TRIP REPORT – 9.5 DAYS IN TOKYO & KYOTO

Mid-20’s couple first time in Japan report\~

* **IC card**: We went with Suica via Apple Wallet using a Capital One debit card (MASTER). We used about 1,000 yen per day only on transit, not used at any conbinis even though they take them! We loaded the cards only when we were running low, rather than a lot of yen at once.
* **Cash**: Didn’t bring any yen with us to Japan and took out yen from the ATM when we arrived at Haneda airport, 7 Bank to be exact. I used the Capital One debit card that has no foreign transaction fees! I took out 10,000 yen each time I pulled out money and selected YEN when given the option, I got the best rates this way. Also, no worries about running out of yen, there are 7-11’s EVERYWHERE.
* **Payment**: All payments have been made with Chase Sapphire Preferred which has no foreign transaction fee and almost everywhere we went in Tokyo accepted credit cards. We used cash when necessary but haven’t run into many establishments that require cash. I wanted to use my credit card as much as I could to earn points for my next trip.
* **Data/Wifi**: We both have T-Mobile and with our plans, we get 5GB of high-speed data, it lasted us pretty much the entire trip, and when we used all of the 5GB on the 9th day, we still had LTE, even though the website says it will be much slower. I brought an extra unlocked phone just in case I had to get an e-sim since my current phone is locked, but I didn’t even need it.
* **Transportation**: We got the 7-day JR pass before the price hike, we used it to go to and from Kyoto and used some JR lines. We didn’t really use the Yamanote line as much as people say you will. Oftentimes, other lines are more efficient to use, so we utilized the more efficient routes. We ended up breaking even but on our next visit, we probably wouldn’t get the pass again.
* **Navigation**: I started with Google Maps but ended up switching over to Apple Maps after a few days, it was much more clear for me to understand the directions on Apple Maps. However, I did use Google Maps to save all the spots I wanted to go to including landmarks, stores, and restaurants.
* **Weather**: The first half of the trip was still fairly humid and warm, averaging around 90 degrees, the last half of the trip was much cooler and comfortable to move around in. I would plan a trip for mid-October next time.
* **Luggage**: We each brought one large check-in and a personal item (bag/backpack) into Japan. We had to buy a large plastic tote bag from Daiso to help fit all the souvenirs and shopping we did. We didn’t need it nor buy it until the end of trip when we did most of our shopping. It also would’ve been annoying to carry on the trains, so 1 large piece of luggage per person was our max. We used the elevator/escalators in the stations when available but some of the stations in Kyoto are old so we had to carry them…which wasn’t fun.
* **Walking**: We averaged 20,000 steps a day, the first 3 days are brutal, but it magically gets better after this. We only brought 1 pair of shoes each since we knew we would be buying shoes in Japan, there’s an abundance of ABC marts, and picking up shoes here at an affordable price was a no-brainer.

# TOKYO (9/30 – 10/4)

Accommodation:

**Shibuya Granbell Hotel**

We stayed in an Annex Single room, it was small but we made it work! It was a 5-minute walk from Shibuya Station and there was a Sukiya down the street. I booked this with points on the Chase Travel portal so girl math, it was free.

DAY 1 9/30

Landed at Haneda at 4 am, took a shower and got ready at the airport, ate breakfast at Yoshinoya (24HR), took a limo bus into Shibuya, and dropped our bags off at the hotel. We started the trip by going to the **Starbucks Reserve Roastery** since they open early. We shared a matcha latte, espresso martini, and a pistachio cornetto, everything was exceptional. I’ve been to the Seattle and New York locations and the Tokyo location has to be my favorite in terms of variety and quality. We then headed to **Up Garage Wheels** in Yokohama Machida for my boyfriend who is into cars. He bought some small parts for his car that were cheaper compared to the US and it was just a fun experience for him to look at all the car parts that were sold in the store. We went to **Grandberry Park** **Mall** after since that’s where the train is located. We did some shopping, it was an outlet so we got very good deals compared to the city, I got these Nike’s I’ve been eyeing for only $27, it would be $90 in the US. We went to **Takeshita Street** in Harajuku but skimmed through it fairly quickly, not stopping for many stores except for Sanrio. I made a custom stamp with my name on it for only $7. We browsed some shops across Takeshita Street but didn’t end up buying anything. Dinner was at **Katsumidori Seibu Shibuya**, it was extremely mid but at least it was cheap, it was only $22 for the both of us, and that’s including alcohol.

DAY 2 10/1

We went to Shimokitazawa at 10 am, and had breakfast at the **Matsuya** there for only $3. Walked about 15 minutes to **Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory** to get a Totoro cream puff to share. Walked back to Shimokitazawa to shop for some vintage and designer goods but had no luck. All the clothes were too American flea market style for me and I couldn’t find many designer pieces. Headed back to Shibuya and redeemed our JR pass at the JR office in Shibuya Station. Went back to the hotel to refresh and went to Shinjuku for more shopping. We ate at McDonald’s and tried the shrimp burger and shrimp nuggets, both were so good! We found some Tokyo-exclusive Birkenstocks that we ended up purchasing. We got hungry again but there weren’t many places open so we ate at **Sukiya** by the hotel.

DAY 3 10/2

The plan was to get to **Tokyo Disney Sea** by 8:30 AM but we were so tired from the day before so we ended up getting into the park after 9 AM. We rode 4 rides and tried LOTS of snacks, our favorites were the gyoza bun with mala sauce and the ramune float. They had complimentary priority passes for the 40th anniversary so make sure to utilize that! We left the park around 4 PM back to Shibuya. We left all the souvenirs we bought in a coin locker at Shibuya Station and did some more shopping. For dinner, we found a yakitori spot on a whim, **Sengushiya Yakitori**. All the skewers were really good, our favorites were the bacon wrapper tomato and ginko. Unfortunately, one of the chicken skewers we ordered was still pink on the inside ): thankfully we only had 1 piece each on the ends which were more cooked but the inner pieces that had some pink, we just pushed to the side.

DAY 4 10/3

Slept in this day and went to **A Happy Pancake** in Omotesando for souffle pancakes, they had no wait to be seated but a minimum of 40 minutes wait for the pancakes to be made. These were so good by the way, so worth the wait. Did some shopping in Omotesando, and went into Amore Vintage and QOO, the quality of the items are very nice but that is translated into the price, they weren’t cheap. Went to Bape to pick up some pieces for our friends, it’s almost 40% cheaper compared to the US. We made our way to Asakusa to try some street foods at **Nakamise-dori Street** and **Senso-ji** temple to get our fortunes. We then went to Akihabara and had dinner at **Gyukatsu Motomura**, it was about a 40-minute wait. It was good but the beef was a little too fatty/rich for my taste. We drank lots of strong zeros and played claw machines at GIGO, I went home with 2 plushies!

# KYOTO (10/5 – 10/7)

Accommodation:

**Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Sanjo**

We stayed in a Standard Twin Room and it was so much bigger compared to our Shibuya hotel. They had an onsen that we didn’t get to use but I wish we did. This was a 2 min walk from Karasuma Oike Station which was very convenient during our stay.

**Momijiya Annex**

Ryokan with a private outdoor onsen tucked away in the mountains of Kyoto. We booked the Japanese Style Twin Room for 1 night, details in Day 7. This was booked on [booking.com](https://booking.com) 5 months in advance, the rooms go quick!

**Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyoto Station**

One of the top 2 hotels we stayed at in Japan, we stayed in the Moderate Double Room, it was roomy and updated. The bed was so comfy and they had free drinks and snacks in their lounge. Also, right next to Kyoto Station!

DAY 5 10/4

I booked the wrong day for the Shinkansen so I had to re-book our tickets at 9 am. We managed to get on a train that left around 1 pm with reserved seating for our luggage. The ekiben selection at Shinagawa station was lacking but what we picked out was still really delicious. We checked into the hotel and went to do coin laundry, it was a bit of a walk, about 14 minutes from the hotel but it was worth it. We took the cab back to the hotel, it was really cheap, less than 1000 yen. For dinner, we went to Pontocho Alley on the hunt for sushi. We ate at **Sushitetsu** and prices were reasonable, about $40 USD per person and we ordered a lot of food. We found a Round One and my boyfriend went a little crazy at the claw games, I went home with 3 big plushies.

DAY 6 10/5

Tried to wake up early to go to **Arashiyama Bamboo Grove** but we got there at 9 am. The crowd was there but it wasn’t too bad, we still managed to get pictures without people in the background. Towards the end of the bamboo grove was **Okochi Sanso Garden**, the entrance was 1,000 yen which came with a green tea and a treat. We enjoyed our little snack and went through the garden path which had amazing views. We made our way down to the river and walked across the bridge to have lunch. We had reservations for **Itsuki Chaya** which was a set meal with a river view, we really enjoyed this experience and the food was great. We contemplated going to see the monkey’s after but we agreed that we didn’t want to hike up the mountain. We made our way across the river and I did some shopping at **Miffy’s Sakura Kitchen** and **Rilakumma’s Cafe**. We ordered dessert at the cafe and enjoyed the character dining experience. Nearby was a store called **Wankodo Shiba Inu Store**, and the owner hand drew my dog for me, I chose the option to have it framed and it’s one of my favorite souvenirs. My boyfriend wanted to go to **Auto Bacs** so we took the bus there. He found some souvenirs to take home and I did some shopping myself, they sell more than just car parts! We went shopping at the Second Street across the street and they had some real gems here, I found everything I was looking for that I couldn’t find in Tokyo. There was no tax-free here because I think it was a smaller town but I still got great deals. For dinner we went to **Ichiran**, it was alright, good for the price but I wouldn’t wait for this again.

DAY 7 10/6

Checked out and had our luggage sent to our hotel’s Kyoto Station location for only 500 yen per luggage. We stopped by Kyoto station to leave a small duffel with our clothes for the next day in a coin locker before going to **Fushimi Inari Taisha.** We got there around 11:30 AM and explored the gates, we didn’t make the hike to the top but the walk up to the entrance/start was very beautiful. We had some snacks down near the entrance where there were lots of food vendors before making our way back to Kyoto Station. We got our duffel from the station and went to Hanazono Station for pick up to go to the Ryokan. The ryokan was very intimate, I believe there are only 8 rooms on the whole property and each room has its own private bath. It was a very traditional experience, greeted with tea and snacks upon arrival and changing into a yukata and tabi socks. For dinner, we had a kaiseki dinner by the river and they set up our futon while we dined. The futon was not the most comfortable experience and I really missed a soft bed.

DAY 8 10/7

A traditional breakfast was served in the morning and they shuttled us back to Hanazono Station. We were supposed to go to Nara that day but I wasn’t feeling good so I took the time to rest in the hotel, they let us check in earlier for a fee of 1000 yen per hour and it was so worth it. My boyfriend still wanted to explore Kyoto so when I felt a little better, we went to **Ninenzaka** via local bus in the afternoon, the bus was really packed, expect to stand the entire time. We saw **Kiyomizu-dera** but it was super crowded. We took a taxi back to the hotel to relax for a bit and decided to go to Osaka on a whim. We went to **Dōtonbori** and saw the glico man and tried some takoyaki and cremia ice cream. We made our way back to Kyoto around 11 p.m. and called it a night.

# TOKYO (10/8 – 10/9)

Accommodation:

**Muji Hotel Ginza**

The best hotel we stayed in all trip and such a treat! They had complimentary snacks and a list of Muji amenities you’re welcome to take home with you. We had lots of space, able to open two large check-ins without an issue. Oh the bed.. it was like sleeping on a cloud.

DAY 9 10/8

Took an early shinkansen back to Tokyo and dropped off our luggage at the hotel. We were hungry so we found a random spot to eat at in **GINZA SIX**, I had salmon ochazuke and my boyfriend had fried fish, it held us over nicely. The plan today was to catch up on all the tax-free shopping for the end of the trip. We got shopping done at Uniqlo, Muji, Don Quijote, and this matcha shop inside Mitsukoshi Ginza. We both got a matcha set that came with a whisk and bowl. I added the spoon, whisk holder, and a matcha as well. We went back to the hotel to drop off everything we bought, it was getting heavy! We went back out to scope Daiso and Loft before going to **Manten Sushi**, which we had reservations for. We actually wanted to cancel this reservation because I wasn’t feeling well but they would charge us either way, so I sucked it up and went. It was 24 courses for around $50 per person. For the price, it was good but there wasn’t any dish that was particularly amazing to me. One of the dishes was boiled peanuts, which I found really odd. We went back to the hotel to pack for the next day.

Day 10 10/9

We had plans to go to **Teamlab Planets** at 9 a.m. but it was raining and I wasn’t feeling any better, so we decided to skip it and sleep in until check out. We had a small breakfast at Yoshinoya, grabbed our last Starbucks, and did some last-minute snack shopping at the conbinis to bring back home. We went back to the hotel to get our luggage and took a very short taxi ride to the station, it was raining so walking with all our luggage was out of the question. We took the Yamanote line and made a transfer to Keikyū Main Line and were dropped right off at Haneda Airport. Our flight wasn’t until 6 PM but the check-in desks for American Airlines weren’t open until 3:30 PM, there was a really long line so something to make note of if you’re flying with American out of Haneda.

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Overall: 9.5 days is short but we made it work! I think we got a good introduction to Japan and it’ll help us better plan for our trip next time, there’s still so much that we missed/haven’t seen and so many foods that we didn’t get to try. We preferred Kyoto more than Tokyo, the city was a bit too much for us at times. Shinjuku and Dotonbori really reminded us of Las Vegas, not sure how we feel about this. We like to go out but the relaxed vibe in Kyoto resonated with us more.