Surprise Japan Trip

Awesome! I was there this time last year (it's actually where FH proposed!). We flew into Osaka, got a deal pin expedia for hotel and flights that cost us about $900 a person. We spent 8 days there and explored Osaka, took day trips by train (super easy) to Nara, Kyoto, and Kobe. Nara is this little town filled with deer that bow to you if you feed them. Amazing. In Osaka you can get everywhere by subway and it's easy to navigate. 2 tips, we bought the "JPass" everyone recommends but never used it because the region we stayed at didn't take that pass so it was a waste of money. Traveling long distance, say Tokyo to Nara, then you could probably use that pass. Another tip, use google translate. You take a pic of the Japanese characters and it will translate to rough English. That was our biggest tool for navigating subways and restaurants.

Hope you have a wonderful time!! I have wanderlust rn just typing this!

Oh and 1 more!! Google maps is spot on when it comes to the train schedules. Again, amazing.

Following! FH would LOVE to go to Japan. We aren't very well traveled, so we want to do our honeymoon local before we try something that far. But I would love to hear everyone's suggestions for when we are ready!

We stopped in Japan on the way home from China. We spent 1.5 days in Kyoto and booked two 1/2 day tours through Expedia. Then we took a bullet train (very cool!) to Tokyo for another 2 days.

The Skytree in Tokyo had just opened and we couldn't get a reservation, but we walked around the area and it looked really cool. Also the cherry blossoms are in bloom in April if that is when you will be traveling.

My fiance taught English there for two years. I went to visit him in August. It was humid AF and I used to live in Florida so I thought I knew humidity. That said, it was so beautiful. He was in the Yamanashi prefecture. You could see Mt Fuji from everywhere in town and there were a ton of other mountains surrounding us. He was pretty rural so if you're looking for more city life adventure I wouldn't go to that area. There still was enough to so. Even going to the drug store was exciting to me. We mostly hiked and biked though and visited temples. I'll answer any questions you have though. My fiance traveled all over in Japan so he knows the country well enough.

I think this is an awesome idea and he will love it!!! While I personally have never been Japan my FH has gone and he loved it! He said the public transportation is amazing and he had the train pass which was a life saver. We eventually want to go together. Sorry I cant give you anymore than that but I hope you have an AMAZING trip when you do go!!

I haven't been to Japan yet but it's on my places to visit list! How exciting!

We went for two weeks last fall and FH proposed while we were in Nikko (its a lesser known spot when people say "Japan", but its a hot springs resort area with gorgeous waterfalls).

We didn't use a travel agent because we didn't want to spend more than a few days in one place. With the exception of two of our stops, we used airbnb for lodging and it was incredible! Saved a TON of money and got to stay in some traditional Japanese housing (tatami mat floors, sleeping in futons, etc).

I've attached photos of the place where he proposed (you can see the sliding rice paper doors in the one shot). This is in Nikko. Also in this area is Edo Wonderland (its a historical theme park where you can take a ninja class, Google it, its neat).

If FH is more of a gamer/anime fan, you'll definitely want to hit up Akihabara in Tokyo, as well as Odaiba (there's a TON of arcades in these areas, and Odaiba has a giant ferris wheel --- the other ferris wheel is in Yokohama). If you're Disney fans, there's also Tokyo Disney (land and sea). Its definitely a different experience than the US parks.

Kyoto's got the Imperial Gardens where the Shogun used to stay with his family, along with some really neat shrines and temples (lots of the old school historical stuff).

Osaka is known for food. Totally worth it.

Do yourself a favor --- no matter where you end up, get yourself some legitimate ramen. Cup of Noodles has NOTHING on what you can get in restaurants over there! SOOO GOOD.

So excited for you! Japan is one of our favorite destinations, and its definitely a life experience.

ETA - More destination info

Following! We're planning Japan as our honeymoon trip FH said to "Go during cherry blossom season," which a quick google revealed to be late March - early April.

This is so exciting!!! FH and I are planning on going to Japan for our honeymoon That's so nice of you to plan this for your FH's (husband at the time) birthday!!

How fun! I actually surprised my husband with a trip to Japan last year. He knew we were going on a trip, he just didn't know where. We flew all the way to Los Angeles before I broke the news to him that we would be flying to Tokyo that night.

I did all of the planning myself, so I can't help with a package or an agent. But definitely spend a few days in Tokyo. We loved Meiji Shrine, Ueno Park, Happoen Garden, and of course Harajuku. We also spent a day in Tokyo Disneyland, which was fun. Definitely go to Kyoto. We took an overnight bus, which was not a great night's sleep, but it was a lot cheaper than the trains. There, we had so much fun at the Fushimi Inari Shrine as well as the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Take a train an hour or so away and stop at Nara. They have deer all over and you can feed them crackers. There is also the most amazing Giant Buddha I've ever seen at the Todaiji Temple. You're going to love it!

Following. DH and I have been talking about a trip to Japan.

ETA: I'm totally looking up that ninja class!

We're going to Japan for our honeymoon! I'm so excited!!!

We booked our airfare and a hotel in Tokyo together. It was cheaper that way, but we plan to get a different hotel for a night or 2 in Kyoto or Osaka. We're not going until September, so we still have a lot to plan.

This is great info everyone! Thank you! FH is a gamer/anime fan to some extent and in tech, and I am in the historic architecture field. I'll have to balance what he'd like to do and what I'd like to do to some extent. He is generally interested in the architecture (to a lesser extent than me though), but I quite honestly have no interest in the anime stuff. We are also huge foodies, and we'd probably love staying at a range of hotels from the traditional to the super modern.