Packing Question
What type of bag have people used for the two nights you are without your luggage? If you brought a laptop did you pack it in your regular luggage or put it in the overnight bag you brought? Love to get people's suggestions of what worked or what doesn't work.
My husband and I are going on the Oct 17th trip and I will be bringing a nice camera as well as some tech gear and am planning what bag/s to bring.
0
Comments
Lisa, we were on the June 2024 small group trip. As for overnight bags they ranged from a backpack/ large shoppers tote to small wheeled hard sided carry one. My advice it isn’t so much the size of the bag but the ability to handle it easily and quickly. As long as you can maneuver your choice off the overhead shelf, down the narrow aisle and up and down the train car stairs you will be good. There are lots of steps including staircases in the train stations so factor that into your decision. You won’t need alot for the overnight, they provide sleepwear, might not be your normal choice but for one night it works.Dress was nice athletic wear during the day then perhaps a dressier blouse with pants for dinners. It is easier if you back as light as possible within your comfort zone. Enjoy every moment, for me it was a wonderful bucket list trip🎉
Ellen, glad to hear you had a good trip. If you arrived in Tokyo a day early, did you visit any attractions that you would recommend? Also, I see that the Four Seasons Kyoto offers the opportunity to take a rickshaw ride through the city. Did anyone on the tour take a ride? Any other thoughts/comments would be appreciated.
GM, The long flights made for an evening arrival at the hotel. The day of our welcome dinner we just walked around a bit, found a place to buy some yen and explored the Tokyo central train station. I believe our welcome reception, dinner started a bit earlier. No one in our group took a rickshaw ride but the 4 Seasons one was parked out front of the hotel if you are so inclined. Some in our group came in earlier than one day before and did some touring on their own. I was told the concierge at the Shangri La arranged a private tour guide for another couple who said the guide was excellent. This is a very active paced tour , glad we focused on arrival getting over jet lag and on local time. Enjoy the trip!
We arrived 2 days ahead, which we had not done before a trip.. On one of the weekend days, I think Sunday, the streets are closed in the expensive main shopping road, and there are many families, food vendors, tables and chairs from restaurants. Real nice family day to observe. Also we took a cab to The "Scramble" Shibuya Crossing for a fun afternoon and went to the presidential gardens, walked from hotel.
Thanks Ellen & Debi for all the good information. The upscale shopping area "Ginza" and Shibuya Crossing were on my list of places to go. Debi, I just realized that you made mention of taking a cab. How did that go? Is there anything I should be aware of? Appreciate your response.
GM - Whenever you're in a country with a different alphabet, get a business card from your hotel's front desk or concierge. If the driver doesn't understand English (likely in Japan), just hand him the card. We spent 3 extra days in Tokyo at the end of the trip and never used a taxi. We either wlaked or took the subway. More of an adventure.
One issue I had in Cairo was I took an Uber. While the app displayed the car's license plate, the Egyptian license plates use Arabic letters AND numbers, so it was unrecognizable!
GM, the hotels recommended cabs instead of Uber because Uber is new to Japan and doesn't run as smoothly. There are a lot more cabs too and busy areas have cab stands where you get in line for the next one. Everything in Japan is efficient and really safe, (hard to get used to at first as we have to be more careful in the US). The cabs take credit cards.
I would strongly recommend using Yen, not every cab accepts credit card. There may be a surcharge.
Make sure you brings the hotel's business card. There are more than one Hilton, one Hyatt, etc....Some cabbie does not speak a word of English.
By the way, Tauck would drop off certain guests at Ginza during the free afternoon in Tokyo. So the bus will drop you off there and you will take a taxi back.
Remember most Japanese do not speak fluent English.
I did Tauck's Essence of Japan and went a Tauck competitior this year to Japan. I am very disappointed that there is significant misinformation there that is entirely madeup, untrue definitely just to boost that person's ego.
During the tauck tour, there were two guys who got lost during their free afternoon. One was shipped by the cabbie to a different Hyatt and one kept getting on the wrong subway, ending up in a different part of town. The TD ended up searching for them until midnight.
For those of you who recently completed the Tauck tour, I have a question about meals. For the included ones, did you have an opportunity to sit with tour members at larger tables that may sit 6-8 people? Or did couples eat alone?
Usually large table in buffet style unless it is dinner time. Most of the time you don't have a choice to EXCLUDE others unless you tell them to GO AWAY. If I remember correctly, the only time you can have a private table was at the Hotel nikko at Kanazawa since there were different restaurant venues and iron clad time slot.
At Hyatt Hakone and Four Seasons Kyoto, you have to tell the Maitre D to hide you if you want a couple table and sit away from the tour members. At the Onsen, Tauck used a long table and at the weclome dinner and farewell dinner, there were multiple ten persons tables.
I have a question about the visit to Tsukiji Market. Is it just a walk through or are we able to stop and sample and food? Thanks
The visit to Tsukiji Market is more of a walk through.
Maximally you are spending 30 to 45 minutes there. The place is very crowded with locals and foreign tourists alike with long lines at the more popular stalls. A few guests from Tauck still managed to sample some sushi before they and the rest of the folks were cattle called back to the bus.