Hey All! I will be visiting Japan in February 2024 and wanted to get some thoughts on best places to visit and must-do activities (doesn’t need to be Pokemon related)
Looking to experience both the city life and also the more rural side
Anything that’s a must do? Will be flying in to Tokyo, and we also want to see Kyoto
Any input is appreciated 
I know of a streamer who created a japan first timer guide tips and tricks. He lived and traveled there for several years. I highly recommend it, its free and in google docs. Has everything you need.
After going for worlds, there’s like 1000 things I could say here but I’ll keep it to 3 points
the culture in Japan is different. Be familiar with it before you go. There are a lot of youtube videos that will teach you what to do in your first 24hrs, I recommend watching a bunch of them
for pokemon stuff, go to at least one Pokémon Center. They are all pretty similar in terms of product though so you don’t need to go to them at all. I enjoyed hunting down the Pokemon manhole covers in Yokohama. I highly recommend the 84 cafe for Pokemon fans especially if you like Nintendo in general
just walk around. My favorite thing to do in Tokyo was to just take in the different areas. You’ll be walking and there will just be a shrine at random. Ueno park is also great for nature exploring while still being in the city.
Tokyo and Kyoto are really great starting points for 10 days in Japan, as they are really different. However, in Tokyo there are also plenty of quiet areas (parks or temples, like Ueno or Yoyogi Park) where you don’t feel that you are in a big city. When in Tokyo, be sure to visit at least one viewpoint. There are some where you have to pay (e.g. Tokyo Tower or Skytree) but the one at the Metropolitan Government Building (next to Shinjuku station) is free.
If you want to add another city, you could go to Osaka, which is really close by to Kyoto or you can go to a more rural place like Hakone, Nikko or even the area around Nagano. However, if you just want to stick to Tokyo and Kyoto for your first visit, you will find plenty of stuff to do there to keep you occupied for 10 days.
You should certainly watch some YouTube videos how to behave in Japan, as their culture is really different from ours. There are plenty of guides online.
Also, inform yourself which modes of transport you will use and if the JR Pass might make sense to you (again, plenty of guides to see whether or not it’s better to buy the JR Pass or Single Tickets). The trains in Japan are in general on another level.
Lastly, enjoy your time in Japan. It’s my favorite country in the world and I will visit it again next year.
Will be going to Japan end of November for the first time so I’ll have plenty of travel recommendations after that. More interested in the urban areas and traditional temples and heritage sites than Pokemon stuff though.
Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo are the main areas I’ll be visiting.
I have never been to Japan but I’ve always wanted to visit the Tsukiji fish market. Sadly, the historic inner market with its tuna auctions is no more (operations moved to Toyosu which one can visit that as well) but the outer market is still there.
Is there a good way to search for card stores on google maps? Typying a translated version of “card shop” doesn’t seem to come up with much.
Talking about in the smaller cities like Kyoto and Kanazawa
I found a bunch in electric town.
Most of the other comments are pretty spot on. Watch a few youtube videos about what you need before going. You’ll need to possibly get at the airport a suica card for the trains/ 7/11s, evaluate if you need to get a JR rail pass as the price is going up and you can only order it in advance when not in the country, hotspot if your phone doesn’t switch over easy(AT&T didn’t for me). I stayed in Kyoto and a few spots in Tokyo. I ordered money from my bank so not to have any fees and free shipping to my home. Many places are still cash only. I’m very much into motorsports so I had to visit the Spoon Racing facility and Mugen Racing. Also hitting up a car meet seeing GTRs etc was on my personal list. You’ll have a ton of fun.
-Matthew
Were you replying to me or OP? I was just curious about card shops in smaller cities like Kyoto and Kanazawa
Message me about kanazawa
Don’t go to Roppongi.
Look for the names of the shops. Places like Card Rush, yuyutei, Magi, etc. Then look up where they are located. There are a few places in Akihibara. You can also try googling in Japanese
Thank you all for the help!
Hey all - any thoughts and opinions on going to Japan in middle of February?
Wondering if you have any experience on weather. We don’t ski, and are fine with colder temperature but wondering if there is a better time of year to be there
February could be a bit cold.
Best time weather wise would be March - June. Not not hot and not to cold. Of course the further you go into June the warmer it will get.
Also depends on how far north ot south you are going since Hokkaido or Okinawa have vastly different climates.
These are the must go card shops in my opinion.
Card secret - tokyo ikebukuro
Ninja card - tokyo
Otachu - Akihabara
Here’s the temps for feb of this year for some perspective:
https://world-weather.info/forecast/japan/tokyo/february-2023/
The weather in the Tokyo area is pretty random all year round except for the summer months. Have a plan and suitable clothes for rainy days, have a plan for days where its raining so hard you cant even leave your room, have a plan for cold days, for sunny days, sunny but cold days. You might even experience all of these weather patterns in a single day lol Winter evenings are always chilly outside though.
Also, the buildings are heated in winter so you can be freezing outside one second and then you will be baking inside a shop the next.
so when is the best month to go?
October