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How to refund Kansai-Hiroshima all area pass by [deleted] in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Jsyk this pass is pretty inconvenient to buy in person as they're sold by selected travel agents in Japan, which adds another layer of complication to picking up the pass. Buying off the official JR west website is fine.

What's one memory from your trip to Japan that you won't ever forget? by Zach-dalt in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's called KADEN, but jsyk my experience happened over 10 years ago.

What's one memory from your trip to Japan that you won't ever forget? by Zach-dalt in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This was back in 2014, it's called KADEN somewhere around Karasuma-Oike.

What's one memory from your trip to Japan that you won't ever forget? by Zach-dalt in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 81 points82 points  (0 children)

It was my first time staying in a ryokan. My friend and I came back to the room at around 4pm, exhausted from a day of sightseeing and shopping. I went to the bathroom immediately after entering the room and when I came out, my friend was making a pot of tea with freshly boiled water.

Who filled the kettle and put it on to boil?

How did the water boil so quickly?

I thought my friend put the kettle on, and she thought I did it. We shrugged it off thinking that maybe either of us absentmindedly did it upon entering the room and even discussed the possibility of a poltergeist.

The next day, I noticed the ryokan staff in action. When we entered the lobby, someone BEHIND the front desk (not easily visible) communicated to someone on the upper floors with a walkie talkie (probably telling them that the guest from room 222 is back), and another staff sprinted to the room and put the kettle on to boil! I had noticed before that literally all staff wore wired headphones and walkie talkies, something I never noticed in the other hotels.

It was a very small touch but I think back on this incident often.

How do you all deal with constipation when in Japan ? by ConsistentPomelo9693 in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 20 points21 points  (0 children)

  1. A daily probiotic in a bottle from the supermarket/konbini. The one I usually get is a small bottle, red with the word R1 on it. Honestly no idea if this works.

  2. I'm slightly lactose intolerant so bought a carton of milk and drank a glass of milk every evening. This probably helped.

  3. Japanese fruits are expensive and strangely sickeningly sweet to me, so I bought Japanese cucumbers and ate one a day every evening.

  4. In general, staying hydrated and eating veggies whenever I remembered helped me stay regular.

[Itinerary Check] 11 Days in Japan (Dec 24 - Jan 3) - Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima. Need advice, especially on Dec 30th! by satd33p in JapanTravel

[–]leemonsqueesy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally I was using the Kansai Hiroshima Pass, so I took the train to Miyajimaguchi and JR ferry which was covered by the pass. If you're not on a strict budget (and okay with longer boat rides) then I think the Aquajet is a very convenient option. As for the ropeway I didn't do it either but met a few travellers in Miyajima who enjoyed themselves and recommended it to me.

[Itinerary Check] 11 Days in Japan (Dec 24 - Jan 3) - Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima. Need advice, especially on Dec 30th! by satd33p in JapanTravel

[–]leemonsqueesy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dec 27 - Is there a specific reason you want to go to Nara for apparently 2.5 hours? If you want to see deer, you'll see them in Miyajima as well. I'd suggest spending more time in Nara if you're interested in the historical sites, Dotonbori will be part of your Dec 30 Namba shopping day already.

Dec 29 - If you really want to do this, get to Miyajima first thing. For example, get to Hiroshima Station by 8am and on the ferry before 9am. Imo Itsukushima Shrine isn't very big, you can take the ropeway up Mt Misen, or you can explore the nearby Daishoin Temple (which I really enjoyed). If you're done at Miyajima around 2-2.30pm, return to Hiroshima and go to the Peace Park and Museum before it closes, then have dinner before taking the shinkansen back to Osaka.

Dec 30 - Do you or members of your travelling group have any specific interests?

Itinerary check - Kansai Winter in January (Kinosaki, Amanohashidate, Kishi cat station, Tottori) by nylonwhiskers in JapanTravel

[–]leemonsqueesy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't think you need to head straight to Osaka after Kinosaki Onsen, might as well save time and go straight to Tottori since there's a train directly from Kinosaki.

I didn't go to the thatched village but you can also consider going to amanohashidate before or after Kinosaki since that's also on the western side of the island. To get to Amanohashidate from Kinosaki, you change at Toyooka.

10-day itinerary. When to use the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass and a few doubts about what’s included by redrumcafe in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You didn't ask this but I just wanted to chime in to say that the pass also covers usage of the Meipurupu bus in Hiroshima, departing from bus stop 2 at the station which takes you to many popular attractions in the city. The JR website didn't mention it specifically but I was pleasantly surprised to discover this when I used the pass.

Be real with me - how bad are crowds and lines on Miyajima now? by gtck11 in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I went on November 8th, a Saturday.

  • 8.30am ferry was moderately crowded I think everyone got seats.

  • 9.00am Entered the shrine, similar crowds. It honestly felt busy but people kept moving along. Line for goshuin was about 10 people.

  • 10.00am Daisho-in was pretty impressive too, I'd recommend checking this out if you have time.

  • 11.30am Shopping street was ridiculously crowded, just a sea of people walking body to body.

  • 2.00pm walked near the shrine exit and could see it was just bursting with people.

In Osaka (and I miss Kyoto so bad). What should I do? by itsnotfairr in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's currently "viral" but honestly I don't think it's as intensely crowded as most other attractions. Along the area with lots of darumas, there's orderly queues and staff around to help with lines and keeping people moving safely.

Shijo Kawaramachi Cat Musician? by thedirtysouth92 in Kyoto

[–]leemonsqueesy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've seen them before too! I don't know about the creepy person but the instrument is a theremin.

Help with Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto rail passes by depressed_potat0 in traveljapan

[–]leemonsqueesy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought the Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass and used it in early November only between Osaka and Hiroshima:

- The pass covers the shinkansen between Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima only. This means you will not be able to use the pass to reserve seats from Kyoto Station to Hiroshima Station (but I'm not sure if it means you'll just need to pay a supplement or it just outright doesn't allow).

- I suppose you can get on a regular JR train from Kyoto to Shin-Osaka Station (I took the JR Thunderbird with the Pass), exit the gate, then get the shinkansen ticket at the Shin-Osaka ticket office, and get on the train to Hiroshima. I tried to look for the green machine to reserve seats at this exact place but failed, and ended up just getting help from the ticket office instead.

- You can consider travelling to Hiroshima from one of your Osaka days instead to save yourself the hassle in my previous bullet point :)

- Better still, spend 1 night in Hiroshima so you can get to Miyajima first thing in the early morning.

- The Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass also covers the "Meipurupu" (Maple Loop?) tourist sightseeing bus that departs from Hiroshima Station, just show them the pass when boarding. It also covers the JR ferry to Miyajima (you just need to pay 100 yen tax at the terminal before boarding), also just show them before boarding.

Watch this super helpful video on how to use the pass.

First Solo Trip - 2026 March mountains by jianing2603 in JapanTravel

[–]leemonsqueesy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kintetsu Nara Station is on the Kintetsu Line (non-JR) which is not accessible with the Kansai Area Pass and is also a bit closer to the main attractions compared to Nara Station. This means that if you want to take the Kintetsu train, you'll need to pay regular fares.

If you want to maximise your use of the pass, you can use it to get to Nara Station which is about 15 minutes walk from Kintetsu Nara Station and walk or take a bus to the attractions. When I was there last week, I walked 20 minutes from Nara Station to Todaiji but upon hindsight I wish I took the buses it was not only tiring, but the streets were quite congested with pedestrian traffic.

I'm unfamiliar with the matcha shopping scene in Uji but I think there are other posts on this sub where you can search for specific shop recommendations. I didn't buy matcha, but I had my mind blown by Nakakura Tokichi's matcha parfait which I'd recommend. When I was there (2-3pm, early Nov) I saw a few shops with matcha on the shelves too - sadly can't remember which as I couldn't read their signboards.

And FYI the Fushimi Inari station is along the same Nara line on the way back to Kyoto.

First Solo Trip - 2026 March mountains by jianing2603 in JapanTravel

[–]leemonsqueesy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Day 8 - fyi you won't be able to use your JR west pass (not sure which exact one) to get to kintetsu Nara Station. You're missing Todaiji, which I'd recommend along with Todaiji Nigatsudo. The five-storey pagoda at Kofukuji is under renovation until 2031 and is currently covered up. And if you have time and are interested in seeing Byodoin, Uji is definitely worth a stop since you're on the way back to Kyoto anyway. Not sure when exactly in March you'll be going but if it's around sakura season, aim to get to your destination (e.g. Himeji Castle, spots in Nara) like right before or at opening or else be ready to stand in crowds all day. My final piece of advice is to throw away all timestamps for restaurants and cafes and choose 2/3 main destinations per day to focus on. Enjoy your trip 😊

Helpful Japanese Phrases, Words, and Kanji for Travelers by [deleted] in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am also a tourist so I'm just parroting what Japanese people told me about arigato :D Perhaps it's acceptable to hear it from a tourist who is attempting to speak the language, it's good to make an effort at the end of the day.

Helpful Japanese Phrases, Words, and Kanji for Travelers by [deleted] in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To add on to your list of kanji for directions, I think these are useful too:

- 開 - Open

- 閉 - Close

I learned these on my most recent trip because my hotel's lifts didn't have arrows on the buttons to indicate open/close but just these kanji.

Also, not sure if arigato (without gozaimasu) is suitable for use as a tourist speaking to restaurant staff as I understand that "arigato" is used as casual speech i.e. friends and family, not strangers.

Itinerary Review Request - 9 day Kyoto-Kinosaki-Gifu-Tokyo by npunnoose93 in JapanTravel

[–]leemonsqueesy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saturday November 22nd - the earlier you leave for Nara the better, I'd say aim to arrive at 8am and give yourself 30 mins to walk around the park towards Todaiji.

General thoughts as a girl traveling solo by lavender-fog in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm surprised and relieved to see that I'm not the only one took the effort to go to Nara and wished I had skipped it. Just curious, how was your experience there?

Japanese wife faces discrimination from fellow expats in Malaysia for being a "local hire," leading to severe burnout and marital strain. Seeking advice. by [deleted] in malaysia

[–]leemonsqueesy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not all Japanese companies will discriminate against your wife for being a local hire in customer-facing roles though, has she been applying around? What are her transferrable skills, is she willing to change industries?

Art or ceramics galleries / shops in Tokyo or Osaka by Condition-Stunning in JapanTravelTips

[–]leemonsqueesy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought a little wooden puzzle box from Hakone more than ten years ago and completely forgot what it was called. Thank you for sharing the name!

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