First timer to Japan, Help/advice needed

[hysteria88]

Hi all!

For first timer to Japan, I'm thinking of planning a family trip to Hokkaido and Tokyo/Osaka this October because our tour group couldn't form.

I've planned for itinerary to Seoul and Taichung/Taipei with not much issues so would like to know if there would be a big difference between Japan and the above mentioned countries to plan my itinerary.

1) Will language be a huge barrier?
2) Is it better to look for accomodation in airbnb/apartment or just stick to hotels?
3) How should many days is recommended for both Hokkaido and Tokyo and how should I allocate them?

Please do highlight me of what I also should be aware of.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dimitri_can]

Hi all!

For first timer to Japan, I'm thinking of planning a family trip to Hokkaido and Tokyo/Osaka this October because our tour group couldn't form.

I've planned for itinerary to Seoul and Taichung/Taipei with not much issues so would like to know if there would be a big difference between Japan and the above mentioned countries to plan my itinerary.

1) Will language be a huge barrier?
2) Is it better to look for accomodation in airbnb/apartment or just stick to hotels?
3) How should many days is recommended for both Hokkaido and Tokyo and how should I allocate them?

Please do highlight me of what I also should be aware of.

Thanks in advance!

1) Will language be a huge barrier?
->Not much. But good to know a bit of Japanese.

2) Is it better to look for accomodation in airbnb/apartment or just stick to hotels?

->if you have more than 3 ppl in ur group, better to go for airbnb. Read the reviews first before u book.

3) How should many days is recommended for both Hokkaido and Tokyo and how should I allocate them?

->Hokkaido: About 4-5 days just for Sapporo, Otaru, Hakodate area.
Tokyo: About 3-5 days?
Pls read this for more info.

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/japan-271/tips-how-plan-your-trip-3553704.html

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/j...sultation-service-w-e-f-15th-jun-4704580.html

 

[ashethen]

i'm also going hokkaido and tokyo for the first time.

would like to know what are some of the basic and important phases I should learn, especially when dinning at restaurants that are not tourist friendly

 

[kifo]

i'm also going hokkaido and tokyo for the first time.

would like to know what are some of the basic and important phases I should learn, especially when dinning at restaurants that are not tourist friendly

1 person - hitori
2 persons - futari
3 persons - san nin
4 persons - yo nin
5 persons - go nin

Ask for the bill - okanjo onegaishimasu

To order, just point to the picture.

Obviously try not to go into those restaurants without pictures or English menu.

They should be able to understand simple English like one, two, toilet, etc.

To thank the cooks when leaving (usually for those restaurants or ramen where you can see them cooking in front of you), say gochisosama desu.

 

[hawkwind]

Osaka and Hokkaido are one end to another. Best to pick either Osaka/Kyoto or Hokkaido with Tokyo in between. Unless you have many many days.

 

[h0neystars]

Get a data card/mobile wifi, download google translate app.

Speak to it and it will automatically translate your voice to Japanese text and you can flash it to staff.

The staff can also speak in Japanese to the app and the text will be translated back to English for you to read.

The sushi chef tried this while I was dining at Nijo Market.

i'm also going hokkaido and tokyo for the first time.

would like to know what are some of the basic and important phases I should learn, especially when dinning at restaurants that are not tourist friendly

 

[hawthorne]

good to learn some hiragana for food items, so at least if u visit places with non picture menu, u can roughly guess what item is on the menu. or at least u know what that restaurant specialized in, before u decide to approach it

Alternatively, go get a data sim card and u can use google translate. There is this feature to take a photo of the text and google can translate the phrase. However, this feature will require data plan. The offline version requires u to key in the text manually

For your Japan leg, it depends on what u want to see. For my case, i dislike huge cities, so I would allocate 2 days max in Tokyo, just to go visit some shops in Akihabara or Shinjuku. (I might skip Tokyo altogether). To put things into perspective, for my virgin trip to Tokyo many years back I allocated 4 days. If u r a shopping person, then u might want allocate more time in Tokyo.

For Hokkaido, during my last trip I allocated 16 days (and it already feels a bit too rush). Hokkaido will require u to self drive if u want to see the nice spots. IMHO, 7 days in somewhat the minimum if u want to at least visit some of Hokkaido properly.

Driving will take up some time, so better to space out your itinerary else u risk spending most of ur time driving and hit and go on those destinations.

 

[Wood41]

Just point at the menu ,signal with finger for 1-2 sets & say 'one' will do.
There are fast food outlets with machine to order food .

 

[hawthorne]

Just point at the menu ,signal with finger for 1-2 sets & say 'one' will do.
There are fast food outlets with machine to order food .

That will work for the large cities. For Hokkaido, if u venture into the non touristy places, there might not be Picture or English menu

 

[hysteria88]

my tour group decided to compromise to my dates. so im going with a tour for hokkaido and then we're extending our stay for free and easy at tokyo for 3 more nights.

anyone have good recommendation for accommodation for 5 in tokyo?

 

[hawthorne]

5 is a odd number for any hotels. Tokyo hotels are very small, so unlikely u can get a room to squeeze 3 in 1 room. so, 1 person might need to sleep alone.

alternatively, u can consider a Ryokan with a Japanese family room (these are tatami mat rooms and u sleep in futons. these can normally squeeze more people) or airbnb

 

[hysteria88]

Alright, this would be a rough draft of my short stay in Tokyo, would need some suggestions of places to visit.

Day 1 -> Sapporo -> Haneda -> Airbnb (Shin Nakano Station) ->Shibuya/Harajuku
Day 2 -> DisneySEA
Day 3 -> Tsukiji Fish Market -> Sensoji Temple -> Tokyo Skytree
Day 4 -> Shinjuku -> Narita -> Singapore

As I am traveling with my family, I would prefer more family orientated itinerary which makes it really hard for me to plan.

For DisneySEA is it recommended to spend the whole day there till after dinner? Or do most people leave during early evening and catch dinner else where?

What are some malls or places that are a must visit in the Shinjuku, Shibuya and Harajuku area? (I've seens Shibuya 109, Don Quijote, etc)

Is it advisable to squeeze Ginza and Roppongi into my itinerary?

Skytree or Tokyo Tower?

Any popular restaurant to visit? (We are not a fan of sashimi though!)

Thank you all for your response in advanced! I'm open to any kinda suggestions as well!

 

[tissuepaper]

i'm also going hokkaido and tokyo for the first time.

would like to know what are some of the basic and important phases I should learn, especially when dinning at restaurants that are not tourist friendly

i guess one phrase you should learn is "do you have english menu?"
- ego menu arimasu ka (eh-go menu[same as english] ah-ri-mas ka)

ego = english
arimasu = have
if you want chinese, = chiu-go-ku-go

and usually i just show the number of fingers to indicate how many people

 

[tissuepaper]

Any popular restaurant to visit? (We are not a fan of sashimi though!)

i use tripadvisor app for my meals, and filter by best ranking / closest to me
food didnt go horribly bad so far. feel that food in japan are generally good.

 

[thesal]

i use tripadvisor app for my meals, and filter by best ranking / closest to me
food didnt go horribly bad so far. feel that food in japan are generally good.

yup, almost never tasted bad food in Japan. The only disappointing ones are train station bentos, totally not what I expected after seeing them in movies, dramas etc

 

[Hisashiburi]

My thoughts on this.

DisneySea depends on how fast/much u guys want to see/do.
We went in the morning and finished by evening.
Went back to Tokyo for dinner.
The food inside Disneysea is quite limited i feel.
There is also a sort of shopping mall at the train station.
Maybe u can have dinner there.

Nothing much in Ginza(shopping street) and Roppongi (night life for adults). Wont miss anything if u dont go.
Ginza main street was full of Chinese tourists anyway. lol

Shibuya 109 is good.
There is a disney store at Shibuya and at Harajuku which would be good for the kids.

At Harajuku, they are famous for crepes.
Angels crepe is popular, serving mostly sweet crepes.
The crepe shop across has savoury(salty) type as well.
Quite good!

Recommend eating at a Unagi restaurant.
A bit expensive but the unagi is quite good (if u like unagi).

Also try donkatsu and ramen.
Many different kind of ramen restaurants available.
Just pick one!
They are mostly quite good.

Alright, this would be a rough draft of my short stay in Tokyo, would need some suggestions of places to visit.

Day 1 -> Sapporo -> Haneda -> Airbnb (Shin Nakano Station) ->Shibuya/Harajuku
Day 2 -> DisneySEA
Day 3 -> Tsukiji Fish Market -> Sensoji Temple -> Tokyo Skytree
Day 4 -> Shinjuku -> Narita -> Singapore

As I am traveling with my family, I would prefer more family orientated itinerary which makes it really hard for me to plan.

For DisneySEA is it recommended to spend the whole day there till after dinner? Or do most people leave during early evening and catch dinner else where?

What are some malls or places that are a must visit in the Shinjuku, Shibuya and Harajuku area? (I've seens Shibuya 109, Don Quijote, etc)

Is it advisable to squeeze Ginza and Roppongi into my itinerary?

Skytree or Tokyo Tower?

Any popular restaurant to visit? (We are not a fan of sashimi though!)

Thank you all for your response in advanced! I'm open to any kinda suggestions as well!

 

[lunafan]

Hi all!

For first timer to Japan, I'm thinking of planning a family trip to Hokkaido and Tokyo/Osaka this October because our tour group couldn't form.

I've planned for itinerary to Seoul and Taichung/Taipei with not much issues so would like to know if there would be a big difference between Japan and the above mentioned countries to plan my itinerary.

1) Will language be a huge barrier?
2) Is it better to look for accomodation in airbnb/apartment or just stick to hotels?
3) How should many days is recommended for both Hokkaido and Tokyo and how should I allocate them?

Please do highlight me of what I also should be aware of.

Thanks in advance!

1) Didn't encounter any language barrier in the few trips I made to Japan. They might not speak English well enough to reply you but most of them understand and can point you in the correct direction.
2) I prefer location over anything. Up to personal preference.
3) Hokkaido is so huge, it is a huge island....not a city. How can compare with Tokyo? For first timer to Tokyo, I think 4 days would be ok, depending on your family's pace and what you wish to do. Sightseeing, shopping, anime, food?

 

[hysteria88]

One of the last few question I got,

Is there such thing as Maxi cab in Japan? I am sorting my itinerary from my airbnb back to Narita and I noticed for 6 person at a fee of about 2800yen each, it will be about 200 SGD in total for us to take 2 transits to Narita. If there is a straight Maxi cab service that would take us to the Airport I wouldn't mind paying abit more for the convenience.

If there are maxi cabs and you all have contact care to share?

 

[eq2addict]

One of the last few question I got,

Is there such thing as Maxi cab in Japan? I am sorting my itinerary from my airbnb back to Narita and I noticed for 6 person at a fee of about 2800yen each, it will be about 200 SGD in total for us to take 2 transits to Narita. If there is a straight Maxi cab service that would take us to the Airport I wouldn't mind paying abit more for the convenience.

If there are maxi cabs and you all have contact care to share?

200SGD ok bah , I heard about a guy in my coy took a 600SGD cab rite before , from airport to his hotel in Tokyo.

 

[dimitri_can]

One of the last few question I got,

Is there such thing as Maxi cab in Japan? I am sorting my itinerary from my airbnb back to Narita and I noticed for 6 person at a fee of about 2800yen each, it will be about 200 SGD in total for us to take 2 transits to Narita. If there is a straight Maxi cab service that would take us to the Airport I wouldn't mind paying abit more for the convenience.

If there are maxi cabs and you all have contact care to share?

It would be better to take train. Cab will be expensive n slower than train