Planning to go to Japan this Coming July with hubby & 17 yr old daughter for 2 weeks. Any recommendations which city, air bnb, must visit places, resto? Thanks you for any inputs.

If it’s your first time, you really can decide on whether you want to hit the staples or go off the beaten path. If you wanna keep it simple, do Tokyo, Oskaka, Kyoto and the surrounding areas. Take day trips around those cities using Tokyo and Osaka as your base.
Make sure you get the JR rail pass for unlimited travel for tourists.
If you want to be a little more adventurous, make sure you visit the northern prefectures and areas like Tohoku, Niigata, and Hokkaido. These offer a lot more rural and scenic experiences.
If it’s your first time though, I’d recommend the first option to get your bearings and then for your next trip, venture off to more remote areas. Have fun!

Branavan Thanks incline to do your 1st suggestion

Pinky its pretty straight forward. Plus, if will be a lot easier to get around (transportation wise) and look up things. Plus, lots of documentation and recommendations from other travellers since those cities are major hubs

Japan has a lot of cities and they all have different things you can explore.. you like something more modern? or you want those history pieces?

Leonie Lee more modern as my daughter gets bored about historic places

Pinky Pop Tokyo then. But be warned the hotel are TINY

Ramen and bring cash but skip ramen town in the station very overrated

Adrian i heard - i watched a couple who ate ramen the whole 30 days

Yes get the JR pass. You have to buy it outside of Japan and then pick it up from a kiosk usually Tokyo. I flew via Mtrl on japan airlines coming back which meant i didn’t have a six hour layover in Vancouver airport waiting for the RedEye. You can fly out of Toronto but usually more expensive and hard to book. air canada had flights.
The first person’s suggestion of Tokyo, osaka, kyoto is best for a start. In Kyoto, get a booked tour that takes you to the many temples it is easier than trying on the local transit as they get you in the priority line. Oh and you want to go to Nara too. That is a day trip.

Tanya oh thanks will try to do that

Oh if you have questions, tag me and i will reply. I don’t always see DMs. I have been twice as a solo traveler. Cash is needed more than cards or credit though you can use the interact cash machines in 7-11 to get money from Cdn bank accounts.

The Suico (not sure of the spelling) card is a top up card. You can use it to purchase coffee to noodles to transportation. you can get it at a major airport - refund on the deposit when you leave the country. I had 5 days in Tokyo - loved it. Next time I'd go to Sapporo, Nagoya, Kyoto/Osaka. Fly into one city, return from the other. ANA is a fabulous airline. JL is supposed to be great. YVR has a train to the city - go and explore.

The Yamato no yu spa is awesome, if you're staying in an airport hotel in Narita at either departure or arrival it's a great way to start/ end your trip. When I was last there it was around $8 CAD to use the facilities and a small fee for towels. You can also book private massages for additional fees.

I spent 3 days in Osaka which was very nice. We visiting many of the gardens and temples. We saw a Kabuki show in Tokyo, many young women in the audience dress in Kabuki for the show. They can be very long, sometimes up to 12 hours but you can buy a portion of the show, we went for 2 hours of the show, it was very interesting. We flew JAL and they were very good.

travel to sapporo on a ship! i loved northern japan; if you do head up that way, save your money for great seafood for the north- so much cheaper and more available than say, tokyo. there are a few ferries available. also... the best of bests for me was staying in the house of light.
https://hikarinoyakata.com/

Hye You can also get to Hokkaido on the Shinkansen (bullet train). But then a second train to reach Sapporo. I did it two years ago, when flights were grounded due to the typhoon. Enjoyed seeing the countryside more than when I flew previously to visit family there.

true; this was bit simpler if you were already near a port, aaaaaaaand it's an overnight ferry, so at least one night of lodging is taken care of!
the ferry had a bath house (separated by genders), restaurant, hangout area and everything, which was spacious and fun, and it was cheap cheap cheap.
i did enjoy the shinkansens (osaka-kyoto, kyoto-tokyo, tokyo-niigata)
my next train to do is the maglev in shanghai!
and one day, i hope, the oriental express, and the royal scotman, the ghan in australia, rovos in namibia, the zephyr from chicago to san fran., xining to lhasa... etc etc...

Assuming you’ll be doing the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka thing that many people do, check out Nara if you have the time! The deer & temple were very impressive when I showed visiting family.
Also, look into taking a day or overnight trip to Koya-san in Wakayama prefecture, it’s accessible by train from Osaka. Gorgeous famous graveyard, temples, and the FOOD
We stayed overnight at one of the many Buddhist temples, where you can get different sized traditional meals (we got the biggest one obviously), use their baths, and attend the very early morning meditation. Famous for their sesame tofu.
Hiroshima & Miyajima are nice but far. I am super biased but if you have the chance to go along the coast of Mie or Wakayama by train, do it!!!! The views are gorgeous, the beaches are great, and there are various temples, Nachi waterfall & UNESCO heritage hiking trails. Rural Japan is really worth seeing.

Katie Brock thanks i will check that for sure especially the waterfall & beaches

I have a few blog posts about Japan specifically regarding Jr pass and planning your trip since there are lots of things to think about. We did tokyo Kyoto Osaka but spent the majority of the time in Tokyo and Kyoto. We planned a fuji and coastal day trip but a typhoon changed our plans a bit. There is so much to see and do in and around Tokyo and Kyoto that spending a week in each is not too much. You can day trip from Kyoto to Osaka. www.exploreasafamily.com/Japan.html

Sarah nice read...thanks pick up some tips on your blog

Pinky Pop happy it helped. I realize it's been 2 years and I haven't written about Kyoto but we loved Arashiyama (the monkey park and the main area, renting a boat would be amazing, the bamboo forest was overrated but you can wander through), walking through pontocho alley especially at night, gion, kyoto engine ramen was our favourite ramen place (SO good!), kiyomizudera temple (make sure you go to the back of it and walk down the hill instead of the stairs), day trip to nara (we rented bikes and it was such a fun way to get around, the temple there was gorgeous), and of course fusimi inari shrine (definitely a highlight)

Pinky Pop also i'm just remembering how amazing the melon pan is ... eat melon pan every day

I loved Nagasaki!

If you plan on traveling around , make sure you get a rail pass before you go!

Do go to Hiroshima and Myajima. U can do this in a longish day trip from Osaka . Experience an Onsen - I went to one in Osaka in. Residential neighbour / the whole family goes and then they eat dinner in the restaurant in the premises

Don't forget to get a portable wifi. You can reserve one and pick it up at the airport when you get there. Drop it off at a mailbox in the airport when you leave. It helped us so much, especially using google to find the quickest/fastest/cheapest way to get from point A to Point B.
Pick an airbnb close to a JR rail station or metro station. It helps a lot during a long day, not having to walk so far.

Following

I forgot to say their is a one day, or two day city pass for Osaka that gets you free transport on the subway trains and various attractions. I used it to take the train around the port and see that along with the Aquarium and another few places. Just try to plan Osaka for not on a Monday. Hiroshima is doable with the JR pass from Osaka in one long day. I did it. Just reserve your trains ahead of time. Oh and remember, the trains are like Europe down to the second so get to the platform early and line up where your door is. Travel off peak in Tokyo on the subway otherwise be prepared to be squashed in the trains. Their is designated women’s cars for peak time. They call them the purple cars.

I want to see it all, so can't recommend any one thing but this is an awesome travel planning resource for Japan: https://www.japan-guide.com/. Lots of great videos to give you a sense of a specific destination there.

Kirsti Thanks this is very helpful indeed

It's worth the short plane ride to Okinawa. The beaches are out of this world.

or take the ferry from kagoshima
*i dig ships+trains...
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2355.html

My husband and I took our 9 year olds twins to Japan for a week in 2016 then we headed to Korea. It was our second trip and the first for the kids. We flew into Tokyo, had a wonderful couple of city days with pachinko being the highlight for the kids. We bought JR train passes and took the bullet train to Osaka where we stayed for a night. My husband toured the Suntori distillery and the kids and I went to Kyoto (highlight was the monkey park and just wandering around). Then we went to Hiroshima including Miyajima and stayed at the luxurious Prince Hotel from which we could catch a boat to Miyajima. Hiroshima was both beautiful and so impactful. Next we took the train to Fukuoka and transferred to a small train to the rural interior village of Yufuin which looked like a tiny Banff. We stayed in an airbnb with its own hot spring fed rock tub. We also spent time in a beautiful onsen and experienced the beauty of rural Japan. Lastly we travelled back to Fukuoka to fly to Korea. We covered a lot of ground but I wouldn’t change anything!

Jillian I’m sure great memories to remember- thanks I know wanted to go to Korea as well

Tokyo- Don’t forget to take a walk around kabukicho and piss alley etc. but be careful and don’t go into any clubs/bars in kabukicho. They are both in shinjuku. You just check out harajuku and shibuya crossing (they are close to each other) and visit the metropolitan Tokyo buildings for the best free view of the city

Definitely get a JR pass. If you go to Kyoto, the bamboo forest is pretty amazing (go early morning or evening if you want pictures with no people in them). Hiroshima’s a really cool place. If you go there, make sure you try okonomiyaki - so delicious! Food’s expensive in Japan. The 7/11s have a good variety of things to eat. Japan’s a beautiful country - anywhere you go you’ll enjoy. Have fun!

Pinky Pop - did you end up travelling to Japan? I'm curious what the restrictions were prior to the Omicron outbreak. I booked a trip for Sept this year, but wondering if they required vaccinated travellers to quarantine.

Are you still travelling? We’re looking to go this July but the restrictions have us weary and we’re not sure if we should book our tickets.

Nara Hotel is very cool and worth the splurge. In Osaka, check out the funky vintage stores and cafes in Nakazaki Cho. Don't miss a coffee and ice Monaka at Zeroku.