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.

 

[rbjhan]

Use SmartEx to buy Shinkansen tickets, there are often discounts. Plus you can link the ticket to your mobile.
Also, be prepared for the crowds in Kyoto!

 

[Drakecula]

Thanks for the tip on Visit Japan Web - I realised it's much easier to use on a mobile device (I used my phone) rather than the website. Especially once I realised it wanted to take a photo of my passport - can't do that with my PC! Haha. QR code for each of us is ready to go.

Am about to look at SmartEx now, thanks for the tip

 

[kpc]

Use SmartEx to buy Shinkansen tickets, there are often discounts. Plus you can link the ticket to your mobile.
Also, be prepared for the crowds in Kyoto!

SmartEx didn't have all the routes we wanted to travel...we just came back from Morioka, Akita, Hirosaki, Aomori and Lake Towada. We booked our Shinkansen tickets on the JR East website and linked the e tickets to our Suica cards...it was great as we didn't have to collect any paper tickets and just tapped our Suica cards at the Shinkansen gates to board.

 

[rbjhan]

SmartEx didn't have all the routes we wanted to travel...we just came back from Morioka, Akita, Hirosaki, Aomori and Lake Towada. We booked our Shinkansen tickets on the JR East website and linked the e tickets to our Suica cards...it was great as we didn't have to collect any paper tickets and just tapped our Suica cards at the Shinkansen gates to board.

JR East is not part of SmartEx. This website is a collaboration of JR West, JR Kyushu and JR Tokai.
I didn't mention this to not confuse OP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But yes @Drakecula Tokyo - Nagano would not be part of it. Everything else should be available.

 

[elanshin]

SmartEx didn't have all the routes we wanted to travel...we just came back from Morioka, Akita, Hirosaki, Aomori and Lake Towada. We booked our Shinkansen tickets on the JR East website and linked the e tickets to our Suica cards...it was great as we didn't have to collect any paper tickets and just tapped our Suica cards at the Shinkansen gates to board.

As confusing as it may seem, the JRs are all separate companies and 4 are separately listed entities on thr exchange. So there's always some things that don't quite translate across the group and also why things can sometimes feel a bit disjointed.

 

[frodo]

It's all rather silly but that can be said about a lot of the rules in Japan - just makes no sense.

I made a JR west booking for the sunrise express and the only place I could pick up the ticket was from Tokyo station - why? Who knows...

In terms of credit card acceptance, it's pretty good now but some restaurants, buses (in particular, regional areas) and various places of interest are still cash only. Also card takes longer as most places don't do contactless and still require you to enter your card into the terminal and then a signature is also required.

 

[rbjhan]

It's all rather silly but that can be said about a lot of the rules in Japan - just makes no sense.

I made a JR west booking for the sunrise express and the only place I could pick up the ticket was from Tokyo station - why? Who knows...

In terms of credit card acceptance, it's pretty good now but some restaurants, buses (in particular, regional areas) and various places of interest are still cash only. Also card takes longer as most places don't do contactless and still require you to enter your card into the terminal and then a signature is also required.

If you want to pick it up in Tokyo, then yes I think Tokyo Station is the only place with JR West machines.
Note that if you are in the Kansai area you can pick up the tickets almost anywhere.

Tokyo is simply the domain of JR East.
As explained by @elanshin above, that's two completely different companies. You wouldn't try to pick up a Vline ticket in Sydney, would you?

 

[Drakecula]

But yes @Drakecula Tokyo - Nagano would not be part of it. Everything else should be available.

I realised that quite quickly. But I'll find the relevant area that does look after that one to get Tokyo - Nagano - Kanazawa - Osaka. I suspect that last leg will be Kanazawa - Kyoto then a train change.

 

[rbjhan]

I realised that quite quickly. But I'll find the relevant area that does look after that one to get Tokyo - Nagano - Kanazawa - Osaka. I suspect that last leg will be Kanazawa - Kyoto then a train change.

Going a bit technical here, the Hokuriku Shinkansen is run by JR East and JR West together, the actual cut off point I believe is Joetsu Myoko.
Shinkasen right now runs to Tsuruga, then you change to a limited express to Kyoto/Osaka (Not in Kanazawa)
Eventually they want to go all the way ofc, but who knows when!

More info here

Hokuriku Shinkansen - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Drakecula]

Okay, so I've booked our first two train legs, I wanted to be sure we could get into and out of Nagano given we're there for the big Nagano fireworks festival. I read somewhere they can get up to 400,000 people attending, and I didn't want to risk not having a spot on a train.

I'm confident the rest of our train legs can be obtained the day we arrive into the location. That's what we did last time we travelled, but I'm happy to be told otherwise.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Along with others on AFF @Seat0B and @drron are seasoned Japan travellers and have posted informative trip reports.

Enjoy @Drakecula and look forward to your TR

 

[Seat0B]

Sorry, a bit late to the party. But here are some comments.

Kanazawa is an excellent place to visit with a lot to see and do. We visited the ninja museum in 2023 and it was awesome with lots of authenticated historical exhibits. The shuriken throwing is also a lot of fun. Definitely a visit to Ken Roku en (beautiful Japanese Garden). The higashi chaya area is just near the ninja museum and less crowders than the main one. There are some lovely temples near the main tea house area. There is a big market selling seafood (mainly) ant recall the name.

Depending what you want to see, Kyoto and Osaka time allocation might be a bit long in your itinerary. They are less than 30 mins apart by Shinkansen and well under an hour by local (much cheaper) trains.
By now I’m sure you have everything all planned out, but if you have any specific questions I’d be pleased to try to answer first you.

 

[rbjhan]

The higashi chaya area is just near the ninja museum and less crowders than the main one.

I think you mean the Nishi Chayagai?

 

[Seat0B]

I think you mean the Nishi Chayagai?

you are completely correct! I do mean Nishi Chayagai! Sorry for confusion.

In my defence, I usually get my directions wrong in any language I am using. I don;t know why I have so much trouble telling north from south or east from west

 

[rbjhan]

you are completely correct! I do mean Nishi Chayagai! Sorry for confusion.

In my defence, I usually get my directions wrong in any language I am using. I don;t know why I have so much trouble telling north from south or east from west

I generally do not have this problem.
However in Japanese I'm forever confused by left and right

 

[Drakecula]

In my defence, I usually get my directions wrong in any language I am using. I don;t know why I have so much trouble telling north from south or east from west

I also struggle with left and right, as well as east and west. You're not alone

 

[1022]

I second Seat0B's endorsement of Kanazawa. Despite having lived in Japan earlier this century, I visited Kanazawa for the first time earlier this year. The cherry blossoms were out which added to the appeal of the city. The seafood and produce market is terrific (Omicho). The castle grounds have some lovely secluded areas to amble in. The castle itself was fairly impressive, but there are older and more ornate ones in other cities. I had a couple of decent coffees at a place called Sway Coffee which is amongst the touristy shops on the northern approach to Kenroku-en. The interior design is stunning. I really enjoyed getting lost wandering around the Nagamichi district. And if you want a break from Japanese food, Vecchio Albero has some of the best Napoli style pizza you'll find anywhere outside of Naples. Though skip the rough house wine and have a Peroni instead.

For this trip I set up a digital Suica account and corresponding card in my Apple wallet. It meant that Shinkansen tickets could all be booked from home and loaded on my phone. So much easier than having to faff about at stations to pick up paper tickets. I also preloaded cash on to my suica and used that almost exclusively instead of credit cards or cash. Just about everywhere in Japan has an IC Card terminal to pay for stuff, even if they don't accept debit or credit cards.