Japan Trips & Travel Tips

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/paiyan_ on 2024-11-09 15:33:16+00:00.

Sharing with the hope that some of the info below collated from my recent solo trip may be of benefit to future travelers and fellow journey-people keen to explore some different areas of this beautiful country!

I thought I’d change it up slightly for my 17th trip to Japan and venture out into new areas that I’ve not had the opportunity to visit before, but also push the boundaries a little with doing more hiking / trail-walking where I could. To most, some of these places would be on the frequently visited list by first-timers but I have to admit that I’ve always tried to avoid the crowds and main tourist must-dos for many years now!

Main agenda of trip – photography. Total duration of travel – 18 days, 18/10/2024 to 04/11/2024.

Areas covered; Takayama, Toyama, Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, Kamikochi, Matsumoto, Karuizawa, Kusatsu Onsen, Chuzenji / Nikko, Urabandai, Tokyo.

I did have access to a rental car for a portion of the trip to drive Japan’s Romantic Road and to get to the more off-the beaten track areas. Driving the mountain routes (touge) is also immensely fun and being able to take in the glorious autumn scenery while you’re moving along makes it so worth the while. It also opens up a whole new dimension of access to random areas of the countryside that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy while sitting in a bullet train; little roadside stops, fruit stalls where you can purchase freshly plucked apples, some of the best handmade soba I’ve ever tasted, the list goes on!

I’ll skip sharing info for Tokyo as I feel others have already covered this excellently. This will be a long share, thanks for reading!

Itinerary:

Day 1 – Takayama

Landed at Nagoya (Chubu Centrair International Airport) and ventured straight out to Hida Takayama. It’s an easy 3 hour-ish train ride from the airport out to Takayama and I managed to arrive at about 2PM. Tip: try to get a window seat on the left side of the Wide View train as there is a particularly beautiful section of the river that runs along the train route which seems to always be very calm (amazing deep turquoise colour and reflections).

Dinner recommendation – Jakson Curry & Coffee. For those about to visit and return visitors, you have to give this place a go. Genuinely one of the best curries I’ve had across Japan so far. Go early (they open at 5.30pm), you won’t regret it. Japanese menus only FYI but staff are very helpful and will take you through the menu items.

Day 2 – Takayama

Hit the usual touristy spots to see if anything had changed from my last visit (I have a very soft spot for Takayama, this was my 10th time visiting). Noted on arrival that the new train station is finished and does look much flashier than the original one! The city still has a great vibe and has always been excellent for exploring on foot. Try to get out early and beat the bigger tourist crowds if you can; Sanmachi Suji has always been amazing to walk along before 7AM or even in the later afternoon before sunset.

The morning markets were OK this visit; felt like there used to be more stalls with a wider variety but it have might just been me. There is an interesting cube-shaped marshmallow snack that I believe originates from Toyama that you can get at the Miyagawa morning market, about halfway along in one of the permanent stores along the riverfront. Give this a try while you’re there!

Coffee recommendation - Falò Coffee Brewers (**). Very impressed, easily the best coffee spot in Takayama at the moment. Went back again later that afternoon! Look it up, it’s just off the main Sanmachi Suji area and well worth a stop.

Snack recommendation – Prices looked steep this time round for the usual stuff (kushiyaki beef skewers, mitarashi dango, the Hida Beef sushi sets served on senbei). Definitely give it a try if it’s your first time but if you want something off the beaten path, try the Hida beef mince cutlet (menchi-katsu) at Sukeharu . You heard about this place here first.

Dinner – Hida Beef is always worth spending some coin on when you’re visiting Takayama although I did realise first hand that the usual yakiniku spots were very busy. Big tourist groups, etc. Maybe the word has got out now (damn it)! Not much I can advise on apart from going / queueing up early unfortunately…

Day 3 – Toyama

The Hida Wide View train continues on from Takayama to Toyama and it’s called the Wide View for a good reason. Beautiful views of the Northern Alps greet you on a clear day along with autumn colours as well if you time your trip right! I caught a local train to Hida Furukawa on the way up first; it’s still as picturesque and quaint as ever. You have to love a town that features koi living in the canals.

Toyama itself is a pretty standard city with admittedly not a whole lot to do. It is the gateway to the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route though. If you have time and the weather is great, go for a stroll out to Kansui Park. Beautiful spot, with probably one of the best spots you could have for a Starbucks.

Meal recommendation – Being close to the sea, Toyama is famous for its seafood and sushi. Get stuck into it but try to order a side of shiro ebi (white shrimp) tempura if you can. It’s bloody good! There is a restaurant in the train station that does good ten-don bowls featuring shiro ebi (Shiroebitei).

TK Alpine Route tip – If you’ve purchased your ticket online, you can actually print them out using the QR code from your email at the Dentetsu Toyama station the day before you kick-off on the route. For others that like being ready beforehand like I do!

Day 4 – Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route (stay at Murodo)

Early start to catch the train out from Dentetsu Toyama. Luggage forwarding service works well and is easy to get your head around. There is an attendant who receives your luggage and gets your details / fills in a little sheet which you get a copy of. The route does get very packed in April / May (peak season) but was very reasonable this time of year. Did a stopover at Midagahara to explore the wetlands area – I would definitely recommend this if you have some time up your sleeve. Great views and I just about had the entire place to myself! Made it up to Murodo at lunchtime and the area was pretty busy; most visitors try to do the route in a day and Murodo is the main stopover point.

Hiking / walking tips – The area is manageable with some good shoes and average fitness. If you do plan to push into some of the steeper zones and cover the bulk of the area though (which I did…), I would definitely advise on making sure that you’ve got reasonable fitness as the altitude does make a massive difference. Hiking shoes are a must if you plan on tackling some of the more vertical routes; please be safe!

Stay – If you can, I would try to stay the night at Hotel Tateyama (heads-up, it won’t be cheap). It is an amazing experience having the entire area to yourself once the crowd leaves. I found myself absolutely smitten by the peace and beauty of Murodo in the late afternoon, leading into sunset. The hotel also offers stargazing sessions at night and there is an early morning special shuttle bus run to Daikanbo to watch the sunrise, offered only to hotel guests (for an additional fee).

Day 5 – Shinano Omachi

Going out for an early morning stroll around Murodo is well worth the effort, cannot recommend it enough. There is always something special in watching the sunrise touch the mountain peaks around you with the bonus of snagging some amazing photos. Heading back down towards Shinano Omachi, I spent a bit of time wandering around Kurobe Dam, another decision I’d fully recommend. The dam itself is an engineering marvel and appealed to me on many levels (being an engineer myself). The landscape surrounding the dam is amazing in autumn, and if you visit at the right time of the year, watching the water pour out from the dam release gates is equally special in its own right!

Spent the night at Shinano Omachi (stayed at Route Inn Shinano Omachi, just across from the main JR station). I have to admit that the town itself is rather small with not a lot to see for the average tourist but it will appeal to those who enjoy wandering around and experiencing that which is more ubiquitous to smaller country towns.

Day 6 – Kamikochi

I thought I’d try my luck at Kamikochi again this trip with the hope of seeing the valley better dressed in autumn colours. Was a little hit & miss, and it looked like the peak had passed, but Kamikochi remains breathtaking in all seasons. Managed to get into Kamikochi around mid-day and decided to go for a bit of a stroll in the rain. While the rain did help keep the number of people out on the trails down, it does make taking photos difficult! Shinano Omachi – Matsumoto – Kamikochi took up the better part of half a day for those that are wondering.

Day 7 – Kamikochi

Thought I’d push myself today to take advantage of the weather and ended up clocking 42,500 steps / 30kms (!!!) according to the step counter. Went beyond Myojinbashi up to Tokusawa-en; tough call to say if it’s worth the hike but I’d probably say no especially if you’re a day visitor. There is more to see around the main central area of Kamikochi / Kappabashi. Kamikochi does start to get busy from 8.30AM onwa...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/klunnn on 2024-11-09 01:36:31+00:00.

On the day I arrived to Kyoto, I started developing symptoms for a UTI. I suffer from chronic UTIs and i’m a nurse so I know how important it is to treat it with antibiotics. My bf and I were researching what to do and where to go to obtain some antibiotics. We stumbled across Kajita Urology, heavily recommended by reddit users but with my luck, of course it was closed that day because it was a public holiday!

I was in severe pain (10/10) at this point and needed something to manage my pain and symptoms until I was able to see the urologist the next day. We walked to a pharmacy and the pharmacist recommended “JinSenSan.” This herbal medication drink really helped my symptoms so that I was still able to enjoy my day and not waste our first day in Kyoto.

On the next day, we called Kajita Urology at 12:30 and asked if we can make an appointment for later on today. Their hours are 9:00-13:00, 16:30-19:30. I was told by the receptionist that they were full for the day and that if I wanted to walk in, I should be prepared to wait for 2 hours.

We arrived to the clinic at 17:00 and was greeted by the receptionist. She notified us again that the wait will be about 2 hours and that I should be prepared to pay up to 10,000 yen (cash only, out of pocket w/ no travel insurance) or more. She asked for my passport, which I just realized that I left in our hotel. Thankfully, the other receptionist said a valid Drivers License would suffice. I agreed to everything and was given paperwork to fill out. I sent my bf to the Lawson across the street to pull out more yen, just in case we didn’t have enough.

I sat there and waited for a little bit (roughly 20 mins?) and then the nurse approached me to ask me about my symptoms and to pee in a cup. After peeing, I was instructed to wait again until the doctor was ready to see me. I waited another 20ish minutes and I was called in to see the doctor.

He notified me that I do in fact have a UTI and that he was going to prescribe me a 5 day course of antibiotics. He also said that the medication drink “JinSenSan” was a wonderful medication to help manage the symptoms until I was able to get the antibiotics. He handed me the antibiotics and then I was sent on my way. This interaction took only about 5 minutes. He was very nice, spoke perfect English and made sure I had no more questions.

I went back to the reception table to pay my bill. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m from America but I was absolutely stunned at the price. My total was 5700 yen, which is only $37!!!!!! My entire doctor visit, urine test PLUS a course of antibiotics only cost me $37 out of pocket!!

Kajita Urology gets a 5 stars from me. The whole process took only an hour. My experience was amazing. The clinic itself was also very nice and clean. I can’t recommend them enough. They really saved my trip. It is now day 3 on my antibiotics and I feel great!! Hopefully someone in the future finds this post useful :)

TLDR: Developed a UTI at the start of my Japan trip in Kyoto. Found a Urologist (Kajita Urology) recommended by reddit users. Bring passport. Receptionist said 2 hours but was in and out within the hour. Paid 5,700 yen ($37) for the doctor visit, urine test and antibiotics. Doctor spoke perfect English. Clinic was very clean and saved my trip.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bilbomyhomeboy on 2024-11-08 02:35:16+00:00.

Hi everyone,

I’m travelling from Canada, currently in Tokyo. I am going back home on Nov 12, but my glucose sensor/transmitter system broke and the backup for that system broke too. I have some extra backup blood sugar test strips, but only enough to last me 1-2 more days.

I’ve been to 3 drug stores and 1 actual pharmacy in Tokyo so far, and all have told me they don’t dispense blood sugar strips.

I am wondering if anyone has any advice on what to do next - I literally just need 20 more strips to get me back home to Toronto.

Thank you in advance, a worried glucose gal.

UPDATE: thanks everyone for your help!

For anyone curious, I use the closed loop Tandem T-Slim Control IQ system with Dexcom G6 normally. I took 3x the amount of Dexcom sensors but turns out those weren’t the problem after I replaced them 4 times. My transmitter stopped working, but I didn’t have a backup since my insurance pays for one 1x/90 days and I’ve never had it fail before.

I ended up talking to a really nice English speaking pharmacist (also helps that I myself am a pharmacist back home). Turns out that they basically don’t see any type 1 diabetes cases and barely dispense any diabetes devices since prevalence in Japan is so low.

The pharmacist here ended up speaking to an endocrinologist working in the same building, who told her that they only give Freestyle Libre devices to their patients and they’re booked far ahead for appointments. They also don’t have a way to order Dexcom - she’s never heard of it. She called around and found a pharmacy in Roppongi that sold me some Japanese brand meter and 30 strips in a set. They didn’t sell any Contour Next or Accu-Check or any other Western brand I’m familiar with. Overall, it cost me $150 CAD.

Life pro tip - take backups of literally everything, even if you think you don’t need it. I had backups of what I thought was prone to failure (even an extra pump!) but what failed wasn’t what I expected.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/tang_hulu on 2024-11-08 17:04:31+00:00.

I recently came back from my first trip to Japan with my aunt to visit some family and roughly followed the golden route when it came to planning. It was more of a spontaneous decision so I only had about a month or so of prep time. I'm very fond of architecture and exploring as I go so we often just walked around the area. We also spent quite a lot of time shopping :D 

Pre-planning tips and recommendations

• Get Ubigi e-sim: super easy and painless to set up and there is always a 20% off coupon somewhere, it will save you money and time and the hassle of buying a SIM when you arrive. Ubigi worked as soon as I touched down.
• Yamato Transport: the little black cat saved us the hassle of lugging around multiple suitcases worth of souvenirs and gifts through sometimes very long subway stations and rush hours. 100% recommend. Most staff can speak English if not a little google translate goes a long way. Keep in mind most hotels can only ship luggage for it to arrive the following day to be sure to plan accordingly. It also took us an embarrassingly long time to realize that most convenience stores offer the same luggage shipping services as the hotel and sometimes at a cheaper rate so be sure to check them out.
• Sugi Drug mart: sells necessary and emergency over the counter medicine and is almost everywhere, we needed it due to a deer allergy at Nara
• Google maps is your best friend but does not do well in navigating buildings with lots of floors.
• Book specific experiences in advance to structure certain days but I wouldn’t stress too much about packing everyday with specific times as it get slightly overwhelming

(we booked→)

• Tea Ceremony and Kimono Experience at Kyoto Maikoya
• Bus tickets to Shirakawago from Kanazawa)
• Kaiseki dinner with a ryokan we stayed at Kaga
• Get comfortable shoes: cannot recommend enough if you are not used to walking long distances in the city, the miles really take a toll on you and the last thing you want is to be tired before your trip has even begun.

Itinerary 

Chiba

Day 1

Flew in via JFK and landed around 5 am at Tokyo Haneda and drove to Chiba to stay with my cousins. I decided I would just tough it out with the jet lag after chilling for like 2 hours, and went straight to Kamogawa Sea World for the afternoon. It was more of a local aquarium/sea world so all the introductions and information on the animals were made in Japanese. I also mistook one of the sleeping walruses for a statue -.- I ate the first of many many soft creams on my trip and for dinner we ate at a family restaurant with a set menu, it was so good for the price! 

Mt Fuji Region

Day 2

We headed out early for a road trip to Mt Fuji, visiting Makaino Farm with a huge grassy slope where you can feed sheep and goats pellets and carrots and saw some glimpses of the elusive mountain while eating more soft cream. Stayed in a ryokan with a kaiseki dinner and rotenburo. The dinner included some really good sashimi but I am not a fan of crispy garlic and we were greeted with a cloudy view of Fuji-san in the morning and all you can eat buffet style breakfast. 

Day 3

We checked out Oshino Hakkai, which had crystal clear ponds and gave us the best view of Mt. Fuji up on the viewing platform that cost around $3. Fujiyoshida is awesome for Fuji Q Highland but we just stopped by for its famous street with Mt. Fuji in the background. It was quite the drive back to Chiba.

Chiba

Day 4 

Didn’t do much, just hung out with family.

Day 5

Ventured out on my own for the first time and explored the Peria mall around Chiba station (much prefer the Aeon Malls after completing my trip). Then I traveled to Narita to pick up my aunt.

Asakusa

Day 6   

Arrived around lunch time, checked into the hotel and then walked right into Uniqlo and did some damage. We visited Senso-ji Temple which was crowded for an off-season but still very impressive in its size and structure as it was the first temple on our journey. Then explored the shopping streets in and around Asakusa and got a matcha float. Headed to Shibuya Parco at night, said hi to Hachiko, stopped by the Starbucks at Shibuya Crossing and visited the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo in Meguro.

Day 7

Started the morning off at Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park, the park was pretty quiet in the morning hours and the further into the Museum the less people there were, with a variety of ancient scrolls, paintings, ceramics and buddha statues. During lunch there were several yatai set up for a food festival and we had to get takoyaki and grilled fish. We then went to Ikebukuro for its Animate store and I found I enjoyed it more than Akihabara. Visiting Meiji Jingu in Yoyogi Park was amazing at dusk but the atmosphere walking into the park leading up the shrine was slightly haunting due to a large group of crows that kept on calling which kind of added to the chill of the dense forest. We then stopped by Akihabara at night for a quick walk around and Book Off. 

Hakone 

Day 8 

It took absolutely forever to get to our ryokan in Hakone due to the slow bus and traffic in the mountain roads but we managed to visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum and it was honestly quite impressive, as someone who is generally not a fan of modern art, it had great architectural landscaping that allowed each art piece to breathe and did not feel overcrowded at all. The cafe in the center of the park hit the spot even if there were only two food options: hotdog and a muffin. The whole park was really conceptual but very well curated and laid out. 

Hakone → Kamakura → Yokohama 

Day 9 

BE PATIENT, the bus in Hakone is absolutely brutal and if you can drive, DRIVE. We waited for about an hour after bus driver upon bus driver told us the bus was full and that we would have to wait for the next one. But we managed to finally catch the bus and not miss our ride on the Togendai Pirate Ship, which gave us a clear view of the iconic red Heiwa no Torii in the water and took us directly to the cable car leading up to Owakudani. There is also a regular ferry but the pirate ship was just more fun bc obviously. The view of Owakudani from the cable car looked as if there were pockets of steam rising from the mountainside and lowkey looked like forest fire smoke. 

Around mid-afternoon we caught the train to Kamakura to see the Kotoku-in which enshrines the Great Buddha statue, once again, dusk was the perfect time to capture photos and walk around without it being overly hot as fall still hadn’t quite come. I ate more soft serve and headed up to Yokohama for the night. I got a kebab for dinner and it was amazing. 

Osaka

Day 10 

Arrived in Osaka, ate some of the best butter chicken curry I’ve ever had in Nishishinsaibashi, then took a walking tour path from Amerika-Mura to Shinsaibashi Shopping Street which is great for casual streetwear and has lots of international brands. I already liked the vibe of Osaka more, you could immediately feel it was more laid back than Tokyo, the shop staff were more friendly and much more willing to consistently try to talk. We had to pay a visit to Mr Glico Man at Dotonbori, stopped by a small shrine in the heart of Hozenji Yokocho, and saw the fierce facade of the Namba Yasaka Jinja. It was slightly sad that it appeared like an oasis between the high rises because it was facing a hotel I think? that was towering over it but also made it feel like another block on the street. We had to check out the Namba City shopping mall and if I recall correctly, there were quite a few boutiques on the B2 level selling very cute clothing.

Day 11

Started a relatively slow day at Himeji Castle, exploring the castle grounds.I visited Koko-en gardens thinking there might be some fall foliage and I was greeted with absolutely nothing but it was a nice walk. The interior of Himeji Castle is mostly preserved but the rooms did start to get a little repetitive after a while. I’d still say I think it’s good to visit the interior once because there were some insanely steep and slippery wooden steps to climb. We visited Osaka Castle in the evening, saw it lit up with lights and passed by a massive concert being played at Osaka Jo Hall and had some very nice tonkatsu in the park adjacent to the castle.  

Osaka → Nara → Kyoto 

Day 12

Feeding the deer at Nara, we saw some deer fighting, head butting a poor girl off the steps and biting tourists butt for food. Very cute but kind of aggressive. 7/10. Walking all around the Nara Park area, Todai-ji was very impressive, configured in a giant courtyard setting with really huge Buddha and guardian statues inside. We also stopped by the temple buildings of Todai-ji around the area. Isuien Gardens and Museum was serene and quiet but there was a very nice garden a little bit ahead of Isuien that was free and I felt like it was quite similar if not a little bit bigger but nevertheless, worth the walk around the park. Ate a very brunch style late lunch and headed directly to Kyoto afterwards.

Day 13

For our first full day in Kyoto, we booked an all day tour with lunch included with Sunrise Tours and both our tour guides for the morning and afternoon were really wonderful. We first saw Nijo Castle, a residence for the Tokugawa Shogun, then Kinkaku-ji which was exp...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Independent_Tough382 on 2024-11-06 02:35:57+00:00.

Looking to receive some constructive feedback on this itinerary. Will be heading to Tokyo for the first time in end Nov-early Dec.

Shinjuku 11/29

• Shinjuku National Gyoen Park
• Hanazono Shrine
• Takashimaya Times Square
• Godzilla Head
• Tokyo Metropolitan Gov Building
• Omoide Yokocho/Golden Gai
• Kabukicho

Shibuya 11/30

• Meiji Jingu Shrine
• Yoyogi Park
• Takeshita Street
• Harajuku Cat Street
• Shibuya Sky
• Hachiko Statue
• Shibuya Scramble
• Nonbei Yokocho

Asakusa/Ueno/Akihabara 12/1

• Kaminarimon Gate
• Nakamise Street
• Senso-ji Temple
• Ueno Park
• Kanda Myōjin Shrine
• Chuo Dori
• Radio Kaikan
• Yodobashi Akiba

Minato/Ginza/Roppongi 12/2

• Zojoji Temple
• Tokyo Tower
• Ginza Six
• Yurakucho Izakaya Alley
• Hibiya Park
• Roppongi Hills

Chiyado/Akasaka/Otomesando 12/3

• Imperial Palace
• Hie Shrine
• Tokyo Midtown

Happy to hear from experienced travelers and will modify as needed. TY in advance!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Kartheia on 2024-11-07 15:56:09+00:00.

In appreciation of all of advice I gathered here prior to our trip, I feel obligated to document stand-out locations/activities during our 2 week trip in October.

For context, my husband [29M] and I [28F] are not huge city people, but definitely nerds that love tech, cars, and anime/manga. I always try and hunt down some nature-y spots whenever we go on vacation, and Japan was definitely a winner for both the hobbies and nature checkboxes.

While my understanding of simple spoken Japanese isn't awful, I can only speak very broken basics. It was fun to use what I did know all the same, and received plenty of excitement and appreciation for the attempts.

Day 1 - Flew in to Haneda: The airport was easy to navigate, and, although the customs line was long, it moved very quickly. Be sure to complete the customs questions via the Visit Japan site for your QR.

We purchased Pasmo cards (Suica were sold out) from the manned desk next to the Keikyu line entrance and then headed to Shinjuku via Shinagawa for our first night's hotel. Regrettably, this was right around rush hour (5:30P) and the trains were packed. Future trips I will absolutely pay more attention to flight arrival/departure times to avoid rush hour congestion.

As Western Union was running a no-fee promo, I sent $1,000USD in advance to be picked up in yen, which I did at a shop just by Shinjuku station with no fuss. I just provided my passport and confirmation number that was sent via email.

WPÜ HOTEL in Shinjuku was very tourist friendly, with staff we met speaking native-level English and willing to chat and give advice. Room was small but clean. Pretty standard for Tokyo from what we saw.

Day 2 - Travel to Kamikochi via Matsumoto: Before checking out of our hotel, we forwarded large luggage to our Kyoto hotel at the front desk (super simple and worth it, ~$30 for our two large suitcases), keeping only backpacks with the necessities for a couple of days. We ended up getting a late start this day, as the 9A and 10A ltd express trains on the Chuo line to Matsumoto were full. We purchased seats on the 11A train, and wandered around Shinjuku a bit longer. Note that, if you're interested in Matsumoto or Kamikochi, we chose Shinjuku as our landing point for the first night specifically to take the Chuo line up to Matsumoto. There are also expressway buses direct to Kamikochi if you prefer.

When we arrived in Matsumoto, we headed to Matsumoto-jo by foot. Although we did not go inside the castle, the grounds are beautiful. If you're a fan of Koi, there were many in the surrounding ponds. After stopping in a few shops, we headed back to the station to take a train to Shin-Shimashima and bus from there to Kamikochi. This was a combination ticket purchased at the Matsumoto station.

We arrived in Kamikochi and checked in at the Konashidaira campground for a stay in one of their "cabins". This was a townhome style 3-unit building. In our unit, there was a small sink/toilet, kitchen, and tatami room with futons that the camp office gave us sheets for.

Day 3 - Explore Kamikochi and travel to Nakatsugawa: I absolutely advise anyone interested in Kamikochi spend the night at either the campground or a hotel, as it's so gorgeous and quiet in the mornings before the day visitors arrive. Wandering around the trails and marshes of this little mountain town was probably the highlight of our entire trip. I can only imagine how gorgeous the red maples would have been if we arrived just a few weeks later. They were just starting to turn during our visit. We also saw over a dozen Japanese Macaques (aka "snow monkeys") jumping around in trees and fishing in the river. The onsen hotel offered free footbaths outside of their public onsen. We tried our darnedest, but our weak american feet could not handle more than a toe dip of that heat.

Once we'd had our fill of trekking, we took the same bus/train combination ride down in to Matsumoto, then a train to Nakatsugawa. We didn't spend much time in Nakatsugawa, as our activity planned the next morning was the Magome-Tsumago Nakasendo hike, but we enjoyed an awesome yakiniku meal for dinner between the station and our accommodation.

Our accommodation was an old residence that was recently ikea-renovated for vacation rental by the owners of the cafe next door. This was one of the most affordable, but very large, spots we stayed.

Day 4 - Hike the Nakasendo and travel to Kyoto: The next morning, we locked our backpacks in lockers at the Nakatsugawa station and hopped on a bus to Magome-juku.

If you're unfamiliar, the Nakasendo trail connected Kyoto and Tokyo (Edo) during the Edo period. Parts of it are very scenic, and the Magome -> Tsumago stretch (roughly 8km) is one of the most commonly hiked. Magome and Tsumago are both pretty historic post towns, and it was fun to explore both along with other small establishments in between. Note that several travel sites suggest this is a "gentle" hike. In many areas, I'd agree; but there is quite a bit of elevation change throughout the trip as well as relatively precarious rocky stairs. Be sure to wear some trusted footwear and prepare for a decent bit of up and down to tucker you out.

The trail intersects with modern roads in several places. Along one of these intersections, we stopped at a little restaurant named Juri a few km out from Magome for some yummy goheimochi (grilled soy/miso mochi found in Gifu and neighboring prefectures in the Chubu region). Then, closer to Tsumago, we encountered a beautiful old tea house offering a spot to sit and free green tea.

When we arrived in Tsumago, we explored a bit before deciding it wasn't worth waiting half an hour for the bus in to Nagiso (the nearest town with a train station). We opted to continue on the Nakasendo trail another ~4km, which also wove its way into Nagiso.

After taking a train down into Nakatsugawa to collect backpacks, then Nagoya, and our first shinkansen to Kyoto, we settled in to Hotel ARU Kyoto Sanjo Kiyamachi-dori where our luggage was waiting for us. This was a great hotel that was spacious for the city, clean, and had a decent size tub to soak in the room. Location was also great, with food/necessities all around and right across the river from two differing direction stations.

We finished the night with a yummy hotpot and gyoza dinner at Nikunabe Chiba just down the street from our hotel. It was fun, yummy, and very hospitable.

Day 5 - Day trip to Nara: Unfortunately, I discovered that my previous day's runny nose had evolved into a full-blown respiratory cold the next morning. My husband, who knows not a word of Japanese, volunteered to go pick up some OTC cold meds and masks around the corner. Masks were acquired at Lawson, who advised him to go to the drug store when it opened - even for OTC meds. The pharmacist attending the drug store pulled out an english translated questionnaire sheet asking several questions of him when hubby tried to buy the cold meds. He must have answered incorrectly, as he was unceremoniously ejected from the store. I waddled my way in (masked) shortly after, asking for cold medicine recommendations in broken Japanese, and walked out 2 minutes later with my haul and no questionnaire pulled out for me, which I considered a big win haha.

We'd slated this day for Nara, and cold be darned, I wanted to visit Nara. So, off we went to Nara park via train. We took it easy, feeding some deer that didn't believe us when told we were out of crackers. There are quite a few hangry pocket nibblers, beware. We saw Todai-ji and several other spectacles before calling it a day and heading back to the hotel earlier than planned. I was quite drained by the cold - regrettably.

Day 6 - Koto Lesson, Nijo-jo, Gion: Thankfully, taking it easy the night before paid off and I was feeling about 90% myself the next day. We started the day by taking a Koto lesson from Harumi-sensei at Soushunan. This was super fun, an absolute highlight of the trip. After about an hour of lesson, and performing 3 simple songs with her accompaniment, we settled in for tea while Harumi-sensei gave a beautiful private performance. She then sat with us to tell us stories of the old house we were in, owned by her grandparents.

After saying goodbye, we headed to Nijo-jo. This was the first castle we were able to go inside of, which was very neat. It was interesting to walk through the castle's wood floors and hear an kind of pretty singsongy chirp with every step. Signage explained this was due to the construction of the floor. The nails in the floor sliding around as steps were taken. The english signage was quite detailed explaining how the various rooms would have been used in their hayday. We did not enter the inner-most castle, but toured the gardens and grounds surrounding it. Overall, certainly worth the visit.

After a famichiki-pancake sandwich lunch (husband's addiction during the trip...) we headed to Maruyama park and explored the surrounding temples/shrines. Kodai-ji was very neat to tour, along with the relocated old houses and bamboo forest behind it. We then wandered around the very walkable streets just south of Kodai-ji (Ninen Zaka, Sannen Zaka) before grabbing an early-ish dinner at Smile Burger and taking the train down to Fushimi-Inari Taisha.

I had read that it's very pretty to visit Fushimi-Inari ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/tomaznewton on 2024-11-06 17:57:21+00:00.

One of my closest friends is from Japan and had her wedding there a few weeks back. I was excited to go, this would be my first time in Asia, I've always dreamed of going to Japan. It was amazing, beyond expectations.

Biggest tips up front:

get a e-sim on your phone, I used ubigi, it was amazing to not worry about data etc and being able to adjust the amount I had, use maps as much as I wanted, google things etc. I can travel light on data usage other places but not here, also maybe get a japan money card at one of the kiosks right off, u can use it for all travel and for the shinkansen app (usa cards dont work) + at vending machines, suica or pasmo u can add to your apple wallet and fill them up as needed -- u do not need to book shinkansen tickets ahead of time, but the machines and options can be tricky, i wish i had used the app more but my usa card didnt work so i gave up-- i think i could have used my suica in retrospect?

dont stress about seeing x,y,z if it's your first time in japan? for me the things i enjoyed most were just out of the way things, wandering kinda empty streets, eating, seeing-- i can't at all relate to the people who needed to see every temple, go to big theme parks, etc. also japan is soo convenient i would have worried about so many less things leading up to this trip, u can find anything anywhere all the time almost-- laundry was super easy > i wish i had brought a slip on outdoor shoe though, taking lace up shoes on and off so much was frustrating, some birkenstock clogs woulda been incredible

Itinerary --

Oct 15 fly from Paris to Seoul (i flew into seoul bc my boyfriend studied for 1 year there so he kinda insisted i check it out, also, direct flights on airlines i wanted at the time i looked were round trip $900 i think for seoul and about $1400 for tokyo)

Oct 16, 17 I explored Seoul

Oct 18 Fly into Nagoya in morning, meet a childhood friend living there working for Toyota, drive 3hrs to Norikura - Kogen for 2 nights in a ryokan, Hirayu No Mori, it was around $500 for 2 of us for 2 nights, in a super nice traditional room that had western style thick mattresses and fluffly pillow/comforter, which after 2 nights kinda partying in Seoul I needed this badly, the onsen that first night + the ryokan dinner buffet had me in tears of joy

Oct 19 it was rainy this day, with a little sun inbetween but we hikes all around Norikura-Kogen this day, a bunch of small hikes, a few ponds/waterfalls all super accessible and just walking one-to-another, we had wild chai lattes(which we could smell a lot hiking) at a cute cafe called Kurumu, and some pumpkin cake, got a few cermaics here for gifts, i had gotten stung by a wasp or hornet on the trail and the girl working here was so helpful to give me a like suction thing and alcohol to treat it -- we had an amazing lunch at Cafe Maple and took a bus up to the top of the mountain, went back for onsen time, and had dinner at a ramen bar walking distance from the ryokan -- it was such an excellent first day in japan, and maybe one of my favorites of the whole trip-- i loved this place so much

Oct 20 we went to Kamikochi via a super easy shuttle bus across from the ryokan, saw monkeys on the road on the way, had breakfast at a fancy hotel near the bus stop-- hiked in a few hours, gorgeous views everyhere-- lots of people here compared to norikura though, more touristy-- had lunch at a little place in the woods along the trail that had fish being trapped from the river and cooked over charcoal all right there, delicious and easy -- drove back to Nagoya stopping at the Shirahone public onsen, which was on kinda a cliff, and very local and beautiful

Oct 21 & Oct 22 I just explored Nagoya alone as my friend went to work & we had dinner together, I LOVED Nagoya, it wasn't touristy at all, was a bit she-she in a good way, had incredible food & vintage shopping around the Osu area, we had Maze Soba, conveyer belt sushi, an incredible teppanyaki at 鉄板ダイニング藤彩, one of my best meals, also being up early every morning and having incredible filter iced coffee and red beans on toast, anywhere u wanted u could have this 'coffee service' was such a treat

Oct 23 Apa Asakusa Ekime

I regretted staying here, everything before this felt quite special and perfect, and here was just rough, i chose this area because i wanted to maximize tokyo and thought, hey, i can just up early, see the temple, explore this neighborhood and move on-- the hotel had no real window, kinda opened directly onto a shaft but like no light + a smell from the restaurant below-- also this neighborhood was lively at night but very filled with tourists and touristy places-- and dead before 11am, no coffee even besides like starbucks chains or konbinis-- this was my least favorite part of my trip, i was just sweaty and stressed

Oct 24 Citadines Shinjuku

2nd least favorite part, i think i coulda just visited shibuya once and moved on, didn't need to stay here, this hotel was directly on the path of the big tough guys trying to get you to buy hookers or go in their clubs, i spent the day trying to find a dry cleaner for my suit for the wedding and just walking around the neighborhood-- it was soo hot and muggy out, i got to see the iconic tokyo streets i had in my head, visiting the Omotesando area was a highlight

Oct 25, 26, 27, 28 Shibuya Ebisu Graphy Inn

loved this area, good mix of nearby things without being too in the center of it, i was maybe a 15 min walk from shibuya station?? but i spent these days exploring Nakameguro & Shimo-Kitazawa area and inbetween, these were my favorite parts of Tokyo, it was exactly what I wanted from the city-- I got to see the Meji shrine both as a tourist and seeing my friends wedding there, magical, visit the Marquis Maeda teahouse, lots of cute shops + coffee + snacks all around these neighborhoods, this healed me from the Shinjuku/Asakusa touristy days that made me wonder if I hated tokyo??

Oct 29 Kyoto Dormy Inn

This hotel was amazing, I think it was $80 a night, the rooftop onsen was huge and incredible, i loved being so close to the shinkansen, i could walk most places, I visited the Eikando temple (a little out of the way, so serene not too busy) + the botanical gardens & Imperial palace, it was again a little misty out so i think i dodged some crowds, though walking through Sannenzaka at night was wildly busy-- I did fushimi inari at dusk and it was beautiful, hiked to the top to avoid crowds a little, saw a crane on the pond-- in the end i wish i stayed here a little longer, but, also felt i saw it in the best way and got to be in and out

Oct 30 Nara

So the trains from Kyoto to Nara were messed up this day, not sure why, what should have taken like 40 mins took 2 hours, both ways, it was amazing to see all the deer, something i'd dreamed of doing, though it was very touristy at the bottom, and just sooo many people being a bit disrespectful maybe-- i walked far up and saw some beautiful shrines and peaceful bits of forest though, if the trains hadn't been a mess it would have been great, but, i was missing kyoto a little i would have been happier doing this as a half day than spending a full on it

Oct 31 Nagoya

this was to recharge a bit, see my friend, have a quiet dinner and go out a bit for halloween, i was shocked how many japanese teenagers were going all out for halloween-- amazing costumes etc. it was fun to be back in this city that i felt i knew my way around etc.

Nov 1, 2 Osaka

this was the perfect end to my trip, a friday night in osaka, i stayed at the HUGE apa hotel, which, beyond the check in sucking, getting your luggage etc taking forever because there were something like 30 floors of rooms, the onsen was great and having a lawsons inside was cool-- my room had a nice view-- i walked all around, dotonbori canal, markets side streets malls-- recharged at the onsen then went out drinking-- i had some of my favorite food here, 2 very local vibe places i didn't save but one that was just grilling pork wrapped things like different vegatables i had red pickled ginger wrapped in pork grilled it was insane, the streets at night were so so beautiful, it was like being in blade runner but also reminded me of home (nyc) some times-- i went out drinking, needed to extend my (stupid) 10am apa checkout 2x but it was all worth it, my flight was 4pm

Nov 3-5 Seoul again and home

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/irregularcontributor on 2024-11-05 20:51:27+00:00.

My wife and I just got back from our 2nd trip to Japan, our first was in 2019 and we had done Tokyo, Matsumoto for a night + Kamikochi, and then Kyoto. There was so much we hadn't seen in Tokyo last trip that we wanted to go back, but chose to avoid the Kyoto crowds this time. This isn't really a detailed itinerary review but more some quick thoughts for anyone considering these cities or moving around this much.

Osaka 3 nights

Incredible city, I'm surprised I don't hear more people specifically recommending it but maybe it's just a given as it's one of the big spots? The food scene is very competitive here so there are unlimited great options, all very cheap for what you're getting. The obvious spots are fun, Dotonbori's a bit of a mess so we kind of avoided it after one pass-through but I really enjoyed the old-school flavor of the Tsutenkaku area and the MCM design of the tower itself. Nakazakicho is probably the most picturesque, cutesy neighborhood I've come across in Japan, tons of fun cafes and little shops to explore, highly highly recommend that area. We hit everything big on our list but I was sad to leave Osaka and would absolutely come back to spend more time here.

Nagoya 2 nights

We got a couple nights in the Mitsui Garden right near Nagoya station to help facilitate our trip to Ghibli Park. I was not particularly excited about Nagoya because it was tough to find much about this massive city online - food and tourist recommendations are tough to come by, you mainly get people hating on the place for not having any personality. I was also not excited about Ghibli Park as I don't like theme parks at all, the crowds, noise, etc. Was happy to be wrong about both. Mitsui Garden was an excellent hotel, the nicest of our trip by far and very affordable considering the location. We were able to find good food nearby (friendly chef at a small sushi place and an easy izakaya chain restaurant), walked to the castle grounds, went to a very nice little shopping street. Ghibli Park was gorgeous and felt like a little adventure to explore, the vibe of the park matches the movies very well and it was a much more peaceful and fun experience than I was expecting. Easy to access from Nagoya station, we took a train, one transfer, very simple. Back in the city we found a very nice little cafe for breakfast the next morning, and overall the Nagoya side-quest was a nice experience and a pleasant surprise.

Tokyo 3 nights

Stayed in Ueno at a small hotel that had good reviews and appeared nice online but was a bit dingy IRL and made me wish I had done my homework a bit better (I missed Mitsui Garden). Ueno worked well for accessing the rest of the city and lots of entertainment/food right near the hotel for those gaps in the itinerary. Don't really need to say much about Tokyo itself, we checked out some of the iconic areas we missed on our last trip and everything was great, we had one night of rain and went to Asakusa then which was nice, not crowded and made for some good moody photos. Some Youtube research led to Cappiness (a capybara cafe that was awesome, would highly recommend) and Lost Bar (Shibuya cocktail bar opened by youtuber Chris Abroad, catering to tourists but very nice). If you enjoy Japanese arcade games you're probably well aware, but Mikado Game Center is as good as it gets for the 90's/00's arcade scene, really an incredible spot. There were a lot of little things on my list that we didn't hit, but we took it easy and just wandered around enjoying ourselves rather than focusing on checking things off. I would highly recommend walking through Yanaka Ginza and over to Nezu Shrine, Nezu is a very pretty shrine that isn't crowded at all.

Aizuwakamatsu 3 nights - Going a little more in depth here as this is (maybe) more interesting than the rest of it.

We wanted to get out of the major cities for a bit so we rented a car for the last 4 days of the trip, I chose to rent from Nippon Rent-a-car at Narita airport to simplify the return process and because I was scared to start driving in a major city right away, this worked out very well and if you're intimidated by the process I would recommend doing the same thing (there may be better options, this just worked well for me). So, train from Ueno to Narita, rental paperwork at the airport, shuttle to the parking area and then we hit the highway in our beautiful Yaris. It was a fun + pleasant drive on the highway, we only pulled off at parking areas which worked well, getting snacks and some random food along the way without having to deal with city parking/navigating.

Our first two nights in Aizu were at a small hotel which is where we ran into language barriers for the first time on the trip. The hotel employee didn't speak english at all, my limited Japanese confirmed we were parked okay but then the employee requested our car keys... I handed them over and he wrote down the license plate # (tagged on them), but then held onto them... I still don't know if this is standard practice or what (if anyone can weigh in on this, I would appreciate insight). We went up to our room and I wasn't comfortable without knowing what was going on as we were planning on sight seeing in the morning and would need keys. I went back to the front desk and did some Google-translating to ask if we'd be able to get our car keys from the desk in the morning; I don't think the guy wanted to deal with me and just ended up giving me my keys back so I took this as a sign to just hold onto them for the rest of the trip.

Speaking of parking; driving in Japan is very easy and straightforward, but parking fucking sucks. There is zero street parking available regardless of where you are, there are free public lots occasionally but everywhere uses the same blue "P" sign to signify parking and when you're driving and not competent at reading Japanese signs, you don't know what's a private lot or not. So we had to research parking lots near our destinations before hand, and if the plan fell apart, I'd drive to the nearest konbini, park and regroup (with the phone/google maps). This worked alright, but in a small city, you end up parking and leaving the car in one spot while you walk around a lot. It's not like the states where you just drive from destination to destination and worry about parking once you arrive.

Smaller city stuff in general; it's definitely a lot harder to find foreigner friendly restaurants. We could bludgeon our way through ordering at a lot of small spots, I can read hiragana + katakana which helps a lot with handwritten menus, but a big thing for me was if the spot doesn't look like they want foreigners there, I don't want to annoy them. We went to one small ramen spot in Kitakata staffed entirely by elderly women where we felt a bit out of place, and ended up with our only ordering-mistake of the entire trip. But we did find multiple good spots in Aizu with friendly owners who were excited to speak english. Knowing a little bit of Japanese definitely helped substantially here though, even if it was just to help bridge the small gaps or just make them more comfortable with their english level (a lot of the older guys would ask me "do you speak japanese?" and I would respond with some broken japanese variation of "no, VERY little" which would make them laugh every time).

As far as actual attractions here, we spent a long time in Ouchijuku, an old post town famous for it's thatched-roof buildings. Other "big" items were Tsuruga castle, Sazae temple, Kitakata (ramen mecca of Japan). Also hit up a huge Hard-Off (thrift store) to hunt for videogames, much more fun than in the big cities. Lots of fun little things peppered throughout the city, driving around and sight seeing from the car. It was a lot of fun, not the buffet of entertainment options you have in the mega-cities but still plenty to do and see.

We had some very memorable interactions with people in Aizu, the area is popular with domestic tourists but there are very very few foreigners here. I'm not afraid to be a tourist and seeing other YTs doesn't ruin my Japan experience in anyway, but going a day without seeing another white guy is kinda surreal and makes you a bit more of a novelty to both children (who will gawk, it's very cute) and the occasional local who wants to flex their english. It was fun and makes me wish I knew more Japanese so I could experience more of this, it's great to hear old guys talk about their trips to America 30 years ago and stuff.

The last day we did in a traditional ryokan right outside of town, went all out and got a suite with a private hot-spring bath as my wife and I both have tattoos and would rather soak together than with strangers. We stayed at Harataki and it was great; awesome staff, good food, and a very relaxing end to what felt like a perfect trip. If anyone has any questions about any of the above, please ask.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/R0W3Y on 2024-11-05 14:00:13+00:00.

Thought I'd share some notes for anyone planning a similar trip. Here's how it’s all gone so far:

Trip Overview

• Planning Approach: We didn’t pre-plan the days much. We saved a bunch of things we wanted to do on Tripadvisor and tried to minimize travel by grouping them geographically. On the day, we often pivoted depending on what we fancied doing next or the weather (mostly good but some rain).
• Reason for Choosing Tokyo: We picked Tokyo because my son is a big fan of manga/Ghibli and I wanted to come back. I didn't want to spend time travelling out of Tokyo as there's so much to do there for the amount of time we had.
• Pre-booking: The only things we needed to pre-book were the two main TeamLabs experiences. I booked a fortnight in advance to get early times when it’s less busy. Unfortunately, I tried to book the Ghibli Museum over a month in advance, and it was already sold out.
• Language Prep: In the lead-up to the trip, I spent about 20 minutes a day learning basic Japanese on Duolingo. It was good for learning grammar but wasn't very helpful for practical phrases most useful for a short holiday. So, I switched to ChatGPT for the last week, and it was much better. I just asked it which phrases I would need for our situation and got it to quiz me on them a few times. No Japanese is necessary, but the locals seemed to appreciate the effort.
• Dates: October 29 - November 5
• Base: Our hotel was Remm Roppongi, which was absolutely fine. The rooms were big enough, clean, secure, and the staff were friendly. Last time I came to Japan, about 20 years ago, I also stayed in Roppongi and then traveled around the rest of the country for a month. Roppongi’s main street gets a bit spicy after dark—grabby middle-aged hookers, African touts, rent boys for women. They all left us alone when I was with my son, though they pestered potential clients. English is pretty much expected in the area though and it’s central. I never felt unsafe in either Roppongi or anywhere else in Tokyo.
• Getting there: We flew Air China from London. It was the cheapest option and pretty good. Food was decent. Only issue was a slow international transfer queue at Shanghai. 19 hours door to door, we live an hour from Gatwick and flew to Narita. Only taking hand luggage made things easier (just a regular size rucksack filled with the lighter things, and a small roller case with electronics, shoes etc).

Day-by-Day Highlights

Day 1: National Art Centre & Harajuku

The free exhibition at the NAC wasn't much to shout about (2/5), but the paid Tanaami exhibition was awesome (5/5). Shibuya Crossing barely engaged us for a minute (2/5), but people-watching and browsing in Harajuku was interesting including Takeshita Street (4/5). We also stumbled across the free TeamLabs Galaxy exhibition (2/5).

Day 2: National Museum and Akihabara

We visited both the permanent and paid museum exhibitions (4/5) then wandered around Ueno Park (3/5) and Akihabara (4/5). 

Day 3: TeamLabs Planets & Nature/Science Museum

TeamLabs Planets was pretty good (4/5), but the crowding made it quite claustrophobic. The Nature and Science Museum was okay, but descriptions were often in Japanese only (3/5).

Day 4: Art and Shrines

We visited Yoyogi Park, Meiji Shrine, and the Museum of Western Art. All were enjoyable (4/5).

Day 5: TeamLabs Borderless and Odaiba

We both thought Borderless was excellent and the best TeamLabs experience in Tokyo (5/5). Afterwards, we checked out Odaiba (4/5), the Gundam statue (4/5), and Joypolis (3/5). The Gundam statue was cool, but the transformation was a bit of an anticlimax. Joypolis (3/5) would be more fun if you invested in a day pass. We went towards the end of the day, so we only paid for the rollercoaster which was just okay.

Day 6: Sky Tower, Asakusa, & Ueno Zoo

Sky Tower was spectacular—highly recommend visiting and getting the full ticket for both observation floors (5/5). We wandered around Asakusa (4/5) and visited the Senso-ji Temple (4/5). Ueno Zoo (2/5) was more of a mixed experience—some enclosures felt too small, and it was upsetting to see animals like polar bears and tigers in cramped conditions.

Day 7: Final Day

Started with a visit to the Mori Art Gallery before our flight. The current Louise Bourgeois exhibition is interesting (4/5).

More

• Suica on Apple Transit: Setting up a Suica card on Apple Wallet made getting around on public transport easy. No need to fumble with cash or buy tickets each time—just tap your phone at the turnstiles. It even worked when our phone batteries had died.
• Food: We didn’t plan any meals ahead of time, and 95% of the food we found was either excellent or pretty good. We averaged about one meal a day in the Tokyo Midtown Roppongi complex across from our hotel. We mainly ate Japanese cuisine, although even after a week my son was still finding chopsticks frustrating (I prefer them).
• Walking: I typically average 11,000 steps at home, but here we were consistently doing over 20,000 and didn’t sit down much during the days. It wasn’t a major problem, but it did mean we often didn’t feel like doing much after dinner to give our feet a break.
• SIM Cards: I bought Japanese SIM cards for both of us off Amazon. They were data-only with 1GB/day and worked really well throughout the trip.
• Sky Train: I mistakenly thought the Sky Train was covered by tapping in with Suica. Apparently, you need to reserve seats for an additional cost, and I ended up paying the difference at the ticket office after the inspector let me know.
• Payment: There’s still advice out there that you need cash often in Japan. This wasn’t our experience, more places we visited were card only not cash only. If I’d know I would have taken much less cash and just used my debit Mastercard nearly everywhere. It was only declined once in a store, and then I used my Suica instead. I used my debit card as my credit card charges a foreign use fee.

Final Thoughts

I've travelled a lot and Tokyo is still my favourite foreign city. It was special to share it with my son. The mix of modern and traditional culture, quirky spots, and amazing food made for a fantastic bonding experience. Yes, it's busy and very stimulating but we both enjoy that despite being introverts. Everything was significantly cheaper than London (the opposite of my last visit 20 years ago).

Thanks to this Reddit, I found many of the posts very helpful.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/prinshes20 on 2024-11-03 15:24:32+00:00.

My partner and I (both Dutch) will be travelling to Japan next year February and will be staying for 24 days. It is our first time travelling to Japan and we are working on creating the best possible itinerary, trying to see as much as possible and creating a route that makes sense. We arrive in Tokyo and travel back from Osaka. We created an itinerary and would really appreciate any tips or recommendations you have!

Thanks in advance! 

Tokyo (3-9 Feb)

• Day 1: Check-in hotel in Shinjuku. A little stroll around the area and visit to Shibuya and Shibuya Crossing.
• Day 2: Meiji Jingu Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya Sky
• Day 3: Asakusa and Senso-ji Temple, Sumida River &Tokyo Skytree, Akihabara
• Day 4: Day trip to Nikko (is this ok in February or is a daytrip to Kamakura more recommended?) Visit in Nikko: Toshogu Shrine, Shinkyo Bridge, Kegon waterfall
• Day 5: Tsukiji Outer Market, Ginza for some shopping, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower
• Day 6: Shinjuku Gyoen Park, Kabukicho and Golden Gai
• Day 7: Travel to Hakone

Hakone (9-11 Feb)

• Day 7: Early departure to Hakone, Visit Lake Ashi, Hakone Shrine, Check-in in a Ryokan with Onsen
• Day 8: Hakone Open-air Museum, Cablecart to Owakudani, Hakone Glass no Mori Museum
• Day 9: Travel to Kyoto

Kyoto (11-17 Feb)

• Day 9: Check in hotel in Gion area, Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Day 10: Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji Temple, Nijo Castle
• Day 11: Arashiyama, Monkey park Iwatayama
• Day 12: Daytrip to Nara
• Day 13: Gion District, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Sanneizaka and Ninenzaka
• Day 14: Daytrip to Uji
• Day 15: Travel to Koya-San

Koya San (17-18 Feb)

• Day 15: Check-in traditional shukubo’s, Okunoin cemetry, Dinner in shukubo
• Day 16: Morning ceremony in shukubo, Departure to Hiroshima

Hiroshima & Miyajima (18-21 Feb)

• Day 16: Check-in near Hiroshima station, Peace Memorial Museum
• Day 17: Daytrip to Miyajima - Itsukushima Shrine & mount Misen
• Day 18: Travel to Naoshima

Naoshima (21-23 Feb)

• Day 18:  Check-in and rent a bike, Benesse House Museum
• Day 19: Chichu Art Museum, Bike around the island for art installations
• Day 20: Travel to Osaka

Osaka (23-27 Feb)

• Day 20: Check-in Umeda area, Discover Dotonbori
• Day 21: Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky building
• Day 22: Hemeji Castle, Koko gardens
• Day 23: Kuromon Ichiba Market, Shinsekaj and Tsutenkaku tower, Amerikamura and Shisaibashi
• Day 24: Travel back home

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Cinnyincolor on 2024-11-02 17:26:52+00:00.

Suggestions critique of a Kyushu part of a trip.

We have been to Japan before and will stop by Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima on the way to fukuoka. Have never been to Hiroshima or Kyushu area so just asking for those that have does our itinerary for November next year seem doable? We will really on public transportation and taxis to get around.

fukuoka 1hour bullet train stay near Hakata station. Canal city mall should have Christmas illuminations. There's a nearby garden. Nakusuyatai river street foods yatai nice at night

23-. marine world/or team lab forest/ moving gundam and definitely do sumo tournament day in afternoon.

24-Daizafu Tenmangu shrine has a shopping street leading up to it and maybe kimono rental across from the station, Yanagawa boat ride.

Tuesday 25- Tocho-ji temple has largest sitting Buddha in Japan. Nanzoin temple. Ohori park. Maybe Cat island "Aoshima" for fishing. nakatsukasa inari shrine at night "cyber shrine"

26-Futamigaura beach ocean itoshima also sakurai shrine Tori gate surf side cafes and views on a beach maybe end the day here, Nokonoshima flower park(shops don't open until 11) maybe shiraito waterfall, there's fishing good for kids and the restaurant there will cook the fish also flowing somen noodles, would need to taxi 20 minutes there. Keya No Ohto boat ride to rock cave and totoro forest 30 minutes taxi ride away. Raizen Senyogi temple? Momochi seaside park

27-Take train "Yufuin No Mori" toYufuin floral village needs to be reserved ahead of time because it's a sightseeing train and then on to Beppu onsen hells/ monkey park. Steamed pot restaurant. Stay in a ryokan or just near an onsen "Hyotan Onsen" is tattoo friendly .

28-Fly out of oita airport to tokyo 1hr 30 min flight

Had this posted in japantraveltips but guess not allowed there. Open to any ideas or other places to go? Nothing is set in stone yet but will be purchasing flights in December.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Strict_Search584 on 2024-10-31 18:30:03+00:00.

This community helped us a lot in planning our trip, so I thought it would be my turn to give back and share a recap of our recent trip to Japan. My wife and I visited from October 13-27 as first time travelers to Japan and the bottom line is we absolutely loved it. We have already decided we will go back in the future. Before getting into the details, a few high-level takeaways:

• Two weeks is the perfect time to get a taste of the country as a first time visitor. We were able to complete the vast majority of our itinerary without feeling rushed or burnt out. While distances between attractions/cities may be large, the world-class public transit + google maps for directions makes it a breeze.
• October was a lot hotter than we anticipated. We both brought a decent amount of sweaters, hoodies and barely touched them. They did take up a lot of extra room in our luggage that we would have preferred to fill with souvenirs (we still got a ton, but you can never have too many!). Laundry was easy to access, so I would pack lighter on the clothing front in the future. That said, good shoes are a must. We averaged 20,000 steps a day. Most hotels have a fabric freshener spray in the room which helped keep odors away.
• As a Canadian, we were blown away at how far the $CAD went in terms of food, accommodation, etc. Most of our meals were between 1,000-3,000 yen for lunch and 2,000-5,000 yen for dinner and we ate much better food than what we would find at home, let alone at a comparable cost.
• Having an ESIM and data made travel foolproof. The level of detail provided by google maps is quite remarkable and we never got lost or overwhelmed using local transit.
• The only part of our itinerary that fell short of our expectations was Kyoto. If we could re-do our trip, we would have spent a few more days in Tokyo and a few less in Kyoto. The city is beautiful and rich in history, but the sheer amount of tourists made it hard to enjoy. In the central areas especially, it felt at times like 50% of the people on the street were non-Japanese. As tourists ourselves, we can't fault these people, but it took away from the atmosphere. Our favourite parts of Kyoto were off the beaten path things we found by accident (hole in the wall izakaya, tea ceremony far from downtown). That said, Kyoto suburbs were the only place we were turned away from a restaurant (more than once) for being foreigners.

October 13-16 - Tokyo

• Stayed at Hotel Ryumeikan and highly recommend it. Breakfast was bomb (more Japanese options than Western, which is what we wanted). Excellent location close to Tokyo Station and in a much less crowded area compared to Shibuya, etc. Probably our favourite neighbourhood in Tokyo (Nihonbashi).
• We flew YOW-YYG-NRT and found it went by pretty quick. For any east coast Canadians/Americans, even if a direct 14 hour flight is available in your city or nearby, we found it nice to split up the journey with a stop in the west (for Canadians, Vancouver or Calgary if coming from Ontario) to stretch our legs, get some food, etc.
• We visited the Imperial Palace East Gardens, Senso-Ji, and Kappabashi for some awesome (tax-free) Japanese chef knives. Next day, we went to Teamlabs Borderless (got tickets well in advance). Really cool experience, a solid 8/10. We also went up Tokyo tower for panoramic city views. I only have good things to say about all these activities.
• Restaurant recommendation: Nihonbashi Kaisen Donburi Tsujihan.

October 16-18 - Hiroshima

• Stayed at Hotel Intergate Hiroshima. Nothing mind-blowing but a convenient and comfortable hotel. I would recommend.
• Took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hiroshima. Very smooth/easy 4 hour journey, not at all complicated to purchase tickets from the self serve machine. Our suitcases were under the 160 cm total dimension threshhold so we simply put them in the overhead area. Quite honestly, we felt the value of luggage forwarding is overblown unless you have really large luggage. It was pretty simple to keep our suitcases with us most of the time.
• Explored the city (Atomic bomb dome and museum) and did a day trip to Miyajima. Highly recommend hiking to the top of Mt. Misen and taking the cable car back down. The trail was very well marked and super scenic.

October 18-23 - Kyoto

• Took the shinkansen to Kyoto, stopping along the way in Himeji. Definitely worth making the time to visit the castle, it is stunning and you can explore all the floors within it.
• Stayed at the Cross Hotel, which was awesome (albeit a bit pricy). Very modern with an incredible breakfast, but definitely more of an international/western feel than Japanese.
• Did all the touristy things (kinkaku-ji, fushimi inari, etc.), which while beautiful, felt way too crammed with tourists (even in the shoulder season). Our favourite part of Kyoto was actually Arashiyama Monkey Park. This is not a zoo - the monkeys are free to roam as they please and it was so cool to see them go about their day, with panoramic views of Kyoto. Highly recommend.
• Getting a seat a restaurant without a reservation in Kyoto was at time near impossible. My advice is to plan ahead as there are too many tourists fighting for the same seats. Our favourite restaurants were Yakiyasai Isoya - awesome place with fresh farm-to-table dishes, and Ajikyu - the most wholesome family-run sushi spot and izakaya. The grandmother is hilarious and still working in her late 80s!

October 23-25 - Fujikawaguchiko

• This is the only part of the trip we forwarded our luggage and were glad to do so, as we didn't want to lug our suitcases to the mountains for only two days. Took the direct bus from Mishima, super easy to figure out.
• We got lucky and our only full day in Fujikawaguchiko we had clear skies and could see the mountain well. The only thing that surprised us was that there was no iconic snow cap, however I read that this year has broken all records for the latest Fuji has gone without snow...
• We stayed at the Mizno Hotel and it was pretty awesome. Each room has a unobstructed view of the mountain (weather permitting), as well as some onsen/spa facilities on site. They also provide electric bikes for free to explore the town.
• Try the Hoto noodle soup while you are in the area!

October 25-27 - Tokyo

• Ended our trip doing the western half of central Tokyo in the Shinjuku/Shibuya area (stayed at the JR Blossom Shinjuku. Excellent location to explore and get the Narita Express back to the airport).
• Truth be told, Shibuya was our least favourite part of Tokyo. Too crowded, a bit 'trashy', not many redeeming qualities other than shopping.
• Our favourite parts of the area were the Shinjuku Gyoen National Park (Tokyo's answer to Central Park) which was incredible, especially the greenhouse - don't miss it! and the Tokyo City Metropolitan Government Building. Not only can you go up to the observatory as much as you would like for free, but they have a light show in the evening that is AWESOME. Apparently the largest projection on a building in the world. They had music to go with it and it lasted around 30 min, can't recommend enough. They even have a courtyard with some seating and fake grass (a new installation I believe) which can be layed down on for the best views.
• We did our shopping at Loft, Don Quijote and various shops (Uniqlo, etc.). We found Loft to have the best selection of souvenirs. Don Quijote, at least the mega location, was actually quite expensive (some kit kat packs were selling for 600-1,000 yen when you can find them in street markets for closer to 200 yen).
• Ended our last night with Shibuya Sky. Mind-blowing views of the city, don't miss this one.
• Restaurant recommendation - Uogashi Nihon-Ichi. Amazing standing sushi bar with take-out chirashi bowls. Super affordable for the quality of fish.

I hope future travelers get inspired and find this useful! We can't wait to go back!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Pyrodraconic on 2024-10-31 09:19:52+00:00.

Roughly a month ago, I (24M) embarked on my first ever solo-travel journey to Japan. It was the most magical, incredible month in my entire life. I fell in love with the Japanese people, culture, language and landscapes. I had everything preplanned, which ended up being a blessing. I got to do (almost) everything I wanted, and everything aligned quite perfectly.

My itinerary: Osaka - Kyoto - Nara - Tokyo, with daily trips to Hakone, Yokohama, Mount Fuji and Nikko during my time in Tokyo.

I would be glad to share some tips for future travellers:

1. Travel in October - The weather was perfect. At least for me. A lot of websites say that October is one of Japan's rainiest months, but I honestly don't know why. It rained 3 times throughout the 22 days I was there, the rain wasn't strong, and didn't last long. The temperatures were mild (around 27C-22C on average throughout the month), days were mostly sunny, and you could find Halloween themed stuff everywhere. Nikko in October is absolutely gorgeous, probably the most beautiful place I've ever been. More on that later.
2. Plastic utensils - This is super embarrassing - but I'm really bad with chopsticks. Having a pair of plastic utensils in my backpack at all times was super helpful. Most restaurants would give you a fork if you ask for it, but if you buy some dumplings in China Town, or get yourself a nice bento box before the Shinkansen - a disposable fork could save you. If you're an incompetent chopsticks user like myself - this is my tip for you!
3. Universal Studios Preplanning - I would highly recommend to research online what kind of attractions you would want to do in Universal Studios before you go. Some of them have really long queues, some of them are limited access, and some of them kinda suck. I came to the park with an attraction priority list and an idea of a path, without an express pass ticket - and got to do everything I wanted.
4. Super Nintendo World - I found the information online quite confusing, so I'll try to explain it in the simplest way I can here. For those who don't want to spend extra money like myself - arrive an hour before the park opens, and when it does, run towards Super Nintendo World. You don't need a standby ticket or to do anything with the app - since you're going to be one of the first people entering the park. If you want to enter a second time (or just wasn't lucky in the morning) - apply for a standby ticket through the app, with your park ticket added to your account beforehand.
5. Wake up early - I know this is not a new tip, but there's no way I'm not going to include it. I woke up every single day at around 6 AM, and because of that, got to experience so many beautiful touristy places almost completely alone. The nice temperatures of the morning, sounds of early birds, and the fact there's almost no one around you - just you and the nature - is a feeling I'd never experienced before, and man, I hadn't known how addictive it was.

6a. Highly rated restaurants: Pretty much consistently, I found highly rated restaurants to be quite underwhelming, if not bad. I'm not sure why this correlation exists, but I can share that one time, I was asked by a restaurant's owner to rate their restaurant 5 stars on Google - to get a free drink. On the other hand, food places I found randomly while waking the streets of Japan hungry proved to be the best.

6b. Trendy desserts - Before going to Japan, I had accumulated a list of trendy foods that I saw on Instagram and the like - stuff like the cheese coin in Dotonbori, the rainbow toast in Harajuku, etc. I found all of them to be bland and underwhelming. And this connects to my previous point (hence 6a, 6b): I think food in general is not something that should be preplanned, at least when it comes to Japan. At a certain point I just ditched my ridiculous list and felt immediately better after.

7. Don't give up on tickets - The new Nintendo Museum in Kyoto is a place I somehow hadn't heard about for the 5 months that preceded my trip. I randomly heard about it 3 days before my flight, tried to book a ticket - but obviously it was fully booked for the upcoming 2 months. I decided not to give up, and for 3 days straight, in pretty short intervals, refreshed the page constantly, until suddenly, one timeslot was freed. And it happened to be just on one of the days I was going to be in Kyoto. I tried this with 5 other attractions, and it worked with all of them except one - the Ghibli museum (I guess I have a reason to go back!). My point is - I don't think it's just a luck thing - dedication and time could be very helpful. They were for me at least.

8. Nintendo Museum for solos - PSA - Most of the attractions in Nintendo Museum are for 2 or more people. I really wanted to try one of the big controller games, but they're all for duos. Yes you could team up with a rando, but I didn't see anyone doing that. I still had a blast being solo though. What I think to be the coolest attraction there (Zapper & Scope SP) can be done solo.

9. Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama - The forest is short, small, and incredibly crowded, yes even very early in the morning (I was there at 7 AM on a Thursday). There are so many bamboo forests in Japan (apparently), I don't know why this one is so touristy. For example - on my way walking to Saihoji Kokedera (in Kyoto), I randomly found a bamboo forest (with 500 JPY entry) that was completely empty. Completely! I was there by myself. It was even smaller than the one in Arashiyama - but I feel like they give the same vibes.

10. Fushimi Inari Taisha - With the map in my hand, I decided to do every single torii bridges route. Yes, even the ones that were very small and out of the way, and yes, even if it meant going up the mountain more than once. I can't say that it was worth it. It's pretty repetitive, and the view at the peak is not that nice. What I will say, is that it's certainly less crowded the higher you go, so bear that in mind. Also - there are some articles online about a 'hidden bamboo forest' in the shrine - I went there, and sadly, it's closed. The reason is (as it says on the sign in the entrance), is that the bamboo trees tend to fall off, and it's dangerous.

11. Eikando Zenrin-ji - This is the best park/temple I went to in Kyoto, 100%. Not only the park is gorgeous and has a lot to offer - from nature, mossy areas, pagodas, temples, lakes, bridges, and even coy fish - but also, there were barely people around. And I was there at noon! The best thing about this place, is that randomly, in early October, many of the trees there had already changed their color to yellow, orange and red. It was actually my first time ever seeing trees with those colors, so it felt very magical. Everytime I show pictures of my trip to people, all of them constantly say that my pictures from Eikando are the best.

12. Don't be afraid to try new foods - There are so many things I ate for the first time in Japan - jellyfish, squid, crab, lobster, whelk, sea urchin, wagyu, and the list goes on. Most of them were surpisingly very good. I am quite picky when it comes to food, so I was really surprised to actually enjoy things like a sea snail (which was very hard to get into my mouth, let me tell you that).

13. Deer in Nara Park - The deer in Nara Park are really cute, but some of them are quite aggressive, especially in the entrance to the park, next to the station. Three different deer launched at me (I didn't buy the crackers or had any food in my hands), and one of them ate my phone-charging cable (lol). I stayed there for quite some time thinking it was their main area - but when I left the place, I discovered that the deer are actually everywhere, even next to the temples or deep inside the park. And the ones there were much nicer.

14. Temples look better in real life - Something that was proven to me consistently is that pictures of temples online don't do them justice. One good example is Todai-ji in Nara - It's so much bigger than what it looks like in pictures, and much more impressive. If you look at some temples online thinking they're not that great - you might be missing out on places you'd find astonishing in real life.

15. Phone reservations - There were some places that only accepted phone reservations. A big chunk of them, for some reason, didn't really answer the phone - nor when I tried it, and nor when the hotel staff did when they tried to help me. One time I decided to just go to the place physically, and ask the person in charge to reserve a place for me - which turned out quite well.

16. Ueno Zoo - Skip. Large crowds, and very small cages to the animals. The line for watching the pandas was the longest line I saw in my entire trip - and I've been to both Universal Studios and Disneysea. It's probably the only place in my trip that I did not enjoy.

17. Teamlab Borderless & Planets - I went to both Teamlab Borderless and Planets. I think both of them are nice and would recommend to visit both if you can, but if you must choose one - go with Borderless. It has much more to see, it's bigger, and more impressive in my opinion. It's also quite fun to look for the secret rooms, and easier to get to from central Tokyo. Borderless' strong suit is the visuals, and Planets' strong suit is the way it immerses you in it, and kind of way it makes you feel. For exam...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/2done4this on 2024-10-30 16:20:42+00:00.

Hi everyone!

I personally had looked at a ton of trip reports before my first trip to Japan, so hopefully mine can also help someone else out. If anything sounds robotic, please note that I did format this with ChatGPT so that my writing was more fluid and less of a fever dream due to my jet-lag.

Our 18-day trip was from October 8th through October 26th with 2 people . We did meet up with a friend who lives in Tokyo, so some items were booked for 3 people.

Budget wise, we kept most of our hotels between $65-$125 per night. We did splurge on 1 hotel in Takayama for $250 a night.

Itinerary: 5 days Tokyo (including arrival day), 1 day Matsumoto, 2 days Takayama, 2 days Kanazawa, 4 days Kyoto, 4 days Tokyo (including departure day). Our original plan was to do more day trips out of Tokyo (Nikko and Kamakura), but due to poor weather conditions, they had to be cancelled. Otherwise, I would have taken more days away from Tokyo and used them to go to Hiroshima and Miyajima.

General Tips/Thoughts

• Invest in Great Walking Shoes: We averaged about 13 miles (21 km) of walking per day. I did extensive research on walking shoes and ended up choosing the Asics Gel-Nimbus 26. They were an absolute godsend. We also brought another pair of tennis shoes but only used them once or twice.
• Avoid Unethical Animal Attractions: Please keep in mind that many animal cafes and attractions are not ethical and mistreat animals. If you plan on doing any animal-related activities, research ahead of time or consider other ways to spend your money.
• eSIM vs. International Plans: I used a 30-day, 10GB Ubigi eSIM that I set up in advance, and it worked perfectly throughout the entire trip. My partner opted for an international travel plan through his phone company, but it didn't work as well as the eSIM.
• Suica and Pasmo Cards: Upon arrival at Haneda Airport, we wanted a physical, rechargeable transportation card. Walking towards the kiosks to get train tickets, you'll see an information desk, where you can purchase your Pasma card (cash only, so pull the money out from a nearby ATM). Pasmo and Suica are essentially identical and can be used the same way. We loaded 10,000 yen onto each of our cards, which lasted almost the entire trip. You can also use your Pasmo/IC card to pay for food at convenience stores and a lot of vending machines.
• Many places were cash-only, so make sure to have enough yen on hand. ATMs are widely available, but it's wise to double-check your cash before dining or visiting attractions with admission fees.
• Google Maps was incredibly helpful for trains and buses. We didn't have issues navigating with it at all.
• Tattoo Policies: Our hotels did not allow people with tattoos to use their public baths. If you have tattoos, consider purchasing tattoo covers or booking tattoo-friendly hotels and onsens. We bought tattoo covers at Don Quijote while in Japan but wished we bought better quality ones before we arrived.
• When purchasing tickets or making reservations from a different time zone, double-check that the dates and times align with your intended schedule in Japan. We encountered an issue where, despite careful checks while in the U.S., our mobile tickets showed a date one day earlier once we were in Japan due to some websites not properly adjusting for time zone differences.
• Pack light and do laundry on site: Every single hotel we booked had coin laundry on the premises. I had packed light for an 18-day trip and still wished I had only packed about half since we had access to self-service coin laundry every single day. Not having the additional clothing in our backpacks would have spared us so much more room for additional souvenirs.
• Booking flexibility: Consider not booking all your hotels in advance unless necessary. You need to pre-book your first hotel for immigration purposes, but we noticed that hotel prices dropped significantly while we were in Japan. We could have saved a lot of money by booking hotels as we went. However, for remote areas with limited accommodation during tourist-influx seasons, you should book months ahead. Also, book bus tickets to and from rural towns that see lots of tourists a week in advance. If you're sticking to main cities, leaving some hotel bookings flexible can save you money and give you leeway with travel.

Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo (Akasaka)

We arrived at Haneda Airport at 6:20 PM. After retrieving our luggage, we headed to the transportation kiosks near the metro to get our Pasmo cards. We navigated the metro to get to our hotel, Via Inn Prime Akasaka. I was worried navigating transportation would be difficult, but we found it extremely easy.

Day 2: Odaiba, Ginza, and Akihabara

We had a reservation at TeamLab Planets in Odaiba at 9:30 AM, so we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and took a train, then a bus to the museum. We had a great time; while somewhat crowded, there weren't too many people on a Thursday morning. Tip: Wear pants that you can roll above your knees!

Since my body woke up at 2 AM due to jet lag, I had checked online to see if we could grab a reservation for the Pokémon Café. We'd had no luck for a full month, but a slot opened up, and I was able to grab one for 1:30 PM that day! If you can't get reservations ahead of time, look late at night or early in the morning once you're in Japan to see if someone canceled last-minute.

With time before our Pokémon Café reservation, we decided to walk from TeamLab to the café (about an hour's walk). Along the way, we crossed the Kachidoki Bridge to the Tsukiji Hongwan-ji Temple in Ginza.

We found a coffee shop called Bongen Coffee that had a small line. The wait ended up being about 45 minutes since the shop is small and offers a lot of coffee customization, making each order take longer. The coffee was delicious, but we probably wouldn't have waited if we didn't have excess free time.

Once we got our coffee, we walked to a local park to sit and enjoy it. From there, we made our way to the Pokémon Café. The café was adorable, and the food was decorated amazingly! Although the food was okay and very pricey, the ambiance made it well worth our while. We spent some time in the gift shop area afterward.

I have a couple of small tattoos, so I needed to buy tattoo covers to use the hotel's public bath and other onsens we had planned. We walked through the streets of Akihabara, exploring the eclectic anime shops, and made our way to Don Quijote Akihabara. I can't get the stupid store jingle out of my head.

Don Quijote ended up being the ONLY place I could find tattoo covers. However, these covers are extremely thin, and you need multiple layers to cover a tattoo completely. They're also very sticky and hard to remove. Next time, I'll buy thicker, reusable tattoo covers before going to Japan. You can also use surgical/medical tape, but I wanted something more inconspicuous.

As the sun was setting, we decided to walk back to our hotel, even though it was about an hour and 20-minute walk. We strolled by Kanda Myojin Shrine at sunset, which was absolutely beautiful and completely empty of tourists by the time we arrived. We then stopped at Hanzomon Gate near the Imperial Palace, enjoying the view of the water and city lights at night.

Day 3: Ueno, Asakusa, and the Imperial Palace

One of our friends lives in Ueno, so we met up with him at a café called Coffee House Katsura. We enjoyed a cheap breakfast set of coffee, thick toast with honey, boiled eggs, and salad to start the day.

After parting ways, we walked toward Ueno Park and discovered a school food festival we weren't aware of. We sampled various vendor snacks before exploring the huge park and visiting the Tokyo National Museum.

From there, we walked down Ameyoko Shopping Street. Feeling hungry for ramen, we found a place called Karashibi Miso Ramen Kinkanbo Kanda Honten. It was back in the direction we had come from, but it looked so good we hopped on a bus to get there before the dinner rush. We arrived with a handful of people in line before us and waited about 20 minutes. It was so worth the wait—an amazing and filling bowl of ramen.

To walk off the food, we decided to stroll back to our hotel, exploring different areas of the city.

Day 4: Shibuya, Harajuku, and Shinjuku

We followed a suggested itinerary provided by u/Sipikay **(**found here), which ended up being perfect for us. The only difference was that we did this on a Saturday, so the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observatory was closed.

Instead, we decided to be among the first people at the gate for the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Despite generally avoiding chain restaurants, we wanted to see if there was a difference in taste and quality at Starbucks in Japan versus the U.S. As soon as the gates opened, we went straight to Starbucks to grab a window seat overlooking the pond and garden area. Tip: If you want a beautiful view while sipping coffee, arrive before the gates open to get a good seat.

While strolling through Harajuku, we found a restaurant called **Roast Beef Ohno Haraju...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Hfm2712 on 2024-10-29 23:36:40+00:00.

(Edits: Originally posted this on my PC and trying to format so it doesn’t cut off the first letters on Bold Font on mobile - rookie mistake 🤦🏻‍♂️)

Hi everyone! Me (M28) and my partner (F26) got back from our trip to Japan 3 weeks ago and wanted to leave a report in case it helps anyone else plan their trip.

Luggage🧳

• We each brought one Large Suitcase, one Cabin Suitcase, and one backpack.
• We didn't plan on using luggage-forwarding; this was mainly due to the fact we were staying in the same hotel in Tokyo, and the hotel kept our large suitcases in storage for free!

Money ¥💴

• We brought the equivalent of £500/$650 in yen and put most expenses on our credit cards, withdrawing cash as and when needed.
• In hindsight, I would’ve exchanged less in Yen (I purchased it at a high point relative to the £ (180) but by the time our holiday came round it got to a lower point (around 195).
• We both have Monzo & Revolut cards which have lower transaction fees on withdrawal and the split costs function makes it easier when traveling in a group

Shinkansen Reservation🚄

• For the trains, I initially tried to use the SmartEx website (app at the time of writing is unavailable to users from UK & Europe), however, encountered some trouble when trying to register a credit card when signing up for an account.
• More recently, it seems they may have modified their card systems and I was able to register an account with my UK Mastercard recently.
• In the end, I decided to use a website called JapanExperience to book the Shinkansen tickets (similar price to Klook).
• After doing the math, for 6 tickets (Tokyo ➡️ Kyoto; Shin Osaka ➡️ Hiroshima, & Hiroshima ➡️ Tokyo) I paid about £40/$52 extra in booking/handling fees, but as it only amounted to less than 0.01% of our expenditures, I really didn’t mind it.
• (Edit 3 from comments: One of our Shinkansen reservations was accidentally booked in the more expensive Green Class so think we may have made some of those booking fees back 😂)
• I’d only recommend it if you can’t access SmartEx and/or are traveling during busy periods (New Year’s, Golden Week, etc.).

Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo (20,600 Steps)

🏨Hotel: The B Ginza

• Close to several different subway lines, quite central location to the areas we wanted to explore, 30-ish minute travel time to get to Shinjuku, Shibuya, Asakusa, Akihabara
• Room was pretty small and it was hard to maneuver two big suitcases in the room.
• Chose it for the proximity to the UniQlo Flagship Store and my partner loves to do a lot of window shopping
• We landed around 7:30am into Haneda, dropped off our bags at the hotel around 9:30am, and went to explore Odaiba (Diver City, Unicorn Gundam, Gundam Factory) until we were able to check-in.
• Once settled in, we showered and had a 2-3hr nap.
• Went out for dinner in Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku, and took a stroll around the Golden Gai before calling it an early night

Day 2: Ueno, Shinjuku & Shibuya (36,300 Steps)

• Woke up around 7am, took a stroll down to Tsukiji Fish Market which was a 10min walk from our hotel, before taking the Subway to Ueno.
• Stopped off at the Hard Rock Cafe to grab another shirt for my collection, before taking a stroll around Ueno Park and visiting the Tokyo National Museum.
• Made our way over to Shinjuku Gyoen after an early lunch and spent the early afternoon walking around the National Garden before making our way to Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu.
• We severely underestimated how humid it would be so made our way back to the hotel for a wardrobe change, stopping by the UniQlo Flagship Store and the Wako Building for a quick Shopping spree.
• Went out to Shibuya in the evening for another shopping spree in Pokémon Centre, Mega Don Quijote, Loft & Shibuya 109 before dinner.

Day 3: Asakusa, Skytree & Akihabara (24,200 Steps)

• Spent the early morning exploring Senso-ji and Nakamise-dori shops
• Quick bite for lunch at a Konbini before spending the afternoon doing Street Karting (before the pitchforks come out, I’ve posted a link to a comment detailing my overall thoughts and experience, hoping it’s a balanced take: )
• After the Karts, we walked over to Tokyo Skytree, unknowingly the time slot I booked was bang on sunset, so got some awesome views!
• Hopped over to Akihabara for an early dinner before exploring the area, the Mandrake Store and the GIGA (formerly SEGA) Center trying and failing to win at Claw Machines.

Day 4: Day trip to Mt. Fuji & Hakone Loop 🗻⛩️ (16,500 Steps)

• Booked with Japan Panoramic Tours
• 2hr30 bus ride from Ginza to Mt. Fuji 5th Station, before an early lunch, took the Cable Car to Mt. Owakudani, sampling some Black Egg, and back down for a River Cruise on Lake Ashi.
• The Tour Bus dropped us off at Odawara station.
• Overall, a really nice tour and great views of Fuji throughout the day except for on Fuji itself (fog rolled in as we approached 5th Station)
• Tour included Shinkansen unreserved tickets back to Tokyo, got off at Shinagawa and made our way to Harajuku for a stroll down Takeshita Street.
• Early dinner in Harajuku before back to the hotel

Day 5: Tokyo ➡️ Kyoto (22,400 Steps)

🏨Hotel: Urban Hotel Gojo Premium

• Close to various bus stops and 10min walk to Gojo Station
• Spacious room with a plentiful supply of toiletries and access to Spa which was very much needed after long walking days
• Probably would’ve chosen their sister hotel up the road in Shijo as slightly better location for transport connections
• Woke up early to get the 7:21am Nozomi down to Kyoto. Traveled with a Cabin Suitcase and Backpack each as the Tokyo hotel kept our larger Hold Bags for free.
• Dropped off our bags in the hotel and made our way to Jotoku-Ji Temple for a Tea Ceremony at 11am.
• Stroll around Nineizaka and lunchtime snack before making our way to Manryo Cooking Class, where we learned to make Dashi Broth, Tamagoyaki Omelette, Thick Udon Noodles and Sushi - by far one the most fun activities of the trip and highly recommend
• Back to the hotel to get refreshed before going out to Nintendo Kyoto, dinner near Pontocho, and strolling around the Kamo River & Gion.

Day 6: Ni-Jo, Kinkaku-Ji & Kyoto Gyoen (26,800 Steps)

• Bit of a lie-in, bus to Nijo Castle (booked the tickets ahead of time as well as the extra for the Honmaru-goten Palace which requires a separate ticket).
• From there got the bus to Kinkaku-Ji: I’ve got to say it was slightly underwhelming, maybe due to the rainy day and crowds blocking the path trying to take the perfect shot
• From there back towards the center, quick bite for lunch at a Konbini, stroll around Kyoto Gyoen and join the free tour at Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace.
• Guide was in Japanese but there were audio guides available and the gardens were absolutely gorgeous.
• Quick stopover at the Kyoto International Manga Museum before heading back to the hotel.
• Despite taking Umbrellas from the hotel lobby we were quite wet and miserable so opted to just have dinner at the Ramen place next door and the rest of the evening using the Onsen Spa which was well needed.

Day 7: Fushimi Inari ⛩️💍, Kimonos & Kiyomizu-Dera (31,200 Steps)

• Early wake-up at 5:45am, hotel breakfast buffet and got to Fushimi Inari for 7am.
• As mentioned many times before on this sub, it’s worth waking up early to beat the crowds (we bumped into about maybe 2 Dozen people on the way up).
• Close to the summit of Mt. Inari found a nice quiet spot to pop the question! 😁💍
• By the time we got back down to Inari station around 9am it was beginning to crowd up.
• A quick coffee stop in Inari before making our way to Yasaka Shrine and Chon-in Temple.
• Early lunch in Nishiki Market before renting a Kimono and making our way to Nineizaka and Kiyomizu-Dera Temple.
• Stroll through Gion before returning the Kimonos at 5pm.
• Overall, enjoyed the experience although they were quite tight and I found waddling like a penguin worked best 😅
• Dinner in Kawaramachi before making our way through the bars in Pontocho to celebrate the engagement 💍

Thoughts on Kyoto

• It definitely felt more overcrowded with the sheer number of tourists visiting the main spots
• For Shrines and Temples, it’s worth either waking up early to beat the rush or visit in the evening to get a different atmosphere
• Kyoto is quite spread out, what looks close on a map turns out to be a 30/40min bus ride and walk. Would definitely recommend trying to organise the itinerary by geographical location (I.e. don’t do Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove on the same day)
• Wish I had allocated more time to spend in Kyoto, but I guess that’s what a 2nd trip is for 😅

Day 8: Osaka (36,100 Steps)

🏨Hotel: Hotel Cordia Osaka

• Walking distance from Osaka Station & Umeda
• By far the most spacious room with a plentiful supply of toiletries

💳 Osaka Amazing Pass - 2 Day

• Bought the 2 Day Pass via Klook. In hindsight, I should’ve used the 1 Day ePass instead, although Amazing did pay itself off over the 2 days, having to use multiple QR codes for 2 people on one phone was a bit of a hassle, and the recent price increase becomes a bit harder to make it pay itself back, especially if you’re using one day at USJ.

• Early breakfast and check-out from Kyoto Hotel, Rapid Express train down to Osaka, drop off our bags at next hotel
• Walk over to Umeda Sky Building, and browse shops at Umeda Station.
• Metro to Osaka Castle b...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Cedceg on 2024-10-29 09:14:05+00:00.

This post is a continuation of my Trip Report Part I.

DAY 10: Koyasan (steps: 20.000)

Luggage transfered, we took the multiple trains to Koyasan. Ate some lovely soba noodles from Tsukumo, a quaint little shop run by two old ladies. Saw the huge Daimon Gate and went for a stroll through Garan. There's a bunch of temples bunched together here, and while not a single one is really that impressive, it is nice to have this much variation in such close proximity. You can see quite a lot of different sorts and styles of architecture and decoration in under an hour.

But the main reason to go to Koyasan is staying at a Shukubo, we opted for the Shojoshin-In. Overall I'm a bit mixed on the experience. We got a guided tour by a lovely monk who spoke surprisingly good English, he showed us around coming across really gentle and with a good sense of humor. The fully vegan dinner was also very tasty. But besides that, I really didn't feel it was that much of an experience per se. The environment is peaceful, but not uniquely so. And for what is a pretty steep price, you don't really seem to get that much in return. Maybe if you're super into buddhism it's a bit different, but I expected it to be a bit more of a holistic experience. As it turns out you basically get a tour and dinner, and after that you're just free to hang out like it's any other hotelroom.

We spent the rest of our evening walking around the Okunoin cemetery, which was admittedly very peaceful.

DAY 11: Nara (steps: 26.000)

The highlight of the Shokubo-stay was the morning prayer. I've always had an interest in the usage of mantra in music, so it was great to see how full a sonic experience just 2 monks can create. Though your mileage may vary, and I can imagine some people finding it a bit longwinded and boring (as I think it lasted about an hour). After an interesting, but tasty breakfast (and an umeboshi that almost made my cheeks cramp up), we took the train to Nara.

One of the big, unexpected highlights of our entire trip: Sakura Burger. I'm not the biggest hamburger-guy, but the wagyu-burger here was absolutely exceptional. Not in a fancy way, but every single element was simply presented at such a high standard, which made for a phenomenal eating experience. Easily the best burger I've ever had. Afterwards we went to Harishuka to do their sake tasting. We got ample explanation from a lovely lady, and got to taste 5 very different, very tasty cups of sake. It's a very quick experience - probaby around 15 minutes - but arguably the best 500 yen you could spend on your trip. We liked their sake so much, we bought two bottles to take to our hotel room, so their system definitely works.

But when you say Nara, you say deer. And Nara Park really is the main attraction here. It's very fun to see the deer bow to receive their crackers. But it's even more fun to see other tourists who get scared and let the animals boss them around. We also went to see Todai-Ji which is absolutely enormous. We wanted to grab the sunset at Mount Wakakusa, only to find out the only walkable part is fenced off, and closes at 17u00. Everyone who is inside before 17u00 can stay as long as they want, people who arrive too late are out of luck, which feels like a really lame way to treat a mountainside. So we walked through Kasuga Taisha instead, which is nice, but felt a bit too similar to the Okunoin cemetery we'd done the previous day.

We grabbed a box of sushi pressed in persimmon leaf from Kakinohazushi Hiraso Todaiji, which was an amazing little treat. We managed to grab the final box just before they closed, and it was absolutely delicious and still tasted superfresh. Ate some sort of unremarkable hotpot meal in a random restaurant and took the train to Kyoto to the Meldia Shijo Kawaramachi Annex, to enjoy our bottle of sake in the most spacious hotelroom we'd come across in all of Japan.

DAY 12: Kyoto, Higashiyama (steps: 31.000)

This will upset some people, but Kyoto was our least favorite city we visited in Japan. I know, I know. Maybe it's because we'd already seen quite a lot of what the city has to offer in Kanazawa and Nara, but it all felt a bit... dare I say, touristy? This is also the location where the lack of trashcans was by far the most annoying. And even more damning, unlike Tokyo and Osaka, the vending machines here don't even offer Dr Pepper. Disgraceful!

Kyoto reminded me a lot of Firenze: there's obviously a lot of history and culture, and it's objectively beautiful. But it kind of gets lost in the crowds, and loses some of its character because it caters to tourists so heavy-handedly.

Our Kyoto-days were probably the hottest of our entire trip, simply too hot to enjoy our customary konbini coffee. On the upside, this started my love affair with the Classic Gold Boss Coffee, an absolutely marvelous chilled can of coffee which I couldn't stop downing for the remainder of our trip.

We started our day off at Sajusangen-do, which was fairly interesting, and the 1000-armed Kannon are quite a sight. Afterwards we went to the Kennin-Ji, which was hosting an exhibition on the dragon painter Koizumi, which was a fun surprise. All in all, I was perplexed that we'd seen this many temples, and they still managed to keep our interest. I won't say there wasn't eventually some degree of temple-fatigue (especially in Kyoto), but it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd anticipated.

Had lunch at Nishiki Market which was a bit of a bust. Too crowded, didn't feel like there was a huge variety of foods, and what we did try was pretty average. But mostly it just felt flooded with tourists, which ofcourse isn't a big deal (we'd be part of the problem ourselves), but it just takes away from that specific Japan-magic when every couple of steps you're hearing an American shouting to his friends how great his scallops are (no offence to Americans, but I'm pretty sure most of them can relate).

Took a jam-packed bus to Kiyomizu-Dera, which I'd say was the one and only time where things simply felt too crowded. We were packed like sardines in the streets running up to the temple, and inside the grounds there were simply too many visitors to really appreciate your surroundings. And maybe we're biased because of these circumstances, but we felt it to probably be the least remarkable of all temples we visited. Nice views though. We went through an equally crammed Gion, grabbed a matcha at the starbucks and some jelly-like mochi (not a fan), saw some great Hokan-Ji views, and decided we'd had enough.

So where do you go when you feel templegrounds are overflooding with tourists? That's right, Fushimi Inari! But in all honesty, this turned out to be a big positive surprise. The sun was going down as we went there, all the shops were closed, but this also meant that the crowd had mostly dissipated. We took some wonderful photos from the base of the temple at sunset, took a comfortable walk upwards, and watched the sun completely disappear over the Kyoto skyline from the halfway point. Honestly, a really pleasant experience, and no need to get up at 6u00 just to beat the crowds. On our way back down we came across a baby boar, while we could hear its parent rustling in the bushes next to us. Easily the biggest adrenaline-rush of the entire trip.

For dinner we went to Kyoto Tonkatsu Katsuta Shijo Kawaramachi Store (quite a mouthful). We had an amazing tonkatsu dinner with deepfried oysters, eggs, vegetables, and a perfectly medium rare deepfried steak, which felt like a bit of magic. One of the few places where we queued up for more than 15 minutes, and absolutely worth it.

DAY 13: Kyoto, Arashiyama (steps: 24.000)

Took the bus to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, which was our favourite temple of the entire trip. It's refreshing to see some form of humor in a holy place like this, and we had an absolute blast watching the little stone guys. Easily our favourite place in Kyoto. Stepped into Adashino Nenbutsu-ji afterwards, which was pretty unremarkable (or maybe this was temple-fatigue finally kicking in). Working our way down Arashiyama, we went to the Gio-ji and Okochi Sanso Villa, which felt thematically connected somehow. Lot of emphasis on nature and gardens, which made for a refreshing change of pace. Also had a quick walk through the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove; wasn't all that crowded, but it doesn't feel all that special either. I think I preferred both the bamboo forests in Adashino Nenbutsu-Ji and in Kanazawa over the big one. Had some sort of iced ramen (pretty weird, but tasty!) from a superfriendly lady at Ramen嵐山竹林亭 .

Having had over a week in nothing but 35° heat had made us cocky. We stopped really taking notice of the weather reports. We stopped bringing our umbrellas with us. Which meant we were caught completely unaware when all hell broke loose over Kinkaku-Ji. Just massive, massive downpours, and the limited places to take shelter were already filled up with the other visitors. We tried our best to stay dry, but after about 15 minutes we were completely drenched from head to toe. Admittedly, when it finally stopped raining and the sun hit the golden pavillion, it was a really pretty sight. Which ultimately makes Kinkaku-Ji kind of worth yo...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Cedceg on 2024-10-29 08:31:13+00:00.

While I was researching my holiday to Japan, I had a lot of help from these kind of trip reports. So I thought I'd pay it forward and share my own experiences from our recent holiday, end of august/first half september . It ended up being more of a diary-entry style of post than I'd set out to do, so apologies for it turning out massive (and having to split it into 2 posts). But I had a lot of fun reminiscing about all the wonderful moments we had in Japan, so I can only hope some people will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

ABOUT US:

Two Belgians, 35(m) and 35(f), first time in Japan. Very broad tastes, with a big focus on food and drink culture. Normally not hugely into shopping, but we did find ourselves doing so (and spending) a lot more in Japan than we'd done in other countries. I also really get into photography while on holiday. So if a place feels a bit meh, but I manage to get some good photos out of it, I still feel like I had a pretty good time.

BUDGET SPENT:

Per person, our flights were about 1000€. Hotels ended up almost the same, around 1000€ for 19 nights, with the ryokan and shokubo stays bumping the overall price a bit. We did manage to get some amazing deals (under 80€ pp for 4 nights in Osaka!), so doing some research can really reduce those costs. We started off with 1500€ pp in yen from the bank, and had to draw some more spending money twice. Did some of the more expensive dinners and shopping on visa, but mostly used cash.

Entire costs turned out at 4200€ per person, which we're pretty happy with.

PRACTICAL STUFF AND OVERALL THINGS PEOPLE ALWAYS SEEM TO BE ASKING ABOUT:

• My main tip, and everyone says this but I feel like I have to emphasize: make sure you've got solid, comfy, well-worn shoes. Maybe even 2 pairs so you can switch it up. In Japan, you're going to be doing a lot of walking; doesn't matter how easy-going you think you're going to be, you'll be hitting at least 15k steps on a lot of days. My biggest issues during this trip were blisters on my feet, and I had to buy quite a few blister plasters to try and sort that out. And a little bonus tip for people who aren't huge hikers: start getting in your daily 10k steps a month or 2 before your trip. It really does help getting your legs into the habit of doing a bit of walking every single day.
• We used Google Maps for everything and it never once steered me wrong. There's a slight learning curve to using it on the public transportation, but by our second or third day it's second nature. Just make sure you look at the final destination so you know you're going the right direction, and take notice of which yellow exit you have to take. It was as intuitive and free of hassle as I could possibly imagine public transportation being.
• For internet we had a pocket wifi from Japan-Wireless delivered to our hotel. Worked brilliantly. Only slight issue is you have to recharge it during the day with a powerbank they supplied. So sometimes we'd lose internet in the evening, and it'd be because I forgot to recharge our wifi. Really small issue really, but it is another set of batteries you'll have to manage. An e-sim is probably even easier if your phones are high-tech enough, but the overall wifi experience was pretty flawless.
• Get a Suica-Card. You can obviously keep buying individual tickets for single trips, and in the short term that's not really a problem. But an IC-card will make traversing cities 10 times easier, so I'd call it borderline essential.
• Luggage delivery is a gift from the traveling-Gods. We used it 3 times, and it cost us (two large bags) 5,200 yen per transport. And I'd honestly recommend it if it was 2 or even 3 times that price. Really makes traveling absolutely stress-free, and it really is a wonderful feeling to be able to enjoy your first experiences when stepping out into a new place, instead of having to drag this big heavy block behind you. The amount of comfort and ease of mind it provides it pretty much unparalleled.
• I'd highly recommend against planning specific restaurants, except for special meals. There can be big lines for a specific place when you don't really want to wait. Or a restaurant can be quite a bit out of the way from where you think you are going to be. I just couldn't imagine having to worry about making sure I'd get to a specific location for my meals, seeing as there are hundreds if not thousands of decent restaurants pretty much anywhere. I'd recommend making a list of specific dishes you want to try, and finding restaurants near you on the fly, ticking off those boxes. Don't completely trap yourself into your travel-planning, and leave room for some spontaneity. We often just searched google and reddit for some options while on the train or in the hotelroom, which lead us to some of the best meals we had on the entire trip.
• The garbage issue is real, but overall not that big of a problem. Garbage cans on the streets are few and far between, but you'll be able to deposit your empty bottles near a lot of the vending machines, and most konbini's will have garbage cans inside the stores. Just put your garbage in a bag and you'll probably be able to dump it somewhere within 30 minutes.
• We didn't have many issues with hotels. My gf spent a lot of time doing research to make sure we had spacious hotels with large beds, and we felt they were all adequate. By Western standards some may have been a tad small, but never really an issue. We also didn't have a single instance where we were bothered by noise coming from other rooms. We mostly only use our hotelrooms for showering and sleeping, though, so mileage may vary.
• We both adapt pretty well to hot weather. So the Japanese 35° at high humidity - although being really hot - never really fazed us, and we never had to resort to cooling neckbraces or fans. But the sun can really burn, and you will be sweating a whole lot. I bought some deodorant and simply took it with me everywhere so I could spray a couple of times during the day. But although the sun could be pretty harsh, we never got sunburnt. I'd say the whiplash you'd get from the freezing airconditionings were a bigger hurdle for us than the actual heat.
• The language barrier was so so so much better than we thought it'd be. The people are super friendly and many of them speak decent English, especially in the cities. And when they don't speak English, pointing at things with a couple of basic phrases gets you 99% of the way. My main takeaway is that people really, really like you just making an effort. Don't be that tourist who's loudly saying "THANK YOU", just learn some basic sentences and you'll see quite a lot of people light up and going the extra mile to accommodate you.

The phrases I learned and used quite a lot:

• Konichiwa / Konbanwa - Hello / Good evening
• Sumimasen - Excuse me (for apologising, or getting attention from someone)
• Arrigato Gozaimasu - Thank you
• Hai - Yes
• Kore - This (when pointing at a menu or something)
• Daijobu - I'm ok (when people ask if you need a plastic bag or anything like that)
• Okaikei kudosai - check please (a really big one that people clearly appreciated)
• Chotto matte, kudosai - Could you wait for one moment, please
• Eigo de daijobu deska - Is English ok? (Probably really butchered that, but had to use it twice and it got the job done both times)

Right, so now that all that's out of the way: the actual trip!

THE ACTUAL TRIP:

DAY 0: Arrival

Arrived slightly after midnight at Haneda, where a very friendly gentleman explained to us in perfect English how and where we could get an IC-card. We then took a cab for around 10.000 yen to our hotel: MONday in Asakusa. Very friendly check-in, we had some tickets and pocket wi-fi sent beforehand and everything was there, without any problems. This was our first contact with the Japanese organisation and friendliness, and it basically didn't change for the duration of our trip. Literally every single person we met was helpful and kind, and everything everywhere is clearly defined and communicated. On a cultural level, it really is the perfect location to go on holiday.

DAY 1: Asakusa (steps: 23.000)

People often seem to be asking what part of Tokyo to stay in, and we couldn't have been happier that we started our trip out in Asakusa. It seems to offer a lot of what makes Tokyo great, but doesn't feel as overwhelming or crowded as some other areas tend to be. Seeing how you'll likely be jetlagged and slightly overwhelmed by the new culture, Asakusa seemed like a great place to get our bearings. We also opted not to use any public transportation on our first day, and just took everything in at our own pace.

We visited Senso-Ji at around 10u00. It was quite crowded, but the temple complex is so large that it never felt too dense with people, and we enjoyed our first of many, many temples. Walked around through the neighbourhood snacking on some decent tonkatsu sando's, konbini onigiri and took our first stab at trying out random drinks (we chose... poorly). We then came across the Don Quijote store we heard so much about, so we decided to have a quick look around. Two hours later we re-emerged, wondering where the time had gone. This is also the point where I started singing the Donqui theme for 20 days straight.

After quickly freshening up at our hotel room (the jetlag was real, and wreaking havoc on...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/IronyCat on 2024-10-29 01:12:27+00:00.

Me and a buddy traveled around Japan doing the usual route of Tokyo(Ginza) -> Hakone -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Tokyo(Shinjuku), and instead of writing down my entire itinerary I will just mention the highlights, lowlights, and things I wish I knew.

Ginza:

It seems like Uniqlo Ginza store is always crowded with tourists lol, but I was able to get what I wanted. Jetlag helped us go to Tsujiki Fish market early, but I think we went TOO early. We were there at 6AM and they were still setting up. I shouldve researched ahead of time which restaurants would be worth it here, but I know these types of places tend to have tourist traps but I stumbled upon an Onigiri shop run by a really nice lady and they were the bomb. Going to the top floors of Don Quijote Akihabara blew my mind when there were arcades/DDR Machines with passionate people playing them, I don't knows something about arcades and game machines set up above a 6 floors in a discount store is amazing to me lol. Drinking beer from Asahi HQ top floor was a major highlight, we did this when they opened at 10 am and it felt like a private observatory (who drinks at 10 AM? me)

Hakone:

Filled with tourists but the entire Hakone trip was amazing. If you get the Hakone Freepass, I would recommend an upgrade on the pirate ship. It was around $5 USD per upgrade but there were WAY more people on standard class and I feel like it was really worth it for extra space to take in the scenery. Also no fighting for space to take photos. We splurged on a Ryokan stay and it was amazing.

Osaka:

I thought I was going to enjoy Osaka more, but when we arrived I immediately got somewhat anxious by the amount of people. I guess it turns out I'm not much of a city tourist person as much as I thought I would be. Not sure what it is but it felt like there were way more people in Osaka than in Tokyo in the streets and stations. It might be because there are only 2 "big" stations close to each other in Osaka while in Tokyo there are more. It felt like every time I went to Umeda station where we stayed near I always had to struggle to be near my friend. I used one of the days to get out of the city and visited Minoh Falls and Ikeda and it was wonderful.

Kyoto:

Theres a lot of tourists here but there is so much to do we weren't able to do everything we wanted. The big highlight for me was actually a rafting tour of Hozugawa River. I first stumbled upon the paddle boat tour but then I found out there was a rafting tour so we went with that. Well worth it as the raft had 5 of us total with a guide. Get to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest early. We got there at 9AM and I thought that was too late, but it was fine, but as we were leaving at 11 AM it got WAY more crowded. Nintendo Museum was a great experience and in Uji, I thought Nakamura Tokichi Honten was not worth it for the wait (we were in queue for 4 hours I believe, but we walked around while waiting).

Shinjuku:

We stayed in Shinjuku because I thought we were going to do some nightlife but my buddy got sick so we stayed in every night (which is fine because I was already somewhat exhausted at this point). I really enjoyed all the shrines, parks, and things to do near Shinjuku/Shibuya much more than the nightlife stuff ironically. A highlight here was the Shinjuku Batting center. I went every morning to get some swings in, was really fun.

General:

We did both teamlab planets and borderless and I personally was underwhelmed. It felt like everyone just had their phones out and was trying to get videos and pics for the gram. I was unable to get an early booking so maybe that would make it better. I'm glad I did it once, but if I return to Japan I would not do it again.

it felt like the restaurants we ate at in Tokyo all accepted cards, while in the other cities were about half cards OK half cash only.

Things I wish I knew:

I wish I knew more things about etiquette. I knew already things like standing on the left on escalators in Tokyo and on the right in Osaka, being quiet in public spaces, and not eating and walking. Things I wish I knew: if you have a backpack wear it in the front if the train is crowded and elevator etiquette where the last person entering holds the door open button for everyone else leaving the elevator when it gets to the first floor.

I wish I knew about oshibori. it turns out the wet napkin is primarily for your hands only and my gaijin ass was using it on my face until halfway into the trip lol.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/jessmerch on 2024-10-28 18:25:18+00:00.

My husband and I are going for our first time to Japan for our 10 year anniversary. I have bad fomo when it comes to traveling but I also don’t want to be totally busy and stressed out getting from point A to point B the whole time. I want to leave some room for exploration and just trying to enjoy the moment. It's kind of last minute to change too much but let us know how doable this seems and if you have any other suggestions. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Day 1 - Friday - Tokyo

• 9:05pm - land at Narita
• Hopefully make the last Keisei skyliner into Tokyo!
• Check into Hotel

Day 2 - Saturday - Harajuku & Shibuya

• Explore Harajuku in the morning
• Yoyogi park - time permitting
• Explore Shibuya (Shibuya crossing/Pokemon Center)
• 5pm Shibuya Sky
• Grab Dinner, explore more

Day 3 - Sunday - Asakua & Akihabara

• 9am - Tea Ceremony at Maikoya
• Sensō-ji temple
• Nakamise-dori Street
• Afternoon - Ueno Park (time permitting)
• Later Afternoon/Evening - Akihabara

Day 4 - Monday - Shinjuku & Ghibli Museum 

• Morning - Explore Shinjuku
• Artina Square Enix Cafe
• 2pm - Ghibli Museum
• Back to Shinjuku for more exploration
• Omoide Yokosho & Golden Gai

Day 5 - Tuesday - Tsukiji & teamLab Planets

• Tsukiji Outer Market in the morning
• 11:30 am - teamLab Planets
• Explore Imperial Palace
• Ginza in the evening?

Day 6 - Wednesday - Tokyo

• Possible free day to go back to favorite places (more time in Shinjuku?)
• Or day trip to Mount Fuji if we are sick of the city?

Day 7 - Thursday - Kyoto

• 11am - Bullet Train to Kyoto
• Check-in to hotel
• Nishiki Market
• Explore
• Pontocho Alley for dinner/drinks

Day 8 - Friday - Kyoto

• Morning - Half day trip to Nara
• 4 pm - Nintendo Museum on the way back (Is this do-able to get a couple hours in Nara before this?)

Day 9 - Saturday - Kyoto

• 8:30am - Kyoto Bike Tour (hits top 5 highlights - Kiyomizu, Golden Pavilion, Fushimi Inari, Bamboo Forest, geisha district)
• 6pm - After bike tour, grab dinner and drinks downtown

Day 10 - Sunday - Kyoto

• 11:20am - Suntory Yamazaki Distillery
• Gion
• Kenninji Temple/ Other temples in area
• Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka
• Yasaka Shrine (at night)

Day 11 - Monday - Kyoto

• Get custom rings made
• Final souvenir shopping
• Last day to explore
• Possibly Sagano Romantic train?

Day 12 - Tuesday

• Check out of hotel
• 7:13 am take Haruka train to Kansai airport
• 11:45 am Fly home

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/the_john19 on 2024-10-28 13:04:20+00:00.

iOS 18.1 is coming out, and there's an important change to when/how the Travel Card option appears when you try to add a digital IC card.

In iOS 18.1, the option will only be visible if your phone's region is set to a country where Travel Cards are available, or if you're currently physically in one of those regions (USA, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong and Japan).

So if you live outside these countries and want to add an IC card, you might be surprised to find that after clicking + in your Apple Wallet, you won't see Travel Card as an option in iOS 18.1.

As a workaround, you can either change your phone's region to Japan (and back again once you've got the IC card), or wait until you're physically in Japan, when it will show up even if your phone's region is set to something else.

EDIT: THIS IS ONLY ABOUT ADDING A NEW IC CARD. Existing IC cards won’t disappear. Also after you’ve added a new one using the workaround, the IC card won’t disappear!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Astei688 on 2024-10-27 09:23:15+00:00.

I've been really slacking on writing this post since my wife and I visited Japan back in the end of March but I wanted to highlight some of the activities we did and places we visited that aren't all over every top 20 list of things to do in Japan.

Yokohama: Silk Museum. My wife is very into dying yarn/wool, spinning wool, knitting, etc that I thought she would really enjoy this museum and the history of silk in Japan. I was correct and scored major points. Even as someone who isn't invested in textile hobbies, I still found the museum interesting. They had displays of live silk worms in different stages of life. One little issue we ran into was the museum opens at 10, but the gift shop doesn't open until 12 so we wound up stopping back later. 90 minutes is a pretty decent estimate of time for this and it is kid friendly. Also, it is just a few blocks from Chinatown.

Mitsubishi Minatomirai Industrial Museum: This museum is not too far from the Red brick warehouse. Is it Mitsubishi Heavy Manufacturing corporate propaganda? Probably. Do they have cool scale models of all the cool things they've built? Most definitely! It is also very kid friendly. My wife didn't enjoy this one that much, but that's why we visited the silk museum first. 90-120 minutes is reasonable here.

Yokohama Civic Art Gallery: This one is a little bit of a hike from Red Brick Warehouse area, and that hike is steeply uphill. The exhibit on display when we went was a calligraphy one and didn't match our expectations based on what came to our American minds when we thought about calligraphy. That being said it was free and we had a lot of fun seeing how Google translated Chinese and Japanese poetry. I feel a lot was lost in the exchange. Good place to see/support local artistic endeavors but it is out of the way and not kid friendly.

One last thing about Yokohama, if you're staying there for a night or two, I really recommend springing for the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel. If you're on the correct side, you get wonderful views of Mt. Fuji when the weather is good.

Tokyo: Sumida Hokusai Museum. You might not immediately know the name, but you'll know the painting: The Great Wave. Part of a series called the "36 Views of Mt Fuji" (I hope that's right, should've written this in April). Anyway, this a fantastic museum for the works of Sumida Hokusai located relatively close to the Tokyo sky tower. 90 minutes here should let you see everything.

Japanese Sword Museum. A short walk from the Sumida Hokusai museum is the Japanese Sword Museum. If you're hugely into swords and maybe Japanese history, you might be interested in this. My wife didn't seem to be a fan, and I don't blame her. Definitely recommend watching the presentation on how swords are made on the first floor before going to the second floor. Not a place I would recommend bringing children, it has a very solemm and quiet atmosphere.

Marukaku pottery store. This is a small Japanese pottery store a short walk from the scramble with pieces from local artisans. If you're looking for some beautiful authentic Japanese pottery this is a great place to start. My wife bought a couple of pieces here that she really loves. Pottery is not my thing but even I could appreciate the work done here. I also didn't break anything. It's a tiny shop, so I had to be very mindful of my backpack.

Aki-Oka Artisan "mall". This is a collection of retail establishments between the Akihabara and Okachimachi stops on the Yamanote line. The shops are literally under the raised rail lines and it can be a little confusing to find. Google maps took us to the Okachimachi stop and the we walked from there and when you come out the other side you are right at the end of Akihabara. Anyway, great way to support small businesses and spend locally.

NONA temari and dye experience. My wife took this 3 hour class on how to make temari balls (I spent that time shopping in Akihabara) and found it amazing and highly recommends it to crafty people who are interested in learning local arts.

Also, another hotel shout out. remm Akihabara. The hotel itself is fine and does everything a hotel should do but the location is unbeatable. To literally step outside and be at the train station is amazing plus there is a Lawson's and a Starbucks right there as well.

We of course did the big tourist things as well (teamLabs, scramble, etc.) but there are so many things to do in Japan that I wanted to highlight some of the less frequented. Obviously everything I've posted about is not for everyone but even if you don't do anything on this list, I do encourage you to dig in and find off the beaten path things that you will enjoy because I guarantee you those gems are out there.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/jennytools36 on 2024-10-26 06:22:57+00:00.

If you love arcade games or pinball I HIGHLY recommend heading to The Silver Ball Planet in Namba. I had so much fun there and racked up maybe 10 hours of playing. The most expensive machine is ¥100 and older ones ¥50-¥10.

I honestly regret not doing a whole day here or doing their end of month tournament (forgot about it and saw it the day I booked for Tokyo). It is at the top of my list for next trip to Tokyo.

The range of machines and how well they are maintained is also extremely impressive. Considering that their more expensive machines are worth $16000AUD them having 126 machines is something I’ve never seen before. Best I’ve seen in Australia is maybe 22 machines at $4 a game.

If you haven’t checked it out definitely do! Give each machine a few tries and understand how to get multi balls and jackpots. After that free games are very common and pretty easy high schools. At the time of writing I got the Terminator 3 grand champion score 😎. A few hours of fun cost me less than ¥2000 and often sub ¥1000

I recommend giving them a follow too on insta and giving some love . From the after tournament post’s text it really looks like a man who loves pinball and wants to share that love running it 🥺.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/ConnelyCat on 2024-10-23 16:10:52+00:00.

Hi everyone,

My wife and I went to Japan around springtime this year, and are planning to return about a month from now. Although we were a bit familiar with Japanese woodblock prints ever since a Tsukioka Yoshitoshi exhibition took place here several years back, we became even more enthralled with Japanese woodblock prints once we got to Japan for our honeymoon. We did some research a week before the trip and devoted a full day to visiting woodblock print art stores that had prints from several periods. Although we like a lot of artists from the Ukiyo-E, Shin Hanga and Sosaku Hanga periods, we also noticed some captivating contemporary samples we would've liked to learn more about. Some of the stores we visited in Tokyo include places like Mokuhankan in Asakusa and Yamada Shoten in Chiyoda, both of which had some contemporary woodblock prints for sale.

In Kyoto, we only went to Daishodo, a store in Nishiki Market that was amazing and where we got a lot of Shin Hanga prints.

Since then, we kinda made a mental note to look for examples of contemporary art and also try not to limit ourselves to woodblock prints, even though that remains a focus. The only thing that we don't enjoy for personal, subjective reasons is installation art.

We are very ignorant on this topic. One of the few high profile, contemporary artists that we are aware of and really like is Akira Yamagushi, who we know does mostly paintings.

Another contemporary artist that my wife discovered in Mokuhankan was Shinji Tsuchimochi, who, if I'm not mistaken, is a digital artist that has had some of his work carved and printed.

Other than that, we've looked up some galleries in both Tokyo and Kyoto with the hopes of seeing some contemporary, lower-profile art, but we've found it somewhat difficult to do a search on this that yields fruitful results. Which is why we thought it might be helpful to also ask around the forums for tips on small museums or galleries in Tokyo and Kyoto that might have, for the most part, drawings, woodblock prints, silkscreens, lithographs and paintings, or names of contemporary artists that work with these mediums. Although we are interested in buying, we are mostly interested in discovering and learning.

We have had this same experience of drawing blanks when it comes to searching Chinese contemporary art, but I know that is off-topic, as this is for Japan travel.

Hopefully this is in the correct subreddit, but I'm sorry if it isn't.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/ryu-kishi on 2024-10-22 23:20:08+00:00.

Japan Solo Trip Report - 2 Weeks - Kansai-Hiroshima-Izu-Kanto - Oct 4-Oct 18

This was supposed to be a 2-person trip, but circumstances made this a solo adventure. It has been 20 years since I lived in Japan. Packed light, 7 days of clothes for 14 days of travel. All my hotels were already booked by about a month out except for my very last 2 nights in Tokyo. Budget varied, but definitely mid-high at points. Being solo meant being utterly flexible in everyway, with what I did and saw, meandering at my leisure, and eating/drinking when I wanted (if there was a wine pairing I did it). Utilized the JR Kansai/Hiroshima area 5-day pass. I'm also Japanese-American with some fluency (emphasis on some), so my experience is that weird sense of foreign/national. Lots of text ahead. Excuse any formatting, its all rather stream of thought.

LAX-KIX arrival about 6pm. KIX to trainline was a bit chaotic. This is probably the best time to hit the ticket office since I didn't have cash yet and wasn't sure about what ATM was what (first one also declined my debit card). After customs is where I picked up my WIFI. Mostly used Google Maps for directions, because it was easier for me to understand and it told me times/train platforms with enough accuracy. Overall, my phone/WIFI/battery lasted through the day until I could get charged. Should have brought an extra cord, since one of mine was broken (or buy one!)

• Oct 4-Oct 7 - Osaka, The Lively Osaka Honmachi. Decently priced accommodations. Free beer/Takoyaki Waffles on Fri-Sat night. Sorta more adult vibe, but families there too. Pretty clean modern rooms. Bar had a weird odor (maybe from cleaning?) but I went to the rooftop. Near a metro stop, though honestly, I walked almost EVERYWHERE once I realized how close things were and how much time I had.
• Oct 5 - Osaka exploration. I was waking up around 5am almost every day due to jet lag. It's a different feel for a city that is otherwise so busy during the day and downright crowded at night. Wandered Dotombori during the morning. Lunch I think at the top of Daimaru, at a Teppanyaki. The department store and train station food courts are really something. They may not be the hidden gem treasures you'll find on the streets on Tabelog, but they are mostly above average food that hits the spot. Bought a Seiko because it was going to be that kind of trip. Decided to go to Osaka Castle, even though it wasn't on my original itinerary. The grounds were lovely, but inside was crowded as hell. Dinner at this brew-pub on beer recommendation from a friend who lives in Kyoto. People watched Dotombori at night. Whisky at Bar Agreable (random walk-in).
• Oct 6 - Nara day trip. Got there relatively early so it never felt too crowded. Kofuku-Ji was closed for renovation, but I was mostly there to see Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha (and bowing/screaming deer). I didn't buy any sembe, but witnessed plenty of others. Kasuga Taisha grounds were lovely and peaceful. Local sushi set lunch nearby. Back to Osaka to buy 2 pairs of jeans (Samurai and Momotaro). Samurai Jeans has a better grasp on English if thats a concern and a really cool store venue. Dinner was at a small Japanese steakhouse.
• Oct 7-8 - Hiroshima/Miyajima, Iwaso Ryokan. Moderate-High price. Really beautiful ryokan, windows open completely to let the sound of nature flow in. Opted for the Dinner/Breakfast set. Had my first ekiben for lunch. Wandered Hiroshima Peace Park, opted out of the museum as I had been there before, but for first-timers, I think it is worth it. Heavy somber atmosphere until I got on the private ferry that picks up near the park. Basically explored the island, ate some oysters and walked around Itsukushima at high tide and, on the recommendation of Charles Taproom up the street, went to Daishoin (highly recommended). Used the hotel onsen, think I had it to myself or maybe 1 other person. Wonderful dinner (wine pairing). Early morning, out by 6am to go back to the Shrine at low tide. Walked around a bit but did not make it up to Mt Misen.
• Oct 8-12 - Himeji/Kyoto, Solaria Kyoto Nishitetsu. Moderate priced hotel, modern, onsen, nicely located on the Kamo River. Opted out of meals. I really nitpicked this hotel compared to others, but in the end, its really splitting hairs on where you could stay.
• Oct 8 - Leaving Miyajima via the JR Ferry/Train to Hiroshima to Himeji. Himeji Castle was just as people have said, far less interior "stuff" than Osaka, but I found it more to my liking. It felt less crowded inside by far, with long interior rampart walkways free of most people and letting me appreciate the architecture more. I think I had a random street stall Kobe Skewer and ekiben before landing in Kyoto, I met up with my co-worker who works at the University now, for dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. Later showed her a local Jazz cafe, Jazz Spot Yamatoya. I quite drunkenly discovered this spot 20 years ago and was so glad it is still here.
• Oct 9 - Started my morning at Yasaka Shrine, which was a short walk from the hotel. Down through the area, including Ninenzaka/Sannenzaka to Kiyomizudera. Leaving Kiyo, I inadvertently walked through Otani Cemetary, which was a little surreal and I saw only 2 people the whole walk. I eventually walked (about an hour) to Fushimi Inari. I was sweating bullets by the time I climbed to the top, but it was an overall beautiful experience. Fushimi had started to get crowded, but I started before the vendor tents were setup and made it back ready for lunch at Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onadera. It's not really kaiten in the everyday sense, you order by touchscreen then using a lazer beam to determine distance, it goes on a straight track to your seat. Lots of market wandering. Peak Nishiki Market is a shit-show, shoulder to shoulder, barely room to eat if you get something. The rest was fine though, picked up a sukajan jacket, popped into the Kuoe watch store to browse. Dinner at a Yakiniku near Pontocho Alley. Now, Kyoto might be one of my favorite cities for a variety of reasons, but the following really made it special. Wandered into Bar Alchemist and ended up having drinks with the couple next to me. When you're traveling this big crazy world, it can create such unique old soul type connections when you can just strike up conversations with others. Together went to what might be my favorite bar on the planet in Kazubar. No signage, a floor above a coffee shop, with no menu, only candlelight. It really just set the mood for that part of my trip. We finished off with some Haaan! dumplings.
• Oct 10 - My obligatory trip to Kinkakuji. Now, I don't know if its tourists that cause a place to be busy, but I for sure know getting somewhere the same time as 5 busloads of elementary school kids sure as hell does. Blue hats from one school, yellow hats from another! This is not my peaceful moment of zen (that's the next place). Ryoanji is a short-ish walk from Kinkakuji and is a lovely example of a zen rock garden along with some other artwork. The one place I saw where visitors could just sit and appreciate the garden. And normally, this is where I would say I went to Arashiyama or some such on the west side, but I got in line for the wrong bus and at that point I was too stubborn to admit I was in the wrong line and just took it back to the city center for my first bowl of ramen. There was some good rest and some early Nintendo themed Christmas shopping before some katsu curry dinner. One of the omakase experiences I had next was at this gin/cocktail lab that could be considered liquid cuisine at Nokishita711. Serious, just look it up, it's hard to explain!
• Oct 11 - I finally went to Sanjusangendo, though it was originally on my itinerary for the 1st full day in Kyoto. So glad I made the trip as it was high on my list and my biggest regret is not being able to take any pictures (signs everywhere in the main hall). It was just so peaceful, reverent, and inspiring to see what was done there. I then had reservations to Kiyama, opting for the higher priced market course. It was one of the best meals I've ever had, though thankfully a fellow American sat next to me so I could really appreciate the meal with someone. Kyoto, and Japan as a whole, has such a plethora of fine dining, and this one really encapsulated Japanese cuisine in both its seasonal ingredients and technique. Bonus to this night, I saw my first Geisha/Meiko as I left my hotel to meet up with friends old & new. She eventually entered a taxi with 2 others already inside. Bucketlist checked! My dinner came at the bottom of a whisky glass, so that's how that night went.
• Oct 12 - I am finally leaving one of my favorite cities for my old "home". I'll continue this in a part II as I take the Shinkansen to Mishima in Shizuoka.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Aminilaina on 2024-10-21 23:30:17+00:00.

TLDR: I had really bad luck but still had a good time, will go back.

Ello! I went to Japan for a week in early October and then spent a week in South Korea. I'm just getting around to my trip report now because I really just wanted to sleep.

So, a little background, I am disabled. I have narcolepsy, EDS, POTS, and lord knows what else tbh. I look fine outwardly but I'm a total mess that manages with spite and duct tape keeping me together. I traveled with a cane though and thank god because with all that walking, it was much appreciated. I traveled with my girlfriend and always recommend my disabled peeps travel with a companion of some kind. I felt much better with someone else with me just in case.

Firstly, I stayed in Tokyo and about half way through the week, I took a shinkansen to Kyoto. It was a trailblazing and unpopular choice, I know. I would have stayed longer but we had to meet my fiancé in South Korea and I wanted a week in Japan instead of two weeks in South Korea. Not that there's a problem with that, I just wanted to see both countries. I plan to stay longer next time. A week wasn't nearly enough time to do everything I wanted.

In general, I found Japan to be quite disability friendly. Nowhere is perfect but it was significantly better than many places I've been too, including places here in the US where I'm from. If you are also travelling to Japan with a disability and you wanna know about what to expect ahead of time, here's what I noticed.

Nearly everywhere has an elevator. The buildings, the subway, the train stations, etc. I thought that the metro underneath my Kyoto hotel didn't, but I figured out that I was just an idiot and it was across the street. So look across the street when in doubt. They have the blue wheelchair symbol clearly marked on signs to find the accessible infrastructure. While I don't use a wheelchair at the moment, other friends of mine with similar conditions do and I would say that the elevators can get quite narrow. While I think most wheelchairs would be fine, I could see some larger powerchairs having trouble fitting. Not everywhere though.

Speaking of wheelchairs, the metro cars had space allocated for them. I didn't see a ton of allocated seats themselves for in-need groups but a few times people offered their seat to me regardless and I found that I was able to snag an empty one most of the time. I'm sure if I asked, someone would have obliged, they're all very polite. If you find yourself in one of the super crowded commute trains, the cane helps balance quite a bit, otherwise, hug those poles and handles like your life depends on it.

Now, not saying this happened to me or anything, but should you find yourself fresh off an international flight, exhausted, just found your luggage, the luggage shipping hours ended, and finally on the correct line to your hotel, note that the trains take off really, really fast. Again, totally not speaking from experience but if you tumble over your luggage and onto the ground, people will be very concerned and it will be the most embarrassing first impression to a new country ever recorded in history. ~~I don't wanna talk about it~~

For my fellow POTS/Dysautonomia friends or anyone else with a fainting problem, you may happen to fly to Japan during an abnormal heatwave like I did. This was just bad luck, unfortunately. I recommend bringing an empty, vacuum sealed, water bottle with you (Hydroflask, Stanley, Owala, etc). I know that's a general tip but it's important. Both of my hotels had ice machines either on the first floor or on every floor. Utilize these. Otherwise, always carry around cash and coins with you because Japan loves their vending machines. A lot. There's always cold water in these things along with sodas and some of those sodas felt like they had some electrolytes so that was nice. Bring your preferred form of salt around. I know you have salt you carry around, I don't care if they're restaurant salt packets, carry them. Personally, I also have pretty decent electrolyte drops. Most of the food is pretty salty in general so you should be fine. Try to eat even if you really don't feel like it with the heat.

If you are an ambulatory wheelchair user and waffling about if bringing your wheelchair. Bring it. The amount of walking you will be doing, even with a cane or something will absolutely make a wheelchair worth air traveling with it. Everything was on fire when I got back to my hotel, every day.

Speaking of hotels and joint pain, those beds are bricks. If you are willing to sacrifice the luggage space to bring a pillow from home, do it. The pillows at my hotel were on the flatter and denser side and the beds were very firm. That's good for some joints but not really for mine. I slept fine out of exhaustion though.

Last point I'll make is that most stores had an area you could sit down in which was a very welcome and pleasant surprise.

Non-disability related things about my trip:

Both my girlfriend and I got our periods on the flight over and wished for death. Again, bad luck but that's the universe for ya. Due to a number of factors, we found we almost never had an appetite and we wish we managed to enjoy the food but we will make up for it next time. When we landed our international phone plan didn't work correctly so my poor saint of a mother got a phone call at ass-o-clock in the morning while I panicked cuz we were a bit lost finding the hotel. Get those backup e-sims.

Navigating Shinagawa Station for the first time definitely gave me some gray hairs. Thank you to the nice older tourist man who saw two lost and frazzled women and helped us. I will not miss you Shinagawa Station.

Best experience was on the subway from Kyoto Station to our hotel, I sat next to an older local woman who turned to me, welcomed us to Japan and popped two folded paper cranes, made out of magazine pages, from her purse and gave them to me and my girlfriend.

Still had a good time but as a homebody, I'm more than happy to be back home. I got to come back with a checked luggage of new plushie friends, skincare, and makeup so I consider the whole thing a success. Thanks so much for reading all this and hope it helps my fellow disabled travelers!