I’ve got six weeks in Japan alone – Hokkaido, Akita, Niigata, Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo plus more!

Hey everybody,

I’ll be in Japan from the start of Feb to mid March on a solo journey because I’m recently divorced and had the time now to enjoy myself. So, I’ve done the natural thing and booked a six week vacation in Japan.

My goals are simple: to visit as many sake breweries as possible, to see as many anime-related locations as possible and to come back with a suitcase full of vinyl records and merchandise. Keep in mind I’ll be alone on this journey and I’m hoping to avoid awkward situations as a solo diner/enjoyer, so any advice regarding doing anything solo would be appreciated… Also, I’m heavily tattooed so any recommendations on tattoo-friendly onsens would be great.

Here’s what I’ve got planned so far. I turn to this sub for help filling in some gaps and to let me know if I’ve planned too much. I can also use some advice regarding ticketed events (I’m really keen on seeing live concerts).

A few pop culture related things I’ve already planned include real-life locations from Neon Genesis Evangelion, a town mentioned by Haruki Murakami, real-life locations from Your Name and Bocchi the Rock. As much as I would like to include the town from Belle here, it seems A Million Miles Away (hehe) compared to where I’ll be. So.. without further adieu…

**Day 1-3: Tokyo**

\- Flying into Haneda, will take the train in to Kanda.
\- Day 1 explore area. On day 2, I’m simply hoping to use this as a buffer for jet lag. So any suggestions for what to do around that area or something simple would be great!

**Day 3-9: Hokkaido**
I know it’ll be very cold so I’ve prepared by buying a lot of Uniqlo thermals ahead of time.

\- Day 1: Fly from Haneda to Sapporo, check in at hostel, wander around the Snow Festival and see the sights.
\- Day 2: Sapporo Beer Museum + Lunch, Continue wandering around Snow Festival.
\- Day 3: Free day – haven’t planned anything.
\- Day 4: Yoichi Nikka Distillery, followed by Otaru’s Tanaka Sake Brewery and evening stroll.
\- Day 5: Take train to Asahikawa. The reason for going here is simple: I’m a big fan of Haruki Murakami and he mentions this city several times in a few differenet books, always calling it dull. But if it’s so dull, why keep mentioning it? I want to see if I can be inspired by the dullness. Check into Ryokan, eat some ramen.
\- Day 6: Otokoyama Sake Brewery + Asahikawa Zoo + Ramen Village
\- Day 7: Check out, take train back to Sapporo and then to New Chitose Airport for a flight to Akita.

**Days 9-11: Akita**
I’m here for the demons.

\- Day 1: Arrive at Akita airport, take train in.
\- Day 2: The primary reason I’m here is to attend the Namahage Festival. Yes, the one where all the kids cry because demons torment them. I’m a big fan of folklore so this interests me and I think it’d be neat. Will spend most of the day at the museum and area and soak up the local culture.
\- Day 3: Now that I’ve had my fill of screaming children, I will take a JR train to Niigata.

**Days 11-14: Niigata**
Sake is the primary reason I’m here.

\- Day 1: Arrive at Niigata Station, hotel is right across the street. Unfortunately, I have many tattoos so I can’t use their onsen – are there any local onsens that will allow this faux Yakuza in? If not, I’d like to drink around the station at the vending machine and visit Tabi Bar on recommendation from a podcast.
\- Day 2: I have an appointment at IMAYO TSUKASA SAKE, but otherwise my day is empty. The goal here is to hit up as many sake breweries as possible this day, any recommendations that allow walk-ins?
\- Day 3: Murakami. Not because of the author, but because I hear there are some good sake breweries here and the ruins of a castle. Sounded like a fun day trip but am willing to scrap it if there are better options.
\- Day 4: Take long JR train(s) to Osaka.

**Day 14-21: Osaka/Kyoto/Hiroshima**
I kind of bungled this but it was a happy incident. I met some people here back in 2010 on my first visit (when I only visited Osaka, Nara and Kyoto) and hoped to meet them again. Sadly, they’ve all moved away and live in Germany now (they were Japanese, just transferred). So I thought I’d give Osaka a proper go given that last time we just got hammered and I passed out on his couch at 3 am watching anime.

\- Day 1: Arrive, check in, grab some food locally to my hostel.
\- Day 2: Osaka Aquarium? Sounds fun, but I am a solo guy in my late thirties so would it be weird to stand around gawking at fish surrounded by families? Otherwise, I’d like to walk around and see some of the city.
\- Day 3: Hiroshima. I’ve rented a hostel in both cities so I don’t have to bring my luggage with me, just a small bag for overnight. Plan on seeing the sights and then staying there and returning the next day at my leisure. Would love some recommendations outside of the major attractions including food, drink, night life, etc.
\- Day 4: Return to Osaka. Den Den Town, book dinner at Square Enix Eorzea Cafe. Would it be weird to dine alone? I just want to be a nerd.. but, with no friends, it might be awkward.
\- Day 5: Kyoto. Again, I’ve booked a one night hostel in Kyoto so I can enjoy it at my leisure. I’ve been here before – any suggestions for off the beaten path temples, walks, etc?
\- Day 6: Return to Osaka. Open day with nothing planned currently.
\- Day 7: JR Train to Tokyo.

**Day 21-35: Tokyo**

I’ve always wanted to spend some real time in Tokyo to kind of live life like, well, as if I lived there. So I booked the most time here. I won’t bore you with the day to day but I do have a few things planned, and could use some help planning the in between.

Planned:
\- My hotel is in Asakusa so I will explore there on the first day.
\- I want to spend at least one whole day in Akihabara because I’m an anime nerd. Same for Shibuya.
\- I will make pilgrimages to anime locations… this mostly includes locations from Your Name (Kimi no Na wa).
\- I want to see a show at the concert venue known as Shelter, which is the spot from the recent show Bocchi the Rock in Shimokitazawa. I want to see locations from the anime here.
\- I’m also a huge Neon Genesis Evangelion fan since day 1, so I’m visiting Small Worlds and a few of the shops around town, plus..
\- Overnight stay in Hakone, the site of Tokyo 3 in the anime. I want to do the ropeway (though I have learned that it’ll be partially closed when I’m there womp womp), see the shrine and finally get to enjoy an onsen because the place I’m staying has a private one.

And then finally, the entire reason I booked this trip – I’m seeing the *Final Fantasy X Kabuki* at IHI Stage Around Tokyo. Literally, I saw that it was happening, found an intermediary to get me into the lottery and won a ticket. Then I said, “Welp, guess I’m going to Japan.”

I will be in Tokyo for quite some time so any suggestions for things to see, places to eat, and perhaps other concert venues to visit would be awesome. I love JRock and my fav band is Buck-Tick, so anything to do with these guys would be awesome, too.

Sorry if this is the longest post in the history of this sub. I’ve been following it for a while and finally got the nerve to post. I appreciate any and all help!