Raphael Hauser
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Hi Kristina,
Basically, all cities you mentioned are packed with people, especially tourists, around the main attractions and hotel areas. These include Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone, and Nara. This is the “main route” for most tourists visiting Japan for the first or second time (which applies to most visitors).
Tokyo stands out as the most crowded city with the highest population density, and it is also where the vast majority of tourists arrive. In addition, Tokyo, especially the districts of Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Akihabara, stands out for its many neon and LCD billboards and loudspeaker advertisements, which can quickly lead to sensory overload.
The further you travel to the southwest of Japan—or to the northeast—the less touristy it becomes. If you want to avoid crowds, I can recommend Kyushu or Hokkaido.
I don’t think you’ll miss much if you don’t go to Tokyo. Everything you find in Tokyo, you’ll also find in other cities, including more beautiful temples, palaces, parks, culture, and nature—the magic of Japan begins in Tokyo, but it doesn’t end there.
However, you should be aware that all the cities you mentioned are among the most crowded places in Japan. They are not quite as extreme as Tokyo, but they are still much livelier than many other parts of Japan.
Enjoy your time in Japan!
Cheers, Raphael
Hi Superhero,
Very simple answer: It does not make sense to rent a scooter in Bangkok.
While driving in Thailand is already a challenge for experienced motorcyclists in quieter cities like Chiang Mai or Hua Hin, Bangkok is many times more extreme. Heavy traffic and the failure of most road users to follow even the simplest traffic rules make riding a scooter a gamble. Thailand has nearly 20,000 traffic fatalities per year, most of them motorcyclists. Even if you are an excellent scooter rider, it remains a gamble, as something can happen to you even if you are not at fault. You don’t need this risk on vacation; you want to enjoy it without any headaches. For individual transportation, use apps such as Grab, Bolt, or InDriver (although I recommend Grab). Most attractions are easily accessible by metro or BTS Skytrain. City buses are also very inexpensive and will take you safely to your destination.
Enjoy your stay in Bangkok!
Cheers,
RaphaelHi Frieda,
My best advise for first time Asia travellers is not to plan for too many activities. I often saw first-timer itineraries that were fully packed with program from morning to the evening. This either ends in people having a very stressful holiday, not even remembering what they REALLY did during their time in Asia or eventually skipping already booked activities.
You will have so many impressions that need time to be processed. I would recommend to plan for maximum one activity, one great thing to see a day and for the rest of the day go with the flow, just stroll around and explore. Don’t be one of these attraction hunters, they get back home more stressed than they were before their holidays.
I had my best holidays in Asia when I just booked the first hotel for the first two nights in a destination and then made spontaneous decisions on what to do and where to go according to my mood and interests.
Enjoy your time in Asia!
Cheers, Raphael