Recommendations for places to visit while in Japan

16 comments

1. Their will be lockdowns, start planning for another year or two sadly

2. You’re a tourist? I wouldn’t bet on being able to enter this May.

   In case a miracle happens, I like the Open-Air musem in Hakone. Kyoto – Chikurin-no-Michi bamboo forest. Osaka – USJ and Super Nintendo World.

3. You won’t be going to japan in May so scrap that idea. The lockdowns are strict and won’t be changing for a long time, prob another year.

4. Oh, good old EF. The Walmart of International Travel ;-). In all seriousness, the trips are cheap and you see a lot of cool things.

   But yeah, May is pretty unlikely at this point.

   When you do make it-

   In Hakone, I would stick in the general area. The Open Air Museum is super cool, and Hakone shrine is a great photo op.

   In Kyoto I’d hit Fushimi Inari for sunset. Bring your tripod, and revel in all the amazing photos you can take.

   In Osaka- I’d keep some time for Spa World. It’s a hilarious onsen theme park with five floors of bathing madness. I go every time I’m in Osaka, its truly unique.

5. Despite all the matter of fact comments here, Nobody knows when Japan will open. Plan, but don’t lock yourself into any nonrefundable purchases.

6. Hit up 5amramen for a ramen tour

7. Fujinomiya is a great spot to catch good views of Fuji and not too far from Hakone. May might be rough since we just entered lockdown and noone knows how that will go. Also you’re likely gonna burn time in quarantine so be aware of that. Buddy and his wife just moved back and spent like 14 days in a hotel quarantined, which is your whole trip, so look into it before coming out. Best of luck

8. I guess everybody will tell you that going for May is unlikely, so you might have to re-schedule.

   Day 3, Harajuku and Senso-ji are not exactly on the same side of Tokyo. I think it would make more sense to do Senso-ji and Imperial palace on that day and do Meiji-jingu and Harajuku the next day.

   Day 4, so as it seems to be a package trip, I assume you would have a booked activity for the sushi making.

   Day 5, what do you mean Hakone via Mount Fuji ? If you mean go on the mountain, that does not really make sense, would be a big detour and the mountain is close for climbing, so not sure there is much bus going off season.

   Day 11, You want to stop by Nara before going to Mount Koya ? I honestly do not think it make much sense. Will take close to 3h by train from Nara to Mount Koya, so you will likely have to leave Nara at 2-3 pm the latest in order to be in Mount Koya for 5-6 pm, that is usually the limit for check-in time in ryokan. Question is, will you have time to see all you want in Nara?

   ​

   Not sure it’s the kind of itinerary I would build if I was a travel agent, but I guess it work, if they are selling it.

9. Day 8.
   No way you can pull that off in one day.

10. Tokyo – I loved the Shibuya area in general and asakusa and the gyoen national park.

    If you get an opportunity to go I also highly recommend the hiroshima castle.

    Hope you have a good trip 🙂

11. So directly under this post, I saw https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/shlhzq/japan_travel_covid19_and_you_tourism_information/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

12. I haven’t been yet and will probably also be postponing sadly, but since you said you were a foodie— this is on my list from someone’s recommendation: https://www.ninjafoodtours.com/tokyo-food-tours/tokyo-retro-bites/

13. If you are going to be staying in Osaka for a day, check out shinsekai. It has such a cool 1900s vibe. Check out the Namba Shopping district which has a really good night life with the neon lights at night. And Osaka Castle it’s next to the NHK broadcasting building.

14. For coffee in Tokyo, there are a few places that might be interesting.

    – [https://tokyocoffee.org/2016/05/29/cafe-de-lambre/](https://tokyocoffee.org/2016/05/29/cafe-de-lambre/)

    – [https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/reissue](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/reissue)

    The former is a few blocks from the now-demolished Nakagin Tower in Ginza, and the latter is in Harajuku, which is already a part of your itinerary.

    For day two if you have free time after meeting up with folks I urge you to roam around the neighborhood you’re staying in as that can be kind of fun in and of itself. If you come across any small, tucked away shrines wherever you go you might find them a good place to get some nice photographs. One thing you can also do is poke around on the various walking channels on Youtube, where folks will just walk around a neighborhood recording. Rambalac and Japan Walker come to mind, in particular. This can not only give you and idea of some of the places near where you’re staying and visiting, but also give you ideas of things to take a look at when you do go.

    Note that Tsukiji’s fish market has mostly moved to Toyosu, which if you’re feeling you can walk a few miles SE from the intersection of Shin-Ohashi Ave and Harumi Ave to get to, or take the easy route and run from the Oedo line at Tsukijishijo Station and transfer at Tsukishima Station for the Yurakucho line, then switch at Toyosu Station to take the Yurikamome line to the market at Shijomae station. (Tsukiji station proper is only for the Hibiya line, which also requires a few changes to get to Toyosu market, so it’s a little complex either way) If you visit the Tsukiji market anyway, there’s plenty of good food and both a Buddhist Temple and a Shinto Shrine within a few blocks’ walk. If you decide to go to Toyosu you may be able to visit Team Borderless along the Yurikamome line if they’re still open and/or hit Tsukishima Monja Street off of Tsukishima station for a good meal. The Yurikamome line flows all through Odaiba as an elevated line as well so if there’s anything that piques your interest while you ride from Toyosu to Shimbashi you can stop randomly to see it. (In particular there’s a few malls and monuments, a giant Gundam, and a large clock installation designed by Hayao Miyazaki within sight of the line, and the first coffee shop is a hike from the other end of the line in Shimbashi station)

    If you’re fine with a hike (and you really should have some really comfortable walking shoes for this entire trip), in Kyoto a multi-hour walk of Fushimi Inari shrine might be fun. Lots of stairs, lots of shrine stops on the mountain, and some street food kiosks at the bottom by the train station.

    I’d also keep poking about here and there online and see what all pops up in regards to food for the areas you’re wanting to visit, as it can give you ideas of things you want to try while you’re still in the planning stage.

15. Have you already decided what you want to eat in various places?

    If you go to Asakusa, I often introduce it to other threads, but I want you to eat tempura and eel kabayaki. The famous tempura restaurant in Asakusa is “Aoi Marushin”. Restaurants famous for eel kabayaki are “Irokawa” and “Tsuruya”. There are many others, but it’s a relatively reasonable price.

    If you stop by Tokyo Station or Shinjuku, I recommend Tempura Funabashiya. The price of the dinner course is expensive, but it’s relatively reasonable for lunch. A lot of office workers use it on weekdays.

    The seventh day:
    What time will you arrive in Hiroshima? If you arrive early, please visit the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Memorial Museum on the 7th day. Because sightseeing to Itsukushima the next day takes long time.

    The tenth day :
    If you are a photographer, “Kinkakuji”, “Fushimi Inari” and “Ryoanji” are recommended photo spots.
    Nishiki Market is certainly worth seeing, but please round up a little early and go to other tourist attractions.

16. I am not a fan of organized tours, but

    >big foodie
    hobbyist photographer

    The answer can’t be simpler: just go to Yokohama. They have great food (Chinatown, Ramen Museum) and spectacular landscapes next to the seaside.