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Mrs BF is retiring soon and so for next year we are thinking of fulfilling her dream of a tour of Japan. Due to the whole language thing and the overall complexity in seeing as much as possible we are thinking of an organised tour type thing.
Anyone done this? Got any recommendations?
We've been twice, all organised ourselves - you won't need a tour company. 🙂
We've been twice, all organised ourselves - you won't need a tour company. 🙂
Where did you go and how did you get around? Language issues etc. I think my Mrs may need a bit of convincing
Language issues shouldn't be a problem – just install a translation app on your phone.
I spend the best part of a year working in Japan about 10 years ago. I got by with very very little Japanese (please, hello, thankyou pretty much). As per pondo and johndoh you won't need a tour - Japanese people are incredibly keen to help, and even then Google Translate was pretty good with menus etc, transport is super-reliable and good, hotels and food reasonably priced.
We've been twice, all organised ourselves - you won't need a tour company. 🙂
Where did you go and how did you get around? Language issues etc. I think my Mrs may need a bit of convincing
Well - ten nights in 2016, flew to Tokyo for two nights, train to Hakone and Lake Ashi for one night in an old-style ryokan, bullet train to Hiroshima, day-trip on the ferry to Miyajima then ferry/train to Kyoto, train to Koyosan, back to Tokyo then home.
Two weeks in '23 - flew to Tokyo, couple of nights there, train to Nagoya for one night to do the Alpine trail (bus/train/funicular) to Toyama, few days there, bus to Shirakawa-go for one night in an amazing ryokan, bus/train to Takayama for the Hachiman festival, train to Atami (I think?) on the Izu peninsular, a night in Yokohama then home.
We found trains are no problem, busses are pretty easy too. Language is not a problem - we only knew the very basics (hello, thank you, two beers please, where's the bathroom), there will often be no common language but they will try very hard to work out what you mean, and street signs most often have Latin script as well as Kanji and Hirigana. More than once, non-English speaking Japanese would see us struggling and come over to try and help. 🙂 As John says, it's useful to get a translator app, then you'll be fine, basics or not. But I always feel it's polite to at least try! 🙂
I will talk on this subject long after you've run out of questions to adk. 🙂
Thanks Pondo, i've just chatted with Mrs and shes a lot more open to the idea than i thought.
Went for 3 weeks about a decade ago before the prevalence of Google Translate. If you look puzzled somewhere, I'm sure someone will come and offer assistance wanting to just be helpful or a real opportunity to use their English.
Supermarket shopping was a strange experience like falling into Wonderland where nothing is as you know it.
Depending on what 'holidays' are to you, how independent you like to be, how much money to time you have, all feed into the DIY or tour equation.
Agree with all the above - we went pre-Translate 11 years ago.
The one thing we did do through an agent was car rental from Nagano train station. But that was due to flying into Tokyo in the morning, then train to Nagano, then pick up the car, then drive 90mins to the mountain ryokan. So pretty sensitive to any rental issues. They spoke no English, but had a English handover set of docs (and of course were super friendly).
Likewise out in the sticks about the only issue we had was cold noodles vs hot noodles one lunch. And accidentally ordering cow stomach soup - well, that was what all the locals were eating so we just joined in 🙂
I strongly suspect direct car rental these days would be zero problem anywhere. BTW, OpenStreetMap was very useful for nav, e.g. OSMAnd on android.
My youngest, at age 18 and 2 weeks, hopped on a flight to Japan for a 3 month trip solo. He had no issues at all, the Japanese were all so friendly and helpful, as were fellow international travellers.
The only awkward moments were things like his train breaking down and being dumped in some tiny town with no accommodation - and so he was planning to sleep on the station until they got a train sorted...and when he went to onsens because as a 6'3" and bearded peely-wally Scotland resident, he stood out! Lots of peering at him from other users...Other than that he had an amazing time, climbed a few of the Japanese alps, hired bikes, climbed Fuji, visited some amazing places, was taken out for a meal and beers on multiple occasions by other young Japanese, met a bear(!) in the wild and more.
As others have said, our trip over 10 years ago was fine with a "pointing book", with translate apps and esims/wifi it will be even easier. Places you visit will have audio tours/apps or you'll have a decent rough guide/lonely planet book.
Do visit Yudanaka, stay in a Ryokan and experience the Onsen hot baths. You're also very close to Jigokudani where the Snow Monkeys come down to sit in their hot tub (and steal unguarded handbags! 🤣)
Learn "Thanks, that was delicious" and you'll delight your hosts.
I’ve been to Japan maybe 10 times with work and echo what the other posters have said. With the really good translation Apps it’s not a problem getting around and the people are super friendly, plus it’s very safe for travelers. Add to that the weak Yen. It’s a great destination
We’ve been to Japan a few times over the past couple of years, and we’re already planning our next trip for next year. We've done the centre, and this year travelled South. Next year its a flight into Sapporo and a slow journey down to Tokyo.
Getting around is easy. Google will be your friend, whether you're using Translate (although in the cities, many speak at least some English), or Maps to find the right train platform. Public transport is superb and always on time, signage is in English. If you get a bit lost, it won't take long before a local offers help. The Japanese, particularly younger generations are genuinely kind and very eager to help.
Think about car hire. Driving in Japan is relaxed (and very slow), traffic rules are obeyed, benefit is they drive on the left. We've hired Subaru's and they gave us access to more remote areas where the trains don’t reach.
We love Japan, everything about it suits us. We always feel happy and relaxed when we're there. Sure, summer can be hot and busy, if you only visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, you’ll definitely see some amazing sights and get a taste of Japan. But can be crowded, that said any city in the UK at the height of season will be busy. However in each of the big three we found many areas where we could relax.
Go for it and enjoy!
Yeah, if you're used to organising your own holidays in Europe etc, it's easy enough, and as others have said the language barrier is not really a problem. If you want to book museums, get that done sharpish and don't miss the times tickets go on sale.....the Ghibli museum tickets for instance are vastly over subscribed, it's a bit like getting glasto tickets. And Tokyo, yes it's huge and busy but it's really ordered and disciplined, so I found arriving there was not nearly as daunting as I'd imagined. We went for three weeks April/may this year and had a blast....tokyo-hiroshima and miyakama, naoshima, Kyoto, koya, takayama, kamikochi, hakuba, Matsumoto and back to Tokyo. Wonderful experience.
We did five weeks in Japan this year, all self-organised and moved a fair bit. The language wasn’t a major issue. Japan rail announcements and station train displays were in english and booking.com dealt with a lot of accommodation booking.
We stayed in; Tokyo, Kashikojima, Kyoto, Kinosaki-Onsen, Onimichi, Nara, Tokyo and did lots of day trips from each place. Tbh I wouldn’t be in any great rush to go to Kyoto or Nara again but would definitely go back to Onimichi (probably next year).
Inside Japan. My SO had a whole bunch of stuff planned from research. Inside Japan helped suggest extra pieces, discussed trade offs, and made the logistics efficient and easy. We booked our own flights.
edit. We were there in March/April this year. Places visited included Osaka, Okayama, Kirashili, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Himeji, Kyoto (9 days with many day trips to places like Nara, Ohara etc), Kanazawa, Takayama, Tokyo. We saw lots of Japanese gardens. Lots.
Blossom was spectacular throughout.
Tokyo was OK - big city and would not revisit. Kanazawa and Kyoto were well worth revisiting.
Trains were great. Food was cheap. Will definitely go again but in an autumn and maybe visit more of the mountains.
We went this time last year and had an absolute blast. Travelled around a lot and just used the trains and hired a car a couple of times.
My top pick would be Niko, which was a couple of hours north east of Tokyo. We went there first and it ruined every other temple on the trip, just absolutely spectacular.
Also stayed in Tokyo (surprisingly, loved it), Nagano (lovely, but needed a car), Kanazawa (beautiful old Geisha city), Kyoto (was kinda busy), Tokyo - So a nice little loop. We were there for about 3 weeks and could have spent 10 times that.
I honestly don't think you can do wrong in Japan, there's incredible history and landscapes no matter where you go. Everyone is very friendly and was very patient as we were fumbling through conversations/ordering/asking for directions etc.
I'd love to go back in winter and head to the north island, next.
One suggestion I will add is not to be afraid of Air BnB - we've done three in total and they've all been fantastic, incredible hosts and all three were largely old-school tatami mats and sliding shoji doors. Wonderful places - I'd pick an Air BnB over a hotel in Japan any time. That's not a criticism of the hotels, BTW! 🙂
Went to watch the F1 at Suzuka in April, was there for a week then a day in Okinawa on way to Hong Kong. Even with zero Japanese it was an absolute breeze. Currency very good value so probably never been a better time to go.
if you don't want make your own arrangements - we used Llama travel in March this year to Japan - using them again in March. Done the self arranging stuff for the last 30 years - I want an easier life now.
I lived there for a decade and didn't die despite barely speaking a word of the language 🙂
Did have one or two "interesting" experiences - mostly culinary - but that's all part of the fun.
You'll find it easier to get around and probably see more "stuff" on a tour, but whether that's your style and worth the money...that's up to you. I have no knowledge of any of them.
Want to go back and walk the alps there again at some point, but it doesn't seem on the cards.
Posting mostly to bookmark, since we're thinking of going for a retirement trip in 2027
we're thinking of going for a retirement trip in 2027
Us too. I've been to Japan a few times with work and seen a bit of Tokyo, Kyoto, Wakayama and Himeji but would love to go back and see more with my wife. I'm trying to decide whether to self organise or save myself the hassle by going with a tour operator so this is a very interesting thread.