6th trip to Japan

Hi all,

Finally, due the demand of my wife, we are having a again a holiday with my wife and daughter in Japan; last time was 2019 may - this time it will be almost 2 weeks on the second part of June. I hope i am mentally ready, that weather is what it is ;-). In addition, daughter is now 12y i.e a teenager :-).

Some questions:

1. Is it doable as a long daytrip from Tokyo to visit both the Matsushima bay (including the 1 hour boat cruise) and the new Sendai aquarium?
2. Are the beaches in east coast (from Sendai to Izu peninsula) also crowded with nasty sea creatures (for example jellyfish) on second part of June?
3. Are the prices for the data SIM cards same or similar in Bic Camera onsite stores (for example in Ikebukuro) vs their online stores? How straightforward or time consuming is the process to buy the data SIM from the store? I.e is it like a 5 minute or 30 minute process?
4. How early should i reserve tickets for Hayabusa trains which depart around 8:30-9:30 from Tokyo? I probably plan to purchase the JR East Tohoku area rail pass.
5. Am i correct that JR East has severly reduced the afternoon service of both the Odoriko and Wakashio trains (from Shimoda and Awa Kamogawa)? It seems that after 16:00 there are basically only local trains back to Tokyo. Also, is it true, that Sapphire Odoriko has only green cars, so ordinary rail passes are not valid?
6. What is the situation of all kind of flying insects in June? For example, hornets and mosquitos - are they kind of nuisance when visiting for example Chichibu, Nikko or Yamadera?

Best regards,
Lauri

Hello Lauri
3. Not sure why you want to purchase the SIM after arriving Japan. We always get this sorted before we leave for Japan so the entire period is covered. Plus, we don't need to spend time searching for SIM in Bic Camera. You can refer to the below for a comparison table.
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/should-i-get-a-japan-sim-card-and-wh...

4. For Hayabusa, I won't worry about reserving it unless you plan to travel during the golden week/Obon in August and end of the year.

5. You can download the Japan Transit Planner app and check the timetable
https://visitjapan-vegetarian.com/the-most-useful-apps-for-traveling-i...

Hayabusa do sell out so reserving sounds like a good decision

1. Is it doable? The time tables would know. But why would you want to do it anyway? You say you come to Japan often. Why the rush? If I were you, I'd take my time and enjoy some nice sushi or gyu-tan at Sendai/Matsuyama area.

2. What do you mean? You can't swim in June. Lifeguards aren't on duty yet, and the sea is too cold anyway. Hence it would be dangerous. Why worry about jellyfish when you can't go into the water? What type of crowd are you concerned about? What do you want to do at the beach? For the record, I do love to walk at off-season beaches.

6. Mountain resorts have less to do with hornets and mosquitos but more to do with insects you don't see in the cities (such as gnats). It's common sense for local hikers to cover up. Besides, it's cold and damp. If you happen to get stung by something nasty, consult at the drug stores of that area instead of coming back to Tokyo. But usually you don't get stung if you're wearing long sleeves and long pants.

Take it easy.

Uco,

I have calculated to have two daytrips for the Sendai area should on trip in one area took too long.

What do you mean - you cant swim in the sea in Japan in June?

I have had good experience on my trips 2013 (mid april in Shirahama, Izu), 2017 mid april (Shirahama, Kansai and Amanohashidate), 2018 mid april (Shirahama, Izu) and 2019 mid may (again Amanohashidate, near Kobe and Shirahama, Kansai). At those times the water temperature was warmer than it is in june or july in Estonia (between 18-20C). Of course i was the only person in the sea without wetsuit :-). Although i have swam in the sea in Estonia also in september, october and november (without without wetsuit), water temperature in november was less than 10 degrees Celsius. Doesn't Japan have people who enjoy swimming all year around no matter what is the temperature? Something like:
https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talisuplus#/media/Fail:Vabariigi_aastapa...
Use Google translate:
https://sonumid.ee/2021/03/02/talisuplejad-tahistasid-vabariigi-aastap...

Obivously, Japan has its own "features" on the coast which do not exist in Estonia - tsunami danger, strong and invisible currents for the inexperienced swimmers and all kind of sea creatures. In Estonia i have to only worry about Cyanobacteria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria but i guess due the open and deep sea it is not a problem in Japan. That is why i asked whether jellyfish etc could be a problem in June.

Also - am i correct then, that in Japan there is no such period when you step out of the train in a location where nature is nearby and you are immediately swarmed with mosquitos like in northern Europe in June and July? August is fine for hiking in the woods, but both june and july could be miserable due the flying insects.

Best regards,
Lauri

For mosquitoes it is not comparable to the situation in Estonia. I remeber going some years ago and when stepping out of the car in a forest there was a wall of mosquitoes. Yes, mosquitoes exist in Japan. And I remember a year where I got attacked a lot. But nothing comparable to trips in Estonia or Sweden. Just bring some repellent. The insect that is dangerous is the Japanese hornet. Avoid getting stung by it. They aren�ft super frequent but very nasty. A friend ended up in hospital for thrombosis and needed to use a crutch for many months after being stung.

Yes, there are a few people in Japan that swim year around in the sea. I cannot comment on jelly fish. But I vaguely remember that yes, they can be a problem. But I don�ft remember when. I think beach in Zushi has a jelly fish net during the official swimming season. Other beaches may have that too, but as said, I am totally not into swimming and even less so in open waters

Ah huh! I had a hunch you were from Estonia! I had a splendid summer there once where locals would say "The water is warm when you get in it!" and I ended up freezing.

Actually, I've seen North Europeans swimming in cold Japanese beaches, so I can understand what you mean. But I honestly don't recommend it. I recall it was last year when a Russian fellow died in cold water while a Japanese friend was watching over. The news footage of the friend was devastating. And please remember that it's going to be our taxes that is to be used to save (or fail to save) those who drown.

I'm not a sea expert, but growing up around the Pacific in Japan and in California, and as much as I still love to swim in the sea, I've been educated to believe that water can be very dangerous. Here in Japan, we are encouraged not to swim when there are no lifeguards on duty, and there are reasons. Jellyfish is a very tiny part of it. My father is an athletic swimmer and he was washed away by a current in his prime youth, ending up being saved by local fishermen boats. You can have a picnic at the beach (being sure to take home your rubbish), but for the sake of your daughter, please don't swim here in June.

But if you've had that much swimming experience in Japan already on your own risk, then I don't understand why you bother to ask that kind of a question here.

As for daytrips, I don't see the reason for you to not spend a night in Sendai instead of making two daytrips. It's not a two day-trip distance. Are you perhaps an express train freak? Or maybe you just don't trust the hotels in Sendai. I don't know. Sendai is a great place to visit and is also among the best places to live. I'm sure you'd love the hotel/ryokan experience there if you love Japan enough to make the long voyage for the 6th time. But again, maybe you're not really looking for answers from us.

Thanks for answers, everybody!

Uco - for me swimming in the unknown sea = i go only knee deep or maximum waist deep on that kind of beaches like Japan or India or Vietnam have. If possible, i have inquired other locals (usually with a surf board) on how deep is it safe to walk. I.e is it ok for only toes, ankles, knees or waistdeep and tempo is something like one meter per minute :-) to get the feeling about currents etc. Never-ever that deep where the water is above my head. For example, long time ago in Varkala Beach (India) knee deep was enough to have fun due the strong waves. My weight was around 100 kg at that time, and the waves had no problem to toss me around. So yes - i know i have to follow the advice of Dirty Harry - "man gotta know his limitations". But i inquired about sea life, because June is obviously warmer than april or may so maybe it is flourishing. Would be a shame to arrive to the beach and then see, that everything is covered with some nasty stuff.
I enjoy the sea (whether it is swimming, sailing or just walking on the seaside) so visiting Japan and not being near the coast would be a no-no :-).

Due the excellent transport system (both the speed of the shinkansen and rail pass value for tourist) and my low salary :-) (compared for those for whom 400 EUR per night in ryokan is cheap) in Japan i have got used to have a single base camp, specially when travelling with a family. I do not like to do the check in process, carry luggage (or pay quite big sums for transport the luggage) and also IMHO 400-600 EUR per night for a family in ryokan in a middle of nowhere is not my cup of tea when the price for family in an ordinary business hotel is around 150 EUR. For me when i travel - the hotel is only for sleeping. About my love to Japan - even my friends in Estonia does not understand this. I guess "love" is too strong word, but i like the atmosphere (very generic expressiong - difficult to describe the feeling with words). I.e same reason why i like to walk around in Prague or Budapest instead of Stockholm or Helsinki or Milano.

Likebike - i once was stucked to my hand either by a large wasp or hornet( Vespa crabro ). Soon after that my entire body felt like i had been naked inside https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica bush. Took about 45 minutes to reach the hospital in Kuressaare (we have cottage in Saaremaa island). I got twe needles with some kind of medicine stucked to my butt - felt like heaven afterwards. Previously (and after that incident) i have had no issues with wasp stings.

BR,
Lauri

For mosquitoes, they are usually most active at dawn and dusk. Jellyfish season is usually around September; of course they could come at other times, but it's not like you shouldn't even put your toes in the water.