I'm Going To Japan For Holiday! Any Japanese Travelling Tips Oppo?

"TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut" (twincharged) 06/20/2014 at 15:22 • Filed to: japan, holiday

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I'm heading to the beautiful city of Kyoto, a historical centre of Japan, for about a week in a few days time. This will be my first time abroad in year and I can't wait to go! But first, I have a few questions. Does anybody here on Oppo have anything to recommend for me to see? Or perhaps some tips when travelling in Japan?

jariten1781 > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/20/2014 at 15:47

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Never did Kyoto but some general Japan experiences:

Taxis are the easiest way to get around. The drivers prefer to be given road intersections or landmarks rather street addresses for destinations. If you're not Asian, don't be surprised if a driver refuses to take you. It's not normally a problem since there's tons of cabs everywhere and most don't care.

Trains are the best if you know what you're doing or have pre-planned excursions. Be aware that there's a mesh of private and larger lines that do not necessarily share stations or passes. Big stations are pretty trivial to navigate knowing English, but local stops, especially unmanned ones, can be a total pain.

If you get lost, a good bet is to go into a hotel lobby. There's almost always an English speaker available and they're helpful getting you back on track.

If it rains, duck into a 7-11 and they'll have an entire rack of umbrellas that cost less than 5 bucks. It's pretty convenient.

wacopalypsenow > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/20/2014 at 15:51

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Fushimi-Inari-Taisha....because foxes

therotaryisdeadlonglivetherotary > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/20/2014 at 16:12

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If you're interested in seeing the traditional aspect of Kyoto, go to Gion and Kyomizudera. and the Yasaka Shrine. It's a nice place to wander. That's the place you'll see geisha, or at least girls who have paid to play geisha for an hour. There's lots of cool old buildings and plenty of touristy things to do. It is a major tourist hub for everyone from Japanese to foreigners, so it will probably be packed.

There are castles and temples everywhere. Kinkakuji is nice and there's a spot where you can get the temple reflected in a pool of water that made even me look like a decent photographer. Most do cost money though, and after a few they seem to meld together in my head.

If you like shopping get off at the Kawaramachi stop and explore shijo and the shotengais (covered shopping streets). I don't know what's still there, but if you wander them you'll find plenty of nooks and cranes with some real cool stuff. The department stores, like Takashimaya and Fuji Daimaru are also on Shijo and offer some very expensive shopping and a few designers that are native to Japan.

Try takoyaki They're little doughy balls with octopus in the middle and are both delicious and a Kyoto is fairly famous for them. Okonomiyaki is similar-is , except the dough is shaped like a pancake and it's usually pork and cabbage inside. Kansai, the area that Kyoto is in, is pretty famous for Okonomiyaki, so you should give it a try if you like food. Also, try the cafes and bakeries.

If you're not too shy, I'd recomend going to a sento or onsen (essentially both words used for public baths). Or, even better yet, stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) that has a sento in it.

And have a good time.

Anon > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/20/2014 at 17:00

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Nope, I'm the anime person but I know almost nothing about Japan! But take some cool pictures and if you go to Tokyo, go to Akihabra go check out the life size gundam!

therotaryisdeadlonglivetherotary > therotaryisdeadlonglivetherotary 06/20/2014 at 17:26

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Or, if you're young and have a ton of energy, start your night at komogawa, between shijo and sanjo probably. Got to one of the good restaurants down there, and afterwards take a walk along the river. It's beautiful. Then head back to shijo and find a game centre, or if you want to do something boring but incredibly Japanese a pachinko parlour, and spend a couple hours pouring money into the latest Initial D game, or some random pachinko machine. After that head to Big Echo, or another huge karaoke place, get nomihoudai (all you can drink) and sing & drink till the wee hours of the morning. Spill out from there on unsteady legs into the humid night and get thyself to a gyuudon (beef bowl) or ramen or curry place. Unwisely stuff your belly full of greasy food. If you've still energy left hit up Don Quixote for another strange Japanese moment, and make some stupid drunken purchases. If possible, watch the sunrise from the banks of Kamogawa and go to bed.

PS9 > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/21/2014 at 00:00

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It's giant robots, anime girls, flying kung fu guys and rape tentacles. Though the rape tentacles are mostly in Hokkaido, so stay away from there and you should be okay.

#PersonWhoHasNEVERBeenToJapan

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > PS9 06/21/2014 at 00:03

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Check out this brief summary of Japanese history!

Minardi Gras > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/21/2014 at 01:00

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I live in Tokyo and I think a couple of other opponauts do too. I've been to Kyoto a few times and will be there next weekend, would be happy to recommend some temples and places that are a little more off-the-beaten-track, but if you're there for a week you'll probably have most of them covered anyway.

Which part of the city are you staying in? Will you have a JR pass or any time to leave Kyoto? Nara is a common half-day trip, as is Himeji, but they are finishing up renovation works that unfortunately mean some of the castle is covered by scaffolding. If you make it as far as Himeji please carry on and visit Hiroshima, I lived there before I moved up to Tokyo and it's still my favourite city in Japan.

Also, I hate to say it but Japan is still in the rainy season so be prepared for that, but some places in Kyoto (Arashiyama, Honen-in) are super atmospheric in the rain so it's not all bad.

For getting around, Kyoto's a great city to cycle in as distances between sites are short, bike rental is cheap and drivers are fairly courteous but there are a couple of places that you can't cycle, like the streets leading up to Kiyomizu-dera.

The Jalop suggestion is to hire an FT86, 370z or GT-R (budget dependent...) for a few hours or a day and check out some of the fantastic mountain roads surrounding the city.

I have to disagree with one of the other comments about trains, in the last few years the various railway companies have gotten their act together and you can now use one card (like the Octopus card in HK) for the majority of trains and buses, and just tap in and out to transfer between lines with no hassle.

For general getting around, Google Maps is great with japanese transport, and www.hyperdia.com/en is about the best website for checking train journeys. A company called Bmobile does cheap 7 or 14day data SIM cards too if you've got an unlocked phone, makes things a lot easier.

If you need any help with anything please just let me know, would be happy to give you my email/number if you have any questions or want any help booking things in Japanese, etc.

If not, hope you have a great time, share some pictures.

E92M3 > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/21/2014 at 08:06

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Soapland Resort!

Roberto G. > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/21/2014 at 15:49

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Should you need to take the subway, don't dress like a schoolgirl.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Minardi Gras 06/23/2014 at 14:55

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Sorry for replying so late, I was suddenly swarmed by schoolwork in the past few days!

We're travelling as a family, so it's myself and my parents. According to the traveling arrangements, we'll be in Kyoto next weekend too! We'll be there from the 27th June to 1st July and we're staying in the Rhino Hotel Kyoto which is at 17 Sanzo-cho, Saiin, Ukyo-ku. As of current, we're not quite sure how we'll get around to see the city's attractions, nor have we decided what to see yet. What would you recommend? ^^

One thing we are sort of set on is driving south to Nara Park to visit the deer - my dad suggests that renting a car would be make the journey more interesting. We've yet to look into renting a car in Japan. However, one form of transport that we're not too sure about is the journey from Kansai Airport to the hotel - the journey requires us to take the train on the Hankyu Kyoto Line. How does one go about navigating their way through the train system in terms of things like purchasing tickets? Is there anything we should be aware of?

Thanks for your help! I'm so excited!

Minardi Gras > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 06/24/2014 at 00:29

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No worries, I know what that's like. Sorry to bombard you with information here but hope you will find some of it useful. I'm there from 27th-28th, hopefully the weather will be good!

Things to see...

Firstly, this website is a great resource for visiting Kyoto, and they have suggested itineraries for 1-5 days in the city which are a great starting point - http://www.insidekyoto.com/

I'll only be there for a couple of days so you'll have longer to explore, but I'm taking my dad there for the first time so have tried to cram a lot of the 'must see' places in. We are planning on going to:

Nijo-jo - Castle built for the Tokugawa shogunate - it has a cool 'nightingale floor' that squeaks when you walk on it, this was so the castle guards could hear any ninja types that were trying to sneak in. Nice gardens too.

Kinkaku-ji - the Golden Pavillion - it's famous, and beautiful, but also mega busy all the time so strongly recommend getting there either just after it opens or an hour before it closes.

Ryoan-ji - temple that contains (probably) the most famous zen rock garden in Japan

Tenryu-ji - temple with one of the best gardens in Kyoto

Arashiyama bamboo forest - very pretty bamboo grove - very atmospheric in the rain

Gion area - Old Kyoto, where the geisha hang out. Lovely to walk around in the evening, especially the areas around Ponto-cho and Shimbashi-dori. Just try not to interfere with the geisha, they are there to work and don't appreciate being stopped or having cameras shoved in their faces.

Yasaka-jinja - shrine in Gion, it's covered with lanterns which are lit at night and look great.

Kiyomizu-dera - one of the oldest temples in the city and a nice walk leading up to it through some old shopping streets. It is a bit touristy and like Kinkaku-ji is always mega busy so recommend getting there early.

The Philosophers Walk is a nice path along a canal with several temples leading off of it including:

Ginkaku-ji - the Silver Pavillion (but it's not silver...) - another of the most popular temples in Kyoto

Honen-in - very tranquil temple, one of my favourites.

Nishiki market is a narrow covered shopping street with loads of small shops and restaurants, definitely worth visiting and getting something to eat.

Fushimi Inari-taisha - the shrine is at the base of a mountain and there are paths up the mountain that are covered with thousands of Torii gates. You can get some nice views of the city too from the top.

Trains

It depends what time you arrive but my recommendation would be to get the Airport Express Haruka to Kyoto station (timetable here http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/access/trai… ) and get a taxi from there to your hotel. This way you don't have to change trains several times with your luggage. The taxi should be between 1500 and 1700 yen from Kyoto station to your hotel (the subway would be around 1100 for the three of you). Just have the address printed in Japanese for the driver or just ask to go to Saiin-eki if in doubt.

There's a great deal available called the 'ICOCA & Haruka' package - this is 4060JPY and includes return tickets on the Haruka & an IC card with 1500yen that you can use on the Kyoto subway system. This makes travelling a lot quicker and much less confusing than buying paper tickets as you just tap in and out of stations. If you return your card at the airport before you leave you'll get a 500yen refund too. You can buy this package from the JR ticket office at KIX but need to have a copy of your return flight ticket or confirmation. The Haruka is normally 2850JPY each way so this really is a great deal.

Generally speaking, stations in Kyoto have signs in English and the paths from one line to another are clearly marked. The buses can be useful as they go to more places but they are slow and often uncomfortably busy. With three of you it may be cheaper or only a little more to get a taxi - base fare is 640JPY for 2km and three bus tickets would be 690JPY. MK taxis (they have a little heart on top) are cheaper still, I think 560JPY for first 2km. If you do want to use the buses then get a day pass for 500JPY each.

Rental Cars

Three of the biggest companies are Nippon Rentacar, Nissan Rentacar and Toyota Rentacar. Toyota has an English speaking phone line which might be helpful and Nippon and Toyota have locations very close to your hotel in Kyoto. To give you an idea of prices I did a quick search for June 30th for a 12hr rental. The 1080JPY charge is the daily insurance which is optional, but you need to add that to the other prices if you want it.

Toyota - https://rent.toyota.co.jp/

Nissan - https://nissan-rentacar.com/

Nippon - www.nipponrentacar.co.jp

Nissan have the 370z available - 21600JPY for 12hrs

Toyota have the FT86 available - 12420JPY for 12hrs

Tolls for Kyoto-Nara are 5000yen (4100 if you have a kei-car) for the return journey. That isn't too bad but driving longer distances the tolls really add up.

I didn't think that was going to get so long... Like I said, I hope some of it is useful. If you want any help booking a hire car or anything else just let me know.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Minardi Gras 06/25/2014 at 15:54

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Thanks for all the information! When I come back from the trip and post photos, I'll be sure to mention you!

In fact, it turns out that we will be staying in Japan a little longer than I thought - after Kyoto, we'll be heading down the Osaka for a few days more! We decided that we would rent a car in Osaka instead and head up to Nara on those days. Hopefully we can rent a Nissan N-Box - it's cheap, affordable and so quirky!

Fortunately, we've got connectivity sorted out now - we've already rented a hotspot unit. In addition, my mum's pretty much decided on where to go now in Kyoto. And again, many thanks!