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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/daremoina on 2025-10-11 13:33:23+00:00.

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Hi all,

Just wanted to share about the Osaka Pokémon Hunt event! Official link

You start at JR Osaka Station, where you can purchase one of five maps — Charizard, Lucario, Gardevoir, Gyarados, or Ampharos — and then go on a Pokémon hunt to gather clues. The event runs until 31 October.

It’s a really fun experience, but be aware that it takes about 1.5–2 hours to collect all the clues, as the hunt covers quite a wide area.

A few notes from our experience:

• The reward is a clear pouch and keychain matching the map you chose — not the plushies some vloggers have shown.

• We completed the Gardevoir (5 clues) and Mega Charizard X (7 clues) routes. Altogether, it took about 3–4 hours, as some clues were a bit tricky. For example, boxes 22 and 23 are actually on Level 10 of LUCUA 100, and box 14, while featuring amazing artwork, does not contain a numbered clue.

If you get stuck, here are the clue numbers we found:

Gardevoir: 23, 27, 36, 63, 87

Mega Charizard X: 11, 15, 37, 54, 56, 73, 81

Once you return to the starting point, you’ll need to decipher the final phrase using the provided tables.For Charizard, the correct answer is A (the one with seven syllables). For Gardevoir, I can’t recall exactly — but choose the one with five syllables!

Happy hunting! and remember - the clear pouches don't come with the plushies!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/z33ji on 2025-10-09 19:42:32+00:00.

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Hi hi,

I finally have time to sit down and write down my experiences traveling to Japan for the first time all by myself. This sub really helped a lot so I wanted to share my thoughts, for myself as well to remember my memories. I really loved reading people's trip reports beforehand, especially the long ones, because it got me excited for my trip so please excuse the length! I'll put what I planned to do, and what I actually ended up doing.

Some context: I'm a mid 20s Southeast Asian-American girl and I've never taken a solo trip anywhere before. I decided to book a trip to both Japan and Korea, though this trip report is just about the Japan part. I had a friend who was going with her friend group however I didn't feel like intruding and wanted to try out going back myself. I'm an ambivert so doing my own thing on some days and meeting up with friends on other days was perfect for me. I'm also from North Carolina and was a little bit worried about the heat/humidity but it was slightly comparable to our summers. Am also fairly active and am used to constantly being on my feet working a lab job BUT i have bad knees. Did duolingo for like a month or two to pick up some basics that were actually helpful!

Transportation: Flights were booked in April ($500 one-way) and booked Hostels + Hotel two weeks later. Did the math and with all of the traveling I was going to be doing, the JR Kansai Wide Pass was worth the price so I booked that about a month prior. Also booked my Shinkansen 2 weeks prior even though I know you could do it the day of, I didn't want to stress about it and wanted good seats.

Packing: Had 1 backpack and 1 carry-on. Really tried not to overpack since I knew I'd be buying a lot of things but was also prepared to back 1-2 checked bags.

Day 0/1 -

I booked through AirCanada since it was the cheapest however the week leading up to it, there were strikes and that did affect my flight. It went from 8am to 7am which was no sweat. BUT when I got to the airport (at 4am mind you), I got all the way to my get, tried to rest my eyes after only getting 2 hours of sleep and a migraine, and an hour before we were scheduled to board, my flight got delayed for THREE hours. Which wouldn't have been a problem except my next layover was supposed to be in 3 hours. They luckily rebooked me through United for free and my 2 layovers, in DC and Toronto, to just 1 layover in San Francisco (yay). The flights weren't terrible, I used an app to help avoid Jetlag but tbh I didn't do much except sleep for 3 hours, wake for 2 hours, sleep for 3 more etc, until the 10 hours were over.

Official Day 1- Check in, Sumida River Walk, Akihabara

Landed at Haneda Airport around 3pm. Bought and activated an e-sim from Airalo before I flew so it worked right when I landed. I also did the arrival card online beforehand cause I thought it was faster however, it was required by everyone to do it and have the QR code ready lol. They weren't handing out any physical forms on the plane FYI so def have it ready beforehand. I did it the night before. Customs line was still super super long but once I scanned everything, it was pretty easy to get out. Did a mobile Suica card and I got cash from my bank back home so loaded it up on my card as well. TIP: if you have a mobile suica card, put it on service mode when you are loading it up physcially then put it on transit mode to use it on the train. Took the train to my first hostel: Nui. Hostel Bar & Lounge in Kuramae, and checked in.

My hostel was RIGHT next to Sumida River so I decided to walk along it and get my bearings but also take it in that I'm really in Japan!! It was absolutely beautiful since it was at sunset. Decided to head to Akihabara since someone recommended to go my first night. Headed to Radio Kaiken but quickly realized that I'm not that up to date on current anime. Lights were cool though. Quickly got dehydrated so I walked to Gyukatsu Motomura cause it was right there. Got a seat after waiting for 15 minutes and wow what a first meal! Went to a random (HUGE) department store (?) to grab some necessities like fans, an some airism Uniqlo clothes. Was gonna take the train home but I got lost, realized I was near by Senso-ji temple and decided to just cut through it back to my hostel. The view at night was soooo much better than the day time. Made a friend at the hostel and she invited me out to try this random ramen restaurant a Hostel staff recommended (ran along Sumida River cause I lost track of time and was late meeting her lol but pretty!) so great way to end the night.

Steps: 33,172

Day 2 - Asakusa/Ueno, Kappabashi St, ~~Ikebukuro, Akihabara (again)~~

Got an egg sandwich and coffee at a family mart and it was just ok (but got to use a lil japanese!) Met another person at the hostel and we made plans to go to Ueno Park together. But first, I wanted to see Asakusa during the day. Went to see Senso-ji temple during the day and holyyyyyy the heat and humidity really hit me. I got a UV umbrella from Uniqlo, a fan, and cooling wipes. That trio saved me my whole trip. Got a book to collects stamps from temples (this was the only day I used it lol) paid my respects, got some blessings. It was 8am and the crowd was already started to come in so I dipped. The stalls were just beginning to get set up but I wasn't that hungry. Took the train to Ueno park to meet up with my hostel friend and we walked around and enjoyed the views. Took pics of each other and visited smaller shrines and things. Went to an area that said it was a lake and there wasn't any water so was kinda confused but the lily pads (?) were cool. She really really wanted to visit the museums but we discovered the museums were all closed on Monday so she was really disappointed. I'm not that big into museums but I was sad for her. We split off and I decided to head to Ikebukuro.

Went straight to Sunshine City Mall and yeahhh stayed for quite a few hours. I see the obsession with Gacha. I'm a size 6-8 M/L in the US so I was worried about sizing BUT I fit most free size shirts and am a L/XL (oof) in other clothing items. The girl from ramen wanted to meet up so we to the food level which was a floor with a bunch of restaurants. Stopped by one place with a long line of locals and sold out items and wow had the best fish I've ever had in my life. I really loved all the extra stuff that came with it. We split off and I went to animate and got goodies. Tried to visit this cafe I saw online but when I got there, it was closed even though it wasn't supposed to be :( Went back to the hostel cause I was sweating through my clothes. Met someone just checking into the hostel who needed to buy somethings so I decided to bring her along with me to the mall but at Tokyo Skytree which is breathtaking at night. Our hostel was just one stop away which was really great. Ate in the food court which is crazy to me cause the food is just great quality even though it's fast?? Too used to mcdonalds and chick-fil-a in my food courts. Had a great soba dish. Ramen girl invited us to try the conveyor belt sushi place - Kuma(?). Who am I to turn her down even though we just ate. I've never actually had conveyor belt sushi even though I eat sushi religiously but it was really fun, great quality, and fast! The fish choices were different than I was used to but it was fun trying them out. Loved the squid btw. Decided to lead the group through Senso-ji temple at night on the way back to the hostel cause they hadn't seen it yet and it felt like I was passing it on lol

Steps: 28,993

Day 3: ~~Ueno~~, check out, Kiyosumi, Shibuya, check-in, ~~Golden Gai~~

I started to really like solo-traveling cause obviously my plans were already changing. Since I already visited Ueno the day before, I decided to bump up Kiyosumi. I really loved walking through the area, I didn't see anyone else who wasn't a local and it was just a beautiful area. Was amazed at kids walking themselves to school. Stopped by a really great cafe and unironically had an amazing grilled cheese and tomato soup. Wanted to visit Kiyosumi Gardens but it was kind of like dead?? Idk if it's under construction or something but there was no water or anything. Didn't really expect that so just stopped by another temple, before heading back cause I needed to finish my laundry. TIP: Japan dryers really really suck. Expect 3 rounds of drying before it's even semi-dry and definitely don't do it if you're on a time crunch. Asked the staff to hold onto my luggage after check out and headed to Kappabashi st. Visited___ to buy knives for my dad and brother and they were really helpful. I knew what kind of knife I wanted but it was still fun to try out different ones. Got them engraved really quickly and left. Wasn't in the mood to buy much else in the area. Grabbed my luggage and headed to my second hostel: Unplan Shinjuku.

Just dropped off my luggage and tried to wipe down my sweat. The route google maps took me was TERRIBLE, I should've forwarded my luggage that was the worst walk of my entire life I wanted to cry. The train station was so far I started questioning my decisions booking that hostel. Went to Shibuya sky cause I had tickets with my friends from home that was booked two weeks beforehand. It was cool but honestly after 30 minutes, we were kind of over it. Ended up in Harajuku and shopped til night time. Went back to the hostel, decided to check out the bar attac...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bythevoid_ on 2025-10-09 14:44:50+00:00.

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I arrived in Japan on the 25th of September and stayed in an Airbnb in Sangenjaya. I was supposed to go to a Kyoto Airbnb on the 6th of October, but, 4 days before I was meant to arrive, my host tried to force me to cancel the reservation by claiming that there was a water leak in the apartment. He said he would provide me with an identical room (and provided photos), but that he couldn't list it on Airbnb because new rooms take 3 months to be approved by Airbnb. He also said that hosts couldn't cancel reservations, only guests, but that he would give me the identical room at a discounted rate if I arrived with no Airbnb reservation and paid in cash.

Since he told me about the supposed leak at 10 pm on October 1st, and the cutoff for a full refund was 4 pm, he would receive over half of the booking fee that I paid if I were the one to cancel.

After I said that it sounded like a scam, he tried to guilt me and said that there were "tears in [his] eyes" and that he wouldn't try to scam someone over what he considered a small amount of money, and that he only wanted to run an Airbnb to meet new people. He then said he would let me stay for free.

Anyway, I ended up spending 5 hours trying to resolve this situation which, by the way, started on the night of my birthday when I was kind of drunk in a darts bar in Sangenjaya.

I contacted Airbnb customer support and they forced him to cancel the reservation on his end. He sent me a screenshot of the fees that he incurred by cancelling so late, which I believe he wouldn't have received if he could have proven that there were extenuating circumstances (i.e. a leak) that forced him to cancel the reservation. He then tried again to persuade me to come and stay at his apartment.

I ended up getting a hotel in Osaka instead of Kyoto, since, after looking it up, it seems as though Kyoto Airbnb hosts do shady things to try to evade Kyoto's rental laws. Regardless, I was trying to travel on a budget and spent way more than I wanted to. I'm now in Osaka in a very small hotel room that I paid more than I should have for. Interestingly, it also has over 100 free porn films on the TV, but it isn't a love hotel...

Anyway, this is somewhat of a warning for anyone planning to use an Airbnb in Kyoto. I'd just play it safe and go for a hotel.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Sky_Walker98 on 2025-10-08 19:29:35+00:00.

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I am just back from my Japan trip. I spent 15 days in country and I visited Tokyo, Mt Fuji (and it was visible), Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hiroshima.

I booked flights for this trip in March and it has been a dream of mine to go to Japan ever since a friend of mine went for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

I had high expectations going into this trip and I had a lot planned. When I tell you this trip exceeded all my high expectations it is an understatement. My experience in Japan went perfectly. Nearly too perfect now I can’t see anything beating the 2 weeks I spent there.

I am from Ireland so we don’t have any extremely large cities. I am well travelled and I’ve been all over Europe, Dubai and America so I have experienced big cities. Tokyo just blew all other big cities out of the water. Tokyo was my favourite part of the trip. The public transport was amazing. The food top notch. The buzz of the city honestly gave me a new lease on life.

One day a few months ago my work laptop set the background to Mount Fuji. I made it a goal of mine to get to see Mount Fuji from that exact location and I fulfilled that goal. It nearly brought me to tears to be honest.

Kyoto was a breath of fresh air compared to the mega city that is Tokyo. The temples and nature you could see around that city was unbelievable.

Ōsaka had such a cool unique vibe to it. So much to do there and I used it as a hub to travel to Nara (I took a bite in the ass from a deer which was hilarious) and Hiroshima (I am a big history nerd so when I got a chance to see that city I couldn’t turn it down).

The shopping was amazing and I must’ve bought every souvenir possible.

I returned to work today and while it was depressing being back, I feel so fulfilled that I managed to pull off the trip of a lifetime.

How does one go on after experiencing everything I experienced.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/SpacedOutVy on 2025-10-08 04:48:02+00:00.

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Hi all! If you could please take a look at my current itinerary and let me know if you think it'd doable or too much or if I could choose better places. My main goal are to see some touristy spots, so I don't feel FOMO but do some lowkey things. Other goal is to enjoy as much food as possible. I've listed some places that are a must for me to go to, but I'm open to recommendations. If I list curry below, I'm not likely to go to another curry place as I want to try a variety of different foods. Or if I do have two different ramen spots, it has to be super different from each other.

Sunday, Nov 2 - Tokyo Station

• Arrive in Japan at 3:05pm
• Get a physical Suica card
• Haneda Airport to Tokyo Station
• Tokyo Station (buy some toiletries and travelor's journal)
• Eat: McDonald’s teriyaki burger
• Check in at Toyoko Inn

Monday, Nov 3 - Asakusa & Ueno (Culture Day)

• Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise Street
• Go! Go! Curry Ueno
• Tokyo National Museum (free)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art (free)
• Ueno Park
• Ichiran Ramen Ueno

Tuesday, Nov 4 - Akihabara & Ginza

• Tsukiji Fish Market
• Arcades & anime store in Akihabara
• Shopping at Ginza Itoya (stationary)
• Buy a Japan-only Pandora Charm as a souvenir
• Food: Gyukatsu Motomura (lunch)

Wednesday, Nov 5 - Shibuya

• Meiji Jingu Shrine
• Harajuku & Omotesando
• Iyoshi Cola
• Shibuya Crossing
• Food: Pizza Marumo?

Thursday, Nov 6 - Ikebukuro

• Animate Ikebukuro
• Pokemon Center
• Asakusa Culture & Tourist Information Center
• Sumida River & Azumabashi Bridge Walk
• Hokkaido Milk Bar
• Hatoya (matcha)
• Manten Sushi for dinner

Friday, Nov 7 - Hakone

• Train to Hakone by 9:30am via Romancecar
• Ropeway to Owakudani
• Hakone Open Air Museum
• Check in Onsen Mizunooto
• Food: Kaiseki dinner & late night ramen

Saturday, Nov 8 - Osaka

• Morning bath & breakfast at Onsen Mizunooto
• Hakone Shrine & Torii of Peace
• Travel to Osaka (4-5 hours)
• Eat at Dotonbori (takoyaki, tempura, okonomiyaki)
• Check-in Toyoko-inn

Sunday, Nov 9 - Kyoto

• Nijo Castle
• Nishiki Market (matcha beer)
• Motoi Gyoza?
• Tea ceremony
• Tofuku-ji
• Food: La Voiture (tarte tartine) & Sumiyaki Sosai Toriya Hitomi (yakitori - open at 6pm)

Monday, Nov 10 - Kyoto 

• Fushimi Inari
• Itsukichaya by Fushimi Inari
• Gion/Hanamikoji Street
• Kiyomizu-dera around sunset
• Pontocho Alley for dinner OR Gion Duck rice
• Kamo River

Tuesday, Nov 11 - Kyoto

• Hozugawa River Boat Ride
• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
• Okochi Sanso Garden
• Odai Sushi
• Kinkaku-ji Temple
• Demachi Futaiba (mochi)
• Muginoyoake (scallop & duck ramen)

Wednesday, Nov 12 - Osaka

• Osaka Castle
• DEARBROs (omurice)
• Osaka Museum of Housing & Living
• Vintage window shopping?
• Make custom pouches at Object Osaka
• Kuromon Ichiba Market
• Shinsekai & Tsutenkaku

Thursday, Nov 13 - Himeji & Kobe

• Himeji Oden Jiryori Izakaya
• Himeji Castle & garden
• Sumiyaki Anago Yamayoshi (eel donburi)
• Suma Beach
• Kobe Chinatown & Motomachi Shopping Street
• Kobe Beef AMAMI

Friday, Nov 14 - Shinjuku

• Travel from Osaka to Shinjuku
• Kirimugiya Jinroku (udon tempura)
• Check in Toyoko-inn
• Stores: Ikedaya Tea Store (matcha soft serve); Akomeya Tokyo (local souvenir shop)
• Pachinko Hall
• Omoide Yokocho

Saturday, Nov 15 - Shinjuku & Tokyo

• es Nail Salon appointment
• Last minute shopping
• Pick up glasses if needed
• Mos Burger
• Anything I didn’t get to

Sunday, Nov 16 - Departure

• Shinjuku National Park
• Early lunch
• Go to airport
• Flight at 8:25pm

EDIT: I'll be staying in Tokyo and Osaka for the majority of my trip with an overnight stay in Hakone. The Kyoto/Himeji& Kobe days are day trips from Osaka.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/ScannerToScan on 2025-10-08 05:21:54+00:00.

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I am visiting Hirakata Park (ひらかたパーク) today and just wanted to share — it’s such an unexpected little gem. It’s a small local theme park between Osaka and Kyoto (right off the Keihan Line), and it honestly feels like time stopped there around the early 2000s — in a good way.

Its Wednesday and the place is almost empty. No lines, no crowds, just me hopping from ride to ride. The park’s a bit run-down in parts, but it has this really nostalgic, cozy atmosphere — old-school music, polite staff, and families wandering around without any rush.

The wooden coaster “Elf” and the Red Falcon are surprisingly fun, and the Ferris wheel gives a great view of Osaka. Definitely not Universal Studios Japan, but if you want something more relaxed and local, this place has real soul.

Tickets were kinda cheap too (entry ¥2,000 + unlimited ride pass ¥3,400). If you’re in Kansai and want a low-key day away from crowds, it’s worth the trip.

Anyone else been recently? Curious if it’s always this quiet or if I just got lucky midweek.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Spiritual_Sun_9538 on 2025-10-07 04:47:55+00:00.

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Interests are fall color, Japanese gardens, history and architecture. I'm not in great shape but can handle 10,000 steps a day pretty well. I'm travelling with my adult son who is on the spectrum. He doesn't like crowds, I know, tremendous crowds in Japan. He knows very well. He's here for manga and anime. Thanks for looking this over, I have learned so much from this forum! Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo, Nov. 18 at 1540

• Arrive at Tokyo Narita airport, transfer to Ueno hotel, check out neighborhood

Day 2: Tokyo  Nov. 19

• Ghibli museum if get tickets Oct. 10, Meiji Jingu Gaien Gingko Ave., Tokyo Metro Gov’t Bldg
• Depart Nov. 20 to Kanazawa, Hokuriku Shinkansen departing from Tokyo station

Day 3: Kanazawa Nov. 20-22

Higashi Chayagai District, Kaikaro, Omi-Cho market

   Day 4: Kanazawa Nov. 21

• Kenroku-en garden, DT Suzuki Museum

Day 5: Depart Kanazawa Nov. 22.

 Take JR Thunderbird Limited Express – Kanazawa to Kyoto

• Travel to Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera temple for view of city, night viewing 6-9:30
• Kinkaku-ji (Golden temple) plus famous rock garden by it (Ryoanji ) 20 min.walk away, 30 min to tour

Day 6: Nov. 23 Kyoto Nov. 22-26

• Silver temple, (Ginkakuji) sand and moss gardens, Philosopher’s path, Honen-in

Day 7: Kyoto -  Nov. 24

• Walking tour 10-12 Gion district
• Eikan-do Zenrin-ji Temple

Day 8: Kyoto - Nov. 25

• Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple (Bamboo grove and statues)
• Jojakkoji Temple (fall color)
• Nijo Castle

Day 9: Depart for Osaka Nov. 26 JR Kyoto line

• Umeda Sky Building, Pokemon Center

Day 10: Osaka -  Nov. 27

• Shinsekai, Denden Town Nipponbashi, Dotonbori

Day 11: Depart to Hiroshima, stop at Himeji Castle Nov. 28

• Travel to Hiroshima (2.5 hours), no plans for rest of day

Day 12: Hiroshima Nov. 29

Peace Memorial, Orizuru Tower, Miyajima Island

Day 13: Hiroshima to Tokyo (take Sanyo Shinkansen Nozomi?) Nov. 30

• Nothing planned

Day 14: Tokyo Dec. 1

• Enshimo Island, Iwaya Cave
• Last-minute shopping or sightseeing if time allows

 

Day 15: Dec. 2, Depart 6:10 Narita airport, last minute stuff

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Psychological_Goal55 on 2025-10-06 18:47:41+00:00.

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Just got back from 4 weeks in Japan - spent a few days in Tokyo at each end, and most of the trip around the Northern Alps. Sharing my itinerary (excluding Tokyo since that has been well covered) in case the information is useful to anyone. Apologise in advance if I had recalled any facts wrongly. Note: I used Claude to help me clean up parts of this post.

Who this is for: People who like smaller cities, hiking, nature, and enjoy some camping. Not super budget (went for comfort where cost was manageable) but not luxury either.

Who this isn’t for:

• Travellers on a tight trip - sections might work but probably not the whole itinerary, and weather in the mountains can be unpredictable
• Travellers on a tight budget - transport to these popular mountain destinations are slightly pricey

Some highlights in short clips (only halfway done sorting through the photos): https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MDk4OTYyNTI4NjUyNDU4

Quick Stats:

• Dates: September 2-23, 2024
• Budget: ¥237,576 (~$1,600 USD) excluding flights
• Accommodation: Mix of camping, guesthouses, and mid-range hotels

Matsumoto (5 Days)

Getting there: Hourly buses from Shinjuku, no advance booking needed.

Good city to ease into the trip. Plenty of day trip options, and the pace is relaxed. The old merchant streets (Nawate-dori and Nakamachi-dori) are nice to walk around and less crowded than Takayama.

Where I stayed: Hotel M Matsumoto - Capsule-style with private cabins, clean, right next to the bus terminal. Has a communal hot bath. Many cabins share one large room with no dividers, so if anyone snores you'll definitely hear it.

What I did:

• Matsumoto Castle - One of the few original keeps in Japan, over 400 years old
• Day trip to Naraijuku - Historic Edo-period post town (50 min by train)
• Day trip to Azumino - Cycling through rice fields, Daio Wasabi Farm, Hotaka Shrine (30 min by train)
• Obasute Station - Worth the trip just for the view (40 min by train)
• Yayoi Kusama exhibition at City Museum of Art - Small permanent collection since she's from Matsumoto

Food:

• Miyota for toji soba
• Karaage Center for sanzoku-yaki (local fried chicken)
• Coffee Bigaku Abe for old-school coffee

Notes:

• Kojitsusanso outdoor gear shop at Alpico Plaza if you need camping gear
• Other day trip options: Norikura, Magome/Tsumago

Kamikochi (3 Days)

This is what got me started planning the whole trip. Kamikochi is a valley in the Northern Alps with crystal-clear rivers and accessible hiking.

Getting there: Direct bus from Matsumoto requires advance booking online. There's also a train + bus combo you can book on the day of travel but they get crowded too.

Camping: Konashidaira Campsite, 15 min walk from the bus terminal. Good views if you get a site near the river. No reservations needed if you bring your own tent.

Facilities: Restaurant and store on-site with reasonable prices. More options at Kappabashi and other campsites. Communal hot bath available for ¥700 for guests (slightly more for non-guests). Basic toilets. Most toilets in Kamikochi request a small donation except at your accommodation.

What I hiked:

• Day 1: Tashiro Marsh → Tashiro Pond → Taisho Pond
• Day 2: Full day loop to Myojin → Furuike → Tokusawa → Yokoo, then back via Myojin Bridge to see Myojin Ponds and Dakesawa Marsh. Mostly flat.
• Day 3: Took it easy, chilled by the river and walked to Kappabashi and Dakesawa Marsh again

Good to know:

• My favourite views were from Konashidaira Campsite and Dakesawa Marsh
• Lots of bear warnings - I didn't see any, but do take precautions seriously
• For those more ambitious than me, Karasawa Campsite further beyond Yokoo looked like a popular spot with great views
• Hotels and cabins are also available at Kamikochi

Hirayu Onsen (1 Day)

Short bus ride from Kamikochi. Small hot spring village with a nice waterfall, some small attractions, and public foot baths.

Where I stayed: Hirayukan - Most expensive night of the trip but worth it. Indoor and outdoor baths in 2 sections that switch between men's/women's during the stay so everyone experiences both. Breakfast and dinner were delicious buffets.

What I did:

• Hirayu Waterfall - Beautiful waterfall, 30-min walk from the bus terminal
• Skipped Shinhotaka Ropeway (first double-decker cable car in Japan) due to cloudy weather, enjoyed the ryokan onsens instead

It is also possible to use Hirayu as a base to visit Kamikochi and Norikura.

Takayama (2 Days)

Beautifully preserved old town, lots of international tourists. Being in the Hida region, there's great food - Hida beef, hoba miso, local apples, milk and more.

Where I stayed: Cup of Tea Guesthouse - Affordable capsule-style dorms, small but clean.

What I did:

• Takayama Jinya - Historic government building
• Sanmachi Suji + sake tasting at Harada brewery (¥450 for a cup, self-pour from a dozen bottles). It was chaotic with everyone crowding around. I barely got through half since I don't drink much.
• Morning markets (Jinya-mae and Miyagawa) - Smaller than expected but good vibes
• Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan - Festival float museum with Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine next door. The floats are huge and intricately decorated.
• Sakurayama Nikkokan - Scale models of famous shrines (same ticket as floats)
• Takayama Shōwa-kan Museum - Retro museum to take you back in time

Toyama (2 Days)

From mountains to coast. I liked that it was a little quieter than Takayama.

Where I stayed: T-Port. T-Port is a collection of rental apartments in an apartment building, operated by a lovely old couple. The apartment was slightly old but clean and well equipped. I had a comfortable stay there. 

What I did:

• Kansui Park - Modern waterfront
• Glass Art Museum - Building by Kengo Kuma, Dale Chihuly permanent exhibition and beautiful glass art by various artists
• City Hall observation deck (free) - Great views of city and mountains. Went day and night.
• Toyama Prefectural Museum - The Onomatopoeia Rooftop Playground (free) was cool
• Iwase - Beach with observation deck (free) and historic street. Observation deck was hot with no ventilation but good views.
• White shrimp and firefly squid - Had them as sashimi at Rotate Toyama Sushi near the station. One of my pricier dinners but worth it. Also got tempura versions from Shiroebi-tei at the station.
• Toyama Black Ramen at Isshin
• Toyama Castle gardens (skipped inside - it's a reconstruction with Japanese-only signage)

Tateyama (1 Day)

And back to the mountains. Stayed here to visit Shomyo Falls and start the Alpine Route early. The local train from Toyama was scenic.

Where I stayed: Locomotion Coffee and Bed - Pricier capsule but new, well-designed, spacious. Small communal hot bath.

What I did:

• Tateyama Caldera Sabo Museum (free) - Didn't know about this beforehand but it was interesting - interactive exhibits about erosion control
• Shomyo Falls (free, bus ¥500 each way) - 15-min bus + 30-min walk each way. Last bus departs Shomyo at 4:40pm so confirm timings before going up

Food: Everything closes by dinner. Locomotion requires pre-booking dinner, no convenience stores nearby. They provide a microwave and hot water if you bring your own food.

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (2 Days)

This is the famous mountain crossing with cable cars, funiculars, and buses. Most people come for the snow walls in spring. No snow in September, but the hiking and views were great.

What I did:

• Funicular to Bijodaira → cedar forest hike
• Bus to Midagahara → wetlands hike
• Bus to Murodo → hiked to Raichosawa Campsite, explored ponds and viewpoints around Murodo (night at Raichosawa Campsite)
• Next day (all transport connections, minimal walking except at Kurobe Dam): Murodo → Daikanbo → Kurobe-daira → Kurobeko → Kurobe Dam → Ogizawa → Hakuba

Camping at Raichosawa (2,450m): Getting to the campsite was not difficult but also not an effortless walk if you have a fully loaded backpack - about 1 hour from Murodo with steep stairs right before camp. ¥1,000/person/night. Toilets and running water, no showers. Nearby huts have day-use onsen for ¥1,000. I went to Lodge Tateyama (Raichosawa Hutte's onsen appeared closed). Lodge was small and run-down with a dirty and unused outdoor tub. Interesting experience but might not be for everyone.

After setting up, I hiked to Chinoike (Blood Pond), Mikuriga-ike, Midoriga Pond and other viewpoints of the mountains and valleys - all on paved paths, about 2-3 hours total. Perfect weather on the first day, but it poured overnight and was foggy in the morning. Raichosawa Campsite is also a starting point for various summit hikes, for those more prepared and adventurous. There were also bear warnings at Murodo.

Tickets:

• Buy whole route (Tateyama to Ogizawa) or individual legs
• Easy to purchase online
• 10% discount booking 1+ month ahead (2025)
• Valid 5 days from start - you only pick timing for first leg
• Can buy day of travel but allow flexibility
• Hotels available between Murodo and Midagahara (pricey)

Transit notes: Stops between Murodo and Ogizawa are quick (mostly viewpoints). Kurobe Dam takes longest - you walk across with viewpoints...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bussy1847 on 2025-10-06 15:33:55+00:00.

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We flew to Haneda Airport from Chicago, direct, and it’s a long one. I broke it up with some movies and games, and it was a breeze. Food service was interesting and okay for being stuck in a can. Looking back, I will say I should have skipped some of those meals. When we landed, I wasn’t really hungry for anything, which kinda bummed me out since I was in Japan and food is phenomenal here. When I go again, definitely skipping some of those meals the plane provides.

Landed around 3:30 and did the whole immigration thing. They stopped handing out the customs paperwork you used to fill out on the plane, but luckily we filled all this out a day before our flight using the Japan Travel website. It was super simple and definitely sped things up at immigration. Highly recommend you create an account and fill this out before your trip. You can sign up for the tax free QR code as well, but we had issues using it. We used our passport directly, and by law, you should carry yours at all times anyway.

Even though I bought a ton of stuff tax free stuff and they bagged it up, no one checked anything at the airport on our way back. Not sure if you get pre-selected or what, but we were stressing a little about it since we bought so much and didn’t have it organized. They literally didn’t do anything for the tax free stuff we bought.

I screwed up the phone service thing since I thought I would buy it right when I landed. The WiFi available at the airport is pretty trash, so using that to sign into AT&T and add the international add-on was annoying. Ended up using dial services to get it added to my account. You should probably not do what I did. I just didn’t buy the eSIM or anything and paid extra through AT&T.

I’ve read that the eSIM is a breeze to sign up for, but I like to be stubborn. I also read the eSIM is for data only and you can only text when you’re on Wi-Fi. Not sure if that’s the case, but I didn’t want to deal with it. Have your phone service figured out before your arrival.

Most of the trip was focused around taking in the sights, walking, architecture, art, vintage decor, and design. Brief info about us, my wife and I went last year and couldn’t get enough. We decided to go again this year and spend much more time as well as check out other cities.

Last year we mainly did Tokyo with some short day trips like Hakone, Nikko, and Kawagoe. We’re in our 30s. I’m extremely active and run regularly. I can walk for days nonstop and love exploring. My wife is the complete opposite and enjoys shopping and relaxing at the beach. She mentioned several times during the trip how her feet and legs were hurting, so she bought several heat pads she wore throughout the day, which helped her a bit. They are literally in every store, so I recommend them if you feel sore.

Pack good walking shoes. I wore open Keen sandals and it was super easy sliding my feet off at some areas that required it. My wife wore shoes with laces, which didn’t bother her, but she always had to retie them. My only issue was small rocks would sometimes get into the sandals, but other than that, they were perfect.

Luggage forwarding is insanely easy. I recommend it, although sending to the airport is expensive. I think I paid $30 per bag to Haneda from Kyoto. Regular sending is $12 or so per bag. We had a couple of backpacks between us and our massive checked luggage. The luggage bags were forwarded every few days so we weren’t paying at every single place we traveled, since some stops were only for a couple of days. Not having to carry these around was worth it. I did buy apple tags but not sure if it helped. Probably would have if our luggage was lost but that never happened. Mind at ease tax I guess.

One thing I will say is we overpacked. Literally could have brought one backpack, bought new clothes, shoved them into luggage, and had that forwarded every few days. Lesson learned. By the end of it, we ran out of space and were lugging massive extra bags around. We wore only a fraction of the clothes we brought since it was so much traveling and no point in spending time figuring out outfits when we can buy new clothes at Muji or several other retailers for super cheap. Muji had great stuff for 1000 yen a piece, INSANE.

They have storage lockers literally everywhere, and they’re not like the ones in Germany that are disgusting and broken. Every place we went, even parks, had luggage storage available costing 1000 yen or less for the whole day. Came in clutch a few places we traveled to.

We already had a Suica card installed on our phones, which I highly recommend. It was super easy adding money to Suica using Apple Pay. One thing we did not have that a lot of places and vending machines took was Pasmo, so maybe add that to your wallet too. Missed out on some fun vending machines since we were out of coins and too lazy to look for change.

They do have machines to change paper money to coins, so keep an eye on that and always have a few 100 yen coins on you. The 500 yen coin was annoying since lots of weird vending machines wouldn’t take it.

I know absolutely no Japanese other than “Arigato gozaimasu” for saying “thank you kindly” and “Orimasu” to get off the trains or buses. I’m pretty sure no one really cares if you just say “Arigato,” but it’s not hard adding on the “gozaimasu” at the end. Apparently it’s more polite? We used Google Translate for most translations at restaurants and train stations, and no one really gave us a hard time. They enjoyed helping us and were super friendly.

Several hotels offer washing machines, so if you are staying for a while, look for hotels with washing machines or at least have a laundry place nearby. You will need to do laundry. They have a pre wash cycle which cleans the machine before use if you are worried about it being disgusting from others.

Purchasing train tickets is simple enough, so don’t stress. We used Google Maps most of the way and it was relatively simple finding things. We had some issues underground since the service wasn’t pinning us correctly and jumped around, but there are signs everywhere.

Weather-wise, we got lucky and only had one major torrential rainstorm at night. There were a couple days with clouds and sprinkles but nothing too crazy for our main days out. We did pack travel sized umbrellas, which I recommend having.

Onto the trip

Sep 16th–19th: Tokyo Stayed in the Minato area since it’s calm and we actually enjoyed it last year. We visited a few places we enjoyed the year prior and took it easy for the most part to get used to the time zone change. It wasn’t too bad honestly, because our time zone had us getting up early around 5–7am, which helped beat some crowds to places. We aren’t night people, so being in at 9–10 pm isn’t bad for us.

19th–21st: Kanazawa Itinerary felt a bit packed even though we were pretty central to everything. Did the usual, Omicho Market, Kenroku-en Gardens, Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Higashi Tea District, D.T. Suzuki Museum, Kanazawa Castle, and Nagamachi District.

We did miss a few things like the Museum of Architecture and a couple of other places, but we only had so much time. One extra day here would have cut into other stops, but if you have the luxury, I would add two full days here.

21st–22nd: Shirakawa-go We were only here for the arrival date, and the next day we departed. Can you spend more time here? Yes. But for us, it was fine this way, and we got to see most of the village areas and enjoy the scenic views. Luckily, our hotel offered a free tour of the whole area and even took us to the top of the lookout area, which I highly recommend for everyone.

Problem is, there are only two ways up, walking or tour bus. Both eat up a lot of time, and the main view area closes relatively early around 3:30–4:00. There are two lookouts if I remember correctly, but the main one closes early. Stayed at Shiroyamakan, and holy smokes, it was worth it. Access to two private onsens, one overlooking the running river, incredible! Our rooms were very traditional with a view of the river. They also serve dinner and breakfast, both traditional and amazing experiences. The family that runs it is tied to the city and was wonderful.

22nd–23rd: Takayama Took the bus from Shirakawa-go to Takayama, and it was simple since the hotel is right across the street from the station. Arrived early, locked up our bags, and did a brief walk. Visited Hida Takayama Retro Museum, which was so cool, definitely recommend. Also visited Miyagawa Morning Market, then made our way to the hotel through a provided shuttle.

We decided to stay at Wanosato since it was our anniversary. The hotel provides a shuttle ride from the station, you can select what time works for you, but once you’re there, you’re pretty much stuck since there’s nothing really to do outside of it. The hotel was a huge highlight for us to relax and take in the beautiful views.

Ended up booking one of their villas and WOW, it’s well worth it. Pretty much your very own house in the woods with a view of the river from the living room. Private bath, large rooms, and a perfect traditional setup for dinner and breakfast. The food here was very traditional and delicious.

They have a couple of different onsens, one has a fake rock façade with separate cold and hot baths, and the other is more modern with a clean look but only a hot bath. This one had a ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/lloydholland100 on 2025-10-06 11:53:28+00:00.

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Hi everyone,

Arrived back from Japan yesterday after a 15 day trip to Japan, and I used this subreddit a fair bit when planning and organising a trip with my wife. It was really helpful to plan etc, so thought I would leave a small essay - i hope it helps at least 1 person.

I have put put together a bit of list of what we did on each day, should you wish I have more of an in depth google sheets doc and around 175 pinned locations on google maps of key sites / restaurants, hotels etc.

We did the "usual route", Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, cylying on the Shimanami kaido route, Hiroshima, Miyajima and then back to Tokyo.

Pre arrival information

• Pre booked a vast majority of hotels (left 2 days spare at the end in case we wanted to revisit anywhere).

• Arrange and install an esim - we went with Journey Japan esim, worked really well, had the 20gb package each and used around 14gb each on the trip.

• Recommend completing the Visit Japan Immigration Clearance and Customs forms along with the Tax Free declaration.

• Bring USB charging cables and 2 pin plugs (there were several hotels without 3 pin sockets and only 1 hotel with USB-C ports)

• Packing information, we packed relatively light, around half a suitcase each with the idea we'd wash our clothes every 4-5 days.

• Upload some local currency to a debit card / virtual card. I went with Revolut. One mistake was not having a physical card, so if you have time order one of those and then use the app to maintain funds etc.

• Google Maps was so useful for travelling in terms of which trains and platforms, made getting around super easy. We also hadnt pre booked any Shinkansen tickets, which worked out fine as we wanted to be pretty flexible. I was worried about this, but it was absolutely fine (late sept to early oct - this might change if going in the busy seasons.

• We found Tablelog much better than GoogleMaps for restaurant recommendations. Google reviews seem to over inflated with tourists being asked to give 5 stars, where tablelog seemed much better in our experience, a 3.5 out of 5 was typically great food.

Day 1 - Tokyo

Arrived in Tokyo around 3pm - took a bit of time to get through passport control etc, but all very easy.

Once outside of passport control, go to the left hand side of the stairs that are in front of you and purchase a "Welcome Suica" card for travel. You can use a debit card to purchase and top up, we went with a small amount - 2000yen and then topped up frequently.

Took the trains to Shibuya to our first hotel - Hotel Iyf. Hotel was exactly what we wanted for our first night, clean and easy. Short-ish walk from Shibuya Station.

Went for exploration around Shibuya, Parco Shopping, Pokemon Centre, Shibuya Crossing etc.

Had booked a restuarant for the first night, just so we knew where we were heading, tonkatsu.jp Omotesando. Great place and food, we actually went back when back in Tokyo for one of our last meals.

Back to Shibuya crossing, went up for a drink at Mag's Rooftop bar, then to LOST bar for a drink.

Day 2

Went for a short run around Yoyogi Park and then to Meiji Jingu., Coffee and pastries at Cafe 365 Days, great selection of baked goods, would recommend. Packed up, sent a majority of our luggage to Kyoto via the luggage forwarding service - left us with a medium sized north face backpack for a few days. Got the tube over to our next hotel in Shinjuku - Yuen Shinjuku.

Went to Teamlabs - Borderless, was cool to see and interesting, not sure its a must do if honest. Explored the area to visit the Tokyo Tower.

Headed to Omote-Sando Ave and Takeshita Street. Had first (of many) Family Mart chicken experience. Great for on the go food.

For dinner, went to Memory lane for drinks and yakatori at one of the many places, before deciding we were still hungry and went to another area for goyza and dumpings.

Our hotel had an onsen in, so had our first onsen experience. great way to finish the day and relax the muscles and feet.

Day 3

Early-ish start and headed over to Tokyo Skytree. Great to see the vast scale of Tokyo.

Walked over to Senso, did Senso-Ji and Nakamise Street, very busy, I'd recommend seeing early or late to avoid the vast number of people, but it was ok midday, not unbearable.

Over to Ueno, went down Ameyoko Street and had ramen. Up to Ueno Park and walked up to Yanaka Ginza for wonder and had a drink at one of the bars.

Left then and Akihanara area. Did the usual wonder in the area and shops etc before finishing at Yodabashi Akiba (superstore). Overall I'd say Akihabara was a massive let down, but maybe I built it up too much.

Day 4 - Hakone

Packed up and went to the Imperial Palace for a very quick walk around.

Went to Tokyo Station, grabbed some bento boxes for the train and got the RomanceCar train to Hakone.

Checked into a Ryokan - Matsuzakaya Honten, before getting the bus to the lake and seeing the torii gate and shine. Sadly Mt Fuji was clouded over.

Experienced the food, we are pretty fussy eaters, so make the evening and morning meals rather tough, but was an experience to say the least. The hotel also had a private onsen, which was lovely.

Day 5 - Kyoto

After a tough breakfast experience, got the train and Shinkansen over to Kyoto.

Checked into our hotel - Nol Kyoto Sanjo, lovely place and great room.

Walked around the Kyoto gardens, did the Samuari Ninja Museum, walked the general area, before heading to Nishiki Market and Pontocho Alley. Very busy areas with long queues. Ended up for dinner at Gyoza Hohei, great place would recommend, cheap and great food.

Day 6

Early morning run around the national garden.

got to Arashiyama Bamboo forest for 9ish, it was pretty busy on our way out, so recommend seeing it as early as possible. Walked around Tenryu-ji, before visiting the Monkey Park

Headed to Ryoan-ji, and up to Kinkaku-ji. This was busy around half 2, must be unbearable in peak season.

Visited the outside of Nijo Castle, before evening walk around Gion area and having dinner.

Day 7

Another early start where we went to Fushimi Inari Taisha for around 8am to beat the crowds, we took a side path to the top, which was much quieter. got to the bottom at around 10am and was very very busy.

Got the train to see Kiyomizu-dera, this was fab, but again very busy the time we got there.

Walked from here to Chinon-in Temple before having lunch at Ramen Nishiki - very good.

Walked to many other shines along the route, went to Nanzen-ji and Eikando Temple before walking along the Philosophers Path canal ending up at Ginkaku-ji.

Day 8 - Nara Day Trip and Osaka

Packed up, and sent our main luggage back to Tokyo, and got the train to Nara, left luggage in the coin lockers.

Saw the deer and had a good walk around the park, shines and temples. Todai-ji was great to see. Had a mochi at Nakatanidou before getting the train to Osaka at around 4ish.

Dropped our bags at the Hotel - HOTEL RESOL TRINITY OSAKA, before visiting America-mura and down to Dotonbori. Had takoyaki at Achichi Honpo Dotonbori, before heading for ramen at Human Beings Everybody Noodles, great place, was super busy, also nice being the only tourists there.

Day 9 - Onomichi

Relaxing morning, went to UTSUBO BAKERY PANENA and coffee near by and sat in the park for a bit. Headed over to the Imperial Palace after and walk around the area, before getting the Shinkansen and train over to Onomichi.

Stayed at Hotel Cycle, would recommend.

Day 10 - Cycling

Did the first leg from Onomichi to our hotel at Omishima Island - 42km. Went to good road bikes but no ebikes. Stayed to Hotel Wakka, in a premium room with BBQ dinner. Best experience of the whole trip. Expensive, but worth it. Went to the public onsen in the evening.

Day 11

Second day of cycling, did the short island loop, before heading to the final destination of Imbari, 57km in total. Sore bums, as hard seats and not big cyclists.

Arrived at Imbari for half 2, had several 7Eleven chicken bites and chocolate bars before getting the train to Matsuyama. Got on the tram over to the port and got the boat over to Hiroshima. Checked into HOTEL INTERGATE Hiroshima. Exactly what we wanted, good price, clean with an onsen like area.

Evening dinner at Smile Okonomiyaki

Day 12 - Hiroshima

Coffee and bakery good at MAPS BAKERY / CAFE, before seeing the Hiroshima Memorial Museum and Park. Very moving and would recommend seeing.

Great pancake at Melange de Shuhari Hiroshima Hondori Store, before heading to Miyajima in the evening.

Checked into Miyajima Kinsuikan and visited the amazing store of Miyajima Syouyu-ya for soy sauce and spices etc.

Day 13 - Miyajima - Tokyo

Morning hike / run along the mountain trail to see the island.

Left the island at 10ish to get the train back to Tokyo.

Stayed in Shibuya again as we liked the area first time - this time at Tokyu Stay Shibuya.

Went back to tonkatsu.jp Omotesando, before evening walk around Shibuya, visited the madness of MEGA Don Quijote, finishing with evening drinks at LOST bar again.

Day 14 - Shopping in Tokyo

Chilled morning, went to Jimbocho for a walk and see the shops, ramen for lunch.

Went to Kappabashi street for kitchen wares. We spent far too long here, so much choice!

Evening dinner at SG LOW and went to their sister bar for drinks after æ - ash. Waiters were fab and so helpful and things we should do or s...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Gaddri07 on 2025-10-05 06:11:08+00:00.

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We just got back home and I'm genuinely writing this with a heavy heart lol, I simply did not want to leave Japan.

This was my second trip to Japan after spending 8 days in Tokyo last year (which felt way too short) this time around I decided on a month. For obvious reasons I won't go into a lot of detail since a month is a long time to spend in Japan but if anyone has any questions feel free to ask :)

Days spend per city:

Osaka 6 days

Kyoto 2 days

Tokyo 22 days

We started off by landing in Osaka on september 4th safe to say we were not prepared for the HEAT lol i knew it was going to be warm but this was something else entirely.

First day we explored the center a bit, around namba station and dontonbori since our hotel was only a 15min walk from there.

Day 2 was mostly anime day for me, I spend hours at denden town looking for figures and retro stuff.

Day 3: this was our Nara and Kobe day trip we absolutely loved Nara and would recommend it too anyone! The dear can get a bit aggressive during september (pare season)though so watch out lol

The next 2 days we spend going around temples, the Osaka tower and shopping around for souvenirs and stuff nothing heavy since I was starting to get sick unfortunately.

I also had an entire separate list for food I wanted to try in each city so I went down that list the same time as my other itinerary lol

September 9th Kyoto

We took a local train to Kyoto only took around 35min I think. First impressions were the station was confusing as hell and with so much luggage (and sick) I had enough after my gps told me to go up the same stairs for the 5th time... After spending 30min wandering around we just took a cab to the luggage drop off person of our hotel and went for some breakfast at a place that was filled with tourists, forgot the name of the place but it wasn't good lol.

We decided to immediately take a bus to the Fushimi Inari shrine to save some time, it was beautiful and seeing all those gates was definitely worth it BUT it was ridiculously busy .

After that we checked In and went to teramashi shopping street and in the evening to the nidec tower.

Day 2 was more of the same going around a few temples and most chilling since at this point I got very sick but didn't want to stay in the hotel since I only had 2 days in Kyoto. I left Kyoto feeling that 2 days were more than enough, it's small has a lot of charm but the center and touristy stuff are just way to busy, so busy that I wouldn't want to go there again.

Tokyo day:

We took the Shinkansen to Tokyo station and than the yamanato line to Shinjuku.

We spend 3 weeks in Tokyo i will just list out the major things we did since in those 3 weeks I've must have seen almost every district in and around tokyo but I won't bore you with that lol.

The days we did things in are a bit blurry so here's the "major" stuff we did.

-Tokyo tower and surrounding temples, also went to the WW2 museum on the same day

-Akihabara for gaming and anime, I went there 4-5 times and was pretty disappointed every single time (like last year) I've found other stores and areas to be better.

-Nakano Broadway: for anime this was probably the best one I've found, lots of stores and also gaming and tech stuff.

-Ueno: we went to the park, zoo, ameyoko street etc

-mouth Fuji: we decided to book a tour through booking because going alone would have cost us more, and it was worth it, the bus took us too: senkei shrine/park, oishi park, water Heritage Village, saiko Iyashi.

-yokohama including the big flea market.

-odaibi beach, the big Gundam statue, Statue of liberty and the big mall.

-ikebukero: sunshine mall and surrounding shopping streets

-inokashira we went to a park and checked out surrounding areas, was pretty chill and less Tokyo vibes.

-Tokyo fc football game

-Tokyo game show, must do for every gamer but it was so busy but an incredible experience.

So much more, like shibuya, asakusa, asakasa, skytree, harajuku, tons of temples, parks museums etc it's just too much too list, I also went to most book offs and hard offs around tokyo I found the best selection to be outside like at least 90min away by train.

Like Osaka I had a separate food list and went through most of it lol, 1 thing I would recommend around asakusa is age 3 bakery and if you love apples bet the cinnamon apple sandwich it was delicious (a bit messy too eat though)

We took the night bus back to Osaka to spend 1 more day there before getting on our flight home.

Like I said there is too much stuff to list and I've definitely forgot a lot of things but I'll try to update this if I remember something major.

It was our best vacation ever!

Until later Japan you've been amazing.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/LightningFieldHT on 2025-10-04 00:03:04+00:00.

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Me and my wife went yesterday to Mt. Myogi near Takasaki. There are a few trails on the mountain, I would definitely advise going there if you are in the area, but definitely don't do what we did. There are 3 levels of trails at different heights. The lowest level is an easy hike through the forest with a lot of stairs, it's good for most people. The middle level is much harder with steep inclines and some parts where you use a chain to climb, it is a good chose for those who like hiking and a bit of a challenge, but this trail is short, and you can switch to the others. The highest level is sees you climbing a lot more with the chains, somtimes your grip is all you have, the heights are dizzying, this is the most dangerous thing we've ever done in our life, this trail requires good hiking boots, I would recommend gloves because some of the longer chains make your hands sweaty and slippery, a good trail bag is needed (with at least 4 liters of water per person). Who ever does this needs to be experienced with heights. We were not prepared for this, we did not have good enough shoes, my bag was too heavy and cumbersome, we did not bring gloves, and we are not experienced enough with heights (I discovered a slight fear of heights on those cliffs). Overall we had a great time with a great view, and we came back unharmed. I would recommend this route for those prepared enough.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/anxious_dwarf on 2025-10-01 09:46:03+00:00.

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We’re travelling to Japan for our honeymoon in May next year, it will be the first time for both of us so we’re very excited!

How does the below look for a 14-day itinerary? I’ve decided to miss out Osaka as I’ve read on many threads that it’s skippable and I feel I’d rather spend a bit of extra time in Kyoto and Nara.

Originally we were going to just do a day trip to Hiroshima but after doing some research I think I’d like to experience staying overnight and also visiting Miyajima Island.

What are people’s thoughts? Anything I should add/skip?

May 14 — Arrival in Tokyo • Check in, explore nearby neighborhood (thinking of staying in Asakusa).

May 15 — Tokyo • Shibuya, Harajuku, Meiji Shrine, Omotesando, Shinjuku at night.

May 16 — Tokyo • AlTokyo Skytree, Ueno Park & Ameyoko Market.

May 17 — Tokyo (extra day) • Akihabara, Ginza shopping, Odaiba in evening.

May 18 — DisneySea • Full day at Tokyo DisneySea.

May 19 — Tokyo → Mt. Fuji area (Hakone or Kawaguchiko) • . Stay overnight in a ryokan with onsen, enjoy Fuji views at sunset.

May 20 — Mt. Fuji → Kyoto • Morning around Fuji (lake cruise, ropeway, or hot spring). • Afternoon shinkansen via Odawara/Mishima to Kyoto (~3 hrs). • Evening: explore Gion.

May 21 — Kyoto • Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera, Nishiki Market.

May 22 — Kyoto • Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Monkey Park, Tenryu-ji, Golden Pavilion.

May 23 — Nara day trip • Todai-ji, Nara Park, Kasuga Taisha. Return to Kyoto.

May 24 — Kyoto → Hiroshima • Shinkansen (~1h40). • Afternoon: Peace Memorial Park & Museum.

May 25 — Miyajima day trip • Ferry to Itsukushima Shrine, floating torii gate, Mt. Misen. Overnight in Hiroshima.

May 26 — Hiroshima → Tokyo • Shinkansen (~4h). • Evening in Tokyo (teamLab Planets, Shinjuku, or Odaiba).

May 27 — Tokyo (last day) • Light sightseeing, shopping, food stops, pack.

May 28 — Fly home (morning)

Thank you ☺️

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Overview

Hi,

This post is extremely late, but I figured doing a write up of two trips I took would allow me to reminisce and hopefully provide some help to future planners. I want this to be as comprehensive as possible, detailing all my reasonings and mistakes made throughout the trip and what I would do differently / do again had I the chance. I'm also a big fan of data and, as such, have kept a fairly detailed track of my expenses throughout both trips. Please enjoy my ramblings / diary because this is going to be a very long post.

I was originally going to write up the second trip here as well, but, well, it would make this already long post even longer, so I will save it for another time.

Trip #1 (November 2024)

The duration of this trip for myself was 21 days, however, the initial planning for this trip was for 13 days as the rest of my party arrived at different times. My initial itinerary check for this particular trip can be found here, though I will be going day-by-day comparing what was planned versus what actually happened.

Day -???

The planning for this November trip started basically in January since that's when I bought my plane ticket. Singapore Airlines usually has a New Years sale, though I would still find tickets around the same price later on in the year. In attempts to save money, I made my first mistake:

I bought manually connected flights from my town to LAX to NRT for both my departure and return trips.

Had I handled this correctly, I would have saved a decent amount of money as intended, however I realized during my return flight from NRT to LAX that I would be landing at ~11AM and not ~11PM and decided to rebook the following flight from LAX to my town in order to not have an extended layover in LAX (during Thanksgiving mind you). That rebooking essentially killed any money I would have saved.

In the future, and in trip #2 for example, I would just pay a bit more for bundled connected flights departing from my town to save me the headache and other potential issues.

I gave my group the timeframe I was aiming for and had them just send me any and all ideas for the next many months. I ended up going a little overboard and made a fancy little app to compile and plot all of their ideas on a map. As we drew closer to November, I tried to plan a route that would at least place us in areas with as many listed things as possible which resulted in a slightly modified version of the golden route (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto).

There were a few things that I, personally, wanted to go out of my way to do, one of which was biking along the Shimanami Kaido since it was supposedly lovely around autumn. In addition to the golden route, this had us travelling and staying in Setoda, Matsuyama and Hiroshima. Now, you may be thinking, "Wow, sounds like a lot of hotels!" and you would be correct. However, this somehow didn't end up being much of an issue, though some of us may have packed a little heavier than others.

One of the more difficult things to plan around was Japan's lotteries. Concerts, Pokemon Cafe, Ghibli Museum, etc. as most of us know all contain an amount of uncertainty as to whether or not you would be able to actually attend said event and it's quite hard to plan around uncertainty. The best I could do is place us around those areas on the days that I had attempted to win tickets for and not expect much.

Speaking of uncertainties, about 1 month before the trip I had 2 group members drop out because of emergencies. If you are managing a moderately large group, I would recommend booking hotels that have good cancellation or modification policies.

Before the day-to-day breakdown, I figured I should mention that our final group consisted of 5 (including myself) late 20s to mid 30 year-olds in not too terrible shape. It was not our first time out of our respective countries, but it was all of our first times in Japan. Our main goals were to eat have have a good time.

Day 1

I flew out and arrived alone in Narita at around 6PM and chose to skip the Welcome Suica card at the airport to grab a real Suica card later (the real Suica card machine in the airport was sold out / out of order). If you haven't done it before, using paper tickets and the fare adjustment machines is pretty fun.

I took the Keisei Skyliner to Tokyo and spent the time trying to activate my Mobal eSIM. I chose Mobal specifically for the Japanese phone number included since I was trying to claim concert tickets that I won.

At some point I stopped by a 7/11 to withdraw some money from the ATM. Before leaving the US, I had setup a Wise account and converted a bit of USD to JPY in preparation for this trip. I seemed to only be able to withdraw about 30k yen per day with my Wise card, but that was more than a enough.

My first stay stay was an APA hotel in Akihabara which is where I realized my next mistake:

I accidentally booked a smoking room.

I was well aware of the existence of smoking rooms, but I guess I just misread when booking the room. Everything smelled of smoke and by the time I left that hotel, most of my things did too.

Anyways, I was not tired at all and ended up walking all around Akihabara and Ochanomizu for a few hours till I was tired enough to call it a night.

Day 2

I didn't have much planned until all of my group members arrived, so a lot of it was spent travelling around randomly. However, I did have a lunch reservation by myself at La Rochelle. If you are familiar 料理の鉄人 / Iron Chef, this is Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai's restaurant. One of my personal goals this trip was to eat at as many Iron Chef restaurants as I could.

I probably left my room at 6AM to go to Ueno where I picked up a real Suica card and have my first real meal at an quick Udon shop in the station. Things don't really open until 9AM, so I killed some time walking around Ueno park. Around 9AM I headed back to Akihabara to explore for a while.

Somehow I misremembered my lunch reservation time as an hour later than it actually was, so I ran whenever I could to and from stations to get to the restaurant. I was maybe 10 minutes late, but the staff were very kind and understanding and were expecting me. It was delicious and I got to talk with my server about Iron Chef. On a side note, there was a wedding going on in another room separated by glass, so that was cool. Here are some pictures if you are interested.

I walked around Minami Aoyama for a while and decided to go to Kawasaki and walk around a bunch there too. After working up an appetite, I returned to Akihabara and saw a line outside of Tonkatsu Marugo. It was great.

Day 3

Lunch for today was at Ristorante Massa, Iron Chef Italy Masahiko Kobe's restaurant. Also delicious. Here's some pics.

Afterwards, I meandered around Ebisu and found the Yebisu Brewery within Yebisu Garden Place. I'm not much of a beer person, but I bought a flight of beer and explored the park. It's quite a nice area with a tall building you can go up for free and get a nice view of Ebisu. On the way back to the station, I found out that there was a nice skywalk straight from the station to the park.

I decided to finally tackle a little of Shibuya. I don't particularly like large crowds, but I'd be remise to miss it. Got the crossing out of the way and looked around Ikea for fun. I stopped by LOST bar for a little drink and had a chat with a few strangers.

At some point a few of my groupmates who arrived wanted to meet up at their hotel in Roppongi, so I headed over and we had some dinner at Moti Roppongi Ten in the Mori Tower. There are a lot of Indian restaurants in Japan and they should not be slept on.

Day 4

The day before, I realized another mistake I made when booking this hotel:

My schedule checkout date was a day too early.

Clearly I must have been really messed up when booking this hotel, but it was probably for the best since it got me out of that smoking room. My groupmates graciously allowed me to crash in their small room for a night.

A fun thing you can catch if you get out early enough in the morning are long lines of people waiting to enter pachinko parlors.

Me and my groupmates head over to Ginza for our own respective plans. They had wanted to do some shopping and eat at a kaisendon place while I had yet another lunch reservation for Rokusantei Ginza, Iron Chef Japan Rokusaburo Michiba's restaurant. Out of the three so far, this was the cheapest, yet had the best atmosphere and food. I was seated at the counter and even caught a glimpse of Michiba as he was leaving the kitchen. Here's some pics. This unfortunately ends my Iron Chef restaurant tour, bu...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/jivan-mukta on 2025-10-02 02:19:18+00:00.

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My trip was broken up into the 3 sections as mentioned in the title. I give general ratings asto what I liked/did not like during my time. Naturally its all my opinion and YMMV

Tokyo Trip

Hotel Sunroute Shinjuku - B, no frills, slightly expensive for what it is, but close to shinjuku station so effective for reducing commit time. Still for a next trip to Tokyo, I'd probably find a cheaper/nicer place in Ueno since the Yamanote line is good enough for getting around

Shibuya shopping - C, it was neat seeing the stores but ultimately I just don't care that much about the shopping experience Akihabara stores - B, more interesting than Shibuya, but still not really my speed Eorzea Cafe Final Fantasy collab - C, a letdown to be honest, the theming was wear and the food was mid teamLab Planets - A, definitely worth doing at least once, especially the water exhibit. I wouldn't go again though unless it was with new people to share the experience

Hakone Itoh Dining by Nobu in Gora - S, amazing food at great prices. One of the best meals we had in japan Owakudani - D, unfortunately the view was terrible on our trip, so I couldn't enjoy any of the views, outside of the views its a very passable experience Yunnessun - C, I enjoyed that it had more domestic guests than tourists. They also have some hot spring baths that have an amazing view of the valley. We spent most of the time there, with intermittent light rain, very nice. This is ultimately for families and kids though.

Bus from Gora to Hakone - D, very bumpy despite being technically faster than the train. I highly recommend the switchback Tozan railway for going between the base station and the Gora area.

Romanecar - C, it's efficient for getting from shinjuku to hakone, but otherwise the views were nothing memorable. If I went to Hakone again, I'd likely plan to spend a night there and use it as a transition to kyoto instead of a day-trip.

Open Air Architecture museum https://www.tatemonoen.jp/english/ - S, totally a hidden gem in Tokyo! Tickets are cheap, there is signage in English and the museum is huge with some 30 buildings that you can walk through. The only downside is that it's about an hour from the central tokyo loop by train/bus. I'd definitely take family there again as seeing the buildings from different eras was really nice.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building - A, free and easy way to take in the view of the city. We went at night since we stayed in Shinjuku and it was worth the 30mins - 1hr commitment.

Kyoto/Osaka Trip

nol kyoto sanjo hotel - A, pricy but nice vibe with a wooden bathtub in the room and a laundry machine. The laundry machine was incredibly slow though, taking 7hrs to complete a load. Handy for us since we packed enough clothes for a midway refresh. Also free sake/drinks in the lobby is a nice add.

gion corner show - B, worth doing once and a nice way to see a geisha and take in some traditional japanese culture. Pretty optional overall though. I paid for premium tickets but the regular tickets are just as good since the pamphlet they give you has all the relevant notes

Muse in Osaka - S, naturally this is a special case but I'll say simply that if you get a chance to see a band you love during your Japan trip, do it. My only regret is not getting the best tickets available.

Shinsaibashi - C, I was only here for a hot minute, but I wasn't particularly impressed. I didn't even plan to visit Osaka originally and the little time I spent here confirmed that Osaka is not quite right for me.

Don Quixote ferris wheel - B, honestly better views than I expected and a nice way to kill some time. I wouldn't do it again, but it was a nice part of the area.

Kinkaku-ji - C, spent a night at this airbnb, small but really elegant rooms. Kinda noisy due to the nearby tourist traffic. Frankly optional in my book. Also having read about the muromachi period and the story behind its construction gives some trump tower vibes. I know I'm being a hater here, but it's just my opinion that there are better things to do in Kyoto.

Renting a bike and biking from the imperial palace area to Kinkaku-ji - A, Kyoto's bike infrastructure is great and it's fairly flat so I loved getting lost biking. I biked through the palace courtyards, which is cool but also the courtyard is tiny rocks which isn't pleasant. On a subsequent trip I'd gladly rent a bike and spend the whole day getting lost in Kyoto.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove - C, pretty I guess but overrated in my opinion. Also there's a hike to the north of the grove that is inferior to the Iwatayama monkey park and I don't recommend it

Tenryu-ji Temple - C, its essentially part of the package with Arashiyama, so you do it. It's pretty, but not that exciting beyond taking some pictures

Monkey Park Iwatayama - S, if you only went to western Kyoto for this it would be completely worth it. Hanging out with monkeys and just watching them do monkey things was a top 3 highlight for me for the whole trip. The view of Kyoto is also incredible and is just a nice bonus. I can't even imagine a monkey park like this in the states, where someone would inevitably ruin it by doing some dumb shit and getting the park shut down.

Nijō Castle - B, more interesting than the previously mentioned Kyoto spots due to it being a castle and having a more meaningful history, but not the best castle I visited. We visited this on the way back from the Arashiyama sites so it was fine.

Shimanami Kaido Trip

Onomichi Film History Museum - D, if you haven't heard of Tokyo Story, don't go here. And if you have, you probably still won't benefit from it. I spent a day in Onomichi to prepare for the Shimanami route and my day would've been better spent going up their ropeway to the sites on the nearby hill. Beyond that, Onomichi is a bit disappointing as a place to visit as a foreigner. There is a popular icecream place a few minutes north of the hotel I stayed at, so that was nice.

Greenhill Hotel Onomichi - B, nice hotel, perfectly situated for a Onomichi -> Imabari cycle trip. Their breakfast was nice and they handled the luggage transport (Sagawa Expres) gracefully. And the hotel is right next to the bike rentals

Onomichi U2 restaurant - C, good. Nothing special but it's worth checking out the U2 warehouse here just for fun

Shimanami Kaido Rental System - S, I reserved 2 e-bikes for 2 days months ahead of time. When I got there, biking up the bikes was easy and the guy was super helpful with the bikes. The bikes themselves did the job just fine, kinda heavy since they are e-bikes but the assist was definitely appreciated on the route

Biking the Shimanami Kaido overall - SS, my favorite part of the whole Japan trip. This route is criminally underrated and more people should try it. If you're not a strong cyclist, the e-bike is more than enough to handle the whole main route without much effort. If you love cycling there were multiple groups out there raw-dogging the whole route and back with road bikes (hashtag dreams). I did the route in 2 days because I wanted to give myself plenty of time to enjoy the experience, but in future trips I would actually aim to do the whole thing in 1 day. I'll explain a bit with the next sections

There were only a few stops along the route that I ended up hitting and enjoying. Half of them are in Setoda which is roughly a central point on the route.

Setoda Suminoe Ryokan - B, very pricy since I booked last minute and my only ryokan experience. That said it was nice, I had a sunset view of the seto sea from my room, wore a yukata, and showered in a public path. If I had those experiences elsewhere on my trip, I probably would say that this particular ryokan wasn't worth it for me. They also specialize in fish dishes being on an island and all, and I'm still a bit picky about eating things like conger eel and such, so that part of the experience was wasted on me. In retrospect the I-link hostel, Wakka, or some of the other hotels in the area would've been nicer or cheaper for me personally

Kousanji Temple - A, First thing I'll call out is that the Hill of Hope is attached to this temple and your map apps will lie to you suggesting that you can get to the hill without going through the temple. You can't. I'll also call out that this temple is right on the major intersection of all the interesting things in Setoda. So this temple's history is kinda sketch, but its far more beautiful than the kyoto temples mentioned earlier, the cave of 1000 buddhas was surprisingly interesting, felt like something out of a disney theme park, and the hill of hope is either instagram famous or will be when influencers start taking pictures there. If you only made 1 stop on the shimanami, this would be it. There's also a lemonade stand right in front of it that can get you that fresh setoda lemon juice. I highly recommend doing that as well. Finally, there's a little restaurant on that corner that has some decent food options for your lunch break.

Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art - D, if it wasn't for getting some AC and shade during the noon sun, I'd say I completely wasted my money going there. It's all art by 1 rich guy who lived in the area. I don't want to be a hater, but I do want to simply recommend ignoring this place...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/maeooooo on 2025-10-01 16:10:11+00:00.

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Came back from my first Japan trip few days ago and I wanted to share how it went, hope you enjoy.

about me: 30F with my sister in mid20s, Central European, we’re not very fit but we like to walk a lot. We like nature, historical sights and shopping. Not into nightlife /clubbing. I’m vegetarian (who only eats eggs from animal products) so keep it in mind for my food impressions.

basic trip info: 16 days, first time trip - classic golden route with some side trips. Arrival&departure from KIX.

PT. 1 TOKYO; 7 nights, hotel in Shinbashi

Day 1:

• ⁠Planned: arrival at KIX, Shinkansen to Tokyo, evening in Ginza

• ⁠Actual: arrived in Tokyo with significant delays and extremely tired so we went straight to sleep

Day 2:

• ⁠Planned: Meiji Jingu -> Shinjuku Gyoen -> Harajuku -> Shibuya (incl. Shibuya Sky sunset spot)

• ⁠Actual: nothing, got sick on the plane (thank you AC blasting for 12h) and was heat exhausted from the last day so I spent the day in the hotel bed 😀. My sister went to Shibuya Sky alone so at least one ticket isn’t wasted and did some shopping there.

Day 3:

• ⁠Planned: Sensoji -> kappabashi st -> national museum -> yanaka ginza -> ueno park -> akihabara -> ginza

• ⁠Actual: was feeling a bit better so we tried to make the best of this day. Went to Sensoji and then through kappabashi to National Museum. It was Saturday though so most shops were unfortunately closed. After Museum went to get lunch at Vegan Gyoza which was a bit out of the way but it took us through some more residential streets which was interesting to see. Then we went to Yanaka Ginza, stuck mainly to the shopping street (as cats lovers it was amazing (not for our wallets though)). We skipped the Ueno park and took the train straight to Akihabara. We spent maybe 1.5h there cause honestly it’s not rly our vibes, we just wanted to see the iconic sights. It was also super crowded and loud and I was still feeling trashy from sickness. We went back to the hotel to freshen up and in the evening we went to Ginza to shop and eat dinner.

Day 4: trip to Nikko

• ⁠Planned: Rinnoji - Toshogu - Tayuin mausoleum - lunch - a scenic walk along Kanmangafuchi Abyss

• ⁠Actual: went as planned. We did the shrine complex and recharged at lunch. Then we walked by a scenic route I found recommended at Nikko’s website. Most ppl stopped at the Abyss and turned back there but we went further to the other bridge. We wanted to make the whole loop but we got tired and took the bus after the bridge back to the Nikko station. Got back to Tokyo in the evening and ate dinner. We really enjoyed the trip, I think it was one of our favorite days. Note: didn’t account for the local tourism on the weekends and it was pretty crowded. Highlight of the day: getting bit by a forest leech (20min after we saw a leech & bear warning sign). With our luck we would prob see the bear next if we didn’t take the bus.

Day 5:

• ⁠Planned: gotokuji - ikebukuro (sunshine city) -> Shinjuku

• ⁠Actual: this was one of our least planned days so I took the chance and tried to fit some of the stuff we missed on day 2. Started the day with Gotokuji temple as planned. Then we went to Meiji shrine and through Harajuku (ate lunch there) and Omote-sando to Shibuya. After Shibuya we took a train to Shinjuku were we walked around for a bit and ate dinner in Kabukicho. Absolutely do not recommend doing Shibuya and Shinjuku in one day. The only reason I did this was cause I didn’t wanna miss out on seeing at least a glance of it (thank you sickness).

Day 6: trip to Kamakura

• ⁠Planned: Tsurugaoka Hachimangu - Hase-dera - Kotokuin- Zeniarai Benten Shrine - Beach - Dinner

• ⁠Actual: started as planned and did all the temples and shrines. The hike from Kotokuin to the Zeniarai shrine was rough, I thought I did my research but maybe internet lied to me and it was not a light walk in the mountain as I have read 😅. I also noticed most ppl took the opposite route cause it was the easier way. Anyways the views were nice and I still enjoyed it (my sister hated me though 😂). After the money shrine we were super tired, also the weather was terrible (the hottest day with 40+ degrees in the sun) so we skipped the beach and went back to Tokyo earlier. I honestly don’t remember what we did in the evening. I think we went to eat sth? Idk the sun fried my brain that day.

Day 7:

• ⁠Planned: Vegan Sushi in Shibuya -> Akasaka - Teamlabs borderless -> Ginza

• ⁠Actual: started the day late for once cause our reservation was for 11:30am. After lunch we got sidelined (bad idea) and went to mega donki which left us overstimulated (and much poorer). We didn’t have time (and energy) to do anything so we just went back to the hotel to rest. Later as planned we went to teamlabs and after that we went to shop in Ginza. This was our last full day at Tokyo.

Tokyo impressions: loud (the city, not the people), a bit overstimulating but still pretty fun and definitely interesting. I definitely want to experience it again at a slower pace and see things I didn’t manage this time. Really enjoyed the area where we stayed, a bit quieter than others and well connected (near 3 stations and 15min to Ginza by foot).

Pt2 KYOTO 6 nights, hotel in Gion

Day 8:

• ⁠Planned: imperial gardens - jimbocho book town - Tokyo station and Shinkansen to Kyoto - yasaka shrine

• ⁠Actual: we were tired after that whole week so we slept in and went straight to the station. We did some shopping there and took the train to Kyoto. Freshened up at the hotel, went to eat dinner and then on a walk to see Yasaka shrine when it was already dark so everything was lit up.

Day 9:

• ⁠Planned: Kiyomizu dera - Fushimi Inari - Uji

• ⁠Actual: as planned. We walked through Gion to Kiyomizu dera, we arrived there around 9am which was pretty crowded but not that bad. Idk if it’s cause it was Friday but it was full of school trips. Then we took a train to Fushimi and made the whole mountain loop. As everyone says the bottom was crowded but the further you go the least ppl persist lol. Honestly the route was tiring but manageable. After that we took a train to Uji where we ate lunch, went to see Byodoin and then walked along the main tea shopping street. Came back Kyoto in the evening and finished with dinner.

Day 10:

• ⁠Planned: Nijo castle - Ginkakuji - philosophers path - nazenji - heian jingu

• ⁠Actual: as planned, not much to add until Heian Jingu where we came across two events, one was some anime/manga convention so we saw a lot of cosplayers walking around and then there was some planned event at the shrine grounds, couldn’t rly find what it was but there was a stage set up and everything. After that we walked (buses didn’t come and the ones that did (late) were full honestly the bus situation in Kyoto deserves its own section 😂 ) to the shopping area around Kawaramachi st, did some shopping and ate dinner there.

Day 11:

• ⁠Planned: arashiyama bamboo forest - tenryuji- monkey park - otagi nenbutsuji - ryoanji - kinkakuji

• ⁠Actual: as planned until otagi nenbutsuji which we skipped cause we spent too long on lunch and we missed the bus that would take us there on time (the next one was like 40min later). So we took a train straight to ryoanji and then walked to kinkakuji. Went back to the hotel and in the evening we went again to kawaramachi area for dinner.

Day 12: trip to Nara

• ⁠Planned: deer park; todaiji - kasugataisha - kofukuji

• ⁠Actual: as planned, we started at todaiji and took the recommended route to Kasuga Taisha along the green hills and then back into the park, a really nice walk. I noticed most ppl just went to see the big Buddha at the main hall in Todaiji but there’s a whole complex of smaller halls if you go further to the right of the main one, much recommended. After the temple walk we went to eat lunch and back to Kyoto. In the evening we just ate dinner in Gion cause we were too tired for anything else.

Day 13:

• ⁠Planned: Hike from Kurama dera to Kifune shrine

• ⁠Actual: nothing as planned. We slept in and decided it’s too late for the hike (the internet info on the hike duration was inconclusive and I didn’t wanna risk it cause we had a reservation for the afternoon). Instead we went on a walk in Gion to Kenninji temple and it’s subtemple Seiraiin. Then we walked to the main street leading to Kiyomizu dera for some pottery shopping. Wanted to go to Kodaiji but ran out of time. In the afternoon we had a reservation at the Rokujuan teahouse and after that we went again to the Kawaramachi area for dinner and some final shopping.

Kyoto impressions: felt way more „touristy” than Tokyo, probably cause the tourist sights were more condensed in fewer areas. However the city itself was very pretty and felt calm despite the crowds. I especially enjoyed the temples and shrines there. Would like to go back on the next trip and explore some less popular sights. Note: the buses were consistently late except for early mornings, sometimes they didn’t come at all or they run on some hidden internal schedule idk 😂 anyways I was slightly shocked by this.

Pt3 OSAKA 2 nights, hotel in Shinsaibashi

Day 14:

• ⁠Planned: Himeji - Osaka - Shinsekai - Dotonbori - Shinsaibashi

• ⁠Actual: as planned we took an early train to Himeji, this trip was a bit out of the way but I really wanted to see it. We spent around 5-6h there and arrived i...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/cyndercat on 2025-09-30 14:22:03+00:00.

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DAY 1 – Travel  

DAY 2  

• Arrive tokyo, drop bags at hotel
• Shinjuku cat + godzilla
• Evening meal at memory lane

DAY 3  

• Ueno park + museum
• Evening - skytree

DAY 4  

• Shinjuku garden in the morning
• Akihabara afternoon
• Evening at golden gai

DAY 5  

• Meji shrine, shibuya scramble, pokemon center
• Teamlabs in afternoon
• Optional: tokyo tower

Day 6  

 Daytrip to hakone 

• Rope to owakundani
• lake ashi boat tour
• 2 hr at hot spring

DAY 7  

• Travel to kyoto via shinkansen, drop bags and explore gion

DAY 8  

• Kinkakuji,
• bamboo forest + monkey park + kimono forest

DAY 9  

• Fushimi inari taisha - short route
• Kiyomizu
• Optional: sanjusangendo or kodaiji

 

DAY 10  

• Ginkakuji, philosophers path
• Afternoon heian Jingu + sento

DAY 11  

• Daytrip to nara deer park + todaiji

DAY 12  

• Morning at saihoji
• Afternoon and evening at ryokan

DAY 13– Train back to tokyo + fly home late evening

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Atlantyan on 2025-09-30 10:36:27+00:00.

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Hi everyone,

I’ll be in Kyoto in mid-November (hopefully autumn leaves season 🍁) for 5 days and a half and would love feedback on my itinerary. Mainly:

• Could the flow between places be improved?
• Are these good days for the activities (crowds, openings, atmosphere)?
• Monday and Saturday are fixed because of bookings, so I can’t change those.
• Am I hitting good spots for foliage, or should I swap/add something?

Here’s the plan:

Day 1 (Thursday)

Morning

• Arrival in Kyoto
• Nishiki Market
• Nagayo Ward

Afternoon

• Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
• Ryōan-ji (Zen Garden)
• Ninna-ji Temple
• Pokémon Center
• Nintendo Store

Evening

• Gion:
  • Hanami-koji Street
  • Ichiriki-tei
  • Yasui Konpira Shrine

Day 2 (Friday)

Morning – Northeast (Philosopher’s Path)

• Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)
• Eikando Temple
• Nanzen-ji Temple
• Heian Jingū Shrine (Giant Torii Gate)

Afternoon

• Fushimi Inari Shrine (stay until sunset and explore while dark)
• Sake District

Evening

• Pontocho Alley

Day 3 (Saturday)

Morning – Arashiyama

• Togetsukyō Bridge
• Rilakkuma Tea House
• Tenryu-ji Temple
• Bamboo Grove
• Okochi Sanso Garden
• Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple
• Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple (Statues)

Afternoon

• Toei Park (Yokai Festival)

Evening

• Pontocho / Central Gion

Day 4 (Sunday)

Morning – Kimono Rental & Northern Higashiyama

• Aiwafuku (Kimono Rental)
• Yasaka Shrine
• Chion-in Temple
• Shōren-in Temple

Afternoon – Southern Higashiyama

• Kodaiji Temple
• Ninenzaka Path
• Yasaka Pagoda and Temple
• Sanneizaka Street
• Ghibli Studio Shop Kyoto
• Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Evening

• Gion Corner (Theatre Performance)

Day 5 (Monday) – Nintendo Day

Morning

• Super Mario Wall Art
• Nintendo Head Office & Developer Center
• Nintendo Museum
• Pokémon Manhole Cover

Afternoon

• Tea Ceremony or Onsen

Evening

• Nijo Castle (Autumn Lights?)
• Pontocho / Central Gion: Cafe la Siesta 8bit Edition (Gamer Bar)

Day 6 (Tuesday)

Morning

• Imperial Palace
• Departure from Kyoto

Would you rearrange anything or cut spots to improve the flow? Does this look too packed?

Thanks a lot!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/high1227 on 2025-09-27 07:07:19+00:00.

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First time going to Japan and spent the whole trip in Tokyo. I posted my itinerary a few weeks back and just wanted to do a post trip report.

-Flew into Haneda using Delta and was lucky enough to have enough points to fly Delta One, so I had my own lay flat cubicle and had a nice nap, got there not grouchy and tired. Had the QR code for immigration, so skipped the paper forms, skipped some of the line and customs was easy enough. Spent maybe 30 minutes there. Hardest part is that at one point, you have to walk up to a kiosk and scan your passport yourself. It then assigns you a lane and you then walk through that lane while a camera picks up your face and makes sure it matches the pic in the passport. I sat there trying to figure out the whole process before getting it.

-Had booked Tobu Levant Hotel in Asakusa and knew they had a limousine bus stop at the hotel. So before the trip, I also booked limousine bus tickets for the trip to the hotel and the trip back to the airport. The hotel also had a free shuttle to Tokyo Disney/Disney Sea. Read up on luggage allowance for the limousine bus and brought in two full size suitcases and a backpack. Did not have a carry on. Had some clothe in 1/2 a suitcase and kept my electronics and medication in my backpack. Also had a crossbody bag where I kept my passport, cash, wallet and battery for my phone. I made sure to always put my passport in there and not my pant pockets and that thing stayed glued to my chest the whole trip. Was about 1200 yen per ride and not having to pay for taxis or having to navigate the railway system with big luggage was a blessing.

-Got to the airport around 2pm and went to the 7-11 atm. Made sure I let my bank convert the exchage and did not let the atm do it. Got about 70k yen. Went to the JR ticket machine and bought a PASSMO card for the maximum of 10k yen, mainly because the atm just gave me 7 10k bills, an employee was standing there to answer any question and spoke some English. Put that PASSMO card in my Android phone case and it scanned fine at the gates. My phone NFC did not mess up the PASSMO card and it read fine through my case. This made is so easy, as I always had my phone with Google Map on and never had to worry about digging up my IC card when I got to a gate, just set my phone on the reader and bird chirp.

-Went down to the bus stops and found my stop easily enough. They had an employee there to help load luggage, showed him my QR code to make sure I was at the right place and waited until 5:45pm for my bus. It was brutally humid and I should had stayed in the airport with the A/C, but I was too nervous about missing my bus.

-My Itinerary was Disney Sea, Sky Tree, Sensoji, hitting up all the Pokemon Centers to buy cards for my nephews and niece, a car meet at Daikoku. Day trip to Fuji five lakes, Team Lab Planets, small world museum.

• The Pokemon centers would cover my visit to Shibuya, Tokyo Station, Ikebukuro, so I walked and shopped around. Did Team Lab planets, Diver City and Small World Museum in Odaiba. Went and saw the Godzilla head in Shinjuku, shopping in Akihabara, Nakano Broadway.

-Tried to keep it simple, but the Fuji tour got cancelled. Car meet was nice, fully packed on a Sunday night, got to see all the Fast and Furious replicas and some Initial D classics. Disney Sea was gorgeous and so cheap (I live in Anaheim), went 9am to 9pm. Saw bunch of people dressing up for Halloween, almost a cosplay event. I picked a Tuesday thinking it would be slow, but it just happened to be 9/23, a national holiday, oh well. Sky Tree was cool, and I decided that I would only do one observation tower, so I skipped all the other ones.

-Sky Tree mall was huge, and I see how it's smart to put a bunch of shops at all the major railway stations. This makes it so easy to get anything without a car. It also makes it a pain to find that one entrance Google Map wants you to find when that entrance to a railway station could be anywhere from a street corner to what looks like a mall entrance.

-Only went to combinis to get cash or when there was nothing else around, like at Daikoku parking lot. Got all my snacks, onigiri, boxed sushi at supermarkets. Only bought stuff at the Donqui in the airport to use up the last of my paper money. Read enough to make sure this would be the most efficient use of my money. Got my nail clippers at a drug store, my stationary at 3 coins and Loft.

-Bought all my attraction tickets beforehand, expect for Small World Museum. That was the only place that didn't take AMEX that I visited, but I had brought 4 back up credit cards both Visa and Mastercard, so not an issue.

-Ate at several Yakiniku places and found it interesting that all you can eat places would sometimes be cheaper than a la cart places, food was great everywhere. Had ramen in a department store, made sure to pick one with a line of people, it was great, but cash only. Had all you can eat Shabu-shabu/sushi and also went to Kura sushi. I pretty much watched a bunch of Youtube videos and picked the restaurant left me drooling, two channel in particular SoySauceStories and Samaurai Junjiro.

-I brought a UV umbrella with me and took it everywhere. I was somewhat worried about the weather, as I kept checking the forecast and it showed rain everyday of my trip. It barely rained, got so lucky. Used to the umbrella for the sun and when I saw no guys using it, I felt apprehensive about it. Then I got over it, basked in my portable shade and did all of Disney Sea with it.

-I tried to avoid rush hour on the subway, but it was not possible at times. I'm 5'7 and 265lbs, so I take up a lot of room and after a week in Tokyo, I'm a little glad to be home, I sort of missed riding alone in my SUV to get to anywhere. Goal for my next Japan visit is to lose weight. I'll fit in better and I'll be fitter to walk everywhere and climb all those stairs. Already working on my Delta credit card sign up bonus for my flight for next time.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/heavyheartsonly on 2025-09-22 20:53:02+00:00.

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Hey, r/JapanTravel! I'm planning to fit in a Kurama-Kifune trip and hike in mid/late-November during our 4-day stay in Kyoto, but I am torn between two dates. I'm kind of stuck between wanting to see the beautiful autumn colors and evening illuminations (lantern lighting + the famous maple tunnel on the train back) while also trying to avoid massive crowds. I'd love input on crowds, difficulty, and activities:

Option 1: Wednesday, November 19th (coming from Osaka for our 4-day stay in Kyoto)

I'm worried about travel fatigue since we'll be traveling from Osaka to Kyoto, but I hope the crowds will be a bit better on a weekday. This option also gives us reasonable time around the area that extends to early evening and allows us to catch some of the illuminations—without having to wait around for them.

• 8am: Leave Osaka
• 9-9:15am: Drop luggage in Gion
• 10:35am: Arrive Kurama Station, take cable car up
• 10:45am-1:15pm: Kurama Temple + hike to Kifune
• 1:15-5pm: Kifune village (lunch, shrine exploration, downtime)
• 5-5:30pm: Lantern lighting at shrine
• 6pm: Return via train (catch maple tunnel illumination)
• 6:45pm: Back in Kyoto

Option 2: Saturday, November 22nd (Wake up from Kyoto hotel and head north)

This might be more preferable if we can wake up early to beat the later crowds. We also won't get travel fatigue since we'll be in Kyoto already. However, I really did want to see the illuminations and can't imagine there's enough to do in the area to justify staying all the way until the evening for the lanterns to be lit and the train illuminations.

• 6:30am: Leave Kyoto accommodation
• 7am: Arrive Kurama Station, take cable car up
• 7:15am-9:45am: Kurama Temple + hike to Kifune (beat weekend crowds)
• 9:45am-5pm: Extended Kifune stay (lunch, shrine, rest, explore area, early dinner) — This feels long
• 5-5:30pm: Lantern lighting at shrine
• 6pm: Return via train (catch maple tunnel illumination)
• 6:45pm: Back in Kyoto

Some general questions:

1. Crowd levels: How busy is this route on a weekday in mid-November vs weekend? Worth the early start?
2. Physical difficulty: How strenuous is the actual hike? We're reasonably fit but not hardcore hikers
3. Time and activity in Kibune: What else is there to do beyond shrine + eating? Any recommendations for restaurants? I've heard a lot of the restaurants are closed in November.

Thanks in advance!

Update: I was able to confirm one restaurant/cafe open during November, but their Instagram shows that they closed Wednesdays last November :(

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/CloudsTasteGeometric on 2025-09-23 14:42:41+00:00.

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I’m finally home after a whirlwind of a trip. It was incredible, and while I already miss it, I’m glad to be home. As a 2 meter tall man I attribute this mostly due to my no longer hitting my head in doorframes or hanging my legs off the end of the bed. Jokes aside, it was spectacular. Here are some thoughts and learnings that you all will hopefully appreciate and benefit from:

1. The HEAT. Summer begins in May, ends in October, and is sweltering: plan accordingly. I’d expected that, being in mid-September, my trip would miss the worst of the heat. And I was right - but still shocked by the heat. Mid 80s most days, which is similar heat to summers at home, but with 80% humidity, the heat smothers you breathless like a blanket. It’s manageable, and it won’t ruin your trip, but you’ll sweat a LOT. And it will cut into your energy levels in a big way. Take conbini and cold drink breaks. Plan your afternoon activities to be indoors and budget time in the evenings to walk and explore as it cools down.
2. You are going to be on your feet a TON - even more than they say. This caught me off guard even more than the heat. You can plan your days such that you don’t walk more than 20 mins or so between destinations pretty easily - and I recommend it. But even then: your activities are going to mostly be on foot regardless. It may be a short walk from the station to the museum or bar district or market - but you’ll be on your feet the whole time while you’re at those destinations. The lack of public trash cans will irk you far less than the lack of public seating areas. Invest in great shoes, or better yet: boots. And toss in some insoles. Before I left I got a good pair of walking sneakers for the city and brought a pair of ”just in case” hiking boots with insoles as a backup. I wound up wearing the boots every single day.
3. You’ll be surprised at what you wind up liking and disliking the most - trust your own taste over the most upvoted online guides. For me it was Shibuya & Shinjuku - I expected those to be my hands down favorites but instead they were just OK. If you like shiny modern shopping districts: you’ll like Shibuya. If you like to party hard: you’ll like Shinjuku - but that’s just what they are: shopping and clubbing areas. Shibuya Sky and Golden Gai were cool but not my favs. I wound up loving Koenji, Ueno, and Akiba much more.
4. Eating out is cheap, convenient and delicious - for most people. With dietary restrictions: eating out is expensive, tedious, and delicious. My partner struggles with gluten and can’t eat pork or eggs. On the one hand, most restaurants simply cannot accommodate to her needs (unless we are nothing but sushi, which wouldn’t be a bad thing.) On the other hand, the restaurants that DO focus on gluten-light or vegan/veggie options tend to have a very high focus on quality. More expensive and tricky to find, but SO delicious. You’ll quickly learn the odd nature of Japanese service, however, wherein restaurantuers will be both extremely kind and utterly inflexible. We are at one spot that specialized in vegan ramen and bento, and we both wanted the bento set which came with ramen. The menu stated that each main course ramen option can include gluten free noodles, but when I asked the cook if we could get the side ramen that came with the bento sets with gluten free noodles as well, he just looked perplexed, bowed, and apologized, stating that we were asking the impossible. You’ll eat VERY well regardless - but you need to go out of your way to find specialist restaurants for certain needs, and even then, don’t expect any deviations from what is listed in a given menu.
5. Be prepared to pivot - and don’t overplan. My schedule was fairly loose and only shot for one area/activity each morning, afternoon, or evening (not hour by hour) - and I was still at my limit each day. Be flexible and pivot! We had Mt. Takao planned for day 4 and hot off of Disney we were so exhausted that even an “easy” hike felt more like a threat than a leisure activity. We did Kamakura instead - which I hadn’t planned for at all - and it was incredible.
6. DisneySea is worth it. For me, at least, this was a surprise. Not a huge Disneyhead like my partner but I did it “for her” and it was incredible. The scale, theming, and immersion were so excellent, so spectacular, that I’d recommend it as a must even to the most casual Disney fan. It was mind boggling. Pure magic - even for a Disney skeptic like myself. Just be sure to go on a weekday, and not during the peak of summer.
7. Minimize shuffling your hotels and ALWAYS use luggage forward unless you travel very light. We did just one hotel for 6 days in Tokyo and just one hotel for 4 days in Kyoto. Picking up and moving hotels every few days would’ve felt like a miserable hassle - and frankly unnecessary despite Tokyo’s size, thanks to the incredible public transit. Luggage forward was a godsend, and at $15 per bag was a bargain relative to the peace of mind it brought.
8. Don’t sleep on Narita: it’s more than just an airport. Haneda may be closer but Narita is a nice airport and a very nice area in its own right, with awesome markets, beautiful temples, and lovely Ryokans. It’s also much cheaper to fly in and out of, and is pretty easy to access from Tokyo despite the distance. For the same price as a Haneda ticket you can fly into Narita AND stay at a Ryokan there, spending a day at its temples and markets. It makes for a fantastic first or last day trip bookend.
9. Nobody gives a shit if you’re tall - it’s not tall person prohibitive. As a 6’7” man I get more comments on my height in the US than I ever did in Japan. And while I needed to duck under doorframes and deal with smallish beds it wasn’t any more difficult than any countries I’ve visited in Europe.
10. You won’t do everything - and everything you don’t get to is another reason to come back. Travel isn’t cheap, but it’s worth noting that it’s much cheapER than many other destinations these days. Definitely cheaper to visit Japan from the US than most destinations in Europe. It’s almost remarkable just how accessible Japan REALLY is relative to how much magic and quality you get for your dollar.

All in all it was amazing. Everything one might expect and so much more. To sum up my favorite spots they include: Yanaka Ginza (Tokyo), Akihabara (Tokyo - the only area I went out of my way to visit twice), Kamakura (Hase-dera Temple especially), Kodai-Ji Temple (Kyoto - much preferred to Fushimi-Inari or Arashiyama), Pontocho Alley (Kyoto - felt like a Ghibli-fied Golden Gai.)

Phew. That’s a lot. Now that it’s written up I feel like my trip is finally over and I can settle in and rest…before I begin planning my next trip for next year!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Few_Cress3966 on 2025-09-23 12:16:01+00:00.

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I just wanted to share a few stand-out restaurants from our trip to Kyoto this week. Both are tucked away in alley streets within Pontocho Alley, and we just happened to peek our heads in and find room among a lot of locals.

First, for sushi, Yoshinosushi. Some of the best sushi and sashimi I’ve ever had in my life, and the chef and staff are so kind. They speak good English and checked on us throughout the meal.

Second, an izakaya called Suzume. This was one of the best dining experiences of my life, ever, Kyoto and beyond. Aya, the chef/owner, is fluent in English, bubbly and charming, explains each dish from her small but carefully crafted menu. The other staff and even locals dining at the time got wrapped up into the same conversation, and it felt like I was at a dinner party with friends. The meal tasted like a home-cooked meal, too, in the very best way. I can’t recommend enough. I’m already excited to go back next time.

For those looking around Pontocho Alley for food, don’t be afraid to duck into the smaller alleys in between the main streets! They don’t get as much foot traffic but their food and service are incredible.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/yuukireira on 2025-09-22 09:53:09+00:00.

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This trip was during November - December 2024. As I started planning my upcoming Dec-Jan 2026 trip, I remembered my forgotten trip report draft.

Locations

Route: Tokyo 8 days -> Kyoto 6 days -> Kurashiki 2 days -> Hiroshima 2 days -> Tokyo 3 days

Day trips: Kamakura, FujiQ, Uji, Okayama, Nijigen no Mori (Awaji), Miyajima

Good parts

• I saw a kpop idol in Ginza (Straykids Hyunjin). I’ve never seen a celebrity in public randomly before so hot tip: if you see a huge crowd forming around a place, be nosy and find out what they’re there for. You never know who you’ll see!
  • Random encounters during my trip: saw and talked to SHO the “I like sushi” guy with the gold Mercedes Benz, I also saw Akidearest (youtuber) walk past me at Sunshine city Pokemon center. Then we saw her chilling on the sidewalk on the way to the train station so I decided to greet her
• We decided to do any stamp rally we came across to – it made the visits to different places/train stations even more exciting
• I was able to snipe some tickets to a Michelin 2-starred restaurant, Florilège. This was a dining experience that I’d never forget. The dishes looked so beautiful.
  • If you’re trying to book popular restaurants like this through TableCheck, you literally have to secure your tickets within 30 seconds of release. I used Safari for the autofill.
• To-ji Temple night illumination viewing during fall foliage – for some reason, we started a line and just waited an hour or so before the 6pm opening. The stunning illumination was well worth the wait. We got a short moment of time when the place wasn’t filled with people, and we were able to get perfect shots without being shoulder to shoulder with someone for the view.
• Kurashiki was the perfect follow-up to Kyoto. Just walking around near our accommodation to unwind, we went for ages without seeing a single person. This was the kind of calm that we needed in the middle of our trip. For dinner, we went to the closest izakaya open (a 15min walk lol). Though the owner and daughter were surprised to see 2 foreigners walk-in at 9:40pm, they were still quite friendly and welcoming to us. They even tried to include us in their conversation with the other 2 customers there. Definitely a core memory for me.
• So much TWICE merch! Sunk too much yen into claw machines with laburis, bought a few tickets for Twice ichibankuji, got a ticket to the JYP Japan Popup store and experience trading photocards and postcards with other people outside the store.
  • My partner bought 20 tickets for a Naruto ichibankuji to get the top prizes and the final prize. He was so happy, but can’t say the same for the guy behind us lol. He walked away begrudgingly after realising my bf just cleared out the whole batch and he would have to buy from a new set.

Would revisit

• Immersive Fort – I 100% recommend if you’re also trying to learn Japanese like me. It was such a unique experience to be immersed in different themes/stories.
  • Tales of Edo Oiran is an absolute must and worth the additional cost to entrance fee. For me, the highlight was when I was able to go with the Oiran (main character) during one of the times that they’d split us into groups, and it was just me, this other Japanese guy, and her in this small room. We even acted and showed how concerned we were for her. I was such a happy little kid inside. My partner on the other hand didn’t enjoy it as much as I did as I had to translate what they were saying most times.
  • My partner was a big fan of Tokyo revengers at the time so we of course opted for the Tokyo Revengers: Immersive Escape. I love how the cast were not afraid to talk to us and help us solve the puzzles despite being foreigners.
  • I regret not going to the Alice in borderland and the Sherlock one, thus I must revisit on my next Japan trip.
• FujiQ – Despite having skill issue and somehow missing the stop leading to 6 hour delay in arriving here, it was still worth the trek to go here. We rode Eeejanaika 3 times in a row, spun around despite the freezing weather in Tentekomai Sky roller, rode the flight simulation ride with Attack on Titan theme, rode the tea cups with no one else around but me and my partner + spinning really fast, and ended the day with watching the sunset on the ferris wheel then grabbed some grilled fish on the way out. Worth the hassle, and I would visit again (but probably not for a day trip from Tokyo).
• Nijigen no mori – this was a bit of a hassle to get to for a day trip from Kyoto, though definitely not as bad as the Tokyo to FujiQ experience. What we enjoyed right away was how much quieter it was compared to other theme parks. My bf really enjoyed the Naruto park, while I had so much fun with the Godzilla zipline. Regretted starting Monster Hunter the field after sundown so we weren’t able to go around the park and properly enjoy the Field Exploration part. The park gets so dark as there’s only a few streetlamps.. We also stupidly missed the bus back to the station (we waited at the wrong stop) so we had to wait in the dark + freezing cold weather for a long time. Despite the mishaps, we’re still keen to revisit when they have new attractions.
• Miyajima to hike Mt. Misen – we were so excited to go up to the lookout at Mt. Misen, but not long into the trail (like 5 mins), we realised that the clothes we wore were definitely not for hiking + we were freezing. I would love to revisit Miyajima again and go around the island more leisurely.

Good finds

• ICHIBAN at Shinbashi, Minato – 150 yen per plate‼ how good. I also enjoyed how I was able to practice ordering in Japanese for each plate I had, rather than just grabbing off the conveyor belt. My partner and I really liked it that we went a second time. However, for some reason the chef puts so much wasabi in the tuna sashimi… so we just avoided ordering tuna and tried pretty much all of the other ones on the menu.
• I came across that milk shop in Akihabara station (found out shortly after that it’s lowkey famous) – I got some pasteurised milk, it was good
• Hakuhinkan Toy Park for the mini RC track – this was such a fun 200 yen spend for me. Definitely recommend to stop by if you’re at Ginza.
• This random restaurant at Uji that does a really good katsudon even though their main menu is soba. I will always think about you.
• The cheese karaage kun at Lawson was so good I bought one pretty much everyday
• Stellar garden sky lounge at The Prince Park Tower Tokyo - This was such a good last minute find by my BF. Although we didn't get a window table, we still thoroughly enjoyed the glittering Tokyo Tower while sipping [expensive] cocktails.

 Meh parts

• I loved Kamakura, but don’t even bother going to that really famous train rail part near Kamakurakokomae station. It was way too crowded…
• teamLab Borderless – I’m just not a big fan of attractions with way too many people in a small area. Plus it got a bit too repetitive
  • I did enjoy the part where we were able to draw something and you could see your artwork swimming around after
• Age3 at Ginza – we bought 4 different flavours, tried and it was just meh
• I was honestly pretty disappointed with the Kyoto part of my trip. Bus after bus kept arriving, each unloading big waves of tourists into the same small spots… That one street in Arashiyama that was so packed with people you could barely even see the road…With Tokyo, you expect the crowds and chaos, and I’m totally fine with that. But Kyoto… you go there expecting a bit of peace and tradition. The sheer volume of tourists really took away from the experience for me. I think part of it is also that I keep subconsciously comparing it to my first visit ten years ago, which felt so much more authentic and calm.

Main tip: It’s completely okay to not have a detailed itinerary and just aim for 1 or 2 non-negotiable spots to visit. Exploring makes the trip so much better. However, please do learn from our mistakes (6 hour delay…) and plan your day trips travel better 🤡

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Gloomy-View5162 on 2025-09-21 05:22:51+00:00.

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Just wanted to share a warning to any travellers renting airbnb in Japan. There is a law which allows these properties: “ryokans, aparthotels, hostel, resorts, and boutique hotels”; to install an internal security device which must only record the entrance way and not any living space, and only where it is not possible to install an exterior camera. The device must not have audio capability.

Link: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3589

I booked an entire apartment (two floors) on Airbnb where clearly the host has loosely interpreted the provision and put an internal security camera 6 metres into the living space, which recorded the entranceway AS WELL AS the kitchen and dining area (basically the vast majority of the downstairs space). The model of the camera is a Panasonic KX-HJC100-W - the specification online clearly shows the camera has audio capability. There was also an exterior camera on the outside recording the entryway into the property.

Complained to Airbnb and despite their own guidance, the Airbnb rep has repeatedly said that no rules have been violated and claim that they have “confirmed” that the camera model has no audio capability, but won’t elaborate on anything, citing “privacy policy” (presumably of the host!) and they have now closed the conversation and won’t allow me to complain any further.

Update: here is the link to the Airbnb (in Kanazawa) https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/9717578

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Tacox706 on 2025-09-17 20:25:50+00:00.

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Hi all! 

My husband and I are gearing up to pull together our plans for our first trip to Japan next October! I'm the type to book things early/plan ahead so I would love some insight on if the current itinerary we have planned is sound. 

We are planning to be on the ground in Japan October 14th to October 29th. We are lucky to have a lot of points saved up so we plan to use points for all hotels besides our Ryokan stay. We are coming from the East Coast US.

We are planning for 5 nights in Tokyo to start, 4 nights in Kyoto, 1 night in Hiroshima/Miyajima, 3 nights in Osaka and 2 nights back in Tokyo. We prefer to go back to Tokyo vs. leaving from Osaka.

Over time, I learned that super detailed travel is just not for us. We like structure with the flexibility to still explore. I had wanted to do DisneySea but it doesn't seem like it'll work out so we removed it entirely. We also swapped Kinosaki for doing the Ryokan on Miyajima since we were already going to Hiroshima. Just things to put on the list for a future trip.

 Our structure is as follows;

Wed 10/14: Arrive in Tokyo. Planning to stay at Hyatt House Shibuya w/ points for 5 nights total. 

• No plans for this day. Our flight would most likely arrive in the afternoon so just going to focus on getting to the hotel, checking in and staying awake until a decent time to help adjust to jet lag.
• Will walk around the area around our hotel, hit up a 7-11 for the first time
• May even take a peek in Don Quijote but not buy anything just yet

Thu 10/15: Sightseeing in Tokyo 

*Focusing on Shibuya, Harajuku & Shinjuku

• Meiji Shrine/Yoyogi Park
• Takeshita Street
• Cat Street
• Explore Shibuya (crossing, shopping, visit PARCO)
• Visit Shinjuku, specifically to visit the Godzilla head, walk around

Fri 10/16: Sightseeing in Tokyo 

*Focusing on Akihabara & Asakusa

• Senso-ji Temple
• Nakamise Shopping Street
• Shopping in Akihabara
• Interested in dinner in this area, maybe a themed izakaya

Sat 10/17: Day trip to Kawagoe 

* All day in Kawagoe- Leave Tokyo for Kawagoe

• Main focus is the Festival
• Visit the Hikawa Shrine & Candy Alley

Sun 10/18: Sightseeing in Tokyo 

*Light day before we leave for Kyoto

• Ueno Park
• Maybe Tokyo National Museum (we love museums)
• Pack/send luggage/rest up

Mon 10/19: Depart Tokyo for Kyoto. Planning on staying at the Hyatt Place Kyoto w/ points for 4 nights

• Nothing planned on the arrival day so we have the freedom to get settled in
• If all goes well with traveling, we could probably easily visit Nijo castle or Gyoen National Garden

Tue 10/20: Sightseeing in Kyoto 

• Fushimi Inari
• Higashiyama area

Wed 10/21: Half or Full day at Nara 

• Nara Park
• Todai-ji
• Kasuga Shrine

Thu 10/22: Sightseeing in Kyoto 

• Arashiyama (not the monkey park, most likely)
• Back to central Kyoto, whatever we missed on that first day
• Keeping this day light as its the day before we leave for Hiroshima

Fri 10/23: Depart Kyoto for Hiroshima and ultimately staying overnight in a Ryokan on Miyajima Island. Current front runner is Miyajima Kinsuikan. I have a tattoo, so planning to splurge on a room with its own bath. This is for 1 night.

• Mainly visiting the A-Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima before heading to Miyajima
• Check in to the Ryokan and stay there

Sat 10/24: Depart Miyajima for Osaka; In Osaka, staying at Caption by Hyatt Namba w/ points for 3 nights

• Sightsee on Miyajima Island like the Torii Gate, Itsukushima Shrine and Daisho-in
• Depart Miyajima to head to Osaka, enjoy the evening there
• We would only have overnight bags with us here as we would've sent our luggage from Kyoto to Osaka

Sun 10/25: Sightseeing in Osaka 

• Taking it easy this day. We will probably be running on fumes and could use a reset
• Just sticking to exploring Osaka at our own pace, Den Den Town, Dotonbori and lots of snacks/food

Mon 10/26: Full Day Universal Studios Japan 

• Sort of self explanatory here. Spending the day at USJ!
• We've been to Florida so familiar with Universal. I think HHN will be going on and not a separate ticket like Florida

Tue 10/27: Depart Osaka for Tokyo. Planning final stay at the Hyatt Centric Ginza w/ points

• Same as the other travel days, not planning anything on purpose so we aren't rushing around. May really get into shopping here since we are nearing the end of the trip but we do have the following day

Wed 10/28: Last minute shopping in Tokyo

• Keeping this open but my husband wants to go Gundam model shopping
• I figured at this point we can now really shop for the things we want to take home
• Calling it early this day in order to get prepared to fly home the next morning

Thu 10/29: Depart Tokyo going back to the US

• Our flight should be leaving mid morning so not much here but getting back to the airport

I see so many different types of itineraries in my research to sort of come up with what I think works for us and what we want to do, so I'm hoping I'm on the right track!