Thailand or Japan?

UngratefulWhelp

Just wondering if anyone who has been to both can provide a perspective.

Planning on travelling in Feb/March with the wife. We're not beach people, we're more about the whole cultural/historical/culinary experience.

Flights for both pretty much the same, and while I know Thailand is considerably cheaper than Japan, I'd be willing to consider the latter if it's worth it.

edeldonlon

Hi,
I have been to both and would say go to Japan. There is so much to see and it is so different to anywhere I have ever been. It is very easy to travel around and a must is a JR pass (this allows you to budget for the transport)

At that time of the year it would be also possible to do some skiing is you are interested.

Thailand is nice but can be very touristy. Have you been to Asia before?

E

thechanger

Well if you're not beach people, the obvious answer is Japan.

Morpork

If you're going to Japan, go to Osaka, not Tokyo, depending on what you want to see.

Osaka has much more surrounding it, Nara, Kyoto, Kobe and Wakayama are all worth a visit for different reasons. Nara has Todaiji temple, which is the largest wooden building in the world and houses the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world. Kyoto has tons of historical and cultural places and is home of the Geisha. Kobe has harbourland which is well worth a visit. And Wakayama has some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. I did a 200k cycle from Osaka to Wakayama and was blown away from what I saw.

Osaka itself is great. The people are friendlier than in other parts of Japan, it's got great food and night life and lots of nice places to visit during the day.

Tokyo on the other hand is a fantastic city. It's honestly staggering the sheer size and "weight" of it. Plenty of tourist sights, but mostly that means tall buildings, the electronic hub of Akihabara and the man made island of Odaiba.
Most of the cultural stuff is hidden away and the food is more generic Japanese stuff. The people are kind of cold, but that's just Japanese people in general. Though, one other thing Tokyo has going for it is Mt. Fuji is much closer to Tokyo than Osaka.

I've lived in Osaka for 2 years and spend 4 weeks in Tokyo. Much much prefer Osaka, everyone I know that's been to both places agree. Sorry, but I've never been to Thailand.

Oh, if you possible and you're going to Japan, hold off the trip until early April. That's cherry blossom season which is the biggest event in Japan. They revolve their whole lives around it. Depending on where you go the tress blossom slightly different times, so be mindful of that. Also, it's still cold in February, so I wouldn't recommend it. April is perfect weather.

UngratefulWhelp

Thanks for the tips folks. For edeldonlon, why did Japan impress you so much more?

Also, does anyone know how the temples in Japan measure up to those in Thailand? The Thai ones - from photos - look pretty impressive.

Adiboo

Have not been to Thailand, but was in Japan. I would highly recommend Japan to anybody who is interested in history. Would love to go back there.

cursai

Have been to both and Japan is easily the winner. Nice clean, fun, unusual, interesting, exciting and lively people.
Thailand on the other hand is a tourist trap. unless you get of the beaten track. But you'll still be surrounded by the same maniacs you'd meet in an Irish bar in Crete.

Do Japan! You won't regret it.

edeldonlon

I spent over a year there. I lovely the food, how easy it was the travel about and the kindness of the people. There is also such a variation in the country, the south is so different to the north.

They love a festival so there is a high chance you will run into one on route.

I sent you a PM with an email I wrote for a friend with some links

Any questions just ask

thechanger

I meant to write more last time, but got side-tracked so only posted my opening sentence. Sorry for lack of detail.

Morpork makes some great points. While I have not visited Kansai (Osaka/Kyoto area), however I have lived near Tokyo (Kanagawa). My farourite things to do were hiking and climbing, and there are so many mountains and trails in the area (But this goes for all of Japan). Definitely visit more than the Tokyo region. A couple of days is enough in Tokyo, not a lot to see. If you like roller coasters, without a doubt visit Fuji-Q Highland. You can still go skiing in Nagano or up north in Hokkaido during Feb/Mar. This time of year is probably the driest also, but has Morpork said, it's cold and expect temperatures in the single digits (No snow in Tokyo). April and the beginning of May in Japan are blissful periods. The days can get up into the mid 20s and remind you of a perfect summer's day in Ireland (You might need to think of your childhood for that).

Food in both countries is amazing. Thai food has a far superior cuisine to just green curry and pad thai, and Bangkok is a haven for a food lover. However Japanese food wins for me though, as you have restaurants catering for so many styles, and again, across the country so many variations.

The other things to consider are cost. You can stay in beautiful 5 star hotels for the price of a Jurys in Thailand. Western hotel rooms are small and basic in Japan, but there are more traditional alternatives, while a bit pricey, are a much more unique experience. Staying in a Ryokan is a fantastic experience, with breakfast and dinner being brought to your room, and each meal consisting of maybe a dozen little dishes. Onsens are another plus, especially after a day hiking or skiing in the cold. By the way, a nice Ryokan with meals could cost 250 Euro.

If I was restrained from scuba diving, snorkelling, and islands, I can't think of many reasons to return to Thailand. While it has temples, and hiking, I'd definitely vote for Japan.

@Morpork What sort of bike did you do the trip on? Any pictures, or advice? I'll be there in May and brining my bike this time.

killbillvol2

There's a big thread here on Japan. There are 100s of threads on Thailand.

I've been to both a number of times. I love Thailand and its people (especially in the north) but Japan wins hands down. It's just more interesting and varied. The problem is it's a lot more expensive - there isn't really a budget option.

I would completely disagree with two previous posters about Tokyo - it's by far the most fascinating city I've been to, and I've been to a lot. I could happily spend months there. That said, if you're there for a limited time you'll need to spread yourself about a bit. Plenty of options on the other thread.

thechanger

@killbillvol2 I would agree that Tokyo is fascinating, I could also spend days roaming the streets, taking photographs, and exploring neighbourhoods and restaurants.

I just can't think of a lot of sight-seeing to be done there.

imme

I spent about two weeks in Thailand.
I found the little pieces of Thailand (Koh Samui in particular) I visited to be 'holes'. I found the whole touristy scammy atmosphere and child labour element to be seedy and scummy and not conducive to relaxation.

Of course it all has to do with where you go and what kind of places you visit. It is possible to get a 5-star view of Thailand of course.

God this is all sounding very negative.:(

When I was there I was left wondering 'what are people getting from this'.

I'd been traveling around Oz and NZ before I got to Thailand, so found the people trying to sell me all sorts of **** a bit hard to take, I wasn't in the humour for it and found the poverty I came across very sad.

As I've said there are many different sides to Thailand.


Japan is different.

I spent two months there.

Japan is different to the countries in the region that it's in, it's also pretty different to Ireland.
There are so many things, the place is fascinating.
You don't have to know the language to get around imo.

It has a lot of variety on the 4 major islands (Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku) that make up the bulk of it. You've also got Okinawa which is meant to be different again.

There are other smaller islands close to the mainland like Yakushima that offer a change from 24/7 Japan. There's no train lines on Yakushima so it feels different instantly, as the train is so much a part of mainland Japan.

The trains in mainland Japan go everywhere, at all sorts of speeds from the slow (which aren't that slow) to the Bullet trains which are an experience in themselves.

If you're worried about cost maybe you could incorporate a trip to Korea (South Korea that is;)) into your trip.

It's a two-hour fast ferry ride away or a short plane ride, the plane is possibly cheaper than the fast ferry.
There's also a slow ferry option.

I found Korea much harder going than Japan, which surprised me.

Harder going in terms of getting in on things: accomm, food and transport.

Korea has developed and industrialised to an incredible degree in the last 30-years. It's interesting to see the society that now exists in that contest.

In Japan it's all about temples, they're everywhere, you could spend all your time there and not see a single church or cross.

Some people talk about Japan being the most homogeneous society in the world.

Korea on the other hand has a mix of temples and churches.

Korea is also cheaper than Japan for general costs, transport included.

Korea is teeny tiny.

Whereas in Japan you can travel all day long and all night long over land or by train and not reach the end of the country, Korea can be covered from the southern sea to the North Korea border by fast train in less than 5 hours.

Korea is about 20% bigger than the island of Ireland.