Post New

Jeff,

The AlbabyFamily is likely to head off to Japan for a first-time trip sometime next summer, and Wendy suggested that I solicit suggestions from you here. We know to hit the highlights of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka - and will obviously hit the internet and guide books for the most common "must-see" things there. But nothing beats advice from real people who have been there, so Wendy thought I should cross post over to here. My kids are 17 and 12, so it's a bit of an exercise to find things they'll both enjoy (or we divide and conquer).

I think my kids will be very interested in the most modern aspects of Japan. Both are fascinated by the bits of Japanese youth culture that find their way here, are interested in tech, and my daughter is deeply into fashion. Her favorite thing to do is hit thrift stores abroad. Don’t know if you ran across those sorts of things anywhere.

I’ve heard DisneySea is not to be missed if you’re into theme parks, which my son definitely is - so we might do that. The guided tour is a great suggestion - we did that in Rome on our first day and it was a wonderful start.

Since we’re first timers, the “obvious” choices are Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka. Is there a fourth place that you experienced that you really loved?

Albaby

I'd be curious to hear about this as well. I'm strongly considering a ski trip to Japan (JaPow!) maybe this season but more likely next. Niseko would be the target destination, but I think a day or two in Tokyo or some other logical place to bookend the trip would be in order. I don't know why, but I feel a little intimidated about not being able to read or speak the language. I've been to lots of places where I didn't speak the language with no issues, but Japan seems like it would be harder for some reason.

Hi Albaby,

No problem. We've beeen to Japan numerous times (and , in fact, we're scheduled to spen next April there) and while we've never visiktted Disney there, the country has a massive number of things that even kids would enjoy. Without thinking verly hard, in Tokyo, Takeshita Dori (no jokes now!)is a street is packed with kids looking for bizarre clothes, many wearing "cosplay" (costumed like comic book characters for role-playing) and noshing on assorted fast food. The area around Akihabara station is known for its electronic and camera stores.

The mamouth Yodabashi Camera store takes the cake (along with a similarly larg BIC store). . Nine floors high and a couple under-ground and a full city block, this store has a floor dedicated to toys, another of kitchen small appliances, another devoted to TV's and sound systems, and so on. It is hard to explain the vistas one gets looking across a floor, other than to say that each is about the size of the average Costco and is devoted to just one or two families of products - each in vast variety and extreme depth. If it runs on electrons, takes or presents pictures, makes noise or provides entertainment (yes, there are rooms full of electric guitars, others of pianos, tons of Transformers, Voltrons, Marvel figures, dancing Star Wars action figures, whatever). There are wristwatches, PC's, mobile phones, even cosmetics and bicycles. I cannot even comprehend the value of the collective products which are on display on the floors of the aggregated chain of super-stores that this company (and its competitors like BIC Camera) runs. I was so tired after walking and browsing around each of the store's floors (my wife sat some of them out), that I threw in the towel and did not go looking for other super-stores in the neighborhood.

Tokyo has "Goodwill" grouops which provide absolutely free (refuse tips, as well) guided tours in English of most popular neighborhoods.

Reply to the email of this post (so I have your address) and I'll send you the Japanese chapter from my travel guide book (includes over 30 cities and towns in Japanm along with lots of background info.

THis chapter is an excerpt from "Take the High Road - A Primer for the Independent Traveler" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V7C2L9S). This book starts with a couple of hundered pages of travel advice and best practice, followed by the sort of georaphic writeups that I'll be sending you on over 100 countries and over 700 towns and cities around the world. We tend to travel between 6-10 months each year, almost always sightseeing on our own. Since we frequently return to places we have been in the past, I find the book invaluable to remind me where to find things and what to do.

While the geographic index is at the end of the book, I figured yoou might get a kick out of the Table of Contents of the boook's first section:

Jeff

PROLOGUE
TRAVELING IN THE AGE OF COVID-19
HOW TO STRUCTURE THE ITINERARY OF A TOUR
An example of structuring an itinerary:
HOW TO STRUCTURE A TOUR OF A CITY
PREPARING FOR THE TRIP
PREPARING TO LEAVE HOME
Phones and internet on the home front:
Closing down the place:
Financial considerations of leaving:
LUGGAGE PIECES
PACKING LISTS
The Leaving Home Checklist
The Cosmetic List
Clothing & Packed Items
LOGISTICS, CHECKING LUGGAGE
PACKING & UNPACKING LUGGAGE AT HOME
TRAVEL AGENTS
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
__ Cruises
____Commercial Freighter Travel
River Cruise Comparisons
____Antarctic Cruises

More Cruise Notes
“Short term” Taxi's, Ride-Hailing and Chauffeured Cars
“Long term” Chauffeured Cars
Foreign car rentals and Traffic
Airlines
Long-Haul Trains
Long-Haul Buses
Ferries
Subways/Metros, Trams & Local Buses
Hop-On/Hop-Off Buses
Using Porters
HOTELS
The Concept Of “The Hotel” Vs. “The Environment”
SAFARIS and AFRICAN TRAVEL
__East African Safaris – The Great Game Migration
__Tipping on Safaris
__African Travel Methods
UPGRADES
FREQUENT FLYER, HOTEL & CRUISE ELITE PROGRAMS
ATM (FOREIGN CURRENCY) & CREDIT CARDS, USING US DOLLARS
Foreign Currency
Using US Dollars Abroad
Credit Cards
Credit Card Security
BARGAINING, MARKETS, SHOPPING
Buying Jewelry
Detecting Fakes
Shopping FOR BESPOKE CLOTHING
Questions to be prepared to answer when having bespoke clothing made:
Vat Taxes & Duty Free Shopping
Tipping
Sightseeing
Special Discounts
City Cards
Alternatives To Cruise Excursions
Walking Tours
Museums
Note On Peer Pressure:
Electronics & Gadgets
Special note on wristwatches
LAPTOP AND INTERNET SECURITY
How to Use Public Computers Safely
Built-in Safe Browsing
I Forgot! Now What?
Secure Your Connection
Go Naked
Use Codes or Cyphers
WI-FI AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
Setting up a Laptop for Shipboard Use
GSM MOBILE CELL PHONES
Changing to a foreign SIM chip
Phone Based Language Translation Apps
GPS and GPS Phone Software
Other Useful Travel Apps
RESTAURANTS
Spice And Herb Mixtures/Blends
FOOD SAFETY
Note on eating “street food” and in restaurants abroad:
HEALTH/PHARMACIES
We keep the following vaccinations and inoculations current:
COVID-19
HEALTH SECURITY/ TRAVEL INSURANCE
HAIR CARE, GROOMING & TOILETS
PHYSICAL SECURITY
VISA'S, PASSPORTS, DOCUMENTS

See reply to Albaby1 and forward me your email.

Jeff

It has been many years since I was in Japan but at the time Nara was well worth the visit and not that far from Kyoto. Nara was the first capital of Japan and (had) some pre-1000 AD silks and caligraphy. This was in the 1980's so things may have changed. In Tokyo is a museum dedicated to Japanese swords (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Sword_Museu...). They have moved into a new and (quite elegant by the pictures) facility since I visited.

Much further afield but very moving is Hiroshima, site of the first offensive use of nuclear weapons.

If you have a chance to stay in a traditional ryokan rather than a modern hotel I strongly recommend it.

Rgds,
HH/Sean

Sean,

All is good advice (and actually covered in what I sent them as the Japn section of the book is over 100 pages long :-)

Jeff

If you have a chance to stay in a traditional ryokan rather than a modern hotel I strongly recommend it.

Thanks, Sean.

We would love to do that, and as I work through the chapter that Jeff very kindly sent me I'll hopefully learn more about that. We've traveled abroad with our kids several times in Europe, though, and we've found that lodgings can be challenging for a family of four. Given the small rooms and (usually) even smaller bathrooms, finding someplace that can handle a group of four (with four suitcases) usually requires a lot of research and knowing exactly what the room will be like ahead of time.

AirBnB or other vacation rental is often our best choice, since we can usually get a place with at least an additional half bath - and a washer/dryer at some point on the trip cuts the packing. Plus it's typically easier to make reservations from abroad using the global platforms. But the experience of staying at a ryokan is certainly worth exploring, even if it's only for a night!

Post New

Macroeconomic Trends and Risks FAQ

---

Contact Shrewd'm
Contact the developer of these message boards.