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2 Weeks in Japan?

we've booked our hotels. had to alter our dates in shidoshima a little because there wasn't so much available on our budget for our original dates. so now we're 5 days in kyoto, four in shodoshima and four in tokyo (we were planning the five to be in tokyo).

The hotel in shodoshima is a bit 'shot in the dark', because all the reviews on tripadvisor are in japanese, and google translate is a bit... creative, when it comes to japanese.

our cheapest hotel, i think, has ended up being in tokyo - it's totally no frills but has very good reviews and is near a tube station, so what more could you need?
 
Sounds good

If you're going to be in kyoto for the extra day you might want to look into a day trip to Nara, it was the original capital before kyoto and tokyo, and theres a botanical garden and some shrines with the biggest wooden bhuddas in the world (80 odd foot high).

Theres also wild but tame deer.

Only about 30 mins on the train.
 
sim667 said:
Sounds good

If you're going to be in kyoto for the extra day you might want to look into a day trip to Nara, it was the original capital before kyoto and tokyo, and theres a botanical garden and some shrines with the biggest wooden bhuddas in the world (80 odd foot high).

Theres also wild but tame deer.

Only about 30 mins on the train.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but budget tight and travelling makes me anxious. Will see how we go.

Edit - the travelling=anxious thing might sound daft since we're going all the way to japan. Its the journeys i find difficult. I like being places. I find travelling in the uk quite bad for anxiety too, and at least here i can read the signs and timetables.
 
spanglechick said:
Maybe, but budget tight and travelling makes me anxious. Will see how we go.

Edit - the travelling=anxious thing might sound daft since we're going all the way to japan. Its the journeys i find difficult. I like being places. I find travelling in the uk quite bad for anxiety too, and at least here i can read the signs and timetables.
Click to expand...

Oh its just like a normal train, like going from london to croydon or something..... Not a massively long journey, and theres no changes :)
 
I would say that travelling in japan is actually easier than in the UK. Theres even little pathways marked out on the platforms where the train doors line up that you queue along to get on board.

If you see a pink carriage though, dont let monkeygrinders get on it, its wimmins only innit...... (to try and combat tosatsu I believe).
 
sim667 said:
Oh its just like a normal train, like going from london to croydon or something..... Not a massively long journey, and theres no changes :)
Click to expand...
Yes. Even london to croydon or whatever stresses me out. You might have to trust me as being a quite good judge of my limits and abilities.
 
Hmm, looking for hotels for families and I'm finding not very much! I would like a room with two double queen beds or similar, but I don't think family rooms are the done thing in Tokyo. I have one teenager, and one under 10...so I'd like us all to be in the same room.

Any ideas?
 
mwgdrwg said:
Hmm, looking for hotels for families and I'm finding not very much! I would like a room with two double queen beds or similar, but I don't think family rooms are the done thing in Tokyo. I have one teenager, and one under 10...so I'd like us all to be in the same room.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Have you looked at the Ryokan or other more traditional type places where they put out the mats on the floor? It might be easier for them to be flexible on that sort of thing.
 
Monkeygrinder's Organ said:
Have you looked at the Ryokan or other more traditional type places where they put out the mats on the floor? It might be easier for them to be flexible on that sort of thing.
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No, just the usual Expedia hotels etc. Can you recommend any good sites to look for that kind of place? Thanks! :)
 
mwgdrwg said:
No, just the usual Expedia hotels etc. Can you recommend any good sites to look for that kind of place? Thanks! :)
Click to expand...

Not really sorry - we just went on similar sites although there are some Japan specific ones (Japanican and one or two others) which had them on. We ended up with two places that have Japanese rooms and the others are Western style.
 
Monkeygrinder's Organ said:
Not really sorry - we just went on similar sites although there are some Japan specific ones (Japanican and one or two others) which had them on. We ended up with two places that have Japanese rooms and the others are Western style.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks, I'll have a look and see what I can find! :)
 
Ok, I may be going to Osaka and Kyoto for a week...next week! A completely last minute opportunity.

Any suggestions on places to stay and things to see?

Thanks!
 
mwgdrwg said:
Ok, I may be going to Osaka and Kyoto for a week...next week! A completely last minute opportunity.

Any suggestions on places to stay and things to see?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

So we stayed at a hotel right next to kyoto station..... it was a beautiful hotel, but I'm guessing bloody expensive. I think it may have been the New Miyakao hotel.

The bus service in kyoto is excellent for getting around, the Higayishima district and Gion are both places I'd like to go look at if I were to go again.

Shijo-jori is the main shopping district, and very bustling..... iirc is got some of the older shops in kyoto, although I may be getting districts confused.

There's the golden pavilion, but I can't remember its japanese name, and Ryoan-ji which is one of the earliest examples of zen gardening.... There's also another really old imperial palace but I can't remember the name of (the floorboards tweet like birds so they could detect assassins).

Also if you're that way inclined there's the Kyoto manga museum.

The Womens Institute of Kyoto will organise activities for you too, I dressed up as a samurai, my dad went and had a lesson on an instrument, and mum learnt to make sushi....

I've also read about a 300 year old sweet shop in Kyoto too..... although japanese sweets tend to be pretty nasty.

Also if you get a chance, Nara is a good day trip out of Kyoto.

I have no idea about osaka. Sorry.
 
mwgdrwg said:
Ok, I may be going to Osaka and Kyoto for a week...next week! A completely last minute opportunity.

Any suggestions on places to stay and things to see?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I was in Osaka last week. Can't advise where to go though. All looks the same. Maybe vist Kobe while you are there, its only 20 minutes by train.
Went to a cheap as chips izakaya where everything was 240 yens.
Time bomb records is good.
 
Oh try a bit of atami.
11953184_10206756412205356_1511210286517093911_n.jpg
 
sim667 said:
So we stayed at a hotel right next to kyoto station..... it was a beautiful hotel, but I'm guessing bloody expensive. I think it may have been the New Miyakao hotel.

The bus service in kyoto is excellent for getting around, the Higayishima district and Gion are both places I'd like to go look at if I were to go again.

Shijo-jori is the main shopping district, and very bustling..... iirc is got some of the older shops in kyoto, although I may be getting districts confused.

There's the golden pavilion, but I can't remember its japanese name, and Ryoan-ji which is one of the earliest examples of zen gardening.... There's also another really old imperial palace but I can't remember the name of (the floorboards tweet like birds so they could detect assassins).

Also if you're that way inclined there's the Kyoto manga museum.

The Womens Institute of Kyoto will organise activities for you too, I dressed up as a samurai, my dad went and had a lesson on an instrument, and mum learnt to make sushi....

I've also read about a 300 year old sweet shop in Kyoto too..... although japanese sweets tend to be pretty nasty.

Also if you get a chance, Nara is a good day trip out of Kyoto.

I have no idea about osaka. Sorry.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this!
 
mwgdrwg said:
Hehe, I know...they should have one for adults! :D
Click to expand...
They do do special days where adults can go on. The second time I went my daughter was about two or three, so every time she fell over I could run on and pretend to be a concerned parent, but then fall over in the makorokorosuke, and roll around, having difficulty getting too my feet. Whoops, I've slipped again.
 
Ok, I'm back after a mental and brilliant week.

Highlights...

staying 1 night at the Marriot in Abeno Harukas, the tallest building in Japan...awesome views
Nara
Kyoto temples
Spotted some Geishas
Getting hammered in Dotombori
Eating loads of Takoyaki
Randomly going to a Momaru Hosada expo
Everything!

:D
 
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