This is a continuation of the first half of my March trip, where I hit up Kamakura, Yokohama, Tokyo, Hakuba, Takayama, Kanazawa, and Kyoto.
These last two weeks of my trip I was in Hiroshima, Miyajima, Okunoshima, Kyoto, Nozawaonsen, Fujikawaguchiko, and Tokyo.
The first half of my trip, I was working full time and barely sleeping. This second half, I had a lot more freedom.
Some things I did: fed some bunnies, watched a baseball game, attended an anime convention, waited a long time for donuts, wait through transport delays, wandered through a forest
A large portion of my trip was planned on the fly which was why I was able to make some seemingly nonsensical travel decisions. If I'd planned ahead of time, I wouldn't have missed out on certain in-demand experiences, for example, seeing a band I badly wanted to see, or returning to the Ghibli Museum to replace the kodama figure I'd smashed. However, one of the benefits of solo travel is the flexibility of doing whatever one wants, and I certainly did that.
On that note, most of the other people I saw throughout my trip were traveling with friends or significant others. There were plenty of occasions where I wished there was someone to share the experience with (the fact that I was still carrying a torch for someone the whole time didn't help).
In general, the hostels in Japan also seemed far less interested in promoting social activities, compared other countries I've visited. There were exceptions, like the one place that was run by a European guy. People on the streets also tended to do their own thing; I was approached by strangers twice during my trip, both times cos I was carrying a box from a very trendy donut shop.
This probably isn't Japan-specific, but one of the biggest lessons I learned was leave ample time for travel delays. I got caught by unforeseen circumstances and each time I wished I hadn't scheduled things so tightly. If hurrying between cities, I'd also take the train over the bus next time. It might cost a little more, but worth it just to avoid being stuck in traffic.
Expenses (gonna use USD):
Credit card $2802 / Cash $855
Total spent $3657
I charged my card as much as possible, both for the travel points and for fear of running out of cash. I arrived with almost $1k in bills and actually ended up with a bit left over
Lodging – $746 for 28 days, ranging from several $16/night hostels to a $52/night ryokan
Shopping – don't know total cos I used both card and cash, but my biggest expense was $217 electronic device from Don Quijote, followed by $49 at Uniqlo
Food – also don't know total, but most expensive meals were $70 and $35 for two tofu dinners, and $50 for wagyu lunch. The majority of my meals were <$10.
Other – notably $334 for one-week JR Pass and ~$200 for private lesson to level up snowboarding skills
Mon 3/18 – Hiroshima, Miyajima
Took off for Hiroshima on the shinkansen first thing in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised to by how much the JR Pass covered for this leg; I barely paid for any transportation costs the next few days. My pass covered the sightseeing bus that takes you from Hiroshima Station to a bunch of tourist locations (my hostel was right by one of them), the train and ferry rides to Miyajima, and my trains to Tadanoumi. IIRC all that was left was the 100yen Miyajima visitor tax and the ferry ride for Okunoshima. Score. Once again, Japan Travel by NAVITIME was super helpful for figuring out covered routes.
I got off the tourist bus at Peace Memorial Park and checked into my hostel, then immediately headed to a nearby okonomiyaki place (Henkutsuya Horikawa). Damn, that ooey gooey chewy flavour bomb seriously hit the spot. I wasn't expecting to be served right on the griddle where the food was being prepared.
After that, I walked around Peace Memorial Park, full of solemn tributes for everyone affected by the atomic bomb. The museum painted a very vivid picture of what transpired the morning of the bomb. It's hard for me to write about this. I'll just say people should know the human toll of war.
The park was built near the bomb had detonated; now everything is beautiful and serene, with only a few eerie vestiges of destruction like the Atomic Dome (kinda eerie at night).
I'd lingered a little longer than expected at the museum (it'd take hours to read through everything) and had to rush off to Miyajima. First things I noticed after getting off the ferry were the deer, so chill unlike the entitled ones I'd encountered in Nara. These, I like.
I spent some time walking through the shopping street, plenty of seafood, snacks, and souvenirs were available. Also diddle around Itsukushima Shrine a bit, waiting around for sunset and high tide. The view of the Great Torii was quite lovely.
Had some very cheap udon and egg sushi at Ueda, an adorable mom-and-pop restaurant near my hostel. The old lady there was just hustling to serve me; I wanted to hug her so bad. There was also a Dodgers game was on, and the camera kept cutting to Shohei Ohtani. The love for this guy here is real; I want to watch him play in person now.
Tues 3/19 – Okunoshima
Set off bright and early for a day trip to Rabbit Island for some eye bleach, and that was what I got, sorta. I'd bought some carrots and lettuce for feeding at the konbini beforehand, but you can buy bags of food pellets as well. The bunnies there were not shy at all; they come running out straight to you soon as they detect human presence, probably because they are so dependent on us for food. There were pans of presumably food and water around the island, which put my mind slightly more at ease.
Rabbits aren't all Rabbit Island is known for. It also used to be a secret island used for poison gas production, but maybe Poison Gas Island doesn't have the same appeal to it. There are still some creepy abandoned buildings and other traces of its martial past scattered around. I visited the poison gas museum, which was tiny but informative. Many of the plant workers suffered from ailments or straight up died here. There is now a resort where some of stuff took place.
Dark past aside, it was a nice quiet day of walking up and down trails. There are some decent views of the surrounding islands from the top of the hill.
Wed 3/20 – Tokyo
Well, today was a little unusual. About a week or so ago, I got the idea of seeing a baseball game in Japan. Was originally thinking the Hiroshima Toyo Carp but their schedule didn't work for me. Then I found out the historic Meiji Jingu Stadium, home of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, might get torn down soon, and I wished to see it before that happens. There was a home game today that fit my schedule. Also – I'd decided previously that I wanted to hit up another ski resort at some point for more riding, and my JR Pass was active this week. Yeah so that's how I found myself leaving Hiroshima for a pit stop in Tokyo, then finishing the day in Nozawaonsen.
Left hostel around 6am to catch the Shinkansen to Tokyo Station, where I found a locker to dump my bags. Quick tempura soba lunch at Tendon Tenya, then off to Meiji Jingu Stadium. I was 15 min late to the 1pm starting time, right as it was starting to rain.
It'd been a few years since I last saw a baseball game, and this turned out to be a great experience. The fans were super into it, singing and chanting every few minutes. They also did the Tokyo Ondo dance with their tiny ass umbrellas at the 7th inning and whenever the Swallows scored, so adorable. Concession fare was not bad either; I got udon and matcha parfait instead of hot dogs for a change, and it was funny to see the players hamming it up.
Home team won, a few rounds of Tokyo Ondo were sung, now it's back to Tokyo Station to take the Shinkansen toward Nozawaonsen. Now Japanese trains are renowned for their punctuality, with the average train delay less than one minute a year – well my train was two hours late to arrive. It was very windy and rainy that day, and a fallen tree had blocked the way or something. I arrived at my Iiyama stop way too late to catch the last bus and the taxi stand was empty. It was snowing hard outside and I thought I was SOL. Thankfully, a station attendant was able to call up a cab for me. What was supposed to be a $4 bus ride turned into a $50 cab ride but, shou ga nai. I was so so happy when I finally entered my room at Miyasakaya at 11pm and found a kotatsu and heater waiting for me.
Thu 3/21 – Nozawaonsen
I chose this place because it was a cute little village with both a ski resort and over a dozen public baths. Despite the travel mishaps the day before, I was glad I came. The village was very compact and it was only a short walk to the resort. I felt very fortunate to have fresh pow both times I went riding.
After that was over, I set off to explore the village a bit. Everything was beautiful and serene from the freshly fallen snow. There was Ogama, a hot spring used by locals as an open air kitchen for cooking food. Only villagers are allowed in, probably for good reason.
I tried one of the 13 free public bathhouses where, as is customary in Japan, the baths are gender-separated and everyone strips down completely. Big yikes. It seemed like elderly (locals) had no trouble wading right in whereas the younger generation, myself included, had to struggle a bit to acclimate to the high temperature of the water. I decided one bath was quite enough for me and went to enjoy a hearty dinner that included an onsen egg and the local pickled nozawana.
BTW, I understand the serious dangers that come with backcountry riding, but the dourness of this poster just sent me.
Fri 3/22 – Kyoto
Well, I ended up deciding I wanted to visit Fushimi Inari on this trip after all (but mostly I wanted an excuse to eat more tofu), so back to Kyoto I went. First stop was Nishiki Market which had a very wide delicious-looking assortment of food stands. The freshly fried tempura and freshly prepared seafood looked especially good; too bad I was full.
Then up some shopping streets, quick stop at Ippodo to buy some matcha which I forgot to do the week before. Afterwards, back to Kyoto Gyoen to scope out the tree situation. Well there was one big cherry blossom tree that was in partial bloom; nevertheless it was surrounded by people taking pictures (hey we take what we can get).
Hopped on the train to Fushimi Inari and got there in the late afternoon, still lots of people around. I started climbing the steps, stopping only for a city vista with the orange glow of sunset. The crowds were petering out, awesome. By the time I reached the top (~50 min later), it was already dark, peaceful, eerie almost. I'd never seen this place at night and was glad I came. (It's technically open 24/7 but there are warning signs about wild boars out at night.)
The rest of the night was kind of a bummer. I went back to the restaurant where I first had tofu dinner eight years ago. The only tofu set available included seafood which I was allergic to. I inquired about potential substitutions and there must've been some miscommunication; what I ended up getting was a plate of wagyu and rice, which was obviously quality but my heart was set on tofu. I was probably mostly mad at myself for the failed listening comprehension. Oh well, things don't always turn out when traveling.
Sat 3/23 – Tokyo
Back to Tokyo, where I would stay for much of the remainder of my trip. This was the last day of my JR Pass so no more stupid bouncing back and forth after today.
There were two concerts I'd really hoped to attend happening today, primarily King Gnu at Sapporo Dome. (They had an international ticket sale late last year, way before I'd decided on this trip.) Knowing how slim my chances are as a foreigner to get tickets, I hedged and bought a day pass to the AnimeJapan 2024 convention instead. It was only ~$16, way cheaper than any anime convention back home, a cost I would happily eat if I managed to score a concert ticket.
I was aiming to make it into the convention by 10:25 which alas did not happen. I had a chance to see the voice actor of my favourite anime in person but the wait to get in took too long and I missed the panel completely. Oh well… This was actually my first anime convention ever and it was certainly a interesting if not overstimulating experience. The place was completely packed with attendees, giant screens, loud noises. Many anime that I recognised, many that I did not. There was also a decent number of cosplayers; this one's my favourite. Oh yeah I also had the least-satisfying meal of my entire trip here (aside from non-tofu).
The rest of the day was less interesting – visited the life-size Unicorn Gundam, wandered into a random tulip festival nearby, checked sukiyaki off my list, arrived at my hostel in Chiyoda. I was pleased to have milked that JR Pass until the very end, an 11pm ride on the Yamanote line.
Sun 3/24 – Tokyo (Akihabara)
First stop of the day was the National Museum of Modern Art, which I ended up enjoying quite a bit. Modern art is sometimes known for being inscrutable, but this museum offered accompanying text for almost everything and I felt engaged the whole time. There was also a cherry blossom special exhibition going on, and they provided low benches to emulate the hanami experience, such a nice touch.
Next up was the Sumida Hokusai Museum, which only has replicas in its permanent exhibition but was still very informative about the many artistic periods of the man's life (he also went by over 30 names, depending on the period!) I especially liked this display on process behind the the Great Wave Over Kanagawa.
I'd originally gone to Asakusa for lunch at Ichiran around noon, but noped out after seeing the line out the door and around the corner. Returned right before 5pm, the queue was only 6 people long, score. All I can say is that it was GOOD to be back. My bowl was customised to perfection; it's still my favourite ramen chain.
After dinner, walked over to Akihabara to explore a bit. The streets were lined with a ridiculous number of girls trying to hand out flyers and get people into their maid cafes (also a couple of guys for butler cafes); I was just glad they were allowed to wear jackets and carry umbrellas standing in the cold. Already tried the maid cafe experience last time; being addressed as "your majesty" once was more than enough.
My hope was to locate a Gintama figure. I saw lots and lots of figures on display in various stores but sadly nothing for what I wanted. One of my stops was the eight-floor Mandarake complex. That place… was an experience. So much stuff, including a sorta creepy floor with customisable dolls. BTW, you might think all the hentai would be hidden at the top or something. Haha well, just don't take your kids into the fourth floor. On that same note, how DARE they defile Frieren like that!
I wandered around a bunch of other shops and saw and hundreds and hundreds of figurines, e.g. Gundam, One Piece, Spy X Family, all the shounens, etc. It was still fun to explore and see all the displays.
Mon 3/25 – Tokyo (Asakusa, Akihabara)
Today's schedule was relatively light as I'd planned to go hiking at Jimba today; however the rain kinda blew those plans away. Instead, I got some cardio in by running the Imperial Palace 5k loop. It was really pleasant, a lot of urban scenery to take in. Maybe a little pleasant – I stopped several times to snap pictures. If you go, make sure you run counterclockwise to not look like a knob!
Afterwards, I headed back to Asakusa to pay a visit Senso-ji. As expected, the place was completely packed, with good reason: every direction you turn, there was a pretty view. Honestly I didn't even mind the crowds; they added to the energy. This place is just so invigorating I would visit it every time I'm in town.
Also got matcha gelato at Suzukien right behind Senso-ji. The level 7 matcha really hit the spot, was totally worth the hype.
For dinner, I ventured back to Akihabara to try Japanese-style spaghetti at Spajiro. As a lover of noodle soup, it really hit the spot for me. Afterwards, picked up some stuff at Uniqlo and Donki (gotta love that duty-free shopping) before calling it a night.
Tues 3/27 – Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku)
It poured all day, which was rather unfortunate. I had plans to visit the Tokyo National Museum, and it seemed that many other tourists also got the idea that being indoors was better than wandering around Ueno Park today. Cue the hourlong queue.
The contents of the museum were as expected: many cultural treasures that they were (rightfully) proud of. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful folding screens, kimonos, calligraphy, and woodblock prints (including actual Hokusai ones). There's also a nice garden, which I almost had all to myself bc only one or two other people wanted to step out in the pouring rain.
Now for the crummy part: I had reservations in the afternoon for Shibuya Sky, but visibility was terrible. The rooftop was also closed due to rain. It was hard to see far, but at least the immediate surroundings, e.g. the crossing, were still easy to see.
Before going up the tower, I'd passed by this place called "I'm donut ?" that had a ginormous line. After the tower, line was gone so I went in to check it out. There was literally one single donut left and they closed up shop after I bought it. As I stood outside enjoying my pleasantly not-too-sweet chocolate spelt donut with the texture of fluffy bread, several other people came by and stared hungrily at my treat. Awkward…
This evening I was headed to Shinjuku's Golden Gai for dinner at Ramen Nagi, the first place I'd ever eaten at in Japan. It was eight years ago, way past midnight, and this cramped second-story ramenya was the first place we saw open on the way to our lodging. We were flustered by having to order off a machine for the first time, but the anchovy broth and curly ribbons of noodles, unlike any ramen we'd eaten back home, promised only more surprising delights to come for our trip… Anyways. It was as cramped and delicious as I'd remembered. I was happy.
After dinner, wandered around Kabukicho a bit, wondering what was going on inside all these buildings of the red-light district. The place was already very loud and bright from all the signs around, but the reflections off shimmering wet streets made things seem doubly so.
Walked through Omoide Yokocho, where I found myself getting pulled into one of the stalls. Goddamnit, I just ate. I politely ordered two skewers and the bill, which includes a $3 yen table charge, came out to be around $7. Well I guess in a way it was worth it for the "unique" experience – the guy grilling the skewers was casually just reaching into the snack mix bin and smoking a cigarette at the same time, that's the kind of place this was.
Saw something on Google Maps about a giant Godzilla head, which took me to a nearby movie theatre. Instructions unclear, watched Dune: Part Two instead.
Wed 3/26 – Tokyo (Ginza), Koga
First half of today would be Ginza, followed by a day trip to Koga in Ibaraki Prefecture to visit a trio of octogenarians I'd befriended at a cave in Vietnam.
I like Ginza. Very pretty and walkable, obviously you don't actually have to buy anything.
First stop was Kimuraya, supposedly the oldest bakery in Japan, originator of anpan and whatever the hell this is. Munched on shrimp katsu sando at their cafe on 2F and watched the passersby below.
Next, walked around the Kabukiza Theatre and checked out the free little kabuki museum in the tower behind it. Kinda cool angle of the theatre too. Didn't have time this trip, but I remember catching part of a kabuki show was a pretty nice experience, plus you can just buy tickets for a single act and then peace out.
Lunch at Ginza Hachigou, the reason I came today. It took me two weeks to get that reservation, basically the same experience as fighting bots for concert tickets. I ordered the one with the foie gras ravioli, which at $14 would be my most expensive ramen this trip. And, it was really good. Each part of it was prepared well; I especially enjoyed the flavourful lightness of the consomme and the pillowy softness of the ravioli (honestly feels more like a wonton to me). You only get 30 min of seat time and I took it pretty slow to savour everything.
Walked around a bit more to take in the glimmering architecture. There was a giant mass of people outside the Michael Kors store; apparently some kpop idol was inside and fans were trying to catch a glimpse of her.
A place I ended up really liking was the free Shiseido Gallery, which provides solo exhibition space for various artists. When I went, the featured artist was Zai Nomura, whose work really spoke to me. There was one interactive piece that invited visitors to submit their own photographs, which I gladly did.
Mid-afternoon, I hopped on the train to Koga to see my cave buddies. It was an hour and a half ride, and they picked me from the station to go to the local park. There was a peach blossom festival going on, with orchards of mostly Barbie-pink fluff as far as the eye could see. We took a lovely sunset stroll at the park, then headed off to a nice Japanese restaurant. I had input my order and gone to the restroom, when they decided that ordering off a tablet was too confusing and we should go somewhere else. (Like many of the elderly I'd encountered here, they are healthy and spry, but still utterly befuddled by technology.) Instead we went to a Chinese restaurant and I must say, the Chinese food I've tried in Japan has continued to disappoint me; at least the company did not. It was also nice hanging out in an average, non-touristy city for a change.
Thu 3/28 – Tokyo (Shibuya)
No real plans today other than wandering around Shibuya and eating. With only a few days left on my trip, this was gonna be my lazy weekender foodie day. Skip if you don't want to read me yammering on about food.
Took a stroll through Nakameguro to catch some cherry blossoms. The trees lining the streets were indeed coming along quite well, but the ones along the river were still barren. Everyone's been waiting expectantly but the recent cold snap delayed the blooms by a week.
Next up was a visit to the Kyu Asakura House, a well-preserved local politician's estate from the early 1900s where they absolutely do not want you touching anything. It really was a nice home that takes you back in time, even if barren of furniture – and the garden was even nicer.
Realising the house was only a 6 min away from the Shibuya I'm donut ?, I returned, again to a long orderly line (Japanese people really do not mind their queues). So I figured, already tried one donut of theirs that was good, why not see if the rest were worth the hype?
55 minutes later… I didn't notice it last time, but this particular branch was like an atelier of donuts; everything was arranged in such a beautiful, bougie fashion. And there were dozens of interesting flavours too! I picked out six and decided to save worrying about how to eat them all for later.
Next stop: Nanaya. The intense matcha and black sesame gelato I had at Suzukien was so enjoyable I decided to get it again, at Nanaya. (The 7 levels of matcha gelato was a collab between the two.) So good, made me wish there were a level 8 or 9…
At this point, I figured I should get some real food in my belly before I fill it up completely with sweets. Aoyama Flower Market Tea House, which charmed the hell out of me a few weeks ago, was nearby so I went back for an actual meal. The flower arrangements for the place had changed, but my omurice lunch was as aesthetically pleasing and delicious as expected.
Next up was Latte Art Mania that was recommended to me by a barista I'd met at the hostels. Their deal is that they specialise in latte art (duh) and their drinks are pitch black (charcoal, most likely). Apparently I got the same design as my friend, a swan, but the drink itself was very good and it tripped me out to see my matcha latte the colour of tar.
Rest of the day was just wandering around Shibuya, lots of big brand stores, lots of trendy boutiques, lots of people to see. Walked through Harajuku, which was not as busy as I'd remembered, maybe bc it was late afternoon.
I saw a sign for Harry Harajuku hedgehog cafe that included pictures of otters, some of my favourite animals, so I went upstairs to it for a peek. There were indeed otters outside, but most of them were running in circles restlessly in small pens. It was a little unnerving for me and I decided not to enter.
Next up, Shibuya PARCO, which had Pokemon Center, Nintendo Store, Jump Shop, Capcom Store, etc all on the same floor. It was, expectedly, crowded as hell, so I didn't stay too long. It was cool to see full-size statues of Mewtwo, Luffy, Link, and others though.
Took another obligatory Shibuya Crossing video (this time from the Mark City bridge) and decided I was done with crowds for the day. It was surprising to see how uncongested everything was even just 200m away from the crossing.
Tried to walk into Tofu Cuisine Sorano for you-know-what, but they were sold out for the night, four hours before closing. 🙁 Instead I settled for a hearty plate of napolitan at Spaghetti no Pancho, which I doused in Kewpie mayo and parmesan until I felt bad about myself. And then I got to work on the donuts, which turned out to be very much worth the hype.
Fri 3/29 – Tokyo (Ginza, Shinjuku), Fujikawaguchiko
I returned to Shiseido Gallery in Ginza. As previously mentioned, Zai Nomura's exhibit had an interactive portion, which invited users to submit photographs of the deceased to be "printed" into a tank of water at a scheduled time. Hard to explain. My grandmother had passed the month before and it was a real cathartic experience for me.
Before leaving, I stopped at Ginza Ginger for this exquisite bowl of shaved ice. It was a seasonal sakura theme, delicate in flavour and varied in texture, a beautiful treat. The hot strawberry ginger drink was an excellent accompaniment as well.
Speaking of sakura, more were finally getting into bloom in Tokyo so it was time to visit Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. The park itself was pretty vast and there were a lot of people, mostly crowded under the clusters of blooming sakura. I only had an hour, which was enough to see plenty of trees, but had to skip revisiting the Garden of Words pavilion.
I was on a tight schedule today. I had to catch my bus to Fujikawaguchiko and make it to my hostel by 8pm to check in. Based on the bus schedule, I should've made it on time, but alas traffic conditions prevented that from happening; I got off at 8:15 and reception was closed. This was a sleepy resort town with dark streets, and I legit started worrying having to find a hotel way out of budget, if any were even open, or the safety and legality of sleeping outside.
I wandered into an izakaya at the bus station that was open to ask for help and someone said they would call around for me. I sat around awkwardly for half an hour with my luggage before realising I'd only eaten a donut all afternoon, so what a pleasant surprise it was to find this place had tofu stew and horse sashimi, my two comforts, on the menu.
At around 9:30, the employee returned and said he found an available place ~2km away if I'd be willing to sleep at a hostel. Uh, are you kidding me??? I quickly agreed and he made arrangements for me. Thank you, tenin-san from Uotami Fujisan Station, for saving the day!
I walked 20 min the dark to get to this place and not a single car passed by. At $35, it'd be one of my more expensive lodgings this trip (and eating the cost of the original hostel) but who cares right now. I arrived at Cabin & Lounge Highland Station Inn and wow the place was way nicer than I'd thought, more of an upscale capsule hotel than a hostel. Spacious capsules with lots of lighting and charging options, huge lockers, the whole place was immaculately clean, vending machines, laundry machines, plenty of showers with soaps, lotions, dryers, etc. I slept very soundly that night (sheer relief may have also factored in here).
Sun 3/30 – Fujikawaguchiko
First stop of the day was the iconic Chureito Pagoda at Arakurayama Sengen Park. The earlier to go the better – I arrived around 7:30am and a few dozen people were already up there, plus I was kinda flushed after climbing the 400 stairs in the sun.
I realised that my trip was nearing its end and there was still nary a shred of evidence (screenshot of drained bank account maybe?) that I was in Japan. So, a photo here would have to do. Mt. Fuji – check, pagoda – check, cherry blossom – still in hiding. Eh, 2/3 ain't bad.
I hadn't noticed in the dark of night, but Mt. Fuji was so close by, casually looming over everything; just face the right direction and there it was, in your face. Pretty neat to experience.
Checked out of the capsule hostel and made it to Kawaguchiko Station to dump my luggage. It was a total zoo there and all the lockers were already occupied. I kept walking a few buildings down and found plenty of vacant lockers across the street from the 7-Eleven.
After securing bags, I went for lunch at the popular Hotou Fudo across the street from the station. Ordered the local specialty hoto miso noodle soup and horse sashimi, both of which I loved. It was a hearty and delicious meal.
Ambled along Lake Kawaguchi to where the cherry blossom festival was supposed to take place this weekend; however because the trees were still stubbornly refusing to blossom, there were barely any people around. I felt kinda bad for the people with booths out. It was a pleasant stroll along the lake but in all honesty, I wish I'd spent the day at Fuji-Q Highland amusement park.
Visited the Kawaguchi Asame Shrine, dedicated to the goddess of Mt. Fuji. This place is remarkable for having seven tall, healthy cedar trees clustered closely together, each one named and over 1,200 years old.
Went back to station to grab my bags and got picked up by the kind owner of my next hostel, Michikusa-ya. This place had a very lovely window seat.
Sun 3/31 – Fujikawaguchiko, Tokyo
Last full day in Japan!
There's this shrine on the lake called Rokkakudo that can only be accessed when the water level is low; other times it's on an islet. The inside of the shrine is bare but being able to get to the place was kinda cool on its own.
The majority of the day would be spent in Aokigahara aka Sea of Trees aka Suicide Forest. I was in a weird state of mind when I decided on this for the end of my trip. I had the two-day bus pass that gave unlimited rides on the red, blue, and green sightseeing buses. It's purchasable at Kawaguchiko Station or online, and is worth it for anyone making multiple stops.
I took the bus to the Bat Cave, closest stop to the forest entrance. There was an information center that naturally had three rooms full of Batman posters.
The forest really lived up to its name; the trails were clearly marked, but I did feel at numerous points as if I was standing amidst dense, undulating waves of trees. The forest floor is composed of impenetrable volcanic rock; thus most of the tree roots are splayed across the ground as tripping hazards. Though vast, there were plenty of exits to main roads or rest stops. I didn't think I'd meet a toilet I wouldn't like in Japan, but I was wrong.
At some point I decided that was enough forest and hopped on the sightseeing bus to the Narusawa Ice Cave. It was exactly as the name implied, a cave that naturally contained ice. I'd say it was borderline worth the price of admission: a cool phenomenon but you're also in and out in under ten minutes. I skipped the wind cave, which I think is similar.
With 24 hours left in Japan, it was time to head back to Kawaguchiko Station so I could catch the bus back to Tokyo and squeeze in last-minute activities. In hindsight, I should've taken the train. Just as the bus had taken longer to arrive than expected, it was stuck in traffic returning to Tokyo as well – this time delayed by three hours :/
I decided to spend my evening at Rikugien Gardens, which was specially lit up at night for sakura season. It was quite lovely and peaceful, in spite of the crowds, in spite of cherry blossoms not yet being in full bloom.
Final dinner was the familiar comfort of Marugame's nikutama bukkake udon, piled high with scallion and tempura bits. Also threw in vegetable kakiage and burdock root tempura since we don't have those items back home.
Watched the trains ride off into the night as I walked back to my hostel. Love you, Yamanote Line <3
Mon 4/1 – Tokyo
My flight was a little past 2pm but I wasn't quite ready to be done yet. Walked over to Ueno Park at 8am, where the trees were finally teasing pink and white cotton candy splendour. It wasn't very crowded yet since all the food stands wouldn't be open for another hour or so, but a bunch of people were already camping out their hanami picnic spots. I would've killed for a few more days…
I enjoyed Rikugien so much at night that I wanted to take the opportunity see it during the day as well. It was a peaceful stroll through a well-maintained garden; barely even register the dead grass anymore.
And with that, it was off to Narita. I wanted to give Ippudo a second chance and tried the akamaru ramen this time – much better flavour, and the chashu was perfection. After that, just hitting up the souvenir shops and making one final konbini run for my airplane "lunch". (Everything was fantastic except for the weird-tasting grapefruit gummies.) Also shoutout to Shiroi Koibito, the biscuits have a delightful buttery texture and they pack a good number into the boxes.
And that's the end of this trip. I didn't really want to go on it but I'm glad I ultimately went. Japan just has this certain charm makes you temporarily forget your troubles because you're so filled with wonder by what you're experiencing. Will probably return much sooner next time, to see the autumn leaves, and/or eat my way through Hokkaido and make use of pass at Niseko. Or go back to Koyasan, still a magical place for me. So many possibilities.
Anyways, that's it. Sorry it got kinda long. Thanks for reading, if you got this far.
Edit: fixed some errors and added missing photos
by ablik