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We're kinda sorta thinking about going to Niseko in March or maybe Hakuba.
We might also spend a few nights in Tokyo or Kyoto or maybe both.
Is there anything that we shouldn't miss in Japan?
How easy is it to negotiate the transport system with children and luggage?
Is the language barrier a big issue or is it well sign posted for tourists?
Are restaurants child friendly?
Anything else I should know?
Japan is very English friendly. All their train signage is in English, and you can almost all train stations have a ticket machine with English translation. Getting to an from an airport with luggage you will be fine. Japan is also very disabled friendly, so you will always have access to lifts for luggage. In terms of actual language, Japan is one of the worst in terms of being able to get by using English vocally. You are spoilt in many other Asian countries in terms of being able to speak to everyone and them understanding you. You get by with a guide book that has English/Japanese translation and you can get by on nods or pointing :)
Luggage gets difficult when you are moving about in peak hour. The trains get so full that there is standing (sardine)room only. This can be embarrassing only because you know you are being a pain to the poor commuters who just want to get home, that and you stick out like a sore thumb.
If you are going to the skiing areas this may be totally different, since they are probably more tourist reliant. My experience is more with Tokyo/Osaka which are business areas.
There are plenty of chains in Japan you will recognise you can get by on those until you recognise the proper restaurants that are kid friendly. Japanese trains have a special area for people with prams, who are pregnant, elderly or disabled.
There is a Disneyland in Tokyo. Kyoto was great for a day, we were sort of sick of viewing all the temples. Hiroshima, for us was one of the most moving places. It is probably not appropriate for kids. Although, the museum was full of Japanese school kids. It was a bit gruesome though.
I would highly recommend Osaka. It wasn't as crazy as Tokyo.
will be watching this closely especially if you are looking into the skiing side dach as I've had great difficulty finding out too much about childrens facilities at ski fields etc. although could track down some with some difficulty as i have a family friend whose kids own a house/apt in Niseko
Jaspen, before we decided to put it off for a few years we did a bit of research and we decided that we would prefer Hakuba because while it has some English langauge instruction for the children and so on it's a more Japanese style resort than Niseko. It's got snow monkeys which sealed the deal for me.
I spoke to a package company and they were really helpful with recomendations. For the children in Hakuba you can get instruction in English from Evergreen (just google Evergreen Hakuba) or they also recomended a baby sitting service called
Hakuba Mommy. If you google Hakuba babysitting it is the first result.
The guys on my ski forum all recomended getting a package for the first time because usually it works out to be the same price as doing it all yourself witha whole heap less stress. The package companies will arrange hotels outside the skiiing areas too if you want to do a bit of sightseeing.
HTH.
Pucci, thanks for you advice. Our current plan is to put it off until both the boys are a little confident on skis and Imran doesn't need creche or baby sitting. So I'll come back to it then.