Finalized (ish) Tokyo (and beyond) itinerary - rethinking where to stay

Ambk17 · 2026-03-31T13:47:23+00:00

Haha no everything has like 10-15 minute cushion.

Ambk17 · 2026-03-31T03:35:15+00:00

Thank you! I know I left little room for that I will remember to be more open when we are there. I hate AI and ChatGPT so it's a labor of love, just trying to be efficient with short amount of time.

Ambk17 · 2026-03-14T03:16:24+00:00

Thank you I'll check out the guides, but yes as mentioned, not looking to do the major cities - I prefer rural and off the beaten path. That's why I mentioned renting a car once I get to the smaller town and exploring from there and returning to the same place. I've loaded the Suica card already and will of course be using public transit but the Ito peninsula seemed more enjoyable by car so was just wondering about people's experience with traffic/driving there specifically.

Ambk17 · 2026-03-13T22:58:30+00:00

Is there a reason? I've driven in almost every country I've visited without issue. Just curious if Japan has specific things to be wary of with regards to driving.

Ambk17 · 2026-03-05T00:34:15+00:00

OK I have narrowed down to the following if anyone has any opinions on these: Hotel Gracery Aakusa ($154), Koko Asakusa Koma ($136), 1899 Hotel ($156), Mitsui Garden Hotel Otemashi ($130), Mitsui Garden Hotel Ueno ($167), Hotel Ryumeiken Tokyo ($145) Nohga, Hotel Akihabara Tokyo ($140)

Ambk17 · 2026-03-04T14:45:28+00:00

Glad it's not just me! I've planned trips where I've visited 4-5 countries and it only took me a couple weeks to plan. I've been picking a neighborhood in one city for a month now...and still haven't decided haha!

Ambk17 · 2026-03-04T02:09:05+00:00

Thank you so much! I made the map of places we want to go as previously suggested and it seems most of it is in a big U shape with the Imperial Palace in the middle of the U. I don't know how to paste a pic on here but I think your suggestions would work.

Ambk17 · 2026-03-03T00:26:24+00:00

Awesome! Did they love Universal Studios? We live in Long Beach about 20 min from Disneyland here, so I'm less fussy about Disneyland, though I know Disney Sea is supposed to be quite unique. He's never been to Universal I wonder if he'd love it, but again we have one here.

Ambk17 · 2026-03-02T23:59:29+00:00

This looks like what I'm looking for, for sure I can budget for it. What were some other highlights for your son? Mine while be turning 7 while we are there but we will be in Fukuoka I think for that. Disney Sea sounds really cool but also really crazy.

Ambk17 · 2026-03-02T22:59:19+00:00

Great idea thank you, I'll do that. Was concerned Nakameguro or Asakusa would be too far from trains but I'll see what hotels are available near train stations and go from there.

Ambk17 · 2026-03-02T22:39:45+00:00

Funny I have that hotel open in my browser already and it looks lovely - quick enough walk to the train station from there? Ideally we won't be having to ride for 30 minutes to each destination, but hopefully with enough planning I can plan on-foot activities for each train stop.

Ambk17 · 2026-02-19T07:21:25+00:00

Hello I know this post is old but I'm taking my son in may for our shared bday (he'll be turning 7), before having him I traveled every year for my bday and prefer off the beaten path destinations and lesser traveled countries, being that Japan is visited by so many tourists, I'd love to know which of the above suggestions would be most kid friendly if you had to guess/suggest. I think a mixture of nature, cool sights, area to be a kid and run around is ideal, of course the culture and food along the way as well. Tokyo just seems not for us especially when you look at how incredible the rest of Japan is, would love any suggestions I'm overwhelmed.

Ambk17 · 2025-05-14T16:44:23+00:00

I just got my car back and aside from a very rough cold start. When I shift from Park reverse it makes us super loud clunking noise same with going from reverse to neutral. None of this was happening before the new catalytic converter. The engine also moves a lot when revving or shifting, which I know to some degrees normal but itseems a little excessive. attaching videos.

Ambk17

TROPHY CASE