What to do in Japan for 2 weeks?

[memyselfandi]

Of course you can visit the UK JNTO facebook page (Visit Japan from the UK) and they currently have a competition to win a trip there.

Personally we do it similarly to Ray and just book hotels and flights, get a Rail Pass and then wing it.

I know JAL have offers on at the moment for both direct and indirect flights.

 

[squerble]

Knowing most of these are 35mm make me want a fairly cheap but quality 23/24mm f/1.8 DX lens for my crop Nikons. I know I could get the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 which has great reviews, but it looks very bulky. Nikon already do a great 35mm f/1.8 (about 50mm full-frame equiv) but no one seems to do a 23/24mm f/1.8 to get a 35mm equivalent.

 

[Scam]

I never realised you couldn't get a Nikon 23mm prime. How odd. I bought the 35mm f/2 for my Fuji as my first lens and whilst I love it, I wish now I'd bought the 23mm f/2 for the same money. It's just got "that" look. Anyway, we digress..

 

[Glaucus]

anyone have any idea what the costs are likely to be for attending the rugby world cup for 3 weeks.

22nd sep Sapporo
26th sep Kobe
5th oct Tokyo
12th oct Yokohama

its so far out, flight costs are unknown, I see air bnb our saying almost 90% of places are already booked up, although there does seem to be some reasonable stuff in there.

anyone whos been want to take a stab at rough costs.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Of course you can visit the UK JNTO facebook page (Visit Japan from the UK) and they currently have a competition to win a trip there.

Personally we do it similarly to Ray and just book hotels and flights, get a Rail Pass and then wing it.

I know JAL have offers on at the moment for both direct and indirect flights.

Indirect flights could have saved me about £200 but it would also add half a day going and half a day coming back and frankly I wanted to maximise my time. It’s a long already a 12 hour flight so didn’t want to make it any longer and I was rushing enough as it was.

 

[memyselfandi]

Indirect flights could have saved me about £200 but it would also add half a day going and half a day coming back and frankly I wanted to maximise my time. It’s a long already a 12 hour flight so didn’t want to make it any longer and I was rushing enough as it was.

I agree ... I class the flight as part of the holiday so want it to be as simple, comfortable and stress free as possible. Hence we always fly there direct and normally at least premium economy. My flights for October are already booked and paid for ... sure I could probably get them cheaper but doesn't mean I could necessarily get the exact flights i want or the class.

One thing I would say regarding Glaucus's is question is that to get from Sapporo to Kobe the easiest way is probably to fly from Shin-Chitose to Kansai airport ... but be aware you do have to be careful at that time of year because of typhoons (holiday before last we did that flight and were very lucky as we were the last flight into Kansai before they closed the airport due to the storm and then as we caught the train into Osaka the stations were being closed in preperation too).

 

[Raymond Lin]

Day 5 Cont.

After grabbing some street food I went to a temple before heading to Kiyomizu dera and decided to walk a part of the way.

Notice that all the trash left outside and covered in nets, to keep them together?



This photo is purely because I walked passed a primary school and outside were parked all these unicycle…a school for clowns?





One thing you have got to remember is that if you see people dressed like this, they are 99% likely to be tourist.





You can see the Pagoda quite a way away.



Time for lunch and I had ramen.









The cleansing ritual, left hand, right hand, then rinse mouth (spit).



The legend has it that if you can walk between 2 of these stones with your eyes shut, you will find love (or wish come true).









I was rather disappointed that the main structure was under refurb, it just means i have to go back!



3 streams of water, each has a different meaning, and you are meant to just do the cleansing with just 1 and your wish will be granted.



Made a friend and went to get some tea.



Then walked around the local area a bit which is super touristy !!!!



It has the world's best Starbucks lol





Then set off to Nijo castle but it was closed when we got there. Google Maps gave direction to a bus.







Then went to a local famous market call Nishiki market where lots of street food to be had.















Then walked around a bit more and ichiran ramen then home.





Day 6 tbc.

 

[Raymond Lin]

anyone have any idea what the costs are likely to be for attending the rugby world cup for 3 weeks.

22nd sep Sapporo
26th sep Kobe
5th oct Tokyo
12th oct Yokohama

its so far out, flight costs are unknown, I see air bnb our saying almost 90% of places are already booked up, although there does seem to be some reasonable stuff in there.

anyone whos been want to take a stab at rough costs.

3 weeks? I would budget for about £5k all in (including flights) at least. Providing you are not going to many skyscrapers or wanting to see every shrine and temple.

 

[memyselfandi]

Nishiki market .... should have had roast pork curry udon ...

 

[SMN]

Amazing pictures as always Raymond, although that baby squid on a stick just turned my stomach!

 

[Mr.Shabz]

Good to see some familiar places from your photos, honeymooned in Japan a couple of years ago, such a brilliant country.

Only in Japan do you get trains with ultra comfy reclining chairs and a holder for your beer. Good times.

Enjoy!

 

[Judgeneo]

This thread is a treasure trove of information. I'm looking to get a trip out there this year, planning a few days in Beijing on the way as I still have my Chinese visa, then a couple of weeks in Japan proper. I think that I'll be giving this thread a second and third reading as I plan.

As usual Raymond, cracking photos

 

[Glaucus]

3 weeks? I would budget for about £5k all in (including flights) at least. Providing you are not going to many skyscrapers or wanting to see every shrine and temple.

wow that is rather a lot.
air bnb have some places in Tokyo for like £70 with 2 bedrooms, I wonder if I could actually book that, or if they would simply up the price when you try to book or just cancel it when they realise what the dates are.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Nishiki market .... should have had roast pork curry udon ...

Lol, I totally forgot but I am not sure I would have gone even then because there was so much street food to be had and then I had that ramen. Could not possibly have squeeze in a bowl of udon.

Day 6.

Can't believe I still have more than a week to go at this point lol I actually thought that at the time as well as first day in Tokyo was my mid way point and I am still a couple of days away.

Today was a big day, my last full day in Kyoto so I wanted to go to all the top world heritage sites before I leave.

First stop, Arashiyama - bamboo grove. Got there at 7:30am.











A lot of Youtube videos will show this river when they do a vlog on the area, so naturally I went there to but the Bamboo grove is the opposite direction from the train station!













Time to leave, I think it was about 9am at this point



Next stop is one of the Zen gardens



Fall colours.





They say, you can only see 14 of the 15 rocks here at any one time, you need to achieve enlightenment before you can see the 15th rock.





Kinkaku-ji





This place is full of tourists, any time of the day.







inhaling or putting the incense smoke to your head is meant to purify the body and the mind so you will see a lot of people doing this flapping motion with their hands.



Got a Niku bun (Niku means meat), this one is chicken



Tourists



Nijo Castle, supposed to the the best kept castle from the Edo era, during the height of the Shogun and Samurai. Most of these temples forbids photography inside.













Then lunch, this is where I took a photo of the plastic food and then show it to the lady. I wanted some cold Soba noodles.





Then on the way to Ginkaku-ji I found this, its a match cream (or ice cream or custard) filled warm bread.





Ginkaku-ji



This is attention to detail, he is tending the grass? moss? lawn ?















Right outside is the Philosopher's Path, would be much better during Sakura season as it is all surrounded by them. No so pretty in the fall, especially when most of the leaves have fallen.



Local housing and side streets







Then took the bus back to main station, this is now around 5pm



Parfit time! This cost 1000 yen, worth every penny.



Kyoto Tower time





The light beam is Kiyomizu-Dera temple



Then finish of with a meal at a conveyor belt sushi place, waited 45mins in the queue but it was underwhelming.



Day 7 tbc.

 

[Raymond Lin]

wow that is rather a lot.
air bnb have some places in Tokyo for like £70 with 2 bedrooms, I wonder if I could actually book that, or if they would simply up the price when you try to book or just cancel it when they realise what the dates are.

You will need

3 weeks JR Rail pass, I am almost certain this would be cheaper than getting train tickets separately.

https://www.japan-rail-pass.co.uk/?...oEvqLTakk-9IifJFrBtxu-Qj4hQ0e1jhoCVd0QAvD_BwE

It's almost £400 for this

Budget for £100 per night, if you can share rooms then obviously you are in much better position. So that's £2k. Halved would be £1k.

For food, I think you can get away with £30 a day, £10 can get you a very satisfying meal, £20 is enough for conveyor belt sushi.

That's about £600-800 for food over 3 weeks.

Flight would be £700 ish.

You are now at £3k, this is without subway cost in Tokyo, it was spending about £10 a day, or any entry fees to temples or Tokyo Skytree etc….or drinking.

Don't forget sim card, you can rent them or buy them. The one I bought in the UK that I picked up at the airport didn't work !!! I bought a 5G one for £45 from BIC camera.

May be you can get away with £4k ?

 

[Glaucus]

thanks, have you put a list of your favourite things you did in this thread?

will have to make a bit more of a detailed list. was hoping more towards the 3k end of the spectrum (excluding the rugby tickets)

 

[Raymond Lin]

What stood out for me was

Private Onsen, yeah, i chickened out and got my own but it was so good!
Mori Tower in Tokyo
Walking up Fushimi Inari at 7am
Going to Arashiyama, the aura of that place when there is no-one around calms your soul
Eating all the ramen, the bowl in Ikebukuro was the best, hands down
Miyajima Island
All the street food, matcha ice cream
The people, train conductors bow to the cart as they enter and leave never gets old.
The Culture everywhere, how they treasure their past yet pushing for the future. I feel in the UK or the west (and lots of other places) don't think about what we throw away and forget as we modernise and forget where we came from, what is good from the past and push for modernisation. Japan somehow managed to retain their cultural identity, their culture, yet blend it with everything a modern society should be. It is as close as you can get to a Star Trek universe in real life. People (mostly) are considerate, they are honest, they are respectful and they are kind, some of the kindest and nicest i have ever seen or known. It makes you to do the same in return.

But I missed soooo much, I didn't get to go to the Ghibli Museum, it was fully booked for the entire week i was there.

thanks, have you put a list of your favourite things you did in this thread?

will have to make a bit more of a detailed list. was hoping more towards the 3k end of the spectrum (excluding the rugby tickets)

Costs you can't get away with

The JR Pass rail card, may be you can lower it to 2 weeks but you need to work out your travelling and find out for sure. If you are in anyway unsure, the JR Pass is the best way.

The flight - The absolute cheapest I have seen is just over £500 but that is an in-direct flight.

The food - 700-1000 yen meals is pretty standard, unless you are happy eating convenient store food, which isn't bad, its actually fresh and tasty but they are not exactly that cheap once you buy a few things. Might as well get a bowl of Ramen for 900 yen.

Accommodation, the bottom price would be like capsule hotels like £30 or so a night? Your £70 for 2 and split it would be the best option tbh.

Then you need to add your tickets and also any entertainment like drinking, taxi? sim card, may be some entertainment like Karaoke or go to a temple or two. Granted, some temples and skyscrapers are free, like the Meji shrine is free, the Tokyo Government Metropolitan building is free so there are lots of free stuff to do.

 

[Glaucus]

thanks, if air bnb is to believe can make significant savings on the hotel costs. (its even better its split 3 ways). 2 nights in Sapporo for just £59 each. Kobe £29 for 2 nights. although not sure i trust it that far out, suppose can message the host and see what they say.

flights for this year seem to be around the 850 for direct.

how long would you recommend to spend in tokyo and how long in Hiroshima (can't remember if you did it or not)

really annoying the two closest matches together date wise are in Sapporo and Kobe, stupidly far apart, Sendai seems to be the only place in the middle.

 

[Raymond Lin]

thanks, if air bnb is to believe can make significant savings on the hotel costs. (its even better its split 3 ways). 2 nights in Sapporo for just £59 each. Kobe £29 for 2 nights. although not sure i trust it that far out, suppose can message the host and see what they say.

flights for this year seem to be around the 850 for direct.

how long would you recommend to spend in tokyo and how long in Hiroshima (can't remember if you did it or not)

really annoying the two closest matches together date wise are in Sapporo and Kobe, stupidly far apart, Sendai seems to be the only place in the middle.

Tokyo, depends how big an itinerary you have, it's a city that can cater for everything so you can be busy for there a month and not see it all. If you are just doing the sites then do the following.

Skyscraper - Mori Tower
Shrine - Meji Shrine
Temple - Asakusa
Shinjuku
Shibuya
Akihabara
Tsukiji market
Harajuku

That can be done in 2 days if you just go to point A, then leave and straight to point B. I mean I've not mention Ginza, or Odaiba (life size Gundam), Ghibli Museum, may be catch a Sumo match, or Yoyogi Park on a Sunday or visit to any of the theme cafe from Owl, Maid or Final Fantasy. May be Pokemon Centre if you are into Pokemon.



As for Hiroshima, I was there about 24 hours. I went there for Miyajima mostly and the War Memorial. Because of the bombing, everything in the city centre apart from that building (and a couple of others) are brand new, my favourite city is actually Kyoto.

 

[Flack88]

Amazing photo's, thanks for sharing