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Old 14 Sep 19, 08:28 AM  
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redfox5
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Japan - Highs & Lows

Got back from Japan yesterday. Had an amazing time and will definitely be returning at some point!

Highs

Magical Trips - We did two tours with Magical Trips. A Bar Hopping Tour in Shibuya & a Kyoto Food Tour. Both were amazing. I'm not really a drinker but there was food included in the Bar Hopping tour, including Wagyu Beef which was amazing. The hosts were locals, they were lovely and it was nice to meet other travellers. We got taken into places that I would never have been brave enough to go on my own.


The Imperial Place Gardens - It's so beautiful here and even though we went on a Saturday, it was pretty quiet.


Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine - This was the place I was most excited about going. We got here about 6:30am and I'm so glad we got there early. We had it practically to ourselves. We walked all the way to the top, it was a super hot day and I have never been so sweaty in all my life! But it was worth it!


Tea Ceremony - We watched and took part in a beautiful Tea Ceremony in Kyoto, even though I was rubbish in making the tea, I really enjoyed the experience.


Disney Sea - I loved here it. I've ranked it as my 3rd fave Disney Park (behind Epcot and AK, in case you were interested). Most of the guests were adults, hardly any kids! And the Japanese really do Disney when they hit the parks! They were all carrying Duffy bears, had popcorn buckets, were dressed in amazing costumes(It was Halloween event, you can dress up any day during this time as long as it's a Disney character) and if they were not in costume, then they had ears or hats on. Considering it was so hot that I decided to forgo my Mickey ears and stick a sensible sun hat on, I was very impressed with their dedication! As soon as they leave the parks though, it all comes off! They even had a special changing room area. We did so much people watching. Only managed to get on 4 rides and try a few snacks but would love to go again!


Citadines Kyoto Karasuma-Gojo Hotel - We booked a package with Rickshaw travel, so we didn't get a choice, just knew they would be 3 star hotels near stations. Our Tokyo hotel wan't bad, nothing special, just a very small Japanese version of Travel lodge but our hotel in Kyoto was an apartment hotel which was lovely. It was huge and even had a Balcony. Really clean and the staff were nice.


Japan in general - I loved Japan. Tokyo and Kyoto are the nicest cities I have ever visited. Everything is clean, it feels safe, one minute its super busy and then you are alone in a back street. I also loved how peaceful it is, the train and restaurants are very quiet. No raised voices. I will also miss the fancy high-tech toilets! The trains for the most part were easy to get around on. Vending machines on every corner & 7Eleven.


Lows

Transfers - Our transfer to the airport didn't show up. We waited 45mins and then decided to get a taxi which was very expensive. I was also getting really stressed about missing our flight. I've emailed asking for a refund.

Tokyo Station - Although I really liked the shopping and food places here. And I will say it's fun to explore when you are not actually using the train. However if you need to go somewhere, it's stressful. There were so many people, sometimes the signs were confusing and it was so big, it was hard to locate where you needed to go. The day after the Typhoon, lots of trains had been delayed. This was the day we needed to use the bullet train, it was manic in there! It was just a crush of people.

The Heat - I thought I would be prepared for the heat. I wasn't. I don't think I've ever been so sweaty as I was on this holiday. It was intense. We normally go on holiday at the end of September which I think would have been better heat wise but I wanted to avoid the Rugby World Cup crowds. When we next go, we will go at a cooler time!

My Body - This holiday highlighted how unfit i am! Lots of walking, lots of uphill walking and so many stairs! Dragging cases up and down subway stairs. We also had more planned but our bodies were suffering due to the heat, we had to keep taking afternoon hotel breaks before going back out in the evening.

Overall had a fantastic time but feel like we hardly scratched the surface. We will return in a few years but spend more time in Kyoto. I would also really like to visit Nara, Hiroshima & Osaka.
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Edited at 08:51 AM.
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Old 14 Sep 19, 09:18 AM  
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TinkerBabe
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This sounds like an amazing trip, somewhere I wouldn’t perhaps have thought of in the past, but now I will add it to my bucket list!
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Old 14 Sep 19, 09:21 AM  
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We've been wanting to go for about 10 years but have were always a bit afraid about going as planning seemed overwhelming. Finally bit the bullet! Glad we did
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Old 14 Sep 19, 09:22 AM  
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Great to see this, Japan is on our bucket list for 2021, my friend has just been and did the things you did. She really loved the tea ceremony and got dressed up in a kimono for photos , can't wait to go, I'm not good if its sweaty hot, so not sure what time of year to go
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Old 14 Sep 19, 09:26 AM  
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Originally Posted by mickeyspal View Post
Great to see this, Japan is on our bucket list for 2021, my friend has just been and did the things you did. She really loved the tea ceremony and got dressed up in a kimono for photos , can't wait to go, I'm not good if its sweaty hot, so not sure what time of year to go
I would have loved to dress up but I don't think it would have been a good idea in the heat! People were doing it though!

I think October/November time would be perfect. Plus it supposed to look even more beautiful once autumn hits.
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Old 14 Sep 19, 09:48 AM  
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I went in April and it was starting to warm up but not reached the humid stage.

I did a Cosmos guided coach tour around the main island of Honshu and saw amazing places. Hotels were good too - despite poor reviews on Tripadvisor which almost made me want to cancel the trip 😱

It would be easy enough to add a few days for Disney etc.
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Old 14 Sep 19, 02:06 PM  
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Good report - you really seemed to enjoy it. We were there in May and it was getting hot towards the end of our trip but the humidity was not too bad. Mind you I think low 20s is hot (live in Scotland!).

We thought we would go back in a couple of years but we looked at flights last week and ended up booking to go back again May next year (flights cheaper than this year). We will base ourselves in Tokyo and Kyoto again but do different things like a day trip to Nikko.

Nara and Hiroshima are definitely worth a visit and in fact I want to go to Nara again next year. Hakone is a great day trip also.

Need to look at hotels now - love the planning stage.
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Old 14 Sep 19, 09:03 PM  
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Japan in May was our favourite holiday we have ever had, the Japanese people were amazing and loved Tokyo. Disney - wow!

I too want to go back!
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Old 16 Sep 19, 06:51 AM  
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Loved reading your highs and lows thank you! Looks like such a fantastic trip!

We are looking to go next May just after Golden week, hoping it’s not too hot then.
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Old 16 Sep 19, 08:02 AM  
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We did May 14th onwards this year for our trip - it was hot but nothing too bad I thought - and only 1 day with rain - which happened on a day when we traveled to Kyoto for the day. Hope you have as good weather as we did
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