Japan Trips & Travel Tips

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/reddwhatt2 on 2025-07-06 06:24:38+00:00.

My family of 4 adults went from 5/27-6/13 after not having been for 15 years (4th trip).

I wasn't sure I wanted to do a full trip report, but did want to give back to this community after learning from a lot of great posts. I know some of these are redundant to other posts.

Our trip plans changed pretty drastically a couple of times, including during the trip. Here's what the final look looked like:

Places visited

1. Tokyo - 2 days

2. Matsumoto - .5 day

3. Kanazawa - 2.5 days

4. Osaka - 2.5 days

a. World Expo - 1 day

5. Uji - 1 day

6. Nara - .5 day

7. Kyoto - 2.5 days

8. Tokyo - 3.5 days

Places that got scratched off at the last minute

1. Nagano - .5 day

2. Takayama - 1.5 days

3. Shirakawa-go - .5 day

4. Hakone - 1.5 days

Things I learned from Youtube

In addition to lots of Reddit posts, we watched lots of youtube too. The two best things I learned there were:

1. Use Expedia to book hotels (Kensho Quest)

As implied above, we made some drastic changes to our plans 2 days before leaving and a week into our trip. Using Expedia for all of my hotels made things super simple and easy. All of the reservations, messaging, & access codes came via Expedia. Canceling was super simple and I got my refunds right away. I would've probably tried to use AirBNB, or book directly or using various Japanese travel sites. 2. If the Wagyu (or Matcha) doesn't say what kind or rank, it's probably not worth mentioning (PiQtour Japan)

I know this is a bit of a silly thing to point out...There are wagyu (and matcha) signs everywhere and offering it as sushi, Sashimi, burgers, katsu, steaks, etc. PiQtour has a video on the diff types of wagyu and made the point that if a place isn't advertising it, it's probably average. We found this to be pretty true everywhere. We did finally get "real" wagyu when we ate Matsusaka wagyu @ Sugimoto @ Skytree and their regular wagyu and there was a massive difference. We unfortunately had wagyu at multiple places that didn't just live up to the expectation. BTW, I really appreciated PiQtours videos, she makes a lot of effort to uniquely share the story of what you're looking at, not just walking through the sites.

Shopping

1. Duty Free - some places took the Customs QR code to process a duty free purchase, but most places didn't. Don't forget to always have your passport if you place on shopping! Some of the places actually sealed the bag and told us not to open it while in Japan. Nobody at the airport ever seemed to check for any duty free purchases. Also, duty free doesn't apply unless you buy between 5000-5500 yen. Lots of places offered it though and it saved a lot of money.

IC Cards

1. Suica/Pasmo made life so much easier, not just for traveling but also shopping too.

2. Suica worked fine in Tokyo, Matsumoto, & Kanazawa (even on the buses). However, it stopped working in Osaka and I couldn't get it reset. When I returned to Tokyo, it still wouldn't work. Fortunately I didn't have that much money left on it.

3. In Osaka, we switched to using Pasmo. Worked great in Osaka, Kyoto, Uji, & Tokyo.

4. Add it to your Apple Watch or at least iPhone. Annoyingly, you have to choose one or the other. I loved using ICs with my Watch. So simple. You never had to bring up an app, wallet, or phone, just tap and keep walking. Each member in your party needs to have it on their own iphone/watch.

5. Don't forget to when recharging, Visa works for Suica, but not Pasmo. Pasmo worked with Mastercard, AMEX, & Apple Card (if I remember correctly). Pasmo not using Visa almost caused a huge issue for me. My adult kids only had Visas and therefore couldn't charge their Pasmo. Fortunately, I also use Apple Card and it was really simple to add them to my account on the fly in Japan.

Places I'd recommend

1. TeamLab Planets in Tokyo - Had a 7pm reservation and just barely made it through everything before they closed and kicked everyone out. Don't forget to wear pants you can roll up to your knees. Dresses are a bad idea there because there are mirrored flowers everywhere, plus the water. Heals are also a really bad idea. Book a month in advance.

2. Myouryuji (aka Ninja Temple) in Kanazawa - not actually a Ninja Temple, but very, very cool and ninja-like. All in Japanese, but you can follow along with the English booklet they provide.

3. Ninja Weapon Museum in Kanazawa - if you do got to Myouryuji, this museum is walking distance and pretty neat to see, especially if their staff is walking you through it (for free).

4. Osaka World Expo 2025 - yes we saw all the negative videos on YouTube and almost let those stop us from going. We're really glad we went, definitely worth it and the lines moved relatively quick.

5. Ishii Miso - Located in Matsumoto, the area is known for providing most of the miso in Japan. If you get the timing right you can catch a free English tour of the miso making process. Really interesting and very tasty. Make sure you eat in their restaurant and then grab some miso ice cream. We ended up buying a bunch of their 3-year aged miso as gifts.

6. Matsumoto Castle - we attempted to go to 3 castles (Osaka, Kanazawa, and this one), but as we learned later, Kanazawa's castle burned down and it's just the walls, and Osaka is really a modern museum inside. Matsumoto, however, was definitely worth it. It's one of the few original castles still standing. Keep in mind you have to take your shoes off, so wear socks, and be okay with climbing many steep stairs. BTW, if you go to Kanazawa Castle Park take the free English tour, it made a big difference in our visit, especially not realizing there wasn't a castle. Osaka Castle offered amazing exterior pictures too though, along with great views from the top. One of the trip changes I made was after learning their was an express train from Shinjuku to Matsumoto vs. Ueno to Nagano to Matsumoto.

Places to eat

1. Katsukura Tonkatsu - there are 3 locations in Kyoto, but we've only ever been to the main location. I've heard the Kyoto Station location is easier to get into though. Still the best tonkatsu we've had anywhere.

2. Pizzeria Osteria Capo - it was near our hotel in Asakusa and it was really great pizza. I haven't seen it on any of the Tokyo pizza lists, but it's definitely worthy. Also neat that the pizzaiolo was a woman. Definitely better than most pizza in the US we've had.

3. Pizzeria da Peppe Napoli Sta’ Ca” - this place is on all the lists for Tokyo and for good reason. Amazing pizza. A little bit out of the way for us, but worth it.

4. Ramen Takahashi Ueno - we were fortunate that most ramen we had was very different from each other and generally different than what we've had in LA. This place is a perfect example. At the time we happened upon it it looked like a Ramen Tour was just coming out and I think the reason is because these guys uniquely use a flying fish broth. We would definitely visit again if we're in the area.

5. Ume no Hana Uenohirokoji - this Kaiseki restaurant in Ueno was the most unique dining experiencer we had. We really enjoyed every course. We had to order ahead of time, but the menus were pretty straightforward and reasonable considering what we were getting. It seemed like everyone gets a private room.

6. Sugimoto @ Skytree - as mentioned above, amazing wagyu. Only go if you're going to splurge on the Matsusaka. The lessor wagyu is not worth it when you've had Matsusaka.

7. Tsukiji Market - we went 2 times and it was definitely worth it. Yes there were crowds, but it wasn't that bad. We really enjoyed getting bites here and there while walking through the stalls. Great sashimi, scallops, fried tamago, dried snacks, etc.

8. Ginza Sembikiya - if you've been looking into Japan, you've possibly seen how many and expensive their fruit can be. If you want to try some, check out this cafe (2nd fl) above their fruit gift shop that's been around since 1894. Really fresh and tasty desserts, especially if you need a break from the summer heat.

9. Kanazawa Curry Laboratory - In Omicho market. Granted we don't have a lot of experience with Kanazawa-style curry, but we really enjoyed our dinners. We did have to wait a bit in line, as it's a small place, but we were really glad we ate there.

10. Sushi Kishin - In Kanazawa's Nishichaya district and across from the Ninja Weapon Museum. Great Kaisendon, one of Kanazawa's specialities.

11. curry & tempura koisus - In Kyoto's Gion area, this curry place is like no curry place you've ever been. This was amaingly high-end and a truly unique experience. While the Curry Lab was really good curry, the experience in no way compares. One of our best meals.

12. Omicho Market in Kanazawa - similar to Tsukiji, we rewally enjoyed walking around and just grabbing bites here and there. Really fresh and tasty.

13. Ishii Miso - after catching the tour, be sure to eat in their restaurant highlighting miso flavors. Really good foodl, especially after seeing how they make it.

14. Takumi No Yakata teahouse - Uji has always one of our favorite places in Japan (especially during cherry blossom). If you didn't know, it's the birthplace of Japanese tea and all popular Matcha in particular. This last time we did a Matcha Experience and really enjoyed it. They teach you about Uji-cha and you get to choose Matcha, Sencha, or Gyokuro. Gyokuro was definitely the...

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