[Part 1 here](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1c23f7d/march_2024_2week_solo_trip_report_osaka_kyoto_uji/)
***
**Thursday, March 28 – Tokyo (4.8 miles) – Mostly Akihabara & Nihonbashi-Muromachi:**
– **Sight: Tenno-ji (P4)** – right next to Yanaka cemetry. Has a cast Buddha statue.
– **Sight: Yanaka cemetery (P2 if blooming)** – Japanese cemetery, several graves had fresh flowers, beverages. Fairly well-kept. Disappointing there was only one tree in bloom.
– **Food – Dessert: (Kuriya) Kurogi (3.81 Tabelog, 5/5, 15 min @ 9:50am)** – 2nd-highest-rated kakigori (shaved ice) in Tokyo. There’s a few items he always has and a few seasonals. It was difficult to choose between, but I picked up a sakura one. It had sakura milk and sakura jelly, which had a saltiness that paired well against the sweet matcha, and bubu. I wish I had ordered more condensed milk to eat up the rest of the ice, which many of the others had done. There’s adzuki inside the kakigori, the Japanese sure do love their red bean.
– **Food – Lunch: Tokyo Noodle Works (3.80 Tabelog, 3.5/5, 25 min wait @ 11:45am)** – After trying to go to two others first (Tokyo Style Hotate was closed, and Aoshima Ramen had an insane line), I found Tokyo Noodle Works to be pretty close to Akihabara and the line manageable. Very solid ramen with respectable-sized slices of both chicken and pork, made by a fairly young owner. Slightly higher price-point compared to others.
– **Shopping: POP M Life** – Adult department store. I for some reason thought it would have non-adult stuff but when I walked in the doors I knew it would be 100% adult stuff. Wasn’t for me, and I had other things to see so I 180’ed.
– **Shopping: Radio Kaikan** – Mentioned on Reddit a couple times, lots of figurines and cards, def weeb paradise.
– **Food – Dessert**: McDonalds (5/5, no wait @ 1:50pm) – Wanted to see what sorts of special Japan stuff they had. They had a matcha mochi pie for ¥220. Got that. Damn this was one tasty pie. Matcha pastry with mochi and black sugar inside. Slightly over-fried, but for the price and at a McD? I like it a lot. Worth a try if you see it. Likely seasonal.
– **Shopping: Mandarake Complex** – Mostly bookstore for manga but has toys, figurines, DVDs, adult works. Sizable section of doujinshi/self-published manga. Was not expecting Yuji and Geto from JJK in a very close embrace when I was checking what was on the shelves. Bought a vol 1 of My Hero Academia. They sold out of vol 1 of JJK.
– **Sight: Kanda Shrine (P4)** – Lots of steps to get here as it’s on top of a hill, at least coming from Akihabara. Picturesque shrine with the vermilion and gold.
– **Shopping: Chabara** – This is like a general regional specialty store. They carry products from all regions of Japan.
– **Shopping: BOOKOFF** – Used bookstore chain. I didn’t plan it prior to the trip, but after Mandarake, I was set on finding a vol 1 of JJK. It was also sold out here.
– **Sight: Vending Machines (P5)** – Mentioned on [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/118vc44/comment/j9k8jhr/). Popcorn machine, boxes wrapped in newspaper, toy beetles. Weird yes, but not particularly worth the detour imo.
– **Shopping: MIDETTE** – Fukushima’s. Got some packaged moist cake.
– **Shopping: Mie Terrace** – Mie’s. Got some katayaki, hard-baked senbei.
– **Shopping: Ninben Nihonbashi Main Shop** – Business that was founded in 1699 selling bonito and dashi. They have a dashi bar. An older employee there spoke English very well.
– **Food – Dinner: Tempura Yamanoue Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store (3.69 Tabelog, 2/5, 5-10 min wait @ 5:45pm)** – Got the special tempura bowl set. Tempura was tasty good but no where close to what I had at Shimomura. It was texture wasn’t quite crispy, almost soggy. More golden yellow rather than a white gold look. Also pretty expensive (¥4500) seems to be priced for the rich people who need a bite or bento to take home. Note, this was a restaurant in the basement of Mitsukoshi.
**Friday, March 29 – Tokyo (5.7 miles) – Mostly Shibuya:**
– **Sight: Chidorigafuchi (P1 if blooming)** – Moat of the Imperial Palace. Was recommended by many friends. It was another rainy day, also no cherry blossoms in sight. You can see all the bare trees along the banks. Sad.
– **Other: Tokyo Station** – Got hella lost here. This station was ginormous. Google Maps did not help here, even the Live View function. I went in a gate, then out, then walked out of the station all together, walked around it, then eventually found the gate I was supposed to be at.
– **Food – Lunch: Sushi Tsu (3.74 Tabelog, 5/5)** – A highly rated sushi place under ¥20000 for lunch, was easy to book online, and had openings. Each piece came out fairly quick in the beginning then slowed down as other guests came in. Got 13 pieces of fish, including gizzard shard, squid, chotoro, Hokkaido uni, cooked anago, toru taku. Also miso soup, tamago, and ice cream. 12-person counter and 3 private rooms. Each piece had the perfect amount of nikiri, wasabi or other flavoring, never overpowered fish but enhanced it. They had beautiful ceramics. Apparently was ¥12000 not too long ago, but still worth the ¥16500, tax included, no tip needed. Easily a $200 meal in the US.
– **Sight: Togo Shrine (P4)** – Only went here because the gf saw they’re the only shrine to offer Sanrio omamori (apparently there’s a shrine in Kanagawa that also does so). Of course, it was sold out.
– **Sight: Meiji Jingu (P1)** – As others have mentioned, it feels so out of place in the middle of a big city like Tokyo, it does remind me of Kyoto. Lots of sights within the area. Was very wow-ed by the main Meiji Jingu area, the shrine is flanked by these giant camphor trees. Unfortunately the treasure museum was closed for renovations.
– **Food – Dessert: I’m donut ? (3.60 Tabelog, 5/5, 30 min @ 3:50pm)** – Long line, 95% Japanese women. By the time I got there, there were probably only 6 flavors left with none of their most popular flavors left. Very solid donuts, decent at room temperature, even better zapped in the microwave. They have that soft mochi-like texture with none of the oiliness. I would say pretty comparable to the Hitsuji’s I had in Kyoto, but with a much shorter wait. Donuts ranged ¥238-313.
– **Sight: Shibuya Scramble (P2)** – More impressive from afar, I think. Feels like you’re in battle rushing in once the signal is given, some folks wield selfie sticks. Fun to do once. Could use this as a way to pull off some grassroots advertising in the middle of the street given the eyes on it. Went through it twice for fun.
– **Sight: Hachiko Statue (P3)** – No real line, just a concave line in front of the statue, when one person/group is finished, someone just quickly runs up. I just ran past and took a selfie without stopping.
– **Shopping: Chicago Thrift** – Wanted to check out the thrifting. Not Goodwill quality, but not Goodwill prices either. It’s definitely just second-hand clothes as a business (plus in Harajuku, a touristy area), so it’s priced accordingly. I do like that everything is organized by type of clothes. Certain brands like Nike, Patagonia, etc. are grouped up, convenient! I wanted to browse the college apparel, I saw a few folks walking around during my trip wearing it. Storytime: Near Ginkaku-ji, I approached a girl and her bf since I saw her Cornell shirt. I asked when she went there, since I went there for grad school. She didn’t understand English. Anyways, I got a Columbia-branded Yale vest (since the gf went there) for ¥4500, I attribute some of the premium as part memento/experience.
– **Sight: Takeshita Street (P3)** – Very crowded street, lots of kids and foreigners. Lines for anything pastry. Worth checking out once, but that’s about it.
– **Shopping: Kinya Thrift** – Wasn’t planned but the Chicago Thrift got my thrifting juices flowing. Wanted to check out more college apparel. They had a U Chicago sweater for ¥8690…
– **Food – Dinner: Kuroge Wagyu Restaurant HACHI (3.53 Tabelog, 2.5/5, no wait @ 7pm)** – Ordered the wagyu steak prix fixe course with a sukiyaki add-on. Food was delicious, unfortunately I couldn’t focus on the food as I was meeting my brother’s friend who lives in Japan. How they cut their steaks, triangular, like doorstops, and the under caramelization of the steaks under-highlighted the wagyu. For those budgeting, each additional 50g of A5 sirloin steak was ¥2200. ¥1200 for short rib steak, and ¥2750 for tenderloin.
– **Drinks – WALL Aoyama (3/5)** – Handle-less door against a gray unremarkable wall of a boutique store. Opens up into a dark room with a bar with the wall fully covered by plants. Very beautiful, though feels Instagram-y. Pricey but good cocktails, priced similar to the US when converted. Note there is a cover charge of ~¥1600 I think. Can order food here. Maybe come here on a business trip when you can expense it!
**Saturday, March 30 – Tokyo (2.9 miles) – Kichijoji & Shinjuku:**
– **Shopping: Kichijōji Kukuya** – Came here when I saw their name on ceramics sold at a department. They didn’t have any matcha bowls. Lots of other kitchenware though.
– **Shopping: BOOKOFF** – Finally found the vol 1 of JJK. Also picked up the vol 1’s of Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Spy x Family, and Demon Slayer. Just now realized I didn’t get Death Note.
– **Shopping: HARDOFF** – The consignment shop of the BOOKOFF chain. Very expensive pieces here, like Hermes and Coach.
– **Sight: Musashino Hachimangu (P4)** – Shrine in the neighborhood.
– **Shopping: Sippo** – Neat little shop, love that they have little signs about the artist and the work. Bought a mini flower vase. Very hipster/cottagecore.
– **Shopping: Gclef** – Tea shop with teas around the world. Pricey.
– **Food – Lunch: Tsukemen Enji (3.68 Tabelog, 4/5, 25 min wait @ 12pm)** – Apparently award-winning tsukemen place, according to some signs. So this was inside a hallway, so you wait a while, then you notice a vending machine to place your order. When I did so, I realized I didn’t have small bills ¥2000 or less, so I had to run out and buy something at the nearby konbini. When I came back, the guy who took your orders pointed to the back of the line. Obviously due to language barriers, it was hard to argue I had already waited in line. Luckily I had a little receipt from the vending machine when pressed the wrong button. I showed both receipts of the timestamps (12:11 and 12:17). He seemed to understand what happened and pointed me to a place in line 3 people behind where I originally was. I guess those 3 folks’ orders already got communicated to the kitchen. The tsukemen broth was solid, but not necessarily memorable. However, the noodles were pretty thick and very very chewy. Great texture to enjoy the broth with. Unfortunately, the noodle serving was a little smaller than other places, they even put a little bamboo piece to raise the bottom of the bowl to raise the height of noodles in the bowl.
– **Shopping: PukuPuku** – Very neat antique store. They sell antique Iwari ware (porcelain) and some lacquer stuff. I only looked at the flower vases as they didn’t have matcha bowls. The vases had labels of when they were created. One I bought was “Late Meiji to Taisho” (¥1800) and the second was “Taisho to pre-war Showa” (¥800).
– **Shopping: Bruan** – Interesting ceramics store, some very pricey pieces here. Mix of modern, old, and the weird, like a teapot with a goat head for a spout, complete with horns. Can’t find it on Google Maps, but it’s across from the Kichijōji Petit Mura.
– **Food – Dessert: Cafe Musashino Bunko (3.70 Tabelog, 4.5/5, 1 min wait @ 1:40pm)** – Japanese friend recommended it for curry. Was still full from the tsukemen, so I ordered one of their popular desserts, the Sabo Bavarois (¥480). Very tasty custard, just like flan. The lemon on top was excellent.
– **Shopping: Shinjuku Marui Annex** – Shopping complex, lots of stores. Cinnamoroll cafe at the bottom, with a long line. First floor was the touristy-type of souvenirs, then as you move up, there’s weeb stuff, gacha machines, homeware, maid clothing. Definitely something for everyone, worth a visit!
– **Sight – Tokyo Prefecture Hall Civic Plaza (P4)** – Pretty plaza right outside the Metro Government building.
– **Sight – Tokyo Metro building (P2)** – Said to be a free alternative to the Shibuya Sky. 20 min wait at 4:10pm. There was also a 9 min wait to get out. Neat to see just the scale that is the Tokyo metro area. Might be even better during sunset.
– **Food – Dinner**: Shinjuku Shogun Burger (3.69 Tabelog, 1/5, 10 min wait @ 5:35pm) – Right as you enter Kabukicho. A decent wait after ordering to get your burger, which is made fresh. Burger lacked flavor, and had a fair amount of tough-to-chew sinewy bits in the patty. Did not quite stand out from, say, a Shack Shake burger. Yes, technically it’s wagyu but probably all the parts the other wagyu stores don’t want. Would not recommend the chili dip or fries, you get a finger-ful of fries, and a pitiful amount of chili. Chili dip was COLD despite what they said was made 30 min ago, but all they could do was microwave it. A bit over ¥2000 for cheeseburger combo with the chili.
**Sunday, March 31 – Tokyo (3.1 miles) – Farmers’ Market, Friend, and Farewell:**
– **Sight: Shinjuku Gyoen** – I reserved a slot at 10am but figured I’d come at 9am when no reservations are needed. I think others had the same idea, especially if they couldn’t secure a . Holy shit, I knew it would be bad when I walked up the street across from the corner. There was a literal horde of people, and when you look closely its a winding line of people, possibly two lines from what I could make out. Since I had to meet my Japanese friend at the farmer’s market in an hour, I GTFO.
– **Sight: Yoyogi Park (P1 if blooming)** – fairly walkable from Shinjuku Gyoen, I knew this was a good alternative spot for hanami, and I was right. Lots of blue tarps spread out on the ground under and around the trees. Those blooming weren’t at full, and some trees were still bare. Not sure if this would’ve been the same situation at Shinjuku Gyoen.
– **Shopping: Aoyama Farmer’s Market at UNU** – Neat farmer’s market outside United Nations University. Looks just like the ones back at home. More food products.
– **Food – Lunch: Omotesando YAKINIKU Kintan (3.50 Tabelog, 5/5, 5 min wait @ 12pm)** – Very solid yakiniku place. Cheap meat set at ¥2680, though you have to buy a drink. Kuroge Wagyu beef, platinum pork, and Nasai chicken.
– **Sight: Shibuya Meiji-dori (P3)** – Street lined with blooming sakura, randomly came across this on the way to the subway station.
– **Other: Yamato Transport in Haneda Airport** – I easily retrieved my luggage from the receiving area in the corner of the check-in counter area, 3F. I had to ship a gift to someone so I went downstairs for that. There I had probably my last line
– **Shopping – Soradonki Terminal 3, pre-security 5F**: After assessing my luggage situation, I realized I had quite a bit of room left. I bought $100 of candy, across KitKats, matcha-flavored candy, and gummies. The store is split between candy and everything else, which has the check-out including tax-free.
– **Shopping – Air BicCamera Terminal 3, pre-security 4F**:**** I went here to spend the remainder of my SUICA card and cash.
– **Food – Dinner: Rokurinsha in Haneda Airport Terminal 3, post-security (3.56 Tabelog, 3.5/5, 10 min wait @ 8pm)** – Popular ramen chain, apparently so popular that their original location in Osaki had to be closed because the neighbors complained. They offer ramen served tsukemen-style. Probably the last line I ever had in Japan, other than to board. Hard to find seats because the seating area was shared between a couple of other restaurants. Pretty good ramen for airport ramen, and it’s only ¥1140 for a large. You wouldn’t find something this good at this price at any other, maybe the other Japanese airports.
**General Tips**
– **Shopping**
– If you see something sold at any of the markets, and it doesn’t seem to be an unique item, I would recommend not buying it just yet and keep browsing the market. You’ll find many sellers of the same thing, or slight variations, for example the fruit, of varying sizes, quantities, etc. Prices can differ wildly as well.
– A store may be tax-free but not be able to process it. You will have get the refund at an independently-operated tax refund counter. They charge a fee, ranging from 1.9-2.2% of the 10%, so you’ll get ~80% of the tax back. This is usually the case at department stores.
– If you know Chinese, you could try to ask if the staff speak it, the store might hire staff who know/are Chinese, especially given the influx of Chinese tourists. Definitely so at a department store, if that staff doesn’t know it, they will likely ask a colleague that does.
– **Food**
– If you have time before your trip, I would use the extra time to figure out the restaurants you want to try in the nearby area, especially any backup restaurants. A few times, I had to go to my backup restaurant because I didn’t have the time or it was somehow closed that day. Tabelog is THE review website in Japan. Unfortunately, they’ve been enshitified a few days ago and you can’t sort the findings because “Priority is given to restaurants that support multilingual online reservations and restaurants that are using paid customer attraction services for restaurants.”, or you can’t view the listings on a map, at least on the English site.
– I know the konbini food is praised but this is my thoughts on it. Any of the hot ‘fried’ food is overrated imo. They aren’t a substitute for an actual meal. The textures of the famichiki, pizzaman, and chicken nuggets/karaage kun red reminded me of microwave food. The two chicken items may have been fried originally, but have essentially ‘steamed’ while sitting there. There were a few items that were actually pretty good: egg salad sandwich (7-11) , pancake with cream and red bean (7-11), and the melon cream bread (Family Mart). That melon cream bread was so hard to find, took me at least 8 konbini’s before I found it. Don’t confuse it with the ‘melon pan’. [Google Sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VFxggf3HeUkFI4iCjvkhXNw-QUhHqwi87GHq1VqK9Hg/edit?usp=sharing) with my ratings of some konbini food.
– Trains
– Only got on a few wrong trains, and caught them early so didn’t have to backtrack much. Do the following checks:
– Are you at the right numbered platform?
– Is the train color/letter correct, either on hanging signage or the train digital sign?
– Does the time match what’s on Google Maps? Some trains share the same platform, or you might need a Local, Express, etc.
– See if signage at the platform mention the next stop, does that match the next stop on Google Maps? Signage to look for include signs, pillars, and walls, like the walk across the platform if underground.
– Try to exit from the correct gate, saves time waiting at lights outside or dealing with the weather. Obviously if a station is big enough, it may take 15-20 minutes just to get back on track from exiting the wrong gate.
– If you have time waiting for the train, for many trains, Google Maps will list exactly which train is preferable to enter as when you get off the platform exit is right there. Basically, you’re doing the walking you have to do anyway before you get on the train.
– Shinkansen – you need to designate the ticket to your IC card on the app or else the turnstile will throw up an ‘error’ when using the IC card.
– Shinkansen – you need to select ‘Shin-Osaka’ if you are going to Osaka (or whatever station Google Maps says you need to go to.)
– Shinkansen – For Nozomi service, cars 1-3 are for the unreserved. There were very few seats available when I got on. Would recommend taking the first open seat then ‘upgrading’ if anyone gets off at the other stations.
– Luggage
– I brought two duffel bags to Japan. An alternative lots of folks do is buy large suitcase(s) to bring back. I have plenty of those at home so didn’t need more. I knew I was going to be bringing back lots of souvenirs, but I wanted to 1) easily move between cities without paying for luggage forwarding, and 2) quickly get out of airport and go to Osaka without waiting for luggage. Also I figured all my ceramics/fragiles would be put in my carry-on and personal bag. Anyways, the two duffels worked great! I filled them with cheap Yamato Transport boxes to provide a rigid ‘case’ for my stuff. Surprisingly, they were barely squished by Air Canada and United. My [100L duffel](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTT32F4J) was gigantic, and perfectly fit [two Kuroneko 12 and one Kuroneko 8 box](https://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/en/send/preparations/package/box.html). I had a [68L duffel](https://www.landsend.com/products/all-purpose-travel-duffle-bags/id_377799) (large), this had a nice shoulder strap which helped IMMENSELY. You should be able to buy this 40-50% off. Forgot which Kuroneko box sizes fit this one. If you fill up a duffel early in your trip with souvenirs, you can just ship it to the airport (extra ~¥600 fee).
– While I only forwarded one duffel to the airport, carrying the other and my roller was immensely painful between cities. Mainly because I’m cheap. If your ‘cheapness’ threshold isn’t as high as mine, I’d highly recommend it. If you aren’t forwarding, definitely store your luggage at your place of stay (before check-in, after check-out), it’s amazing how much of a difference it is to explore/move around without all that weight.
– **Preparation**
– Bought 10GB of data using the Ubigi eSIM. Pretty easy to download and install. The 30 day duration starts the moment you buy it, so don’t buy it too early. 10GB was perfect for 2 weeks. I used 9GB, through a combination of uploading IG stories, checking my Google My Maps, using Google Maps, using Google Translate.
– Compression socks are great for the flight, didn’t like them when I doing 5+ miles a day.
– My backpack had pockets built into the hipbelts, very handy for carrying coins and my SUICA card (since I’m Android). Coin purse is basically necessary in Japan.
– Make sure your backpack is waterproof or has a waterproof cover.
– Waterproof shoes are a nice-to-have.
– Leading up to my trip, I’d cycle a few times a week, burning ~600 calories each time. My thighs were fine in Japan, my FEET were NOT. Highly recommend walking or running.
– Standing desk setup would be helpful as well, especially to prepare for all the lines…
– Wearing layers are important. Pretty cold in Japan in March still. It even briefly snowed in Kyoto when I arrived. A puffer jacket was amazing: warm, light, and super easy to compress in my backpack. You’ll want to be able to peel off layers when needed. I would always get so hot in the stations and trains.
– I only used 7-11 ATMs, which great exchange rates. My Schwab debit card refunded ATM fees (¥110 per ¥10000).
– **Speaking**
– You can use the word ‘okini’ to say thank you in the kansai region. There were a few instances in Osaka and Kyoto where people reacted positively to me saying it.
– One phrase I used a lot was o susume wa nan desuka. I used this when I couldn’t quite decide between options. I would imagine they are the experts and could either choose their favorite or the most popular.
– **Other**
– The shops at the popular temples all had lines. Not sure how quick they’d be, but you definitely should account for a wait if you are looking to buy omamori’s and ema’s, or getting your goshuincho stamped.
– All the hotels and hostels I stayed at had umbrellas to borrow. Just grab and go (and return please!)
– Those plastic see-through umbrellas are damn near invincible. I had one blown out 3 times when I was at Nijo Castle area and it worked perfectly. Super cheap, ¥600 at Donki, ~800 at konbini.
– Google Translate’s camera feature was amazing, great for anything written in Japanese, like menus. On the other hand, the conversation feature sucked, and the translations for asking more complex questions during shopping were good 40% of the time.
– The elevator ‘close’ buttons actually work.
– Had some memorable interactions with friendly Japanese. I talked to an older man on the train to Uji, he’s been to US several times. He has been to Texas and San Antonio. Likes BBQ. When I was trying to figure out Umeda Station in Osaka, a woman went up to me and asked if I needed help.
– Trader Joe’s large tote bags and the mini tote bags are good gifts to give to any Japanese friends. I saw a few women in Japan carrying the large totes, and one carrying the more recently released mini tote. Canvas bags are super trendy in Japan, and Trader Joe’s even more so. The two friends I gave mine to all said their gf/wife would love it.
– Reese’s peanut butter cups are a good omiyage gift. I would give these to people who were super helpful or kind. They don’t have anything close in Japan from what I could tell. And all of them were super appreciative of it. Easy to pick up a pantry pack on Amazon.
by bromanceftw