Best Of
Suggestions for things to see and do with extra time in Tokyo and Kyoto?
My wife and I are scheduled for the November 2 Essence of Japan Tour. This is our first trip to Asia. We have few questions for those who have already done the Tour or otherwise spent time in Japan. We’ll arrive 3 days early in Tokyo and have 3 days in Kyoto after the tour ends. Any recommendations on what to see or do with our extra time? We thought it would be interesting to see Kabuki in Tokyo and to do some walking tours: maybe Yanaka (Old Town), Shinjuku (at night), Shibuya area, Senso-ji Temple, and Imperial Palace grounds? With our extra time in Kyoto, we thought a day trip to Nara would be fun. Other possibilities we identified are the Arashiyama District, Sagano Scenic RR, and Ginkakuji Temple. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Thank you
PS. Should I pack a coat and tie?
Stanfan
Re: Tour Director tip
PGH - Good information, but with respect to 'ask for the TDs preference prior to the trip'. Not all TDs make contact prior to the tour.
Re: Tour Director tip
In about 40 tours, I’ve never had a tour director contact me before the tour. Tauck will even rarely tell you who your tour director will be in advance, so as far as I’m concerned, this method is a non-starter.
British
Re: Post Tour Company - Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos
PureLuxury-
My Vietnam trip included Laos and Cambodia but not Thailand so at the end of our trip to Japan with TAUCK, we detoured on our way home to Thailand. We spent approximately 1 week there. We split our time between Bangkok and Chang Mai. We prearranged tours and private guides- it was wonderful albeit too hot!!!. We were there in May which I don’t recommend…it was too hot! I think I have on ur ‘itinerary ’ -pm me if you want more info. In any event, I loved Thailand - especially Bangkok. I’m hoping to return within the next few years.
Re: Dates for posts - Are they displayed differently now? *** ISSUE RESOLVED - I think 😀
Probably some kind of bug. You know software developers - they like to mess with things, after people get used to them, to be annoying and justify their continued employment. 
For example, Microsoft Word was a mature product 25 years ago, but they keep making insignificant and annoying changes to keep selling "new" products.
Speaking of which, I just replaced my PC, and reinstalled Office 2007, which I bought at a student discount at the Penn State bookstore when my daughter was there I have another piece of software, which worked fine with Win10, but wouldn't install under Win11, that I came up with a kluge (running it within a cmd prompt box) to run it.
BKMD
Re: Dates for posts - Are they displayed differently now? *** ISSUE RESOLVED - I think 😀
First, I'd like to remove all doubt - you ARE old.
Yes, the date format has changed. The time of a post only appeared within the first 24 hours of the post. Then, after 24h, it was in a format like Feb 5, 2025. That date format is what changed.
BKMD
Re: laundry services
Our past experience with laundry on the cruise ship has been very good. Although laundry is not inexpensive, it is worth the cost to avoid taking extra clothes.
MMMJRH
Re: Need $1's and $5's?
We used lots of $1 and $5. They won’t take a bill that is heavily creased or any tears, but otherwise they were happy to accept everywhere. We probably brought about $100 in small bills.
Re: Washcloths in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand hotels?
All of the hotels had washcloths. They are 5⭐️ luxury hotels. We just returned last week. Don’t bring any extras
Re: Cuba 2025 Trip Thoughts - Part 1
one more quick clarification on the food. I noted breakfast buffet was good except for the two early days. On those days it was still good, but it was an abbreviated meal...they bring you a plate of food already selected (meat, pastries, fruit). It is still good, just faster.
