Just came back from Japan last week. I wanted to write this trip report to 1) journal my experience and 2) give back and share my experience with others so their future trip to Japan can be more amazing. Happy to answer questions!
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**Background:**
– First time in Japan. Originally was going to go with an ex in March 2020… finally got to go this year due to strong dollar/weak yen, 2 weeks off from work, and using my United points to pay for the flight.
– Flight booked Nov 2023 using 110k points via United website. direct to HND, layover in YYZ on return to IAH.
– Hotels booked Dec 2023. Checked roughly once a week to see if there was anything cheaper. Saved a few bucks 1) changing hotels in Osaka, and 2) choosing another, but same room layout for Kyoto hostel.
– 34M Chinese American. Big foodie. **When it comes to sights, I am more of a ‘checkbox’ traveler. I’d rather spend more time on the restaurant experience, and learning about products, such as origins, etc.** As such, I wanted to pack a lot more sights in this trip, and walked a fair amount everyday. I didn’t use a step counter. Just reporting the miles walked via Google Maps timeline (I would +10% just in case).
– When planning this trip, I put more emphasis on ‘older’ restaurants/stores, e.g. established in 1600s, or credited with creating a special product.
– Wanted to check out the Tokyo antennae stores, which sell the regional/prefecture goods. They have mostly food, but also have crafts, sake, and some even have a restaurant. 99% of customers were Japanese, hardly any foreigners.
– No interest in anime/manga products so I breezed through Akihabara/Den-Den Town, though I did buy the volume 1’s of a few popular manga. Difficult to find Jujutsu Kaisen Vol 1.
– For food, I put more emphasis those with high ratings on Tabelog, aka Japanese Yelp.
– 3.0 – average.
– 3.5 – very good.
– 3.6 – you’ll start to see lines, and prior to opening. Start checking online to see if reservations are required.
– 3.8 – very tough to get in these. The ones that didn’t have reservations, had insane lines, like 3.86 donut shop in Kyoto, I waited almost 2 hours in the rain, and that’s arriving 40 minutes early.
– 4.0 – seemed to apply mostly to high end sushi/kaiseki, e.g. you gotta know someone to get on the list.
– For sights, I will assign a priority number (P1, P2, etc). Use this as datapoints for figuring out where to visit on a quick trip.
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**Resources**
– [My Google My Map for points of interest, shopping](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1d_uCBibn9-FXiLk0qt6wLy_bG4SQsj0&usp=sharing)
– [My Google My Map for food](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=10Cg9V9OsbTb89qsWfsniWDFCBFThYEM&usp=sharing)
– [My Google Sheet with prices of gifts, food, and ratings](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VFxggf3HeUkFI4iCjvkhXNw-QUhHqwi87GHq1VqK9Hg/edit?usp=sharing)
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**Monday, March 18 – Houston:**
– Arrived 7am at IAH, boarded 10:45am for 11:15am flight. While waiting, an ANA employee already mistook me for Japanese; confused, what little Japanese I prepared for this situation left my brain. Knew this won’t be the last time I get mistaken as Japanese.
**Tuesday, March 19 – Tokyo –> Osaka (1.9 miles) – Just a travel day:**
– Land in Haneda around 3:20pm. I stupidly went through the door to the other Terminal 3 gates instead of going through customs, because I wanted to go by gate 108B to grab the special edition Pikachu plushies. Only the flight attendant plush was left. Then I realize I couldn’t get out. It took ~20 min to explain to the Info desk and wait for the person they called to escort me to customs. When I got to customs, it looked like there were two flights worth of travelers in front of me.
– Once past customs, activated my Ubigi eSIM with no problems, got my Welcome Suica card (machines to the left when facing towards the exits to the stations).
– Took the Keikyū line to Shinagawa, then took the Shinkansen to Osaka. At first I was going to buy the ticket via the counter at Shinagawa station but there was a line so I figured I would give the SmartEX app a chance. It was pretty easy to buy tickets via app. I linked it to my Suica card. Took the 5:46pm Nozomi, it looked like I was the only foreigner on my car.
– **Food – Dinner: Fukutaro Main Store (3.74 Tabelog, 4/5 rating, 20 min wait @ 9:30pm)** – Ordered the triple negiyaki (recommended by staff) and beef okonomiyaki. Freshly made at the front grill, and placed on your grill to keep warm. Very bold flavors due to the okonomiyaki sauce (using Worcestershire), dired seaweed flakes, and pickled ginger. Great for drunk people. The worst thing about solo traveling is not getting to try a little bit of everything. Two entrees was way too much for me, despite eating closer to 10pm. I recommend getting okonomiyaki in Osaka, especially since many open late very late, I’ve seen some open until 3am.
– **Sight: Dotonburi (P2)** – Very bright and lit up, lots of young people walking around. Felt like a mini Times Square.
– **Hotel: Tabist Hotel ASIATO Namba (5/5 rating, $39/night)** – Business hotel. 10 min walk to station. Next block was Kuromon Market. Mix of Japanese and foreign guests. Pretty good for the price, and I had my own room and bathroom. The bathroom was a little tiny even for someone 5’10”, particularly the space between the toilet and the opposite wall. Would stay again!
**Wednesday, March 20 – Osaka (5.9 miles) – Food & Aquarium:**
– **Sight: Kuromon Market (P2)** – Pretty dead at 8am, many shops are closed, some are setting up for the day. Would recommend sleeping in. Or you could get your shopping in early at the Don Quijote in Umeda (only Osaka Donki that’s open 24 hours).
– **Food – Pastry: Rikuro’s Namba Main Branch (3.51 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 45 min wait @ 8:20am)** – The famous jiggly cheesecake. Was 3rd in line 45 minutes early. Turns out there are two lines, one for the cafe, one for just cake, the two people ahead of me were 3 hours early for the cafe. Line was about 20-30 people when it opened. Not sure how long it’d be middle of day or on weekend. Not as jiggly as the IG posts, but damn good. Note, there are raisins at the bottom. I had to save half for later, it’s a good size for 2-4 people. Another note, cheesecake is take-out only, unless it’s bought at the cafe (with possibly a more ridiculous line).
– **Food – Appetizer: Fukahiro Honten (3.5/5 rating, no wait @ 10am)** – Saw a Youtube vid that said the scallops were very good here. Pretty fresh, No line. Note, most of the scallops at the market will grill it all, ovary included. So you’ll get an orange sac to eat. The muscle part was juicy and delicious grilled, the ovary part I could do without.
– **Food – Appetizer: [満福](https://www.google.com/maps/place/%E6%BA%80%E7%A6%8F/@34.6649045,135.5070381,21z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x6000e782a3cad6f9:0xe1a27a21819f6f58!8m2!3d34.6648676!4d135.5069342!16s%2Fg%2F11kpzr90mx?entry=ttu) / Manpuku (1/5 rating, no wait)** – AVOID! Figured I’d try a wagyu on a stick, price seemed okay ~¥2000. One of my worst food ordered this trip. It was microwaved in plastic wrap before being put on a skillet, not grill. Then he added lots of salt/msg and lastly torched and sauced. Terrible quality meat, super sinewy and I could not chew down. Seems to be Chinese-run, only the cashier was Japanese as the other staff were talking in Chinese but spoke Japanese to her. I don’t have high hopes for the other stuff.
– **Sight: Osaka Castle (P2)** – Beautiful up close. This area was super windy. Pretty long lines to go in, so I skipped the interior.
– **Food – Lunch/Dinner: Kadoya Shokudo (3.84 Tabelog, 3/5 rating, 60 min wait @ 2:30pm)** – Late lunch since the original place I had in mind for some reason was closed. This was the highest-rated ramen in Osaka, which explained the line at 2pm. Shoyu ramen was very solid and rich but wasn’t salty like many of the ramen in the US. However, I didn’t think it was necessarily ‘memorable’. I also ordered the stamina rice bowl. Delicious and well-braised, but still not worth the wait time.
– **Experience: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (P1)** – Reservations recommended. Though when I went, there wasn’t a line to buy tickets. Good amount of people @ 4pm. You may have to wait 15-60 seconds each exhibit for the people in front to finish up. The main twin whale shark exhibit is huge, there are many many many angles to view them, so if you are pressed for time, you have plenty of chances. At first I thought the aquarium was less impressive than the Atlanta one, considering Osaka only had 1 river otter, but the later themes were pretty impressive/unique such as the twilight/jellyfish one, artic waters/Japanese spider crabs, and coral. Gift shop was pretty neat, much better than Atlanta’s. Picked up some ceramics with otter designs for the girlfriend.
– **Shopping: Don Quijote Namba Sennichimae** – The original plan was to buy my Donki haul in Tokyo since I didn’t want to lug it to Kyoto/Uji/Tokyo. But I saw some sign that said the Biore sunscreen was the cheapest in the region and all reason flew out the window. Oops. I had a shopping list from the girlfriend, so much of what I bought was to fulfill that. It’s somewhat organized, categories I remember: food on 1F, cosmetics on 2F, alcohol, electronics, suitcases, pharmacy on 3F. There’s a fairly long line for the tax-free counter on 3F. You can get an [extra 5% off](https://www.djapanpass.com/coupon/0000000901) ¥10,000 purchase if you use the coupon, not sure if it’s tied to your passport, e.g. if you can use it on more than one purchase. Check my link at the beginning with what I bought and prices.
**Thursday, March 21 – Osaka –> Kyoto (2.8 miles) – Travel to and shopping in Kyoto:**
– **Sight: Sumiyoshi Taisha (P2)** – Neat iconic bridge. Lots to see and free to enter. Worth a visit in the morning!
– **Food – Lunch: Men-ya Takei – Hankyu Umeda (3.73 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 10 min wait @ 12pm)** – Inside Umeda station, this was my favorite ramen/noodle dish I had. Ordered item #11 on the vending machine, rec by staff. Insanely fragrant due to the yuzu on top and green onions. Comes with pork and grilled chicken. Apparently the tsukemen is top class too.
– **Experience: Kobo-san Market at To-Ji Temple (P2)** – once a month on the 21st. Got lucky it was happening during my trip. Went straight here when I landed in Kyoto. Packed with stalls all over the grounds, all very diverse. Had a more farmer’s market/antique shop feel to it. Food looked very homemade. I wish I had more time to explore it! Random note, I got takoyaki at a stall near the entrance, the guy shortchanged me.
– **Shopping: Horaido Tea Stall** – outer area of Nishiki market. Established in 1804. The guy who runs it is very knowledgeable and pretty good English. His family’s shop is credited with creating genmaicha (tea and roasted rice). Bought hojicha and genmaicha. I wish I had bought matcha here. I got a nice sakura-pattern bowl as well.
– **Shopping: Takashimaya** – fairly high-end department store chain, considered a purveyor of kimono to the Imperial household. Lots of international brands. I went to check out the ceramics section on the 6th. I bought a mini flower vase and nice ceramic chopstick holders.
– **Shopping: Nintendo Kyoto** – Same floor as the tax-free counter in the Takashimaya building. Not crazy packed. Lots of folks of all ages. No Pokemon items here. Photo booth upstairs. Not tax-free.
– **Shopping: Pokemon Center** – Lots of recent gen Pokemon stuff.
– **Shopping: Hands** – DIY/lifestyle chain located fairly close since they’re all along the shopping street. Got stickers for the gf.
– **Food – Dinner: KARA-KUSA curry (3.54 Tabelog, 4/5 rating, 5 min wait @ 8pm)** – Bib gourmand by the Michelin Guide. As the name indicates, they’re known for offering a red and black curry. Red is vegetable-based with chicken, black is beef. Solid ‘fusion’ curry. ¥1150 for combo with med/large rice. I got the large rice and paid ¥100 more for extra curry Crazy good value!
– **Hostel: THE POCKET HOTEL Kyoto-Shijokarasuma (4/5 rating, $63/night)** – Pricey, but it was still the cheapest for a place centrally located with your own room. Wasn’t a 5 because you had to go to 1F for the shower. Room is tiny, not great if you have to organize your luggage. Otherwise, it’s literally part of Nishiki Market. They have a free self-service luggage-locking tool; it’s great for leaving luggage before check-in, or after check-out.
**Friday, March 22 – Kyoto (5.5 miles) – Gion:**
– **Sight: Kiyomizu-dera (P1)** – Not too crowded at 7:45am. Definitely check this out!
– **Sight: Ninenzaka (P2)** – Iconic street. A few shops were open at 9:45am.
– **Food – Snack: Starbucks Coffee – Kyoto Nineizaka Yasaka Chaya (3/5 rating, 20 min wait @ 930am)** – The only Starbucks in the area and right on Ninenzaka. THe upstairs is fairly basic, and not particularly photo-worth imo. Matcha scone was pretty tasty, good with a sweet drink. It seems if you order a Venti, you get a special paper cup with a sakura design. Got a Japan ‘Been There’ tumbler, which came with a free drink, which I used for a Yuzu Citrus Tea. Note, you need to stir up the yuzu that’s at the bottom!
– **Food – Snack: 月下美人 (3.00 Tabelog, 2/5, no wait)** – I saw it was open after leaving the Starbucks. They have dango, sweet potato chips and sticks. I got the sweet potato sticks. They were cold and didn’t taste particularly fresh.
– **Sight: Yasakanoto (P2)** – Iconic structure. I didn’t enter.
– **Sight: Kennin-ji (P2)** – fairly large complex, gigantic dragons painting on ceiling. Built 1202 and is claimed to be the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto.
– **Sight: Zenkyo-an (P4)** – small sub-temple of Kenninji, honoring a guardian boar. Lots of cute little piggy ceramics all over. Worth checking out if you’re already visiting Kenninji.
– **Food – Lunch: Gion Uokeya U** (3.64 Tabelog, former 1 Michelin star, 4/5 rating)- Reservations strongly recommended. Had a friend reserve this for me. Saw this was highly recommended for unagi in Kyoto. Staff recommended the unadon, grilled eel on rice with eel liver soup and pickles. Also ordered a skewered eel. Both eels were perfectly cooked. Unfortunately it only confirmed that I don’t enjoy eel very much. The eel liver soup was delicious, until I ate the liver, tasted just as I should’ve expected: liver but seafood-y.
– **Food – Dessert: Gion Tokuya (3.86 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 5 min wait @ 12:40pm)** – Large menu of traditional Japanese sweets. Grab a ticket and wait until you’re called. I got lucky and got a private room to myself. Staff recommended the pure warabimochi & green tea pure kuzumochi. Both are sweetened with wasanbon, Japanese traditional sugar. You get black syrup and kinako powder for the warabimochi and red bean paste and green tea flavor kinako for the kuzumochi. At the end, you can use leftover flavorings to mix with the iced used to chill the mochi to create a mini shaved ice. Highly recommend!
– **Sight: [Yasui Konpiragu Shrine](https://www.japan-experience.com/all-about-japan/kyoto/temples-shrines/yasuikonpira) (P3)** – interesting shrine with a fairly long line, ritual is to go through the hole in the stone to end a bad relationship.
– **Sight: Ryozen Kannon (P3)** – war memorial with a giant Buddha.
– **Sight: Kodai-ji (P2)** – Has lots of maki-e objects, rock garden, and a bamboo garden in the back (great if you don’t have time to check out Arashiyama)
– **Sight: Kodaiji Sho museum (P4)** – neat tiny museum with objects from the temple, a lot of tea ones. 5-15 minutes to go through it all.
– **Shopping: 岡林院接待所** – Kind lady selling local goods, apparently married to an Uji tea farmer, surname Hasegawa. Had a few matchas and tea stuff for sale.
– **Sight: Maruyama park (P2)** – apparently a great place for cherry blossoms, only a few trees had flowers at the time I went.
– **Sight: Yasaka Shrine (P1)** – Built in 656. Very large grounds area, LOTS of people here.
– **Shopping: Nishikisatake Florist** – The first florist I found with ikebana scissors under ¥4000 and kenzan.
– **Shopping: Ichihara Heibei Shōten** – Founded in 1764, supposedly a historical purveyor of the Imperial family. Has chopsticks of all types of woods, shapes, and prices. Limited English. Super authentic stuff. Bought a very nice pair of maki-e chopsticks among others.
– **Soba-no-Mi Yoshimura (3.69 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 30 min wait @ 7:50pm)** – Ordered the set menu, Moriawase-Zen. ¥4000 got me an appetizer, sashimi, assorted tempura, soba, oroshisoba, and dessert. Good deal, you get a lot of variety, tempura is perfectly crisp and light. Soba was wonderfully aromatic and had this amazing texture. Towards the end, you get the starchy water, leftover from cooking the soba, to mix with sauce and drink. Delicious!
**Saturday, March 23 – Kyoto (9 miles) – Spending big money:**
– **Sight: Fushimi Inari (P1)** – Wasn’t too busy at 8am, though it was a little rainy that day. Even fairly early on the trail, you can get a photo without too long of a wait for people to clear out. Lots to explore, I did not opt to go to the peak/loop, and ended my trek at the ‘crossroads’. On the way down, it definitely got more crowded.
– **Shopping: Zohiko** – high-end lacquerware, founded in 1661, purveyor to the Imperial court. Bought a very nice [plate](https://en.zohikokyoto.com/products/ooharabon?variant=44458656301307) and [tray](https://en.zohikokyoto.com/products/600109). Some pieces are quite expensive. Note, some of the pieces will use lacquer mixed with urethane so the piece doesn’t scratch as easily, e.g. trays.
– **Food – Snack: Hitsuji Doughnuts (3.86 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 95 min wait @ 10:40am)** – Insane wait in the rain. I didn’t think the line was that bad, but there was a sign on building wall later that said it would take 5 minutes per person, assuming they’re making it fresh for person. Also only 5 per person. Since it took a lot longer than I expected, I opted to pick up my donuts at 4pm as I had to make it to my kaiseki reservation (which I had to ask my Japanese friend to call them to push back to 12:45pm from the original 12pm). Even reheated that night, these were the best donuts I’ve ever had. It’s almost insulting to call them donuts. There’s no oiliness to them, they’re light, they have a mochi-like texture that just melts in your mouth, and the flavors offered are subtle. Got the cinnamon, cream cheese, earl grey and cream cheese, chocolate, tanba black soybean and kinako. Honestly, they were all amazing. Would I wait that long again? Probably not. But I’m glad I got to try it. I think “i’m donut ?” in Tokyo (was comparable, maybe 90% of the power level, (I go there on the 28th). Donuts ranged ¥280-400.
– **Food – Lunch: Kiyama (4.37 Tabelog, 1 Michelin star, 5/5 rating)** – Reserved in December when the slot opened via Pocket Concierge. Sat on the far left side of the 9-person counter. Chef Kiyama did not like me taking photos (forgot that was mentioned in the reservation page). Food was presented beautifully. Very delicate, light flavors. New tastes and texture combinations that I haven’t had before, and I’ve been to quite a few Michelin-starred restaurants. Everything very purposeful. Lots of use of dashi. While chef was not at the counter often, he did come to make the dashi in front of us. Menu was a little crude, but had English. Towards the 2nd half, they give you the option to choose the serving size, from bite-sized to entree-sized, for 4 dishes. Being the greedy, value-driven bastard that I am, I got ‘large’ for all 4. Normally I can devour these no problem, but it was straight-up too much food. On the 3rd one, marinated maguro on rice, I had to leave rice in my bowl (literal crime in Asia) or else I couldn’t finish the rest of the meal, then meekly asked a chef to reduce my 4th to a medium. At the time, I didn’t know if the price would be the same no matter the serving size, it was in fact the same :). I wholeheartedly agree with the insane Tabelog score of 4.37. At ¥14,520 gratuity/tax included, (a little under $100), it’s fairly approachable and possibly even underpriced. Easily a $250 meal back in the states, not including tax/tip…
\*hopping on my soapbox* Kiyama has mixed reviews on Reddit, I thought it was perfect. Yes, there are no big bold flavors, but no one dish outshone the others, each has their place. You can go straight to the next dish with no interference from what you previously had. Each dish was cooked perfectly (though the after-meal matcha could’ve been better whisked). The bonito is shaved fresh right in front of you. Beautiful dishware. Kiyama has been a refreshing fine dining experience, wonderfully memorable from the other restaurants I’ve been to. \*hops off soapbox*
– **Sight: Kyoto Gyoen National Garden (P2)** – very large area with plenty of early blooming sakura. Did not go inside Imperial Palace.
– **Food – Dessert: Toraya Karyo – Kyoto Ichijo (3.52 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 5 min wait @ 3:15pm)** – Tearoom, operating since 1628, purveyor to the Imperial court. Has English menus. Ordered the sweet azuki bean soup (ogura), kinako anmitsu, and sakura mochi. A nice woman at the table next to me that explained that you can eat the pickled sakura leaf but some find it too bitter so you can also skip it. I thought the mochi was perfect with the leaf as it balanced the sweetness and provide complementing texture. Excellent cafe-vibes, with an inner garden area with outdoor seating. Perfect for the cloudy day. Seemed like a popular date spot. There were plenty of other desserts to try, alas it was just me.
– **Shopping: Ippodo** – Founded in 1717 and a favorite of Prince Yamashina. Approximately 30 tea products, with some Kyoto exclusive at this store. Very knowledgeable staff. Fairly crowded with lots of foreign customers. Cafe/barista behind the shopping counter.
– **Shopping: 古裂とよ** – Older grandma was running the shop. Walking back to the hostel, I was attracted to the various cheap ceramics outside the shop, thinking I can find a good chawan here. It has lots of vintage stuff, but in the back there’s lots of old kimono’s, for what I’d suspect, is very cheap. I found a beautiful chawan for ¥1000.
– **Shopping: Standard Products Kyoto Shijo-dori Store** – Premium brand of Daiso. Store reminds me of Muji. I got a decent travel neck pillow for ¥300 (note, this was at least ¥1500 elsewhere).
**Sunday, March 24 – Kyoto –> Uji (9.2 miles) – All-the-temples:**
– **Sight: Heian Jingu Outemmon Gate (P2)** – Large open court area, I opted not to check out the garden given the current state of blooming in Kyoto.
– **Sight: Okazaki shrine (P4)** – cute shrine with the rabbit as the symbol of fertility and safe childbirth. Lots of ema’s (wooden plaques) with messages on a future child. Worth checking out even if you’re not expecting.
– **Sight: Manganji temple (P4)** – small temple, can skip. I just walked by and took photos of a blooming sakura tree.
– **Sight: Keage Incline (P1 if blooming, P4)** – nothing was in bloom here, every tree was bare, so you’re just walking along old railroad tracks. Fortunately this was the ‘scenic route’ to Nanzen-ji, so it wasn’t too much of a detour. If it is blooming when you visit, HIGHLY recommend you walk this path, though it might be crowded.
– **Sight: Konchi-in temple (P4)** – small temple complex with a rock garden. Nothing spectacular but worth a visit if you have the time.
– **Sight: Nanzen-ji (P1)** – decent sized temple complex, has a rock garden, and a more recent European aqueduct. I paid an extra ¥500 for the tea experience, which I thought was quite worth it. You get matcha, a piece of wagashi, and sit on a tatami facing a little waterfall and pond, very relaxing. You can pay extra to go to 2F of the Sanmon entrance gate for a city-view.
– **Sight: Eikando-ji (P1)** – also a large templex complex, has a rock garden, and a pagoda you climb up to with decent city-views. Has a pond and a very impressive hall with beautiful golden objects everywhere.
– **Shopping: Aoki Hanaten Co.** – Saw a little shop selling ceramics right when I stepped out of Eikando-ji, so I took a look. It’s mainly a flower shop but sells stuff they buy from auction/wholesellers. I actually recognized a Zohiko lacquerware [6-piece mini plate set](https://en.zohikokyoto.com/products/sakura-kumizara-6p) for about 50% off MSRP so bought that (still expensive lol).
– **Sight: Philosopher’s Path (P1 if blooming, P3)** – Similar to the Keage Incline, the Philospher’s Path was bare all along the whole route. Interesting way to make your way to Ginkaku-ji than walking the regular streets.
– **Food – Lunch: Omen Ginkaku-ji (3.56 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 5 min wait @ 12:15pm)** – This place serves udon with broth to dip it in, similar to tsukemen. You choose whether you want the dashi broth hot or cold (hot was rec by staff), and you also get seasonal fresh vegetables and sesame seeds to mix in the broth for extra flavor. Pretty unique style, highly recommend. They make their own chili powders, which you can buy, which I did.
– **Sight: Ginkaku-ji (P2)** – relatively small complex, you can easily do a quick loop in 5-10 minutes. I wasn’t too impressed by the pavilion. There’s a neat sand garden and sand cone. Has a neat observation area. Personally would skip in a 1-day Kyoto trip.
– **Food – Dessert: Kazariya (3.61 Tabelog, 15 min wait @ 3:10pm)** – Sells aburi-mochi, mochi rolled in kinako then grilled and covered in white miso paste. Very tasty, and pretty affordable. You get ~9 skewers of it and a hot tea for like ¥600. Operating since 1656, though its competitor 10 feet away, Ichimonjiya Wasuke, has been operating since 1000 with a 25th generation owner. Ichiwa had a higher Tabelog score, but the line was slightly longer there when I visited. Eat this on the way to Imamiya shrine, both stores were established for travelers to the shrine.
– **Sight: Imamiya shrine (P4)** – Shrine founded in 994, moved 1001, to protect against epidemics. Went here since it was right next to Kazariya.
– **Sight: Kinkaku-ji (P1)** – A little bigger than Ginkaku-ji, but similar structure. Much better looking in person. Crowds were noticeably larger compared to other sights.
– **Sight: Ryoan-ji (P3)** – Has a famous rock garden and a rather large pond, otherwise not particularly outstanding imo. If you’re already visiting Kinkaku-ji and you have time, check it out.
– **Food – Dessert: Nanaya Kyoto (3.20 Tabelog, 4/5 rating, no wait @ 5:55pm)** – Popularized due to the 7 levels of matcha. I got the hojicha, sakura, and level 7 matcha. I thought these were an excellent combination, and all different. The sweeter hojicha and sakura balanced the bitter matcha. I would not recommend the level 7 matcha by itself. They do not offer sampes/tasting spoons.
– **Other: Yamato Transport** – Since I had prematurely bought a whole bunch at Don Quijote in Osaka, and a few more items in Kyoto, I had enough souvenirs to fill up my 100L duffel (see tips further below regarding why I chose duffel bags). So I brought it to the Nishiki location, bought 3 boxes there for ¥680, packed the stuff in the boxes, which I then put in the duffel, and shipped it straight to Haneda for ¥2630 + 660 airport fee.
– **Food – Dinner: Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu (3.23 Tabelog, 2/5, 50 min wait @ 8pm)** – Chose these since I wanted to be flexible on when I’d eat before leaving for Uji. Unfortunately this place had a huge line given it’s pretty close to Tokyo Station. It’s also the highest-rated branch. I opted for the Premium Wagyu Sirloin Gyukatsu Zen for ¥5379. Honestly I don’t think it was worth it. Having wagyu as katsu kind of masks the reason why you’re eating wagyu. You can get the regular American sirloin katsu for less than half that price. Yes, it was good, but not ¥5000-good. Also, the center of my wagyu was actually cold(!!), so I had to use hot plate to further cook mine, no bueno. Tiny bowl of rice, extra rice costs more. 3/5 for food, 2/5 accounting for price and wait.
– **Hostel: トラベラーズ道 麒麟舎 / Travelersdou Kirinya (4/5 rating, $38/night)** – Didn’t find a lot of places to stay in Uji that was near the bridge/Byodo-in, I did get lucky and found this hostel that offered a room with two sets of bunks for $38/night, which seemed wrongly-priced. I thought perhaps it was for a single bed in the room, but after I booked it, that room was taken off Expedia. You had to take stairs up to the 3rd floor, a little scary with my roller and duffel. There’s a traditional Japanese toilet, so that wasn’t great. Otherwise there was a traditional shower room with tub.
**Monday, March 25 – Uji –> Tokyo (4.9 miles) – Tea & travel:**
– **Sight: Byodo-in (P1 if going to Uji anyways)** – The centerpiece is definitely Phoenix Hall, which is quite impressive. I would cough up the extra ¥300 for the 15 minute guided tour of the hall. Note, they only spoke in Japanese during the tour. Get here EARLY and queue in line to buy the ticket to the tour. Otherwise, your tour time might be much later, and you don’t get free re-entry (not sure how it works if you have a tour much later). The museum is neat, with plenty of signs in English!
– **Shopping: Nakamura Tokichi Honten** – I checked out their shop after I got a ticket for the line to the restaurant. Lots of tea available to buy. Famous tea shop started in 1854 and purveyor to the Imperial family. Has tea ranging from affordable dailies to expensive. Tax-free! One of their employees is white, so I was able to easily converse and figure out which teas I’d want.
– **Food – Lunch: Nakamura Tokichi Honten (3.56 Tabelog, 5/5 rating, 60 min wait @ 10am)** – famous for their matcha parfait and cha soba (soba infused with tea). I ordered the uji tencha buckwheat noodles set. Can have it hot or cold (hot was rec by staff). The set, an extra ¥550, came with A) tea rice and small matcha jelly bowl or B) large matcha jelly bowl. The jelly bowl was pretty close to their popular ‘matcha namacha jelly’ minus the matcha ice cream. Since I got the set, I opted not to get the namacha jelly. The noodles were great, and you layer in additional flavors through use of the tencha, citron, and special usucha oil. Super satisfying! Their other famous and more IG-worthy dessert is the ‘matcha maruto parfait’, inside of a bamboo ‘bowl’. For an extra ¥200 at ¥1850, I got the seasonal sakura version. There’s like 11 ingredients used to create this parfait. Very tasty, and you can create all sorts of combinations with each spoonful.
– **Sight: Ujikami shrine (P4)** – small shrine, can check out on the way to Kosho-ji.
– **Sight: Uji shrine (P4)** – small shrine, can check out on the way to Kosho-ji.
– **Sight: Kosho-ji (P1)** – Established in 1645, it’s still being used as a training monastery. There’s a beautiful garden in the inner court area. A few things to see, though two features that I wanted to experience was 1) the nightingale floors, which make a chirp when stepped on, and 2) the [blood-stained ceilings](https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/comments/y7346e/there_are_5_temples_in_kyoto_japan_that_have/). The ceilings are right above the main hall. They have a pamphlet explaining where, also it’s circled in chalk when you look up.
– **Katsukura Shinjuku Takashimaya (3.54 Tabelog, 4.5/5 rating, 25 min wait @ 7:30pm)** – Met up with friends of my GF. Got the 160g kinkaton rosu (pork loin) cutlet set for ¥3300. Juicy, crispy, hot (unlike the gyukatsu…). Also got shrimp to share. What’s neat at this restaurant is you grind your own sesame to mix it fresh with the sauce to dip your tonkatsu in, delicious!
– **Sight: Kabukicho (P3)** – Went here around 8:45pm with the husband of my GF’s bestie. Actually felt pretty safe, though not sure how it’d be solo and perhaps much later. A few guys asked if we were interested in anything, just a quick no and kept walking. No eye contact is key!
– **Sight: Golden Gai (P3)** – Just a few alleyways with lots of hallway-sized bars. Most were full and full of foreigners at that.
– **Sight: Hanazono shrine (P3)** – Pretty interesting to see a shrine right in the middle of a city and next to Golden Gai/Kabukicho. It has a somewhat unique shape and is quite colorful.
– **Shopping: Mega Donki Shinjuku** – Straight up smelled like raw sewage all over the store. Prices are about the same as those in Osaka. Lots of people. If you do shop here, since it’s open 24 hours, I would aim for the less popular times (great if you need to pass the jetlag!)
– **Hostel: Lucky Hostel (4.74 Airbnb, 4.5/5 rating, $46/night)** – Got lucky and found the 4.74-rated listing on Airbnb, which came with my own room, on the outskirts of Shinjuku, 4 minutes from Okubo station. I didn’t see anything under $50/night after taxes/fees in the central Tokyo area, even after checking periodically leading up to my trip. Looking now in deep summer (lol), I see Lucky Hostel, then a few in Asakusa area. If it’s available, I’d recommend this hostel, otherwise the Asakusa ones seem pretty good, decent location. Other guests were foreigners, fairly respectful, enough showers and western toilets for everyone. My hostel experience has been pretty good! Though walking to/from the larger Shin-Okubo station sucked, it smelled like sewage in that area (and one of the only areas in Japan with lots of trash on the ground).
**Tuesday, March 26 – Tokyo (3.3 miles) – Asakusa & Kappanbashi:**
– **Sight: Senso-ji (P1)** – Very impressive ‘Thunder Gate’ at the entrance, with a line of folks taking photos with it. After that, there’s a street leading up to the temple with lots of shops, most were not open at 8:40am. The pagoda on the left is neat, and you can kind of see the Skytree to your right as you move forward.
– **Sight: Sumida River / Park (P2 if blooming)** – No blossoms here. There’s a good view of the Skytree.
– **Food – Dessert: Choumeji Sakuramochi (3.74 Tabelog, 5/5, no wait @ 9:30am)** – Credited as the creator of the sakuramochi in 1717. Great tasting wagashi, I love the pickled sakura leaf that balances the red bean paste. ¥250 each. I had been scarred by Kyoto, I thought there would be a line, perhaps it was the fact it was Tuesday or it was a pretty rainy day. Must take to-go.
– **Shopping: Yagenbori** – His family’s shop is credited with creating shichimi togarashi in the 1600s. He displays all 7 spices and you can see him mixing them. He speaks pretty good English. He actually lets you sample any of the furikake (and he has a lot to choose from!). Highly recommend giving it a look!
– **Shopping: Tatsumi (Office Senju)** – Shop near Senso-ji. Lots of cheap kimono, not sure what the high-end of the price range is. I happened to find a nice unused haori for ¥3300.
– **Food – Lunch: Tempura Shimomura (3.80 Tabelog, 5/5)** – Originally wanted to book Tempura Fukumachi but that was much more famous and a Michelin Star, thus incredibly hard to reserve. Shimomura still had a great Tabelog rating, could book easily through Pocket Concierge (no fee!), and was cheaper for roughly the same menu (at least at the basic level), ¥7150 vs ¥12650. This was tempura at a whole other level. Crispy, insanely light, and each ingredient was amazing. It’s hard to choose a favorite because everything was so good. A few things to highlight would be the prawns, tilefish, and anago (conger eel). It’s just one guy, so the pacing will slow down if the counter is more full. You can order more a la carte. At this price point, I would do it monthly. Having had this experience, I ocassionally think about quitting my job, training at a place like this, and bringing it back to the US. Reservations recommended.
– **Shopping: Nakamura Tea Life** – Expensive tea, but a rec by my Japanese friend.
– **Sight: Kappanbashi (P2)** – Great street for anything kitchen supplies. If a more common/generic item, would recommend keeping track of prices before buying. If more unique item like ceramic or knife, unless you love that specific design, I would go through a few shops before deciding, there’s so many shops to go through, I spent 3.5 hours there and that was just looking at matcha-wans and a nakiri knives. Note, all the stores below have been mentioned on Reddit several times, maybe not the Tojiro one.
– **Shopping: Dengama** – The first shop at the southern end of the street, right side. Lots and lots of ceramics, higher-end stuff on 2F. Picked up a tokuname tea pot and a few plates/bowls/matcha-wan.
– **Shopping: Hashitou** – High-end chopsticks shop, lots of signage with English.
– **Shopping: FU WA RI** – Ceramics and wooden stuff.
– **Shopping: Union Commerce Cutlery** – Kitchen knives, most nakiri ¥15000+, there were a few right at ¥11000 but they had blemishes and I didn’t like the design.
– **Shopping: Cutlery Tsubaya** – Pricey knives, no nakiri under ¥14000.
– **Shopping: Utsuwazoshi** – Wooden stuff
– **Shopping: Kama-asa** – Nice shop, same as the others, though they did have one that looked great at the right price-point but it had sold out. I asked about the Tojiro-brand, which they had one but the staff said a new Tojiro store had opened up and to check it out.
– **Shopping: Tojiro Knife Gallery Tokyo** – Finally found nakiri’s within my budget. They had a basic version for a great price (forgot the price) but I opted for a better handle and construction at the ¥10000 price point (excluding tax, they’re tax-free!). Interesting story, the saleswoman who answered my questions in rough English, when she saw name on my passport, asked if I was Chinese and we chatted in Chinese, apparently she moved her 7 years ago.
– Shopping: 伊藤又右衛門之商店 – half a block away from Kappanbashi, the owner had lots of wares for sale, picked up 3 mini plates to give as gifts.
– **Shopping: Sotei Yabukita** – Ceramics, but didn’t see anything I wanted.
– **Food – Dinner: MENYA SHO (3.78 Tabelog, 4/5 rating, no wait @ 6:40pm)** – Ordered the special ramen which had chicken and possibly duck (possibly smoked), ¥1600. Very delicious, but didn’t particularly stand out from the other noodles I had, beyond that duck.
Part 2 [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1c23gpq/march_2024_2week_solo_trip_report_osaka_kyoto_uji/).
by bromanceftw