8 Nights in Japan: Visited Kyoto and Tokyo

Given how helpful this sub was in planning our family trip to Japan a few weeks ago, I thought I’d pay it forward and share our recommendations from our experience. For some background, our group consisted of a family of 12 with 6 adults and 6 kids ranging in age from 12 to 17. Compounding matters, we had 3 food allergies (1 gluten and 2 nut) that made things slightly more challenging in terms of ad hoc dining. As such, we were frequently restricted to larger restaurants that could accommodate both the allergies and the size of our group. However, it was an amazing experience and we are already plotting on how we return as soon as possible.

**Important Tips**

* Always have cash on hand. It was surprising how often businesses or restaurants were cash only. This applies to the subway as well. While every subway kiosk had a slot for accepting credit cards, they were cash only.
* Eat only in restaurants. Unlike in the states, eating “on the go” is frowned upon. If you purchase McDonald’s or other fast food to go, they assume you will take it home to eat it. If you purchase a skewer or other street food, the expectation is that you eat it directly in front of their stall. They will provide a garbage can for your rubbish. Which leads me to my next point which is…
* Take your garbage with you. Garbage Cans are oddly absent in Japan. You’ll find them in bathrooms, occasionally on a train platform but otherwise, you will rarely see garbage cans on a random side walk or street corner. Any trash you generate, you are expected to dispose of at home or with the business where you originally purchased the item contained within the garbage.
* Embrace 7-11. The hype is real. Tons of delicious, fresh food can be found at 7-11 and other convenience stores. FamilyMarts (7-11 competitor) were ubiquitous as well.
* Install Google Translate on your iPhone. English is not widely spoken. Most tourist attractions had capable English speakers but it’s not like visiting Europe where the majority of the population has passable English. Having Google Translate on your phone will help you communicate and/or read signage and menus. Similarly, learn to say Please, Thank You and Goodbye in Japanese. They’re an incredibly polite culture and they definitely appreciated our attempts to say these phrases.
* Respect how big the cities are. If you have traveled extensively in Europe, you probably know that the majority of the cities have a central business district and tourist area centered around a major attraction (castle, etc.). Tokyo, in particular, is absolutely massive. I knew it was the largest city in the world going in but I don’t think my mind could effectively comprehend that the metro area had 40.8MM people until we actually arrived. When examining a map, you’ll think, “oh, that temple is right next to that building” and when you punch it into Google Maps, it’ll be a 1.5 hour walk or 20 minute subway ride. When planning your itinerary, plot each destination on Google Maps to ensure you are not pushing yourself too hard.
* Mentally prepare yourself that you may experience an earthquake. While the threat of earthquakes is omnipresent, we were still surprised when we felt the 7.6 quake even though we were hundreds of miles from the epicenter. Our personal rule was that we wouldn’t freak out until we saw the Japanese freak out. While our hotel’s elevators were turned off for a little over an hour (causing us to walk down 10 flights of stairs), the Japanese handled it with customary efficiency.

**Transportation**
Taxis
Taxis are ubiquitous and easily hailed from the street. Most major tourist attractions, train stations, etc, have taxi stands. Every cab driver wore a suit, gloves, mask and displayed a level of professionalism unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed. I prefer Google Maps to Apple Maps as Google Maps shows you both the English and Japanese address for a location. When you click on the Google Maps Japanese address, it will expand it so the cab driver can read it. There’s even an audio function to communicate it to him verbally. Every cab we encountered took credit cards but you could tell there was a preference for cash from the interactions.
Trains
A whole book could be written about navigating Japan’s rail system (and one probably already has) but what you need to know is the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) is truly a marvel of engineering. To put it in perspective, our cab ride from the Osaka airport to our hotel in Kyoto took approximately 1.5 hours. The Shinkansen ride from the Osaka train station to Kyoto Station takes 13 minutes. Driving to Tokyo would take 6 hours; our train ride only took 2 hours and 15 minutes. It’s utterly mind blowing how smooth and convenient it is.
Highly recommend you book your tickets ahead of time at Japan Rail’s website. If you do not have a login, you will need to register. They have several different train speeds, with Nozomi being the fastest. That’s the one you want to book. When you book, you can reserve seats ahead of time which is a good idea if you have luggage. The seat diagram also shows you locations where luggage can be stored. Those locations aren’t designated luggage closets – they’re simply seats with more legroom so you can store your bag in front of you. Otherwise, you’ll need to put your bag in the overhead. Your tickets will be available via QR codes that you can easily add to your Apple Wallet. You may purchase a maximum of 6 tickets at a time. If your party’s larger than that, simply make a second reservation.
When you arrive at Kyoto Station, ask the cab to drop you off at the Shinkansen entrance. Kyoto Station has many different train companies (also there are 30+ platforms) and it’s the 2nd largest train station in all of Japan so it can be overwhelming. Simply scan your QR code at the Shinkansen gates and it’ll let you through. On the 2nd floor (past the Shinkansen gates), there are a ton of places to purchase food, including a Starbucks. The train platform is one level up from here. Eating on the train is perfectly acceptable. No food or drinks are available for purchase on the train unless you reserve seats in the “Green” class.
Japanese trains run with military precision and its an immense source of pride for the nation. They almost put the Swiss to shame with how good their rail system is. Line up at the specific train car spot on the platform. If you are in Carriage 5, find the Carriage 5 spot. It’s imperative you are on the platform 10 to 15 minutes before the train arrives just so you can get positioned. When the train pulls up, they allow approximately two minutes for passengers to disembark and board the train. Be mindful that if you’re on the 12:15 train, there might be a 12:05 and a 12:10 lining up before you at the same spot, so don’t queue up right in the line itself until 4 minutes prior.
Subway
We took the subways in both Kyoto and Tokyo with little problem. Some stations have multiple lines with multiple train companies (particularly in Kyoto) so make sure you use the correct machine for the correct train line. Each machine has a language option in the upper right hand corner.
You’ll select your fare amount (again, Google Maps was a dream in this regard as when you punched in your destination into Google Maps, it would tell you the fare), choose the number of people using the buttons the left hand side (up to 2 or 3 tickets at a time depending on the train line) and insert your cash (up to ¥5000) or coins. Some stations offered more modern kiosks for purchasing tickets that allowed you to input the station name and select more than 3 people at one time when purchasing tickets.
Important: You need to use the same ticket to exit the station so do NOT throw it out after you go through the gates.
In Tokyo, every station is assigned a letter corresponding to the train line and a number. Instead of remembering that you need to exit at a particular station name, you can simply look for the corresponding designator (e.g. E-12, F-7, etc.). This also helps in determining how many stops until your station.
**Kyoto**
Day 1
In the morning, participate in the Waraku Kyoto Samurai Experience (111, Inaba-Cho, Nakagyo-Ku, Kyoto, Japan). Book this immediately. Our kids (and all the adults) really enjoyed this experience. Do not go to the Samurai museum, do this instead. Our experience began with a brief talk about samurai history along with more information on the 260 year old house which has remained in the same family as the samurai since the Shogun period. The history lesson is followed by an iaido demonstration and then everyone has an opportunity to practice with wooden swords before using the real katana. You then finish with a short Zen meditation. The full experience took almost two hours. While it’s definitely on the pricier side, I can’t recommend it enough.
Next, walk to Nijo Train station about 10 minutes away, grab a Teriyaki burger at Mos Burgers and then take the San-In Line (\~9 minute ride) to Saga Arashiyama Station for a Private Bike Tour of the Bamboo Forest, the Arashiyama area and the Iwatayama Monkey Park. Book the half day tour in advance. Your tour guide will help you channel your inner influencer to capture the perfect Bamboo Forest shots while you visit a shrine, Unesco registered gardens and feed the monkeys.
Day 2
In the morning, visit the Kiyomizu-dera Temple (TripAdvisor). En route, you can visit one of the world’s more unique Starbucks on Ninen-zaka while walking up the temple.
Background (copy “borrowed” from various sources): Over 1250 years have passed since the foundation of Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Halfway up Mt. Otowa, one of the peaks in Kyoto’s Higashiyama mountain range, stands the temple, to which large numbers of visitors come to pay their respects to Kannon, a deity of great mercy and compassion. For this reason, our temple is known as a “Kannon Reijo.” “Reijo” is a Japanese word meaning a “holy place” with which the Kannon’s compassion is abundant. Visitors will stand before the Kannon with thankful hearts—feelings of gratitude for coming into this world, your tranquil daily lives, and your loved ones, friends, and acquaintances who are always there beside you. In other words, worshiping Kannon means taking a hard look at your true self.
Since its foundation, most of the buildings have been destroyed by fire over ten times. Thanks to the assistance of the temple’s faithful, they were rebuilt time and time again. Most of the present buildings were reconstructed in 1633.
Story of the temple: an old man in white appeared in a dream to Kenshin\*, a monk who had led an ascetic life in Nara, and gave him this revelation: “Depart from this southern region.” Inspired by this vision, Kenshin walked north and discovered a pure, gushing waterfall in Mt. Otowa, Kyoto. The crystal spring that Kenshin discovered was later called Otowa Waterfall, from which pure water continues to flow even today.
Main Gate: It was burnt down during a civil war in 1469 and reconstructed around 1500
West Gate: The present building was reconstructed in 1633. With the spectacular views of the sunset from the site of Sai-mon, it has long been considered a gateway to Paradise and is known as a sacred place for Nissokan, one of the meditation practices for visualizing the Pure Land.
Main Hall: The present stage was reconstructed in 1633. Withstanding hundreds of disasters over the years, this traditional wooden structure continues to support the stage, which is always bustling with visitors. There is a popular Japanese saying, “to jump off the stage of Kiyomizu.” It means to make a bold decision and “take a plunge,” as if jumping off the stage protruding from the Main Hall which was built on the high, steep slope. The principal image of Kiyomizu, the statue of the Eleven-headed Thousand-armed Kannon Bodhisattva (Goddess of Mercy) is enshrined in the innermost section of the Hal
Okuno-in Hall: Directly above the waterfall. The stunning view of the Main Hall stage and the Kyoto cityscape from here make it a favorite photo opportunity for visitors.
Zuigu-do Hall: This building was constructed in 1735. The principal image of this hall is the Daizuigu Bodhisattva (a hidden Buddhist image), which kindly hears the desires and aspirations of each and every person. Shinto and Buddhist deities of matchmaking, safe birth, and child rearing are also enshrined here. The special tour for exploring the sanctified area underneath the hall, called Tainai-Meguri, is also offered here. Visiting Tainai-Meguri entails paying ¥100, taking off your shoes and walking into a completely dark basement, holding a handrail. As you venture through the darkness, one eventually arrives as the sacred stone under a single light. Touch the stone, say your intention and upon exit, you are supposed to experience a sensation of being “reborn.”
Otowa-no-taki Spring: Kiyomizu-dera Temple originates from Otowa Waterfall and takes its name from the pureness of the waters. The clear, gushing waters have long been called “Konjiki-sui” (golden water) or “Enmei-sui” (life-prolonging water) and are suitable for use in purification. Visitors catch each of the three streams of pure water with ladles and pray for purification of their six senses and to make their wishes come true. ONLY drink from one stream. Each of the three streams has a theme: health, wealth and love. Except, no one tells you which stream represents which theme.
Walk back down the Sannen-zaka to find lunch. If you are there in the high season, it will be jam packed with people. Several restaurants have tables on the second floor that may offer a spot to eat. We scored a table for a party of 12 at Seisyuan Kiyomizu. While it wasn’t the greatest meal I had in Kyoto, it was serviceable and incredibly inexpensive for a sit down lunch in a touristy area. There’s also a food stall with fried chicken and teriyaki chicken in the courtyard if you want something more casual.
After lunch, walk down Sannen-zaka, hop on the subway and head to the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine (TripAdvisor)
Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社, Fushimi Inari Taisha) is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari’s messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital’s move to Kyoto in 794.
While the primary reason most foreign visitors come to Fushimi Inari Shrine is to explore the mountain trails, the shrine buildings themselves are also attractive. At the shrine’s entrance stands the Romon Gate, which was donated in 1589 by the famous leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At the very back of the shrine’s main grounds is the entrance to the torii gate-covered hiking trail, which starts with two dense, parallel rows of gates called Senbon Torii (“thousands of torii gates”). Blow past the temples and head to the gates. This is why you are here.
The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator’s name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. The donation amount starts around ¥400,000 for a smaller gate and increases to over ¥1MM for a large gate.
The hike to the summit of the mountain and back takes about 2-3 hours, however, visitors are free to walk just as far as they wish before turning back. Along the way, there are multiple smaller shrines with stacks of miniature torii gates that were donated by visitors with smaller budgets. There are also a few restaurants along the way, which offer locally themed dishes such as Inari Sushi and Kitsune Udon (“Fox Udon”), both featuring pieces of aburaage (fried tofu), said to be a favorite food of foxes.
After about a 30-45 minute ascent and a gradual decrease in the density of torii gates, visitors will reach the Yotsutsuji intersection roughly halfway up the mountain, where some nice views over Kyoto can be enjoyed, and the trail splits into a circular route to the summit. Many hikers only venture as far as here, as the trails do not offer much variation beyond this point and the gate density decreases further.
Day 3
Schedule a morning Tea Ceremony with Maikoya at Nishiki (329 Ebiyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8076, Japan). Over the course of the 1.5 hour ceremony, you’ll don kimonos and learn about this important Japanese ritual and it’s significance. Must be booked in advance.
Following the ceremony, walk a few blocks down to Nishiki Market. Your senses will be overwhelmed by the sights and smells. There’s a Wendy’s (yes, I’m serious) at the far east end before the market starts. We made that our “home base” for our kids, gave them each some cash and told them to go find something to eat for lunch and to take a picture of the strangest food they could find. We all eventually ended up at the far west end where there was almost like a food court with lots of different food stalls and beer, along with seating and bathrooms on the second floor. The gyoza stall Hyogo was divine as was the tempura stall next to it. I personally passed on the quail egg stuffed baby octopus.
After lunch, hop a train to Nara Park in Nara (about 45 minutes from Kyoto by commuter train). Considered the messengers of the gods, Nara’s more than 1000 deer have become a symbol of the city and have even been designated as a natural treasure. Deer crackers are for sale around the park, and some deer have learned to bow to visitors to ask to be fed. Nara’s deer are surprisingly tame, although they can be aggressive if they think you will feed them, so make sure not to tease them with food.
When you exit the train station, walk east along the main road until you get to the park. You’ll encounter numerous smaller parks where people and deer are congregating. Ignore them and walk past the museum until you get to the “real park.” After you get your fill of having deer bow to you for crackers, head north to visit Todaiji Temple to see giant buddha (largest in Japan). The Temple in which it’s housed is also the largest freestanding wooden structure in the world.
Day 4
Take the Shinkansen to Tokyo. Be sure to bring bottled water, drinks/snacks on the train for the ride.
**Tokyo**
Day 5
Reserve morning tickets to visit the Skytree Tower, the tallest structure in Japan and the tallest tower in the world. You will need to book tickets in advance. The views are magnificent and it really brings home just how massive Tokyo is. Depending on the age of the kids in your party, take advantage of being at Skytree to visit the Pokemon Skytree Shop.
After the Skytree Tower, you can visit the Skytree mall’s food court or wander over to Nakamise-dori for a late lunch. Lots of street food options exist near the temple (20 minute walk from the Skytree). Following lunch, visit the Sensō-ji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest temple. This particular temple is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, and is the most widely visited religious site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually. To put this in perspective, the Vatican receives 5 million visitors per year.
The area around the temple was one of the few places in Japan we experienced a plethora of traditional souvenir shops. Stock up Maneki-Nekos to take home to friends.
If you are feeling motivated, you can take the subway to Akihabara to experience it at night or wait until the morning when it’ll be a little less
Day 6
In the morning, visit the arcades in Akihabara. If you enjoy crane or dance games, you’ll be in heaven. The experience was exactly like the scene from Lost in Translation. There are countless arcades from which to choose but we visited GiGO Akihabara Building 3 as the 7th floor (yes, there are 6 other floors of video games) had all vintage video games from the 80s and 90s. Bring cash as it’s a cash only experience.
Following our extensive nerding out, we hit Menya Takeichi for lunch for quite possibly the best ramen of my life. If arcade games aren’t your thing, consider reserving an early morning tour of the Toyosu Market to view the fish auction or visiting Kiyosumi Teien (Japanese Gardens).
That afternoon, we visited teamLab which the kids loved. The experience was unique and only took about an hour. Other kid friendly options in the area include Joypolis (indoor amusement park), the UNKO Poop Museum (more instagrammy than museum) and the Fukagawa Edo Museum. Finally, if you are in the area, the Gundam Statue is worth checking out as well.
Day 7
We devoted most of our 3rd day to shopping and more relaxed sightseeing. Even though we stayed near Shinjuku (which has a robust retail area), we spent the day shopping in Shibuya. While Shibuya has every retail option under the sun, if you walk north from Shibuya to Harajuku, you’ll find more independent retailers, lots of vintage clothing shops, etc.
Shops we hit in Shibuya included Nintendo Tokyo (Shibuya Parco), the Pokemon store and a bunch of other shops. After lunch, we visited the Hachikō Memorial Statue and then headed to Chiku-Chiku Cafe to drink tea and pet hedgehogs.
While in Shibuya, you must experience the Shibuya scramble (busiest intersection in the world with 2,500 people crossing each time the light changes). After you experience the crossing, visit the Shibuya Sky to witness it from above. While the Instagrammers lining up for the perfect photo in the corners of the Skydeck are annoying, it really is one of the better views in Tokyo.
**Restaurants**
Japan’s worth a visit for the food alone and there are some uniquely Japanese experiences you should seek out. In Tokyo, I highly recommend you visit one of the locations for Kura Sushi. It’s a conveyor belt sushi restaurant and while the menu does not have an English option, the website gives you a better idea of what you are eating/ordering. The fact that the beers are delivered by high speed conveyor belt on demand was the highlight.
Another “only in Japan” experience was indulging in shabu shabu. We dined at Nabezo which not only accommodated our large group but handled the allergies in our group with ease. Shabu Shabu entails boiling your meat and vegetables in a hot pot at your table. The food was great, the experience quick and Nabezo was the only restaurant in Japan that offered free soda refills (bonus for the kids).
In Kyoto, we dined at Okiyoshi which was some of the best sushi we had in Japan. The restaurant only has 16 seats and the family that runs it couldn’t be nicer. The only other dinner of note in Kyoto was at HAFUU for some delicious Kobe beef. I’m not sure if I’d seek either out but if you are in the area, they are solid options.

Hope this helped someone in their planning.