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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/croissantfufu on 2024-06-23 23:41:50+00:00.

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We (family of four with two kids ages 13 and 16) just returned from a terrific two-week trip to Japan.  I’ll try to keep the report as brief as possible, with recommendations noted when appropriate. I’m a big fan of Tabelog (as it has consistently yielded some great recommendations for food), so have included those scores when possible.  In terms of transportation in Hokkaido, we flew into New Chitose Airport and out of Asahikawa Airport, and had a rental car during the entirety of the trip (except for days spent in central Sapporo). 

Days 1-5: Sapporo

We spent five days in Sapporo with one day dedicated to a trip to Otaru and the Shakotan Peninsula.  In short, we loved Sapporo. It had all the amenities of a large metropolis (lots of food options, great public transportation, shops with anything one might want), but was still geographically small enough such that traveling around the city felt manageable and efficient.  

We visited the main sights, including the Sapporo Clock Tower, Nijo Market, Hokkaido Jingu, the Sapporo TV Tower, Odori Park, and Tanuki Koji shopping street.  We also took a tour of the Royce Chocolate Factory and Cacao Town.  Overall quite fun with the kids, especially the “make your own chocolate bar” experience, but I would skip this unless you want a family-oriented activity or are really into chocolate.  The Shakotan Peninsula was gorgeous - we stopped at Shimamui Beach and Cape Kamui.

We stayed at the Sapporo Stream hotel in Susokino.  There is nothing particularly special about the hotel (it’s clean and relatively new), but we really enjoyed its location within the Cocono Susokino, which is a mixed use building consisting of a Lawsons, grocery store, food hall, and cinema.  The kids loved the independence of going downstairs to grab food/snacks whenever they wanted, and we liked that they stayed in the building where we could easily find them.

Days 6-7: Lake Shikotsu

We spent two days at Lake Shikotsu and stayed at the Tsuruga Resort Spa Mizu no Uta.  On one of the days, we took a guided canoe trip of Lake Shikotsu with Kanoa.  This was one of the highlights of our entire trip.  Our guide (Yuya) was friendly and informative, and knew the perfect places to stop along the lake so the kids could catch (and release) fish and shrimp.  The lake was gorgeous, the weather was cool and breezy; truly a perfect outing.  We also very much enjoyed our stay at the Tsuruga resort/hotel.  The property itself is beautiful; we booked a room with an in room onsen, though we ended up using the public onsens throughout our stay because the facilities were really nice.  Although the resort was fully booked (according to the hotel staff), it never felt crowded.  We felt very relaxed and refreshed after our stay here.

Day 8: Noboribetsu

On the way to Noboribetsu, we visited the National Ainu Museum in Upopoy.  We spent the morning and early afternoon here, and could have spent much longer but for scheduling needs.  The exhibits/presentations were very informative about Ainu culture and the history of the Ainu people.  We ate lunch at Amano Family Farm (3.55 - very delicious Wagyu yakiniku lunch in rustic setting; highly recommended).  

In Norboribetsu, we walked through Hell’s Valley, which was picturesque and had dinner Pizzeria Astra Pizzeria (3.30)  (We went in not knowing what to expect from a pizzeria in a small, touristy onsen town and we loved it!  The chef/owner uses caputo flour and local high quality ingredients, and makes each pizza to order.) 

In Noboribetsu, we stayed at the Dai-ichi Takimotikan hotel, which I would hesitate to recommend. While the room was clean, it needed a fresh coat of paint and some updating.  The hotel itself felt like an aging Las Vegas casino (lots of worn carpeting, aging facilities including onsens that needed a refresh, etc.)  

Day 9: Furano 

From Noboribetsu, we drove to Furano.  We saw the flower fields at Tomita Farm (the lavender fields were just beginning to bloom - gorgeous) and ate some perfectly ripened Furano melon at the Tomita Melon House.  We went to Furano Cheese Factory hoping we could sign up for the “cheese making experience” for the kids, but it was entirely sold out.  In the evening, we walked around Ningle Terrace. We stayed at the Dormy Inn La Vista hotel, which was a standard hotel (clean, small rooms, nice reception).  

Days 10-12: Asahikawa

We spent the next three days in Asahikawa.  On the way there, we went to the Shirogane Blue Pond (beautiful, but really only takes about 10 minutes to view the pond).  Over the next three days we took the ropeway to Asahidake and walked the trail leading to Sugatami Pond, went river rafting on the Chubetsu River, and wandered around the central part of Asahikawa.  Overall, I allotted perhaps too much time to Asahikawa.  The city itself is pretty small and we could have combined our visit to Asahidake and river rafting into one day.  But, it was a chance to relax while roaming the food hall and losing our money to the claw machines at Aeon Mall.  

We did have some pretty terrific meals in Asahikawa, including kaiten sushi lunch at Toriton Asahikawa (3.52), tonkatsu dinner at Iseni Ommoru (3.39), and excellent soup curry at Su-Pu Kare Okushiba Shouten (3.53).

We stayed at the Amanek Hotel, which was a standard hotel (clean, small rooms, nice reception).  

Days 13-15: Tokyo

We returned the car at Asahikawa Airport and took a morning flight to Haneda.  On our last trip to Tokyo (in December 2023), we stayed in Shinjuku. This time we stayed in Asakusa, which we preferred for a couple of reasons.  First, our hotel (the Mimaru Asakusa Station) was located right next to the river.  My husband and I took some nice long walks along the river in the evening (so beautiful with the lights of the buildings and the trains crossing over the bridges), and the kids couldn’t get enough of the food near Senso-ji Temple including beef menchi, pounded fried chicken, mochi, and melon pan.  It was definitely crowded, but we embraced the fact that there would be lines everywhere and just went with it.

In terms of activities, we went to teamLab Borderless in Azubadai Hills (we loved it, but we also loved teamLab Planets, YMMV) and spent one fun afternoon buying all sorts of desserts in the food halls of Matsuya and Mitsukoshi in Ginza. Our favorite activity was an afternoon spent learning how to make fake food through an Air BnB experience.  We surprised ourselves by making ramen and sushi that looked very realistic.  The kids had a blast.

That’s it for the report.  We had an amazing trip and feel so grateful (once again) to experience Japan’s natural beauty, the kindness and hospitality of the Japanese people, and the deliciousness of the food!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/melvinlee88 on 2024-06-22 11:12:51+00:00.

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Just came back from my trip last week and am already desperately missing Japan a lot. Thought I glean on some lessons learnt as a solo traveller in Japan for the first time.

Quick summary of my trip. I was in Tokyo for a few days - visiting Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, Asakusa and other surrounding city areas. I then went onto Hakone for a night before going to Kyoto for a few days - visiting the many shrines and etc. Wrapped up my trip with Osaka before flying back.

TOKYO

1. You can really just stay anywhere around the city (Asakusa, Shinjuku, Shibuya, etc)

Before the trip, I was stressing slightly on where to stay in Tokyo. Ideally, Shinjuku/Shibuya because that's where all the cool stuff is, right?

Well, I eventually based myself in Yotsuya (edge of Shinjuku) and I gotta say public transport blew my mind in Tokyo. You can easily get to Asakusa in like 20 mins eventhough it looks really far from the map. It's incredibly easy to get from one place to another and I really found that I could be super flexible on what I wanted to do in Tokyo. It's kinda insane.

2. Asakusa is kinda underrated

One of my biggest regrets is not spending enough time in Asakusa. Shibuya and Shinjuku night scene is amazing and hectic with stuff to do but Asakusa is somewhat the same but without the level of people. Senso-ji is pretty damn cool, even at night and there's shopping malls, a nice shopping district and even a baseball batting cage which became my favourite post-dinner activity and a good way to get rid of coins. Seriously wished I spent more time there.

3. Plan mornings for shrines and breakfast

A bit of a no-brainer but nothing really opens till 11am in Japan. If you're like me and want to maximise everything, definitely take a look at shrines, parks and teishoku breakfasts for the mornings before diving into the many shops in Shibuya.

4. Akibahara Sundays

Fun fact, Akiba closes its main street on Sunday which I think is pretty cool and if you have one day to spend here, choose Sunday. It does get more hectic but personally didn't really mind it too much. Nice photo ops and you find some interesting encounters while on the street.

HAKONE

1. It's good to have a day off

Going solo meant I could really plan stuff on the go and go really hard on the walking and visiting.

I ended up being really tired and the Hakone trip I penned in last minute was a life-saver. I think taking a one night break from the craziness of Tokyo is definitely great in the long-run!

2. Do the 'Hakone Loop' day tour

With only one day of visiting, I did the recommended Hakone Loop tour which I reckon is pretty damn good for a first timer. This is:

1. Visit the famous Torii Gate
2. Ride the pirate ship across the lake to the Ropeway
3. Take the Ropeway to Owakudani volcanic valleys and eat some black eggs
4. Take the ropeway to Sounzan station and then a cable car to Gora to the Open-air museum which is pretty damn underrated and a happy surprise
5. Retire to your hotel and do the onsen thing to soothe the body and soul.

3. Hakone Free Pass is worth it

You basically don't pay for any public transport if you use this pass which is nice. HOWEVER, you can only use the Tozan buses, which I embarassingly got confused at times, being refused by the other buses that were running in Hakone. But, still very useful - will recommend.

KYOTO

1. Public transport here is rough compared to Tokyo

Small and slightly infrequent buses and a underdeveloped railway line makes it a lot tougher to 'wing it' like I did in Tokyo.

Public transport is still the way to go if you wanna visit all the cool tourist sites but be aware that buses is the main mode of transport and it can be uncomfortable and packed with people most of the times.

However, I think if I ever return to Kyoto, I might try renting a bicycle, as there were many people doing so and for good reason.

2. Get a hotel near Kyoto Station or just base your trips from Osaka.

Frankly, I was lucky in getting a hotel near the station because I could not imagine getting my suitcase on the bus to my hotel. It saved me a lot of time and I would do the same again if I had to.

Either that or use Osaka and travel to Kyoto as their trains are a lot more far-reaching and connected compared to Kyoto.

3. Temple/garden fatigue is real

This obviously doesn't apply to everyone but I definitely was a bit sick of temples by my penultimate day in Kyoto. There really isn't a strong need to visit all of them but that's not to say I didn't enjoy some of them.

Personal favourites were:

• Kiyomizu-dera
• Fushimi-Inari
• Shimogamo Shrine
• Okochi Sanso villa (near Arashiyama Forest)
• Nanzen-ji

I also kinda preferred the walks in the Sannen-zaka and Ninnen zaka leading to the shrines over a lot of the shrines themselves.

Personal advice would be to include some museums and shopping in between the shrines. There's some really good shopping streets in Kyoto.

However, my personal favourite was just chilling at Shimogamo Delta during the sunset/sunrise.

4. Take a trip to the Kurama temple on the Eizen line

The Eizen line from Demachiyanagi was a happy surprise as the train tumbles through lots of nature and houses just metres from the railway line to Kurama in the north. The trains are small and cute, with seats facing the windows. A very surreal and fun experience, personally. It also has a nice hiking trail which I didn't go but people seem to do it in Kurama.

5. Fushimi Inari for evening and Kiyomizu dera for early mornings/evenings

I did the crazy thing of waking up early before sunrise (4.40am) for Fushimi Inari so I could experience it at night and daytime. While I did enjoy it, I can't say I maximised it as it was definitely tiring but also free of people though!

My biggest qualm was not being able to see the sunrise as you are incapable to do so with the thick trees blocking where the sunrises. You can see the west side though so I reckon sunsets would be pretty sick at Fushimi Inari.

Kiyomizu dera was amazing personally and definitely recommend mornings/evenings for it. I did evening just as it was closing and it was definitely a magical experience.

Osaka

1. More than a day-trip worth of stuff

I really do regret not spending more time in Osaka. The Dotonbori night is something to experience for sure and there really is bunch of things to do, worth way more than a single night.

They have a nice anime street as well which I personally thought was pretty cool and they had bunch and bunch of things to do. I definitely will come back on my second trip for sure.

2. Check out the music scene!

This isn't limited to Osaka but I went to a concert in Osaka which was a surreal experience. I had a lot of fun and definitely recommend people checking it out as an activity to do while in Japan.

That's about it, I had fun reflecting on my time in Tokyo-Hakone-Kyoto-Osaka.

Am busy planning my second trip to Japan, thinking about a Sapporo-Tokyo-Osaka trip next.

Thank you r/japantravel for helping me on my first ever trip to Japan!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/notesfromthemargins on 2024-06-21 23:12:27+00:00.

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My husband and I just returned from our trip to Japan and absolutely loved it! I found these posts really helpful in my planning so I thought I'd offer a recap. Overall, we found this pace really manageable and did not burn out. We were careful to manage our energy with the heat and brought electrolyte drinks each day (nuun in an insulated water bottle) as well as took taxis instead of public transit when needed.

June 10 - landed ~3pm at NRT, did customs, took the Narita Express to Shinjuku and arrived at our hotel around 6pm. We did not have any energy to go to a restaurant so we just did 7-11 to get dinner and cash.

June 11 - Tokyo - we woke up early and went to the fish market. Sushi Dai was packed so we picked another sushi restaurant in the building and loved it! Then we had reservations for TeamLabs Planets - also loved it. We walked through Tsukiji outer market but were pretty exhausted by this point so we ended up resting for a while at a mall in Ginza and getting coffee at Glitch (yum!) We rallied and went to Meiji Shrine before a rest at our hotel and drinks at Bar Benfiddich (need reservations).

June 12 - Tokyo --> Hakone - took an 8:30ish Romancecar to Hakone, dropped our bags off at our Ryokan, and went off to do the ropeway. As geothermal fans, this was well worth it! We then relaxed in our private onsen before dinner

June 13 - Hakone --> Kyoto - Relaxed in the morning and then took a noon Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto. Checked into our hotel, did some laundry in the sink (we only packed one carry on size bag each), and had dinner at Kobe Beef Steak Mouriya Gion ($$$ but delicious, need reservations). We walked around a little bit in Gion afterwards but soon were ready for bed.

June 14 - Kyoto - This was our shrine/temple day. We started at Ryoan-ji (definitely our cup of tea but not as flashy as some of the others), went to the Golden Pavillion, had a coffee/cool down break, then went to Kiyomizu-dera and Kodai-ji. We freshened up at our hotel before dinner at Kodaiji Jugyuan (michelin star, need reservations). The experience was amazing! As a picky eater some of the food was hard for me but still would highly recommend. Then we took a nighttime stroll through Maruyama Park - was super cool to see the shrine lit up at night!

June 15 - Kyoto - We started our morning at Fushimi Inari Taisha. It was worth it to go all the way to the top! We did not feel like it was super crowded and were there from about 8:30-10:30. We ate an early lunch and then went to Nara for the afternoon - fed the deer and went to the temple. Also had an amazing coffee in an alley, I wish I could remember the name. We ate dinner back in Kyoto at Sushi Taka which is cash only and we waited in line for about ~30 min.

June 16 - Kyoto - Got some pastries at Flip Up!, went to Nijo Castle, got coffee (a common theme) at Weekenders, did a tea ceremony with kimonos (recommend!), walked through Nishiki Market, and went to the Pokemon Center. That night we went out to bars in the Gion area which was fun!

June 17 - Kyoto --> Tokyo - Our train wasn't until 1:20 so we went to Arashiyama via taxi and did the bamboo grove and monkey park. We didn't really have time for a shrine but were glad we went to the area anyway! We took the Shinkansen to Tokyo station but realized we could have gone to Shinagawa since our final destination was Shibuya. Oh well! That evening we did a champagne package at Shibuya Sky - well worth the money in our opinion! We did not get sunset but nighttime was actually perfect!

June 18 - Tokyo - This was our first rainy day and we spent it in Akihabara. We were there for about 5 hours in Radio Kaikan and Yodobashi Akiba. Afterwards we had dinner at Sushi Masashi (michelin star, need reservations)

June 19 - Tokyo - We spent the morning in Ueno at Toshogu shrine and then the Tokyo National Musueum. The museum was an impulsive decision and I wish we had given it more time but the parts we got to see were awesome! We had lunch reservations at Kirby Cafe and then went knife shopping and made a stop at Senso Ji in the Asakusa area. We could have thrown in more time at the Sky Tree but had different priorities! We went to a different Glitch location before heading back to Shibuya for dinner

June 20 - Tokyo - This day we had intentionally left blank in our planning to fill in with any items we hadn't gotten to. For us this meant the morning doing shopping in Shibuya (mostly the Nintendo Store!), a nice coffee at Torahebi, and then the afternoon at the Fukagawa Edo Museum and the East Imperial Gardens.

June 21 - Tokyo - Our last day! We did a little bit of shopping in the morning and one more coffee stop before heading to the airport. We took the Narita Express again because it was easy (definitely not the cheapest option). Managed to add just the right amount to our suica cards to use them up and spent the rest of our cash on treats to bring home for friends and coworkers

Overall reflections:

*This sub was accurate about convenience stores, iPhone suica card, the need for at least some cash, and the ease of buying train tickets (this last one stressed me out a lot, I bought the Romancecar in the US and then did one Shinkansen at the JR station when we arrived at the airport because I wanted a certain time but by the middle/end of the trip was just buying them at the vending machines)

*I was really glad to have planned out most of our days with a couple of things that were priorities and then ideas for things nearby and just gauge our energy and interest in the moment. I referenced the spreadsheet and saved google map locations I made daily!

*I put in effort to make reservations online as soon as things became available - the only thing we wanted that we didn't get was Studio Ghibli Museum

*We already want to go back!

Happy to answer any questions and thank you to the sub for all your valuable insight! Also, I am writing and posting this to stay awake from jet lag so typos and other errors are likely!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/sri_rac_ha on 2024-06-21 12:26:09+00:00.

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Hi all! Had the immense blessing of a layover in Japan landing Sunday night and with my next flight leaving Thursday afternoon earlier this month. I was very busy leading up to this trip so I did way less research than I normally would have and just let the universe guide me and totally had a blast. I hope this is helpful! I feel like it's helpful to note that I was a solo female traveler in my early 20s, and I have non-life threatening but not-to-be-taken-lightly food allergies to many things, but most seriously shellfish and sesame, so that had to be navigated. Also worth noting that I'd visited Japan before about a decade ago with family on a similar but longer layover, so I felt less pressure to hit every single tourist thing.

Day 0 and prior (Traveling)

Summary: Landed, SIM card, storage, getting my bearings

• I used the template on this sub and help from an old Japanese colleague to laminate cards that clearly stated my allergies in both English and Japanese. I actually had a large paper-sized version that I quickly stopped using because it seemed to freak out people. Instead, I was lucky that the Staples I went to (US) offered to create smaller wallet-sized versions of the card for free, which were much easier to use. I did this the week before traveling.
• I flew Japan Airlines and had their 28-allergy free meal. It sucked, but it was safe, so minimal complaints.
• Once I landed Sunday evening, I immediately bought a 5-day SIM card from a vending machine. I already had exchanged $ for Yen prior to coming to Japan, so I paid in cash. I couldn't get the SIM card to work with my e-sim, so I ended up asking one of the SIM counters to help me. Even though it wasn't their SIM card/they didn't profit from me, they still did :,).
• I then immediately stored one of my check-in bags in the luggage storage. I believe it was 3000 yen for the four days. I had another almost totally empty check-in bag and you bet I used every inch of it for shopping in Japan.
• I then took the train from Narita to Asakusa. I honestly don't know if I was supposed to pay extra/buy a specific ticket and didn't. I just loaded up Suica on my Apple Wallet, charged it with 2000 yen to start with a credit card, and kept it moving.
• The first night, I visited Don Quixote in Asakusa, realized I was about to fall asleep while walking, and promptly went back to my hotel - I stayed in APA Hotels. I went back and forth on whether to stay in a capsule hotel in Shibuya, a hostel in Shinjuku, or a hotel in Asakusa but finally decided on a hotel. For me, I needed the personal space for the shopping, and the privacy/safety as a solo traveler without much experience and a lot of luggage.
• Almost forgot! For dinner, I was rejected by a couple places because of my allergies before I finally found a little restaurant that would serve me. It was some vinegary-noodle dish... I wasn't a huge fan, but I was very hungry and they were very kind, so it was fine.

Day 1 (Monday)

Summary: Senso-ji, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shinjuku, x2 free walking tours

• I started the morning bright and early (like 6:30am early) thanks to jetlag. After doing laundry and struggling so badly to make a Harry Potter cafe reservation (finally after a Japanese hotel employee helped me with the website on Japanese, it worked), I walked to Senso-ji shrine. Nothing was open, but it was peaceful and quiet, which I loved.
• I then impulsively decided to go to a Meiji Jingu/Olympic area/Harajuku free walking tour. If you have never done a free walking tour, you are missing out! I was unfortunately never paired with anyone for the Japanese local greeter program, so I did free walking tours instead. These are the best! For the uninitiated, you sign up, and do the tour, and after tip what you'd like. Solo travelers usually tip 10-20 USD, families more like 20-50. I actually got lost but found the tour eventually.
• Then, I walked around Harajuku/Takeshita Street. This was only supposed to take an hour or so, and then I was supposed to explore both Shibuya and Shinjuku at some point in the day. I was an idiot. I spent time at Harajuku, then went to the HP cafe, then came back because I loved it so much. Here's where I had breakfast - a crepe and some tanghulu.
• HP Cafe! The whole area is HP themed, which I loved. I don't love the artist, but man do I love the art! I had the Expecto Patronum mocktail and the Slytherin toastie, which were decent. I also nabbed a few cafe-exclusive merch items that were much cheaper than the HP store's. Overall I spent 35 dollars in the cafe and another 15 dollars in the store.
• Back to Harajuku! I visited a cat cafe that I'd been too young to visit a decade prior - I've been to a couple in the US and this was very similarly run, so I do believe it was ethical. I then walked around, had a coin pancake, more tangulu, and got some Gashapon capsules as souvenirs.
• I was so tired at this point but I again, impulsively signed up for a Shinjuku free walking tour. This one was about the dark side of Japanese culture. The tour guide, who notably wasn't Japanese, took us to the Tokyo Metropolitan Viewpoint (awesome, you really don't need SkyTree or anything paid), and showed us how many more 'shady'/illegal businesses were in plain sight. He also showed/explained to us the runaway kids, host culture, and Yakuza influence. We also walked down both Golden Gai and Memory Lane. My tour guide also charged my phone which was super sweet. I was so tired I felt drunk on my way home, and clocked in at 13 miles walked!

Day 2 (Tuesday)

Summary: Kamakura day trip and Golden Gai

• For breakfast today and the rest of my days, I went and got an onigiri from a konbini. I was able to use Google Translate camera to see if any of my allergens were present, so I felt safe eating these.
• I really regret this. I visited an otter/hedgehog cafe. The second I walked in my gut felt off but I still paid for 30 minutes. Only then did I also notice the owls and lemurs :(. It was so small and definitely was not ethical. Avoid avoid avoid!!!
• I'd asked my flight attendant where I should visit near Tokyo, and she wrote me the sweetest note recommending Kamakura. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS PLACE ISN'T MORE HYPED. If not for her I never would have gone. It was pretty far, like 1.5 hours of transit all things considered, but sooooo worth.
• I went to the main temple, Hase-dera. I looked around, and then looked for the hydrangea path. The temple was like 500 yen? to enter, and the path was another 500 yen. The path had a 2 hour wait, so I got my ticket and went to explore.
• I walked to the beach, which was lovely. I snacked wherever I smelled a good bakery along the way, lol. The temple also had snacks!
• Finally, I came back to the path. While crowded, even with timed entry, it was crowded for very good reason. I was so lucky, the path was at 100% bloom when I visited. Man. It and all of Kamakura was gorgeous - weirdly like the coast of Italy/Greece in a way? But lovely in its own right. Lots of Japanese tourists.
• I came back to Tokyo, and I actually met up with my flight seatmate and another solo traveler I met on one of my walking tours. We got together and hit Golden Gai! We were careful to hit places that were foreigner-friendly, and went to Albatross (5/10, not easy to socialize and very pricy), Champion (not a Golden Gai-vibe, but the karaoke was so fun and it was cheap! even if we were kinda pressured to buybuybuy. I was pleased by the nonalcoholic option of oolong tea), and my favorite, which I'm wracking my brain for the name of!! It was on the 2nd floor, I'll have to ask my fellow barhoppers if they remember what it was called. It was such a good vibe, and not tooo expensive. I loved the plum wine I tried there. I will say, there were some non-Japanese men that I think were there to encourage people to go into some other bars, but they stared at me quite a bit before my fellow barhoppers arrived and freaked me out. So I'm not sure if I could've done this solo. I took the 2nd to last train back to Asakusa!
• Btw, tonight and the rest of my nights, I got a cold matcha eclair from the konbini (I think it was Lawson?) as a late night snack. So MF good. I will never forget it.

Day 3 (Wednesday)

Summary: Your Name, shopping, karaoke

• I started the day by visiting the red stairs at the end of the movie Your Name. These were a bit of an adventure to find but it was nice to walk around the residential areas of Tokyo. I then went to Shibuya.
• I got a new pair of glasses at Jins. The eye test was totally free, the frames were on sale for 60 dollars, and they were ready in an hour.
• I went to GU, since I'm young and broke. Dude. I love this place. I bought lots of clothes here, and I usually don't enjoy shopping.
• I walked around Shibuya crossing.
• I had Sushiro. This was a low of the trip - even with their allergen menu, there must have been some bad shellfish cross-contamination because I had a bad allergy attack. Luckily I stayed calm, had my meds, and took some time to rest, but this sucked.
• I visited Hands to get pens for family
• It was this point that I actually was running low on cash. I used a mix of cash/card/Suica for the rest of the trip.
• I came back to Asakusa and finally geared up for the Don Quixote run of a lifetime. I bought probably 200 USD worth of stuff, mostly for friends and family. Skincare, contacts, kitkats... ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Mojitomorrow on 2024-06-21 13:56:56+00:00.

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I recently returned to Japan after 5 years away (imposed by the pandemic) - I spent a couple of years living in Osaka (part of a working holiday visa, slightly extended) and returned to complete a few bucket list items, catch up with old friends and enjoy a little nostalgia.

I absolutely despised working in Japan, for all the obvious reasons, but man, I just love travelling around and enjoying being free there. It really is one of the best countries for tourism that I've visited

My itinerary involved quite a few less obvious items, so I thought I'd throw them out there for anyone who's interested in a slightly off the beaten path adventure.

Day 1 - arrived on an overnight flight and caught up on sleep. Visited lots of supermarkets and combinis to check out the latest snacks and booze + a catch up with friends at Torikizoku (prices have increased, but still a bargain)

Day 2 - Took a drive into Kyoto, for a peaceful morning walk up the Philosopher's Path, a brilliant nature retreat, which wasn't too hot or crowded on a weekend morning in summer. Passed by Arashiyama on the way, and saw absolute hordes of people, even in the early morning, so was glad to pass that up. One of the souvenir stands there had a lovely chat with us about meeting David Bowie and Iman (who took their honeymoon in Kyoto back in the 90s) and a connection to a friend who gifted the late Princess Diana a 100 million yen kimono. Fascinating stuff. Had lunch at Omen Udon, which appeared to be an extremely popular spot, with a long line for lunch. To be honest, it was so so at best. I prefer a heartier, less delicate, less pretentious Udon experience.

Later, we passed by Uji, the spiritual home of matcha. Had a delightful green tea ice cream at one of the area's oldest tea houses, Tsuen Tea. A short walk across the town bridge gives visitors the chance for look at the building featured on Japan's 10 Yen coin, plus the usual street full of touristy omiyage shops (in Uji featuring matcha everything - gyoza, soba, even takoyaki)

Day 3 - a walk around Osaka Castle Park + a delightful breakfast at R Bakery

Day 4 - exploring my old neighbourhood for a self guided food tour. Sembayashi Shotengai is easy to reach by the Keihan Train Line, or the Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line - it's often referred to as the longest shopping arcade in Osaka (disputable). Much more authentic an experience than Dotonbori, with some really superb and reasonably priced eats. Vendors around here really exhibit the friendly Osakan stereotype. I recommend arriving with an appetite as there's lots of tasty stuff to be had. My top eats would be Curry Daiya, Kadoya Ice Cream, 99 Yen Bakery, A Takoyaki Stand - 200 Yen for 8 pieces, and lastly Ramen Marco, (it opened when I lived there and has now developed a big following)

Day 5 - I booked a bus tour to Nagashima Spa Land with WILLER. I always wanted to go during my spell in Japan, but couldn't seem to find the time. It's now easier to get there directly from Osaka for a day trip. Steel Dragon 2000 and Hakugei are probably the best rollercoasters I've ever ridden. Steel Dragon looks absolutely terrifying, and is the longest rollercoaster track in the world, also the 5th highest. In fact, it's a very fun ride, once you get over the sheer height of it. Hakugei is an insane hybrid coaster, with a wooden base and steel track. It's starting to feature in many best of lists, since it's 2019 opening. Best of all, the park is pretty much dead on a weekday. Each ride had zero queues. They also have a really wonderful onsen for relaxing before or after the park, or if things shut down during rainy spells.

Day 6 - A couple of good friends took us out to a super exclusive Katsu restaurant. Tonkatsu Manger is about a 30 minute train ride from downtown. This one is for the truly dedicated, as it requires customers to arrive in the early morning to write down their names for a lunch booking. Our friend dropped in around 7am, and we ended up being called in to eat around 1.30pm. That aside, it's a truly superb experience for those dedicated to Katsu.

Day 7 - this is a really big insider tip. Gyomu Super is the supermarket beloved by expats in Japan, for it's low prices and huge range of interesting imported products, for those tired of daily Japanese cuisine. This particular branch seems to specialise in supplying yakiniku restaurants. It has obscene deals on rich, juicy, delicious wagyu beef. They're at the very back of the store and priced between 3000 and 7000 yen, depending on weight. Restaurants are likely to slice these hefts of meat into thin grillable pieces. I like to cook the whole thing in a more Western style, and it really is just absolutely delicious. I would come back to Osaka just to do that again. So that last day was spent going shopping, cooking and relaxing with my friends.

The rest of my time was pretty much a blur of wandering around, sampling some of the new crafty beers and chu-his at convenience stores, and a little bit of izakaya hopping around Umeda and Namba.

All in all a great trip. Thanks for reading.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bdawggg- on 2024-06-20 16:45:32+00:00.

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I just got back from 1 month in Japan doing the following:

Tokyo -> Fujikawaguchiko -> Kyoto -> Osaka -> Hiroshima -> Fukuoka -> Kyoto -> Tokyo

and have enjoyed hiking and shopping so a lot of our trip was based around it.

Now, from favourite to least favourite:

1. Kyoto - We stayed at Prince Smart Inn Kyoto Sanjo for $64 per night (nice room imo) and loved it. Its location was directly on some amazing shopping streets filled with/ vintage clothing and antique stores and was maybe 3 minutes from Nikishi market. It was surprisingly not very busy (which we like) when we were there and the vibes walking around at night were amazing. We did the typical Bamboo Forrest and Monkey Park which we loved (I tapered expectations cause I've seen a lot of people bashing them) and also spent time in Uji. Loved Kyoto so much, much more than the average folks but it was just wow. We were supposed to go to Nagasaki but went back to Kyoto instead. Nagasaki is amazing I am sure, and I'll have to go one day, but I have 0 regrets. 10/10

2. Hiroshima - Stayed at En Hotel Hiroshima. Good location and we were within walking distance of most things we wanted to do in the city. We went to Miyajima island and hiked Mt. Misen which was probably our favourite hike of the trip and the views were amazing. We went to Okunoshima Island fed all the little bunnies and explored the island's dark history. We went to the Peace Memorial Museum and walked around peace park at night which was a great but hard-hitting experience. Plenty of shopping as well of course. Went to a baseball game which was such a sick experience. The crowd involvement is next level. So much fun. We lucked into being there during the start of the summer festival and there were hundreds of food cards, so many people, cheap beer and plenty of performances. And just way less crowded throughout the great day. We walked around Hiroshima garden and met a local who was 88 years old and ended up eating breakfast with him. 10/10

3. Fujikawaguchiko - Stayed in a hostel so it wasn't anything special but it got the job done lol. We walked to Asama shrine from the city lol, so beautiful and you get to see a lot of cool things along the way. Saw lake Kawaguchiko. Woke up bright and early to go up Chureito Pagoda for some other fantastic views. We went to Oshino Hakkai which was unique and a good time. Ate hotou noodles, delicious. The town shuts down pretty early so hitting the pavement bright and early is the way to go. 9.5/10

4. Fukuoka - Stayed at Hotel Oriental Express? or something. Was a nice room, pretty spacious. We went to Nokonoshima Island and the flower park which had tons of beautiful flowers and paths to walk around. Went shopping at Canal City, but spent more time shopping in the used/vintage/antique stores which is in an area I'm blanking on the name. We went to Dafaizu and explored the town and shrines/temples. We also went to Nanzoin and saw the big lying down Buddha. I'll admit, my girlfriend and I didn't know about the clothing restrictions before going so cover your knees and shoulders (they have clothing you can use to cover if needed). Overall, not very crowded, with great sights, and great food. Sadly couldn't get baseball tickets. 9/10

5. Tokyo - Tokyo was fun, just so extremely dense. So many people everywhere it felt like no matter where I was. Big city vibes. Transportation is so easy and convenient though. We did plenty of Tokyo, including the general Shibuya/Shinjuku/Ginza/etc. so I'll just focus on some of the things I liked. The shopping in Harajuku was great and I liked Takeshita Street. Walking around Meiji Jingu was a highlight of the whole trip. I could walk around forever under those trees. We went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour which was an experience and a half as a HP nerd. TeamLab Planets was cool. Went to Oi Racecourse flea market which was super cool. Did tons of other stuff but there's stuff to do for everyone no matter who so I won't ramble. So crowded. So so crowded. 8.5/10

6. Osaka - We stayed at an APA hotel 30 seconds away from Dotonbori so the location was great. APA hotels are APA hotels.... the same everywhere so they're not amazing and I've read all the negatives but the employees were nice. We went to Nara Park and fed the deer which was fun. Other things included Team lab botanical garden which was vibey to just walk around at talk. Went to Osaka castle, yasaka shrine, and Shin Sekai New World. Tons of shopping on Orange Street and in Amerika Mura. Ate lots of good food in Dotonbori. Went to an onsen. (I recommend it for sure) As I write this, idk why it was our least favourite. Each thing was a lot of fun. But as a whole, we just didn't like it as much as the rest. (it's like when ppl ask which parent/kid you love more lol) It was so crowded around Dotonbori and everywhere else. For me, when you're always walking on someone's heels and someone on yours it's a big factor for me. 8.5/10

Other notes:

• We planned itineraries but left them loose in case we wanted to change things. We used wanderlog which I think helped us group things into days and visualize where everything was that we wanted to do.
• The people were nice and friendly. Whenever I wore my baseball jersey I bought at a carp game it was a magnet for conversation lol.
• In many restaurants, you just order off a nice tablet and then pay at the register on your way out.
• Rules/stuff: Tbh after getting back I feel like all the "rules" and "norms" were a little exaggerated. If you're going and nervous, just read the room, don't be stupid, and be aware of your surroundings and you'll be perfectly fine.
• Transportation: Google Maps made everything easy to understand and there is signage everywhere. I can't believe how well-developed their transportation infrastructure is. Everything is on time to the minute.

$: I spent $5600 on the trip all in. ($700 in shopping) It's very affordable to go with the yen being so weak. We're not luxurious but I wouldn't say we were low-budget either. I hard recommend japan, such a blast and so much fun. I'm home now and depressed lol. Enjoy it.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bigsam64 on 2024-06-20 12:10:28+00:00.

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Trying to get the most out of our trip seeing both the main sites and some slightly chiller trips (Kanazawa and Hakone). Is this trip feasible or too much moving around? Trying to ensure we fill the trip as its a bit of a once in a lifetime, without completely over facing our time.

Day 0 - Fly to Tokyo

Day 1 - Tokyo

• Morning: Land at Haneda and check in at Asasuka hotel
• Afternoon: Wander round Akihabara and Senso-Ji
• Evening: Dinner in Asasuka

Day 2 - Tokyo

• Morning: Imperial Palace?
• Afternoon: Explore Shinjuku / Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
• Evening: Dinner at Omoide Yokocho

Day 3 - Tokyo

• Tokyo Disney

Day 4 - Hakone

• Morning: Travel to Hakone
• Afternoon: Hakone Ropeway and relax at Ryoken

Day 5 - Kyoto

• Morning: Train to Kyoto
• Afternoon: Kyoto Tower and Nijo Castle
• Evening: Dinner at Pontocho Alley

Day 6 - Kyoto

• Morning: Fushima Inari Shrine
• Afternoon: Kiyomizu-dera and wander round Gion/Sannenzaka
• Evening: Dinner at Nishiki Market

Day 7 - Kyoto

• Kinkaku-ji and Arashiyama day trip

Day 8 - Hiroshima

• Morning: Train to Hiroshima
• Afternoon: Peace park and museum
• Evening: Dinner TBC

Day 9 - Hiroshima

• Miajimimia day trip

Day 10 - Osaka

• Morning: Train to Osaka
• Afternoon: Shinsekai Market, Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street
• Evening: Dinner near Dotonbori

Day 11 - Osaka

• Morning: Osaka castle
• Afternoon: TBC
• Evening: Shinsekai Market

Day 12 - Kanazawa

• Morning: Train to Kanazawa
• Afternoon: Lunch at Kirari at the station and the Tsuzumi-mon Gate
• Evening: Kazuemachi Chaya District and dinner at Omicho Market

Day 13 - Kanazawa

• Morning: Kenroku-en and see Kanazawa Castle
• Afternoon: Omaya Shrine. Wander round the Nagamachi District. Visit the Nomura-ke Samurai house
• Evening: Dinner TBC

Day 14 - Tokyo

• Morning: Train to Tokyo
• Afternoon: Shopping in Shibuya and Shibuya Crossing? Shibuya Sky?
• Evening: Dinner in Shibuya

Day 15 - Fly back to London

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/kuzome on 2024-06-18 17:44:41+00:00.

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Hi everyone! Some context, I've been battling leukemia for a few years and we're creeping up on a final treatment option that has a pretty crummy mortality rate. I've decided that it's very important to me to make a trip to Japan with my dad before we enter into this next treatment chapter. I thankfully have the blessing of my hematologist (who's actually from Japan and has colleagues there that can help in case of emergencies!) but I'm worried about the accessibility of everything and unsure of how to plan. I use a cane when I'm able to walk short distances and a motorized wheelchair (it's pretty small, it can completely fit in a normal bathroom stall) when the bone pain is too much. I'm especially nervous about public transport and bullet trains with the wheelchair. Or if we need to take a taxi, would it fit my wheelchair? What's the best transport from NRT?

Our wishlist of things to do right now is: Tokyo DisneySea Sanrio Puroland Gundam Base Tokyo Akihabara Harajuku Nakano Broadway Hakone/Mt Fuji Day Pokemon Cafe teamLAB Planets Ghibli Park (in Nagoya) Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise

If you're aware of how accessible or not any of these things are or if you have any tips we would appreciate your help so much! We'd also love any recommendations for first timers- despite the crummy circumstances, this has been our dream vacation since I was a kid and we're incredibly excited about the opportunity!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Skeptic_Marx on 2024-06-17 10:34:10+00:00.

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We (me and my spouse) flew to Japan from India on 18th May and explored it for 2 weeks and Japan just simply has too much to offer. :-)

Brief Overview of Trip: What did we cover, what helped, and what could have helped

1. OSAKA (3 days)

Covered local highlights such as shrines, castle, osaka museum, dotomburi market and, of course, USJ. We took an Airbnb near Tengachaya station and that was a good decision. Travel was seamless and we never took the cab. In in our whole stay we never took the cab. We purchased a one day pass which I will highly recommend. It is not only cost-effective, but also allows us to skip lines at ticket counters especially at Osaka castle. Food was amazing, sorry I can't recall the exact locations, but we just roamed the streets whenever we felt hungry and stepped into random eateries.

My best memory is stumbling upon an underground food market while changing metro lines! Top-notch sweets and bakery products :-)

1. KYOTO (4 days)

We again covered the basic stuff such as Kinkauji shrine, Inari Shrine, Kiyumizudera, Arashiyama and the castle. Here the IC card was the saviour. We used IC cards extensively wherever we could from 7/11 to metro stations. The bus service is amazing we never had to wait more than 5 min, as we had taken accommodation near Omiya station. This city had a touristy vibe to it as compared to Osaka where you could soak in the experience, but again it is simply beautiful.

We spent 2 evenings at Nishiki market as there is simply too much to explore and wherever possible we walked. Lots of food joints we discovered just by walking in and again we were rewarded. If you love seafood, then Japan is heaven.

We also went for a day trip to Nara and spent the day roaming around in the gardens. One advice, don't carry food packets in your bags near the deers. Otherwise, Nara was again amazing, much less crowded and lots of beautiful landscapes.

1. KANAZAWA (2 days)

I am so glad that we took the effort to visit this place. It is on the western coast and is more of a tourist attraction amongst the Japanese. After stepping out of the metro station we headed for the castle ruins and we simply didn't know how the day passed by. Kanazawa is beautiful in every possible way. It is a bit pricey but worth every penny.

We went to Kenrokuen in the early morning and its tag of one of the best gardens is well deserved. There are so many spots where you just want to sit and let time go by.

Here we tried some local delicacies but also relied on 7/11 sandwiches.

If I had known before, how it felt in Kanazawa I would have extended my stay just to relax a day there extra.

1. TOKYO (4 days)

Even 2 weeks are not enough to explore this megapolis. So we made peace with reality and picked our spots such as Akhibara, Shibuya, Harajuku, DisneySea, Team labs Borderless, Ginza and Teamlabs Planets. Disney Sea was awesome, I found it better compared to USJ. Here we took up accommodation near Chuo Line but messed up in Subway passes. We didn't use them that much as Chuo Line is under JR and not subway.

Tokyo is the polar opposite of Kanazawa. While Kanazawa is a laid-back, beautiful, serene location where you can unwind, Tokyo is a city on steroids, it is gargantuan, fast-paced, and highly tech-driven. However, both of them are equally mesmerizing.

Food here was again exploratory. There are simply too many good places. Folks are super helpful and they will guide you about the menu if you can't decide for yourself.

We could have better planned our trip to Tokyo had we taken accommodation closer to the city center.

Our highlight was Team Labs Borderless, it lives up to its name.

1. FUJI (1 day)

We decided to stay in a ryokan at Fuji as we wanted the trip to end on a high note and it was worth it. We took a train to Fuji and the views were great. Fujisan graced us with a view. However, the best memory is soaking in the view in a private onsen. Public onsens are also great but we went ahead and booked a private one as well. The hotel provided us with a traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast which was awesome. Folks again were super helpful. After this, we went to Narita to catch an early morning flight back home.

SOME COMMON POINTS

1. Japan is extremely safe. Nowhere in our entire stay, we felt unsafe, even late an night on an empty street.
2. People are super helpful and humble. Whenever we asked for an address people came with us to show us the exact place. They respect you genuinely even when there are no gains to be expected.
3. IC cards rock. Load up on them if you are going to rely on public transport, 7/11, vending machines ,and JR facilities.
4. USJ becomes crowded even on weekdays, it is worth investing in fast access for rides. DisneySea you can cover even without fast access on a weekday.
5. Please be ready to walk a LOT. We were averaging 20K steps per day in our whole 14-day trip. You can rent bicycles but surprisingly they are also costly, as compared to the subway / metro.
6. Forget about cabs, use them only in rare situations. If you are a bigger group then economic of scale may work in your favour.
7. Be ready to experience new foods. Japan's culture cannot be truly experienced without trying the local food. It is very light in terms of oil or spices or carbs. However, you will smell fish oil in almost everything. If you can get over it, the experience is highly rewarding.
8. We didn't opt for a JR pass as our main travel was to and from Kanazawa which didn't justify the price tag. Though I will suggest please check Hokoriku pass which covers a unique set of areas.\
9. Maintaining public decorum is important. Japanese people are very particular about how they behave in public. For example, I never saw any Japanese individual talking on a phone or speaking loudly in trains, bus, subway or any public place. Also, you are responsible for your own garbage. Dustbins are very few, so please carry a bag with you at all time to collect the garbage and throw whenever you get a chance. Many places clearly mention what garbage you cannot throw in specific bins.

In closing, I would like to say, it was amazing and I am already thinking about my second visit to Japan where I would love to cover Hokkaido, Okinawa, Nagoya ,and some other spots. :-)

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Pokepal23 on 2024-06-14 23:28:48+00:00.

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Hello everyone! I read a lot of trip reports before I left for my trip to Japan so wanted to give back.

About us: We went as a group of 3 people total (all 21M). We all just graduated college and wanted to take a grad trip. We traveled from May 9th to May 23rd (I got really busy after the trip so was only able to write it up now). We aren't huge drinkers so we didn't really visit any bars or clubs.

Day 0 - Arrival (8,872 Steps) May 9-10th

We arrived at Narita around 2pm JST. Customs took about an hour, and then getting the Passmo passport took another 30 minutes. After this, we went straight to our hotel in Shin-Okubo (right next to Shinjuku). We were pretty tired so we just walked around a bit and went to the Shinjuku Metro Government building for a (FREE!) observatory view of the city. For dinner, we went to Yoshinoya and were in bed by 10pm.

Day 1 - Tokyo (34,696 steps) May 11th

This was our first full day in Tokyo. We started the day off early and went to the Outer Tsukiji Fish Market. We wandered around for a while (there were a lot of tourists here!) and ate some dango and tamogoyaki. There was less fish here than I was expecting. Of the food streets we went to on the trip, this was definitely my least favorite. Afterwards, we went to the Hama Rikyu Gardens which were a ten minute walk away. The gardens are super pretty and very peaceful. We also got some tea and dango here at a tea house in the middle of the park.

Next, we went to the Ginza area for some shopping. In particular, we went to the Uniqlo Flagship, Muji Flagship, and the GU flagship. We are very cheap shoppers, so we didn't really hit the luxury stores (which is most of Ginza). In between our shopping, we got lunch at Orca Teppanyaki. We made the reservations before we went to Japan. The food was a bit pricey but was good. We also went to the Asakusabashi Matsuri after lunch. This was super underwhelming and I would not recommend going. There were a total of 10 stalls and not many people. After finishing our shopping, we went to the Ginza 6 mall which has a really nice rooftop garden and views of Ginza.

We got back to our hotel around 7pm and relaxed for a bit. Then, we went to Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku. It was definitely overpriced because of all the tourists. After getting a couple of drinks here, we wandered around the Kabukicho and Golden Gai areas. They were all full of tourists, but it is a super pretty area at night. We were still a little jet lagged so we retired at 11pm and went to bed.

Day 2 - Tokyo (22,775 steps) May 12th

Today, we started a bit later because of the jet lag. We started the day at Meiji Jingu and walked around the shrine and surrounding park. It was very pretty and I highly recommend going just to chill in the park.

Afterwards, we headed to Odaiba. We went to go see the big Gundam at Diver City and walked around the mall. We also went to the Aqua City mall and had lunch at the ramen theme park. Finally, we went to the Tokyo Decks retro shopping street. This was super cool and we definitely could have spent more time here. However, we had a reservation at Team Lab Planets. Team Labs was really cool and I am glad we went. It was a lot shorter than I was expecting (it only took us 1.5 hours to go through it all) but the exhibits are all very interesting.

We came back to our hotel to chill for a bit and then explored the area around us (Shin-Okubo). There is a large Korea town around the station and I recommend staying in the area as it is quieter than Shinjuku. We got dinner at Torikizoku (a chain Izakaya) which was really good (honestly my favorite meal of the trip) before going to bed.

Day 3 - Tokyo -> Osaka (25,593 steps) May 13th

Today, we started early to go to Osaka. We took the local train to Shinagawa and then took the Shinkansen to Osaka. We also grabbed our Eki-bens at the station before the trip. You can find them pretty easily in the stations. Honestly, they are not that good (because they are cold) and I would recommend just getting some Kombini food instead.

We had planned to do Nara today, but it was raining, so we went straight to our hotel to check our bags in. We decided to stay in the Dotonbori area because it was the cheapest. After we dropped our bags off, it was still raining so we went to Round 1 Osaka (the biggest in the country). The arcades in Japan are super fun and pretty cheap (if you don't go for the prize games). After spending a good amount of money to win a figure, we played a bunch of rhythm games. We came back to this Round 1 everyday during our time in Osaka because we liked the arcades so much.

After spending a bit too much time and money, we checked into our hotel properly and walked around the Dotonbori area. We ate some Takoyaki and listened to the street performers. We also went to Don Quixote which was packed with tourists. Afterwards, we wandered down some of the backstreets (which were basically empty) to find some Okonomiyaki. We ended up eating at Bonkuraya which was decent. We ended the night by going back to Round1 and playing some more games.

Day 4 - Osaka and Nara (28,149 steps) May 14th

Since we were unable to go to Nara yesterday, we decided to go today. We took the special deer train (which was pure luck). We went to go see the mochi pounding at Nakatanidou but missed the scheduled show. They are approximately every hour so plan accordingly. We did eat the mochi though which was pretty good.

Afterwards, we wandered around Nara park and saw Kofukuji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, and the Daibutsu. The temples were all super interesting and I definitely recommend going to Nara if its your first time in Japan. However, it is also packed with tourists and school kids. We also fed the deer who were more aggressive than I was expecting. If you don't want them to attack you, try to feed the ones without antlers (the females) as they are less aggressive.

After Nara, we came back to Osaka in the evening. We walked down Shinsaibashi and went to some of the stores. In particular, the cheese tarts at Pablo were really tasty. Afterwards, we went to America Mura and got some more Takoyaki. I really loved the vibes of the America Mura area and wished that we went a bit earlier in the day (as most things closed by the time we went). We ended up getting some burgers and fries at Rich Garden which was good. We ended the day by going back to Round1 to do the SpoCha and play some more rhythm games.

Day 5 - Osaka (31,777 steps) May 15th

Today, we started off by doing a hike outside of the city. We found out about it on another trip report (which I can't find anymore, but you can find the route by googling "The Takedao Abandoned Railway Hike"). It starts at Namaze station and takes you to Takedao station by walking on an abandoned rail line. It was super pretty and we didn't see many people on the trail. I highly recommend it and it was our favorite activity of the trip by far. As well, at the end of the trail at Takedao station, there is a nice onsen (called Azare) which we soaked in.

After soaking in the onsen, we came back to Osaka station and explored the area. In particular, we went to Nintendo Osaka, Pokemon Center Osaka, One Piece Osaka, pop-up Square Enix Store, Capcom Store which are all on one floor of a mall. The stores are really nice, but I recommend going to the ones in Shibuya (as they are tax free while Osaka is not). Afterwards, we went to Osaka Castle and walked around the park.

We then came back to the Dotonbori area and wandered around again. We ended up getting dinner at Chuka-soba Fuji Namba which was the best ramen of the trip. We ended the night off by grabbing some Strong-Zeros and chilling on the roof of our hotel.

Day 6 - Osaka -> Kyoto (29,000 steps) May 16th

We woke up early today to go to Kyoto. From the Dotonbori area, it takes about an hour to get to Kyoto. Our hotel in Kyoto did not let us drop off our bags, so we ended up using the coin lockers in the nearby station (which worked perfectly). After we arrived, we walked to Kiyomizudera. The temple is nice, but the whole area is packed with tourists and school kids. On the way back, we walked through Sanenzaka and Ninenzaka. We stopped by the Starbucks Machiya (which was way nicer than I was expecting) and chilled for a bit. We also went to Yasaka shrine which was a little less busy.

After exploring this area, we checked into our hotel and dropped our bags off from the coin locker. Next, we decided to walk to Ippudo Tea Store as one of my friends is really into tea. They had a wide selection (which I didn't understand anything about), and he grabbed some for himself. We then went to explore the Imperial Palace. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, it was already closed (but the surrounding park is nice).

At night, we explored Pontocho alley, but didn't really find anything we wanted to eat so we decided to try Coco Ichiban. The curry was alright but just tasted like garam masala. If you are good with spice, I recommend getting at least level 4 or 5.

Day 7 - Kyoto (38,046 steps) May 17th

We woke up extra early today to do Fushimi Inari. We arrived at 7:30AM and it was not too busy. We hiked the entire thing which took about 2 hours total. When we were coming back, the whole place was packed. If you want to go, I recommend going early. The shrine is also open 24/7 though, so I think a night hike could also be cool. Although ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Pineapple__Squish on 2024-06-14 15:31:06+00:00.

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In November 2023, I visited Japan for the first time, which was also my first solo trip and first trip in 6 years. I’ve wanted to go there for a long time, so I did a ton of planning and packed in a lot. I focused the trip on seeing and doing lots of interesting things, rather than relaxing, and it was AWESOME, hard to believe it wasn’t a dream. Itinerary summary: Tokyo, Nikko, Fujikawaguchiko, Kyoto, Osaka, Shimanami Kaido, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Ikeshima and back to Tokyo.

I had a low-mid (?) budget of AU$6000 for my 3-week trip (including flights), ended up under budget at AU$5200. Apart from one night at a ryokan, I spent the rest in small business hotels as I planned on being out all day anyway. I just looked for a private room, with its own bathroom and in a convenient location. It worked well for me. I got up early each morning, so I got to experience a lot of "overhyped" places without the usual crowds, they were all amazing and most were even peaceful! It was a pretty physically demanding itinerary, as I walked an average of 22k steps per day (up to 36k on one of the days!) and hiked up a few mountains. Not everyone is that crazy, but it seems lots of walking is inevitable in Japan.

I’ve been learning Japanese on and off for a few years, but I’m still pretty bad (around N4 level), so it helped with getting around, ordering food etc., but I rarely got to make conversation with anyone unfortunately. Speaking was pretty overwhelming at first, but I got the hang of it and every successful interaction I had in Japanese made me so happy.

Best things

• Food – The food was consistently delicious. I had a big list of things I wanted to try, and managed to try almost all of them, but I didn’t really plan any specific restaurants. The food was also much cheaper than I expected, but I do regret not splashing out a few times on a fancy wagyu and kaiseki dinner. My favourites were the simple egg sandwich from 7-11, and conveyor belt sushi places, pretty good quality, allows you to try lots of things without committing to a full dish, and surprisingly cheap. Pocari sweat was also a favourite.
• Trains & Stations – To some, they may just be a means of transport, but riding trains across this country was a continual highlight for me. Seeing a shinkansen fly past your station at full speed is unforgettable. I also really appreciated the train stations, while rather intense, they are well signposted and I could always quickly find my platform (finding the way out is another story…). In Tokyo, the train screens even show where the stairs/escalators are relative to your train door!
• Convenience stores – they’re so convenient… who would’ve thought? Food is high quality considering the price and all 7-11s have ATMs. Really missed them when I came back home.
• Days – My favourite days of the trip were the Nikko, Fuji, Ikeshima and Fushimi-Uji-Nara days, as well as the Shimanami Kaido and flight from Nagasaki to Tokyo. In general, I really liked the “themed” day trips, rather than doing a bunch of different stuff around the city.
• JR Pass – Saved me a lot of money, but also gave me a good reason to venture further out, which were my favourite moments. Very easy and satisfying to use, but sadly even min-maxing it is no longer worth the money after the price increase.
• Favourite city – Osaka, not really sure why, I just loved all the suspended roads and seeing Osaka castle on a quiet crisp morning made me want to live there. Tokyo was my next favourite, endless things to do, and really nice green spaces nestled amongst the skyscrapers. Kyoto was my least favourite, annoying to get around and very touristy, still beautiful and worth the visit.
• Favourite temple/shrine – Nikko Toshogu, honourable mentions: Byodo-in, Todaiji, Daisho-in and Kousanji. They all had something unique about them.
• Favourite adventure – Ikeshima
• Favourite garden – Koko-en in Himeji
• Favourite castle – Osaka castle (didn’t go inside though)
• Favourite restaurants – Kaitensushi Sakae in Osaka and Okonomiyaki Nagata-ya in Hiroshima.
• Favourite viewpoints – Shiratakiyama observatory, Inasayama observatory, and Shibuya Sky

Bad things

• Unplanned days – I left some days free of plans, following most advice given here, but personally these were my least favourite days by far. I didn't really know what to do so I’m interested in how other people go about filling these kind of days (I don't like shopping).
• Leg pain – I did too much walking on the first two days, and my hips and ankles suffered because of it. There is a lot of uneven/gravel paths at temples and it was hard to find places to sit down, especially in Tokyo, so I was standing most of the day. In hindsight, I should’ve gone back to my hotel to get off my feet for a bit. I was fine after the first week though.
• Tourists – Other foreign tourists were quite annoying at times, blocking paths and being loud. Can’t do much about it, but it was a shame given how considerate most Japanese people were.
• Some hotel bathrooms – I knew when booking that my hotels were going to be small, and I was fine with them for the most part. However, two of them were just too small, where I was banging my elbows on the walls, the toilet was about 80% the length of a normal one and I couldn’t close the shower curtain because the sink was in the way lol.
• Nagasaki buses – The opposite to all other transport I experienced in Japan, so dumb. Two buses can have the same final destination and the same bus number on the front, but take two completely different routes to get there. Be careful with these if you can’t read Japanese, the trams are much easier.

General Observations

• I didn’t need to get up as early as I thought to beat the crowds, a number of popular places were relatively quiet until around 9am. I still recommend waking up as early as you can though.
• Everything is massive! I was worried that by doing so much planning I would not be surprised by anything, but almost everything is far bigger and better in person.
• Japan has small interesting things around every corner. I’ll be in some shopping street, then boom, a random shrine or sculpture. Very different to where I live. Even in the literal sense, each corner/turn on the road down from Chuzenji (Nikko) had it's own name and image on a sign! Also lots of cool artworks and designs on manhole covers.
• I kept coming across stores with the same souvenirs and foods everywhere I went, even multiple times on the same street. It felt like a video game with re-used shop prefabs. There definitely are unique items so I would hold off on souvenir shopping until you’ve seen what’s around.
• Love the sound crows make in Japan
• Japan doesn't mess around with their rivers and canals.
• Everyone is very fashionable and there were tons of people wearing suits, even the uniforms of primary school kids were adorable and impressive.
• People stare a lot less than back home, even though I’m a foreigner
• Still a lot of smokers, especially in Osaka.

General Advice

• Language – I haven’t seen it recommended before, but if you want to learn a bit more than the usual basic words, you could learn how to read katakana (writing system primarily used for foreign words). Duolingo’s “characters -> katakana” section should be sufficient for this. It won’t help with speaking, but there is a surprising amount of English in Japan, it’s just written with different characters (kind of). It can also explain some funny mistranslations, like this sign I found. Don't fret though, you can get by with just English and hand gestures in most places.
• IC Card – There were massive lines for paper tickets at places like Kawaguchiko station, and you just skip them all with an IC card. I think they still sell Toica cards at Tokyo Station.
• Eki stamps – I collected 33 eki stamps over the trip, they can be pretty hard to find, and I felt a bit self-conscious looking for stamps amongst hundreds of people commuting to their jobs, so I mostly just got ones that I stumbled across. This site seems to be the best source for finding them (not all in English though). I probably won’t collect any more next time.
• Navitime – I used Google Maps a lot and it worked most of the time, but I found Navitime to be much more reliable in giving me specific platform and train numbers where google was vague.
• Telephoto lens – I’m no photographer, but I really liked all the photos I took with the telephoto (or 3x zoom) camera on my phone, they just feel more intimate and intentional (some examples). I found the opposite is true for the wide-angle lens, fits more in but the photos look meh.
• Abroad in Japan – Got a lot of inspiration from his YouTube videos, especially Ikeshima and the Shimanami Kaido, also just fun to watch.
• Ranking of physical difficulty (hardest to easiest) – Shiratakiyama hike (with bike), Mt Misen hike, Shimanami Kaido cycle, Arashiyama monkey park hike, Fushimi Inari hike.

Advice for Maximising Your Time

• Wake up early (5:30 - 7am) – one of the best things I did, especially in late autumn and winter when the...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/night90 on 2024-06-14 12:18:04+00:00.

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Hi everyone,

we are back from our fourth trip to Japan, but this time we went to Okinawa Main Island.

Our first two trips to Japan also have an itinerary on reddit. On our third trip we got sick and didn't do anything crazy.

Honorably mention about our 3rd trip to Tokyo:

• Motomura Gyukatsu
• Sakura Tei
• Ghibli Museum
• Teamlab Planets
• Kawaguchiko

My wife and I are both 33 and are living in Germany. I am lao and she is german-russian and we are both very interested in the asian culture (Gaming, Anime, Mangas, ...). I don't really speak japanese, but my wife is able to speak sufficient enough to get around. We got some funny faces since the asian looking guy cannot speak japanese, but the blond girl can.

We planned to go to Okinwa for our honeymoon in 2020, but had to postpone it and are happy to finaly come to Okinawa

Pictures

Pictures are taken with Canon EOS RP with 28mm F2.8 / 50mm 1.8 lenses and Pixel 7 Pro.

Preperation

As always we have an Excel for our to-dos and were sure that we need a car to explore the whole island. Public transportation is just good for Naha up to Chatan (American village). Everything up north is difficult / to time intensive to explore with public transportation.

We searched a lot in the internet/reddit/google/youtube to find itinerarys, but most of them were not suited / were beach heavy.

First we splitted the island into the northern and southern part, so we needed a stay somewhere up and one in Naha. Since we didn't want a cozy beach resort, we choose one in Nago, which in hindsight was a really good place to have our stay for the northern part. For the southern part, we choose Naha, since we didn't want to have a long trip to the airport.

In the end we had a nice itinerary for us, who likes to see a lot of things with just a bit of lazy days at the beach.

I saveed all the places to visit in Google maps and all restaurantes in a seperat Maps list.

Rental Car

In germany you can translate your drivers lincense with ADAC, but you can also do it in Naha. For our rental car an international drivers licens was enough, but I bought all 3 (german, translated and international) with me. We never been on the highway, since we wanted to see the coastline and drive through the inner land. The speed limit on the highway us 80km/h. On the normal road it is 60km/h.

We underestimated the time it would take to drive to the places. 100km is more like 2 hours.

We rented our car via with ZH Rental.

There english was decent and there were no problems with pickup and return.

You tell them when you land and the will pick you up at the airport and drive you to the rental park (~10min away). If you return the car, they bring you to the airport or to the next railstation.

We rented a car for 10 days, since the last days just Naha was planned. It would have been good to have the car 1-2 days longer.

E-Sim

Since we were on tour like all the time, I needed some kind of data connection. After some googleing a chose Airalo E-Sim. I bought 20GB for 30 days for about 20$ and I just needed ~8GB for our 14 days. You can use me referal code AMARET1885 if you want a 3$ discount for yourself and I will also get 3$. Besides for ~2 hours the data connection was perfect.

Apps

I would recommend to download the following apps:

• Airalo
• Google Maps
• Google Translate

Stay

We booked our hotel through booking.com.

Since we didn't need a resort, because we were always away, the hotels were much cheaper than expected.

Nago ホテル アイオライト Hote Io Lite

Pretty big for japanese standards, with a little cooking place, washer, dryer and everything you need. Self Check in with a pin. Everything went smooth.

We wanted to stay near Tokyo station, since we planned two 1-day-trips and wanted to be near the Kansai Bus Express to Narita.

• 40€ per night/room
• Free Parking space
• Would recommend

Naha PROSTYLE RYOKAN Naha Kenchou Mae

Very stylish with tatami flooring and you get water every day. 10min by foot to the Kokusai Dori.

• 50€ per night/room
• 15€ for parking per day
• Would recommend

?

I forgot my glasses there and they send them to germany. Special thanks for that :)

Flight (Economy)

Our holiday was from Friday to Thursday, since the flights were much cheaper for this days (~500€ cheaper in total). We booked directly through ANA since we had good experience with them and the flight seems to be better / more comfy with them. On our flight to Tokio we also had the whole row for us. The Meal was delicious as always.

The flight to Tokyo takes about 13 hours. Then we were greeted by some ANA employer that we have to pick up our luggage and hurry to the next flight. We just had 1:50 hours until take off. We thought the luggage would transit through, but it wasn't that case. So we picked it up, had to go through customs, take the bus to the other terminal, check in the luggage and through the security check. All in all we still had enough time left, but after such a long flight it was stressfull.

With a little plane and another 3 hour flight we arrived in Naha.

Flight back was also OK. This time our luggage was transited through and there was a special Bus for international connecting flights. Also our flight from Tokyo to Germany was delayed, so we had plenty of time to buy some Tokyo Banana and a little UNIQLO Shopping in the airport.

I can fully recommend this airline and would take ANA over other airlines.

Expenses

I wrote down all our expenses in an Excel (every single Yen).

Sicne the Yen is currently weak, we bought more than expected. We also bought some Shisas - lions dog statues for our house, which were a bit pricey.

Expenses are for both of us. (e.g. 1250€ for the flight per person)

| | in € | |

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| | Flight | 2500 | | Car | 220 | | Gas | 50 | | Eating out | 580 | | Shopping | 950 | | Sightseeing | 270 | | Total | 5185 |

Itinerary

Things marked with * are highly recommended.

Day 1/2:

• Arrival Naha 12:00
• Pick up to Rental Car
• 3h drive to Nago
• Family Mart
• Check In
• Fell asleep at 18:00 after a 24h trip

Had my birthday on the plane and watched Demon Slayer. The drive from Naha to Nago took like forever, but some Pocari Sweat helped :).

Day 3: Motobu / Kouri

• Heart Rock
• Ocean Tower*
• Bisezaki
• Emerald Beach
• Bise-Fukugi Tree Road*
• Sesoko Beach*
• Ufuya Shabu Shabu*

We learned pretty quickly that the weather can change quickly. The weather forecast predicted sun for most of the time, but the forecast changed hourly. With a bit of rain, but still 25°C we had some nice strolls. Ufuya is a very beautiful restaurant, where you have to go through some Torii gate to get from the parking spot to the restaurant. We had to wait about 30min and took the time to take some pictures. You can also reserve online, but the whole month was already booked. If you come early and have some time, the wait is not that long. In the evening they have ShabuShabu. We tried the Agu Pork (special Okinawa premium pork) and some Wagyu. You can order via Tablet.

Day 4: Onna / Yomitan

• Cape Manzano*
• San Marina Beach
• Cape Maeda
• Pizzeria da Enzo*
• Aqua Grace Wedding Chapel
• Cape Zanpa
• Yomitan Pottery Street*

This was one the the rainiest days, but the beaches still looked beautiful. The Pizza, especially with white sauce, was really good.

Day 5: Cape Hedo / Yanbaru / Southeast Botanical Garden

• Tataki Waterfall*
• Maruhira Syokudo*
• Daisekirinzan*
• Cape Hedo
• Southeast Botanical Garden*

Maybe the best day we had. For the waterfall you have to walk through the little river and climb a bit. I recommend some proper shoes and swim shorts. Since it rained so much, the water was up to waist high. We ate at a local restaurant which I found somewhere online and the portion was massive and delicious. In Daisekirinzan you can spend half a day, but since we had some tickets for the Botanical Garden, we just had 2 hours there. The illumiation at the Southeast Botanical Garden was spectacular. I would say a must, if you are here. We bought our tickets online the day before, which was a bit cheaper.

Day 6: Beach Day / Uruma

• Sesoko Beach*
• Captain Kangaroo Hamburger
• Nu Salt Factory*
• Ikei Beach (Closed)
• Hamahiga Island
• Okinawa Table Tennis Shop

It was a sunny morning so we rushed to the beach, to have a little rest and enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches I ever been to. After a little lunch we headed down to the Salt Factory. The Salt Ice was really good. We wanted to go to Ikei Beach, but it closed at 17? so we just drove around and walked along Hamahiga Beach. At the way home we stopped at a Table Tennis Shop in Okinawa City and grabbed some blades.

Day 7: Way to Naha

• Busena Marine Park*
• Katsuren Ruins
• Ishigufū Gusukuma Shop*
• Sefa Utaki
• Farmers Market
• Naha

We checked out from Nago and on our trip to Naha we went to Busena Marine Park. The Boat tour with glass-bottom was fantastic. We saw so many fishes and corals. The Observatory was too crowded, but there you could also so all kinds of fishes. At Katsuren the ruins were interesating and you had a very nice view from up there. There was also a little cinema where they showed ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/yamajunreisha on 2024-06-11 17:20:22+00:00.

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edit: added photos!

Here’s my little contribution back to the community whose shared knowledge I have made use of for some time.

I took a 2.5 week trip to Japan at the end of May this year with the goal of completing the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage. There were two distinct halves to this trip. The Nakahechi week long thru hike of the Kumano Kodo followed by a chill out week in Tokyo. I'll share my Tokyo report if there's interest.

For context, this is my 6th trip to Japan and 2nd solo one. I am a middle aged man from the United Kingdom with what I cosider average fitness.

Pre-trip notes

• Bookings were all made in January to get the best prices. For the Kumano Kodo, that’s the minimum lead time I would suggest because accommodation options are very limited in these remote villages. I met hikers that booked in April who had to shuttle back and forth between the larger towns to each day’s hiking start points on public buses because there was no accommodation left.
• I used the Tanabe City Tourism Bureau to book the entire itinerary of the hike and simply purchased train tickets direct from JR and pre/post hotels on Booking.com. I opted for accommodations that also provided all meals on the hike where possible (with lunch being a bento that you eat on your hike). Unlike in the big cities, combinis aren’t always round the corner in rural Japan and even when they are, aren’t always open when you want them to be! I also opted to have a daily luggage shuttle service so that I only had to carry the essentials each day.
• I prepared in the preceding months at home with hikes and walks (16km+ each time) with a laden pack. Having read about the different styles of climbs in Japan versus everywhere else, I also took to long sessions on stair climber machines at the local gym for 45 - 60 min stints (getting stared at for hogging them as a result).
• I took the cheapest open jaw option from London to Osaka flying Air China transiting via Shanghai outbound and Tokyo-Beijing inbound. This was ~£250 cheaper than a direct flight but added a lot more stress and discomfort. Online check-in was not available (perhaps because my ticket was not purchased directly from Air China) plus their website is horrendously broken at the best of times. Inflight entertainment was limited and transiting in Chinese airports was more laborious than any of my previous transit experiences in the US or Europe. Picky eaters beware as meal options always had meat in them so prebook yours. That said, the ground and onboard service staff were excellent at all times.
• I would never have considered this option if European airlines were permitted to fly over Russia (and thus have a shorter flight time and cost). I woudl not take this option again unless the savings are even greater.
• With the savings, I added in a 2 day buffer in Osaka to get over jetlag and any other unexpected delays, and that turned out to be the right decision as we shall see.

Day 1 - Osaka

Upon arriving at KIX, I was notified by the ground staff that my checked bag with all my hiking equipment did not make it to Japan as it was flagged as a “problem” in Shanghai. This despite signing a waiver in Shanghai that my bags can be inspected without my presence and it had a TSA approved combo lock. I had to have a PIR form completed and provide the combination lock number and hope it arrived in time for the start of my hike.

Kansai Airport has a reputation of having never lost a passenger’s bag in it’s entire history and they weren’t about to break that record on my account so I did eventually get it back on the eve of my hike 2 days later. But by that time, I have already wasted half a day scouting for replacement clothes and gear instead of sightseeing!

Forms filled, I set up base in Namba at WBF Motomachi. Fantastic price with free breakfast and great location. Just a street away from the now social media famous Yasaka Jinja and 5-10 mins walk from the transport and shopping hub of Namba. The free breakfast wasn’t great but I’d happily stay there again for that price point.

Had japanese “italian” at Spaghetti no Pancho and loved it. Then turned down the wrong street lined on both sides by maid cafe girls soliciting customers (just me at that time) in the dark. Creeped me out!

Day 2 - Osaka

Went to the nearest koban and filed a police report as required by my insurer. Staffed by two officers, one older and one younger officer. The older man spoke no english at all but the younger gentleman could to a certain extent. Ultimately, google translate was the life saver here.

I had to provide an itemised list of items in my lost suitcase, where and when it was lost and where I was staying at and they typed up a report all in Japanese, had me sign it and then issued a receipt with a case number and said they’ll be in touch with the hotel if there’s any news. All in, it took me about 40 minutes. An interesting experience and an official case receipt as a souvenir.

Bought a 1-day metro pass and visited the Museum of Oriental Ceramics (beautiful!), lunched at Onigiri Gorichan (seasonal items were great), Osaka Museum of Housing and Living + special exhibition gallery. I think kids would really enjoy this small little hands-on museum. I certainly did. Then to Shinseikai (very touristy) and then a Mega Donki (very touristy and somewhat dodgy feeling neighbourhood with lots of pachinko parlours)

Bumped into a reality TV or youtuber crew filming some sort of Amazing Race like show on the metro. Raised a few eyebrows when they held up the train for all their team members to get on board and then proceeded to speak loudly and film in the carriage. Overtourism comes in many forms!

Day 3 - Osaka / Kii-Tanabe

Checked out and made a final phone call to KIX to check on the status of my lost bag and they confirmed that they have it and it will meet me when I arrive at my next accommodation in Tanabe. Relieved, I did not follow through with the more expensive purchases and kept what I’ve purchased unopened with a plan of returning them when I returned to Osaka (spoiler alert: they did not accept my returns).

Had a late breakfast in a kissaten, walked around Abeno Harukas and Tennoji park, then found a cheapo bento in the basement supermarket of Tennoji station, hopped onto the Kuroshio to Kii Tanabe. Got a green car upgrade for not very much extra and thought it was worth it. The views got progressively more picturesque as we left Osaka for the coastline of Wakayama (sit on the right side outbound, left side inbound for the best views). Arrived at Kii-Tanabe, the starting point for most hikers, in 2.5 hours

Checked into my guest house and walked around the main street and browsed the information centre before experiencing the golden hour at Tokei Jinja with no one else in sight. A stark contrast to Osaka!

Stumbled upon a cosy tempura restaurant 天ちら咲場 in the Ajikoji entertainment district of town. Sitting at the bar and ordering tempura a la carte was a very fun experience. Everything was fresh and delicious and I stuffed myself silly thanks to the lovely couple running the place.

Day 4 - Kumano Kodo Hike - Tanabe to Chikatsuyu

Started bright and early with a wonderful Japanese breakfast of fish, rice and assorted side dishes and handed my lunch bento as we finished eating (the same pattern would repeat itself for the next 5 days). Took the next available bus to Takajiri Oji, the official start of the Nakahechi route with many fellow hikers. I noted that the Takajiri Oji information centre stocked a small selection of key hiking gear such as hats, poles, and rain jackets for the unprepared or perhaps the spontaneous? Got myself a japanese stamp booklet (100 yen) to complement the dual pilgrimage stamp booklet (free from Tanabe’s information centre but not available here).

Offered a brief prayer at the shrine, collected my first stamp and started climbing. I’ve not been on a hike that had such a demotivating start. It’s a straight up 45 minute winding climb up stone steps surrounded by dense growth without much to see. Gradually, the climbing eased up and I began to understand why this was worthy of world heritage status. I started to see (ahem) the forest for the trees. I could smell it too. And hear it! It was a multi-sensory wonder that I thoroughly enjoyed till the end in Nachsan 5 days later.

Had lunch at the viewpoint and community rest stop in the idyllic village of Takahara. This was one of the few spots where day trippers in vehicles and hikers crossed paths on the Kumano Kodo. There was even a lady selling gourmet coffee out of her van that day.

After lunch, I descended through a lovely stretch of the trail dotted with old tea house ruins, lush fern covered valleys and streams and bamboo groves. I arrived in Chikatsuyu 18km and 7 hours later. Checked in to Guesthouse Housen and was stunned by the luxurious hotpot dinner laid out for me by my hosts.

Watched local news with them over dinner and was duly informed that Ewiniar, the first typhoon of the year, would be skirting Japan over the next few days and bring heavy rains and some winds to Wakayama.

I decided to cut out the first 14km of the planned hike and instead start from Hosshinmon Oji and add on the short Dainichi-goe to get to my accommodation for the night. It was disappointing news as it threw my pilgrimage stamp collection plans into disarray.

**Day 5 - ...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/No-Travel4499 on 2024-06-10 05:08:58+00:00.

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Last Dec my then-fiance and I married and went to Japan for our honeymoon. It was my husband's first time and my third time, but I was a young kid so basically they didn't count because I have a memory of a goldfish. We went to Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Takayama, Matsumoto, Nagano, Fuji, and day trips here and there. It was some of my life's best and most chaotic times. I'll tell you why a little later.

Tokyo - Part 1 (4 days) Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tsukiji market, Gotokuji

The best part of this leg was the quiet backstreets and suburbs of Tokyo, like the Gotokuji temple, Yoyogi Park, and the delicious food. After exploring Shinjuku on our first night we already established that we are not city people. Mostly because of the crowds. There were some fun moments too, like the extraordinary view of the Shibuya sky, the pretty fishies from the art aquarium in Ginza, and the Hie Shrine in Akasaka. We also went to Togoshi-Ginza shopping street in Shinagawa to fill our tummies. We scoffed the skewers and the croquettes down before I could take a photo. I think we also went to a pudding place called Tommy's pudding. If you were ever there you should try them.

Yokohama (2 days) Gundam factory, Chinatown

Our time in Yokohama was short but very fulfilling. The Gundam factory has to be the highlight of this leg and we genuinely feel sorry for those who missed out. Our thoughts are with you. Food in Chinatown was great, but every 50 metres or so the same food and shops reappeared. For a moment I thought it was because I was so tired that I was seeing things. A big thank you to the post office staff who helped us out and gave us a cute dragon soap as a honeymoon gift. I wish I remembered to ask for their names.

Osaka (5 days) TeamLab Botanical, Dotonburi, Hiroshima/Miyajima day trip, Den Den town, Namba

Our first time riding the Nozomi Shinkansen. Beautiful view and on the right-hand side (Tokyo to Osaka) you'll see Mt. Fuji if you're the few lucky ones.

The TeamLab botanical garden was something else. We didn't go to the Tokyo one but I'm so glad we went to the Osaka one. The next night we headed to Dotonburi and goodness me it was jam-packed. We mustered our strength and visited Hozenji and called it a night. At some point in this leg, we also went down to Hiroshima and Miyajima. The deers were a lot more timid than their buddies in Nara. Before leaving we hit up Den den town and Namba Yasaka shrine.

Nara (4 days at the end) Nara park, Hasedera, earthquake, and being chaotic

This leg was unforgettable for a couple of very unusual reasons.

Before the trip, I read how much people loved Nara, but I didn't feel the same way. Maybe it was the crowd, or maybe because I was psychic and knew shite was about to go down. Whatever reason it might be, Nara in my memory was underwhelming.

Saying that, if you travel south for about an hour you'll find a little town named Hase and its Hasedera temple. It was the best thing out of the trip for us. We did our fortune reading and (ironically) aha! Daikichi, the best 100 yen I'd ever spent! Husband got the number 69 and we giggled like a pair of naughty children.

On our way back we could hear alarms going off from people's phones. The station's signs and ceiling lights were swaying fairly aggressively back and forth, and we realised it was an earthquake. We learned that it was the Noto earthquake later on. Thinking back I'm grateful we went to Nara. I included Kanazawa and Toyama on our very first itinerary but eventually discarded them because I didn't want to be rushed. If we followed that instead we'd have been near Noto100%.

I also somehow injured my cornea on the very same night. I won't bore you with the details but I was in agonising pain and couldn't open either of my eyes. The good thing that came out of it was learning the Japanese ambulance was free. The bad thing was we couldn't move to Kyoto as planned. We ended up staying in Nara for two extra nights while I was pretty much bedridden. The staff was extremely helpful and offered to check in on me, making sure my husband didn't actually just stuffed me in a suitcase. Jokes aside, he was a champ. Before leaving we gave the hotel staff a souvenir we bought earlier as a thank-you gift.

Kyoto (5 days at the end) Central Kyoto, Gion, Uji, Shiga prefecture

Losing three days meant that we had to cut the Kyoto leg short. Since we didn't like the cities as much we decided to explore Kyoto another time, and went ahead with the day trips instead. Uji was another favourite of mine. Walking along the river made me feel like I did not have a worry in the world. Lake Biwa from the Shiga prefecture was majestic. We stopped by Omihachiman before heading to Hikone. On the very last night in Kyoto we were lucky enough to see the snow falling (but it didn't stick to the ground).

Takayama (2 days) Snow!

At this point of the trip I was slightly let down by the lack of snow we saw, however, Takayama did not disappoint. We tried Takayama beef that night and visited the Showa-Kan museum the next morning. It was snowing the whole morning and by the time we got to the Hida no Sato open-air museum it was truly a winter wonderland. I know most people prefer Shirakawa over the open-air museum, but we and another couple were the only people there. We had the whole place to ourselves, and that was extremely rare in Japan.

Matsumoto & Nagano (4 days) Matsumoto castle, Wasabi farm, Snow Monkey Park

If I have to use one word to describe Matsumoto it would be nogastic. It's so cozily small that I'd love to live in a city like that, not to mention it's nestled in the gorgeous Alps. We headed to the Matsumoto castle before dark. The next day we headed out to the Daio wasabi farm in Azumino. I got to give it to them for turning a farm into an attraction... Afterwards, we hopped on a train towards Hakuba with no particular destination in mind. The view we got on the train was stunning.

Despite being nearby, getting to Yamanochi from Matsumoto wasn't the most convenient because of the mountains I think. We were surprised by how 80s the train station and the train were in Nagano. It started snowing heavily when we got to our ryokan and continued while we were at the snow monkey park. After returning to the ryokan, it was time for the onsen and dinner. Funny to think that was all of our dinner - lol there were at least 7 courses hidden in the kitchen. I almost lost my balance walking out of the dining hall with my belly waiting to burst. Needless to say the next morning I was hungry again. My husband was like I couldn't eat anymore and I was like yeah yeah me too while demolishing all my plates. Before we leave we of course had to dip into the onsen.

Mt. Fuji (4 days) Fujiyoshida, Fujikawaguchiko

Since it's our honeymoon and probably one of the only few times we get to take a month off to travel, we went all out on this leg.

My husband found out about the gran class on the Shinkansen and looked at me with his puppy dog eyes, who am I to say no to that? That was honestly better than some of the business-class seats. We stayed at Bessho Sasa and everything about it was beyond phenomenal. We had another 10-course meal. Obviously did not learn our lesson. And for the next three nights, we had the most amazing time of our lives.

Just kidding.

Turns out that the time we visited Mt. Fuji was also the time many hotels and resorts did their maintenance, which meant we only got to stay one night there. I was like no biggie I can find us another nice hotel. So here was where I, as I quoted my husband, made the biggest mistake of the century. Looking at the photo you might think it wasn't that bad, but what I didn't show was all the stains and dust. The only saving grace was its view. It wasn't cheap either. If the day before we were in heaven then surely we had fallen to hell. We meant to stay for three nights but after the first night, I put on my b...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/achago on 2024-06-09 21:16:22+00:00.

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I hope this report helps others as much as the ones before helped me plan!

May 30-June 8

Traveled to Japan from the west coast of US with husband and two daughters, 14 & 11.

May 30 Arrived at Narita Airport around 3 PM. The line at customs was over an hour long and it was stiflingly hot and humid in the customs area. the line wound around 2 giant rooms. We had done the QR code and it didn’t even matter- the line for QR code people and paper form people was the same line. After the long flight there, this was hard on us.

Arrived at our hotel- the FAV Tokyo Hotel in Ryogoku. I picked this hotel because of the price. It was high quality and the staff were super nice. The original room we had, though, was really small- 200 sq feet. we felt really cramped in there and ended up upgrading to a bigger room after 3 nights.

Upon arriving we unpacked a bit, walked around the corner to get some ramen, stopped at 7-11 to get some snacks and I checked the pharmacy for CPAP water. I found “soft water”- which I used and it seemed to be ok, even though they didn’t have official distilled water. We crashed around 8 pm.

May 31 It was a little rainy in the morning, so we changed up our plans and started in Akihabara. We went to a cat cafe and loved it- the cats were all super cute and healthy. They seemed pretty spoiled! We were underwhelmed by the anime stores in Akihabara though- I think you need to be really into it to like them. We were all feeling pretty tired so we went back to the hotel for a bit, then went out in the evening to Senso-Ji. Unfortunately all the vendors in Nakimise dori were closing when we got there, so we didn’t try a lot of the food we wanted to. But it was nice to see the temple when it was less crowded. We went to dinner at a sushi restaurant in Asakusa, and went to a cabaret dance show at Asakusa Kugua- which we all LOVED. We booked the tix through Viator but I think you can book directly. My 11 year old said it was her favorite part of the trip. I loved the shopping area around it. I actually wish we stayed in Asakusa- it ended up being my favorite area of Tokyo.

June 1 We started with day with breakfast at Yoshinoya which ended up being what we did every day, because my youngest daughter liked it so much. Traditional breakfast of miso soup, white rice and salmon. After that we went to Happy Pancake to see what all the fuss was about. I loved them- my daughters didn’t- they thought they tasted like eggs. After that, we did Shibuya scrambled, checked out Loft, went to Takeshita Dori in Harajuku and went to the Puma store in Shinjuku. I think it was a mistake to do these areas on a Saturday. The crowds were something I wasn’t prepared for- obviously I had seen videos but actually BEING in the chaos is a different story. I was really overwhelmed and tired by the end of this long day and I fell asleep by 7.

June 2 We started the day at TeamLabs Planets- which was really cool. We had booked our tickets well in advance and we didn’t feel overly crowded since they do timed entry. After that, we went to Yanaka Ginza, as I had heard that old town was a nice change to Shibuya. It was- but I wished for more- the “shopping street” was not as long as I thought it would be. Luckily it was walking distance to Nezu shrine, which was absolutely gorgeous. It started raining just as we arrived and I enjoyed the quiet, serene setting, watching the raindrops in the stream with koi fish swimming around. It was one of my favorite places in Tokyo.

June 3 This was our “theatrical” day. We started with a Samurai class that I had booked through Viator. Again, you could book directly through Samurai Theater. This was SO MUCH FUN. My husband’s favorite part of the trip. It was an hour long class, we got to dress up like Samurai’s (I’m plus size and it worked), and there’s a fun choreographed sequence they teach you that you do to music at the end. The instructors spoke great English and were just a lot of fun to spend time with.

We then went to Gonpachi- the restaurant that inspired the design of the restaurant in Kill Bill’s iconic sword fight scene. This didn’t disappoint- it’s a super unique interior design and we loved felling like we were in the movie (especially after having just had sword fights of our own!)

We ended the day with a Kimono Tea Ceremony with MAIKOYA Tokyo. This was also fun- the girls loved getting their hair done, getting to choose their kimono and we were all excited to learn how to make matcha tea and learn about the ceremony.

June 4 This was a “free” day so we decided to try Harajuku again on a weekday. It was a little less crowded and the girls were happy to get some fun clothes at ACDC Rags and Punyas. We also went to a puppy cafe. This one wasn’t as fun as the cat cafe. The dogs seemed really hungry- and it made me sad. (They looked well fed, but it makes me wonder if all their food comes through the hand feeding from visitors?) afterward, we went to the Pokémon Cafe for my 11 year old who loves Pokémon. The food was really bad- which we expected from reviews. I didn’t know, though, that you don’t get to take photos with Pikachu- he just does a little show and waves. This wasn’t worth it in my opinion. We then had ramen on “ramen street” at Tokyo station for dinner. We did the seafood ramen- I think I would have preferred a different one.

June 5 We traveled on the Shinkansen To Kyoto on this day. It was relatively easy as we connected through Shinagawa Station instead of Tokyo station. We checked into the Mimaru SHIJO (which was amazing and had free happy hour with beer and sake daily from 5-7!) and went straight to Nishiki Market and my husband tried allll the food. He loved all of it. The girls and I loved the shopping area connected to Nishiki. We did My Only Fragrance- a fun experience to design your own perfume (we had a reservation). I went to fushimi inari alone at sunset and was super excited that it wasn’t crowded and the light was stunning. I was there about 30 minutes. Later, My husband and I went out alone this evening in Gion. We saw two Maiko out and about (we didn’t take photos or harass). We also had the best sushi dinner of our lives in an 8-seat restaurant called Sushi Ninenzaka Numoto. We got REALLY lucky as we just walked in- I didn’t realize so many restaurants require reservations in Kyoto!

June 6 I woke up at the crack of dawn and my 14 year old and I took the Shinkansen down to Hiroshima. We went through the Peace Museum, which made both of us emotional- but her especially. She had to take some time afterwards sitting in the park on a bench while I explored the surrounding area- the dome, the different memorials, etc. we didn’t spend a lot of time in Hiroshima but it was important to me to go, and I’m happy we made the trip. My daughter said she wished I had warned her- had she known how emotional it would be she might have skipped it. I think it’s important that people learn from history so even though it was hard for her I’m glad she came with me. We were back in Kyoto by 2. We took a nap then took the train to Osaka to at least see the dotonbori- which was amazing. Such a great vibe. There was a live concert happening when we got there a girl JPoP band called Shinsekai Hero, and my daughters were super into it. We had conveyor belt sushi, tried some food at the stands and headed back to Kyoto.

June 7 Our last day in Japan. My husband and I went to Ninzaka and Sannenzaka at 10 when the shops opened up- we spent a lot. We loved the pottery shops and the doll shop. So many souvenirs bought. Later in the day we went to Kinkaku-Ji and it was everything I imagined and more. Even with the crowds it’s such a calming place. We tried to have dinner at a nice steakhouse that evening but again- no reservations.

June 7 Took the Shinkansen back from Kyoto to Tokyo station because we had an oversized bag and even with booking well in advance couldn’t get a reserved seat with the oversized bag connecting in Shinagawa. We made our connection (20 minutes!) but just barely and only because I had studied the Tokyo station map. If I hadn’t we would have missed our connection to the Narita express.

All in all- it was a great trip that was definitely a teaser for future trips. I wish we spent more time in Kyoto and Osaka- I think we would have liked those areas more than Tokyo. I also want to see more of the countryside, as I preferred the temples to the wild city.

Lessons learned -The subway was tricky for us- we gave up after day 1 and just took taxis which we not much more expensive than the subway and saved a lot of headache- we used Uber and the go taxi app

• my daughter got a cold while we were there- the Payke app was a lifesaver as you could scan a bar code and the label with ingredients and instructions showed up in the app in English
• my other daughters glasses broke - luckily there are a lot of eyeglass stores in Shibuya and they repaired them for a small fee
• Make reservations in Kyoto
• For language, I used “sumimasen” “nan ban nori ban?” and “arigato gozaimas” a lot but the other phrases I learned didn’t come up. I used google translate to type in and show people the Japanese when needed

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Oxiclean4me on 2024-06-09 15:06:54+00:00.

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Hey all, This subreddit was an indispensable resource in my planning my trip, so I wanted to return the favor with highlights from my trip and general experiences/tips. I spent 14 days (+ 3 travel days from/to the states), with 3 friends that joined me for different parts of the trip. Here's my itinerary with highlights/comments:

Number of nights per city: Tokyo(3), Kyoto(3), Takamatsu(3), Beppu(2), Fukuoka(4)

Day 1 - Tokyo (9.24 miles walked)

• Stayed in Roppongi, which I really enjoyed- great location with fun side streets to wander down.
• Rainy day so I hit up museums nearby: Suntory art museum, which houses classic Japanese art/artifacts; and the Tokyo national art center, which was hosting this massive juried exposition of contemporary art. Made for a cool juxtaposition.
• Checked out some specialty stores in Shibuya.
• Harukor for lunch- a small hole in the wall restaurant serving indigenous cuisine with friendly owners.
• Afura for dinner- low-key ramen/dipping noodle spot.

Day 2 - Tokyo (12.11 miles)

• Walked around Meiji shrine and surrounding neighborhood
• Shinjuku to check out some specialty stores (Sekaido stationary store, etc).
• Walked around Shimokitazawa neighborhood- very cute, young neighborhood with vintage stores. I wasn't planning on doing any clothes shopping because I'm tall by Japanese-standards and clothes shopping isn't generally my idea of a fun time, but I stumbled across an amazing 70's vintage dress here that is probably my most treasured purchase from the trip.
• Had an amazing kaseiki dinner at Ise sueyoshi. 100% recommend. Was the most expensive meal of my life to date (to be fair, I'm not much of a foodie) but it was such a great experience. They are also unusually accommodating for dietary restrictions, so vegetarians/vegans/gluten intolerant folks take note!

Day 3 - Tokyo --> Kyoto (9.66 miles)

• Stored our luggage at Tokyo station before a day of sightseeing.
• Walked around Imperial Palace grounds, then Kagurazaka neighborhood (this was ok, some nice little shops but I think maybe I was expecting a bit more?). My friends hit up a wood block studio that was located in a neighborhood east of Kagurazaka, they found some really great prints here. Sorry, don't have the name of the store.
• Walked through Ginza before hopping on the bullet train. There was an elevated highline-esque walkway over by the Miyazaki clock that was nice, but I otherwise wasn't super into Ginza. A lot of European designer stores, if that's your thing.
• Took a silly amount of time to find our stored luggage (air tags were helpful!) and then find the bullet train section of Tokyo station. I had read warnings to give yourself plenty of time to find the train platform after purchasing the shinkansen ticket, but the ticket machines for our line were immediately adjacent to the platforms so we ended up spending 40 minutes sitting on the floor of the station waiting for our train...seriously there are like no benches in that station!

Day 4 - Kyoto (11.68 miles)

• Rented an older home in a fantastic location- small quiet neighborhood just north east of Shosei-en garden.
• This was probably my favorite day of the entire trip. Got an early start at Murin-an garden, then headed over to Nanzen-ji, Saisho-in, Okunoin temples. Okunoin temple was a rec that I found on here, it's kinda hidden behind the Nanzen-ji complex. A hilly path leading up to a waterfall with altars(?) along the way. There was this man with some sort of instrument made from a turtle shell who was playing at each altar. It was hella enchanting. Walked north on the Philosopher's path, stopping at Honenin temple and Higashiyama jisho-ji. I was really worried about crowds but for a mid-week morning/early afternoon there really wasn't that many people around, except for Higashiyama.
• Again on a reddit rec, we wandered through the woods to find Mo-an, this somewhat hidden cafe with amazing desserts. The experience of forging through a forest unsure where we were going (took a wrong turn and stumbled into the Yoshida shrine) and finding this tree-house like oasis was incredible. The matcha chiffon cake was delicious.
• In the evening we checked out an antique shop in Gion and walked Pontocho Alley after dinner. Honestly, the alley was too crowded to enjoy.

Day 5 - Kyoto (12.00 miles)

• Got up early and hiked up Fushimi inari taisha. I think we made it back down by like 9:30 am which helped avoid crowds.
• Near our rental was Shosei-en garden and a lovely matcha soft-serve ice cream cafe (Walden woods- they also sold great candles).
• In the afternoon we headed north to do some shopping: the Kyoto Handicraft Center and some small antique stores between there and the Kyoto Gyoen national garden. We were pretty exhausted at that point so we didn't venture very far, just walked along the southern edge.
• Went to a curry restaurant that was veg-friendly: Koisus curry and tempura.
• Taking a rec that I read on here, we waited until later in the night (~8:30ish?) to check out Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka neighborhoods. Very few people around that late so that was a success.

Day 6 - Kyoto --> Himeji --> Takamatsu (8.22 miles)

• Hopped on the bullet train to Takamatsu with a stop to tour Himeji castle. It's one of the few original castles still standing and considered one of Japan's best so it seemed foolish not to check it out. While we were there the city was having a parade/festival so that was fun to watch.
• We picked Takamatsu as our home base for touring the art islands. The ferry ride is shortest here (compared to Okayama) and the port is walkable from downtown. Many of the restaurants here turned us away with out dinner reservations (hard to tell if that was the actual policy or if they didn't want to serve 4 Americans?) but we had a great time watching the chef at the grill of this small izakaya, Kuishinbo.

Day 7 - Day trip to Naoshima island (9.71 miles)

Oh man, this island is jam packed with amazing art. We ran out of time to see everything, but with the aid of e-bikes we managed to check out the Art house project, Chichu art museum, Benesse museum. People who really want to see everything may want to budget 1.5-2 days for this island. This was also one of my favorite days of the trip. Really unique art work in a beautiful setting.

Day 8 - Day trip to Teshima island (12.07 miles).

If you are going on a Monday, beware: most of the museums on Naoshima are closed so everyone is hitting up Teshima.... our ferry got sold out while we were waiting in line, forcing us to take an alternative route by detouring to a different island first. By the time we got to Teshima, most of the e-bike rental stores were out of stock. Despite those hang-ups, we were able to see the Teshima art museum, Teshima Yoko House, and ride around part of the island. We were worried about the return ferry getting sold out so we staked out the office for like a solid hour before the ticket counter opened. Although we didn't have a full day, we felt pretty content with what we saw/what the island had to offer.

Day 9 - Takamatsu --> Beppu (5.91 miles*)

• Before hopping on the train to Kyushu, we checked out Ritsurin garden. They have lockers for luggage and an impressive giftshop.
• In Beppu, we stayed in a ryokan that had private onsen rentals which was nice for the naked-squeamish. Had dinner at an izakaya (Robata Jin) that was another reddit rec. Pro-tip: when we showed up, the hostess told us they were full but when I pushed about later availability ("atode?") she conferred and was like, we can sit in 30 minutes. So don't be afraid to ask instead of accepting defeat, haha.

*hey, we spent like 4.5 hours on trains that day

Day 10 - Day trip to the Kunisaki peninsula (6.96 miles)

• Rented a car to drive up to Kunisaki peninsula. Was a really unique experience driving through rural mountainous terrain, visiting ancient temples (Futagoji) and ruins (Kyu sento ji) and an amazing panoramic view from a cliffside temple (Itsutsuji Fudou). I had a couple other potential sites on my list, but we ran out of time/steam to check them out. Restaurants are a bit scarce up there so we packed snacks to tide us over.
• On the way back to Beppu we stopped and had a soak at an onsen in the middle of a bamboo grove (Yoyama no sato). There were like 6 or so different outdoor pools next to a waterfall/stream- such a cool experience.
• In the evening, took a walk along the beach front.

Day 11 - Beppu --> Fukuoka road trip (7.75 miles)

• Decided to hold onto the rental car and make the 2 hour drive across Kyushu to the last city of the trip, Fukuoka. Stopped in Hita to check out Onta pottery village- this community still produces their clay and fires their ceramics without electricity- was a cool experience watching that. There was maybe 10 studios all in close proximity of each other. I was really excited to get lunch at Ohara Chaya, but they were closed for the day, but there were plenty of other options in the area- we settled for a cute Italian pasta restaurant (Luciano?) run by a single guy. Also stopped at Ukiha inari shrine. We opted to drive to the top instead of doing the hike.
• Stayed in Tenjin neighborhood in Fukuoka- very vibrant nightlife/restaurant/shoppi...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/KoreanBunz on 2024-06-09 07:31:31+00:00.

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So, finally, my SO and I back home after an exciting Japanese Vacation. It was on our bucket list for years and we are so glad we did it and it went smoothly.

We landed at Narita Airport at 7 AM and finished our immigration and customs by 7.45 AM. We bought our Passmo Passport from Keisei Information Centre in literally two mins without a queue and were in the three persons queue at the Limousine Bus stop for our airport transfer to Shinjuku. I highly suggest the Limousine Bus Service as it was the most convenient and comfortable ride from NRT Airport to Shinjuku. The staff speaks English and put your luggage in the storage compartment, without you to have to worry about it. You can buy the tickets of limousine bus on KLOOK or at the arrivals hall of NRT airport.

From Shinjuku stop where the limousine bus dropped us and handed our luggage to us, we took a taxi to our hotel. It costed us 1200 yen and 10 mins to our hotel in Nishi Shinjuku. We had typed the hotel name and address in Japanese and printed it out. That piece of paper proved very useful after a 12 hour flight and 2 hour bus ride. We just handed out the printed paper to our taxi driver and he dropped us off at our hotel without a single word exchanged between us except thank you (arigato gozaimasu). It took away the anxiety of explaining our hotel address to taxi drivers in English and broken Japanese.

Our hotel was APA Hotel & Resort NishiShinjuku Gochome Eki Tower. We had booked an early check in for additional payment of 1000 yen per hour. We reached our double room on higher floor with city view and were shocked by the size of it. NO AMOUNT of research and reading up could mentally prepare us for the size of it. It was TINYYYYYYYY. But, very well appointed with night suits, kimono robes, room slippers, onsen slippers, huge TV, small bath tub, king size bed, working station with a chair, etc. We soon found our groove in the tiny room and found it to be very comfortable once the luggage was under the bed. I would highly recommend this hotel as it has an onsite onsen, swimming pool (payable), speedy WiFi, English speaking staff, vending machines, laundromat, luggage storage and transfer facility. But, its biggest plus point is that it’s 100 mts away from the NishiShinjuku Gochome Station with an elevator exit. That was the most convenient for us.

After relaxing in the tiny room for about 3 hours, we left the hotel at 2 PM for Meiji Jingu Shrine. We used the subway for it and it was very convenient. We thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful zen walk into the forest like atmosphere to reach the shrine. It was completely empty barring three more people about 1 km ahead of us. When we reached the Meiji Jingu Shrine we were greeted by a crowd. We spent maximum of 30 mins in the shrine and then walked to Takeshita Street. It was a 15 min relaxed walk and we enjoyed it. We LOVED the Takeshita Street and the hustle bustle there, spent around two hours, shopping for street wear fits and eating the crepes and tanghulu sweet treats. From there we walked the Cat Street, which was almost deserted and we didn’t even realise that we had already finished walking the iconic Cat Street until we asked a local. From Cat Street we walked to Shibuya, it was a 25 minutes walk and I had started to feel the tiredness by now. We found a Tully’s Cafe about 5 mins away from Shibuya crossing and chilled there for one hour having coffee and smoothies.

We reached the Shibuya Crossing by 6.30 PM and the excitement to see thousands of people crossing the iconic junction had pumped the energy back into me and I was ready for more exploring. We took a look at the Hachiku Statue and made our way up to Shibuya Sky for our entry slot of 7 PM. It was the most magical moment when we took the elevator up to the open observatory deck. The sky was turning red and rust and the Tokyo skyline lights were just firing up. We saw the sunset for about 15 minutes before the sky turned dark and then we enjoyed the night light views of Tokyo. It was absolutely STUNNING. Highly recommend booking the 6.45-7 PM slot for Shibuya Sky. We booked it via KLOOK about one month in advance.

We got down from Shibuya Sky by 8.30 PM and although we had a reservation at a vegan restaurant at Shinjuku for 9 PM, I personally couldn’t last any longer. I was extremely tired by that time so we took a subway back to our hotel. We rested in the hotel and had Seven Eleven ice cream and onigiri for dinner in our room and rested till about 11 PM.

At around 11 PM my FOMO kicked in and my partner and I took a cab to Omoide Yakucho drinking lane. It took us 8 mins by cab and 1000 yen. We had a local beer at the Albatross bar there and we loved the atmosphere and experience. We explored some more places in that lane but Albatross Bar was the best vibe. We then walked to Hotel Gracery to see the Godzilla head and Shinjuku neon billboards and lights. We found the area super greasy but it had a vibe of its own. We walked a bit further and found a nice beer brewery and bar and had a few beers there and it was amazing. We left that place by 12.30 AM and took a taxi back to the hotel. It costed us 900 yen. All in all it was the MOST FUN and ICONIC first day of a Tokyo trip. We had clocked 22,000 steps on Day 1.

Day 2:

We woke up by 8 AM and left the hotel by 10 AM. We first reached the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and had breakfast at the traditional Japanese tea house at the national garden. We relaxed in the garden and explored till about 12.30 pm and we left for TeamLabs Planet. We reached there and booked ourself the lunch experience at Uzu Restaurant at Tokyolabs Planet. It was hands down the ABSOLUTE BEST lunch experience with the yummiest bowl of Vegan Ramen. We enjoyed the immersive experience and were ready for experiencing the main exhibit by 3.30 PM. We spent two hours in the exhibit and it was absolutely the highlight of our trip. We both lovedddddd TeamLabs Planet experience and can’t wait to be back.

At around 6 pm we left for Asakusa area from Teamlabs and reached the Senso Ji temple at around 6.45 pm. We explored the shopping streets around the temple and watched the sun go down behind the temple. It was just so so so so beautiful. We had dinner at a roadside restaurant there and they were plenty. My SO loved the area so much that he made me promise that we will stay in this area instead of Shibuya or Shinjuku on our next visit to Tokyo. The man has taste.

We were back to our hotel by 10 PM and had drinks at our hotel bar and slept off by 12 AM.

We had successfully used the subway system without getting lost but we had also successfully AVOIDED starting or ending our subway journeys from the terrifying Shinjuku Station for first two days and we highly recommend everyone to do the same.

Because on Day 3 we got lost at Shinjuku station and it was NOT FUN. On day 3 we checked out of our hotel by 10 am and took the subway to Don Qui store Shinjuku (our hotel stored our luggage for us post check out). We spent 2.5 hours in Donki and other Shinjuku shopping places and while returning with our shopping bags we got lost in Shinjuku station for about an hour and I personally felt super disoriented but my SO took over the navigation and somehow we reached our hotel by 2 pm.

We then took our bags and made our way to Tokyo International Cruise Terminal via subway and metro. A sweet local Japanese girl guided us to the metro stop which was two floors above from where we were and she very kindly travelled with us on the escalators two whole floors up. I had never experienced such kindness from a stranger and was truly grateful and overwhelmed by her kindness.

We then embarked on our cruise ship at 3.30 PM and I will write the cruise report in the next post.

But, I must say that these 2-2.5 days in Tokyo were genuinely I had dreamed of and more. Although it was tiring t walk 20k steps a day but it was more than worth it. I can’t wait to be back.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/itzsommer on 2024-06-08 12:38:30+00:00.

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My friend and I are just back from a 11 day trip to Japan, first time for us both. We wanted to collect goshuin but I think we both surprised ourselves on being able to fill them! Our trip included Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kinosakionsen, with day trips in Hiroshima and Nara. There are at least 2 goshuin from each of those areas pictured here.

You’ll notice that they’re not all in order of when I visited each, as a few were slips that I glued in, and visited other shrines before I had a chance to glue. This got a laugh from a very nice priest in Kinosaki!

From right to left:

⛩️Meiji Shrine, Tokyo - bought book here and it came with the stamp

⛩️Shinagawa Shrine, Tokyo

⛩️Namiyoke Shrine, Tsukiji, Tokyo

⛩️Kanda Shrine, Tokyo

🏮Sensoji Temple, Tokyo

🏮Kiyomizu temple, Kyoto - home of Zuigudo hall, where you walk through an underground hallway in complete darkness symbolizing the womb of Buddha’s mother.

⛩️Himuro Shrine, Nara - the ice shrine 🧊 when you get a goshuin here, the shrine worker blesses it by striking a flint over the stamp.

🏮Tofuku Temple, Nara

⛩️Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto

⛩️Kasuga Shrine, Nara Park 🦌- the famous bowing deer are all over this one, don’t use up all your deer treats down in the main park! These deer are much more polite than the ones that hang out by the food/ deer snack vendors.

⛩️Namba Jingu, Osaka - peaceful shrine in downtown Osaka, with beautiful orchids.

⛩️Osaka Tenmangu, Osaka

⛩️Namba Yasuka Shrine, Osaka - featuring the giant Lion’s head. It’s bigger in person!

⛩️Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine, Hiroshima castle

⛩️Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima island, Hiroshima - come for the famous floating Tori gate, stay for the amazing island vibes. Also there’s more deer here!

⛩️Tsuyu-no-Tenjinja Shrine, Osaka - dedicated to two young lovers who did a Romeo and Juliet. A tiny shrine dedicated to love and relationships, and a beautiful goshuin.

🏮Onsenji Temple, Kinosaki Onsen - the main temple dedicated to healing those who use the town’s mythical onsen. Halfway up Mt. Daishi accessible by hike or rope way.

🏮Onsenji Temple, Mt Daishi peak, Kinosaki Onsen - a small satellite temple on the mountain peak has slip goshuin. The staff at the main temple will date it for you if you ask.

🏮Onsenji Yakushido Temple, Kinosaki Onsen - there is a fountain where you can drink the holy Onsen water. A VERY nice priest works here and he loves to see where you’ve visited! He spent extra time making sure the calligraphy was just right.

⛩️Hie-Jinga Shrine, Tokyo

⛩️Fushimi Shrine, Kyoto - so crowded! They only give out slips, and they’re larger than most so I had to trim the edges to get it to fit in my book.

⛩️Ueno Toshugo, Ueno Park, Tokyo - home of the famous copper lanterns

⛩️Gojoten Shrine, Ueno Park, Tokyo

AMA if you have any questions about locations or acquiring goshuin in general!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Odd_Pea_104 on 2024-06-06 17:41:53+00:00.

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We were in Japan for 30 days and had a few big ticket restaurants we wanted to visit. On our second day in Tokyo we went to Shima, near Ginza, known for their Wagyu beef. We had booked in advance, budgeted $500-$600 and brought cash -- it was meant to be one of our ballout experiences for our honeymoon. The steak was roughly $180 for 150g (but their shtick is to weigh it in front of you and it's always much over the listed weight).

At the time, the Canadian dollar was an easy exchange -- you could just drop two zeros from the Yen and that was approximately what it was in Canadian. 3000 Yen = 30 CAD with quick math.

Here's the kicker -- I am a career server. I have some decent (but modest) wine knowledge including several accredited courses. I am mostly familiar with American wine and Italian wine. My husband let me pick the wine and I was interested in a Châteauneuf-du-Pape for $150 or a Bordeaux for $130. He was encouraging me to splurge on the Châteauneuf-du-Pape... it's our honeymoon afterall! I opted for the Bordeaux thinking it would be better with the meat; a 2014 Château Haut-Brion. The host kept coming over to us saying things like "very special wine." I was confused because I was like, lady, we already bought it... you don't need to sell it to us. It was incredible and I took a picture of the label, thinking this is really good for $130. Too good for $130, as it turns out.

We were seated at the bar where all the action happens, watching the old master sitting on a stool as he grills on his rotating skewer. It was pure magic. The man seated next to me was from Upper Eastside New York, joined by his family. His young children ordered more expensive steaks than we did. He too had a Bordeaux, albeit more modest than ours, I would come to learn.

The experience and service was incredible. When people say Wagyu melts in your mouth, you never truly understand until you've had it. 11/10

At the end of the meal I went to the washroom while my husband got the bill. I came back and I could see a look of sheer terror on his face. The host had brought him the wine list and he was looking at the price of wine we ordered.

We had missed a zero. What I thought was $130 was in fact, $1300.

Thank God we didn't order the $1500 wine.

The host realized our mistake, all the staff realized our mistake, my buddy next to me now shied away from me as I said in a hail Mary "we missed a zero!" As if this rich newyorkan was gonna help us out. My husband desperately asked if credit card was ok, she said yes. She took the card and processed it, returning it to us and showing she had deducted $300 from the bill. Our food was almost entirely comped.

Embarrassed and horrified, we quickly left. A chef stopped us on our way and handed us an entire cheesecake, to which I said "we didn't order this!" He forced it into my hands.

Once outside, my husband and I made a pact to not be upset. We couldn't afford it, but we wouldn't let it ruin the rest of our barely started trip. We left and bought a pack of smokes at the nearest konbini. I don't smoke.

When I returned to work a month later I told my sommelier about my blunder. He asked what wine cost you that much?! Welp, apparently I got a steal of a deal for that bottle. Because you can't get that house and vintage for anywhere near that price in Canada. Guess I've gotta brush up on my wine knowledge.

We are returning to Tokyo this fall and my dream is to go back to Shima for dinner and bring the receipt to show them the kindness they showed us by taking off $300 when it was clearly our mistake. But also to gift them some Canadian ice wine or something.

Edit: spelling

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Odd_Pea_104 on 2024-06-06 02:48:15+00:00.

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My husband and I honeymooned in Japan for 30 days in April 2023. We planned to spend the first 5 days in Tokyo and the last 5 days. The trip was mostly centred around food and I had a few bucket list places I wanted to go to, Den being my #1.

From my research, I learned they only take reservations between 12pm-5pm Tokyo time, precisely two months before the date you wish to book. I figured we have two windows and ten days to try to book, so it shouldn't be that difficult. I was wrong.

I called maybe close to 100 times for the first few days I was trying to book and never got through. I missed the first window, so I sent an email stating that my husband and I work in restaurants and were celebrating our honeymoon, hoping to appeal to their sentiment. They promptly responded the next day and added us to a waitlist. I had read that some people had gotten in from the waitlist but it was rare.

Fast forward nearly a month when I could start calling for our second window (what would be the last five days of our trip). I downloaded a redial app and called close to 800 times in two days, but never got through. Finally, at around 4:50pm Tokyo time, on my last day to try, they answered the phone. I was in shock and I'm pretty sure I asked if she was real...

What I hadn't realized was the restaurant had been closed for three days for a Japanese holiday. Which made my relentless calling pointless, however it worked in my favour because on the day I got through, they were booking for three days, rather than one. I told her I would take any day, any time. She had one spot left on our final night in Japan. It was meant to be.

WAS IT WORTH IT? Oh my god, yes. I am a career server and my husband is a chef. This was a master class in service. She had asked me several questions on the phone, where are we from (Canada), why were we coming to Japan (honeymoon), what did we do for work, our ages, etc. I remember telling my husband "no wonder why no one can get through on the phone! We just chatted for twenty minutes!" What I didn't realize is they made notes of all that information and clearly debriefed all staff before service. We were greeted by a Canadian who was staging in the kitchen, who spoke specifically to my husband about cooking. And we were surprised by a handwritten happy honeymoon card that brought me to tears. We shared special sake with a gentleman celebrating his birthday. They ran down the street after us when we left to gift us some beautiful "napkins". It was like dining in their living room with some of the most incredible, unpretentious but perfect service.

And the food, of course, was delicious. I honestly felt like the salad was the best part and how dare that be true! It still makes me mad to this day. Everything was so fresh, seasonal, local... special.

One interesting thing to note was that I had made a joke about how difficult it was to make reservations. And they assured me that now we had been and were in the system it would be easier for future reservations. I guess you just have to prove yourself first 🤷🏻‍♀️

Tips for making a reservation:

• download a redial app and set an alarm to start calling at noon Tokyo time, exactly two months before your desired date
• they are closed on Sundays and major holidays, if the date you're hoping to book falls on a Sunday two months before, call on the Monday.
• last resort: email to be put on a waitlist

Edit: spelling

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Status-Inevitable925 on 2024-06-05 12:12:30+00:00.

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Just got back from 2 weeks in Japan and thought I'd write a trip report because I found them really useful whilst organising. I (F28) went with my boyfriend (M30) and we had an amazing time. We definitely packed more into the first half of the trip and could have made more of our last 5 days and time in Tokyo but we didn't want to end the holiday exhausted.

Some things it may be useful to know-

Travel

The only travel we prebooked was the Shinkansen to Tokyo so we could definitely get seats on the Fuji side (always D&E). We picked up ICOCA cards at Miyajimaguchi with no issue and they work all over - if you arrive in Tokyo you'll need a different card and I think there's issues getting them. IC cards work on all trains but for Shinkansens and Limited Express trains you need to buy a ticket - we did it at the machines in the station with no issues.

We just used googlemaps to figure out how to get around and it worked fine - it tells you what sort of train it's suggesting so you know if you'll need tickets. One thing though - my googlemaps would often act as though it was offline even though I had data but if you save it for offline, you shouldn't have an issue.

Food

We mainly ate at Izakayas in the evenings which are essentially small plates restaurants. We'd ordered drinks and a few dishes and then order some more with a second round of drinks. There's usually rice on the menu that you're meant to order at the end of the meal to soak up the alcohol but we filled ourselves up without it.

At most ramen restaurants and some others there's a machine which you put cash into and select what you want (usually pictures to help). The machine prints out tickets and you give these to a member of staff who'll then show you where to sit.

We generally just walked around and looked for a place that looked busy and was mainly filled with Japanese people - all the food we ate was really good so it worked. Apparently, Japanese people tend to rate things lower than you'd expect so places with 3.5 on google would still be really good (and possibly better than places rated higher because it probably means that it's a more local place).

Souvenirs

I collected stamps as we travelled and I'm really pleased I did. All train stations are supposed to have one and then a lot of tourist attractions do to - they're generally near the ticket office / barriers but you often needed to ask a member of staff (especially at the smaller places). Staff all seemed to be prepared for the question and happy to help. I didn't buy my notebook until we were in Japan which means I missed out on the one in the airport.

You can also collect Goshuin in temples where they'll stamp and do calligraphy unique to that temple. You can buy special books at the temples which unfold so you can see all them all at once. I got one but the second one I saw was 800 yen and I panicked that it would end up being expensive so didn't bother - in reality I think most were under 500 yen. I think it would have been a really unique souvenir to have.

Onto the report -

Day 1 - Hiroshima > Miyajima

We landed in Hiroshima at around 10:30am from Seoul so no jetlag. We got the bus into the city (bought tickets from a machine with cash) and left our bags in a locked in the bus station. We grabbed a couple bits in Uniqlo then went to Okonomimura for Okonomiyaki - we just went up the lift to a random floor and chose a random spot - it was really good!

Then we went to the Peace Park and museum - it was a Saturday and the museum was really busy so we didn't spend as much time there as we probably would have liked but it was a really good museum and the park is nice to wander round. We walked up to the Atomic Bomb dome. This probably took a couple of hours but we could have taken longer.

Then went to the Pokemon centre (essentially just a Pokemon shop) and for some reason picked up our bags. We walked to Osaka castle and looked at it from the outside - probably not necessary but was nice to see our first castle.

We caught the ferry to Miyajima from near the atomic bomb dome at around 4:30pm - it's more expensive than doing it via public transport but more convenient.

We got to Miyajima and checked into our Ryokan. I didn't realise that you needed to book dinner a day in advance so we had to go out and find a restaurant that stayed open after 5pm - a lot harder than you'd expect! But we found somewhere and the food was really nice so we were happy. If I was doing it again though I'd make sure to get dinner at the Ryokan because it seemed to do good food.

Being on the island at night was really nice and peaceful - we sat looking at the Torii gate at the sunset and it got dark. We both agreed that if we'd just come to Miyajima on a day trip and experienced all the crowds we probably wouldn't have enjoyed it that much but it was one of the highlights of the trip.

Day 2 - Miyajima > Onomichi

We had breakfast at the Ryokan - it was a traditional Japanese breakfast and there were so many different components it was great! We climbed Mount Misen and the views were incredible. If you go up the cable car, make sure to walk to the other look out point because it's higher and I assume gets a much better view. The walk took us about 2 hours. After the walk, we stopped at Daishoin temple.

We picked up our bags from the Ryokan, grabbed some street food for lunch and said goodbye to Miyajima. We got the ferry to Miyajimaguchi, picked up ICOCA cards and got trains to Onomichi - I think they're actually on the same line but we hadn't figured out the trains yet (and I wanted a stamp) so we went to Hiroshima station first.

We were staying in a hostel just under Senkoji temple so we walked up the hill, dumped our bags and went up to look at the temple. It seems like a lot of places in Onomichi also closed early (although it was a Sunday) but we managed to find a ramen place that was open and it was amazing.

Day 3-4 - Shimanami Kaido

We decided to do the cycle across two days because I was worried about how I'd get on. In the end we did 60km on the first day and 40 on the second - I was pretty tired by the end of each day but not enough for it to not be enjoyable. All the hills on the actual route were very manageable - to get onto the bridges you normally needed to do just under 1km of very steady incline. We did some detours which had some harder hills - I got off to walk twice but never for very long. I'd say I'd definitely be at the lower end of fitness in terms of people who decide to do a 2 day cycle on holiday.

We got our bikes through Shimanami bike rental - I reserved them in advance on their website. I've seen some people complain about the quality of the bikes but I think they were decent. My boyfriend's gears weren't working at first so he went back and the were very apologetic and gave him a new bike when they couldn't fix it easily. The saddles were uncomfortable but everything else was fine.

We used the map we were given for navigation and it was super easy. We randomly chose the detours without thinking too much so we missed most of the things people usually say you should detour for but we had an amazing time and I think doing it over 2 days so we could detour was definitely worth it.

Can't find a version of the map we used to give proper details but we did the recommended route and a sections marked as orange. I really recommend stopping at Kousanji which has a temple and sculptures. We grabbed lunch nearby (there were a lot less restaurants / cafes on route than I was expecting) and then went round Takaneshima Island which wasn't marked as a route but we thought we'd explore. We saw barely anyone and it was nice to cycle round - some tougher hills but not too bad.

We stayed just over the bridge on Ikata island - if I'd been more organised, I'd have booked somewhere on Oshima but there was nowhere convenient when I booked and we didn't end up exploring that island at all because I was too tired by the end of the first day and didn't want to commit to too much at the beginning of the second day. There was only one place open for dinner but we had some great Okonomiyaki.

We started the second day by going to Hirakiyama park which I'd definitely recommend - although this was definitely the toughest climb it was still manageable with only a few minutes walking from me. We had the whole place to ourselves and the views were amazing.

We went off the main recommended route to go to Yoshiumi rose park because they were still blooming - it was really nice to wander round and the cycle there was really good as well. There was one steep hill but it was mostly fine. We stopped just before the last bridge for a seafood bbq where you selected what you wanted and then bbqed it yourself - it was a nice experience and we managed not to make ourselves ill. Then it was over the last long bridge and then a longish cycle on the roads into Imabari to return the bikes.

We thought we'd grab some more food in Imabari but nothing seemed to open until at least 17:30 so we got the bus to Fukuyama (we bought tickets in advanced at the counter but you could pay the driver in cash when you got off) then the train to Himeji. We were pretty tired so we just got some ramen and went to sleep but Himeji seemed like a nice city.

Day 5 - Himeji > Kyoto

We left our bags in lockers at the station and went to the castle. It was ni...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/foodaussie on 2024-06-05 02:19:28+00:00.

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Hi all,

I got so much great assistance from this board so I wanted to give back to the community. I (34F) travelled to Japan solo in May with a week on the ground (9 days including travel) from Australia, so no jet lag. I packed in a lot - I have a family with young kids at home and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity so wanted to make the most of it. For those not travelling solo the itinerary is likely less realistic, but worked great for me. I spent approximately 400,000yen for the 7 days including flights and accommodation, and approximately 100,000 of that was on souvenirs and gifts. I walked at least 30,000 steps each day (with the exception of day 1 which was around 25k + a 17km bike ride).

Day 1 - Arrive 5:30am Haneda, Tokyo (Fri)

• Flew into T1, but arrived a little early and had zero lines through immigration etc so decided to travel by free shuttle bus to T3 to pick up a Welcome Suica. This ended up being so worth it and making life easy.
• Train to Higashi-Ginza, drop off bags. Explore Tsukiji. I recommend Tsukiji Uogashi building for food rather than the markets themselves, significantly cheaper, you can take your meal to the rooftop.
• Coffee from Turret Coffee - a standout for coffee (latte) lovers).
• eBike tour by Compass bikes - I am not a huge fan of tours but this was great way to see a lot in a few hours and I really loved Fukagawa Fudou-dō temple which had a walkway inside that felt like it was designed by TeamLabs (no photos allowed unfortunately)
• Back to Higashi-Ginza, picked up my bags and went to check in to my hotel, Dormy Inn Ueno, which was perfectly located (I loved staying in this area).
• On to the Sumo Tournament for which I had purchased tickets through buysumotickets. I think my whole section had as they were all foreigners, haha! I loved this, a really different experience.
• Explored Ameyokocho before calling it a night.

Day 2 - Tokyo (Sat)

• Up bright and early at 3am. Went to the sento, still couldn't sleep after so took the first train of the day to Asakusa. Explored Senso-ji without crowds. Back to Ueno station where I purchased tickets for the shinkansen the next day. It looks like the line gets busy so this was a good idea to do early.
• Explored Ueno park, Nippori, Ueno by foot.
• Back to hotel to get ready for the day, and out around 8:30am.
• Train to Yoyohi where I got a coffee at Dimlight Espresso then walked through Yoyogi park/Meiji shrine area towards Takeshita St. By now it was around 10:30am and most shops online looked like they didn't open until 11am but most did seem open. I bought some socks at Tabio and then a Harajuku special crepe from Godiva on Meiji-Dori Ave (so good!).
• Walked up Cat St which I loved and was much less busy than the rest of Harajuku and Shibuya. Got some sweets from Number Sugar. On to Shibuya via Miyashita Park. Shopped throughout Shibuya, but it honestly wasn't my favourite as there was just so much choice and so many people. It didn't feel unique to me (ie could have been in any country).
• Train to Akihabara, which was also very busy but felt more unique. I loved Yellow Submarine where I got some board games that are made in Japan but had English instructions, and did some other light shopping for my boys.
• Back to my hotel to rest and eat some gyoza I got on my way from the train station, before heading out for a 7pm localised tour of Shinjuku. Again this was good, but I think limiting doing tours works best for me as I can't take the slow pace, haha!!

Day 3 - Matsumoto, Kiso, Tsumago

• I took the shinkansen to Nagano in gran class which was truly amazing and worth the additional cost. I had the carriage to myself so a personal attendant, meal, slippers included and comfy reclining chair. Then took a train from Nagano to Matsumoto.
• Explored Matsumoto Castle then did a tour at Ishii miso (this was OK, but a bit more of an explanation rather than tour) and visited the Art Museum (this was good for a quick visit even for someone with passing art interest).
• On to Kiso for lunch and to explore, loved the foot bath. Train to Nagiso, where I walked the Nakasendo to my minshuku in Tsumago, Daikichi. Tsumago was just lovely, the people living there are just a wonderful community. Daikichi was incredible. Had a wonderful dinner and breakfast and highly recommend this sort of accommodation.

Day 4 - Tsumago, Magome, Osaka

• Left at 7.30am after breakfast as the weather was not great and more rain was planned as the day progressed. Loved the tea house on the way to Magome. Got in to Magome around 10am, grabbed a coffee from Hillbilly coffee and walked to Chuodo Magome to get a bus as it was a better schedule than the bus from Magome to Nakatsugawa. I don't recommend this as it was a roadhouse with only locals and felt a bit awkward haha. But, it all worked well and was actually a really comfortable trip to Nagoya.
• I decided to take the slower Kintetsu Ltd Express from Nagoya to Osaka-Namba, as it was direct, and I could book a premium seat again which was a great place to rest on a rainy day. The premium seat on the Hinotori was incredible comfy (perhaps more so than the shinkansen?) and had a seat warmer function.
• Explored Kuromon market, Sennichimae Doguyasuji for kitchenware, Ota St, DenDen Town, Dotonbori. Took two trains to my hotel in Kyoto, Hotel Aru. Again this was a fab hotel in a really great location, and the room was much nicer and newer than the Dormy Inn (although no sento).
• Did some washing and crashed.

Day 5 - Kyoto in the rain

• There was a Typhoon in the Philippines today which brought with it significant rain. I had originally planned Nara but with flooding and rain inundation warnings thought I would stick close to my hotel instead.
• Walked to Sentido for a coffee, then on to Kyoto Gyoen National Garden and the Kyoto Imperial Palace. This wasn't in my original itinerary but I really enjoyed it and the audio guide was really well done (and all free!). Another coffee in School Bus Coffee Stop.
• Spent the rest of the day exploring the undercover shopping streets, department stores, Nishiki markets. Loved the Daimaru basement food court, the staff here were especially polite with every single one bowing and greeting me as I walked past.
• Back to my hotel to dry off my feet after they had been wet for the past 14 hrs. The rain had finally eased off so I then headed out at night to explore Yasaka shrine and Gion. I saw a Maiko (who unfortunately looked quite distressed, clearly still getting harassed by tourists!).

Day 6 - Kyoto

• Today I made up for lost time and fit in a LOT. More than I would like realistically, I would have loved more time in Uji and Nara, I would definitely like to spend more time in that region if/when I return to Japan.
• Train to Fushimi Inari, at 5:30am it was still quiet, at 6:30am it was already getting busy. I made the call at the halfway lookout point that I could probably squeeze Nara in if I left then, and tbh Fushimi Inari wasn't a standout for me.
• Grabbed some breakfast at the konbini while I waited for a train to Nara. I loved Nara. Not so much the deer, or Todai-ji (both were good) but the forest beyond and places like Todaiji Nigatsudo, Kasuga Taisha. I loved taking paths where there were no other tourists.
• On to Uji - bought several bags of matcha and sencha, some matcha treats, explored Byodo-in and had a matcha parfait at Tsuen overlooking the river. I would have loved to stay here longer but had a tour booking for 2pm on the other side of Kyoto (but an easy trip due to being on the same line)
• 2pm tour at Matsui sake, a tiny sake house in Kyoto. The tour was great and I loved their anime branding and innovative tasting system.
• The weather today was SO amazing and I really loved this area (Sakyo ward) so hired a bike from emusica edmachiyanagi and travelled north along Kamo River, exploring some temples along the way, having something to eat by the river. Rode to Circus Coffee which had the most lovely staff and I loved the branding. Explored some shopping streets, then on to Philosophers Path and returned the bike around 7:30pm.
• Got a massage at ボディケアボディ 三条河原町店 which was so cheap and so good. Had a 40 min wait so I went to Donki and bought a suitcase for all my extra shopping (had travelled carry-on only). After my massage I packed and crashed.

Day 7 - Kyoto, Inuyama

• Got up and took the train to Kiyomizu (could have walked but my legs were sore!), then walked up to Kiyomizu-dera. I wasn't sure if I would like it as I was disappointed with Fushimi Inari but it was simply spectacular.
• Explored Higashiyama then enjoyed a zen meditation session at Ryosoku-in. This was a great experience!
• Back to my hotel to change and check out then lunch at Roan Kikunoi, my Michelin restaurant (**) for the trip and a wonderful meal and experience.
• Went and grabbed my bags from the hotel, taxi to train station, shinkansen to Nagoya and train to Inuyama.
• Inuyama was a gorgeous little town. Nagoya has a lot less foreign visitors, and there were few signs, train announcements etc in English. I actually didn't see a non-Asian person my whole time in Nagoya (including in the airport the next day). The castle here was gorgeous and I loved the town, a great slower pace to end my trip.

Day 8 - Chubu airport

• There is a train without changes to chubu airport from Inuyama. Unfortunately, I had miscalculated my remaining yen so was 200...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/sangtoms on 2024-06-04 09:27:34+00:00.

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Flights: £600

Hotels: £500-£600

Food, transport and shopping: £500-£600

Interests: architecture, photography, food, cute shops/cafe

First time in Japan and it's something I dreamed about since I began studying the language at a young age. I finally managed to go after years of waiting for the right time! I realised that the "right" time wouldn't come so I booked the tickets 2 months in advance and off I went! Link to my plan that I made 2 months ago.

Hotel reviews

• Forest Hongo by unito ❤️ - Very friendly staff and cleaner who I exchanged conversations with. Free laundry, ironing and microwave on 1 floor. A bit far from station but I enjoyed the walks. Quick and easy check in and check out.
• APA Hotel Midosuji Honmachiekimae Higashi ❤️ - High level of service from staff, very big and comfy bed, convenient location, family mart and 7-eleven 1 min away, fav hotel, express check out (enter your card in the box).
• Hotel Excellence Kyoto Ekimae 😞 - Very meh compared to other hotels, non-existent staff, room was right next to the noisy main road. Luckily it was only for 1 night.
• First Cabin Capsule Hotel (Kansai Airport) £40/night - Separated by gender, very clean and spacious rooms. Very convenient as it's located in the airport with lots of amenities. Hard to sleep if you're a light-sleeper like me but good to experience capsule hotels at least once.

Tokyo 🌆 (4 days)

As I was very sleep deprived and jet-lagged after a 16 hr flight, I didn't enjoy Tokyo as much as I thought I would. I'm not neurodivergent but even I was very overstimulated from all the constant sounds from shops/adverts and colours from the buildings. The stations were a bit stressful to get around with all the crowds but google maps was SO useful by stating which section of the train to get on and which exits were the best. I did really enjoy Harajuku and Shibuya because of the cute shops. Akihabara was a let down but maybe more because I'm not the right audience for all the "toy" shops. Another fascinating thing was that nobody jaywalks, unless it's night time in a quiet street.

Teamlabs Borderless ❤️ exceeded my expectations and I liked how calm and chic the Azubadai Hills area was in general! Definitely go early because the noisy tourists and kids running around can affect how immersed you feel. Loved the Shinjuku area as the streets were more spacious and there were lots of nice shops to go to. Asakusa area was fun to visit with the Sensoji Shrine and stalls. I highly recommend the Kura Sushi chain if you want to try conveyor belt sushi.

Did not expect to see a man peeing in Omoide Yokocho at around 5pm in broad day light but now I know how it got it's nickname as Piss Alley.. apart from that, the streets were very small with lots of nice lanterns and tiny bars which were nice to look at at night but as it was full, we couldn't go into any.

Osaka 🍡 (5 days)

Loved my time here as a foodie and lover of street lights. The massive billboards with the food displays was lovely to see all lit up at night. Places I recommend are Okaru for okonomiyaki, any food stalls with a queue for takoyaki, Kushikatsu Daruma for skewers. I also visited the Pokemon centre, Ghibli store and Nintendo stores, fulfilling my childhood dreams. There are so many cute gacha machines around which made my inner child so so happy.

Dotonbori and Shinsekai ❤️ at night was really gorgeous with the lit up billboards. I really felt the city come to life at night. We also saw Hozenji Temple which was very relaxing amongst the busy streets. Osaka Castle and Namba Yasaka Shrine were also worth visiting! I also visited Cat Cafe Mikazuki and the owner was very sweet, explaining everything in her best English until she realised 日本語でおk

Kyoto ⛩️ (2 days)

I regret not staying here for longer. Walking around the quiet streets of hilly Arashiyama is something I'll never forget. There's a really nice 7-eleven I found with space to sit down and eat. I wish more konbini's had this too. As it rained on the first day, I didn't get up to much except Nishiki Market where they had lots of food and souvenir shops! I managed to squeeze a lot in the next day. The Kyoto City Bus made sightseeing so easy.

Got up early to see the Golden Temple which was an architectural masterpiece. I loved taking photos. Despite lots of school trip crowds and some rude chinese tourists, there were areas that were very zen and peaceful. After that I saw the Ryoanji Rock Garden, which was very calming. After being so overstimulated in Tokyo, I needed this break so much.

Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama 20 min up-hill hike was hard but worth it when I saw the cute baby monkeys. Lots of families seemed to enjoy this place and it just brightened my day. There were rules we had to follow and people were quite sensible and respectful when going near them or feeding them.

The highlight was Togetsukyo Bridge ❤️ which was so serene and beautiful. I loved walking down the main road with all the cute souvenir shops and food stalls. I had a lovely dango here too and admired all the people walking in their beautiful kimonos. For the first time in this trip, I didn't feel annoyed by all the tourists because I could see how excited they were, sharing this experience in Japan, just like me.

After that I managed to pop by Gion in the afternoon to see the Hokan-ji Temple which was nice but a bit underwhelming as the streets were very small and crammed with people trying to get the same photos.

Thoughts and tips:

-Using an e-sim from Airalo was very quick to install and saved a lot of hassle. I also used a digital Suica on my iphone to pay for transport which was very quick and easy. At the end of my journey, my suica refused to accept money which was annoying but I managed to buy tickets at the machines. I used Monzo for all payments at the konbini but cash was required for shrines and restaurants/bars so always have cash in hand- at least £50-80. I didn't have any fees when getting cash from 7-eleven ATMs.

-Don Quihote had some cool stuff but it was so overwhelming with hundreds of people in there. I liked Loft and other shopping centres around the cities more. I luckily went to Japan with only 1/4-1/2 of my luggage full so all my souvenirs fit! There are elevators in stations so didn't have a problem with carrying luggage around.

-Please don't be the cringey tourist that says "arigato" to strangers as it's too informal. Use "arigato gozaimasu" as that is the standard way. Also if you're a man, please don't go on the women-only carriages or sit on the women-only seats on the JR trains as women can get very uncomfy. I saw male tourists doing these things.

-Coin lockers were SO useful and there are plenty around stations. There are no bins in Japan so I would try and eat things at the konbini and throw it away there or take it back to my hotel. The only people on trains who were talking really loudly were- you guessed it- tourists.. Most locals were very quiet on public transport as there are signs everywhere to not be a nuisance to others. Women carriages were very useful during busy times.

-Being able to speak Japanese made things so much easier as people relaxed around me and were very friendly. I didn't feel as anxious being alone in a country on the other side of the world. The level of English isn't great so knowing basic phrases ~~is a must~~ would make your experience a lot more enjoyable.

-The quality of service in Japan is high. Shop attendants will greet you every time, the bus driver announces every time the bus is about to move so you don't fall, the hotels give free amenities.

-I appreciated how well-dressed everyone was, especially in Shinjuku and Harajuku area where they really showed their individuality through their fashion. People in general were dressed better than in London, even the middle-aged men were rocking suits. Not a single hoodie and tracksuit in sight (unless it was styled up).

-I loved how useful and cheap the Yamato takkyubin service was. My hotel didn't have it but they directed me to the nearest Family-Mart 2 min away and they sent it to my hotel in Osaka. I was nervous leaving my luggage but when I saw it the next day, I was so relieved! Will definitely use this again especially as it was only £11.

-As the yen was weak against the pound, I ended up buying a lot of stuff and was surprised at how cheap konbini food was for the quality. I got the katsu sando at least once every day for a bit. It was so good!! Lawson's karaage-kun was also delicious!! I also got a bit obsessed with the Wonda Cafe au lait. As a solo traveller, the konbini was a life-saver for eating out. Most of the time I met my friends for dinner but a lot of places have seats for solo diners on the bar area.

This trip was everything I wanted for a holiday and I'm already planning my next trip. Next time, I'll definitely spend longer than 10 days and spend more time in nature or less touristy areas. Some places: Kamakura to see the trams by the beach, Nikko and Wakayama for waterfalls, see Mount Fuji, private onsen somewhere.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Maniac222 on 2024-06-02 19:40:41+00:00.

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Hey we (37m and 35f) had a trip with my parents who are 65 and 69years old. We are from Germany. Had planned this trip since pre covid and right now planning a trip for 2025 :) Not the biggest foodies, so not so much to say here. We used the railpass to get around. We wanted to see the autumn leaves 🍂 in Kyoto and experience some of the Christmas flair in Japan, we visited some Christmas markets too.

flights

• Hannover to Paris to Tokyo for around 1000€ (with the update to more leg room, emergency exit seats) I can highly recommend this, because not only for the leg room, it is super nice that you don’t have to stand up if someone wants to leave your row)
• had a night flight from Paris to Tokyo. So we started at 22:00 in Paris and arrived at 20:00 in Tokyo after finding the hotel etc we stayed awake till midnight and basically had no jet lag the other days

Tokyo (7nights)

• Hotel: sequence SUIDOBASHI with breakfast 10/10
• to hotel is near the Tokyo dome and in the middle of the Yamamoto line (but not part of the circle) but with good access to a subway and a JR line (both max 5min walktime)
• breakfastswas awesome, you had a choice of 5 menus and they were all fantastic! Because of the Tokyo dome there are many bars etc in the surrounding very nice location at all.

Highlight activities in Tokyo

• teamlab Planets(booked in advance) super stylish art display. Went in the morning not to crowded 9/10
• Tokyo skytree: even though it was nov 23rd there was a small Xmas market in front of it(pretty cool) The Skytree itself what to say it is super high and big and well managed but pretty expensive too I would say you could skip this one 5/10
• Asakusa Shrine: went on a Sunday and it was super crowded and we arrived at around 16-17 o’clock and some of the vendors were closing their stalls. But the temple/shrine itself is beautiful and I nice place for souvenir shopping 7/10
• shibuya sky what a awesome place we went after sunset (booked in advance but didn’t get tickets for the sunset timeslots). We had the champagne couch option (you have a 50min timeslot with snacks a blanket and champagne) awesome so look at the city und have a wonderful evening 10/10!
• Seirinkan one food spot I have to mention! We went to this pizza place they only serve Margarita and one other pizza style. We had to ask to hotel to make a reservation but it was awesome 10/10!
• Yokohama Went there by train (45min ride) visited the Cup noodle museum, very cool, visited the giant robot at the harbour, went to chinatown (very big, but if u want to eat in a restaurant you should make a reservation!) and visited the yokohama xmas market. Awsome day! 10/10
• A couple of things to the xmas markets they are pretty much like a german christmas market with a japanese twist. Very long lines for food etc. so you cant get drunk there. We waited like 20min for our Glühwein. They do have own cups for the specific xmas market but they do sell out, so be quick!
• DisneySea It looks fantastic and the rides are quit nice, we went on a Thursday but the waittime was pretty long Indiana Jones ride was 90min i think, we didn't understand the reservation system via app so we had to wait for everything. Popcorn is like 20-30min waittime :( . Merch is super expensive there like 50€/$ to 100€/$ for a t-shirt, the show at the evening was awsome so all in all it was a 7/10
• We visited a cafe where u can show them a picture of your pet and they make "latte art" of that picture (you can film it etc.) you have to arrive early in the morning and you get a ticket in the queline (we had to wait 60min) you get an email and then you have to be there in 10-15min i think (1,5h time slot)

Kyoto(5nights)

• Hotel The OneFive Kyoto Shijono breakfast 8/10
• Very big rooms, There was no breakfast option there, but they do have a group room in the second floor where u can eat etc. , free coffee/tea there and in the lobby too, a bus stop right in front of the hotel was nice too, because:
• the only way to get around in Kyoto is by bus in our experience, the buses arrive not always on time and are pretty crowded (dont forget it was peak autumn leave season!). As much as i liked Kyoto the buses where the worst public transportation "system" in all of our visited cities :(

Highlight activities in Kyoto

• the romantic train was already booked, so we did a river boat tour and the scenery was epic. Cant describe how beautiful it was. After the tour (2h) you are right at the foot of Arashiyama for the bamboo grove and the monkey park 10/10!
• Day trip to Nara. So many deers. You can feed them they bow :). They are not very agressive, pretty chill. A lot of temples there too. One with a giant buddha statue in it. Highly reccommend! 10/10
• Fushimi Inari, very crowded at the beginning if u hike up a little bit it gets better, very nice view on top. My parents managed the hike quit easily 9/10
• a lot of temples, combined with the autumn color are just beatiful. Like the golden temple
• Kyoto train station, super modern, a lot of places where u can eat a giant LED staircase, so go when it is dark :), next to the station is the kyoto tower and under the tower are even more places to eat
• Sake tasting experience: Booked in advance for like 85€, you got a tour through the brewery and after that a tasting with like 10 sakes. I personally didn't like the sake, but the girls loved it and we meet some people form australia and portugal, cool event 8/10

Osaka(4nights)

• Hotel : Hotel Sobial Namba Daikokucho with breakfast 5/10
• We didnt like the hotel sadly :(, breakfast was ok, but the rooms are super tiny u cant even open our suitcase there was no public are. only the lobby with like 3 or 4 seats but because of the traffic of the people it got pretty cold because the door was open all the time. At the evening we like to sit down, drink a beer or two and watch our vid/photos of the day. But this was simply not possible there. At least a subway station is right in front of the hotel

Highlight activities in Osaka

• USJ We booked it in advance and got a express pass for Harry Potter and Nintendoland. We all loved the atmosphere there, the rides where awsome (jaws!, mario card, flight of the dinosaurs) a lot of people with merch or costumes there. 10/10
• Osaka Castle was not very impressive, by the time the fall color where gone so maybe in peak auztumn color or cherry blossum it would look nicer.... 5/10
• Day trip Himeji Castle: What a fantastic castle, it has 7 stories so you have to climb a little bit. Most of the time without your shoes so if you dont like to go barefoot be aware! 9/10

Hiroshima(3nights)

• Hotel: The Knot with breakfast 10/10
• Italian breakfast (you can only chance the style of egg you got, but for 3 days...everything fine :) ), they do have a sky bar and you get some knot coins for free, which you can exchange for drinks at the bar.
• maybe two days are enough for hiroshima, we used the 3rd day for shopping

Highlight activities in Hiroshima

• PeacePark: What to say just sad and impressive at the same time...must visit if you are in hiroshima. So no rating here!
• Miyajima island: The island is impresive. You can hike to the top of Mt. Misen (620m). They said it would take 2-3h we needed 5h or so...and there are a lot(!) of stairs my parents struggled a little bit. There is also a ropeway which gets you like 90% to the top... a lot of dears at the foot of the montain. the Torii gate is impressive too! 10/10

Shimoda, izu peninsula (2nights)

• Hotel Shimoda Tokyu Hotel, no breakfast 7/10
• pretty old hotel, breakfast was too expensive, not many customers, on top of a hill, so you need a taxi or shuttle bus to get there. The hotel offers a shuttle bus from 9 to 17:oo o'clock

Highlight activities in Shimoda

• visited Mt. Omuro only to see that the lift was closed that day (and the bus only arrives every hour :D ) 0/10,
• so we went to a nearby city to the beach, lovly beaches there! 8/10
• Saphir Odoriko train back to tokyo. Booked in advance (150€). Best train ride of my life. So scenic. Awsome seats, superb service. One of the highlights of the trip 10/10

Tokyo(2nights)

• Hotel: the b Ginza, with breakfast 9/10
• very modern, free pancakes, free coffee, latte art for free, breakfast was "ok", big rooms

We did a lot of souvenir shopping the last 1,5 days so, not much to say here :D

I hope u liked this trip report. As said in the beginning we plan to go back in april or may 2025 for the Osaka expo. We missed a lot of daytrips from tokyo (Hakone, Kamakura) and didnt visit Hokaido or Okinawa, maybe next time :)

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/TheJakeanator272 on 2024-06-02 23:57:07+00:00.

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Looks like I’m flying to Korea now!