I'm contemplating a month long trip to Japan in Fall 2021 and am looking for suggestions on where to stay (city and/or specific accommodations) based on the following criteria:
- flying into either Tokyo or Okinawa most likely
- home base to be used for the month, to travel around the country. We may spend a night or two in a different prefecture but will still have the main place for the entire month
- good area for family (two parents, a then 4yo and a 1.5yo). Although we would like a main city, a suburb would also work well.
- good connection capability to the train system, for travel throughout the country
Also, I would love any suggestions on family friendly experiences for the Fall in Japan.
Thank you!

Kanazawa, Himeji, Takayama, Hiroshima. Tokyo, of course. Kyoto if you like crowds... I was there in fall 2016.

Nara to see the wandering deer. Magical place
Naoshima Island is wonderful if you like art

I’d go to Osaka! So much to see close by, Kyoto, Nata, Kobe and your can take the Shinkansen to Tokyo to visit that area!

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If you are flying in on StarAlliance airline (air canada, etc.), you are eligible for https://www.jal.co.jp/.../japan_explorer.../ar/reservation/, which is roughly $100/person for any flight inside Japan. You can even fly all the way from islands south to Okinawa to Hokkaido.

If you’re looking for a home base for a month, I wouldn’t recommend Okinawa - it’s quite out of the way. I used to live in Japan - on Shikoku and in the suburbs of Tokyo. Something in the Kansai region (Osaka/Kyoto) would be fairly central - you would have those cities local, Hiroshima to the west and Tokyo to the east.

You could easily explore Tokyo and surrounding areas, Kamakura, Nikko, Hakone for a couple of weeks. But once you are done that area, probably would make sense to move on. Ensure you spend some time in Kyoto and Nara.

Do not miss Kyoto and Nara. You could spend a week in Kyoto.

Kyoto hands down and Hiroshima! I suggest at least 2 different areas to see.

For a ton more info you can also do a search on this ‘YVR Deals’ site - lots of great detail has been written over the past 2 years:)

Tokyo suburbs is great (Mitaka neighbourhood). We lived in Yokohama, which is often overlooked by international tourists. I would say it's way more family friendly than Tokyo is. If you can find a place by Yamashita park (Sakuragicho station), Negishi Park. There's more walking space, a big green park to play in, etc. They have the cup noodle museum there. From Yokohama, you can get to Kamakura, Enoshima fairly quickly (40 min train ride), Zushi which has a nice beach spot.

I would recommend staying in Kyoto as it has it all - urban areas, more temples than you could ever see, and nature hikes nearby. It's easy to get up and down the country from there.
Okinawa is very beautiful, but you will probably need to rent a car to explore it fully.

Miyajima (in Hiroshima) would be very beautiful in the fall and great place to visit with kids! Also, definitely eat Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima.Also, I think staying in Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto etc) as a home base over Tokyo would be better to travel around near by cities, which offers many things! (And you can still go to Tokyo from there if you'd like, or stay in Tokyo the day of arrival/departure) If you end up going to Okinawa, try Taco rice. I was skeptical at first, but it was that delicious! As mentioned by a person before me, a rental car in Okinawa would be a good idea (but you shouldn't need a rental car on a mainland because the public transportation is pretty good). And definitely look into JR rail pass, and don't be shy to try convenience store ( 7.11, family Mart, Lawson) in Japan. They are awesome!

Two weeks in isolation? https://www.japan.travel/en/coronavirus/

That may not be the case in the fall of next year.

Stay Home!!!

Crisa fall 2021? even the Olympics are rescheduled for July 2021. I'm sure if the coronavirus is still active at that point she would reconsider the trip.

Okay,Stay Safe

Get the bullet train pass for tourists which you can travel within Japan at a much cheaper price. I know they have sth for 2 weeks but not sure if they have a month pass. I stayed in Osaka last year, and used the bullet train pass to travel as south as Hiroshima and north as Tokyo. You can even go to Hokkaido by using this pass.

Osaka and Kyoto are very nice!

Seriously?!?! Covid is predicted to be its worse again then. Stay safe and PLEASE self isolate if coming back.

Susan fall of 2021?? Not this year.

Melissa thank you for bring that to my attention.

We just did this trip at the beginning of this year. We mostly stayed in Osaka and took the bullet train out to different areas although we did also stay in Tokyo for part. Definitely get the JR pass before you travel as it's greatly discounted. If you want to PM me for more info or ask me more questions, I'd be happy to pass on more info!

I'm envious!
A lot of this depends on whether you've been to Japan before. I'd highly recommend you base the majority of your time in the Kyoto area for a number of reasons. More to do, better restaurants, very different almost peaceful feel to it, easy to get around and to go other places, people, and the vibe. From there, day trip to Nara and Osaka.
If you've never been before, I'd say spend a week of your time at the start in Tokyo (Skytree area) in order to acclimatize, take in some of the craziness it offers, see the sights, eat too much really good food. While there, strongly recommend getting an early start and spending the day in Kamakura.
Be forewarned that the fall in Japan can be super busy and pricey as the fall colours are a big thing

A few years ago we did a three week train trip between Tokyo and Hiroshima. We ordered first class tickets online (there are special rates for tourists). We stayed 2 to 3 days in Nagoya, Kyoto, Mt Fuji area, and Japanese Alps. And lastly several days in Tokyo. We booked hotels and/or Airbnbs in advance to make stats easier. Although we did not speak Japanese we got on very well with Japanese. They were very kind and helpful on travels. Enjoy! K

If you're there in the fall, I HIGHLY recommend a trip to Nikko. I lived a few hours away and went 2-3 times a year because it was so beautiful, and it's best in the fall. Stay around Tokyo so you can get direct connections to west/north and southwest.

https://lifamilytraveltips.weebly.com

Kanazawa is one of my favorite city in japan. But if you like the beach Okinawa is a must see. Theres a budget airline that you should look into flypeach.

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney seas are well worth a day each

If you are staying for a month, I recommend not having 1 base. You don't want to spend 3 hours between Tokyo to Osaka one day, then another 3 hours going to Tokyo to Kyoto, then another day going 4 hours from Tokyo to Himeji, etc. That will mean 20 hours in just travelling in 3 days.
Better to just book a week in Kanto, a week in Kansai, a week in Okinawa and whatever time elsewhere.
My wife and I had the 3 weeks JR pass (before we had kids) and were based in Osaka.... Totally not worth it. Felt like we spend more time travelling than actually visiting other towns and cities.

I don’t have advice for you with regard to staying, but I’d like to mention that we went on a cruise that started in Tokyo and made several stops in Japan before heading for Alaska and finally Vancouver.
We found the Japanese people to be absolutely delightful! We felt so welcomed and enjoyed every minute. Japan is definitely on our list of places to return to.
I hope you have as positive an experience as we did!

Marilyn, what was the date of this cruise

Alice Apr 2014

Marilyn which cruise company did you go with on the Vancouver, Alaska, Japan trip?

Holland America.

check out vacationstogo.com. there are repositioning cruises in the spring and fall.

Susan - ours was a repositioning cruise. We always keep an eye on vacations to go, but book through our trusted travel agent in Vancouver because if something goes wrong when we are abroad we have an advocate “on the ground”.
We had one very bad experience with VTG so use it only as a benchmark for prices.
We find that our agent can usually get us as good a deal or explain why he can’t. Sometimes VTG will have an amazing deal, but you find out that the stateroom is directly above or below the stage or the galley or crew quarters which can be very noisy at odd hours, for instance.

Marilyn great advice I also do that for flights always book direct after so many bad experieces

Tokoinn

I've been to Japan twice in November 2018 and 2019 was supposed to go again Nov 2020, depending how long you're going for, I have some suggestions, message me

As a newly settled Tokyolite, this is the trip I planned on taking my family, before COVID changed everything: Rent a car from Tokyo, head to the town of Fujiyoshida to see Lake Kawaguchi and Mount Fuji. Then drive down to Hakone to enjoy the natural hot springs and Lake Ashi, beautiful area especially during the fall. If you love the ocean, spend a day driving around Izu Peninsula to Shimoda, it is incredibly beautiful and one of the best kept secrets about Tokyo! On the way back to Tokyo, you will drive through Chigasaki and Kamakura, both are lovely surf towns right by the beach. Kamakura has some beautiful shrines and the famous Buddha. You may also stop by Yokosuka close by the US naval base, there's a cool little America street lined with bars, serving up junky burgers and tacos for military folks. Then Yokohama Bay Port and Chinatown, before heading back to Tokyo. It's a good week long trip to see nature and culture from Tokyo!

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Currently travelling as a family around Japan. Feel free to pm me for tips, or you can check out our IG www.instagram.com/corteztravelgram for ideas

Could spend a month in Tokyo and not see half the stuff there is to see there that city is bonkers but if your looking to get out of the city there tons of little towns with onsens like Yamanouchi not sure how late in fall you are going but they got monkeys that come down and hangout in the hotsprings when it's cold

Great! Lived in Japan 17 years and would definitely recommend Kamakura, Kanagawa as a base! Easy quick train to Tokyo, great beaches, restaurants, culture, amazibf temples!!!, shopping, green hills for easy hikes, cycling is lovely!! Enjoy

I was also wanting to do this. I lived in Nagoya for 4 years and while it's not super thrilling it's country central and close to the mountains-and cheaper!

Please consider going to Hokkaido- It’s so beautiful and the people are so friendly. The onsens are incredible and family friendly.Also, Sapporo is an amazing city. I actually prefer it over Tokyo.
Try to stay in a ryokan in Hakone and definitely visit Kyoto.
You really can’t go wrong in this incredible country.