-What did we do right this time that we didn't try other times?
Announce when we're getting hungry, decide what we feel like, then search Google for " ___ near me" (ex sushi near me) and then just go with the top suggestion. Tabelog was a bust and Google Maps was more than fine. We were able to find a kaiten sushi and omurice this way.
-Any reminders for when we're planning the 2020 trip? Anything we want to remember to tell friends coming with us next year?
Buy a Suica card with your JR Pass! Don't over pack, in fact, pack carry-on only. As Naomi Mitchison said, “Travel light my child, as the Wanderer travels light, and his love will be with you.”. Traveling heavy is the path of the coward and the Boomer. We're better than that.
We also really don't want to wait for anyone using the elevator because they are tiny and there's always a line for them. It's actually part of the Japanese Olympics: line waiting. The elevator at a busy station has an approximate 5 minute wait and we are impatient. We have extra backpacks we're willing to lend out for folks who only have roller bags.
We're going to have to pick between Hakone or Nikko and make it a two day trip with an overnight stay at a ryokan or onsen.
-What tips and tricks should we remember that made our lives easier this time?
Middle plane seats! Don't go for the window seats, go for those middle 4 on the international flight. The ceiling is taller, you might not have anyone sit behind you, and it has the illusion of being more spacious. I didn't have to climb over any strangers to get to the bathroom!
Global Entry was very nice, and TSA precheck as well, but only when leaving the US. Flying out we got to use the TSA precheck, but flying back in we went from Tokyo to Toronto and had to go through Canadian security which is just like American, so off with the shoes and out with the laptops and liquids in a clear baggie and put those backpacks in separate totes, etc. Alas, this is Canada security so our TSA precheck has no power here. And then after that it's customs, where our Global Entry came in handy, but you still have to scan your passport, declare your shit, tell an agent why you were overseas and do you have anything to declare, blah blah. Hopefully our one checked bag of souvenirs will make it to CVG (if the Canadian frat bro, whose name we assume to be Chad or Thad, working the Air Canada customer service desk is correct).
Also, make sure your layovers are at least 2 hours. Even with Global Entry, there was still a line and still a lot of people to process. Plus a lot of walking. Even after all of that, every airport is better than Chicago or Atlanta. We will avoid them at all costs.
Speaking of bags, we need to come up with a better system for souvenirs. We're starting to have quite the collection of large, hard-cased, wheeled suitcases from Japan. A carry-on size we saw around $40-$50 and the large size $70-$80. It's nice having the hard-case because it helps protect anything fragile, but Japan is not a place to have a large suitcase. I suppose if you know where you're going, where there will be escalators, if you don't mind waiting for tiny elevators or lugging it up and down stairs, it would be okay, but generally having your luggage as easy-to-carry backpacks and duffel bags is the way to go. But again, it would be nice to find a way to get the inevitably huge amount of souvenirs home without adding to the luggage collection (which are doing a great job stowing away my costumes. I think I might make one for fragile Christmas decor). Though, flying Air Canada gives us a free checked bag, so maybe we'll just drag an empty one along.
Make sure the shoes you are wearing (and you, yourself) can withstand around 18,000 steps or more per day of walking. Break in shoes and boots before you go. Wear shoe inserts.
Also, medication-wise, Pabron nasal spray was painful but effective for stuffed up sinuses. Lion feet pads for the end of the day were great for tired feet. Use the "In case of EMERGENCY" Google Doc for OTC drug conversion chart!
-What should we leave out? What did we do that we could leave out next time?
There is such a thing as too much time in Tokyo. It's nice to use the shinkansen and be whisked to various parts of the country. The people are different, the scenery is different, and it really does make for a quick and exciting trip that doesn't get dull. The places we went to were nice day trips so that we weren't staying within the Yamanote loop the whole time, but Kawagoe or Mount Takao or Yokohama wouldn't be at the top of the list for anyone visiting Japan for the first time. There's a reason Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo is such a popular path taken by tourists.
Don't eat the clear noodles in oden! They're not noodles!!! It's a weird-texture trap!
-Anything else?
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