Hello, everyone. Our family of four is traveling to Japan for 16 days in March 2020. Kids will be 12 and 15. We plan on visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Naoshima. Looking for recommendations for accommodations and transportation tips. Thank you!

I just got back from Japan a little over a month ago, it was awesome and super safe!
Tokyo there's: Tokyo Disney and Tokyo Disney Sea, Studio Ghibli Museum (buy tickets well in advance if you want to go they sell out super fast), tsukiji fish market (food is really good here but pricey compared to other fish markets), Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, Akihabara, Shinjuku, Shibuya Crossing, Harajuku.
Kyoto: There's tons of shrines personally I loved the Sake shrine, have a picnic/walk along the Kamo River, Here's a huge list of things to see and do in Kyoto. If you want to visit a really good old school ramen shop that looks a bit grungy but is super good I strongly suggest Karako Ramen and getting a bowl of ramen and the fried chicken you will be full for days! If you have time hop on the train and do a day trip to Nara and see the deer in Nara park they are super friendly and you can feed and pet them.
Osaka: Try Okonomyaki and Takoyaki, Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan, go to a baseball game ideally in Osaka to see the Hanshin Tigers. Their fans are the most lively of all the Japanese baseball teams and tickets in the outfield are the most popular instead of behind home plate.
As far as getting around be sure to buy JR Rail passes to take the bullet train. I got my tickets from https://www.japan-rail-pass.ca/ it will save you a lot of money compared to buying single trip tickets in the country. Also be sure to get a Suica Card in Tokyo to take transit and be prepared to walk a lot and take transit as cabs are crazy expensive! Be sure to get a SIM card before you leave or when you arrive. Your phone must be unlocked before you go or else the SIM card wont work to do this just call your cellphone provider and they can unlock it for free. Alternately you can rent a mobile hotspot (I think thats what its called?) so you can have data and use google maps to get around it will make life getting around infinitely easier there.

Matti - thank you!

Accommodation in Kyoto: https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/inari-ohan.html

Nina - thank you!

We used a portable wifi from global advanced communications . Pick up and drop off at the airport. Would absolutely rent one again. Japan is our favourite place to visit . Enjoy and don't forget to visit an onsen and a traditional hotel.

Sharon - thank you.

Make sure to get tickets in advance. https://borderless.teamlab.art

Issaku - thank you.

Search the theme restaurants. Always the best fun! Ghost and prison ones were my favourites. Save the address to show the cab driver.

https://lifesincrediblejourney.com/top-5-unique-cultural.../

Melanie - thank you.

Louise I was there last March and totally do able to get around on subway and trains between and within cities.

Harajuku street in Tokyo is a great adventure!

We did Tokyo, Osaka and kyoto with our 2 kids in March as well, but in 5 days. We decided after 1 day in Tokyo that we wanted to visit the aquarium in Osaka so we bought a JR pass the next morning and booked a hotel in Osaka while on the train. We booked Dormy Inn Namba in Osaka and loved it! It was a more modern take on an onsen, the kids slept on tatami mats and loved the paper windows. They had an amazing breakfast with traditional Japanese items as well as some westernized options. They also had separate male and female traditional natural spring Baths which was quite interesting. Everyone is naked and you sit in the bath and then you shower in these small sit down showers. And then a few blocks down the road is the amazing tsurutontan udon restaurant. They have opened some restaurants in the US but this one is by far the best and original. The udon noodle bowls are literally the size of a large pizza. Not even exaggerating. My daughter LOVED it.

Katie - thank you:

If you're going between Kyoto & Osaka & it's not already on your radar - Nara is really cool with deer that wander around the park. You can buy crackers from vendors & feed them by hand & they "bow" at you.
Also accommodation wise - you can look into pod hotels which are an experience in themselves!

Jenna - thank you.

If you are going south to Naoshima, consider going to Hiroshima. It has a great museum and your kids are at an age to take in the bombing that happened. It was the most impactful museum I visited in my two years living in Japan. March is a great time to go!

Erica Rizzo

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Definitely get a Suica card. You can use it in Osaka and Kyoto as well!

Depends how much traveling one will be doing. A day pass or a multi day pass is a better deal. I'm in Osaka right now and I have the Kansai Thru Pass which gives me unlimited travel in the metro (non-JR) railways as well as the inter-city railways. I've been to Kyoto twice from Osaka, to Kobe, and tomorrow we're off to Wakayama.

Mimi - thank you!

Mark - thank you.

In Tokyo definitely go to the Sumo Restaurant at Ryogoku. Go when they have a sumo demo. Or if you can take in an actual match, but that's a lot of work to do.
The temple in Asakusa including the shipping street outside is awesome.
If your kids are into Anime, go to Akihabara.
I'm staying right now at Hotel Oriental Express in Shinsaibashi. I recommend this hotel. Priced reasonably and it's 2 small blocks from the Shinsaibashi shopping street and you can walk the one mile to Dotonbori.

I recently went there a few months ago! Wish i had known about
Jetzy people keep talking about before i went though haha Really helps you get local recommendations on food, transportation, and where to stay. Saves you a LOT of time on researching. Let me know if this helps!

Hai Nguyen

Get a portable wifi for time. Order online, they deliver to your hotel and you put back in the mail at the end. Not too expensive for the freedom it gives you.
Download Hyperion App to plan your train trip, times, tracks, transfers all there and easy to follow.
We used Odigo website to help figure out what we wanted to see and the routes to get there.
We got a JR pass before leaving home and it was really useful

http://japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp.html

All you can ride bullet train for 7 days just for $290. You can see everything there easily!! Enjoy Trip~!

Trains are the best way to travel in Japan. If I recall though, the tickets have to be paid in cash, no credit cards. Amazing country, people and culture.

For a day trip from Kyoto, Uji is a nice little place to explore if you like all things matcha. You can also go a little further into Wazuka and find a tea farm tour.

I am happy to be your tour coordinator!!. Call me, text me or visit me any time

Maki-Chan, we should chat!

If you go to Kobe and ard looking for a great not expensive place to stay try Maya Guesthouse.

Check out the New York Times “36 Hours in (...)” Japan editions. We were there last month and used the Kobe one and it didn’t let us down once. I know they have Osaka and Tokyo and maybe even Kyoto, among other cities. Have a great trip! Kobe is wonderful.

Also, when you first take the train, I would recommend getting a transit card, similar to compass cards, as you will likely be taking the train A LOT. The attendants at the train gate are very helpful and are happy to assist as it is pretty confusing at first. These cards will get you on any local trains and are re-loadable. In japan, you pay when you get off the train (confusingly, also on busses) and if you don’t have enough credit on your card, the gate won’t open and there is a pay station to add more. It’s a really great system.

Just read through the comments and I see that others have recommended the suica cards —I even kept mine for future visits, but you can return them at the airport at the end of your trip to get your deposit back. You can also use them at some vending machines and train station convenience stores.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that Japan is a cash culture and very few places accept credit cards.
Also, go to the cup noodle museum in Osaka. It’s free and you can make your own custom cup noodles or take a cooking class and make them from scratch (for a fee). But make sure to take advantage of the English audio guide. We didn’t realize that there was one available and there is literally zero English throughout the museum. The kids will like it.
I’m sure you’ve heard this already, but the convenience stores are outback of this world. If you’re on a budget or just looking for a quick meal, they’re definitely the place to go. 7-11, Lawson’s and Family Mart are the most popular ones. One can easily say a balanced, delicious meal from here. We were there for three weeks and had at least one meal (usually breakfast
) from a convenience store a day. These stores will also usually carry the local specialty or what the particular region is known for, dessert or otherwise.

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Go visit Arishiyama when you are in Kyoto... beautiful bamboo forest with some tranquility and you can there by public transit.

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