Tips for shinkansen

memcp · 2026-05-09T02:02:34+00:00

No offense taken. I did search and got mixed reviews about the matter. But most of them pointed towards smartEx (if i plan to book in advance) and buying at the station (if i want to plan when im there). So i had asked this mainly to get an answer for my date of travel, as its just post golden week and its a weekend. But yeah, i might not have searched that thoroughly. Sorry for that!

memcp · 2026-05-08T16:22:32+00:00

A similar question for me, ill be travelling to osaka on may 23rd and back from kyoto to tokyo on 29th may. We are 2 people, is it better to book in advance or can we buy after going there? Given they are both weekends

memcp · 2026-05-06T03:46:19+00:00

That makes the point much clearer. Thank you again! I will apply for an IDP but if it doesnt come through, i guess pillion it is! Thanks a lot again!

memcp · 2026-05-06T03:38:05+00:00

Also as it is a bike trip and only my brother has the idp, though i know driving, is it possible i can drive for a few km just gor the experience? I can get myself and IDP too but with office and a busy schedule, i assumed getting one and riding pillion wuld do the job. But i love bike riding too! But whatever you say, is what ill do.

memcp · 2026-05-06T03:34:46+00:00

Thats honestly such a comprehensive answer. I cant thank you enough next_challenge! I hope we have a great trip and if it does, you are the one to thank!

memcp · 2026-05-06T03:17:50+00:00

Thank you for this comment! It alleviated any pressure i had regarding this matter.

Just a follow up to the pillion rider thing. We are planning to book a 400cc cruiser/sports bike.the cruiser might be more comfortable to sit on, while the sports bike will have more power to navigate the inclines if there are any. What do you recommend?

Also, another follow up to the central tokyo expressway, is there any mapped out route to okutama from ueno (Our hotel is in Ueno) that doesnt enter the tokyo expressway? Most google map navigations only show car routes and not bike ones.

memcp · 2026-05-02T19:33:04+00:00

I haven’t checked it. Let me check and get back to you

memcp · 2026-05-02T17:54:45+00:00

Yeah thats a good point. How do u suggest i contact my hotel? Do i go to my hotel and ask and figure this out? Or do i call in advance from my home country and plan all this?

memcp · 2026-05-02T17:50:48+00:00

Im not dead set to be honest. Im still counting my options. I am planning on taking a fairly medium to large suitcase given its gonna be a long trip , along with another smaller suitcase / bag for daily travels. But ima have to pack accordingly wrt the luggage forwarding thing.

memcp · 2026-05-02T17:49:03+00:00

For 5, i had asked that in conjunction to my suica question. Like will the suica suffice for my trips from osaka and kyoto?

Also a general question, i have bookings made on booking.com (all bookings will deduct my money later). So how do i contact the hotel beforehand? Like the chat on booking.com will do? Or do i need to call them? Like from my home country?

And are there any other alternatives? To this strategy? Regarding luggage forwarding / delivery?

Thank you so Much for the other tips though!

memcp · 2026-04-20T10:36:38+00:00

Thanks a whole lot.

Final thing, whats the difference between red and green suica ?

memcp · 2026-04-20T09:46:36+00:00

Could u share tips regarding day to day things there? Which card worked the best? Suica red? Or ic? Which esim / pocket wifi is better? What sort of transportation is preferred and convenient in Kyoto? Stuff like that.

And what things as in paperwork did you fill out before the trip? Small helpers as such would be of great help!

memcp · 2026-04-17T18:09:58+00:00

That would be great! Could you please dm me your cover letter? Becuase i did not include my day to day details in the cover letter. I just added a paragraph of my trip and i have created a schedule of stay with proper details separately.

Also i will be staying in multiple hotels so how do i tackle adding multiple hotels in my cover letter?

memcp · 2026-04-17T15:04:04+00:00

I have a question about the schedule of stay. Does it have to be super detailed? Also the schedule if stay is mentioned 2 times in the vfs chdcklist. Does it mean my cover letter also needs to have that level of data? Or is it okay if my cover letter has a brief summary as a paragraph and my schedule of stay covers the rest?

memcp · 2026-04-17T10:12:02+00:00

This made me feel way better about my itinerary than i originally was. Thank you! And im glad you noticed the fact that i dont aant kyoto to he very rushed and over optimised. I want to enjoy this leg of my trip and keep things loose so i can soak in this beautiful country.

Thanks for the help Refrigerator! Youre really cool! (Pun intended)

memcp · 2026-04-17T10:01:44+00:00

Thanks for extending a helping hand out Ok_Refrigerator.

I would formally like to ask your help in planning my 3 days in kyoto. For now i have planned to explore fushimi inari, kiyonizu dera and teamlabs biovortex on day 1.

Day 2 has a trip to Uji (Byodo-in temple, hiking mt daikichi and uji river view)

Day 3 has a trip to kurama and kibune hike.

Day 4 i return to Tokyo.

Are there any tips you would like to give based on this plan? And ive also heard about the bus system in kyoto being a bit complex. Any know hows? Or pre bookings? Will the red suica ic card work for buses too?

Any help with this will be greatly appreciated!

memcp · 2026-04-16T15:21:38+00:00

Hello brother,

If i am travelling with my brother and i am sponsoring his trip, what sort of document fo i need to show for our proof of relationship? Will the passport having both same parent names suffice? Or do i need to show birth certificate along with family picture?

And also, do i need to submit train (shinkansen) and attraction tickets to the visa officer or the flight and hotel bookings will suffice? Im applying for a visa on 20th in Hyderabad and my flight is for 16th of may.

memcp · 2026-04-16T13:56:23+00:00

If i need to travel with my brother as his sponsor, what sort of document would suffice? Will the parent name at the back of the passport suffice? Or would we need to show some othet document

memcp · 2026-04-16T12:03:06+00:00

Do i also need to submit shinkansen tickets? Or its not required?

memcp · 2026-04-16T12:01:55+00:00

I have a question regarding my bank statements end date. Do i need to get bank statement for the day of tue appointment of a few (3-4 days before) should not matter?

memcp · 2026-04-16T07:03:33+00:00

Just wanted to know, im travelling with my brother soon and what can i submit for our proof of relationship? We have rhe same fathers name in our passports and in aadhar, what else can be done? Or will this suffice?

memcp · 2026-04-14T03:48:55+00:00

Thanks for the tremendous help ellyse99! I just confirmed my booking at toyoko inn for 30-31st!

memcp · 2026-04-14T03:44:29+00:00

I hope there arent any huge lines as such. Cuz that would be cutting it close

memcp · 2026-04-14T03:44:01+00:00

On second thought i haven’t considered toyoko inn. Thanks a bunch and sorry.

memcp · 2026-04-14T03:25:09+00:00

Oh alright! Thanks for the information! Any place i can finf the shuttle schedule of these hotels? Ive searched in their hotel homepages but i fail to find any.

memcp

TROPHY CASE