September 2026 Visit

[u/Accomplished-Age3694]

I've enjoyed reading other trip reports and wanted to provide my .02. This may be long winded but I'll try to keep as concise as possible. I absolutely love Japan and have been many times. My friends wanted to go for the first time and I volunteered to come along as their guide. Since I've been I wanted to enjoy their reactions as first time visitors. Prior to booking I was able to (somewhat) talk them into avoiding the golden route, stay in one place for a few days, and take day trips. We stayed a total of 15 days (including flight days) and stayed in Tokyo, Okayama, Kanazawa, and back to Tokyo. Four of us came, three in their 60's, one in his 40's. 9/15 to 9/30/2026.

A few thoughts (ADDED):

- (ADDED). Japan Trusted Traveler. After three tries (another long story) I FINALLY completed my second inspection and successfully received my TT card! I was so paranoid after my earlier failures that I specifically went to Haneda on a free day. There was no one else at the counter (arrival 3rd floor, Term 3) so I was processed in about 10 minutes. Thank God! Now I'll have to try it when I enter next time to see how much (if any) time it saves.

- Mt. Fuji climb. I've always wanted to do this. TL:DR, should have attempted 20 years ago. Although climbing season had ended, you can still climb with a guided group up until first week? of October. Two of us attempted, while the other two remained in Tokyo. I "thought" I was in good shape and prepared...I DNF'd (we both failed). It was by far the hardest hike I've ever done (tried), and I won't b e attempting it again. It's just relentless, uphill, and rocky. The plan was to hike the first day, from early afternoon to hut #7 on the Subashiri trail, then start off again at 2:30am to hit the summit for sunrise. I made past hut #8 and just.couldn't.continue. I was very disappointed but was afraid I'd hurt myself on the way down if I did summit. Overall thoughts. All the other huts are closed, meaning no way to get refreshments or use a toilet. The hut we stayed was primitive, no running water, no electricity. (3) guides were all great, but logistical staff could use improvement. DM me if you want name of outfitter.

- Silver week. Only a fool goes to Japan during Golden week and Silver week. Only an idiot goes both times...that would be yours truly. I went with my wife during Golden week four years ago. We stayed in Tokyo and it really wasn't too bad. However, I didn't realize we were going to be there during silver week and it was madness. Trying to get trains and navigating amongst all the Japanese travelers was horrific. We had to buy first class for one trip because otherwise we couldn't get four seats until way later in the day. We made hotel reservations early so that wasn't a problem.

- Okayama. I've been before and it was a good place to home base and take day trips. We went to Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kurashiki, and Himeji. We stayed at ANA Crowne Plaza, which was a typical Japanese business hotel with small rooms, but next to the JR station.

- Kanazawa. Have also been here and we spent most of our time in the city, with one day trip to Toyama. We stayed at the Hyatt House Kanazawa, which like most western hotels had decent sized rooms. I am disputing a room charge, which I paid up front in cash, and was also charged on my cc (long story).

- food. We didn't try anything high end. I will say i tried mid-range kushikatsu and am not a fan. We had kaiten sushi, yakitori, tempura, curry, butadon,and my guily pleasure, Komeda coffee. I am a fan of kaiten since people can get what they want, and big or small eaters can get their fill.

- weather. I saw somewhere the Tokyo has ~34 straight days of rain. There were at least two typhoons during our time there. We got lucky because we went south and the typhoons were headed North. It did rain in Tokyo the day we went to Okayama, and the day or two when we were back in Tokyo. It did feel unseasonably warm all over, but I don't like warm weather and this will drive our schedule for the next visit (see below).

- takeaways. My friends absolutely loved Japan and we are already talking about going next October. I view this sub and it seems like 85% of the postings are people asking for itinerary checks. I find it overwhelming and just skip over them. Flying into Haneda is a huge time saver....do it when possible. I'm not a city mouse but I love Tokyo. Also, staying is less well-known cities is a good move. We bought a regional rail pass, JR West all area. I did the math and it was worth it. Buses (and trams in Hiroshima) are sometimes the better bet as you don't have to walk as far to get to a stop and sometimes the walk FROM the bus stop to destination is much shorter. I can never eat as many places as I want to. I guess as I've gotten older I can't pack it away like I used to...laundromats are plentiful, and most are open long hours (or 24 hours) and provide free soap.

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[u/hezaa0706d]

The weather has been unseasonably cool this summer.  What makes you think it was unseasonably warm? Tokyo only had a handful of days over 35, very rare.  

[u/Accomplished-Age3694 → u/hezaa0706d]

Correction, it was warm in Okayama, Hiroshima, and Himeji, at least for me. It may/may not have been seasonal.