Zeit:

Kevinlu:

Hi, any recommendation for a good hotel for family of 4 in good location @ below $300 per night?

This is a difficult question, as we don't know which attractions you would be visiting and in which city. Tokyo only?

Will prefer to stay in shinjuku.

For ski resort, choices probably limited.
If I'm visiting my fuji(Thomas land) should I stay there as well? Or just a day trip there?

Hi, any recommendation for a good hotel for family of 4 in good location @ below $300 per night?

Hi, want to ask: if I’m planning to visit both disneyland and sea. And since I’m there for 15days. Should I go 2 straight days? Or visit 1 beginning of trip and 1 towards the end?


Kids is 5 and 8 year old.

Happy New Year Everyone.


Just took the first step and book 14 night to tokyo in dec.
Paid about 2.7k for 2a 2c on JAL.

Open jaw ticket is about 500 more ex on SQ and KIX timing is not good. therefore just fly n leave from 1 city.

now time for planning and hotel.

Happy New Year Everyone.


Just took the first step and book 14 night to tokyo in dec.
Paid about 2.7k for 2a 2c on JAL.

Open jaw ticket is about 500 more ex on SQ and KIX timing is not good. therefore just fly n leave from 1 city.

now time for planning and hotel.

zac's mum:

Nothing interesting in Osaka as far as I know. So save the costly bullet train fare & stay in Tokyo. There’s plenty to occupy u for even 7-10 days in Tokyo, don’t need to rush. With kids, it’s sufficient to do 1-2 activities/places per day max. Otherwise cue the tantrums lol. Best u ask your DW for her input btw! To prevent arguments/unhappiness

Mt Fuji area u can find some day tours by bus which include lunch & hot spring. I didn’t research too much into those because DH is a gourmet snob and always wants to choose the best restaurants for meals

So i guess my plan for now maybe is to stick to toyko, for now....

1 question i have.. if im not travelling to osaka, kyoto....
And just go to mt fuji, neighboring town, ski resort.... do i still need to get the JR pass? or no need to at all?

Thanks for sharing...

may i ask if there is anything interesting in Osaka for your 6yo DS?
Another option i might take is that if there is nothing too interesting for kids, i will just stay in toyko and explore the neighboring towns.

zac's mum:

To
Kevinlu: Just a little bit about my experience in Tokyo/Osaka in March 2016 with a 6 yo DS. He is an early riser and can walk long distances, won’t sit in pram kind. Suitable to take trains in Japan because there is plenty of walking (the stations are huuuuge and u need to find the correct platform. Communication in English with the staff is possible but it is chicken & duck talk sometimes. I can read a bit of Japanese so that helps when following the signs. I’m general, if u need to ask for directions on the street, the younger Japanese are more conversant in English. Or use your phone translator to help, they love tech haha.

The major places I planned for the kid were Disneyland & Disneysea. There is Thomas Land near Mount Fuji but small & hard to find if you don’t know Japanese. Tsujiki fish market for the adults. DH’s agenda was to eat high quality Japanese food. Absolutely the best experience because they do not export their best produce. No clothes shopping for us.

Kiddo was happy to walk around with us. We did Ueno Park and Daiba area (Toyota showroom). Tsujiki is crowded like a Taiwanese night market on weekends but he is trained to not wander away. I still put a “emergency contact info” card (in both languages) in his backpack just in case. Safety is not an issue though, just communication. In Tokyo the train signs have English, but not in Osaka, which is more like suburbia. Universal Studios Osaka was quite disappointing so I should have just cut out those 2D1N from my itinerary.

Thanks for this awesome link, will read it up first..

Zeit:

zac's mum:

http://www.mumstravels.com/?page_id=1943

PS: I hope the blogger Dnls doesn't mind me sharing her blog link.

Thanks Zeit,


This is a very very good guide on how i should plan my Jap trip.
appreciate it!! Basically we had done some long trip before, but mostly is straightforward trips where we go and return at the same airport.

For this jap trip, it's gonna be a surprise trip for the kids, and wedding anni trip. So planning will be just by me.
First thing i hope to do first is to book the air ticket, and being first timer to Jap, Im having a hard time figuring out which is the most cost efficient way. to fly to and back from toyko, or to fly to toyko n back from osaka. Still waiting for good SQ promo.

The part where im most confuse is on the JR pass(because it's going to come up to 2k plus if im getting a 14days pass, plus never had the experience of taking JR before) i really don't know how to calculate which should i opt for.
1. if my ticket is open jaw, and my itinerary is toyko-ski resort- toyko-kyoto-osaka, does it means no need to buy JR pass and just buy the normal price ticket?
2. if i need to return to toyko, does my JR pass need to cover the days where i visit ski resort(not sure which one yet), or mt fuji?

Probably will spend a good 8 days in toyko, and the rest in osaka(not so sure what to do in osaka yet)

Not so worried about walking as it will be winter, kids will complain less.

Zeit:

don't be confused. First things first. Who where what which?

Who - are your 6 and 8 year olds cooperative? Are they sleepyheads, whiners, slow walkers, first-timers?
Where - have you visited all the tourism sites for each of those cities mentioned by forummers here yet? Go have a read and consult your little kids and wifey if they are game. Some temples, museums and gardens can bore the hell out of 6-8 year olds.
What - what are their interests? Sanrio, Lego, Tomika, Plarail, Pokemon, Disney, Ghibli? Your wifey needs shopping?
Which - which is their preferred mode of transport? Can they train-hop or subway-hop?

Next, study the map of Japan very closely. It's elongated so you need to strategise a bit, eg buy open jaw airtickets or back-track. Circle those cities you desire to visit after your family meeting. Put down estimated no of nights you want next to city. Then connect the dots, i.e check HyperDia for train or bus timings and fares. Also, check if there are day tours from your base, e.g Nagoya, so you need not lug your bags everywhere.

Then calculate the fare breakdowns and compare with JR Pass' 7-day ot 14-day prices. Make a decision to buy or not to buy.


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Edited to add the last 'W' - 'When' you travel.

You asked about the est budget for 12-14 days for 2A2C. I think the period that you travel will tip the scales. Nov-Dec hols can be divided into 4 broad periods:
1. End of SA2 (i.e. you ponteng a few days or after PSLE)
2. Last 2 weeks of Nov
3. First 2 weeks of Dec
4. Last 2 weeks of Dec

Run a quick search based on your desired period on some hotel and airline booking websites and you'll see your budget fluctuate. F&B as all forummer have rightly pointed out is very cheap in Japan, more so if you have two 6 and 8 year olds who will pick the cheaper Kids' Meals

hi Esteema, thanks so much for the very detail and layman explanation.

together 1 more member who PM me to explain, i now get a much much better understanding!

now it's time to slowly plan for the trip...