Tips for Others Planning to Visit Japan
 

Konnichiwa!

I've recently returned from a two-week trip to Japan and would like to offer my thoughts and recommendations for those who are interested. I'm striving to offer specific details that I hope help inform others' trips, including where my experiences fell short of or exceeded expectations.

Currently, I have shared a series of "getting started" posts, as well as a summary of the best and worst (and somewhere in between) of Tokyo and some "know before you go" quick tips. Additional posts on Koyasan, Kyoto and the Japanese Alps will soon follow. All can be found here: https://soylatteandcabernet.wordpress.com/

I hope my experiences can be of service to you...happy travels!

Nothing there.

Leaving for Japan on Tuesday. Would love to read this, but nothing there still.

Hi dgunbug - I'm in Kyoto, about to leave for Nara. Very nice weather right now, but horrendous crowds at the major sights.

Hi Thursday. What's your itinerary? No overlap with me? Hope you are enjoying yourself. Jacket weather or just light sweater?

Thursday - any special tips?

Hi dgunbug,

This is still correct, except I moved one more day from Kyoto to Nara, where I arrived today (Saturday):

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...omment-9635325

And this is correct:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...omment-9643824

Would be great to meet up, but I have a feeling we already discussed it and don't overlap, but that might have been someone else.

Weather is high 60s - low 70s daytime, but hot in the sun. Cooler at night. Layers... The leaves are just starting to change around Kyoto.

No special tips aside from what the guidebooks tell you, except there are more western toilets so far than I remember (but gossamer thin TP), and credit cards are more widely accepted than LP suggests.

Are you going to Kyoto? If so, a transport pass is worthwhile just so you don't have to mess with change for the buses. Probably true elsewhere as well. In Kyoto you can buy them at the T.I. office in the station (don't confuse the tourist info with the railway info with the building info - three different offices!). I didn't buy a JR pass as I'm traveling too slowly for it to be worthwhile, but I have just bought a JR West seven day pass, which you can do in-country. You're supposed to print the confirmation but they accepted it on my phone. By reserving over the internet I saved 10 yen. I am having trouble remembering that that is about $10, as I was just in Korea where 10,000 won is a bit less than $10.

Oops, that should have been 1,000 yen is about $10, I said I was confused! Of course, today's (excellent) saki tasting probably didn't help.

thursdaysd-I'll be in Kyoto Nov. 13-17 before heading home. I'm glad to hear that the leaves are starting to turn, as I thought we would be in Kyoto too early for koya on this trip. Last trip we were in Kyoto a week later and it was in full color. Crowds didn't seem too bad last trip. I think I'll head for the less visited temples/gardens in Kyoto this time. I look forward to reading about your experiences in Kyoto and in the other parts of Japan you visited.

Thursday - you are correct...no overlap. Excited to hear that the fall colors are beginning to appear in Kyoto. I was afraid we would miss the peak colors everywhere. Living in south Florida, we miss them and it seems that every time we take a car trip up north the beautiful colors allude us by a week or so. Watch out for those map eating deer and have a great time! We will be following in part, in your footsteps.

Pity I'll miss you both. Shelley, maybe I just got unlucky, but the crowds at the major sights in Kyoto were really bad. Some of it was school groups, there were at least three big ones at Kinkaku-ji and they were so loud I got a headache. But in Arashiyama, where the Bamboo Path was mobbed, I had Okochi Sanso at the far end almost to myself. Same with a couple of northern temples I visited after lunch.

Shelley - enjoy your trip too. Looking forward to reading about everyone's experiences afterward.

Hey thursdays, are you recovered from TD? If so, you must tell us about all the delicious Japanese food you have been eating. Yum.

(BTW, I did get to Brasov for a couple of hours en route to Sighisoara, and it was stellar, especially the synagogue. Thanks for the suggestion.)

For those attempting to view the original poster's blog - I managed to get into it. Once you click on the link given by the OP, go to the top of the page and type in japan under the search bar.

Soylatte...I look forward to the rest of your blog! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks to the op for sharing your experiences! I am leaving in 5 days for my first trip there and appreciate the tips.

I had a nice view of fall colors in Kyoto from the Silver Pavillion.

Her blog is up now.