Welcome to the Japan Travel Planning fortnightly newsletter for 11 August 2019, which includes information to help you plan your trip to Japan, top travel deals and articles about Japan.
A great resource to plan your trip is our Start Here to Plan Your Trip to Japan page.
We have been very busy producing new content following our recent Japan trip. You can check out our most recent articles below:
- FAQ: Where To Purchase Robot Restaurant Discount Tickets In 2019. Our article contains our detailed review of the Robot Restaurant experience as well as details on how to purchase discounted tickets.
- Where To Stay In Tokyo For The 2020 Olympics And Paralympics. Our article contains details of the 2020 Olympics venues, public transport and how to find the best area to stay to access the different venues.
- Luxe At Its Finest At Hoshino Resorts KAI Nikko Ryokan. Check out our detailed review of the beautiful KAI Nikko luxury ryokan! It was an amazing experience and we would definitely recommend it for our readers.
- RWC2019 Japan Travel Planning For Wallabies Supporters. We have put together a detailed article to help Wallabies Supporters to plan their trip to Japan for the Rugby World Cup 2019.
- RWC2019 Japan Travel Planning For All Blacks Supporters. We have put together a detailed article to help All Blacks Supporters to plan their trip to Japan for the Rugby World Cup 2019.
Japan Travel Planning with Kids Facebook Group
We also started a new Facebook Group called Japan Travel Planning with Kids – click on the link to join this group to receive family friendly information to help you plan your trip to Japan! The group is already growing quickly with 200 members so far.
Arigato Japan Food Tours Free Trip Planning Consulting Call Giveaway!
GIVEAWAY! Arigato Japan Food Tours is launching a new consulting call service to help people plan their trips to Japan. To launch their new service they are running a giveaway where 3 winners will win a free one hour consulting call. This giveaway closes on 15 August 2019 so get in quickly to have the best chance to win! Click here to enter the Arigato Japan Food Tours Free Trip Consulting Call Giveaway
Avoid FOMO… Order Your Japan Planning Calendar Now!
A real challenge when you start planning your trip to Japan is to understand when public holidays, school holidays and significant events are occurring, so that you can either choose to join in with these events or avoid them.
As a result we have spent many hours creating detailed planning calendars for Japan which include details of all of the public holidays, Japan school holidays and major events to help you plan your trip. The downloadable PDF documents include clickable links for each event to help you easily find out more information and more confidently plan your itinerary. Click here to find out more and purchase your Japan Planning Calendar.
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Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you book after clicking on one of these links then we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Japan Travel Deals
Voyagin are currently running their Summer Sale from 1 July to 1 September 2019 where you can save up to $US40 per booking using the below coupon codes. Note that the coupon codes are not valid for Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, or any JR Passes.
Check out out article on the most popular Voyagin tickets and tours for Japan to see how to take advantage of this sale!
- Save $10 when you spend $150, “TRAVELSUMMER10”
- Save $25 when you spend $300, “TRAVELSUMMER25”
- Save $40 when you spend $450, “TRAVELSUMMER40”
NEW! Voyagin Shinkansen Tickets Page
Voyagin has also just launched their new webpage to help travellers to Japan to book their Shinkansen tickets which includes more than 50 popular routes. Click here to check out the options and make your booking through Voyagin.
Key Japan Planning Information
Major Upcoming Events in Japan
Other Japan Events
Upcoming major events for the next month (and you can find many more events into the future in our Japan Planning Calendars as mentioned previously!):
Summer is the time for many festivals in Japan – both the major festivals as well as many smaller festivals in smaller townships.
- From 17 Jun 19, the Floating Torii Gate at Miyajima Island will be covered with scaffolding for a period of approximately two years from 6 June 2019
- 1 July – 10 September 2019. Mt Fuji Climbing Season
- Mid July to Mid August. Hokuryu Sunflower Festival in Hokkaido
- Mid July to early September is peak scuba diving season in Okinawa
- 10 – 16 August 2019. Dancing Pikachu Horde in Yokohama, south of Tokyo
- 11 Aug 2019. Mountain Day
- 11 August 2019. Fukagawa Hachiman Festival in Tokyo (Main Parade)
- 11 – 12 August 2019. Ebisu Drift Matsuri (Drift Heaven Week), 5 hours north of Tokyo.
- 12 August 2019. Mountain Day Public Holiday (Observed)
- 12 – 15 August 2019. Awa Odori Dance Festival in Tokushima
- 13 – 15 August 2019. Obon (Festival of the Souls) – peak climbing period for Mt Fuji – expect massive queues up the mountain
- 14 August 2019. Fukagawa Hachiman Festival in Tokyo
- 15 August 2019. Suwako Matsuri Fireworks Festival in Nagano
- 16 August 2019. Gozan Fire Festival in Kyoto
- 18 – 19 August 2019. Summer Sonic Festival in Chiba (near Tokyo) and Osaka (simultaneous events)
- 23 – 25 August 2019. Start Animelo Summer Live Concert 2019. (Anime Music Concert)
- 26 – 27 August 2019. Yoshida Fire Festival near Mt Fuji
- 31 August 2019. Omagari National Japan Fireworks Competition in Akita (one of the major fireworks festivals)
- 1 September 2019. End Japan Summer School Holidays
- 1 September 2019. Disaster Prevention Day
- 1 September 2019. End Peak climbing period for Mt Fuji
- 6 September 2019. Rugby World Cup 2019 Warm Up Match – Japan vs South Africa in Kumagaya
- 7 September 2019. National New Year Fireworks Festival in Lake Suwa in Nagano
- 8 – 22 September 2019. Sumo Wrestling Tournament – Tokyo
- 10 September 2019. End Mt Fuji Climbing Season
Click on this page for Tokyo and this page for Japan to see further information about upcoming events.
Everything Sumo!
Upcoming sumo tournaments:
- 8 – 22 September 2019 in Tokyo. Note that this sumo tournament overlaps with the Rugby World Cup 2019, so tickets will be in high demand. Official ticket sales commenced on 3 August 2019 and quickly sold out. Click here to order tickets through Voyagin. Ensure you place your order early to ensure that you have the best chance of getting the tickets you want.
- 10 – 24 November 2019 in Fukuoka. Official ticket sales commence on 5 October 2019. Click here to pre-order tickets through Voyagin. Ensure you place your order early to ensure that you have the best chance of getting the tickets you want.
For more information about how to purchase your sumo wrestling tickets check out our article on How To Buy Sumo Wrestling Online Tickets in 2019.
The Mt Fuji Climbing Season – 1 July to 10 September 2019
The Mt Fuji Summit Climbing Season is open over 1 July to 10 September 2019. Voyagin has a great affordable climbing tour package where you can also add on hire of essential equipment, Click on this link to see the details and to make your Mt Fuji Climb Tour Booking through Voyagin.
Voyagin is also offering a discount coupon code for Mt Fuji Climb tour options – use code pretravellerfuji at checkout to get a $US10 discount on your trip.
Featured Japan Activities – Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan in Osaka is a must visit theme park for many visitors to Japan. What you may not be aware of that you can purchase both standard entry passes (1 and 1.5 days) as well as a large range of Express Passes which enable you to skip the queue for the majority of rides in the park, as well as providing pre-booked timed entry into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
A real challenge is that the Express Passes regularly sell out early for busy periods, so if you plan to purchase these passes you need to get in early to ensure that you do not miss out. Note that pricing for Express Passes changes daily depending on the expected crowd sizes, so you need to look at the prices for the specific day you plan to visit.
For more detailed information about how to book your USJ tickets check out our detailed USJ article at this link.
Top Articles This Week From the Facebook Group
The Essential Guide to Two Weeks in Japan for First Time Visitors by Pretraveller
As a first time visitor to Japan it can be difficult to put together a two week itinerary which will work for you. There are so many choices and options! To help you to develop your own itinerary I have put together three sample itineraries for first timers which can then be easily tailored to suit your particular trip. Click here to read more…
8 Memorable Things to Do in the Japanese Capital by Departures
Tokyo is one of the most awe-inspiring mega-cities on earth, and, inevitably, it pulls and tugs and tempts all five senses (usually all at once). Often, it tinkers and tampers with perception in unexpected ways—you may be surprised by the quietness of such a crowded city, or the chewing gum sugariness of a bite of sashimi at a hidden izakaya, or the sight of slightly odd, slightly imposing Neo-retro architecture rising out of its more corporate wards. It is a world within itself, and there are no shortages of singular adventures to be had (but do get ready to steel yourself; if you’re flying in from any of the United States’s timezones, the jet lag is brutal).
Inspired by Perrier-Jouët’s mesmeric Eden event held last Thursday, here’s a list of eight of the best experiential activities to do in Tokyo right now—from the stimulatingly neon to the thrilling throwbacks. Click here to read more…
The best Tokyo onsen and bathhouses by Tokyo Cheapo
There are two types of bathhouses in Tokyo and throughout Japan: onsen and sento. While there are obvious similarities between the two – they’re both communal hot-water baths and visitors must adhere to certain rules of etiquette – there is one significant difference: onsen are filled with natural volcanic spring water, known for its rich and healing mineral content, while sento simply use heated tap water (although some do add minerals and infusions to the water).
Although Tokyo is packed with bathhouses, finding one to suit your needs can be a bit of a challenge. That’s where we come in: our roundups of Tokyo’s best onsen and sento will help you find your bearings, while our guide to hot spring getaways will satisfy those of you looking for a less urban soaking experience. And before you hop in, don’t forget to read up on some onsen etiquette. Click here to read more…
Thanks Anne and Tony.
PS. If you have any questions you are welcome to ask questions in the Japan Travel Planning Facebook Group
Join the Japan Travel Planning Facebook Group
You are also welcome to join our Japan Travel Planning Facebook Group – it is a great resource to enable you be inspired and to ask questions about your upcoming trip to Japan!
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you book after clicking on one of these links then we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
