This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/OneFun9000 on 2024-01-26 15:03:30.
Hi all, this was my third trip to Japan, and it was late November/early December.
One of my favourite things to do is simply walking around, so if some days feel light that’s what I’m doing. With the exception of a few things I call out, most of the time for food I’m having some sushi, kushikatsu or soba somewhere. My travel style tends towards relaxed rather than hectic.
I’ve spent some time in this report talking about things that didn’t go quite so well. I’m not doing it to complain or whine, but just to give a different perspective and be helpful to others. I had an amazing time, so I don’t want people to think that the trip was bad!
Tokyo
Days 1-3
These were really acclimatisation days. Jetlag hit more than normal, so we did a lot of early morning walks and park visits, as well as some light shopping. One of my checked bags went missing on my flight, but thankfully it was delivered to the hotel the next morning. That meant my first priority was some pyjamas and toiletries.
A friend from my childhood happened to be in the city for a conference so we had a fantastic dinner at a Gonpachi. Some might say it’s a bit of a tourist trap, but the food is really good and caters for every dietary requirement. We just ordered a ton of things and shared. We ended the night at the bar on top of the Asahi building, which is a little old-fashioned but has great views.
I won’t dwell too much on Tokyo as I was mostly going over a trodden path, and if you’re interested you can read my other Tokyo trips on my profile.
TLDR: even though losing my luggage was a pain, the airport dealt with it really well and got us all the forms we needed to fill out, and the luggage arrived without incident on the next flight.
Kyoto
Day 4
I used the SmartEx app to pre-book the Shinkansen to Kyoto as we needed the oversize luggage seats. For some reason, this app is only available in certain countries so I had to use my American Apple account to download the app. Other than that, it was completely seamless. However, you need to make sure if you’re using QR codes that you disable Express Travel Card on your iPhone otherwise you might also tap in with your IC card which will mess things up. I realised it happened while on the Shinkansen, so when I reached Kyoto Station I explained the situation and the friendly attendant reset my IC card for me.
The train itself is fine. I understand the appeal of the Shinkansen if you’ve not taken many trains or no high-speed ones, but I have already done it a bunch of times elsewhere so it doesn’t feel more special than a regular train to me. That said, it was great to see Mt Fuji for a few minutes.
I’m not going to lie. I found Kyoto by far the most stressful place I’ve been to in Japan. Given that it’s the most historic of the big cities, it does feel ancient and the infrastructure just isn’t there to support the number of locals and tourists. The historic narrow roads aren’t fun to walk down when there’s buses flying inches from your face and thousands of tourists shuffling along in their wooden shoes.
Upon arrival at Kyoto Station we took a taxi to our accommodation, and I’m guessing we were very unlucky, but several times when we got taxis the drivers got lost! One driver even left the car for several minutes to get his bearings, leaving us in the backseat in the middle of the street!
Highlight: Kodai-Ji Temple was a fairly calm oasis in the chaos of Kyoto.
Day 5
We wanted to visit the Imperial Palace but unfortunately it was closed without advanced notice. We enjoyed walking the grounds though.
Other highlights from Kyoto included Toji Temple and Kiyomizu-dera (on the other side of the hill from afar, because when you’re in it you can’t see it!).
Kyoto’s not going to be for everyone. I was a bit whelmed by the temples after the first few, since they don’t really mean anything to me other than being pretty. And Japan isn’t short on pretty architecture in the first place. We ended up skipping most of the ones on the list.
Similarly, the tori gates while really aesthetic are mostly sponsorships from corporations. It’s effectively like walking through a bunch of ads. And shuffling around the Gion area just felt…performative? It was very pretty but it was just thousands of people trying to have photo shoots.
We also visited the Suntory Brewery for a tour (must be prebooked, but is free) which was a whole lot of fun. It’s really well-run and they give you a lot of beer to drink in a short time. Not particularly Kyoto-specific but I had a great time.
Conventional wisdom is that you should get up very early to see the sights before they get busy. But what that means is you really need to pick ONE thing that day, and whatever else you do on that day will be absolutely packed. I’m well aware I’m a tourist complaining about tourism, but I preferred seeing things from afar rather than being in it.
In the nice weather, it was just unbelievably cramped and claustrophobic to do anything, including just walking from A to B. Buses were regularly full and drove past stops. You could tell that locals were annoyed by all the tourists and I don’t blame them, but I feel like the municipalities are partly to blame because the bus routes are catering to both commuters and tourists when they could easily have been split more sensibly. I know that Kyoto is in enormous financial problems so those solutions might just be too expensive right now.
I think Kyoto requires careful planning, and you need to know what your priorities are. If you’re counting on seeing something, you need to make it your first port of call. I honestly felt a bit like I was missing something in Kyoto since so many people on here say it’s their favourite place in Japan, but I guess it’s just not for me.
Osaka
Day 6
On the other hand, I really enjoyed the day trip to Osaka, and it’s a perfect contrast to Kyoto. It’s got more people, but it’s got lots of wide open spaces and water which for me is a lot more relaxing.
We started out at the Museum of Housing and Living, which was quite fun and a good way to spend the morning. Afterwards we looked for okonomiyaki which took us to a location we didn’t know had a large line and with sunken cost setting in we decided to wait it out. I think it took about 40 minutes to be seated, which is way more than I would usually tolerate. The okonomiyaki was good, but not worth waiting in line for.
We took a walk to Osaka Castle, and rather than going in we went to the little shopping plaza on the grounds and to the top-floor bar. It was a glorious day and the castle looked beautiful. We hung out there for an hour or so, with perfect views and drinks.
It was getting close to sunset so we headed to Umeda Sky. It was quite a long line to get in, but we made it comfortably in time to watch the sunset. We did a little shopping in the streets below then headed back to Kyoto.
TLDR: I’d really like to spend more time in Osaka, it was a lot of fun and had great energy.
Okinawa
Day 7
We headed to Kyoto Station that morning to catch an express train to KIX, which requires both a ticket and a supplement to be paid onboard. The line for tickets was very long but fairly efficient, but it did mean it was a little bit of a rush to get to the right platform in time.
KIX airport was a breeze for domestic travel, with a bunch of nice food options post security (which is something you can’t always rely on as we found out later!). We had soba at Sojibo which was very tasty.
We flew to Okinawa, which took around 2 hours 15, and in that time there is no real onboard service, even in business class, other than a cup of (tasty) juice. Unlike in Europe there’s nothing to buy other than lots of calendars (?) so if you’re flying domestically on the main airlines, bring food and drink with you.
We got a taxi to the hotel, and checked in. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Naha, which is the tallest building in the city. It was a good hotel with friendly staff and a good breakfast. If you’re in a suite you can access the rooftop which was a pleasant place to watch the sunset most evenings.
To finish the day we walked down the main strip which is really fun and reminded me a little of Las Vegas, and it full of domestic tourists wearing all the iconic Okinawa merch like Orion Beer and Blue Seal ice cream shirts. We had dinner in Norengai which had live Okinawan music in amongst mini restaurants that was really awesome. It was a great way to start the trip.
Day 8
The second day we walked to the Chinese Garden which was beautiful, and mostly spent our time exploring the city on foot, going through the covered markets. It was pretty chilled day as we knew the next couple would be more hectic. We had some absolutely delicious soba at a place called Sanraku, next to the Regency.
TLDR: Okinawa will not disappoint if you like cats. I saw more than anywhere I’ve been in Japan! Every store and stall seemed to have its resident cat.
Day 9
We rented a car to do some more exploring. We first headed to American Village, which was bigger than I thought, and did some shopping. It’s kitchy but charming. Next stop was the Cape Zanpa lighthouse which offered great views, and had some Blue Seal ice cream next to it....
Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1abj2c9/trip_report_kyotookinawayokohama/