Newbie to Japan

Dear hodophile,

I definetly recommend what LikeBike said about onsen.
You can enjoy onsen to the fullest without worrying about scars or anything like that. Nobody will give you "looks" or will care about what someone looks like. It is a relaxing and enjoyable experience for everyone who want to do that.

As your question about money. Yes, not everywhere you can pay with your ( foreign) creditcard.
Many shops still like to have paid in cash.
On some big department stores or stores like muji, tokyu hands or uniqlo you can pay directly with your foreign creditcard. But unfortunately you can't do that in all shops ( for now).
It is still necessary as a tourist to carry a certain amount of cash with you.

Please keep in mind that you also not get your cash out of every kind of ATM on your way with your foreign c-card. But you can use the ATM of the JapanPost and 7-eleven to get cash easily. (Some other ATM will be working too, but i don't have the names of the associated companies at hand).

Greetings from Germany,
Vio

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions, guidance and links.

I have a longer list than I anticipated but will chip away at it to ensure that I enjoy and appreciate what both Tokyo and Kyoto have to showcase, for me to put away into my takebox... without feeling like I am running around on roller blades.

The I know ʻmust doʻsʻ are:
Shinkansen - which will be my from Tokyo to Kyoto. I would need the JR rail pass correct?
**Would that rail pass be enough to get me around Tokyo and Kyoto for the 9 days (includes day of arrival and departure)?
Forest Bathing
Temples/Shrines and gardens both in Tokyo and Kyoto
TeamLab Planets Museum in Tokyo
A theatre/show
Kintsugi
Ryokan stay - my concern is how comfortable that would be for the body. I guess my body will determine that, if I am lucky enough to try it
A buddhist/monastery stay would be incredible experience, I would hold in my heart for a lifetime. Not having much luck with my enquiries. In fact, I thought I had contacted the Mioshinji Temple in Kyoto but it ended up being a hotel
The Omihachiman Sagicho Fire Festival in mid March - I read this is on the 3rd weekend in March and I will be in Kyoto
Kiyomizu-dera - I will make my way to it
Gion/Pontocho
Cherry Blossoms - last day in Japan (will be in Tokyo) and flying back to Sydney, I hope that they come out to meet me, even in their infancy :-)
If I build enough courage to try an Onsen, thatʻs great, if not that is ok too
Iʻd like to be part of a tea ceremony - but if that isnʻt meant to happen, I will accept that in this trip

Iʻm thinking that things of interest will pop up that I havenʻt even thought of and I can go with it while Iʻm there. Is that realistic for first time in Japan?

Would 5000-7000 yen reasonable to carry around in cash?

I look forward to reading the words of wisdom :-)

Hope whoever is reading this is enjoying their day where you may be located :-)
Sydney is very warm and humid today.
Thank you,
Hodophile

Regarding JR pass. You don’t NEED to buy it. You can also simply buy a train ticket.

Tge JR pass is 7 or 14 consecutive days. I believe it pays off just about if you do a Tokyo Kyoto round trip. Inside Tokyo and Kyoto you can use it a little bit, but Kyoto is mainly busses and Tokyo has a lot of subway lines, which are not run by JR.

If you are strictly only staying in Tokyo and Kyoto I’d probably just buy a normal Shinkansen ticket, then you can take the faster and more frequent Nozomi Shinkansen.

If you plan within the 7 days on some daytrips, eg Kamakura, Nara, plus at least 1 leg to/from the airport, I think it would pay off. But you aren’t going to make any huge savings.

Anyway buy an IC card which you can use for all local transport.

There is a good transport and railpass section on JG.

Thank you :-)

I will be going from Haneda airport to Ueno station and back on day of departure.

At this stage, I am planning to only explore the two cities (Tokyo and Kyoto)

In fact, I thought I had contacted the Mioshinji Temple in Kyoto but it ended up being a hotel→
I didn't understand what you meant, but if you tried to meditate at Myoshinji, did you end up staying at a temple lodging?
Myoshin-ji Shunko-in and Myoshin-ji Taizo-in offer zazen experiences in English, but both accept groups only.
In Japanese, there are several other places where you can experience Zen meditation.
If you need an interpreter, you can also request a volunteer guide.
Check out kyoto's volunteer groups.
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/list-of-volunteer-guides/
If you check with the tourist information center at Kyoto station, they will tell you where you can experience the tea ceremony.
https://tic.jnto.go.jp/eng/detail.php?id=1219
For cash, please refer here.
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/currency/
Vending machines that can only be paid in cash accept only 1,000 yen bills. Also, 1-yen and 5-yen coins cannot be used.
This may also be helpful.
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/

@haro1210 - thank you for your reply post and my apologies for the confusion

In fact, I thought I had contacted the Mioshinji Temple in Kyoto but it ended up being a hotel→
I didn't understand what you meant, but if you tried to meditate at Myoshinji, did you end up staying at a temple lodging?

**I thought that the contact/email details I found were for the Mioshinji Temple in Kyoto for a temple stay but the details I had were wrong. No, I have never stayed at a temple lodging. Something I very much hope to do.
I also noticed that these were for groups only and that rules me out :-(

Myoshin-ji Shunko-in and Myoshin-ji Taizo-in offer zazen experiences in English, but both accept groups only.

They donʻt need to be English speaking - some how we all find a way to communicate even if the spoken words are unknown to us :-)

I will have a look at the links you sent, the volunteer guides is of great interest also.
Are these the same as ʻGoodwill Guidesʻ I have read; mentioned in some of the articles/posts?

Many thanks to you Haro1210.

The volunteer guides I linked to are Goodwill Guides.
Zazen is held at various temples in Kyoto, but most of them are held on specific Sundays.
Shorin-ji Temple（勝林寺）, a sub-temple of Tofukuji Temple（東福寺）, is held every day, but reservations are required.
Perhaps you can book in English as well.
https://shourin-ji.org/english/zazen/
https://www.veltra.com/en/asia/japan/kyoto/a/110827
https://shourin-ji.org/zazen1/
Ryosokuin（両足院）, a sub-temple of Kenninji Temple（建仁寺）, is also held several times a week.
https://ryosokuin.com/zazen/
Reservations are required here.
http://airrsv.net/ryosokuin/calendar
Zazen experience=坐禅体験(Zazen Taiken)
Zazen and cleaning experience (with tea ceremony)=坐禅とそうじ体験（茶礼あり）(Zazen to Souji Taiken(Sarei ari))
Click on the colored areas to see details.