Couple trip, from Europe, NL – first time in Japan. Route Tokyo – Hakone – Osaka with daily trips (Yokohama, Nara, Kyoto). We are in our 30s, relaxed travellers, used to walking a lot. Hope this helps someone in their planning as I definitely found similar reports very useful when I did my research.
**Pre-trip prep:**
Internet: e-sim Ubigi, I got 10 GB for 13 days, did not run out. For a phone that did not have e-sim we got a travel sim card on our first day in Tokyo in BIC Camera (close to Tokyo station).
Customs: got QR code via Visit Japan Web. Customs at the Narita airport took maybe 15-20 min, they asked for QR three time during this time.
Electronics: got portable Anker battery and a EU->JP plug adapter. Adapter is an absolute must, there are no usb-c ports in hotel rooms.
Luggage & laundry: we had two carry-ons, no checked in luggage. We used laundry service twice – in Tokyo and in Osaka where we stayed for multiple days. As it was a standard hotel laundry service, not a self-service, we got fresh clothes same day by 6 pm if we left it at the reception before 10 am. We got a cheap suitcase (Ginza Karen, better quality then I expected for 7k yen price) for everything we got in Osaka on our last day.
Booked in advance: Teamlabs Planets, Gundam viewing deck in Yokohama, dinner options in Ryokans in Hakone. Did not pre-book any restaurants, trains or attractions otherwise.
**Trip itself:**
**Tokyo, 4,5 days:**
Arrived on Monday around 11:00, got tickets for Narita express and reached Tokyo station in about an hour. Got Suica cards in the information office, physical ones. We stayed in Ginza so it was an easy 10 min subway ride and 5 minute walk to our hotel.
Hotel: Mitsui Gargen Ginza Hotel Premier. Great location, great views (Tokyo Tower too from certain rooms), very clean and normal king size bed, not two single beds which is very common in Japan. Lots of breakfast places nearby but breakfast in the hotel itself is also good.
Ginza: great location to connect to many other areas. Lots of food options – though some places seemed to be priced rather high due to the area, I would not recommend staying here if you’re on a budget. Shopping is great, as to be expected.
What we covered in 4,5 days:
* Teamlabs Planets: I know some people love it, some find it meh. I found it meh – too many people, too touristy. Some rooms are very cool though.
* Akihibara: must see if you’re into pop culture / manga / gundam. It was fascinating to visit for me once, my partner came back on another day to do some proper nerdy shopping.
* Shibuya and Meiji Shrine: walked from Shibuya crossing through some streets and a really nice park all the way to the Shrine and back to the subway. The Shrine is definitely worth the visit, really peaceful and beautiful. Shibuya crossing is… well, just a crossing.
* Tokyo Tower: beautiful views of the city and really nice area around the tower, absolutely worth a visit.
* Yokohama day trip: went to Cup Noodle Museum (really nice experience!) and Gundam Factory. Giant Gundam was still up so went up to the deck as well. I loved how walkable the area was, Yokohama was definitely a highlight, and only 35 min away from Ginza.
One the last day, Friday, we took a direct train from Tokyo station to Odawara station (Hakone), I bought it a day in advance in the ticket office.
**Hakone, 2,5 days:**
We arrived to Odawara station around 14:00, bought Shinkansen tickets to Osaka in advance (right side of the card for the view of mount Fuji), bought Hakone passes as well – totally worth it, free transport and cable cars throughout the area. At 15:00, a transfer bud from the ryokan picked us up and we arrived to Gora which is the main town for major attractions about an hour later. It is also possible to reach Gora by a local train, we did not try it though.
First night we stayed in Gora which was convenient for seeing the sights, and for two other nights moved to a more remote area, ryokan Kinnotake Tonosawa which was a most amazing, relaxing, private accomodation with amazing service and food. We do not have tattoos but opted for a private in-room onsen experience and did not visit public onsens.
When in Hakone, we took a cable car to Owakudani to see mount Fuji and the hot spings valley – it was totally worth it though quite crowded on a Saturday. We wanted to go all the way to the lake below, but the cable car leg to the lake was closed and lines for a replacement bus were longer than we were comfortable with so it did not happen. On the way back to Gora we roamed the little streets and some smaller attractions.
Hakone was a much needed break after energy of Tokyo, and I am glad we took our time to proper slow down and relax there.
We went back to Odawara station on Monday morning by taxi from the ryokan, and boarded Shinkansen at 12:00. It took 2 hrs 30 mins to reach Shin Osaka station.
**Osaka, 5 days:**
Took a taxi from Shin Osaka directly to the hotel as navigating Umeda with carry-ons did not sound like fun. This was a right move, Umeda station is totally disorienting and I tried to avoid it as much as possible throughout the stay.
Hotel: Imperial Osaka on the river. Stayed for the view and the quiet area – loved it. Also only 5 min away from the Sakuranomiya train station which took us directly to Nara and almost directly to Kyoto (only 1 stop inbetween).
What we covered in 5 days in Osaka:
* City centre: Dotonbori, Nipponbashi (similar to Akihibara), Namba area. Loved it.
* Osaka aquarium: an absolute must if you are into aquariums, and the best facility I’ve seen, even compared to really well maintained oceanariums in Boston or Bay area.
* Osaka Castle: it was a relaxing stroll from the hotel along the river and all the way to the castle, maybe about 25 minutes. We did not go inside (lines), but walked about and it was absolutely beautiful.
* Day trip to Nara: the weather was horrible that day so we only went to the deer park and roamed about city centre a bit. I had the best coffee and croissant of the trip at the Rokumei cafe, it was a perfect spot to hide from the rain and warm up.
* Day trip to Kyoto: we were aware that no way we’d see everything in one day so prioritised Inari Shrine. It was really beautiful and relaxing hike despite insane crowds in the first third of the way. After Inari we made it to Kyoto Handicraft Centre and it was worth the track – most amazing prints, lacquerware, wood work and overall souvenir items of higher quality.
On the last day we flew back to NL directly from Kansai airport. The airport is 1 hr from the Osaka so we took a taxi and it was around 20k yen – definitely expensive but worth it with the luggage and early in the morning.
**Overall learnings from the trip:**
We could have easily spent a week in Tokyo, I feel we only scratched the surface, especially since we were jetlagged and not at our best for for first 2 days.
Staying in Osaka as a hub was the right move for us. I absolutely loved the city – it is very food-centric, much more relaxed than Tokyo and shopping is great. That said, I visited Takashimaya shopping centre in both Tokyo and Osaka and they’re not exactly the same, so both worth a visit.
Kyoto was very cute but way too touristy. Reminds me of Venice or Florence, same vibes. I am glad we did not stay there.
It was easy to book train tickets on the stations 1-2 days in advance – that said, we travelled outside of major tourist times so I imagine it can get much busier. I spent extra on green car, as it had only two seats in a row, not three, and it was a great experience.
We were not religious about trying to get by using public transport only, and if we were too tired to figure out train station mazes we used Uber. It worked perfectly and definitely reduced travel stress.
Japan is definitely a country where wearing layers pays off, in spring at least – temperature fluctuated between 2C – 18C, and Uniqlo layers worked marvels. I also wore athleisure and it was not an issue – it was obvious we’re tourist anyway. I did change to more local clothes (long skirts or slacks, shirts and cardigans) for evening meals though.
We did not book any restaurants in Tokyo or Osaka in advance (Japanese apps are not very user friendly) but had no problem walking into ramen shops, yakitori and curry places. Lines stars around 18:30 so we made sure to walk in around 18:00.
My Revolute VISA card worked almost everywhere, and backup AMEX worked as well. Cash withdrawal is easy at 7/11. Cash is needed mostly for shrines, gacha shops, remote areas / small shops in Hakone.
People generally spoke English but not fluently, there is a language barrier for sure. My partner speaks basic Japanese so it definitely helped, and we used google translate where necessary. Most restaurants had English menus or pictures we could point to. Trains / subway had English everywhere so it was no problem.
There are no trash cans in public areas which is weird considering how much Japanese love single use plastics. Fortunately, there are a lot of public bathroom and there are trash cans there.
Most local hotels would have two single beds, not one king size or double bed. This significantly reduced number of options for us to book, but I imagine some people may find it a convenience. Also, smoking rooms are a thing in Japan, so be careful what room you book.
Next time we travel to Japan we will do a reverse where we’d arrive to Osaka and fly back from Tokyo, to enjoy the capital a bit more. We would also come back in the fall, as early spring many parks are still quite bare and I feel we missed out a bit. That said, seeing mount Fuji covered in snow was breath taking.
That’s it! Loved the trip and will definitely be back.
by strsofya
