First off, I want to be completely honest: I am Japanese, and my English level is basically that of a 2-year-old. I used AI to help edit and polish this text so it’s easy for you to read. Please go easy on me!

​(Also, quick note: Reposting this because my previous draft got flagged by the automated filter. I’m not looking for upvotes or agreement—I just genuinely believe understanding this helps both travelers and local staff, so I wanted to share!)

​My cousin runs a small, traditional izakaya in a popular area, and honestly, they are really struggling lately. They love welcoming international guests, but during peak hours, the language barrier creates an impossible situation for both the staff and the visitors.

​I’m definitely NOT saying "don’t come."

In fact, I want to say the exact opposite: Please come early!

​If you want a truly authentic local experience, especially when traveling solo or with limited Japanese, the best thing you can do is visit right when the shop opens (around 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM).

​Here is why this helps everyone:

​Hospitality takes time and energy. Japanese "omotenashi" isn't a magical spell. During peak hours (7:00 PM–9:00 PM), staff are in pure survival mode. They simply don't have the time to navigate translation apps or walk guests through the menu.

​Early visits mean genuine connection. If you go early when it's quiet, the staff actually have time to welcome you and help you order. Also, around 5:00–6:00 PM, you’ll often find friendly local regulars (like cheerful retirees) who have time to spare and love having a friendly chat with visitors!

​Avoid forcing staff into awkward situations. When staff look stressed, they aren't trying to be rude—they are just overwhelmed. Asking "Is it okay?" during peak rush hour forces them into a corner because Japanese culture makes it very hard to say "No" directly.

​Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine a packed, understaffed bar in your home country. If someone who couldn't speak the language walked in during the absolute peak rush and expected personalized attention, it would be pretty tough for the staff.

​Also, learning just a few basic phrases goes a huge way:

​"Sumimasen" (Excuse me)

​"Osusume wa?" (What do you recommend?)

​"Kore o kudasai" (This one, please)

​Visiting early, enjoying the food, and leaving before the peak rush hits is the ultimate sign of respect. It protects small local businesses, saves you from getting turned away at the door, and gives you the exact local experience you came for.

​TL;DR: Don't avoid local spots. Just go around 5:00 PM, enjoy warm chats with the staff and local regulars, and leave before the peak rush. A win-win for everyone!

​(Note: I’m happy to chat or answer questions about Japanese culture/dining etiquette in the comments, but I won't share specific shop names via DM. This is about the experience and system, not shop recommendations!)

I’m a Japanese person living in Japan.
Since I’ve studied a little English, I often find myself talking with foreigners. This year, too, I had a conversation with an Australian I met on a ski lift. I was really happy that he took the initiative to speak to me in Japanese.
I myself traveled to Genoa last year. Although I can’t speak Italian perfectly, I made a point of using the language, even if only in short phrases, and was able to have enjoyable conversations with the locals.
From this experience, I’ve come to believe that no matter which country you visit, communicating in the local language is appreciated. It doesn’t have to be perfect; even a few words can make a big difference in how you connect with others.
So, I’d like to share some useful Japanese phrases with you.

Phrases You Should Definitely Know

• Sumimasen — excuse me / sorry / “can I get your attention?”
  • Japanese people use this often, so it feels very familiar
• Arigatou gozaimasu — thank you
  • In Genoa, I also placed great importance on saying “grazie.” Japanese people are happy to hear “Arigatou gozaimasu.”
• Onegaishimasu — please / “yes, please.”

When you can’t keep up with the conversation

• Sumimasen, wakarimasen — I don’t understand. Use this when you didn’t understand the other person’s explanation.
• Mou ichido onegaishimasu — Could you explain that again? Use this when you didn’t understand the other person’s explanation or couldn’t hear them clearly
• Eigo de daijoubu desu ka? — Is it okay if I speak in English? When you want to have a conversation in English.
• Koko ni hanashite itadakemasu ka? — Could you speak here? When you want to use a translation app to translate what the other person is saying.
  • Say this while holding out your smartphone.

Getting around

• ___ wa doko desu ka? — Where is ___?
• Toire wa doko desu ka? — Where’s the restroom?
• Kono densha wa ___ ni ikimasu ka? — Does this train go to ___?

Shopping & Restaurants

• Kore kudasai — this one, please (point at it)
• Kaado de ii desu ka? — Can I pay by card?
• Daijoubu desu — “I’m fine / No, thank you.”
  • Use this when declining bags, receipts, etc.
• Futari desu — two people
  • Change the number: hitori, sannin, yonin
  • Holding up your fingers to indicate the number of people is a gesture that Japanese people often use as well
• Eigo no menyuu arimasu ka? — Do you have an English menu?
• Osusume wa nan desu ka? — Do you have any recommendations?
• Okaikei onegaishimasu — The check, please
• Gochisousama deshita — Say this when you leave.
  • You’ll be seen as a polite person who doesn’t forget to express gratitude to the food and the staff.

Bonus: If a clerk at a convenience store asks you, “Fukuro irimasu ka? = Would you like a bag?” or “Atatamemasu ka? = Would you like it heated?” (They offer a service to heat food in the microwave. There’s a small charge for the bag, but heating is free.), please reply “Daijoubu desu” if you don’t need it. If you do need it, please reply “Onegaishimasu.”
If there are any phrases not on this list that you found useful while traveling, please let me know!

Long post, TLDRs in bold throughout. Theres a longer sub FAQ, this is just my personal short version.

Went to Japan in the middle of cherry blossom season 2026, mix of Golden Route and secondary places. I am NOT claiming to be some authoritative source, I just want to help noobs worrying about the same stuff I did. Also, if any Japanese natives read this and strongly disagree with something, I promise I didn’t mean to offend you, feel free to chime in. I’m just a tourist speaking to other tourists.

Things I am assuming: this is your first trip to Japan, you can speak English, you cannot speak Japanese, you’re going either to the Golden Route or medium sized towns (not some 400 person village in Saga or smth).

1) Do I need to know Japanese?

TL;DR No, just learn “arigato gozaimasu”, “sumimasen”, “konnichiwa/konbanwa”. Most places you are going as a tourist will be used to English and know at least a little. Menus have pictures and arabic numerals. For asking a question, type it into Google Translate, give an apologetic “sumimasen…” (Excuse me), and show them the phone screen. They will understand. Besides that, just “arigato gozaimasu” (thank you) or “konnichiwa/konbanwa” (hello (daytime)/good evening) will be more than enough to be polite. Caveat: do not EXPECT English. Service workers will most likely know it, but on the chance one doesn’t: too bad. Don’t be offended, don’t be demanding about it.

Your experience won't be miserable or reduced for not knowing Japanese. If you want to learn Japanese, go for it, but you will not learn enough Japanese 2 months before your trip to be having conversations or be self-sufficient.

2) How do trains and tickets work??

TLDR Go with the flow. After the first few times, it will all feel like 2nd nature. This will SEEM a little daunting at first, especially if you’re not used to efficient public transport. Yes, your first train out of NRT or HND will seem confusing. All you really need to do is, upon landing, get a SUICA card (Easily locateable dw) and load it. Ticket machines basically always have an English option. If landing in Narita, you can go to the Express or Skyliner info booths to have someone explain it to you. You’ll figure it out, trust me. After that, for your first 1-3 shinkansen or metro lines, maybe get to the station early to allow for mistakes, but there will be clear and obvious signs in English. Relax, you will figure it out surprisingly quick.

3) How much should I budget everyday??

TLDR Impossible to say, depends on you. 5-10k yen for comfort, NOT COUNTING hotels. Really depends what you plan to be doing. A day in Shibuya will run you a lot more than a quiet afternoon in Hiroshima. So the numbers in the TLDR are completely arbitrary. Me personally? I went in cherry blossom season, half on the Golden Route and half off it, I told myself 14k yen per day and that was MORE than enough, if you exclude serious souvenir shopping. I could eat where i wanted, get drinks, buy necessities, pay taxis. But 5k-10k is a fine ballpark for anyone eating at normal places and taking public transport with 1 or 2 simple taxis.

4) Which side of the escalator do I stand in? Which direction is the sidewalk?

TLDR Just do what you see others around you doing, and more importantly MOVE OUT of the way. Yeah you can google the answer for the escalator thing but honestly, anytime you’re not sure what to do in Japan, you can just look to see what locals are doing… do that. More important thing that i did learn: MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. Seriously, don’t stumble and bumble in the middle of a busy walkway, don’t suddenly stop to check your phone when everyone is speedwalking to a train, etc. If you’re slow or need to stop, get to the side of the walkway.

5) Is credit card okay? Do I need cash?

TLDR 99% of places in tourist or major cities accept card. Still, always have like 5-10k cash on you. This isn’t 2005 anymore, almost everywhere in Japan takes card. From Tokyo to Miyajima to Toyama, the ONLY places that didn’t accept card during my trip were SOME food stalls in the street (duh) and like… one udon place near the station in Himeji. That’s it. Every other place did. Still, have some cash on you just in case. Use Japan’s extensive ATM networks, or even just bring some cash to an exchange shop.

6) I don’t want to seem rude! What are things to avoid??

-Being loud in general. If you think you’re speaking normally, you’re probably still too loud.

-Calls/music out loud in transport. NEVER unless someone’s about to die.

-Filming/photographing people without their consent. Obviously crowd shots or background are fine, but if their face is clearly visible, don’t.

-Eat while walking. This one will be contentious, some tell you it’s fine… I will say that in my experience, I never once saw a local eating while walking, only tourists. I asked one local one time, he told me it’s still seen as pretty rude. YMMV, I say just don’t.

-Sitting on the ground outside. Again, YMMV, but it’s still seen as pretty culturally rude. Find an actual place for sitting, or just stand.

-Tipping. Don’t. Period. Besides THE MOST luxury western restaurants or hotels or Tokyo, don’t.

-Stopping in the middle of a busy street for a photo of something. No.

-Throwing trash on the street. Cutting in line. Should be obvious.

-Street “mario kart”. Miserable, annoying to locals, total ripoff. Also, nearly 75% of animal cafes are not remotely ethical.

My bonus final tip: Don’t fret too much about “authenticitymaxxing” Japan. Sushi from the chain place is real Japan. Visiting Meiji-jingu is real Japan. Going to the Shibuya Pokemon Center is real Japan. I’ve seen a few people nitpick about how they want to avoid all popular things on their first trip or something because they think it’s “not real”. I think that’s needlessly cynical. To quote the most overused phrase: Japan is a place where tradition, modernity, nature, commercialism, all mix together. A hike through a trail in Kyushu and a night out in Shinjuku are both fun and valid approaches.

If any other tourists preparing to travel soon have a question that a solo traveller like myself might be able to answer, feel free to ask. Except itineraries, I’m not doing that.

I commute to Tokyo every day and without fail I see tourists facetiming loudly on crowded trains annoying everyone. Trying to bring extremely large amounts of luggage onto the train and getting angry nobody will make space for them. And doing shit like backflips for tiktop videos and almost kicking the people in the seats.

Just fucking stop this please. I don't understand how basic manners elude so many people. This kind of behavior is going to fuel a lot of anti-tourist sentiment and will result in restrictions eventually if it gets worse.

Hello! I am traveling with my family and trying to front-load the learning curve as much as possible. I want to clarify the process for getting to the Shinkansen at the train station. Our first ride will be from Tokyo to Hiroshima.

We have already purchased tickets through the app. I bought 4 tickets on my account and I see there is a way to link the tickets to each of our Suica cards once we get them in Tokyo. My question is: do we each just tap our Suica card at the Shinkansen gate to ride, or do we need to also print paper tickets (tap Suica and insert paper tickets)? My assumption is just the card, but all of the videos and research I have done all have paper tickets, which made me question my assumption. I don't want to get rejected at the gate and then figure out how to get paper tickets.

Any other tips would also be appreciated. Thank you!

Hey everyone,

My wife and I are flying into Tokyo Haneda on April 30 and flying out May 20. Our tickets were free and we can't change the dates, so we’re landing right in the middle of Golden Week! We know we need to jump on booking hotels and train tickets ASAP, but we're trying to figure out our strategy for those first several days.

For anyone who has navigated Japan during this time, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how to handle the week. Is staying in Tokyo the right move? I've heard mixed things where some say the city actually quieted down because locals traveled elsewhere, while others say major spots were packed. Or does it make more sense to hop on a train or fly somewhere less mainstream immediately to dodge the rush?

Also, curious how the crowds usually look for that following weekend (May 6 through May 9). Does the holiday chaos fully clear out right after May 5, or do domestic travelers usually extend their trips straight through Sunday?

We're a pretty active couple (into hiking, good food, and a bit of gaming/nerd culture). Open to any tips, reality checks, or routing ideas you have for handling that initial stretch. What would you do in our shoes?

Thanks!

We just came back from a 2 week trip with our 1 yo baby. Just want to share some info:

1. Japanese diapers

Buy them! They are so soft, cushy and absorbs well! Why dont we have something like this in target? I just got the normal drug store brand like Moony Man and it’s not even the expensive/luxury ones! Huggies are not available. Well they are not gonna have any market in Japan😅

2. Formula

We bought Meiji “hohoemi(smile)”. They have formula in blocks. Very easy to carry. But it does require higher water temp to dissolve. For younger kids, it’s safer to use the higher temp water. Our kid was almost one at the time so we used room temp water and just made it 5 min before so it dissolved better. Some people say their kids have problem pooping drinking this one. Was not a problem for us.

3. Diaper rash

We brought the red butt paste with us so that helped a lot. If you do not have anything with you, go to a drug store such as Matsumoto Kiyoshi and talk to a person wearing white rope cuz they are pharmacists. I was anxious so I asked one guy and he just recommended white Vaseline saying it’s better to use it to protect the skin first. He said he has a 1yo too so I believed him. It actually worked! We did one full day of Vaseline and baby’s skin condition got a lot better( lots of changing too!).

4. Baby needs to play/crawl!

Realized part of the reason that baby got diaper rash was because he’s sitting in the stroller all day. So we found public children’s playground or safe places where he can crawl and have fun! In Kyoto, there’s one near subway Marutamachi station. But note that it needs reservation and it goes quickly on weekends.

5. Restaurants

Most restaurants have baby high chair and baby utensils. The restaurants we went to in Yokohama didn’t have a high chair with straps! Including the hotel breakfast! That was weird.

Always choose counter seats over tatami seats because kids will crawl around on the tatami and they would not settle down!!

Izakaya places especially the mom and pop places usually are not expecting babies. Their space is tight and it’s not the ambience for kids. In Kyoto we got lucky and were able to eat at a fantastic Izakaya run by a nice old couple. But it’s a week day night at 8pm and baby was sleeping in the stroller.

In Kanazawa, we went to a Sushi place called Okina Sushi. The owners hearing is not so great so you need to speak loudly. I told him baby was sleeping so he said ok you can leave him by the door. Later a regular came in and was surprised by the amount of Gaijin( foreigners) sitting at the counter (there was another Canadian couple) and questioning why bringing the baby. The owner looked at me and said: well since you said baby is sleeping! And then he kindly reminded the regular guest that I understand Japanese fully. The regular quickly apologized. I quickly finished eating and wanted to leave. Owners wife realized that baby woke up so she approached and tried to interact with him. She was nice. The food was meh. I guess next time if I can sense the owner is even slightly unwilling to take guests with baby, I should’ve just left. Eating there made the owner/ regular guest and myself unhappy.

6. Baby snacks

I bought baby snacks from big drug stores: Matsumoto Kiyoshi or local grocery stores(supermarket).

There is also a place called Nishimatsu ya( 西松屋）. They sell everything for babies: formula, snacks, diapers wipes, clothes, water bottles, etc. There’s one near Kyoto station. We bought diapers and wipes there. I swear we just bought a random bag of cheap wipes without any research but it’s thick, and the rest of the wipes stay in place when I pull one out!! Why can’t huggies/costco wipes be like that???

I didn’t get to check out Akachan honpo this time as they are kind of out of our way.

For any urgent buys, you can always use Uber Eats and have it delivered. That’s how we bought formulas in the last 3 days of our trip.

7. Changing area:

Most places(train stations/tourist attractions)have a bathroom available for disabled people and it usually has a changing pad for baby. It’s spacious enough for 2 adults and a stroller. They are all in ok condition. Not the best but you can tell they are taken care of. If you go to a mall, you will be surprised by how nice the nursery/changing rooms are! They would have hot water for formulas and fancy diaper pail that auto-wraps the dirty diaper so it doesn’t stink! Even a pull up bar for the kids that wear pull-ups lol

X.Stroller

Absolutely needed.
My husband originally planned to wear baby in the front for the whole trip but gave up after 15k steps on the first day… baby is 20lbs😅

Stroller needs to be: light, ok to gate check, easy to fold, sturdy, have locks on all 4 wheels so you can roll on bumpy pebble roads.

Kyoto:

There are places where stroller just doesn’t work such as Fushimi Inari( they have a designated stroller parking area - in the same space as the bike parking area) but almost places you can get by. For Fushimi Inari, my husband wore baby for the whole hike round trip! Little guy was comfortably napping most of the time.

Kiyomizu temple: asked staff if there’s stroller parking. Answer is no. So we just push stroller in. They have ramps for wheelchair so it’s fine but be careful as it can be really busy.

Ninanzaka/sanenzaka: big stone staircases - as long as you are going down hills with the stroller, yo are fine!

Kodaiji temple: staff asked us to park the stroller near the ticket booth. The whole garden wasn’t too big so carrying the baby wasn’t too tiring. Staff were very friendly.

Yasaka Shrine: pebble roads! we walked in from a side entrance smoothly but exited from the grand entrance which has many stairs but it was ok.

Kamo River: didn’t find ramp to go down to the river bank so we just carried the stroller down. But it’s totally worth it! My favorite of all the places in Kyoto!

Nijo castle: pebble roads! Baby napped well. To tour inside the castle, you need to take shoes off and hold/wear the baby.

Arashiyama: we only went to one temple I believe it’s Atago temple? Stroller needs to be parked in designated area. The temple/ garden is pretty small but does have steep stairs.

Nara
: people are so friendly to babies! We were sitting at the Starbucks above the bus terminal service center and so many young ladies can by and say hi! However, the deers can be aggressive. If one parent is taking photos, the other one has to watch the baby to keep some curious deers away.

The road near Asuka shrine was bumpy and not easy for stroller to maneuver. don’t really have a good solution except for locking the front wheels.

Kanazawa:
We stayed near Kanazawa station and it’s pretty convenient to walk to the major spots such as Omicho market. We tried to ride the sightseeing bus one time but it was super crowded so not a great option for holding baby and carrying a folded stroller.

Komatsu/Nomi:
Went to an Onsen Ryokan Matsusaki with private in room bath. Baby was very happy to crawl in such a huge space! Biggest room we got among all the hotels in Japan lol
Contact Ryokan the day before arriving and they will pick you up at the train station. Has English speaking staff. Very quiet and tranquil environment but they are super children-friendly… in the room there’s a bumbo floor seat, an Ingenuity booster seat attached to a normal dinner chair. Children slipper/ pj/futon/ bath soap/ baby bottle washing soap. They used a small event room to serve us dinner and put a crib in there in case baby wants to sleep… and the Okami san/ wife of the owner made veggie fish porridge herself for all babies under one…I tried it, it was really good!
In the lobby there are many children’s toys that you can borrow for free! We didn’t go to any of the public baths so don’t know the policy around being children. Probably can’t bring in a baby wearing diaper!

Yokohama:
Train stations have very clear signs of the elevator location but usually there’s a line of people waiting there with strollers!

In most places, you will see a lot of people with dogs in fancy air buggy strollers. I have never seen so many dogs in strollers! Not even in NY or LA!

———————————————————————-
Will add more if comes to mind！
*updated the kanji before people get misled!

**Kyoto Torokko romantic train:
The seats are narrow and space is small! Better to book online and pick somewhere empty if you are not into the cart with open ceiling(which will be super busy! ) we bought tickets at the train station as it was a rainy day and were lucky that no one sit across from us so we had space for backpacks and the stroller.

***Nanny service:
I booked a nanny through https://babysitters.jp for our 3 hour kimono experience and photoshoot. It is very much needed if you are going to do an actual kimono because we can hardly breath/walk after putting it on…The nanny speaks Chinese, English and Japanese. She was very caring and attentive! She helped so much to get baby looking at the camera! The price was fair (about $22-25/hr). Mine travelled from Osaka to Kyoto so I was required to give her extra travel fare in cash (about ¥1600). In general it was a great experience.

Hi!
so I'm landing at Kansai international airport about midday/early afternoon, to get to my accommodation it's about an hour on the nankai train with one quick change over to go a couple stops on either sakaisuji/midosuji line.

is it worth forwarding my checked luggage to my hotel for that distance? I don't want to end up dragging the bags if it's going to be super busy and an inconvenience for others, but for a shorter journey it might be fine?

let me know thoughts please! :)

I'm thinking while I'm in Japan next May/June I could see my first ever baseball game.

I know from other posts I can use Japanball once the fixtures are released to get tickets, my question is more... cultural? than that.

I'm guessing there are home and away ends like in football (soccer), and I guess when I book I'll know which I'm in so can dress accordingly 😄

My question is - how... fanatical are the fans? Like if I had a team cap on and sat at the 'wrong' side, or ended up amongst 'rival' fans outside the stadium, or visited the city of my caps arch rivals, am I going to get any grief? 😅

I know the Japanese are super polite, I guess I'm asking if that extends to the stereotypical tinder box which is sports 😂

Renting a car was probably the best decision for Japan's family trip.

1. cheaper than Shinkansen if you plan to travel a lot (for 4-5 people). It is also possible to rent auto in one city and return it in another one (Osaka -> Tokyo, for example).
2. gives you opportunity to bypass crowds. Nara park at 6:30 differs dramatically from Nara at 7:30.
3. you can visit remote onsens, monasteries, small villages and shrines. Biggest mistake for us was to plan 4 days in Tokyo: weakest "Japan experience per day" spent.
4. it's a mobile warehouse if your ladies plan to shopping. Convenient because space in Japan hotels/houses is usually limited.

So now the tips. 1. Somehow japanese highway acceleration lanes are super short. I couldn't believe they were designed so poorly. Be prepared for rapid line changes in live traffic. 2. Japanese drivers don't pay attention to speed limit signs. They easily exceed the limit by 20–40 km/h. There aren't many speed cameras, but the closer you get to Tokyo, the more there are. Ooono works. 3. Get ETC card when you rent your auto and be prepared to pay 100+ Euro for the paid roads (you pay when you give the car back). But the gas here is half the price of what we pay in Europe. 4. You need to order Japanese driver license translation paper in advance. Plenty of webservices do that online. 6. Often you pay for parking when you leave (so keep coins). 7. Mounting roads are narrow, but usually in a good shape. You do need some alpine driving skills here, but nothing really special.

Hi everyone!

I'm considering travelling to Japan solo for around a week, and I'd love some advice from people who have been before, especially those who have travelled alone.

As the title says I'm considering to travel to Japan for a week but I'm not too sure when the best time to visit would be

I'm looking to have a memorable trip by doing things such as seeing

I'm really interested in experiencing the culture for myself exploring the different cities and seeing the architecture. Im still in the early stages of planning everything so I'd love any advice about places to stay and hidden gems in Japan from anyone who has been before.

A few things im really interested in are Japanese culture and history the traditional temples and shrines. The architecture and places I can experience traditional Japanese culture. I'm a petrol head so id like to go to a few car meets at places like daikoku or maybe even more underground ones or any car museums or other things car related

I'd love to also explore the nightlife Japan has to offer such as izakayas and other Japanese bars

I’ll be visiting Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima. I’ll want to take some photos of myself on some attractions or cool places.

If I find a relatively quiet area that’s out people’s way (not crowded areas), set up a tripod, and use an Apple Watch to take a photo of myself would that be an issue? Or should I ask random people?

Are there specific no photography norms that would offend Japanese people in certain areas?

Essentially what was said in the tittle. We have a 16hr overnight layover between NRT and HND and we’re planning on staying overnight but each have two large luggage’s and a carry on each. Original plan was to leave the luggage in Shinagawa coin lockers but have heard they fill up super quickly. So it seems like a better solution is to leave them in HND then stay downtown, then come back the next day pick up our luggage and take them using the limousine. I know there is a 2 large luggage limit for the airport limousine but do they allow carry ones inside the bus? Has anyone ever done this with two large luggage’s and one carry on? If not we are considering using bounce or worst case scenario taking all of our luggage’s to our hotel..

Hello friends,

Looking to get some help from someone who has been to Japan before ( going for the first time this week). I’ll be flying from Toronto to Haneda and then jump on a Shinkansen to Kyoto.

My question is : is it worthy to buy Shinkansen tickets in advance without knowing the exact time of arrival ( adding immigration, customs, pick up luggage and using Yamato) before taking the subway to Shinagawa to take the Shinkansen to Kyoto ?

Thanks a lot for any help !

Hi, has anyone tried the new bunshin/virtual queue at Fuji-Q? I am a bit confused by the statements on the website about how it works. The website says: "A "Bunshin-kun" purchased with the same account cannot be used by different people on different devices. If multiple people wish to use it, please prepare a separate account for each user and purchase accordingly" / "同一アカウントで購入した分身くんは、別々の方が別々の端末で利用することはできません。複数人で利用する場合は、ご利用者ごとにアカウントをご用意のうえ、ご購入ください"

Does this mean that me and partner need to purchase and handle virtual queue completely independently of one another? Or can I purchase both together and handle making reservations for both of us together on one phone/account?

I think it is trying to say that you can't purchase both together on one account and then handle them individually on two devices (for example each person booking a different virtual queue on their own phones), but I'm not positive.

Hi all! I've booked the Richmond Hotel Premier Asakusa for my upcoming Tokyo trip. Has anyone stayed there? How did you like it?

I'm mostly wondering about the location: how easy is it to get to other parts of the city from there (Shibuya, Shinjuku, etc.)? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I'd love to hear from people who've stayed in the area.

Also, any recommendations for good places to eat around Asakusa? Local favorites, cheap eats, anything worth the wait. Thanks !!!

I am daydreaming with the idea of spending a week in Japan in January with the goal of mostly riding scenic trains through snow landscape and zoning out in onsens at night.

I do not want more than 3 stops.

Do you have suggestions?

(First idea was Sapporo- Hakodate- Aomori-Tokio.

Second idea was Kanazawa-Niigita-Nagano-Tokio)

Been to Tokyo 3x already but mainly Central.

This is a working holiday but my work starts 5PM japan time.

Arriving on 26 noon in Narita.

My plan is to visit places outside central Tokyo but haven’t finalized my itinerary and no hotel yet 🥲

I have one empty big Lojel luggage with me.

Can you recommend places to visit or worth staying to better experience the place?

Was thinking to stay in Narita for 2 nights to explore Chiba. Then move to Tokidawai to stay near Central.

Haven’t been to Ikebukuro so not sure if Tokidawai Flexstayinn is a good place to stay. But mainly I would like to visit - Nikko, Kawasaki, Kawagoe, Hakone, Kamakura and Fuji.

I will still shop in Central Tokyo but mostly will do it in drug stores.

Hi All,
We’re travelling to Sapporo in January and I’d like to get an idea of car transfer companies that offer car seat hire for the kids as well. There will be 3 children, 4 adults and a lot of luggage.
Any suggestions?

Hi,
My wife and I are planning a trip to Japan for the second half of February 2027. We would like to go skiing while we're there, but I have been struggling to find accommodation available.

Is everything fully-booked already ? Or am I doing something wrong, I barely find places with availability ?
I have been looking at Akakura, Kagura and Nozawa.

Thanks

Hello everyone. I’ll be visiting Japan soon and want to book a photographer for the 10th of November. Looking for someone based in Tokyo that’s good at candid and nature shots. I have posted on website like capturemyjapan but I want to have as much options as possible. Thank you.

Hi guys,

I want to visit both parks in May, but as a solo traveler. I don’t like to wait in lines, so I am willing to pay for the fast passes. However, I read that the lines for solo visitors are way faster than the normal ones. Is it true? Are the solo lines faster for all of the attractions? Or I would have to pay either way, at least for some attractions?

I’ve been to both Disney world, Disneyland and universal studios in America and my partner hasn’t been to any. I used to love rollercoasters and the thrill of it but has grown to be a little more restricted with age and my partner hasn’t really been to that many amusement parks.

What would you choose if you only could choose one? I’m wondering if it’s more fun to try something new at Disneysea or just go with the safe choice and pick Disneyland?