Just came back from my 6th trip to Japan in November, and it always amazes me as to how everyone just follows where everyone else is along the same paths.
Its the same everywhere whether it is Tokyo or Kyoto or Nara, the main streets are packed but you just need to go to the next street and it is completely empty with no crowds
My tip is not something earth shattering, it’s just to don’t always follow where everyone else is going, be curious as to what’s that path or place where no one is heading towards to see what it is, yeah, I’ve had my fair share of looking dumb when it’s a dead end or the staff room, but I’ve also find spots when everyone is lining up to take photos a single tree with red autumn leaves whereas the next street has a park full of autumn leaves with hardly anyone there
Yep I wanted to go to this restaurant but instead I went to a vcr repair shop cause it was a block over
I for one plan to visit as many Panasonic VCR repair shops as possible.
You too?
did you have to return some video tapes?
Stop talking about the shop on reddit, you are going to ruin it!
If you mention some crappy VCR repair shop on Reddit, next spring you’ll see a long line of foreigners there waiting to get in or standing around taking pictures, blocking traffic. Meanwhile, locals will have no idea what the big deal is about and pray for the day when the hype dies down.
Take a look at the Lawson convenience store with the view of Mt Fuji behind it. I lived in Japan for 3 years and have been traveling back and forth regularly for 25 years and have seen this happen before.
I don’t think tourism is that big of an issue. The country has full reign to alter tourism policy and meet the needs of the economy and people that way.
Can’t have only good and none of the downsides.
I’m sure the donut shop with a giant line isn’t complaining that they get to stay in business and pay their employees while making a profit.0
Making more money in the short term isn’t worth damaging their reputation. Japanese businesses often issue apologies for creating a nuisance in their community.
Mount Fuji convenience store' issues apology for bad tourist manners
“To avoid crowds, avoid the path of the crowds!”
Wow!
Unfortunately a very needed explanation though.
Basically every trip I see on one of the travel subreddits is the Golden Road. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto.
Say that again slower. I didn't catch it.
A wild boar posted this
Lmao
grass
As a Tokyo resident who often has to go to tourist areas on business, I find this one of the simplest tips and pretty much follow it religiously. Especially in Tokyo, there are almost always small, quiet streets paralleling or roughly paralleling the main ways. I habitually walk a block right or left before continuing in the direction I'm going; often it ends up being faster, too.
One does, indeed, see things one's never heard of and that it feels as if no one else knows about.
Today I have to go to Asakusa and to Ueno and fully expect to see things I'd never known about.
Just wander around Kyoto at 5/6PM the streets are half empty by then
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I never met any more friendly people than the people in the local part of where we were staying in Kyoto. Just dont be an ass and it will work out great!
And New Yorkers don't want tourists in their city, either. Fact of the matter is, they live in a literal tourist destination.
I feel like people are missing the point of OPs post. My husband hates crowds so what OP suggested is perfect for us. We did this walking up to Yasaka Shrine. As soon as we got over the bridge, we saw the shoulder to shoulder crowds and took one street over and found amazing art deco architecture mixed invetween traditional burnt wood architecture and really cool looking smaller alleys that made for some great pictures. And we saw maybe 10 people the whole walk.
We ended up taking 186 back and realized most of the shops are just restaurants and tourist traps/souvenir places. We really would have missed nothing by not taking it.
So anyway, OP, I think this is a great suggestion. Thank you!
Oh my thanks for the award!
The simplest solution: get up early and don't start your day late.
I guess it depends on your priorities, but having just spent a month in Japan I truly don't know why this advice is everywhere. Sure, you'll be able to do some of the sight seeing without crowds, but good luck getting a decent coffee, having breakfast or doing anything after the sightseeing, because everything else will be closed until late morning. We shifted our days to be later while we were there, rather than earlier.
Exactly!! You pretty much can't do anything before 9-10AM
So true. The only thing I do is go to a cafe.
I personally never had trouble being at a tourist spot around 8AM and getting a coffee in the neighborhood.
I’m not a morning person. If I’m on vacation I’m not doing something as unpleasant as waking up early.
The trick would normally be to simply go to bed earlier and then you're still resting just as much. Japan, though, is a place generally open late (in the cities) and so getting up late works well as a tourist.
How do people go to sleep before 2am? I’ve always been in awe. 🤷♂️
Sometimes jet lag can be your greatest advantage while traveling abroad if you use it correctly.
Every single second street is EMPTY. People just don’t know how to travel without ONLY seeing “THE landmarks”.
It is such a loss and a tedious experience. I honestly don’t know why anyone would put themselves through that. This sort of traveling feels like doing something because they are supposed to, rather than being it a personal choice with purpose.
I highly encourage everyone to just walk and get lost. You will find many surprises and experiences that will complement the most popular locations.
Yup. If everyone goes right, go left.
“Copy nothing” - Jaguar
We were in Kyoto last October and it was very calm. Went to Shimogamo Shrine in the morning - almost completely empty. Went to Fushimi Inari after 8pm, again almost no-one else there. Yasaka Shrine at night, more people but still very calm and peaceful. The only place we went that was super busy was Kiyomizu-dera and even there, as you say, go one street off the beaten track and it's chill. We used buses and the subway a lot, plus a fair bit of walking and it was all fine tbh.
How is Fushimi when u start the hike at 8pm? I suppose u reached close to midnight? Wouldn’t it be too dark? Did u run into wild boars ?
It was great. It's nicely lit and the shadows through the gates make beautiful patterns. And yes! We did see wild boars - an adult and two piglets. They were in the woods to the side of the trail. We watched them for a while then they disappeared into the forest.
Was it deserted or some folks were there? Just wondering if it’s safe to start hike at 8pm or should we do early at 6am.
Genius. Don’t go straight go zigzag
Your 6th trip. Most likely you can say this because you've already seen the popular stuff that people go to see on their 1st trip. People on your 1st trip, just go see what you want to see realizing that popular sites are going to be crowded.
I fail to see the point of posts like these. If somewhere is popular, there will always be crowds. It’s just something you gotta live with and be strategic about (picking off peak times, mostly).
I’ve never had this problem. It’s a big city, what I do is, I walk or cycle around it. How are you arriving at places with queues?
If you want to avoid crowds you could also just skip Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. You can find the same experiences you are looking for there in other regions. For example go visit Shimane.
I would love to know more about these other places to consider. I'll be going in May after golden week and was interested in kyota/nara/uji for the bulk of my visit. What suggestions to explore nature, history, culture, onsen... I'm planning a more slow paced first visit
There are cultural sites and onsen virtually everywhere in Japan. Japanese people love to get out and do things so there are things to do everywhere. Uji and Nara both have less crowds. Uji is great for green tea lovers. There are a couple of interesting museums and an old school public onsen there. Nara has hundreds of rich cultural sites rivaling anything in Kyoto but most people only go to the deer park. I’m often alone at my favorite temple there. You could stay a month in Nara and not see everything. Royal Nara hotel has the best public onsen and they also have a great breakfast buffet. I stayed there for several weeks once and never got tired of the breakfast.
That sounds lovely! Much more in tune with my desires for this trip. I still need to ck lodgings and public transit options that will suit me. I am adamant about uji bc I am so interested in all aspects of my green tea. Nara seemed to be a charming, calming place to spend time outside of the deer park (though as a first timer I will see it 😅) This is a once in a lifetime trip for me and at 60 the farthest I will have ever traveled on my own. I'm also going to look at fountain pens personally. Food, history, culture, nature... And allowing myself to slow down are what I'm hoping for
6th trip. You’ve have already seen the things you are telling others to avoid.
He's not even saying to avoid it. He's saying instead of waking the crowded slow main Street to GET to the tourist attraction, take the side streets.
I always find it wild that the main Street will be unbearably crowded where a five minutes walk takes 20 because you can't even move, but one street over there is literally no one. You can still end at the same destination walking the side streets. Also you often find delicious restaurants, unique shops and cute cafes no one else finds.
Walking the main Street doesn't really achieve anything if you can't see anything but the person beside you's puff coat anyways.
Sadly herd mentality is not an easy thing to change. Even if one wants to visit popular spots, just 50m or 100m away from the centre can make a huge difference ,you will also find other views of the sight.
Oddly, I know what you mean! I think something to do with FOMO that is why tourists tend to follow the same path. Thanks for the reminder.
Out of topic, I am torn between going on a holiday in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara) either in March or October. Do you have some insights on which month has good weather and less tourists? By good weather I mean, not to hot (not above 25 degrees) but also not freezing (not 15 degrees and below).
Thanks Magic.
What makes you keep coming back to Japan? One trip and I’m done.
When it comes to avoiding crowds in Japan it's WHERE you go, and not so much WHEN do you decide to go.
A good tip as well if you DO have some bucket list “photo op” or other experiences to cover- go SUPER early- like even before breakfast. Then LEAVE those areas and go to a quieter area for lunch. Enjoy some quiet downtime and the service is way better in less busy spots. My son and i had a much more enjoyable time doing this.
Armed with a konbini coffee, I’m ready to get lost.
Japan is truly like the Breath of The Wild game, go where your curiosity leads you. Unless there’s a bear.
That's true, but the tourist sites themselves are jam-packed, as is the transportation. I personally avoid Kyoto and tell tourists to do so as well but social media has amplified the 'necessity' to go there.
I agree. Kyoto is a wonderful place, but there are so many wonderful places in Japan. Most recent trip cut out Kyoto and Osaka and absolutely did not miss it. We found cultural sites all over and loved just being in Japan. Almost everywhere we went we wanted to stay longer and had no trouble filling our days and a journal with more places for next time.
Any other alternatives to a culture-focused area like Kyoto? i'm trying to figure out my itinerary for later this year
Go to Kyoto. It is worth it. I would suggest going to sites at unhabitual just like for restuarants.
Depends a lot on what you mean by "culture." If you're looking for temples, Kamakura's got loads of 'em and plenty of history to go along with. Or, go deep rather than wide, and go to one or two historic, "destination" temples. Make a trek to Eihei-ji, for example, and spend the whole day soaking up the history of Zen in Japan. Zenko-ji in Nagano is another awesome one, and it gives you an excuse to be in Nagano.
If you're looking for tea, Uji is but one of many famous tea regions in Japan. It is among the most trafficked because of Kyoto's political and cultural prominence during and after the period where it was the capital city, but you could absolutely go somewhere else. Shizuoka, Fukuoka, Saitama, and Kagoshima prefectures all have rich histories of tea. A little homework could provide you with an exceptional, detailed experience, instead of a passing moment in a busy day in Kyoto.
In terms of saké, while Kyoto is famous for this, there are so many other saké regions worth exploring! Head up to Nagano prefecture, or to Niigata, or west to Ishikawa, and experience the variety and dynamism of saké as a product of the place where it is made.
Martial arts, well, you can find that all over Japan, too. There are great sumo stable tours available right in Tokyo, and there are ko-ryu martial arts experiences available around the country.
Kyoto offers you the ability to see "everything" at a high level at once. If you want breadth, then it's a great place to get it. If you want depth, the crowds and the density of choices and options can make that a little difficult. Not that you can't get depth in Kyoto, you obviously can and it is a wonderful, beautiful, particularly special city, but don't think you "have to go" if you're after culture.
You may notice all of this is just around Honshu. I've been tripping across and up and down Honshu for three trips now and feel like I could explore it the rest of my life, let alone the rest of the country! So much to see.
Thanks heaps for this, this definitely helps my planning :)
I think just for the sake of logistics and limited time (alongside it being my first time), I'll visit Kyoto, and then maybe on later trips where I have more time, I'll go more in depth into more distant regions like Fukuoka!
Totally reasonable.
If I were going to Kyoto tomorrow, I’d make a half day of Uji and Fushimi, in particular spending lots of time in the Fushimi saké district, then another day or two to hit Jizo-in, Otagi Nenbutsu-Ji, Daikaku-Ji, Saiho-Ji, and the Philosopher's Path. I’d get dinner at Sugar Hill and drinks at The Common One Bar. I’d make sure to spend an afternoon in the Saga Toriimoto preserved district - Nenbutsu-Ji is near here, and it is walkable from Arashiyama, too. Enjoy your trip!
Kanazawa has similar vibes!
But don’t avoid Kyoto because of crowds. Like the post says, just walk 1 street over. Yes some places will be busy, like Fushimi Inari, but 3 minutes past the entry there are no problems.
Go zig when others go zag. Sugoi ne
"Its the same everywhere whether it is Tokyo or Kyoto or Nara, the main streets are packed"
No that is not the same "everywhere whether ", it is true ONLY for Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara.
You are not as intelligent as you think