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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/SirBowsersniff on 2024-01-11 06:44:41.
Given how helpful this sub was in planning our family trip to Japan a few weeks ago, I thought I’d pay it forward and share our recommendations from our experience. For some background, our group consisted of a family of 12 with 6 adults and 6 kids ranging in age from 12 to 17. Compounding matters, we had 3 food allergies (1 gluten and 2 nut) that made things slightly more challenging in terms of ad hoc dining. As such, we were frequently restricted to larger restaurants that could accommodate both the allergies and the size of our group. However, it was an amazing experience and we are already plotting on how we return as soon as possible.
Important Tips
- Always have cash on hand. It was surprising how often businesses or restaurants were cash only. This applies to the subway as well. While every subway kiosk had a slot for accepting credit cards, they were cash only.
- Eat only in restaurants. Unlike in the states, eating “on the go” is frowned upon. If you purchase McDonald’s or other fast food to go, they assume you will take it home to eat it. If you purchase a skewer or other street food, the expectation is that you eat it directly in front of their stall. They will provide a garbage can for your rubbish. Which leads me to my next point which is…
- Take your garbage with you. Garbage Cans are oddly absent in Japan. You’ll find them in bathrooms, occasionally on a train platform but otherwise, you will rarely see garbage cans on a random side walk or street corner. Any trash you generate, you are expected to dispose of at home or with the business where you originally purchased the item contained within the garbage.
- Embrace 7-11. The hype is real. Tons of delicious, fresh food can be found at 7-11 and other convenience stores. FamilyMarts (7-11 competitor) were ubiquitous as well.
- Install Google Translate on your iPhone. English is not widely spoken. Most tourist attractions had capable English speakers but it’s not like visiting Europe where the majority of the population has passable English. Having Google Translate on your phone will help you communicate and/or read signage and menus. Similarly, learn to say Please, Thank You and Goodbye in Japanese. They’re an incredibly polite culture and they definitely appreciated our attempts to say these phrases.
- Respect how big the cities are. If you have traveled extensively in Europe, you probably know that the majority of the cities have a central business district and tourist area centered around a major attraction (castle, etc.). Tokyo, in particular, is absolutely massive. I knew it was the largest city in the world going in but I don’t think my mind could effectively comprehend that the metro area had 40.8MM people until we actually arrived. When examining a map, you’ll think, “oh, that temple is right next to that building” and when you punch it into Google Maps, it’ll be a 1.5 hour walk or 20 minute subway ride. When planning your itinerary, plot each destination on Google Maps to ensure you are not pushing yourself too hard.
- Mentally prepare yourself that you may experience an earthquake. While the threat of earthquakes is omnipresent, we were still surprised when we felt the 7.6 quake even though we were hundreds of miles from the epicenter. Our personal rule was that we wouldn’t freak out until we saw the Japanese freak out. While our hotel’s elevators were turned off for a little over an hour (causing us to walk down 10 flights of stairs), the Japanese handled it with customary efficiency.
Transportation
Taxis
Taxis are ubiquitous and easily hailed from the street. Most major tourist attractions, train stations, etc, have taxi stands. Every cab driver wore a suit, gloves, mask and displayed a level of professionalism unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. I prefer Google Maps to Apple Maps as Google Maps shows you both the English and Japanese address for a location. When you click on the Google Maps Japanese address, it will expand it so the cab driver can read it. There’s even an audio function to communicate it to him verbally. Every cab we encountered took credit cards but you could tell there was a preference for cash from the interactions.
Trains
A whole book could be written about navigating Japan’s rail system (and one probably already has) but what you need to know is the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) is truly a marvel of engineering. To put it in perspective, our cab ride from the Osaka airport to our hotel in Kyoto took approximately 1.5 hours. The Shinkansen ride from the Osaka train station to Kyoto Station takes 13 minutes. Driving to Tokyo would take 6 hours; our train ride only took 2 hours and 15 minutes. It’s utterly mind blowing how smooth and convenient it is.
Highly recommend you book your tickets ahead of time at Japan Rail’s website. If you do not have a login, you will need to register. They have several different train speeds, with Nozomi being the fastest. That’s the one you want to book. When you book, you can reserve seats ahead of time which is a good idea if you have luggage. The seat diagram also shows you locations where luggage can be stored. Those locations aren’t designated luggage closets - they’re simply seats with more legroom so you can store your bag in front of you. Otherwise, you’ll need to put your bag in the overhead. Your tickets will be available via QR codes that you can easily add to your Apple Wallet. You may purchase a maximum of 6 tickets at a time. If your party’s larger than that, simply make a second reservation.
When you arrive at Kyoto Station, ask the cab to drop you off at the Shinkansen entrance. Kyoto Station has many different train companies (also there are 30+ platforms) and it’s the 2nd largest train station in all of Japan so it can be overwhelming. Simply scan your QR code at the Shinkansen gates and it’ll let you through. On the 2nd floor (past the Shinkansen gates), there are a ton of places to purchase food, including a Starbucks. The train platform is one level up from here. Eating on the train is perfectly acceptable. No food or drinks are available for purchase on the train unless you reserve seats in the “Green” class.
Japanese trains run with military precision and its an immense source of pride for the nation. They almost put the Swiss to shame with how good their rail system is. Line up at the specific train car spot on the platform. If you are in Carriage 5, find the Carriage 5 spot. It’s imperative you are on the platform 10 to 15 minutes before the train arrives just so you can get positioned. When the train pulls up, they allow approximately two minutes for passengers to disembark and board the train. Be mindful that if you’re on the 12:15 train, there might be a 12:05 and a 12:10 lining up before you at the same spot, so don’t queue up right in the line itself until 4 minutes prior.
Subway
We took the subways in both Kyoto and Tokyo with little problem. Some stations have multiple lines with multiple train companies (particularly in Kyoto) so make sure you use the correct machine for the correct train line. Each machine has a language option in the upper right hand corner.
You’ll select your fare amount (again, Google Maps was a dream in this regard as when you punched in your destination into Google Maps, it would tell you the fare), choose the number of people using the buttons the left hand side (up to 2 or 3 tickets at a time depending on the train line) and insert your cash (up to ¥5000) or coins. Some stations offered more modern kiosks for purchasing tickets that allowed you to input the station name and select more than 3 people at one time when purchasing tickets.
Important: You need to use the same ticket to exit the station so do NOT throw it out after you go through the gates.
In Tokyo, every station is assigned a letter corresponding to the train line and a number. Instead of remembering that you need to exit at a particular station name, you can simply look for the corresponding designator (e.g. E-12, F-7, etc.). This also helps in determining how many stops until your station.
Kyoto
Day 1
In the morning, participate in the Waraku Kyoto Samurai Experience (111, Inaba-Cho, Nakagyo-Ku, Kyoto, Japan). Book this immediately. Our kids (and all the adults) really enjoyed this experience. Do not go to the Samurai museum, do this instead. Our experience began with a brief talk about samurai history along with more information on the 260 year old house which has remained in the same family as the samurai since the Shogun period. The history lesson is followed by an iaido demonstration and then everyone has an opportunity to practice with wooden swords before using the real katana. You then finish with a short Zen meditation. The full experience took almost two hours. While it’s definitely on the pricier side, I can’t recommend it enough.
Next, walk to Nijo Train station about 10 minutes away, grab a Teriyaki burger at Mos Burgers and then take the San-In Line (~9 minute ride) to Saga Arashiyama Station for a Private Bike Tour of the Bamboo Forest, the Arashiyama area and the Iwatayama Monkey Park. Book the half day tour in advance. Your tour guide will help you channel your inner influencer to capture the perfect Bamboo Forest shots while you visit a shrine, Unesco registered gardens and feed the monkeys.
Day 2
In the morning, visit the Kiyomizu-dera Temple (TripAdvisor). E…
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