-YYZ otherwise NRT or HND to YYZ.

There's plenty of tourism in Osaka so English isn't a problem. There is plenty of info online for Osaka including restaurant/menu suggestions if you have dietary limitations.

Takamatsu- you won't have issues checking into a hotel or using Google Maps. Ask for the office's phone number for taxi driver's navigation or directions from whomever you are visiting (assuming there's a specific destination in Takamatsu as it's not on the usual first time visitor list). Confirm the info with Google maps and street view.

You should search Google flights or another site to find the flights that work best for you.

Since Osaka is your first destination, look for nonstops from MNL to KIX or flights with connections from MNL to OSA (all Osaka airports - includes ITM and UKB). You might find that a connection in, say, Taipei or Seoul works better than a connection in Tokyo. (With your preferred airlines - BR or OZ).

For your return from Takamatsu to Toronto I guess that it might make sense to fly OZ from TAK to ICN and connect there.

To travel from Osaka to Takamatsu, there are buses (direct) and trains. AFAIK most trains require a connection. Take Shinkansen from Shin Osaka to Okayama and then a limited express to Takamatsu. Carry your luggage onto the train or use a delivery service to send it to your next hotel. You will need to reserve a space for oversized luggage.

Thank you very much. I was thinking that maybe the train services intercity has checked luggage system. I will try arrive at KIX then. How is the train system from Tokyo to Osaka? Same as have to take luggage inside the train?

No.
What is your concern? Is your luggage too large for you to handle? If so, you could consider using a luggage delivery service (takuhaibin).

It is one 28 inch suitcase and one hand luggage. But I would only be staying in Osaka for 3 days.

For the large case, you need to reserve luggage space on Shinkansen trains.
If it's too much for you to haul, then you can forward it from airport to hotel etc. with Takuhaibin delivery service but it will take a day or two depending on the destination. Your hotel front desk can advise you on that.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a5776ebeb5.jpg
Suitcase size image