First Time to Japan – 11-13 days (Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo)

10 comments

1. I’ll be there in August too. I haven’t been there since before the pandemic, and it seems like some of my favorite clubs didn’t make it through the pandemic (RIP Ageha, Vision, Contact). Seems like Womb is still alive and kicking though: [https://www.womb.co.jp/en/](https://www.womb.co.jp/en/)

   That is a place for dancing, you can wear sneakers.

2. There’s no sumo tournaments in August, you can probably find a stable to watch some training at though.

3. – Osen you don’t have to go to a ryokan for it. Actually not all ryokan have onsen anyway. You can just go to a onsen bathhouse and go for a soak. Also it will likely not be a couple of hours spent in the hot water.

   – The Fuji Panorama Ropeway is in Kawaguchiko and not on Mount Fuji. You can get a panorama view of the mountain, but won’t be on Mount Fuji. It’s also super easy to hike to the top of that ropeway. So no, it is not a good middle ground to hike Mount Fuji because it’s not on the good mountain. But if you want to do hikes on other mountain than Mount Fuji, then yes, there is different options that have view on Mount Fuji. You have to decide what is your goal here.

   – JR Pass. Not really. Osaka-Kyoto you will want to use a regular train that is cheap anyway. Kyoto-Tokyo is half the cost of the 7 days pass. If you do Hiroshima, then yes. You can do Osaka-Hiroshima for 15 000 yen using the JR West Kansai-Hiroshima Pass and pay 15 000 for the Kyoto-Tokyo ticket, or get the 7 days JR Pass for about 30 000 yen (actually depend how you buy it).

   – Not vegan so do not have recommendation, check happy cow app.

   – Sumo match are usually held during the big tournaments, if you are outside of the dates, you might only be able to see the morning practice at some sume stables.

   – Tea ceremony can be an interesting experience, probably best to do one for foreigners so you have the short version with explanation in English. As for geisha… I do not especially see the added value, but that’S up to you.

   – I would say get maybe 50 000 yen cash. There is still many places that do not accept cashless payment, so it’s always good to have some, but a lot of places also accept card so you can do a lot without cash too. If you have an iPhone with a MasterCard or Amex, you can lower your cash use even more by using an IC card on your phone to pay for local transit as well as in many stores. 7Eleven have ATM and they are everywhere.

   – You could do the hike at Fushimi Inari-taisha. Some people praise the view, but personally think it was just ok as there is a bunch of trees in the way, I just found that the view was not the strong point of that hike.

   – Manga in English, you can buy them in the US. Japan do not print English manga so it would have to be imported from outside of Japan, so I cannot imagine it being cheaper than buying them at home.

4. Kyoto: just go up fushimi Imari, roughly an hour and very nice.

   Fuji: plan 2 days or hike mt. Takao in Tokyo as an „alternative“ for a few hours for a nice and quick hike.

   For vegans: there are some really nice ramen to find on the internet.

5. >- Is onsen worth doing, we don’t really want to stay the night to do an onsen, couple of hours is perfect for us. If you have specific recs on which onsen to go for, please let me know!

   I would normally say 100% yes, but in August… I’m not sure it would be. Probably going to be freaking hot out and more hot water on top of that won’t feel very nice I think. That said, you shouldn’t need to stay at a ryokan to do an onsen. There are public onsen around Tokyo I know. There are probably some around Osaka and Kyoto, too, but I don’t know for sure.

   >So would the Fuji Ropeway be a good middle ground? Or are there any small/day hikes that can be nice at Fuji?

   https://www.japan.travel/en/fuji-guide/mt-fuji-climbing-guide/ Looks like the shortest hike up it is still going to be an entire days worth, and pretty rigorous.

   ​

   >- Is it worth getting a JR Pass? I was looking into it and I think if I should just get a normal one way ticket for Osaka to Kyoto and then another for Kyoto to Tokyo?

   It was well worth it the two times I went.

   >- Are there any good hikes in Kyoto? I know the parks/temples are sort of hilly but a couple of hours hike to see a scenic view might be the move!

   Check out Arashiyama monkey park. Short hike up, get to see and feed some monkeys, and has a nice view of the city. Fushimi Inari Taisha has a nice little hike. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2427.html

   >Are ATMs/Vending machines frequently available?

   There is an ATM at practically every 7/11 or Family Mart, and there is a 7/11 or Family Mart every block over there. I never ran into an ATM that didn’t take my card, but ATM fees can add up. My card reimbursed ATM fees which was very nice.

   >- I want to get some mangas for myself, but in English, any good place where I can get it from?

   Akihabara is probably the most well known. Nakano broadway is recommended as an alternative to that. Kyoto has an international Manga museum that might interest you. You should be able to find plenty of places in any of those cities that has stuff.

6. If you like (older) anime/manga and want related souvenirs – I really liked Nakano broadway. Had more succes there buying figurines etc than in Akihabara. Didnt see any english I think, but second hand japanese is very very cheap (like 210 yen for 3 manga).

   – We went to an onsen for a few hours in Kyoto. Was very relaxing and a nice break from all the walking. I would recommend it.
   The one we went to was not tattoo friendly so might not be a good fit for you unfortunately. Also no mixed bathing which you might be looking for if you are going with your boyfriend.

   As for lower priority activities the first week; I commented this recently somewhere else as well but Osaka castle was a bit of a disappointment for me. The outside is cool, but on the inside its a modern building with exhibits. Ofc some might like that, but I personally preferred more authentic experiences like Himeji Castle.

7. fellow vegan here! Japan is HARD. happy cow is your best friend and i use google translate for the 7-11. Youll be fine but just have some places in each neighborhood

8. Oko is a great vegan okonomiyaki place in Osaka. The woman who runs is it a machine and you pour your own beer! Her portions are enormous.

   As for vegetarian omakase, we booked with Sushi Udatsu in naka-Meguro, Tokyo . We had to book about 8 weeks in advance to get a spot and flag the vegetarian request in advance. I had the regular fish omakase and my husband had the veggie which he loved. It was the only place I could find that offered veg.

   The Happy Cow app will help you on dietary restrictions but overall as a vegan it will be tough, dashi is in practically everything.

   Bar benfiddich is excellent, definitely make a point to go there!

9. Onsen is definitely worth it even for a few hours. Hiking Fuji takes two days you need to start the night before and watch the sunrise or it’s not worth it. If you start in the morning your more than likely to end up inside of a ping pong ball as it’s cloudy most afternoons. The hike itself is quite boring. Definitely get a JR pass it’s totally worth it. You’ll want to take the Shinkansen. Be sure to ask to get you passport stamped to get the tax free stuff and buy the ticket before you go. You cannot get it once your here without a passport stamp.

   Nightlife in Roppongi/Azabu is pretty good and a little different than Shinjuku and arguably better IMHO and not as edgy a bit more upscale but you should ask someone who knows. Ebisu and Hiroo are also good options. I have not been clubbing in well over a decade but they’re amazing here. The city has changed a lot.

   Hike Mount Hiei in Kyoto there is a temple on each ends the one on the bottom is amazing. Up the road from it is another temple off the map and it has a mummy in it.

10. Being vegan in Japan takes planning. Make sure that the restaurants you want to go to are open. And more often than not, you should make reservations beforehand! Getting quick snacks from the konbini is a lot harder than one might think unless pickled plum onigiri are your thing.

    I‘m vegetarian and we went to a few vegan places that I liked a lot:
    — Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto: team labs restaurant, a little pretentious but the food was good. Reservations are needed!

    — AIN SOPH Soar in Ikebukuro: we went for dinner and they had great vegan burgers. They also offer breakfast/pancakes/parfaits. We went on a weeknight and needed no reservations

    — T‘s TanTan is a vegan ramen chain restaurant and I absolutely LOVED their golden sesame ramen. I miss it and I wish I could have it again! Your best bet if you can‘t find another vegan restaurant (imho). They have locations in a lot of bigger stations.

    Coco Ichibanya and Mos Burgers offer vegetarian and plant-based items on their menu but I‘m not entirely sure about the vegan status tbh.

    Enjoy your stay!