Japan for the Anxious
December 4, 2024 6:30 AM Subscribe
So we're doing our first trip to Japan this March (Myself, Mrs. Mosley and our Japan-obsessed 15 year old daughter). I'm not the best in crowds, and though I was aware of how bad it can be in Tokyo, stuff I've read recently describes how it's gotten even worse. I'm looking for midsized Japanese cities to visit with interesting things to see and do. Nothing too remote, though. Thanks.
We went to Japan last year for a few weeks. It is indeed crowded, but other than on trains/during events, it was mostly manageable crowds for us... more like the mall on a Saturday night than Wal-Mart on Black Friday, if that makes sense.
Hiroshima was an unexpected highlight. We went there because I wanted to see a Carp (major league Japanese baseball game) and we wanted to see atomic bomb memorial. While there isn't a ton to do in Hiroshima, and the downtown isn't so lovely and historic as some other cities (obviously), the pace was more relaxed--less NYC and more Milwaukee--and there good times to be had at a relaxed pace. We went during the yukata festival and that was a manageable, very locally focused good time.
If you are anxious about crowds, avoid rush hour on the trains. You have probably heard this but people are literally pushed into the trains like sardines to max out how many fit in. People are polite about it, but it's a lot. Trains are generally nice, but in the am rush hour and evening rush hour, they can be taxing.
And this is not related to your ask, but I will tuck it in here, because it's the #1 tip I wish someone had told me: while you would imagine, because of the language barrier that Uber is easier than cabs, you would be wrong. Cabs/Uber drivers are generally the same cars. Cabs do not have to accept Uber requests and may drive past you with their available signs on ignoring your ride request. You can wait for ages. However available cabs are required to stop for you. It can seem tricky because the drivers probably do not speak English and almost definitely cannot readd English characters. The only thing you will need to make this work is the address of the hotel/restaurant/attraction to which you are going copied in Japanese characters from its web site into your notes app and shown to them large enough to read. You can then pay with card, rates are fair/low and it's easy peasy. Do NOT count on people accepting your English language Uber requests, because much/most of the time, it will not happen.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:08 AM on December 4, 2024 [11 favorites]
Hiroshima was an unexpected highlight. We went there because I wanted to see a Carp (major league Japanese baseball game) and we wanted to see atomic bomb memorial. While there isn't a ton to do in Hiroshima, and the downtown isn't so lovely and historic as some other cities (obviously), the pace was more relaxed--less NYC and more Milwaukee--and there good times to be had at a relaxed pace. We went during the yukata festival and that was a manageable, very locally focused good time.
If you are anxious about crowds, avoid rush hour on the trains. You have probably heard this but people are literally pushed into the trains like sardines to max out how many fit in. People are polite about it, but it's a lot. Trains are generally nice, but in the am rush hour and evening rush hour, they can be taxing.
And this is not related to your ask, but I will tuck it in here, because it's the #1 tip I wish someone had told me: while you would imagine, because of the language barrier that Uber is easier than cabs, you would be wrong. Cabs/Uber drivers are generally the same cars. Cabs do not have to accept Uber requests and may drive past you with their available signs on ignoring your ride request. You can wait for ages. However available cabs are required to stop for you. It can seem tricky because the drivers probably do not speak English and almost definitely cannot readd English characters. The only thing you will need to make this work is the address of the hotel/restaurant/attraction to which you are going copied in Japanese characters from its web site into your notes app and shown to them large enough to read. You can then pay with card, rates are fair/low and it's easy peasy. Do NOT count on people accepting your English language Uber requests, because much/most of the time, it will not happen.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:08 AM on December 4, 2024 [11 favorites]
Kamakura. About one hour train ride from Tokyo. Great little city.
posted by mbarryf at 7:54 AM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by mbarryf at 7:54 AM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
All I can add to this is, if you are planning to go to Kyoto for cherry blossoms, as many do in March, brace yourself. I generally do okay in crowds but that was an exception. I think it was the combo of crowds, the narrow little streets, and people trying to get cars through...just a very stressful place to be. Kyoto in general is so special and lovely but if the cherries are already blooming you may want to skip it.
posted by potrzebie at 8:00 AM on December 4, 2024
posted by potrzebie at 8:00 AM on December 4, 2024
Here to state the obvious: Kyoto. Kyoto is wonderful, it's beautiful and manageable and it's a world heritage site. You need to go there. When I think Japan, I think Kyoto before Tokyo. There are so many temples to see, and they are all exquisite, you can easily spend more than a week going to them all, and a teenager will enjoy them too. Try a traditional restaurant or several. (On preview: yes, cherry blossoms are intense, but you don't have to go with the crowds).
I also liked going up into the mountains. Someone more knowledgeable about Japan will give better instructions.
Also, even if you are not interested in art, Naoshima is worth a visit. I would have liked to stay the night there, but my company didn't want to. It's a different side of Japan from the cliches and it's really lovely.
posted by mumimor at 8:01 AM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
I also liked going up into the mountains. Someone more knowledgeable about Japan will give better instructions.
Also, even if you are not interested in art, Naoshima is worth a visit. I would have liked to stay the night there, but my company didn't want to. It's a different side of Japan from the cliches and it's really lovely.
posted by mumimor at 8:01 AM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
Also, if you take the above advice and go to Nagoya, I expect your daughter will be interested to go to Ghibli Park and you absolutely need to get tickets in advance. It won't likely be as crowded as you're envisioning when you think "theme park" but that's because the tickets are genuinely a pain to get.
posted by potrzebie at 8:03 AM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 8:03 AM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
Definitely thumbs up to Nagoya! I was there a few years ago and it was one of my favorite places to visit. The Tokugawa Museum and Gardens are excellent. You can visit Nagoya is Not Boring for some great ideas. We also did a food tour with them and had a great time.
Tokyo is big, but outside of Shibuya and other major hubs, there are lots of more quiet neighborhoods to explore. I also really loved Osaka and Hiroshima.
If you want to explore some hot springs, Hakone or Arima are small and nice to visit.
I also want to make a plug for staying at Dormy Inn in Nagoya. They are a mid-ranged hotel chain. They had the most amazing Japanese breakfast buffet every morning. Late night free ramen and ice cream. Onsen onsite. Rooms are comfortable and clean. They have locations throughout Japan.
posted by brookeb at 8:14 AM on December 4, 2024 [3 favorites]
Tokyo is big, but outside of Shibuya and other major hubs, there are lots of more quiet neighborhoods to explore. I also really loved Osaka and Hiroshima.
If you want to explore some hot springs, Hakone or Arima are small and nice to visit.
I also want to make a plug for staying at Dormy Inn in Nagoya. They are a mid-ranged hotel chain. They had the most amazing Japanese breakfast buffet every morning. Late night free ramen and ice cream. Onsen onsite. Rooms are comfortable and clean. They have locations throughout Japan.
posted by brookeb at 8:14 AM on December 4, 2024 [3 favorites]
Takayama and Kawaguchiko are both lovely mountain resort towns that make a good itinerary break between Tokyo and Kyoto, with great walking routes that meander between small shrines and museums. Kawaguchiko has the added bonus of Fujisan... I wanted to say visible, but it depends on the mountain's mood. When it's being an extrovert, it's really visible though. Less crowded or known than Hakone and the hot springs are just as good. Both are easily reachable by train.
Tokyo itself has a lot of green spaces where the crowds thin out to reachable proportions (outside of maybe cherry season) and you can rest. The Meiji shrine gardens are a good place for it right next to Harajuku, I'm also a fan of Ueno Park right next to Ameyoko - after braving a shopping street, you'll need a bit of greenery.
And overall as long as you observe others and try to act the same vs standing on the same side of the escalator, letting others pass, not walking into people etc, Japanese crowds are very manageable. These people are used to being in a crowd, so it's a completely different scene than a football game etc.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 8:50 AM on December 4, 2024 [4 favorites]
Tokyo itself has a lot of green spaces where the crowds thin out to reachable proportions (outside of maybe cherry season) and you can rest. The Meiji shrine gardens are a good place for it right next to Harajuku, I'm also a fan of Ueno Park right next to Ameyoko - after braving a shopping street, you'll need a bit of greenery.
And overall as long as you observe others and try to act the same vs standing on the same side of the escalator, letting others pass, not walking into people etc, Japanese crowds are very manageable. These people are used to being in a crowd, so it's a completely different scene than a football game etc.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 8:50 AM on December 4, 2024 [4 favorites]
You can look at a Tokyo transit map and pretty much figure out where the busy parts of town are: any junction of multiple lines. Especially if one of those lines happens to be the Yamanote line. So Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Ikebukuro—yeah, those will be super-crowded. But you might be surprised at how sleepy other parts of the city can be. Last time I was there, it seemed like they rolled up the sidewalks at 9:00 in Yoyogi-Uehara.
There's a lot of stuff near or near-ish to Tokyo too. Nikko is a must-see and is a good day trip. Hakone. Naritasan in the town of Narita is beautiful. Machida is a charming town with a nice art museum. And so on.
posted by adamrice at 8:55 AM on December 4, 2024
There's a lot of stuff near or near-ish to Tokyo too. Nikko is a must-see and is a good day trip. Hakone. Naritasan in the town of Narita is beautiful. Machida is a charming town with a nice art museum. And so on.
posted by adamrice at 8:55 AM on December 4, 2024
I claim sanctuary brings up a great point: Japanese crowds do not behave like Western crowds. Lots of people in the same space, but trying to respect the flow of people, trying not to jostle each other, not eating/drinking, generally not being loud or rude.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:59 AM on December 4, 2024 [7 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:59 AM on December 4, 2024 [7 favorites]
One thing to know is that Japan does crowds much better than the US and a lot of other Western places. There's a lot more sense of social compact and organized behavior. Also, Tokyo has lots of less crowded neighborhoods, as long as you're willing to get to them, which might involve train transfers (which might seem intimidating but are very easy, google maps were great for transit). We stayed in Akasaka, which is very central but not on the JR line and nowhere near as busy as Shibuya, You could also stay in the Ueno/Asakusa area, which are near important shrines but less busy. Also Naka-meguro or Diakanyama, near Shibuya but modest scale neighborhoods. Places we visited in Tokyo that we liked better than, say, Harajuku, included Inokashira-koen Park (and the Ghibli Museum, which you definitely need tickets for), Yanesen (cute old Tokyo area), Sumida City (visited the Hokusai Museum).
For a smaller city, we liked Matsumoto for a smaller city in the mountains. It has a nice art museum, a very old castle and some quaint areas. It's all in the mountains, which is great if you go when it's hot.
Kyoto is lovely but when we were there it was very hot, and there are a lot of tourists. We went to only lesser shrines and enjoyed those.
posted by vunder at 9:32 AM on December 4, 2024 [5 favorites]
For a smaller city, we liked Matsumoto for a smaller city in the mountains. It has a nice art museum, a very old castle and some quaint areas. It's all in the mountains, which is great if you go when it's hot.
Kyoto is lovely but when we were there it was very hot, and there are a lot of tourists. We went to only lesser shrines and enjoyed those.
posted by vunder at 9:32 AM on December 4, 2024 [5 favorites]
How tall are you? You may find that you're not feeling the real-feel of crowds in Japan because of the aforementioned crowd behavior in Japan, but also because you're just a little bit taller in aggregate than you might be in the West. Being able to see over the crowd might help feeling less hemmed in.
Tokyo is certainly crowded, but the "feel" of the crowd is much less annoying than Times Square or Fisherman's Wharf. You can get a good sense of how crowded the trains/buses are via Google Maps when you pull up directions to get from point A to B.
I am biased towards Nagoya because it was my major city when I lived in Japan, but it's generally great. It's a delicious food city. Every place in Japan has specialties; Nagoya gives you special chicken (cochin) and fried chicken wings, hirekatsu (special tonkatsu), red miso, and unagi. I was just there and me and my stomach already miss it. Their subway system is good (but not on a JR Pass if you're getting that), but be aware that the Higashiyama line (yellow) is always pretty crowded relative to the other lines. My dad complains about this constantly, but doesn't seem to think Tokyo subways are as crowded outside of rush hour. YMMV Ghibli Park requires tickets and they're hard to get, but the park itself isn't that crowded because of the limited ticket availability. Nagoya Castle is currently undergoing major renovations so about 1/3 of it isn't open right now.
Kyoto's main attractions are always going to be full, but not crowded. It's definitely Peak Japan, but if you wanted to skip it I totally give you permission.
Kanazawa is about 2.5 hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen and it's much less crowded but very nice. The castle and gardens are really pretty, the food there is good, and it's got both ninja and geisha "streets" that you can visit. Much less English there, especially in restaurants.
Fukui is 30 minutes from Kanazawa and I just visited for the first time. It's a smallish city because it was basically flattened during WW2. :( They were just added to the Shinkansen route in 2024 so it's all very new. There are some nice historical ruins in the city, then outside the city is a truly great dinosaur museum. We also went to Daihonzan Eiheiji which is a zen Buddhist monastery up in the mountains and it was so quiet and beautiful. Again, be prepared for some signs in English but very little English in restaurants or out and about.
posted by komlord at 9:48 AM on December 4, 2024 [5 favorites]
Tokyo is certainly crowded, but the "feel" of the crowd is much less annoying than Times Square or Fisherman's Wharf. You can get a good sense of how crowded the trains/buses are via Google Maps when you pull up directions to get from point A to B.
I am biased towards Nagoya because it was my major city when I lived in Japan, but it's generally great. It's a delicious food city. Every place in Japan has specialties; Nagoya gives you special chicken (cochin) and fried chicken wings, hirekatsu (special tonkatsu), red miso, and unagi. I was just there and me and my stomach already miss it. Their subway system is good (but not on a JR Pass if you're getting that), but be aware that the Higashiyama line (yellow) is always pretty crowded relative to the other lines. My dad complains about this constantly, but doesn't seem to think Tokyo subways are as crowded outside of rush hour. YMMV Ghibli Park requires tickets and they're hard to get, but the park itself isn't that crowded because of the limited ticket availability. Nagoya Castle is currently undergoing major renovations so about 1/3 of it isn't open right now.
Kyoto's main attractions are always going to be full, but not crowded. It's definitely Peak Japan, but if you wanted to skip it I totally give you permission.
Kanazawa is about 2.5 hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen and it's much less crowded but very nice. The castle and gardens are really pretty, the food there is good, and it's got both ninja and geisha "streets" that you can visit. Much less English there, especially in restaurants.
Fukui is 30 minutes from Kanazawa and I just visited for the first time. It's a smallish city because it was basically flattened during WW2. :( They were just added to the Shinkansen route in 2024 so it's all very new. There are some nice historical ruins in the city, then outside the city is a truly great dinosaur museum. We also went to Daihonzan Eiheiji which is a zen Buddhist monastery up in the mountains and it was so quiet and beautiful. Again, be prepared for some signs in English but very little English in restaurants or out and about.
posted by komlord at 9:48 AM on December 4, 2024 [5 favorites]
Matsumoto, Kanazawa, Takayama I have all enjoyed too. I’d add Koya-San (staying in Buddhist temples, peaceful and beautiful). Hiroshima is a great city and you can unwind with the deer on Miyajima. A stop at an onsen town could be a really good option too. And Nara? Beautiful and more deer-feeding opportunities too.
posted by tardigrade at 9:58 AM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by tardigrade at 9:58 AM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
Also, I want to recommend the Hakone Round Course: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5210.html - We went and stayed 2 nights at an onsen hotel in Gora. (Emblem Flow if you're interested, but there are many). It's a good way to easily access smaller towns, nature, onsens, a lovely open air sculpture museum, all not far that from Tokyo and well set up for visitors. If you're lucky, you'll see Fuji and it gives you a flavor of the mountains if you can't get to Nagoya. You can do it as a daytrip or enroute from Tokyo to Kyoto.
posted by vunder at 10:00 AM on December 4, 2024
posted by vunder at 10:00 AM on December 4, 2024
Yokohama! Even though it's the second-largest city in Japan, it doesn't feel as crowded and hectic as Tokyo. It's just 50 minutes away from Tokyo by Shinkansen.
Hiroshima, as mentioned by others, is also great. However, even with Shinkansen it's a good 4 hours away from Tokyo, so plan accordingly.
Hakone is nice, but because it's popular among even local tourists, weekends can get a bit packed. Nothing like Tokyo's crowds, but narrow roads + lots of people is a bit much.
Kyoto is beautiful, BUT explore it before the afternoon crowds come in, if you can swing it.
I've never been to Beppu, but heard it's wonderful, and is best known for hot springs. It's even further from Tokyo than Hiroshima.
posted by curagea at 10:08 AM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
Hiroshima, as mentioned by others, is also great. However, even with Shinkansen it's a good 4 hours away from Tokyo, so plan accordingly.
Hakone is nice, but because it's popular among even local tourists, weekends can get a bit packed. Nothing like Tokyo's crowds, but narrow roads + lots of people is a bit much.
Kyoto is beautiful, BUT explore it before the afternoon crowds come in, if you can swing it.
I've never been to Beppu, but heard it's wonderful, and is best known for hot springs. It's even further from Tokyo than Hiroshima.
posted by curagea at 10:08 AM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
On a solo trip last year I took the 90-minute bullet train from Tokyo to Sendai, which isn't the most interesting city in itself but is close to a lot of cool stuff (Aizuwakamatsu, Yakamatsu, etc). Renting a car made exploring a lot easier. I speak like 4 words of Japanese and still had a great time.
posted by gottabefunky at 10:26 AM on December 4, 2024
posted by gottabefunky at 10:26 AM on December 4, 2024
For something a little different, I'd recommend going to Fukuoka (probably better to fly, but you can do the Shinkansen train too), in Kyushu. March is a great time to go, with plenty of iconic Sakura trees still blooming. It's a compact but lively city with the best ramen in the world. There is a wonderful Yatai outdoor dining scene, hopping from place to place is a fun way to try new foods and meet new people. It is a bit more international than a lot of secondary Japanese cities due to the proximity to Korea and an aggressive international business incubator system. It's got lovely beaches, plenty of history and is surrounded by mountains.
Kyushu is just large enough to contain some amazing locations, which can be reached by car or train.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 1:08 PM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
Kyushu is just large enough to contain some amazing locations, which can be reached by car or train.
- Arita, Imari and Karatsu: About an hour drive south from Fukuoka, these small idyllic historic towns that specialize in some of the best Japanese pottery. You an get some crazy, crazy pieces there, from Japanese living National Treasures (yes, seriously) for shockingly good prices.
- Nagasaki: I've only been there once for a couple of days, but it is one of my favorite cities in Japan to explore on foot. It's amazingly charming, with cat filled neighborhoods built on the hillsides surrounding the bay. Also has a decent little Chinatown.
- Mount Aso: In the middle of Kyushu is one of the great volcanoes, a gloriously fertile caldera filled with farmland (some great dairy) and a beautiful volcano rising in the center. When we were there, you could hear and feel it rumbling under one's foot, which is crazy. Approaching it from the north in a car, there is a majestic set of smaller mountains and valleys that feel more like something you would find out in the Western United States.
- Kagoshima: The charming southernmost large city, built on the edge of the caldera of another massive super-volcano, with the iconic active volcano Sakurajima rising from the middle which is reachable by a great ferry system. It's got plenty of amazing food and is the epicenter of Shochu, Japan's favorite liquor as well as a major tea growing area. (For example, the small samurai village of Chiran.)
posted by rambling wanderlust at 1:08 PM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
I don't think March will be particularly crowded. April has the cherry blossoms and Golden Week which gets things busy but March will be relatively quiet.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:57 PM on December 4, 2024
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:57 PM on December 4, 2024
Response by poster: This is all great info, folks, and I greatly appreciate it. You've done a bit to ease my nerves and make me hopeful for the experience. Thanks so much.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 6:52 PM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 6:52 PM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
Near Tokyo there is also Nikko, Enoshima, Mt Takao, and the Ghibli museum (check the ticket arrangements if you plan on going). All relatively quiet spots, and more so at that time of year and on a weekday. In Tokyo, to name just a couple of places, the kitchen district is not busy (pottery! Plastic food!) and I think the area near the Edo museum will be quiet too. Similarly the parks will not be busy, though you might not have a lot to see in them in March.
If you are in a crowd in Tokyo, which probably will happen mostly at a significant transit hub (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo station) specifically at a busy time, stare at the feet of people walking around. I don't know why, but if you don't look in the face of people everyone dodges you naturally. Rush hours are obviously worse, as are weekends, but you can plan around both, and there's really no need to be near any of those stations for your hotel (in fact it's cheaper not to).
Tokyo is quite walkable if you're up for it. Like London, the stations get quite close to each other in spots, and even crossing the Yananote line ring east-west is only a few miles and gets you a slice of life. With a map app you shouldn't get lost, and if you do the train stations are frequent and have maps posted for the local area. I wouldn't walk everywhere, but I might plan a walk as a specific event.
Generally if you're stuck in a crowd you will be stuck at a slow walking pace within the flow of people and it's more annoying than oppressive in my experience, mainly because of the pace. There's no shoving or jostling.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:54 PM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
If you are in a crowd in Tokyo, which probably will happen mostly at a significant transit hub (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo station) specifically at a busy time, stare at the feet of people walking around. I don't know why, but if you don't look in the face of people everyone dodges you naturally. Rush hours are obviously worse, as are weekends, but you can plan around both, and there's really no need to be near any of those stations for your hotel (in fact it's cheaper not to).
Tokyo is quite walkable if you're up for it. Like London, the stations get quite close to each other in spots, and even crossing the Yananote line ring east-west is only a few miles and gets you a slice of life. With a map app you shouldn't get lost, and if you do the train stations are frequent and have maps posted for the local area. I wouldn't walk everywhere, but I might plan a walk as a specific event.
Generally if you're stuck in a crowd you will be stuck at a slow walking pace within the flow of people and it's more annoying than oppressive in my experience, mainly because of the pace. There's no shoving or jostling.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 6:54 PM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]
I want to put in my like for Azabujuban as another very neighborhoody Tokyo neighborhood. Near many embassies, so reasonable English accommodation, although I do usually speak Japanese myself. Great supermarkets.
You also might want to look for the quiet cars on the trains, although silent is the preferred social norm.
posted by ec2y at 7:15 PM on December 4, 2024
You also might want to look for the quiet cars on the trains, although silent is the preferred social norm.
posted by ec2y at 7:15 PM on December 4, 2024
Kanazawa and Kyoto are both great destinations I think! During cherry blossom season, yeah, Kyoto especially will be incredibly full of dense crowds in areas popular for cherry blossoms, but for the most part the city isn't super crowded overall (unless you're in town for the Gion Festival). Kanazawa is also really nice, and it's starting to become a more popular tourism destination, but it's also only a mid-sized city overall (with tons of fascinating history and a remarkable amount of cultural stuff, due to, well, a lot of the fascinating history).
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:40 PM on December 4, 2024
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:40 PM on December 4, 2024
Lots of good advice here, I have a few more details.
A friend recently visited and asked me what to do. Since he wanted to ride a bullet train, but lacked the deep cultural interest mandating a visit to Kyoto I suggested (like others upthread) that he visit Nagoya. Weather was good so he got to see Mt Fuji (Tokaido shinkansen goes right past it).
Hiroshima? Don't miss the okonomiyaki pancakes there. It's a common food in Southern Japan but a Hiroshima specialty.
How tall are you?
If you're approaching a meter in height, like me, you may come home with a collection of straight cuts on top of your head, from colliding with metal door-frames. I now get into the habit of grabbing the top of the door-frame with my hand as I approach, in order to remind me to duck.
Finally, don't consider renting a car (unless you're from another of those places where they drive on the wrong side of the street). I realize a lot of Americans feel helpless without one, but (as in Europe) the public transit is so good, having to account for a vehicle will just just add a lot pf unnecessary stress. Be a back-packer, if you can.
Hope you have a great trip!
posted by Rash at 7:56 AM on December 5, 2024
A friend recently visited and asked me what to do. Since he wanted to ride a bullet train, but lacked the deep cultural interest mandating a visit to Kyoto I suggested (like others upthread) that he visit Nagoya. Weather was good so he got to see Mt Fuji (Tokaido shinkansen goes right past it).
Hiroshima? Don't miss the okonomiyaki pancakes there. It's a common food in Southern Japan but a Hiroshima specialty.
How tall are you?
If you're approaching a meter in height, like me, you may come home with a collection of straight cuts on top of your head, from colliding with metal door-frames. I now get into the habit of grabbing the top of the door-frame with my hand as I approach, in order to remind me to duck.
Finally, don't consider renting a car (unless you're from another of those places where they drive on the wrong side of the street). I realize a lot of Americans feel helpless without one, but (as in Europe) the public transit is so good, having to account for a vehicle will just just add a lot pf unnecessary stress. Be a back-packer, if you can.
Hope you have a great trip!
posted by Rash at 7:56 AM on December 5, 2024
BTW my friend, more interested in Fuji, went to Hakone insteard of Nagoya.
posted by Rash at 8:19 AM on December 5, 2024
posted by Rash at 8:19 AM on December 5, 2024
More suggestions:
If you're tempted to go to Kyoto, take a trip to Nara.
If you are in the Kyoto area, then you are in the Osaka area (don't really bother with Osaka)...
BUT strongly consider a trip to Koyasan. This is a mountain town reachable by rail followed by incline (funicular) tram. Stay at a monastery. Did a tour of Japan, and Koyasan was a high point. But requires some planning.
posted by mbarryf at 10:50 AM on December 5, 2024
If you're tempted to go to Kyoto, take a trip to Nara.
If you are in the Kyoto area, then you are in the Osaka area (don't really bother with Osaka)...
BUT strongly consider a trip to Koyasan. This is a mountain town reachable by rail followed by incline (funicular) tram. Stay at a monastery. Did a tour of Japan, and Koyasan was a high point. But requires some planning.
posted by mbarryf at 10:50 AM on December 5, 2024
Here are a few tips about avoiding a sense of claustrophobia in Japan’s busy transit systems:
- If you have clustered a few nearby-ish places together in the same city for a day of sightseeing, you and your family might find cycling between destinations through backstreets a nice alternative to using public transport along main arteries; you will also get a much more interesting view of ordinary urban Japanese domestic life this way. The very useful Japan Guide site gives an overview of how this might work for your trip here.
- The paradox of visiting less-busy destinations is that local train or subway service may not exist, but local buses will fill in the gaps. Here is Japan Guide’s walkthrough of how Japanese local buses are used.
- If you are travelling by train between cities, reserving seats is possible on many trains including the Shinkansen, ensuring you don’t need to queue up for seats in the unreserved carriages before the train arrives or worry about needing to stow your bags when boarding while also finding seats together. JR East has a page in English here showing how tickets and reservations work; the system is similar on all of Japan’s railways.
- If being in a busy train station or shopping center and not knowing where your entrances and exits are is a concern, you’ll want to remember the word for exit: 出口. It is pronounced “deguchi”, and conveniently, this looks like a rather excited person next to a box that looks like a doorway. (The word “入口”, iriguchi, for “entrance”, looks like a pair of legs quite confidently walking toward that same box that looks like a doorway.) Here are the English Wiktionary pages for deguchi and iriguchi if you’d like to learn more about the characters.
- If you are worried about finding the least-crowded-feeling exit for you out of a subway station, check station maps online. Here is an example from Higashi-ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro (click “Station Map”) that shows a variety of ways to reach the same destinations. This is very useful in a subway station that is part of a larger complex, like Ueno in Tokyo that is also a mainline railway station. In these cases, it really is worth checking your exit before you leave the platform, as it might be hard to discern which of the exits ahead of you takes you through a huge, busy department store or food court first and which leads you directly to the street outside.
- You may want to follow what in Japan are often called “barrier-free” pathways through stations when they are available as they may be free of narrow passageways and steps where crowding might feel more overwhelming to you. Checking Tokyo Metro’s barrier-free guide to its Ginza and Hibiya Lines services to Ueno Station here, for example, you can see which platform to concourse to street journeys are possible.
- Give yourself ample time to get from your initial entrance to a station to your platform; with rolling suitcases in tow you might need to use specific pathways that don’t include escalators or stairs, for example, if a station staff member directs you that way.
- A Japanese big-city “train station” will actually be a large shopping and dining complex that is owned or managed by the railway itself, which means some parts of the building can feel like being in a very claustrophobic space, with low ceilings, limited views out, and occasional minor intrusions into your pathway, like a row of stools to accommodate waiting diners; here is an example of what this looks like at “Ramen Street” inside Tokyo Station from Wikipedia. Happily, there are usually free paper station guides to the largest station complexes as well as an information desk: at Kyoto Station, for example, this guide to its facilities will definitely help you make sense of the scale and how you’d be happiest navigating it. If you’re going to dinner on the eighth floor after a tiring daytrip but elevators aren’t great for you, a guide like this can help you find whether there is a nice, open-feeling escalator to reach the same restaurant.
- Finally, the excellent Inside Kyoto website features this page specifically on avoiding crowds in Kyoto.
Have a wonderful trip!
posted by mdonley at 5:40 PM on December 5, 2024 [2 favorites]
- If you have clustered a few nearby-ish places together in the same city for a day of sightseeing, you and your family might find cycling between destinations through backstreets a nice alternative to using public transport along main arteries; you will also get a much more interesting view of ordinary urban Japanese domestic life this way. The very useful Japan Guide site gives an overview of how this might work for your trip here.
- The paradox of visiting less-busy destinations is that local train or subway service may not exist, but local buses will fill in the gaps. Here is Japan Guide’s walkthrough of how Japanese local buses are used.
- If you are travelling by train between cities, reserving seats is possible on many trains including the Shinkansen, ensuring you don’t need to queue up for seats in the unreserved carriages before the train arrives or worry about needing to stow your bags when boarding while also finding seats together. JR East has a page in English here showing how tickets and reservations work; the system is similar on all of Japan’s railways.
- If being in a busy train station or shopping center and not knowing where your entrances and exits are is a concern, you’ll want to remember the word for exit: 出口. It is pronounced “deguchi”, and conveniently, this looks like a rather excited person next to a box that looks like a doorway. (The word “入口”, iriguchi, for “entrance”, looks like a pair of legs quite confidently walking toward that same box that looks like a doorway.) Here are the English Wiktionary pages for deguchi and iriguchi if you’d like to learn more about the characters.
- If you are worried about finding the least-crowded-feeling exit for you out of a subway station, check station maps online. Here is an example from Higashi-ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro (click “Station Map”) that shows a variety of ways to reach the same destinations. This is very useful in a subway station that is part of a larger complex, like Ueno in Tokyo that is also a mainline railway station. In these cases, it really is worth checking your exit before you leave the platform, as it might be hard to discern which of the exits ahead of you takes you through a huge, busy department store or food court first and which leads you directly to the street outside.
- You may want to follow what in Japan are often called “barrier-free” pathways through stations when they are available as they may be free of narrow passageways and steps where crowding might feel more overwhelming to you. Checking Tokyo Metro’s barrier-free guide to its Ginza and Hibiya Lines services to Ueno Station here, for example, you can see which platform to concourse to street journeys are possible.
- Give yourself ample time to get from your initial entrance to a station to your platform; with rolling suitcases in tow you might need to use specific pathways that don’t include escalators or stairs, for example, if a station staff member directs you that way.
- A Japanese big-city “train station” will actually be a large shopping and dining complex that is owned or managed by the railway itself, which means some parts of the building can feel like being in a very claustrophobic space, with low ceilings, limited views out, and occasional minor intrusions into your pathway, like a row of stools to accommodate waiting diners; here is an example of what this looks like at “Ramen Street” inside Tokyo Station from Wikipedia. Happily, there are usually free paper station guides to the largest station complexes as well as an information desk: at Kyoto Station, for example, this guide to its facilities will definitely help you make sense of the scale and how you’d be happiest navigating it. If you’re going to dinner on the eighth floor after a tiring daytrip but elevators aren’t great for you, a guide like this can help you find whether there is a nice, open-feeling escalator to reach the same restaurant.
- Finally, the excellent Inside Kyoto website features this page specifically on avoiding crowds in Kyoto.
Have a wonderful trip!
posted by mdonley at 5:40 PM on December 5, 2024 [2 favorites]
reserving seats is possible on many trains
Not just possible, but required, on some super-express trains.
posted by Rash at 6:00 PM on December 5, 2024 [1 favorite]
Not just possible, but required, on some super-express trains.
posted by Rash at 6:00 PM on December 5, 2024 [1 favorite]
« Older US Mobile Phone Plans for 2FA outside the US | What Great American Songbook-style songs should I... Newer »
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
My experience of Tokyo (admittedly a decade ago at this point) was that rush hour was alarming and mass events are to be avoided (by far the scariest crowd experience I've ever had was walking back to the subway after a fireworks show--I originally wrote "rush hour is terrifying", but that crowd was genuinely dangerous, whereas rush hour was just unlike anything I'd seen), but general wandering around was at most midtown Manhattan levels of crowded, if that gives you scale.
posted by hoyland at 7:04 AM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]