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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Cucumber_Lonely on 2024-11-18 06:52:25+00:00.

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Hi all,

My wife and I are planning a trip to Japan in february next year. We are both 30 year old doctors in India, who have been planning this dream trip for a long time now. We have paid heed to the repeated cry of "ITS TOO PACKED" in the thousands of itneraries that we have gone through in this sub, which has been extremely helpful and our gratitude knows no bounds for this goldmine of a subreddit. We have tried to include less touristy places and experiences as well. We are both interested in art, culture, literature, food and shopping.

Sharing with you our draft itinerary. Have at it!

Feb 7, Friday:

• Land in KIX at around 3 pm, travel to kyoto, check in to Forza kyoto shijo kawaramachi
• Explore the area around the hotel-ive got my eyes on the bookoff in the neighbourhood to scour for some bargains on pokemon cards and such stuff (wife is not aware of this secret nefarious plan of mine), settle in, get some shut-eye

Feb 8, Saturday

• Explore gion, ninnenzaka, sannenzaka, enrol ourselves in a tatami mat workshop
• Stroll along kamo river in the evening and return to hotel

Feb 9, Sunday

• Early start, head to fushimi inari
• Gekkeikan sake museum and sake street
• Kyoto International Manga museum
• There happens to be a flea market-rakunen marche happening at the AEON mall, so would probably go there for a cursory perusal

Feb 10, Monday

• Day trip to Osaka
• Stroll at a leisurely pace from Tennoji to Dotonbori through shinsekai, nipponbashi, and denden town
• Return to kyoto by 10 pm (or stay overnight at a love hotel in osaka, sadly the wife is not too keen about this alternative though

Feb 11, Tuesday

• Kyoto a free kinda day, maybe go to Uji for the matcha and for the nintendo museum if we get tickets

Feb 12, Wednesday

• Shinkansen to hiroshima (planning to purchase a JR kansai-hiroshima pass, seems to work out cheap for our itinerary)
• Ferry to Miyajima, explore the island, get assaulted by the local cervine residents, go up mt. Misen, and overnight stay on the island at a hotel called Sakuraya

Feb 13, Thursday

• After further leisurely strolling around the island early in the morning, catch the ferry back to Hiroshima, explore the Peace Park
• Okonomiyaki at okonomimura and post-lunch stroll around the city
• Catch Shinkansen to okayama, a JR line train from okayama to Uno port and then the ferry to Naoshima
• Check in at Tsutsujiso naoshima (the place with the yurts, but we have booked a japanese style room)

Feb 14, Friday

• Full day exploration of the island on electric bicycles, with emphasis on Chichu Museum as the James Turell Open Sky exhibit showcases a light show kinda deal every Friday evening

Feb 15, Saturday

• Travel back to Okayama and check in to Via Inn Okayama, this pit stop was mainly incorporated into out itinerary by the Saidaiji Eyo Hadaka Matsuri (Naked man festival) which happens to be conducted on the third Saturday of Feb every year and we had to include this as we both love witnessing local festivals and rituals when we travel
• Rest up till afternoon and go attend the matsuri and catch the last train back to Okayama

Feb 16, Sunday

• Make our way to Kurashiki, chill by the canals, check out the Ohara art gallery and then return to Okayama by afternoon
• Travel to Kawaguchiko through Osaka and check in to Hotori no hotel Ban-no particular itinerary, stroll by the lakeside, go to an onsen if in the mood, watch the fireworks display that happens at 8pm every February weekend at Kawaguchi

Feb 17, Monday

• Travel to Tokyo and check in to Sotetsu Fresa Inn Akasaka
• Check out and wander around Jimbocho
• Ginza(watch kabuki at kabukiza) and then TeamLabs borderless

Feb 18, Tuesday

• Sensoji early morning visit
• wander around asakusa, stroll through kappabashi, and then reach ueno park, check out the national museum and lunch at ameyoko, then explore yanaka ginza in the evening

Feb 19, Wednesday

• Meiji Jingu, walk to harajuku, explore, lunch at harajuku and then stroll down to shibuya
• Shibuya (shopping at parco, pokemon center etc., visiting hachiko, going up shibuya sky for a night view)
• Clubbing/ chilling at a pub/jazz bar in Shibuya

Feb 20, Thursday

• Yokohama day trip-Strawberry festival at the red brick warehouse, then the cup noodles museum
• On returning to tokyo, explore tokyo station and head to shinjuku for a nightcap

Feb 21, Friday

• Shimokitazawa and Koenji exploration/ return to areas which we feel like revisiting/ enroll in a kintsugi workshop

Feb 22, Saturday

• Flight back to India from NRT

Any suggestions or feedback is highly appreciated, TIA!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/RedStarRedTide on 2024-11-18 20:23:39+00:00.

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This was my first time in Japan and my first international trip. I want to thank the people in this sub for giving me advice and tips on luggage, wifi access, and neighborhoods to visit. This was my original post regarding itinerary help.

About me: I am an Asian American from the United States in my early thirties. I studied basic travel phrases for a couple months prior to my trip, so I had some words down for ordering food, shopping, and small talk. I went with a group of three other friends (two of them went to Japan last year) but we stayed in separate locations in Tokyo. I was exploring solo around 70 percent of the time.

Day One (Monday) - Landed at Haneda

Flew Japan Airlines and the experience and food were excellent. Had two meals and snacks so I felt satisfied. I barely slept during the nearly 12 hour flight with only a brief nap. I also forgot my earbuds at home so I was extremely bored and passed the time talking to my friend.

The first part of the trip was rocky. We landed in Haneda at the same time as several other flights. Going through immigration was horrific. It took us nearly an hour and 45 minutes to clear the gates where the passport checkers were. The lines were long and winding and the ventilation was poor with barely any air conditioning coming in. This was easily the worst part of the trip.

We went to currency exchange, picked up our Welcome Suica cards, and I picked up my pocket wifi at the ninja wifi counter (obtained through Japan Wireless) since my phone does not support esim. We took our respective trains to our lodging and luckily did not get lost.

I stayed at Hotel Sardonyx Ueno which was a couple blocks from Okachimachi Station. The hotel was excellent but the rooms are small. The hotel has coin laundry which costs 600 yen for a 2 hour wash and dry cycle. The staff were nice and I got checked in quickly. I checked in around 10:15 PM. I was unsure of what to eat so in desperation, I went to the local McDonald's (lol) and picked up some fries and a burger.

Day Two (Tuesday) - Ueno Park - Ameyoko Shopping District - brief detour to Asakusa

I spent the first day exploring the "home base" of Ueno. I was out and about around 7:45 AM. I went to Komeda's Coffee for a cup of joe and ordered a tonkatsu sandwich which came with toast and egg. It was a great way to kick off the trip with some caffeine and a bite.

I explored Ueno Park which was a short walk away. The park was peaceful and quiet as I passed by the Saigō Takamori statue. I walked by some shrines and Takenodai Square. The park was beautiful and walkable. It was clean and the trees and foliage were well kept. Unfortunately, the Tokyo National Museum was closed due to Culture Day so I elected to go back to Ameyoko Shopping District by taking the train at Ueno Station.

I went and explored Ameyoko Shopping District. There are loads of stalls and eateries including markets, tea shops, izakayas, ramen shops, clothing stores, and arcades.

The highlight of the night was a haircut appointment I had booked in October for Hiro Ginza Ueno. It was 10,120 yen for a 90 minute haircut, shave, and head spa. It was very relaxing and I was happy to start my trip with a fresh cut. Although there was a significant language barrier, I was extremely satisfied with the haircut and service.

I did a very quick trip to Asakusa to wrap up the evening since my friend wanted to grab some beers. The bar was small but lively. Beer is always good!

Day Three (Wed) - Asakusa - Sumida Park - Tobu Railway Musuem - Tokyo Skytree

I walked along the big street Inaricho station is located on to Asakusa. It took about 35-40 minutes to reach the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center. I grabbed coffee along the way. Kaminarimon, Nakamise Dori, and Senso-ji along with the surrounding areas were beautiful but packed full of people. This was around 10-10:30 AM.

After visiting the temples, I went inside Don Quixote Asakusa and the surrounding areas. The store was full of items - luggage, cosmetics, snacks, electronics, clothes, etc. It was a bit overwhelming though.

Sumida Park was next. It was very quiet with a few bikers, and dog walkers. It was a bit drizzly and gloomy but I still had fun getting my steps in along the river.

Tobu Museum is a small but enjoyable railway museum. Thanks to u/dougwray for suggesting! There were no crowds at all so I had a leisurely stroll inside. The historical train carriages were fascinating and you can walk and sit inside most of them.

Tokyo Skytree was phenomenal. I reunited with my friends here and bought combo tickets for the Tembo Deck and Galleria. Imho it was well worth it. I got to the ticketing booth at 3:55 PM and was able to choose the 4:00 PM entry time. The views left me speechless and we stayed for pictures as it transitioned into nighttime with all the glittering lights.

Day Four (Thursday) - Akihabara - Tokyo Dome - Ichigaya

Walked from the hotel to Cafe Lapin at around 9 AM. The cheese toast and coffee were delicious! It wasn't your run of the mill grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese was soft and gooey but had substance. The coffee was rich and bold.

Afterwards I walked to Akihabara which took around 18-25 minutes. It was around 10 AM and most stores were still closed so I decided to walk to Higashi-Nihombashi to visit the Sakazen Large Size Specialty Store. This is a great store if you're a bigger guy like me who wears XXL-XXXL clothing. The selection was decent and I was able to pick up a button down. Took the train back to Akihabara to meet with friends and explored the model kit shops like Tamtam, Warhammer Cafe, and Popondetta Akihabara (thank you u/dougwray again!).

Dropped off my purchases at the hotel and took the train to Tokyo Dome. I am a huge baseball fan so this was a must see. The NPB season had ended in October but the shops, mall, spa, and amusement park were still open. Tokyo Dome City is massive.

Lastly, I ended the night with a head spa appointment I booked at Mr. Head by Ichigaya Station. It was 90 minutes of blissful massage for 11,200 yen.

Day Five (Friday) - Ginza

Started the morning at 8:35 AM at Glitch Coffee in Ginza. The shop opens at 9 AM so I went around the block for 15 minutes before coming back. Big mistake. There was already a small line and there were about 12 people ahead of me. I finally entered at around 9:35 AM. I paid 2000 yen for a coffee (roughly $15) per their recommendation. It was easy to drink and smelled wonderful like fruit but I didn't think it was worth 2000 yen lol. Definitely recommend coming here during opening. There was a line for at least 30-40 yards when I exited the shop.

Walked around Tsukiji Outer Market around 10:15 AM. The market was packed full of people and I didn't feel like trying some of the yummy snacks since the lines were long. Headed back to Ginza and explored shops like Montbell, Porter, etc. I headed to Tokyo Station afterwards for lunch at Tokyo Ramen Street. I got lost trying to leave Tokyo Station but eventually got to Marunouchi Square which was gorgeous. I am a big fan of the old-school looking train station! The plaza is huge and spacious - perfect for photos. I turned around and entered the Kokyo Gaien National Garden. This place was massive but I wasn't sure how much I could explore. The trees and grass were well kept and the views through the garden to the city were superb. I walked through the garden paths and exited back to Ginza.

I explored more of Ginza including the Uniqlo Flagship Store but the narrow aisles and huge crowds weren't as fun. Unfortunately, my feet were in significant pain that day and I had to cut my evening short by coming back to Ueno.

Day Six (Saturday) - Ueno

This was a rest/laundry day owing to my poor feet. I bought some teas and matcha for my family in Ameyoko early in the morning at 10 am when the shops opened up. I went back to the Tokyo National Musuem since it was closed on Tuesday. The pieces were excellent but imo somewhat limited. There were swords, pottery, wall dividers, artwork, sculptures, and more. Note: I only got the regular ticket but it seems like the premium ticket would be the better investment for more access.

Had Magurobito in Ueno for an early sushi dinner. I took advantage of there being no line and sat at the counter. The chef makes sushi according to your selection off a menu. The fish and seafood were delicious and it was relatively affordable (15 pieces for around $31 USD). In retrospect, I should have eaten more sushi on the trip but my body was constantly craving ramen. Went back to the hotel to start the laundry cycle and went back out to Ameyoko for some more food.

Day Seven (Sunday) - Return to Ginza

This was a shopping-focused day. I had to make up some of the time lost on Day Five. I started off the day at the Tamiya Plamodel Factory. The facility was clean, bright, and family-friendly. I think Tamtam or Yodobashi Camera have a bigger selection of model kits, but the packaging at Tamiya Plamodel Factory seem cleaner and newer.

Did some more exploring in Ginza. Went into various malls like Ginza Six which was chalk full of boutique go...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Infinitris on 2024-11-18 15:12:32+00:00.

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I just returned last week from a 10-days trip to Tohoku (with a splash of Tokyo for shopping). It was nothing short of amazing, and I would definitely return for a visit again in the near future. The landscapes were stunningly beautiful, and the slower pace of life and lack of crowds(!) provided a much different experience from touring the popular cities. If you like nature, rugged sea coasts, you have to see Tohoku. It's also great if you have travel companions (like my parents) who don't enjoy cities, noise, and crowds that much.

Arrangements I made to factor in my elderly parents' (69 & 71yo) creaky joints and average fitness:

• Hotels were all within walking distance (<10mins) from major shinkansen stations
  • Aomori (3-nights): Hotel JAL City Aomori. Daiwa Roynet might have been a better choice here, but the breakfast at JAL was amazing so it was worth it. I had lots of scallops and other seafood, so did my parents.
  • Akita (1 night): ANA Crowne Plaza Akita. This was supposed to be a buffer before our onsen stay. Very convenient with plenty of food options around the hotel.
  • Nyuto Onsen (1 night): Taenoyu Ryokan. Not very easy to get to, but there was minimal walking involved. Will provide a detailed write up below.
  • Sendai (2-nights): Hotel Monterey Sendai. Pretty near to Sendai station. There is an elevator on the overhead walkway next to Parco 2 which one can take. There is NO NEED to carry baggages down stairs. You can use their spa (onsen) for free!
  • Asakusa (2-nights): Asakusa Tobu Hotel It's right beside Asakusa Station on the Ginza line. Very easy to get to if travelling on Shinkansen to Ueno. Elevators to street level are all accessible (ableit with some searching and keen eyes)
• Minimal luggage dragging
  • Booked transport to and from airports. From Aomori, it was ~6300yen and booked through KKday. A little pricey, but Aomori airport is in the middle of nowhere and we landed at 8pm. To Haneda, it was ~9000yen, booked through Klook. Asakusa Tobu Hotel offers same day luggage delivery to airport. Might want to consider that if you are on a tighter budget.
  • Used Kuro Neko Yamato delivery for baggage. Sent ours at 2000yen per piece from Akita (through hotel) to Sendai so we could travel hands free to Nyuto Onsen. Best 6000 yen spent. Hotel staff filled up all details for us and we arrived at our Sendai hotel with luggage already sent to our rooms.
• All hotel booking had breakfast.
  • Starting the day with full tummies ensures the elderly travel far.

Trip Report

• Day 1 - Aomori
  • Flew SQ to Tokyo T3, then transferred to T1 for domestic flight (JAL) to Aomori
  • Passed immigration, grabbed luggages and checked in again all at T3. Counters only opened at certain time for JAL/ANA, please check airport website.
  • Note that it's possible to pass through security check at T3 and shuttle buses to T1/T2 are available too.
  • Dinner was ramen at T1. Not great, but hey, not every meal has to be amazing. The main thing was keeping my parents sated and happy.
  • Checked in at about 9pm. Took a short walk to Lawson for some nice konbini fried chicken supper.
• Day 2 - Aomori
  • Morning: Went to ASPAM, paid for 360deg observatory, had very(!) delicious apple pie, and bought plenty of apple pastries.
  • Afternoon: Checked out the station & Lovina. Bought gigantic apples the size of small melons. They were delicious. Had late lunch at ootoya. (My parents don't take raw food so there was no nokkedon for them, and me >.<) We later went to Auga Fish market where most stores were closed because of Culture Day. Bought some dried scallops -- they are the secret ingredient to making eggs, soups and porridges so much better. Sweet and umami. The smaller they are, the sweeter!
  • Evening: Nothing, LOL. Shops closes very early. Bought snacks for supper at lawson. Turned in early.
• Day 3 - Aomori
  • Day trip to Oirase Gorge, Lake Towada and Hirosaki booked through KKday. Tour was conducted in Chinese.
  • As there was a recent spike in temperatures, the autumn leaves stayed on and we got some really good views of the gorge. Totally worth the long drive. It was a pity though that we didn't have time for Hakkoda ropeway. Might consider that when I visit the region again.
  • Hirosaki is home to many many apple parks, and the castle grounds were beautiful. We got more apples (and jam!) from a nearby local store. They were very sweet and juicy. The peanut cookies sold there were also very good. Would recommend a stay in the city if time permits.
• Day 4 - Aomori -> Akita
  • Took the Resort Shirakami to Akita.
  • Beautiful views of northwestern coastlines. Consider reservations the day tickets come out, or better yet, the hour which they are released. I made mine the day after and many seats were gone, but it could have been a seasonal thing
  • Afternoon/Evening: Walked around the vicinity of Akita Station. Saw the nearby park a bit. Had udon for dinner. It was a chill evening. Chill is good for elderly.
• Day 5 - Akita -> Tazawako -> Nyuto Onsen (Highlight!)
  • Arrived at Tazawako to fog in the mountains and light rain. Temperatures fell to ~4c. Took the Tazawako loop bus to see the lake, which would have been prettier if the weather wasn't so dreary. But we had an amazing lunch near the station that was prepared by the sweetest lady so all was good. (Ekimae Shokudo)
  • Took the Nyuto line bus towards the onsen. FYI, the bus has space for luggage, but only big enough for maybe 3-4 standard sized baggages, and one has to lift them onto the storage area about 1m above floor. Several lockers are available near station (not just at the kiosks) if one wants to store baggages. The tourist center ONLY keeps your luggages until 4-5pm.
  • Had the great fortune of witnessing rain turning to snow(!!!!) while the bus slowly climbed its way up the mountains. By the time we reached Tae no yu, there was white everywhere. It was truly a sight to behold. Red autumn leaves covered in powdery snow. So, so beautiful T_T. The inn staff mentioned it was the first snow of the year, and it usually fell for an hour or so, but that day, it snowed till late in the evening.
  • The stay at the ryokan was really comfortable. Food was fresh (expect lots of mushrooms and vegetables), and there was an option for Kiritanpo, which was delicious!
  • The onsen facilities were clean with plenty of baths to choose from (Silver & Gold). The open mixed gender bath had a womens only hour from 5-6pm. It had unobstructed view of the waterfall. Truly a treat.
• Day 5 - Nyuto Onsen -> Tazawako -> Sendai
  • Left Nyuto Onsen for Tazawako station and then Shinkansen to Sendai. The weather had cleared by that morning, and we were treated to blue skies and the beautiful soft peaks of the surrounding mountains, some with snow still present.
  • Unfortunately, the shinkansen we were on was delayed (slightly more than hour). By the time we reached Sendai, it was late afternoon and the sun was setting.
  • We strolled around the station and checked out several nearby malls. Dinner was at saboten. My parents had a lot of fun grinding sesame seeds for the sauce.
• Day 6 - Sendai -> Yamadera -> Sendai
  • Climbed Yamadera (yes, climb)
  • I asked my parents to choose between a leisurely day trip to matsushima for some beautiful islands or hike the 1000 steps(!!!) for amazing views. For some reason, they chose the latter.
  • We took the 8am train to beat the crowd (but i think the 7am one would have been better). The hike up was... challenging for my parents, but they made it to the top in the end. I suspect they were spurred on by the many elderly japanese that overtook them.
  • Views of the valley from Godaido hall were gorgeous. And my parents were really glad they pushed themselves.
  • Afternoon/Evening: We had a simple late lunch back in Sendai. The rest of the afternoon was spent resting, and we later enjoyed the complimentary spa baths (great after a hike). Skipped dinner.
• Day 7 - Sendai -> Tokyo
  • Shikansen to Ueno, then a short subway ride to Asakusa where I met up with a friend and her mum (61yo)
  • Asakusa Tobu Hotel is probably one of the best hotels to stay in the area. Proximity to everything made eating out and shopping a breeze.
  • Afternoon/Evening: We walked to skytree and got the full access ticket (booked earlier through klook). Reserving a ticket online definitely helps in beating the line and the line was LONG.
  • Had a simple dinner (ramen) at the location itself.
• Day 8 - Nikko
  • My friend booked a private tour (total 70000 yen) to Nikko.
  • The ride there was painfully long (nearly 3hrs), but the views at Nikko were magnificient as we arrived to pre/peaking red/orange/golden leaves. Watched a Japanese TV programme earlier in the trip ranking the best places to view fall foliage n Japan, and Nikko was ranked number 1. I could understand why.
  • Saw Kogen falls, Shinkyo bridge, Toshogu shrine and the other temples. All had beautiful fall foliage, but OMG THE CROWDS. Still, the views were worth it.
  • Had delicious lunch at a syokudo restaurant (Hippari-Dako) that sold cheap, hearty meals (think yakisoba+rice+chicken skewers for just 900 yen). The chicken was really, really good. Highly recommended. It's rated 4.5 stars for a reason.
• **Day 9 - Asakusa (Exploring/Strolling)*...

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

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Hello, I never been to Japan, and i would like some recommendations to my itinerary. I did one by collecting here and there the best spot to see.

Please let me know if it’s something good and something where we can enjoy the trip without being tired and in a rush.

Trip :

TOKYO January 11 – Arrival and Shibuya Exploration

Morning: Arrive at Haneda Airport, activate eSIM, take the train to the hotel. Afternoon: Explore Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko Statue, and shops (Shibuya 109), stroll down Takeshita Street, visit Meiji Jingu Shrine. Evening: Dinner at an izakaya, evening walk in Shibuya or Omotesando.

January 12 – Shinjuku, Skyscrapers & Asakusa

Morning: Visit Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observatory. Afternoon: Explore Asakusa, Senso-ji Temple, Nakamise Street, and Tokyo Skytree. Evening: Dinner in Shinjuku, enjoy Golden Gai bars.

January 13 – Harajuku, Akihabara & Roppongi

Morning: Visit Harajuku (Takeshita Street, JumpShop, Nezu Shrine). Afternoon: Explore Akihabara (anime, manga), experience a Maid Café. Evening: Dinner in Roppongi or Shibuya.

January 14 – Odaiba & Joypolis

Morning: Visit Miraikan or teamLab Borderless in Odaiba. Afternoon: Explore DiverCity Tokyo Plaza and Joypolis (Sega amusement park). Evening: Return to Shibuya or Shinjuku for dinner and evening stroll.

January 15 – Kawaguchiko & Mt. Fuji

Morning: Travel to Kawaguchiko, view Mt. Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi or take the Kachi Kachi Ropeway. Afternoon: Visit Chureito Pagoda for a panoramic view. Evening: Return to Tokyo for dinner in Shibuya or Shinjuku.

NIKKO January 16 – Nikko Nature & Temples

Morning: Take the train to Nikko, visit Ryuzu Falls and Yudaki Falls, enjoy nature. Afternoon: Visit Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls, and Toshogu Shrine. Evening: Return to Tokyo, optional evening out in Shibuya or Shinjuku.

KYOTO January 17 – Arashiyama & Gion

Morning: Visit Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji Temple, and optionally Monkey Park Iwatayama. Afternoon: Visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), explore Gion district. Evening: Dinner in Pontocho.

January 18 – Nara Day Trip

Morning: Visit Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Afternoon: Visit Nara Park, Nakataindou Temple. Evening: Return to Kyoto, dinner in Gion or Pontocho.

January 19 – Fushimi Inari & Kyoto Temples

Morning: Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, Eikan-do Temple. Afternoon: Visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Nijo Castle. Evening: Dinner in Gion or Pontocho.

January 20 – Kyoto Nature & Shopping

Morning: Visit Toji Temple, Philosopher’s Path. Afternoon: Explore Sanzen-in Temple, visit Kyoto Station for shopping. Evening: Last dinner in Kyoto.

OSAKA January 21 – Osaka City Exploration

Morning: Visit Osaka Castle and park. Afternoon: Explore Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori, try takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Evening: Visit Namba Yasaka Shrine, explore Shinsekai, enjoy kushikatsu.

January 22 – Universal Studios Japan

Morning: Spend the day at Universal Studios Japan. Evening: Dinner in Umeda, visit Umeda Sky Building for a city view.

HIROSHIMA & MIYAJIMA January 23 – Hiroshima & Miyajima

Morning: Arrive in Hiroshima, visit Peace Memorial Park and Museum. Afternoon: Take ferry to Miyajima, visit Itsukushima Shrine and Daisho-in Temple. Evening: Return to Hiroshima for dinner.

January 24 – Hiroshima, Himeji & Hirayu Onsen

Morning: Travel to Himeji, visit Himeji Castle. Afternoon: Take the train to Hirayu Onsen. Evening: Check into a ryokan with onsen, dinner and relaxation.

January 25 – Kamikochi & Hirayu Onsen

Morning: Visit Kamikochi Valley for nature views. Afternoon: Return to Hirayu Onsen, take Shinhotaka Ropeway. Evening: Relax in the onsen, dinner at the ryokan.

January 26 – Hirayu Onsen to Matsumoto

Morning: Last onsen bath, breakfast, then travel to Matsumoto. Afternoon: Visit Matsumoto Castle+ ice sculptures. Evening: Dinner in Matsumoto.

KANAZAWA January 27 – Matsumoto to Kanazawa

Morning: Take train to Kanazawa, visit Kenroku-en Garden. Afternoon: Explore Higashi Chaya district. Evening: Dinner in Kanazawa.

January 28 – Kanazawa to Takayama

Morning: Travel to Takayama, explore the old town. Afternoon: Visit Hida Folk Village. Evening: Dinner in Takayama.

TAKAYAMA & TOKYO January 29 – Takayama to Tokyo

Morning: Visit Takayama morning market or local temples. Afternoon: Take the train to Tokyo. Evening:, explore Shibuya or Shinjuku.

January 30-31 – Free Time in Tokyo

Morning: Explore Sumida Park, visit Toyosu Market. Afternoon: Visit Mpig Café for a cute experience. Evening: Explore Yanaka, visit local temples. Enjoy dinner near Senso-ji.

Thank you, its a bit long :)

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/pugilism_illustrated on 2024-11-15 05:45:51+00:00.

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Leaving in two days and would love some last minute feedback from this sub. Will be staying at Via Inn Prime Akasaka for the duration, with one mini 2 night trip to Nikko and a day trip to Kamakura.

Main goals of the trip are the following:

1. Eat a LOT of food, and a wide variety, ie low and high price range, traditional japanese and fusion.
2. Explore the city as much as possible, see different neighborhoods and parks, museums, shrines. Get a lot of steps in.
3. Shopping, both high end and trendier places as well as hand crafts, flea markets if possible. Vintage too. Looking more for unique pieces rather than generic consumer items. Clothing, art, and ceramics.
4. Exercise - running, climbing at local gyms, and hiking. This is the unconventional part. I know it could be a concern considering all the walking, but I believe it will be doable with sufficient sleep and fueling. These activities also don't start until day 4 of the trip to allow for jetlag recoup.

Would love general feedback on the structure of the itinerary and recommendations for food, shopping, and attractions. Or anything great I'm missing in general! What off the beaten path activities did you do and love? Small museums or shops, charming neighborhoods, unforgettable meals, things like that. (Not super interested in the more popular attractions like Ghibli museum, Shibuya sky, Disney, Teamlab etc). Thank you!

D0: Sunday 11/17 - Arrival

• Flight lands 3PM at Haneda.
• Taxi to hotel, then get dinner nearby at Nihonbashi Kaisen Don Tsujihan
• Settle in for the evening

D1: Monday 11/18 - Tsukiji, Ginza, Akihabara

• Tsukiji Market - breakfast at Tsukiji Unitora Nakadori, Wine Stand 88
• Ginza - shopping and eats
• Akihabara - video arcades, Aki-Oka Artisan, and dinner at Tokyo Style Hotate Biyori

D2: Tuesday 11/19 - Harajuku, Roppongi

• Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park
• Harajuku - Breakfast and shopping
• Omote-sando - Shopping and lunch at Kisurin Aoyama
• Roppongi - Mori Art Museum time permitting
• 6PM Omakase reservation Hiro Ishizaka

D3: Wednesday 11/20 - Enoshima, Kamakura Day Trip

• Enoshima - Shrines and Caves
• Kamakura - Walking loop Kamakura station to beach to Kotoku-in to Genjiyama park back to station. Lunch at Bistro Omme
• Dinner back in Akasaka near hotel

D4: Thursday 11/21 - Imperial Palace, Ogikubo

• Imperial Palace East Gardens and Marunouchi
• Back to hotel to change
• 2PM Depart for Ogikubo
• Climb at B-Pump Ogikubo
• 6PM Omakase reservation Sushi Marufuku

D5: Friday 11/22 - Nakameguro, Ebisu

• Morning run Imperial Palace loop
• Back to hotel to shower and change
• Nakameguro - explore, eat, and visit parasite museum
• Ebisu
• 5PM Omakase reservation Sushi Satoru

D6: Saturday 11/23 - Koto City

• Laundry in morning
• 11AM Koffee Mameya Kakeru tasting reservation
• Climb at Fish and Bird Gym
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Dinner near museum

D7: Sunday 11/24 - Shibuya, Shimo-Kitazawa

• Morning run Imperial Palace loop
• Back to hotel to shower and change
• Shibuya - Pokemon center, Romantic Flea Market, eats
• Shimo-Kitazawa - Shop, Dinner at Ponipirika

D8: Monday 11/25 - Asakusa, Ueno

• Asakusa - Sensoji, explore and eat
• Walk to Ueno, stop at Kappabashi
• Ueno - Tokyo National Museum, Ueno Park, Ueno Ameyoko Shopping Street

D9: Tuesday 11/26 - Nikko D1

• 8AM Depart
• Arrive at hotel - Hatago Nagomi
• Run Lake Chuzenji loop
• Dinner and Onsen at hotel

D10: Wednesday 11/27- Nikko D2

• Kegon Falls
• Go into town to see shrines and Shinkyo Bridge

D11: Thursday 11//28 - Nikko D3

• Morning hike Mt Nankai
• Check out of hotel, transit back to Tokyo
• 5:30 reservation Savoy Tomato and Cheese

D12: Friday 11/29 - Shinbashi, Shinjuku

• Breakfast near hotel
• Climb at Urban Base Camp Shinbashi
• Back to hotel to shower and change
• Shinjuku - Tori-no-ichi Fair, explore, shop, eat
• 5:30 reservation Yakiniku Bazooka F

D13: Saturday 11/30 - Departure

• Morning run Imperial Palace loop
• Pack up and check out
• Lunch at HARU CHAN
• 12:30 leave for airport, 5:20PM flight

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/kenmlin on 2024-11-17 05:21:22+00:00.

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Signal-Tadpole on 2024-11-16 09:48:13+00:00.

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Wanted to share our fun experience on the Hello Kitty Shinkansen today. We had unreserved tickets so we could sit in the Kawaii car #2. Went to the platform at Shin-Osaka right as the previous train on that platform was departing (15 minutes before our departure) and there were 10 people waiting at each of the entrance lines to car #2. There were still seats available in the car when we departed and I don't think that anyone who wanted to sit in there was out of luck.

The souvenir car #1 was mobbed shortly after departure and a lot of the popular items were sold out within minutes. They take IC card or cash only, no credit cards; luckily I was able to top up my digital Suica before we entered the tunnels!

Stayed on until Himeji and it was totally worth the extra effort to take this fun train.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/CyrexArtwork on 2024-11-14 09:52:05+00:00.

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Fri. Nov 29 (Land)

Check in, Suica and chill

Sat. Nov 30 (Sensō-ji)

Morning

Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center 

Nakamise Shopping Street 

Sensō-ji

Sumida Park 

Afternoon

Asahi Group Building

Tokyo Skytree 

Tobacco & Salt Museum 

Tokyo Solamachi

Evening

Autumn Evening Illumination at Rikugien Gardens 18:00-19:30

Sun. Dec 1 (Akihabara)

Morning

Yanaka Ginza

Ueno Park 

Yamashiroya (Toy Store) 

2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan

Afternoon

Kanda Myoujin Shrine

Akihabara

Mon. Dec 2 (Shinjuku)

Morning

Takeshita Street 

Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku

Afternoon

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden 

3:00 ≈ : 

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building 

Honmachi Sakura Park

Evening

Omoide Yokocho

Hanazono Shrine 

Shinjuku Golden-Gai

Shin-Okubo Korea Town 

Tue. Dec 3 (Tokyo Tower)

Morning

ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM

Afternoon

Pokémon Center Tokyo DX

Yaechika (Character Street)

Evening

Hamarikyū Gardens 

Tokyo Tower + Zojoji Temple

Momiji Valley

Wed. Dec 4 (teamLab Borderless)

Morning:

teamLab Borderless

Afternoon

Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo 

Traveler's Factory Nakameguro (WHILE WAITING)

Evening

Shibuya Area

Hachikō Memorial Statue & Shibuya Scramble Crossing

Thu. Dec 5 (Sunshine City)

Morning

Mejiro Garden

Late Morning

Ikebukuro Nishi-guchi Park

Sunshine City 

Afternoon

Animal Room Ikemofu

Evening

NAMJATOWN

Fri. Dec 6 (Arcade + Market)

Morning

Tsukiji Outer Market 

Afternoon

• UNKO MUSEUM
• DiverCity

Evening

Odaiba Beach + Rainbow Bridge 

Sat. Dec 7 (Snoopy + Yokohama )

Morning

Snoopy Museum Tokyo

Late Morning

Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse

Afternoon

Yokohama Chinatown

Yamashitacho Park

Harbor View Park Observatory

Kishamichi Promenade

Sun. Dec 8 (Enoshima)

Morning

Hokoku-ji

Afternoon

Kotoku-in (Great Buddha)

Hasedera

Enoshima Sea Candle

Evening

Enoshima Shrine - Hetsumiya

Enoshima Shrine Nakatsunomiya

Mon. Dec 9 (Kawagoe)

Morning

Kawagoe Station.

Kurazukuri Street

Toki no Kane (Time Bell Tower)

Kashiya Yokocho (Candy Alley)

Kawagoe Festival Museum 

Afternoon

Kitain Temple

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine

Honmaru Goten (Kawagoe Castle)

Tue. Dec 10 (DisneySea)

DisneySea ALL DAY

(FREE) Wed. Dec 11:

Dec 12 (Last Day)

Last Day, quick shopping and fly home

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/halfcastdota on 2024-11-16 00:21:17+00:00.

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I would like to preface this post with the fact I speak VERY basic Japanese so my experience with service might be different to yours. At any restaurant that isn't catered towards foreigners, the way staff and chefs treat you completely changes if you speak even basic Japanese as a foreigner. I have eaten at high end restaurants in many different countries and the only country that matches Japan, in my opinion, is Spain. The food here is absolutely amazing and while I focused on fine dining on my trip, even the casual late night food I ate was amazing. All of the restaurants on this list are easily bookable except for Meino and Takiya.

Tokyo:

Meino (pictures) : Tabelog 4.0( however this is a relatively new restaurant and the score distributions except for cost performance are all above 4.5; this is easily at the level of a Tabelog silver if not gold). Mei-san is an alum of Sushi Arai and she makes absolutely amazing sushi. There is also an excellent wine list and the service is excellent - Mei-san speaks excellent English and the restaurant atmosphere is upscale without being stuffy or overly quiet. This was easily the best sushi of my life and one of the best meals of my life. Reservations are members only.

Takiya (pictures) : Tabelog Gold and regarded as the best tempura restaurant in Japan, this was one of the best meals of my life. I would put it on the level of El Celler can de Roca and Mosu. Absolutely amazing what Tatsuaki-san is able to accomplish purely with tempura and the sake recommendations are excellent. Chef is the only one who can speak English here - the waitstaff all speak very limited English. This is a very difficult reservation, most reservations are to members but from what I have heard it is possible through Tableall if done well in advance.

Ginza Ooishi (pictures) : Tabelog Silver. This is French/Japanese fusion tasting menu that is absolutely amazing. This would be an amazing first fine dining experience for anyone interested - the food is very approachable for being fine dining. The chef is also extremely entertaining and the entire restaurant is super lighthearted - you can tell the staff are all having fun cooking. There is only one waiter/sommelier and he speaks decent English. Reservation is very easy through Omakase.

L'Effervescence (pictures) : 3 Michelin Stars and a Green star. Funnily enough, I dined here a day after that post on talking about how it does not deserve three stars and I could not disagree more. This was an amazing meal focused on vegetables - IMO better than Noma's vegetable season. Service is absolutely amazing as well - I was even offered a tour of the kitchen at the end of my meal when I expressed interest. I would like to say this is absolutely not French food - this is Japanese food with French influences. If you go in expecting rich French dishes you will be very disappointed. My best description would be imagine you are going through the best farmer's market in the world eating dishes that show off their produce in the best ways possible.

Sushi Marufuku (pictures) : Tabelog 3.65 (note that all the categories except drinks and cost performance are above a 4.0). Very solid sushi that focuses on aged fish. The staff all also speaks excellent English and managed to accommodate for me running 30 minutes late. Would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a very good Omakase experience that comes with excellent English service.

Yakitori Shinohara (pictures) : Tabelog 3.84. This is a yakitori restaurant that serves Takasaka chicken which is the only chicken in the world that can safely be eaten raw. The only reason I booked this restaurant was so I can try this chicken - and honestly it's pretty good. The yakitori is extremely tender while still having a great char due to not having to overcook the chicken. However, the drinks here are very very overpriced and honestly the meal itself is very expensive for being yakitori. Sadly all the top end yakitori places are extremely hard to get reservations at so you are pretty much relegated to the second tier of restaurants which include places like Shinohara. This is still a solid meal, just overpriced. I would really only recommend it if you want to try raw chicken safely.

Notable non fine dining:

L'epicurien (pictures) : amazing bakery in Kichijoji, it is cash only and there is no dine-in option so you will have to find somewhere to eat the pastries quickly. I had to just jump into a random ramen restaurant to eat them.

Mamezou (pictures) : great curry with a lot of vegetables mixed in. Apparently there can be a pretty long wait sometimes but I went at opening time for dinner and was seated instantly.

Kyoto:

Gion Nishi (pictures) : Tabelog Bronze kaiseki. Compared to other high end kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto, this was much cheaper which is why I went with it and I do not regret it at all. Food, service and drinks are all excellent and the ingredients are all still very high quality. They also used to run a cafe and you can definitely tell with the excellent tea and dessert course. This was an extremely easy reservation - their counter is also only 6 seats so you will get an excellent view of the chefs at work. I would highly recommend this for anyone looking for a high end kaiseki.

Takayama (pictures) : 1 Michelin star. Amazing Italian tasting menu with Japanese influences. If you dine here, make sure you have a very light lunch - this is a VERY large meal. The chef and staff all speak excellent English and there is also Mandarin speaking staff as well. This is peak 1 star cuisine - its great tasting food that is great value for the price and a great atmosphere that isn't stuffy. This would be a great introduction to fine dining.

Velrosier (pictures) : 2 Michelin stars. Chinese tasting menu with western influences. Extremely great value for a 2 star restaurant with very solid food. Service is amazing. I do think this restaurant is overrated by but I have seen posts saying this place is awful - I very much disagree and think it is still very good food. This is literally opposite Takayama but the atmosphere is much more formal - personally I preferred both the food and atmosphere at Takayama but I would still say this is good food. This is also another restaurant that I think would make a great introduction to fine dining especially if you prefer a more upscale atmosphere.

Sushi Saeki (pictures) : Tabelog 3.7. I really only booked this because I saw a post on this sub and it was right by my hotel (The Mitsui which is the best hotel I have ever stayed at) and was very much craving sushi. This was the most disappointing meal of my trip. The service is amazing and the garden view is beautiful but the sushi was just not worth the price. I think I was being served by the sous chef however?? so this might be much better when served by the main chef. That being said, I cannot recommend a lunch booking here in good faith.

Sakana to Yakitori to Kappo to Tototo (pictures) : Tabelog 3.24 but a relatively new restaurant. I booked this restaurant on a whim, and ended up with such a great meal. The sushi is solid but the star of the show is the sake - the sake recommendations here are AMAZING. The place was also only manned by one chef when I visited late at night and he was extremely nice to talk to. Great value for the price - would recommend for anyone looking for a great late night meal.

Gibier Miyama (pictures) : Tabelog 3.92. If you do not like game meat, do not bother eating here. Everything on the menu is either game meat or extremely fishy fish. Service here also completely changed when they found out I could speak basic Japanese. That being said, as someone who loves game meat, fishy fish and has a SO who loves hunting this meal was amazing. The venison and boar here are AMAZING. This was also my first time having bear meat - it is VERY fatty which I am not a fan of but if you enjoy fatty meats you will enjoy the bear meat here. Great value for the price as well - go here with an empty stomach/light lunch as there is a lot of food. Highly recommend this if you are a fan of game meat.

Non fine dining:

Pizzeria da Ciro (pictures) : This is on the list of best pizzerias in Asia. I am not a pizza expert or connoisseur by any means but this was a very very good pizza. There is pretty much always a line outside the place throughout lunch time.

Bossche (pictures) : This is a cafe that serves tofu pancakes and is apparently popular with celebrities. Excellent pancakes and it is right opposite the aquarium as well which was very convenient.

Osaka:

Katsuya Charcoal Grill Steakhouse (pictures) : Tabelog 3.62. I was looking for a...

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/squeetm on 2024-11-15 10:46:10+00:00.

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Just got back from 12 fab days in Japan :) Am a frequent Japan visitor, so thought would summarise our trip overall if useful to anyone!

Us and our travel style: Mid-thirty DINKs, travelled with my parents (60s) and younger brother (early 30s). 

Parents were happy to go a little plusher and comfortable (they insisted we spring for Green Class trains) so we’re not budget, but we’re not mega bougee either, I like a balance of nice and comfortable things at good value. 

We’re a very food oriented family, I’m big into Pokemon and games, and also love the secondhand luxury bag market in Japan. My brother likes Anime. We otherwise just like walking around and taking in the city/town we’re in. 

Itinerary summary:

• Day 1 - Osaka - Landed in Osaka late (flight delays), checked in in Namba, went to Uniqlo to get clothes (luggage delay) and got dinner
• Day 2 - Osaka - Brunch at Ramen Kuon (booked online for 10:30am), then headed to Umeda area, went to the Umeda Sky Building, went to Shinsaibashi for some shopping, then dinner reservation at Sushi Hamada
• Day 3 - Kanazawa - Took the train to Kanazawa, went to the Pokemon Centre near the station, checked into hotel and then headed to the Higashi Chaya area. Dinner reservation at Fuwari
• Day 4 - Kanazawa - Omicho market in the morning, Kanazawa Palace grounds, Kenroku-en Garden, Nagamachi Samurai District, Nomura Samurai house, shopping in the afternoon/evening
• Day 5 - Kanazawa - Omicho market again, Fukumitsuya Sake brewery tour, shopping and chilling
• Day 6 - Shirakawa-go - got a private car (Kanazawa Tours) to pick us up and our luggage to take us to Shiarakawa-go for a tour and then drop us off in Takayama
• Day 7 - Takayama -   Miyagawa Morning market, Festival floats museum, Takayama castle ruins walk
• Day 8 - Takayama / Osaka - Takayama Jinya, shopping, train to Osaka
• Day 9 - Day trip to Nara - Nakatanidou, Kofuku-ji, Todai-ji - back to Osaka in the afternoon, shopping in America-kura and Shinsaibashi
• Day 10 - Osaka - Kuromon market, Osaka castle, Shinsekai, Tower knives
• Day 11 - Osaka - last round of shopping/pokemon card hunting before heading to airport hotel since our flight was early the next morning

e-SIM: 

Used Ubigi initially, mum and hubby had no problems, mine randomly dropped out 3 days in, but contacted support and fixed it. Got 1GB of Airalo to keep me going in-between and will probably use that in the future, the app is much better. Overall used about 6-7GB, but I used it quite a bit in terms of Google maps, searching restaurants etc 

Accommodation: 

• I booked hotels as far in advance as I could, I think most rooms were booked in about 6 months out. I averaged $150 AUD/$100 USD per room per night, and looking at the rooms I booked closer to the date the rates definitely went up.
• Osaka - Citadines Namba - LOVED this hotel, rooms are VERY spacious by Japan city standards, modern and bright. Right in the heart of Den Den town which was perfect for my brother to look at anime things, and for me to look at Pokemon cards (haha). It was only a 15-20min walk to Shinsaibashi, and 15 minutes to Shinsekai.
• Kanazawa - Kanazawa Zoushi - Such a cute little hotel, best bath of the hotels we stayed in. Served complimentary udon for supper!
• Takayama - Takayama Wood - perfectly placed hotel to explore the old town, literally in the heart of it. Had an onsen too which was nice
• Osaka - Nikko Kanasai Airport hotel - literally 3 min walk to the airport! Perfect for the early morning flight we had

Travel:

I pre-booked all our trains (mix of direct from JR West site and SmartEx depending on the type of train), being a big group it just meant we could stay together, and I’m a Type A personality so prefer knowing exactly where we need to be and where we’ll be haha 

Food:

I was a bit torn when planning on how much to book in vs how much to just see what we felt like etc. So had some dinners booked, and some nights open.

In hindsight, because we were a group of 5, and my parents being a bit older probably don’t have the capacity for waiting as long, I would definitely plan to book things a bit more. Whether that was booking online, or identifying restaurants to get the hotel concierge to help book.

Places we ate:

Osaka

• Ramen Kuon - Michelin recommended ramen restaurant in a really random location haha, can book online for 10:30am which was perfect for us. Was delicious - we were in and out in 30 mins
• Sushi Hamada - Found this browsing on Google Maps, seemed newish and loved the idea of supporting a female sushi chef! Booked online. Was incredible value at around AUD $150 per person, about 17 courses, unlimited booze (had some great sake) and dessert! Was definitely a more relaxed vibe than some other sushi omakase’s we’ve done, with music in the background and chef’s banter with us.
• Aktr sports supply - super cool clothing and coffee shop in America-kura - just LOVED the vibe here
• Rokusen Sushi Tutenkaku Honten - visited here for lunch in Shinsekai and was honestly one of the best meals! The lunch specials were incredible value between 1000-2000 yen (AUD10-20), and we just had a whole table of multiple bento boxes, couldn’t believe the value here. Seemed to be a fairly local spot as well which was nice
• Sakimoto bakery/coffee - Another really cute spot - bakery was awesome
• Yakitori Bird - our last dinner in Osaka, was so great, modern Yakitori/izakaya and super delicious. No English menus so Google Translate + my broken Japanese worked very hard, although the staff did speak very decent English to the other tourists around us. Got the hotel to help book this restaurant for dinner
• 7/11 Curry Pan - I know people love Lawson fried chicken, but 7/11’s curry pan served warm is my FAV

Kanazawa

• Nodoguro - keep an eye out for anything made with the local fish - it’s so delicious. In the market we had Nodoguro croquettes, and also seared over rice
• Sushi Issey - booked online and SO RECOMMENDED. One of the best meals of the trip, amazing Sushi omakase.
• Fukumitsuya Sake Brewery tasting - Another highlight of our trip, honestly all the other sakes we had after this tour were just not as good. I wanted to do the premium tasting but unfortunately they didn’t have it available on the day I wanted to book, so did the standard. Asked to try other sakes and got a taste of everything anyway! Helped us select sake to buy, and then shipped it to our final hotel in Osaka.

Takayama

• Just eat Hida beef. It’s so good.
• We had it at Aji-no-yohei - traditional Japanese style, we walked in for this one
• Butchers - a more western style steakhouse, asked the hotel to help us make a reservation for this one
• Centr4burgers - where we had it in burger format.

Other bits and pieces:

• Osaka castle - Pre-buy your tickets! They’re valid for 3 months, any day, and the queue to buy tickets on the day when we showed up was SO long. We walked right in. Admittedly the castle is more impressive from the outside than inside, but the view from the top is nice
• Tax Free - Had my passport on me at all times so was constantly getting tax free. If you’re doing a Donki haul in Osaka, the Namba store was smaller but way more chill than Dohtonbori, I only had to wait behind one or two people for the Tax Free counter. When we left, I mentioned to the check-in staff I had tax free stuff checked in (cause we had bought a lot of stuff). There were also custom kiosks to scan passports at after security but had no problem walking straight past them, there was no one trying to get us to use them.
• Suica cards on iPhones - set it up. SO convenient.
• Pokemon Centres - avoid weekend afternoons, mad house! Always busy, but generally more manageable in the morning.
• Kanazawa/Takayama - I really ummed and aahed about how long to spend between Kanazawa and Takayama. In hindsight, I think I could’ve reduced Kanazawa down to 2 nights, I probably didn’t fall in love with it as much as I wanted?  2 nights in Takayama was perfect, I absolutely loved the vibe in old town, so gorgeous - and was kind of surprised that I liked it more than Kanazawa. I did find Takyama more overwhelming initially when we arrive later afternoon, as it’s crowded but it’s really ALL tourists and not that many locals, which gives the crowds a different vibe.

Hope that's helpful to someone! Happy to answer any q's :)

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/jynnkxx on 2024-11-14 20:16:32+00:00.

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Hey everyone!

I visited Japan for the first time in May this year and I had the absolute best time! To be honest though, I never thought I’d be able to go again so soon or even at all, so I tried to make the absolute most of my 23 days there.

Against the odds, I’ve just booked flights to Japan again next year and am now thinking about places to go/see this time round. We’ll be arriving in Osaka midday on the 12th of May and departing from Haneda at 8pm on the 5th of June, so 25 days to work with. I have some loose ideas at this stage; husband wants to spend some more time in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo and I have Mt Fuji, Nikko and several places across Kyushu on my hit list this time round. But there are so many possibilities that I know I haven’t thought of or even know exist, so I’m looking to you all for recommendations!

Here’s the itinerary from the first trip, so you can see what we got up to. I look forward to hearing all your thoughts and recommendations for places to see/go and things to experience!

Day 1 - Osaka: Arrived at midday, wandered around town for a bit.

Day 2 - Osaka: Osaka castle in the morning, spent the rest of the day in Kobe

Day 3 - Osaka: Universal

Day 4 - Osaka: Day trip to Awaji Island/Nijigen no Mori

Day 5 - Osaka/Kurashiki: Travelled to Nara for half a day, headed to Kurashiki, and spent the afternoon exploring town.

Day 6 - Kurashiki/Hiroshima: Spent the morning in Kurashiki, headed to Hiroshima, visited A-Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Hall + Memorial Museum.

Day 7 - Hiroshima: Caught the ferry to Miyajima for the day

Day 8 - Hiroshima/Kinoskai Onsen: Caught the Shinkansen to Himeji for half a day, hoped on the train again and spent the afternoon exploring the town and baths of Kinosaki Onsen. (would love reccomendations for any similar tattoo friendly onsen locations?)

Day 9 - Kinoskai Onsen/Kyoto: headed to Kyoto late morning, explored the city in the afternoon and Gion district at night(so lovely and peaceful of an evening!)

Day 10 - Kyoto: Arashiyama bamboo forest, Gioji temple, Kinkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera

Day 11 - Kyoto/Nagoya: Fushimi Inari Shrine, travelled to Nagoya and visited the Toyota Techno museum(husband works for Toyota haha)

Day 12 - Nagoya/Kanazawa: Spent the day at Ghibli Park and the early evening travelling to Kanazawa

Day 13 - Kanazawa: Explored the samurai district, ate lots of food garnished in gold leaf and walked around town

Day 14 - Kanazawa/Takayama: caught the first bus to Shirakawa-go and spent a half day there, headed to Takayama early afternoon. Strolled around old town, ate a bucket load of Hida beef(delish!!) and visited the Takayama Showa-kan museum.

Day 15 - Takayama/Nagano: caught the first bus out of Takayama to Kamikochi, did a half-day hike in the alps(saw a monkey!) and then caught an early afternoon bus/train ride to Nagano and explored town.

Day 16 - Nagano: caught the first bus to the snow monkey park, weather was not on our side, we saw no monkeys :( made our way back into town and visited Zenkoji temple instead.

Day 17 - Tokyo: headed to Tokyo late morning, spent the afternoon in Akihabara and the evening street karting

Day 18 - Tokyo: DisneySea

Day 19 - Tokyo: a lot of shopping in Ikebukuro and teamLab Planets in the evening

Day 20 - Tokyo: Spent time in Akasaka, Shibuya and wayyyyyyyyy too long in Don Quijote lol

Day 21 - Tokyo: spent hours wandering around Nakano Broadway and hung out in Shinjuku in the evening

Day 22 - Tokyo: spent some more time in Shibuya, half a day in Yokohama, mostly at the cup noodle museum, and the evening at Tokyo Skytree.

Day 23 - Tokyo: wrapped things up with the Warner Bros Studio tour on our last day

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/StarbuckIsland on 2024-11-14 17:17:19+00:00.

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We're just back from 7 full days & nights in Japan and wanted to share details of our trip in the event it's helpful or interesting to someone reading this.

This was our second trip, first trip was in 2019. We are a 40ish married couple who are comparatively fast/active travelers. Poor Japanese abilities but enough to get around. We really don't like crowds and love nature and hiking. We brought one backpack per person which was plenty for our clothes and small souvenirs.

Flights:

We flew ANA economy from JFK on the new (3-4-3) 777. We sat in the second row (31) and the window seat had less space than usual under the seat due to row 30 being an emergency exit row. 

The plane was not hot and we had individual air nozzles. I was comfortable wearing a hoodie. The food was subpar on the way there and much better coming home. Service was great, especially for passengers with babies - they brought out special toys and bassinets and all sorts of stuff.

Some ANA international flights arrive and depart from Terminal 2 at Haneda, including ours. Arriving there is AWESOME - it took us 3 minutes to go through customs and there was no line to take a shower. The food/shopping options inside security at Terminal 2 are terrible and you are not allowed to exit and re-enter, so if you want to eat or shop at the airport on the way out, do it before security.

Hotels:

We spent a total of $1,383 USD for 2 people for 7 nights. We chose nice-ish business hotels that had bigger beds and public baths that averaged $170ish/night. We also included a splurge on one night at a resort with meals included. With proper advance planning you could stay for much cheaper than we did and still be comfortable.

Transportation:

We used public transportation exclusively: local train, limited express, shinkansen, and bus. No rail pass. It took some getting used to having to visit ATMs to refill IC cards and buy train tickets, but we figured it out. Cash was useful on the bus. Take a ticket and pay fare when you get off - on the bus we took from Nagano to Togakushi they can make change for 1000 yen notes but not the new 500 yen coins.

Itinerary:

Photo album

Day 1: Tokyo (1 night) - 30,174 steps

• Arrived at 5 AM at HND, took showers at the airport in Terminal 2
• Dropped bags off at hotel: Almont Nippori (JR Nippori station, on Yamanote Line and also direct access to Narita).
• Explored Yanaka Cemetery and area, visited Tokyo National Museum.
• Checked out Akihabara. Pretty neat to walk around for an hour or so. We love Mandarake.
• Afternoon snacks and drinks at Nikujiru Gyoza No Dandadan Nishinippori near the hotel. Fried cheese w/salt is so good.
• Checked into hotel and used the public bath. It was really nice - no wonder this place is always sold out.
• Dinner at Sushi Mihiro in Nezu. Really good omakase course - 15 pieces for 5300 yen, plus incredible fried oysters. Modern, non-stuffy vibe. The chef is young, speaks some English, and the sushi was a little more saucy and experimental than other more traditional Edomae sushi places. Because our reservation was 5:30 pm on a Wednesday, it was just us and one local guy who was a regular.

Day 2: Matsumoto (2 nights) - 23,714 steps

• Train from Shinjuku to Matsumoto on Azusa Limited Express. We bought tickets same day and the one we wanted was full so we had to wait until the next train. In the future I would buy tickets ahead of time.
• Dropped bags off at hotel: Onyado Nono Matsumoto Premium Hot Spring. This is a premium Dormy Inn brand hotel with traditional Japanese decor and rooms. No shoes in the hotel. Best public bath facilities of our trip - indoor and outdoor hot soaking tubs, cold pool and sauna.
• Explored town on foot, stopping by Agatanomori Park, AEON Mall, Matsumoto Castle, Nawate-dori and Nakamichi-dori. Stopped for beers at Matsumoto Brewing - both taprooms.
• After a nap, we went to Amiya for dinner, which is a spectacular restaurant that only serves hamburg patties over rice. They don't take reservations. The staff speak great English. Matsumoto is famous for wasabi and there is pickled and fresh wasabi + several varieties of shichimi (seven spice) to sauce up your burger.

Day 3: Nakasendo Hike & Matsumoto - 29,460 steps

• Took a local train to Yabuhara station, where we hiked Torii Pass to Narai-juku. The hike took us about 2 hours. It is over a mountain and down the other side, with public toilets at both ends and in the middle. Nice changing colors in the trees and Ontake Shrine at the top was beautiful. We walked really fast because there was a large tour group behind us.
• We caught the 11:26 am train back from Narai to Matsumoto. Had duck ramen from Komugi Soba Ike for lunch. Very light, fresh flavors - not heavy like tonkotsu ramen.
• Went back to AEON Mall to do some shopping and got stuck there for a while.
• Headed to Matsumoto Tsunagu Yokocho for first dinner and drinks after an accidental nap. This is a cool indoor space with 10 different stalls. You're encouraged to eat and drink a little at each one. We had crab croquettes at the Hokkaido-themed stall and moved on because it was really crowded (mostly locals but tourists are welcome) and not an amazing price/quality ratio.
• For second dinner, we walked into Yaegi which is a gorgeous, small izakaya on a side street near the train station. It was almost full but we got a table! Here we had Caesar salad, yakitori and a wonderful broiled cod that melted in our mouth.

Day 4: Togakushi & Nagano - 32,810 steps

• From Matsumoto we took a local train to Nagano. The train was cold and I was very glad to be wearing my puffy jacket. I was so excited to see the view from Obasute station but it was early and therefore foggy.
• Took Alpico bus #70 from Nagano to Togakushi to hike the shrines. We chose to get off at Togakushi-Hokosha and hike up to Chusha and Okusha (the famous one with cedar trees), then hike down via Kagami-Ike. This turned out to be an epic hiking day with lots and lots of stone steps. I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in great mountain views and shrines.
• Checked into hotel for the night, Chisun Grand Nagano. Pretty average, no public bath, but their coffee machine in the lobby is on all night!
• Nagano City gets a lot of shit for being boring but it's pretty lively around the station on a Saturday night. We stopped at an izakaya that specializes in Okinawan pig-related organ meats and a dirt cheap sushi spot, neither of which I can find in the light of day. Both were packed with locals and had open seats.

Day 5: Nagano & Izu Peninsula - 17,452 steps

• In the morning we walked from our hotel to Zenkoji, which is one of the most famous temples in Japan. We got there about 7:00 am and very few people were there, and we could watch and hear a morning service taking place. It was a beautiful experience.
• Took the Kagayaki (Hokuriku) shinkansen from Nagano to Tokyo, then the Kodama (Tokaido) shinkansen from Tokyo to Atami which was a fucking zoo on Sunday at lunchtime. From Atami, we took a local train to Futo station. This turned out to be a really cool sightseeing train with bench seats facing the ocean.
• Walked down a huge steep hill and along a highway to reach ISANA Resort. I cannot say enough great things about this place.
  • The food they serve is AMAZING. Dinner is French kaiseki with locally caught fish and 5 month dry aged wagyu beef, served over a 2 hour course with two desserts. Breakfast was Japanese traditional style with top-level ingredients. I counted 33 plates for breakfast for two.
  • All rooms include private outdoor open-air baths with an ocean view, and the rooms themselves are huge by Japanese standards. We booked the suite, which is 60 sq m (646 sq ft in freedom units). There is also a smart TV in the room.
  • You can reserve the private onsen with ocean view for yourself and your sweetie/friends.
  • It was only $373 USD/52,400 yen/night for two people to stay in the suite including dinner and breakfast. This is like what people pay to stay in a normal hotel in Shibuya that doesn't include anything.

Day 6: Jogasaki Coast & Tokyo - 29,841 steps

• After our WONDERFUL breakfast and rest day, we were ready for more hiking - so we headed to Jogasaki-Kaigan station to hike along the coast and soak in the incredible coastal scenery. This area is pretty famous and there was at least one Chinese tour bus there, but everyone congregated near the Kadowaki Suspension Bridge area.
• We followed the Jogasaki Nature Study Course trail via Renchaku-ji temple. There are lots and lots of Joro spiders around so if you're tall, pay attention to your surroundings so you don't get a faceful.
• After our hike, we took a local train and Kodama shinkansen to Shinagawa station, where we spent 2 nights at the Mitsui Garden Hotel in Gotanda. This hotel was nice - gorgeous city views from the 15th floor lobby and a decent sized room.
• We really liked Gotanda as a base - it's on the Yamanote line between Shinagawa and Shibuya, so near the bottom of the loop. It is a mostly commercial area with lots of cheap places to eat and drink, including what appears to be a shoppin...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Secret_Locksmith1860 on 2024-11-12 05:15:39+00:00.

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Hey everyone, I'm planning an 8-day trip to Japan in early March next year. This is what I have come up with so far based on my research. Please help me in completing my itinerary. Any feedback or tips related to hostel, places to eat passes, credit/debit cards, and metro/rail are appreciated.

Day 1 (Tokyo)

• Arrive at Haneda airport at around 6:50 AM
• Go to my hostel in Taiko to drop off baggage, Freshen up, and check in at 3:00 PM.
• Get breakfast at nearby local shops, 7/11
• Go sightseeing, Senso Ji, Asakusa, Akihabara

Day 2 (Tokyo)

• Go sightseeing in Shibuya,
• scramble crossing,
• shopping streets
• Shibuya sky deck at 4:30 PM

Day 3

• Day trip to Mt. Fuji, Kawaguchi Lake (will book from Klook)

Day4 (Kyoto)

• Take the Shinkansen to Kyoto
• Go sightseeing,
• Tori gates,
• Arasiyama bamboo forest,
• just walking around in shopping streets

Day 5 (Osaka)

• Take the Shinkansen to Osaka
• Go sightseeing,
• Dotonbori,
• Harukas Observatory,
• just walking around in shopping streets

Day 6 (Tokyo)

• Take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo,
• Go sightseeing Shinjuku,
• Kimi no nawa stairs

Day 7 (Tokyo)

• Go sightseeing in Kamakura

Day 8 (Tokyo)

• Maybe planet labs
• Tokyo Skytree at 4:30 PM

Day 9

• Depart from Haneda airport

Some more questions ->

• I'm also planning to take a Suica card & Tokyo metro rail pass. Not sure whether to take a JR rail pass or take the shinkansen ticket directly.

• Will Visa debit/credit card work well in Japan?

• Do I have to take the Suica/Pasmo card at the Haneda airport or I can get it in my home country as well?

Please help in optimizing my itinerary & answer these questions.

Thanks.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/zero0clock0 on 2024-11-13 06:02:39+00:00.

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I'm just putting this as a warning. I absolutely do not understand the logistics of it but somehow my card got cloned at the self check-out counter in Takeshita Street. I normally do not use debit cards since the bank doesn't care for fraud in those, but I used it in daiso because of the self check-out. Some days later 4 purchases for around 600 dollars appear in my account, and two of them with the same authorization number as the daiso purchase. The bank insists the purchases are attached to the daiso one and honestly it adds up because my card did not see the light of Tokyo except that one time. I assume since it's a very touristy area and crowded it's easiee to tamper with the counter. Anyways, hope it doesn't happen to anyone else so just be careful!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Pyrodraconic on 2024-11-12 10:24:46+00:00.

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Please be advised that Universal Studios Japan is most likely going to be very crowded on that day and on the days that follow. If you planned to go to USJ around that time, I'd suggest to choose it wisely: you might be super excited about the new area (like myself), or you might not care so much - and in this case I'd advise to go before Dec 11th.

Note that the new area is a part of Super Nintendo World, so the entrance is limited: you can go in with an express pass or a standby pass per usual.

Donkey Kong Country will have a new rollercoaster with a new cool concept of rail-hopping, jungle-themed shops and shows centered around Donkey-Kong, and of course new desserts, like a banana sundae. The area is scheduled to open in Orlando as well, but its first global debut will happen here in Japan.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/sokerrawks on 2024-11-11 03:21:02+00:00.

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Hey all! Just wanted to share my thoughts on some of the “experiences” I was able to have in Kyoto.

1. Yamada Tatami: honestly one of my favorite experiences of my whole trip. The family and experience were amazing… and you get to make a tiny Tatami mat souvenir. I appreciated that I got to learn about tatami culture and then saw them at work prior to making my own mini!Takes about 2 hours, they speak great English, incredibly welcoming to foreigners, and grandpa is ….adorable. Highly recommend. Can book reservations through their website.

2. Roketsu Dyeing: I was excited for this but was a bit of a let down. The process is cool- but I was hoping to learn more about the culture/process. Instead, it was very “pick design”, “do this”, “ok now ‘we’ dye”, “iron it”, ok bye thanks. I enjoy my souvenir, but would def recommend tatami over this. Easy to book reservations online, but I honestly got the vibe that you could just walk in.

3. Cooking Sun: I try and take a cooking class every country I go to, and this was on par with others. We learned about traditional ingredients and made some yummy food. They have a few different choices of classes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Itinerary:

Day 1 – Takayama

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

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

Day 2 – Takayama

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

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

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

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

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

Day 3 – Toyama

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Day 5 – Shinano Omachi

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

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

 

Day 6 – Kamikochi

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

Day 7 – Kamikochi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hi everyone,

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

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

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

Thank you in advance, a worried glucose gal.

UPDATE: thanks everyone for your help!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pre-planning tips and recommendations

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

(we booked→)

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

Itinerary 

Chiba

Day 1

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

Mt Fuji Region

Day 2

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

Day 3

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

Chiba

Day 4 

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

Day 5

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

Asakusa

Day 6   

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

Day 7

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

Hakone 

Day 8 

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

Hakone → Kamakura → Yokohama 

Day 9 

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

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

Osaka

Day 10 

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

Day 11

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

Osaka → Nara → Kyoto 

Day 12

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

Day 13

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

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

Shinjuku 11/29

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

Shibuya 11/30

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

Asakusa/Ueno/Akihabara 12/1

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

Minato/Ginza/Roppongi 12/2

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

Chiyado/Akasaka/Otomesando 12/3

• Imperial Palace
• Hie Shrine
• Tokyo Midtown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Biggest tips up front:

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

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

Itinerary --

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

Oct 16, 17 I explored Seoul

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

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

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

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

Oct 23 Apa Asakusa Ekime

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

Oct 24 Citadines Shinjuku

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

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

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

Oct 29 Kyoto Dormy Inn

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

Oct 30 Nara

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

Oct 31 Nagoya

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

Nov 1, 2 Osaka

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

Nov 3-5 Seoul again and home

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

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

Osaka 3 nights

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

Nagoya 2 nights

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

Tokyo 3 nights

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

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

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

Trip Overview

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

Day-by-Day Highlights

Day 1: National Art Centre & Harajuku

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

Day 2: National Museum and Akihabara

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

Day 3: TeamLabs Planets & Nature/Science Museum

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

Day 4: Art and Shrines

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

Day 5: TeamLabs Borderless and Odaiba

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

Day 6: Sky Tower, Asakusa, & Ueno Zoo

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

Day 7: Final Day

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

More

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

Final Thoughts

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

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