Post Cruise 5 nights in Yokohama

[FlaMariner]

Disembarking the Westerdam in September and our plan is to spend 5 nights in Japan before flying home.  First time in Asia. 

 

We are thinking of basing ourselves in Yokohama.....Why?

 

• convenient w/luggage when dis-embarking
• major train station/transport to get around (day trips to Tokyo, head to Fuji, airport, etc)
• good price on hotel near Yokohama train station

 

For those that have gone before me, what are your thought regarding basing in Yokohama and tell me some day trips I should take in addition to Tokyo?

 

 

 

[BruceMuzz]

If your departing flight is out of Haneda Airport, Yokohama is a great choice. If your departing flight is out of Narita Airport, Tokyo is a better choice.

Yokohama has a Chinatown; Tokyo does not.

Hotel Rates in Yokohama can be slightly lower than in Tokyo - but not always.

Train commute to Tokyo is about one hour each direction, and not expensive.

Note that in Japan, all trains and subways stop running before midnight.

There are far more things to see and do in Tokyo than in Yokohama.

 

If you buy a Japan Railpass before you go to Japan, you will have unlimited access to all Japan Railways local trains, ferries, buses, airport express trains, and Bullet Trains for an incredibly low price. From Yokohama or Tokyo, you can board a bullet train in the morning and visit nearly anywhere in Japan by noon; then catch the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) back to your hotel in the evening.

[FlaMariner]

Good info Bruce!  Thanks,

 

Yes to the Japan Railpass....we've looked at that and think that's the way to get around.....

 

Yes, to we are departing from Haneda...so another plus.

 

Can you rattle off top choices for day trips?  I'm thinking two days in Tokyo and a day to Fuji....Where else would you go if you had two or three more days?

 

 

 

[BruceMuzz]

Depending on the time of year, I would like to visit Hokkaido, Nagano in the Japanese Alps, Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki, Kanazawa, and Beppu.

[BruceMuzz]

I just noticed that you are planning to visit Japan in September. That is an excellent time to visit.

Weather is not too hot and not too cold.

 

Bear in mind that Japan has been closed to all foreigners for most of the past 2 years.

They tried letting in a limited number for the Olympics - and that did not go very well.

Next they were ready to allow limited businessmen and students into the country.

But then the US Military got caught flying COVID-infected troops into and out of the country on commercial flights. The door slammed shut very quickly.

Now there are huge COVID outbreaks around all the US Military bases in Japan.

US military personnel are confined to the bases and Japanese are not allowed to go inside the bases.

 

Japanese residents can fly out of and into Japan, but only after jumping through many hoops, avoiding all public transit, quarantining at home or in a Government Hospital for 14 days, being tracked by multiple apps on our Mobile telephones, being Antigen and PCR tested several times, accepting video calls every day from a doctor, using GPS to let authorities track our movements every day, entering our vital signs on an App every morning, and having medical staff visit our home every week during quarantine. Refusing or failing to follow any these requirements results in deportation. 

 

Japan remains closed to all foreigners. There is little chance of that changing very much anytime soon.

Japanese Cruise Lines are sailing around Japan - with Japanese passengers only.

It does not look as if foreign flag cruise ships or foreigners will be allowed to visit Japan in 2022 - unless there is dramatic improvement in the situation.

Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong also remain closed.

[FlaMariner]

I hope you are wrong........we do the planning until we are cancelled...and then cash in on the FCC!

 

 

[FlaMariner]

On 2/12/2022 at 5:48 AM, BruceMuzz said:

Depending on the time of year, I would like to visit Hokkaido, Nagano in the Japanese Alps, Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki, Kanazawa, and Beppu.

 

Thanks for the list......I'll take a look.....Would you say that all of those places are doable for day trips taking the bullet train from Yokohama?

[BruceMuzz]

3 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

I hope you are wrong........we do the planning until we are cancelled...and then cash in on the FCC!

 

 

I also hope I am wrong.

[BruceMuzz]

3 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Thanks for the list......I'll take a look.....Would you say that all of those places are doable for day trips taking the bullet train from Yokohama?

Hokkaido and Beppu are the most distant from Yokohama, but still do-able in one day.

[Milhouse]

I think you should consider how much time you want to spend in transit for your day trips.

Personally, the furthest I'd probably want to go on a daytrip from Yokohama/Tokyo is likely Osaka/Kyoto at 2-2.5hrs each direction.  They're still both fairly big city, if you're looking for something different from Tokyo.  However, I'd recommend Kyoto which has many cultural attractions.  If you stick closer to Tokyo/Yokohama, the typical places are like Nikko, Hakone, Kamakura etc which are more smaller/quainter towns with temples and shrines to visit if you're looking for something other/different from the concrete jungles.

[loeb]

Something to consider.  You might spend one day after the cruise in Yokohama to see Chinatown and some of the local attractions like the Cup Of Noodle Museum / Store.  Store your luggage at the Yokohama train station or at the hotel in Yokohama and then go to Tokyo for three days with a small suit case (there is not much room on trains to take large luggage, most people in Japan ship their luggage to their destination rather than taking it with them when they travel by train).  Go back to Yokohama to pick up you luggage and take a bus to Haneda.  If you stay at a hotel near Tokyo station you can catch the Yamanote train line (Green Line).  It circles the Tokyo area and stops at most of the major attractions.

 

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2370.html

[Clay Clayton]

On 2/10/2022 at 4:51 PM, FlaMariner said:

Disembarking the Westerdam in September and our plan is to spend 5 nights in Japan before flying home.  First time in Asia. 

 

We are thinking of basing ourselves in Yokohama.....Why?

 

• convenient w/luggage when dis-embarking
• major train station/transport to get around (day trips to Tokyo, head to Fuji, airport, etc)
• good price on hotel near Yokohama train station

 

For those that have gone before me, what are your thought regarding basing in Yokohama and tell me some day trips I should take in addition to Tokyo?

 

 

 

This information may be getting to you way too late as I know a number of lines have canceled cruises to Japan for this fall. If it’s not, then I highly recommend trying to schedule a “goodwill” guide. These are folks who in exchange for getting to practice their English act as your tour guide.  Your only financial responsibility is to pay for any transportation, entrance, or food costs.

 

Six of us from our Celebrity rollcall in 2019 booked one for our first day in Tokyo. The cost per person worked out to be less than $6!   Our guide was great. She met us at the entrance to the Yokohama station (about three blocks from our pier) and taught us how to purchase the metro/train tickets. I’d suggest watching a YouTube of this process as it greatly helped us understand what we were trying to accomplish, but having her there to assist was great. 

 

She spent all day with us and we toured the major sites in Tokyo that the group had provided to her. She took us to a little restaurant for lunch and helped us order. Spending time learning about her life was a great plus to an otherwise wonderful experience. 

[Hlitner]

On 2/12/2022 at 6:48 AM, BruceMuzz said:

Depending on the time of year, I would like to visit Hokkaido, Nagano in the Japanese Alps, Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki, Kanazawa, and Beppu.

I can strongly recommend visiting Sapporo for the Snow Festival.  When I lived in northern Honshu, making the trek up to Sapporo was a given...even though in those days we had to suffer a 4 hour ferry ride to get across the strait.

 

Hank

[tjcox9]

On 6/10/2022 at 9:44 AM, Clay Clayton said:

This information may be getting to you way too late as I know a number of lines have canceled cruises to Japan for this fall. If it’s not, then I highly recommend trying to schedule a “goodwill” guide. These are folks who in exchange for getting to practice their English act as your tour guide.  Your only financial responsibility is to pay for any transportation, entrance, or food costs.

 

Six of us from our Celebrity rollcall in 2019 booked one for our first day in Tokyo. The cost per person worked out to be less than $6!   Our guide was great. She met us at the entrance to the Yokohama station (about three blocks from our pier) and taught us how to purchase the metro/train tickets. I’d suggest watching a YouTube of this process as it greatly helped us understand what we were trying to accomplish, but having her there to assist was great. 

 

She spent all day with us and we toured the major sites in Tokyo that the group had provided to her. She took us to a little restaurant for lunch and helped us order. Spending time learning about her life was a great plus to an otherwise wonderful experience. 

Also recommend using one of these guides if possible. When we did it, we were provided a questionnaire to complete in order for them to match us to a guide based on age, interests, etc. Our guide only did this once a month in order to stay conversant in English. In addition to transportation, entrance and food costs, I'd recommend taking a small gift to present at the end of the day.........perhaps something representative from your state/country. Our guide also had a small gift for us. 

[Clay Clayton]

4 hours ago, tjcox9 said:

Also recommend using one of these guides if possible. When we did it, we were provided a questionnaire to complete in order for them to match us to a guide based on age, interests, etc. Our guide only did this once a month in order to stay conversant in English. In addition to transportation, entrance and food costs, I'd recommend taking a small gift to present at the end of the day.........perhaps something representative from your state/country. Our guide also had a small gift for us. 

We had the questionnaire in Tokyo but then had an email conversation to hone our plans after our guide was assigned.  Same process for our guide in Hiroshima. 
 

Wish we had of been as gracious as you and thought to bring a gift. Lucky for us, our guide didn’t present us with one…other than their hospitality and willingness to teach strangers about themselves and country. 

[tjcox9]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

We had the questionnaire in Tokyo but then had an email conversation to hone our plans after our guide was assigned.  Same process for our guide in Hiroshima. 
 

Wish we had of been as gracious as you and thought to bring a gift. Lucky for us, our guide didn’t present us with one…other than their hospitality and willingness to teach strangers about themselves and country. 

True, we also had email conversations with our guide following the match up via questionnaire. We did this in Tokyo prior going to Yokohama to board a 27 day mostly Japanese cruise which was wonderful. Our guide was a woman, perhaps the gift giving is a female thing 😀 (hers was homemade, ours was not). But, it is very common to give gifts in Japan as I understand.

 

Hopefully this service can be restarted once Japan reopens more fully to tourism.

[TF1]

On 2/20/2022 at 3:40 AM, Milhouse said:

I think you should consider how much time you want to spend in transit for your day trips.

Personally, the furthest I'd probably want to go on a daytrip from Yokohama/Tokyo is likely Osaka/Kyoto at 2-2.5hrs each direction.  They're still both fairly big city, if you're looking for something different from Tokyo.  However, I'd recommend Kyoto which has many cultural attractions.  If you stick closer to Tokyo/Yokohama, the typical places are like Nikko, Hakone, Kamakura etc which are more smaller/quainter towns with temples and shrines to visit if you're looking for something other/different from the concrete jungles.

Thank you for telling us about the smaller, quaint towns. My husband and I will be centered in Tokyo/ Yokohama for 6 days post cruise and that is what we are interested in. Should we spend a day in each of these places ? Any other recommendations for the 6 days?

[Milhouse]

Kamakura is more of a day trip IMO while Nikko and Hakone can be a day trip or overnighter.  We're kind of go-go-go so we just day tripped them.  If you like a more slower pace, then an overnight might be better.  If you do decide on an overnight, maybe consider staying at a ryokan which is a traditional Japanese inn.  It can be a bit pricey but it's a bit of an experience, particularly with a relatively elaborate dinner that some offer.  

 

This doesn't fall under the quaint town category but our favourite attraction/exhibit is teamLab Planets Tokyo.  My old coworker had told me about it.  It's too hard to explain other than it's a sensory experience.  Just google or youtube it.  

 

[BruceMuzz]

As of 02 September, Japan remains closed to most foreigners.

A few very carefully controlled and regulated tours are being allowed for foreigners, but that doesn't sound like much fun. The Government is talking about loosening up and allowing foreign visitors soon.

But there is still no discussion on allowing foreign cruise ships to visit.

 

Even if Japan opens to foreign cruise ships, they still will not be able to visit until at least one other Asian country opens up as well.

Japan's Cabotage Laws require a foreign flag cruise ship to visit at least one other country during a Japan cruise.

Currently, South Korea, China, and Taiwan are also closed to cruise ships.

Russia is still a possibility, but you probably do not want to visit there.

[6rugrats]

I am surprised this cruise hasn't been canceled yet.  Japan is still closed.

[DCGuy64]

Not sure where some folks are getting their information. Maybe it depends on your definition of "closed to most folks." I just finished reading what I think is the most hopeful news I've seen from Japan since COVID. They've raised the number of tourists allowed to enter from 20,000 per day to 50,000, and the requirement to be on a guided tour is lifted. Now, any traveler booked with a travel agency is permitted to enter. Personally, I'm quite upbeat about this news. Our cruise isn't until April 2023, though.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/09/01/national/package-tours-restrictions-eased/

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/31/national/tourism-measures-kishida-covid/

[TF1]

6 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

I am surprised this cruise hasn't been canceled yet.  Japan is still closed.

Time will tell, of course, but at this point cruises departing from Japan aren't happening until at least March 3rd. This cruise, however, departs from San Diego and arrives after March 3rd.

[TF1]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Not sure where some folks are getting their information. Maybe it depends on your definition of "closed to most folks." I just finished reading what I think is the most hopeful news I've seen from Japan since COVID. They've raised the number of tourists allowed to enter from 20,000 per day to 50,000, and the requirement to be on a guided tour is lifted. Now, any traveler booked with a travel agency is permitted to enter. Personally, I'm quite upbeat about this news. Our cruise isn't until April 2023, though.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/09/01/national/package-tours-restrictions-eased/

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/31/national/tourism-measures-kishida-covid/

Thank you for posting this

[TF1]

14 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

As of 02 September, Japan remains closed to most foreigners.

A few very carefully controlled and regulated tours are being allowed for foreigners, but that doesn't sound like much fun. The Government is talking about loosening up and allowing foreign visitors soon.

But there is still no discussion on allowing foreign cruise ships to visit.

 

Even if Japan opens to foreign cruise ships, they still will not be able to visit until at least one other Asian country opens up as well.

Japan's Cabotage Laws require a foreign flag cruise ship to visit at least one other country during a Japan cruise.

Currently, South Korea, China, and Taiwan are also closed to cruise ships.

Russia is still a possibility, but you probably do not want to visit there.

Interesting! We are hoping for something definitive before final payment.

[DCGuy64]

33 minutes ago, TF1 said:

Thank you for posting this

You're quite welcome.