Hey Everyone,
My boyfriend and I are traveling to Japan the last week in February. Neither of us have been before so are looking for recommendations on areas to travel to, places to stay and things to do in Japan in the winter. Would love any and all suggestions/tips.

If you don't mind taking a bit of a detour, stay one night here (buddhist temple) and do a night tour of the okunoin cemetery. its beautiful and very peaceful
高野山　恵光院 (Ekoin temple, Koyasan)

Despite what other may think, Hiroshima is definitely worth the trip. If you're there, get some Okonomiyaki at Hassei

Accommodations in Hiroshima is very cheap compared to tokyo or kyoto

A day trip to Nara is a must
also Kyoto has so much to offer so I would recommend spending some time there. My personal favourite was the Bamboo forest...you will want to go early to beat the crowds. Japan is amazing, so you will have a great time!

do you want to be in snow or not be in snow?

I am leaning toward less snow but open to either.

Megan if you have one week you might consider splitting your time between tokyo and Kyoto to maximize the japanese highlights.
Kyoto has stunning temples, geisha running to appointments, tea houses, then you get to experience a bullet train to tokyo and all of that epicness . Also cherry blossom season begins some time in January in okinawa so you should check to see where they are expected to be blooming in late February 2018. These two cities allow you to experience some of the iconic experiences people associate with japan. 3 days in kyoto and 4 in tokyo and surrounding area. If you’re one of these travellers who like to move around a lot then 2 days in Kyoto, 3 in Tokyo and then fly off to Sapporo in hokkaido. Hokkaido is famous for thermal springs/baths and nature. Sapporo is beautiful. So imagine reclining in a natural thermal spring outside in the snow. Epic. Segregated by gender though. If you are into skiing then hokkaido has some of the best powder in the world. There will be snow and o to -2 weather in sapporo. Kyoto and tokyo’s not cold in winter. Quite chilly at times but not parka weather. But that depends on how you personally deal with temperature.

I suggest you to purchase a Japan Rail Pass. Rail passes cannot be purchased in Japan, so you would have to purchase here first. You can purchase 1,2 or 3 week pass and it covers unlimited trips in Japan, as long as the trains are operated by Japan Railways. Otherwise, go to Kyoto for its culture/historysightseeing; Tokyo for its city vibes and Osaka for its street food.

A week isn’t that long to see Japan

Robot Restaurant in Tokyo

I have to disagree with this. It's a tourist trap.

MariCar ! You will not regret !

This looks amazing, I'm planning on going to Japan in 2019 so i've just bookmarked this for the trip

Jay same here !

Best $60 I spent. Do the night course if possible.

Will this be available in February?

Megan It should be. I highly recommend this. I went last year and it was the highlight of my trip.

Hey Joee! Did you need to get an international licence to do this? We're going in May:)

Sovia You need an International Drivers Permit (IDP) to do this.
You can get these at a CAA. If you don't have a membership, it's about $40-45 dollars. It's good for a year.

Alex Great!! Thanks!!!

Sovia yes get it at CAA. Omg I want to meet you guys

If you're only there for a week, I'd recommend limiting yourselves to visiting only 1 or 2 major cities. You could spend a whole week in Tokyo and barely scratch the surface. I've been twice, each time for 2 weeks, and we did Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto each time. All 3 are beautiful in their own ways and have tons of stuff to do and delicious food to eat. Do you know where you're staying?
Also, JR Passes are not always worth it, if you won't be city-hopping much. It was barely worth the money for us to do Tokyo -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Tokyo during our 2 week stay.

i totally second all of this ^

I third this. Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto are fantastic to see. And totally agree that JR pass is not always worth it. We didn’t get one seeing these three cities (and Nara) and spent less than we would have with a JR pass.

We are flying into Osaka and out of Tokyo. I have only roughly planned to stay in Osaka for three nights with potential day trips to Kyoto and/or Nara then three nights in Tokyo. I would love to do a night in a ryokan in the country side but with only a week I am not sure we will have the time. Nothing is set in stone yet other than the flights.

Train to nagano and do skiing and/or see the snow monkeys. Disney in Tokyo is cheaper then states and a fun time. Kyoto is a great place to explore too. In Tokyo i also enjoyed seeing assimo and checking out lifehouse church and going to an owl cafe

airbnb

We did air b n b and we had a great time. We were there for 18 days in December 2016. Kyoto was our fav city. So much to do and see. If you’re only there for a week, limit to one or two cities like others have said. If you are going to rent a car, the drive up to Gifu is worth it. The highest amount of outdoor hot springs in Japan. Much better than any hot springs we went to anywhere else. We did a two night all inclusive and it was the highlight of our trip.

Hina Can you pls tell me more of the weather and winter gear for Dec.
Do i need boots? Planning on taking a spring jacket with hoodies

my husband and I just came back from a two week trip in October. You can DM and I'm happy to provide our itinerary and recommendations

please purchase your JR rail pass here in Canada. it will be very expensive if you purchase it in Japan

i am not sure you can purchase it in japan. think it has to be purchased abroad and picked in japan

u can purchase on line or pick it up in mississauga

You buy an exchange pass here and then convert it to a rail pass once you land in Japan

One of the highlights of our Japan trip last year was Fukuzumi guest house in Hakone near Mt.Fuji. it's a traditional guest house with natural hot spring ansen. Cost per night might seem on high side but it includes dinner and breakfast served in your room. (You must like fish) they must have served 8 courses for dinner we were absolutely stuffed with Japanese food we didn't even know existed. You can have Japanese breakfast (more fish) or Western breakfast.
http://www.fukuzumi-ro.com/eng/about/about.html

Hey Megan,
Been to Japan many times, married a Japanese woman, taken friends and family. I highly recommend Kyoto, including staying at one of the refurbished, modernized tea houses: http://www.kyoto-machiya-inn.com/. 4 of us stayed in one with my parents and it was amazing. Way better than a hotel and a very different experience.
If you’re in Tokyo, I recommend the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi. Even if modern art isn’t your thing, the view from the top is stunning, and I don’t think you need to pay to enjoy it.
Also in Tokyo, there’s an area called Shimokitazawa. It’s a small little bohemian area about 4 minutes from Shibuya on an express train. Cool to check out at night as it can be buzzing. Only needs an hour to experience, but kinda neat and different.
Finally, if you have dough to spend, I recommend this place: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g1165976-d1167601...
Splurge on a room with a Fuji view and prepare for your mind to be blown.
*** alternatively, any hot spring is 100% worth it: very Japanese experience and totally awesome.

Kamakura is a must do day trip, really relaxing beach town, you can rent a bike too, which is cheap!

Kate

Shevaun

Nicole Au
Eugene Sung
Marcus La

Tokyo. Kyoto for sure!! SO beautiful!Osaka also. Mount Koyasan. If you can spare the time try to get to Hiroshima.

Miyajima is a must if you make it to Hiroshima

If you get the JR pass Nagano is a 2-3 hour ride away -they have really nice onsens and you may see the snow monkeys !

Tokyo visit Tsukiji fish market - it is really early morning but you see the tuna auction. And then have really fresh sushi for breakfast - best I ever had.

taking shinkansen to Kyoto and spending there few days is lovely especially if you stay in ryokan in geysha area

Thank you everyone for all of the great advice, it's all so helpful!

Neetu Gill
Agata Monika