Original Post – 21 Days Onsen Hopping Itinerary plus more
Side Notes – Japan travel experience regarding late fall weather, bugs, shoes & luggage
Hello, I previously posted my 21 day itinerary on reddit. I wrote this for my future self to reference back on but I'm making this public for anyone interested to read. Below only contain my diary from Day 4 to Day 7. Reddit won’t let me post it together with Day 1 to Day 3 (link above) so I had to make a separate post.
Post format – Each day starts with the updated itinerary, follow by my diary with google map links to all of the destination.
My travel videos are posted on Instagram at EstherTravelDiary for anyone interested to watch. I cannot link it here due to reddit "no self promotion" rule. All of my travel videos from Day 1 to Day 7 are now posted as of 09.20.2024. I will be uploading the rest of my travel videos for Day 8 to Day 21 whenever I can.
• Day 4 – 10.25 Wed- Kyoto – staying home in Nara
[X] Leave by 7:30, 1hr30min to Okazaki Shrine – rabbit shrine, get the by 9AM – a MUST visit for bunny lovers like me!
[X] 20min bus to Nishiki Market for street food:
[X] snack – Okakidokoro Terakoyahonpo Nishikiichiba Sohonten for rice crackers
[X] snack – Fuka store for chestnut manju[X] snack – Marutsune Kamaboko for buttered potato tempura
[X] snack –Hanayori Kiyoe for yuba cream & curry croquette – can sit there to eat.
[X] Ochanokosaisai for rice seasoning
[X] dango
[X] Sally's Kitchen for fruit sandwich
[X] Kyo Tanba for tea
[X] Sugi Bee Garden for honey
[X] Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine
[X] Mahoroba Daibutsu Pudding
- I felt drain from being in crowded place for the past two days, so I slept in more on this day. I took my time getting ready and enjoyed eating my expensive Shin muscat grapes. I didn't leave until 11am. Weather was 65F-75F, cool but still sunny so I wore my very comfy, breezy, sleeveless maxi dress from Uniqlo.
- It took me about 1hr30min to get to Okazaki Shrine (Bunny Shrine in Kyoto). Despite getting there later than I wanted to, there was no crowd at all. I came here years ago in 2018 and it was very crowded. So I felt lucky that I got to visit a second time without the crowd. This is a shrine that locals visit to pray for safe childbirth, so newlyweds often like to visit this shrine and pray. There was so many cute bunny statues at each corner. The tiny pink and white ones were especially cute, they look like a bunny army ready for battle! You can ring the shrine's bell at the center and rub the black bunny belly that is to the side with its own alter for good luck in childbirth. I got some good luck talisman and charms to take home, they just look so cute! Some are for good luck in studies, health, safe travels, and meeting your soul mate, etc. I enjoyed some quite time here for sure before heading to my next destination.
- I took a 20min short bus ride to my next stop for lunch at Nishiki Market. When I got there mid afternoon, it was super crowded! When buying snacks to eat, I stood to the side at a corner to finish eating. It is consider bad manners and rude to eat while walking. I wouldn't be able to enjoy my food anyways if I had to walk with food at hand at such a crowded place. So I just find a corner to eat and enjoyed my food. Some of these stores have inside seating though so you just have to look or ask. If you look up, the banners have animals on it, I thought that was a nice find. The elephant was my favorite find. Despite the crowd, I really enjoy going here to eat and shop. I would definitely go back again. All of the store owners and employees were very energetic and friendly toward tourist so I had a very pleasant experience. Here's the stores I went into:
- Okakidokoro Terakoyahonpo Nishikiichiba Sohonten – They sell rice crackers, but not just any rice crackers, they sell all sorts of flavored rice crackers! I tried the Aosa (sea lettuce) flavor. I liked it, good flavor, I think this is a safe choice for anyone unsure of what to get. I recommend it. 9/10.
- Ochanokosaisai – I didn't plan to go here but the samplers got me! I didn't think too much about visiting this rice seasoning store but when I saw the employee giving out free samples, I couldn't resist walking over to get one to try, and that sure got me hook because I went in and bought like 10 packs of them XD LOL. I wasn't the only one mind you, this other girl had arm full of the same rice seasoning pack I was buying! It was that good. 10/10. I was very excited that I found this so I can make better tasting onigiri at home. I recommend this place for spice lovers or any adventurous cooks. They sell other spices too, so not just rice seasoning.
- Fuka – I went here for their popular chestnut manju. Luckily we were the only one there so we got to order and sit down at their one and only small table. The store is very small so if there is space to eat, you can order it to go. Once I sat down, they brought over a complimentary hot tea with the manju so that was very nice! I got to rest for a few minutes there while eating. The chestnut manju was 10/10, I miss it…it was so good… I want to go back there again. Next time I will order one to eat there and one to go!
- No store in particular, but there a lot of seafood stalls there. What caught my attention though was the gigantic, huge, oyster! It was bigger than my hand! I had never seen such a big oyster before. So I had to make a mention of it.
- Marutsune Kamaboko – Next I went to this fried fish cake store. I got the buttered potato tempura from here. Per Google review, this is many people's favorite and the store's #1 recommended item, so that's what I got. And WOW just after first bite I could tell why that is. It was just so good. 10/10. I was afraid it was going to be too buttery or oily but it wasn't. It was so delicious. I wish I had gotten a second one to take home for the next day road trip. I also tried a second flavor, the curry onion with potato tempura, it was good but not as good as the buttered potato tempura. 8/10. Next time I go back, I will only get the buttered potato tempura and some to take home for the next day. These are heavy though so it was filling my stomach up fast, I couldn't eat much after that.
- I went to a nearby stall for dango, forgot which store name it was. It was not as good as the one from the day before at 月下美人 so I was sadden by it. It was just not fresh at all, so I think that was the biggest difference. This one was the main disappointment of the day of all the food I tried. It made me miss the dango from previous day even more because of how fresh it was.
- Hanayori Kiyoe – I went here for some croquette. I got the yuba cream and curry flavor. Both were too oily for my taste and flavor was decent. 6/10. I did like that I got to sit down to rest inside after ordering though.
- Sally's Kitchen – I was craving something cold after all the warm food I ate, so I got a cold fruit sandwich from here. I got the grapes sandwich. I actually really liked it! There was a good balance of grapes and cream inside the bread. 10/10. Would get again! Next time I want to try the dragonfruit sandwich.
- Kyo Tanba – I was walking back, I visited another shop that wasn't on my list again because another sampler got me… it was a tea shop this time. I was given a cup of black soybean tea, and it tasted unlike any other tea I had before. I really enjoyed the taste, so I got a bag of it. Black soybean is good for health and one tea bag makes half a large pitcher so the tea bags are huge and will last a long time. They also have freshly grilled chestnut that was very large. I didn't get any but I will next time I go back!
- Sugi Bee Garden – Walking out, I was lured into another store yet again by another sampler. This time it was a honey drink shop, I love honey so how could I resisted! I ended up sampling all of their flavors so I stayed there for quite a while. I bought two big bottles of my favorite, the #1 recommended and most popular flavor, Yuzu & Honey. My second favorite was the Kyohou & Honey flavor. If you have room in your check in bag, this bottle of honey makes a great gift for family and friends. I ended up getting three total bottles so I got a discount and it was tax free for tourist if you have your passport. But I didn't get enough since I finish the bottles soon after going home with my family… Next time I go back, I will have to buy more! You just won't find this flavor anywhere else and it is expensive to buy it online from overseas, so best to buy lots while you are in Japan and not regret it.
- I skipped the store for tamago (egg) because it would have made me too full to eat other food, and I skipped the matcha dessert place on my list because I don't think I would have liked it after the previous day matcha dessert experience.
- I past by so many cute snack shops, there was a shop selling all Snoopy goods and kawaii cookies, but I didn't buy any. They were fun to look at.
- Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine– If you keep walking towards the end of the market, you'll see a shrine there. I didn't know about it until I saw it at the end. I entered the shrine for a few minutes and got to wash my hands there, the designs there were so lovely, it is worth for a quick look. I even found the tiny bunny statue from the Bunny Shrine at the alter hiding behind the straw. So cute! Walking out of the shrine, to the left and right, you'll see rows of stores selling goods like clothes, shoes, bags, etc, like a strip mall. You can definitely spend a whole day or two here just eating and shopping. There was so much to see. I think Nishiki Market and its surrounding area is worth a days trip. I would go back again.
- On my way home, I stopped by the department store again inside Yamato-Saidaiji Train Station to get some light dinner. I bought a small rice bento box. I wanted something light since I ate so much already. The bento box was 10/10. I wish America have go to healthy meals like Japan's bento boxes. The blend of rice seasoning, vinegar, rice, meat, vegetables, etc, was very enjoyable. Most importantly, it was FRESH.
- In the same department store, I was super excited when I found my favorite pudding sold there, the Mahoroba Daibutsu Pudding, it's a popular and well known pudding from Nara. I could never forget how good it was the first time I had in from 2018 so I had to get it again. There were so many different flavors. I got the cherry blossom flavor, sake flavor, and ancient rice flavor. Cherry blossom was 9/10, there was a little bit of cherry paste at the bottom of the jar. The sake pudding had sake jelly at the bottom. I actually don't drink alcohol and don't like taste of the real sake drink, but but I love this sake flavored pudding a lot! 10/10. The ancient rice pudding is so unique, I love the taste, 10/10. If I have to choose between the sake and ancient rice flavor, I would choose the ancient rice pudding.
• Day 5 – 10.26 Thurs – Yamanashi -1st Ryokan
[X] leave 8AM, 7hr train to Yamanashi
[X] breakfast & lunch – train bento box
[X] Ryokan – Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Ryokan – $150 includes onsen and kaiseki breakfast and dinner – this is the oldest running onsen in Japan, very hard to get to, but a MUST GO for onsen lovers like me!
- This is the day I go to the famous world's oldest running ryokan from Guiness World Records, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Ryokan. I was most excited about this ryokan of all the other ryokan I've book to stay. I was very grateful for my friend for telling me about it! It is located in a secluded mountain area. So this day was a long traveling day. For that reason, I made sure to dress very comfortable in my Uniqlo airism T-shirt dress with my Uniqlo airism cardigan. I ended up taking off the cardigan though because I felt warm and comfortable without it most of the day. Weather was 60F-72F. Cool but sunny again.
- The journey from Nara to Yamanashi – We left at 8AM, overall travel time took about 7 hours to get to Yamanashi from Nara which comprised of walking to the bus, bus ride to Gakuenmai Train Station, 5min train ride to Yamato Saidaiji Train Station, 42min train ride to Kyoto, 1hr37min bullet train to Shizuoka, 1hr23min express train to Hayakawa, Yamanashi (Minamikoma District) at Minobu Train Station, then lastly 1hr bus to Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Ryokan. The last bus is run by the ryokan to pick up ryokan's guest only, so it is not public bus for all. You need to notify them ahead of time so they know to come and pick you up. We didn't arrive at the ryokan until 3PM. We want to get there earlier but it was the earliest time we could get there since we were coming from Nara. Weather was like 70F when we got there, cool but sunny so it was perfect weather.
- Breakfast & Lunch – There was no time for us to eat at a restaurant so we bought bento boxes from the train station. We had to be strict on time since we can't afford to be late and miss the train, because if we did, we would lose several hours waiting for the next one. But I was excited to get bento boxes because they are usually very good. Most bento box are cold and refrigerated but my favorite find was finding one that HEATS UP when you are ready to eat it! Yes you read it right, some heats up so you can have a warm meal on cold days! For those, there is a string you pull to activate a heated pouch inside the bento box, which heats up the food, like a microwave! I wanted to try one warm dish so I got one of those and another cold box. I also got some fruit jelly pudding in glass jars and Japanese waffle biscuit with cream. I thought the food was delicious, 10/10, the biscuit was lacking flavor though so that was 8/10.
- Bus ride up the mountain – The view was so beautiful and scenic! I love the large windows so I can look out and film. I had a lot of fun just looking out overlooking the mountain, I got excited when we got closer. The leaves haven't turn yet but once we got to the top where the ryokan was, we saw some leaves changing colors already so the view was really beautiful up there.
- From the moment we arrived, we were treated like we were some VIPs. I can't say enough about their service and professional courtesy when greeting guests. Their rating on Google is a 4-star hotel I think, but it honestly felt like it was a 5 star hotel. I'm not someone used to getting VIP treatment so I felt awkward when they took my luggage and bags to carry everything for me. I carried nothing in. They gave me slippers and stored my shoes in their lobby. You are only allowed to wear their indoor slippers inside, which I didn't mind since I don't wear outdoor shoes inside my house either, so I like that they kept that kind of tradition there. Despite the hotel being very old, it did not feel like it. I went to another ryokan later that wasn't as old but it was much more dirty and it even smelled. This hotel was clean and did not smell at all. I was afraid the carpet inside room might smell, like some old inn does, but it did not.
- The room I stayed in had a mountain view with indoor seating. I opened the window for some fresh air and listen to the river. View was very beautiful. Bathroom sink is hidden behind the cupboard, away from toilet and bathtub, located at the other end of the room. I did not use the bathtub or shower in the room at all since I used the public ones. They provided a beautiful lockbox to store things. The telephone to the front desk even got its own pillow haha, I found that funny. I had tea and welcoming snack as I wait for host to come back to go over the ryokan detail. At the entrance to the room, they also provide additional indoor sandals, socks & satin pouch to carry essentials like a purse. I was able to keep the pretty satin pouch, and I continued to use it at other ryokan while going to onsen since it was useful and fit many of my stuff. After deciding on dinner time, I changed into my yukata that was provided by the ryokan. It was 5PM, and the private onsen reservation time slot was soon after so I walked over to the front desk to retrieve the key to the private onsen and made my way to the private onsen.
- This ryokan have three public onsen with men and women separated at diferent times. There are also two private ones that you can reserve ahead of time. I reserved the one name Seoto. The view was so nice while taking a soak. I really love outdoor onsen with nice mountain view and I was glad I was able to reserve this time slot while there sun was still out. I only had about an hour but it was more than enough since I couldn't stay in hot water long. Water was very hot, like a normal onsen, so I went in and out several times. The onsen water here are all crystal clear with source coming from natural underground hot spring so this is a real onsen.
- Their food 10/10 – OMGosh the meals were THE BEST out of all other ryokan's meal I have had during this trip. After this, I decided not to ever book a stay with ryokan unless their kaiseki meals are actually good like from Keiunkan here. Food really does impact the experience. The other ryokan I went to after this just didn't have good keiseki meals, so it made the overall experience not great, it was not comparable. The meals here just made the experience that much better and memorable. Their service and food make me really want to visit again! I really missed the meal I had here after I left. Maybe I got spoiled and tasted actual luxury kaiseki from Keiunkan so my expectations for other places were higher, but I at least now know what a good kaiseki meal is supposed to taste like.
- The dinner 10/10 – Dinner was 6:30PM, and we didn't finish until 7:50PM. I sat at a table with a privacy screen separating each table. Dinner was still enjoyable and people near us was not loud so I had a pleasant time eating. I think you can request and pay more for private meal in room though. The host serve the meals in five courses as you finish them so that is why it takes a long time. I love that though so I can slowly enjoy everything.
- Every course was very different and I got to try a variety of their traditional Japanese food. I loved everything. They started with first course that came with some appetizer and a sweet sake. So I can't drink alcohol because I don't have tolerance for it and I lack enzyme to process it, basically I'm allergic to alcohol so I get drunk after just one shot. But after sipping the sweet sake, it actually tasted good, I never had such sweet sake that I like, so I drank it all…. hence why I had to napped right after for hours haha.
- The second course came soon after, but the third course was my favorite with the freshly charcoal grilled fish on a stick! It is a type of dish that they slowly grilled over several hours so even the bone can be eaten whole with the fish. The host explain that I can eat it starting from head to tail. I ate the whole thing. It was delicious. I wish I can have another. I had similar fish at other places after I left Keiunkan, but it just was not as good, and the bone was still tough so they didn't grill it right. I don't usually like seafood but wow this fish from Keiunkan became my favorite food of the day.
- By the time fourth course came, I was starting to feel full already, it was mainly meat and vege we grilled ourselves on the table. So it was heavy, but I still took my time and ate everything slowly. I don't think there was any I did not like, everything was good. I'm a picky eater so that says a lot. But I was told I got an expensive taste bud so maybe that is why I love the food here so much.
- Fifth course was a good last course because of the pickles and soup so I felt refreshed with that, like a palate cleanser. Last item was the dessert and I ate it all. The bottom of the dessert cup was very cute with a heart shape. I was really full, like stuffed, and the sake made me super red. I needed a nap.
- While we ate dinner, the staff came to the room to prepare the futons for us to sleep. That is how most ryokan usually operate. They get your futon out, or put them away in the morning, as you are out eating dinner or breakfast. I was afraid their futon wouldn't be comfortable but it was! I napped from 8PM and woke up at 1AM.
- I wanted to check out the public onsen so that was what I did at 1AM. Of course I was the only one there so that was nice having it all to myself. I went to the onsen from 1AM to 2AM, then went back to my room to sleep again. I had a really good sleep.
• Day 6 – 10.27 Fri – Tokyo – Hotel with onsen
[X] Kaiseki breakfast at ryokan before leaving
[X] Leave by 9:30AM, 4hr train to Shinjuku, arrive by 2PM – rent lockers for luggage at train station.
[X] 15min walk to Cinnamoroll Cafe for lunch, and then Rabbit Department store – both inside same mall.
[X] 30min train to APA Hotel Pride Kokkaigijidomae – $220 for two nights, no meals included, have onsen.
[X] Dinner at Masamune
- I woke up at 5AM to take a quick soak again at this public onsen. I went back to sleep again after.
- Woke back up again at 6:30AM, and went to take a onsen soak around 7AM. Weather was 46F, cool but not that cold, I felt comfortable.
- This is the third public onsen that I checked out before breakfast. So I managed to soak in all three of them. I felt my skin and muscle healing already from all the travel fatigue, onsen is great!
- Breakfast was at 8AM at the same place we went for dinner. Breakfast was one single large meal served at once, and it was a lot of food. I had a hard time finishing everything. Everything was delicious though. 10/10.
- On our way out to the bus, the employee caught us and said they were showing off onsen rainbow. Turns out they release their spring water every once in a while, which produce a beautiful rainbow! I was lucky to witness this during my last day stay in the world's oldest hotel in Japan! It was so much more beautiful and magical in person and what a pleasant surprise! I have never been this close to a rainbow or seen such clear rainbow! It was very exciting moment for me. What a great way to end my wonderful stay at Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan!
- Of all 5 ryokan I have stayed at during my trip to Japan, this was THE BEST one. It ended up being my favorite ryokan stay out of all of the rest! I want to go back again! But it was one of the most expensive one I stayed at. However, considering the onsen and kaiseki meals, it was worth it. I would highly recommend everyone to go at least once for the experience! The long journey to get there was worth it! All of the staff were very nice and professional, I felt like a VIP staying there. The kaiseki dinner and breakfast were 10/10. It was definitely the best kaiseki meal I had during my entire vacation in Japan (I had several). The room and onsen were very clean despite being the oldest running hotel in the world! They even provide their private bus to pick up and drop off guest at the train station. I had the best stay there and would definitely visit again if I can!!
- Check out time was 10AM. We left around 9:50AM on the ryokan's bus which took an hour to Minobu train station. Then it was a 3hr train ride to Shinjuku for our next destination. We arrived around 2PM at Shinjuku. Weather was 70F sunny. Most large lockers were taken at this time, so we just walked around a bit and found small lockers to rent. It wasn't too difficult finding one. We rented one size M locker that fit both two carryons, and one size S locker that fit two backpacks. So if you travel even lighter, you can definately fit backpacks and carryon in the same size S or M locker. They look small but it is very deep with lots of room inside.
- We walked to Udon Shin but after seeing the long line full of foreigners and wait time, we decided to leave. We didn't think it was going to be worth it since we can find similar udon place to eat elsewhere. I decided not to go to the matcha store on my list since I realize I don't like matcha as much in Japan. So we made out way to Cinnamoroll Cafe inside a Shinjuku Marui Annex Mall. The cafe was so cute! As a huge Cinnamoroll collector, I was very excited to go. The time I went was around 2:30-3PM, so there was no line or large crowd. We were able to get in and be seated fast. We ordered a curry and pasta dish. The taste was alright. They were small plates, more like appetizers than an actual meal. I got some free coasters to take home as souvenirs. I think the cafe is worth a visit if you love Cinnamoroll, but the Osaka Dotonbori one is larger so next time I will make time to go there instead. The aesthetic and decor in there are still so cute to look at.
- I visited the Rabbit Department store for some cute rabbit goods collection. The store is inside the same mall as Cinnamoroll Cafe. I recommend all rabbit lovers to come take a look, there was so many cute bunny design items.
- We had time to kill so we browsed and shopped some more around the mall and nearby department store. We bought some gift snacks to take home. Then we took a 10min train ride to the hotel, APA Hotel Pride Kokkaigijidomae where we will be staying for two nights. It was approx $220 for two nights and two person. Meals not included, includes public onsen. So the cost was decent considering it was near Tokyo. Room was very tiny but there was no smell (a good thing), felt new, was clean, and looks luxurious with classy interior design. There was even chandelier above the bed and TV in front of bed. I love that it's brightly lid too with a large window beside the bed. There was a light thin see through curtain beside the bed to block AC blowing at you at night. The controller for lights and AC was right above the bed so it was convenient. The only con is that luggage had to be placed underneath bed so it was not very convenient to take items out of luggage. Double bed was very comfortable to sleep on for two adults. I'm 5'2 so bed was perfect for me but might not be for larger/taller people since my feet were near end of bed, maybe fit 5'8 max. The pillow was the best I ever experienced that I even bought one online to take back home! I've been using my new pillow since! Even though room was small, for the price of hotel within Tokyo that includes an onsen, I enjoyed it very much and would stay again! I really liked that I was able to find a hotel like this that includes public onsen so it was enjoyable for sure. 10/10.
- Dinner – Despite it being night at around 55F, the wind in the city was warm so I was still very comfortable with just a dress. I did not feel cold at night. I think the warm nights was due to city pavement absorbing heat in the day so when night comes, it just feels warm. I liked that the hotel had walkable restaurants nearby so eating dinner outside was very convenient both nights. We walked 3 min to nearby restaurant Masamune for tonkatsu curry at 6PM. We were able to go in and sit down right away. People who came after us had to wait for a table. The restaurant is tiny with little seats. The food was good and wait for fresh tonkatsu was worth it. I would go back again. 10/10.
- Headed back to hotel to take onsen bath and the sleep. Onsen was well kept, clean, and did not irritate my skin. Water was very hot so I didn't soak for long though. I brought my own shampoo, conditioner, and body wash due to my sensitive skin.
• Day 7 – 10.28 Sat – Tokyo – Hotel with onsen
[X] 2min walk to Hie Shrine Akasaka – it is right next to hotel
[X] Leave by 8:40AM, 1hr train to Ghibli Museum – arrive by 9:40AM for 10AM ticket already bought, eat breakfast here – rent locker for luggage at station.
[ ] Leave by 12PM, 1hr train to Sanrio Puroland – arrive by 1PM, stay until 6PM closing time, ticket from Klook $18.79, eat late lunch there -I love Cinnamoroll so this is a MUST go for me.
[ ] 1hr train back to same hotel, back by 7PM
[ ] Walk around to explore area and have dinner, choices:
[ ] 11min walk to Tendon Tenya Akasaka Mitsuke Restaurant– tempura donburi shop
[ ] 7min walk to Ittenbari Ramen & Chahan Restaurant – ramen shop
[ ] 12min walk to Soba Kiri Mimaki – soba noodle shop
- This was my second most excited day since I was going to Sanrio Puroland and Ghibli Museum. Weather was mid50F in morning and mid 60F in afternoon, cool but sunny. It rained lightly on my way out of Puroland at night though and I did wore my cardigan then for a few minutes until I got to the train station.
- I woke at 7AM and first thing I did was walked over to Hie Shrine Akasaka, it was just right next to the hotel. Reviews said it is like a mini version of Fushimi Inari Taisha (I went on Day 3), and it was. It took me a while to find where it was though since there was no clear sign. I didn't find it too impressive so I took some pictures and left.
- Tickets – Tickets had to be bought ahead of time. You cannot buy it on day of. I read about how buying the tickets outside of Japan is not easy, like hour long wait time or ticket selling out soon after it becomes available. So, I was super prepared. On the day the ticket was available for October, I had two laptops, two phones, one iPad, one surface pro, all devices on the Ghibli website, ready to refresh and load. Once it was time, I refreshed every single device, and even though I did it at the same time, all device had different wait time. My phone was shortest at 15minutes, while laptop was longest at 2-3hours! I kept them all on, in case my phone failed me. Once the wait time on my phone cleared, I was able to get in and buy the ticket successfully. I received an e-mail confirmation about it, and that was it! I got it! I was super excited!! However, it was afterwards that my friend in Japan told me that I could have ask her to buy it for me because she just took a look at the official Japanese website, and was able to get in easy, there is absolutely no wait time at all, and there are many spots still open! Now I know, I will just let my Japanese friends and family get it for me. So if you got someone in Japan, just ask them to do it for you. It'll save you stress on getting it overseas.
- Mistake learned – When I got to the museum at 9:45am, there was already a long line. While lining up, even though I thought I had my ticket, it was then I realized the payment confirmation e-mail had additional instructions about creating an account to get the actual ticket. When I received this e-mail months ago, I was just so relief I got it that I fail to read that instruction. So I had a slight panic attack thinking I might not be able to get in. I told the staff, showed them the e-mail, they said not to worry, they found my actual ticket using the e-mail, and let me in. Phew! I was so relief! I was going to cry if I couldn't go in! I waited for months for this.
- Camera policy – Once you get in, there's a strict no camera rule inside the museum, but it's allowed outside. So I could only film outside. I did like that policy though because that forces people to really enjoy the museum inside and not to be so distracted by taking photo everywhere. Plus, it prevent people from hogging the space for too long.
- Museum – The museum isn't very big, but there was so many fine detail EVERYWHERE. Every corner I turn, I discover something new. So despite the small size, there was a lot to see! I felt like I was inside the Ghibli world, full of heartwarming feelings. I saw staff there dusting corners and cleaning the space while monitoring and reminding people, gently in a friendly manner, not to take photos inside if anyone was trying to. They blend right in though and didn't stand out so I just love how they are able to do that while keeping the whole look and feel. I also checked out the restrooms and they even got Ghibli details there! I wonder if the male restroom was different.
- Short film – One of the main attraction I wanted to see was the short film of the month. I think they change it every month or so. It was in Japanese, but they are all very easily understandable for non Japanese speakers. I really enjoyed it, it was such a cute film!
- Another main attraction is the gift shop of course! I went there before it got too crowded. When I went back to take a look again, their check out line was all the way out to hallway so I was glad I checked out earlier before noon. While browsing I found out that they sell seasonal exclusive items at the store only, so I bought a matching set of plate and matching mug. I had a lot of fun browsing everything there. I want to go back again and get a different season exclusive item.
- Lunch – After that I went to get lunch at their cafe. The line was long near noon, next time I will eat when I first enter at 10-11am so I can avoid the long line and crowd at 12pm. Food there wasn't bad, but wasn't like WOW amazing either. Total was about $19 for french fries, chicken sandwich, pork cutlet sandwich and hot barley tea. I thought that the price for food is cheap if you compare it to food at Disney so I was happy about it.
- Regrets – I left the museum around 12:45pm, so I spent about 3 hours there. I really enjoyed being there and want to go back again, especially when they get new seasonal items and new short film to show. Spending half a day there is for sure more than enough. What I regret is my decision to go to Puroland on the same day! Puroland required a whole day by itself, so I regretted that. I also wouldn't have felt in such a rush to get from the museum to Puroland if I had a car, since that was only 20minutes away by car, but it was like an hr by train and the bus was behind schedule. So I was stressing. Puroland closes at 6PM so I didn't want to get there too late. I didn't think I would enjoy Puroland so much so I thought half a day was going to be enough but it wasn't for me.
- At the closest train station to Puroland, the KEIO-Tama-Center train station, the whole station had Sanrio character decors! It was so cute! There was even Sanrio characters as train conductors. I wish I had more time to look around the train station but I was determined to get to Puroland quickly.
- I got to Sanrio Puroland around 1:39PM. the I got my ticket months ago from Klook for $18.79. It was a bit cheaper than the ticket on Puroland's official website. I thought it might be fake but reading the Klook reviews, it was real. So I trusted it. I was able to get in just fine. Since I had bought stuff from the Ghibli Museum Gift Shop, I rented a small locker inside Puroland. There was plenty of lockers. Despite its small size, there was a lot of space to fit backpacks in the lockers too. I had a lot of fun there, and can't wait to go back again! Next time I want to spend a whole day there!
- I posted several videos on Sanrio Puroland with some description on the post so feel free to look it up to watch.
- We had tempura dish for dinner at Tendon Kanekoya Akasaka. It was very delicious. 10/10. I really love the black bean drink.
Day 8 to Day 21 will have a separate trip report later whenever I finish posting more of my travel videos on Instagram.
by Sakura95996