New Years Vacation - East Asia Edition
October 29, 2015 3:46 AM Subscribe
So I am currently living in Tokyo and my company will be on Shutdown from the 26th of December through the 5th of January. I can't afford to go back home to the States, but I'd like to go somewhere for part of it. Special snowflakey stuff behind the cut.
I am not a lay-on-the-beach kind of person, but more of a go around and see all the sights and take a zillion pictures person. I like both city stuff and nature stuff (as long as it isn't too hardcore physically). I'm from a snowy area so the cold doesn't really bother me. Since I'll be traveling alone, a group tour would be fun.
I'm open to places to visit in Japan (that aren't Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima). I've been to China and Hong Kong once before, but nowhere else outside of Japan itself.
New Year's caveat - I know Japan basically shuts down the entire country at New Years. I don't want to be stuck anywhere over New Years only to find out that all the restaurants and attractions are closed. If your suggestion also shuts down over the holiday let me know. It doesn't rule it out, it just means I schedule the trip around it.
Thanks for any suggestions!
I am not a lay-on-the-beach kind of person, but more of a go around and see all the sights and take a zillion pictures person. I like both city stuff and nature stuff (as long as it isn't too hardcore physically). I'm from a snowy area so the cold doesn't really bother me. Since I'll be traveling alone, a group tour would be fun.
I'm open to places to visit in Japan (that aren't Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima). I've been to China and Hong Kong once before, but nowhere else outside of Japan itself.
New Year's caveat - I know Japan basically shuts down the entire country at New Years. I don't want to be stuck anywhere over New Years only to find out that all the restaurants and attractions are closed. If your suggestion also shuts down over the holiday let me know. It doesn't rule it out, it just means I schedule the trip around it.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Best answer: My favorite place in SEA is Penang, Malaysia. The food there is incredible, and the whole George Town area is a UNESCO World Heritage site (so plenty for a shutterbug to shoot).
If you go, have a fancy dinner for USD30 at Kebaya in Seven Terraces hotel, skip the Red Garden hawker market (save for beers and karaoke) and hit the one on New Lane instead, and maybe splurge on the Eastern & Oriental hotel to stay, which is an old school British Colonial white-glove joint with a terrific view over the bay right on the edge of George Town.
posted by GamblingBlues at 4:56 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you go, have a fancy dinner for USD30 at Kebaya in Seven Terraces hotel, skip the Red Garden hawker market (save for beers and karaoke) and hit the one on New Lane instead, and maybe splurge on the Eastern & Oriental hotel to stay, which is an old school British Colonial white-glove joint with a terrific view over the bay right on the edge of George Town.
posted by GamblingBlues at 4:56 AM on October 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Taipei? They have an amazing museum and lots of good restaurants. I had friends there when I visited, so I'm not sure what it would be like alone. I had a good time, anyway.
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:39 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:39 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I just came back from a Trip from Northern Vietnam and I can whol-heartedly recommend it. You could fly into Hanoi and start from there. December will be rather cool for the region but dry and overall pleasant for being active.
Hanoi: busy but fun, lots of old architecture, temples, colonial stuff, museums, excellent food and wonderful day spas at low prices
From there you could join a small group tour to Halong Bay (little cruise), Ninh Binh / Tam Coc (stay at Tam Coc Garden hotel!) and/or go further North to Sapa for some light trekking. All of these things can be done in a small group tour or also quite easily by yourself.
Tour companies I can recommend are Custom Travel and Ethnic Travel. Make sure to go through tripadvisor to their website in order get to the right website. Successful Vietnam travel agencies have copy cats.
Vietnam does not celebrate Christmas or Western New Year (they have a lunar new year in January / February), so everything would be open and available. People are extremely nice and service oriented and everythings is generally very affordable if not cheap, especially compared to Japan.
If you have questions or would like some detailed advice, I'd be happy to help. Just PM me :)
posted by Fallbala at 6:48 AM on October 29, 2015
Hanoi: busy but fun, lots of old architecture, temples, colonial stuff, museums, excellent food and wonderful day spas at low prices
From there you could join a small group tour to Halong Bay (little cruise), Ninh Binh / Tam Coc (stay at Tam Coc Garden hotel!) and/or go further North to Sapa for some light trekking. All of these things can be done in a small group tour or also quite easily by yourself.
Tour companies I can recommend are Custom Travel and Ethnic Travel. Make sure to go through tripadvisor to their website in order get to the right website. Successful Vietnam travel agencies have copy cats.
Vietnam does not celebrate Christmas or Western New Year (they have a lunar new year in January / February), so everything would be open and available. People are extremely nice and service oriented and everythings is generally very affordable if not cheap, especially compared to Japan.
If you have questions or would like some detailed advice, I'd be happy to help. Just PM me :)
posted by Fallbala at 6:48 AM on October 29, 2015
If you like the snow, why not go up to Hokkaido?
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:10 AM on October 29, 2015
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:10 AM on October 29, 2015
Best answer: Seoul could be fun, since it's an hour flight from Narita. It's a very cool city with lots to see and do. I spent a New Years there a number of years ago and it was AMAZING. Here's the AskMe answer we ended up using to plan our trip.
posted by Brittanie at 9:23 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Brittanie at 9:23 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Thailand is excellent value, but it's the height of high season in the most touristy destinations there. New Year there is in April!
A good basic itinerary for a first timer who didn't want to go to a beach would be temples and markets in Bangkok, following the rail line north through the historical heartland of the country on trains and buses - a few hours every few days north to Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, and maybe Lampang? - and then spending a few days chilling out in and around lovely Chiang Mai, which has a vibrant university-town feel (in a good way!) outside the main historical core and is surrounded by loads of great sites.
If you go, the vivid and incredibly detailed Nancy Chandler maps of Bangkok and Chiang Mai are great for solo travelers and totally worth the price, and don't require wifi! Pick them up at Asia Books when you land at BKK/DMK.
posted by mdonley at 9:47 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]
A good basic itinerary for a first timer who didn't want to go to a beach would be temples and markets in Bangkok, following the rail line north through the historical heartland of the country on trains and buses - a few hours every few days north to Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, and maybe Lampang? - and then spending a few days chilling out in and around lovely Chiang Mai, which has a vibrant university-town feel (in a good way!) outside the main historical core and is surrounded by loads of great sites.
If you go, the vivid and incredibly detailed Nancy Chandler maps of Bangkok and Chiang Mai are great for solo travelers and totally worth the price, and don't require wifi! Pick them up at Asia Books when you land at BKK/DMK.
posted by mdonley at 9:47 AM on October 29, 2015 [3 favorites]
Japan would be tough as everything is likely booked or shut down. If it were me I'd want to go to Seoul or Taipei.
posted by Nevin at 1:32 PM on October 29, 2015
posted by Nevin at 1:32 PM on October 29, 2015
I live in Kansai now but go home to my parents' house in Tokyo during New Years. Other than Jan 1, most major things in Tokyo are open. Even Tokyo Disneyland is open on Jan 1. If there is any place you want to go that is a day trip from Tokyo, this is a great time to do it because it will be empty.
On the other hand, it may be hard to find any airplane tickets out of Japan, or hotel bookings in Japan.
posted by xmts at 3:46 PM on October 29, 2015
On the other hand, it may be hard to find any airplane tickets out of Japan, or hotel bookings in Japan.
posted by xmts at 3:46 PM on October 29, 2015
Best answer: Yogyakarta in Java, Indonesia is a wonderful place full of places to take beautiful pictures, and lots of great nature things to do (black sand beach, giant underground rivers, volcanos, borobudur and prambanan temples) while also being a very cool city with great food and a good relaxed hippy atmosphere.
posted by litereally at 9:07 AM on October 30, 2015
posted by litereally at 9:07 AM on October 30, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lunasol at 3:53 AM on October 29, 2015 [1 favorite]