00Stinger
100 - 7
Has anyone done a day trip out to Hakone & Lake Ashi from Tokyo?
Travel Japan
- Thread starter Aussie Assault
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- Jun 18, 2010
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Just put your big cases in the nearest luggage rack. No one is touching them. If you are nervous get up and look at them every now and then. You also have an overhead rack for back pack type stuff.
- Jun 18, 2010
- 4,082
- 5,480
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- FFC Quay Club
Yeah just be clear what you are going to do up there if you have kids. A lot of activity is about hot springs and fine dining. This time of year it is getting into the autumn menus, so lots of matsutake broth with sudachi, lots of chestnut based desserts which come across a little waxy to the western palate. The ship on the lake is fun. I have driven but recently I took the train from Shinjuku.
00Stinger
100 - 7
4 days until I leave now
A couple of last minute quick questions
* Osaka to Kyoto for the day. Is hiring a car for the day so we can get around as much as Kyoto as possible a good idea or not? Yes my wife & I both got international driver licenses
* Thinking of a day trip out to Hakone (might do the Hakone free pass) but will at least do lake Ashi to do the ship ride and see the Hakone shrine. If not this, does anyone else know of a good alternative day trip from Tokyo?
A couple of last minute quick questions
* Osaka to Kyoto for the day. Is hiring a car for the day so we can get around as much as Kyoto as possible a good idea or not? Yes my wife & I both got international driver licenses
* Thinking of a day trip out to Hakone (might do the Hakone free pass) but will at least do lake Ashi to do the ship ride and see the Hakone shrine. If not this, does anyone else know of a good alternative day trip from Tokyo?
00Stinger
100 - 7
So back from Japan for a couple of days now, what an awesome 3 weeks it was.
Some thoughts
Tokyo is an amazing place, all up I spent 10 nights there and that didn't feel too long at all. 5 nights in Ginza/Shiodome & 5 in Ueno
Osaka was good but just felt like a massive city. Wasn't as near as impressive as Tokyo, but would be a great party city if you are younger
Kyoto looks a bit run down during the day but at night it comes alight (literally)
Okinawa was beautiful. Beaches were fantastic but the towns were very run down probably because of the storms
Some thoughts
Tokyo is an amazing place, all up I spent 10 nights there and that didn't feel too long at all. 5 nights in Ginza/Shiodome & 5 in Ueno
- Team labs was amazing, pics don't do it justice
- Kidzania was fantastic for the kids
- Disneysea was massive and really enjoyable, but lines can be annoying. However it didn't feel too crowded
- Ginza is beautiful. Great parks near by
- Tokyo tower was a bit meh but Tokyo skytree was great
- Ueno zoo wasn't that impressive but seeing polar bears & pandas was worth it
- Shibuya was pretty good but way too busy for my liking but loved the parks around there
- Shinjuku was alright too but a bit overhyped imo
- Tokyo museum was great seeing all of the dinosaur fossiles, especially the t-rex
Osaka was good but just felt like a massive city. Wasn't as near as impressive as Tokyo, but would be a great party city if you are younger
- Osaka castle was pretty good. The restaraunt on the roof next door was top notch
- Universal studios was great but man is that place busy and crowded
- Dontonbori is fantastic, at night the neon lights are unlike anything i have seen before
Kyoto looks a bit run down during the day but at night it comes alight (literally)
- Bamboo forest was good but too busy. Found some good trails and other things in that area though
- Fushimi Inari was amazing at night and there was hardly anyone there
Okinawa was beautiful. Beaches were fantastic but the towns were very run down probably because of the storms
- Kouri island was 1 & 1/2 hour drive but great. Heart rocks a bit meh compared to our beaches
- Okinawa caves were amazing and big. Snake shows near by were interesting too
- Naha was very Hawaii like, a lot of American stuff too
- Pineapple village was an awesome experience. Bough pineapple sparking wine too
- Ocean expo park is a must. Aquarium there, free dolphin shows, emerald beach was stunning
Sttew
Brownlow Medallist
Just got back myself on Wednesday. 3rd trip but went with a couple who’d never been so saw the usual suspects - Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. But also went to Hiroshima, Naioshima (the art island) and Kurashiki (described as the Venice of Japan).
Agree TeamLab is a must see experience.
Highlight was the food, particularly a full on kaiseki dinner at a 10 person restaurant in Kyoto. Sublime and worth every dollar. The food halls in the basements of department stores have to be seen to be believed.
If/when I go again I will spend less time in Tokyo. It is an overwhelming and confusing city. That’s just my opinion!
00Stinger
100 - 7
Yeah those food halls are huge and have bloody everything
I ate a huge amount of wagyu steak at the bbq places. Cheap and fantastic
I loved Tokyo, spent 10 nights all up (2 different stop overs). Needed about 3 or 4 more to get everything done. But I stayed in Ginza/Shiodome and Ueno which were great and not as hectic as Shibuya and Shinjuku (those places are too busy for my liking)
Sttew
Brownlow Medallist
My mistake was to stay in Shinjuku (and then near Tokyo Station last 2 nights)
00Stinger
100 - 7
Yeah Shinjuku and Shibuya are too busy
Tokyo station wouldn't have been too bad though, would it?
We stayed about 2km south of Tokyo station and then about 2.5km north of Tokyo station.
We stayed in Minato City which is a quiet, more sort of upmarket part of town. Was a great place to stay.
Didn't go to TeamLabs unfortunately, sounds like we missed out
We only went to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka (total of two weeks - followed by 3.5 in China). I didn't really like Osaka as a city, Universal was ok - the Mario thing was great but I'm a Playstation guy so the adoration was limited to the aesthetics of it. Kyoto is good but because of the size and number of tourists certain areas were far too busy and not exactly relaxing, most fun I had in Kyoto was just walking around, going through the backstreets and getting away from the busy parts of the city. Fuji was nice but saw better mountains in western China where accessibility was much better.
Didn't go to TeamLabs unfortunately, sounds like we missed out
We only went to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka (total of two weeks - followed by 3.5 in China). I didn't really like Osaka as a city, Universal was ok - the Mario thing was great but I'm a Playstation guy so the adoration was limited to the aesthetics of it. Kyoto is good but because of the size and number of tourists certain areas were far too busy and not exactly relaxing, most fun I had in Kyoto was just walking around, going through the backstreets and getting away from the busy parts of the city. Fuji was nice but saw better mountains in western China where accessibility was much better.
My highlight of Japan was Disneysea. I loved it.
00Stinger
100 - 7
I agree with most of thisWe stayed in Minato City which is a quiet, more sort of upmarket part of town. Was a great place to stay.
Didn't go to TeamLabs unfortunately, sounds like we missed out
We only went to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka (total of two weeks - followed by 3.5 in China). I didn't really like Osaka as a city, Universal was ok - the Mario thing was great but I'm a Playstation guy so the adoration was limited to the aesthetics of it. Kyoto is good but because of the size and number of tourists certain areas were far too busy and not exactly relaxing, most fun I had in Kyoto was just walking around, going through the backstreets and getting away from the busy parts of the city. Fuji was nice but saw better mountains in western China where accessibility was much better.
i liked Osaka, but I would have loved it if I was younger and went there without kids. Seemed like more of a party city, and wasn't particularly pretty like the other two mentioned cities
Kyoto was amazing at night and we went to a couple of the tourist spots at night and they were dead (ie Fushimi Inari)
Yeah Disneysea was pretty awesome, I 100% agree
How do you go with humidity? I find Tokyo impossible at that time of year because of the heat island effect. The further you can get away from built up areas the better but it's kind of difficult in Japan.
Looks like I'm in for a sweaty time then. Haven't booked anything beyond flights at this point but will keep that in mind for planning.
Keep in mind too that up until about August 15th is peak holiday and travel time in Japan. 2 and a half weeks from Aug 20th or thereabouts would be sweaty but good imo as it's outside peak season. Some years the weather has even cooled down a little by then but don't bet on it.
Pretty crazy being here with all the earthquakes.
Up in the mountains snowboarding atm and the house we were staying at was swaying side to side pretty heavily. Most of the locals didn’t really bat an eyelid and brushed it off as pretty normal even though it was the biggest one they have had for years.
Up in the mountains snowboarding atm and the house we were staying at was swaying side to side pretty heavily. Most of the locals didn’t really bat an eyelid and brushed it off as pretty normal even though it was the biggest one they have had for years.
