17 day Trip Report (Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchi, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama peninsula, Kyoto, Universal Studios Japan, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Takayama, Kanazawa, Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route Kamikochi)

Hi everyone! This is my rough trip report. I found this trip difficult to plan so please reach out if you are looking for advice or suggestions!

**October 1st:** Flying all day

**October 2nd (Tokyo):** Bought pasmo pass and 72 Tokyo metro card at airport. Took keikyu railway to Asakusa. Checked into Asakusa Tobu Hotel. Went to Shibuya crossing at night, definitely worth it to see it in the dark. Sat in L’Occitane Cafe to watch the crossing. Stopped in Don Quixote. Ate at Oreryu Shio Ramen, really good, go to the one closet to Shibuya.

**October 3rd (Tokyo):** woke up around 0600 and went to 7/11 to get breakfast (matcha donut, make own iced coffee). Went to senso-Ji temple (Asakusa shrine), shook the can to get a fortune, got a bad fortune. Went to Benitsuru for 0830 to pick a time because it gets really crowded. Walked around Asakusa, walked to trail on the river to see sky tree. Walked to kappabashi street to look at bowls, woks and other cooking supplies. Picked out chopsticks. Went to eat soufflé pancakes at Benitsuru. Ordered the egg and bacon and banana chocolate one. Walked through nakamise- dori street (not worth it). Went to imperial palace garden. Unable to get tour, did not see palace. Not worth it unless you can get a tour. Went to Kodokan museum (judo headquarters), then went to shinjuku and tried to get into udon shin but unable to. Went to sushi zanmai shinjuku. Ordered on iPad, really good tuna and salmon. Went back to hotel.

**October 4th (Tokyo)**\- woke up early at 0600. Left hotel 0700. Went to 7/11. Good green smoothie. Blended right in front of you in machine. Got fruit and cream sandwich. Went to kanda shrine (marriage shrine). Nice but normal. Went to hie shrine. Really cool red Tori gates. Walked from there to toyokawa inari betuin shrine. Favorite one yet, lots of cool fox statures. Took subway to shibuya. Went to foodshow (indoor food market) right in rail station. Definitely worth it, places to sit and eat on same floor. Hard to find. Took train to shinjuku. Tried again to go to udon shin and put name in, 4 hour wait.

**October 5th (Tokyo and Lake Kawaguchi):** went to Yamazaki bakery cafe, really good melon bread, pumpkin pasteries and others. Then took train to Tsukiji Market stopping at Tsukiji Honganji temple (cool but not worth a trip out of the way). Tsukiji market was VERY crowded and busy. Got fried omelet on a stick, mochi strawberry and melon soda. Walked around, a bit overwhelming. Took train back and went to get gelato at Suzukien in Asakusa. Ordered matcha level 3 and black sesame which was really good. Went and got bags from hotel. Took bus to Kawaguchiko station. Got picked by Michisan at station, he drove back to ryokan that we stayed at (Hostel Michikusa-Ya). Clear view of Fuji, ran to Yagizaki park to get picture. Then got dinner at Hoto Tempura Wakana. Ordered thick hoto noodle soup and soba noodles with tempura. Tried sake and a plum mixed drink. Dinner was ok, didn’t love hoto noodles. Went back to ryokan, set up futon mattress on tatami floor.

**October 6th (Lake Kawaguchi and Kyoto):** woke up early, walked from ryokan to yagizaki park, really pretty, lots of gardens, good view of Fuji. Host of ryokan drove us back to train station. Walked to arakurayana sengen park which took about an hour. Park completely worth it, great clear view of Fuji and temple but VERY crowded and touristy at parts. Took train back to train station. Took red line sightseeing bus from station to oishi park. Paid with pasmo cards. Walked around gardens, pretty view. Got ice cream. Otherwise touristy and busy, worth an hour but not more. Then took bus back to train station. Got food at 7-11. Waited for bus. Took bus Mishima. Activated JR pass at counter, no reservations available, rode non reserved on Shinkansen , had to stand on train for 30 min before getting a seat. Arrived in Kyoto, took subway to Hotel Musse, got in late.

**October 7th (Kyoto):** Woke up,went to Kinkaku-ji temple (gold temple) via bus. Bought 1 day bus and subway pass. Very crowded but worth it, go as early as possible. Went to Heian Jingu temple, wasn’t worth it, did not pay for gardens. Build to celebrate city in 1900. Got red bean paste pasty. Went to shimogamo shrine. Worth it. Went to MoriMori conveyer belt sushi. Ordered on iPad, sushi arrived via little train. Super fun experience. Sushi was normal but good. Then walked around nishiki market. Very crowded but good spot to try street food. Got dumplings, 100yen sale, Got Koe donuts (sweet potato and which chocolate, very good). Walked around Gion neighborhood, lots of old streets, really fun but crowded. Went to kenniji temple, unable to go inside because it closed. Looks worth it. Then went to yasaka-jinja shrine. Went to try to find somewhere to eat, multi hour waits everywhere. Put name in at Ramen Sen-no-Kaze Kyoto. Ended up waiting 2 hours. Got food and beer from 7-11. Sat outside and waited. Eventually got in ramen place. Good but not the best.

**October 8th (Kyoto):** Woke up and went to Fushimi Inari temple via train, arrived at 0800. Worth it to get there early. Hiked all the way to the top. Many more picture opportunities farther up. Then went to Kiyomizu-dera temple. Got shaved ice before (strawberry and milk, really good) Worth it to pay extra (300yen) to hike around trail. Walked around higashiyama ward. Lots of cute shops and street food. Try the pickle on a stick. Went to Gion Tanto in Kyoto for lunch. Completely worth it. Take shoes off, ordered okonomiyaki, fried noodles and potatoes with cheese. Tried plum wine. Put it on griddle right in front of you. Rested in hotel. Ichiran ramen for dinner. Order via paper, sit in booth, no one talks to you.

**October 9th (Universal studios Japan):** woke up at 5am, train to universal. Bough admission pass day before online on Klook. Unable to buy express pass because they were all sold out. Got to park at 0700. Park supposed to open at 0800 but let us in around 0730. Said no timed entry tickets for super Mario world available so went directly to Harry Potter world. Checked again about 30min later and time was available. Rode Harry Potter and the forbidden Forrest which was awesome. Went to Mario world, singles line for Mario kart. Waiting an hour, got on together. Cool but not worth a super long wait. Watched Pokémon dance show. Went to biohazard tour, not worth it. Waited in line for Hollywood dreams for roller coaster for an hour and a half, really fun. Jake chickened out before I could convince him to go on flying dinosaur. Compromised and went back to Harry Potter world and rode Harry Potter and the forbidden Forrest again. Then went on Sedakos curse. Left and got conveyer belt sushi at Kura near Kyobashi station. Went back to Kyoto.

**October 10th (Nara):** Woke up and went to Boulangerie Shinshindo and got different pastries. Took train to Nara. Went to Tōdai-ji temple and Kofuku-ji. Then began to walk to Todai-ji Daibutsuden, walked through C’festa, a food festival in the park. Saw first deer walking though park. Went under street through tunnel and walked through Yoshikien Garden which was free and very peaceful and pretty. Walked through Nara Park at Todai-Ji and saw lots of deer. Paid 800 yen to see great Buddha hall and got o museum. Could have paid 500 to just go to Buddha hall. Buddha hall was really impressive but a bit touristy but worth it. Museum was quick but lots of old artifacts from the 8th century. Bough rice crackers for 200 yen to feed the deer. They bowed and were very gentle unless they knew you had crackers in your pocket. Make sure to hide them in backpack until ready to feed them. Walked all around park, many other small temples and buildings. Went to C’festa and got fried noodles and naan with cheese. Then went to Salon Naramachi for a traditional tea ceremony. Sat on the ground near garden. Tried thick and thin matcha and sweet potato sweets. Also tried thick matcha poured over vanilla nice cream. Had to ring bell for server. Fun experience but didn’t like the matcha. Walked back towards train station, got melon bread (strawberry) and stopped at grocery store and got package of cheese and meats. Picked up rental car from Nissan Rental. Drove to Minshuku Sumiya through many curvy small mountain roads with tons of tunnels in the dark. Arrived and stayed in another tatami room. Place was ok, clean enough but shared bathroom and weird shower.

**October 11th (Wakayama Peninsula/Kii Peninsula, Nachi Falls):** Woke up and had a traditional Japanese breakfast with salmon, rice, tofu (both fried and steamed), miso soup, fried egg and sausage. Then went to river to dig own onsen. Was very hard and ended up going into public Kawayu onsen. Very hot and nice, then rinsed off in cold river. Drove to Maruyama Senmaida rice fields. Very pretty, in mountains but rice fields were not flooded. Lots of permission trees. Then drove to nachi falls. Parked in Daimonzaka parking lot which was free. Headed up the stairs past the 800 year old cedar trees on part of the Kumano Kodo trail. Went to top where we saw a shrine, walked to three story pagoda where we took a picture of the pagoda and the waterfall. Cost 300 yen each to walk to top of pagoda. Then walked downhill to the waterfall. Cost 300yen to walk to waterfall, this was worth it, really good view. We then walked back to car and drove to Shirahama along the ocean, arrived just in time for the sunset and sat on Senjojiki Rock Plateau. We then drove to where we were staying, a large house with great view of the ocean. . There was a spider in the bathroom. Difficult time finding parking, are quickly at a restaurant. Only ones there, no English. Slept on tatami floor.

**October 12th (Shirahama):** Drove along the ocean and parked in random lot, walked along road 34 and there were stairs down onto rocks in the ocean. Got food at 7/11 and then walked to Shirahama beach to eat. Walked back to car, stopped in Wakayama quickly. Continued on to Nara. Tolls were very expensive. Used map code to find gas station to fill up rental car. Returned car, walked around Nara and went back to food festival. Got strawberry shaved ice and then pastries. Got sushi at Ganko kaitenzushi Eki Marché Shin-Osaka in the train station. Also picked up some bento boxes. Took train to Hiroshima, stayed at hotel intergate. Got there late at night but enjoyed hotel deck and are free soup.

**October 13th (Hiroshima and Miyajima Island):** Woke up and went to atomic bomb dome and museum. Went to cafe and got pasteries. Stopped Hiroshima castle but did not pay to go in. Put bags in lockers at Hiroshima station, took train to ferry and then ferry to miyajima. Got fried maple leaf pasteries. Walked to Itsukushima Jinga Otorii gate but very crowded. Walked around shops, ate okonomiyaki at Hiroshima Style Okonomiyaki Kurawanka. Very good, they cook right in front of you. Also got a curry bun with cheese, very good. Took miyajima ropeway gondola and tram up mountain and walked 20min up stairs to the top of mt. Misen. Brought beer/ Sapporo plum drink. Missed last gondola (1630) so we sat at the top and then walked down. Looks like it would be a really hard hike up, probably recommend just doing ropeway. Checked in at Miyajima Guest House, met Tomas from France but living in Canada. Heard fireworks, went out and watched fireworks over Tori gate. Gate is lit up until 2300. Had curry made for us at hostel, slept in dorm.

**October 14th (Takayama):** Woke up to catch ferry that left at 0640. Left Hiroshima and took Shinkansen to Takayama. Got there around 1315. Dropped bags in hotel (stayed in Residence Hotel which was wonderful, free laundry in each room) and walked around shops. Got sushi at sushi dining-nob. Very good sushi, American style. Nice guy, used to live in Texas. Playing American rap music. Saw many rally cars. Got cremia ice cream, very good, comes in a cookie cone. Then checked in to hotel, got free coffees. Walked around, sake tasting at Funasaka Sake Brewery. Able to pay small amount for many tastings and bring sake cup home. Then ate dinner at Izakaya Entaku. VERY good, cute, small and local. Raining, went back to hotel.

**October 15th (Kanazawa)**\- Left at 0730, took Nohi bus (about 30min) to Shirakawa-go. Raining but the mist added to feel. Walked to the Three Houses and by Kanda and Wada house. Both were unfortunately not open for tours because of a festival going on later in the day. Headed to the Shiroyama Tenshukaku Observation Deck which was a beautiful 15 min walked up the road. Got a delicious waffle at Hidaji. Walked around until 1055 bus that took us to Kanazawa (about an hour and a half). Walked from train station to hotel (stayed at Hotel Pacific). Walked to Marugame Noodles for Udon. Local chain but good options for many different toppings and very quick. Walked a couple min to Nomura-Ke Samuri Residence. Paid 550 yen each, walked around. Interesting but only took about a half hour. Gorgeous garden in back. Went to Kenroku-En Park. Very pretty but lots of people. Pretty spot to walk around, spent about an hour but could have stayed longer. Walked back to hotel to refresh. Walked to Kanazawa Castle Park for TeamLab Kanazawa Castle Light Festival. This was much cooler than expected, images were projected onto castle walls and large balloons were lit up all over the grounds. Afterwards we were able to color in our own character that came to life on one of the screens. Very worth it. It then poured as we ran to get ramen at Ramen Wakadaisho. Very small old time feel shop. Meaty broth, good but not my favorite type.

**October 16th (Tateyama- Kurobe Alpine Route)-** Woke up in Kanazawa. Took train to Toyama, dropped off bags and picked up tickets. 9:40 funicular from Tateyama. Started Tateyama-Kurobe alpine route. Skipped midaghara and went straight up to Murodo. Snowing and 32 degrees. Walked around past an area with volcanic gas warnings. Very snowy and slippery. Completed route around 1630ish. Took train to Matsukawa. Walked to place that we stayed at. Small apartment with beautiful Japanese garden. Ran to 7/11 to get dinner and walked back. Enjoyed omachi hacider which was left in fridge.

**October 17th (Kamikochi)-** woke up in matsukawa. Walked to train station (about 15 min) with bags. Took train to Matsumoto. Picked up car. Drove to Kamikochi, parked (paid 700 yen), took bus (2400 year round trip) and walked on kappobashi bridge. Tried to walk to myojin pond (not worth it, very crowded and had to pay when you got there). Walked back and drove car back to Matsumoto stopping for conveyer belt sushi at sushiro. Dropped car off. Took train to Tokyo. Stayed at Other Space near Asakusa temple. Got ramen at Tsukemen Kobo Asakusa Seimenjo. Very good dipping ramen. Went to see Senso-Ji at night. Quick stop at Ninjabar. Looked fun but they were about to close.

**October 18th (Tokyo)-** Went back to Kappabashi street to pick up presents. Got an extra suitcase at D. Kelley for really cheap (6500 yen) so we could bring back some Sake. Took monorail to airport so we could get some more use out of JR pass. Got Ramen after security in terminal 3 at Rokurinsha and udon at the spot right next to it. Ramen had the thickest broth we have ever had on the trip and was very salty but good. Udon was delicious. Got on flight and flew to Atlanta and then home