Traveling to Japan

Hi all,
I'm relatively new to this forum, I've been lurking most of the time. :joyful: I've searched the forum for answers to the questions I have, but don't seem to find any. So I decided to make my own post, and I apologize in advance if I'm posting something someone has already asked before - and ask you to please kindly direct me there.
Basically, I need advice about traveling to Japan for the first time. I have been fascinated with it for a long time, and going there has been a life-long dream. Unfortunately, I had not had the opportunity to go until recently. My husband and I are planning a trip for our upcoming anniversary (hopefully this coming June). I know for my first trip I wouldn't want to go overboard - just Tokyo and maybe Kyoto. We have two kids under 10 and can't really be away from home for too long.
I have checked out a lot of sites so far and have done some research, but I must admit I'm quite intimidated! It seems that most information I can find online is for people who have already been to Japan and know a lot about the country and lifestyle. For all my love of everything Japanese there are still LOTS of things I don't know. I don't speak Japanese - that is, I can say simple phrases and know about two dozen words, but I can neither read it nor communicate. I know some things about the lifestyle and such, have a basic idea of top sightseeing destinations, what costs what there, know I'd love to stay at a ryokan and take the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto... But I really know nothing apart from that. I've looked at some hotels, but it's not easy to decide which one would suit someone like me. Would I be better off buying a package/guided tour sort of thing? My main concern is getting there. I live in New York City, and all the airlines I've looked at seem ridiculously expensive (even for off-peak flights). Is there some best kept secret for getting to Japan without having to pay $6K in tickets?
Any advice you're able to give is greatly appreciated!

No offense, but you need to try harder on the planning. It took me all of about 60 seconds on continental.com to find a roundtrip airfare from Newark to Narita for $1200 in June.

Most of the sites out there I would say are for tourists. As someone who's been to Japan some 16-18 times now, I'm looking for non-traditional things. Most of the main Japanese tourist websites are for first timers in my opinion. Check japan-guide.com. It's pretty good.

Don't worry about language, particularly if all you plan on doing is Tokyo and Kyoto. Tokyo is a breeze with English only. Transportation is bilingual, many tourist locations have multilingual literature, etc. Likewise, transportation down to Kyoto is easy with only English. You can buy tickets at a computer kiosk and select English menus.

Hotels? In all the times there I've only stayed in western style. Even in small towns I've stayed at western style "Japanese business hotels". I've had my wife with me for several of my trips and asked if she'd want to stay at a Ryokan. She never has. Heck, none of my Japanese colleagues stay at them either. In Tokyo I've stayed at several hotels. One my wife and I like is the Tokyo Prince. Not the most attractive, but there aren't many westerners there, it sits next to Zozoji Temple and across the street from the Tokyo Tower. On the corner is easy access to the subway. It's in a quiet area of town and just more relaxing than others I've stayed at. I've stayed in the Shinagawa, Ikebukuro, and Shinjuku station areas, and they are madhouses. It's nice to escape the mass of people each night for a quiet evening.

About Japanese hotels - many chains offer memberships. Just call the hotel chain and say you want to be a member and often they'll send you a card which gives you discounts. Membership is typically free, and the rates are much better. The aforementioned Tokyo Prince is around 16000 Yen with membership and 20000 without and includes breakfast. Very reasonable in my opinion.

Most important thing about your trip is to not convert dollars to yen at the airport in the US. Bring travelers checks (especially if you don't have to pay a fee to get them) and convert at Narita (or other Japanese airport). The rates are fantastic.

Thank you so much for your reply!
I just started planning. I figured I'd post here first so that I'm pointed in the right direction. I didn't want to spend time looking only to realize I've wasted it looking in the wrong place or for the wrong thing.
I find it surprising that you were able to find tickets for $1200... The cheapest it would show me is $2000 per person. That's still $4000 for two people... That's pretty high. Which is not a problem if it's the standard going rate... I'd find a way to save up. I just want to be sure it is what it is, and whether anyone knows something I don't about getting better rates. I'm sure you wouldn't want to spend $4000 on tickets only to find out you could've done it for half the price.
Anyway... Thanks for the tips. I very much appreciate it!

shiroihana said:

Thank you so much for your reply!
I just started planning. I figured I'd post here first so that I'm pointed in the right direction. I didn't want to spend time looking only to realize I've wasted it looking in the wrong place or for the wrong thing.
I find it surprising that you were able to find tickets for $1200... The cheapest it would show me is $2000 per person. That's still $4000 for two people... That's pretty high. Which is not a problem if it's the standard going rate... I'd find a way to save up. I just want to be sure it is what it is, and whether anyone knows something I don't about getting better rates. I'm sure you wouldn't want to spend $4000 on tickets only to find out you could've done it for half the price.
Anyway... Thanks for the tips. I very much appreciate it!

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Try some of the online discount ticket sites like Priceline.com, Travelocity, etc. You can find some deals there, but the earlier the better.

I've stayed at three different ryokans during my trips to Japan (Tokyo, Sendai and Kumamoto) and I enjoyed all three. The ryokan I stayed at in Tokyo was Hotel Fukudaya in Shibuya. It is family-run and pleasant. Some ryokans don't have private bath facilities.


Look into JR West Railpasses, they may save you some money for your Shinkansen trips to Kyoto.

Go to the JNTO web site and look for the Welcome Inn. They will reserve hotels, ryokans, etc. for free (up to three of them, anyway) and provide plenty of details. You can request various requirements.

If you are going to stay in Kyoto or Tokyo, don't worry much about the language. People have 6 years of English studies before they graduate HS, and even though they may find it hard to make sentences, communication is not that hard. Besides, both cities are international havens for tourists, and many signs are in English.

I think my airline tickets are through Orbitz was like 1300 per person. We are leaving from one airport and returning at a different airport, not sure if that effects costs at all. Delta is who we chose as our carrier and from what I have read they have video screens on board with all these movies, tv shows, video games. I mean for a 14 hour flight it seems I won't get bored.

Konnichiwa Shinoihara:

Great post and I can imagine what your hubby and you are wondering as I went through the same when I first landed in Japan.

The first day I got my motor scooter, I was off to explore Kyoto, and it was scary not knowing a word of Japanese myself.

DEFINITELY visit Kyoto.. A good thing to do would be to purchase a few tickets to see a Maiko dancing show in Gion as this will introduce you to the famous world of Geisha. It also includes a famous green tea ceremony at the end, served to you by the Maiko (Geisha in training), and you will also be given a small hand made Japanese ceramic plate from Kyoto..

If you are really culturaly inclined, also book a Kabuki show ticket. You will see the beautiful old cinema named Mina-Miza located at JR train station in Shijo Kawaramachi.. This will really bring you into the culture..

Kyoto in itself should keep you busy so I would recommend possibly spending a majority of your time their. It was the second capital of Japan after Nara.

If it was me, I would rent-a-car for the entire trip as this will allow you guys to be very flexible, and no doubt see a lot more..

You don't even need to follow a map.. Most small towns have some form of accommodation, the small Japanese style inn's named 'Ryokan' are a great experience and make sure you book that yummy Japanese breakfast for morning..

Then of course you must go and visit some natural hot springs. Named 'Onsen' in Japanese..

Of course you must fully disrobe, thiscan be a little adventurous for some, but once you do it, you will want more.

The baths are usually seregated, although some can be mixed, less common.

These are of course only my suggestions, although I honestly believe Kyoto will set you straight, main city of Tokyo, two nights then out!

Hope this helps.

ArmandV said:

I've stayed at three different ryokans during my trips to Japan (Tokyo, Sendai and Kumamoto) and I enjoyed all three. The ryokan I stayed at in Tokyo was Hotel Fukudaya in Shibuya.
Look into JR West Railpasses, they may save you some money for your Shinkansen trips to Kyoto.

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Thank you so much for the reply! I looked at Hotel Fukudaya site, and I really like it! Are you familiar with Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro and Tokyo Prince? Those three are the hotels I like best from the list I had, not sure which one would be better.
Also, I'm somewhat confused about the Rail Passes. I went to the JAL Railpass site, and it appears they offer a 5-day pass for approximately 30,000 Yen. Japan-guide.com, however, says this pass is 20,000 Yen. I searched some more, and found that there's something called a "Tokyo Free Kippu" which is a one-day unlimited subway/bus/streetcar pass for about 1,500 Yen. The obvious question is, since the JAL Pass seems more expensive, what are the advantages of it? And which of these would you recommend for someone who just wants to cruise around Tokyo for about 5 days? What are your experiences?

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

Kyoto Returnee said:

Konnichiwa Shinoihara:
DEFINITELY visit Kyoto.. A good thing to do would be to purchase a few tickets to see a Maiko dancing show in Gion as this will introduce you to the famous world of Geisha. It also includes a famous green tea ceremony at the end, served to you by the Maiko (Geisha in training), and you will also be given a small hand made Japanese ceramic plate from Kyoto..
Hope this helps.

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Konnichiwa, Kyoto Returnee!
I would LOVE to see all the things you mentioned! I'm definitely culturally inclined. That said, would you recommend booking a tour of some kind? There's one that seems nice called the Shinkansen Tour by Hikari Super-Express Standard for about 40,000 Yen. It offers two days in Kyoto with transportation and hotel included (which is what I like about it). Have you heard about it (or other tours)? What are your thoughts about it?
Arigato! I really appreciate all the info, and it's definitely helping me out a lot!

Must be a few people more patient than me, feel asleep reading your loooong post. Get to the point please.

shiroihana said:

Thank you so much for the reply! I looked at Hotel Fukudaya site, and I really like it! Are you familiar with Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro and Tokyo Prince? Those three are the hotels I like best from the list I had, not sure which one would be better.
Also, I'm somewhat confused about the Rail Passes. I went to the JAL Railpass site, and it appears they offer a 5-day pass for approximately 30,000 Yen. Japan-guide.com, however, says this pass is 20,000 Yen. I searched some more, and found that there's something called a "Tokyo Free Kippu" which is a one-day unlimited subway/bus/streetcar pass for about 1,500 Yen. The obvious question is, since the JAL Pass seems more expensive, what are the advantages of it? And which of these would you recommend for someone who just wants to cruise around Tokyo for about 5 days? What are your experiences?

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

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No, I'm not familiar with the Sakura or Tokyo Prince.

It is best to check the JR website for accurate information on the railpasses. Keep in mind that the JR Railpass (or JR West) is for JR trains only.

On whether a railpass is worth getting, check to see what the current round trip prices for Tokyo-to-Kyoto are and compare that to the 5-day JR West Railpass price. The railpass is good for local JR commuter trains and some bus lines. The website for the JR West Railpass is JR西日本 West Japan Railway Company：トップページ and the website for the JR Railpass is JAPAN RAIL PASS | ジャパン・レール・パス .

shiroihana said:

Thank you so much for the reply! I looked at Hotel Fukudaya site, and I really like it! Are you familiar with Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro and Tokyo Prince? Those three are the hotels I like best from the list I had, not sure which one would be better.

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I mentioned Tokyo Prince above. It's a bit old school, but the wife and I like it because it's quiet (neighborhood is peaceful and there aren't a ton of guests).

I've stayed at the Crowne Plaza Metropolitan in Ikebukuro. Nice, but feels like an American hotel. Also stayed at the Hilton in Shinjuku. Awesome breakfast, plenty of western faces, doesn't have that "I'm in Japan" feel. In other words, had my parents not insisted on staying there when I took them to Japan, I wouldn't have stayed there.

That Sakura Hotel is looking a little spartan. My wife would kill me if I told her we were in bunk beds! I had stayed at a hotel in the Tokyu chain in Osaka. I had positive experiences with the Nagoya Tokyu and figured the Osaka one would be similar. The rooms were tiny. No one liked them.

as far as plane tickets go... 3 years ago I got tickets for $850, but that was when there were lower fuel prices. You can get tickets for 1200-1300 like its nobody's business, but delve deeper and you can find $950-1000 available. I recommend Kayak.com , they consistently find good deals for me.

Shouganai said:

Must be a few people more patient than me, feel asleep reading your loooong post. Get to the point please.

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I "got to the point" by my fourth sentence. If you don't want to read (or help), that's perfectly fine, but there's not excuse for being rude.

Thank you everyone! The suggestions were very helpful, and I feel much more "at ease" about the whole thing now.