Just back from my first trip to Japan! 2 weeks with my sister (both in our late 20s & we’re Australian) in winter. Had a blast.
**TLDR:** less busy time to go, if you love snowsports late January is a decent bet, and whilst there’s nothing wrong with tourist itineraries we preferred to let our interests guide us. Overall a really positive trip!
**TOKYO** (4 days)
* Stayed in Ueno, and it was a great location conveniently close to things by public transport but not too busy and touristy. Enjoyed the local yokocho street for food, and it was good to go straight from Narita Airport to Ueno on one train and not have to navigate a transfer on our first night.
* Favourite experiences were going to a Yakuniku restaurant (and discovering my favourite drink ever, Lemon Sour), late night shopping at the Mega Don Quixote in Shibuya (and loads of other local shopping, love the 10 storey malls), and we also had some nice nights just walking around (like the Sumida River and Senso-ji on a rainy evening). Did less touristy stuff than I had planned on my Google Maps list but just enjoyed the vibes!
* It was love at first sight for Japanese toilets and I want one. Bit tricky at first since there’s no English instructions usually but there’s pictures. Hygiene in general is great, and I also have allergies and really appreciated the no fragrance/incense rules in hotels, and non-scented laundry detergent they used.
**HAKUBA** (4 days)
* We have both skiied multiple times in Australia, but Japanese snow is so much better and we couldn’t have asked for better conditions; two snow days and one bluebird day to end it (topped off with an onsen visit!). The variety of mountains to go to on one pass was great, plus a free shuttle bus service, and the whole 3 days were relatively cheap (as long as you don’t go out for dinner! Make a meal out of stuff from 7-11 and you’re sweet). Totally overrun with Aussies including us.
* A random misfortune struck on our way here from Tokyo – powerlines fell on the tracks in northern Tokyo and all the souls trying to get to Nagano that day were stuck for hours (including us, it was chaos). Happily no one was hurt and later that day we were able to get a highway bus to Hakuba instead so it worked out okay. We also were able to get a refund on our tickets at a JR East station before we left Japan.
**KYOTO** (4 days)
* My sister and I split up for a day (needed a break and she had made friends in Hakuba haha), and I had a night solo in Matsumoto, which was a lovely town and I really enjoyed a visit to the castle, the art gallery (Yayoi Kusama exhibition imo was more special than TeamLabs, quite special), and there was also an ice sculpture festival on which was cool. We met up the next day and travelled to Kyoto together.
* In Kyoto we stayed near Nishiki Market and had fun shopping in the big arcades near there (my sister loved the underground thriftshops and I enjoyed all the anime merch stuff; B-Side Label & Village Vanguard got my money!). Subway network in Kyoto felt easy to navigate by this time.
* Our favourite experiences were hiking up to the lookout at Higashiyama, visiting the Arashiyama monkey park (also a hike), and a daytrip to Nara (deer were so cute! And the Buddhist temple was special & impressive). Had one night out in Osaka but it was kinda a bust haha (except for the massive Daimaru mall in Umeda, that was cool). Kyoto seemed definitely more touristy than where we stayed in Tokyo, and food was more expensive. By this time we were tired and enjoyed konbini cup noodles as much as expensive restaurants. 🙂
**GENERAL LEARNINGS**
* Money – Mastercard/Visa works at 7-11 ATMS and most places now accept card, however it’s still very useful to have Â¥5000 on you and coins for small purchases and local attractions. Get a coin purse from Daiso to keep organised, as train tickets are just paper and easily lost (and Pasmo works through a purse btw!). Keep in mind any foreign ATM fees your bank has and plan accordingly.
* Communication – I used an e-sim called Airolo, $10 USD for 10GB data over 30 days. I used 4GB in 2 weeks, and it worked reliably. Called family and messaged my sister when we were separated using Facebook Messenger.
* Transport – Google Maps is reliable and useful, but always leave extra time for navigating stations; it’s always signposted but they’re big and complex. JR Pass wasn’t worth it for our itinerary, but we got by just fine with Pasmo for local trains and physical tickets for long-distance. If you make a mistake, the ticketmaster can fix it for you on the train and usually understand. Also we each had a pocket journal and loved looking for eki-stamps, more fun than you think and an easy way to record memories.
* Language – I used Microsoft Translate a couple of times when complex requests were needed, and also to translate writing on products etc. Most of the time all we needed was “sumimasen” (sorry/excuse me) and “origato gozaimas” (thanks very much), and know that when a shopkepper says “douzo” it’s your turn (“go ahead”).
* Packing – Carry-on is far more convenient in Japan; hotel rooms are compact, you can stow a small bag in overhead lockers on trains but not a big suitcase, and there are lots of stairs in some train stations. Most days I was comfortable in jeans with a thermal underlayer, boots, a long sleeve top, sweater & puffy overcoat, and a beanie/hat if it was windy. We did have cold weather while there, tops of 5°C / 40°F some days. On the 10°C / 50°F days I just omitted some layers.