Traveling on a Long Weekend in Japan

We were lucky (unlucky?) enough to be traveling on a long weekend in Japan.  Here are some tips that you should take into consideration... Or another way to put it... Learn from our mistakes!   lol.  Let's just say not having a reservation ended up allowing us to see the Osaka Station and Shimbashi area... with our 40-50 pound backpacks on our back!

Make a Hotel Reservation

If you're staying at a major destination with lots of hotels you wouldn't think that finding a hotel will be difficult.  However, let me warn you...... it is.

So be sure to make a reservation.  Yes, the prices may seem slightly higher then you're willing to pay. However, the other option is

• Wandering the streets looking for a place with an open room
• Paying more anyway because you need a place to stay!

Make a Train Reservation

Trains are the other thing that gets ridiculously busy during the long weekends.  Although, you'll be making a train reservation regardless traveling on the Shinkasen's (bullet trains) you'll want to make the reservation early.  One of the reasons is that there are more Nozomi trains that travel between this area which are not included in the JR Pass. So you could pay for this but simply making a reservation early will save you some money!

We made a reservation from Osaka to Tokyo two days ahead of time and the only time we could get was early in the morning. This doesn't seem that bad but considering the number of trains that travel between Osaka and Tokyo this is quite crazy! It worked out but it could have been a lot worse, trying to cram in a non-reserved section or sitting for three hours in a smoking section. 

Tourist Sights

If you'd like to visit an area (temple, garden, etc...) with less people then don't plan to travel during a long weekend.  The Japanese are great appreciators of their own heritage, culture and sights.  This means that there are lots of tourists at most places during a long weekend.  Try to make your plans work around to not include these sights until after the long weekend!

The other option is to visit a tourist sight that IS busy and that you'd like to see busy, like Shibuya.  Shibuya has the distinction of the busiest intersection on the planet. We went here on the Monday of the long weekend and it did not disappoint!  Check out the number of people in the picture below... crazyness!

Hopefully these tips help you to enjoy your long weekend in Japan.  Don't let the business stop you in fact you should try to enjoy it because that's a more Japanese experience!

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