Hello -

My wife and our four boys are planning a trip to Japan in the middle of June for about 14 days. I read many posts on here and it seems like everybody goes to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Oskana. I do not necessarily have anything against going on the familiar route but was wondering if anyone had some ideas of other places to visit or is this the ticket? We are looking for scenery and less crowded areas if possible. That said, the cheapest/easiest place for us to fly into is of course Tokyo so we'll spend a few days there. My plan is to go in a southerly direction and then end the trip with 5 or more days in the islands. I started looking into Okinawa and also Ishigaki. I read this forum and a few travel books and watched shows but it all seems overwhelming frankly. So any thoughts on where to go after Tokyo and what island to go to?

Rough plan:

Day 1 fly into Tokyo
Day 2 Tokyo
Day 3 Tokyo
Day 4 Tokyo
Day 5 somewhere
Day 6 somewhere
Day 7 somewhere
Day 8 island
Day 9 island
Day 10 island
Day 11 island
Day 12 island
Day 13 fly back to Tokyo
Day 14 depart Tokyo

Thank you!

Have you consulted japan-guide.com? It's an incredible resource. You can, for example, look at it's web pages for people whose interests are "Nature and Outdoors." Saying you are interested in "islands" seems a bit confusing, since Japan consists entirely of islands. ;-0

Tokyo and Kyoto are the typical anchors for a first trip to Japan, Tokyo as the quintessentially "modern" heart of Japan and Kyoto as the paradigmatic center of traditional Japanese culture. You can, of course, choose other destinations.

Before you purchase airline tickets, do check into "open jaw" options -- into one city and out of another. Once you consider the costs in time and money of returning to your starting point, I think you'll find that open jaw often makes sense. On most search engines, specify "multi city" rather than "round trip."

Why do you want to go to Japan?

>> 5 or more days in the islands
Why?

June is rainy season.

Thank you. Yes, I tried open jaw but the cheapest and quickest is in and out of Tokyo.

Because the wife wants to go to Japan. lol. The islands I was looking back seemed laid back and lots of beaches and activities and seemed like a good place to decompress after Tokoyo!

>> Why do you want to go to Japan?

The "you" is plural in the question.

I can understand being overwhelmed. You have read and watched, but what did you get out of it? Ok, laid back, beaches with activities are something you found that interests you. Japan is not really best as a beach vacation. Without an idea of what interests you (the six of you) about Japan I would recommend that you instead start in Bangkok and then head south.

Thank you for understanding! I got a lot out of what I read and watched. The entire country sounds great. I need help whittling it down! As stated, we are looking for scenery and less traveled places. Somewhere south of Japan. Anywhere cool is appreciate. Bangkok is not a city in Japan so that doesn't count!

As Mrwunrfl notes, June particularly after mid June is rainy season in most of Japan. Okinawa might be coming out of the rainy season but will be hot and humid. Beach weather. Hokkaido on the other hand should have lovely weather.

I was born/spent my childhood, and several years as an adult on Okinawa, but if this is your first trip to Japan, I think I'd recommend staying in mainland Japan and doing the big two: Tokyo and Kyoto, with trips to Nara, maybe Hiroshima & Miyajima. 14 days gets eaten up fast, and your family will begin finding loads of things they want to do and not enough time to do it. And I believe a bit of a slow-travel mindset (i.e. not packing in more than 2 things a day) is needed or your holiday will be frustrating.

But if you do Okinawa, it IS a beautiful place, full of kind, generous people and "un-Japanese" culture (as Okinawans definitely have their own), but June will be a very humid/hot month, so unless your entire family are beach/heat people, I'd pass. (I hate intense sun. Even mid-October was a 2-shower day for me.) However, it's actually super easy to get down there: a cheap domestic flight from either Tokyo-Haneda or Osaka, to Naha, Okinawa. A monorail from the airport to a Kokusai Street Hotel, or an airport bus up north to the beach resorts. (Or you can rent a car, but if you're going there to decompress, that's not my idea of relaxing.)

You can do what my family did last May-June after the kids were out of school:

1. Fly to Tokyo (Haneda--it's easier if you can swing it)
2. After a few days in Tokyo, shinkansen 1-way Tokyo to Kyoto
3. Kyoto
4. Kyoto Bus to Osaka-Itami airport; fly to Naha
5. Okinawa (split days between beach resort, and end in a Kokusai street area hotel for easy access to airport)
6. fly Okinawa to Tokyo
7. Tokyo

On the mainland, I think there are 2 big issues:

1. Cost of Tokyo hotels. Prepare yourself. Kyoto is cheaper. Okinawa is way cheaper.
2. Crowds. You'll be sharing the popular (and most wonderful) tourist sites with throngs of people so best to reconcile yourself to this if you choose to proceed. I was just in Tokyo and Okinawa in October this year, and last May-June in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Okinawa, and the crowds were overwhelming for a few in my party. I live in Chicago and am used to sharing city spaces and traffic, so I enjoy the energy--especially because, unlike America or the cities I visit in Europe & the UK, the Japanese are much more civil to each other, and there's little/no fear of crime.

Japan feels overwhelming at first in planning, but I've helped several first timers prepare for their first trips to Japan, and they all come back saying how easy the experience is (for Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka/Nara), and how they long to return. Preparation and patience is key, though.
Best of luck planning!

Oh, I just saw you have four boys! How wonderful, but $$$! Start looking at apart-hotels, or hotels with connecting rooms and a washing machine/coin laundry nearby. For Tokyo, maybe start holding free-cancellation rooms at Agoda.com, and look at a family room at Hundred Stay Hotel in Shinjuku. I planned my family trip for 6 people last May-June, and we ended up staying there. Mimaru and Tokyu Stay are other apar-hotels. (I mention Agoda as I found the rates best there for Tokyo as opposed to Booking.com or direct at websites.)

My mother and I also stayed at the Asakusa Tobu hotel in a triple room, which was well-located and comfortable. If you can handle the pink, they have a "hello kitty" room that might hold all of you...?

wonderful thank you i'll check Hokkaido out

thank you thank you. this may be a good ticket. I will prepare myself for crows. my wife loves them but I do not. We did brave Croatia and Venice last year in August so I have some recent experience! Thanks for the tips

Thank you. Yes that is always a trick finding a good spot. The family rooms or joint rooms sounds great. Maybe I'll surprise them with the pink!

>> less traveled places

Shikoku

Looking into it now thank you!

I suggest Osaka one of the best towns I have ever seen, the nature insane

great thank you. ive heard a ton of good things and it seems to make everyone's list

What ages are the boys? I traveled with my 13 year old son, and we did a lot of things geared to him. But I loved those things too.

12 to 5. Any suggestions you have for kids would be great!

2 reports about Shikoku destinations for reference:
https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/sunny-kochi-city-shikoku-in-december-1719394/
Natural beauty of Tokushima, Shikoku & handling baggage delay at Kansai Airport

For islands, you can consider the islands in the Seto Inland sea. They lie between Shikoku and Sanyo regions. You can consider island hopping from Hiroshima and Onomichi.