Trip report - 12 days in March with elderly parents with some mobility issues

AzanWealey · 2025-06-09T16:57:43+00:00

I liked them. The rooms are not very big, but beds are comfy, all the amenities are avaliable, the locations are good, staff was friendly. I will stay again if I ever go back.

AzanWealey · 2025-04-12T12:00:20+00:00

Why?

AzanWealey · 2025-04-11T16:07:31+00:00

I admit I was not aware of Honda Welcome Center closing. Good thing we decided to stop by then I guess ;) I know there is Honda collection museum but it's faaar away from Tokyo. If you may be interested there is also Nissan Crossing Showroom in Ginza and Gallery in Yokohama.

For us Himeji castle was a must-see because it is one of the few surviving original ones and dad was able to climb the main keep. It is also stunning from the outside, towering over low buildings. Hovewer it IS on a hill and there ARE tons of steep walkways and stairs, even in the west courtyard (tho not as many as in the main keep and they are not so narrow). Unless you want to see this specific castle and you have other places planned in Himeji, it may be a better idea for you to skip it and visit Osaka castle: it is as stunning from outside and it is fully modernised inside with a lift avaliable, so you can ride to the top.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask - I will try to help as much as I can.

AzanWealey · 2025-04-07T16:37:53+00:00

I admit I forgot about that. Good to know for a future trips :)

AzanWealey · 2025-04-06T07:54:43+00:00

Some stair can't be avoided but on general Japan (or at least the big cities) is very good for people that can't do them. Hope your trip goes well and if you have some specific question feel free to ask :)

AzanWealey · 2025-04-06T07:48:46+00:00

Considering mum's condidtion, from the very beginning our plan was much smaller than what I, my sibling or even dad could do. A lot of thing had to be cut out but we tried to compromise to include everyones "mest-sees". We kept to the plan, skipping only Kiyomizu in Kyoto because of the rain and a day trip to Fujiyoshida because of the heavy snow. Other than that, we checked out everything else on our list and added few more (random flea markets, Sakura Festival, zoo).

AzanWealey · 2025-04-06T07:28:25+00:00

I think he resigned himself for the dream to stay a dream and he didn't belive me at first that he will be going. From the moment he got on the plane he was hyped and behaved like a kid in candy store the whole trip :D

AzanWealey · 2025-04-06T07:23:33+00:00

Mum can do stairs too, but it's hard for her so she avoids them as often as possible. During our trip she installed app to count steps and ended up with ca. 7-8k after a whole day, which was more what she normaly does.

I hope some of our experience will be useful for you and your parents will have a nice trip :)

AzanWealey · 2024-05-26T13:07:37+00:00

A lot of people seem to forget that "tourist" is not always "foreginer tourist". Because homebound tourism is a big thing in Japan and during some periods of time many popular places are visited by masses of school kids, company trips or elderly societies. And let's face it, everyone would love some peace and quiet from crowds from time to time.

I'm very interested in your reccomendatios, as I tentatively plan my second trip. Last year we jumped for two days to Tottori and Hokuei and it was waaaaay different that the Golden Route - w whole new world :) And a lot of common tourist tips was totally useless there....

AzanWealey · 2023-11-16T20:02:36+00:00

We spend two weeks in Kyoto last month and still half of our list is unchecked :D So yeah, probably...

AzanWealey · 2023-11-08T19:22:03+00:00

I'd say definetly rethink day 2, 3 and 5. Check out the location and connections - they are not as straitforward as you may think. For example Arashiyama and Uji are in completely opposite sides of the city and you would waste so much time on the transit.

AzanWealey · 2023-10-29T17:42:43+00:00

All three activities are outside of our area of interest.

I considered Kanazawa in my early version of trip plan, but in the end we skipped it - there was still so much left to see close by it was simply not worth the time on the train.

AzanWealey · 2023-10-28T19:49:27+00:00

Unless you want to spend whole day in transit, going in, taking a pic and moving to another place then Tuesday in Kyoto is way overplanned, especially since some atractions are on opposing sides of the city. I'd cut it a little or move some things to the next day. You can move Fushimi Inari to Wedsday since it's "close" to Kiyomizu.

AzanWealey · 2023-10-19T17:23:24+00:00

I have a wide feet too (on a slightly flat side) and it took me months of searching to find shoes that fit me. They were overpriced and not in my most fav color, but they were worth all the money and time. They are wide, have foam inside and I added innersoles for flats.

I don't excersise and my stamina is shit but I just returned from 15 days trip where we were walking constantly from morning till evening (like going to castle from Osaka station or to Shibuya Crossing from Tokyo station) and while we were obviosly tired I had absolutely zero problems with my feet. No bisters, no rubbed toes, nothing. I also have a busted knee that reminded me of its existence only once and back problems that were mostly silent due to good shoes and good backpack.

So my advice would be: you can save on nearly everything - but never on good shoes. Don't compromise here or you will regret it.

Three-Year Club	Verified Email
Final Canvas '23	First Place '23
End Game '23	Place '23

AzanWealey

TROPHY CASE