This summer we are going to take our 9 year old daughter to Japan, China and Thailand. We know that it is not the greatest weather but it is the only time we can get this amount of time to go. Although we have travelled many other places in the world we have never been to Asia before and could use some advice!

First, we have about 5 weeks and are planning to go to the following cities: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Chang Mai. We are trying to stay at least 2-3-4 days in each place. Are there other stops we should consider as well?

Next, we are just booking the hotels ourselves. We don't speak a word of Japanese or Chinese or Thai. Are we crazy? I thought we could just local hire guides when we get there. We are not too limited in our budget although we do not want to overpay for the services. Does anyone have any recommendations for guides in the cities we are going to?

Also, how do we get from the airport to the hotels? We've usually had the hotels arrange for someone to pick us up, is that common in this area of the world too?

Also, about mid-way through the trip I wanted to take about 5 days or so and just stay somewhere resort-y to give my daughter some downtime. That would be in China somewhere. Any thoughts? Is Hong Kong a good place to do this? How about a place called Fuchun in Hangzhou?

And last, any thoughts about what we can do with our daughter? She is a great traveller, but I like to find some fun local kid things to do, like flying kites or something liket that. Nothing too extravagant or touristy (no tokyo disney!).

Thanks for ANY help you can give us!!

Hi BirdwoodGirl

That sounds a fantastic trip - your daughter is a very lucky girl!

Look for reports by KimJapan on this forum. KimJapan recently travelled to Thailand with her 7 year old and you could definitely pick up some tips and suggestions from her trip report. She also lives in Japan so can help you there. I am sure she will post in response to this post too . In particular, they stayed at an elephant camp in Chiang Mai which her daughter loved.

In terms of other resources:

Kids To Go forum of the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree may prove helpful to you. http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ca...s.cfm?catid=37

Also Dea Birkett, who is a UK travel writer, maintains a forum for those travelling with children on her website. http://www.deabirkett.com/forum.htm#

For Thailand, you may want to take a look at the Nancy Chandler maps for Chiang Mai and Bangkok which are great. Also on her website, you can order activity and colouring books with a thai focus and also cards with 52 things to do in Bangkok with kids:

http://www.nancychandler.net/product.asp?pId=1016

I am afraid I am not a great help on things for 9 year old girls, as ours is as yet only 2, but some things that spring to mind other than the elephant conservation centre that KimJapan stayed at in Chiang Mai are:

Joe Louis Puppet Theatre, Bangkok
Siam Ocean World, Bangkok
Klong tour (tour by longtail boat on the rivers and canals of Bangkok - just make sure your daughter keeps her mouth tightly closed, the water is not so tasty...)
Lumphini Park - there are boats on the lake here and perhaps bikes to ride too. It is a lovely green space in the middle of the city.
Kites - there is a large open space in Bangkok where people go to fly kites but I am afraid I can't remember the name of it! Perhaps someone else will post who can?
Chiang Mai - you can go on a tour of places where handicrafts are made. Particularly, your daughter might like to see silk being made and the painting of the umbrellas. If you take a hat or bag with you, you can get a thai motif or something like a butterfly painted on it for not v much baht at all.

As regards booking hotels in Thailand, it is v easy to book yourself. Most posters on here will book independently and I certainly find it cheaper. The cheapest rates can often be found through the consolidator websites, such as www.sawadee.com but you can sometimes get good deals by going negotiating directly with the hotel. So no! you're not crazy, unless we all are...

Thailand guides - you will find quite a few recommendations on this board for both drivers and guides. Personally, I have never felt the need for a driver in Bangkok. The public transport system (skytrain and express boat at least) is easy to navigate and I like to be able to orientate myself in a city by travelling independently. Having said that, we read a report by offwego on this board (Lori) and her guide (not driver) sounded so fantastic we emailed her to book her for a day. Her name is Tong and she can be contacted at [email protected]. She is a very warm lovely lady. She will tailor your day around your needs and interests. She has a daughter herself and is planning a special day out for our two year old, as well as helping with all our wedding preparations for Thailand. I am sure she will have great ideas for children your daughter's age too. She is properly licensed (not all are - this means she can go into official sites like the Grand Palace etc with you and 'guide' you) and has a large air con new van too. I do feel that having Tong as our guide will enhance our trip to Bangkok this time.

It is v easy to hire drivers and guides once you are in Bangkok however, but if you know you want one for a specific day or trip then it might be an idea to book a recommended one in advance.

For Chiang Mai, you may want to try Sergeant Kai. If you do a search on this board, his details should come up. He is a guide too.

As for Thailand airport pick ups, you can certainly arrange for your hotel to collect you. We normally do this in Chiang Mai but in Bangkok we either get a metred taxi from the line or go to the limousine stand in the airport - I think it is called AAC limousine - if we have more luggage. I think someone will probably post the website as you can book in advance but I am afraid I don't have this. For Bangkok, both of these options will be cheaper than the hotel car with the metred taxi cheapest of all (but not a big car so may not take all your luggage).

Gosh - that turned into a long post!
Hope this helps
BB

You'll have an amazing time. All the places you talked about are pretty touristy so you can totally get by without knowing a word of Thai or Japanese since most do speak it. China will be a little more difficult b/c it's not widely spoken, not even in Beijing but I managed to get around with no problems at all - just get someone to book train tickets in advance for you if that's your method of transport.

As for the resort-y place, I would try to pick somewhere in southern Thailand since it's famous for it's beach and beautiful scenery than in China.

As for Japan, I would try to spend more time in teh Kyoto area since is the most beautiful. You can make day trips to Nara and Miyajima Island. Tokyo and Osaka are just big metropolitan cities. Hiroshima is worth a visit too I think.

Thailand, if you're taking the train or bus to Chiang Mai from Bangkok - try to stop at Sukhothai and Ayudhya since they're a long the way - you'd need a 1 day in each place. I'd say 3 days in Chiang Mai area if you're going to the villages. 2 days in Bangkok and some time in southern Thailand.


Fun stuff for your daughter could be taking her on a elephant or raft trek in Thailand. In Japan, Miyajima Island she would love b/c it's like out of a book or something with deer just prancing along. There's parks all over China where you can fly kites. You can also rent bicycles for the day and tour around.

From the airport to hotels. I'd have the map and directions in the native language before I go and just get a cab. In Japan, that'll be pretty expensive but in China and Thailand pretty cheap. All 3 countries are safe so you don't have to worry about getting into a 'bad' cab. No tipping in Japan but tips will be appreciated in China and Thailand.

Have fun!

Haven't been to Thailand but you shouldn't have any problems in the other places. Just ask the hotel concierge if in doubt.

Airport to hotel transfers:

Tokyo (Narita) - best option is to get the Narita Express into Tokyo JR station (takes about an hour), then switch to the JR Yamamote (a circle line around most of the main areas of Tokto) to get closer to your hotel if necessary. Or get a shuttle bus from the airport - takes at least twice as long as the train. Don't get a taxi from the airport - they are very expensive in Japan.

Hong Kong - again get the train which stops at both Kowloon and Hong Kong Island (Central). Then get a taxi. A taxi from the airport costs 3-4 times as much as the train.

China - if you have the name of the hotel written in Chinese you can get a taxi, but probably best get your hotel to arrange a car. Once you get to your hotel get a card with the hotel name and directions on it and carry it with you in case you need to get a taxi during your stay. If you're travelling thru Pudong airport in Shanghai you MUST try the maglev train - 430+ kph great fun! Unfortunately it only goes to an outer area of Pudong so then still need to get a taxi from there, or use the metro system. We used it on leaving Shanghai, easier than on arrival. If you need to travel around Beijing/Shanghai just ask the hotel concierge to translate your destination into Chinese to show the taxi driver.

For major sight seeing in China (especially Beijing) in many cases it's best to do tours - the hotel will be able to arrange these for you. Be careful of the factory shops they take you to in the Beijung area - they are total rip-offs - but the tours themselves are good value for money! In Shanghai the tours are dearer but the silk factory shop at Suzhou is reasonable value.

Try to do the Hutong tour in Beijing - half day, travelling around in pedicabs (bicycle rickshaws) and visiting one of the old-style courtyard houses as well as beautiful gardens and a tea ceremony etc.

I agree with oceania about making Kyoto your base for that part of Japan rather than moving to Osaka for a few days. Much easier if you don't have to change hotels all the time. Check out http://www.jtbgmt.com/sunrisetour/ for great tours in Japan. The Guided Tours section has heaps of day tours based from both Tokyo and Kyoto.

Hope you have a marvellous trip.

I agree with Oceania that you should plan your mid-trip resort break in Thailand. Much better facilities at a lower rate.

You can probably plan your trip like this:

China - Hong Kong - Thailand - Japan

Hi

My wife and I have been to trips to Asia and I have posted trip reports with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com . You should check it out to see if you can find some good advice on Japan, China and Thailand. Get in touch if you have any questions

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

You've gotten excellent replies so far. You may want to consider spending at least 3 days in each place, as 2 nights is quite a pace. Asia is a place to slow down, even Japan.

In Japan, I recommend getting out of the big cities for some of your time. I live in Kanazawa, which is a small city and it's lovely. Summer is very hot and humid in Japan (we've gone to Bangkok for relief in August!), and the big cities with all the concrete and pavement really heat up.

Easiest transportation in Japan is the train. Traffic and highway tolls of astronomical price often make driving a real chore. You won't need a guide, but should you want one, MK Taxi in Kyoto has English speaking drivers and guides, and a woman named Jun I think is good in Tokyo. A search here on "Tokyo guide elainee" should get the contact information for Jun. Know that you will be paying a premium price for their services though. A JR Pass might serve you very well and is worth looking into.

In Japan, hotels will be your big expense. At age 9, your daughter will stay free, but in existing bedding. Know that most hotels, even the top ones, have either 2 twin beds OR 1 king bed per room. An extra bed runs another ¥5000 - ¥10,000 ($40 - $90). Some hotels offer family rooms, but they are seldom found online...you have to call to get them most of the time. At the very least, you have to book directly with the hotel/chain. Know too, that booking agents like asiahotels.com and asiarooms.com and others are NOT a good deal when booking hotels in Japan. Their prices are consistently double or triple the direct booking price. Also know that English prices are sometimes higher than Japanese prices...so if you need a Japanese price checked or room booked in Japanese I can help you with that. No credit card is required for bookings provided you don't need a late check-in. Anyway, ask here, and help you shall receive.

Thailand...yes, we just returned from our 4th trip there with our daughter. She's 8 now and LOVED elephant camp just south of Chiang Mai in Lampang. There are 2 places...the Elephant Nature Park where we did not go, and the Elephant Conservation Center, where we did go. I think either one would be a hit. The 3 day program with a 2 night stay is the way to go, even with limited time...the meals and accommodation and lifestyle are a real highlight, and they would all be missed by doing only a day visit.

In Bangkok, we all enjoyed the Joe Louis Puppet Theater. It's very well done and the puppets are amazing. The show is a bit interactive at the end and our daughter loved that. Other things we've liked in BKK are boat rides through the klongs, shopping malls, swimming pool at the hotel (this is a must, so choose a hotel with a good one), the Grand Palace...actually, our daughter loved the Jim Thompson House.

Chiang Mai...try to be there on a Sunday for the Sunday Walking Street. Doi Suthep is stunning and worth half a day at least. We did a fabulous cooking class, private just for us and we chose our menu with things for us to cook and things for our daughter to cook...it was excellent...we did it with Yui www.alotofthai.com and were more than impressed. My husband was a chef in a past life and we are both veterans of the restaurant business so we aren't easy to impress...but she did. I worried a bit about our daughter, but I needn't have as she loved every minute of it. I can't recommend this enough...and elephant camp.

Now I'm going to start to ramble, so rather than do that, I'll just leave it to say we have a trip report from Thailand and one from Bali last year (which actually, you reallly might want to consider...if you search KimJapan Bali Alam Sari I'm sure the report will come up. Our Bali trip was a fantastic cultural education.

Finally, the people here at Fodor's Asia are tops for advice and tips, so ask away!

OK...I found the links to our reports for you.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34551824

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34623537

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34623537

And
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34734627

China - not so difficult despite the language barrier. We got by just fine hailing cabs in the street and showing the drivers where we wanted to go, either on the city map or with written instructions provided by the hotel's front desk (unfortunately our budget didn't stretch to those sybaritic establishments graced by a concierge).

You don't need tours to see Beijing's sights. The Great Wall and Ming Tombs yes, but all the attractions in the city proper, including the Summer Palace, are easily and cheaply accessed using cabs, and it's a very easy city to find your way around with a map.

There's no reason to take overpriced rickshaws and look like a dorky tourist when you can visit the hutong areas and the rest of the city at your own pace by foot and where necessary by taxis.

Neil_Oz is right about local Beijing sights by foot and by taxi, and don't forget the metro, however doing a tour means you do get extra information about the place that is not always found in guide books.

But I disagree with his comment about the hutongs and rickshaws. The rickshaw tour was great fun and I would imagine that a 9 year old would be thrilled with it. During the tour you actually go inside one of the hutongs and have the chance to converse with the owner. Yes, it is possible to walk around the hutong area but there is very little to see from the outside. Personally this tour was one of the highlights of my visit to Beijing. From memory the tour wasn't expensive and was well worth every yuan!

I found this resource to be very good for info on what is interesting for kids in the most visited areas of Japan:

http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Japan/japan.htm

I have really enjoyed most of the things on that site also!

THANK YOU!!!!! And WOW!

You are all incredibly helpful. I am beginning to get so excited about our trip that I can hardly type!

I have a few more questions -

1. Ryokan in Japan - we'd like to do this but are not sure it is for us - a) my husband refuses to get in a communal pool - do people ever wear bathing suits? b) are kids allowed? If you think we could still stay at one, any suggestions where?

2. We have reconsidered our someplace resort-y stay on the grounds that we should spend our time exploring, so we are looking a these options instead: a) Chaing Rai or b) Southern China (Guilin/Lijiang) or c) Thai beaches or d) Anghar Wat in Cambodia. We can do only one - we are leaning toward Anghar Wat - any opinion as to which we should do?

3. We are thinking of shipping some dolls and toys and books ahead to some of our destinations so that we don't have to carry them along and so our daughter will have something new from time to time to play with. We wanted to then give them to children who might not have these. Books would be in English. Any thoughts if there are any groups that would like these?

4. Hotel in Kyoto. I've looked and it sounds like the Westin is a nice place to stay - is it? Also I looked at their site and they have singles and doubles but no triples. Is that what you meant KimJapan? I am going to call them (see if we can use our points) - is that the best way to get the best prices and/or a triple room?

I can't tell you how helpfull all your comments have been. We are going to spend more time in Kyoto and cut out days from Tokyo and Osake, and are definately going to do the elephant camp and cooking classes in Chaing Mai, and try to fit in all the things in Bangkok. All your links have been great (and happy birthday to Nikki, we are still reading your posts, gard!)

We are NOT going to swim with the elephants - KimJapan, I read through all your posts and I can't believe what happened to your daughter, a mother's worst nightmare. But luckily all worked out well, whew. Thanks for the headsup on that one, we might well have done it!

I also want to tell you all how wonderful it is for me to have found this site. Without exception my friends think we are crazy to pick up and travel all the time rather than stay home and do the kid-friendly things like go to the beach or go to Disneyworlds. No one understands us! So it is wonderful to have found you all.

THANK YOU!!

Ryokan...the real deal is expensive and exclusive and absolutely lovely. Children are welcome. Special meals will be prepared that are child friendly. Swimsuits are absolutely not worn in the bath...ever. There are some "water parks" with pools and baths that are coed and really, really publlic that swimsuits are required...but that's a totally different thing. Top of the line rooms can have private baths, sometimes even outdoor ones, that only you use. Sometimes, too, you can reserve the public bath for your private use for an hour or so. Depends on the place.

There are some great hotels in Siem Reapthat have beautiful pools and spas and great restaurants. You could combine a great hotel with the temple of Angkor and have a really cool experience I think. Check out the postings about Ponheary Ly. I'd do this option over the others..but that's me.

We don't bring toys anymore for our daughter...she meets friends along the way, and has yet to play with toys over other kids. We do choose our hotels quite carefully, to the point of asking the hotel directly if other kids are booked in at the same time as our stay. Pools are of utmost importance. It's far easier to meet other families/kids in small places than in big places.

As far as giving stuff away...up to you, but please consider that you won't be able to give to every child, and those that you do give to will be that much closer to expecting a handout from tourists. This really encourages begging, and there is a lot of begging already and begging does not help the family get out of poverty. Books in English could be given to a school. Toys could be given to an orphanage or care center or hospital...but I wouldn't give them to individuals. If you really want to have interaction with children and give something, Ponheary Ly is all the rage here right now, and it seems so for a good reason.

About the Westin (Yes, nice), and Japanese hotels...yes, they generally only show rates for 2 adults, with bedding for 2 people. Adding an extra bed is not possible in all room types. Some rooms have pull out sofas. Booking on line is problematic for 3 people...with Hilton.com you can never add a child and get available rooms to show. With spg.com you can't even add a child. So, short answer, yes, call the hotel directly and ask about room types that are suitable for a family.

Elephant camp...like I said before, definitely do the 3 days, but don't swim. It's only 15 minutes of the day, and you can go into the water with your elephant in another place another time and not get drenched which is almost as fun. For the cooking class, definitely e-mail to Yui beforehand about what you'd like to make, if you'd like to go to market with her, and her recommendations for your daughter. The price for a packed day (9:00 - 6:00) with marketing, cooking, and eating 7 dishes I think, was 5000 baht which includes the tip we gave her for being so great...just a bit more than the 800 - 900 baht per person fee for joining a group class set menu. Well worth it to us.

Your friends have no idea what they are missing! Asia is so kid friendly, and there are so many families travelling as well. We always meet other families and always make friends and the kids have a ball. We've done the Disney thing in Tokyo, and it's great, really, but it's a totally different kind of trip.

KimJapan, thank you so much again for all your information.

I hadn't thought about making kids begin to expect things from tourist. We definately don't want to do anything that might encourage begging or anything negative like that. I saw the postings about Ponheary Ly and I think we might try to go there. What an amazing story.

BTW- I booked us into the Westin in Kyoto, but even by calling I'm not sure if we have beds for three. Oh well, won't be the first time we've slept on a floor!

One last question - sorry! - I think we might try to stay at a ryokan one night if we can find one that has a private bath. We are going to be going through Hakone, and I have seen some ryokans mentioned in some other postings - is there one that you know of that you'd recommend for us? I saw something about Gora Kadan or the Kansuiro ryokans, are either of them OK?

I haven't been to Hakone, but it is supposed to be a lovely area. Kansuiro looks lovely and has reasonable prices for what it appears you are getting...around $300.00 per person per night.

Gorakadan looks wonderful, as it should with prices starting at arounnd $500.00 per person per night and going up to over $1000.00 per person per night...I wouldn't pay it...One night would be the same as our 2 1/2 weeks in Thailand this year. I just couldn't say that it would be good value, really. At these prices, the atmosphere would likely be a bit over the top too...I'm guessing your daughter would be happier in a little less formal place.

We think there are many interesting things for children in Japan. Some you might consider:
Tokyo- traditional Bunraku Theater with it's huge puppets, Odaibu, monorail to entertainment area on bay with world's largest ferris wheel, Kite museum in Nihonbashi where you can also make a kite, Hakuhinkan Toy Park a 5 story toy store with a theater and restaurant with food designed to appeal to children, Meji shrine had (may still have) bicycles to lend to ride through Yoyogi Park, take the train to Kamakura a lovely small town, walk up narrow winding through hills with small shops, gardens and the huge buddha.
Kyoto- The Handicraft Center where you can try doll making or woodblock printing, interesting craft museum, Nishiki Food market with all kinds of unusual things including flowers made from noodles, train to Sagano and boat on river to Arashiyama with its artist studios and bamboo forest, nice place to wander
Takayama- a piece of old Japan, lovely traditional buildings, rest from cities, outdoor folk museum.

The only thing I can add is that
on our trip to Hong Kong it was
very much helpful that my husband
is Chinese. Even so, there are 18 different languages in China and 1500
different dialects...as long as you are
in a major hotel there is sure to be
someone who speaks English. Outside
you could easily run into difficulty.
In several places I could not make myself
understood and had to find him in a nearby shop to come over and translate.

Thank you all SO MUCH!! We've revised our plans a little based on your input and are in the process of booking everything, and getting very excited.

One last and very important question - How do we read menus????? I thought about bringing bilingual menus from our local chinese, japanese and thai restaurants, does that make sense?

KimJapan - we decided not to stay in a Ryokan after all, they were pretty expensive and my husband was still refusing to get into a bath . . . so maybe I'll go another time on my own!

Thank you so much for all your input, we have lots of ideas of things to do with our daughter. We are reserving hotels and arranging tours with some of the local guides you have suggested -- we'll report back!

Not sure about China, but when we were in Hong Kong everywhere we went had an English menu except one fabulous dim sum place we stumbled into...no English at all, all Chinese customers, thought about leaving, but then started to just order what the tables around us had that looked good, then the staff just started bringing us things...we and the staff had a great time, and the cost was shockingly low too.

In Japan, the vast majority of restaurants have pictures, plastic food in the window, or English menus. In Japan, when we haven't known what to order, we've asked the staff to help us. In our experience, restaurant staff is often eager to use English with us, although we all speak Japanese.

In Thailand, most places tourists would go have English menus. At times when there has been no English, we've also had fun just winging it and having the staff help us with selections.

The ryokan experience...it will wait. They will always be there, and it would surely be a shame to to spend all that money and not enjoy it. Good choice to pass on it this time.