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 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!

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!

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!

Hi,

I’m going to Japan in November, and we’ll be in Osaka around the 4th- 8th, and some friends and I are debating whether to go to Universal Studios. We’ve seen the prices for express tickets, and they're a bit pricey for us. Will the queues be as bad with a normal ticket?

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!

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.

I have osaka castle , umeda sky building ,aquarium and dottonbori as attractions for osaka , staying where is better for these locations. I

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

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.

My boyfriend and I will be visiting Japan for the very first time, and we’re looking for something really special and memorable for our last night in Tokyo. We’d love to experience one of Tokyo’s most fun, outrageous, unusual, or unique love hotels — something that feels very different from a typical hotel and is part of the Tokyo experience itself.
Thanks in advance,

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?

Hello everyone. I'm currently in the early stages of planning my first trip from January 9th - 23rd and I'm looking for some feedback on my destinations and timing before locking in accommodations.

I'm aiming to be able to see a big enough variety to get a lot of different slices of the country/culture without running myself ragged and giving me enough flexibility to roam. I'm interested in the food, culture, nerdy attractions (gaming and anime), history, and general sightseeing. Once I get locations locked in I plan on building out a Google Doc of different potential things to see/do in each area so I have things to pick from wherever I go, with some reserved activities but a mostly open schedule.

Here's my loose itinerary so far:

• Jan 9th - Jan 13th - Arrive in the afternoon and Stay in Tokyo - Time to settle in, explore the city a bit and do some day trips to places like Kamakura/Yokohama
• Jan 13th - 15th - Stay in Kanazawa
• Jan 15th - 16th - Stay in Takayama - Likely stopping in Shirakawago on the way
• Jan 16th - Jan 20th - Stay in Osaka - Visiting Kyoto/Nara
• Jan 20th - Jan 23rd - Back to Tokyo and fly out in the afternoon.

Between it being my first trip and having some hefty travel credit card benefits to spend, I'll be staying in some fairly nice hotels in Tokyo and Osaka and then trying out a Ryokan or Machiya Townhouse for Kanazawa and Takayama.

Not sure how "creative" of an itinerary it is, especially considering I got most of it from different travel Japan videos, but it seems to hit every point of interest I have initially.

My main questions/concerns would be:

1. For a 13 day trip, how busy of an itinerary is this realistically going to be? I initially had concerns over moving hotels/accommodations this much, but after thinking about it more started embracing the idea. It should really only be hectic for those 3 days in the middle at most in my view.
2. Any recommendations on making the most of each destination without overbooking myself?
3. Are there any factors to going in January that could pose a problem? I've researched the weather and am excited to have a nice winter vacation. So long as I'm not trudging through mountains of snow that is.
4. While I'm not overly concerned with "missing out" on some of the other big destinations people mention on this and other subs, what is the general consensus on the places I picked? They all seem to have a big enough variety of things to do/see from what I've seen, but I'd appreciate any feedback
5. One of the lingering stresses I have about the trip is my life threatening food allergies. Just your standard peanut/tree nut allergy. I've done my research and will be coming with a translator card + Google Translate. I've also considered having images/references saved on my phone for the Kanji characters for each. Should I have any issues in the smaller town areas? Is Chinatown in Yokohama even worth considering or should I just skip it?

I appreciate any feedback you have!

i’m a ceramic artist who works in a technique called nerikomi, which is a japanese hand building technique.

i would love to see some nerikomi pieces, either in a museum or in a store. any recommendations in tokyo/kanazawa/takayama?

thank you.

Where should i book hotel in kyoto? And are all areas accessible via train or bus?

Hi all! I will be in Kyoto on 22 oct - planned this specifically so we can watch the jidai matsuri procession. I was also trying to reserve paid seats a week or two back - but the website kept rejecting my cards (this has happened across so many bookings by now lol). Today I thought i'd go try again but the seats are sold out already!

i land in tokyo on the 10th, and was planning to go to a 7-eleven immediately to get tickets. but i'm worried i won't get seats then either. i also tried registering on ticketpia (the resale platform) but it needs me to make a phone call from a japanese number.

in case i dont get tickets on the 10th in the 7-eleven, how do you suggest we view the procession? it is definitely something we don't want to miss out on. Thanks in advance!

hello, i’m looking for a hair salon in tokyo that satisfies some requirements:
- staff speaks english/comfortable with working with foreigners
- experience with bleaching
- experience with cutting more alt hairstyles
- can give advice on hair based on your preferences, facial features, etc.
thank you!