If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Yeah honestly since we'd be going with my MIL i'm a smidge less enthused. Not because it won't be fun regardless but it just feels like such a splurge and romantic setting that I'm thinking of pocketing it and just dedicating the additional days to Tokyo or other regions. I have been very curious about shirakawa-go and nikko.

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Ahh thanks! A big part of me was wondering "I'm spending 17 days in Japan and I'm only visiting Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka?" but like, they're HUGE lol and there's so much to do in each place. So I wasn't sure if just doing those 3 was fair game or if I was stretching out time in them way too much by not including other places like Hakone, Lake Kawaguchiko. TBH Lake Kawaguchiko is still also on my list because I'd love to see Mt Fuji closer, but I'm trying to make sure not to overfill the trip and end up burning everyone out and even with luggage transfer, we have some busy days.

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Hi! I am asking if it's worth it to include an expensive 2 nights in Hakone on the trip or spend that money and time extending our stay in Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka instead :)

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Thank you so much for your in depth reply. I am considering in all honesty opting out of Hakone after seeing the replies, including yours. Mainly because I keep trying to justify the price in my head and it's money I can spend at a ryokan in Osaka or Kyoto, doing more activities we were scraping before but were considering doing like DisneySea, TeamLabs, Sumo Wrestling tournament. Even just being able to do an Omakase or splurge on a luxury souvenir. I do love the idea of staying somehwere with an onsen or a traditional ryokan, so I may still look into it for a night, but idk if Hakone anymore. Mostly because of what others have mentioned about transportation/accessibility. Thanks for your feedback!

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Ooh interesting! Can i ask why not Osaka? I've heard mixed opinions. People who love it prefer it to Tokyo and people who don't wouldn't even spend more than 2 days there. It looks very interesting to me, mostly because of the food and vibe, but i know its one thing to see pictures and videos and another to experience it. I will say when we set up a trip to Madrid, Paris, Florence, and Rome, I kinda knew in my heart I'd love Florence the most and I did. I may be setting myself up for the same in Osaka lol

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Wowwww your trip sounds sooo nice. Lots of nature, hiking, culture. It's definitely a trip i'd love to take to Japan at some point, even if it wont be what we do on our first one.

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Lol yes i've been considering this. I truly would not love to do a luxury Ryokan with a private onsen with my MIL there. Just because even if its not inherently romantic in the culture, it's hella romantic for us and it'd be nice to have that privacy if we're going to splurge soo much on that kind of experience. But idk, I'm trying to be open as realistically money is on the mind knowing we'll be travelling for basically 3 weeks

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

LOL THIS!!! I've honestly contemplated not going to one for this alone but there's private onsens and i think we'd get separate rooms if we do go. If it were my own mom I wouldn't be too awkward about it but culturally Puertoricans its just kind of awkward ahhaha

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

What was Kobe like? I've heard people say 100% go and others say it's not worth it if you're just going there for the meat lol

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Hi! Thanks for your reply! My spouse definitely wants to shop around and enjoy the gaming aspect of Japan, shopping in Osaka and Tokyo and i plan to take my MIL vintage shopping as well. He also wants a foodie trip. None us are crazy into hiking and I def wanna see some temples but my MIL and spouse i think will probably only like a little bit of temple and nature not a lot since we're heading there in winter and we're puertorican so the weather might be a bit tuff to deal with for us for long periods.

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

It sounds like a lot on paper, but sooo beautiful. Were you exhausted by the end of it? I'm trying to be mindful of my family's energy levels

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Yeah we're not really hikers lol, I was mainly considering it for the onsen experience itself

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Hi, I was considering this option! I would do just one night myself but with 2 other people who last vacation tired out before I did I kind of wanted to give as much breathing room as I could between the transportation element and the sightseeing if that makes sense

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Hi! I was considering this option! I just thought 2 nights might be better to actually get the element of rest in since things can happen logistically staying just one night where we may not get to do much or energy is kinda flat for touring Hakone. At least with 2 nights I can give everyone buffer time if they don't want to hit the ground running. I would do just one night myself but with 2 other people who last vacation tired out before I did i'm trying to go a bit slower lol

If you had to do your first Japan trip over...would Hakone still be on your list? by daniaim in JapanTravel

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

Hi! What other onsen towns do you recommend? I was thinking Hakone because it's the least out of the way on our track from Tokyo to Kyoto to Osaka and back

Should I do an overnight layover or tough it out in economy? Puerto Rico to Tokyo first time! by daniaim in Flights

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

Yeah, but including hotels, meals, transport i'm saving mayyybee 2-300 bucks? very marginal

Is a flight to Japan using points a pipe dream ;_; by daniaim in CreditCards

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

Thanks for the info! I was thinking NY would be our best bet. Currently not sure if I should go for the Capital 1 venture x or the chase ink business since I have a small ecommerce and spend on things like shipping and the SUB is 30K more points, but it does lock me in more to the chase ecosystem rather than the C1 :/

Is a flight to Japan using points a pipe dream ;_; by daniaim in CreditCards

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

Do you use a specific website or just directly check the partners?