Comments on: Grandma’s Guide To Visiting Japan

By: Raymond Chuang

Raymond Chuang — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 15:53:00 +0000

I do NOT recommend visiting Japan–unless it’s northern Tohoku region or Hokkaido–from mid July to the end of August–as temperatures can approach 100 °F. with 70% or higher humidity. It’s especially bad in Shikoku, western Honshu and Kyushu.

By: walker

walker — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 08:44:00 +0000

even cheap places will usually provide an extra futon or two upon request, so you can layer up. it definitely helps.

By: walker

walker — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 08:32:00 +0000

i’ve visited japan twice in mid-october, and can confirm that the weather is just perfect. made the mistake of visiting in august once without really doing my research, and was stunned (almost literally) by the heat and humidity.

By: walker

walker — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 08:26:00 +0000

i’ve used JR passes several times, and can confirm that kavita is correct – consecutive days only, the pass is stamped with an expiry date when it’s activated, so you should get the most use out of it that you can in that time, i.e. lots of shinkansen journeys, yay! if you use it wisely you can milk 3 or 4 times the face value out of it, easily. my japanese friends are jealous of that particular tourist perk.

By: zoomingjapan

zoomingjapan — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 14:12:00 +0000

The beginning of April when there’s sakura season in many parts of Japan has quite unstable weather. We have something called “haru no arashi”. Though I have the feeling it has gotten worse in the past few years.

I remember spring vacations without any rain, but the past few years there’s always been some crazy weather. Best example is right now. Lots of rain, hailing, even a small tornado. The strong wind and rain make the cherry blossoms disappear earlier than planned, too.

It’s always good to have an alternative plan if it’s raining, just in case. ;)
Just soaking in an outdoor onsen in the rain can be fun, too! I just did it the other day when it was raining cats and dogs. *g*

By: Kavita

Kavita — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 06:58:00 +0000

You have said “Foreign tourists can and should buy the Japan Rail Pass, which offers
unlimited passage on JR trains, including the shinkansen (bullet train)
for 7, 14, or 21 nonconsecutive days (this is important because it means
if you stay somewhere for a few days, you don’t lose those days on your
pass).”

Can you confirm this. My understanding has always been that you can use the passes only for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days.

You don’t have the set the start date to be the date you collect the pass, it can be set for a future date (I think up to a month ahead) BUT once it starts, my understanding is that it lasts only for the allotted number of days, consecutively…?