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I like having a few guidebooks as backups - as others have said the internet is usually the best source of info these days, but sometimes you do get some good stuff from guidebooks. I had the Lonely Planet guide on my first trip - and it was fine, didn't use it thaaaat much. But since I returned from Japan I've bought a couple of more specialist guidebooks that I've found helpful planning a Tokyo city break later this year.

The ones I picked up were:

The Monocole Travel Guide Series - Tokyo
https://monocle.com/travel/tokyo/
Thoughts: Quite artsy, hipster-ish and high-end. Lots of boutique style shops, high-end restaurants and the like. They sure love Ginza. Almost snobbish at times in that respect but there are also some great cultural highlights, walking route suggestions and the like, as well as a few essays on Tokyo life that I found pretty interesting to read. Also one of the few books I've found with a design/architecture section. They also have an office/shop in Tokyo itself.

CITI X 60: Tokyo
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CITIx60-Tokyo-Victionary/dp/9881222761
Again, quite hipster-ish (which is fine with me, haha) - but an interesting concept for a guide book, having been curated by 60 creatives picking their favourite things in the city. As with the other book I wouldn't base a whole trip around it but it has definitely highlighted a few new interesting things that I'm going to check out when I'm next back in Tokyo.

If you'd like a bit more info about either book just let me know, would be happy to go into a bit more detail about the contents, etc.

> I’ve lived in Tokyo many years ago, but couldn’t have gotten around without it.

Downloaded!

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> If you’re traveling long distance and need to purchase Shinkansen tickets etc, just go to the Midori no Madoguchi Ticket Office. They have a very sophisticated system and they can figure out the route better than the app above - just tell them where and when you need to go.

I was planning to pre-purchase the JR railway tickets a few days before I fly out - I used this website to calculate my trip (Narita Airport -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Tokyo) . Is it recommended to buy the JR pass upon arrival, or to pre-purchase? I thought I had seen many recommendations for the latter.

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> When you travel from or to the airport with big luggage, avoid rush hours. Japanese commuter trains and stations are not very luggage friendly. We had to do it due to my poor planning, and I don’t recommend it!!

My only commute plans that involve my suitcase are the trains to each city - given that I'm not exactly sure what time we will be ending up on a train to the next city, I can't be too sure on this. Is the typical rush hour 4-6 PM?

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> For phone data, we usually buy data SIMs. They sell them at airport convenience stores, cellphone kiosks, or vending machines. It’s just for data so can’t make calls, but you get 4G LTE and it might be cheaper than international data roaming. Last couple of times we got this from Amazon in advance. Plans on this SIM is not the cheapest but we didn’t have to run around at the airport to buy them when we arrived there and were really tired. We just sat down at a free WiFi spot in Narita Airport and swapped out SIMs to activate them. A couple of our hotels had free smartphones called “handy”in the room we could borrow while we were staying, but we didn’t feel the need for it, and didn’t try it.

My plan has international roaming included in its price with unlimited data, though it's only at 3G speeds. I was planning to rely on this and the assumption that there are wifi in many places within areas like Tokyo (I am not so reliant on connectivity; I'd only need to text if necessary). Is it regardless, still advisable to get one of these SIMs?

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> Also getting out to Haneda can take some time. Leave plenty early to catch 11AM flight - you probably should get there by 8AM at the latest.

I'm an airport lover; I was planing to spend a couple of hours in the airport anyway!

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> Weather should be pretty nice in November, and changing leaves will be really pretty. Hope you and your friend have a great time!

That's what I'm hoping for! Thank you so much for your help!!

Language - Pimselur - I tried Collins and Gengo as well but Pimselur was the best by far. https://www.amazon.com/Pimsleur-Japanese-Level-Understand-Comprehensive/dp/0743523539




I would 100% have the Kansai Region in the ininerary. Osaka, Kyoto and Nara are all 1hr away from each other in a triangle and are all independently wonderful. Nara is a Day trip and you will see wild deer and the most amazing temple (my personal favorite and I think temples/shrines are boring) Osaka has a great street food culture going on in Dotonbori and Kyoto is the traditional capital and has lots of "Old Japan" hidden between the new, Nishiki Markets are pretty cool too.



Other than that I can reccomend Himeji Castle, Himeji is a beautiful town and the Castle is very impressive. Enjoy your trip!

>How cold are these cities/areas and how thick should my clothing be to avoid being frozen?

Around freezing, but not much below for most of them (except Nikko, which could be quite cold). I used to ride my bike year-round in Kyoto, including at night, so it's not too bad if you dress for it. The coat I wore during winter in Kyoto would be have been considered a fall-weight coat where I come from in the Midwest. I also recommend having a scarf, hat, and gloves (I like having liner gloves for the day, and then layering shooting mittens on top--like these).

>How crowded is Arashiyama during Hanatoro times? Followup on this question would be when's the best hour to visit to avoid crowds if at all possible.

More crowded than it usually is at night, but not awful by any means.

>As I'm staying for nearly a month, are there any recommendations for where I can get a haircut (men's)? I speak very basic Japanese and can most likely get my point across ie. short side and long top etc, but would appreciate any recommendations to barbers/shops that understand English to get my request out more accurately.

I have no idea what they're English ability is like, but I used to go to Seven near Fushimi Inari when I lived in Kyoto. They've started advertising in English outside their store, so I assume they're at least somewhat prepared for non-Japanese speaking customers.

>I'm planning on visiting an onsen during my trip, but a lot of the onsens that I've read about online are a little out of the way relative to where I'm staying except for Arima Onsen in Kobe. Are there any onsens that people have been to within these cities that is recommended? I have a preference to outdoor onsens but any that people think are good are all welcome!

Izu and Hakone are extremely convenient, but there are also loads of options in throughout Chubu (e.g. Karuizawa, Yudanaka, Gero) if you're willing to go off the Tokaido (which you have time to do if you so choose). Tokyo and Kansai are not particularly known for their onsen, but there are a couple of smaller options if you look around (e.g., Kurama), and there's SpaWorld in Osaka if you're looking for something less traditional.

>I'm planning to stay for 26 days or a little under a month from the middle of December to January!

What exact dates? There are a lot of special events around that time including the obvious Hatsumode/Joya-no-kane for New Year's and Arashiyama Hanatouro, which you've already mentioned, but also things like Toka Ebisu in Kyoto and Osaka for several days around January 10th, Tooshiya at Sanjusangendo on January 12th, Kobo-san and Tenjin-san on the 21st and 25th (of every month) respectively, and various smaller ceremonies and festivities at temples and shrines throughout Kyoto (and the country).

Hi, I’m originally from Japan and visit there once a year or every other year. Last I was there in June. I traveled using JR pass, and this app really helped planning and routing - I’ve lived in Tokyo many years ago, but couldn’t have gotten around without it.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/japan-travel-route-map-jr/id686373726

If you’re traveling long distance and need to purchase Shinkansen tickets etc, just go to the Midori no Madoguchi Ticket Office. They have a very sophisticated system and they can figure out the route better than the app above - just tell them where and when you need to go.

I can understand your excitement, but keep in mind that big cities in Japan can be very, very, very crowded and it might take some extra time to travel, especially during rush hours. Also weekends on tourist areas can be really busy. Give yourselves some flexibility and don’t feel bad if you don’t get to everything on your itinerary. Consider it as an excuse to go back :)

When you travel from or to the airport with big luggage, avoid rush hours. Japanese commuter trains and stations are not very luggage friendly. We had to do it due to my poor planning, and I don’t recommend it!!

For phone data, we usually buy data SIMs. They sell them at airport convenience stores, cellphone kiosks, or vending machines. It’s just for data so can’t make calls, but you get 4G LTE and it might be cheaper than international data roaming. Last couple of times we got this from Amazon in advance.
Plans on this SIM is not the cheapest but we didn’t have to run around at the airport to buy them when we arrived there and were really tired. We just sat down at a free WiFi spot in Narita Airport and swapped out SIMs to activate them. A couple of our hotels had free smartphones called “handy”in the room we could borrow while we were staying, but we didn’t feel the need for it, and didn’t try it.

Also getting out to Haneda can take some time. Leave plenty early to catch 11AM flight - you probably should get there by 8AM at the latest.

Weather should be pretty nice in November, and changing leaves will be really pretty. Hope you and your friend have a great time!

Thanks for the input. We chose Atago and Shiba from one of the walking tours described here but didn't know much about it. The intention was to just have a pleasant walk through some normal neighborhoods, as sort of a way to relax and just enjoy regular scenery. Asakusa is great, but we've been there before so we figured we'd try our luck elsewhere.

Combining Ghibli and Nakano is definitely a good idea that likely should have occurred to us as well.

We actually just recently considered adding in Shimokitazawa, but don't really know much about it and haven't had a chance to meet up and solidify last minute plans. I take it it's a cool place to go?

I use mainly Korean & Japanese products (I'm in the US). One of the most popular brands in Japan is Hada Labo which focuses on moisture with high amount of hyaluronic acid. I love the Perfect Gel by them & this lotion is the most popular item: http://www.amazon.com/Hada-Labo-Gokujyn-Hyaluronic-Lotion/dp/B000FQUGXA

The Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel SPF PA++++ is also an amazing sunscreen for the face and it acts as a primer as well. If she likes makeup, the Dollywink eyeliner is very popular. Sheet masks are also great to bring back!

Depends on the airline, but we ended up being able to buy and use one of these on our planes (window seat only) https://www.amazon.com/Airplane-Portable-Accessories-Inflatable-Airplanes/dp/B07F1TB7Y4

it's like an inflatable foot rest, but the one we got was 3 compartments and when all inflated matched up pretty well with the seat. Our daughter, 2yrs 10 months at the time conked right out, we brought a blanket and also an inflatable pillow (jackets work just fine too) and she curled up and slept for at least 6 hours on the flight. As for my wife and I.... different story.

I also had loads of netflix shows for her, and play things.

But, she also adores flying/traveling. You can see how proud she gets on planes and trains, so she travels well.

I posted about the solution I found a few weeks ago:

The only thing I can comment on is the portable wifi.

Because I'm traveling to both China and Japan, I bought this from Amazon. It's a cell phone charger and a portable wifi that comes with 60 euros of credit to fill it up. It costs $69 USD. The prices on Amazon fluctuate, but according to camelcamelcamel, it's the cheapest it's ever been.

The Japan data plan is 1GB for 15 euros. It expires after 30 days, but I don't need it for that long. They also have a 1GB for 7 euros for both China and Japan, which what I'll probably get and then top off as I go. Once my free 60 euros is gone, I can use Paypal to top it off with the GlocalMe app.

And this is for traveling all over the world, but you buy data plans based on the location you're traveling to. It also can host up to 5 devices at the same time. Honestly, this was the best thing for me. I also researched just renting these portable wifi devices and picking them up upon arrival at the airport and then just dropping it off when you leave, but for the same price, I can have one of my own and take it all over the world, not just in Japan.

You have to buy data packages, but it's way cheaper than getting the AT&T world roaming data plan, which is what otherwise we'd have to get. It was like $60USD for just 300 MB. Here's screenshots from the app for details on all available data packages. Or you can pay for it to work anywhere in the world for 0.05 euros per MB. Or you can pay for an annual data package of 2 GB per month to work in 58 different countries (Europe, Japan, China, U.S., Canada, some Caribbean and some South American countries).

I haven't used it in Japan yet, but I have poked around with it here in the U.S. since it comes with 100 MB already installed. My iphone had no trouble connecting to it and used a few MB just testing it out. My friend also connected his android without problem. It can also be used for laptops and tablets, of course, but we'll be using it for maps and translation on our phones and using tablets on hotel wifi to conserve data. Set-up was easy, although I did get an error at first.

I didn't see much mention of it here in JapanTravel, so I took a risk in trying it out. So far, so good.

One thing that worked really well for me was to travel to a major rail station like Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara and just walk around. Each major station is a commerce centre.

There is a ton of good information out there, including this reddit. Tuttle press offers several good guide books including one that I used as a daily guide: 29 Walks in Tokyo.

I showed this book to an English-speaking guide in the observation gallery of the Metropolitan Tokyo Government building and her comment was that most people in Tokyo were not aware of what was in the book. I also spent a fair amount of time studying maps and the transit system. That will be very helpful in finding your way around.

I hope you enjoy your stay in Japan.

Finished a trip myself last week and the weather was already pretty shitty towards the end. Maybe not cooling off, but for staying comfortable:

• Travel light: leave almost everything at your hotel or store it at a locker at a train station (200-500 yen/day).
  
• Wear moisture-wicking synthetic clothes. I just wore gym T-shirts -- tight-fitting so I'd at least look half-presentable -- and Uniqlo Airism underwear, which certainly lives up to the hype. (Larger sizes are only sold online and at the Ginza flagship store, however.)
  
• Plan your laundry. Probably won't be an issue for you, but I went to four cities in five days and I couldn't use the hotels' laundry services since they needed a full day to take care of it.
  
• You can find cooling deodorant wipes at the convenience stores which are okay but I found them sort of pointless once it reached 30C+ and humid.

There are several sellers on Amazon with the same AIS product, but I was planning on buying from GAC as they are known to be fairly reputable and the reviews are good (the packaging looks different but it's clearly a repackaged sim2fly.) They also sell a 2-pack on Amazon for $33. There's more info in that Flyertalk thread, but basically it's a Thai carrier and they sell an international SIM card allows roaming in many Asian countries. Based on reviews, it sounds like the AIS SIM connects to either Softbank or NTT Docomo depending on where you are.

Regarding your last point, it's always a good idea to bring a compact power strip with you when travelling. Something like this or this, though you may need a 3-prong to 2-prong converter for some places in Japan. They are great for nights when you have to charge multiple devices and make you a hero at airports.

I've heard great things about "Showa", a graphic novel that covers Japanese history between 1926 and 1989:

https://www.amazon.com/Showa-1926-1939-History-Japan/dp/1770461353

Edit:

Also recommend "Speed Tribes" By Karl Taro Greenfield. Easy read:

https://www.amazon.com/Speed-Tribes-Nights-Japans-Generation/dp/0060926651/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542859841&sr=8-1&keywords=speed+tribes

I can get round trip tickets to Korea, buy some stuff for 6,000 yen, and still save some money because they want 30,000+ for the same exact thing in Japan.

Japan has huge import tariffs. Usually ~8% import, 8% consumption, and 5% landing tax (aka processing/inspection fee) for anything over 10,000 yen.

Then if you're importing it for personal use, another 8% sales tax.

Some goods, like leather shoes, have a 30% import fee.

I can buy a $500 USD retail part, listed wholesale value (according to customs office) of $300. By the time it lands at my front door, I've paid an additional $92 in fee's.

That's why you get this listed for $34 in the USA (on sale, normally $50)

£53.74 ($66.52 USD) in the UK

And ￥ 8,980 ($79.61 USD) in Japan


You can look at lots of imported products and compare the costs local to you all day.

You can try Hada labo. I think their lotion feels like a toner but it's pretty moisturizing.

It looks like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Hada-Labo-Gokujyn-Hyaluronic-Lotion/dp/B000FQUGXA

It might be better in your case to bring a phrasebook that you can consult when needed. I've always found it handy to keep with me so I can pull it out and ask what I need to know. The other person can also point at phrases so you don't have to worry as much about not understanding the reply. Barron's Japanese At A Glance has been with me on all my trips and has been very helpful. Lots of necessary signs are in english as well, and this book goes over some others you may see.

Here's my 'bed':

Futon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012C3MZ2I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Futon Cover - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KF88DU6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tatami Mattress - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A9SVX0S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I love it, and I can fold it up and make use of all the open space.

These are pretty good

https://www.amazon.com/Tokyo-Walks-Worlds-Most-Exciting/dp/4805309172

We bought these SIM cards for our 7 day trip to Tokyo this past April and they worked perfectly.

I've actually been doing something similar where I travel with only my backpack and if you want to pack light but not have to worry about finding something there you can buy your own bag here that folds flat.

I bought this one for my trips to Japan and it's worked well.

Recommend bringing this and an appropriate adapter when travelling anywhere: https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-3-Outlet-SurgePlus-Protector-BST300/dp/B00ATZJ5YS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504242237&sr=8-2&keywords=belkin+travel+surge+protector

beyond that, a physical adapter for South Korea and a three-prong for Japan. the latter you can find at a home depot for less than a buck, and the former either try Amazon or Monoprice.

Hey! So when I first came to Japan I had actually bough this sim card on amazon https://www.amazon.com/eConnect-Japan-ZEN-SIM-for/dp/B01M6YWEGQ weeks before and activated it at the airport before boarding my plane. Once in Narita I just powered on my phone and had Data right away! You choose your plan when you activate it and you can top off your data. Depending on what time your flight leaves your home country and if you have prime 2 day shipping it could be an option.

Otherwise you might just have to have a sim sent to you hotel rely on airport wifi until you get there or buy one of the brands they sell at the airport.

Here is the mobile version of your link