My 12yo son is saving like mad to help fund a holiday to Japan with me next year..
Has anyone been that can recommend what, where & costs etc..

I’d be interested in culture, food, relaxing ( hot springs etc. ) some ( lots of ) singletrack ( bike hire?? ) not really interested in Tokyo ( unless it’s a must see) and would like to get a full-sleeve traditional tattoo.

I don’t know a lot about Japan, but if you want a full sleeve tat in a traditional style it’s going to take days .
My half sleeve took approx 20 hours over 5 visits.
Also any good artist will be pretty well booked so may want to research now and get in contact with them and start working on designs etc and get your booking in.
You will not be doing much riding if you plan on getting a ton of work done either.
Pretty sore afterwards.
Enjoy the trip very jealous somewhere I have always wanted to go.
Apparently the bullet train is awesome as is mount Fuji.

Firstly, get the international traveller’s train ticket before you go. You can’t get it once you’re there and the cost of travel on the Shinkansen is astronomical if you don’t have one.

Other than that, have a browse through the Lonely Planet Japan book and pick from there.

Highlights for us were walks round Hiroshima, an evening train/ferry ride to Itsukushima Shrine, street food in Hakata/Fukuoka, hot springs in Beppu, nightlife & hotels in Osaka, Temple walks in Kyoto, loads of onsen visits, plus a meal at the New York Grill at the top of the Tokyo Park Hyatt: excellent views, and in the grand scheme of things not too expensive at all. Tokyo itself was just a bit too big and hectic for my liking, but if you like sensory overload its the place to be.

Can’t comment on MTB, I’m afraid, but can offer the following advice…
[list]
[*]Don’t miss Tokyo – it’s a feast for the senses. Fantastic blend of traditional & modern, elegant & garish, loud & quiet.
[/*][*]Fuji is great , but the climbing season is something like July to September (More walking than climbing). Arrange to stay at one of the lodges part way up, have some food and rest, then set out at midnight to reach the summit in time for sunrise.[/*][*]Bullet trains (or any other Japanese train, for that matter) are superb and will ruin British rail travel for you.[/*]
[*]There’s a loop of trains, cable cars, mountain railways in the Hakone region, with Shrines, lakes and hot springs to visit.[/*]
[*]Bullet Train to Kyoto, for some different temples and a Shopping centre that you will get lost in.[/*]
[/list]
Just drink it all in – it’s the wackiest, friendliest place and definitely my favourite destination.

Check out the tame deer in Nara (near Kyoto).

Me and Mr’s Platz spent a lovely couple of days in Takayama situated in the ‘Japanese Alps’. No MTB action but there probably is if you look for it.

All I can say is that If you can then go as it was the best holiday I’ve ever had.

Definately do Mt Fuji – climbing season Jul/Aug. Don’t book in Advance – do it on the day when the weather forecast is good.

Forgot to mention – tattoos are frowned upon, as they are associated with the yakuza (japanese maf
ia)
Covered in this BBC article, yesterday

I went 2 years ago. To be honest, I don’t know if you can go far wrong anywhere you go! Be prepared to do lots and see lots of totally random things in Japan.

I was in Kyoto for a week for a conference in November i.e. autumn. The best bits of Kyoto are around the edges e.g. the Fushimi Inari Shrine (“1,000 Torii gates), Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), any of the gardens, etc. Did a saki tasting in a wee back street bar run by an Israeli and one dat took 4 trains, a cable car and a bus to visit a thousand year old mountain cemetery (Okuno-in)!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dA4PVi]Prayer space[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dA9Jiy]Bright mystery food 1[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dAc9a2]Popular transport[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dLGTc7]Impressive sand sculpture[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

Then headed on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima, which I loved. It’s got a great feel to the place and because of the memorial park in the centre, the city doesn’t feel so crowded as other places I visited. We stayed with the World Friendship Centre (http://homepage2.nifty.com/wfchiroshima/), which is a ryokan style guesthouse, and they organised for us to have a (free) 1hr guided tour of the Peace Park and to meet a hibakusha (A-bomb survivor) called Kiyomi. It was a…memorable…experience (I wrote a blog about her http://kitcarruthers.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/hiroshima-kiyomis-story/) which I’d highly recommend, although take some tissues! While we were in Hiroshima (24hrs!) we also made it to Miyajima island, which was pretty cool! Fed squid to deer, got a cablecar and ended up walking down the hill in the pitch dark before having a “curry” back in Hiroshima.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dLXxwh]View over the bay to the mainland[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dNhHRU]Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park 4[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

Shinkansen to Nara, which has one of the largest buddah’s in the world, and one of the largest wooden structures in the world (Todai-ji), plus a nice park with “sacred” deer.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dQptU4]Careful now![/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

Ended up in Tokyo for a few days. It’s an incredible place. I thought it was a worth a visit, but then I’d wanted to go there since I was a teenager, so it was almost a pilgrimage for me. Especially going to Akihabara! Stayed in a capsule hotel for a night, which was like a big male-only hostel.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dTzXaW]Mout Fuji over Tokyo[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/eoWZxH]Suidobashi Heavy Industries Kuratas mech 2[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/epVCTG]Sushi breakfast[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/epTHJG]Panorama 1 from Roppongi Tower[/url] by Ginger F0x, on Flickr

Top tip: you can buy a rail pass (http://www.seat61.com/Japan) which you have to buy before you go, and it gets you free travel on any JR (Japan Rail) transport, not just trains. So for example, it covered all our bullet trains (3), all the above-ground trains in Japan operated by JR (i.e. most you’ll ever need), plus we used it to get a train out to the ferry terminal for Miyajima AND it got us free travel on the ferry. It saved us maybe £200.

Food is pretty varied, from noodle soups to deep fried anything to sushi and sashimi (raw fish) to Western food to Japanese curries and so on. If you’re not scared of trying something that you have no idea what’s in it then you’ll be fine. Expect to eat lots of rice and drink lots of tea, and be constantly amused at hot coffee in a can vending machines everywhere. I’m a ceoliac, so it was a bit more restrictive for me, but most restaurants have either a menu with photos of everything or plastic models, so you get a good idea of what you’re ordering!

We were mostly in big towns and cities, so language was a not a problem on the whole. Never once struggled, but a friend went to more rural places and they spoke no English, but still got on fine. They’re very willing to help.

Culture is, odd, I’m sure you’re aware. I found it delightful, mostly, but their attitudes to women can be pretty bad. Careful which bit of the comic book store you walk into, for example…

I got myself a Rough Guide to Japan before I went and found it a good source of things to do, plus Tripadvisor for accommodation, and the Japan Guide page is really really helpful http://www.japan-guide.com/

If I remember rightly, I was not able to use my pre-paid Mastercard over there, except to withdraw cash from 7-Eleven cash machines (the only ones I found that would accept an international card) so you should bear that in mind. And it is expensive! I can’t remember prices, but I spent probably £100 a day on cheap accommodation, food, entry prices etc., and not including the rail pass and a SIM card.

Ah, so jealous of you! It’s amazing 🙂

I’d say you need to see Tokyo at night, its a crazy site and a must. Also if you’re into Sushi/Sashimi head to the fish markets early morning like 5am and get some of the best and freshest Sashimi ever.

Also you need to sample a kiren beer with a frozen top 🙂 yummy

Be prepared to pay, its not that cheap.