Hey, one of my kids is going to Japan--relatively soon. Going with two friends. They bought their airfare and are booking everything else while finishing college. He was interested in advice from experienced travelers and asked me to put it on the board.

They are planning to stay in Tokyo 7 nights, then go to Kanazawa, Kyoto and Osaka.
Right now they are thinking one night in Kanazawa, three in Kyoto, four in Osaka (with a side trip to Nara) and one night in Tokyo before flying out.

Questions.
What areas of Tokyo should they be looking for lodging?
What are the advantages of hostel versus capsule hotel?
What are your thoughts about the itinerary? Too many days in Osaka? How many for Kanazawa?
What area of Tokyo should they stay the night before they leave? Their flights home are in the afternoon.

Thanks so much!

My thought is that they need to spend some more time figuring out what those stops have to offer. It seems like they just picked some big cities to visit. Which is ok.

Soon? When exactly is their first day? Which airport(s) for arrival/departure?

Kanazawa is a 2-night minimum, 3-nights better. Don't even go there for just a one-night stay. No need to spend any time in Osaka, really, if they don't know why they are going there.

>> advantages of hostel versus capsule hotel?
IDK, but my guess is that a hostel would have more common space.

Hostels would definitely have a better travel experience over a capsule hotel for a group of young adults. Not knowing what your group is interested in I’ll just throw out some ideas in Tokyo.

Shimokitazawa has a hip, youthful bohemian vibe. Koeniji is known for live rock and jazz music houses and comes alive at night. Golden Gai in Shinjuku with many small (really small) bars where one can hop in and out.

Kabukicho might be an interesting experience, sort of red lightish, just to walk around as long as they avoid any touts enticing naive folks into a bar or club. Do not take them up on it. Kabukicho is quite tame from decades ago when boryokudan ruled the area, but caution should still be taken.

>> What areas of Tokyo should they be looking for lodging?
Asakusa comes to mind. Shinjuku east of the station. Location in Tokyo is, to a large extent, a matter of how far the lodging is from a subway or railway station.

I found a hostel search site and found a place in Asakusa, Maybe the website gave info about transit, but I didn't read it. I just put the name in google maps with a destination of Shinjuku to see how far the place was from the nearest stations.

The above posters have much more experience in Japan than I do -- just two visits and one of those was very short. But with the caveat that we have no idea what interests them - IME / iMO I'd add nights to both Kyoto (at least +2) and Kanazawa (+1 or 2) -- which pretty much cuts Osaka - which could very easily be done as a day trip from Kyoto.

Thank you guys for all of your thoughts. The trip is coming up really fast. It's late May into June. Originally they had wanted to do 2 countries and that fortunately got changed to just Japan. They bought their flights and are doing some more facetime today or tomorrow to order the rooms.

Regarding Kanasawa, we have a family friend who lives just outside Toyama, and the guys were interested in seeing him. I don't think our friend could host them overnight, but would meet them for the day. Kanasawa had been on their lists so they said yes thinking they would go on there for the evening, spend the next day there and go to Kyoto on a later train. This is as best as I understand it. I am not sure how that segment plays out still. I told them I would pay for their lodgings that night now that he's reached out.

They are all doing online reading but I am not in the extended conversation group on what they are thinking about what they wanted to see. In fact it was their reading that caused them to drop the second country idea. They realized there was so much to see in Japan alone.

One of the other kids is interested in Osaka. I have never been to Japan and I am not sure what things he liked about Osaka. He did mention going to Nara for a day while there. From what you're saying, it might be good to move a day or two to Kanasawa from Osaka?

>> might be good to move a day or two to Kanasawa from Osaka?
Osaka can be dropped unless they have a reason. Nara is about 30 min from Osaka or 45 min from Kyoto.

>> Regarding Kanasawa, we have a family friend who lives just outside Toyama, and the guys were interested in seeing him.

He must be a good friend. Having Kanazawa on the itinerary add a good bit of time and cost. Visiting Kanazawa for a couple of days would make the trip more worthwhile.

>> just outside Toyama
What town does he live in? Toyama is the name of a city in Toyama prefecture (Toyama-ken). If he lived in the city then his address might say Toyama-shi, Toyama. A nearby town is Tateyama, Toyama.

Nearby Toyama are the Kurobe Gorge and Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route. Those are both worthwhile visiting especially because they could see some of the natural beauty of Japan (which is missing from their itinerary).

So they really could visit the man in Toyama and make a day of it nearby. If I get back to Toyama again then I will find and try the black ramen.

An altternative to visiting Kanazawa would be to visit the friend in Toyama and then take the train south to Takayama for a night or two. Then continue south on the Takayama Line to Nagoya and go on to Kyoto. It would be a scenic train trip.

End of May and into June would be the start of a rainy season.. Good that "soon" doesn't mean Golden Week, Apr 29 to May 5 this year.

>> Nara is about 30 min from Osaka or 45 min from Kyoto.
meaning the convenience for visiting Nara is not a reason for going to Osaka.

There are one or two regional JR passes that would make the Toyama/Kanazwa visit more affordable. One includes Takayama and Shirakawago. An itinerary route can be Toyama - Takayama - Shirakawago - Kanazawa - Kyoto. I can provide some details if they think Takayama and/or Shirakawago sound interesting to them.

How exciting that your child and their friends are planning a trip to Japan! As for lodging in Tokyo, it depends on what they're interested in seeing and doing. Popular areas for tourists include Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Asakusa. If they want to stay in a traditional Japanese-style accommodation, they could consider a ryokan in the Asakusa area.

As for the advantages of hostels versus capsule hotels, hostels generally offer more communal spaces and opportunities to meet other travelers, while capsule hotels offer more privacy and are often more budget-friendly. It really comes down to personal preference.

Regarding the itinerary, one night in Kanazawa might be a bit rushed, but it's definitely doable if they focus on the highlights. Three nights in Kyoto is a good amount of time to explore the city and its many temples and shrines. Four nights in Osaka might be a bit long, but they could use it as a base to explore nearby areas such as Nara and Kobe.

As for the last night in Tokyo, the area near Haneda or Narita airport would be a convenient option. They could also consider staying in the Tokyo Station area for easy access to the airport via the Narita Express train.

I hope this helps and that they have a wonderful trip!

I think they are looking at Shinjuku. What is the difference in style/ambiance etc from Asakusa? I don't think they could afford some of the more traditional lodgings (although they sound so cool!). They are all just graduating college and are looking for the most affordable options.

The Tokyo station area sounds like a great option as their flight isn't until afternoon.

From my previous reply:
>> Location in Tokyo is, to a large extent, a matter of how far the lodging is from a subway or railway station.

For an airport trip I would add that location near an airport limo bus stop or bus center matters. Like Shinjuku bus center or the one by Tokyo station. But, really, it is easy enough to get to either airport from anywere in the city.

I asked which airport they will be using but did not get a reply. To some extent it doesn't matter much. But there are different options. For Narita Airport the Narita Express is probably the most expensive transit option. There are buses. The Keisei Skyliner or, even cheaper, the Keisei local trains.

Shinjuku is fine. We have suggested Asakusa (and other areas) as a location they should consider. The differences are up to them to discern. That is assuming you passed on the suggestions.

The term 'ryokan' doesn't mean expensive. There is a budget Japanese-style lodging called minshuku. Some places that might have ryokan are more/less minshuku, so it is not necessary to reject a place that has ryokan in its name.

>> I can provide some details if they think
I gave some options in that thread and the previous one that they could consider. Have you passed those ideas on?

This thread was posted a week ago. Have they made any progress with their itinerary? Did they consider our advice that they have too much time in Osaka? I think that was a universal suggestion. Or did they reply with their (good) reasons for visiting there? Am suspecting that they are working this out without any input from us. That is, I think I might be wasting my time here.