Tony - Japan 2024 Planning - Take 2

[chadbag]

Yeah, a domestic flight would be an interesting experience if you haven't done it.   We flew into ITM (Itami) via Haneda on our last trip and then back to Haneda from ITM on return so I've done the domestic flight.  Though I'll probably get another chance when I got to "pick up" my sone end of 2025 when he is done with his time there on Hokkaido.  No need to spend a day, all day on trains to get to Sapporo when Sapporo is the goal...

 

Plus the time in the airport (get there early, security, etc) can be meaningful.    But there is a reason Japan has a very robust domestic flight network for a place the size of California.

 

[Kingmeow]

6 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

And are the planes really as clean as they look in the videos?  And is food at the airport as inexpensive it STJ shows in his travel videos?

 

Ciao,

Tony

 

Yes and yes!  On my last (and first) trip, we flew back to EWR from Osaka (we came via NRT) and since ANA is a partner of United, it was an ANA flight out of ITM to NRT for the connection.  To tell you the truth we liked the ANA flight sooo much better than United.  Friendly, polite and engaging staff from beginning to end.  I've never seen so many people smile at me!  🙂

[Tony Galiani]

@Kingmeow I figured as much and am looking forward to my ANA flight when I return to the US.  Though I did run afoul of their tech today (which is about as mediocre as most tech is IMHO).  I always check my reservations periodically before travel to be alert for any flight changes or other issues.  United finally sent me the ANA reservation code so I went in to take a look.  The reservation indicated I needed to add my passport info which I tried to do.  But no matter what I did, it would simply not accept the info.  I tried three different browsers, revised cookie settings - all without success.  Finally I resorted to calling - to hear multiple messages advising callers to check the ANA web site as most requests could be handled there.  Finally I did get through - interestingly enough, they tell you which call center you are connecting to - USA, Japan or The Phillipines - and got my passport info attached to the reservation.  At least in theory.  I plan to go in tomorrow to see if it really happened.

 

Tony

 

[Gunzel]

Naoshima is very easy to get around as a tourist. Bus, taxi, bike rental. There are at least a few other art islands as well which are worth a visit. You could probably do it as part of your travel from Osaka to Takamatsu, just leave your bags at the information centre at the port, but you'd need to leave Osaka fairly early I think. Next trip we are planning to catch the bus from Osaka to Takamatsu along the Shimanami Kaido to check out the bridges, but the Seto Ohashi bridge for the train is also pretty spectacular.

 

You could catch the Sunrise Seto from Takamatsu back to Tokyo, in combination with the Sunrise Izumo (they combine at Okayama for the trip to Tokyo) it's the last regular sleeper train operating in Japan, and is likely to be discontinued when the carriages need replacement. I wouldn't recommend a Nobi Nobi seat unless you want an experience but the sleepers while compact are quite comfortable. You generally need to book early. 

[Tony Galiani]

Well I finally started to firm up travel plans.  I have reserved a hotel in Takamatsu near the JR station and sorted out a bunch of things to do - indoor and outdoor depending on the weather.  I have not firmed up my travel to and from Shikoku yet but am close.  Probably will take the train so get the Seto Ohashi bridge experience.  ANA has a surprising number of daily flights to Tokyo so will likely take that option when we leave.  Prices were very reasonable.

 

In my dreams I take the Sunrise Seto or a ferry but not sure I am ready to try booking either from this distance.

 

Ciao,

Tony

[Tony Galiani]

Now I am on the horns of a dilemma for our days in Tokyo.  I have discovered a cat themed shopping area by Nippori Fabric Town.  On one hand, I can get my wife to go over there and between the fabric shops and the cat themed shops, I can have an entire day - possibly even more! - to go to train stores as she will be completely captivated by the shops.

On the other hand, there is a shop selling cat tail donuts!  Can I actually pass that up?

https://www.yanakaginza.com/

 

Tony

[cteno4]

Maybe your wife can bring you back a kitty bag of cat tail donuts?! What a way to finish a day of train shops?

 

jeff

[Tony Galiani]

I am thinking that I could go with her, pick up a bag of cat tail donuts, waddle over to the Nippori bridge for train watching and coffee then a further waddle on towards Sakatsu Gallery!  Donuts and trains - not sure if I can beat that.

Tony

[Tony Galiani]

Saw this at Frankfort Airport - didn't pick it up but was tempted.  Maybe some other time though not sure I need any thing else distracting from my modelling.

Tony

[chadbag]

6 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

Saw this at Frankfort Airport - didn't pick it up but was tempted.  Maybe some other time though not sure I need any thing else distracting from my modelling.

Tony

 

I've seen a bunch of kits of this flavor in stores recently.   Some are pretty spectacular

 

[Tony Galiani]

Trying to decide where to stay in Osaka - Umeda or Namba.  Leaning to Umeda for transportation connections, Sky Tower, Osaka Castle, gardens and close to the river and easy access to Namba and other parts of Osaka as it is so easy to get around.  Am I missing something?

Ciao,

Tony

[SL-san]

1 hour ago, Tony Galiani said:

Umeda or Namba

Tony,

In the past I have stayed in a Toyoko-Inn near Shin Osaka as it was easy getting off and on the Shinkansen there.  Its a bit quieter than Umeda or Namba which suited us but you might prefer something a bit more lively!  The Osaka Metro gives really good access around the city once you learn to use it like the Paris Metro (planning your trip and interchange stations).  Enjoy your time there...I am envious!!

Graeme

[Gunzel]

I’ve also mainly stayed near Shin-Osaka, and usually in an Airbnb apartment to the north, these are pretty quiet residential areas. When I’ve had an early start for the airport I’ve also stayed at Tennoji. 

[Tony Galiani]

Has anyone had experience taking the Airport Limousine Bus to/from Haneda Airport?  Normally, we use the monorail but that means making a connection from wherever we are staying.  Not a big deal but I may have extra bags this trip - hoping to resist temptation and not buy too many train items but we shall see.  And my wife will certainly be visiting Nippori Fabric Town and various other shops so I expect she will want an extra bag.  Plus, when flying ANA premium economy, you can access their lounge so want to get to the airport quickly and smoothly to enjoy that.  As a fan of STJ, I should follow his example and have their curry before leaving Japan!

 

We will likely end up at a hotel near Tokyo Station and easy access to the bus service so have been pondering that.  Also thinking a taxi might be neat but maybe somewhat extravagant so less likely to do that.

 

Ciao,

Tony

[Kingmeow]

We have taken the "Low Cost Bus" (that's what my wife calls it on her agenda PDF so I'm pretty sure it's not the next level Airport Limousine Bus) from Narita to Tokyo Station back in September and it was  easy and no drama.  Luggage was not a problem.  There is a Airport Limousine Bus at Narita but we went cheapo back then as we really didn't know the lay of the land.  It might be that the same outfit has similar options at Haneda.

 

If we had no issues with the Low Cost Bus, I would imagine the next level up with the Airport Limousine bus shouldn't be a problem either.

 

We plan to do the LCB again to Tokyo Station in October.  We too are staying at a hotel near Tokyo Station as the next day we will be busing it to Kawaguchiko and all the buses leave from Tokyo Station.

[chadbag]

Shin-Osaka is probably not a bad place to stay since it is train-wise just one stop from Umeda.  Like 6-10 minutes IIRC? -- in any case one very short ride.

 

We have family in the area so I've never stayed at hotels in the Osaka area.  Have everywhere else. But Umeda is a big hub to catch trains at and the Metro is also there.  So staying near Umeda seems to makes lot of sense to me.

 

On the Loop line, IIRC Shin-Imamiya and Tennoji are where you can get off and walk to Den Den Town.  Joshin Denki super kids land with a whole floor of trains is there.  Probably other small shops in the area.

 

Edited August 26 by chadbag

[kuro68000]

23 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

Plus, when flying ANA premium economy, you can access their lounge so want to get to the airport quickly and smoothly to enjoy that.

 

That reminds me, I found that despite my super-extra-economy ticket, I can access the JAL lounge. They actually have two lounges at Heathrow, both operated by BA, a normal one and a premium one for the more expensive tickets. Even the peasant lounge looks okay though.

 

Not sure if ANA are the same, but I was surprised by this so maybe worth anyone else using JAL or ANA checking too.

[Tony Galiani]

Currently looking at riding the Dosan Line in Shikoku.  I just watched STJ's video about the Shikoku Mannaka Sennen Monogatari.  Not sure I would take that train - thinking we might take a regularly scheduled train out of Takamatsu station.  Not sure where to go though - looking on towns along the line with the idea we might ride to one to walk around and then take a train back.  I found one video from 2013 on this forum and currently researching more options on the line.  As always, any suggestions welcome.

Ciao,

Tony

[chadbag]

Keep the ideas coming.   I'm taking notes too.

 

We were just talking at lunch about when next year would be best to go with my daughter's school, summer job and water polo, etc.  The tentative thought was end of May and first half of June.  Rainy season but we've never been there at that time and it would fit the daughter's busy HS life.

 

We also found out that tentatively my son in  Hokkaido will be done with his missionary service on Jan 9, 2026.  He can come home normally, directly from there to home here, but parents can also go and pick up their missionary son or daughter so my wife and I (or at least me) are thinking about a trip after New Years in 2026.  Go visit family a few days in Kobe and fly to Sapporo and pick him up, have him show us around Hokkaido and all the places he lived and worked, and then fly back to Tokyo / Kobe to visit his aunts and uncle (by marriage).  (Yes I know Tokyo and Kobe are not close -- we'd either fly or take the train to Tokyo to visit one aunt in Yokohama and then train or plane down to Kobe to visit the other aunt and her husband and return home from there.)  We'll see.  

 

When we get close and know what we're doing I'll make my own topic to explore the possibilities but for now I am happy to hear Tony's ideas and plans and take notes.

 

 

[Gunzel]

I’ve been to Oboke. The town here is strung along the sides of the gorge. There’s a yokai museum and michi no eki with a restaurant and river view no more than a kilometre from the station. You could at a stretch walk to the next station Koboke (6.4km) along the river. They have boat rides through the gorge as well, I don’t know if you can do them one way. 
 

There’s some other pretty interesting stations along the Dosan line too, places like Tsubojiri (watch out for snakes), Shingai, and Tosa-Kitagawa, but make sure you check the timetable if you go to any of them. 

[Tony Galiani]

@Gunzel - Thanks for the info.  I did some on-line research and it seems like the boat rides are a loop returning to the starting point.  So, depending on the weather, a train ride to Oboke, boat ride and coffee shop stop seems like a good plan.

 

Currently, I have enough things to do for our short visit to Shikoku:  Ritsurin Garden, Oboke, Naoshima Island, Yashima Aquarium, Takamatsu Art Museum .... and, of course .... Mister Donut.  A good mix we can pick and choose from depending on the weather.

 

Typhoon season should be done but our back up plan in the event of a very bad forecast is to cancel Shikoku and return to Tohoku and do an apple tour.

 

@chadbag - sounds like a good plan to me.  I am anxious to return to Hokkaido myself.  I suggested to my wife that next year I head to Japan a week before her so I can spend time riding trains around Hokkaido.  She was not totally opposed to that idea but we shall see.

 

Tony

[Tony Galiani]

@chadbag - Forgot to mention - we went to Japan during the "rainy season" and it was not that bad.  Had one bad day of heavy rain when we were in Kyoto and if we had not chosen to walk to the Aquarium and Railway Museum (and taken a wrong turn) we would not have had any issues at all.  Though a waterproof jacket, as opposed to a water resistant jacket, would have been nice.

Ciao,

Tony

[chadbag]

2 hours ago, Tony Galiani said:

@chadbag - Forgot to mention - we went to Japan during the "rainy season" and it was not that bad.  Had one bad day of heavy rain when we were in Kyoto and if we had not chosen to walk to the Aquarium and Railway Museum (and taken a wrong turn) we would not have had any issues at all.  Though a waterproof jacket, as opposed to a water resistant jacket, would have been nice.

Ciao,

Tony

 

Yeah it was originally the wife who was not enamored of the idea but in talking about it over the weekend it seemed to be an OK idea to her as well.

 

We went once in April but otherwise have only been in the end of July through Mid september range, once in October IIRC, and then Christmas and New Yaesr time periods.  The December holiday periods were handy when my kids were at the Charter school as they had a longer period off than the normal local schools.   But that no longer applies and the daughter has swim season in HS>  When we went Dec 22 she was in her freshman year in swim team and was not happy about missing some stuff.