Alice9

We're (very) long time Fodor's Forum users, and find (and give) excellent information here. We've long wanted to go to Japan, first the pandemic was an issue, then I didn't want to be so far away when my mother was in her last years. So we find ourselves older (we'll travel when we're 72/73), and now changing our travel habits to accommodate. I'm liking finding a central spot we can day trip from for 3-5 days, and then going to another central location as opposed to staying somewhere 2 days and moving on to the next 2 day spot.

Planning for this trip seems overwhelming ALREADY! I've read a number of trip reports and it's clear I need to do some serious homework first. I saw the site japan-guide.com recommended, and that looks helpful. Are there tour books people especially like? I like to take in a lot of information first, and then think about a rough itinerary. I also need to think about when, we're totally flexible, and there are a number of good options. My husband is liking driving less and less (although he managed fine in France in May), so I'm hopeful that trains and other forms of transportation will work well.

I've only recently 'noticed' we're not getting any younger, and am torn between going to new places and revisiting favorite old ones (can't go to Paris too many times in my book). I'm also thinking about long stays in some favorite places. Actually, traveling when OLD(er) is another topic entirely and I should post that elsewhere!

Anyway, any tips for how to get started on this sure to wonderful trip would be much appreciated. Then I will go away and do my homework (and my France trip report) before returning here.

Thanks as always,
Alice

kja

japan-guide is an excellent resource, both for its information and its question board. For quidebooks, if you can find it, Japan Solo is outstanding, even if outdated (and not geared in any obvious way to solo travelers).

The obvious "bases" include Kyoto and Tokyo.

Public transportation in Japan is superb and easy to use. No reason to try to drive unless you choose some destinations that are well off the beaten track.

Have fun with your research!

crellston

How to get started? My view is that for the initial planning, there is no substitute for an old style guidebook ( I like Lonely Planet but Rough Guides is also ok). Old or new it doesn't really matter, few things change that much. Apart from prices. a guidebook will allow you to identify which place are of interest and help with the logistics of getting around (easier than one may think in Japan). The rail infrastructure is second to none and very easy to use.

I agree with kja that Tokyo and Kyoto make great bases to start with and from where to explore other parts of the country. Both cities are great for day and overnight trips elsewhere. I find these websites, run by a former Lonely Planet author, to be excellent . A lot of information and suggestions and very readable. Worth signing up for their newletter.

https://trulytokyo.com
https://www.insidekyoto.com

Japan is on our shortlist for a trip next year (along with Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Albania ... ) I get what you say re new versa old locations. We have revisited many countries twice, three time or more and we do feel we get more out of a country on subsequent visits - (up to a point).

Alice9

Thanks, kia. I figure Tokyo and Kyoto were good bases, but it's a relief to hear about public transportation.
I WILL have fun, I enjoy trip planning!
Alice

Alice9

Thanks, crellston. I'm glad to hear you're a proponent of guidebooks, I am too, but thought I was being old fashioned. I like Lonely Planet as well, but I also look at one of the big two, Fodors or Frommers. And thanks VERY much for the websites.

We tend to go to different parts of the same countries, particularly France and Italy (I think it's the food...). My husband wants to go on a river cruise next year (I don't think we're old enough yet), but if so, HE can plan it. We usually visit friends in Florida in the winter for a bit, and we may got to Mexico City after that.

Last year we went to Crete and Rhodes, I went to London with my younger son, and we went to Banff and Jasper with friends (poor Jasper, glad we went last year).

Thanks so much,
Alice

ChgoGal

I hope you make the trip, but also, nothing wrong with returning to Paris. Japan is wonderful, but if the planning continues to feel overwhelming, I think you have your answer.

But for Japan...
WEATHER: When you go is important. Late Oct to April would be good to avoid bad weather. Summer can be horribly hot and humid. May/June can be crammed with tourists and school groups (Kyoto). Typhoons are getting more severe.

PLANE TRAVEL is difficult as we age. US to Europe feels easier than US to Japan to me. You might explore flying from the west coast. From Chicago, it's 13.5 hrs, from New York 14.5. I hit a wall at 9 hours, after which sitting still becomes really hard for me. You know your bodies best. My mother and I connected through Vancouver (from Chicago) last year, and this year, we’re overnighting in the airport Fairmont to break up the travel. I find 4 + 10 easier than 13.5 hrs.

PLANE TRAVEL-ROUTES: Assuming you'll do Kyoto-Tokyo, you can...

• fly RT to Tokyo (Haneda is easier than Narita, but Narita has more int'l. flights)
• fly multi-city, open jaw from USA to Osaka, Tokyo to USA

PUBLIC TRANSPORT is wonderful there. On time, clean, and no fear of pickpockets or scammers that you might find in Europe. Driving is a bad idea and unnecessary for a first time visitor, IMO.

SAMPLE ITINERARY: This is what I'd recommend to a friend for a 14-day trip...

• Day 1: Fly USA to Tokyo (Haneda)
  • hotel near Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station
• Day 2-4: Tokyo - 3 days
• Day 5: Shinkansen train from Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station to Kyoto
  • Hotel near Kyoto station (the Granvia is in the station https://www.granviakyoto.com/)
• Day 6-10: Kyoto – 5 days
  • Possible day trip to Osaka, or Nara, or...
  • Possible overnight trip to Hiroshima with Miyajima
• Day 11: Shinkansen train Kyoto to Tokyo
  • Hotel near Yamanote line, near to Ginza’s Shimbashi station or Shinjuku station
• Day 12-13: Tokyo – 2 days
• Day 14: Fly Tokyo to USA

Also, if day trips are complicated, you'll find more than enough within Kyoto and Tokyo themselves. If you want a longer trip and want to add a different culture entirely, I think a flight to Okinawa is very easy for English-speakers. Okinawa has a great monorail system and coach buses to the northern beach resorts from the airport (Naha). But don't bother unless you can spend at least 5 days here. Not worth the trouble if shorter, IMO.

Have fun planning!

ChgoGal

Also, one other recommendation I make now: If you don't already, start using chopsticks from time to time before you go!
I like this recipe blogger's site, and she travels to Japan often. https://www.justonecookbook.com/categories/travel/

Mara

I am a bit older than you and still plan to travel to Japan as I have done many times. I do go a bit slower than I did before..lol...
I agree with all the previous posts.
ChgoGal gave a nice itinerary for two weeks.
While in Tokyo a day trip to Kamakura would be good.
Transportation in Japan is excellent. I have traveled all over by train, bus and plane.
As far as books I think I used Japan Solo back in the day. Nowadays there is so much info online and japan-guide is the best imo.
I finally visited Okinawa for the first time this year but for a first time Japan visitor I don't think I would choose it.
Enjoy your planning.

Alice9

ChgoGal, so many good suggestions, and you know my issues!

We're outside Washington DC, and I already figured we'd have to fly to the west coast and take a break there. Long plane rides are not only uncomfortable, but unhealthy for me.

Your travel routes and sample itinerary are EXTREMELY helpful. I really don't want to try to do too much and this seems do-able. I'm happy to hear that public transport is good, I had a feeling that it would be. I was thinking about an Oct or Nov trip, sounds like that's a good idea. Or maybe March.

I'll check back in when I have done my homework. Thanks so much for the essential information. You're right, there's always Paris!
Alice

Alice9

Mara, thanks so much - it's nice to hear from .. older travelers. Oh, we're experts at chopsticks, I forgot to mention that to ChgoGal, there's a large Asian community here. And from the two of you, I think we'll likely stick to Tokyo and Kyoto, sounds like there will be plenty there. Maybe a daytrip or two.
Alice

memejs

I'm currently planning my first trip to Japan, and in addition to the resources already mentioned, I've found the Travel Caffeine website helpful, especially for narrowing down what temples I want to see in Kyoto (there are so many!). I also love watching travel vlogs on YouTube so that I can get a sense of how things looks. The channel Cakes with Faces has a lot of good Japan travel tips and explanations of how things like buying train tickets or shipping luggage work.

ChgoGal

@memejs Thank you for those travel site suggestions. They're great.

mrwunrfl

>> thinking about an Oct or Nov trip, sounds like that's a good idea

Yes. I think Novemer has the best weather, particularly for Tokyo and Kyoto. It is also a very popular time.

FYI:
Japan will be organising the next World Expo in Osaka, Kansai, from 13 April to 13 October 2025. Osaka is hoping to welcome 28 million visitors to Expo, which will focus on the theme Designing Future Society for Our Lives.

Alice9

memejs thanks for the website infor. And I haven't even thought about travel vlogs, what a good idea, and I'll check out the specific one you mention.
Alice

Alice9

mrwunfl, very good to know about the next World Expo! I wonder if that will affect a late Oct/early Nov trip.
Thanks so much for the info.
Alice

progol

You’ve gotten lots of wonderful suggestions and I’ll just add a few more thoughts. My husband and I went to Japan for the first time last year and we are in our 70s. It was overwhelming to start planning but, once I came up with an itinerary, it was very easy to travel thanks to the wonderful public transportation system.

One thing to consider is that you can fly into Tokyo (preferably Haneda) and out of Osaka so there’s no need to backtrack to Tokyo. Our return trip last year flew from Itami to Narita for the long flight back to the US. Itami is an easy trip from Kyoto; KIX (most international flights are here) is a bit further away but still easily accessible to the airport.

I definitely understand minimizing transfers in your travels though Tokyo and Kyoto are both very big cities (but very different) so if you want to experience one more smaller city that is accessible to both Tokyo and Kyoto, I’d recommend Kanazawa. It’s a delightful city and will give a different flavor.

If you want to get a feel for our trip, you might want to look at my trip report - lots of photos!
First-timers’ trip to Japan: 4 weeks, an unexpectedly awesome trip

Alice9

progol, thanks so much, good to hear from other older travelers. I will look into Kanazawa.

And the air travel IS a concern, so your recommendations are very helpful. Did you split up the long flight at all? That's what we're pondering, we live on the east coast.

And everyone has mentioned the excellent public transportation, so that's a huge relief.

It IS overwhelming right now, but you're right, once I come up with a timeframe and itinerary, it will start falling into place. I have plenty of time (and some smaller trips to plan before this big one). Everyone is so generous with their experience on these forums!

Alice

Mara

As far as flights from NYC JFK to Japan Tokyo , I always go direct non stop....but I don't have particular health concerns like you mentioned. I twice won bids on ANA for a seat in premium economy going to Japan which was quite a bit more comfortable than regular economy....I might actually go premium one way next year - to Japan, the longer flight....

And I'm going to Paris in November...have been there many times as well.

progol

Alice9,
Given not just our ages but some health concerns, business class has become an essential for us in order to travel long distances. I accrued miles (for years!) so that we could get biz class through United or partners, ultimately flying La Guardia >Chicago>Tokyo/Haneda, returning from Itami/Osaka>Narita>Newark. The flights were good - on time and comfortable and we were able to sleep enough so we weren’t too tired when we arrived (though the adjustment to the time difference did take a while for us).

This fall, we’re traveling to Taiwan and returning to Japan and will actually be flying Turkish Airlines as their rates for biz class are significantly less than any of the American or Japanese carriers. It means a stop in Istanbul both going and returning but the cost savings was so significant that the stop is worth it. One could stay for a few days, if desired, though we’d been there in the past and neither of us was up for yet another stop.

We traveled for just under 4 weeks so we bookended the trip with 6 days in both Tokyo and Kyoto though the 2 weeks in between had more stops, it worked well for us and didn’t feel too tiring. This gave us a chance to visit some of the smaller cities and towns that we loved.

mjs

I too use guidebooks as a start. Lonely planet, Michelin green, Fodor’s, Rough etc. probably have 80 or so. In the old days Let’s go Europe.
As we get older we tend to fly business often with miles and cash upgrade. Last year business fares to Japan were 16 K each for four of us. Much cheaper to pay economy and upgrade. Lounge access also helps. Currently in a IAH lounge on way to Lima. We often now travel places
that we use cars. Norway, Rhodes, Cotswolds,
Portugal and Basque Country within the last 2 years. Also understand the need to explore new places vs going back to old favorites. Have no answer to that question. Can’t tell you the number of times I have been to London, Paris, Tokyo and Bangkok. I like to go to Japan late November to early December or mid March for Honshu.
the summer humidity and heat have gotten miserable. Japan has also gotten swarmed with foreign tourists mostly Chinese. The above dates tend to be less crowded and cheaper. In terms of flights and hotel costs. My go to hotel in Tokyo has gone up from about $350 a night to close to $700 a night despite the yen being cheap now at about 150 vs 110-120 to the dollar. Fortunately Kyoto is somewhat cheaper and Osaka is much less expensive. Transportation has in a way gone up as the JR rail pass price increased by something like 40% last year. Food on the other hand can be quite inexpensive as I can eat for less than $20/day except for Michelin type splurges. Have fun planning!