Late November? Pretty cold ya, coz entering winter ady. And Kyoto-Osaka's autumn is earlier than Tokyo meaning leaves will start to turn colour from end Sept/ early Oct onwards I believe. So by end Nov it's not likely to see much autumn foliage if any still remains. Manage expectation ya

Yes suggest you take a look at Osaka and then move to Kyoto.
Or, you can travel straight to Kyoto furst and then enjoy last 2-3 days in Osaka before flying off. I feel that the 2nd option will be less hectic for you two as it's towards the end of the trip and you can relax in the last 2-3 days without having to move (pack and then to airport).

Will recommend the Aquarium in Osaka - it's one of the biggest aquarium in Asia and friend told me it's very enjoyable. He could spend a whole day there. And no, it's not like he's a sea creature fanatic

Hehhhhhhh I agree with Chinti it's cold so biking will freeze you. But I also beg to differ on the reason that it's something really fun/ nice to do you can Google for recommended bike trail/ road. Optionally, pay abit for cycling tour hehe http://www.kctp.net/pc/en/

In my upcoming trip I'll try to squeeze in a bike experience (half a day or a couple of hours thing) but I think one of our friend can't cycle, will see how to plan it. Otherwise, it's definitely a fun thing to do. You can always wear a mask to cover your face from the cold hahahahaha.

Yep Japan is really convenient, a lot of attractions are within walking distance. All you need is WIFI or 4G to get you going through the Google map.

I always prefer to do the calculation in Yen to show the budget. RM2,000 per pax is equivalent to around 50,000yen per pax (for the sake of convenience let's assume the exchange rate is x4). For 7 days right?

Expenses
- You're planning to go Aquarium - the kaiyukan's entrance fee is 2,000yen.
- Noodle museum entrance fee is FREE, but if you're going to the Chicken Cup Factory, the entrance fee for adult is 500yen (as shared online)
- Other entrance fees (just in case) 2,500yen
- Set aside 3,000yen for airport transfer (airport to hotel and back)

50,000yen - 8,000yen (the above entrance fees), balance = 42,000yen

42,000/7 days = budget of 6,000yen per day.

Per day estimated cost
- Put aside min 1,200yen for transport per day.
- Breakfast set @ cafe (eg Doutor) may cost you around 500yen
- Lunch @ assuming ard 1,000yen
- Dinner @ assuming ard 1,500yen

TOTAL: 4,200yen for transport + meal
BALANCE: 1,800yen for any shopping, tea time or brunch in a day.

It is sufficient if you don't go crazy on shopping ...you and your wife will know your own spending habit better. Buying stuffs in Japan is not cheap ya, and I will say for sure that first time to Japan can be very tempting and overwhelming. If you bring too little, you'll feel restrained and can't buy this or that, or have to constantly keep in check of your money.

My suggestion - each of you bring at least RM3k to make space for some shopping. Otherwise, bring your RM4k for 2 pax, but bring some "emergency" cash of say, around RM2k and use it when you kinda run low on cash. You can swipe card in large boutiques, malls etc but generally it's cash-based so make sure you have cash with you and not over reliant on cards.

そうそう、my bad! Got it mixed up with other regions.
Nov will be the ideal time for Kansai region if it's momiji.
https://koyo.walkerplus.com/list/ar0726/

The celebration to mark the start of autumn are held in October though, so if you're there around that time, it's worth going to these matsuri or event in Kyoto:
http://www.jalan.net/event/cit_261010000/?screenId=OUW2401

You'll get more advice from the others who are experienced about rental rates and shinkansen.
However, shinkansen you can easily check through website. So I'll suggest you look up on that.

In terms of Tokyo, what I can share:
1. If you drive, be ready to pay for parking fees and toll. Check whether your Hotel offers free parking (or min fee parking). AirBnB doesn't provide parking spaces so you'll have to look around for cheap parking. My sensei said in Ginza area, the public parking costs appx 1,000yen (that's plus minus RM40) for an hour or so.

But no doubt, driving around will give you and your children the necessary comfort and freedom of travelling.

2. Going around by subway/ bus is the most convenient way in Tokyo. It's a lot less costly. But at the same time crowded and busy. With only 2 of you vs 4 kids, do take good care of them and make sure they don't run around on their own. For some interesting reason, I have not seen any noisy children in the train. As though they have been pre-programmed with manners, even the children are usually quiet in the subway/ bus. Sometimes they ask questions and talk to their parents or friends but I have never seen screaming or crying kids in public transport (or maybe I was lucky enough not to see any?).

Parents discipline their kids about eating or drinking in the subway. I have personally seen a father told his son (maybe 3-4 years old?) that he cannot eat in the subway. And then the kid just held his lollipop quietly.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Oct 2 2017, 02:25 PM

I went on a weekday too - a Monday on top of that - but there was still a lot of people. Most people want the morning/ earliest slot. So I suggest you take the later slots to avoid crowd, such as the 2pm slot. 4pm is a bit late as they close at 6pm.

Buy your tickets once your flight is confirmed. The Ghibli tickets run out pretty fast so don't purchase them last minute no photos inside, and when you're hungry there's a cafe.

Not really ya. Major attractions yes, but not exactly 'everywhere'.

Train station will mainly have the major attractions stated on the board, and from there follow the Exit to get out. After that you're pretty much on your own.
On and off, some izakayas do have English menu but a lot still goes without English menu.

Not just izakaya but quite a number of ramen places and restaurants are in nihongo.

Hahahaha share your experience on 鬼太郎茶屋, the placed looked so interesting. I watched Kitaro back in the days but did not follow the series closely.

Sad to say, there are also a lot of scalpers around, taking advantage of the online system. So the likelihood that the 11am tickets were bought and re-sold is not surprising to say the least. 4pm should be fine. Be there by 3.30pm to queue to get in. If you planned to arrive even earlier, you can enjoy a stroll at the Inokashira Park which is right next to Ghibli museum. There's a lake at the park as well.

Since you're there, consider making a trip to Kichijoji. It's about 15min away from Ghibli by bus, and there's a shopping area - Kichijoji SUN ROAD Shopping Street.
Kichijoji Sun Road Shopping Street

Kichijoji also has a zoo

No problem! Glad to be of help. Kichijoji is a small, friendly neighbourhood that apparently was voted as the ideal place to stay in (recently). With this, I'm sure it's a friendly place. Have fun!

Haha in Japan, several common things you will observe:

1. No eating/ drinking in the subway. No talking on the phone is allowed, nor talking loudly in the subway as well.

2. No eating/ drinking along the street or as you walk. While you'll notice some youngsters do it, generally it's frowned upon.
Unless you're in a festival, then that's fine.

*Rule of thumb - stay in front of the store (or beside) and finish your snack or drink before moving on. The store usually have a rubbish bin for you to throw trash. However, sometimes they don't have it. In cases like that, I usually hand the trash to the shop assistant

I often see guys at the vending machine finish their drink there, throw the can and then walk off.

3. Separating trash.
You'll see this everywhere on the street where there's a bin. There will be sections for plastic, paper, trash, bottles. The locals sometimes do it to the extent of peeling off the plastic label of a yoghurt drink's box (the box is paper) and place the label under plastic and the box in paper.

If you stay in AirBnB, you'll have to separate your trash. But if Hotel, I'm sure the housekeepers will take care of it. However, I still separate my trash in the Hotel by throwing in different plastic bags.

4. No smoking on the street.
There are designated smoking areas that look like a 'room' along the streets. If you need a puff, head there.
The total opposite of Malaysia and HK

5. Attire.
Generally (this is not a rule, but more of an observation) the locals dress well and the ladies/ girls dress modestly. They usually cover their shoulders rather than exposing their chest/ shoulders; so to see anyone wear spaghetti without an inner shirt is a little uncommon. Yes it's fine for foreigners to dress that way, they understand we're tourists.

6. Language.
Despite some forumers who may say no problem with language, that is often one of the challenge around. Yes you may get help from people, but it's not easy when everyone walks fast paced and when the young ones keep their earphones on. Not being able to communicate can sometimes turn into a fun experience but quite often, it may be frustrating trying to find your way.

Whenever you feel lost and needed help with direction, make sure to have your Google translate ready. And when you don't understand their reply, just keep a few words handy for direction (such as 'massugu for straight', 'magatte for turn', 'left (hidari), right (migi), front (ma-e), back (ushiro), beside (tonari) ' 'traffic light (shingo)' etc). The locals give very precise direction such as "turn right at the 4th traffic light"; so it would be good if you can understand some of things they try to convey ^__^

RM2,400+ via which airline? If AAX then I suppose it's the average price?

I have not heard of anything negative about airBnB anywhere in Japan. Even in Nagoya, I stayed in AirBnB.

However take note that there's always a risk when it comes to airBnB. The host may cancel anytime (for valid reasons, otherwise they can be banned) due to some circumstances.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Oct 4 2017, 10:46 AM

Yeah!! Malaysians are so used to blocking the way. Even in shopping malls, a family of 3-4 or more, or a group of friends will easily block the whole walkway by walking together. Lack of consideration for others. And locally - we always walk as we like, in multiple directions.

Nope not in Osaka, I have stayed in Tokyo and Nagoya AirBnB. But in Osaka, I will advice against staying in Hotel Sun Plaza. I repeat, advice against staying there. The rate is good and the place may seem fine from photos/ outside, but my friend had one hell of an experience there alongside with the other guests.

No problem. You'll observe a lot more there!

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Oct 4 2017, 12:47 PM

I was in Tokyo 2nd week of March back in 2016. Some trees have sprout a little.
You may get to see some sakura, but not likely to be full of flowers better than nothing right.

Yeah you can do Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo with 7 days in kansai region and balance another week in Tokyo.

2 days @ USJ
2 days @ Osaka city
2 days @ Kyoto
1 day trip to Nara
1 day travelling (from Tokyo/ to Tokyo)

In Tokyo, you can spend the balance 6 days there till your flight back home.

All you need to additionally spend is your return shinkansen ticket. Seems like both of you can afford the shinkansen and that's what the wife wants - just go for it. If she likes to shop, Tokyo will be really fun for her.

You're going USJ x 1 day? Only left with 5 days ya.

2 days Osaka, 2 days Kyoto and 1 day Kobe ah. Kobe is about 30min from Osaka by train, so you can do a day trip there. If you didn't want to spend 2 days in Kyoto (it's mostly temples), you can also do a day trip to Nara, which is 1hr away from Osaka by train many flexi.

Yeah I was wondering the same thing too. A little confused over that part.
Hi sacwoc Hong Kong super hot wei

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Oct 4 2017, 03:27 PM

Just saw this reply.

Will recommend that you Tokyo is towards the end of your trip. For you to rush back - it's very taxing and trust me - kills all the mood going home. Best to do it this way:

Land Tokyo > straight to Osaka > enjoy kansai > shinkansen back to Tokyo > enjoy Tokyo > fly to SG

Got Hokuriku from airport-to-airport: http://hokuriku-arch-pass.com/en/
24,000yen

If it's the normal shinkansen pass, eg from Kyoto-Tokyo will cost ard 14,000yen one way.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/charge/index.html

much welcome! Glad that it's a similar suggestion.

Amitabha. Great minds think alike
And yes, back since last Tuesday. I'm all burnt and black.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Oct 4 2017, 03:41 PM

If you check Google map - Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe are in "triangle" route with Osaka being in the centre. As you have in mind - staying in Osaka is convenient. You can get to Kyoto/ Kobe daily from where you stay since both places are about 30min away by train Given a similar situation, I will also choose to stay put in Osaka because moving from place to place is tiring and wastes time (travel to the accommodation, find the place/ hotel, check-in etc if Hotel). In fact staying in the same accommodation for a longer duration tends to be cheaper for per day cost.

Alternatively if you're like one of my friend who likes to move around, can consider staying 3 nights in Osaka and 2 nights in Kyoto (assuming you're staying 5 nights in total).

No problem.

Not sure about it being cheaper to get in Malaysia you should check out the JR site see what's the price and then compare it.
Locally you can get it from Klook: https://www.klook.com/city/100-jr-pass/

I think Chinti already replied on the timeline that it's not advisable to go Osaka/ Kyoto. If you wanted to go Osaka/ Kyoto, should have bough a flight directly there. If you're going to Tokyo and wanted to take Shinkansen to kansai, it will easily cost you around 14,000 yen one way per pax.

However if you insist on going, remember to put aside 30,000 yen for shinkansen per pax.
Local train passes for a week - you can put aside a total of around 10,000yen if you're not going to travel very far.

Hakone will cost you 5,200 yen for 2-days pass per pax (you can't buy 1 day pass). If you plan to take the Romancecar, top up another 2,000 yen per pax per ride (return).

Tokyo itself is really big and often, not enough time to explore even in 7 days. I did 10 days in my 2nd trip and there's still a lot of areas I couldn't cover especially side trips. Consider only staying in Tokyo.

What's worth to buy? - Watches, shoes, clothes, bags, pro cam etc.

Subjective - it's better to adjust when you made up an itinerary and know what are the places you wish to visit.

Optionally, you can actually stay put in 1 area (eg. Osaka/ Kyoto) and travel to other places on a daily basis. For example, Osaka to Kobe is only 30min away by train. It's not necessary for you to stay in Kobe - you can travel to Kobe on a daily basis from Osaka.

Including train ticket?

In the 80,000 yen, put aside 5,000yen for airport transfer (by subway/ train), 5,000 yen for entrance fee to attractions/ misc.

70,000/ 7 days = 10,000yen per day (appx RM400 per day)

Each day expenses (all based on estimation):
1,500yen for train/ bus expenses.
500yen for breakfast
1,000yen for lunch
1,500 yen for dinner
1,000 yen for cafe/ tea time/ snacks

You still have a balance of 4,500 yen for shopping each day. There will be surplus, so it'll be enough with small shopping (souvenirs etc).

Hahaha i always wonder, "What if everyone thinks Monday is a good day with less crowd and end up, everybody is there on a Monday making it the most crowded day of the week??" but it's just a thought - I have no idea. I tend to choose Mondays too

If you wanna fully enjoy USJ, I suggest 2 days - this is based on a colleague's advice. One of the longest queue is for Harry Potter (magical chair). You can also get the USJ Fast Pass, cut your queue time by a lot but not all rides accept the fast pass ya. It's also more pricey - worth it though. Consider it.

Also, consider getting your tickets through Klook as they're usually slightly cheaper https://www.klook.com/city/29-osaka/
In my HK trip, I purchased by 4G sim card and easily 3 other attractions' tickets through Klook. The queue is also shorter at the counter to get in, and it was express lane (don't have to queue to get in) when I rode the tram up to the peak

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Oct 5 2017, 10:10 AM

Passed by it mid of Sept -___-|| ... didn't get to stop.

Saw this interesting video and think it'll be good to share with first timers to Japan. Enjoy!

Yep exact same place.