Travel: Japan - General

[dimitri_can]

ter_wen:

my rough rough itinerary :


Day 1 (sun) - Reach NRT at 2pm. Check in hotel in Tokyo
Day 2 (mon) - Tokyo
Day 3 (tue) - DisneyLand
Day 4 (wed) - DisneySea

See the attractions that are closed before you go. (^_^)
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/schedule/stop/

Day 5 (thur) - Tokyo
Day 6 (fri) - Yokohama day trip
Day 7 (sat) - Mt Fuji + Gotemba outlet shopping. Back to Tokyo.

->This day might have a lot of people, you are advised to swap Day 5 and Day 7.

Day 8 (sun) - Tokyo -> Osaka
Day 9 (mon) - Universal Studio Japan
Day 10 (tue) - Osaka -> Kyoto (maybe skip) -> Tokyo
Day 11 (wed) - Tokyo
Day 12 (thur) - Tokyo
Day 13 (fri) - Leaving on 5pm flight. sayonara.

purposely choose weekdays for theme parks to avoid crowds.
im not so keen but my hb n kids want.

hows the pace?
appreciate any comments pls.

=========================================
My suggested itinerary
----------------
Day 1 (sun) - Reach NRT at 2pm. Check in hotel in Tokyo
Day 2 (mon) - Tokyo
Day 3 (tue) - DisneyLand
Day 4 (wed) - DisneySea
Day 5 (thur) - Tokyo
Day 6 (fri) - Yokohama day trip
Day 7 (sat) - Mt Fuji + Gotemba outlet shopping. Back to Tokyo.
Day 8 (sun) - Tokyo -> Osaka

->You can schedule this day to do Osaka Aquarium, Denden Town, Dotonbori, America Village, once you have checked in.

Osaka Aquarium: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4004.html
Dotonbori/Namba: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4001.html
American Village: http://americamura.co.jp/
Denden Town: https://www.osaka-info.jp/en/shopping/s ... st_88.html

More info over here: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html

Day 9 (mon) - Universal Studio Japan
(make sure the rides that you want to go are available. Not all might be available)

Day 10 (tue) - Kobe
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2159.html

Day 11 (wed) - Kyoto (Kiyomizudera, Fushimi Inari, Gion)

Kiyomizudera: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3901.html
Fushimi Inari: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3915.html
Gion: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3902.html

Day 12 (thur) - Kyoto->Tokyo
Day 13 (fri) - Leaving on 5pm flight. sayonara.

In Shinjuku, Tokyo, Exit A7, there is a very famous melon bun (Brand name: Takano) that is delicious.

http://oliver-peach.blogspot.sg/2011/10 ... bread.html

Avoid the raw stuff in Tokyo if you can... cooked food i think still not too bad...

http://www.naturalnews.com/046112_radia ... Tokyo.html

[dimitri_can]

Day 6 (fri) - Yokohama day trip

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2156.html

Chinatown: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3201.html
My recommended restaurant: http://www.suiroh.jp/
Shanghainese restaurant. My favorite is 1100 yen meal.

Ramen Museum: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3202.html
Cup Noodles Museum: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3212.html
(recommended-Closed on Tues/New Yr holidays)

Kirin Beer Museum: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3211.html
(need to make reservation. For children, they will get apple/orange juice coupons)

Minato Mirai: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3200.html
(Cosmos world theme park)

Sankeien Garden: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3205.html

[dimitri_can]

choonie:

I agree that if u travel all the way to osaka, then better spend more days. The travelling time is quite long, ie about 4 hr from Tokyo if I remember correctly & expensive shinkansen train rides.


For hakone & Gotemba, u can spend about 3 days using hakone pass. There's also a lot to see in that area like owakudani valley, lake ashi, nice musuem like hakone open air musuem, little prince & glass musuem etc. can also enjoy hakone onsen.

Just for added info,if using JR nation-wide pass, can take train to JR Odawara station then buy the Hakone Free pass (can save more)

Hakone Travel: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5206.html
Hakone Free Pass: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html

From Tokyo to Shin-Osaka (station for Shinkansen), there are 3 types of train.

Kodama: 3.5 hours (stops every stop)
Hikari: 3 hours <-suggested Shinkansen to take
Nozomi: 2.5 hours (if you are using JR nation-wide pass, you cannot take this train)

[ter_wen]

Dnls_mum:

We used prepaid data card by IIAJMO for both our Dec14 and Apr15 trip. ¥4080 for 2GB data for 3 Mths. Every reasonable. Can buy from many places near like BIC camera etc. Coverage very good.

this seems like a good option.
so far the mobile wifi i've tried to search rental is S$8-12 per day.

[ter_wen]

Dnls_mum:

ter_wen:

my rough rough itinerary :


Day 1 (sun) - Reach NRT at 2pm. Check in hotel in Tokyo
Day 2 (mon) - Tokyo
Day 3 (tue) - DisneyLand
Day 4 (wed) - DisneySea
Day 5 (thur) - Tokyo
Day 6 (fri) - Yokohama day trip
Day 7 (sat) - Mt Fuji + Gotemba outlet shopping. Back to Tokyo.
Day 8 (sun) - Tokyo -> Osaka
Day 9 (mon) - Universal Studio Japan
Day 10 (tue) - Osaka -> Kyoto (maybe skip) -> Tokyo
Day 11 (wed) - Tokyo
Day 12 (thur) - Tokyo
Day 13 (fri) - Leaving on 5pm flight. sayonara.

purposely choose weekdays for theme parks to avoid crowds.
im not so keen but my hb n kids want.

hows the pace?
appreciate any comments pls.

Have you bought your tickets? Otherwise consider open jaw and return via osaka. Will save precious time that can be used sightseeing.
Consider going Yokohama on the way to Osaka. It is on the way. Then you don't have to keep doubling back to Tokyo. Also, why do you want to go to Yokohama? For the cup noodle museum? If nothing else, you can save that day and visit the one in osaka.

go yokohama for ramen museum, cup noodle museum n chinatown.
oh i thought yokohama not very far from tokyo n i also dun want to hop hop and change hotel so set as day trip first.
din know there's another one in osaka lei. thks thks

[dimitri_can]

ter_wen:

Dnls_mum:

We used prepaid data card by IIAJMO for both our Dec14 and Apr15 trip. ¥4080 for 2GB data for 3 Mths. Every reasonable. Can buy from many places near like BIC camera etc. Coverage very good.

this seems like a good option.
so far the mobile wifi i've tried to search rental is S$8-12 per day.

The other one u can try is this. Can save some money.
http://www.so-net.ne.jp/prepaid/en/#plan

But this is a bit more tedious. You need to register on their website. No need to return the SIM card as stated there.
1GB: 3000 yen
2.2GB: 4000 yen

[ter_wen]

dimitri_can:

If you are like dnls_mum, only searches, look for places, check train schedule, no youtube/facebooking, then i think the data card is better.

More info here
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/japan ... 42906.html

If you play youtube/facebook, then it's very ez to exceed the 2GB.

this info on data card is really useful.
thks to u both!
will propose to my hb.

[ter_wen]

dimitri_can:

If you are like dnls_mum, only searches, look for places, check train schedule, no youtube/facebooking, then i think the data card is better.

More info here
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/japan ... 42906.html

If you play youtube/facebook, then it's very ez to exceed the 2GB.

this info on data card is really useful.
thks to u both!
will propose to my hb.

[dimitri_can]

ter_wen:

go yokohama for ramen museum, cup noodle museum n chinatown.
oh i thought yokohama not very far from tokyo n i also dun want to hop hop and change hotel so set as day trip first.
din know there's another one in osaka lei. thks thks

\"The Osaka museum is not located in a touristy area of Osaka, but rather in a quiet residential suburb. In fact, you could get lost trying to find it as there are no street names anywhere in Japan. This museum, unlike the one in Yokohama is mostly targeted towards domestic (Japanese) tourists.\"

http://ngaie.blogspot.sg/2012/06/instan ... osaka.html

[dimitri_can]

Chinatown, Yokohama


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWooOPtaiKk