The Jukebox Clan Does Japan

[jukebox333]

Thankyou Jukebox. I’ve been using your tips as we go. Will seek out those curry buns next Friday.

Best wishes to your family and future wedding plans.

Thanks Puska

Hope we can catch up IRL at an AFF meet up one day.

Enjoy the rest of your stay - hope the weather stays great for you.

 

[love_the_life]

Thank you for a great TR and wonderful photos. I hope Wendy is well on the road to recovery and perhaps you and she can plan another trip in the future. Congratulations to the happy couple as well.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Amazing TR! Between yourself and a few others these are really making me miss Japan more than ever... Might have to sort that out ASAP.

Enjoy the rest of your time in HK. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that some highlights, particularly of food, posted here wouldn't go astray. And finally wishing all the best to your partners recovery!

 

[GarrettM]

What a spectacular trip and report @jukebox333
You definitely did way more exploring and getting off the beaten track than I think I could handle.
The only thing I would say is you could have checked out a baseball game somewhere like Hiroshima or Osaka. It's an experience like no other.

I too would welcome a little snippet of HK, although can't blame you for wanting to take a break from updating us.

 

[Matt_01]

Nice TR it is always good to see others pictures of places we have been as it provides a different perspective. Also I enjoyed some of the other near by places that we have not had the time to get to in the past, but that is just an excuse to get back. IMO and FWIW you didn’t miss that much by not making it to the last top shrine at Togakushi, the cedars are the main attraction.

 

[jukebox333]

Because a couple of you have asked, I'll do a short Hong Kong summary on a new thread here.

We flew into Perth last night, and my head hit the pillow around 1am.

Over the weekend, I'll try and get the Hong Kong thread down, then come back to do my summary here.

 

[jukebox333]

Okay, I’ve had a couple of nights sleep in my own bed, and it’s been a week since we left Japan. I needed that time to step away from the holiday, to be able to make a fair assessment, because the Big Down Side™ that had been hanging over it was certainly clouding my judgement – and I can see with time that will fade.

So, my thoughts and advice, with a caveat: I am *not* a Japan expert – go read @rbjhan or @drron 's TR’s if you want invaluable advice from people who have done this many more times than I have. I’m just a Dad shepherding his family around on a moderate, if not small, budget. It’s okay not to like what I liked, and vice versa. As I always say, YMMV.

Travel Insurance. Do not *ever* travel overseas without it. Check the details of your policy, the T&C’s, especially around repatriation. We’re guessing that Wendy’s medical and repat expenses will have been in the order of $50k. She had a nurse fly out to Nagano, and escort her all the way into our kitchen, an hour south of Perth. And it was warranted. She’s still quite unwell, and will be continuing medical treat for pneumonia here in WA for many more weeks.

Plan for the worst. If you’re on a family holiday, what will happen if one of you gets ill? Wen and I had those discussion – perversely, around the death of one of our mothers, that required us to abandon the trip, not one of us getting seriously ill. Oliver had driving qualifications, and he and Wendy had copies of the detailed itinerary, so between them they could have taken over leading the show.

As part of my planning, I had a multi-tab spreadsheet for each day, divided into morning, afternoon, and night activities. I had preferred transport times and durations.



In reality, these were a just guide, and Google Maps gave us the up-to-the-minute best solution for getting from A to B. But they set things out, so I had one less thing to think about each morning.

Be prepared to think on your feet. When Kyoto station shut down with the bomb scare, it could have poleaxed the rest of our day. When you are travelling, time is money. $120 to keep four of us on track was small change compared to losing bookings on the forward Shinkansen, and being behind, instead of in front of, the wave of crowds for Himeji.

The crowds. I grew to hate them very quickly. But the E-ticket spots are always going to have them. Everyone wants to see the pagoda at Gion, the tori on Miyajima, the Fujimi Inari shrine. All you can do is mitigate to a varying degree by going very early or very late, if your schedule allows. A lot of tourists are lazy, so the more distant or harder to get to attractions are a little less crowded and stay that way a little longer in the morning, and get that way a little sooner in the evening.

Driving. About a month after I’d booked not one but two rental cars, @DrRon’s ill fated TR landed. It’s worth tracking down, to understand what a worst-case scenario looks like. But thankfully, my (and Oliver’s) rentals were trouble free. Drivers were polite, roads not terribly corded, and the in-car GPS made navigating straightforward. You do suffer from information overload in the cities, trying to be in the correct lane, find the correct exit, and having a navigator in the front seat who can help is certainly recommended. Driving will get you off the beaten track, so is well worth considering, if you have the time.

Plan, plan, plan. Spontaneity is great, but Japan in 2025, so many things have tickets sold online, or by lottery months in advance. Double check, plan, and check again a month or so out. We got stung by not double checking with two attractions – thankfully not deal breakers.

Push your boundaries. Yes, it’s not always comfortable to walk into a small restaurant not being able to speak the local language. But do it with respect and humility (and Google translate at the ready), and not once were we turned away, or treated with disdain – the exact opposite; we always felt welcomed, and enjoyed ourselves.

Don’t be scared to interact with the people. You will have picked up that for me, many of the joyous moments and memories I’ve created this last month were “small” interactions, where despite the almost total lack of language, there’s been a smile, a nod, an understanding. These brief connections are worth as much as a photo of a shrine, or another tick-the-box-I’ve now-seen-it stereotype.

Use AFF. This is a great community! People here are happy to share their experiences. Writing a trip report takes time and effort – those of us who do, it’s safe to say, are more than willing to help others who need advice. The hive mind is a great resource.

Hotels. I’m no princess. A bearable bed and pillows is all I need. So my choice of hotels near to stations we were arriving at worked well for me. The JAL City hotel in Nagano ended up being the nicest on our stay, while the Via Inns we used were a really good choice for business hotel style accommodation, and I would use them again.

Get match fit. My job in Perth has me walking about 5,000 steps a day. By the time we got to Kyoto, we were walking 25-30,000 steps a day. We slowed down to 15,000/day in Hong Kong. I came home 4kg lighter than when I left. Buy good quality walking shoes. If you don’t walk much, try and get some activity in your life for a month or two before you leave. Your feet will thank you.

Last week, flying out of Osaka, I was a bit maudlin. A year’s planning, and what was for us a significant chunk of money, and for ¾ of it, I don’t have memories to share with Wendy, which was the reason for going. But now I see we do have that first week in Tokyo, and the boys and Lily and I have the remainder. It’s not what we planned, but it is what it is. We were incredibly lucky to see and do so much. I’ve asked, and none of us can single out one specific moment as a “best of”, which now I can see is a good thing: the “best of” was everything.

Oliver sent us a photo he took at Shoji Lake, the morning he proposed to Lily. It’s a memory that Wendy and I can share, and will always be a perfect reminder of Japan for the two of us.



Thanks for stopping by. Now go enjoy your own travel adventures, everyone!

 

[Black Duck]

Thank you so much for your report and thoughts. Great report. Hope Wendy is soon back to full health.

 

[drron]

Thanks for a really good TR. Don't sell yourself short. You coped with true adversity and because of your research came through with flying colours. Just a shame you couldn't share the memories you had planned.
I echo your thoughts. read all the TRs you can as we are all individuals with different likes and dislikes. You should be able to get some good ideas. As you say it is even more important to get off the beaten track now with the insane crowds. And I like the way you just went for walks. I like doing that and you often find some very little known treasures especially in Japan.

Also as you have said it is even more important these days to have adequate insurance. In Japan always take the top insurance often. Even if your rental gets totalled there will be no excess. You dod't even have to go around the car taking pictures of every dent. You will not be charged for them.

And once again if you really want to go to Japan go as soon as you can. It is slowly changing but as @jukebox333 demonstrates in this TR it is still very likely you will still have unexpected and delightful interactions with the locals.

My best wishes to Wendy. Hopefully things get back to normal sooner rather than later.

 

[Otto3112]

Oliver hasn't quite figured out how he's getting this home:

P.S.

This is how I got my Wiimote home!

 

[kookaburra75]

P.S.
This is how I got my Wiimote home!

Welcome to AFF Ollie I see you have got your Dad's travel resourcefulness genes at least.

 

[Flyfrequently]

P.S.

This is how I got my Wiimote home!

View attachment 441113

And welcome to AFF @Otto3112
Have enjoyed travelling along with the @jukebox333 clan.

What your Dad planned and followed through with has been amazing, albeit having to deal with challenges.

Now, I don't know what a Wiimote is, but welcome home!

 

[VPS]

Okay, I’ve had a couple of nights sleep in my own bed, and it’s been a week since we left Japan. I needed that time to step away from the holiday, to be able to make a fair assessment, because the Big Down Side™ that had been hanging over it was certainly clouding my judgement – and I can see with time that will fade.

So, my thoughts and advice, with a caveat: I am *not* a Japan expert – go read @rbjhan or @drron 's TR’s if you want invaluable advice from people who have done this many more times than I have. I’m just a Dad shepherding his family around on a moderate, if not small, budget. It’s okay not to like what I liked, and vice versa. As I always say, YMMV.

Travel Insurance. Do not *ever* travel overseas without it. Check the details of your policy, the T&C’s, especially around repatriation. We’re guessing that Wendy’s medical and repat expenses will have been in the order of $50k. She had a nurse fly out to Nagano, and escort her all the way into our kitchen, an hour south of Perth. And it was warranted. She’s still quite unwell, and will be continuing medical treat for pneumonia here in WA for many more weeks.

Plan for the worst. If you’re on a family holiday, what will happen if one of you gets ill? Wen and I had those discussion – perversely, around the death of one of our mothers, that required us to abandon the trip, not one of us getting seriously ill. Oliver had driving qualifications, and he and Wendy had copies of the detailed itinerary, so between them they could have taken over leading the show.

As part of my planning, I had a multi-tab spreadsheet for each day, divided into morning, afternoon, and night activities. I had preferred transport times and durations.

View attachment 441044

In reality, these were a just guide, and Google Maps gave us the up-to-the-minute best solution for getting from A to B. But they set things out, so I had one less thing to think about each morning.

Be prepared to think on your feet. When Kyoto station shut down with the bomb scare, it could have poleaxed the rest of our day. When you are travelling, time is money. $120 to keep four of us on track was small change compared to losing bookings on the forward Shinkansen, and being behind, instead of in front of, the wave of crowds for Himeji.

The crowds. I grew to hate them very quickly. But the E-ticket spots are always going to have them. Everyone wants to see the pagoda at Gion, the tori on Miyajima, the Fujimi Inari shrine. All you can do is mitigate to a varying degree by going very early or very late, if your schedule allows. A lot of tourists are lazy, so the more distant or harder to get to attractions are a little less crowded and stay that way a little longer in the morning, and get that way a little sooner in the evening.

Driving. About a month after I’d booked not one but two rental cars, @DrRon’s ill fated TR landed. It’s worth tracking down, to understand what a worst-case scenario looks like. But thankfully, my (and Oliver’s) rentals were trouble free. Drivers were polite, roads not terribly corded, and the in-car GPS made navigating straightforward. You do suffer from information overload in the cities, trying to be in the correct lane, find the correct exit, and having a navigator in the front seat who can help is certainly recommended. Driving will get you off the beaten track, so is well worth considering, if you have the time.

Plan, plan, plan. Spontaneity is great, but Japan in 2025, so many things have tickets sold online, or by lottery months in advance. Double check, plan, and check again a month or so out. We got stung by not double checking with two attractions – thankfully not deal breakers.

Push your boundaries. Yes, it’s not always comfortable to walk into a small restaurant not being able to speak the local language. But do it with respect and humility (and Google translate at the ready), and not once were we turned away, or treated with disdain – the exact opposite; we always felt welcomed, and enjoyed ourselves.

Don’t be scared to interact with the people. You will have picked up that for me, many of the joyous moments and memories I’ve created this last month were “small” interactions, where despite the almost total lack of language, there’s been a smile, a nod, an understanding. These brief connections are worth as much as a photo of a shrine, or another tick-the-box-I’ve now-seen-it stereotype.

Use AFF. This is a great community! People here are happy to share their experiences. Writing a trip report takes time and effort – those of us who do, it’s safe to say, are more than willing to help others who need advice. The hive mind is a great resource.

Hotels. I’m no princess. A bearable bed and pillows is all I need. So my choice of hotels near to stations we were arriving at worked well for me. The JAL City hotel in Nagano ended up being the nicest on our stay, while the Via Inns we used were a really good choice for business hotel style accommodation, and I would use them again.

Get match fit. My job in Perth has me walking about 5,000 steps a day. By the time we got to Kyoto, we were walking 25-30,000 steps a day. We slowed down to 15,000/day in Hong Kong. I came home 4kg lighter than when I left. Buy good quality walking shoes. If you don’t walk much, try and get some activity in your life for a month or two before you leave. Your feet will thank you.

Last week, flying out of Osaka, I was a bit maudlin. A year’s planning, and what was for us a significant chunk of money, and for ¾ of it, I don’t have memories to share with Wendy, which was the reason for going. But now I see we do have that first week in Tokyo, and the boys and Lily and I have the remainder. It’s not what we planned, but it is what it is. We were incredibly lucky to see and do so much. I’ve asked, and none of us can single out one specific moment as a “best of”, which now I can see is a good thing: the “best of” was everything.

Oliver sent us a photo he took at Shoji Lake, the morning he proposed to Lily. It’s a memory that Wendy and I can share, and will always be a perfect reminder of Japan for the two of us.

View attachment 441045

Thanks for stopping by. Now go enjoy your own travel adventures, everyone!

Great sentiments and also wise words to travellers - getting sick while travelling is the pits. I got really unwell a couple of years ago and had to cancel a lot of things but the other great memories have made it fade. I'm sitting here feeling miserable because I've got a lurgy but it will be over in a couple of days (I hope)

And welcome to AFF @Otto3112

 

[rbjhan]

This is a wonderful trip and I can see the planning went into it! As a super planner myself
Looking back at my earlier trips there are many things I won't do now so I think you've done really well.
And the memories will be with us forever.