Summer in Japan

[Dune]

Hi and thanks for checking my thread .
I'm a student from The Netherlands planning on going to Japan for the summer holiday for about a month. I've been reading up on traveling trough Japan since i'll probably be backpacking.
But since I've read a travelWiki on Japan I'm not sure if i should still be going

Summer starts with a dreary rainy season (known as tsuyu or baiu) in June and turns into a steambath in July-August, with extreme humidity and the temperature heading as high as 40ﾂ≫?ｹC. Avoid, or head to northern Hokkaido or the mountains of Chubu and Tohoku to escape. The upside, though, is a slew of fireworks shows (hanabi taikai) and festivals big and small.

Source: wikitravel.org/en/Japan

So i was wondering if it's a bad plan to actually go this summer since I don't know how much fun I'll have in a "steambath"...
Hope i can get some tips here for my travel.

 

[ArmandV]

I went to Japan in the summer back in 2004 and it was hot and humid. Since you're young, you can handle it. We got used to it after a bit. We had a great time. Just pack light clothing such as t-shirts and shorts (cargo shorts with lots of pockets comes in very handy). There's plenty of places with air conditioning to get relief. Drink a lot of water. You may get a rainstorm or two while there. I wouldn't pack an umbrella as they are sold practically everywhere for cheap (about 500 yen or less). Just go and have a fun trip!

To see what we did, go to G-FAN.com - The home of G-FAN Magazine, G-FEST, and G-TOUR - Brought to you by Daikaiju Enterprises Ltd. and go to the links for the G-TOUR slideshow.

 

[Dune]

I went to Japan in the summer back in 2004 and it was hot and humid. Since you're young, you can handle it. We got used to it after a bit. We had a great time. Just pack light clothing such as t-shirts and shorts (cargo shorts with lots of pockets comes in very handy). There's plenty of places with air conditioning to get relief. Drink a lot of water. You may get a rainstorm or two while there. I wouldn't pack an umbrella as they are sold practically everywhere for cheap (about 500 yen or less). Just go and have a fun trip!

Thanks for the tips!
I've watched the slideshow and I loved the photo's. Its given me more curage to go ^^. I'm not too happy about the hot weather but I guess its a small fee to pay for going =)

 

[ArmandV]

Glad to help! Your post inspired me to post a blog on the subject:

Japan In Summer: You can weather it!

 

[Dune]

Since I find it very pleasant to ask questions to people who've had actual experiance with travels in Japan and since you've been a very good help so far I was hoping if you could help me with another problems I've been thinking about
Since I'm going to be traveling to Japan alone and to make my trip not too expensive I've decited to go backpacking for 2-3 weeks.(That's the budget so far atleast)
But since I'll have a large backpack with stuff I was wondering how well that will go once there, trying to travel from place to place.
I'm going to try to plan as much visits to Castles/Temples and gardens as i can since I don't think I can afford a trip like this very often
I hope it won't be too big a burden to travel by train or visit a temple with a big backpack..
I don't know if you've got any experience with this, but so far you've been of great help and the photo's you've posted have been a big inspiration.

 

[ArmandV]

I don't think a large backpack (unless you're Paul Bunyan) would be any more a problem than the large suitcase (it's big, black and I call it the "Monolith" as it looks like the Monolith from "2001: A Space Odyssey") that I brought to Japan.

 

[MeAndroo]

Lugging large/heavy luggage is more an inconvenience to the traveler than others. There are a lot of places with stairs in Japan and you'll get a nice leg workout in those areas, but trains have overhead areas to place your luggage and places like temples, shrines, and castles often have backpackers around. If you're doing the hostel thing, they will usually let you store your luggage there even after you've checked out, so consider bringing a smaller bag to carry stuff for sightseeing (travel book, camera, water, whatever) aside from your main bag.

It's mainly hot and humid in the summer (this will only be my 3rd Japan summer), but if you go up north, it should be beautiful! Have fun!

 

[Dune]

Thanks again for all the tips guys.
I've been doing some research on what I would like to see and such and this is what I've got so far as for my trip:
Tokyo (15 July - 22 July)
Chidorigafuchi & Kitanomaru Park
Shimokita
Fish Market + Sushi
Akihabara (Electric Town)
Roppongi / Akasaka (Nightlife)
Sword Museum
Kyoto (22 July - 31 July)
Ryoan-ji Temple
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Ohara
Kamigamo-jinja Shrine
Shugaku-in Imperial Villa
Hiroshima (1 August- 3 August)
Peace memorial Park
Itsuku-shima-jinja Shrine
Tokyo (3 August- 14 August)
XXXX
XXXX
I was kinda wondering if you guys could maybe give me some feedback on this =) I'm trying to see the modern and old japan.
I've also been wondering what kind of railpass would suit me best. I've heard that there are different 'groups' of trains and not all railpasses are available for all trains. Ofcourse I've read the sticky post in this forum, but I was still wondering if it's usefull to get a pass that allows me to travel alot instead of only 5 trips..
I hope I'm not missing out on some must-see things while I'm there so any advice on that is very much appreciated. I haven't filled all my days since I wanted to be flexible with how I spend my weeks

 

[ellechic14]

Include a hike to Mt. Fuji

Dune -
You'll be in Japan during the hiking season so I suggest you set aside 2 days to hike Mt. Fuji. (www[dot]japan-guide[dot]com/e/e6901[dot]html) ^_^ That's what I plan to do when I visit Japan from July 10-22nd.
I'll also be Tokyo for 4 days (day trip to Yokohama) and Osaka for 4 days (with side trips to Nagoya & Nara) as well and 2 or 3 days for the hike. I was in Japan for 2 weeks last October 2008 so I am skipping some places/sights I have been before and primarily hang out with friends.
Don't forget to include your traveling time into your schedule. And good luck!

 

[Dune]

Thanks for the tip! I'll be sure to take a hike up to Mt Fuji
It's cool that's you'll also be visit Japan around the same time that I'll be going. (Maybe we could meet on top of Mt Fuji or something )

I'm thinking of starting a blog about my travel in english, so that other people that would like to do the same have something to read about. But that's still just a thought.

Thanks for the info, and also the best of luck to you

 

[Dogen Z]

practical matters

There are many laundromats ("coin laundry") in the cities so you don't have to pack too much. Bring clothes that are easy to wash and dry. Mesh t-shirts may be better than all cotton. It's gonna be like a sauna here (no kidding--hot & sticky) so you might want to do laundry often, but doing laundry is much better than hauling heavy luggage. At least it'll give you more of an insider sense of life in Japan.

Also, bring you own sunscreen. It's expensive here.

 

[ellechic14]

Thanks for the tip! I'll be sure to take a hike up to Mt Fuji
It's cool that's you'll also be visit Japan around the same time that I'll be going. (Maybe we could meet on top of Mt Fuji or something )

I'm thinking of starting a blog about my travel in english, so that other people that would like to do the same have something to read about. But that's still just a thought.

Thanks for the info, and also the best of luck to you

I'll be hiking with friends on July 11th around noon on the 5th Station and overnight on a mountain hut ad see the sunrise on the 12th via the Fujinomiya Trail. Maybe I'll see you on the trail. I'll be the sole female on my group of 5 since all my female friends bailed out and only guys decided to go.

As for the blog, I write my travel blogs in travbuddy[dot]com.

 

[Half-n-Half]

I think the summer heat in Japan is a bit over-exaggerated. I've been there in the summer a couple times, so my experiences are limited, but it's not that bad. I even ran in the summer heat! Yes, it can get quite hot and humid, and since you are coming from the Netherlands you might not be used to it. However, you can easily manage. It's not so bad that you just want to lie down and die. Just walk into an air conditioned building ever now and then

 

[Dune]

Thanks for all the responses! It would appear my trip is comming all together now

I'll be hiking with friends on July 11th

That's too bad, since I'll be arriving on the 15th But I wish you good luck with all the guys

Yes, it can get quite hot and humid, and since you are coming from the Netherlands you might not be used to it.

I hope that I'll manage. I've been spending most of my holidays in France since birth, so I guess I got used to the climate.

I was hoping for one more good tip before I'll be on my way to Japan .
Is there anyone that spend the night on Miyajima (Hiroshima) :? Because I was planning on staying in a Ryokan there, but for some reason they didn't accept single guests.
Does anyone have a Ryokan that they recommend?
I'm looking for a nice place to stay since I got the night on the Island as a present
Budget is about 20,000 yen.

I've also decided to write a blog about my travels and I'll be doing it in English. Link will follow when I've set it up.

Thanks again for all the great replies!

 

[ArmandV]

There are many laundromats ("coin laundry") in the cities so you don't have to pack too much. Bring clothes that are easy to wash and dry. Mesh t-shirts may be better than all cotton. It's gonna be like a sauna here (no kidding--hot & sticky) so you might want to do laundry often, but doing laundry is much better than hauling heavy luggage. At least it'll give you more of an insider sense of life in Japan.
Also, bring you own sunscreen. It's expensive here.

I used the laundry facilities at the hotels I stayed in. It took longer than ususal as the washers and dryers are smaller in capacity than what I am used to. Still they came in handy as I didn't have to bring as much clothing.