Hey everyone, just got back from my first Trip to Japan!! Japanese culture has influenced me my whole life (DBZ, Final Fantasy, Persona) so it has always been a dream to go and experience the place firsthand. This was a family trip that me, my sister, and parents went on.
It was planned rather quickly in 6 weeks (Started planning end of May, and went on 8/13), but despite that, we were able to fit a lot into the schedule and have a great time.
**Pre-trip:**
We bought 4 JR passes and got a voucher beforehand, as well as converted some USD to yen to spend. We didn’t book anything as we wanted to “play it by ear” once we landed as all the guides and articles had so many things to do, that it was overwhelming, to create a day-by-day itinerary. We did book a guided tour for Kyoto and Osaka since we only planned one full day at these places.
Most hotels were booked, but we found a great one in Shinjuku near the train station (Hotel Century Southern Tower) and then Hotel Okura in Kyoto. We had to book two rooms for each stay. We booked Century Southern Tower again for our last night as we were leaving from HND airport.
**Day 0 – Tokyo – Shinjuku**
Our flight to Tokyo was a direct 13-hour flight from DC. The flight was light, probably because [Typhoon Lan](https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/15/asia/typhoon-lan-japan-rainfall-evacuations-climate-intl/index.html) the day we were traveling. This provided an opportunity to upgrade to first class for 800 USD, and I jumped on it (Initially first class was over 12,000 USD).
The flight had no delays, and it was smooth sailing, if you can fly first class on long trips 100% take it.
We landed at 4 p.m. on Monday in Japan at HND. Customs was smooth, we just handed over the paperwork they gave us on the plane (didn’t use a QR code). We had pre-booked transport to our hotel, as we didn’t want to fuss around figuring out the train or anything right after a long flight.
Once we checked in to the hotel and rested a bit I booked some activities for us to do during our stay. I booked Shibuya Sky for Tuesday at 12:20 p.m. through the Klook app, and Team Lab Planets for Wednesday at 8 p.m. (everything else was sold out, maybe because of [Elon](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1692326555920597217)?) through their website.
Ok finally, we went out to explore Shinjuku. We first tried to go get our JR voucher, but got lost in Shinjuku station, and said we’ll try again tomorrow. We then went towards the Godzilla statue (15 min walk from the hotel) and were amazed by just the sheer number of lights and people. The walkable areas were just amazing with shops and energy everywhere. It was also so clean, and oddly quiet away from the main areas.
We then went to check out the brand-new Tokyo Kabukicho Tower. It was cool to explore the arcade and see the activations in the area. We stopped by the food hall to grab some ramen for dinner. It was confusing to order at the food hall, as it was not clear which restaurant we were ordering from. We ended up getting two different orders of ramen (they said one was sold out, but then it came…). They initially gave us the bill with LINE Pay, but that didn’t work on my phone, so ended up using our Yen. The ramen was great, we got a side order of some chicken on a stick and potstickers that were just ok. After walking around a bit, we headed back to the hotel to call it a night.
**Day 1 – Tokyo – Shibuya**
Ok, our first full day! We started off with the hotel buffet which had eggs, rice, fish, and a whole host of options. We then went to Shinjuku station and were able to find the right terminal to exchange our vouchers for the JR pass. We booked our round-trip train to Kyoto for Friday and Sunday. We then used Google Maps to help navigate us to Shibuya, which was a straight shot on the Yamanote line. Very easy to navigate with Google Maps, despite the sheer size of the station.
Once in Shibuya we went straight for the crossing, It wasn’t as packed as I thought but we were they early (10 am). We went to the 109 building, the Hachicko statue, and then walked to Yoyogi Park. We walked back to Shibuya Sky for our 12:20 p.m. reservation. It was great to see how big Tokyo was and engage with all the activations in the area.
Next up we went to do some shopping at the Nintendo Store, Pokémon Store, and Mega Donk. We grabbed a quick snack at 7-11 (they are everywhere!!).
We were a bit tired of all the walking not to mention the blistering heat, so we called an Uber to take us to Meiji Shrine. There was a train right next to the shrine, so we took it back to our hotel to rest up.
For dinner we wanted to try one of the convey belt sushi spots, We were able to find one not too far from us and load up on plates. I enjoyed the “fatty” rolls but the sushi was a bit “bland” compared to what I’m used to at American sushi restaurants as it was just rice and fish. We ended up going to a nearby Korean BBQ spot as my parents didn’t like sushi and got some wagyu beef and garlic pork belly.
There was a group next to us and it honestly felt like we were in one of those lifestyle anime with lots of “dozo” and “Kanpai” being said.
We then walked to the Golden Gai area to check it out. It was cool to see all these small bars that can fit just 6 people. Most we walked by were full so we just ended up sightseeing and taking pictures. Afterwards went back to the hotel to call it a night, we each had around 25,000 steps.
**Day 2 – Tokyo – Akihraba, Uneo, Odiba**
Start off with the usual hotel buffet before we make our way to the train station. We decided to go to Mt Fuji tomorrow, so we booked our ticket at the JR station. Our first stop is Akihraba Electric Town. It was great to roam around the shops and we stopped by an arcade to play some games like DDR. We stopped by the Square Enix café to look at the wares. We tried to go to a maid café, but the wait times were over an hour.
We then walked up to Ueno Park. It was cool to see the water lilies in the pond and the shrine in the park. We then went to the Japan National Museum and looked through the Honkan Gallery. It was nice to see ancient scrolls and samurai swords. We then took the train back to the hotel and stopped at the nearby 7-11 for some snacks.
We took an Uber to Team Lab as we were a bit tired and didn’t want to transfer lines on the train. Team Lab was awesome, the experiences were awesome, and I enjoyed the infinite lights room and the flower garden.
Afterward, we took an Uber to the nearby giant Gundam statue. We walked around the skywalk area and saw the Statue of Liberty replica. Finally took an Uber back to the hotel, after another 20,00+ walking step day.
**Day 3 – Mt Fuji**
Hotel buffet, then straight to the train station. Took express to Tokyo Station, then to Otski, and finally to Kawaguichko. It was a bit annoying having to juggle the paper tickets for each station. When we got to the Fuji area we picked up more paper tickets for the cable car, bus, and boat ride.
We took the red line bus and stopped by the cable car area first, but unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, so we didn’t get good views of Fuji. We then headed back down, to catch the boat to do a quick lake trip.
Afterwards did some shopping and got some snacks before we took the bus to the Music Forest. The museum was closed, but we walked around the gardens. Had to wait a while for the next bus to go to the living center. It was cool to walk around the gardens and take pictures, but again poor visibility because of the clouds, so didn’t get good views of Fuji.
While waiting for the bus, a young kid came to practice his English with us, was very wholesome. We made it back to the train station with 3 minutes to spare before our train left. We ended up having to cut some people waiting to pay the bus fare.
When we got back to Shinjuku we stopped by Hinoya Curry to get some Japanese curry. It was the best meal we’ve had as the curry had a nice kick to it and paired well with the rice. The pork cutlet and fried chicken were also tasty. My dad was happy to go back there again for every meal.
Only had around 10,000 steps today but still a long day with lots of sitting on the train and bus. We also decided to book a private tea ceremony for Sunday morning in Kyoto as we had a full day for tomorrow and didn’t have time to fit it into our schedule.
**Day 4 – Kyoto**
Buffet -> train station -> Uber to Hotel Okura Kyoto. We booked a guide for Kyoto for him to take us to all the hot spots since we only had one full day here and wanted to have an expert take us to the spots. We first went to Arayshiya Bamboo Forest. It was nice to see the bamboo and be in the shade, but nothing special.
We then took the train to Fushimi Inari. It was awesome to see all the gates. We did the quick loop, which was enough to get a taste of the area.
We then took the bus over to the Kiyomizudera Temple area. We were able to see the Yasaka Pagoda and many other shrines and temples along the path. It was cool to offer a prayer and then hit the pot with a gong.
We stopped by the iconic Starbucks and then got some street food from a vendor. We were famished after all the walking so tried to look for a restaurant in Gion after our tour guide dropped us off.
Everywhere was full, my parents ended up calling an Uber back to the hotel, while my sister and I looked to find a spot. We first went to the traditional Japanese restaurant, but the menu didn’t look appetizing, and we finally settled on a “generic” Japanese restaurant that had tempura, fried chicken, and beef and sake.
**Day 5 – Osaka**
Hotel buffet again, they had a nice green tea latte to enjoy.
Our tour guide came to meet us at the hotel and drove us to Osaka. He was a French national that has been living in Japan for the last 8 years and a big gamer nerd too (had a sephiroth tattoo). Had a nice chat on the hour drive to Osaka, our first stop was Osaka Castle Park.
It was nice to walk around the area and take pictures. Next was Shitennoji Temple. It was okay, but at this point think we were all starting to be “templed out”.
Next, we went to the Shinseki area. We got some takoyaki, I’ll admit it was a bit hard to eat and it’s something I wouldn’t go out of my way for. We saw some cool shops and eateries, one place you had to catch fish in a pond before they cooked it for you. We got some ice cream smoothies to wash down, the Takoyaki.
Got in the car and headed to the Chuo area. It was a lively area we stopped by the marathon man and saw the Osaka mascot. We stopped by the Final Fantasy 14 café to check the wares, then headed back to the car for our trip back to Kyoto.
Once back in Kyoto, we wanted to check out the Pontocho area for food, but after our grueling experience last night, we decided it was better if we just ate at the hotel buffet as there is too much uncertainty in trying to find a restaurant that can accommodate 4 people. The buffet was nice, it had rice, beef, chicken, dumplings, and even pizza. Afterward, we took a night stroll to the Pontocho area, it was bustling as the night was about to get started.
Me and my sister went to Kitsune Kyoto to check out the nightclub. Drinks were cheap and tourists got 2 drinks for 800 yen. It was a good mix of locals and tourists and had good throwback pop EDM music (circa 2010s).
After we left, we spotted a Geisha. They were extremely quiet and everyone kind of just admired them from afar.
**Day 6 – Kyoto – Tokyo – Shinjuku**
We skipped breakfast as our time was limited, and we had a tea ceremony at 10:00 a.m. We checked out of the hotel and stored the bags in the lobby. My mom wanted to see the Golden Temple, so we booked an Uber first thing in the morning and got there around 9:15 a.m. We did a quick speed run through the temple, and we were out at about 9:50.
We hurried back in an Uber to Nishiki Market to get to the Maikoya Kimono Tea Ceremony. We had to walk a bit when Uber dropped us off but we made it around 10:15 a.m. We changed to our Kimonos and took plenty of pictures. We then had a private room for our tea ceremony, and it was great to learn about the history. We enjoyed the sweets prepared and the green tea. Took more pictures, then went to stroll through Nishiki market.
We got some fried chicken, and shrimp tempura at some of the eateries. We wanted to eat and move, but then saw signs saying “No eating while walking” a testament to the cleanliness culture. We got back to the hotel around 12:30 and called an Uber to the train station to make our 1:08 train back to Tokyo.
Once back in Tokyo we put our stuff down at Hotel Century Southern Tower again and rested a bit before we went to the Government Office. There was a festival happening at Chuo park, so we walked around it first, before heading up to the observatory in the Government Office. It was free to go in and had nice views of the city.
Afterward, I wanted to see the Square Enix headquarters, so we walked to the area and stopped by the Artnia shop. On the way back to the hotel, we spotted a CoCo Curry House and got a to-go order. This was our last night but everyone was pretty tired, so we stayed in and packed.
**Day 7 – Back home – Roppongi, Tokyo Tower**
Our last hotel buffet 😊 We checked out and put our bags in the lobby to go do some last-minute sightseeing. We wanted to go to the Roppongi Hills area, so we tried to use our JR pass but the trains didn’t go to that area. When we left the JR station our pass stopped working, guess it was a sign it was time to go. We went to the subway and got a one-way ticket to get to Roppongi.
We stopped at a Don Quijote to pick up some last-minute souvenirs. My dad only had 10,000 yen left and it caused a bit of a headache when he tried to split a bill between me and him since they only scanned one passport. Ended up having to split the purchase it took a while, but this interaction drained most of our energy. We trekked a bit to the Tokyo Tower area, but you could tell everyone was ready to go home.
We called an Uber to our hotel, picked up our luggage then called an Uber to the airport. I got a Tempura meal with shrimp and eel at the airport before heading off on the 12-hour flight. It was a full flight this time so no first-class ☹
Overall, it was a great trip, a bit rushed by hit all the highlights and got to experience much of the culture. Next time I go I’d like to prioritize food more (7-11 was the place we ate the most) and try other unique experiences (sumo match, ryokan, etc…)
**Tips:**
* Bring comfortable walking shoes(We averaged 20,000 steps a day)
* Convert Yen at home (better exchange rate)
* Book experiences early!!!
* Don’t try to plan too many things in one day
**Loved:**
* Shibuya Area
* Team Lab Planets
* Akihraba
* Maikoya Kimono Tea Ceremony.
* Curry Rice
* Hotel Century Southern Tower in Tokyo
* Hotel Okura Kyoto
**“Wouldn’t prioritize again”:**
* Bamabo forest
* Mr Fuji (without checking the forecast)
* takoyaki
* Going in summer (95F everyday was hot!!!)
1 comment
How much were the Ubers ?