Traveling to Japan

[Najlay]

I am traveling with my 3 children , 2 of them are teenagers , my daughter is crazy manga fan and I want to see the most and make the most of our trip, we will be landing in Tokyo April first till 8 April, we want to see the blossoms, the history, major cities and of course manga stuff shopping s and museums .. Could you help me plz


Ny

---------- Post added at 02:06 ---------- Previous post was at 01:56 ----------

Oh and I need to know everything about manga in Tokyo, what to see and where to buy and if they are in English , books, toys, movies etc


Ny

 

[thomas]

Ahlan wa sahlan to the forum! One week is quite short, so you should restrict yourself to Tokyo and the environs.

We had a similar thread a short while ago, please have a look.

 

[Davey]

Akihabara is the place to go for these kind of things as far as I know. But since I don't live in Tokyo and have only been there twice I don't really know the area too well.

You can also have a look at our portal section Japan Portal - Travel

 

[Najlay]

Thank you guys.. I will try to extend to 10 days then .... Am looking at other posts for sure .. But since it s my first time and most likely the last " since I want to see the rest of the world " I defiantly don't want to miss s thing ... So what ever comes to you mind , please do share with me


Ny

 

[Glenski]

You can find manga in any supermarket or bookstore. What's important is whether she can READ them. If she wants manga-related materials, that's different. In Tokyo, look up the Nakamise shopping arcade. Tons of junk there for any souvenir occasion. Go to Harajuku to see the cosplay maniacs on the street, too.
Cosplay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to that article, Akihabara has cosplay restaurants.

Let me google that for you

 

[Najlay]

Thank you glen, wow my daughter will be thrilled , ill definitely check them out


Ny

---------- Post added at 14:35 ---------- Previous post was at 14:28 ----------

Thank you glen, wow my daughter will be thrilled , ill definitely check them out




Ny

 

[Najlay]

Where in Tokyo should I stay, the area where most is happening ?? And how far is it usually from airport


Ny

---------- Post added at 22:34 ---------- Previous post was at 20:52 ----------

Where in Tokyo should I stay, the area where most is happening ?? And how far is it usually from airport


Ny

---------- Post added at 22:36 ---------- Previous post was at 22:34 ----------

Hey guys, I am planing to go to Osaka , Nara and Kyoto , is t smart to take the ordinary JR ticket for 7 days so I hop on and off !!?? Should I buy t early or I can get it the same day ??!!


Ny

---------- Post added at 22:59 ---------- Previous post was at 22:36 ----------

Is t easy to rent a car n Japan?? Are there English signs ??


Ny

 

[zoomingjapan]

Hi!

Tokyo is your best bet when looking for anime and manga. Akihabara is nice, but I recommend "Mandarake" (you can google it, they have a site in English and maps). The one in Ikebukuro is especially for girls and nearby is also a Sanrio shop (Hello Kitty) and an Animate. Your daughter will love it!

Why don't you visit the Ghibli Museum?
There's also a Manga Museum in Kyoto!

If your daughter likes Osamu Tezuka, then there's a Memorial Museum not too far from Osaka, in Takarazuka.


For renting a car:
Yes, most signs are in English, but you need either a translation of your driver's license or an international one. It depends on your nationality, so please check yourself which one you'll need.


A JR ticket for 7 days? Are you maybe talking about the JR Rail Pass?

Also, I think doing Tokyo, Nara, Osaka and Kyoto in just 10 days might be a bit stressful.
Especially Kyoto will be packed with people during cherry blossom season, so you might not be able to move as fast as planned.

 

[Najlay]

Zoom, thanks .. Great tips... So u suggest I stick to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto ? No Nagano ?? U know I don't want to miss anything
And yes am looking at the bulllet train ..


Ny

 

[zoomingjapan]

You're gonna miss out many things anyways, but you need to decide what you want to see the most.
It's no fun rushing from one attraction to another.
One could easily spend a month in Kyoto and there's still things left to see.

Nagano is great, but Kyoto is more beautiful in spring.
Nagano is also not on the main Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka, so it might be a bit of a hassle to go there when short on time.
Osaka is nice, but you won't need more than a day to discover the main attractions.
Nara Park (the main attractions such as Todaiji ) can be done in one day as a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka.

If you're only going from Tokyo to Kyoto and back with the bullet train, then the Rail Pass isn't worth it!

 

[Mike Cash]

I would recommend against renting a car.

 

[Najlay]

Thank you!!!!!!! u guys are great ... One last thing, this is what am planing , Tokyo 3 nights then on the train to Mount Fuji ( day trip) then continue same day train to Osaka , stay 2 nights day trip to Nara then back to Osaka then Kyoto stay 2 nights then train back to Tokyo stay the rest of the trip there then fly out... Does it make sense!!!!

I just didn't understand the bullet train and how it works and which lane I should take and if t covers all the spots am looking to visit, would hoping on and off is possible or I have to keep buying different tickets and if the bullet train ticket covers all the other in cities trains and trams or subways ..


Ny

 

[Mike Cash]

Nara is on the way from Tokyo to Osaka. Kyoto and Osaka are in the same area. Why go from Tokyo to Osaka, backwards to Nara, back to Osaka? It seems to me that Tokyo - Nara - Osaka/Kyoto would make more sense. Even more do if you can take your return flight from Osaka.

 

[Najlay]

I know, I thought about flying to Osaka first then out from Tokyo but its such a long flight from Abu Dhabi which only goes to Tokyo direct so I already booked a return from and out Tokyo



Ny

 

[zoomingjapan]

First of all you should use this website to see all the available train connections: Hyperdia | ﾃ､ﾂｹ窶氾ｦﾂ鞘?ｺﾃｦﾂ｡ﾋ?･窶?窶ｦ ﾃｨﾂｷﾂｯﾃｧﾂｷﾅ｡ﾃｦﾂ､ﾅ禿ｧ'ﾂ｢ ﾃｦ邃｢窶堙･ﾋ?ｻﾃｨﾂ｡ﾂｨ ﾃ｣窶堋ｴﾃ｣ﾆ陳ｫﾃ｣ﾆ停?｢ﾃ･ﾂ?' ﾃｦ窶披?ｦﾃｨﾂｲﾂｻﾃｧﾂｲﾂｾﾃｧﾂｮ窶 ﾃｩ竄ｬﾅ｡ﾃ･窶ｹﾂ､ﾃｨﾂｲﾂｻﾃ｣ﾂ?ｪﾃ｣窶壺?ｰ

What exactly do you want to do when you say "Mt. Fuji"?
Do you want to go to Yamanashi Prefecture or Shizuoka Prefecture?
There's a highway bus from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko (one of the Fuji Lakes offering beautiful views of Mt. Fuji).

Well, within Kansai everything is relatively close to each other, especially if we're talking about Nara Park, Osaka and Kyoto.

Thank you!!!!!!! u guys are great ... One last thing, this is what am planing , Tokyo 3 nights then on the train to Mount Fuji ( day trip) then continue same day train to Osaka , stay 2 nights day trip to Nara then back to Osaka then Kyoto stay 2 nights then train back to Tokyo stay the rest of the trip there then fly out... Does it make sense!!!!

I just didn't understand the bullet train and how it works and which lane I should take and if t covers all the spots am looking to visit, would hoping on and off is possible or I have to keep buying different tickets and if the bullet train ticket covers all the other in cities trains and trams or subways ..


Ny

 

[Glenski]

There are 2 airports near Tokyo. Which one are you landing at? One is 30-40 minutes fro downtown Tokyo, the other is closer to an hour away.

I would suggest staying at Sawanoya Ryokan in Ueno, pretty centrally located.

Don't rent a car. Nope. Not needed at all

For bullet train advice, tell clerks and locals "Shinkansen" because they don't use the English word.

 

[Petaris]

Nara is on the way from Tokyo to Osaka. Kyoto and Osaka are in the same area. Why go from Tokyo to Osaka, backwards to Nara, back to Osaka? It seems to me that Tokyo - Nara - Osaka/Kyoto would make more sense. Even more do if you can take your return flight from Osaka.

Mike,

I didn't known the shinkansen stopped in Nara? I thought the first stop in the area was Osaka station?

 

[Mike Cash]

You have to bribe the conductor.

 

[Najlay]

Hhhhhhhhhhh really!!!!


Ny

---------- Post added at 23:53 ---------- Previous post was at 23:47 ----------

I decided to stick to Tokyo and Kyoto .. So should I take a round trip to Kyoto and back to Tokyo via the " Shinkansen" did I say that right .. Or is there a cheaper way !!?? Flight maybe ??!!!


Ny

---------- Post added at 23:55 ---------- Previous post was at 23:53 ----------

Well I heard it's quite expensive in japan to the point where I would have to sell my diamond ring... So u think I would still have some spare change to bribe anyone with,!!!!!! ?


Ny

 

[undrentide]

Actually, we do not even have custom for tipping.
Bribing a conductor is a joke as Shinkansen does not stop at Nara. ;-)

 

[Najlay]

Thought so


Ny

 

[Najlay]

Hey ...Wednesday is the day I hope the blossoms are waiting ...
Which train passes ate the best to cover up as much as possible in Tokyo, Kyoto and transportations to and from ???


Ny

 

[Mike Cash]

Hey ...Wednesday is the day I hope the blossoms are waiting ...
Which train passes ate the best to cover up as much as possible in Tokyo, Kyoto and transportations to and from ???


Ny

That all depends entirely on where you want to go and what you want to see.

You've had months to plan this, ask questions, and learn about it....don't you think waiting until a couple of days before you leave is a bit late?

 

[Najlay]

Mike !!! Are you punishing me
Well it was a question!!!!!!

there are no planing when it comes to transportation...as it s totally complicated in Japan.. Tried to get some JR RAIL PASS but then it was not exactly the right ones.... You see your answer !! That's what I have been getting for the past months ( no one gave me a proper answer) .. I want a pass that covers subways, trains , as much as possible .. In Tokyo area and between Tokyo and Kyoto ... Do they sell at airport


Ny

 

[Mike Cash]

Whatever you've been getting for the past several months you haven't been getting here; you abandoned this thread for four months. Don't blame us for not putting more effort into this or not caring about it more than you do yourself.

There is plenty of information online about this.