The Japan trip resource thread 2.

[briareos_kerensky]

Sorry to derail the discussion, but what about places to visit in Hokkaido?

[hudson]

I am thinking of making Japan a holiday destination for me and the family (2 adults, 3 kids aged 10, 11, 13). Can anyone list me a quick itinerary of things to do?

Is Akihabara still busting with arcades? I read a few had closed down in recent years.

I know we have Super Nintendo World, Disney, Ghibli Studio etc. Shinkansen to Kyoto? Akihabara and its electronic gadgets and games...

Also. wondering if my kids are at a good age for this.

[briareos_kerensky]

I wouldn't know about kids, but I think the 13yrs old will have a blast.
Arcades are still in Akihabara, but they are a shadow of their former self, especially now that Sega have sold their arcade division. I went last year, and I felt like arcades are now for either those interested in redemption games or 1-on-1 games, be them classic beat'em'ups a la Street Fighter or things like Gundam VS Duel. The Taito arcade on Akihabara's main boulevard had a few AstroCity and Vewlix cabinets with multiroms, but I miss ten years ago when the Sega arcade had the last floor dedicated exclusively to large cabinets.
If you've never been there it will still look like paradise, but Akihabara has slowly migrated from videogames to anime to maid cafes, so it might be disappointing if you go there for just videogames.

If you want shop for videogames another good location in Tokyo is Nakano Broadway, it's basically a giant Mandarake store divided into smaller shops specialised in videogames, soundtracks, and related products. Opens up at 12, so plan accordingly.

The Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto takes between 2 to 3 hours, depending on the train you take, then less than hour between Kyoto and Osaka.
If you plan to go to Super Nintendo World, book tickets ASAP, they tend to go fast. And once you're in, you can easily spend the day there. The new Donkey Kong attraction should be already open.
Don't know a thing about Tokyo Disney, and honestly it's the last thing I'd visit. For the Ghibli Park you need to reserve tickets three months in advance.

Den Den Town in Osaka is another nice location to find videogames, but last year I felt COVID and online sales had a much more severe effect on Den Den Town than Akihabara.

[Anpanman]

I am thinking of making Japan a holiday destination for me and the family (2 adults, 3 kids aged 10, 11, 13). Can anyone list me a quick itinerary of things to do?

Depends what you want, BK has done an ace job with the games.

Would the kids be bored at Kyoto? One option would be to stay on the Shinkansen to Osaka, which has Umeda Sky, Tempozan a great castle and USJ. Nagashima Spa Land in Nagoya is terrific and as a bonus you might see a Dreamlifter flying very low into Centrair one of only about three places on the planet to see one.

[hudson]

Thanks guys. I have things to consider. Thinking a bit more about arcades, I don't think they will be much of a an attraction to my kids as they are to me. I could literally stay in the arcades for the entire duration I took my kids to Arcade Club and they were like, "We just want to play Fortnite"

But, as you guys have listed, there's a lot of cool stuff to do and visit.

[Anpanman]

..no worries, good luck with the planning forgot to add Osaka also has the Kaiyukan - huge aquarium.

[Wools]

Me and Mrs Wools are planning a trip to Japan next year and found Cakes With Faces video very helpful to give a rough cost overview of Japan.

Also, the Yen is very weak right now for us British, so consider picking up some Yen!

[wakka]

I am thinking of making Japan a holiday destination for me and the family (2 adults, 3 kids aged 10, 11, 13). Can anyone list me a quick itinerary of things to do?

Is Akihabara still busting with arcades? I read a few had closed down in recent years.

I know we have Super Nintendo World, Disney, Ghibli Studio etc. Shinkansen to Kyoto? Akihabara and its electronic gadgets and games...

Also. wondering if my kids are at a good age for this.

I know this post was a while ago, and I don't have any kids, but I honestly think this would be such a cool holiday to take kids of that age on.

When I was 8 I was lucky enough to be taken on a trip to the US by my parents, and we visited Disney World and then New York on the way home. It was the first time I ever left Europe and it's always been a real treasured memory for me.

I honestly think Japan'll be great for kids of that age. Totally different culture, incredible food, wonderful shrines, castles and museums, great theme parks.

I reckon you'd have a blast.

The things that would leap to mind for me in Tokyo would be Ghibli Museum, Meiji Jingu, street culture in Akihabara and Harajuku, the views from Roppongi Hills, Tokyo DisneySea (a beautiful theme park unique to the Japanese Disney resort).

Then a Shinkansen bullet train to Osaka (~3 hours), where you could visit Osaka Castle, walk around Kyoto's beautiful traditional buildings, visit Denden Town for some games shopping for Dad (better prices and selection than Akihabara, at least when I went 16 years ago), see the views from Umeda Sky, and visit Universal Studios for Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (which are both inside it - it's a single theme park).

So much great food too, that takes Japanese staples like ramen, sushi and curry to levels that are difficult to access in the UK - where many Japanese restaurants take the standard diner format of a tonkotsu, katsu curry, bit of tuna and salmon sushi, and leave it at that. But there is plenty of great American style fast food with a Japanese twist at Mosburger and Lotteria when everyone wants something easy and familiar, too.

This is just one guy who doesn't even know Japan at all barely scratching the surface as well. There's so much there.
Honestly it would be a ****ing cool family holiday. Can I come?!?

[hudson]

I know this post was a while ago, and I don't have any kids, but I honestly think this would be such a cool holiday to take kids of that age on.

When I was 8 I was lucky enough to be taken on a trip to the US by my parents, and we visited Disney World and then New York on the way home. It was the first time I ever left Europe and it's always been a real treasured memory for me.

I honestly think Japan'll be great for kids of that age. Totally different culture, incredible food, wonderful shrines, castles and museums, great theme parks.

I reckon you'd have a blast.

The things that would leap to mind for me in Tokyo would be Ghibli Museum, Meiji Jingu, street culture in Akihabara and Harajuku, the views from Roppongi Hills, Tokyo DisneySea (a beautiful theme park unique to the Japanese Disney resort).

Then a Shinkansen bullet train to Osaka (~3 hours), where you could visit Osaka Castle, walk around Kyoto's beautiful traditional buildings, visit Denden Town for some games shopping for Dad (better prices and selection than Akihabara, at least when I went 16 years ago), see the views from Umeda Sky, and visit Universal Studios for Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (which are both inside it - it's a single theme park).

So much great food too, that takes Japanese staples like ramen, sushi and curry to levels that are difficult to access in the UK - where many Japanese restaurants take the standard diner format of a tonkotsu, katsu curry, bit of tuna and salmon sushi, and leave it at that. But there is plenty of great American style fast food with a Japanese twist at Mosburger and Lotteria when everyone wants something easy and familiar, too.

This is just one guy who doesn't even know Japan at all barely scratching the surface as well. There's so much there.
Honestly it would be a ****ing cool family holiday. Can I come?!?

We decided that our next holiday will be the Disney World Florida one. None of us have ever been, and with the kids being just young enough to be exited about going, I think it's probably the best time. Japan will always be there for them. I think being a little older, they will possibly appreciate it more? But like you say, either way, they would probably still love to go now - however, I imagine me and my partner will be poor after visiting a few gadget shops "muuuuuum, daaaaaaad, can I have...." (shudder).

Of course, you can come with us.

[wakka]

I will come on the Florida holiday, thanks.

[Wools]

Our Japan trip to Tokyo next year is coming along nicely.

We booked our British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Haneda, with economy going out and premium economy for our return leg which I'm excited about, never travelled higher than standard! For Hotels, we have booked a 11 night stay in Hotel Groove Shinjuku and that will be our base for all our travel, as it has great connections being close to the Yamanote Line for travel further afield on the Shinkansen and for the loop around Tokyo itself.

However, we've left our last 3 nights open, and we're going to look into a really nice hotel with some king on Onsen on site, so we can really relax for our last 3 nights after what would have been tens of miles walked and explored. Have a few hotels lined up but not sure which one yet.

We also took advantage of the weak Yen and picked up some cash last week and effectively doubled our spending money. Didn't go too mad as Japan seems to not be as hardcore cash only society after the Olympic Games, so our cards should go far, but wanted some cash in preparation for smaller places and when we travel further afield on our day trips.

Hope anyone else planning for a Japan trip this year or next, is going well.

[Anpanman]

Great stuff, we flew with BA this year, out economy and back with premium. Nice work with the Yen, I tend to dip into the exchange rate periodically and pick some up when it's a good price.

For next year we are looking to see some scenery and or some cultural sites. Kanazawa and its castle is favourite at the mo.

[fishbowlhead]

I desperately want to go back to Japan, sigh.

[Yakumo]

It's been a while but here we are with a new Life in Japan video. There's much to see ! It will also give you an idea of how bad the rain can be in August and September!

[kryss]

Sorry to derail the discussion, but what about places to visit in Hokkaido?

The Ishiya factory is just outside of Sapporo.
Also recommend the snow festival in February, but expect it to be busy.