Autumn colours in Japan + coughtails by the pool in Fiji

[Drakecula]

In just 18 sleeps, MrD and I embark on a holiday that gives us a couple of nights in Sydney, two weeks in Japan and three nights in Fiji. I feel like I haven't been as excited about this one, mostly because we've been to all three locations before, but also because work has been so busy I haven't really had time to let it sink in yet. Maybe on the bus to Sydney I'll finally get excited.

We've previously been to Japan, in search of cherry blossoms which left us keen to see Japan dressed in the reds and golds of Autumn. Looking at the forecast we should be smack bang in the middle of peak leaves for the various areas we're visiting, so we might be lucky in one place and too early somewhere else. On our cherry blossom trip we were too early for Kyoto, but were in the thick of it for Tokyo.

Our rough itinerary is:
3 nights Tokyo
2 nights Nagano - a new city for us and we can see snow monkeys and attend a big fireworks festival
1 night Kanazawa - this is new to us and I hear there's neighbourhoods here that are quite traditional. There's also a ninja museum!
2 nights Osaka - gotta go to Universal Studios. We didn't do this last visit and we're keen to see Nintendo World (and the Wizarding World of course).
3 nights Kyoto - sadly I did not get tickets in the ballot to go to the new Nintendo Museum that opened recently
4 nights Tokyo
3 nights Fiji - to relax and unwind, and take advantage of direct flights from Fiji to Canberra. No faffing about at Sydney!

We'll be travelling by train, no hire cars for us, and by all reports the JR Pass is probably not worth it since the price increase. I've used a calculator to compare what travel we would be doing and how much individual tickets would be compared to the JR Pass, and it seems the JR Pass would be more expensive. So we'll pay as we go with local trains and the shinkansens.

I'm open to suggestions of cool things to see/do or restaurants/cafes to eat at. Other than Tonki's for tonkatsu and Ninja restaurant which we loved last time, we haven't got anything planned food wise. In terms of sightseeing, since we've been before, we're going a bit more casually and just exploring new (to us) areas as well as revisiting a few favourites.

Also keen on hearing tips/tricks from recent Japan travellers. Last time we went I think it was 2016, so I bet lots has changed and not just because of Covid. As far as I can tell we don't need a visa to visit Japan, but is there anything else we can do before we arrive to make customs that bit easier?

 

[kpc]

Fiil this in for each passenger and keep the QR code handy...
It will be scannned at least 3x!

Visit Japan Web | Digital Agency Services

This is a service that allows you to perform arrival procedures(immigration, customs) and "Tax-free shopping service" online.

services.digital.go.jp

 

[elanshin]

In just 18 sleeps, MrD and I embark on a holiday that gives us a couple of nights in Sydney, two weeks in Japan and three nights in Fiji. I feel like I haven't been as excited about this one, mostly because we've been to all three locations before, but also because work has been so busy I haven't really had time to let it sink in yet. Maybe on the bus to Sydney I'll finally get excited.

We've previously been to Japan, in search of cherry blossoms which left us keen to see Japan dressed in the reds and golds of Autumn. Looking at the forecast we should be smack bang in the middle of peak leaves for the various areas we're visiting, so we might be lucky in one place and too early somewhere else. On our cherry blossom trip we were too early for Kyoto, but were in the thick of it for Tokyo.

Our rough itinerary is:
3 nights Tokyo
2 nights Nagano - a new city for us and we can see snow monkeys and attend a big fireworks festival
1 night Kanazawa - this is new to us and I hear there's neighbourhoods here that are quite traditional. There's also a ninja museum!
2 nights Osaka - gotta go to Universal Studios. We didn't do this last visit and we're keen to see Nintendo World (and the Wizarding World of course).
3 nights Kyoto - sadly I did not get tickets in the ballot to go to the new Nintendo Museum that opened recently
4 nights Tokyo
3 nights Fiji - to relax and unwind, and take advantage of direct flights from Fiji to Canberra. No faffing about at Sydney!

We'll be travelling by train, no hire cars for us, and by all reports the JR Pass is probably not worth it since the price increase. I've used a calculator to compare what travel we would be doing and how much individual tickets would be compared to the JR Pass, and it seems the JR Pass would be more expensive. So we'll pay as we go with local trains and the shinkansens.

I'm open to suggestions of cool things to see/do or restaurants/cafes to eat at. Other than Tonki's for tonkatsu and Ninja restaurant which we loved last time, we haven't got anything planned food wise. In terms of sightseeing, since we've been before, we're going a bit more casually and just exploring new (to us) areas as well as revisiting a few favourites.

Also keen on hearing tips/tricks from recent Japan travellers. Last time we went I think it was 2016, so I bet lots has changed and not just because of Covid. As far as I can tell we don't need a visa to visit Japan, but is there anything else we can do before we arrive to make customs that bit easier?

For arriving in JP, there's an online website you can fill out. This basically replaces the paper arrival card with a QR code. You can still use the paper arrival card if you forgot. https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/main/#/vjwplo001

If you have your old SUICA or passmo (or other transport card) good idea to bring those, otherwise if you use Apple devices, you can get mobile suica.

If you're taking the Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo - Osaka) remember to reserve the luggage seats on them (last row of each car). This is a new post pandemic rule.

Most major cities won't need as much cash as you would have before. Credit cards acceptance is much more prevalent now.

Food wise - honestly there's endless choices and good places and plenty of YouTubers now living and exploring cool food places and cafes. Unless there's very specific cuisines you want to try out.

Too late to book the pokemon or Kirby cafe but you can get some takeaway kirby cakes from Tokyo station if you'd fancy that.