Just came back from my trip last week and am already desperately missing Japan a lot. Thought I glean on some lessons learnt as a solo traveller in Japan for the first time.
Quick summary of my trip. I was in Tokyo for a few days – visiting Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, Asakusa and other surrounding city areas. I then went onto Hakone for a night before going to Kyoto for a few days – visiting the many shrines and etc. Wrapped up my trip with Osaka before flying back.
TOKYO
1. You can really just stay anywhere around the city (Asakusa, Shinjuku, Shibuya, etc)
Before the trip, I was stressing slightly on where to stay in Tokyo. Ideally, Shinjuku/Shibuya because that's where all the cool stuff is, right?
Well, I eventually based myself in Yotsuya (edge of Shinjuku) and I gotta say public transport blew my mind in Tokyo. You can easily get to Asakusa in like 20 mins eventhough it looks really far from the map. It's incredibly easy to get from one place to another and I really found that I could be super flexible on what I wanted to do in Tokyo. It's kinda insane.
2. Asakusa is kinda underrated
One of my biggest regrets is not spending enough time in Asakusa. Shibuya and Shinjuku night scene is amazing and hectic with stuff to do but Asakusa is somewhat the same but without the level of people. Senso-ji is pretty damn cool, even at night and there's shopping malls, a nice shopping district and even a baseball batting cage which became my favourite post-dinner activity and a good way to get rid of coins. Seriously wished I spent more time there.
3. Plan mornings for shrines and breakfast
A bit of a no-brainer but nothing really opens till 11am in Japan. If you're like me and want to maximise everything, definitely take a look at shrines, parks and teishoku breakfasts for the mornings before diving into the many shops in Shibuya.
4. Akibahara Sundays
Fun fact, Akiba closes its main street on Sunday which I think is pretty cool and if you have one day to spend here, choose Sunday. It does get more hectic but personally didn't really mind it too much. Nice photo ops and you find some interesting encounters while on the street.
HAKONE
1. It's good to have a day off
Going solo meant I could really plan stuff on the go and go really hard on the walking and visiting.
I ended up being really tired and the Hakone trip I penned in last minute was a life-saver. I think taking a one night break from the craziness of Tokyo is definitely great in the long-run!
2. Do the 'Hakone Loop' day tour
With only one day of visiting, I did the recommended Hakone Loop tour which I reckon is pretty damn good for a first timer. This is:
Visit the famous Torii Gate
Ride the pirate ship across the lake to the Ropeway
Take the Ropeway to Owakudani volcanic valleys and eat some black eggs
Take the ropeway to Sounzan station and then a cable car to Gora to the Open-air museum which is pretty damn underrated and a happy surprise
Retire to your hotel and do the onsen thing to soothe the body and soul.
3. Hakone Free Pass is worth it
You basically don't pay for any public transport if you use this pass which is nice. HOWEVER, you can only use the Tozan buses, which I embarassingly got confused at times, being refused by the other buses that were running in Hakone. But, still very useful – will recommend.
KYOTO
1. Public transport here is rough compared to Tokyo
Small and slightly infrequent buses and a underdeveloped railway line makes it a lot tougher to 'wing it' like I did in Tokyo.
Public transport is still the way to go if you wanna visit all the cool tourist sites but be aware that buses is the main mode of transport and it can be uncomfortable and packed with people most of the times.
However, I think if I ever return to Kyoto, I might try renting a bicycle, as there were many people doing so and for good reason.
2. Get a hotel near Kyoto Station or just base your trips from Osaka.
Frankly, I was lucky in getting a hotel near the station because I could not imagine getting my suitcase on the bus to my hotel. It saved me a lot of time and I would do the same again if I had to.
Either that or use Osaka and travel to Kyoto as their trains are a lot more far-reaching and connected compared to Kyoto.
3. Temple/garden fatigue is real
This obviously doesn't apply to everyone but I definitely was a bit sick of temples by my penultimate day in Kyoto. There really isn't a strong need to visit all of them but that's not to say I didn't enjoy some of them.
Personal favourites were:
Kiyomizu-dera
Fushimi-Inari
Shimogamo Shrine
Okochi Sanso villa (near Arashiyama Forest)
Nanzen-ji
I also kinda preferred the walks in the Sannen-zaka and Ninnen zaka leading to the shrines over a lot of the shrines themselves.
Personal advice would be to include some museums and shopping in between the shrines. There's some really good shopping streets in Kyoto.
However, my personal favourite was just chilling at Shimogamo Delta during the sunset/sunrise.
4. Take a trip to the Kurama temple on the Eizen line
The Eizen line from Demachiyanagi was a happy surprise as the train tumbles through lots of nature and houses just metres from the railway line to Kurama in the north. The trains are small and cute, with seats facing the windows. A very surreal and fun experience, personally. It also has a nice hiking trail which I didn't go but people seem to do it in Kurama.
5. Fushimi Inari for evening and Kiyomizu dera for early mornings/evenings
I did the crazy thing of waking up early before sunrise (4.40am) for Fushimi Inari so I could experience it at night and daytime. While I did enjoy it, I can't say I maximised it as it was definitely tiring but also free of people though!
My biggest qualm was not being able to see the sunrise as you are incapable to do so with the thick trees blocking where the sunrises. You can see the west side though so I reckon sunsets would be pretty sick at Fushimi Inari.
Kiyomizu dera was amazing personally and definitely recommend mornings/evenings for it. I did evening just as it was closing and it was definitely a magical experience.
Osaka
1. More than a day-trip worth of stuff
I really do regret not spending more time in Osaka. The Dotonbori night is something to experience for sure and there really is bunch of things to do, worth way more than a single night.
They have a nice anime street as well which I personally thought was pretty cool and they had bunch and bunch of things to do. I definitely will come back on my second trip for sure.
2. Check out the music scene!
This isn't limited to Osaka but I went to a concert in Osaka which was a surreal experience. I had a lot of fun and definitely recommend people checking it out as an activity to do while in Japan.
That's about it, I had fun reflecting on my time in Tokyo-Hakone-Kyoto-Osaka.
Am busy planning my second trip to Japan, thinking about a Sapporo-Tokyo-Osaka trip next.
Thank you r/japantravel for helping me on my first ever trip to Japan!
by melvinlee88