Japan in Oct. Any ideas?

opethdisciple

opethdisciple

opethdisciple

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Japan has always been on my list of places I would like to visit.

One if my mates is going to be there for a week visiting his girlfriend and when he told me he was going I asked if I could come and he said yes.

He is going to be in Fukuoka for a week

Unfortunately he has already booked his return flight home so I have asked him to contact the agent he booked through to see if he can move the flight.

If he can move the flight a week then rather than the two of us spending maybe two days together it would be 5-7 days before going home.

My plan before I meet him tho is to spend around 8 days on my own. I was planning to fly to Tokyo for 4 days and then get an internal flight to Kyoto for 4 days before I fly off to meet him.

Where would you go for the final 5-7 days?

Also do you think 4 days in each location (Tokyo and Kyoto) is a fair amount of time?

I've been told to visit Nara as well.

What you think?

---

Oh... And considering they've just had a Typhoon which killed 10 and a 6.7 magnitude earthquake am I mad in considering going?
 
Last edited:
Raymond Lin said:
Between Tokyo to Kyoto, best (by far) is to take the Shinkansen (bullet train). It's less than 2 hours and much more relaxing than flying since the airport for Kyoto is quite far away. In that regard, it might be worth getting a Japan Rail Pass for 7 days worth for under £200 which allows you unlimited use on the JR network and 1 way trip between Tokyo to Kyoto will be over £100.

I think 4 days in Tokyo and Kyoto each will let you see all the main attractions. They are both very different and prepare to walk a lot.

You can see my journey from last November in this thread. I went from Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kobe, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Hakone and Tokyo in 2 weeks

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/what-to-do-in-japan-for-2-weeks.18784382/

BECtl2f.png
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Thanks for that mate. Helpful.

How did you manage to squeeze in so much traveling in just two weeks?
 
Do most people in Japan understand basic English. Like Taxi drivers etc?

If I have for example the address of the place I'm staying on on a piece of paper or say take me to the train station they will understand?
 
Raymond Lin said:
Most people in Tokyo do, English is taught in Japan schools so in theory they know the basics, but they would know basic English like you know basic French… which is not a lot.

I would say outside Tokyo, English would be alien to a lot of people, I got by with point to things. I only took taxi twice (to and from station to hotel) and I just showed the driver the address of the hotel, I stayed in a big hotel though in Hiroshima (actually the tallest building in the city) so it makes it easier for the driver may be?

Also, taxi drives in Japan seems to be on the retirement age, you will know what i mean when you get there, they seem to be only men in their 50's, 60's driving, I didn't see anyone who is 30 or 40's.

I would use Google translate on your phone, it can translate words/writing to English okay…you have to read between the lines a bit to understand it. But i have an advantage in that I can read a bit of Chinese and Japanese uses a lot of Chinese characters which means the same thing but pronounce differently so things like Male/Female in loos I know already, Exit/entrance, things like that I know the writing.

Also….escalators. In Tokyo you stand on the Left hand side, in Osaka/Kyoto you stand on the right hand side. Don't mix this up or you will end up with a lot of angry japanese people behind you but very politely telling you to step aside. Which leads me let me to teach you the most important word .

Su-mi-ma-sen - Excuse me.
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I might need to learn the word sorry as well. :p
 
OK back the subject of trains. These bullet trains. If I ask the taxi driver to take me to train station. And I gesticulate with my hands and say 'Bullet train Tokyo Kyoto', they will take me to the right place?

I.e there is only one station in each city to catch these trains from?
 
Once I know if I am 100% going I'm sure I'll be back with more questions. At the moment I need to find out if my mate can get an extra week off from work. If it's a yes then I'm going.

If it's a no, then I have the option still of going on my own and seeing him maybe for 2 days out of the 14 I am there.

Hopefully he gets the extra week off confirmed with work tomorrow.
 
Might be the case that the week I spend with my mate will be in Seoul.

Lon > Tokyo > Kyoto > Seoul > Lon

I was looking on Google how I get from Kyoto to the nearest airport. It seems to be that Osaka is the nearest city with an airport and that it's a good 1.30 - 2 hrs away driving.

Is this the case?

Maybe I'd have to travel down the day before and stay the night in Osaka so I'm closer to the airport.
 
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