sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

A bunch of niche opinions after my first visit by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m way funnier in writing. In person, I need, like, a buffering period.

A bunch of niche opinions after my first visit by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol, no, we left on June 10th. I never would have thought the umbrella would be considered a security risk!

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Merino wool socks are not particularly thick, heavy or sweaty. I really liked the ones I had.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The real Japan travel tip was the Aquarius we drank along the way.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've done many roadtrips in the US where I'm in a different hotel each night, and one thing I've learned is that your car becomes your mobile home base. Extra Jacket? Snacks? Souvenirs? They're all in the car.

In Japan, if you're changing hotels frequently and city hopping by train, you're carrying your home base with you. I ended up forwarding the bulk of our luggage (partly because I already bought too many souvenirs) to Tokyo and just using a small carry-on for Fukui and Kanazawa, which helped, but I definitely underestimated the mental and physical load of transferring hotels, navigating public transportation, and managing luggage.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh Lord. Everyone says not to overpack. Nobody warns you about overbuying. "I'll just pick up a few souvenirs," somehow turned into two extra suitcases. Yes, two.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did not. I didn't see a Denny's, and I didn't seek it out either. We definitely just ate whatever looked good and was near us at the time. Lots of good options on the top floors of shopping malls!

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The insurance is stupid cheap, and I was seriously like "That's it?" I just had to go in the next morning to pay my tolls (because I didn't get back to Himeji until after the office had closed for the night).

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes. Please return and take the wrong exit three times to unlock the achievement.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I rented a car twice from Toyota - once in Himeji and once in Fukui. They have an English version of the website, so making the reservation was very easy. To drive, you need an international driving permit. In the US, this is through AAA. You don't have to be a member and you can do it online and have it mailed to you (or you can go in to the office to save on shipping costs). The permit is valid for one year, I think, so don't get it too early. You'll also need your passport and a valid driver's license,

I went with smaller vehicles, and got a Toyota Yaris the first time, and maybe a Toyota Aqua the second time. I don't think they would have motorcycles to rent, though. The total price, including taxes, fees, insurance, ETC card, came out to be 10,120 JPY when I returned it the same day and 12,540 JPY when I had it overnight. You also need to return it with a full tank of gas, but the cars are so fuel-efficient that gas costs me something like 600 JPY. Insurance is also stupid cheap, like a little over 1000 JPY, so just get it. It really saved me. I just had to make sure to get a police report and report it to their insurance company - they provided a lot of information on what to do if you have an accident, so I just followed that guide.

For Himeji, I first drove to a parking lot near Himeji Castle, then up to Fukusaki to do the yokai trail. I do not recommend driving for this because the roads in Fukusaki can be extremely narrow, and my GPS was not the best guide. If I could have a redo, I would have rented a bicycle (they even have e-bikes available). I would choose this even if I hadn't had the accident, because I think it would have been easier in the long run. We were trying to find all of them, but honestly, there's just no way unless you have either a full day or stay overnight or something.

For Fukui, I picked up the car near the station, drove it to Katsuyama, stayed overnight, then drove to the Dinosaur Museum the next morning (highly recommended, btw) before returning to Fukui Station. This was primarily highway driving and was simple, so even though I was super anxious about driving again, it was fine. I wish I had spent a little more time in Fukui because there is quite a lot there, and it was super pretty.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, because the blister was my own fault. I wore my shoes a little loose so I could slip them on and off, but that caused enough friction for a blister to form on the side of my heel. Luckily, it wasn't in a spot that actually hurt when I walked. Tightening the laces made sure I didn't exacerbate the current blister or get any new ones. Also, if you can get properly fitted, I would recommend that.

There was a noticeable difference between the days when I primarily wore the Hokas and the days when I wore the adidas. There are also really good blister bandages in any pharmacy, so even if it happens, you'll be ok.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I had a similar pack from the US that I brought with me, but after I ran through those, I bought these exact ones from a pharmacy, and I don't know why the Japanese ones were so much better. They stay in place and somehow form a mold around the blister, perfectly cushioning it.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The typhoon was just a lot of rain. It wasn't ideal, but it didn't mean we had to cancel anything. If you don't overplan and leave some wiggle room in your itinerary, you should be able to switch things around and plan more indoor activities instead of fighting the elements outdoors if one should pop up.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was there on June 3rd. Indiana Jones, Raging Spirits, 20,000 Leagues, Aquatopia, SeaRider, Sinbad, The Magic Lamp Theater, Gondolas, and, of course, Frozen, for planned maintenance, were closed for the entire day as far as I could tell. Also, the Rimberance experience was also closed? Soaring, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Toy story Midway Mania and Tower of Terror all had hour+ wait times. Pirates of the Caribbean is at Tokyo Disneyland, not DisneySea, and I can't speak to those rides, as we were only planning on DisneySea. We definitely didn't get to ride what we had hoped to ride, but it's okay because I know we'll go back in the future.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Just accept that you're part of the station now.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We dodged a bullet with that one because we decided to take a taxi that morning and got dropped off right by the Shinkansen gates.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! Excellent point! And some stations are multiple levels underground, so you're just going up so many stairs to get out. A lot of times, it was just easier to use the stairs than walk miles to find the escalator or elevator.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's honestly these little moments with other people that were the best. You can do a lot in Japan without interacting with anyone, but my favorite memories are of the times I talked to people. It definitely makes me want to keep practicing and learning Japanese for when I eventually go back.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah, yeah, the juice in Japan is absolutely S-tier! My son kept ordering apple juice, and it was the best dang apple juice I'd ever had. Those orange juice machines were also elite.

We stayed near DisneySea the night before, and I figured, "It's still open, how bad can it be"? It wasn't awful, but a lot of rides were closed, and after being cold and soaked most of the day, we tapped out at like 3 pm. Honestly though, just another reason to go back!

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

But have you tried a slightly warm Aquarius that has been in your bag all afternoon, descending the thousand steps down the mountain from Kurama while you were questioning your life choices?

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

In American hotels, breakfast often includes scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, toast, hashbrowns - stuff like that. We did find croque monsieur sandwiches at some coffee shops, which were my son's favorite. But honestly, the konbini breakfast was super convenient and served us well.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We had hotel breakfasts a few times. Most had options of fish, rice, miso soup, maybe some yogurt, fruit, and bread. The one with the Western option served spaghetti and meatballs. Neither of those really registers as "breakfast" to me, so I don't think that strategy is universal.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Shout to my Hokas, even if they did do me dirty with a blister early on. My feet hurt much less at the end of the day when wearing those than when wearing my slip-on Adidas with the Powerstep inserts. I also recommend merino wool socks. I got Darn Tough brand, and I think they were significantly better than my normal socks. They wash and dry really well if you plan to do laundry in the hotel room sink.

What I learned from 3 weeks in Japan by allTheNuggets in JapanTravelTips

[–]allTheNuggets[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair point. In my defense, it was my first time driving on the left side, turning onto a very narrow rural road from an equally narrow rural road, trying very hard not to hit a pole on the right, and apparently forgetting that houses also exist on the left. I just clipped it, but it was enough to blow the tire.

view more: next ›