Trip Report – 7 nights in Tokyo/Kyoto (first time!) 13/4 – 20/4

As far as first trips go, this was super fun even though it was such a short trip. Sadly, life/time constraints made it so we could only stay for a week.

There will definitely be a next time, and I’ll be staying way longer because there is literally so much to see and eat and do.

Thank you to this subreddit and the official discord who helped me with this trip!

**Notes & possibly helpful advice**

* My VISA card worked basically everywhere I went with only a few exceptions where you had to pay with cash. FamilyMart/7-11 being very common made it easy to get yen. I took out 10,000 yen for this trip with a *lot* of change leftover – the amount of coins is no joke, I ended up getting a purse!
* I used a 7 day JR pass for this trip mainly for the convenience and also this was before the recent price hike so it definitely saved a bit of money. Bought it from the official site which also allowed me to choose shinkansen seats in advance.
* Got a Suica card but I didn’t have to use it much – just for vending machines and coin lockers.
* JapanTravel by Navitime app was the only transport app I used on my phone. It made it so easy for me to figure out how to get places and it tells you the train platform to go to as well as a list of all the stops. Public transport was a breeze!
* There’s English signage almost everywhere in Tokyo/Kyoto. I don’t speak Japanese at all but I made an effort to learn some basic phrases and manners. Everyone I encountered was lovely.
* VERY COMFY SHOES – this is always mentioned but it is DEFINITELY a must. The amount of walking I did was insane. I thought I was a big walker but even I had sore feet the first couple of days…

# DAY 1 – Narita Airport & Shinjuku

Flew in on a nonstop 11 hour flight from New Zealand to Narita Airport. We landed at 17:00 and got through immigration/customs very quickly.

I’d already filled out my Visit Japan Web information a month earlier but the covid blue screen wasn’t needed. They only wanted to see the two QR codes for immigration and customs so the whole thing took maybe 45 minutes to get through, including the time spent waiting at the luggage carousel. Easypeasy!

As we landed in Terminal 1 of the airport, the ticketing offices were all close together (not sure if this is the same in other terminals) and I had to line up to pick up my JR pass. The line wasn’t that long when I arrived but there were so many confused customers that I spent almost an hour waiting for my turn.

I had everything booked already so all I had to do was show my confirmation email and they printed out the JR pass for me as well as shinkansen tickets and tickets for the Narita Express.

By the time we reached Shinjuku, it was already 20:30 and we spent another 15-20 minutes dragging our luggage to the hotel.

We stayed at THE KNOT Shinjuku, a cute business hotel but definitely a bit far from the station for the first night.

There was a FamilyMart right outside so I tried some of their fried chicken and I can’t explain how good it was. SO MUCH better than any I’ve had back home. They also had a pretty big selection of drinks, snacks and other meals (both hot and cold). Surprisingly good!

# DAY 2 – Shinjuku Gyoen, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya

This was actually such a full day I ended up clocking over 30,000 steps. Was it worth it? Yes. Would I do this again? Probably not all in one go…

Shinjuku in the morning was really peaceful. The streets and pavements are super wide and everyone seems to walk with purpose. As you get closer to the hub by Shinjuku Station, it does get a bit more chaotic but it was a fun big city sort of chaotic. Really loved looking at everything!

Sadly, the cherry blossoms bloomed a bit earlier this year so there weren’t many to see in **Shinjuku Gyoen**. There was still an area in the park with quite a few late bloomers though. Grass was blanketed in pink petals around those trees and a lot of people were already milling around taking photos. Rest of the park was absolutely lovely and since it was still early morning it wasn’t crowded at all and I found a peaceful corner to just sit down and enjoy the view.

**Meiji Jingu** was next and that was pretty easy to get to. A short train ride to Harajuku station and it was right across the road from the station exit. These trains always seem to be completely packed though, almost every time I catch one I end up standing the entire time.

This walk was also very peaceful. You walk down a wide gravel road lined with massive trees and a few old torii gates. Once again, it was not crowded at all and I could hear crows cawing in the trees. The shrine itself was beautiful and really well kept. People were respectful and quiet, I even saw a few of them bow their heads to a large crow that landed right in front of the shrine!

On my way back, I spotted a corner of the shrine with a goshuin sign pointing into a room. This is where I got a Meiji Jingu goshuin shrine stamp. They hand it to you inside a thin paper envelope and it’s a nice little memento of having been there.

When exploring **Harajuku**, we came across a cat cafe and on a whim decided to try it out. This was Cat Cafe Mocha and I can honestly say I was surprised (in a good way) with how clean and well presented the whole place was. All the cats looked VERY well taken care of. Beautiful, shiny, fluffy fur and there were a variety of different cat breeds.

Takeshita Street was something on my to-do list as well but it was a bit underwhelming for me. Cute clothing shops and a few places selling those famously pretty crepes but it was very crowded and wasn’t what I hoped. Still ended up getting a mini Cinnamoroll plushie from the Sanrio store and found my way into a vintage thrift shop off the main street that was semi hidden.

**Shibuya** was just as busy as expected but I liked it! I feel like everybody in Tokyo was very stylish and trendy. Of course I walked across the scramble crossing and it was chaotic but did feel organized at the same time. You could see everybody in Starbucks watching and filming the crossing through the giant glass windows, that was kind of hilarious.

# DAY 3 – A rainy shopping day & okonomiyaki

This was a pretty relaxed day compared to the previous one.

It was raining heavily in the morning so this was my opportunity to get one of those clear umbrellas for myself! Tokyo is not windy at all compared to being back home and that made it easy for me to walk around the city even with the rain.

A big thing we noticed – most places don’t open up until 10-11am and that is particularly rough especially if you’re a morning person.

We were exploring the different shopping malls and stumbled into one called **Mylord** right as it was opening. Walking into shopping malls just as they open is DEFINITELY another unique experience – all the staff from every single shop line up and bow a hello/welcome as you walk past. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bow back or say something!

Being a massive stationery addict, **Sekaido** in Shinjuku was a highlight for me. Five floors of stickers, stamps, brushes, pens… literally anything I wanted, it was in there. I had to drag myself away before I bought up the entire shop.

We found a restaurant with a lot of pictures and models of okonomiyaki they serve but didn’t realize until we were actually seated at a table that this was not a restaurant where you order a dish off a menu that they make for you – IT WAS A COOK YOUR OWN OKONOMIYAKI PLACE.

Having never even tried it before, there was a little bit of panic staring at the metal cooking surface at our table when we sat down. The waitress was lovely and realized we had no idea what we were doing so she handed us some instructions to get started. It was totally worth it and a fun experience despite not knowing what we were getting into.

Successfully cooked and flipped my first okonomiyaki and it didn’t fall apart!

# DAY 4 – Pokemon cafe + hello Kyoto

Managed to book a morning/midday slot at the Pokemon cafe in Tokyo and I have to admit, I was sweating over several nights to get this booking. It felt like trying to buy concert tickets with time slots instantly taken the second they opened up.

The **Pokemon cafe** was definitely worth it though! Loved the entire experience and the food was not bad either. Cafe was really large and spacious with a pokemon centre shop right next door.

All three pokemon meal options were very cute but if you’re feeling hungry, pick the snorlax (I chose eevee). The ice cream sundaes were massive, the cutlery and decor on point. There was even a pikachu mascot dance! Of course, I couldn’t leave without buying some adorable merch.

We took the shinkansen to **Kyoto** shortly after this. Seats were booked on the right hand side of the train and since it was a clear day, we had some absolutely gorgeous views of Mt Fuji on the way. First time on a bullet train and it was VERY speedy. I even felt some pressure building up in my ears at one point! Comfy seats and plenty of legroom (fell asleep halfway).

Our hotel in Kyoto was easily the best stay of the trip. We stayed at Hotel Okura Kyoto right in the heart of the city as I found a really good deal for it.

It’s a beautiful hotel in an old, grand sort of way. Our room overlooked the city with a massive window basically taking up the entire wall space – we were also facing west for sunset. The view at night was so impressive I ended up sleeping with the curtains open just so I could watch the city.

# DAY 5 – Kiyomizudera, kimono hire, Kichi kichi omurice

I was initially worried about the crowds in Kyoto as I’ve heard from other people’s experiences how insane it can be. Got to **Kiyomizudera** in the morning around 9:00 and it was refreshingly empty. Could walk all the way up to the temple with barely any people around at all. Shops were starting to open on the way down and there were more people showing up but definitely not to the point of being crowded.

We saw a sign for kimono hire pointing down a little alley and decided to do it! Despite not having a reservation beforehand, the ladies in the shop let us in pretty quickly and we spent about an hour getting dressed and our hair styled. They were so professional and efficient, absolutely LOVED the completed look.

Walking down **Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka** dressed in a kimono hits different. These roads were beautiful, old with traditional shops and restaurants lining them on both sides. I honestly felt like I was in a period drama and we had a little laugh to ourselves when we were asked by other tourists if they could take a photo with us. Even a pair of old Japanese ladies started chatting to us and I had to break it to them that we were not actually Japanese!

Favourite stall food I tried here: candied strawberries on a stick.

Had an evening reservation for **Kichi Kichi Omurice** and that was one I was pretty excited about as we’ve heard a lot about it. Going in, we were lucky enough to be seated right at the counter in front of the chef. He is an amazing showman and being able to watch his entire cooking performance from the counter was a real treat. The omurice itself was pretty good, I liked the umami of the sauce but you’re definitely paying for the experience.

# DAY 6 – Arashiyama, monkeys & a lot of sushi

We were up pretty early to catch the train to Arashiyama, the mountain that we could also see from our hotel window. I can’t get over how convenient it is to get around, wish our public transport was also like this back home!

**Arashiyama’s bamboo grove** was a chilly walk in the morning but a lot more pleasant without having to push through crowds of people. It was quiet and breezy. Saw a few people getting around on rickshaws and we were impressed at the speed they were being pulled at.

By the time we came out of the grove and got to the main street, it was already filling up with crowds of people. Definitely a pretty district to walk around and food is everywhere! Never saw so many matcha icecream shops in my life.

Since we were already in the area, we decided to go up to **Iwatayama Monkey Park** at the top of Mt Arashiyama. The climb up is only 20-30 mins but extremely steep – it’s worth a visit! The monkeys on the mountain are wild but used to humans. They’re not fenced in or caged and run around freely. There’s even a large pond with many large and colourful koi fish swimming around inside. At the top you’ll also see a beautiful view of Kyoto and for 50 yen, we fed the monkeys with a little bag of apple pieces.

Favourite stall food I tried here: dango and takoyaki (made the rookie mistake of burning my tongue – don’t stuff it straight in your mouth).

Later back in the city, I went to a sushi train restaurant. Normally places are queued out by dinner but because I was eating earlier at 16.30, half the seats were still empty. All I can say is that I really pigged out here… 10 plates later and the price point was still super reasonable.

# DAY 7 – Fushimi Inari, teamLab Planets Tokyo

This was a highlight I did not want to skip out on so I got to **Fushimi Inari** at almost 7:00 in the morning. It was so early and beautifully empty that I could enjoy the torii gates without anyone in the way.

It felt just a bit otherworldly, and I got some really good photos too. I saw so many friendly shrine cats! They would sit on top of the statues or plonk themselves in the middle of the path, watching me go past. I really enjoyed this hike, it took me almost two hours to hike to the summit and then back down again on the other side of the mountain. Note: it’s stone steps all the way up so make sure you’re ready for the burn…

We spent the rest of the morning in Kyoto and took the shinkansen around lunch back to Tokyo. This time round I bought an ekiben before getting on the train. There were so many options and all of them were much larger than I expected. Fairly cheap and tasted good as well.

**Teamlab Planets** was another place we’d heard so much about so definitely needed to pay it a visit. The whole experience was actually quite short but it’s unique enough to try once. I liked the water area a lot more even though the garden part looks prettier. Very aesthetically pleasing but not much else to it. I wish it was longer!

# DAY 8 – See you another time Japan…

This was our last day in Tokyo before we flew out in the evening. Lovely and sunny, walked around eating and doing some last minute shopping.

We stayed at Mimaru in Shinjuku. This was much closer to the station than our first hotel and it’s like a small apartment. Very cute and would stay again!

Love the convenience of the yakisoba/ramen shops where you order outside from a machine and get a ticket to go inside and eat. Quick and efficient, people would walk in to eat and back out in 5-10 minutes… there was no lingering around.

Went to **Akihabara** to take a look and it’s just as colourful and loud as you’d think. Animated billboards and characters everywhere, arcades with music and lights flashing, maid cafes with girls outside inviting people to visit.

Not really being a huge anime fan, Akihabara wasn’t it for me but I can see the appeal for those who are hunting for all kinds of related merch. I did have fun with the gachapon machines though, there were a lot of cute toys to be found in them!

The train back to Shinjuku unfortunately took us to another part of the station we’d never been to before and as a result, we spent almost an hour walking around trying to find our way back to the central-west gate where we had stored our luggage in coin lockers.

We had no more problems after navigating our way back to Narita airport and sadly this was the end of our first trip to Japan. It felt like a blur and each day was so full that I feel like I really got my week’s worth out of it. Definitely want to go back again for an extended stay!

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**TLDR**; had an amazing time, sore feet, good food, will go back for a longer stay next time.

Thanks for reading my jumble of thoughts!