This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/WobblyPudd1ng on 2024-12-03 01:56:45+00:00.

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Just returned from a trip to the Hyogo region - Thought I would leave this here as a reference for others. (Sorry for the lousy formatting - typed this on my phone)

Day 1 - Landed in KIX, Headed for Kobe

• Cleared custom at KIX and left straight for Kobe via the JR Osaka loop line + Tokaido Sanyo Line
• Had dinner at Sannomiya area - とんかつ七兵衛 三宮店 - awesome miso tonkatsu and katsudon (Credits to @japaneat on YouTube for Kobe food recommendations - check out the channel here - )

Day 2 - Kobe (Herb garden, Nunobiki falls) > Himeji (Sannomaru Square)

• Took the gondola up to the herb gardens which was a pretty nice place for a morning stroll.
• Bought the return ticket initially as it was raining but as the rain subsided we decided to trek down towards Nunobiki falls which ended up being the highlight of the day. There was a restaurant (おんたき茶屋) on the way down overlooking the area but decided to forgo it in view of time.
• Left for Himeji via the Tokaido Sando line
• Grabbed dinner near Gofukumachi and went to see a night view of Himeji castle from Sannomaru Square

Day 3 - Himeji (Mt Shosha, Himeji Castle)

• Left early for Mt Shosha via the Ropeway - definitely the highlight for me in Himeji; Awesome to see the area with the autumn leaves all around
• Grabbed a late lunch from the combini and left for Himeji castle / Koko-en before it was closed for the day
• Left Himeji castle around sunset; dinner and called it a day

Day 4 - Himeji > Takeda

• Spent some time in the morning exploring the area around Himeji station
• Took the Bantan Line bound for Takeda. Always enjoyed the rides towards the countryside
• Checked in at our accoms in Takeda and left for nearby Wadayama station to stock up on supplies before our early climb to Takeda castle the following day.
• Ended up walking for 15-20mins to the nearest supermart in the rain; On our way back it was completely dark but we managed to find a small eatery (お食事処 ゆめじ) still open for dinner (Tsukesoba was awesome)

Day 5 - Takeda (Takeda Castle) > Kinosaki Onsen

• Woke up before the break of dawn for the climb up Takeda Castle; the steep climb was made difficult with the morning rain and recent cold wave (it was only 5°C during the climb), but it was all worth it for the view at the top
• Didn't manage to see the sea of clouds due to the cold wave though 😔
• Descended around late morning, ended up at Hyomai shrine and hiked to the nearby Lawson for some hot coffee
• Went back to the accoms, rested until our next train time and left for Kinosaki Onsen via the Bantan Line + San-In Line
• Dropped our luggage off; went up the Kinosaki Onsen ropeway and ended up hiking down from Onsenji station
• Checked in, grabbed our Onsen pass from our accoms and went Onsen hopping in the 6 available public onsens (Satano-yu is still undergoing renovation)
• Had an hearty sukiyaki teishoku dinner at 創作料理 near the train station

Day 6 - Kinosaki Onsen

• Checked out of our first accoms in Kinosaki Onsen and checked in to our first Ryokan (あさぎり荘) for the trip
• Did an impromptu trip to toyooka and bought some お土産 (slightly cheaper than the Kinosaki Onsen region); More Onsen hopping
• Had an awesome kaiseki meal at the Ryokan in our rooms (steamed crab was was perfect)

Day 7 - Kinosaki Onsen > Miyazu (Ine day trip)

• Checked out early after breakfast at our Ryokan and left for Miyazu via the San-In line + Tantetsu line (Unable to use the IC card on the Tantetsu line)
• Checked in at our Ryokan in Miyazu (which was in a museum) and left for Ine via the bus from Miyazu station
• Enjoyed the seaviews and the seaside town vibes at Ine (Views from Ine Cafe and Funaya-no-sato park were great)
• Headed back to Miyazu and had a cheap but delicious dinner at 回転寿司 金ぱ銀ぱ (conveyor belt sushi - only one outlet in Japan from what I can find)

Day 8 - Miyazu > Amanohashidate > Osaka

• Checked out early after breakfast and left for Amanohashidate where we stored our luggage
• Walked across Amanohashidate park; went up to Amanohashidate Viewland via the chair lift
• Took a highway bus from Amanohashidate back to Osaka around noon. Was lucky to secure seats without reservation and broken Japanese

Day 8-10 - Osaka

• Spent the time at Osaka doing the usual stuff (Dontonbori - the crowds were crazy compared to my previous trip 6 years prior; Shopping and getting lost in the labyrinth called Umeda station, trying Glitch Coffee Osaka, etc)
• Eating my favourite takoyaki from たこ焼道楽わなか (Awesome takoyaki chain in Osaka)

Main takeaway from this trip

• Book highway buses in advance as much as possible. I still can recall the anxiety from waiting at the bus stop in Amanohashidate; hoping for an empty seat.

-If you are heading to the countryside: -> Bring sufficient cash and keep some loose change on hand (especially when paying for transportation) ->Pack light if you are not driving; Accomodations in the countryside can be quite far from the city center or train station . (Brought a Osprey Farpoint 55 for the whole trip)

• Waterproof (or at least water-resistant) jackets are lifesavers in autumn, given the perpetual light rain. The Uniqlo Blocktech jacket did me good on this trip

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/glocks4interns on 2024-12-03 00:59:48+00:00.

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This is a little niche but wrote this up and figured it might help someone in this sub. This is a guide to Tokyo for someone who plays Warhammer or other minis games. Tokyo is amazing for plastic model kits and anime figures, but it’s not a wargaming hotbed. You can find plenty of Warhammer but it will be expensive and there isn’t much reason to buy it there unless you’re a local. So this will be more focused on what you might want to visit, and some non-gaming shopping to consider. Also I’ll note that prices will be in yen, but price comparisons will be in US dollars as that’s what I know. So prices may be better or worse than what I discuss here based on your local currency and local hobby market/markup.

I’ll also note that I’m sure I’ve missed things, this is a guide for tourists, not anyone living in Tokyo. If you have advice on other things to add please reach out via email or social media.

You can find a map of these locations here. The map includes some other sites that I know less about or don’t think are worth going out of your way for, but you can stop by if you’re in the area.

Gundam Front Tokyo

I don’t care how much you hate Tau, the Unicorn Gundam on Odiba is worth seeing. GW’s 1:1 scale models, eat your heart out, this thing is 65 feet tall. I recommend visiting Gundam Front Tokyo in the late afternoon or early evening, depending on the time of year. It’s best if you can see the Gundam in the day but also lit up at night. There are set times where there will be light shows after dark (depending on time of year) and at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, and 17:00 it will activate it’s transformation mechanism (panels moving, not like turning into a plane). Getting there in the late afternoon you can check it out, go inside, come back for more pictures at night.

When you head inside at Gundam Front Tokyo you’ll find a large Bandai-run Gundam store with plenty of exclusive models and some interesting displays. If you’re luck enough to be going around the end/start of the year you may see Gunpla Builder’s World Cup models which are truly stunning. This store also has a lot of Gundam clothing, often collaborations with other brands. When you’re shopping here get the merch and exclusive models, this isn’t the place to pick up your next HG or MG kit, these are full retail price.

Cost: Free

Hours: 11:00-20:00

How long will I spend here?: 30-90 minutes

Address: Japan, 〒135-0064 Tokyo, Koto City, Aomi, 1 Chome−1−10 ダイバーシティ東京 プラザ７F

Small Worlds Miniature Museum

Small Worlds Miniature Museum is a fairly new museum that displays a number of models. The focus is on large scale dioramas and while nothing is directly related to wargaming there is infinite inspiration to take from it. They have some exhibits that change, but it’s mostly permanent exhibits. It starts with a large space exploration model that has some great little scenes in it, but overall it lacks the cohesion of the better exhibits. There is a large airport model and full scale airport lounge, which sounds kind of strange but I enjoyed sitting down and having a coffee while watching model planes take off and land.

The highlight for me is the Evangelion section. This is a large part of the museum and there is a lot to see. There is a model of the Eva launch cages from the series in something like 1:48 scale. There is then a partial 1:1 scale Eva Unit 0-1 model and a 12 or so foot tall Lance of Longinus. Now, all of that may sound like gibberish if you’ve not watched the series, or it’s been a long time. But trust me, it’s cool but those are the two weakest parts. The highlight of the Eva section is without a doubt the scale model of Tokyo-3 where Eva takes place. I’m bad with trains but I think this might have been in N scale which is ~1:160 or about 10mm scale for our toy soldiers. And it’s huge, they’ve created a number of areas of the city, with a backdrop using forced perspective to show the transformation of the city when the skyscrapers descend into the Geofront. Again, some of that probably sounds like gibberish, but I think it’s worth seeing because there are a lot of clever things going on. There are hidden (well, small) scenes with characters from the show scattered about. The forced perspective trick is used in Tokyo-3 and the airport lounge and I think under-utilized by modelers. So you’ll just see a lot of Neat Stuff and I hope it inspires you.

The last bit of the Eva section to talk about is less applicable to scale modelers but is super cool. There are models there that look unfinished, on first seeing them I recognized them as the city from the 1.0+3.0 rebuild movie, and I thought maybe they were building them in place. That isn’t the case. These miniatures (which are quite large) were built for the filming process, they were not used for filming but to establish shots, locations, and provide a physicality to the digitally animated movie. For anyone who has seen the movie you can agree it pays off, Village 3 feels like a real place with physicality and a sense of place.

Okay, that’s enough weebing out about Eva. I think the other thing that will really appeal to miniature hobbyists is the workshop. I wish they had a little more here, but you’re able to walk through their workshop and see their models in progress, their 3d printers, their laser cutters, it’s really cool and I’d love to know more about the process. You can get a 3d scan of your body and a colored 3d print out of it sent to you,

The other good news here is that it’s pretty close to the giant robot above so you can do both of them in the same day. What I’d recommend is starting off with Teamlab Planets in the morning, a fantastic immersive art museum, then hit Small Worlds and see the Gundam as it gets close to sunset. I will say as a word of warning, that I loved it and got a lot out of this, but reviews online are a bit mixed. I think any wargamer will enjoy seeing this but your family may be less excited at the experience.

Cost: ¥3,200

Hours: 09:00-19:00

How long will I spend here?: 1-3 hours

Address: Japan, 〒135-0063 Tokyo, Koto City, Ariake, 1 Chome−3−33 有明物流センター

VALKYRIE VF-25F - Chiba Institute of Technology

So next up is a much smaller, much more niche sight but one I recommend if not too far out of your way. This is a 1:1 scale model of a Macross Valkyrie, which readers of a certain age may recognize from Robotech, or even as a Land Air Mech in Battletech. This particular one is from a newer series, Macross Frontier (the best Macross show, now streaming in most non-US countries on Hulu) and it’s not a complete model. You can only see part of the fighter/mech but what you can see really resembles a scale model. It’s staged as in a repair bay and there are tons of lovely details, check out all those warning notes.

The Valkyrie is a little hard to find but in a convenient location. Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower in the world and the third tallest structure in the world. Paying for a ticket is well worth it for the the best views of Tokyo of any observation deck. The Skytree is build on top of a 4 story mall, and at one end of that mall there is an office tower. And in that office tower on the 8th floor Chiba University has a display space. This isn’t worth a long trip but they have some pretty cool stuff, beyond the Macross fighter you can see a sword forged from meteoric iron, touch a meteor, see a scale model of a satellite, and see the robots being used to observe the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. And it’s all free. The Skytree and this exhibition space are some of Tokyo’s most famous shrines and also the Kappabashi area known for knife stores and other kitchen shopping.

Cost: Free

Hours: 10:30-18:00

How long will I spend here?": 15-45 minutes

Address: Japan, 〒131-0045 Tokyo, Sumida City, Oshiage, 1 Chome−1−2 ソラマチ8F

Warhammer Cafe Tokyo

Very much worth a visit is the Warhammer Cafe in Tokyo. The cafe is in Akihabara, the center of anime and nerd fandom in the city and probably won’t be out of your way for that reason. This is the only Warhammer Cafe I’ve been to and they did a good job. Not a ton of playing space but a ton of painted models are on display, they stock a wide range of online or Forgeworld exclusives and some GW Exclusives such as the Realm of Chaos books.

I didn’t try the food or drinks, I’m sure they’re edible if not the best option in the area. The staff is friendly and if they have something you want feel free to buy it, but keep in mind for most visitors you’ll be paying a small premium on your local prices. The exclusives of course make the most sense to buy.

At this point I’ll mention the other Warhammer stores in Tokyo, they’re fine, in the context of what one-person Warhammer shops are, they kinda suck. I didn’t stop by any but the last time I went I checked them out and if you’re near by stop in but don’t expect much. No slight to the staff, it’s just a bad format for a store ...

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Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1h5b5fm/a_wargamers_guide_to_visiting_tokyo/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/sirotan88 on 2024-12-02 18:26:46+00:00.

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This is our 3rd time to Japan but first time visiting Kyushu! The focus of our trip was shopping and eating, and one night at a ryokan. I loved that Fukuoka and Kumamoto are not as crowded or big as Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and it’s easier to find your way around by bus or train. Surprisingly, a lot of people spoke a bit of english and many restaurants had English translated menus. My favorite part was how festive everything is! We happened to go to multiple Christmas markets, and all the malls are decked out in winter decorations.

Hope this trips report helps anyone planning to travel to Fukuoka or Kumamoto. Feel free to ask any questions!

Day 1 (Fukuoka, Hakata)

• Arrived in Fukuoka Airport in the evening and took the bus into the city
• Explored Hakata Station which has a lot of underground food courts, as well as several department stores (Hands, Hankyu, AMU) and shops all interconnected by the station.
• Spent time at the Christmas Market which was right in the outdoor plaza by Hakata Station. Caught a live opera solo performance on stage.
• Stayed in ANA Crowne Plaza which is about 5 minutes walking from Hakata Station.

Day 2 (Ohori Park, Tenjin, Canal City)

• Visited Ohori Park and the Fukuoka Art Museum (we went in mainly because it was raining, otherwise might have skipped it and explored or biked around the park). After the rain stopped we walked around the Fukuoka Castle Ruins. There were many birds at the park!
• Went to Bayside Place and had sushi at Hakata Toyoichi. We got the to-go option where you pick up a plastic box and fill it up with nigiri from a buffet-like set up. Also checked out the mini aquarium fish tank inside one of the buildings, which was quite nice. (Originally wanted to take the ferry to an island but due to rain we skipped it.)
• Spent the afternoon shopping around Tenjin Underground Mall. The underground mall has a European vibe, and is even more beautiful during Christmas season. We shopped at Muji, Uniqlo, Daiso, Mitsokushi.
• Got soufflé pancake from A Happy Pancake Fukuoka Tenjin store. It’s a bit hidden as its entrance is a hole in the wall stairwell. Very nice spot to rest, away from the hustle and bustle.
• Went to Canal City and shopped at Snow Peak inside Alpen Fukuoka (it’s like REI in the US, but even bigger)
• Omakase at Hakata Sushi Matsumoto. We got the special weekday omakase which was the cheapest option (around $60) which is a steal… booked in advance through Tabelog
• Christmas Market “Forest” next to Fukuoka City Hall. It’s so magical with all the picnic tables set up under the fairy lights and trees, but we only walked through it since it was raining pretty heavily
• Canal City Fountain Show. Really cool design of fountains and light projections. There is one Gundam show, and the second show has a Christmas story.
• Late night snack at Yakitori Hachibei in the underground of Hakata Station, and had a honey lemon sour

Day 3 (More shopping, Asakura)

• Shopped at Maru-Take Kitchen Supplies for some sake cups, and walked around the Yanagibashi Rengo Market which is a small traditional food market. We had tuna donburi at one of the food stalls but the portions were quite small and pricey. (Probably better value to just eat tuna sashimi from a supermarket.)
• Ramen Stadium at Canal City. The ramen was good but nothing super special. We passed a tempura restaurant that looked really good.. wish we went for that instead
• Returned to Hakata Station for more shopping in the lower level food shopping areas. Tried Daimyo Soft Cream ice cream.
• Took a bus to Asakura for our stay at a traditional ryokan and onsen. Felt amazing to soak in the onsens after so much walking. They served Kaiseki dinner in our tatami room, the service was really great and food very satisfying.

Day 4 (Kumamoto)

• Took the train from Asakura to Kumamoto. Always love traveling by train in Japan!
• Had conveyer belt sushi at Sushi Restaurant Mekkemon which was one of the best meals of the trip. The sushi just kept coming (you can take it from the conveyer belt or order on an iPad). We ordered all kinds of premium stuff like tuna, sweet shrimp, uni, scallops… and it was super affordable and delicious
• Shopping at AMU Plaza. It has a really beautiful atrium with a multiple-story waterfall and waterscaping, and many indoor trees and plants
• Visited Kumamoto Castle. The park is quite beautiful and you can go inside the reconstructed castle. However all the exhibits labels are Japanese (they provide QR code for translated text, but personally I recommend using Google Translate’s camera option). It got pretty crowded and stuffy inside so I recommend going early in the morning.
• Got Tofu Skin Ice Cream at one of the shops in Sakura no baba Josaien near the entrance of the castle
• Shopping at Sakura Machi mall. We went to the upper roof garden as well which has a view of Kumamoto Castle in the distance.
• Walking and shopping around Shimotori Shopping Arcade a large covered shopping street
• We got turned away from a few restaurants in the area (busy Saturday night) so we returned to AMU Plaza. The 7F has a bunch of restaurant options along with window displays and menus to help you decide what to eat, and waiting lists, so we decided to try a yakitori restaurant. It turned out pretty good!
• Walked around Kumamoto Station Christmas Market and enjoyed some hot chocolate brandy and live music
• Stayed at The Blossom Kumamoto, it’s a fancy new hotel with beautiful indoor/outdoor architecture. There’s also a modern style public onsen for hotel guests.

Day 5

• Had breakfast buffet at The Blossom before taking the bus to Kumamoto Airport
• At the airport we did some shopping for snacks to bring back home

Overall it was a really awesome trip and we returned with our suitcases and bellies full. 5 days (more like 4 and a half) were definitely not long enough to slow down and enjoy Kyushu, and I know we missed a lot of the major attractions. We loved both Fukuoka and Kumamoto, and would likely come back to see more of the nature and cultural attractions in the future and try to make it to Kurozawa Onsen and Mt Aso.

Tips:

• Lots of places are still cash only.
• Get Suica on Apple Wallet so you can just tap your phone for bus or subway
• You can buy an eSIM (eg Ubigi) before the trip (it’s more expensive than getting a SIM in Japan but worth it for the convenience)
• Bring your passport with you for Tax Free shopping
• We walked a lot (4-10 miles per day), my shoe actually got a hole in it mid-trip so I bought a new pair… bring sturdy and comfortable shoes!
• Use Google Translate’s camera feature to translate signs and menus
• Always check out vending machines for interesting drinks. My favorites were almond milk tea and a hot maple latte.
• It’s surprisingly annoying figuring out how to flush the toilet (could be a button/multiple buttons on the bidet control board, a separate button above or next to the control board, a traditional flush handle but it’s hidden behind the toilet seat, automatic flush, motion sensor/hand wave to flush). But at least every toilet is very clean and well maintained

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/frozenpandaman on 2024-12-02 11:32:58+00:00.

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This is kind of crazy considering how long they've been around. A few months ago they essentially killed the Seishun 18 Ticket, a mainstay since the 1940s, making it all but useless for the very people it's supposed to be meant for. Then last week announced they were taking away a car full of unreserved seats on the Tokaido Shinkansen, and now this. Feels so insanely greedy and making everyone's experience all-around worse in effort to focus purely on profits. Not a fan!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/8o8asian on 2024-12-02 10:46:55+00:00.

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11 day trip report – Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe

Background: This trip was my wife and I honeymoon trip so I went all out in terms of booking first class flights and staying at relatively nicer hotels. Funny enough, I only spent money on the flights as I was able to book all of the hotels with points so luckily didn’t spend a dime on those. We also did not come to Japan with much of a plan in terms of doing specific things. We figured we hit up 2 cities each day and go where the wind took us. I did make some reservations beforehand and there were some places my wife and I wanted to shop/see but we didn’t make a minute by minute itinerary.

Day 1 ( Travel day)

Departed HNL to HND in the afternoon. Arrived at HND at about 5pm. It took us about an hour to get through immigration as at least 3 flights arrived at the same time as ours. Luckily, we were able to get our bags relatively quickly.

Took a taxi to our hotel, Andaz Toranomon Hills, and we arrived in about less than 30 minutes. It would’ve taken us an hour on the metro to get us from HND to Andaz and since we had our luggage, I figured it would save us some headache to take a taxi instead. I think I paid around $60 but it was worth it in saving time. I must say, Andaz is a beautiful hotel and Toranomon is a nice quiet neighborhood at night. We were pretty tired from the flight and were still getting adjusted to the different time zone, we decided to not do much exploring. The Big 3 convenience stores (7-11, Family Mart and Lawson) were right down the street from the hotel so we decided to get dinner from there. I made myself the egg sandwich with a Family Mart chicken and my wife and some onigiri and other snacks. We went to sleep pretty early so that we could wake up in the morning refreshed and ready for Day 1.

Day 2 (Shibuya & Harajuku)

Day 2 started with my wife and I waking up at around 6am as we were still getting adjusted. We decided that we would get an early start so I could find a Suica card. We headed to Tokyo Station first but I realized I looked at the wrong JR East center and it didn’t open until 830 and it was only 7am. We decided to come back later and head out to Shibuya.

We got to Shibuya pretty early and nothing was really open yet so we settled for breakfast at Café Gusto. It was a pretty nice place and we both had the hamburger steak and it was good for the price. We then went to the Don Quijote to look around. I went to Shibuya Station to inquire where I could get a Suica card and the worker told me I could get a personalized one at one of the machines just outside. Thankfully I was able to get a personalized Suica card to use. After that, we stood in line for our Shibuya Sky reservation which was at 10. Unfortunately due to the weather, the top roof observation and escalators weren’t open but the views from the indoor deck was still amazing. We then headed to the Shibuya Parco and went shopping in stores like Hands and checked out the Pokemon Center. Lunch as was at an Omurice place which was super good then we went to Harajuku for shopping. I think we spent at least 3 or 4 hours shopping before we finally had dinner at Red Rock Harajuku (my favorite place to eat in Japan now). After dinner, we did a little more shopping before heading back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the next day.

Day 3 (Odaiba, Tsukiji, Shinjuku)

Day 3 started the same way Day 2 started, both of us waking up at 6am. Luckily, Odaiba was pretty far from the hotel so we didn’t mind a longer train ride. We had breakfast at Bills Odaiba, eating the Ricotta pancakes and the Aussie breakfast which was super filling. We then walked to Diver City to see the Gundam Statue. During the time we were there, there was a car show outside the building so it was cool to see. Also saw the Fuji TV headquarters. After that, we took a taxi to Tsukiji, as it was pouring rain. Tsukiji wasn’t as crowded as I thought it was going to be, possibly because of the rain. Eating all the fresh seafood is great, especially the fresh crab. After staying there for about a couple of hours, we headed back to the hotel to get a short nap in. We headed to Shinjuku as I have never been there before. I saw all the main tourists stuff, Kabukicho, Godzilla head, Mega Donki, Takashimaya Times Square, 3D cat board, etc. Had dinner at Ichiran and after that, did some shopping and found a nice dessert place, Caramel Monday’s. Went back to the hotel after to get some rest and get ready for the next day.

Day 4 (Asakusa, Akihabara, Ginza, Shinjuku)

Finally got adjusted to the time zone and was able to sleep in a little. We headed to Senso-ji in the morning right as everything was opening. Got some omiyage on Nakamise Dori before we walked around the area to try and find lunch. Saw a nice tonkatsu place, Tonkatsu Toyama, which was a nice little shop. The tonkatsu was super good and the quality of it was great. We then walked to Fan Fun Street by the Bandai Namco offices to take pictures with the characters outside. After that, we headed to Akihabara because my wife needed some earphones. We went to Yodobashi-Akiba to get some headphones and also checked out Radio Kaikan. Dinner was in Ginza as we went to one of the restaurants at Ginza Six. After that, I took my wife back to our hotel as she wanted to rest for the night while I went out with some friends who just so happened to also be in Japan at the time. We went to Shinjuku and hit up some of the bars in Kabukicho. One of the places we went to was Beer Pong Grove, a super cool bar with karaoke, darts and beer pong. We hung out there for a few hours then went to Ichiran at around 2am for food. I was able to taxi back to the hotel and was able to get some rest for the night.

Day 5 (Shinkansen to Osaka)

I got only about 3-4 hours of sleep after the previous night and luckily we weren’t doing much as we had to catch the shinkansen to Osaka. My wife and I got a convenience store breakfast before we packed up our things and headed to Shinagawa station to catch the Shinkansen. The Shinkansen was a nice 2 and a half hour ride to Osaka and I ate a MOS Burger that I picked up before leaving Shinagwa. It was raining heavily so there wasn’t much to see outside. When we arrived to Shin Osaka, we took a taxi to our next hotel, the Conrad Osaka. After we got settled, we went to dinner at Sushiro, which I thought had more choices than Kura Sushi and thought the fish tasted a bit better. Due to the rain, we went back to our hotel and decided to have a night in and enjoy the view of Osaka from the hotel.

Day 6 (Osaka Castle, Umeda)

We got another early start to the day but luckily the hotel had complimentary breakfast service which we took advantage of. We then headed out to Osaka castle. It was a very overcast day but it brought very cool weather. We walked the grounds of the castle which was pretty cool and also saw the capsule display that they had in one of the buildings of characters like Godzilla, Kamen Rider and Ultraman. After spending a few hours at the castle, we walked to a Sukiya’s for lunch. Love those gyu-don bowls. After that, we headed to Umeda to do some shopping which took some time. We were super tired by this time and headed back to the hotel to rest. We were planning to go to Dotonbori but it began raining super hard again so we just decided to rest up and have dinner at the hotel.

Day 7 (Kyoto)

My aunty and her family live in Osaka so she and one of my cousins decided to show us around Kyoto. They picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the Kyoto area. Along the way we passed Yamazaki, and my cousin tried to get us into one of the tours of the distillery but they were sold out. Our first stop was Arashiyama, where we saw not only the bamboo forest but also the Togetsukyo Bridge and the Monkey Park. We had lunch at MUKU, which was a very interesting experience. We then headed to the Toei Kyoto Studio park, where they shot a lot of old, Japanese samurai shows. It was cool to see some of the sets from shows that I grew up watching. After that, we went to the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine. I was definitely interested to see all of the Tori gates but we didn’t make it far because of how tired we were lol. My aunty then took us to her house, which is about 30 minutes out of the main city in Osaka and we had dinner at a local yakiniku place run by an older husband and wife. I had some of the best wagyu meat I’d ever eaten. We hung out for a little after that at my aunty’s house before my cousin dropped us off back at our hotel later in the night.

Day 8 (Kobe)

My wife and I got a very late start to the day and our travels were finally catching up to us but we managed to get to Kobe at a pretty good time. We checked out Chinatown, Motomachi street, the Port Tower area, Daimaru and Ijinkan-Gai. We honestly didn’t stay here very long but we still managed to see a lot of cool things. We headed back to Osaka and met my aunty at Shinsaibashi because she wanted to eat dinner with us before we left for Tokyo. She took us to President Chibo for okonomiyaki and it was really good. She also gave us some gifts to take back home and also bought us a Rikuro Cheesecake LOL. We then went back to the hotel and packed our stuff again before we headed back to Tokyo.

Day 9 (Shinkansen back to Tokyo, Ginza)

We took a taxi from our hotel to Shin-Osaka station to catch our Shinkansen back to Tokyo. ...

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Japan trip november 2024 ( 3 weeks)

Hi all! Just wanted to share my journey that me and my wife have had the past 3 weeks.

I am on my phone, in the lobby of the last hotel waiting for my taxi to take me back to Haneda airport, and won't be able to edit this for some time. Sorry for All the mistakes and miss punctuation..

Before I start I have to tell you a bit about ourselves, we are a couple in our 30s, come from the Netherlands and both of us wanted to go to Japan since ever we were old enough to know what travel is haha. We are both anime and rpg game junkies, love food and could not be more happy then to be inside a 500 year old building.

My wife grew up in a medium income household and I grew up in a pretty poor household. Due to a string of bad things happening and some lucky things happinging ( both my parents passed away last year and my wife's dad passed away a few years ago, but the housing market being the way it is and both our dad's owning small houses.. We suddenly have had a big increase in finances)

So we really wanted to make this a “once In a lifetime” trip and the budget was about 10k in euro. This is life changing amount of money.. But it was worth every penny.

Here we go!

Travel. Friday 8 Nov - Day 0

KYOTO

9 Nov - Sat Day 1: landing in Tokyo at 1:45pm, used Yamato transport to send out luggage to the hotel and then travel to Kyoto, with the shinkansen.

Hotel KABIN Kyoto: Amazing hotel! I highly recommend it! The room we had was fitted with a rain shower and the bed was big and clean.

10 Nov - Sun Day 2: , kiyomizu-dera temple eat in the streets of ninenzaka and sannenzaka yasaka shrine and next to it maruyama park explore gion district, ended the day with a visit to the Kyoto Pokemon Center ( a total let down to be honest and the worst pokecenter we went to) dinner was a high class unagi place that was super tasty!

11 Nov - Mon Day 3: Daytrip to Nara.Visit the Great Buddha at Todai-ji Nigatsu-do and Sangatsu-do (February and March Hall) Nandaimon (Great South Gate) Stroll around Nara Deer Park, Kasuga Taisha Shrine on way back to station go to Naramachi (Nara town) and here is omogi mochi pounding at Nakatanidou!

Thoughts on Nara : one of the highlights of our trip! Nara is great! The deer where sweet and loved the senbei, you do need to handle the deer with care.. We saw a lot of stupid people making huge mistakes and getting attacked, but this was 100 procent there own fault. If you have any basic animal handeling skills you will see that the Nara deer are the sweetest wild animals you wil ever get the pleasure to meet.

The temples and shrines were amazing! There was a little bakery next to the station that sold me the best melon pan I had all holidays.

The day ended with us going to a chicken place in Kyoto near our hotel that served some special kinda chicken.. It was amazing! Best chicken I ever had.

Nov 12 - Tuesday day 4:

early to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest then had an pleasent walk trough a movie stars garden, walking back we took a little boat trip on the river that took about 45 min. After we jumped In a taxi to kinkakuji temple (golden temple).

After the temple we jumped into a taxi to nishiki Market.. And this was not that good.. Certainly not compared to the other markets we went to later in the trip! It's still fun! Just don't expect to much.

That night we met up with a friend who was in Kyoto by pure luck! And had yakitori dinner In a super small local mom and pop shop.

Nov 13 - Wed Day 5:

Bit of an off day, my wife was overwhelmed and we had underestimated the amount of walking we were doing. So we took the morning off.

Around noon we went to the big tori gate shrine at fushimi Inari, and that was a bigger hike than we thought! But it was beautiful! Everything we read about it was true, at the bottom a boatload of people! Going up 30 minutes and you get space. Get to the big lookout point and you are basically with 10 others.

Getting back at the hotel and sending our luggage to Hiroshima trough an 7/11 close to our hotel.

Had some sushi for dinner, that was at the time amazing.. But thinking back on it., actually pretty mid haha ( it would be world class in the Netherlands.. But it turns out we where not ready for the real deal a week later).

Closing thought on Kyoto :

Wow! Just wow! Kyoto is amazing, it's the old capital of Japan and littered with the most beautiful temples and shrines, the people we met where a bit more stiff/rude then the rest of the country. ( my wife was called names for being big a few times by people/teenage girls who thought we could not understand Japanese).

Public transport was a bit confusing at first but Google maps will get you all the way where you need to go. Kyoto was the only city where we felt the “need” to take a taxi, because the stuff we wanted to see and do did not line up with public transport all that well. Taxi was not cheap, but compared to Dutch prices, very well worth it!

Trip to Hiroshima / Osaka

14 Nov - Thu Day 6:

Daytrip Osaka, Den Den Town shopping, Ghibli store, eating okonomiyaki in Dotonbori, and visit the monster hunter Cafe. sleep in osaka hotel Sosetsu Grand Fresa Namba.

hotel was fine, a typical “Asian” hotel. Clean room and nice bed,but small bathroom ( for me not enough room to comfortably shower). Right next to the famous street and 5 mins walk form the big running man sing.

Closing thoughts on Osaka:

40 min away and a completely different vibe from Kyoto! Kyoto was all culture, Osaka is where my gaming and Otaku heart started to bloom.

15Nov - Fri Day 7:

Getting on a train from Osaka to Himeji Castle, and here is the first small letdown of the trip.. Don't get me wrong, the catzke looks amazing, I can totally see why people are proud of it. But.. There is littery nothing inside.

I might be way to European for this.. But I would not go again.

Then a shinkansen to Hiroshima, hotel Kuretakeso Hiroshima Otemachi.

Dinner at an really nice tempura place.

Hotel in Hiroshima was almost a carbon copy of the one from Osaka, although there where 2 major diffrances.

1: the people, I have never met such nice staff in my life,big shout out to the staff of this place!

2: here we booked breakfast, and there was a option for unagi breakfast! On my best Japanese ( which is to say almost none haha) i told the old lady I loved eel and thought his eel was also very good! She now knew I liked eel. And.. Kept bringing me extra pieces! ( there was a limit of 3 pieces per person) bless this old lady's heart!

Hiroshima time:

16 Nov - Sat Day 8: breakfast at hotel, Hiroshima peace monument an museum.

Friend we met in Kyoto was also in Hiroshima to visit her parents. Lucky us! Her parents took us out to an okonomiyaki place to proof Hiroshima okonomiyaki was better then the Osaka one. Wel I can say there right! The dinner was amazing!

Back the hotel the misses was poofed and went to sleep early, I went out to get a drink and found this amazing bar! It was a great night and highly recommend anyone to venture out into Hiroshima and have sole fun with the locals!

17 Nov - Sun Day 9: breakfast at hotel, Hiroshima Day trip to Miyajima. Going to the island was breeze because the hotel staff booked a boat ride for us that started in the peace park ( 10 min walk from the hotel).

This island is not to be missed! It has deer again! ( also friendly, although you can't feed them and I think these deer where a bit more used to being petted then the Nara deer). We had some really good cakes/cookies the island is known for.

After that adventure we went out and got some dinner, sushi this time again and bam! When you don't expect it you run into the best places! Super cheap super fresh and delicious sushi!

Closing thought on Hiroshima: Before the trip my wife was a bit low on this city, it was far and she did jot really know what to do except see the peace museum.

Turns out it was one of the best things we did, the people where great, the food was somehow even better and the peace museum and park where made with such reverence and thought that it made me burst into tears. ( this is the only museum in the world where I have cried..)

18 Nov - Mon Day 10: breakfast at hotel, check out and from Hiroshima to Kanazawa by shinkansen to The Hotel Sanraku ( spoiler alert, best hotel of the trip!)

Dinner at a local izakaya that was again, amazing ( it's a theme.. Japan has great food)

Kanazawa 19 Nov - Tue Day 11: explore Kanazawa, Omochi market for breakfast, and this was by far the best market we have been to! 20 times better then those of Kyoto!

kanazawa castle. And kenrokuen garden, the garden is absolutely stunning! Done some shopping and ended the day with an meat restaurant that was oke. For the price we expected a little bit more.

Closing thoughts on Kanazawa:

Kanazawa is a gem! I wish I could have spend more time here. It's everything you will ever want from an Japanese city, amazing market, castle, gardens, food. I could heva spend my whole 3 weeks here and be happy.

Road trip to Tokyo 20 Nov - Wed Day 12: check out and Rent a car at kanazawa station (Toyota rent a car place behind the station)

Kanazawa to Takayama. In Takayama we visit Mura Folk Village and Sanmachi and eat hida beef for lunch.

Another hour's drive to sleep at hotel Kazeya in Kamikochi. Our first real ryokan!

Ryokan was great! Huge room (could say appartement) and had th...

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Caveat that this is a long post but I hope it’s useful for folks! My partner and I like to travel with very packed itineraries and I’m very type A so I plan most things down to the hour. It was his first time but I’d been to Japan before, so I have experience in navigation etc. It also helps that I’m Chinese so I can read kanji which helps a ton with menus and signs etc. Also we’re from New York City so we’re used to public transportation and walking everywhere - that being said, my feet were still sore after the first two days. We spent 6 full days in Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchiko & Kyoto. Note that all prices below are for the two of us! —

Day 1/Arrival: Arrived HND at 5:25 and took public transportation to my friend’s apartment - arrived ~7:30. Took a quick shower and nap, and left around 9:30 to explore the area. Quick coffee stop and walked around the Waseda area. Headed to an omakase tempura lunch (shunkeian arakaki, Michelin 1 star) in the Tsukiji area. Lunch was amazing and lasted ~2 hours, easily top 10 meals of my life ($305). Then did harajuku, Meiji shrine, and shibuya crossing. Went back to friend’s apartment and finished the day with an easy 7-11 dinner (plus was still waaay stuffed from lunch). * Steps: 22k * Spend: $21 transportation, $325 food

Day 2: Headed to Tsukiji for brunch; it was super crowded and we were there for ~2 hours ($40). Wanted to go to the national museum but it was closed (bad planning on my part). Headed to Asakusa / Sensoji - walked around for ~1hr. Wanted to go to the imperial palace gardens but was also closed! Did the Korakuen instead ($4, which turned out great - they had a little stamp scavenger hunt in the park and you ended up with a beautiful postcard souvenir), then Akihabara, and then Tokyo City View ($22) in Roppongi. Went to Ginza for a little shopping appointment (we got his wedding band!) then finished off the day with a sukiyaki dinner at Kisoji ($87). * Steps: 27k * Spend: $17 transportation, $147 food, $26 sightseeing

Day 3: quick taxi ride ($25) to Tokyo station before hopping on the bus ($30) to Lake Kawaguchiko. We took a taxi as I just had zero desire to navigate morning rush hour commute with two carry-on suitcases. Took the sightseeing red line bus directly from the train station to our hotel (Ubuya) and dropped our luggage off. Weather was awful with no Fuji in sight. Did the ropeway ($13, which was silly in hindsight because there was nothing to see), maple corridor, and oishi park. Wanted to go to the kubota itchiku museum but closed (again). Checked into the hotel around 15:00 and spent time in the hot springs / chilled in the hotel lounge for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner was served at 18:50 - it wasn’t bad, but I was expecting slightly better food to be honest. The whole day was a slight bummer due to not being able to see Fuji, but the hot springs really cured my sore body/ feet. * Steps: 6k * Spend: $73 transportation, $18 food, $13 sightseeing, $452 hotel (1 night, inclusive of 2 meals for 2 people)

Day 4: woke up at 6:00 and lo and behold, the mountain!! For those of you debating whether Ubuya is worth it or not, it IS. This view from our bedroom was just insane, I easily stared out the window for 30 minutes. Went for a quick morning hot spring dip, then breakfast. Again - wasn’t bad, but expected slightly better. Checked out at 9:30 and the hotel shuttled us to the train station where we stored our suitcases ($6), then hopped on the train to shimoyoshida for arakurayama sengen park. Spent ~1.5 hours there, got amazing pics, then train-ed back to Kawaguchiko. Got on our bus ($30) to Mishima from there, then transferred to the Shinkansen at Mishima ($140). Everything was seamless and easy and before we knew it we were in Kyoto! Quick subway ride to our hotel (the new Four Points Flex - it’s clean and new but beware that it’s TINY! Staff were super nice though). Walked to a conveyer belt sushi place nearby ($27, food was nothing to write home about, but I love the concept), then a 20 min subway ride to Fushimi Inari Tasha. It’s indeed way less crowded at night, but deeper into the temple it started to get a bit creepy. Subwayed home and PTFO’d. * Steps: 16k * Spend: $186 transportation, $39 food, $6 luggage storage, $215 hotel (2 nights, no meals)

Day 5: late start today! We left the hotel around 9:30 and took a taxi ($13) to kiyomizu-dera. It was super crowded with a bunch of students on field trips. Spent ~1hr there, then walked around in the small streets of Gion. Waited ~20 min in line for Gyukatsu Katsugyu ($33, good and honestly well priced!), then took a long bus ride to Kinkaku-ji. Again, sooo many people but this temple was beautiful! Totally worth it. Spent ~1hr there ($6), then took a bus to the manga museum. Slightly overpriced tickets ($15) but was pretty cool - we missed out on slots for a manga-style portrait though (sad). 10 min walk back to hotel, then rested for a bit before heading to Nishiki Market and Pontocho. Had dinner at a great little izakaya in the alleys (kokodonemo, $44), then walked back to our hotel. * Steps: 20k * Spend: $18 transportation, $85 food, $21 sightseeing

Day 6: checked out of our hotel and left our luggage there, then took a train to arashiyama for the bamboo forest and tenryu-ji. Didn’t end up going into the temple but spent ~1hr in the bamboo forest / surrounding area. Quick stop at the rilakkuma cafe and the miffy cafe (obsessed with both, honestly), and enjoyed a fish cake snack by the river. Took a bus to Nijo Castle ($17) which was super cool to see for those of us who enjoyed watching Shogun on Hulu. Walked 20 min back to our hotel with a family mart fried chicken pit stop on the way. Scored two pairs of adidas sneakers for $50 total on a Black Friday sale, then collected our luggage and made our way back to Kyoto station. Shinkansen-ed to Tokyo ($186), got back to the apartment, and went for a quick dinner at a popular student spot nearby. Re-packed and got ready to depart the next day. * Steps: 19k * Spend: $199 transportation, $50 food, $17 sightseeing

Day 7/Departure: that’s all folks! If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading 😂 public transport back to HND for our morning flight out! * Steps: 3k * Spend: $9 transportation

— Spending summary * Actual shopping (ie things I needed and were cheaper in Japan than in the US): $2165 (95% of this was wedding band which is irrelevant to the trip) * Food: $664 * Accommodation: $640 (3 nights) * Distance transportation: $386 * Meals I invited my friend to to thank her for hosting us: $196 * Local transportation: $137 * Sightseeing: $77 * Misc: $26 (e-sim, luggage storage, etc) * Gifts for family & friends: $28 * Random shopping (ie things I didn’t need): $24 * Not including flight prices here as our tickets included onward flights to china

Overall it was a great trip and I’m super grateful to have had a friend who we could stay with in Tokyo and leave our larger suitcase with. Suica made transportation super easy and 8G of data on Airalo across the two of us was perfectly sufficient for 6 full days of traveling. And the favorable exchange rates definitely helped a ton!

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Hi All,

This sub really helped me plan and prepare for my trip to Japan, so I wanted to add some of my own tips in order to help others plan as they embark on their own travel adventure. Some items to note: I was in Japan this past October/November 2024. The tips/recommendations are derived from my experience and are just my opinions! To each his own. Now with that out of the way: I'm going to catalog my recommendations so you can skip sections you aren't interested in. Happy Travels!

A Couple Chill Areas to Stay in Tokyo

You are doing your research on where to stay in Tokyo and you are not sure the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku or Shibuya is for you. If you would like to step out of your hotel and stay somewhere a little less crowded, yet still have good train access and great food nearby, I recommend Asakusa. You get fantastic food (and shopping!) and you are still in a good area for accessing the rest of Tokyo, It also has good access from Narita Airport. Another area to check out would be Ebisu. It's the southernmost part of Shibuya Ward and also chill/less touristy. You also get an amazing amount of izakayas, restaurants and bars. You'll eat and drink well.

Get the Suica Card!

Talk about convenience. Before I left for Japan, I downloaded the digital card to the Apple Wallet on my Iphone and loaded 5,000 yen (~$33 USD). The entire trip I paid via Suica for my train/subway rides and anytime I went to a 711/Lawson's (frequent!). If you take a limited express train, you'll need a second ticket to purchase a reserved seat - you can pay for that with Suica as well. I always used the ticket counters to speak with an attendant. Made life easy. Also very easy to top off your digital card anytime.

You don't have to open your phone when you scan your digital Suica!

Going through a turnstyle at the train station? Just point your phone screen-down and it will register!

Lost at a train station? Ask an attendant.

By the turnstyles of almost every train/subway station I went to, there was a small room adjacent to the turnstyles and an attendant present. Be a good world traveler and learn how to say 'excuse me' in Japanese (Sumimasen) and they are more than willing to help you find your way. Also, if you walked into the wrong station (not the train line you thought you needed), that attendant can also help you get a refund and let you out. I know this because it happened to me. Ha.

Don't be afraid to get a cup of coffee at 711.

Scenario: It is 6am and you are wide awake. No one else in your party is. Coffee shops generally don't open until 11am. YOU NEED COFFEE NOW. Go get a cup at 711. It is pretty damn decent! Go up to the cashier and tell them exactly what you want (coffee, latte). Then go use the machine. Pretty easy to figure the machine out, but if you stand there long enough looking confused, someone is going to help you out.

Hiking Recommendation #1 - Choishi Michi Trail (Hike to Koyasan)

Koyasan was a highlight of the trip. Buddhist temple overnight stays, meditating with the monks, being served traditional vegetarian meals - what's not to like?

You can find plenty of info on the town on this sub. My goal is to let you know you can hike there via the Choishi Michi Trail. After debating a few options, we got off the train at Ki-Hosokawa because it allowed us about 4 hours (with stops) to complete the hike to the Daimon Gate at the edge of Koyasan. You can easily find trail maps of the area online. It was fall weather when we completed this hike - please check around online for seasonal/weather considerations.

Hiking Recommendation #2 - Ten-en Hiking Course - Kamakura

Great day trip from Tokyo and a great little hike in the hills down to town. Again, plenty of sites out there to get you aquainted with the area. If you decide to go for it, here's the route we followed:

Starting point: We took the Ten'en Hiking Course trail to Zuisenji. That takes about an hour. If you do that, instead of turning back to come out the way you went in, you can walk through town to Kamakura Station or the beach. On our way to the station once leaving the trail at Zuisenji, we found the most amazing bakery: Mon Peche Mignon. It's about 20 min from Zuisenji. You won't be disappointed if you find it! You've got a 10 min walk from the bakery to the station. From the station, it's a 20 min walk to the beach. Definitely worth checking out and watching the surfers. Again, all seasonal dependent - I was there in early November.

Tennis in Osaka, anyone?

Yep this tip is hyper specific! If you are looking to play some tennis in Osaka, go to the Utsubo Tennis Center. They take reservations for court time and you can rent both racquets and shoes. They are very friendly and there are a lot of courts there.

Final Tip - Explore!

Don't plan all of your meals in advance. Go wander around and see what looks and smells good! You'll probably have one of your best meals/experiences this way. Easter egg if you're still reading: Check out the izakayas near Nakano Station in Tokyo!

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My wife and I took a trip Nov 8-27. Posting rough itinerary and takeaways below.

Nov 9-16 Tokyo

• Biggest thing for Tokyo is prioritize and do what you want to do. I wouldn’t feel pressured to do certain things because even with a full week there was still so much we felt like we missed. Nov 9
• Arrived around 5 PM and just ordered Uber Eats to the hotel lol

Nov 10

• Teamlab Borderless - very cool, worth the hype
• Harajuku Thrifting - everything here was very expensive. Like even more than you would see in the US but I don’t thrift outside of like Goodwill in the US lol
• Harry’s Animal Cafe - I know there is a lot of hate about the animal cafes on here but if you are going to do one I would suggest doing your research. The Harry’s that we went to had conditions similar to what you would see in a US pet store so didn’t seem too bad

Nov 11

• Pokémon Cafe - really cool if you can get a reservation. Reservations open up 30 days prior but we managed to get one the day before ~10 PM Japan time. You can also lineup at the cafe (was no line when we were there)
• Ginza 6 - very very very bouje mall
• Ginza Art Aquarium - this was a skip for us if we had to do it again. Did the whole thing in maybe 20-30 min and tickets weren’t very cheap
• Ginza Shopping - GU and Uniqlo are GOATed shopping stores for men and women’s. Made us wish we brought another suitcase

Nov 12

• Ueno Zoo - Another pass for us. Cool to see a Panda but took up over half a day to see a lot of animals you can see at US zoos
• Senso-Ji Temple - this one is probably the highest on the list of temples we saw in Tokyo. Ton of food and vendors around the temple as well. We ended up hanging around here for dinner and did a batting cage afterwards

Nov 13

• Food Tour in Kichijoji - one of the best things we did our whole trip. Kichijoji was a great city that had very few tourists but was still upbeat. We did our tour with Culinary Backstreets. It was a little expensive but cool to see restaurants and food we wouldn’t have known existed
• Yebisu Christmas Plaza - from what we have seen, the US seems to do Christmas a lot bigger than Japan. There was a Christmas tree and some lights here 3-4 shops and the mall was pretty but kind of a let down

Nov 14

• Rabbicour Head Spa - my wife loved this so much. It was relaxing and a much needed break after all the walking we had been doing. Worth it for me as 2.5 hours of treatment between us both was ~$200.
• MiPig Cafe - this was the best animal cafe we went to from the animal treatment as well as experience. If you’re doing one animal cafe here, MiPig is good.
• Shibuya Sky - Very cool. Heard you only needed to do one sky tower and this one was worth it. We did it at night.
• Mixology Salon - very thoughtfully made drinks but location is a bit strange in the top floor of Ginza 6

Nov 15

• Imperial Palace - We went at 11 AM and didn’t realize you needed to wait in line for tickets. I would recommend doing research before you go here if you want to actually go in and see the grounds
• Yokohama - we traveled to Yokohama’s China town which was beautiful and had a lot of very cool buildings and architecture (again not many tourists here at all)

Nov 16

• Traveled to Kawaguchiko via Bus
• When I was researching hotels/AirBnBs around Mount Fuji I couldn’t find much but we found the most AMAZING place even looking it up after staying it was hard to find but it’s a private single bed villa with a sauna and hot tub with gorgeous Fuji Views. Phenomenal breakfast and dinner included. Very new so can’t find much info.

Nov 17

• Rented car and drove around Kawaguchiko Lake - this was probably my favorite day. Fuji is so beautiful and the drive around the lake all day with fall leaves was incredible. There was some festivals going on with food stalls and vendors. Would recommend staying in Fuji for at least a day in Japan. Gives a change of pace from the cities.

Nov 18

• Traveled to Kyoto via Bus -> Shinkansen
• Autumn Festival at Nijo-Jo Castle- this was something to do but was a little pricey for what it was. Castle was cool to see lit up but was a bit disappointing

Nov 19

• Cooking Classes - Booked through TripAdvisor and had a great class making Gyoza and Ramen
• Sanjusangen-do Temple - this was very cool. The 1001 golden statues were incredible to see but sad you couldn’t take pictures
• Tenjuan Temple - This one was also very pretty. A bunch of temples in this area. Garden was very scenic with beautiful Koi

Nov 20

• Fushimi Inari - Tried to wake up early for this one to avoid crowds. Arrived at 8:30 and there was still a decent amount of people
• Osaka Day Trip - We did the Aquarium (very cool and able to see the animals very close. Exhibits are very wide and deep) and then went to downtown Osaka. Side note: we got Rikuros cheesecake and thought it was mid/below average

Nov 21

• Arashiyama Monkey Park - top three coolest things we did. The hike up to the top is TOUGH but totally worth it once you’re up there. Monkeys are all free roaming and you can feed them through a fence.
• Arashiyama Bamboo Forrest- Very crowded but cool to see bamboo I guess
• Downtown Kyoto - Great shopping in downtown Kyoto. Kyoto t-shirts at the anime Store are very cool as well.

Nov 22

• travel to Kanazawa - Shinkansen
• Just did dinner, grabbed dessert, and headed back to hotel

Nov 23

• Tea Ceremony, Ring Making Class, and Pottery - fun classes all booked through TripAdvisor
• Omicho Market - if you are here you have to find the beef stand that sells A5 beef. The seared steak nigiri was one of the best bites of the trip

Nov 24

• City Tour- this was the only tour tour that we booked and I kind wish we didn’t. No shade to people that like tours but we would have probably found all the spots on our own and the cultural info wasn’t worth what we paid.

Nov 25

• Travel back to Toyko - Shinkansen

Nov 26

• Last minute Donki Shopping
• Shuttle to airport and flight

General Takeaways

• I learned a decent amount of Japanese (Duolingo) and it was helpful. I would try to learn a few phrases.
• We shipped our big bags three times and didn’t have any trouble. The hotels will handle most of it
• walking on the other side of the sidewalk takes some getting used to
• the cities are extremely crowded especially around rush hour. People will cram into the trains
• the fire trucks sound like an apocalypse. I was legit scared the first night when I heard one at like 4 AM. I thought it was an earthquake something
• people are so kind. Definitely ask for help if you need it
• Google/Apple maps is so helpful
• Suica Card on your iPhone is a must for subways soooo much easier (I didn’t understand how to do this when I first arrived but you just scan in when you enter the gate and scan out after and it charges based on where you scan in and out)
• don’t be too worried about societal rules just be respectful of others
• Generally, we didn’t wait in line for restaurants and still had plenty of very delicious food. That being said, make reservations where you can.

Happy to answer any questions anyone has! Overall, we loved Japan so much. Lot of walking and lot of people were the only real downsides but those were anticipated.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Zwanche on 2024-11-29 13:39:31+00:00.

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We (31M and 27F) will be visiting Japan in March next year for 3 weeks total. We’re super excited and our priorities/interests are nature, food and culture. We’re not really into shopping that much and not interested in nightlife. Since we sometimes get overwhelmed by large crowds we tried to switch between cities and smaller (hopefully less crowded) places.

We plan to do a lot of outdoor activities (hiking and cycling). We are aware that this is a bit of a gamble regarding the weather but we’re also used to cycling in the cold and the rain and have the appropriate gear. Of course we have limits but some rain won’t stop us.

My boyfriend is a huge specialty coffee nerd. We already found a few recommendations through this sub but they’re mostly in Tokyo. So if you have more please drop a comment. Same goes for restaurants. Usually we put all the possibilities into Google Maps (we’ll also check out Tabelog) and then decide the day of by proximity and mood.

Day 1: Tokyo, Fri

• Arrival at Narita Airport around 5pm
• Go to hotel, we’re based in Chiyoda
• Get dinner (7-11 etc)
• Maybe walk around a bit depending on time and energy

Day 2: Tokyo, Sat

• Grab breakfast from 7-11/Family Mart etc.
• Meiji Shrine + Meiji Jingu Gyoen
• Have a little picnic in the park
• Maybe do a free walking tour? Starts around 9:30am
• Harajuku
• Takeshita Street (stores start to open around 11)
• Cat Street (parallel street, less crowded)
• People watching, checking out stores
• Go south
• Shibuya
• Shibuya Scramble, Hachiko Statue
• Lunch somewhere
• Look around
• Shibuya Fureai (small botanical garden with coffee shop as an escape)
• Shibuya Sky at night/after dark
• Dinner

Day 3: Daytrip to Nikko, Sun (depending on the weather)

• This day is flexible and we’re planning on checking the weather in advance to choose the best day
• Grab a snack
• Start around 7am, arrive around 9:30am
• Shinkyo Bridge
• Nikko Toshogu Shrine
• Senjougahara trail (Ryuzu falls, Yudakai falls)
• Leave around 6pm, back to Tokyo around 9pm

Day 4: Tokyo, Mon

• Check out of hotel, lock luggage at Tokyo Station
• Grab a snack
• TeamLab Borderless (around 9am)
• Tsukiji Market
• Walk around
• Maybe another snack, but it’s supposed to be overpriced so maybe just checking it out
• Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai
• Asakusa
• Sensoji Temple
• Kaminarimon Gate
• Nakamise Shopping Street
• Hang around Asakusa
• Sunset Seto Express => Takamatsu (leaves around 10pm)

Day 5: Takamatsu/Imabari, Tue

• Either forward luggage from Imabari to Takamatsu or lock at station (opinions?)
• Takamatsu
• Ritsurin Garden
• Takamatsu Castle
• Have some Sanuki Udon (recs?)
• Take train to Imabari (3h)
• Check into hotel
• Maybe walk around a bit, depending on time

Day 6: Imabari, Daytrip to Matsuyama, Wed

• Check if it’s possible to take a bike on the train (I read that it depends on the time of year—any experience?)
• Matsuyama
• Either go by bike (50km) along the coast or take the train (1h) (also depending on the weather)
• Matsuyama Castle
• Dogo Onsen private bath
• Take the train back

Day 7: Imabari/Hiroshima, Thu

• Cycle Tobishima Kaido (~30km) to JR Nigata Station
• Take the train to Hiroshima (~1h)
• Hiroshima
• Go to hotel (we’ll stay checked in Imabari)
• Peace Memorial + Park in the afternoon/at night

Day 8: Miyajima, Fri

• Miyajima
• Check out, leave around 7am, arrive around 8
• Itsukushima Shrine
• Momijidani Park
• Maybe Miyajima Ropeway (depends on the time)
• Take the train back to Imabari
• Leave around 5pm, arrive around 8pm

Day 9: Shimanami Kaido, Sat

• Forward luggage to Onimichi
• Breakfast at hotel, get snacks for the day
• Shimanami Kaido Day 1
• Dinner at hostel

Day 10: Shimanami Kaido/Onimichi, Sun

• Breakfast at hostel, get snacks
• Shimanami Kaido Day 2
• Arrive at Onomichi + check into hotel
• Get dinner

Day 11: Onimichi/Himeji/Kyoto, Mon

• Forward luggage to Kyoto
• Take the train to Kyoto via Himeji
• Leave around 8am, arrive at Himeji around 10
• Himeji Castle
• Leave around 4pm, arrive in Kyoto around 6pm
• Check into hotel
• Get dinner and walk around a bit (depending on energy level)

Day 12: Kyoto, Tue

• Maybe rent a bike to get around at some point
• Fushimi Inari Shrine, Shin-ike Pond
• Kiyomizu-dera
• Sannen-zaka, Ninen-zaka, Gion
• Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine

Day 13: Kyoto, Wed

• Tenryu-ji Temple
• Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (maybe by bike)
• Rokuon-ji, Golden Pagoda
• Haradani Garden

Day 14: Kyoto, Thu

• Hike Kurama to Kibune
• Explore Kyoto by bike
• Philosopher’s Path
• Kyoto Handicraft Center

Day 15: Kyoto/Osaka, Fri

• Daytrip to Osaka
• Leave around 7am, arrive around 8am
• Leave around 8pm, back around 9pm
• Osaka Castle (maybe, depending on how much we liked Himeji Castle)
• Sakura on the riverbank
• Dotonbori, street food
• Feel the vibe of the city

Day 16: Kyoto/Nara/Kanazawa, Sat

• Check out, luggage forward to Kanazawa
• Daytrip to Nara
• Leave around 8am, arrive around 9am at Nara
• Nara Park
• Tōdai-ji Temple
• Nakatanidou, Mochi Shop
• Leave around 5pm, arrive around 8pm
• Check into hotel
• Get dinner/snack

Day 17: Kanazawa, Sun

• Birthday BF (any recs for something extra special?)
• Kenrokuen Garden + Castle, Seisonkaku Villa
• Omicho Market
• Higashi Chaya District (maybe tea ceremony)
• Explore + chill

Day 18: Kanazawa/Shirakawa-go/Takayama, Mon

• Forward luggage to Takayama or Tokyo (unsure yet)
• Check out, leave for Shirakawa-go around 8am, arrive around 10am
• Shirakawa-go
• Irori Restaurant for lunch
• Kyushu Coffee Haus
• Leave for Takayama around 5pm, arrive around 7pm
• Takayama
• Check into hotel
• Get dinner somewhere

Day 19: Takayama, Tue

• Miyagawa Morning Market
• Sanmachi Suji
• Hachiman Shrine
• Takayama Jinya
• Higashiyama Walking Course
• Explore + chill
• Dinner: Sakurajaya Restaurant

Day 20: Takayama/Tokyo, Wed

• Leave around 9am, arrive around 2pm
• Check into hotel (probably close to Ueno Station)
• Ueno Park
• Drift south
• Aki-oka
• Chabara
• mAAch
• Maybe Shinjuku (depending on time)
• Shinjuku Gyoen Park (Cherry blossoms by night)
• Tokyo Government Building (Enjoy the view)
• Walking tour at night?

Day 21: Tokyo/Fuji, Thu

• Daytrip to Fuji
• Leave around 6am, arrive around 8:30am
• Chureito Pagoda
• Lake Kawaguchiko, Oishi Park (maybe by bike)
• Leave around 5pm, back at Tokyo around 7pm
• If anything, Shinjuku again

Day 22: Tokyo, Fri

• Departure flight 10:45am
• Express train from Ueno Station (~2h)

Organize far in advance

• eSIM
• Suica Card App
• Immigration forms
• TeamLab Borderless Tickets
• Sunset Set Express Tickets

Organize days/1-2 weeks in advance

• Dogo Onsen, private onsen

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/WingdowsZeven on 2024-11-27 21:49:09+00:00.

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I just returned from a 26-day solo Japan trip focused on Kyushu and thought I should do a write-up for my trip as I did my last trip in 2023. I spent 18 days in Kyushu before heading to Seoul for 6 days and then wrapping it up with 3 days in Tokyo at the end. This is my third trip to Japan and second solo, so I just did what I wanted in my Tokyo days. This write-up will focus on my experiences in Kyushu. The main focus was food and sightseeing, with shopping scattered throughout the trip.

My flight was from YVR to NRT with Japan Airlines and was CAD$1,100. I landed in Narita Terminal 2 from YVR at 4:00pm and cleared immigration in about 20 minutes. I filled out my customs and immigration forms on the plane just before landing. Unfortunately, I shared my flight with two classes of Japanese students who were returning to Japan, and all had checked luggage, which meant waiting for my own luggage took longer than normal. I took my AER Travel Pack 3 with a Bellroy 6L sling onto the plane while I checked in my MUJI 75L suitcase with a smaller 32L carryon inside of it.

I cleared customs shortly after and I bought tickets for the Skyliner at 4:50pm from the machine. I had to travel to my hotel next to Haneda because my flight to Miyazaki was from there and settled in.

Weather

• The weather in Kyushu was spectacular. It was 20-25c everyday and the only day it “rained” was when I landed in Miyazaki. It was sunny and humid and I actually got tanned there. On most days, I wore a t-shirt and had to head back to the hotel to shower and change before heading out in the evenings again.

Expenses

• I took 300,000 yen (around CAD$2,500 when I exchanged it back in July) and ended up using it all for shopping and eating. Being Canadian, the only option for a FX fee free credit card was one from ScotiaBank, but I did not travel frequently enough to open the card just for this trip. There was also a FX withdrawal fee associated with my debit card so I wanted to limit using that as well. I took out an additional 100,000 yen from the 7/11 ATMs throughout my trip as well.
• I had exchanged my cash back when CAD$1 = 116 yen, back in July. Of course I took the risk that it could keep going higher, but it fell back down and was much lower during my trip.
• Cash was still the best form of payment in many areas that I was headed to. Many temples and related shops were cash only, parking lot payment machines were cash only, and many smaller restaurants and souvenirs shops I came across were cash only. Even at the Canal City Ramen Stadium, I watched some tourists get turned away because all the ordering machines were cash only.
• All my accommodations (hotels and ryokan), flights, and rental car fees totaled around CAD$6k. Along with my shopping and eating, I spent around $9k for the entire trip.
• For hotels, I stayed at mostly 3-star hotels which were more than sufficient.
• In Kyushu, I stayed at a few JR Kyushu branches. JR Kyushu Miyazaki, JR Kyushu Kagoshima, and JR Kyushu Blossom Hakata Station. In Kumamoto, I stayed at The Blossom Kumamoto. My average cost was CAD$150 a night as I did value having a bigger room and bed.

Transportation

• I had my Sugoca from my previous trip and used that as my main IC card. I loaded it with 5000 yen every so often to pay for trains and smaller purchases at convenience stores. It was a great way to avoid the dreaded 1 yen coin.
• I purchased a 5-day North Kyushu JR Pass and used it for my days there. With the JR pass, I did not reserve for any train and simply got on the next train available in the unreserved seat cars. For my trips from Miyazaki-Kagoshima and Kagoshima-Kumamoto, I booked tickets at the station the day of my departure for the next available train with no issues.
• Rental car costs averaged around $60~ per day. This was with the basic insurance option selected and the basic car tier.

Food

• As with my previous trip, I did not line up for any food or restaurants. I had ideas of what to eat and would look up options when I felt hungry. I defaulted to the massive food halls common in many larger stations and department stores.
• I had around three meals a day at restaurants, and often a late-night snack. The theme for this trip was food, so I made sure to try as many options as I could. I often ordered side dishes and drinks with my meal as well. Because of this, I averaged around 5000+ yen a day on food.

Driving in Japan

• I had three separate rentals throughout my trip, and they were with Times Rental and Toyota Rental. Both agencies were very easy to work with and had clear guidelines on the rules on renting a car. Both agencies had English versions of their pamphlets available.
• I recommend renting an ETC card to make toll driving easier and not having to pay for tolls individually at every toll gate. The ETC card is returned when the rental is returned and a printout of all the tolls you passed through is provided and you pay it at the rental agency.
• Bring your own car mount and car charger for your phone. I believe some agencies have some for rental, but they are limited and quickly rented out. Best to be prepared and bring your own.
• I used Google Maps exclusively for all my navigations as I didn’t want to mess with the built-in one.
• The biggest difference driving on the left side of the road is remembering to look right for your rear mirror and hitting the turn signals with your right hand instead. It took a few hours to get used to driving on the other side but after repeatedly chanting “to the left” every time I turned, it became second nature.
• Driving in the cities is the same as driving in any other city – I would avoid it in the city centre if possible. Thankfully, most of my driving took part in the more rural areas, where there is less traffic and much less stressful driving. Take it slow, be alert, and don’t be afraid to pull over into one of many roadside stops and convenience stores to organize yourself.
• Getting gas was very easy at the full serve stations. I pulled up and said three words: “mantan – full tank”, “regular – regular gas”, “genkin – cash”. The attendant handled the rest. As I was provided with Hybrid vehicles, fuel efficiency was really good, and I only paid around 9000 yen total in gas for the trip.
• I highly, highly recommend downloading the offline Google Maps for the areas you plan to drive in, especially if you plan to head out to some more rural areas. Sometimes, the cell signal will drop and having no maps either is a big stress.
• I noticed that on expressways and roads, most road signs are accompanied by English as well even in some of the more remote areas.

Miyazaki

Overall, Miyazaki is a very quiet and laidback city and reminded me a bit of home. It was big enough but also not Tokyo or Osaka big. There are not many people, let alone tourists, here and I guess you get that “real Japan” or “off the beaten track” vibe everyone asks for in every other post. When I was shopping at GU and asked for the tax-free process, they had to grab a manager and pull out a manual to help me. I stayed at JR Kyushu Miyazaki which is attached directly to Miyazaki Station in a very convenient location. The hotel itself was very nice, and I believe that it was built or renovated recently as there were USB-C ports in my room. I would 100% stay here again on my next trip.

Day 1

• My flight to Miyazaki arrived around 9:30am and I was out of the airport and off to pick up my rental car. It was ridiculously hot and humid, and the intermittent rain did not help. I picked up my rental at 10:30am and was off to my first stop of my trip.
• I drove down to Aoshima Island (around 30 minutes) and parked in one of the big parking lots. I walked through the city and across the sand bridge/beach. The views were stunning, and I made it to the shrine on the island. I spent some time exploring the shrine before heading back and grabbed some souvenirs and a crepe from Aoshima Crepe.
• The next stop was Sun Messe Nichinan to check out the cool Moai statues. Unfortunately, I only really took some photos as the rain started up and the wind was picking up as well. I wished that the weather was nicer to really take in the area, but it was super interesting seeing the Moai Statues!
• I drove down to Udo Shrine and was directed to an appropriate parking lot by a flagger using my broken Japanese and hand gestures. The shrine ground and the areas around it were stunning. I think this is my top 3 favourite shrine to visit. You walk through the main tori gate, over a small bridge, before descending down the side of the cliff to the actual shrine hidden in the cliffs. The sound of the waves crashing into the cliffs makes everything see so serene.
• Originally I was planning to drive down to Cape Toi, but due to the weather I decided against it. I drove my way back up to Miyazaki and spent the night exploring the station area. I grabbed some tomato broth ramen from a nearby shop and later on some sushi from the supermarket.

Day 2

• I left my hotel at 6:15am and started the drive up to Takachiho Gorge. I had rented a ETC card (recommended) so I did not have to deal with the hassle of stopping and paying tolls at the gates. The Kyushu Expressway, and I suspect many of the other expressways in Japan are similar, is one lane each direction with long distances between passing lanes. While the speed limit is 70, if you get stuck behind someone going...

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Roman_Statuesque on 2024-11-24 02:16:54+00:00.

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Hello everyone! I returned from my trip to Japan back in September, and since I used this community as a resource for planning, I figured it was time to contribute my experience back to the community. I meant to post this weeks ago, but chrome decided to delete almost 40K characters of writing, so I had to remake this entire first post from scratch. Everything here is based on the travel log I kept during my trip that totals to just under 35K words.

For context: ~~28~~ 29 YOM traveling solo. Technically fourth time in Japan, but the first stay longer than 20 hours. Previous experience living and traveling in South Korea and Europe.

All flights/hotels were booked through Amex travel. Hotels were selected based a combination of centralized location relative to Points of Interest (POIs), proximity to public transit, English speaking staff, and included laundry rooms.

While I did make reservations for several locations that required it and one restaurant, most places I visited I just purchased a ticket day-of.

I brought three pieces of luggage with me: a soft-sided top-opening suitcase, a backpack, and a gym bag. The suitcase was primarily shipped between hotels with the exception of the Tokyo-Yokohama leg. The gym bag was used to transport clothes and other items when the suitcase was in transit and to handle overflow when the suitcase was filled with souvenirs. The backpack served as my day bag.

SIM card was pre-purchased from Japan Experience prior to departure.

I did not change any cash prior to or after arrival. I generally used my two credit cards at places that accepted them. For cash, I generally withdrew from ATMs in 10K yen increments as needed and never walked around with more than 15K at one time.

While I downloaded several apps prior to arriving in Japan, only ones I found myself using regularly were Google Translate, Navermap, and ChatGPT.

I did study some basic Japanese and etiquette before departing, but I found most of the service workers I interacted with spoke at least some English and Google Translate was able to fill in the gaps.

I actually forgot to load my itinerary onto either of the devices I brought with me and didn’t realize until my first full day in Tokyo. Thankfully I had gone over it enough times I effectively had it memorized, and for everything else, there were automatic reservation reminders. I assigned a few locations I wanted to visit per day, based around reservations and geographic proximity, but left a few days more unstructured for travel and rest. The entire Yokohama leg was almost completely unstructured and organized by the friends I stayed with. Other locations visited came from friends, coworkers, The Lonely Planet guide, and of course, here.

Day 1: Haneda Arrival & Early Expeditions

I flew into Haneda around 2:00 local time. I had pre-completed the arrival form and screenshotted it on my phone. Immigration and Customs went smoothly. They have a lot of staff, English signs, and regular PA announcements to deal with all the sleep deprived foreigners. Everything, including getting my luggage took about an hour. Once I got out onto the concourse, I pulled 10K yen from an ATM and headed over to the travel counters and exit. I got my SIM card switched out and activated and attempted to load the Welcome Suica I had ordered online, but I could not get it to work and ended up just getting a new card. Took the train and got a little lost trying to find my way through Shinjuku Station, but after a few wrong turns I was able to find the exit before passing out from heat exhaustion. I headed straight to my hotel the WPU Shinjuku. The room was small, but it was well put together. I got myself checked in and took an hour to cool off and rehydrate before heading out again. I took the train down to Shibuya and saw the Hachiko statue, walked through the Scramble and wandered through the Shibuya streets, eventually making my way up to Harajuku. However, by the time I got there, most of the businesses had shut down. Took the train back to Shinjuku and hit up the Family Mart for dinner before turning in.

Notes: The climate hits you as soon as you step out of the terminal. Walking around Shinjuku station was suffocatingly hot and humid.

Walking around Shinjuku felt like I was in a virtual reality simulation, something like Ready Player One.

Day 2: Tokyo I

Grabbed some croissants and orange juice for breakfast at the hotel before catching a train to the Shinjuku Gyoen. Arrived a little before opening and chatted with some other travelers before heading inside. My first stop was the traditional Japanese garden, where I quickly found the Taiwanese pavilion and across from it, the first stop of my anime pilgrimage, the gazebo featured in the film The Garden of Words. From there I made my way to the European style gardens and the small history center about the park. I then walked through the greenhouse before concluding my tour with the mother and child garden. The park was quite nice. At some points it was easy to forget that you are in the middle of a city, and it felt cooler than other parts of Tokyo as long as you weren’t in direct sunlight. It costs 500 yen to get in, but the park is very well maintained and there isn’t a sticker or graffiti tag in sight. There were also plenty of water fountains. Next I walked Suga Shrine. The shrine counter was closed when I got there, but I was able to grab a few pictures of the famous stairs featured in Your Name.

For lunch I stopped at a small restaurant called Island Burger that I spotted on my way to the shrine, and then made my way to the Metropolitan Government Building. I took the chance to rest a bit and browse the gift shop while admiring the view. After getting back to ground level I made my way back to Harajuku and browsed through some of the shops and checked out a small shrine off of Takeshita Street. The place was a zoo and smelled like sewage in a few spots. The speakers were playing Fatal by Gemn and Undead by Yoasobi on a loop.

Headed back to the hotel and took a break to rest and rehydrate. I grabbed dinner at the hotel café and used the free beer ticket that came with the reservation.

Kabuchiko was next, and was just as sketchy as I had heard. I tracked down the McDonalds seen in Weathering With You and ended up tailing a tour group to keep the touts all over the place from harassing me. Stopped by Burger King for snack. From there I walked over to Golden Gai and after some searching I found a bar called ”?” and spent the rest of the evening drinking with a pair of Finns and an Australian couple on their honeymoon.

Notes: Part of the reason you can’t hear the city in Shinjuku Gyoen is because the cicadas drown out everything else. It was also home to some murder hornets (which there were posted warnings about).

The Shinjuku Gyoen gazebo is smaller than it appears in the film, and the red railings of the Suga Shrine stairs appear more orangish to the naked eye.

Do not attempt to keep up with an Australian couple on their honeymoon. You will lose.

Day 3: Tokyo II

Barely slept and woke up severely hungover. Somehow managed to grab breakfast and get to Odaiba right on time for my TeamLabs Planets reservation. I recommend walking through twice. It gives you a chance to hit things you might have missed the first walk through, and some of the exhibits felt different with more people. I thought it was well worth the price. For lunch I got the vegan uzu ramen at the café across from the exhibition entrance. Paid a little extra to sit in the nice, air-conditioned meditation room.

My next destination was the Divercity Mall. I saw the Gundam Statue, walked around the mall for a while and visited the Gundam Base. Decided not to buy any larger souvenirs, but did grab a Gundam bust from one of the capsule machines in the Gundam Base Annex.

After finishing up at the mall I continued my anime pilgrimage. First going to the Tokyo Teleport Station and then over to a walking trail near Akihabara seen in the last scene of Weathering With You. Lastly, I went over to the Hijiri-Bashi Bridge seen in Suzume.

My last POI for the day was Tokyo Skytee where I had an evening reservation. I went straight to the Temba deck to try and catch the sunset, but the cloud cover caused by the typhoon obscured most of the view. So instead, I checked out the Pokemon collab they had going on at the time. My dinner was a cup of fried chicken from one of the cafes. I also stopped at the Pokemon café for a cupcake and enjoyed the view. Ended up walking the last quarter mile to the hotel in the pouring rain since the typhoon reached the hotel before I could. Did some laundry and packed up.

Notes: Shinjuku station is markedly more difficult to navigate than the other stations in Tokyo and Japan in general.

Do not attempt to navigate Shinjuku Station during rush hour while severely hungover.

Day 4: Yokohama I

Got breakfast at the hotel again and ran over to Family Mart for an umbrella. After checking out, I hopped onto the train to Yokohama with my suitcase. I met up with the family friends I would be staying with. After dropping my luggage off we went to Chinatown for lunch where I tried out Sanma-men. We walked around Chinatown a bit more before they took me to the waterfront. We toured the Hikawa Maru...

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/krathlou on 2024-11-23 12:13:48+00:00.

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Sitting in my hard sought hotel room unable to sleep as I had a pretty crappy day today. Thank you to this sub for existing, reading your stories and tips has been so valuable. Been soloing in Japan for the past two weeks and I just had the most chaotic day ever after a series of fumbles over the past week. Needing a space to just process my thoughts with fellow travelers and also thought I'd share here in case anyone would like to commiserate/learn from my mistakes:

• Overpaid for a beauty service where the beautician clearly punched in 15500 yen on the calculator but had 16500 on the screen. I was too shy to correct them and just paid it all -- considered this one an indirect tip since they were lovely but they did explain at the beginning and end of the appointment that the cost was only going to be 15500 (this was already the menu catered for foreigners and they were transparent about upcharges).
• Booked hotels on the go instead of well in advance. I was hoping to be spontaneous with this trip since many of my desired activities were weather dependent and in rural Kyushu but I did not anticipate just how populated these areas are with fellow tourists this time of year. Could not even book a hostel, camper van, or a rental car and I looked across multiple prefectures, cities, and was flexible with dates. Nada, nothing. Ended up paying hundreds of dollars per night for mid-range hotels in cities I didn't plan to visit but were somewhat close by and accessible by public transit. Spent hours of my days looking and contacting people via email. (Side note: Many ryokans I looked into both in the northern and southern prefectures were unwilling to take me as a single guest -- word of caution for those who may anticipate finding themselves in the same boat while using the online reservation systems. I recommend just emailing the accommodation directly -- this is how I was finally able to get a room at a ryokan last minute and I pretty much had the entire inn to myself. It was like having a private onsen without paying the premiums! Very happy accident.) Also happened to pass by multiple rental car offices that listed itself as having no cars available during my requested time, yet I saw most of the lots full of rental cars. Perhaps the websites aren't updated in real time?
• No voice SIM which led to many delays in communication and likely miscommunication. Booked accommodations, services, and transport both through directly thru company websites and third party brokers (both Japanese and Anglo-centric ones). Half of the accommodations request that queries be facilitated thru phone call.
• Having my credit cards lock after using too much tap. For those wondering, yes I contacted the banks well in advance notifying of my trip destination and dates. The systems here seem to dislike my Visas the most, MCs were mostly okay. They love my Amex though, which is the card with the highest FX fee (bleh). This one is kind of related to the above point about SIM. I ended up needing to install and buy a secondary Skype number since some of my banks did not have call collect and this option was cheaper than roaming with my home provider.
• Falsely thought I lost my phone at a bus station right as I was about to board a bus and had staff and locals rush to my aid. Ran around different spots in the station and asked folks if they had seen a phone. Eventually a staff member suggested I check a different part of my bag and behold, it was in a bag compartment I never put my phone in and in my panic and disoriented state from having spent 5 consecutive hours trying to find a place to sleep in another prefecture that evening, I didn't think to check it. (also extra delirious that I was still recovering from food poisoning symptoms from lukewarm raw oysters the previous night and needed to constantly go to the bathroom.) One local even offered to call my international number twice, which I now realize after surfing the web that they were likely charged long distance fees even though the call did not go thru. I feel terrible and wish I provided compensation but I was hurried on to the bus by staff who were already annoyed that I had delayed the departure and schedule. I felt terrible and apologized profusely to the driver who was pretty agitated with me the whole trip. I know the work culture for bus drivers can be very unforgiving here, ugh, just feeling so guilty. So very sorry to everyone who I inconvenienced there, I cannot apologize enough and if I could somehow repay them for their patience and kindness, I would in a heartbeat. I hope my mistake doesn't further ruin their views of tourists but I have a feeling it did -- so sorry to my fellow travelers for tarnishing our image.
• Bought the Sanyo Sanin Northern Kyushu Pass but ended up using mostly buses to cut thru the prefectures cause the time seemed to always be quite a bit longer via multiple transfers by local and bullet train. Basically paying double what I would've for transport had I planned better and earlier.
• Spending most of the daytime/core business operating hours in transit instead of transiting during early mornings or evenings. Again lack of planning and some confusion with Google Maps about best routes which can change if you miss certain trains/buses that run infrequently. Some of these routes need to be booked in advance and I didn't realized until arriving that this was the case. AH.
• This one is not Japan specific but choosing too many sightseeing attractions and not scouring enough for local spots. Travel in this country is already well known for how much walking is involved and I exacerbated this by trying to cram in too many sights. I now hobble around with multiple blisters on [edit: THE balls and heels of my feet, LOL] and rolled both my ankles while walking on steep cobbled hill paths. Wearing braces as we speak to make it to the end of the trip (hopefully without further injury!!).As a solo traveler, just the sights themselves can leave me feeling a little empty and most of the places are pretty crowded at the moment so I wish I did more research about experiences off the beaten path. Lesson learned.

Thats all I can muster for now since I'm recovering from a pretty nauseous bus ride -- will update with further mishaps cause I have a feeling my luck will continue to be low for the rest of the trip, haha

Happy travelling, everyone! May you experience more fortune and favour on your journeys!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Consistent-Climate16 on 2024-11-24 09:25:34+00:00.

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My Travel Plan: Tokyo > Karuizawa > Norikura Kogen > Kamikochi > Kiso-Hirasawa > Narai-Juku > Osaka > Okinawa > Tokyo

A few months ago, I made a post (now deleted) on this sub-reddit welcoming feedback on my itinerary. An overwhelming majority of the comments suggested that this might be a difficult itinerary to traverse for a first timer, all the more so for someone who can’t speak Japanese. Needless to say, this left me quite discouraged but I had already made all the bookings by then and a lot of hard work had gone into putting together this itinerary so nothing could be done. To add to my misery, I came across a post that described experiences of racism experienced by a brown tourist in Japan. Considering this was only my second international trip, I was filled with apprehensions.

Now that my two-week long trip to Japan has come to an end. I can say it with certainty that not following the golden route was possibly the best decision I could have made for myself.

I feel like I could experience the quintessential Japan by exploring its countryside. I had so many conversations with the locals in Shinshū (I mean Nagano, was just trying to sound fancy), I had the best time in Narai-juku interacting with the shop owners. We had learnt a lot of Japanese phrases by then, which came in very handy. Infact, by the end of our trip, two Japanese locals even asked me if I know the language when I said “Mata sugu ni aimashou”. Hahaha, so yes, everything I said had a sprinkle of Japanese, which I believe was really valued by the locals. I even bought the Arukuma thinking it was cute, I didn’t realise its importance until a woman in Kamikochi beamed with joy on seeing it on my handbag and even went as far as to pet it, which I thought was so funny and cute!

This might attract hate but Osaka was the let down of my trip. We were in Osaka for just one night since we had to catch our flights to Okinawa from KIX, thus didn’t get around much, just visited Dontonbori and God, I am never going back to that place again. It was overcrowded and loud and I was pushed and shoved by a six feet man, which disgusted me to the core and from then on, I just wanted to go back home. People were smoking on the streets and there was trash everywhere, which was unlike any other place I had visited in Japan.

Moving on, Okinawa was peaceful and beautiful, our ferry to Tokashiki got cancelled, so that was a bummer but we stayed in Nanjo City for most part of our trip and it was heavenly.

When we visited Karuizawa, fall foliage was at its peak, so the sights were very picturesque. We visited Kumoba Pond, Kumanokotai Shrine, Old Ginza Street and explored the local bakeries. Rented e-bikes and cycled all around the town during the day, it was one of the best days of our trip.

We just had two and a half days in Tokyo, so we couldn’t get around much. We stayed near Tokyo Skytree Town, and had the best Match of my life at the Gion Tsujiri Store. Rest, we could only explore Shinjuku area. Did a lot of shopping and ate ramen everyday.

All in all, it was an amazing trip. Although I had so many inhibitions, the hospitality and kindness of the locals made us feel very welcome in Japan and I wish to visit again very soon.

EDIT:

For some reason, this post has been hit with a lot of downvotes and aggressive comments. I, in no way, meant to imply that my itinerary is better than anyone else’s. Everyone’s travel philosophy and style is different, my family didn’t have a lot of problem with constantly being on the run and we like covering a lot of ground in a short time. On average, we spent two nights in each place and yes, by the end of the day we all were out like a light but we enjoyed every bit of the whole process.

To me, city activities do not carry much appeal, and I really value interactions with the locals of any region I visit. Someone in the comment section said “you do not need to go this far to interact with shop-owners”. Well, while I was in Kiso-Hirasawa, an old Japanese woman saw me standing on the side of a road, she approached me and I immediately pulled out my Google Translate, she then began to point at a tree nearby and told me that a plum tree grows from the root of a pine tree and If I will go round the corner, I will witness their roots joining. I did go round and witnessed the same. We then had a long conversation about where I was from and what I was doing in that town. I personally do not feel that the fast-paced life of cities allows room for such small but special interactions. It all boils down to individual philosophy. I am sure, Tokyo-Osaka have their own appeal, it just wasn’t for me.

Also, to anyone asking for transportation details, I have everything meticulously laid out in a google document along with the fares, which I am more than willing to share with anyone who needs it. To spell out everything here was simply not feasible.

EDIT #2:

Since I have received numerous requests to share my travel document, I am attaching its link here for everyone’s kind perusal. This document also contains my accommodation details along with the places I intended to visit in each region, specifically Karuizawa.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Calmly-Stressed on 2024-11-25 06:21:27+00:00.

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Me and a friend just finished our one-week road trip from Hachinohe to Sendai along the Michinoku coastal route. Since this is a much less visited area of Japan, I thought a trip report would be nice. 

For context: I lived in Sendai for a year and am fluent in Japanese, so this might be a different experience if you have a harder time communicating or are nervous about that kind of thing. We encountered very few people who spoke English but plenty who would have been willing to make do with Google translate or had some sort of pre-made English leaflet to work with. 

Itinerary

• Hachinohe. We took the Shinkansen to Hachinohe on Saturday evening so that we could catch the famous morning market on Sunday. We also visited the umineko shrine that marks the start of the Michinoku coastal trail. Picked up a rental car at Toyota and started our road trip towards Oirase, with a great stop at the Towada art center.
• Oirase. We splurged on a night at Hoshino Oirase Keiryuu and enjoyed their onsen, spa services and delicious buffet dinner and breakfast. We also used their shuttle bus service to explore the Oirase river with its waterfalls. We got surprised by the early first snow of the season so we didn’t walk around for too long. We drove by lake Towada on our way back to the coast, but unfortunately couldn’t see anything because of the snow and mist.
• Noda. We stayed at an old hotel in the middle of nowhere which had serious The Shining vibes. Not particularly recommended. We drove back up north a little to go to the Amber Museum in Kuji, which was surprisingly great, and then back south past various cliff viewpoints on the Michinoku. Stunning views all around.
• Tanohata. Again stayed at a hotel in the middle of nowhere on the coast, but less run down this time. The following day we took a detour inland to Iwaizumi to visit Ryusendo cave. We drove past various other great views on the way down to our next stop, including the impressive Kanko Hotel in Taro which has been left as it was since the tsunami.
• Miyako. We spent a lot of this day driving down from Miyako to Kesennuma, enjoying road stations and visitor centres on the way. We stopped at the tsunami museum in Rikuzen-Takata and took plenty of time there. Highly recommended.
• Kesennuma. We explored a little of Kesennuma itself in the morning before driving down the long stretch of coast to Matsushima, mostly enjoying road stations and views along the way. Onagawa is a particularly interesting visit. We stopped off at the manga museum in Ishinomaki, which is really fun even if you don’t know the specific manga or don’t read Japanese.
• Matsushima. We visited the evening light-up event in Zuiganji, then explored a little in the morning and visited Entsuin and Umanose before driving to Sendai to drop the car. Matsushima is great, more time there is recommended.
• Bonus side quest - we drove down to the Soma area in Fukushima prefecture with our friends over the weekend to hike Mt Karou and visit a few more Michinoku spots in the area. The most impressive and recommended was the Arahama primary school just outside of Sendai, which has been turned into a tsunami memorial. Extraordinary.

Recommendations 

• Tohoku is a stunningly beautiful region with tons of things to see. Having a car gave us the freedom to cover lots of distance and visit remote spots that would have been virtually impossible by public transport. That said, you can walk the entire Michinoku and get to lots of spots on it by public transport with good planning.
• Driving in Japan was very chill. There was almost no one on the road most of the time and it was a very uncomplicated experience. Car rental was also very easy and professional, and not very expensive: around USD 400 for one week, including drop-off 500km from pick-up and a very comprehensive insurance. Registering a second driver was free.
• We avoided highways almost entirely and chose to take the scenic route closer to the coastline for most of the trip. This was more time-consuming, but usually not by that much, e.g. 40 minutes between two stops versus 30 if you use the toll road. Occasionally we ended up on very narrow windy roads, which my friend enjoyed driving on a lot, but your mileage may vary.
• Japan’s road stations or michinoeki are a real experience in themselves, same with visitor centres. They often have comprehensive exhibits about the area, local products for sale, good food, clean restrooms, … We had a lot of fun stopping off at these points and just spending 15 minutes looking around or having a snack before driving off again.  One place in Iwaizumi had a massive parade float on display, while the station in Onagawa has an onsen.
• You can gather stamps on the Michinoku and in road stations and visitor centres. This was really fun to do and gave us focal points along the way, plus free souvenirs. So don’t worry, you don’t have to miss out on the stamp gathering experience if you’re not visiting JR stations.
• If your hotel is remote, order the kaiseki dinner they offer. We did not do this as we thought it would be too much, but in both remote hotels we stayed this meant settling for their on-the-spot restaurant option, one of which was underwhelming and the other one actively bad. Seems like they put lots of effort into their kaiseki dinners but the alternative was an afterthought.
• Related to the former point, think about where your hotel is located for food access. Twice when we stayed in a town, we made the mistake of getting a hotel that was far from the centre or next to a highway, so we still had to drive for dinner or walk a long way.
• All in all it was a wonderful experience, we learned tons about the tsunami and the recovery efforts and saw so much beautiful nature. The autumn colours were in full swing as well which made it even better. We could have easily spent another week on the same stretch of coast as we covered a lot of distance in the last two days and definitely missed out on more things to see and do in that area.

I know everyone wants to go to the golden route first time around, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this itinerary to first-time visitors as we didn’t get to see much of what usually draws people to Japan (traditional temples/retro-future cities). What we did get to see was the beauty and wild spirit of the north, the resilience and kindness of the local people, and the authentic life in the countryside. It was amazing. 

Feel free to ask away in the comments if there’s anything more you want to know!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/OrganizationOdd3142 on 2024-11-25 03:23:02+00:00.

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Just got back! I took my little sister with me and we spent five nights in Tokyo, two in Hakone, two in Kyoto, one in Nara (sort of...), and one in Osaka (also a sort of...). We had plenty of times embarrassing ourselves and also a bit of bad luck health-wise, but still had a fantastic time.

Things you should bring:

• Portable hand soap (e.g. paper soap). I had heard this recommendation before and unfortunately didn't take it seriously enough. I had also heard that it was fairly easy to find in stores, which we didn't find to be the case- perhaps we weren't looking in the right places. Either way, to avoid the hunt I would bring some with you. To be clear, bathrooms in stations or businesses do have hand soap. After encountering these a few times, I was overcome with a sense of hubris and assumed that the reports that public bathrooms don't have soap were exaggerated. Eventually, though, you're going to need to use a bathroom in a park or at the start of a trail or even in a Tokyo neighborhood where you just don't want to have to find a cafe to eat at to maybe have a chance of using their one toilet, and you're going to want to have some hand soap with you when you do.
• Medicine: painkillers, cold medicine, allergy medicine. We brought allergy medicine and a little bit of ibuprofen, which only lasted a few days; we didn't bring any cold medicine. Of course we both ended up getting colds over the trip, despite doing everything in our power to avoid getting sick (had all our vaccines, wore masks the entire trip over). We bought some Japanese ibuprofen and cold medicine, which was a little bit helpful, but it was startling how quickly my symptoms improved when I got home and took some Dayquil- I badly wish I had some with me during the trip.

Japanese Language things I would recommend you know:

• Reading katakana. Many restaurants have English menus, but not all. Half of many menus, though, are English words written in katakana. Learning katakana is really easy and doesn't require any further knowledge of Japanese, and will allow you to order from most menus knowledgeably.
• Numbers. Most stores will type out the cost on a calculator for you to see visually, but locations like food carts or teahouses on mountains didn't, they'd say the price aloud. You want to know what is meant when you're told that the price is "happyaku ni juu-en", for instance.
• Specific words:
  • 'saabisu' (from English 'service') refers to a freebie. If somebody says this while pointing at something, they're saying you can take it for free.
  • 'isshou' means together. If you're travelling with somebody and asked this, you're usually being asked if you want to be charged together.
  • if you hear 'fukuro', you're being asked if you want a shopping bag.
  • 'mizu' is water. Essential because it's something you'll want to ask for often.

Time spent in the Tokyo area:

Kichijōji

While visiting the Tokyo area, we stayed at Kichijōji Excel Hotel Tokyu. This was a really perfect choice for us. The hotel was my favorite of the trip. It was also one of the cheapest, coming to only 677 USD for five nights, and that was including Saturday night, which was substantially more expensive than the other nights.

Kichijōji is a really nice neighborhood, with lots of places to shop and eat. I honestly wish I had programmed more time into our itinerary to just stick around Kichijōji instead of jumping around other neighborhoods. On weekdays it was pretty quiet; on Saturday night it picked up a lot and I would say was about as busy as Shibuya was when we visited on a weeknight. Inokashira Park is also a really lovely park; we visited it twice, once intentionally and once just to spend time while our laundry was running at the laundromat, and really enjoyed it both times. The Ghibli Museum was closed the entire time we were there, so I can't speak on it. We really enjoyed shopping at B-Side Label - you can find some of their stickers in a bunch of other stores, but the selection at their own store is huge. We had several of our nicest meals here, both in Harmonica Alley and other areas.

Shibuya

We got to Meiji Jingu at around 9am and left around 10:30am. We visited the gardens and the shrine. It's a massive place; even though there were many visitors I wouldn't say it was anywhere near overcrowded, because there was plenty of space. The gardens especially, which you pay to get into, were very quiet and peaceful. It's maybe not the ideal time of year to visit them because the flowers aren't in bloom, but we still really enjoyed the visit.

We walked through Harajuku around 11am and at that time a lot of places aren't open yet, so it was very quiet. We were mainly window-shopping anyway, so it was a nice walk. At Miyashita Park we did a bit of shopping at some cute souvenir stores. Then we visited Tower Records, and I was able to pick up some Blu-Rays for old concerts that I'm very excited about. Next we visited Parco, eating tempura on the seventh floor and then going down to the sixth floor to shop. Then we explored a bit in the 109 building, and got coffees at a cafe.

Here is where I really took a big mis-step with our planning. If I'd scheduled Shibuya Sky for 6:00pm, it would have really neatly wrapped up our very nice day in Shibuya. Unfortunately, I actually scheduled Shibuya Sky for 8:20pm, because I ~~am dumb~~ overestimated how late we would want to stay out and about in Shibuya on our first full day, and also didn't understand some logistical challenges I'll discuss later.

This meant that we had to spend another few hours in Shibuya before our appointment, and our feet were starting to hurt. What we should have done is head onto the Shibuya Scramble Square building (the building that houses Shibuya Sky), which has a bunch of shops in addition to sit-down restaurants and cafes where we could have easily spent those hours. Instead, we continued walking the streets of Shibuya. We found the Mega Don Quijote and picked up some things there. We looked for dinner and stopped at a sushi restaurant and only realized after entering that it was a conveyor sushi restaurant. It was very yummy and convenient and fast, and totally antithetical to our goal of finding a place to sit down for a bit. We spent some time in a gachapon hall. By this point our feet were really seriously in pain.

We got up to Shibuya Sky finally and it was really nice, a totally gorgeous view. Getting down afterwards was a nightmare, though. Unbeknownst to us, the Shibuya Scramble Square building apparently shuts down floors 3-10 at a certain time, meaning you can't take either the stairs or the escalators down- only elevators. This made it a really hectic and difficult time trying to get down. Once we did, I realized my next miscalculation. I had known that the Shibuya Scramble Square building was attached to Shibuya Station, and so had assumed that getting on the train back to the hotel afterwards would be fairly easy. I'd failed to account for how large Shibuya station is- we had a really long walk to the terminal. Once we got there, we had the only really bad and scary train experience of our trip, where the train was clearly completely full and people continued to push themselves in, packing each other in like sardines.

Anyway, all this is to say, we still had a really great day in Shibuya, but please learn from my mistake and don't schedule Shibuya Sky for past 8:00. I would say that scheduling for 6:00 would be perfect; you'll still get the night sky view, but not all the logistical nightmares.

Ginza

First we went to the Kabuki-za Theater, which was fantastic. The program this month is specifically one designed to be accessible to foreigners and newcomers, which is nice. The theater has a closed-caption service you can use for translation and some cultural notes, which unfortunately had some problems staying synced but was still quite helpful. During the intermissions, you can explore the building, get a meal or a parfait, and there was even a little scavenger hunt to do. It was a really cool experience; I was glad we did it.

Afterwards we went shopping in Ginza, which was unfortunately substantially less nice. First we went to Uniqlo, which was totally packed with tourists, who were also generally ruder than the fellow tourists we'd encountered earlier at locations like Shibuya. I ended up being glad we'd gone to a Uniqlo because I bought a parka that I used quite often for the rest of the trip, but I wish we'd just gone to the one in Kichijōji instead; it looked just as big and much quieter.

Afterwards we went to Itoya, which was not packed quite as much as Uniqlo but still was crowded past the point of comfort. The impression we got of shopping in Ginza in general was that it's a very claustrophobic and kind of unpleasant experience.

DisneySea

We only did an evening pass here. It's an absolutely gorgeous park. We ended up in the Mermaid Lagoon, and rode two rides and ate dinner before the Believe! Sea of Dreams parade. This was spectacular. I had been expecting just a particularly good boat parade, but this was so much more than that, and absolutely made the whole day. We headed back to the hotel right after- our feet were hurting really badly again, and it was a 2-hour commute back to Kichijōji.

Akihabara

I didn't particularly vibe with Akihabara. I did visit two shops I was interested in, one of which turned ou...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/TurkeyDinner on 2024-11-25 00:42:46+00:00.

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The Shimanami Kaido is a popular bicycle route in Japan that runs around 72km (45 miles), crossing 6 islands between Onimichi on Honshu and Imabari on Shikoku. I did the Shimanami Kaido a month ago, and wanted to share some useful information on planning for it to make it easier for others to plan. I benefited from others sharing their experiences in this forum, so wanted to give back. Numbered footnotes are used; they appear in square brackets.

Some context: I did this trip with a partner. We are from the USA and were willing to spend a bit more money for a more comfortable trip. By using takuhaibin to ship our luggage to our post-SK lodging, we carried only toiletries, sundries, one change of clothes, and drinks during our ride.

We departed from Imabari on a Thursday in October 2024, and did the SK over two days, spending a night in lodging midway through the route.

Why did you decide to do the SK when you did?

When I first started planning this trip, I wanted to try to keep our plans flexible by only booking lodging a couple of days before a favorable weather forecast. However, the inventories of rooms at lodging I was considering were disappearing even before we even departed for Japan. So I booked lodging more than a week before we planned to do the SK, hoping that the weather forecast would change from a 60% of rain.

Once we were in Japan, the weather forecast for the target days changed every day, going from rainy to sunny to cloudy with showers. Worse yet, there was often a wide disagreement about the forecast across different services. I thus would say unless you have flexibility to book lodging (and perhaps a bicycle rental) one or two days before, you cannot rely on weather forecasts, you're just going to have to hope you get lucky.

We lucked out. Our days were dry, and had a significant amount of cloud cover, making our ride quite pleasant. But had we started two days earlier or two days later, we would have gotten very wet.

Why start from Imabari?

Onimichi appears to be the more common starting point. We started from Imabari because: 

1. The longer ascents along the SK are nearer Imabari, and we wanted to get them out of the way earlier. You can get an idea of what to expect in elevation changes by seeing Cyclo No Ie [1]'s elevation map (found just under the heading, “Is there a lot of slope?”).
2. The winds are more likely to be in your favor if you head toward Onimichi, per Cyclo No Ie (found in the section "Should I start from Onomichi or Imabari?").
3. Onimichi was a more convenient destination to continue on our trip. Since it is on Honshu, you can get to a lot of places of interest relatively quickly after finishing. After finishing, we took a train to Osaka. We wouldn't have tried that if we had finished in Imabari.
4. Going from Hiroshima to Imabari was feasible in a reasonable about of time (< 5 hours). If you plan to do the SK and plan to visit Hiroshima, you might appreciate my post about going from Hiroshima to Matsuyama to Imabari.

From where in Imabari should I rent a bike?

Cyclo No Ie’s webpage [1] ably answers this question. They list five services in Imabari. The most convenient services are the public service and Giant Store Imabari, as both of them allow you pick up a bike in Imabari and return it in Onimichi.

The public service is by far the most convenient for renters. They are open every day of the week (ignoring holidays). They have 9 locations across the SK, including one right by the JR Imabari Station and one a short walk from the JR Onimichi Station. They also have a wide variety of bikes, including two types with electrical assistance: the battery-assist (aka pedal-assist) bike and an e-bike. The former gives your pedaling a boost, while the latter propels you without pedaling.

Notes on the Shimanami Japan public bike rental service

• It isn’t consistent on the name it uses in English. The website says the organization is called “Shimanami Japan” and calls the service “Shimanami Rental Cycle”. Signs at their locations say “Shimanami Rental Bike”. Its paperwork says “Shinanami Rent-a-Cycle”.
• Its website does a so-so job promoting the SK. I found a lot more useful information in blogs and on Reddit.
• Website updates are irregular. They had an announcement posted on 2024-04-03 stating that starting 2024-07-01 you could rent battery-assist bikes for more than one day and would be able to drop off e-bikes at any of their 10 locations. However, the corresponding parts of their website were not updated to reflect those changes at the time.
• You can indeed rent the battery-assist bikes for more than one day.
• Its website could make it more obvious about how to a reserve a bike from it. On its website, click on the dark pink floating modal button, featuring a bicycle drawing and the words, “Bicycle Reservation” or just click this link to go there directly. Only human-powered bikes can be reserved. Powered bikes are first-come, first-served.
• They will provide assistance for bicycle malfunctions from 09:00 to 17:00. For situations that the public service cannot or will not handle, I suggest you keep the phone number for Wakka [2]'s cycling support handy.
• There are two locations in Imabari. One is right by the JR train station (#10 aka the i.i.imbari! Cycle Station). The other (#9 aka the Chuo Rental location aka Sunrise Itoyama) is near the Imabari foot of the Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge. #10 has only human-powered bikes, #9 also offers powered bikes. It is roughly a 15-minute drive from the JR Station but is not served well by public transportation. It costs roughly 2,600 yen to take a taxi there from the station. If you want to attempt to get to #9 using public transportation, read my Hiroshima to Matusyama to Imabari post. Since we wanted to use a battery-assist bike, we took a taxi there. The taxi driver did not recognize "Sunrise Itoyama", but recognized where we wanted to go after I shared the location via my maps app on my phone.

What was it like to use the battery-assist bike from the public service?

• Here's apicture of the battery-assist bike. It is best described as a mamachari, with elevated handlebars, a basket in front, and a rack on the rear.
• The battery assist is simple to use. One power button and one light button. Hold the power button for a few seconds to turn on, and tap the power button to cycle among three levels of assistance. The battery appears to regenerate on downhills.
• The service offers battery swaps at their midway locations #s 4, 5, and 6, on the islands of Onishima and Ikuchiima.
• I was conservative with its use at first, because I was concerned about using up the battery, only turning it on whenever an incline started to challenge me. However, I arrived from Imabari to their Omishima location (#6) with more than 50% of the battery left. They swapped out the battery. The next day, being much less conservative in its use, I arrived at their Onimichi location with more than 60% of the battery left. So if you're doing the SK over two days, you very likely can leave on the battery assist your entire ride without fear of using up the battery.
• The battery assist was very helpful with the longest/steepest climbs, making them much less of a chore. We took the popular detour to go up to the Kirosan Observatory on Oshima, which is the highest point on the SK islands and we cycled up until the last half-kilometer. Using this bike is kind of like a cheat code. It allowed us to focus on what we wanted to do, instead of how we felt while doing it.
• Before the trip, I bought a mount (KOM Cycling CM06) so I could record video on a GoPro. The handlebar was too thin to use the mount. I realized on the second day of our trip that I could wrap a bunch of Band-Aids around the handlebar to make a thicker area and successfully used the mount.
• As many people advise when riding the SK, padded bicycle shorts will save your undercarriage. This is true for the battery-assist bike. I used this advice, and only experienced modest discomfort toward the end of a day’s ride.

This post has gotten a bit long, so I'll end here and write another post, about the route we took from Imabari to Onimichi and useful tips to know along the way.

Footnotes

[1] Along with providing an informative website about the SK, Cyclo No Ie offers lodging just steps away from the JR train station in Imabari. They also sell a [detailed map of the Shimanami Ka...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/fightitdude on 2024-11-24 08:49:47+00:00.

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I read a fair few of these before I went, so I thought I'd share my experiences :)

First time in Japan, travelling by myself. In total I spent 10 nights in Tokyo and 6 nights in Osaka and did a lot of day trips out. I booked accommodation about two weeks before flying and decided my itinerary pretty much on-the-fly. Total cost was around 2.5k GBP.

Activities/itinerary

Tokyo

Around Taito Citi

• Ueno Park: very nice to walk around. I combined this with a walk through Yanaka Cemetery to Yanaka Ginza.
• Tokyo National Museum: easily a full-day activity, really enjoyed it.
• Senso-ji: fun in the morning before it gets busy, but gets crowded really quickly.
• Taito Craft Museum: worth visiting, free museum showcasing crafts from Taito City.
• Sumida Hokusai Museum: if you're going to visit, get the special exhibition pass so you can see some originals; the permanent exhibitions rarely show them.

Akihabara

• My hotel was nearby so I spent some time wandering around. Not really my vibe.

Shibuya and around

• Meiji Jingu is nice to visit, especially in the morning when it's a bit quieter.
• d47 museum and restaurant are worth visiting. The museum does exhibits showcasing crafts from Japan's prefectures on rotation (when I was there, Hiroshima). The regional set meal is great and if you're visibly a tourist they'll give you a seat with a view of Shibuya Crossing. Try the herbal teas.

Nikko (day trip from Tokyo)

I followed the trail recommended by Japan-Guide, but I dropped the Imperial Villa and added Taiuin, Kanmangafushi Abyss, and Takino'o. It was really nice, especially in fall colours. I wish I'd overnighted here, because I would have liked to see Okunikko and Kirifuri Falls.

Kamakura (day trip from Tokyo)

I combined the Japan-Guide trail with the Lonely Planet trail. Basically, start at Kita-Kamakura station, visit Engaku-ji/Tokei-ji/Jochi-ji, then hike through the forest to Kaizo-ji/Kuzuharaoka, then to Zenirai Benten and Sasuke Inari. Then down to Kontoku-in, Hasedera, visit the beach, and walk up the main street to see Tsurugaoka at night. Return from Kamakura station.

Mt Takao (day trip from Tokyo)

I did this trip on a whim because I wanted to do a proper hike and I was a bit sick of the city. I followed the 'difficult' trail (not that hard) up Mt Takao, then continued to Mt Shiroyama and then back. It's a good hike, and on a clear day you can see Mt Fuji.

There's a traverse you can do from Mt Jimba to Mt Takao (~7h total), which I'd like to do next time I'm in Japan. Best done on a weekend because most of the food stalls are not open on weekdays.

Osaka

• Museum of Housing and Living: worth visiting if you're in the area, it's a life-size recreation of Edo-era Osaka.
• Osaka Castle: didn't go inside but did wander around the park before I went back to Tokyo; it's got good views of Osaka proper.
• I spent a full day following the Japan-guide full-day walk combined with the Lonely Planet Dotonbori-Amerikamura walk.
• I really liked Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street, more so than Kappabashi Street in Tokyo.

Kyoto (2x day trips from Osaka)

• On the first day I did the Eastern Kyoto full-day walk, then the Lonely Planet 'Geisha District' walk back to the train station in the evening.
• At Heian Shrine I ran into some dance performances by students from local universities; not sure what the occasion was, but they were really fun to watch!
• The Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design is worth a visit. They have occasional live demonstrations, too.
• On the second day I did the Northern Kyoto half-day walk followed by a half-day in Arashiyama: Togetsukyo Bridge, hiking up to Daihikaku Senkoji Temple, then the bamboo forest.

Nara (day trip from Osaka)

• I followed the Lonely Planet highlights walk (very similar to the Japan-Guide trail). Nara is really nice and I could easily spend multiple days just exploring the park and hiking the trails.
• I stumbled onto a free open-air Noh performance, which was really interesting to watch (though I understood none of it!).

Koya-san (day trip from Osaka)

I really liked Koya! It feels very spritual. The graveyard was the highlight.

I got off the bus at Daimon Gate and hiked up to Dake no Benzaiten-sha, then down to Nyonin-do Hall. I then hit up all the tourist sites going west-to-east, finishing at Kongobu-ji Okuno-in at dusk (amazingly atmospheric at night!) and then taking the bus back to the cable car.

When I come again I'll hike from Gokurakubashi Station to Koya proper rather than cable car -> bus.

Budget

Total trip cost: 530 GBP flights + 247,531 JPY (~1280 GBP) accommodation + ~166,640 JPY (~860 GBP) for everything else.

• Flights: 530 GBP return from London with China Eastern.
• Transport within Japan (41,640 JPY):
  • Pasmo: ~12,000 JPY
  • Keisei Skyliner to and from Narita: 5,160 JPY
  • Shinkansen to and from Osaka: 29,840 JPY
  • Koyasan World Heritage Pass: 3,140 JPY
  • Nikko World Heritage Area Pass: 2,120 JPY
• Cash: 30,000 JPY (for temple entrance fees, food/snacks where card wasn't accepted, misc spending).
• Accommodation, all three-star hotels in double rooms (247,531 JPY):
  • Tokyo Ueno (2 nights): 37,080 JPY
  • Osaka (6 nights): 66,951 JPY
  • Tokyo Kanda: (8 nights): 143,500 JPY
• Everything else (food, souvenirs, museums, anything I paid with my credit card basically): ~95,000 JPY

Reflections Language

• I speak basic Japanese (~N5) which was more than enough to get around. I could have gotten away with no Japanese but it is a lot easier if you can read kana/basic kanji and have basic conversations.
• Google Translate is great, especially the ability to translate text from pictures.

Transport

• China Eastern is the Ryanair of long-distance flights. You get what you pay for. I'll fly with a proper carrier (probably British Airways / JAL / Singapore Airlines) next time because CE was really not worth the cost savings.
• If you're going to Nikko, buy your ticket a few days ahead of time at the station office in Asakusa, and head out early (I took the 6:50am departure ). The station office doesn't open until 7:20am and the queue is long when it does. Limited Express tickets (~2h each way) sell out ahead of time so you'll need to take the slower trains with changeovers (~3h each way).

Planning

• I used a combination of Lonely Planet and japan-guide.com to plan activities. Highly recommend both.
• Ten nights in Tokyo was too long. I wish I'd only done ~5/6 and instead added some overnight days to Kyoto and gone down to Hiroshima/Miyajima.
• In Osaka I stayed near Yodoyobashi, which is really awkwardly located because it's right in between the two stations you'll want to travel from (Osaka-Umeda, Namba). In hindsight I should have booked something in Namba.
• I wish I'd booked a ryokan/shokuban stay, but they were all sold out on the dates I was going by the time I looked. Next time :)

Food

• If you're vegetarian... good luck. I had so much trouble finding food: most things are made with meat stock, and even dishes described as 'vegetable' often had mystery meat. I do eat fish sometimes so that ended up being most of my diet. Unagi is A+.
• Conbini food is decent but highly processed.
• Fruit is insanely expensive and honestly not very good.

Activities

• The highlights of the trip for me were definitely the shrine and temple visits and the time I spent in nature. I'm not much of a city-activities person these days, it turns out :)
• I was intending to some onsens but I had nosebleeds the whole three weeks so I had to scrap that :(
• Next time I come to Japan, I'm going to do more nature. Tentatively: hike the Kumano Kodo, cycle Shimanami Kaido, and hike Fuji.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Infamous_Lab7531 on 2024-11-22 14:38:07+00:00.

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I went to Japan for the first time in October of 2024 and I thought my report could be interesting for some people who are considering to visit Japan (especially solo) themselves.

A bit of context first: I am from Germany, 28 years old, and have never been outside of Europe with the exception of two trips to the US in 2022 and 2023 so traveling solo to Japan was a big deal for me and I spent a lot of time planning every single detail of my trip. I like Japanese video games and anime, but I have also been interested in Japanese culture in general for quite some time. The main focus of the trip was seeing the big cities, art and history, and trying as much different Japanese food and drinks (including fine dining) as possible.

I don't want this post to be too long so instead of going into detail for every single day I will write some general impressions, a few things about each city, some details about food and drinks, and things I would do differently next time. Feel free to ask questions about any details in the comments though.

General impressions of Japan

Japan is probably one of the best countries in the world for solo travel. The vast majority of restaurants allow solo diners, finding a reasonably priced hotel room isn't too difficult, and a lot of things that are commonly seen as group activities like karaoke or seeing a movie are normalized to do solo. I already know that I will return many times over the course of my life and I will probably travel solo (or with a s/o) most of the time. I know that xenophobia in Japan is currently a hot topic, but I haven't experienced any discrimination to speak of. Some people might be reluctant to speak much English, but that has cultural reasons and they won't generally refuse to talk to you. That being said, I am a white dude and my experience is not universal. The only truly uncomfortable part of my trip was jet lag. It wasn't bad flying to America so after my first successful night I thought it was gone, but that was not true at all. The second night I went to a couple of bars, forgot to set my alarm clock, and slept until 2PM. The following days were pretty bad and I was constantly tired. I will definitely be more careful next time.

Tokyo

Tokyo might be my favorite city in the world. I haven't been to NYC in two years though so it might be recency bias. Everything is so clean, trains are reliable and on time, people are considerate of each other, and it's not nearly as loud as you'd expect considering the amount of people that are in the city. People generally speak English, but it's still a good idea to learn some basic Japanese for everyday interactions. EDIT: This is mostly true for people who work in customer service, but not necessarily for everyday Tokyo residents. Also if you actually want to have conversations with Japanese people that go beyond ordering food at a restaurant you should definitely learn some Japanese. END OF EDIT. I returned around a month ago and I still miss this city every day. Some attractions I enjoyed were the Tokyo National Museum which has a couple of really interesting exhibitions and a beautiful garden, Akihabara which is a must as a gaming or anime fan, DisneySea which has enough unique rides for people who've been to Disneyland or WDW before, and (somewhat surprisingly since everyone only ever talks about Shinjuku and Shibuya which were also great though) Ginza at night which has a lot of nice bars, restaurants, and izakayas. A lot of the places in Ginza are a bit more expensive though.

Kyoto

A lot of travelers and locals I spoke with told me they love this city, but I probably won't return anytime soon. It's really pretty and I can definitely see the appeal, but the tourist destinations were so crowded that I didn't enjoy visiting them a lot. Some of the side streets in Gion and Arashiyama are incredible though. Nijo Castle was disappointing and I wouldn't recommend visiting unless you have a lot of time in Kyoto. I just thought it was a bit boring. Kokedera (moss temple) is pretty close to Arashiyama and I enjoyed my time, but it's one of the most expensive activities of my whole trip at ¥4,110 and the whole visit only took around one hour. Public transit is pretty bad compared to Tokyo and I took a lot more taxis in Kyoto than in Tokyo. I think everyone should visit the city at least once to see if they like it or not. Just do everyone else a favor and actually stay in Kyoto for a few days because the amount of tourists in the city would not be nearly as bad if people did that instead of only staying for a day and returning to their hotels in another city.

Osaka

I only spent one day in Osaka during my time in Kyoto. I saw the Umeda Sky Tower, Osaka Castle, and spent some time in Dotombori before moving on to my dinner reservation and returning to Kyoto. I enjoyed my time in the city a lot and I will definitely return next time. Umeda Sky Tower was really cool despite the Osaka skyline not being particularly beautiful. It's a bit pricey at ¥2,000, but I thought it was worth it. Osaka Castle is very pretty from the outside, but the museum on the inside was a bit underwhelming for me personally, especially since it was so crowded and the view from the top isn't anything special. Dotombori has a great vibe and I wish I had spent the full evening there.

Food and drinks

Restaurants and bars are always one of my top priorities when traveling so Japan was obviously not different. I spent a lot of time researching the best places to visit so I can try as much different Japanese food at a high quality as possible. What really impressed me was how high the standard is in Japan. You can really just walk into any random shop and be served food that is at least good, if not excellent. This is what I miss the most, the fact that you can easily get cheap and high quality food everywhere. Germany is unfortunately not like that at all. I definitely recommend trying more than just konbini food, ramen, and sushi. I loved the Chinese gyoza places, katsudon, tempura, yakitori, and even "western food" like curry and hamburg steak.

If you care about fine dining, these were my highlights:

• L'Effervescence, French, ***, tabelog silver, ~¥50,000 including alcohol free pairing

• Takayama, Italian, *, "excellent", ~¥50,000 including champagne and wine pairing

• Kiyama, Kaiseki, *, tabelog silver, ~¥50,000 including sake pairing

• Gion Nishikawa, Kaiseki, **, tabelog bronze, ~¥50,000 including sake pairing

As for bars, I visited a ton in Tokyo and not as many in Kyoto. My favorites were High Five, Folklore (!!!!!, incredible drinks and relaxed atmosphere), and Ben Fiddich, but memento mori, Tokyo Whisky Library, The Bellwood, and Bees Knees in Kyoto were great as well. I didn't have a single bad cocktail and some of them were are among the best I have ever had. I especially like the "fresh fruit cocktails" which usually use in-season fruit and a matching spirit. I had one with fresh grape, brandy, and champagne and I could have had ten more. Not that it would be advisable to do so.

What would I do differently?

I would definitely be a bit more careful with my jet lag now that I know how much it affects me. Try to sleep as much as possible the first few nights and not drink as much alcohol early on. What I would also change is the trip length. 13 nights simply isn't enough considering the flights were 14-15 hours. Next time, I will spend three weeks in Japan. I will also book fewer restaurants in advance to have some more space for spontaneous meals. Other than that though, I am pretty happy with my preparations. I got an esim for internet, activated it immediately, once I left the plane, got a suica card on my phone, withdrew some cash at an ATM, and was pretty much ready for Japan once I got into my first train. Packing light and doing laundry on my own didn't take a lot of time out of my trip and it meant I could travel with only a carry on.

I definitely recommend everyone go and visit Japan. It was the best trip of my life and I am already thinking about the next one.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/kitkat272 on 2024-11-21 22:21:43+00:00.

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Way back when I took my first trip to Japan in 2019 this sub helped me out so much so I always like to post a report here. I’m not very interesting but I like to focus on things that maybe I would have liked to read about before going…

First Trip (August/September 2019)

Second Trip (June/July 2023)

First about me: I’m an American woman in my late 30s, I mostly travel alone but I meet up with friends who live in Japan sometimes. I do not speak Japanese (unfortunately!) I get really anxious about going to restaurants and stuff so this will not be a foodie report, foodies will be quite disappointed with what I eat in Japan. One of the major reasons I travel to Japan is because I’m really in to a certain idol group. I usually don’t go too into that in my reports but it was a huge part of my trip this time I’ll put a section about it after the main report for anyone who might be interested. 

Day 1 to 6: Tokyo

I took the 1 AM flight out of NYC to Haneda. It landed in Haneda at 5 AM. There were pros and cons to this. I got out of security super quick and easy. I think I would have struggled with what to do so early in the morning if my friends didn’t invite me to their house.

• Staying in Ikebukuro

My friends live in Ikebukuro and I also stayed there. At first I wasn’t so sure about it because there are other areas with better rated hotels for cheaper but I came to really like it! I loved the Sunshine City mall and there were loads of places to eat. Also I personally found Ikebukuro station easy to navigate once you become familiar with the one exit to your hotel.  

• CLAMP exhibit at the National Art Center

The only non idol thing I did these days was visit Roppongi to see the CLAMP exhibit at the National Art Center. The exhibit is over now but I guess the #1 lesson I learned this day is when people say go early believe it! I am a really lazy traveler and I thought “Hey I have tickets, how bad can it be?” Well I had to wait in line for a really long time. The exhibit itself was very crowded but seeing all the manga art up close was nice. 

1. Roppongi Hills

I also went to see the TV Asahi building (nice merch store!) and the Mori observatory on this day. I love viewpoints and I’ve visited one in Tokyo at sunset on all my trips (Skytree and Shibuya Sky on my last two), of all of them maybe Mori was the least special but I liked that they kept the rooms dark and had nice places to sit and view. The view of Tokyo Tower from this whole area is so nice too. 

Day 6-8 Tokyo to Osaka to Kyoto

• Night Bus

My sixth night we took the night bus to Osaka. The bus had plugs for chargers which was great. Unfortunately the plug dug into my thigh the whole ride. Yeah my butt was kind of too big for the night bus. I got a little bit of sleep but not a ton.  The best advice I saw before taking the bus was that when you get off during a rest stop to take a picture of your bus to make sure you get on the right one, I didn’t do it but when I was coming back from the bathroom I got a bit nervous!

• ART HOTEL Buffet

We went and had dinner at the buffet at ART HOTEL. They have different themed buffets and this time the theme was Black and White, it was really interesting. The lobby was really nicely decorated and the view was great. 

Days 9-13 Kyoto (with day trips to Osaka and Himeji)

My hotel was near Sanjo which I loved, loved, LOVED. I know people dislike the subway network in Kyoto but I still really liked being near multiple train stations, I wanted to avoid having to ride the buses. It was a super walkable area too. I really liked Sanjo Metengai… I just love shopping streets.

• Nijo Castle

My first day in Kyoto I went to Nijo castle. I made a really big mistake though, I didn’t realize I needed to get a ticket for the Honmaru ahead of time. I decided to just go and see if it would be possible to get a day of ticket but the Honmaru was actually totally closed that day. There was a lot to see other than the Honmaru so it was worth the trip but it was also a super hot day so not really fun to walk around. I will be back!

• Osaka Day Trip

I took a day trip to Osaka to do some shopping… actually no, it was to see a NMB48 show, but I did some shopping first. I stopped off at the Hankyu department store, a tip here is the first floors are typical department store stuff but the upper floors get interesting. When I was there there was a Turkish festival going on and I bought some baklava. There were also some pop up shops and Starbucks on this floor. 

What I really wanted was some Myakumyaku goods! After googling I saw Daimaru had a shop so I went over there. Daimaru has a floor with nice character goods shops, I liked their Sanrio section as well. I also spent some time in the Hands store there. 

The NMB48 show was interesting. Unfortunately I forgot my light sticks!

• Walk around Higashiyama

I decided to walk from my hotel to Higashiyama Jisho-shi and back. The highlight was Okazaki shrine with the cute rabbits. I also really liked the Philosophers Path. Some other shrines and temples around here I had been to on my last trip so I tried to avoid them. This day was super hot! This also demonstrates what I loved about staying in Sanjo and in Kyoto, the fact that I could just walk out of my hotel and go, I didn't have to worry about taking transport somewhere, I could just walk and have a really interesting day.

• Day trip to Himeji

I enjoyed Himeji a lot. In general I love castles and I love checking out the inside and outside. I’ve seen some people advise not to go inside because it’s bare or too crowded but I can’t imagine not going in. I exited through a gate that was only open for a limited time, when I saw it was only open in September I felt like I had to! This is another place I want to go back to, it was too hot for me to do much else here. 

• Kenninji

I went here to see the dragon painting on the ceiling. I liked it and spent a bunch of time looking at the different art. The thing that really sticks out to me here though is all the security guards and stuff there were in the area, I guess they’ve had some issues. 

• Fushimi Inari

This simply felt like a must to me. Of course I didn’t follow any of the usual advice and went in the middle of the day. It was crowded but I’m not too bothered by crowds. It was kind of just something to check off the list and I’m glad I went and got some goshuin! 

On my last night in Kyoto I met with a friend that reminded me it was a holiday weekend and the trains were going to be super busy. I knew about the holidays but I didn’t even think about the fact I was there during silver week! I’m used to just booking the same day at the station and the trains not being too crowded. Worried, I tried using smartex but I couldn’t get it to work. The trains really were very crowded. At the station I decided to do a green car but I did wish I pre-booked. 

Days 14-23 Back to Tokyo

• Sanrio Puroland

We went there on the worst possible day. It was kind of rainy and also a holiday weekend but it was the only day my friend who really wanted to go could go. I really enjoyed the boat ride and making the name key chain. It was fun but really, really busy. I would kind of like to go back but during a weekday. 

• Utsunomiya

I really wanted to go see the Oya History Museum. Getting there from Tokyo was kind of a long trip and I enjoy trains. The museum itself was cool but smaller than I thought. I liked seeing the Oya Kannon (another pic) nearby. I really feel like this is a place probably better seen if you’re already in the area, maybe with a car. 

• Nihon Minka-en

Something I love going to in Japan is open air museums. I was torn between here and the Edo Tokyo one and ended up choosing this one. It was nice and I was really impressed by the first house but in the end I would probably rank it behind previous open air museums I’ve been to (MeijiMura and Osaka Farmhouse) only because you couldn’t really walk inside most of the houses, only look inside from the outside area. It was still great though! The plaques were really interesting and informative about where the house came from and the families who lived there. 

• Sunshine City

I was staying near Sunshine City so I spent a lot of time there and really enjoyed it. The doughnuts at the Sesame Street Cafe were really yummy. There are lots of gatcha machines here in multiple places throu...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/TheSquishies on 2024-11-22 20:18:13+00:00.

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I know this sub gets questions on accessibility, so I wanted to do a summary of my recent trip focused on accessibility. For reference, I visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Kawaguichiko with my partner this past Sept/Oct, spanning about 17 days. We're both in our early thirties and from the USA. I have a disability that affects my one leg and I wear a leg brace. For the trip, I was either walking with a cane or using an electric wheelchair.

Overall Notes

• Shops & restaurants - 100% my biggest frustration of the trip was just how many shops and restaurants were inaccessible for wheelchairs. Most of the time the issue was either that it had a curb/big step(s) at the entrance or the aisles were just too small to maneuver in. I honestly couldn’t recommend going to Harajuku or Akihabara if you need a chair as the majority of local shops weren’t accessible. Also, there are a ton of restaurants that are counter seating only, which is both not great for wheelchairs and also not very comfortable to take a break on.
• Streets - In general, the streets were fine. I did get stuck in a big curb or two, but luckily I was able to get through them with some help from my partner. Also, the sidewalks do have a ton of tiny bumps in them for blind people. I didn't find it to be too bumpy, but you definitely feel them.
• Benches - Benches aren't common on the streets which was frustrating. Also, most cafes and restaurants didn’t have plentiful seating, so it was often hard to find a place to sit down and rest in popular areas.
• Estimated Walking Time - Not Japan specific, but learn from my mistake. If you’re disabled or just a slow walker, double the estimated google map walking time for a more accurate time.
• Flow of Foot Traffic - I don’t think there’s any flow or guideline to the direction of foot traffic…at least I didn’t pick up on one. There didn’t seem to be a “everyone stay to the right” or any kind of pattern to foot traffic which made navigating the streets more stressful.
• Language - The only time it helped to know some Japanese was when dealing with my wheelchair. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have needed anything outside of please, thank you, and excuse me. Know that in Japan they don’t really use the word “ramp,” but “slope” (surōpu) so definitely know that word. I’d also recommend knowing “doko”, “koko”, and directional words as most of the needed communication was about where I needed to go.
• People - I hope this doesn't come across rude, but I often hear how nice and accommodating the Japanese people are, but I unfortunately didn’t experience this. I had several people walk into me and out of all the times I rode public transport only 1 person ever gave up their seat for me (or honestly any old or disabled person). I thought people were just like any other city, so don't expect people to help. I will say that people were great at holding the elevator door for anyone though (which was good bc they close FAST).
• Hotels - We did splurge a bit to make sure we’d have a room that would fit a wheelchair and we didn’t have any issues. I would definitely recommend doing your research on hotels though as even in some of the nicer hotels, it was a tight fit.

Transportation 

• Trains - I have a love/hate relationship with the trains lol. I thought most stations were easy to navigate and we only had significant timing delays with 2 trips. However, the trains are a lot less efficient when using a wheelchair. First off, the right elevators are hard to find. I’d be following signs to my platform and then get blocked by a flight of stairs with no accessible route in sight. I’d have to ask employees and/or go a completely round-about way to get to where I needed to go. Then there’s the platforms themselves. The gaps between the platforms and the trains varied greatly. Because I was unfamiliar with them, I got in the habit of asking for a slope at the ticket office to avoid any issues. Although this worked well, it did mean waiting 10-20 minutes for the train workers to coordinate with the receiving station, so it ate up a bunch of time. Lastly, I know it’s a tiny thing, but PEOPLE GO USE THE OTHER 10 TICKET GATES THAT YOU CAN FIT INTO, I CAN ONLY FIT IN ONE. The amount of times I had to basically push my way into the only gate big enough for my chair WHEN ALL THE OTHER ONES WERE FULLY OPEN was frustrating.
• Buses - The buses were great. All the local buses I used had a ramp onto them and they would flip up some seats for space. I only took one non-local bus from the airport and it had storage space under the bus that fit my chair fine.
• Taxi - We unexpectedly took one taxi ride, which was kind of crazy. It was a normal sized car that they flipped two of the seats down in, had a ramp to wheel me in, and then some how strapped me down to the floor. It was a little scary, but it worked.

Kanto Region/Attractions

• Sensoji - Super accessible. I knew the main part had an elevator which is great, but I was worried the surrounding streets would be too tight, especially when crowded with people. However, the streets were all wide enough and my only issue was a big curb or two.
• Teamlab Borderless - All but one of the rooms was accessible, but they did have a accessible viewing area for that one. Note though, that they don't allow electric wheelchairs, only manual. Luckily mine can be either, but I did feel bad that my partner had to push me through it. I don't think I could have done it without my chair though as there are not places to sit down inside (unless you count the floor.)
• Disney - Disney was very accessible, although a little difficult to figure out. I basically got stopped at the entrance of every ride, had the cast member ask me some questions, and then either went through one of the lines, or came back after the current wait time to get on via the exit. Then I'd park my chair around the loading area and just walk on. All the nighttime shows had a special viewing area for wheelchair users which was great.
• Puroland - Also very accessible. Right after scanning our tickets an employee pulled me aside and explained how accessibility worked for all the attractions and shows. I hope they know just how appreciated that was! They had a big accessible restroom and elevators to all floors. The only inaccessible thing I encountered was you need to walk about 10 stairs to the main boat ride, but luckily I could handle that.
• Ghibli Museum - Pretty accessible. There are a bunch of staircases and little nooks that are inaccessible and you can only access the rooftop garden via a spiral staircase. However, all the exhibits, the theater, shop, and restaurants are accessible. They also get points for having the coolest elevator of our trip.
• Pokemon Cafe - I didn't use my chair when I went but I didn't notice any stairs, it was a wide space, and the seating was easily movable, so I'd give it a thumbs up.

Kansai Region/Attractions

• Kyoto - I went in thinking Kyoto would be the most difficult and that was correct. It’s very hilly and has a lot of rough terrain (like stone roads), so it was difficult both with or without my chair. We mainly hit Kiyomizu-dera, Gion, Fushimi Inari, and Nishiki Market. I didn't use my wheelchair at any of these places and I'm honestly not sure I would have been able to with the terrain. You'd probably be ok with a chair in Nishiki if it's not too busy.
• Nara - Similar difficulties as with Kyoto, but I thought it was better here. Definitely do research on which temples/shrines are accessible though, as they vary. For example, Todaij was super accessible but then one right next to it was completely inaccessible. Also, don't worry, the deer will still bow to you even if you're seated in your chair lol.
• Osaka - We only did Dontonburi and the castle grounds. Castle grounds were very accessible and Dontonburi was similar to any other street.

Conclusion/What I’d do Differently Next Time

Overall, I did have a good time and I would love to go back some day. However, on future trips I would take things slower so I could walk more and bring a portable chair or stool. I did feel like using a wheelchair prevented me from going to a number of places which was disappointing. I’d probably also take my chances with the train gaps and not ask for the slope help as it got way too time consuming. Lastly, I’d stick to the newer cities/areas as the older towns were just too challenging/uncomfortable for me.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/aElons on 2024-11-22 20:15:13+00:00.

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The making of a good travel day is one that is bland. Well, today wasn't, but it still compelled me to write about it—the absolute beauty of Japanese hospitality.

Last day in Tokyo, my flight was scheduled to depart from HND at 8 PM (nonstop to Atlanta). I had planned my day with some morning shopping, checking a few camera stores in Tokyo, shopping at Uniqlo (alas, capitalism strikes again), and visiting Senso-ji Temple during golden hour before heading back to the hotel to collect my luggage from storage.

All went smoothly, and I was on the monorail heading to Haneda Airport from Hamamatsucho Station. I had with me a medium suitcase, a 65L duffel bag I purchased the day before from Don Quijote to stuff all the impulse purchases into, a crossbody sling bag with my passport, and a carry-on backpack containing my flight essentials and camera gear.

Well, the monorail was full to the brim, so it was a challenge to navigate through it with a backpack on. Thus, my hands were full with luggage as I tried to claim some monorail real estate until I reached Haneda Terminal 3. Mission accomplished.

I got off at Terminal 3 and was making my way to check in my luggage when I realized that I no longer had my backpack with me. I'm a little OCD when it comes to always having my belongings with me—phone always charged, all flight essentials in one place, etc.—and thus the realization that I had lost my backpack full of camera gear didn't feel good.

This was around 6:00 PM. It had been about 20-30 minutes since I got off the monorail, and my flight was scheduled to start boarding at 7 PM. Panicked, I ran back to the monorail station with the remainder of my luggage and thought maybe the same train would have looped back at the Terminal 3 station (as you might have guessed, this was a panic-induced thought and not that of precise mathematical calculation). Anyways, I guess my travel instincts took over, and I somehow located the nearest staffed office at the station and explained the situation to the two officers there.

They got to work immediately, walked me back to the station to ask me if I could give a vague idea of where on the platform I got off and also what part of the train I boarded at Hamamatsucho. I told them what I could remember and also referenced my Google Timeline location history to give them an idea of the time I got on the train, hoping they could narrow down the train I left my bag on. At this point, it was 6:45 PM, and I had about 15 minutes before the cutoff for checking in luggage. So, in another panic frenzy, I jotted down my information with the officers at the Monorail Terminal 3 station and scurried my way back to the airline check-in counter and successfully checked in. Around 7 PM, I was back at the monorail office, and they had located my bag and put it on a train back that was supposed to arrive at Haneda at 7:04 PM. Like clockwork, at 7:05 PM, one of the officers came back with my bag in hand! Oh, the relief!

I rushed back to the airport and got in the queue for the security check. At this point, it was 7:18 PM, and according to the internet, boarding was supposed to stop 30 minutes prior to international departures. I explained the situation to a few airport staff and also had it typed out on Google Translate, so I was allowed to skip the long queue for security and immigration (BIG thank you!).

I made it to my gate in time with 3 minutes to go! 🤩

CONCLUSION: Japanese hospitality and efficiency saved my day, and I'm a forever fan (not that I wasn't a fan before, as this was my first trip to Japan, and I loved every minute of it).

TL;DR: I lost my backpack with all my valuables at Haneda Airport. Thanks to the incredible efficiency and kindness of Japanese staff, I was able to recover it just in time to catch my flight.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/davelee_the_reporter on 2024-11-21 07:59:51+00:00.

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I’m at Haneda airport getting ready to head home to New York. For the past two weeks I’ve been lurking on this subreddit, learning really great tips, and so I wanted to throw in some quick reflections from my experience as a solo traveller in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hakone. My trip, much like my life, mostly focused around finding great food and drink.

In Tokyo, my recommendations are:

• Tempura and wine OSHIO. My first meal in Japan may well have been my favorite of the entire trip. Under a railway arch, Tempura and Wine OSHIO provided incredible tasty dishes at a price so low I was routinely double-checking my math, worried I’d misunderstood the exchange rate. Ordering is done via QR code, but that’s not to say the service was impersonal. It’s a buzzy spot popular with young professional Toykoites. I booked via Google. Word of warning: my booking on Google was for one, but when I arrived they’d set out space for two. They were polite but I suspect they’d prefer two people (like many places). Was very much handed the check when an hour had passed.

Google:

• Kanda Matsuya. This was a recommendation I picked up on this subreddit as an ideal spot to eat if you’re in and around the geeky Akihabara district. It’s an authentic little spot that seems very popular with locals who outnumbered tourists by about 5-to-1, as far as I could tell. There were five or so people in line when I arrived, but I was sat down within about 10 minutes. I had an extremely hearty chicken curry. 

Google:  

• Tokyo Bar Hopping tour. Caught in two minds recommending this since the tour itself wasn’t great: three quite mediocre bars and a set menu set up by the tour company at each place. Hardly the introduction to the Tokyo drinking scene I’d hoped for. However, it’s good enough for getting your bearings and, with its early start, there was ample time to keep the night going with the fantastic people I met in the group. The tour ends not far from Golden Gai which, while swarming with tourists (just like me…), is an experience not to be missed. More than 300 bars crammed into the equivalent space of one US city block. Sitting in a tiny (~6 people) bar drinking whisky with new friends was a real highlight for this somewhat-shy solo traveller. 

Booking:

• Sushi making class. The company behind this class is new and clearly on the up — it has new locations opening across the city next year, and plans a Kyoto expansion. It’s easy to see why. This was a very fun cooking lesson, with simple instructions that have me eager to keep making sushi back home. Terrific value for money and the food was absolutely delicious, even if my own effort was somewhat lacking in the presentation department. No expense has been spared on the quality of ingredients, and the team is enthusiastic and good-humored. You get to customize your rolls/nigiri, so if there are any aspects you’re not keen on, just leave them out. I also did the added sake tasting float: three very large servings that left me half drunk at 12pm. 

Booking:

- Tonki. This was a recommendation from a colleague who works in the city. It’s a tonkatsu restaurant where everyone sits around a very large counter as the frantic preparations take place in the middle. The menu is limited— you basically choose one of three varieties of breaded pork cutlet. From here you take a seat along the wall, in no particular order, to wait to be beckoned. I’ve no idea how this system works, there are no tickets or anything, but after about 20 minutes I was called up. The pork was delicious and came with bottomless cabbage. What stood out most here was the ambience — calm, quiet and minimalist.

Google:  

In Kyoto, my recommendations are:

• Book ahead and plan to eat early! I didn’t do enough of this and it cost me on the first night. There are tourist trap restaurants a plenty in Gion and Pontocho, and my lack of planning cost me on the first night when I had an extravagant but average tasting menu at one place. 

• Kamogawa Takashi. Boy oh boy, was this a good meal. I’d booked a wagyu experience on Airbnb but the host cancelled since it was only me. However, in true Japanese fashion, he went out of his way to find me some great food, booking me at this spot in a quieter area north of all the hustle in downtown Kyoto. At first I worried this was some kind of arrangement with the restaurant, but when I arrived the owner was (politely) curious as to who it was calling up and making bookings on a tourist’s behalf. I had the full beef tasting menu for 12,000 yen  — several courses of delicious meats prepared simply but perfectly, washed down with a couple of beers. There was no English menu, but my server that night, a chap called Han (possibly wrong!), spoke English very well on account of having been a footballer (!) in Europe for a number of years.

Google:  

• Sanjūsangendō Temple. Let’s face it, most of us aren’t buddhists, so all of those temples can blend in a bit when there’s no deeper spiritual meaning to be appreciated. Not so with Sanjūsangendō, an absolutely breathtaking place. Its hall containing 1,001 wooden statues, painted gold, was profoundly moving even to this atheist. Even though it seems a little out of the way, you’ll be round in 30 minutes, with no regrets.

Google:  

• Nintendo Kyoto. If you have any affinity at all with the Nintendo universe, take a minute to check out its floor in a great department store with plenty else to offer (including a very cool bookstore + cafe that allows you to take titles to read with a coffee).

Google:  

• Bamboo forest + Kameyamaya. I can’t write anything about the bamboo forest that hasn’t been written by others already, other than to second that it’s worth seeing, and definitely worth getting there early before most of the coaches arrive. I was there at 10am and it was peaceful enough, though it was a rainy day. An hour later, hordes arrived. Kameyamaya is a restaurant that’s on the banks of the Katsura and is hardly a secret — it’s in the Lonely Planet guide. But it’s worth the hype, a straightforward feast at very reasonable prices, managed by a tiny staff that includes quite possibly the hardest working woman in Japan. It opens at 11:30 — my tip would be to get there around 11 or so to put your name down on the list. It’s pretty slow going — I arrived at 11:25 and ended up waiting a good 30 minutes or so.

Google:  

In Hakone, my recommendations are:

• Assume everything takes a while. ***"***There’s no hurryin’ in Hakone!" — that should be a saying if it isn’t one already. The Hakone Tozan line takes its time. The Tozan cable car really takes its time. The Ropeway takes its time, but we can let that one off — it’s majestic. Or, at least, I assume it is: I visited on a cloudy day, could barely see a thing. The point is, you're looking at a good two hours there and back between Hakone and Gora, where a lot of the "stuff" is. It's a day that will test your tourism endurance.

• Cocoro. My best meal in Hakone was at Cocoro, a curry and rice joint. I had a beef curry that was still bubbling away when it arrived at my table. A lovely intimate spot handled by an even lovelier woman in charge. Head downstairs when you arrive and put your name down before heading back outside. I waited about 20 minutes — more than worth it.

Google:  

• Open-Air Museum. A peaceful sprawling garden of artworks and sculptures that’s worth hopping off the train for, either on your way there or way back. Last entry is at 4:30pm — though I arrived at 4pm and felt a little rushed getting round. The Picasso gallery is a highlight; well presented and not too overwhelming. A good 15 minutes in there and you’ve enjoyed its highlights.

Google:

• Maybe avoid this place: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4kfykfkbDgsASTaq6. Or at least, avoid the burger on a stick he offers. Worried it was undercooked at the time (but didn’t say anything…) and was struck with the shits for the next day or so. But — and I’ll leave you with this, I guess — if you’re going to have the shits anywhere in the world, you might as well make it Japan, land of the perfect toilets.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/AlmandineKnight on 2024-11-20 02:39:24+00:00.

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I’ve been scouring Reddit since the summer months to help plan my trip, and wanted to do my bit for those that are planning a first time trip themselves.  Hopefully someone can find something in here that is helpful, just as so many of you have helped me and my family.

 

This was an 8 day trip traveling with my 2 kids (early teens), on our first time to Japan.

 

Suica:

Loaded up our digital Suica cards in our Apple Wallets for me and my oldest.  Bought a physical Welcome Suica card for my youngest at Haneda.

 

Google Maps:

Absolutely vital travel tool to have.  I love exploring and getting “lost” at times, but traveling with 2 kids and having limited time really helped us to be more discerning with our choices and where we were going.  A few times the directions on the Metro were slightly off, or a little confusing, so sometimes it’s better to just use the actual signs in the Metro station and exist in the 3D real world.

 

eSIM:

Purchase Airalo eSIM for me and my oldest.  Installing mine was a big mess, and did not work initially.  I’m glad I did this several days before departure, since their customer service is not super responsive, and I ended up getting the quickest response by tagging them in a Reddit post on their community.  Finally got it installed, and the activation upon landing was fine.  My 10 gig data allotment was adequate for a week, but my older one burned through 10 gigs of data in the first days while streaming YouTube on the Shinkansen, and also syncing photos, so we had to turn off some apps and top up for another 10 gigs.

 

Cash:

Added a Schwab checking account to my existing brokerage account, so that I could use their debit card and get reimbursed for ATM fees while in Japan.  I found that most places took credit cards, I’m guessing since we were in mostly tourist areas—there was only one restaurant in Kyoto that was cash only.

 

Passport:

Kept my passport on me at all times, ended up getting tax free discount at several shops, so this was important to have on me (and other threads mentioned it’s a requirement to do that anyway while traveling in Japan).

 

 

Day 1: Tokyo

Landed in Haneda around 2pm, and Customs process was very easy.  Very easy because I had used the Visit Japan Web travel website the day before and filled out all the forms (one for each passenger!) and screenshot my QR codes (in case my eSIM gave me issues—see earlier).  Purchased Welcome Suica card for my youngest child doesn’t have a mobile phone yet.  We had already loaded up Suica cards for me and my older child before we left.  We took the train from Haneda to Shinjuku, and it was easy.  There were also workers in Haneda near the kiosks that also helped and spoke excellent English.  After checking in to our hotel, we took a nap, then forced ourselves to wake up after 2 hours.  We then wandered around to find some dinner, but didn’t realize that it was a national holiday when we arrived (Culture Day), so a lot of places were closed and the streets were pretty empty in that part of Shinjuku.

 

Day 2: Tokyo

Got up really early due to time zone difference, after hotel breakfast we decided to start walking towards Meiju Jingu.  We got there by 7:30am and it was completely empty, nice to enjoy the quiet.  Kept walking south down towards Shibuya.  Grabbed Blue Bottle coffee and waited for everything to open.  Didn’t realize that nothing really opens until 10am, but more like 11am.  Walked around Shibuya crossing (not very exciting early in the morning), and then saw the Hachiko statue, until it was 10am and the Nintendo store opened.  Then spent more time walking around and checking out shops (clothing, skate, fashion, Tower Records, G-Shock, etc.).  We wandered up in Harajuku and ate lunch at Hamburg YOSHI.  About a 20 minute wait, but meal was good.  Also sat next to a Spanish couple filming a new video for their YouTube channel.  Had matcha and ice cream from The Matcha in Harajuku, son proceeded to drop his green tea ice cream on the street!  Dinner at an udon place near our hotel in Shinjuku.

 

Day 3: Tokyo

Tried to get an early start and get to Asakusa early, but jet lag continued…  didn’t get to Senso-ji until 10:30am and it was already madness.  Looked around quickly, then headed for Kappabashi to check out some knives.  I ended up getting a new chef knife, but was hard to decide since there are so many stores and so many options!  Headed down to Ginza next to look around and check out Itoya store, Uniqlo, etc.  It had many floors and had some interesting stuff, but was pretty crowded.  Then headed down to TeamLabs Borderless for our ticket time (ordered online weeks in advance).  This was really fun, and the kids agreed it was a great stop.  More exploring after that, then burgers at Aldebaran in Rappongi and donuts from Dumbo Donuts for dessert.

 

Day 4: Tokyo > Hakone

Went out to Daikan-yama to explore, and checked out Tsutaya Books.  Then headed back to catch Shinkansen train to Odawara and on to Hakone.  We purchased reserve tickets in Shinjuku the day before, and loved the bullet train experience.  We had grabbed some snacks at Family Mart beforehand thinking it was a long ride, but was only about 30 minutes.  We then took the Hakone Tozan Railway to the Hakone Yumoto station, to change trains to get to Gora.  From there we took a hotel shuttle bus to the Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu.  Hotel was nice, but nicer than what our group needed.  I booked it a little late and a lot of other places were unavailable, and this one had a private onsen which is what we wanted.

 

Day 5: Hakone > Kyoto

Checked out of hotel, then took the train back to Gora.  The Gora station had lockers available for our luggage, and then took Hakone Tozan cable car and then the Ropeway up to Owakudani to see the black egg and try to get a better view of Mt Fuji.  The views were nice, and the clouds finally lifted at the end to see Mt Fuji.  The area seemed a little like an abandoned mining site that they turned into a tourist spot hahaha.  Back down to Gora, and retraced our steps to Odawara to catch the Shinkansen to Kyoto.  We bought reserved tickets at the station office less than 30 minutes before departure.  Got to Kyoto, took a taxi to our hotel in Higashiyama and then set off to explore.  We ate sushi at Sushi Taka in Gion, but had to wait about 30-40 minutes outside.  Didn’t realize that most restaurants in that area require dinner reservations, so make sure you plan ahead if there is a place you really want to eat at.

 

Day 6: Kyoto

Tried to leave early and took a taxi to Fushimi-Inari.  Arrived by 8:30am and it was already very crowded.  As everyone has posted here, once you start walking up the hill, the crowds do thin out somewhat.  Got some great city views of Kyoto at the top.  Then we walked out and grabbed wagyu burgers at Dragon Burger.  The kids enjoyed the craft cola quite a bit!  More shopping after that, as we headed to the Nintendo store (a little bigger than the Tokyo one).  % Arabica coffee and more wandering around Higashiyama, around Hokan-ji.  It was really crowded, lots of Chinese tourists dressed as geishas, and lots of cameras everywhere.  We tried to eat at Wabiya Korekido, but didn’t have reservations, so no tables available (see earlier comment).  Found a bar serving yakitori just in time as we were all getting pretty tired and hungry.

 

Day 7: Kyoto > Tokyo

Took a taxi to Arashiyama, and took a stroll through the bamboo forest.  Nothing too remarkable, as we had seen uncrowded bamboo forest in Fushimi-Inari the day before.  We then hiked up to the Monkey park, and this was a highlight for the kids.  Lots of fun to see all the monkeys playing and running around, plus nice city-wide views.  Another stop at % Arabica, but way too crowded so we headed back to the hotel, then the station to take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo.  Again, we bought tickets about 15 minutes before departure.

 

Back in Tokyo for final night, stopped at Selection Shinjuku to get some Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) merch.  Then went to Akihabara to walk around and explore.  We ended up getting conveyor belt sushi at Kaiten sushi Edokko Kanda, which was fun as a novelty.

 

Day 8:  Tokyo

We had the morning to spend, so we went up to the 45th floor observation floor at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government—some great views of the city and FREE!  We then took the Metro down to Shibuya/Harajuku for some final shopping.  Then it was off to Narita on the Narita Skyliner, which was very easy.  We still had some cash/coins left over to use in the airport, however the food options in the Terminal were unimpressive, so we used our final coins on small gifts, bottled water and snacks.

 

Overall, a fantastic trip with great memories.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/AutoModerator on 2024-10-25 00:00:32+00:00.

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Are you traveling to Japan this month? Want to hang out with other Redditors while you navigate the country? Then this is the thread for you!

Please post any and all meetup requests here. Be sure to include:

• Your basic itinerary
• Dates of travel and cities you're planning to visit
• Your age and gender identity
• Your home country (and any other languages you might speak)
• OPTIONAL: Share some of your hobbies or interests!

We have a Discord server you can use to coordinate meetups and other activities. You can join the official r/JapanTravel Discord here! There are also monthly meetup/planning channels, so react accordingly, and you can create threads for specific dates/locations if you so desire.

In the past, people have used LINE to coordinate and plan meetups.

NOTE: Please only post meetup requests for this month. If you are traveling in the future, please reserve all meetup requests for the thread that corresponds with the month of your first date of arrival in Japan. This thread is automatically posted 7 days before the start of the month.