Japan Trips & Travel Tips

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Secure_Drawer_4829 on 2024-05-31 18:02:55+00:00.

Hello everyone! Loved reading your trip reports before my trip, so wanted to contribute back to this supportive community!

About me: 26F, I travelled solo between May 13th and May 27th. I hit Tokyo (5 nights), Kyoto (4 nights), Osaka (3 nights), and Yokohama (1 night). I don't drink, so this report will have no mention of clubs, bars, dancing, etc. I tended to wake up early, walk over 20k steps, and wrap it up at 10PM. I'm from Toronto, and a visible minority.

Notably, I carried around a sketchbook, and drew in it around Japan! This was a great conversation starter and I had some pleasant interactions because people saw me drawing and were curious.

Plane ride + arrival

• Took AA to Chicago, JAL to Haneda.
• JAL was a comfortable economy flight. Unfortunately my screen froze :( So had to entertain myself.
• You may have heard that JAL gives free ice cream and snacks and miso soup, etc. But if you get a special meal, they refuse you all of those. I managed to ask for some but they drew the line at ice cream...sad.
• I slept on the plane (thank you, melatonin from stranger) so did not feel jet lagged upon arrival, but ended up with no appetite for almost 4 days. Couldn't eat at most of the places on my list as I felt sick thinking about eating them, all throughout my trip unfortunately.
• Getting a Welcome Suica from Haneda Terminal 3 was extremely easy. I took the Keikyuu line immediately after. Even with my luggage (normal sized carry on, backpack, cross body bag) and a train full of people, it was easy. (I'm used to subways in Toronto).

Tokyo

• Itinerary:
  • 14th: Relax at hotel, walk around, eat.
  • 15th: Shinjiku, Shibuya.
  • 16th: Tsukiji fish market, Asakusa, Akihabara
  • 17th: Kamakura day trip
  • 19th: Ginza, Roppongi, leftover Tokyo Explore
• The subways feel exactly like the subways in Toronto, same noise level (light chatter)
• I generally followed the rule of walking on the left side, but still found it difficult to anticipate which way people would walk (and my goodness, the BIKES, they do whatever the heck they want!). After talking to two Japanese friends, they didn't seem to be aware of any unspoken rule to walk on the left. Maybe Toronto is just more anal about walking on the right.
• Following Google maps to a T, especially entrances and exits, made navigating the subway a breeze. I personally found Shinjuku station easy to navigate, but got lost at Shinagawa twice (due to Shinkansen vs. normal lines)! Fortunately the two times I had an issue with my Suica, I asked an attendant for help, gave them my card, and they sorted it within minutes.
• I felt like people in Tokyo were very kind and responsive to me. Had some pleasant interactions with Japanese people here and there (ex. someone complimented my earrings!). Met another traveler and we went for dinner together.
• It's difficult to describe why, and you may disagree, but: Tokyo felt surprisingly a lot like Toronto. I felt right at home in Tokyo.
• I'm very used to Japanese culture, language, food, etc. so didn't experience heavy culture shocks. I learned a wee bit of Japanese before coming (can hold super, duper simple broken conversations) so most of my interactions with service workers were in Japanese. As a result, I can't comment on how prevalent I found English. It's not necessary to use Japanese; this is simply how I conducted my trip, for fun.
• I stayed in Asakusa right outside Kuramae station and would highly recommend it. Super convenient, Sensoji was a 15 minute walk away, there were 2 convenience stores outside my hotel, it was amazing.
• Sensoji was so amazing I went there thrice! (Once in the day, once at night, once during the Sanja Matsuri festival).
• The fish market was my least favourite part of my entire trip. Everywhere in Tokyo was kind but everyone at the fish market felt cold, and I could feel like they were very impatient with tourists. It wasn't very lively when I went. To be honest, it brought down my mood heavily before Akihabara helped bring it back up. I bought bonito flakes here though.
• Ginza and Roppongi were kind of boring to me. Asakusa and Shibuya were tied for first place! Akihabara closely second. Shibuya had a very youthful vibe and a contagious energy.
• The Kamakura day trip was one of the highlights of my trip. I sat by the ocean for an hour. When I went to Hokokuji temple and went to the tea house (recommended), two Japanese coworkers saw me drawing and we talked in Japanese (I studied a wee bit before coming). They drove me to Hase Dera after and wished me well! Hase Dera was BEAUTIFUL, highly recommend.
• I did a taiyaki making experience at Gurako in Asakusa and highly recommend it. It was so fun and I learned how to make taiyaki. I bought a taiyaki fry pan and made some at home!
• Tokyo had way less DBZ merch than I'd hoped... :(
• Unpopular opinion: I preferred Kura to Sushiro.

Kyoto

• Itinerary:
  • May 19th: Shinkansen to Kyoto, explore
  • May 20th: Arashiyama, Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street, Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, Otagi Nenbutsuji, Monkey Park
  • May 21st: Fushimi inari, kimono rental, Gion, Kiyomizu-dera, Yasaka Pagoda
  • May 22nd: Uji
• Incredibly easy to buy a reserved shinkansen ticket on the spot with my credit card. Just use the machines, they're very clear.
• Somehow got on the wrong shinkansen despite being at the right platform and double checking with an attendant. I think the problem was my train was ex. at 11:15AM but the train on the platform was 11:10AM and going somewhere else, and I didn't check the time. Easy solution: got off at the next stop and took the train behind it, which was the correct train! Double check the time!
• Kyoto people did not feel colder at first, but I felt the difference when I went to Osaka.
• I started my walk just outside the bridge near the monkey park, and walked all the way to Otagi Nenbutsuji through the preserved street. This whole walk only took like an hour, hour and a half one way. Completely doable in one day and I didn't feel rushed at all. I highly recommend Otagi and Adashino, there was barely a crowd and I was alone many times!
• Monkey park is a hike in and of itself...a very long one...please buy water at the bottom!
• I thought I would absolutely love Kyoto but I found it a bit boring? I got templed out quickly (though I did do the goshuincho, got 5!). Walking around Arashiyama was nice and I actually managed to touch 2 mini bamboo groves before the "main" one? They were all pretty.
• I do not recommend the philosophers walk. It's just like...a path, next to a river.
• Shockingly I preferred the Kamo River to the Katsura river. The Kamo river felt livelier, being surrounded by the shopping street and street performers.
• Uji was quieter and more boring than I hoped it would be. I did have amazing matcha there of course. But I walked all the spots that the tourist map recommended and it was just okay, just a nice and peaceful walk. Very pretty though. I waited until I got back to Kyoto to have dinner.
• I think I speed-ran Fushimi inari? I got to the "top" of the trail in less than an hour. I was on the main trail but when I got to the "top" there were no further paths. Two groups of tourists also seemed confused. I ended up going back down but the walk that I did do was very impressive and beautiful despite it being busy.
• HIGHLY RECOMMEND RENTING A KIMONO! I felt so beautiful and it was so comfy! I walked throughout Gion and Kiyomizu-dera and Yasaka Pagoda and it was all just so beautiful. This was the most packed part of the trip, people absolutely mashed together.

Osaka

• Itinerary:
  • May 23rd: Local train to Osaka, dinner with friend
  • May 24th: Meet with other friend
  • May 25th: Nara day trip, mount Wakakusa
• I never expected this, but...Osaka was my favourite part of the four places I visited (it helped that I had two friends to visit here but I'm referring specifically to "vibes/feel" of the city). Dotonbori was pleasant to walk along, with the water. The streets were lively. People seemed happier and more fun. I enjoyed walking everywhere here, felt like I absorbed the upbeat energy of everyone around me.
• Nara was AMAZING! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I thought it would be just deer, too, but the walk around is beautiful! I highly, highly, highly recommend climbing Mount Wakakusa (I began at I believe the South Entrance?) The views from the top of that gentle mountain hike were unreal. There are 3 "legs" to the mountain, each higher than the previous, all with breath-taking views and with lazy deer relaxing after a day of eating tourist biscuits. Met and chatted with a family at the top of the mountain. Mount Wakakusa was one of the highlights of my entire Japan trip.

Yokohama

• Itinerary:
  • May 26th: Shinkansen to Yokohama, meet friend
  • May 27th: Flight back home (except not really because I was denied boarding due to an overbooked flight despite checking in 2 hours in advance and online the night before, so they put me in the fancy Haneda hotel with free dinner, breakfast, and onsen and spa access, and gave me a travel credit...I'm not complaining!)
• Yokohama was very beautiful! The sea air was incredibly fresh. I spent ages walking around, staring right into the strong wind, closing my eyes, smelling that intoxicating sea smell.
• Visited China town and it was nice. I wouldn't go out of my way to see it but it was good, had good food.
• The amusement park is so cute. I ...

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