17 Days New Year - Suggestion / Comment

Hi everyone,

I have pretty much created a plan for this trip and have some questions and open to any suggestion on any day / activity on the itinerary. I have booked all the hotels.

19 Dec (Tokyo) : will arrive at Narita at 9AM
- Pickup 7 days JR Pass
- Pickup Pocket Wifi
- Buy IC cards
- Maybe arrive at Airbnb at 12PM (taito)
- If we are not exhausted , we can go to Asakusa and Akihabara

20 Dec (Tokyo) :
- Harajuku (Meiji)
- walk to Shibuya
- Maybe go to Ghibbi museum (if we get the tickets)
- Shinjuku at night

21 Dec (Tokyo) :
- Tsukiji morning market (I will check regularly , if the shops are closing , maybe we will go to Tosoyu instead
- Odaiba
- Teamborderless
- Ginza at night maybe?

22 Dec (Tokyo - Toyama - Shirakawa-go - Takayama)
- Activate JRPass
- Get up very early and take the earliest train to Toyama
- Arrive at Shirakawa-go at 10:20
- Go to Takayama at 1:30
- Get the bus to shin hotaka for Ryokan (maybe arrive at 4 PM) explore surrounding and prepare for dinner

23 Dec (Takayama - Osaka)
- Was planning to go to Ropeway , but I think exploring Takayama will be better
- Go to osaka via 3:35PM direct train from Takayama to Osaka

24 Dec Osaka
- Exploring Osaka for the whole day

25 Dec Kyoto
- Exploring Kyoto

26 Kyoto
- Explore Kyoto (since most people say that 1 day for Kyoto is not enough)

27 Dec Nara
-is full day in Nara any good ? or is it better to explore Kyoto / Osaka ?

28 Dec (Osaka - Hakone)
- Leave maybe around 10AM - 12PM
- Buy Hakone 4000 free pass at Odawara
- Explore Hakone (outside Hakone Yumoto Station)
- Take the train and cable car to our hotel in Gora

29 Dec (Hakone - Tokyo)
- Finish the Hakone Loop
- Go back to Tokyo in the evening
- Check in Hotel

30 Dec (Tokyo)
- Disneysea, I am aware that is going to be crazy crowd , but I dont think we have any other options :(

31 Dec (Tokyo)
- I am not sure what should we do here ? should we try to go to Nikko / Kamakura / Yokohama? I heard it is not advisable to commute outside the city during this period

1 Jan (Tokyo)
- Probably going to Shrines , observe and join the local
- Shopping maybe ?

2 Jan (Tokyo)
- Shopping day ?

3 Jan (Tokyo)
-Again, I am not sure what should we do here ? should we try to do a day trip here ? is this a better day ?
- As most the attaction / museum is closed during this period , I really need some recommendation :)

4 Jan ( Tokyo)
- Leaving Tokyo at 9 AM.

What do you guys think about this itinerary ? Any suggestion to do during new year is appreciated or any feedback on any above days.

Hi!

Depending on where you want to shop, make sure ahead of time it will be open on the 1st+2nd. Many places will not be open on the first and quite a few will not be open on the 2nd.

If you have your heart set on going to Tokyo Disney, based on the crowd calendar:
http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/

You might be better off going on the 31st or January 2nd vs. the 30th which is rated as a worst possible crowds day. I went on June 30th with a Twilight Ticket when it was a light Orange day and I found the park miserably crowded and unpleasant. I do go to the US parks fairly often, and I felt Sea was worse than the US parks in terms of crowds and lines. If you are determined to go, arrive a good 1 hour or more before park opening unless you are staying at a Disney hotel and can take advantage of their early entry, in which case you can probably arrive 30 minutes before opening.

Your itinerary is looks really nice. If you have extra time on your Nara day or one of your Kyoto days, go to Uji, very close by. Uji is a small town known for matcha tea and lots of matcha good and food, I recommend.

I agree with the previous poster about DisneySea, I went on low season to Paris Disneyland and there were crowds and unpleasant lines. Better check the days that are less crowded to go.

About the side trips from Tokyo you are not sure. Kamakura is really nice to go as well as Nikko and Karuizawa (but I'm not sure if Nikko will be pleasant during the winter). Or maybe I could recommend the last days in Japan to be done on a relaxing way, for example, to a trip to/overnight stay at Kusatsu Onsen, famous for its hot springs.

Enjoy your trip!!!

Rkold & Catiasmteixeira :

Thanks for the feedback , I checked that and 31 dec , Disneysea only opens until 6pm . Maybe 2 Jan is also a better option. I understand that it will be very packed but unfortunately I have not been to any Disney themepark and really want to go :(. If 2 is better than 31 Dec, I will definitely choose 2 Jan.

Regarding Uji , I actually want to go there, however, I am not sure how practical / packed it will be if I combine that with Nara .
Did you do the tea ceremony there? Did you need to book in advance ? or should I ?
I feel like maybe that will be a spontaneous option if we finish Nara early or have some down time. So I dont really want to prebook anything.

About the side trips, I am a bit worried because many people say not to travel outside of Tokyo during 29-3 Jan since it is really crowded.

I think it is wiser to go on Jan.2nd, and believe me, Disney parks are crowded everyday, even when they say low season (I told you before I went on low season to Paris Disneyland and the lines were unpleasant). But if you can avoid days that are more crowded the better. And if DisneySea has the fastpass inside the park for some of the attractions (like the other Disney parks), you need to grab this chance right away!!! It should be the first thing to do before they are unavailable for the rest of the day.

I'm not sure about Tea Ceremony, but you could do that on Kyoto as well. For Uji, go only if you have time (Uji is closer to Kyoto than it is to Nara, but doing Nara and Uji on the same day can be doable only if arriving in Nara quite early. But if you go, don't go close to 16:00/17:00 because that's when stores close). I recommend Matcha noodles!!! And if you go, visit the green tea traditional shops. Uji is pretty small and you can walk everything.

As for Tokyo, if you are afraid to do day trips, then the best option is to do activities in Tokyo.

Hi

The only time I've been to Japan during New Years was December '05 to January '06 and a lot has changed in Japan since then. Quite honestly, I did not enjoy being in Japan for New Years and someone would need to completely pay for my trip for me to ever consider going back.

Again, if you have your heart set on Sea I would go on the 2nd since it is supposed to be less crowded than the 30th. We went June 2017 as well on a light green day and people really do line up a good hour+ before the park opens, even on less crowded days. In all amusement parks, everywhere, the first hour of touring is the most productive and is when you want to try to get as many e-ticket attractions as possible. It's hard at Sea because there are just not that many attractions. You are mostly supposed to soak in the atmosphere and quite honestly, if I am going to Japan I would rather do that in Japan proper.

I love Uji. I've been multiple times. If you have time for it will depend on how much time you spend in Nara and what you want to see there. If it doesn't work out, there is always next trip. I personally think Uji is better in Spring/Summer. Byoudoin has some great wisteria trellises and Mimurotoji is one of the big hydrangea temples.

Unlike @catiasmteixeira, I have experienced actual low and crazy low crowds in the US Disney parks. It helps to look at crowd calendars, go during inclement weather, or visit the Disney parks right before/after a hurricane hits. It's the same for Universal. I went to USJ this Summer 2 days post the Osaka earthquake and it was pouring that day lol The park was so quiet.

Pretty much anything open on New Years is going to be unpleasantly crowded. At least with Kamakura and Yokohama, you are taking local trains so they might be packed, but they are frequent and can't be fully booked up as they don't take reservations.

If it was me, I would prob do Nikko on the 30th, I am not sure what I would do the 31st, maybe Kamakura, depending on trains times? On the 1st I would do Meiji Jingu and shopping in Harajuku/Shibuya and enjoy the sales. (In general big shopping areas near big shrines are more likely to be open. In 2006, Harajuku was crowded and hopping, Nihombashi was completely dead and even chain coffee shops like Excelsior Coffee were closed for days.)

I would do Sea on the 2nd and 3rd do any shopping or last minute Tokyo things you want because by the 3rd a lot more will be open.

Rkold : from the forecast yes it seems that 2nd is less busy than 30th, however from pass data last year, 2nd Jan was actually busier than 30th http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/disney/jam.htm .

Honestly I dont mind going on either date, I can discuss with my friends whether to pick it based on the history or forecast :) maybe somehow people saw the forecast and went for 2nd , thats why 2nd was busier last year :P.

You mention that you didnt enjoy being in Japan during New Years. May I know the reason ?
was it because of the crowd level ?
empty / closed stores ?
transportation problem?
or just combination of all ?

I have booked everything and still are happy to go but people's (not just you) comment regarding new year period is making me nervous. :O

Hi!

I want to stress this was in December 2005-January 2006 and a lot has changed in Japan since then. It's possible more stores and cafes and restaurants open earlier than in the past. I can't really say.

I really enjoyed the first part of my trip in late December. I loved spending Christmas in Japan My friends ordered a Christmas Cake from a bakery near where they lived and the cake was delicious.

I was in Tokyo the days leading up to New Years and then New Years until the 4th or 5th when I went home. Back then, there was the Tokyo International Marathon on the 4th or 5th of January and while I love runners, (I am one.. mostly) the runners do get priority, which can make getting around on city streets difficult. There is no more Tokyo International Marathon though, just the Tokyo Marathon in February.

It was just super hard having things closed. I get it and I think the Japanese deserve their holidays and I am not in any way trying to change their culture. But that still doesn't it easier as a tourist if you're not staying some place with a fridge and kitchen because even some combini were even closed. If I actually lived in Japan and could do all my own cooking or was staying someplace that handled all my meals, I probably would have been happier. Getting out cash for shopping was hard as well because the post office and most banks were closed through the 4th and there were fewer ATMs that had hours outside bank hours.

Meiji Jingu was packed. Like seriously packed, but that also felt like part of the experience of going to a shrine on New Years, so I was OK with that. There were some decent sales in Harajuku, which is also crowded since it was one of the few places with lots of shops and restaurants opened. The sales were really awesome if you are looking into buying Japanese clothes and the Lucky Bags looked like a lot of fun. I nearly bought a lucky bag this Summer at Lupicia. (Summer also tends to have a lot of sales.)

I was staying at the Sumisho in Nihombashi and just the entire area near it was closed. It was hard just getting breakfast in the morning.

I like Disney, but I admit I was really disappointed in Sea because of the crowds. (I've been 3x, 1 solo and 2x with my child.) It just is really really unpleasant at times and the I think the US parks handle lines better. I feel like so much of the fascination with Sea is in the theming, which is not why I go to parks, I like rides.
Everything had 2 hour lines and no fast passes left when I used a Twilight ticket. Just trying to walk around the park was challenging. I'm really hoping my daughter won't ask to go back on our next trip. I would honestly see if you could get into the Tokyo Celebration hotel just for the early entry privilege, if you need to go. It makes a huge difference, even though it is only 15 minutes. You can get either 1 ride in or be at a FastPass Kiosk to get a fast pass before picking another ride to do first. We stayed at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel the year we went to Sea and Disneyland and I loved the 15 minutes early entry much more than I expected because those 15 minutes really did matter.

Good luck!

Also I looked at the crowd calendars, and from what I can see, part of the difference is just changing what colors and what numbers differentiate crowds between 2017 and 2018. 12/30 in 2017 was rated 48,000 people and the 2nd was rated 52,000. This year, 12/30 is rated 51,000+ vs. 47,000 on the 2nd. I would not be surprised if some of this is the fact the 30th is a Sunday this year. Week ends tend to be more crowded in general, especially Sundays as working a 1/2 day on Saturday is not unheard of. Pretty much once you get above 43,000 people the parks are violently crowded and there are likely to be admission restrictions for people who have not pre-purchased tickets going by either chart. BTW, I would recommend you pre-purchase tickets. You can easily do it at any Disney Store. There is one in Sunshine 60. There are probably others, but I know with 100% certainty there was one there in July 2018.

Good luck!

Or maybe if the 2nd/3rd of January turns out to be hard to find things to do and buy (since mostly everything will be closed), why not book activities to do? You could do tours, like a cruise in TokyoBay, riding a helicopter to see the city, or going to the Ueno Zoo (not sure if it's closed or not), there are also cycling tours through the city, or other small activites as cooking lessons, tea ceremony, learn martial arts, samurai sword display, Ikebana flower arrangement, calligraphy, kabuki shows, among many others. I'm sure there will be tours available and activities to do and see for those dates. However, for shopping it will be hard as almost everything will be closed, and the few who will be open will be crowded as hell. You could search for some popular coffee shops/restaurants and see if they're open, such as the Robot Restaurant in Kabukicho, or the Vampire Cafe, or the Animal-themed coffee shops. I'm sure there will be something available for you and your friends on the begining of Jan.

Also, I heard about the negativity of New Year's for a tourist, but that's just the last days of your trip, so don't feel down because of it. Christmas in Japan, especially in Tokyo, is a very magical experience, everything is light up, lots of christmas things going on, delicious cakes and sweets, and the christmas and new years end music shows. I'm sure you will like it a lot!

Thanks everyone !

I have decided to go on 2 January instead of 30 :D
I will also make sure to book the tickets in advance.

I do have other questions if you dont mind answering :

Context : I will be going to Shirakawa-go at 22 December and I will arrive in Japan at 19 December . I am planning to get the earliest shinkansen possible (Kagayaki) to Toyama (arrive 8:26) to get the earliest bus to Shirakawa-go (departing at 8:50).

Question :
1. Since Kagayaki is "reserved only" train , do you think I am able to reserve this at 19 December ? or is it too late (fully booked) ?
2. I will arrive at Toyama 8:26AM and the bus leaves at 8:50AM. I have never been to Toyama so I am not sure if 20 minutes is enough to tranfer to bus.

Hi!

Again, I've not traveled during New Years for a long time, but I don't expect it will be a problem booking your Kagayaki. I used that particular type of shinkansen 2x (Kanazawa to Nagano and then Nagano to Tokyo) and had no problem getting seats for 2. I booked my Kagayaki either on 6/24 for travel on 6/26 or on 6/26 itself. (I have my old passes with the stamps on them for when I reserved trains.) On 6/26 I booked for 6/30. I mean I don't know how large your group is.. if you're 8 or 10 or 20 people, then yes, it might be harder. 12/23 is a holiday, 12/22 no one has off.

I've only been through Toyama station once in 2017. It was not that big. If you have no sense of direction or are slow walkers or people with some sort of mobility issues or have large suitcases, you might need 20 minutes. I know with a small carry-on and a grade schooler in tow I would have no trouble. Just make sure to use the South Exit, which will be labeled in English and walk towards the large area with bus stops. I am not sure where you buy your ticket or which stop it is, but often these things are labeled in English now or you can ask at the Toyama information office which is likely to be in the Station.

Good luck!!!!!

Thanks for the swift reply.
I will make a note of the South exit.

I am indeed travelling in a group of 8 people. That is why I am a bit concerned.
As far as the bus, i believe the bus needs to be reserved in advance. So If I miss the train, I wont be able to catch the 8:50AM bus and not sure if I can catch the next one since its reserve only. Not to mention, the bus fare cannot be refunded.

Do you know if nouhi bus is the only bus that goes to Shirakawa-go?

Yes, Nohi is the only company that services Takayama and environs.

One option is you could take the train to Kanazawa. There are a lot more buses from Kanazawa than from Toyama and it's only about ~20 minutes longer by train.

Honestly, if it were me, I would think about waiting until the 19th and seeing if you can get the Kagayaki you want and then booking the bus while in transit to Tokyo from NRT on your cell. On the 22nd the bus to Shirakawa Go should not be fully booked since it's not a week end or holiday and so you're really just competing against other tourists and not as many residents.

I would make sure to buy your Sea tickets on the 19th or 20th. 8 is a lot of people.

Good luck!

Hi Everyone ,

It is me again. As it is getting closer and closer (it is still a month ++ away :P), I am getting worried about my Ueno - Toyama (Kagayaki 6:22AM) shinkansen (only reserved seating available). I just randomly check November to December days and notice that on 23 November , most of the Shinkansen is already fully booked o.O.

I am aware that this is a public holiday and on my travel date (22 December 2018) , it is not a public holiday .

I have found this website that allows us to book in advance even before arriving in Japan .

https://www.eki-net.com/pc/jreast-shinkansen-reservation/English/wb/Co...

Has anyone ever used this before ? is this website legit ?

I do have some questions regarding this website :

- I am asked to provide my credit card details , is this just for deposit in the case of cancellation or no show?
- If I pick the tickets up and show my JRPass , is it correct to assume that I wont be charged anything?

Because I am planning to reserve for 7 people, so if it turns out that they charge my credit card with full fare amount, I will have to pay quite a lot of money and our JRPass wont pay off.

Thanks for any advice and clarification.

Hi guys, Just FYI for those who are wondering the same.

I have received some info from Jreast.

Turns out its free to reserve and they wont charge your creditcard. If you are travelling together with non jr pass user, you can also book together and pay for the non jrpass user using your credit card.
That way you can sit together :)

Hi!

I'm so glad that is going to work out.

The website wasn't up when I traveled during New Years in '05-06 and my friends I was going to Tokyo with got me a seat assignment with them when they bought their tickets. They were all JETs and so couldn't get a pass.

I honestly don't think even with 8 people you will have a problem making the transfer unless you all walk super super slow and have huge bags. (in which case you should takyuubin some of them so that no one walks as slow!) I could have made the transfer to an earlier Kagayaki than the Hakutaka I had a reserved seat for, but I didn't have time to find a ticket window and get a new seat for another train. Toyama Station seems very new, but it's just not that big.

Enjoy!