# Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Kobe, and back to Tokyo to wrap it up.
Well, as the title says, we didn’t plan much as my bestfriend gets anxious with planning, so I figured out a way of making the best of the trip.
The first week was mine to decide what we were going to do (more extroverted stuff). The last week was hers (introverted stuff).
This is only our personal view of the trip, we did make mistakes hahaha but overall it was a really good trip! Please be sure to check the comments as the more experienced travelers will give you better advice on things we did hahaha (:
# HIGHLIGHTS
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
* **Top of the Top: Miyajima Island.** I will share a link with a photo of this place. [https://yourimageshare.com/ib/0miLq2H2JG](https://yourimageshare.com/ib/0miLq2H2JG)
I can’t explain how beautiful that sight was. I will remember it forever. A tip I can give you is to take the free bus that will take you to the mountain. Do not walk! There is a sign that says it’s a 20-minute walk, but do not believe that! Hahaha, take the bus, and you will thank me later, believe me. Be careful of the weather and time, as they close at 4:00 pm. If you plan to do Hiroshima and this island on the same day, it is possible (we did that), but you need to get to the Island first. If you have the JR Rail pass, the Ferry round trip is included, and you do not need to wait in line for it.
Here, you need to eat Oysters, which were really yummy. We ate at Kafuku Shokudo, which is literally outside the Ferry station on the island. This place is managed by a couple of old ladies who are really kind. The oldest is the one who cooks, and it was amazing. Also, only locals went to this place, so that tells you something! We loved it! On our food blog, we will put a video of the oysters. They were huge!
*Kafuku Shokudo:*
[https://goo.gl/maps/EKxZcQ3wYy5rRv8K6](https://goo.gl/maps/EKxZcQ3wYy5rRv8K6)
I will enlist everything else with no special order.
​
* **Tokyo Skytree.** This is a must; you need to go in person to schedule to visit the top of the tower the same day you want to. They have a QR at the bottom of the tower so you can schedule. I recommend scheduling to visit from 5:30 pm or 6:00 pm so you can get to see the sunset; it looks beautiful.
Edit: A fellow traveler said you can also purchase tickets on their website. We went ln Golden Week so I think it wasnt available for us but please be to check on their website first! As its better to have them already before going (:
​
* **Tokyo Skytree Mall.** You can stay for days in that mall; it has a lot of food options, clothes, anime, everything. We loved it. It is the best mall I have ever been to in my life.
​
* **DisneySea.** We decided to only go to one park, and it was DisneySea. We had a lot of fun! But it was exhausting hahaha. We got to try all the rides though, without using FastPasses! We went on a Thursday as we heard this is the best day to visit the park. My recommendation is that you do not stop to take photos once you enter the park; go directly to the main game attractions (we started with Tower of Terror). You need to get there at 7:20 am at least as they open the park at 8:00 am. Food recommendations: I would suggest not going to a restaurant and just snacking. They have a lot of yummy snacks in the park.
​
* **Meiji Shrine, Tokyo.** We went to a lot of shrines, but to be honest, they are quite similar except for this one. This one is beautiful as it literally has a forest. Our Airbnb tour guide took us there, and we fell in love with it. We went back on the last day to visit it again because it is magical. Also, we got most of our souvenirs in their store as they were beautiful and not expensive. I got my mom personalized chopsticks with her name in both alphabet and kanjis. So cute.
​
* **Godzilla Head, in Shinjuku.** Oh, this is a must if you are a fan of Godzilla or you like to take videos and photos. To get to see the big head up close, you need to enter the hotel lobby (which is at the opposite side of the head). There are English instructions on the elevator so you can go and see their Godzilla museum and the head, which screams at each hour. Loved it. Good experience, would repeat again. Just be careful as it gets too windy at night, hahaha.
​
* **Akihabara.** Oh man, if you like anime, this place will take your breath away. We stayed for hours looking at stores and stuff. We found a Retro Game station where they had all retro games for you to play with coins (We are talking literally retro, they even had Ataris!) We wanted to visit a Maid Cafe, but once we were there, we didn’t want to, as we were really into getting to all of the shops. But one of our guides told us to go to the maid cafes that are not on the main street, as the best ones are the ones that are kind of hidden from sight, hahaha. We got a few figures, but we heard that if you want to get the same stuff at a better price, you need to go to Nakano Broadway, which we did.
Please eat *Cow Cow Kitchen Akihabara*, which are cream puffs! I LOVED THEM. I missed them so much, hahaha. They only have their store at Akihabara station. Get their milk one; it’s amazing.
We ate at *Jonathan’s Akihabara*, they served you food using their cats’ robots machines, hahaha. We didn’t know about it until we saw that thing coming to us, hahahaha. We were really surprised! You can see it on our highlight video.
​
* **Nakano Broadway.** Ok, this was more local than Akihabara, but damn, we did get a lot of figures at almost half the price that we saw at Akihabara. If you are looking for anime stuff, you must go to this place. The 2nd and 3rd floors are flooded with anime and manga shops.
You need to eat *Bear Papa’s cream puffs!* (Yeah! I loved Japanese cream puffs, and I’m a baker, hahaha.)
​
* **Rainbow Bridge.** Ok, ok, this is a tough one. You can walk the bridge and get to see a beautiful sight of the city and ocean. We went at night, but I would have preferred to go during the day, at around 11:00 am, to get better photos, but I guess it will be hotter. It is noisy as cars pass by and also the train, but if you do not mind that, go for it! It was a really good experience (:
​
* **Tokyo Tower.** We went, but the tickets to go to the last deck were already sold out. However, we didn’t mind at all as Tokyo Skytree is twice the size of it. We liked Tokyo Skytree more, to be honest. But this is a must-see; it is their main iconic tower, and you should go! It has a really nice view and a shop inside.
* **Hiroshima Peace Memorial.** Okay, this is also a tough one. I love history and WWII war stories, but damn, this museum was dense. My best friend was crying the whole tour, and I can see why. It is a must-visit for everyone once in their lifetime, but if you have small kids, I would suggest waiting for them to be a little bit older. My best friend ended up depressed, so I took her to a cat cafe to lift her spirits, which really helped. But yes, it is tough to see it as they stored everything: clothes, drawings of people, I don’t know. I wouldn’t recommend this one for little kids. The park they have inside their Peace Memorial is beautiful!
​
\——————
# FOOD HIGHLIGHTS
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
​
OKONOMIYAKI (OSAKA AND HIROSHIMA STYLES), TAKOYAKI, CREAM PUFFS, MELON PAN (THE ONE THAT IS IN FAMILY MART, IS GREEN), ALL TYPES OF SUSHI, RAMEN, AND EVERYTHING! YOU NEED TO TRY EVERYTHING.
We also went to Flippers for fluffy pancakes, ate Rikukos and Pablo’s cheesecakes!
​
\——————
# AIRBNB EXPERIENCES- TOUR RECOMMENDATIONS
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
So, I started by scheduling these tours on Airbnb Experiences (HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT, very good price for the value that you get). Also, you don’t have to stress out about how to move in trains to get to the iconic places of each city, as someone else will do it for you hahaha. You can’t beat that!
​
If you happen to schedule one of these tours, please tell them that Dayanne recommended them on Reddit, as I really liked them and would love to let them know we appreciated their tours!
​
**1. Tokyo: “Tokyo in One Day: A Tour of the 15 Most Iconic Places”**
[https://www.airbnb.mx/experiences/768362](https://www.airbnb.mx/experiences/768362)
I can’t explain enough how much this tour helped us to go and see everything in one day, especially in Tokyo, as it is a big city. You only get to stay a little amount of time on each place, but you do see the highlights and can determine which ones you want to revisit later. Our tour guide was Yasuko-san, a super gentle Japanese lady who warmed our hearts with Japanese stories of the places we went to see. It was perfect. I highly recommend asking for her!
​
**2. Osaka: “The Best of Osaka in One Day”**
[https://www.airbnb.mx/experiences/1243334](https://www.airbnb.mx/experiences/1243334)
Now in Osaka, Andres, the tour guide, knows a lot about Samurai and Japanese history (he has a degree on that, as he made his thesis and works as a historian). He is a really chill guy and really fun to be with. He knows English, Japanese, and Spanish. This tour was super nice, a must-have. Once again, it helps you to see the best places and to decide which ones you want to visit again.
​
He even brought homemade Japanese tea and Japanese snacks so we could rest in a Buddhist temple. Also, he tells you stories about a non-Japanese resident who lives in Japan and what cultural differences you can expect if someday you want to live there. I 100% recommend this!
​
**3. Tokyo: “Freshly Baked Japanese Bread Rolls”**
[https://www.airbnb.mx/experiences/839570](https://www.airbnb.mx/experiences/839570)
Okay, if you like to bake bread or cook, this one is a must too. I’m a part-time baker, and Yuko-san was perfect. You get to go to a traditional Japanese house to have her teach you to cook miso soup, onigiris, and cute Japanese bread (melon pan). She speaks pretty good English as she studied cuisine in England. Her house is lovely! I thought she was an Interior Designer! She is really patient, and you do not need to have any experience (my best friend doesn’t like to cook), and both our breads came out perfectly! The instructions were very easy to follow, and it tasted amazing! If you have little kids, this is also a really fun activity for them!
​
\——————
# Airbnb Places to Stay – Recommendations
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
​
* **Sumida City, Tōkyō-to, Japan**
[https://www.airbnb.mx/rooms/39377751?source\_impression\_id=p3\_1683680444\_pFhYKk9myq41ItCn](https://www.airbnb.mx/rooms/39377751?source_impression_id=p3_1683680444_pFhYKk9myq41ItCn)
This was the first place we stayed at. It was small, but everything was super clean! You can read more evaluations on their website.
The reason we stayed here was because it is only a 5-minute walk to Tokyo Skytree, which has a beautiful mall (they have Kirby’s cafe, a Pokemon Center, and an Official Gibhli Store), and that mall is huge! They also have a lot of restaurants. Additionally, they have one of the main train stations that takes you everywhere inside their complex.
However, the one thing that sold this to us was that the bus that takes you to both DisneyAtSea and Tokyo Disneyland leaves from one of their parking lots! It leaves every 20 minutes! So it was great as we knew once the park closed, they would basically leave us almost in front of our place.
So if you’re planning on going to one of those resorts, this is a must.
​
* **Osaka/Kansai Local House**
[https://www.airbnb.mx/rooms/10043899?source\_impression\_id=p3\_1683680809\_oHSEpTickqrH973F](https://www.airbnb.mx/rooms/10043899?source_impression_id=p3_1683680809_oHSEpTickqrH973F)
We loved this place as it is a Japanese traditional house! You get to sleep in futons and experience a full Japanese local experience. It felt like we already lived there!
Also, they have an N64 with 4 controllers and Smash, MarioParty, MarioKart, and Mario Tennis in Japanese versions. We had a blast! They also have a washing machine, and you can dry your clothes inside the house, which gives you full privacy to do so! We loved that.
It has a 7-Eleven across the street too, and it’s only like 2 minutes away from the train station! It’s just 1 station away from Shin Osaka Station, which connects you to everywhere. That’s the station you use to move to other cities like Tokyo, Kobe, or Hiroshima.
It was super clean, and the host was really kind! If you stay here, please go for Takoyaki at this place! It’s like 1 minute away from the house, and it was the best takoyaki we had on our entire trip.
​
たこ焼き酒場 大屋 (Takoyaki shop)
[https://goo.gl/maps/De5QPaB2yNcPA76J9](https://goo.gl/maps/De5QPaB2yNcPA76J9)
​
They are a husband and wife who communicate via Google Translator (: super yummy! I miss those takoyakis.
​
* **Ota City, Tokyo**
[https://www.airbnb.mx/rooms/53172586?source\_impression\_id=p3\_1683681052\_f%2FkvPuPHfKCyfw7c](https://www.airbnb.mx/rooms/53172586?source_impression_id=p3_1683681052_f%2FkvPuPHfKCyfw7c)
What a beautiful place this was. You can judge by looking at the photos. It felt magical. I want to live there.
This was the place we decided to stay at the end of our trip as it is in a residential place. We didn’t see a lot of foreigners there, but people were really nice to us. You have a lot of food options, a laundry place in front of the building that works with coins, and a supermarket across the street.
I recommend this place if you don’t mind taking trains to get to central Tokyo, as it takes about 40 minutes to get to other places. We didn’t mind because we liked the place, and the last days, we wanted to rest and watch Japanese Netflix at night (which is awesome if you like anime
​
\——————
# Language expectations
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
​
I don’t know anything in Japanese, hahaha, but my best friend studied for four months to learn common phrases. This helped us because we were told that Japanese residents don’t like to speak English as they don’t want to be seen as failures. They are more willing to help people, so even if you don’t know a lot of Japanese, they will be happy to assist you in their language.
But to be honest, in the last week, I was the one talking with everyone as I found that I just needed to say, “Sumimasen, eto…” and then point to the thing I wanted (I just photographed the stuff I wanted to know about, like food or a figure) and then use my hand to indicate how many I wanted.
I ended each interaction with “Arigato gozaimasu” and a little bow.
It worked like a charm! Japanese residents are really kind, to be honest. They will try to help you, even if they feel that other people will judge them for not knowing English.
Also, the bathroom is known as “Toirette.” (toire! Another user was kind to correct this one, Toire not Toirette hahaah) This is a good word to learn: “Sumimasen, toire?” (Remember to use a kind tone at all times, as they are really tone-oriented.)
​
\——————
# Exercise expectations
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Oh man, you will surely need to walk a lot, climb stairs, and everything. But it will be worth it! Use comfortable shoes or try to have another pair in your backpack. We wear the same size, so we exchanged shoes from time to time, and it helped us a lot!
​
\——————
# Google Maps
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
I hate but love Google Maps. I think we got lost a lot of times because we didn’t trust it at first, but in Japan, it is really good to use. So trust it from the start, hahaha.
Also, if it says the train will arrive at 11:53 am, for example, it will arrive at that time.
​
\——————
# What to wear
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
To be honest, wear whatever you want hahaha, but if you want to know what their wear, they mostly wear neutral colors.
Women doesnt use V necks, they tend to cover up the upper part of their body, but they do show more leg.
Man they dress normal, neutral colors too. It was good because in all of our photos everyone matched on the background hahaha
It tends to rain a lot, so be prepared to have a rain jacket or shoes that doesnt get wet.
​
\——————
# OVERALL TIPS
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
* The best tip I can think of is that in the main stations that are huge, the signs will also give you a meter reference. Follow this, and you will get to where you are trying to go.
* Also, avoid rush hours at all costs! We didn’t get on a train during rush hour; we preferred to wait and eat somewhere or go in really early. It was the best decision ever because my best friend is really introverted and doesn’t like crowded places.
* In regarda to suitcase, please try to go with a small suitcase from your country to Japan. Be smart of what clothes you will be packing. Reason is, you will need to travel a lot with your suitcase if you are staying in Airbnbs like we did. In our last days we went to Don Quixote and bought a suitcase for only $50 USD dollars. We use that suitcase to take home souvernirs, candies, sake and other stuff! best thing we did.
* Also, remember you can use Coin Lockers in all of the stations and malls, super handy to leave your suitcase for even 3 days.
* Get a Suica card once you get to the airport, you will use this for everything. And get the one that does not expire, as you can retrieve any money you didnt use at the end of your trip.
* Buy a SIM Card (chip) on the vending machines as the ones that will want to sell you at the frontdesk will be more expensive, we went for the 16 days unlimited packet and it worked for us perfectly!
I hope this helps! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask us. It was actually our first trip, and it went great!
​
*If you want to see photos and our highlight video, please send me a message, and I will share the link with you. We are still uploading our photos as we just came back but it could help you to get an idea of what you would like to do, hopefully. (:*
15 comments
Just a correction, toilet is toire トイレ。 I’m not sure where you got the -tte from at the end. Sounds more like a verb ending. (got something confused?)
this is such a fun and helpful trip report! I get kind of overwhelmed with the ones that detail everything people did, but this one does such a nice job of highlighting your favorite things. definitely saving it for the future! 🙂
Saved. Great write up. Do you know what activities your introverted friend liked the most?
Ps it’s just Disney sea! Not at sea.
I personally did not like Nakano that much a as it’s mostly a big Mandarake and it heavily focus on more retro stuff. I did not see much merch for the franchise I like, as opposed to Akihabara where I would find stuff much easiest. I think I found more stuff that I was interested in by visiting Lashinbang in any other cities I went during my trip.
What I liked the most of my Nakano day was going to a store that sell beetles. Yes, live rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles that people keep as pet.
Glad you could find things to your taste there.
Thanks for the recs on Miyajima. I was thinking of doing Peace Memorial first then go to the island. It’ll be a day trip for me coming from Kyoto.
>You need to eat Bear Papa’s cream puffs!
Small correction its actually Beard Papa
​
>Reason is, you will need to travel a lot with your suitcase if you are staying in Airbnbs like we did.
Tip for any future visits to Japan, there are various companies that offer quick and hassle free suitcase delivery from location to location. You can send it straight from one hotel to another, or from/to airports to various destinations. Its called “takkyubin”. The most common company to use is Yamato Transport, and you can arrange things with them in English via e-mail, at counters at all major airports, and at most hotels, as well as some convenience stores and of course Yamato shops if your near one. They will also come pick your suitcase up from your location if you give them enough lead time. Someone needs to be there to receive it at the other end of course, so airports and hotels its no problem, but if you are staying at an AirBnB you might need to schedule it so you arrive a day before your suitcase. Redelivery is usually pretty easy in Japan though if you time things wrong.
Correction about Skytree: you don’t need to go in person to get your tickets same day. This can be done on the website. It’s more expensive than booking in advance, but there’s no reason to go in person when you can check availability.
Skytree vs Tokyo Tower. Personally I’d prefer Tokyko Tower because Skytree is just too high for my liking (but the top deck at Tokyo Tower can be left out, the views are not that different). The details of the city get lost so high above and it’s just one big mass of concrete. However if I had to choose I would choose neither and go for either the Mori Art Museum and/or Shibuya Sky (preferably on a clear day around sunset). Both have open air viewing platforms on the roof, both are still high enough that you can see lots of the city and both have a view of Tokyo Tower, plus Shibuya has a Fuji view on a clear day.
I love this review! I get so overwhelmed with some of the itineraries on this subreddit and this is perfect for me. I’m also 31F and also have done barely any planning for my trip in 3 weeks 😂 thanks for posting
Fantastic write up! Glad for all the info.
I went to Miyajima today and we hiked Mount Misen all the way from the bottom! It was challenging but so peaceful and beautiful, so if one has the time and ability I would absolutely recommend it. I try to exercise regularly but my bf who I did the hike with isn’t particularly fit but we still managed. The view is so satisfying after climbing from the bottom!
I got back only a week and a half ago but enjoyed reading your report because it takes me back. I too loved Meiji Jingu more than I expected, and stayed at the Godzilla head. As for maid cafes, I was planning on going to the At Home cafe since the founder of Band-Maid got her inspiration for the band by working there. But when it came down to it, I chickened out. An older guy by himself in a maid cafe – I felt like it would seem too weird. That’s perhaps the one thing I didn’t get to that I wish I had.
Looking forward to jumping into the unknown with my trip in November! 0 japanese, 0 planning, over 9000 adventure 🙃🤣
From a fellow introvert, thank you (from the bottom of my heart) for taking care of your introvert friend and being so aware of her concerns and feelings. We know we can be burdensome on a trip, but people like you make our experiences so much richer and I guarantee you helped to push her to things she may not have otherwise experienced on her own. You’re a very good friend!!