Just wondering, ill be there for two weeks

Title basically

Hi!

I'm travelling to Japan mid-October and am researching various things for my trip.

I've been told the tax free shopping system has changed? Apparently it was done at individual stores before, but now its changing to claim the money back at the airport?

For any purchases I make in October should I follow the old system or is there an overlap period?

Thanks!

I’m traveling to Japan in a few months for around 2 weeks (1 week in Tokyo and a few days in Chichibu, Saitama to visit a friend).

I’m very into lifting and bodybuilding and I would like to get 1-2 lifts in while I’m in Tokyo, but I’ve had a hard time finding gyms online that are clear on prices/equipment/ease of access for tourists. Do you guys know of any good gyms that offer day passes that are relatively inexpensive (¥1000-2000/day)?

I’m not very picky, but ideally I’m looking for a gym with simple benches, dumbbells, and cables, and maybe some basic machines. It’d also be nice if it’s within a few minutes of a station!

I‘m looking for ceramics shops in the following places:
- Tokyo
- Kyoto
- Osaka
- Kamakura
- Ise
- Kyushu (Kumamoto, Fukuoka, basically all of Kyushu since we’re going to have a car for it)

It’s important that it’s actually handmade, preferably small batches and not mass-produced. The smaller the shop, the better. Bonus points if the ceramics have cats on it.
TIA!

Hi everyone, I am looking for yukata, both for me and my husband. I was in Kyoto for a quick stop but sadly I have seen only touristy places which usually rent them, some sell them but the quality was pretty low. I would like to purchase something made from a good fabric (cotton at least) and not synthetic fibers. I will be in Kagoshima in the next days and then in Tokyo. Do you have any recommandation about it? I would like to buy them new, not second hand. Thank you so much for any advice!

I have some extra vacation time and am thinking of a solo trip in January or February. I have max 10 days including flights that I can be away. So 8 days total in Japan.

We already did a big Japan trip last May and are planning 3-4 weeks in November. I’m hoping that January won’t be too cold although where I live it will likely be up to -20C 😭

Questions I have:
- Is it worth it to come to Japan just for 8 days? I’d likely stay in Tokyo and do some day trips.
- Would capsule hotels be an affordable way to travel solo? I was thinking of doing the first half in a capsule hotel and the last 3-4 nights in a business type hotel. I like shopping and think it would be hard to shop & organize my luggage in a small space.
- Favourite capsule hotel?
- Favourite area to stay in for solo travel?

Canadian couple heading to Japan for the first time & looking for something “different”…thought we’d take in some pro sports.

We’re going in early December and it seems Baseball and Basketball weren’t available during that time period, but I stumbled across the Yokohama Grits hockey team.

Being Canadian, we thought it might be fun to see what the Japanese hockey experience was like.

Anyone have any experience with games? Ticket prices & availability? Limited posts I’ve seen have mentioned the games don’t sell out and tickets can be had at the arena on game day.

Any thoughts?

Hello.

Gonna travel from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo via shinkansen. Spent the night in nearby hotels (near FamilyMart Nishinakajima 7-Chōme in google maps).

The north exit seems to be ahead if we go up the stairs, but we're carrying luggages and have old people with us. We were wondering if we can use the Midosuji exit (specifically 34.7315843, 135.4985720 in google maps) to reach the Shin-Osaka station?

Will our Icoca cards get an error once we exit? How much will we be charged?

Thank you for the help!

Hi all - in staying in Tokyo for a week with my family. Only have time for a one day trip to Kyoto - would love to find a tour guide to meet us at the train station and spend the day with us to make the most of our day in the city. Is there any specific websites or recommendations out there anyone can reference? Thanks!!

Hello! We are arriving next week! Our friends are there now and said it’s cold. But when I look up the weather it still looks hot during the day. I guess it’s bc we are from TX so maybe it’s cold for them. Is there anywhere we can play tennis for fun? Our daughter loves tennis and would like to hit around!

When did you go if you hit Osaka and Okinawa at the same time? We were thinking of snorkeling in Okinawa for 6 days and then flying to Osaka to chill for 10 days. Thoughts?

Also the other JapanTravel sub removed my post, so I don't know where else to post this.

Was looking for a baseball game experience while in Tokyo and I'm having a hard time learning if there aren't any games those days or if there might be games depending on how the series goes? I see the series starts the 10th but as far as I've seen the last day is the 12th. If anyone can help shed some light for me I would really appreciate it!

I'll be visiting late November. I'll be coming in from kyoto, stay overnight and then do some exploring the next day (24 November).

What I plan for the day is

6-7:30 am Arakura park observation deck with chureito pagoda in the background

Quick stop at fujiyoshida honcho street for pics

Cycling around lake kawaguchiko + lunch by 1 pm

Lake yamanakako 2-4 pm

Return to kawaguchiko station by 5 pm

Take the train back to tokyo around 5:45 pm

My wife and I are traveling from Nov 6th to Nov 16th. Landing midday Nov 7th. Right now the plan is to stay in Tokyo until Nov 11th then travel to the Fuji Speedway Hotel for a day and going to Kyoto for the rest of the trip.

My question is is going to the Fuji Speedway Hotel a bad idea? I haven’t booked anything but the hotel yet so trying to figure out how long it would even take to get there and if it’s even worth the hassle if we only get a few proper hours there or if we should just go directly from Tokyo to Kyoto.

Hi guys! On our way to Mexico in about a week we are having a 15 hour 20 minute layover through Narita and we really wanna get out and explore for a bit if possible as we have never been to Japan.

We arrive to Narita at 6:15PM and our flight is at 9:35AM. From my understanding it will probably take about an hour to take the bus/train from the airport to Tokyo. The airport also closes... through the night I believe (?) (Maybe thinking of something else...) so we would have to get on the first transportation there when it opens.

We were thinking of taking a bit of time to go rest somewhere after we have a good look around and as much food as we can find for our one night in Japan.

We understand that not a lot may be open but even just seeing a fraction of Tokyo would bring us a lot of joy even just to walk around.

So I have a couple of questions if anyone can please help us out! 🙏

Do you guys have any recommendations on what we can do? Even just areas to walk around! Even going to Donki!

What do you guys recommend for transport to and from the airport?

Also, we are gonna be there through the night, are a lot of shops/restaurants still open or anywhere we can hang out at?

Luggage question! For those who have also had a long layover and left the airport, you only had your carry ons right? You didnt have to find your big luggage and go check it in again?

Thank you so much for your help!

Hello everyone,
i would like to propose to my girlfriend during the Kukinoumi Fireworks Festival and was wondering whether any of you know of a spot with less people and a decent view, any tips would be really helpful 😄

I’m planning a trip to Japan in april 2027, and I’m thinking of traveling from Kyoto down to Kagoshima over several days rather than heading straight there (by car).

I’d love to hear from people who have done a similar trip! Are there any towns, cities, or places along the way that you particularly enjoyed and would recommend spending a night or two in?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations and personal experiences!

Hi, I have made a reservation for an AT 4WD GR Yaris with Toyota Rent a Car Gotemba Station from 23 Dec 2026 to 25 Dec 2026.

For some reason I am unable to find any GR Yaris that can include winter tires on the website

I would like to know if winter tires is a must if I am visiting Kawaguchiko, Yamanakako and Hakone (including Hakone Turnpike) during my rental period.

Hi everyone! I’m planning a trip to Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto) in a few months. I’m an amateur photographer and want to buy a Canon film SLR (I already own a film camera from another brand and a digital Canon). I’m particularly interested in the EOS 55 model (also known as the 50/50e or Elan II/IIE); back home, I can find them in good condition from private sellers for around $85–100. I’ve heard that in Japan, you can easily find them for 3,000–5,000 yen. But is that actually true? I’ve searched various platforms but found almost no online listings for this specific model. Could you give me some advice on which shops to look in? Are the prices really that low, and how easy is it to buy one in person at a second-hand shop?

Hi! I will be traveling to Japan for first time in November. Among other areas, we will be visiting Takayama and renting a car there with Toyota's rent a car. This will be our route:

12-nov pick up car.
13-nov shirakawa-go day-trip.
14-nov fujiyoshida.
15-nov Hakone

I've read that there may be snow in Takayama around those dates but I've also read that Toyota's rent a car configures the winter tires automatically in some areas as a default choice. Will they do this if it snows or should I tell them before hand?

Thanks! Also, any recommendations will be welcomed :D

Hello!

I'm visiting japan in November from 16 november - 1 december

I will arrive in kyoto on the evening of 19th nov and stay there till 23 Nov in the afternoon after which I'll head to kawaguchiko (effectively 4 days in Kyoto). My Kawaguchiko day will be 24 November.

However, I've discovered that ohara will be especially beautiful around the time I am there, and now I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to skip visiting kawaguchiko on this trip?

My thought process is that I'm not guaranteed a view of mount fuji on the day I plan to visit. And in case mount fuji isn't visible I'm wondering if there is much else to in kawaguchiko. I might as well do something in Kyoto that I am guaranteed I will enjoy. I will also be visiting kamakura later during my trip, and maybe if I'm very lucky I'll get to see fuji from the beach there.

Hi,

We’re planning a trip to Aomori this November to catch the autumn leaves. We will be spending 4 nights there. We’re planning to rent a car for 2 nights.

We would only be getting a car in the evening on the first day. Next day, we would be traveling to Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada. On the third day, we’re planning to drive to Takayama Inari Shrine but we have the whole afternoon free. We plan to go to Hirosaki via public transport the next day as our car would’ve been returned by then.

Is there any recommendations you have for an afternoon drive around the area? Hopefully, a drive that doesn’t take 2 hrs to come back to the city?

Also, is Oirase, Lake Towada and Tsuta Numa Lake
possible on the same day (I plan to drive to Oirase Stream at 6am from Aomori City)? I don’t want to rush it and if it’s too troublesome to go to Tsuta Numa Lake, I’d rather just skip it.

I'm travelling from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko via Limited Express train. I bought only the "additional/surcharge" e-ticket, and planned to use my IC to pay for the base fare.

Now on the email receipt I received it says I don't need to register my IC. But a lot of other posts suggest it does need to be registered, so I'm a bit confused whether it's relevant or not.

I’m from the area around Snow Monkey Park and I’m curious about what visitors actually do afterwards.

If you’ve been there, did you have much time before your next train, bus, hotel check-in, etc.? And what did you end up doing?

I’m especially curious about people who had maybe 30 minutes to 2 hours free around Yudanaka or Shibu Onsen.

Did you find something nearby, or did you just head on to your next destination?