I bought a welcome Suica card on Klook for everyone going on our trip to Tokyo. It says that you need to pick it up at Ninja wifi. All that is fine, but I have read also that you need to tap in at a jr station to activate it  We are riding a transfer from the airport so we are not using transportation until after we get to central Tokyo. Does anyone know if I can do this at any jr rail station and what exactly do you need to do? Thanks in advance ..read more

Looking at a tour of Tokyo prior to our cruise and I was surprised that many of the admission fees for gardens were not included in the tour cost.    Is it normal to pay $200 per person and still have extra costs?  I realize most of the tours in Japan are expensive, but I didn’t know if this is the norm or not. It does not give any indication of what the admission cost is so I guess I will have to look up each garden.  When you’re taking a large family, it’s nice to know the total cost ahead of time. I don’t want to be surprised.   Thank you in advance ..read more

Trying to find a transfer from the Hongkong Cruise Terminal Kai Tak to our hotel The Langham and having difficulty finding the transfer .  I can find a transfer using B.com for $AU53 so is this my best option or can anyone recommend another  private transfer ? Thanks  ..read more

Three of us have received permission to disembark in Shimizu to travel to Kyoto and then rejoin our ship two days later in Osaka and have figured out the best way to get to Kyoto is by train but that is where it gets a bit challenging for us.  From my research, it looks like we would need to take a local train from Shimizu Port to Shizuoka on the JR Line which really would not be ideal as one of us uses a mobility scooter (small and folds up but even so). Hence, my question is does anyone know if we can get a taxi to take us to the train station in Shizuoka (Shin-Shizuoka) from Shimizu Po ..read more

We are departing soon on 9 day cruise around Japan on Diamond Princess. I have ship tours booked in every port just in case, but I really wanted to see if there are any independent private tour options available? I am having very hard time finding anythiong outside of the main Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka ports that I would consider superior to ship's offerings. I think Princess does good job on tours, I just dont want to be stuck on the tour bus and would much prefer a private or small group excursion. Any suggestions on where to look?  ..read more

We are b2b in Yokohama so an ideal time to get the laundry done! Assuming B2B formalities are quick (?‍♀️) has anyone used a coin operated laundry in Yokohama they can recommend?  ..read more

Does anyone know of the name of the cruise terminal port in Kyoto (Osaka), we will be on the NCL Spirit and docked there for two days on October 5th and 6th.  Thank you ..read more

The Noordam is scheduled to stop in Kushiro on October 11 en route to its destination (for us) in Yokohama. I really don't want to take a tour, and would instead rather spend the day walking around and touring the port (and what we can of the city). Does anyone have any favourite spots or sights they can recommend ..read more

Celebrity Millennium scheduled to arrive in Yokohama at 6:30 am on Sunday, April 20, 2025.  We would be waiting on line and walk off with luggage once ship is cleared.  Is it possible to go thru customs and get to Haneda in time to take an 11:00 am flight back to the states?      Thanks             ..read more

Port stop in Manila.......   I am hearing conflicting info....some say get out of town and head to the mountains for the scenery and others suggest a tour of old Manila.   What did you do and what would you recommend?   And any independent tour advice would be appreciated.  ..read more