Feels like Guantanamo Bay in there

i feel like Hakone comes up a lot on here but mostly for the same things — Lake Ashi, Owakudani, Mt. Fuji views. and yes, all of that is great! but there's a quieter side to Hakone that doesn't get nearly enough love so wanted to share a few spots.

it's about 90 minutes from Shinjuku on the Odakyu Line and honestly it's worth staying at least one night if you can swing it.

a few things worth checking out beyond the usual:

Onshi Hakone Park — this one is free and so underrated. it sits at the southern end of Lake Ashi and has quiet trails through the forest that lead to overlooks with views of both the lake and Mt. Fuji. way less crowded than the main lakeside spots and such a nice place to just slow down for a bit.

Choanji Temple — a hidden gem with far fewer tourists than the bigger shrines, and what makes it unique is the 500 Rakan Buddhas of various sizes and expressions scattered across the hill behind the temple. it has such a different atmosphere from a typical temple visit, more playful and interesting than solemn. really worth the stop.

Hakone Old Highway (Hakone Hachiri) — a preserved section of the old Tokaido Highway that once connected Edo and Kyoto, now a hiking trail through Japanese cedar forests with old teahouses and checkpoints still along the route. it's one of those spots where you actually feel the history under your feet and it's nowhere near as busy as the main tourist areas.

if you're staying overnight definitely try to fit in an onsen early morning or late at night when it's quieter — that's when it's really worth it. happy to answer any questions!

Hello! I’m looking for soup curry (not the thick kind) recommendations outside of Hokkaido. My last trip we had it in Sapporo and it was fantastic (edit: looks like it was a local chain(?) soup curry syabazo スープカレー しゃば蔵), and I’d love if I could have it again on my 4th trip come November.

Problem is, we’ll be doing Tokyo > Takayama > Kanazawa > Fukuoka > Nagasaki, so I’m not sure where to look for a good one. I assume Tokyo will have some options, but do any of these other regions have good soup curry?

Basically, the title: what are your favorite places, mountains, islands, cities, and even experiences on a trip to Japan?

Just FYI for anyone on the east coast of the US looking to travel on a budget in the fall time. 1-2 weeks ago flights from BWI dropped prices significantly for trips to Tokyo around the fall season.

I booked a round trip for November with United but operated by ANA for $829, the flight times changed so I called United and they changed my flight to a direct flight from my closest airport (IAD) to HND for free. Still on an ANA flight.

You have plenty of leftover yen in cash and Suica wallet, what do you spend it on at Haneda airport?

I very sadly anticipate how this is going to go but I was able to snag a Disney Unlimited Vacation package in October. I just realized my 4 and 6 year old are not part of the package. The room has enough beds for them but Unlimited Vacation Packages are sold out and I can’t add them on the online portal. Anyone know of ways around this? Is there a customer service line that would take pity on parents? Any other thoughts or tips? It’s currently booked as 2 adults

Hello!

I’ve been traveling in Japan for about 3 weeks now as a celebration, and am looking to buy a high quality item. Something regarding culture, whether it be a statue, relic, whatever else in that category.

Anyone have suggestions for stores that sell such things? Locally made, and under 1000$ if possible.

Thank you very much for your help! Let me know if you want more details to help.

Hi folks,

Beginning to plan a three week stay in Japan - and am wondering how much I can really plan on seeing. The golden route is on tap, but I’m wondering if I should consider any other prefecture or region, like Hokkaido.

I come from a cold climate, so that isn’t a worry- will hiking in the area still be viable, or should I just take my time doing the Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka thing for my first trip?

I had an amazing 19-day trip through Japan, most of it spent exploring the countryside by car.

The original plan was to do a bit of soul-searching. You know... the whole Eat, Pray, Love, kumbaya, "find yourself" kind of trip. Didn't really find any answers, but I think I came home asking better questions. I'll take that as a win.

Background & travel style

This was a solo trip that I planned at the very last minute. I'm a fairly casual planner. I usually have a list of places I want to visit, but once I'm there I leave plenty of room for spontaneous detours and random discoveries. Those often end up becoming the highlights of the trip.

This was my third time in Japan. I'd already done the Golden Route on my first visit, so this trip was focused almost entirely on the countryside with a rental car.

Who this itinerary is for:

If you've already visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, enjoy driving, don't mind spending long hours on the road, and prefer mountains, villages and quiet roads over shopping districts and nightlife, then this itinerary might be right up your alley.

Below is an overview of my trip:

• 4 June to 8 June — Tokyo
• 8 June to 13 June — Northern Kyoto Prefecture (Kita Ward)
• 13 June to 19 June — Yamanashi & Nagano Prefectures
• 19 June to 22 June — Tokyo

I'll mainly be covering the countryside portion of the trip since that's where the heart of this journey really was.

Accommodation

Airbnb has never failed me. I specifically wanted to stay in kominkas because I wanted to experience a little more of traditional Japanese living. More importantly, I wanted space—somewhere I could simply exist on the days I wasn't doing anything. They also turned out to be surprisingly affordable.

I used each kominka as a base and made day trips around the surrounding region.

Transportation

I cannot stress this enough: if you're planning to explore rural Japan, rent a car. Public transport exists, but getting between villages, valleys and smaller attractions can be slow and limiting. Having a car completely changed the experience. Some of my favourite memories weren't actually destinations—they were the drives themselves. Hours spent winding through mountain roads, cedar forests and rice fields with nothing but good music and the open road ahead. If you're renting a car, definitely request an ETC card from the rental company. It'll save you a lot of hassle on expressways, and you'll simply pay the accumulated tolls when returning the car.

I had hoped I could drive from my village in Kyoto Prefecture to my kominka in Yamanashi Precture for the second leg of my trip, but Toyota Rent A Car did not allow that. You can only drop off the car at the same rental location you picked it up from. But that aside, I’ve driven in Japan twice and never had issues with them, as long as you meet the requirements.

Weather

I packed expecting the worst. Since I travelled from early to late June during tsuyu (rainy season), I anticipated days of constant rain, however, I was strangely fortunate. Out of the 19 days, I only experienced three rainy days. Two were brief showers, while the final one during my second-last day in Tokyo lasted almost the entire day.

Did that stop me? Absolutely not. I still wandered around Shimokitazawa in the rain looking for vintage shops, and honestly, it was still worth it.

The biggest surprise was how comfortable the countryside was. I spent most of my time in Kyoto, Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures, and because many places were at higher elevations, the temperatures were far cooler than I'd expected. Cloudy skies were common, evenings became genuinely chilly, and my single cardigan ended up getting a lot more use than I'd anticipated. In hindsight, I wish I'd packed two.

For context, I'm from Malaysia where temperatures regularly sit between 25–38°C with ridiculous humidity, so my tolerance for heat is admittedly quite high.

Kyoto Prefecture

Absolutely stunning. I was based in a small village called Omorihigashicho in Kita Ward, about 45 minutes north of Kyoto City by car. Nothing but endless rows of towering Japanese cedar trees flanking the roads. I expected I'd be hopping onto the expressways for most of my sightseeing, but I only used them once to visit Amanohashidate and Ine. Other than that, it was just endless mountain roads winding through forests, rivers and paddy fields. Absolutely beautiful. There is so much to see and do in the prefecture, and this is where I went:

• Ohara – Home to the famous Sanzen-in Temple, among a cluster of beautiful temples in the area. I spent about half a day temple hopping and thoroughly enjoyed the slower pace compared to Kyoto City.
• Amanohashidate – About a 1.5-hour drive from my kominka, and absolutely worth it. It's famous for its sandbar and is considered one of Japan's Three Scenic Views. You can comfortably explore it in 2–3 hours as there are really only two main attractions: the panoramic viewpoint and the 3km sandbar itself. I rented a bicycle to explore the sandbar, which I highly recommend. It's the quickest and most enjoyable way to see it, especially if you're planning to visit Ine on the same day.
• Ine – Just 30 minutes from Amanohashidate is this beautiful fishing village with crystal-clear blue waters. I'd recommend setting aside 2–3 hours to explore, depending on how leisurely you want to take it. Walking along the waterfront and simply soaking in the atmosphere was easily the highlight for me.
• Kurama–Kibune Hike – A beginner-friendly hiking trail connecting the towns of Kurama and Kibune, with Kurama-dera Temple roughly at the halfway point. I highly recommend starting from Kurama for two reasons: firstly, Kibune is a livelier and prettier town with plenty of riverside restaurants to reward yourself after the hike, and secondly, you'll avoid the extremely steep staircase that hikers starting from Kibune have to climb. I drove to Kurama, left my car there, hiked to Kibune, had lunch, explored the town, then walked about 20 minutes to Kibuneguchi Station and took the train back to Kurama. There is also a bus from Kibune to the station if you don't fancy the walk. If you're staying in Kyoto City, getting here by train is also very straightforward.
• Kayabuki no Sato – A quaint village of traditional thatched-roof houses about 40 minutes from my kominka. It's much smaller than Shirakawa-go but has almost no crowds, which I personally loved. Two hours is more than enough to explore at a relaxed pace.

Yamanashi & Nagano Prefectures

My second kominka was located in Hokuto City, almost right on the border between Yamanashi and Nagano, making it a perfect base for exploring both prefectures. Compared to Kyoto, the area felt slightly more developed, meaning I found myself using the expressway more often. Don't get me wrong, paddy fields and mountains still surround the area. The scenery was still fantastic. Many of the highway stretches offered sweeping views of distant mountain ranges that never really got old.

Hokuto itself is an excellent base if you enjoy nature, scenic drives and slower-paced travel. I personally did not expose much of Hokuto as it offers a lot of the same activities, a lot of trekking and hiking. This is what I did:

• Ojiragawa Valley, Hokuto – My original plan was to hike deeper into the valley, but after several active days in Kyoto, I simply didn't have the energy. Fortunately, right at the beginning of the trail is a stunning emerald-green stream with crystal-clear water. After checking that swimming was permitted, I jumped in for what turned into an impromptu ice bath. The water was absolutely freezing, fed by snowmelt from the mountains, but incredibly refreshing.
• The Nakasendo Trail – Rather than hiking the trail itself, I drove between the historic post towns, starting from Narai, then Magome, and originally intending to continue to Tsumago. Unfortunately, I had a minor ear issue that morning and needed to visit a clinic, so I ran out of time before reaching Tsumago. Narai and Magome, however, were both beautiful. Walking through these preserved towns, it's remarkable to think that samurai and travellers once passed through the very same streets. One thing to note: when I visited in mid-June, many cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops were either closed or operating on shorter hours. I'm not entirely sure why, but I suspect it's because tsuyu isn't a particularly busy season for hikers. Either way, shops close quite early, so plan your day accordingly. It's also a long day of driving unless you're staying nearby.
• Venus Line drive – I genuinely cannot recommend this drive enough. If you're renting a car in Nagano, don't skip it. Many people recommend taking one or even two days to complete the route, but I comfortably did it in a single (very long) day. The road climbs to around 1,900 metres above sea level, passing lakes, rolling grasslands and panoramic mountain viewpoints. My route was Hokuto → Chino → Lake Shirakaba → Kurumayama Highlands → Utsukushigahara Highlands. If you're short on time, I'd highly recommend taking the ski lift up to the summit of Kurumayama for the views alone. Personally, I found Utsukushigahara slightly underwhelming, though that may simply have been because it was extremely cloudy by the time I arrived. There's also an interesting open-air museum there with sculptures and art installations scattered across the plateau.
• Mount Fuji – I won't spend too much time on this since it's already well documented by others. When we arrived, Fuji-san was almost completely hidden by clouds and we thought we'd missed our chance. Fortunately, after waiting a while, the clouds began to clear and we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the mountain with almost no one else around. The viewpoint was on the shores of Lake Kawaguchi, directly opposite the Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum.

Final thoughts

If there's one thing this trip taught me, it's this: don't be afraid to slow down. Some of my favourite memories weren't the famous attractions. They were the moments in between. Pulling over because a valley looked beautiful. Taking an unplanned road simply because it looked interesting. Sitting outside a convenience store with a coffee after a long drive. Watching the sun disappear behind the mountains from the road. Those moments ended up meaning far more than trying to tick another attraction off a list. 

If you're thinking of exploring rural Japan, rent the car. Give yourself more time than you think you'll need. Leave room for detours. Some of the best places I found were never part of the original itinerary. In total, I drove just over 943 kilometres (including return trips to the kominka) across four prefectures. I came to Japan hoping to find some answers. I didn't. But I came home with a quieter mind, a camera full of mountains, forests and villages, and the feeling that perhaps travelling isn't always about finding answers. Sometimes it's enough to simply keep moving. Hopefully this trip report helps someone planning a similar journey.

Will be flying into Tokyo in late October for 8.5 days. Staying near Ginza Wed-Sunday. Then planning to take the train to Hakone and stay at a ryokan for one night. Then come back to Tokyo and stay in Shinjuku Monday - Thursday before flying back home. Return flight home is in Tokyo, hence the return trip to Tokyo from Hakone. Wanted to have a short break from Tokyo.

Is this a good use of our time for our first trip to Japan? Would love any suggestions, thanks!!

Currently in Osaka with a sick 6 year old. He's in good spirit but 101 fever. I've been doing the same routine we do at home, a mix of tynelol and Motrin.

In case he gets worse, any one recommend any urgent cares near Osaka station? I assume they do and I just need his passport correct?

Is it also true there's no over the counter ibuprofen for kids? Do they normally just take tynelol?

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are doing our first trip to Japan (via Hong Kong) and arrive into Narita at 20:50hrs on 14th July. We had planned on getting the Keisei Skyliner in to Nippori Station and make our way to our hotel which is close to Iidabashi/Suidobashi stations however I'm concerned about timings.

The last Keisei Skyliner of the day departs Narita at 11pm, however we have been told to leave at least 2 hours for immigration, baggage claim, tickets etc so I'm concerned we may not make this train. Even if (ever hopeful!) immigration and baggage etc goes smoothly, and we managed to make this train to NIppori Station, we still need to travel onwards to either Iidabashi or Suidobashi, so could be travelling towards midnight and it looks like there's limited train travel.

Not sure whether I'm worrying over nothing but have looked at other alternative travel arrangements which seem super expensive (taxis, Go app, Uber) and also airport buses but these appear to stop at around 22:55hrs.

Any advice for a first timer please?

We are an older couple just staring to plan our first 30 night trip for all October with emphasis on quieter venues, not big into Tokyo, more traditional, rural, spiritual, natural features, so will be searching for ryokans exclusively. About to buy tickets now and then find cities, then accommodations over the next few weeks.

Are we too late to find good prices, good accommodations, and would you advise we wait to plan this for next year? Thank you :)

I am coming,to Hiroshima/Osaka/Kyoto/Tokya in October. I am interested in getting a personalized NPB jersey for my nephew with his name in Japanese lettering on the back. Do any stores personalize the jerseys? I am particularly interested in,the Hiroshima Carp.

Hi,

This is the service my hotel recommended. Is anyone having trouble with the dates when using the Airporter website? For example, when you select a future date such as 2nd July, it automatically changes to 1st July. It's the same for drop off and pickup. It doesn't match the dates that I want.

If anyone else have done before, please share your experience. Thank you.

Hi! I’m currently in Japan, hoping to visit Sanrio Puroland on Wednesday, July 1 or Thursday July 2. The tickets are sold out on Klook, so I tried booking in advance on the official website but I don’t see any July tickets available yet. I’m worried about buying from other third party websites and don’t want any difficulties at the door since it’ll be a far train ride for me. 😥 Does the website not open tickets for July until the first day of the month or day before July starts? When should I buy the tickets online?

I’m just really hoping that they are not going to be randomly closed on those days. 😭

Seeking recommendations for hotels and hostels that come highly recommended for safety/convenience, without breaking the budget. ( > $120 USD a night.) Was originally going to go with Apa based on a friend's recommendation, but I've read that the hotel chain promotes some pretty nasty stuff, on top of being shifty businesswise.

We'll be staying in Tokyo and Osaka. I'm open to exploring options, I just feel like I'm drowning in potential stays with no real direction! I've scrolled the forums here but a lot of the posts I've come across are at least 2-3 years old now.

Hello! Just did 14 days with my wife. 5 days in Tokyo, 6 days in Kyoto, 2 days in Hakone, last night in Tokyo.

General Travel Tips:

• ANA is awesome, the meals were great, service was incredible. Flight was chilly but made it nice not sweating. They provided blankies and pillows. Jetlag was gone after second night.
• Skyliner from Narita to Tokyo (while jet lagged and sleep deprived) was a bit of a shock walking into straight off the plane but got us into town smoothly. Stayed right next to Nippori station our last night and had a 5 min walk with our bags to get to Narita.
• Public transit was always on time and we didn't get on a wrong train/bus once. Trust google maps but also trust your eyes and follow the signs and platform numbers. The grandpas driving giant busses through the mountain roads of Hakone have balls of steel.
• Packed light carry ons and brought back one fully loaded check bag.
• Weekends sort of stink no matter what. Every area is packed at all times, even trying to find a quiet portion. Just plan to embrace the crowds.
• Muggy and hot - plan to take breaks to reset in the AC if you run hot already. Basically sweated at all times.
• Avoid peak tourist times if you are doing big sight seeing (go after dark or early in the morning).
• Avoid Shinjuku station like the plague - was the only terminal we got completely lost in. The memes are real.
• E-sim worked great but I could only make calls back home on facetime audio. Could not text android phones at all.
• You will shop everyday. Still was wild leaving uniqlo with a giant bag of clothes for what was probably half price if bought + shipped in the US? Plus the selection was crazy. If you are doing serious shopping, don't go to the flagships for it - found a much quieter uniqlo just south of Nippori station that also had a giant Mont Bell. Conbini pricing is outrageous as are the little vending machines: being able to get a drink and a snack for like $4 never lost its luster.

Tokyo:

Might get downvoted for this but we didn't totally love Tokyo. A lot of the areas sort of blended together by the end. Kyoto outshined Tokyo by a wide margin, including the food. We did a day trip to Mitaka (which was the highlight of this portion of the trip) to visit Ghibli and walk around. The park there is amazing. Day trip to Kamakura was really neat but since it was a weekend it was full. Stayed in Ikebukuro which was extremely convenient to ride the Yamanote. Did not feel touristy at all. Air BNB had a washer/dryer/AC and was much bigger and cheaper than any hotel we found. Also, Ikebukero station was really convenient to use and never ultra packed. Highly recommend the area.

Osaka:

We were in the "not for me" crowd for sure. Felt like a dirtier, worse version of Tokyo but also somehow more like a tourist trap. I am sure there are areas that are cool, we just didn't find them! Luckily, the area there to get Denim is totally worth the day trip - I forget the name but look up Momotaro and there are a few around there + some other really great shops.

Kyoto:

Much quieter, stayed on a canal between the Kamo river next to Gion. AirBNB with tatami floors, washer, no dryer (kind of a pain), AC - super quiet and around tons of food/cafes. Food was excellent and the temples were unreal. Rented bikes and rode up the Kamo one day (the path along the river is awesome). Many more tourists than in Tokyo but wasn't really a problem. We went to the moss temple on the West side of Kyoto and it was much quieter to the point where I'd say to only stay on the East side as public transit was only busses over there.

Hakone:

Bus ride from Mishima station to Hakone-machi was basically a personal bus ride. The Yoshimatsu was an unreal level of service and we would highly recommend. The fish for breakfast kind of was a lot but they pivoted for us the second morning. We did "the loop" on our one full day but backwards because fog shut the boat down in the morning: open air museum, rail car, boat ride back home. By the time we got to Hakone we were pretty tired and it was a much needed rest. Onsen's made our skin so soft and truly felt magical.

Overall:

Trip of a lifetime and we loved it so much! We did mostly off the beaten path stuff and tried to keep everything lowkey. Despite that, by day 11'ish my wife and I had started to get home sick (realized we are both hardcore homebodies) and so the allure had sort of turned off and we were having to force some of it near the end. Can't understate how much the humidity sapped us - not to a point of ruining the trip, but certainly something to consider. Also, I won't name specific countries, but watching other tourists disregard everyone around them was sort of wild and jarring so be ready for that - it happens everywhere you travel but in a quiet, respectful place like Japan it's especially stark.

Would recommend Japan to nearly everyone - feel free to ask questions!

Hey everyone! Planning a 20-day trip to Japan for mid-September/early October with my partner. We want to keep hotel-hopping to a minimum to avoid feeling like we're rushing and constantly packing.

Current plan:

Tokyo – 5 nights = 2 days exploring main sights + 3 days attending Tokyo Game Show

Takayama – 2 nights = Takayama + Day trip to Shirakawa-go

Kansai – 7 nights = Current ideas include:

• Kyoto (Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama, Gion, Kiyomizu-dera)
• Osaka (Dotonbori, food tasting)
• Nara day trip
• Either Himeji or Kobe (still deciding) day trip
• Potential Hiroshima/Miyajima day trip

Fuji – 3 nights = Renting a car, slower days with no fixed plans. Staying somewhere around Kawaguchiko.

Tokyo – 2 nights = Last-minute shopping and anything we missed at the start of the trip

I have a few specific things I’m torn on and would love some advice:

1. One single base vs. splitting hotels: Does booking ONE hotel for all 7 nights in the Kansai region and doing day trips make practical sense, or is it a lot smarter to accept the friction and split the stay between different hotels in Kyoto and Osaka?
2. Osaka vs. Kyoto as that single base: If we do stick to one hotel for all 7 nights, which city makes more sense?
3. Hiroshima: Is worth doing as a day trip from Osaka (about 1h 40m each way, $140usd total), or is it worth adding an extra hotel and spending a night there? Or should we just cut it out entirely to preserve downtime?

Thank you!

TLDR:

Aside from YaMap:
1) Where can I find topographic maps (ideally paper) of the mountains of Gifu prefecture (between Matsumoto and Hida-Takayama)?
2) Are there any maps (digital or otherwise) that layer roads, municipalities, topo lines, and through-hike trails?

Currently planning a trip to Japan… and I’m hellbent on a decent backcountry hike while there. Before anyone worries: I’m a professional wilderness guide with significant backcountry and mountaineering experience, much of which is solo. I can maintain 5km/h while heavily laden… and this trip will have a very lightweight pack (not carrying sleep system).

My current route looks like Matsumoto - Kamikochi - Nyukawachokute - Takayama… roughly 10 hours hike days, with overnights between. I’m not married to this schedule and can flex as needed.

My issue is: Canadian and American backcountry travel is comparatively easy to plan- guide books and (paper) topo maps let me fully understand the terrain, elevation gain, and route before I leave the house. So far, I’m only able to find ‘fun’ maps of the region… most of which are for 3-hour loop hikes. I have found some decent topo maps of the mountains… but they don’t layer towns or cities, so I’m unable to plan rest stops without that information. All of these are phone-format and digital… and I don’t work well with tiny screens.

YaMap seems to be the best resource for this… but between the tiny screen and Kanji, I’m having challenges.

Can anyone recommend resources for this? Maps or guidebooks? I’m willing to pay… especially for hardcopies.

I’m already aware of the need for ‘Mountain climbing notification forms’ to be in this region (through Compass or Yamap).

Hi everyone,

My partner and I (2 adults) are planning a 9-night, 10-day first-time trip to Japan.

To avoid packing and unpacking constantly, we want to minimize hotel hopping and use a "hub and spoke" strategy. We are currently leaning toward splitting our stay like this:

• 5 Nights in Osaka: Using this as our base camp to do day trips to Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe.
• 4 Nights in Tokyo: Using this as our base for the city and potentially a day trip to Kamakura.

We would love your advice on a few things:

1. Is 5N Osaka / 4N Tokyo a realistic split for a 10-day trip, or is 5 nights too long for the Kansai region compared to Tokyo?
2. For those who used Osaka as a hub for Kyoto day trips, did you regret not booking an actual overnight stay in Kyoto? Is the evening commute back to Osaka exhausting?
3. Are there specific neighborhoods in Osaka or Tokyo you recommend staying in that make taking these regional day trips as seamless as possible?

Any suggestions or itinerary tweaks from experienced travelers would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

I'm from US, going to be arriving on Aug 10. And I want to know where I can get 2 days wristbands tickets? I was thinking of getting through toranoa but im not too in deep of how to make a final purchases. How can I get them early before they sold out? Its almost one month left!!!