A Japanese PTR

[pandv_2000]

Background

We visited Tokyo last year on our way to Australia where we were validating our permanent resident Visa. We only had 4 nights there but we were completely in awe of the place. We spent our first full day at Tokyo Disney Sea. Our DS’s were 9 and 2 at the time and we spent most of the time just taking in the atmosphere. We rode ToT which was completely different from the WDW version and the flying carpets. We queued to see Donald Duck and mainly watched the shows etc. and had dinner in the park.

After looking at prices for WDW next year and comparing with Japan we have decided to do a full trip to Japan next year. So far we have a rough itinerary. One thing that I find difficult is getting a hotel room that will sleep 4 so that limits our choices a lot. DS will be 11 next year when we visit so he is still classed as a child in Japan, whereas he is already classed as an adult in WDW so it makes sense to go to Japan before he costs us more!

Plan

We fly into Osaka Kansai airport on 10 August arriving before 9am. We’ll then take the shinkansen into Kyoto. I have 6 nights booked at the Brighton hotel, Kyoto. We leave on 16th August which is Obon in Japan as our hotel had no space for that night. Obon is a Japanese festival where they believe the spirits of their dead ancestors come home. On 16th August they light lanterns and send them off on the river to help the spirits return to the spirit world. In Kyoto they light giant characters on the hillside which can be seen from all around the city. I’m currently trying to find a Ryokan in Kyoto we can spend the night of the 16th in as I really want to see this. A lot of hotels don’t release availability until about 4 months out so I may be able to find somewhere that can accommodate us.

The next issue will then be getting to Tokyo from Kyoto. We plan to take the shinkansen again but we can’t book in advance as the website requires you to understand Japanese. We will have to take our chances when we get there that we will be able to get a reserved seat back to Tokyo. I have more confidence we’ll be able to do that on the 16th rather than the 17th.

Our next stop will be the Hilton Tokyo Bay. Which I currently have reserved for 4 nights. We intend to visit both Disney parks for 2 days each. We have reserved a Happy Magic Room – which looks particularly gaudy on the Hilton website but the kids love the look of it.

Finally we will be heading into the city and staying for 8 nights at the Hilton in Shinjuku. DH is a Hilton Honors gold member and they will put extra beds in the room for us for free because of that (otherwise it was 7000 yen per bed per night or about £45!). Last time we stayed at the Hotel Metropolitan Edmont near Iidabashi station. We really liked it there but they haven’t released availability as yet.

I’m currently trawling through guidebooks and the internet to see what we want to do when we get there so I will post updates as we plan.

 

[AThrillingChase]

You have been before so you may know this already, but for the shinkansen you have to purchase the tickets at specific offices/ticket windows at Shinjuku. Not all will sell it. But if you go to the wrong one (or even if you are at the right one!) they may misunderstand and give you tickets to a faster train, but not nearly the shinkansen speeds. I was traveling with someone who can speak some japanese and who studied abroad but it still got switched for us! Your hotel concierge may even be a better choice to order them for you. Save some run around.

Not sure where you ate at Disney Sea already, but Magellans is amazing. Highly recommended! As well as the tarot sticks for a snack. It sounds like you didn't ride everything, and I forget what it is called...hidden spirits or something? It's a coaster next to Indiana Jones. We waited forever in that line because FP are so difficult there, and it was a complete let down. So I'd save your FP for other rides!

We spent about 8 days in Tokyo, loved it! Have fun!

Edit - duh you won't be buying the tickets at Shinjuku because thats where you are trying to get to! haha. Not sure how it is set up in Kyoto, but they may still be separate ticket offices. It was a huge hassle for us.

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[Minnie222]

Looks like a great trip in planning.

I have just a small advice. We were in Tokyo this past August for a few days, and it was super hot there. I mean it literally felt like walking into a sauna room the moment we walked out of the hotel. So, plan accordingly, and allow time for rest as you have a little one.

We were at Tokyo Disneyland in August. Lines were long and FPs were gone fast. And also, we were sweating from top to bottom that day. It was tough even for me, I believe more so for the kids. So beware.

 

[pandv_2000]

Thanks for the tips. We aren't going to get a JR pass as I don't think it will pay for itself with the trips we intend to do and we are only going Kyoto to Tokyo one way. We may get a 4 day JR west pass which will cover us from the airport to Kyoto and then for trips to Nara, Osaka, Kobe etc. I know we want to get the Nozomi to Kyoto.

With regard to the heat - how is it compared to Florida in August?

 

[alfiebyrne]

I have one suggestion (unless you already were thinking the same thing).

Your original plan would have probably involved:
Kansai International to Shin-Osaka on JR Line using Haruka Express or a slow commuter train (~2700 yen)
Shin-Osaka - Kyoto on Shinkansen (~2900 yen)

But instead of transferring at Shin-Osaka, you should just take Haruka all the way to Kyoto. The whole trip would cost only ~3200 yen. So almost half the cost without having to transfer in a huge terminal. And the time it takes to transfer will make up for the slightly longer trip on Haruka between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto.

Additionally, towards the end of the Obon period (Aug 16-17th), Shinkansens will be quite packed. In non-reserved cars, there will be many people standing. I'd assume that reserved seats will be gone. I think JR Tokai (which runs the Tokyo-ShinOsaka segment) does not have any online reservation. So I recommend you book your Shinkansen tickets as soon as you arrive at Kyoto station.

 

[pandv_2000]

Thank you. My biggest worry is the trip from kyoto to tokyo because of obon. I would love to see the lighting of the symbols on the hillside but so far we can't get accommodation for 16th so don't know if that will be possible.

 

[alfiebyrne]

Oh, and regarding your question about the summer, it will be slightly worse in Tokyo than Florida. It's hot, it's humid. It might rain less in Tokyo than Florida's crazy weather, however.

Fortunately, vending machines are everywhere in Japan so as long as you have coins, you won't be dehydrated even in Kyoto. And I recommend bringing small towels since you will sweat A LOT! Just space out any outdoor activities with breaks inside air conditioned cafes and shops.

Also, while Obon is a peak travel period, it's not as bad as Golden Week (in Spring). That being said, it might not be a bad idea to look into flights from Kansai or Itami airport to Tokyo (Haneda or Narita) and book them in advance prior to arriving since I believe many airlines have them for around 10,000 yen or less.

 

[chadbag]

But instead of transferring at Shin-Osaka, you should just take Haruka all the way to Kyoto. The whole trip would cost only ~3200 yen. So almost half the cost without having to transfer in a huge terminal. And the time it takes to transfer will make up for the slightly longer trip on Haruka between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto.

Kyoto is not that far from Osaka. This is probably a good idea. It is not worth it to take a Shinkansen from Osaka to Kyoto with the extra cost involved for such a short ride.

Admittedly all my trips to Kyoto itself have been by car or on normal type trains, though I have stopped in Kyoto on the Shinkansen when going to Tokyo and Nagoya. It is really so close as to not be worth the extra money.

 

[chadbag]

You can purchase your Shinkansen tickets as soon as you arrive in Japan.

Also, the Hikari Shinkansen will get you to Tokyo almost as fast as the Nozomi. Only the Kodama Shinkansen are to be avoided except for short hops to the nearest city. The Hikari and Nozomi both go the same speed, but the Hikari will stop at a couple more stations. Shin Osaka -- Tokyo by Hikari is only about 40 minutes longer. Even a little shorter for Kyoto -- Tokyo. So don't pass up a Hikari ride if it is available when a Nozomi isn't. Looking at both Nozomi and Hikari trains will broaden your choices and chance of getting a reserved seat.

The place to buy Shinkansen tickets is the JR ticket office. It will have a green logo of a person sitting on a train seat (like airline seat) in side profile inside of a white circle inside of a green square. (There may also be other signs that show "Shinkansen tickets" or "Shinkansen and JR Line Tickets"

If you can, get them when you land at Kansai and are getting your other tickets to leave the airport. There are JR ticket offices inside the airport.

We'll be landing at Kansai on Dec 27 this year for 3 weeks in Japan -- mostly in Osaka but 6 days in Tokyo (3-4 days at Disney) and 2 days in Aomori.

 

[pandv_2000]

Thank you so much everyone for your replies so far. There is such a wealth of information out there it's difficult to know which is best. The tips for the shinkansen have been very useful and as I'll be booking travel from Kansei airport to Kyoto I will definitely book Kyoto to Tokyo at the same time.

I am so excited for this trip.

 

[chadbag]

Thank you so much everyone for your replies so far. There is such a wealth of information out there it's difficult to know which is best. The tips for the shinkansen have been very useful and as I'll be booking travel from Kansei airport to Kyoto I will definitely book Kyoto to Tokyo at the same time.

I am so excited for this trip.

I am excited for you. Japan is always a great trip. I don't speak Japanese, except about 200 words from my kids picture books, all nouns, and a couple of phrases, but I always manage and get around [when the wife is not around, since she is a native speaker] with no issue.

My wife is from the Osaka area so we try and go every couple years to visit her family. Our focus is different than yours, so the details are much different, but the net effect is the same -- an awesome time. We usually get the Japan Rail Pass and I and my son go on long day trips, mostly to just ride the trains as he is a train fan, and we end up in a city for a few hours to explore on our own... So I have not seen or explored Kyoto or Osaka or anything in great detail, but have seen the "big" and "major" things in each. I'd like to spend more time in some of them when the kids get older.

Enjoy your trip!

I don't know how it is with UK banks, but for US travelers in Japan, the best way to get cash is from the POST OFFICE run ATMs. They accept non Japanese cards and don't tack fees on. Depending on what your own bank charges for fees it is quite economical. You get the better rates than the cash rate at the local exchange places and you can withdraw directly from your bank account by ATM debit. Many other ATMs there only work with Japan issued cards, but the post office ones work with most of the international networks and don't charge fees. Citi bank branches ATMs also work, but are harder to find, and I am not sure about the fees.

There should be POST OFFICE ATMs in the airport IIRC. There are at Narita. Make sure they have the post office logo (looks like a capital T with an extra stroke on top) and not some bank that is going to rip you off.

Enjoy the trip.

 

[chadbag]

One more thing. Cell phone access is usually quite expensive to roam with in Japan with your non Japanese account. (Needs to be 3G technology at a minimum as well). You cannot just go pick up a pre paid SIM like you can in Europe. You need to be a Japanese citizen or be a non tourist long term resident to get one, normally. My SIL gets them for us but that is not the norm. (But see below, we'll probably forego the voice SIM from her this time since it is a PITA etc to arrange)

There are a couple of pre paid options for data which work with normal 3G phones and which should allow you to message and use Skype etc. but not normal voice. However, with skype or LINE or other voice and messaging apps, you can stay in contact with your family members if you split up.

I don't have details yet as I am still working things out and this will be our first time trying this to this extent, when we go in December. I'll try and remember to post details of what we end up with (there are a couple competing companies that sell these data only SIMs -- cost is about $30-32 for 1GB of fast data, or "unlimited" slow 300kbps for 30 days). In 2011 we got the slow unlimited 300kbps data SIM and used it in a little "MiFi" type WiFi cellular enabled device so I had email and stuff all the time, but we only had one so couldn't message back and forth. This time we are going to try the 1GB of data (30 days max I believe) in our phones and have the "unlimited" 300kbps in our MiFi so we have good coverage and can message each other when apart. I'll report back.

 

[pandv_2000]

Thanks again - I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip.

At the minute we are planning on spending time exploring Kyoto and planning using a JR West pass to visit Nara, Osaka and Kobe. Once we arrive in Tokyo I don't think we will travel too far - DH and DS want to visit the Ghibli museum but I think we'll mainly explore the city. The skytree had just opened last time we went and we got there for early opening. It was great but I wouldn't pay the price of it again. We all really enjoyed Ueno park and zoo so we would go there again.

We get a TV channel here called NHK world and we record a programme called Tokyo Eye at 1:30 every Wednesday morning (oooh new episode tomorrow!). It gives us a few ideas of what we might want to do around Tokyo.

The other worry I have is our flight leaves Narita at 10:30 am. I don't really want to stay in an airport hotel as it's my birthday the day before we fly and I would feel we were cutting the holiday short by a day. I think we should be ok taking the first Narita express of the day to the airport.

 

[alfiebyrne]

For a place like Tokyo, I definitely think it's a good idea to plan everything out! Although everything is quite accessible by train, it gives you a false illusion and you can waste so much time with transportation if you try to create your itinerary as you go through the day. I made that mistake one of the times I visited.

You should be fine with regards to making your 10:30am flight out of Narita. (If you get on a Narita Express service that leaves by 7am out of Shinjuku, you should be fine.)

I'm sure you've looked into it, but Odaiba can be quite fun with its contemporary architecture right in the bay with fun game facilities like Joypolis. But for a family, the expenses for different activities might add up too much. The Railway Museum by Omiya station in Saitama can be fun too, especially for the kids (actual train displays, huge diorama, train simulators, etc.)

Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed by the Ghibli museum. I guess I was expecting something fantastical. I think the architecture and the displays are well designed; but it's not too interactive and it gets crowded. I think it's a nice treat for those who are into the art of animation to be able to see sketches, figurines, models, etc in a meticulously designed environment. For me personally, it just didn't captivate me as much as the movies did and I suppose I was expecting too much out of it. I think allocating an hour, maybe 90 minutes, is more than enough. On the plus side, the admission price is relatively a good deal.

Other things I liked doing are just exploring some of the department stores (esp if they have a Uniqlo; cheap trendy clothes!) and looking at random stuff before going to the top floors to eat lunch at the restaurants. Then going to the basement ("depa-chika" or "department basement") floors to take a look at the street-type foods to have as a post-meal snack. These department stores are usually attached to the big terminal stations (Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, etc.) and a lot of them are owned by the private railway companies. (Seibu, Tobu, and Odakyu Department Stores, etc.)

Also the view from the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gov't Building (walking distance from Shinjuku Sta.) is nice too, and it's free.

 

[pandv_2000]

Well we are now 4 months out from our Japanese adventure. I've started my Pimsleur Japanese (I say started - I've done 2 lessons.....) and have been changing our hotels around a bit.

We had originally booked the Kyoto Brighton hotel but it's had some pretty poor reviews on TA recently. The main bugbear being the location but it's also getting poor comments on service etc. I have just managed to get a pretty good deal on the Hotel Granvia directly above Kyoto station so we are now very centrally located and the hotel has mainly good reviews.

I tried to get the Miracosta but in August that was never going to happen unless I took the day off work to sit on the laptop at exactly the right time to book but I'm happy with the Happy Magic Room in the Hilton Tokyo Bay. I got a decent rate but then dropped a night in order to fit the Ryokan in for Obon in Kyoto and the rate had gone through the roof. I e-mailed the hotel and they have allowed us to keep the original rate and change the dates so that is good.

I'm now torn between hotels for the main stretch in Tokyo. I booked the Hilton Shinjuku as DH had gold HH membership but he's dropped down to blue now so I'm not sure whether or not to keep it. Last time we stayed at the Hotel Metropolitan Edmont in Chiyoda which is close to the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Dome (not that we actually made it to either of those places). It was in a relatively quiet area but still had a reasonable amount of places to eat nearby. I could book that hotel and save around $600 for the duration of the stay. We liked the hotel last time - the staff were fantastic and really helped us to get the most out of our trip but the Hilton is probably more central (meaning it is on the Yamanote line). I think the room is bigger in the Hilton as we have a junior suite so I think we will probably stick with that.

Our youngest DS seems to think that if you go on holiday it is an essential to see Mickey Mouse so he's going to be disappointed he has to wait a week after stepping off the plane to see him. I'm expecting it to be extremely busy in the parks and we plan to make the most of FP and chill out as much as possible. We only rode a couple of things last time but we really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere and eating popcorn lol!

 

[tim123]

Well we are now 4 months out from our Japanese adventure. I've started my Pimsleur Japanese (I say started - I've done 2 lessons.....) and have been changing our hotels around a bit.

We had originally booked the Kyoto Brighton hotel but it's had some pretty poor reviews on TA recently. The main bugbear being the location but it's also getting poor comments on service etc. I have just managed to get a pretty good deal on the Hotel Granvia directly above Kyoto station so we are now very centrally located and the hotel has mainly good reviews.

I tried to get the Miracosta but in August that was never going to happen unless I took the day off work to sit on the laptop at exactly the right time to book but I'm happy with the Happy Magic Room in the Hilton Tokyo Bay. I got a decent rate but then dropped a night in order to fit the Ryokan in for Obon in Kyoto and the rate had gone through the roof. I e-mailed the hotel and they have allowed us to keep the original rate and change the dates so that is good.

I'm now torn between hotels for the main stretch in Tokyo. I booked the Hilton Shinjuku as DH had gold HH membership but he's dropped down to blue now so I'm not sure whether or not to keep it. Last time we stayed at the Hotel Metropolitan Edmont in Chiyoda which is close to the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Dome (not that we actually made it to either of those places). It was in a relatively quiet area but still had a reasonable amount of places to eat nearby. I could book that hotel and save around $600 for the duration of the stay. We liked the hotel last time - the staff were fantastic and really helped us to get the most out of our trip but the Hilton is probably more central (meaning it is on the Yamanote line). I think the room is bigger in the Hilton as we have a junior suite so I think we will probably stick with that.

Our youngest DS seems to think that if you go on holiday it is an essential to see Mickey Mouse so he's going to be disappointed he has to wait a week after stepping off the plane to see him. I'm expecting it to be extremely busy in the parks and we plan to make the most of FP and chill out as much as possible. We only rode a couple of things last time but we really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere and eating popcorn lol!

Since you've been to Tokyo before you know what to expect and yep August is going to be jam packed everyday …The Mira Costa is going to be tough to book but have you ever stayed at the Ambassador? Its at least worth trying once a day to see if a room opens up which they ofter do day to day…the DisneyTokyo site is easy to manage once you sign up and The Ambassador is Mickey to the max.

 

[shelemm]

Crowds:

According to the TDR Crowd Calendar, the weekend of August 16/17 will have horrific crowds (62,000 people). After that the crowds will be very large (48,000). I would avoid TDR on Sunday the 17th, if possible.

On a clear day, it will be like walking on the sun. Bring a parasol. Definitely. The women use them, the men don't. If you are out of the sun, or on an overcast day, it won't be bad at all.

Getting to the gates at least one hour before opening is ideal. But you could be on line in the sun and you will fall apart even before your day has started. Did I mention to bring a parasol?

AT TDS, everyone will be running (and I mean running) to Toy Story Mania. Everyone. At TDL, most everyone goes to Pooh and Monsters Inc first. Get to Aquatopia early one of your days. No FP, and the line gets very long.

See the Raging Spirits show, it is unique. If you can, see their summer castle show, Natsu Matsuri (last show in the evening), and also Big Band Beat.

For BBB and Natsu Matsuri, there is a lottery system for tickets. There is a designated place to enter the lottery, and there are often long lines just for the lottery. You enter your info into a machine, and the machine tells you if you've won the lottery and spits out tickets. To avoid the long lines, I recommend entering the lottery slightly more than 30 minutes before the last show. In theory this does not increase your chance of winning the lottery, but the lines will have disappeared by then. Both times i did this, I won.

However, to really appreciate Natsu Matsuri, I recommend not wearing shoes or socks you don't want to get wet. Seriously. And go see this show only for the final performance when the sun has gone down and you are pretty much ready to leave the park.

Go see Toyville at night.

Make sure you see the Mermaid show in Triton's Kingdom.

A lot of trip reports seem to miss the Fortress Exploration. Don't miss it. Get a map in English (you'll have to ask for it). Makes it easier to explore and makes for a great free (!) souvenir.

Don't miss Fantasmic.

Journey to the Center of the Earth is better from the front row. You can ask for front row when you get up to the front of the line. Since you are taking Pimsleur, learn how to ask in Japanese, any liitle translation pocket guidebook should be able to help you with that.

In Tokyo, I highly recommend going to Sunshine City Ikebukuro. It is a multi-skyscraper complex with an indoor aquarium, planetarium, shopping mall, a 60th floor observation deck, and an indoor theme park, Namjatown. There will be a significant language barrier to understanding some of the attractions at Namjatown, so just pay for a basic admission, which is cheap. One of the best places to explore Japanese food is in Namjatown: it is called Gyoza Stadium. About a dozen famous gyoza vendors from all over Japan have little stalls to eat gyoza, and perhaps a few other Japanese snacks. There is also an area just for dessert that is terrific, especially if you might enjoy Japanese flavors of ice cream.

I also recommend going to Hatsu Tsubomi for dinner - though it is a quiet, peaceful restaurant, so it depends on your little one. It is on the 9th floor of an office building right near the Akihabara train station, and can be difficult to find - as all adresses in Tokyo do not follow the same logic as Western culture. Going inside is an adventure. They have an English menu, though like everywhere else, do not expect English to be spoken. This is for Japanese food only. The only way to find it is to plug in the following address into Google Maps: 1 Chome-6 Kanda Sakumachō, Chiyoda-ku, Tōkyō-to, Japan. Make sure you print out the map and street view before going. it is in the Danke Akihabara Building.

Unlike a previous poster, I do not recommend eating at Magellan in TDS, but how much you enjoy the food will depend on the quality of restaurants you have in your hometown. Service is slow, so if you go make sure you have plenty of time.

 

[pandv_2000]

Wow that is some really great advice. Thank you. We were planning on Disney sea on the 17th since that is the park we have done before . We've allocated 2 days for each park this time. Maybe if it will be so busy we may be better off taking our time over breakfast in kyoto and not rushing across to tokyo. I will chat to Dh about it but thank you so much for the advice

 

[pandv_2000]

Hmmm so it's been announced today that WWOHP is opening in USJ in July. Now we have to decide if we want to spend a day as USJ. Decisions, decisions ......