2 Weeks in Japan?

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

We've been looking at a temple stay, and from what it looks like to me they feed you early, expect you to sleep quite early, and then you're up at the crack of dawn to pray, when actually one of the reasons we'd be going to Koya is because my OH really likes the look of the nighttime tour of the graveyard. What's peoples thoughts on this?

if you want to do a temple stay, do it the way they want you to do it to get the experience (and not to be an akward tourist). Nightime in Japan can be quite early. How late is it? Trains and buses stop at 12 anyway.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Actually we found buses pretty easy all over Japan. You can load a Pasmo travel card on your phone and just tap in and out. Google maps has the routes so you know where to get off.

Maybe its not so bad now. Google maps/translate wasn't a thing when I first started visiting. I don't generally take buses anyway as I would rather walk or cycle if its not a journey that demands a train.

Blimey, maps and translate would have been soooooo, fucking handy.
I think they have stopped it now, but before covid you could get free street WiFi in a lot of areas in Tokyo. . . Before that I'd be using seven elevens or family mart (which are everywhere).
If you have limited roaming WiFi you can download Google maps of the area (takes up sod all phone space) and just use GPS. . . Or buy an unlimited phone sim in advance for about £30. My wife and daughter do, but I don't bother.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Koya is super compact so you can walk around it very easily (just watch your head - I did not)

If you can find somewhere more secular for a nighttime graveyard tour do that, these are working temples and it’s serious business for the monks there. You can also inquire with the temples direct as to how strict the dawn and ritual elements are but the assumption is always “you want to get some vaguely spiritual experience out of this and this is why you are in the temple”

 

[Artaxerxes]

Maybe its not so bad now. Google maps/translate wasn't a thing when I first started visiting. I don't generally take buses anyway as I would rather walk or cycle if its not a journey that demands a train.

Blimey, maps and translate would have been soooooo, fucking handy.
I think they have stopped it now, but before covid you could get free street WiFi in a lot of areas in Tokyo. . . Before that I'd be using seven elevens or family mart (which are everywhere).
If you have limited roaming WiFi you can download Google maps of the area (takes up sod all phone space) and just use GPS. . . Or buy an unlimited phone sim in advance for about £30. My wife and daughter do, but I don't bother.

Kyushu had decent wifi in most of the major cities and if it wasn’t in the streets it was findable (aim for the station or shops) easily enough

We were last there 8 years(?) before and it was a vast change to then - they even had *gasp*contactless in most places.

Admittedly the post office credit card we were using was temperamental as hell as to what accepted it but it was close to working most places

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Yes, I think it's still good to take actual money (unlike in the UK where you can go without), but it's not like the old days where cards barely worked anywhere. When I first went I think the only place my card worked was in tower records.

 

[krtek a houby]

Flights booked! Very spenny but my wife's a teacher and thats just the price you pay for that.

So we're thinking of doing 5 nights in Tokyo, 5 nights in Kyoto and 2 nights in Osaka, with one night back in Tokyo ready to fly home. We've decided against Hakone, and Hiroshima. I've been to Hiroshima, but the main draw there is Miyajima, which my wife isn't bothered about, and the peace park, again she's not too bothered, I've already been to both. Hakone looks lovely, but I've been and I don't recall being that enthused by it, and my wife isn't too bothered either. My wife has a lifetime dream of going to every Disneyland in the world (my worst nightmare), but marriage is about compromise, right? So I guess one day in Tokyo will be going to Disneyland.

As far as places to stay I've been looking at Ueno in Tokyo, it's right on the yamanote line and good links for airports. In Kyoto I've been looking at Gion, and for Osaka I've been looking at Namba

Kyoto is worth a look, but maybe two or 3 night s max. I prefer Nara and Nikko. The latter is amazing if you like the Shogunate.

Are you just sticking to Honshu?

 

[sim667]

if you want to do a temple stay, do it the way they want you to do it to get the experience (and not to be an akward tourist). Nightime in Japan can be quite early. How late is it? Trains and buses stop at 12 anyway.

It’s only about 7.30

But with temple stays being about £400 for the both of us, and guesthouses being quite far off out of koyosan we might bin the idea off and either look for another night in Osaka or Kyoto with the aim of doing a trip or something outside for the day. My partner loves morbid stuff, so ossuaries/cemetery’s etc etc she love.

Personally if I had time I’d go scuba diving but I don’t think I’ll get to

 

[sim667]

Kyoto is worth a look, but maybe two or 3 night s max. I prefer Nara and Nikko. The latter is amazing if you like the Shogunate.

Are you just sticking to Honshu?

Yeah it will be just Honshu, we only have the 14 days flying in and out of Tokyo, so we’re just doing the central tourist stuff

 

[Winot]

So we've booked accommodation for Tokyo - 4 Nights (Asakusa), 3 Nights in Kyoto, I showed my wife about Koyasan and she likes the look of it, so we thought we'd hoik our way from Kyoto straight to Koya for a night, and then back the next day to Osaka where we'll do 3 nights, with a day trip to Nara on one of the days, and then back to Tokyo for a night in nice hotel before home the next day.

We've been looking at a temple stay, and from what it looks like to me they feed you early, expect you to sleep quite early, and then you're up at the crack of dawn to pray, when actually one of the reasons we'd be going to Koya is because my OH really likes the look of the nighttime tour of the graveyard. What's peoples thoughts on this?

Yes you're correct about the temple stay night curfew. We couldn't see how to combine it with the nighttime tour of the graveyard. The graveyard is ace in the day though:



NB you don't need to get up to pray. We did it one morning but we were there for 4 nights. An experience for sure.

Bear in mind it'll take you a good 3 hours to travel from Kyoto to Koya-san (JR to Osaka; change stations; two trains then the funicular then a bus). It's really straightforward but I think I'd want 2 nights in Koya-san to make the most of it.

 

[sim667]

Yes you're correct about the temple stay night curfew. We couldn't see how to combine it with the nighttime tour of the graveyard. The graveyard is ace in the day though:

View attachment 457019

NB you don't need to get up to pray. We did it one morning but we were there for 4 nights. An experience for sure.

Bear in mind it'll take you a good 3 hours to travel from Kyoto to Koya-san (JR to Osaka; change stations; two trains then the funicular then a bus). It's really straightforward but I think I'd want 2 nights in Koya-san to make the most of it.

Yeah I think we’re not gonna do koyasan and maybe do another day trip from Osaka, I was looking at Katsuo-Ji