What's the best time of year to visit? My son is stationed in Okinawa. We're thinking about a trip over to see him next year.

Follow up question, especially if you have had family stationed there. One option is we go visit him in Oki and see Japan from there. Other would be to meet him somewhere on that side of the planet (Australia? New Zeland?) Japan never has really been on my bucket list but most folks I know that have visited it loved it. Curious to hear what others have done (military related or otherwise).

Okinawa is awesome. A quirky version of Japan. Basically the Hawaii of Japan. Beautiful water, very nice people, great food, and culture shock in the best way (if you've never been). Language barrier isn't a huge issue due to our bases there. I worked at Camp Foster for two weeks and it was really enjoyable.

Can't speak to NZ/AUS.

A friend went recently at the end of August and he mentioned how hot it was. So I'm guessing shoulder seasons would be best (fall and spring).

It depends on what you want to experience! (Can't speak to Okinawa, all my experience has been with the mainland).

For Japan, Spring (March - May) & Fall (September - November) is most pleasant weather wise. Peak season on mainland Japan is typically the spring due to cherry blossom season. There's some really great skiing options if you're into that over the winter time.

From a cultural and cuisine standpoint Japan is hard to top. I recently planned a trip for a family that went in a big loop: Tokyo - Kanazawa - Osaka/Kyoto - Hakone - Tokyo. Has a mix of big and small towns, temples, traditional onsen ryokan experiences, fine dining, and street vendors.

If you're more into adventure & being outdoors I'd probably lean toward Australia & NZ. The hiking in NZ is unreal, my uncle just got back and he had an amazing time in the mountains.

Australia has such a diverse offering from the major cities, the Outback, Great Barrier Reef, Gold Coast, and wine & gourmet food in Tasmania. I've got a couple leaving next week to spend 10 days in Australia and they still won't get to everything.

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

It all depends how much time you want to spend.

I really enjoy Tokyo. One of my top 5 cities to go visit and just roam around in. Need at least a week to see enough and eat a ton of food. So much to see.

5 to 7 days in Okinawa

Then on to Australia. My favorite is Melbourne. The food choices are incredible. It is my number one city for eating options at affordable price.

wcb said:

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What's the best time of year to visit? My son is stationed in Okinawa. We're thinking about a trip over to see him next year.

Follow up question, especially if you have had family stationed there. One option is we go visit him in Oki and see Japan from there. Other would be to meet him somewhere on that side of the planet (Australia? New Zeland?) Japan never has really been on my bucket list but most folks I know that have visited it loved it. Curious to hear what others have done (military related or otherwise).

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Context: I live in Sydney but am in Japan a few times a year for work.

I would make it a Japan trip, personally. Japan is like entering another world, but the tourism infrastructure is excellent, the USD is strong against the yen, and it will give you an idea of the world your son has to navigate. Logistically it's super easy to spend some time in Okinawa and then go to a few places on the mainland (Tokyo->Kyoto->Osaka is a tried and true path).

Australia/New Zealand are indeed on "that side of the world" but a lot of people underestimate just how far away they are from Japan (10- and 11-hour flights, respectively). It's almost the same flight time as it would be for your son to just come visit you in the USA.

As mentioned, Japan is a 10 hour flight from Sydney.
But, keep in mind that Okinawa is a remote island 750 miles from Osaka and 950 miles away from Tokyo.

If it were me, I'd consider meeting him in Tokyo or Osaka and as bthoutugigem05 pointed out, traveling on the Shinkansen with a stop in Kyoto.

Also remember if you want to go to Australia, the seasons are opposite from the Northern Hemisphere.

I used to travel between Japan and Australia a couple times a year for work and would frequently get sick as a result when bouncing between winter and summer too many times in rapid succession.

Summers in Japan are brutal, no different than Texas.

My family did Tokyo and Kyoto the second week of March this year. It was still pretty cold but we did get to see early cherry blossoms without excessive crowding.

The two cities are really great. I highly recommend you stick to a Japan itinerary. It's worth the visit. Okinawa looks great so I would try to visit your son there as well.

Ideal in my my mind would be Tokyo to Kyoto to Okinawa in late April. Experience Sakura season and then end the trip on a beach!

Just got back Saturday from 2 weeks in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. The temperatures were perfect. The highest it got was 74 and the coldest was around 50. It was rainy more in Tokyo than in Osaka and Kyoto, but that was more the pattern that happened to develop while we were there. It was busy at some of the sites, but supposedly not as bad as cherry blossom season.

If there was a tough reservation or a line for a restaurant, "next man up" prevailed for us because there were so many good options. Navigating directions for train stations and the like was easy because everything is almost always also in English, but the Google Translate app was our friend when we needed it too (like figuring out how to flush the toilets lol).

I agree with the poster that said they loved Tokyo. If (when) we return, we'll spend more time there for sure. Don't need to go back to Osaka and Kyoto after we saw plenty of sites in and around each. Tokyo is great for just hanging out and eating and drinking.

Great visit, the people were so polite and helpful everywhere; I highly recommend a visit.

NE PA Ag said:

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Navigating directions for train stations and the like was easy because everything is almost always also in English, but the Google Translate app was our friend when we needed it

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My first time going to Japan solo was in 2006 for a rock concert in Osaka and at Fuji Speedway.

I read some stuff on the Internet before I went but obviously no Google Translate or Google Maps on your phone back then. And there was very little in English. Sort of just barely enough English.

The best piece of advice I got off the Internet was to get cash at the ATM before leaving the airport because back then, International ATMs were few and far between.

I told my dad about how difficult I found it to navigate solo in Tokyo and Osaka in 2006 and I commented about how little English there was.

His reply to me was - "How much English do you think there was when I went there in 1974?"
Fact!

My last Japan trip in 2020, it was super easy because even the train schedules and everything were integrated into Google Maps on your phone.

Agree! Google Maps is also your friend in Japan. Very detailed train instructions were very helpful.