Anyone been to Japan in early May?

C

cp

Guest
I am planning to go Japan in early May.Would like to know more from those who has been there around this period.

What is the temperature there and is it still the cherry blossom season in May? Heard that it only blooms from mid March to early Apr....

Thanks to share your experience with me
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M

mm

Guest
Hi cp,

can find cherry blossom only in hokkaido which is in the northern part of japan in early may. temp in tokyo area is still cooling...ard 16-20deg. osaka area will be slightly warmer by 2deg. will not have much flowers blooming at that period. think quite a good temperature for theme parks n shopping.

see if want to consider going to hokkaido. but hokkaido will still be cold then(less than 15deg). have been to most parts of jap(except kyushuu area) n i like hokkaido best. the nature scenery is nice
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somemore king crab there is very delicious. the hot spring there is very nice too. it is also easy to self drive in hokkaido as the traffic there is not heavy. the cars have GPS to guide the way. the bad thing is the GPS is in japanese. not too hard to figure out since jap kanji is like our chinese
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C

cp

Guest
Hi mm,

thks for the feedback!

i planned to go to tokyo only. so that means i will not be able to see cherry blossoms in tokyo? sorry to sound so "sua gu" cos never been there b4.

I also planned to visit my ex-boss who stay in Kamakura. Do you know how far is it from Tokyo and how do i get there?

My plan is to follow a tour for 5 days and proceed to my ex-boss place for 2 days.
 

akira

New Member
Kamakura is only about 1 hour away from Tokyo by train. You can take the JR Yokosuka line (blue with a white strip if I didn't remember wrongly) from either Tokyo, Shimbashi or Shinagawa stations. In Kamakura, the main attractions are the temples and the Great Buddha. Between 1192-1333 Kamakura was the capital of Japan.
 

hanako

New Member
hi akira,

i plan to go Japan in APril for abt 3 wks, should i follow group tour or Free n easy?how should i plan my holiday if i hope to cover most of Jpn if possible? The agency here told me to book the 8 days Hokkaido tour from them and then follow them to Tokyo or Osaka where I free n easy there. But they can help me book hotel after I reached Tokyo n Osaka.
 

idono

New Member
Hi,

Around tokyo, there's 3 places that's good for scenic values
1. Nikko
2. Hakone
3. Mt Fuji (go all the way to 5th station)
 
M

mm

Guest
Hi cp,

yar, there wont be cherry blossom in may. cherry blossom bloom in end mar/early april n only lasted for 2 wks. akira has mentioned the right way to get to kamakura. if u have any problems, can seek the TIC(tourist information counter) which is located at JR tokyo station. must ask ur ex-boss to bring u to eat those nice jap food since those food provided by tour gp is so so only
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hi hanako,
one thing good abt tour gp is u save the trouble to plan n will be sure won't get lost in jap. however won't have enuff time to see the whole of jap since tour gp always rush here n there. free n easy is not easy for those who dunno jap. the jap there not so willing to speak english even if they noe english. some of the attraction places are quite ulu and need to figure out the right way. if u have enuff knowledge on where to go and know basic jap, it is good to go for free n easy. good pt is can choose to eat what u like for every meal
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hmm...april is cold in hokkaido n cherry blossom may not bloom yet. hmm..if u happen to go jap in early april suggest u go to kyoto/tokyo area first. the cherry blossom in kyoto is very nice esp with those temples as background. too bad i dun have the chance to see cherry blossom in kyoto. if i m not wrong, those tour packages only spent little time(may 2-3days) in hokkaido n wont get to see the real nice nature scenery, but of coz this is the cheapest way to get ard to hokkaido. if u have time, anr place worth going is hiroshima. the hiroshima style okonomiyaki(jap pancake) is very delicious, the peace museum is meaningful and get to understand more abt WWII. dun really find asian tourist in hiroshima, but many ang mo are there. mayb becoz ang mo are more daring to travel on their own.

Hi amber,
june is the mth of rainy season in jap. if i rememered correctly, rainy season should start in mid june-end jun. so guess still quite "safe" to go jap during end may period. weather is cooling ard 20+ deg. the weather in jap will only be hot in jul/aug.
 
C

cp

Guest
Hi

anyone can recommend clean & reasonable priced hotel in Kamakura?

how much is the train fare from tokyo to kamakura?

is dining very expensive in japan? if i dunno jap, will it be a problem ordering food?
 

akira

New Member
Hanako, I haven't been to Hokkaido so I'm not sure about how easy it is to get around there. But on Honshu itself (ie Tokyo, Osaka etc) it is quite easy to get around by train. Japan has a v good train network. All one needs is to be able to read a map, train schedules and preferably recognise Chinese characters. I have frens who can't speak Japanese but managed to do F&E between Tokyo, Osaka, Hakone, Hironhima etc. So the suggestion of doing Hokkaido by tour group then F&E for Tokyo, Osaka etc might be good. borrow guide books (eg Lonely Planets) from the library and photocopy the relevant sections.

cp, if can't read Japanese can still order food cos Japanese restaurants generally have plastic models of the available dishes displayed at the front of their shops. So just point to one tat looks appetising and hope for the best.
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not sure how much is the fare now from Tokyo to Kamakura, probably will be less than 2,000 yen.
 

akira

New Member
cp, for cheap and relatively good food, you can also try the 24-hour convenience stores such as 7-11, am-pm, family mart etc. They carry fresh bentos, cold noodles etc.
 
M

mm

Guest
Hi cp,

have checked yahoo japan n the exact fare from tokyo to kamakura station by JR rail cost 890yen n take almost an hr.

there are cheap n ex dining in jap. can always try to find cheaper ones. my fav is tendon(tempura with rice) at tenya n cost ard 500yen. cheap n good. tenya has many branches in japan. they oso have 100yen sushi shop n all sushi(2pcs per plate) are selling at 100yen.yummy!
 
C

cp

Guest
Hi mm,

THANKS for the info! they are very useful to me!
the tendon are making me drool.....
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H

huifang

Guest
The time I was in Osaka, Tokyo in late Nov - early December, it didn't snow in these two areas. Confirmed snowing places are in Tohoku areas such as Akita, Aomori and Hokkaido island.
 

angph38

New Member
nov/dec is supposed to be autumn izzit? cos i think now is summer time.

heard end Jan/Feb is the coldest, but nvr hear hubby says it snow in Osaka. btw, he's always on 2-3 wks biz trip to Osaka, abt every 3 mths
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he's now there, & will go again in Nov... me thinking shld i join him again in Nov
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M

mm

Guest
fyi, osaka will not snow during winter. heard from my japanese friend who was borned in osaka. if it snows it will be a rare case.

late nov/dec is late autumn for osaka n tokyo area. if to see snow have to go to either northern part of honshu, i.e Tohuku area, or hokkaido area. infact japan weather has been rather strange for these few yrs. no snow in tokyo area in winter 01, heavy n early snowing in jap for winter 02. then this yr summer is a cooling n wet one rather than a super hot one. even the japanese get puzzled with the weather.
 

pepsi

New Member
Hi,
Has anyone been to Hokkaido in early May? I am thinking of going there in 1st week of May (because may get to see sakura!!) However, read in various website that its best to avoid going to Japan end apr and 1st week of May as it is their "golden week" and everywhere will be crowded. However, as I intend to join package tour, hopefully things wont be as bad. Anyone can share their experience of touring in Japan in early May? Will we need to queue or wait during shopping, sightseeing, using toilet? Thks!
 

hayashi

New Member
Try not to go in the first week of May. Cos will be very Jam becos of the golden week in Japan. I had been there in May 2002. Will end up wasting a lot of time on traffic. Will be going again this Apr.... so excited. Wish me luck that I will get to see Sakura...
 

octo

New Member
Hi..

Just to share.. We went Jap in late May on guided tour.. reach jap on 27 May.. although we checked the internet forecast weather should be around 23-27 degree celsius.. but it was quite cold..n due to the rain.. the temperature falls to around 14 only..

And funny me.. even wore a skirt.. was so freezing cold that I couldn't get off the bus for 1 attraction (hotspring region walk.. sob sob..).. but the weather turn well after 2 days.. no more heavy rain.. I would say the weather is cooling.. but its good to bring a thin jacket/windbreaker along as the wind can be quite cold..

Do remember to bring an umbrella along.. it has been drizzling most of the days.. sometime the light rain can even turn to a heavy downpour..
 

pinkbunny

New Member
i went to tokyo late april. quite chilly on most days. a bit drizzly too. on the day i landed is was 9 degrees. that was the coldest. it went as high as high 20s but on average it was nice, about 23 or 24 i think.

no worries - they will sell appropriate clothing one
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perrie

New Member
Hello everyone,

My wife and i are looking for a short "honeymoon" trip to Japan.

Any comments which month to go better?
My wife is afraid of cold, i guess i will have a hard time if she cant adapt the coldness.

thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Perrie
 

s__h

New Member
I find this hotel membership very worth it...

This a hotel membership (1 year validity) cost $240 nett (i.e no need GST) and it comes with 2 nights stay in participating hotels in asia pacific...

so that work out to be S$120 per room per night which i feel it very worthwhile if u going to extend your holiday stay in korea, japan, australia or NZ etc where average rate per room per night is at least $150 onwards...

After using up the 2 nights, subsequence stay is 50% off the rack price..the rooms are transferable too ....so if got parents or friends going for holiday, can transfer to them.

Best part : There are NO BLACK OUT dates where not allow to redeem the rooms. Just confirm early, sure can get.

in addition, the membership cards comes with the typical F&B offer as well :

50% for 2 pax
33% for 3 pax
25% for 4 pax etc


I feel that this is esp worthwhile for those who are going for honeymoon or extend their stay after a holiday package....


PS : Is not time share...is directly buy from the hotel for membership

Participating hotels are :

Sofitel

Novotel
The Hokkaido, sapporo novel hotel toilet very big!!! ladies shoud love it bcos the brushing and washing of face is in another partion...got 2 basins.

Grand mercure
Hotel Lbis
mercure
Hotel formule 1

Countries that have the above hotels are :

Cambodia
China
India
Hong kong
Indonesia
Japan including tokyo, osaka, Ginza tokyo & nagoya
Laos
Malaysia - JB only
Philipines
South korea - Seoul only
Thailand
vietnam
Australia ; NSW, Victoria, queensland, western australia, tasmania, northern territory, south australia
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Fiji

I am merely sharing with this infor with people who travel and should find this hotel membership a good deal.


If you are keen to find out more or join, do email me your contact so that the lady who sold to me can call you or/and explain the details to you

Thanks
 

eniroc

New Member
Hi ladies.. i went to Osaka in Mar this yr..was pretty cold..temperature was abt 5-10 degree..and night will be colder..brings lots of moisturizer...my skin cracks due to the extreme cold weather..so painful..maybe it's also becoz i went snow boarding..the temperature is below 0..

Fall sick after returning to SG..hehe..was having fever n flu after tat..haha..lousy me.. =p
 

sereneli

New Member
Hi Rinez,

Wow the temperature is so low in Osaka for Mar?
Hmmm I will be going in Mar'08.

Can I check which hotels did you stay in Osaka?
 

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