Japan in Summer: What I Wish I'd Known (Plus Why I'm Already Planning My Return!)
- Jade Williams
- Aug 30
- 6 min read
Just back from an incredible 3-week adventure through Japan with the family, and wow – what a trip! Here's everything I learned, loved, and would do differently next time.
Before You Even Leave Australia: Essential Prep Tips
Complete your travel approval online at least 3 days before departure. This is mandatory now, so don't leave it to the last minute!
Check ALL your medications months in advance. Some common Aussie medications aren't allowed in Japan, so you'll need to sort out alternatives or special permits. Don't wait until the week before!
Get that Suica card sorted NOW! If you have Apple Wallet, definitely add a Suica card before you even board the plane. Samsung users (like me) can just use cash, but the Suica card works for transport AND shopping. Just remember – once you load money on it, you can't get it back if you don't spend it all!
Skip Travelex, hit up 7-Eleven! Don't exchange money before you go – Japanese ATMs (especially in 7-Elevens) have excellent exchange rates. I was getting AUD$112 for 10x ¥10,000 notes every few days and using my bank card for larger purchases.
Google Map your days in advance. Japanese cities are HUGE and incredibly spread out – it can take 30+ minutes on trains just to get from one attraction to the next. Plan your routes and check attraction opening times too. We learned this the hard way when the Imperial Palace decided to close at 11am for a special event instead of the advertised 2:45pm. Oops!
The Summer Reality Check ☀️
Okay, let's talk about the elephant in the room: DO NOT DO JAPAN IN SUMMER unless you absolutely have to. And I say this as a Queenslander who thinks 35 degrees is a lovely Tuesday! The humidity combined with the shocking lack of shade in some areas was genuinely soul-crushing. We hit 44 degrees in Kyoto – I'm not even kidding.
But hey, we survived, the kids were absolute legends, and it makes for great stories now!
Tokyo: Organized Chaos at Its Finest
Tokyo blew our minds – it's this incredible mix of vibrant neon lights and ultra-modern buildings sitting right next to ancient temples and shrines. The contrast is something else!
Pro tip: Your first day navigating the rail network will feel overwhelming, but stick with it. By day two, you'll be zipping around like a local. The luggage transfer services are worth every penny too – trying to wrestle suitcases onto packed trains is nobody's idea of fun.
Communication is easier than you think! Most people don't speak English, but everyone's happy to pull out Google Translate and have a chat through your phones. When we were standing around looking like lost tourists, people would actually approach us to offer help. The kindness is next level!
Everything is ridiculously cheap! We had dinner one night – 5 meals, 2 bowls of chips (because I wasn't sure the kids would eat the food, but they totally did!), drinks for everyone, 3 alcoholic beverages for the adults, and 4 ice creams – all for $75 AUD!
Tokyo Highlights:
Tokyo Tower – Classic for a reason
Shibuya Crossing – Though we totally missed the iconic shot of 1000 people crossing at once because it was basically empty when we visited!
Harry's Hedgehog Cafe – Okay, this was actually my favourite thing in ALL of Tokyo. I LOVED THEM. And yes, I've already researched keeping them as pets in Italy for my retirement plans! 🦔
The Imperial Palace remains on the "next time" list thanks to that unexpected closure!
Disney Magic (With a Side of Reality Check)
Disneyland Tokyo gets two thumbs up! It's smaller than DisneySea but feels authentically Disney with incredible attention to detail. One day is perfect.
DisneySea, however, is... weird. Picture this: you're starving, you find a restaurant, and they have 40+ drink options and ONE food item – a shrimp sandwich. Next restaurant? Same deal but with a sausage wrapped in dumpling batter. We spent way too much time hunting for actual meals!
Essential tip: Pay for those fast passes, even in the "off season." Average wait times were 70 minutes in 37+ degree heat – this is probably much more manageable in cooler months. The kids kept their cool better than me at times!
The NCL Cruise Experience: Floating Hotel Life
Sailing on the Norwegian Spirit was a mixed bag of awesome crew, small cabins, and some interesting dining experiences.
The Good:
Our crew were absolute gems – greeting everyone with "washy washy" (hand sanitizer) and even serenading mum with a coffee-themed rendition of Dancing Queen. I now have "washy washy, facey facey" written on our shower wall to remind my son to use the cleanser – it's surprisingly effective parenting!
Outside cabins were small-ish but had plenty of storage space and was totally workable for our family
The buffet restaurant saved our sanity with 10 people all wanting different things
The Reality Check: Shore excursions are insanely expensive. Book your own adventures with Viator or brave the local transport – it's totally doable and much more fun!
Port Adventures: The Good, The Hot, and The Unexpected
Shimizu Port 🗻
Too hot and hazy to see Mount Fuji (classic summer move), but the Nihondaira Ropeway and Kunozan Toshogu Shrine were stunning. Miho no Matsubara Beach has the coolest black sand, and yes, we may have had too much ice cream. No regrets!
Kyoto: When Everything Goes Wrong But You Roll With It 🏛️
44 degrees AND Optus decided to have network issues, leaving us without internet all day. Navigating Kyoto's trains without Google Maps was... character building! But we still managed to see:
Higashi Hongan-ji
Kyoto Tower
Fushimi Inari-taisha (those thousand torii gates!)
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion – absolutely worth the sweat)
We spent $120 on taxis that day, but honestly, in that heat it was survival money well spent. The distances between attractions are no joke – it can take 30+ minutes on trains just to get from one sight to the next, so that pre-planning really pays off!
Nagoya ➡️ Surprise Sea Day
Sometimes tsunamis have other plans! We couldn't disembark due to warnings, so it was cocktails for the adults, school work for the kids, and well-deserved naps all around. Between the earthquake, tsunami warning, and typhoon during our trip, we definitely experienced Japan at its finest! 🌪️
The Unexpected Gems: Sakata & Mummies?!
Plot twist: NCL changed our itinerary and we ended up in Sakata, the rice cracker capital of the world. But here's where it gets wild – Japan has mummies! Not Egyptian-style, but Buddhist monks who voluntarily mummified themselves over 5-7 years through meditation, forest wandering, and eating only berries, nuts, leaves and poisonous tree sap before being entombed alive. Of hundreds who tried, only 19 succeeded. Mind. Blown.
Nagasaki & Hiroshima: Beauty and Heartbreak 💔
These cities were hands down the most impactful stops – they actually felt and looked authentically Japanese, probably because of their preserved history. The Atomic Bomb Museums in both cities are absolutely essential – heartbreaking, overwhelming, but so important. The resilience and kindness of the people in these cities is extraordinary.
Hiroshima Castle was the most impressive historical site we visited – unlike many others that felt empty, this one was packed with incredible exhibits and stories.
My one regret: not having time for Miyajima Island. Next trip for sure!
The Food Adventures (And Misadventures)
Let's be honest – breakfast in Japan was rough. Cold, soggy, and somehow many hotels thought we all eat like stereotypical Americans (fairy floss machines or chocolate fountains, anyone?). This protein-loving girl was NOT impressed. Thank god for 7/11!
Spencer finally got his hands on okonomiyaki in Nagasaki though! Spoiler alert: he didn't love it, but hey, that's travel! 🥢
The Real MVPs: My Kids
Can we just talk about how exceptional my kids were? 23,000 steps a day, being pushed into trains like sardines in a can with a strangers armpit in their face for 20 minutes at a time, weird food, getting lost, being hot, language barriers – they took it all in stride with smiles and zero complaints. These are the moments that make you ridiculously proud as a parent.
Korea: The Honest Truth
After Japan set the bar at 11/10, Korea felt like a 4/10 for us. Maybe it was comparison fatigue, maybe we should have done it first. We definitely should not have jumped in an Uber Taxi; and most certainly should not have taken a 2nd after our first experience. 140kms in a 60 zone anyone?
My clients love their Korea trips, so it's definitely a "your mileage may vary" situation! I would like to go back one day and see the countryside; not just Seoul or Incheon.
The Bottom Line
Japan was absolutely incredible – 11/10, would definitely go back. The people were lovely, outside of Disney the food was great, the culture is fascinating, and there's so much more to explore.
But seriously – NOT IN SUMMER. 🌸 Cherry blossom season, here we come next time!
Travel isn't about perfect Instagram moments – it's about rolling with the punches, trying new things, getting gloriously lost, and coming home with more character, perspective, and appreciation for both the adventure and your normal life.
Now excuse me while I research hedgehog ownership laws and plan our next Japan adventure for spring!
Have you been to Japan? What were your favourite (or most challenging) moments? Drop a comment below – I'd love to hear your stories!
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