Travel: Japan - General

[starlight1968sg]

MP

My next available slot will be early Jan.
Dh wants to go South Island, NZ.
It will be summer and travel peak season which we try to avoid.
I want to go Hokkaido and visit a friend in Tokyo.
We have no concrete plans yet.
Now I will rely on dd to plan. She has done an excellent job for this NZ trip.

[MyPillow]

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I am blessed with blue last winter
Hokkaido may not be this blue

[MyPillow]

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[Zeit]

Estéema:

Zeit,


Wld u hv time to pay a day's visit to Kinosakionsen if u enjoy a hot 'spa'?

If u're going in winter, guess I can't suggest Nagano which is lovely coz they might shut the mountains then no fun with yr all-round tram ticket. But it was one of the best experience as Japanese alps experience is so different & we just relaxed going on cruise ard Lake Ashinoko. Took a few pics squarely fr the ferry of Torii gate. They've lovely hotspring/onsen experience up in the Japanese alps too.

Get the Hakone pass which is more worth it as it covers ferry, trams/Hakone Rail & Ropeway for day trip or 3-day pass.

We stayed in Tokyo's Ginza region, but I prefer the down-to-earth places such as Kinosakionsen & Hakone coz Gina is too plastic for me. DH & kids enjoyed the Nissan showroom with all the latest gadgets on display over several floors along the Ginza stretch almost daily on our way back to hotel.

Hope winter offers just as interesting a Japanese experience for you, Zeit.

OK thanks for the recommendation on Kinosakionsen. Not sure if I can squeeze an onsen outing into my Osaka leg, as I'm already struggling to find ways to fit in Nara either in Kyoto leg or Osaka leg.

I'm squeezing in Nagano and Hakone for the sake of dc. Never mind the snow. We love Japan winter

Ginza is cos I want to be nearer to Tokyo station. Ginza has some of the best boutiques and F&B, including Shiseido Parlour Salon De Cafe hi-tea...hahhaha... Will be checking out new Ginza 6 mall.

Nissan and Sony inside the new Ginza Place? No Nissan for me, but will be going to Toyota commemorative museum in Nagoya instead.

[Zeit]

MMM:

For bamboo grove, we brought them there... apparently mum wasn't very impressed as she saw some graves here and there and left the grove shortly after. But we did explore the shops outside.


We did enjoy Nara with deer feeding. It was kind of fun. We traveled all the way to Hiroshima too.

We did Osaka outlet few years back, it was ok. But think the Tokyo premium outlets has more stores. My teenage kids bought many sport shoes during the Nov trip as they said the same in Singapore cost so much more.

Not so optimistic about the bamboo grove also, looking at the winter photos. Have seen similar bamboo groves in China before. The romantic Sagano train seems like an over-hype to me, like Puffing Billy in Melbourne
Yes, sports shoes and sneaks from Japan are nice n unique.

[Estéema]

Kinosakionsen might be better for a night’s stay at least. The entire place is very romantic & fairy-like & we booked ourselves to stay at with a Michelin chef. His Jap is so unique. We had a variety of platters of sushi, rolls & sashimi. Then nighttime we had wagyu & he was very kind to my family & gave us generous heaps of it. I felt it wld hv been better if I cld’ve asked for him to reduce at the start. Felt guilty thereafter coz there are so much leftovers. But we had a memorable time. Maybe yr next trip when u hv more time.


How old is yr DC? Not sure if yr DC old enuf to enjoy scenery up at Hakone & its hot springs. Mine mostly avoid the hot springs but enjoyed the antiquated tram rides. They did enjoy the Ropeway ride & took lots of pics diff angles all the way up & then down. I love to shop for in-laws & trinklets for my neices. There were shops with lots of hand-crafted trinklets, I devoured as much as I cld. Only bought one for myself as I know I hardly use them.

Yes, yes. You MUST go for the Toyota museum. Do book ahead for their tour. We had to take ano day trip coz we went w/o booking & DH wanted to take the tour. Also do bring yr DC to the Shinkansen train museum as they hv so many interesting versions all the way to the latest models & DC can try the simulators for fun.

Hope you hv a good winter holiday this Dec, Zeit.

[MyPillow]

Bluegal,

can share how u plan to travel from
Day 4\tKaruizawa - ski resort
Day 5\tKaruizawa - Jigokudani Monkey Park

If bullet train , need to go to Nagano, then fr Nagano to monkey park traveling time also not short.
not sure within One day can transfer to Monkey park or not - Winter day time is v short , sun set abt 4.30pm.

snow monkey can be seen in Ueno Zoo ( enclosure) too , but not natural onsen la

[bluegal6]

Zeit:

bluegal6:

Dear All,

Thanks for the guidance on the itineraries I posted earlier. We have confirm on below itineraries, a very relax one or two activities/day.

Day 1\tTokyo - probably visit Yokohama cupnoodles/ Doraemon musuem
Day2\tKawaguchiko - Gotemba premiun outlet
Day 3\tKawaguchiko - fuji-Q highland
Day 4\tKaruizawa - ski resort
Day 5\tKaruizawa - Jigokudani Monkey Park
Day 6\tTokyo -
Day 7\tTokyo - Disneysea
Day 8\tTokyo -
Day 9\tHome Sweet Home

bluegal
I think this looks great! Not sure what time you arrive on Day 1, so you might have to work on check-in times and train timings to Yokohama. Normally, I chill on Day 1 and plan minimal city sightseeing.

You may also wish to know it's pretty common for tourists to combine Mt Fuji and Gotemba Outlets into 1 full day, so maybe you can save a day After all you cant explore much of Mt Fuji beyond the 5th station during winter.

I see you've changed from Yeti to Karuizawa ski resort to be closer to Jigokudani. Snowtown Yeti (2nd station) can also be combined with your Mt Fuji & Gotemba outing. Just a suggestion.

Hi Zeit,
I'll arrive at 5.55am on the first day, will be staying at Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu as sis will be joining us on the 2nd day, afterwhich we'll travel to Kawaguchiko together.

Ya how I wish is could squeeze Mt Fuji and Gotemba Outlets in a day but heard winter period, shops close early plus quite a bit of travelling to do thus I plan a relax trip for the children.

MyPillow:

Bluegal,
can share how u plan to travel from
Day 4\tKaruizawa - ski resort
Day 5\tKaruizawa - Jigokudani Monkey Park

If bullet train , need to go to Nagano, then fr Nagano to monkey park traveling time also not short.
not sure within One day can transfer to Monkey park or not - Winter day time is v short , sun set abt 4.30pm.

snow monkey can be seen in Ueno Zoo ( enclosure) too , but not natural onsen la

Hi MyPillow,
This is quite far, tentatively I am planning to use Shinkansen cos we are considering to buy Tokyo Wide Pass to cover day 4-day 6. This time round winter period we dare not drive, else driving can really save half the time compare to public transport.
I always refer to rome2rio for the travelling..
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Karuizawa-Station/Jigokudani-Monkey-Park

[Gilian039]

Japan was amazing and I’ll definitely be going back It was my best trip ever!

[Zappy]

Anyone knows where to shop for watches in Japan (Tokyo), eg G-shock/ Baby Gs?

Is it really better value buying from there