School me on Japan

[msommers]

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Drink lots of Pocari Sweat.

There are a few places in town that sell it if you're having a hankering. And Japanese kitkats!

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Pocari Sweat is OK, but Calpis is the GOAT.

[g-m]

I've always gone in February and would recommend that. Summer sounds hellish. I've been 5 times since 2012 and it just seems to get busier. I thought Disney Sea sucked and was boring with huge lines even during the day midweek in February. Universal in Osaka was infinately better and the was a singles line for most rides that was 1/4 the length. You decide.

I've always thought Osaka is MUCH better than Tokyo and every time it's been revalidated. Osaka aquarium is worth going to. As are cooking lessons. We did Okonomiyaki last time. I know it's not in most people's itinerary but Hokkaido is really awesome and imo well worth the trip

[muse017]

I’d never go to Japan/South Korea in July/Aug even if someone pay me to do so lol
But lots of summer festivals are happening in July so if your daughter is ok with steamy hot weather, she will experience very different/vibrant Japan side in summer.

[msommers]

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I've always gone in February and would recommend that. Summer sounds hellish. I've been 5 times since 2012 and it just seems to get busier. I thought Disney Sea sucked and was boring with huge lines even during the day midweek in February. Universal in Osaka was infinately better and the was a singles line for most rides that was 1/4 the length. You decide.

I've always thought Osaka is MUCH better than Tokyo and every time it's been revalidated. Osaka aquarium is worth going to. As are cooking lessons. We did Okonomiyaki last time. I know it's not in most people's itinerary but Hokkaido is really awesome and imo well worth the trip

The people in Osaka were so different than the rest of Japan, was pretty surreal lol

[g-m]

And it just seems so much more laid back and 'smaller' bars and restaurants where Tokyo is chain city. People are friendly everywhere but are REALLY friendly in Osaka. Every time I'm there I go on a self directed pub crawl with friends/wife and every time we get pulled into tiny bars every 50m by the proprietors/clients. And get home at 6am having been to 10 super cool tiny themed bars with really nice people. LOVE Osaka.

[Team_Mclaren]

Good choice, depends on what you're looking for, there is a lot to see/do. I've been there 7 times in various cities. We just came back from Japan in Nov and we've always gone in Nov. The weather is perfect. They have an actual fall season unlike here.

I always recommend going close to Fuji for a few days if you have the time. Stay in a Ryokans around Lake Kawaguchiko, it's the most beautiful place I've been.

[taemo]

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Good choice, depends on what you're looking for, there is a lot to see/do. I've been there 7 times in various cities. We just came back from Japan in Nov and we've always gone in Nov. The weather is perfect. They have an actual fall season unlike here.

I always recommend going close to Fuji for a few days if you have the time. Stay in a Ryokans around Lake Kawaguchiko, it's the most beautiful place I've been.

we are planning to hit Japan next year for fall season, was thinking late october/early november. which part did you go and how were the fall colors?
possibly going with another family so probably just tokyo and kyoto, only bucket list for me is to hit ghibli park, considering maybe hitting okinawa too if swimmable for kids

[OTown]

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If there's a sumo tournament on you've got to check it out!

Obviously, food. Lots and lots of food.

Good luck getting tickets...

[flipstah]

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Good luck getting tickets...

You can through a tour. We did! Worth it

[davidI]

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Good luck getting tickets...

We showed up without even being aware of the Sumo Tournament and bought tix without problem... mind you that was 5 years ago.

[phreezee]

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only bucket list for me is to hit ghibli park, considering maybe hitting okinawa too if swimmable for kids

Need to buy tickets well in advance for Ghibli park. We stood in line for 30 minutes only to find out it was sold out and everyone inline had pre-bought (sad trombone).
Need to pre book things like Super Mario World in Universal as well. Klook was good for this.

For ganesh, beware of jelly fish during the summer months if you plan on hitting any beaches, both my kids got stung. I was surprised about how warm the water was in Japan; I'd say warmer than Hawaii or the Mediterranean.

[Xtrema]

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Need to buy tickets well in advance for Ghibli park. We stood in line for 30 minutes only to find out it was sold out and everyone inline had pre-bought (sad trombone).
Need to pre book things like Super Mario World in Universal as well. Klook was good for this.

Almost anything anime themed require months ahead booking.

Ghibli park and USJ Super Mario World are newish, even the locals are still flooding them at this point.

No loss in not going to Ghibli this early tho, the park isn't fully completed until mid 2024.

That said, my mid 40 sister still lost her shit when seeing the house in Totoro.

[flipstah]

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Almost anything anime themed require months ahead booking.

Ghibli park and USJ Super Mario World are newish, even the locals are still flooding them at this point.

No loss in not going to Ghibli this early tho, the park isn't fully completed until mid 2024.

That said, my mid 40 sister still lost her shit when seeing the house in Totoro.

Yeah it was still being built when we went. If you're going to Ghibli Park in the summer, you're going to be cooking outside in the forest part of the park. We were only able to get into the Warehouse, which thankfully was beside an ice skating rink so you can wait in comfort instead of lining up in the heat. They love queuing system so get ready for that.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

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Good luck getting tickets...

Is it difficult these days? I booked them through buysumotickets.com and had no problems, looks like they are still running. They were great and always kept us in the loop on our tickets, and they delivered them right to our hotel for $5.

[flipstah]

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Is it difficult these days? I booked them through buysumotickets.com and had no problems, looks like they are still running. They were great and always kept us in the loop on our tickets, and they delivered them right to our hotel for $5.

We used BuySumoTickets.com also and they provided tickets to us and a guided tour of the premises before general admission, which is nice.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Oh nice, I don't think they did tours when we booked ours, would totally have gone for that!

[Euro_Trash]

Would recommend a baseball game - the crowd is intense: crazy live music, chants, etc.

+1 for sumo

[riander5]

Get some whale sushi and chicken sashimi if you really want to get the local experience

[g-m]

And horse. Which was actually very tasty