Has Anyone Booked a Holiday Yet?

[Ollie93]

On 15/01/2020 at 15:34, E.Rose said:

Yes - Loads!

Firstly the obvious, Tokyo, I found 4 days to be long enough. 
 

Kyoto was beautiful, definitely the place to go for seeing the more traditional side of Japan.

 

Nara was nice too, I just did a day trip to here from Kyoto to visit Todaiji Temple, the sheer size of it was amazing.

Also in Nara there is the deer park, you can buy crackers from locals and feed them to the deer, they always bow their heads before taking the food.

 

I’d recommend getting a Japan Rail Pass (depending on the length of your trip)

I got a 2 week one and whilst in Tokyo you won’t use it that much but if you use the Shinkansen/Bullet Trains then you’ll soon make a saving. They’re incredibly efficient and you can get to many places outside of the main cities easily enough.

 

I managed to watch the Sumo wresting in Nagoya, however this was in July so if they have tournaments in April I’d give that a watch.

 

Forgive me as I can’t remember which place was close to where but the following places where a highlight of mine:

 

Todaiji as above, Fushimi Inari Shrine (the huge hill with 100’s of the famous red gates), Kinkaku-Ji (golden temple, full of tourists all crowding the place but worth seeing), Arashiama Bamboo grove, Tokyo Sky Tree, Shibuya Crossing, Kyoto Imperial Palace... 🤔 

 

I’m sure there’s more but that’s what comes to mind without looking back too much.

 

Happy to provide links and transport advice etc if you need anything else 👍🏼

 

 

Booked it just now! Got good flights at £600 return from Birmingham which I'm buzzing about. Got 16 full days out there!

[E.Rose]

18 minutes ago, Ollie93 said:

Booked it just now! Got good flights at £600 return from Birmingham which I'm buzzing about. Got 16 full days out there!

Great news, you'll have a brilliant time, it's hard to find anything bad about Japan!

[Ollie93]

5 minutes ago, E.Rose said:

Great news, you'll have a brilliant time, it's hard to find anything bad about Japan!

What would you say are the top 5 places/ things you did?

[E.Rose]

9 minutes ago, Ollie93 said:

What would you say are the top 5 places/ things you did?

Pretty much whats above but in order I’d say:

 

Places:

Tokyo/Kyoto as a whole, hard to say which was better because they’re vastly different.

Tokyo because of its upbeat modern vibes, Kyoto because it was the opposite, tradition and although busy more relaxing.

Tokyo Sky Tree, just to be able to see the vastness and density of the city, 360 views of buildings as far as the eye can see. The more you look around the more you notice things like football pitches on roof tops etc.

Todai-ji Temple in Nara (1hr ish by Shinkansen from Kyoto), The sheer size of this temple was amazing, beautifully built too. There’s a giant Buddha statue inside and its hand alone is bigger than a human.

Fushimi Inari Shrine, you can go off track in some areas and get away from the crowds.

Arashyiama Bamboo Grove and the area around it was nice from what I recall; I spent the afternoon walking around a big river which had locals sailing through on boats amongst the hills. No real reason to go other than escaping the busy cities.

 

Other places to look would be Hiroshima, can't advise though i'm afraid as I didn't visit. Mount Fuji is worth considering also.. 

 

General Experiences:

The Food, all of it, even the basic stuff from 7/11 is incredible  

Using the Shinkansen/Bullet Train

Rinsing all the drinks vending machines

Again, the food

The whole country as a whole really, and taking in how respectful Japanese citizens are, I honestly did not see one single piece of litter in the 2 weeks I spent there.  They take so much pride in everything they do.  

 

P.s one more tip which will make a lot more sense when you’re there but when using the metro in Tokyo to find what ticket you need, look at the boards, find the station you’re currently in and then look to where you want to go, there will be a number (not to be confused with station number) and that is the fee you will need to pay for a ticket. Find a ticket machine, press the amount and off you go. Fairs are usually 150 Yen upwards.

I spent ages trying to work it out, I had to find someone to help me eventually but once you know it's so obvious. Most things are written in English but be prepared as it's not everywhere. 

[Wrighty22]

Anyone done Interrailing?

[Wakeyfox]

Looking at Playacar in Mexico in April. 

 

Anyone been and hit any tips or views on this? 

[Raj]

20 hours ago, Wrighty22 said:

Anyone done Interrailing?

No but don't some dogging at shady lane

[Izzy]

It’s the wife’s 50th in September and she’s on about going to Iceland for 3/4 nights. Anyone been? Any recommendations what to do and how to get around?

[Unabomber]

5 minutes ago, Izzy said:

It’s the wife’s 50th in September and she’s on about going to Iceland for 3/4 nights. Anyone been? Any recommendations what to do and how to get around?

Yeah I’ve been, got around by just walking. In terms of recommendations they do some decent frozen curries and the chicken bits aren’t bad either. 3/4 nights would be abit much though. 

[Izzy]

32 minutes ago, Unabomber said:

Yeah I’ve been, got around by just walking. In terms of recommendations they do some decent frozen curries and the chicken bits aren’t bad either. 3/4 nights would be abit much though. 

FFS had to read that three or four times before I twigged 

[mabrah]

Sweden for a week in Feb (timed for the winter break obviously) Does that count as a holiday?

[E.Rose]

50 minutes ago, Izzy said:

It’s the wife’s 50th in September and she’s on about going to Iceland for 3/4 nights. Anyone been? Any recommendations what to do and how to get around?

Rent a car, plenty of options near the airport and once you’re outside Reykjavik the roads tend to be quiet.

 

You can easily drive yourself around the Golden Triangle route and spend as much time there as you want to at each stop. There’s a fair few layby’s around so you can stop and take photos, the horses are pretty friendly and like attention if animals are your thing. 

 

Personally I wouldn’t spend loads of doing a tour to see the northern lights (if September is a good time of year), I drove out to the lighthouse on the edge of Reykjavik and managed to see them there just fine. 

There’s plenty of interesting landscapes, you don’t need to head to any tourist spots in particular to see them, I drove out of Reykjavik for a few hours on a couple of days and there was no one else around, it’s a nice place to explore.

 

[Izzy]

42 minutes ago, E.Rose said:

Rent a car, plenty of options near the airport and once you’re outside Reykjavik the roads tend to be quiet.

 

You can easily drive yourself around the Golden Triangle route and spend as much time there as you want to at each stop. There’s a fair few layby’s around so you can stop and take photos, the horses are pretty friendly and like attention if animals are your thing. 

 

Personally I wouldn’t spend loads of doing a tour to see the northern lights (if September is a good time of year), I drove out to the lighthouse on the edge of Reykjavik and managed to see them there just fine. 

There’s plenty of interesting landscapes, you don’t need to head to any tourist spots in particular to see them, I drove out of Reykjavik for a few hours on a couple of days and there was no one else around, it’s a nice place to explore.

 

Thanks mate, great photo's 

 

Do you reckon 3 or 4 nights is enough to see the main places with a car? Maybe a night in Reykjavik then 3 nights at various different stops on the golden triangle?

[E.Rose]

3 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Thanks mate, great photo's 

 

Do you reckon 3 or 4 nights is enough to see the main places with a car? Maybe a night in Reykjavik then 3 nights at various different stops on the golden triangle?

Just realised I’ve called it the golden triangle, that’s the route in India 😂 meant to say golden circle, sorry pal.

 

The golden circle can be done (without breaks) in around 3 hours, there may possibly be places to stay en route but it doesn’t need to be something that’s longer than a day trip if you don’t want it to be.

Depends what kind of break you want really.

 

Not sure if any other members have been and have any other advice but personally, as I much prefer scenery to cities if I could re-do my trip I wouldn’t have booked all 5 days in Reykjavik as I was more than happy to drive 2-3 hours of the city but I then had the problem of having to drive all the way back.

Having said that I still enjoyed my time there and I’d go back and drive round the whole island. 

 

It’d be worth looking at places around the golden circle, it’s pretty remote so there may be some nice cabins/lodges you can base yourself at for a night ☺️

[martyn]

5 hours ago, Wakeyfox said:

Looking at Playacar in Mexico in April. 

 

Anyone been and hit any tips or views on this? 

Playacar itself is just the name of the gated residential community south of PdC (with a few hotels), and the beach. Was there myself 3 weeks ago with the family and Mexican in laws. 

 

Playacar beach is one of the nicer ones around Playa del Carmen, just have to hope the Sargassum stays away. Unless youre in a hotel and can use their facilities, then take all food/drink to the beach with you. 

 

Would recommend day trips out to the ruins (Chichen Itza/Valladolid). The lagoon at Akumal is nice as well, some good snorkelling then spend rest of day at a beach club on Xpu-ha beach. 

 

Xcaret is alright as well, especially with kids. 

 

Personally i prefer other parts of Mexico for a more authentic experience, just depends on the type of holiday youre after. 

Edited 26 January 2020 by martyn

[Costock_Fox]

2 hours ago, Izzy said:

It’s the wife’s 50th in September and she’s on about going to Iceland for 3/4 nights. Anyone been? Any recommendations what to do and how to get around?

Similar to what has already been said but I got a car and drove the golden circle but that was in May. Judging by the pics above he has probably visited at a similar time and I’ve heard the roads can be bad due to the weather but if your research shows the weather isn’t too bad definitely get a car.

 

Reykjavik itself is very small so I would probably stay there for a night and then elsewhere for a couple. A hotel I’ve looked at a few times is Hotel Ranga, it’s in the middle of nowhere but you won’t need to do a northern lights tour.

Edited 26 January 2020 by Costock_Fox

[E.Rose]

19 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

I got a car and drove the golden circle but that was in May. Judging by the pics above he has probably visited at a similar time

Yeah I went in April/May too. 
 

P.s I’m not a he 😂 

 

Edited 26 January 2020 by E.Rose

[Izzy]

39 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

Similar to what has already been said but I got a car and drove the golden circle but that was in May. Judging by the pics above he has probably visited at a similar time and I’ve heard the roads can be bad due to the weather but if your research shows the weather isn’t too bad definitely get a car.

 

Reykjavik itself is very small so I would probably stay there for a night and then elsewhere for a couple. A hotel I’ve looked at a few times is Hotel Ranga, it’s in the middle of nowhere but you won’t need to do a northern lights tour.

 

41 minutes ago, E.Rose said:

Just realised I’ve called it the golden triangle, that’s the route in India 😂 meant to say golden circle, sorry pal.

 

The golden circle can be done (without breaks) in around 3 hours, there may possibly be places to stay en route but it doesn’t need to be something that’s longer than a day trip if you don’t want it to be.

Depends what kind of break you want really.

 

Not sure if any other members have been and have any other advice but personally, as I much prefer scenery to cities if I could re-do my trip I wouldn’t have booked all 5 days in Reykjavik as I was more than happy to drive 2-3 hours of the city but I then had the problem of having to drive all the way back.

Having said that I still enjoyed my time there and I’d go back and drive round the whole island. 

 

It’d be worth looking at places around the golden circle, it’s pretty remote so there may be some nice cabins/lodges you can base yourself at for a night ☺️

Most helpful, much appreciated. Thanks 

[Costock_Fox]

25 minutes ago, E.Rose said:

Yeah I went in April/May too. 
 

P.s I’m not a he 😂 

 

Sorry, you will have all sorts of pervs pming you now (check your messages)

[Paninistickers]

On 25/01/2020 at 17:25, Wrighty22 said:

Anyone done Interrailing?

Not properly. But always fancied it if I had the time.

 

I spent 3 days bouncing around Norway two years ago. Travalled to Croatia via france and Italy too. And years ago did Germany and Prague via train

 

Even though each was fairly small.pockets of train travel, I loved it. And it's defo becoming cool again. Low carbon alternative your usual Thailand backpack route. For whatever reason, I noticed lots of middle class Irish uni students doing it. 

 

In summary, the glimpses I had, interrailing looked brilliant.

[bovril]

On 25/01/2020 at 17:25, Wrighty22 said:

Anyone done Interrailing?

Not with an interrail pass, but I travel a lot round Europe by train (try to avoid flying as much as possible) and always really enjoy it. Seat 61 is a great website for info on routes, times and costs.

[E.Rose]

31 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

Sorry, you will have all sorts of pervs pming you now (check your messages)

No worries at all, no harm done 👍🏼
 

If anyone called me ‘he’ face to face that’s when I should be worried 

[Ollie93]

On 24/01/2020 at 16:21, E.Rose said:

Pretty much whats above but in order I’d say:

 

Places:

Tokyo/Kyoto as a whole, hard to say which was better because they’re vastly different.

Tokyo because of its upbeat modern vibes, Kyoto because it was the opposite, tradition and although busy more relaxing.

Tokyo Sky Tree, just to be able to see the vastness and density of the city, 360 views of buildings as far as the eye can see. The more you look around the more you notice things like football pitches on roof tops etc.

Todai-ji Temple in Nara (1hr ish by Shinkansen from Kyoto), The sheer size of this temple was amazing, beautifully built too. There’s a giant Buddha statue inside and its hand alone is bigger than a human.

Fushimi Inari Shrine, you can go off track in some areas and get away from the crowds.

Arashyiama Bamboo Grove and the area around it was nice from what I recall; I spent the afternoon walking around a big river which had locals sailing through on boats amongst the hills. No real reason to go other than escaping the busy cities.

 

Other places to look would be Hiroshima, can't advise though i'm afraid as I didn't visit. Mount Fuji is worth considering also.. 

 

General Experiences:

The Food, all of it, even the basic stuff from 7/11 is incredible  

Using the Shinkansen/Bullet Train

Rinsing all the drinks vending machines

Again, the food

The whole country as a whole really, and taking in how respectful Japanese citizens are, I honestly did not see one single piece of litter in the 2 weeks I spent there.  They take so much pride in everything they do.  

 

P.s one more tip which will make a lot more sense when you’re there but when using the metro in Tokyo to find what ticket you need, look at the boards, find the station you’re currently in and then look to where you want to go, there will be a number (not to be confused with station number) and that is the fee you will need to pay for a ticket. Find a ticket machine, press the amount and off you go. Fairs are usually 150 Yen upwards.

I spent ages trying to work it out, I had to find someone to help me eventually but once you know it's so obvious. Most things are written in English but be prepared as it's not everywhere. 

Appreciate this mate. Any advice on a rough budget for 2 weeks? Was thinking around 2K tbh.

[egg_fried_rice]

On 25/01/2020 at 17:25, Wrighty22 said:

Anyone done Interrailing?

 

16 hours ago, bovril said:

Not with an interrail pass, but I travel a lot round Europe by train (try to avoid flying as much as possible) and always really enjoy it. Seat 61 is a great website for info on routes, times and costs.

Yes, and I've also done similar to bovvers too.

I would say Interrailing is not good value for money compared with just booking the individual legs of your journey separately, although it does provide more peace of mind. Bear in mind that even with an Interrail pass, some services will require you to book in advance. I never had any problem going to stations across Europe and booking either on the day or day before. Also consider coaches for getting to some more remote places. 

[E.Rose]

1 hour ago, Ollie93 said:

Appreciate this mate. Any advice on a rough budget for 2 weeks? Was thinking around 2K tbh.

No worries, yeah 2k-ish would be fine each; I’ve put some costs below to give you an idea of where most of your money is likely to go but most of your expenses will be on travel and accommodation as expected. 

I’ll let you research accommodation prices as it will vary depending on where you’re staying and what type of place you want to stay at.

Please take these as rough costs; it was a few years since I went so my memory on what I spent isn’t spot on.

 

Travel:

As mentioned before please consider getting a Japan Rail Pass, they may seem pricey but let’s say you did the trip from the airport to Tokyo, that’d be around £21pp, and again on your return, £42 in total pp, then if you used it to get from Tokyo to Kyoto it would be an additional £91pp for only a single ticket, you can see how quickly the cost would rack up without one. You’ll very quickly save money.

Plus should you ever miss a train then there’s no need to worry money wise, just buy another ticket and you’re covered. Local buses are included too (basically any travel with JR on it)

Please do your own research but from a quick glance this looks like a reputable company to use https://www.jrailpass.com/ - usually the pass is posted out to you then once you’re at the airport there’ll be a counter somewhere (good luck finding it, it took me ages hah) where you exchange it for a proper pass.  The passes can be sold in zones so if you’re not travelling far then you can get it at a much lower price, but for what it’s worth you may as well pay for the full country wide pass (14 day £331) and have the freedom of being able to use it where you want.  

 

In Tokyo some of the metro lines you can’t use the pass for but each fair is only in the region £1.20, if you put £25 aside that’d be more than enough each.

That with the cost of the pass you’re looking at around £356 each.

 

Local Attractions:

I’ll list what I paid to see so you can get an idea.

Tokyo Sky Tree Combo Ticket (deck and gallery):  £23pp

These were all around £3.50 - Meji Shrine (Tokyo),  Kinkakuji (Golden Temple Kyoto),  Arashiyama (Kyoto):  The bamboo forest is free but the temple is likely to be around £3.50pp

Nara Park: £3.50 & another £3.50 for entrance to Todaiji Temple.

I definitely saw more than that but you’re looking at £40 for the above which is about 4/5 days worth of things to do. Not many places are free but they’re relatively cheap, I can’t think of anywhere off the top of my head that you’d pay more money for.

 

Food:

Depends on your preferences, you don’t need to spend much at all to have a good meal, food in convenience stores is of great quality for a quick snack on the go, there’s many options for cheap meals that you order on a vending machine outside the restaurant, or you can go high end and go to Sukiyasbashi Jiro in Tokyo and spend £280 for arguably the best sushi in the world!

This article is good for food costs overall https://matcha-jp.com/en/2532

 

Other Costs

Souvenirs/general shopping and whatever else, portable WiFi packs are £40 as seen on the Japan Rail pass link I sent, I didn't get one but later into the trip wish I had, I didn't see any options to get one apart from at the airport. 

 

Overall cost pp without accommodation (estimate):

£500+ for food, £356 travel, £100 entrance fees/attractions (deffo more than you need) = £956