Trip Report: Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone, Tokyo

We just returned from a 10-day trip to Japan and it was great! Here’s a few thoughts:

Kyoto:

* Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei was fantastic and a great value for the low price. The staff were all fluent in English. We used several services including daily breakfast, luggage delivery, laundry, and the onsen.
* Kurama-dera Temple is a must-do if you want a spectacular nature/temple experience with zero crowds. Very unique. Recommend taking the cable car up and hiking down.
* Gion Matayoshi was a great omakase experience.
* Sake Tasting: We had a fun afternoon sake and beer tasting in Fushimi, starting at the Geikkeikan Okura Sake Museum, then the 18-sake tasting at Fushimi Sakagura Kouji, and ending at Kizakura Kappa Country. The Fushimi Inari temple at night was spectacular and crowdless.

Osaka

* Cycle Osaka Bike Tour was a blast. My Osaka highlight was biking in the park around Osaka Castle.
* Cooking Sun Osaka offers a really fun ramen and gyoza cooking class. Food was delicious!
* Dotonbori was fun to see but a bit Vegas-like and super crowded on the weekend. We saw, then left.

Hakone

* Public transport from Odawara Station to our ryokan was extremely crowded even in the offseason on a weekday. I was looking forward to the cable car and switchbacks, but it was too crowded to enjoy. We took a taxi on the way back and were much happier.
* Gora Kadan was incredible. If you are looking for a luxury ryokan experience with five-star meals and a private onsen, I definitely would recommend.
* Lake Ashi is really beautiful and the ropeway was fun too.
* Yunessun/Mori No Yu was a very unique and silly experience. You can bathe in wine, sake, coffee or in a traditional onsen setting. The onsen was really beautiful and completely empty on a weekday. The water park section was more crowded with families but still fun.

Tokyo

* New York Grill at the top of the Park Hyatt was a trip highlight. My husband almost cried because his Kobe steak was so good. I told them it was his birthday and the jazz band played happy birthday to him!
* Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi definitely lived up to it’s reputation as an incredible sushi restaurant. Jiro’s second son runs the restaurant and is very friendly and helpful. We did the 4 sashimi + 18 sushi omakase – this was wayyy to much food for me, I recommend choosing a smaller omakase or asking for smaller portions. Highlights included the smoked bonito sashimi and salmon roe.
* Golden Gai on a weeknight was low-key and perfect. We loved Gargantua, which is run by a friendly Russian folk singer and claims to be the oldest bar in Golden Gai.

General

* I was skeptical about how conservative the attire in Japan would be, but it is in fact very conservative. Most women wear ankle-length skirts and long-sleeve shirts with high necklines. That said, I did not feel uncomfortable wearing less conservative clothing on a few occasions (dresses, shorts, etc.).
* October was the perfect time to visit. Almost no crowds, perfect weather (low 70F, no humidity).
* We felt very safe the entire trip, almost everything was translated into English, and almost everyone spoke some English. We used Google’s camera translator for a few Japanese menus.
* The key to Shinkansen stations is figuring out what platform your train will arrive at. Look for your train name and number on the overhead signs to determine the right platform.
* The luggage delivery service between hotels is very efficient and reliable.