Discussion
Only just seen this thread so apologies to OP if I'm a little late.
Bit left field I know, but have you considered a cruise? Me and Mrs E are heading to Japan & S. Korea later this year. 4 Days in Tokyo then join a ship that calls in to a good few places, ie Mt Fuji (or whatever the nearest port is), Nagoya, Kyoto/Osaka, Hiroshima, Okinawa, Nagasaki etc... then a couple of places in S Korea ending in Seoul where we have 3 days. Sure, there's a set itinerary and you have zero flexibility to go off-piste, but it's an easy way to get to see a lot in a short time. We're doing it to see if it whets our appetite for more, and gauge just how hard/easy more independent travel there might be.
Just looked on Iglu and there's a number of cruises from Tokyo in June too - might be worth exploring joining one of these.
Bit left field I know, but have you considered a cruise? Me and Mrs E are heading to Japan & S. Korea later this year. 4 Days in Tokyo then join a ship that calls in to a good few places, ie Mt Fuji (or whatever the nearest port is), Nagoya, Kyoto/Osaka, Hiroshima, Okinawa, Nagasaki etc... then a couple of places in S Korea ending in Seoul where we have 3 days. Sure, there's a set itinerary and you have zero flexibility to go off-piste, but it's an easy way to get to see a lot in a short time. We're doing it to see if it whets our appetite for more, and gauge just how hard/easy more independent travel there might be.
Just looked on Iglu and there's a number of cruises from Tokyo in June too - might be worth exploring joining one of these.
Ezra said:
Mt Fuji (or whatever the nearest port is)
And that's the problem with cruises, wherever in the world they are. A port that may or may not be local to that place which you actually want to see and not the commercial dock the cruise ship is berthed in, and then added to that a hard fixed time you are there - made worse by an 'if you are late back you are screwed' issue.
That means likely if you want to see that place then the expensive and not very good cruise ship tour with 50 other people who don't understand timekeeping is the only feasible option.
Plus those tours will be in the peak of the busy time of the day with hoards of others doing the same, and with the timing of the ship's arrival and departure there will be no chance to see somewhere in the evening or early morning if you wished to do so.
I would like to do a cruise round Japan but I have been to Japan before.
One thing for sure cramming 2-3 weeks of travelling in Japan is exhausting. The infrastructure is next level though, I dont know why people worry about it. Its easier to travel round than 90% of countries IMO as public transport, certainly in the cities, is so good.
We went for 8 weeks last year and even then by the end we had a week off in Tokyo.
Its a full on place and most of the regions can eat a week easily and be active every single day.
The sea of Japan is generally calmer than the pacific too - although it can become a bit of a wave pool if a storm blows off the Chinese main land..
One thing for sure cramming 2-3 weeks of travelling in Japan is exhausting. The infrastructure is next level though, I dont know why people worry about it. Its easier to travel round than 90% of countries IMO as public transport, certainly in the cities, is so good.
We went for 8 weeks last year and even then by the end we had a week off in Tokyo.
Its a full on place and most of the regions can eat a week easily and be active every single day.
The sea of Japan is generally calmer than the pacific too - although it can become a bit of a wave pool if a storm blows off the Chinese main land..
PF62 said:
And that's the problem with cruises, wherever in the world they are.
A port that may or may not be local to that place which you actually want to see and not the commercial dock the cruise ship is berthed in, and then added to that a hard fixed time you are there - made worse by an 'if you are late back you are screwed' issue.
That means likely if you want to see that place then the expensive and not very good cruise ship tour with 50 other people who don't understand timekeeping is the only feasible option.
Plus those tours will be in the peak of the busy time of the day with hoards of others doing the same, and with the timing of the ship's arrival and departure there will be no chance to see somewhere in the evening or early morning if you wished to do so.
Of course, cruises have limitations as I suggested and you've expanded upon. But they offer a very easy way of seeing potentially a lot of a new destination. We've not been to Japan before so really have no true idea how easy or otherwise travel around is. The cruise will serve a purpose for us, as it may for the OP if it's their first time in Japan too.A port that may or may not be local to that place which you actually want to see and not the commercial dock the cruise ship is berthed in, and then added to that a hard fixed time you are there - made worse by an 'if you are late back you are screwed' issue.
That means likely if you want to see that place then the expensive and not very good cruise ship tour with 50 other people who don't understand timekeeping is the only feasible option.
Plus those tours will be in the peak of the busy time of the day with hoards of others doing the same, and with the timing of the ship's arrival and departure there will be no chance to see somewhere in the evening or early morning if you wished to do so.
Bit of a bump but sitting in a hotel room near the end of 18 days in Japan.
What a fabulous country, clean, the people are so friendly and helpful, everything works, trains are on time (well almost, we had to change plans when rain stopped the Shinkansen last night and book into a hotel last minute)
We tried a few different accommodation options, hotels are clean and relatively inexpensive. Ryokans are controversial, we tried 2, first one was lovely with an individual pool on the balcony but service and food wasn’t great. Second was good service and great food but only a public bath in the basement with no shower in the room. On the whole, we’ve tried them and are glad we did because it’s one of the things you do but next time wouldn’t bother.
Only tried one ‘traditional’ Japanese house which turned out to be laid out more like a youth hostel with breakfast left in a bag in the fridge. Unfortunately we had to cancel the other due to the disrupted travel plans, but I was hoping for an improvement.
It was hot, approaching 30 degrees at one point.
Food was great, I don’t think we had a bad meal from a restaurant. We ate everything from barbecue to sushi. My wife is more into fish than me so she’s been in heaven. Try the little mom and pop restaurants down the side streets, you won’t be disappointed. I only once saw people queuing outside a restaurant and that was in Gion, presumably because it was instagram famous but it’s not something I’d even consider. I was wary of Ramen because I thought it might be a thick broth with loads of salt but it was the exact opposite. Light and absolutely delicious. I’ve discovered a liking for sake as well.
I made a few mistakes which I won’t do next time. I went by area then found a hotel, without considering travel time, which was a pretty stupid mistake to make. A couple of times it was a 5 hour journey, changing trains 3 times.
I can’t think of a single negative that wasn’t down to me or my planning. Next time (and there will be a next time) I’d cut down on travelling with better planning, maybe go North next time.
Enough rambling. Obviously I’m just a newbie but if you want to know anything from a newbie’s point of view just ask.
Drawweight said:
What a fabulous country, clean, the people are so friendly and helpful, everything works, trains are on time (well almost, we had to change plans when rain stopped the Shinkansen last night and book into a hotel last minute)
Glad you have enjoyed your visit. But it was a full on gale yesterday evening, not just rain - I had to move our table and chairs from our balcony due to fear of them flying down to the streets below.Drawweight said:
Bit of a bump but sitting in a hotel room near the end of 18 days in Japan.
What a fabulous country, clean, the people are so friendly and helpful, everything works, trains are on time (well almost, we had to change plans when rain stopped the Shinkansen last night and book into a hotel last minute)
We tried a few different accommodation options, hotels are clean and relatively inexpensive. Ryokans are controversial, we tried 2, first one was lovely with an individual pool on the balcony but service and food wasn’t great. Second was good service and great food but only a public bath in the basement with no shower in the room. On the whole, we’ve tried them and are glad we did because it’s one of the things you do but next time wouldn’t bother.
Only tried one ‘traditional’ Japanese house which turned out to be laid out more like a youth hostel with breakfast left in a bag in the fridge. Unfortunately we had to cancel the other due to the disrupted travel plans, but I was hoping for an improvement.
It was hot, approaching 30 degrees at one point.
Food was great, I don’t think we had a bad meal from a restaurant. We ate everything from barbecue to sushi. My wife is more into fish than me so she’s been in heaven. Try the little mom and pop restaurants down the side streets, you won’t be disappointed. I only once saw people queuing outside a restaurant and that was in Gion, presumably because it was instagram famous but it’s not something I’d even consider. I was wary of Ramen because I thought it might be a thick broth with loads of salt but it was the exact opposite. Light and absolutely delicious. I’ve discovered a liking for sake as well.
I made a few mistakes which I won’t do next time. I went by area then found a hotel, without considering travel time, which was a pretty stupid mistake to make. A couple of times it was a 5 hour journey, changing trains 3 times.
I can’t think of a single negative that wasn’t down to me or my planning. Next time (and there will be a next time) I’d cut down on travelling with better planning, maybe go North next time.
Enough rambling. Obviously I’m just a newbie but if you want to know anything from a newbie’s point of view just ask.
If you don't mind can I bump your bumped thread.What a fabulous country, clean, the people are so friendly and helpful, everything works, trains are on time (well almost, we had to change plans when rain stopped the Shinkansen last night and book into a hotel last minute)
We tried a few different accommodation options, hotels are clean and relatively inexpensive. Ryokans are controversial, we tried 2, first one was lovely with an individual pool on the balcony but service and food wasn’t great. Second was good service and great food but only a public bath in the basement with no shower in the room. On the whole, we’ve tried them and are glad we did because it’s one of the things you do but next time wouldn’t bother.
Only tried one ‘traditional’ Japanese house which turned out to be laid out more like a youth hostel with breakfast left in a bag in the fridge. Unfortunately we had to cancel the other due to the disrupted travel plans, but I was hoping for an improvement.
It was hot, approaching 30 degrees at one point.
Food was great, I don’t think we had a bad meal from a restaurant. We ate everything from barbecue to sushi. My wife is more into fish than me so she’s been in heaven. Try the little mom and pop restaurants down the side streets, you won’t be disappointed. I only once saw people queuing outside a restaurant and that was in Gion, presumably because it was instagram famous but it’s not something I’d even consider. I was wary of Ramen because I thought it might be a thick broth with loads of salt but it was the exact opposite. Light and absolutely delicious. I’ve discovered a liking for sake as well.
I made a few mistakes which I won’t do next time. I went by area then found a hotel, without considering travel time, which was a pretty stupid mistake to make. A couple of times it was a 5 hour journey, changing trains 3 times.
I can’t think of a single negative that wasn’t down to me or my planning. Next time (and there will be a next time) I’d cut down on travelling with better planning, maybe go North next time.
Enough rambling. Obviously I’m just a newbie but if you want to know anything from a newbie’s point of view just ask.
Who did you fly with and is it worth splashing out on premium economy/business class etc? We are starting the planning for 2026 and the Mrs is "keen to get things started"
pavarotti1980 said:
If you don't mind can I bump your bumped thread.
Who did you fly with and is it worth splashing out on premium economy/business class etc? We are starting the planning for 2026 and the Mrs is "keen to get things started"
For my part, I've flown to Japan several times, on Virgjn (when they did that route), ANA, and BA. Have used PE once, business, and first the other times. A friend of mine has used multiple airlines, and always goes economy.Who did you fly with and is it worth splashing out on premium economy/business class etc? We are starting the planning for 2026 and the Mrs is "keen to get things started"
We both enjoy our trips, and I think choice of cabin is very much a personal attitude and preference question. My opinion is I wouldn't want to fly in anything except business or first, as it's a long trip, and I like having the lie flat bed, plus, basically, I've got used to it after flying that way for a long time.
But there's no denying it's pricey. BA often have better deals in their sale, but be aware that at present they're still using the old Club World cabin a lot of the time for the Japan route, and in my opinion, it's now a long way behind the expectation for long haul business.
They are slowly updating to the new suites cabins, so may have completed that roll outbound 2026 (I'm hoping they will).
There are some good avenues for redemption flights, too, but can be hard to nab. Virgin points to fly ANA business or first is stonking value, but very, very hard to reliably book or even properly check availability.
BA with Avios is maybe slightly easier to get (though nowhere near as open as, say, New York), plus there's the opportunity to get things like Amex 2-for-1 vouchers.
InitialDave said:
For my part, I've flown to Japan several times, on Virgjn (when they did that route), ANA, and BA. Have used PE once, business, and first the other times. A friend of mine has used multiple airlines, and always goes economy.
We both enjoy our trips, and I think choice of cabin is very much a personal attitude and preference question. My opinion is I wouldn't want to fly in anything except business or first, as it's a long trip, and I like having the lie flat bed, plus, basically, I've got used to it after flying that way for a long time.
But there's no denying it's pricey. BA often have better deals in their sale, but be aware that at present they're still using the old Club World cabin a lot of the time for the Japan route, and in my opinion, it's now a long way behind the expectation for long haul business.
They are slowly updating to the new suites cabins, so may have completed that roll outbound 2026 (I'm hoping they will).
There are some good avenues for redemption flights, too, but can be hard to nab. Virgin points to fly ANA business or first is stonking value, but very, very hard to reliably book or even properly check availability.
BA with Avios is maybe slightly easier to get (though nowhere near as open as, say, New York), plus there's the opportunity to get things like Amex 2-for-1 vouchers.
Thanks for the info. Assume you flew LHR? We both enjoy our trips, and I think choice of cabin is very much a personal attitude and preference question. My opinion is I wouldn't want to fly in anything except business or first, as it's a long trip, and I like having the lie flat bed, plus, basically, I've got used to it after flying that way for a long time.
But there's no denying it's pricey. BA often have better deals in their sale, but be aware that at present they're still using the old Club World cabin a lot of the time for the Japan route, and in my opinion, it's now a long way behind the expectation for long haul business.
They are slowly updating to the new suites cabins, so may have completed that roll outbound 2026 (I'm hoping they will).
There are some good avenues for redemption flights, too, but can be hard to nab. Virgin points to fly ANA business or first is stonking value, but very, very hard to reliably book or even properly check availability.
BA with Avios is maybe slightly easier to get (though nowhere near as open as, say, New York), plus there's the opportunity to get things like Amex 2-for-1 vouchers.
No matter who I fly with I will have to go from Newcastle somewhere else for connection
If you are in the north you have lots of options. You can go from MAN with Cathay Pacific. Excellent service and not too bad re connection time.
Their route is MAN>HK>NRT. On the way back be aware due to flight times you may have an 8-10hr connection in HK. Flight times are long due to routing due to Russian airspace not in use. CPA run new A350s. Very nice.
Another option is Hainan Airlines. MAN>PEK and PEK>NRT/HND on ANA. This flight, if you can get good connection to Japan can chop off about 2 hours from the CPA above as they will fly straight over Russia. Be aware they run older A330s.
Lastly any of the Emirates A380s from GLA or MAN. DXB then connect out to NRT. The only down side with this is cost (Emirates are going to be expensive for this) and the Japan leg is quite a "mystery tour" as its nearly another 10 hrs due to routing up through Pakistan and into China on the northern Tibet route.
If you want to go direct your only options are BA, JL or ANA from LHR. 13 hrs non stop. Will be expensive too.
Re class personally we only fly business on flights like this for 2 reasons the first one is the obvious service on board and lie flat seat which is 100% a must IMO on a 13hr flight if you want any chance of arriving not like a zombie. The cost pays for itself in the first few days as you get more enjoyment out of the holiday. The second reason is luggage. Its such a chore (for us anyway) to keep within baggage limits. If you fly business you are going to get much more generous baggage. This helps on the way back, trust me with the yen at 200:£1 then you will be buying lots of stuff!
We are back later this year and we are going LHR>PVG and then PEK>NRT (with 2 weeks in the middle)
If budget is no issue then I would personally fly direct LHR with ANA in "the room" seat.
Second favourite would be CPA, MAN>HKG>NRT.
Emirates is also very good, but will be c£2k ppn more.
Japan allows direct entry from HKG same as UK. However if you are going to PEK check the requirements as I think they may restrict entry in some way from mainland China but I am not sure if thats lifted now.
Their route is MAN>HK>NRT. On the way back be aware due to flight times you may have an 8-10hr connection in HK. Flight times are long due to routing due to Russian airspace not in use. CPA run new A350s. Very nice.
Another option is Hainan Airlines. MAN>PEK and PEK>NRT/HND on ANA. This flight, if you can get good connection to Japan can chop off about 2 hours from the CPA above as they will fly straight over Russia. Be aware they run older A330s.
Lastly any of the Emirates A380s from GLA or MAN. DXB then connect out to NRT. The only down side with this is cost (Emirates are going to be expensive for this) and the Japan leg is quite a "mystery tour" as its nearly another 10 hrs due to routing up through Pakistan and into China on the northern Tibet route.
If you want to go direct your only options are BA, JL or ANA from LHR. 13 hrs non stop. Will be expensive too.
Re class personally we only fly business on flights like this for 2 reasons the first one is the obvious service on board and lie flat seat which is 100% a must IMO on a 13hr flight if you want any chance of arriving not like a zombie. The cost pays for itself in the first few days as you get more enjoyment out of the holiday. The second reason is luggage. Its such a chore (for us anyway) to keep within baggage limits. If you fly business you are going to get much more generous baggage. This helps on the way back, trust me with the yen at 200:£1 then you will be buying lots of stuff!
We are back later this year and we are going LHR>PVG and then PEK>NRT (with 2 weeks in the middle)
If budget is no issue then I would personally fly direct LHR with ANA in "the room" seat.
Second favourite would be CPA, MAN>HKG>NRT.
Emirates is also very good, but will be c£2k ppn more.
Japan allows direct entry from HKG same as UK. However if you are going to PEK check the requirements as I think they may restrict entry in some way from mainland China but I am not sure if thats lifted now.
gotoPzero said:
Lastly any of the Emirates A380s from GLA or MAN. DXB then connect out to NRT. The only down side with this is cost (Emirates are going to be expensive for this) and the Japan leg is quite a "mystery tour" as its nearly another 10 hrs due to routing up through Pakistan and into China on the northern Tibet route.
We're doing that this year, Emirates A380's, BHX-DXB-NRT, it's a funny route and much longer overall, but the departure and arrival times really suit us as we don't like early starts, what with the recommended check in times now and time for security. Depart/arrive mid afternoon, straight into the Tobu Hotel, bed, then pick up a rental from Toyota just around the back the next morning and we're off. The layover at DXB is only two hours, so the 7hr and 10hr each side shouldn't be too bad? It never bothers me though, I just set my watch to the local time upon arrival and that's it, even if I've skipped a nights sleep, I seem to function just fine. My wife's the one who struggles. Flew BA economy which wasn’t particularly pleasant but…if you’re on a budget like we were it was a necessary evil. Even just premium economy was double the price.
However we were flying from Edinburgh and BA got us to Heathrow and then directly to Haneda for approximately £1300 apiece. We wanted a direct flight as my wife is paranoid about getting stranded by cancellations.
Next time I’ll definitely investigate alternatives.
Honestly Emirates is worth it just for the A380. Such a nice aircraft.
We are going with Virgin this summer but only to use points and a companion voucher.
Our personal favourite has been Cathay.
Emirates has a great seat (even better if you get on a refreshed cabin aircraft) but we found the food and service has gone down hill a touch whilst price wise they are still at the top end.
Swings and roundabouts I guess.
We are going with Virgin this summer but only to use points and a companion voucher.
Our personal favourite has been Cathay.
Emirates has a great seat (even better if you get on a refreshed cabin aircraft) but we found the food and service has gone down hill a touch whilst price wise they are still at the top end.
Swings and roundabouts I guess.
We flew BA economy last year, LHR to HND during the summer holidays and it was around £1300 return. Our return was cancelled two days before departure and we were rerouted via CDG on JAL which I thought was marginally better, the airlline that is.
Got a handy amount of compo from BA which softened the blow of the credit card bill at the end. I wouldn't choose to transit through CDG.
I get the impression flight prices have shot up. We're looking at doing South Korea and Kyushu/Hiroshima next year and the prices are eye-watering.
Got a handy amount of compo from BA which softened the blow of the credit card bill at the end. I wouldn't choose to transit through CDG.
I get the impression flight prices have shot up. We're looking at doing South Korea and Kyushu/Hiroshima next year and the prices are eye-watering.
)pavarotti1980 said:
If you don't mind can I bump your bumped thread.
Who did you fly with and is it worth splashing out on premium economy/business class etc? We are starting the planning for 2026 and the Mrs is "keen to get things started"
We went in January Heathrow to Haneda in BA old club world. It was good but long. I wouldn't have wanted to be in a seat where I couldn't lay down. We used avios and an Amex voucher. Who did you fly with and is it worth splashing out on premium economy/business class etc? We are starting the planning for 2026 and the Mrs is "keen to get things started"
We had a great time. It's a fabulous country.
Edited by ffc on Thursday 27th June 16:31
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