Trip to Japan

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **DML** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:14 am

Also, any hotel reccomendations? How have the hotels been out there and did you stay in 3/4/5 star hotels?

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Outrunner** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:47 am

I've found the hotels to be a mixed bag (in a good way). There have been 3 star hotels I stayed in that I would personally have ranked higher. In all the times I've been there has only been one hostel that I felt I couldn't sty at and cancelled the booking. Mostly I stay in fairly middling hotels. They're nice enough. I'll occasionally treat myself nicer hotels and have always enjoyed my stays in APA hotels. As for specifics I always stay in Ueno in Tokyo and all of the following hotels have been fine.

Kinuya Hotel - literally outside the Skyliner train station which is handy if you fly into Narita. A bit dated but the staff are friendly

New Izu hotel - a 5-10 minute walk from the station. A little dated but it's in a quiet neighbourhood and the staff are lovely

APA Hotel Ueno-Ekimae - About 10 minutes from the station. More modern feel to it but also a bit more pricey. Still cheaper than some of the other APA hotels in the area

Coco Grand - A bit pricier but again, feels a ore modern. About 5 minutes from the station

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **SandyCoin** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 11:02 am

Does anyone know what the best time to go to Japan would be between October and April? I'm planning on moving to Thailand for around 6 months at the end of the year, and will certainly be visiting Japan as flights are nice and cheap from Bangkok. Obviously it's a big country so weather will most likely vary, but I am mostly interested in Tokyo for now.

YouTube · PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Green Gecko** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 4:25 pm

March is the best time. It isn't cold or hot. In April when it rains it steams itself off which is nice. The skies were clear most of the time with one tropical rainfall in arashiyama and some showers. It's just as cold as here in winter but hellishly humid in the summer. I definitely felt that climate was perfectly acceptable for Brits, it was basically Spring so not much different from here but a bit warmer. That was Kyoto and Tokyo isn't far off. All the birds and animals were out in the parks/temples as well. Although I never saw a raccoon dog.

Maybe the altitude mattered, I think Kyoto is in the valley/plains of some nearby mountains.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Outrunner** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 6:15 pm

January/February were my favourite times. I'm very much a winter person and was over there specifically for the cold and the snow. Most places were a bit quieter (well, outside of the snow festivals) and hotels seemed to be cheaper.

For warmer temperatures March/April are good times to go. I personally found the end of April was getting a bit on the warm side for me but then I'm notoriously bad for the heat (anything above 15 degrees). I also went in November, the weather was warm (only had to wear a coat once) and the autumn colours were lovely. I'd love to go in the summer but everything I've heard about the temperature makes me think it would be hell for me.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **joyjoy22** » Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:43 am

If you want to experience Cherry Blossom then book a flight in April. I would recommend Super Hotel in Tokyo.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **SandyCoin** » Fri Jan 18, 2019 8:10 am

Great, thanks for the replies everyone.

I'm not too fussed about the cherry blossoms tbh. Whilst obviously beautiful, it's not something I'd specifically set out to see.

Nothing's set in stone yet anyway. I just wasn't sure what the climate is like over there throughout the year. Obviously Thailand is nearby, and it's best to be there from November to March to avoid the insane heat of April or monsoons of the Summer months. I guess I'd just avoid Japan when it gets to the more unbearable conditions. March might be nice though, especially as that might be the last month of our trip.

We'd be there on a budget (as we would be going to a bunch of other countries also) with most money being spent on food, so cheap hotels/airbnb, hostels would be our preference.

Has anyone stayed in any of those pod capsule hotels? No idea if they still exist but I remember years ago seeing a film with them in and being rather fascinated. I'd never stay in one though :dread:

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Parksey** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:49 am

Just out of interest, why would you never stay in one?

I stayed in this one just before Christmas, in the airport before an early morning flight back to the UK:

https://tubesq.jp/en/

The beds are basically arranged so it's just like a big dormitory with a bunk bed arrangement. The beds are usually a decent size and as it's Japanese, everything is remarkably clean and organized. It's no different to a hostel, except a hell of a lot cleaner, safer and not as noisy.

I stayed in one in Sapporo too which was just as clean and that had an onsen (hot spring) in it, as well as few other facilities.

If you're looking for a cheap hotel, APA, Toyoko Inn, Route Inn and Dormy Inn are all budget business hotels. Room size tends to be a lot smaller in Asia, though they'll serve as a place to stay for cheap. Usually they have decent locations too (often near a station or central).

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Silent Right** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 6:24 am

SandyCoin wrote:Has anyone stayed in any of those pod capsule hotels? No idea if they still exist but I remember years ago seeing a film with them in and being rather fascinated. I'd never stay in one though

They still exist. I've never slept it one though. From what I understand they are basically made for people who miss the last train home after work and just need a place to sleep. If I missed the last train I'd probably just pay for a strawberry floating cab, but apparently that's just not the Japanese way.

Regarding hotels, if you want to avoid the room feeling tiny, try to get a Japanese style room. They just have futons they place on the floor so it makes the room feel much bigger. Also they're probably cleaner then beds as they can wash the whole thing rather than just changing the sheets.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **SandyCoin** » Mon Jan 21, 2019 8:04 am

Parksey wrote:Just out of interest, why would you never stay in one?

I stayed in this one just before Christmas, in the airport before an early morning flight back to the UK:

https://tubesq.jp/en/

The beds are basically arranged so it's just like a big dormitory with a bunk bed arrangement. The beds are usually a decent size and as it's Japanese, everything is remarkably clean and organized. It's no different to a hostel, except a hell of a lot cleaner, safer and not as noisy.

I stayed in one in Sapporo too which was just as clean and that had an onsen (hot spring) in it, as well as few other facilities.

If you're looking for a cheap hotel, APA, Toyoko Inn, Route Inn and Dormy Inn are all budget business hotels. Room size tends to be a lot smaller in Asia, though they'll serve as a place to stay for cheap. Usually they have decent locations too (often near a station or central).

Just doesn't appeal really. My days of dorm style sharing are hopefully well behind me. Also from that link it looks pretty steep, unless I'm looking in the wrong section. It seemed to suggest around 30 euros for 9 hours. That's surely not correct. I know Tokyo is expensive but a cheap bnb/hotel room can't be a huge amount more than that? I guess if I was travelling on my own I might give it a try, just for the experience and all that.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Starjo** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 6:25 am

strawberry floatin' love capsule hotels.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Parksey** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:27 am

The example I posted is in an airport - the proper hotels charge a premium for convenience too, and all of them are actually located in the airport. The one I used is a minute from the check-in desk.

They may not be that much in a city centre.

The other thing is, generally hotels seem more expensive here than in Europe, especially considering you generally get a smaller room for your money too.

It's also not really a dorm in the sense of being host to a bunch of rowdy drunks, you get quite a broad age range as it's more about the convenience.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Festivus Maximus** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:31 am

I had a Sapporo beer yesterday in Yo Sushi, thats about as close to a trip to Japan as you can manage without getting on the plane.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Starjo** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:43 am

Parksey wrote:The example I posted is in an airport - the proper hotels charge a premium for convenience too, and all of them are actually located in the airport. The one I used is a minute from the check-in desk.

They may not be that much in a city centre.

The other thing is, generally hotels seem more expensive here than in Europe, especially considering you generally get a smaller room for your money too.

It's also not really a dorm in the sense of being host to a bunch of rowdy drunks, you get quite a broad age range as it's more about the convenience.

I stay in one in Kabukicho in Shinjuku usually when I'm Tokyo coz it's literally stumbling distance from Golden Gai and I'm usually too hammered to give a gooseberry fool.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Parksey** » Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:56 am

Staying in Kabukicho for the "beer". Classic Skarjo.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Yoshimi** » Wed Feb 13, 2019 6:40 pm

Is Taito okay to stay in? Was looking at Shinjuku, but Taito seems much cheaper.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Chocatomi Plaza** » Wed Feb 13, 2019 8:02 pm

Is anyone familiar with short term rentals/guesthouses, such as TokyoStay?

I'm just looking out of curiosity, and I wondered if that sort of thing was any cheaper or had any benefits over something like AirBnB?

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Bunni** » Wed Feb 13, 2019 8:15 pm

Yoshimi wrote:Is Taito okay to stay in? Was looking at Shinjuku, but Taito seems much cheaper.

It’s fine. We stayed in ueno for a bit first time round and that was handy. Park is close and the station has great links and there’s a massive market which came in handy on the last day when we ran out of clean clothes and just popped to uniqlo for new outfits and a suitcase. Asakusa is worth a visit for the sky tree, expensive to go up but the Ghibli store at the bottom is nice, and KFC has a magical bottom filled pint.

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Outrunner** » Wed Feb 13, 2019 8:27 pm

Bunni wrote:
Yoshimi wrote:Is Taito okay to stay in? Was looking at Shinjuku, but Taito seems much cheaper.

It’s fine. We stayed in ueno for a bit first time round and that was handy. Park is close and the station has great links and there’s a massive market which came in handy on the last day when we ran out of clean clothes and just popped to uniqlo for new outfits and a suitcase. Asakusa is worth a visit for the sky tree, expensive to go up but the Ghibli store at the bottom is nice, and KFC has a magical bottom filled pint.

Seconded - I always stay in Ueno. I find it really convinient to get to from Narita and it has great links to most places. Ueno park is nice but will get packed during cherry blossom season (sorry, I forget if you've said when you're going). I'll be staying in Ueno on my next trip in March/April

PostRe: Trip to Japan by **Yoshimi** » Wed Feb 13, 2019 8:53 pm

I'm going in October, so no Cherry blossom for me. Thanks for the info though folks.

Trip to Japan

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