Visit to Japan in 2025

S

Sxotty

Legend
Hey, I am trying to plan a visit to Japan in June of next year for the wife and me. Probably about 8 days. I think someone here lived there at one point, but I forget who. Obviously, we would fly into Tokyo (at least I think given the flights I have seen). What should we do there? We are sort of boring and like to see normal tourist sites. I like to do "adventurey" outdoor stuff and know they have that, but she is less enamored with it. So, climbing Mt. Fuji is probably not in the cards, but other outdoor pretty stuff could definitely be. Of course, I do lots of that in the states, so I don't want to fly around the world and just hike in the woods that look the same as the pacific northwest (not saying they do of course I have no idea).

I'm just trying to come up with some ideas. She has always wanted to go there. I am mostly just happy to go along. Probably thinking more history and less anime when considering our interest. I appreciate anyone's suggestions.
 
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If you’re fascinated with strange things, visiting the poop-themed is a must! 💩 Upon entering this Japan attraction, the staff will even ask you to pretend to poop while yelling out “Unko!” for the full experience. Colorful dung-shaped displays are everywhere for you to either be amazed at or interact with. It’s certainly an interesting way to learn about this subject. 🤪
Unko Museum Address: DiverCity Tokyo Plaza 2F, 1-1-10 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo
 
I think I would rather go to Matsumoto Castle than the penis museum myself. Also mt. Fuji is just a hike it turns out so maybe we would do that. I thought it would be more like mt. Rainier. I've climbed rainier which is 2k feet higher and requires ropes, ice axe and crampons etc. Okutama sounds nice. Maybe we shouldn't do June as it is the rainy season between june to the end of july. We could do the end of March or early August instead, but March might be too cold for the wife and August seems hot to me. I'd rather be rained on 😃
 
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Unfortunately, we can't go in April. We can only do june15-aug9 or the last two weeks of March. That is life I suppose.
 
Yes it is a tempting time for certain. I just don't know the climate well enough to know. Is it springtime or is it still bare branches rattling in the cold wind on every hike?
 
Weather wise June should still be OK. End of June/beginning of July is the start of the rainy season which is wet, hot and very humid. August and September are scorching hot and humid. Basically don't come to Japan from beginning of July to the end of September.

You could try to hit Sakura season like somebody above said but its hard to time. Usually sakura only bloom for a week, two if you are very lucky with the weather. But there's also a decent chance of wet weather.

Personally I would always recommend to come around October/early November so you can enjoy the "momiji" and see large parts of the country turn red and yellow. During this time the weather is almost perfect as well. Usually there's lots of sunshine and temperatures are mild. You can basically walk around outside all day with a sweater or maybe a light jacket. For me its the most beautiful and comfortable time of year. An added benefit is less tourist (used to be anyway). Honestly some parts of the country you wouldn't know you were in Japan...

If you are more into historical things I'd also dump Tokyo (unless big bland cities are your thing I'd not bother going there anyway) and go to Osaka instead. The problem with Tokyo is that its too big. Spend an hour riding trains and you are still in Tokyo. Go to Osaka and you can travel to Kobe, Kyoto, Nara and if you add another 30 minutes or so, Himeji. Those are all fairly different cities.

Ideally you'd want to rent a car and go to all the places foreign tourists don't go but with only 8 days that is tight. But it is the best if you are really into nature. Keep this in mind btw, public transport is great in/between the bigger cities but once you go outside of those areas a car quickly because necessary if you value your time.
 
Thanks so much. I would love to go in the fall as that is my favourite time of year. However both of our jobs preclude that. We can only go at the end of March or in the summer.

Tokyo had cheaper flights we certainly were not wedded to staying there. A car rental is certainly possible. We could stay longer than 8 days but I imagined costs would spiral up rapidly. Accommodation alone would probably be quite expensive. I'll look into stuff around Osaka and whether flying directly there is cheaper than Tokyo + transport

I just looked up hotels and they are not as crazy expensive as I thought they might be in Osaka. ( I always thought Japan was super expensive) They were actually reasonable though of course I have no idea about where they are in the city etc... They seem about the same price as a rent a car.

I assume that renting a mini van and sleeping in it would go against their sensibilities there 😃.
 
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how about climbing fushimi inari taisha?

its stairs all the way up, with torii... lots of torii...
there's also the bamboo hallway thing, i cant remember the name.

btw do you have japanese language skill? every little bit, helps a ton, especially when got into talking with elderly.

anyway, if your region still have google translate offline live translation augmented reality feature still available, better to pre-download the JP pack. Just in case you need to quickly translate something you see.
 
I just came back from a family trip in Japan, from Osaka-Tottori-Kobe. Osaka was very crowded. I expect it to be even more crowded because they'll be holding a World Expo in 2025. But if you are into that it's may worth a visit, though hotels could be very expensive at that time.
Tottori is a rural area so it's actually very nice. Kobe is kind of in between and it's my favorite of these three because it's not too crowded but there are also many nice locations, and nice beef. ;)
 
I think Kyoto had a ton of stuff as well. We started listing some things that sounded interesting in and around Kyoto and came up with this list. We will narrow down later.
Ohara
Hikone Castle
Lake Biwa
Sword dancing show?
Tenryuji Temple - Zen garden Kyoto
Entsuji Temple - Borrowed landscape garden Kyoto
Katsura Imperial Villa - Kyoto
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Craft your own Kyo-Yuzen keepsake
Nishiki Market
Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (near Nishiki Market)


Tottori we haven't looked at yet. The cat island thing is a bit crazy IMO, but kinda cool that they saved the silk worm industry.
 
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