As much as everyone here, I’ve probably spent too many hours reading this sub and taking notes from here and there when making my own itinerary, which has proved invaluable on our recent trip to Japan.
Therefore, it’s only fair to contribute back some of our own experience, but also to kinda document it, for future us.
**Long post ahead!**
# Context
– We are early 30’s couple from Spain on our first trip to Japan.
– Goals are to enjoy food, culture, temples and shop (didn’t even know about this last one).
# Itinerary Plan
– 1 day travel
– 2 days Osaka
– 2.5 days in Kyoto with a day trip to Nara
– 7 days in Tokyo
– Day trip to Kamakura
– Day trip to Fuji-san
– 1 day as buffer, in case we don’t see all the stuff we want
– 1 day travel back
Much of the plan was a reality, except for Tokyo, where we had to rearrange our days due to bad weather, in order to do some indoor activities or in case of good weather, do a day trip to Kamakura and Mt. Fuji/Kawaguchiko Lake. I also got a cold halfway through our Tokyo stay, which did take away around 1.5 day worth of plans.
# Things I wish I knew before
– Airport money exchange has the best offer to exchange money, hands down difference was around 20 – 35Y per euro. We should have bought all the yens here but we didn’t know this will be the case.
– Google Maps travel time – Add 5-10m buffer to every trip as many stations are huge, have several floors and sometime it takes more time to find the exit due to crowds. You get the hang of it in time but plan for it.
– Ryokans & luggage. If you are staying in a ryokan, don’t take a lot of luggage as rooms are small, stairs are small, no elevators.
– Language. We learned some very basics like how to ask for this or that, one thing or two things, where is this eki, etc… I found it went a very long way as we had no problems anywhere whatsoever.
– Get everywhere early. The experience of visiting temples and anything else, for that matter is much nicer without the crowds so it pays off to get to places early. We usually wake up early so this was no issue for us.
– Breakfast. Taking the above point into account, it was hard to find places for breakfast that open early (like 7-8am) so we went with konbini food most of the times.
– Queueing for food. This depends on how sophisticated your palette is but we usually avoided places that had long queues for food and found other places that had tasty food. I cannot guarantee that it was equally as tasty because I couldn’t compare so YMMV. Eating at off-hours also helped as we were getting up early and walking so much, we got hungry very early usually, around 11h-12h, which is probably already lunch time in some places but not where we live.
– Restauran Reservations. We made zero reservations for food but had no issues finding places to eat. Even though, this probably changes depending on the season.
– Temple amulets. This might not matter to most of you but we wanted to buy some amulets as gifts for other people and found that they were up to 3x more expensive in Tokyo than in some temples we saw at Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, etc… so I suggest to buy those early.
# Itinerary Reality & Details
## Day 1 – Travel
– Landed in Haneda on time but took us almost 45min to pickup our luggage.
– Got wifi, Suica cards, exchanged some money
– Went to Shinagawa station to catch the Shinkansen for Osaka.
– We’ve left around 3h of buffer between landing and our Shinkansen and even with the luggage waiting and the fact that we’ve landed on a terminal I wasn’t expecting (oops) so we had to take a bus to the other terminal, we still had time to do everything.
– Even got there 30min early and grabbed a [bento box for the trip](https://imgur.com/a/7KSR9dm).
– Arrived to Osaka, went to sleep as we were tired from the 25h+ trip.
## Day 2 – Osaka Temples, Shinsekai, Denden Town, Dotonbori
– Woke up at 06h, took a train all the way to Tennoji Station and from there walked our way up north, checking out different temples and locations.
– Found a random cafe in the station and got breakfast, our first ordering in Japanese, very interesting experience but we [got what we wanted more or less](https://imgur.com/Ko2gbs7).
– [Horikoshi Jinja](https://imgur.com/a/soPDlEW), will have a special place since it’s the first temple we visited and it had a nice quiet vibe
– [Shitenno-ji Temple](https://imgur.com/a/NtcQ9YT) – It looks like it’s pretty popular but we thought it was just ok.
– Appreciate some [nice manhole art](https://imgur.com/a/zVHqHZq) on the streets.
– Keitakuen Garden was closed so skipped it.
– Shinsekai hood, had the Takoyaki below the tower, wouldn’t recommend, was undercooked and octopus was chewy.
– Denden Town, started spending money on the [Gachapon machines](https://imgur.com/a/iL1wRDx).
– Namba Yasaka Shrine, the one with the [big lion mouth](https://imgur.com/a/8T5qGDm).
– Doguyasuji Shopping Street, bought some very nice bowls very cheap and a kitchen knife (Sentoku) of amazing quality at Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide. They even [hand-engraved](https://imgur.com/OwOsMVY) it for us, for free.
– Kuromon Ichiba market, checked out different food stalls.
– Dotonbori, saw the Glico Man and the crowds.
– Appreciated some [more nice manhole art](https://imgur.com/a/DAxPfAv).
– Visited the [Hozenji Temple](https://maps.app.goo.gl/dvDFXrx4afDGBrBA9)
– Some [kushikatsu](https://imgur.com/a/xl9Cw1l) for dinner at Kushikatsu Daruma.
– Got pretty tired at this point from all the walking so we went back to the hotel.
– Had [the cheesy 10Y coin waffle](https://imgur.com/a/uDxgH7G), walked around some more and called it a day.
Money spent: 22500Y (knife was around 10k alone)
## Day 3 – Osaka Castle and more temples
– Woke up early, went to Ohatsu Tenjin Temple (Japanese version of Romeo and Juliet). Stumbled across some new [manhole art / expo marketing](https://imgur.com/a/4fY5gMu) along the way.
– Went to Osaka Castle, tickets booked online beforehand. Castle was really nice from the outside, [especially with all the momiji around](https://imgur.com/a/Jifuffj) and inside is filled with a lot of explanation on the history around it but we found lacking some context as there were many names and events being used. I suggest to take the elevator to the top and then use the stairs to visit all the floors going down.
– Went to Dotonbori to see it during the day.
– Obligatory manhole art pic
– Had some really good okonomiyaki [right behind the Hozenji temple](https://maps.app.goo.gl/SmXTXbGz4mZTSGof6)
– Strolled around Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street and decided to try Japanese McDonalds and their burgers. Shrimp and Teriyaki burgers were surprisingly good and was an OK experience overall.
– Walked a bit some more and soaked in Osaka at night, it had some nice ’90s vibe with it that was comforting. We bid farewall and promised to be back one day to explore it some more.
Money spent: 23839Y (did some Uniqlo shopping for around 10k)
## Day 4 – Kyoto
– Took a Shinkansen to Kyoto because our hotel was close to Shin-Osaka station and we didn’t wanted to go through stations with our luggage. Took 15min, we booked it beforehand via SmartEx.
– Left the luggage in a locker in Kyoto Station and went to explore the temples.
– Here we got to use the bus for the first time and there were already long queues for all the major lines going towards the temples.
– We took some konbini onigiris for breakfast while waiting for the bus as we wanted to try all of them (Would NOT recommend the pickled plum!).
– Kodaiji Temple first – we bought our goshuincho here and got our first [goshuin](https://imgur.com/a/WTSF10a). [Temple is really nice](https://imgur.com/a/gSexMeB), [momiji action is heavy](https://imgur.com/a/gSexMeB) and there is a great forest above the temple. There is also a [mini-bamboo forest](https://imgur.com/a/LlYcvxr)!
– Hunger took over so we walked to [Miyako Ramen](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pqrTSkExXafzs1aJ6) and it did not disappoint. [Amazing ramen](https://imgur.com/a/NmNRsWz), rice and gyozas.
– Yasaka-Jinja was 5min walk from the ramen place. Pretty big and very orange (no sarcasm, brightest orange temple I’ve seen). We explored the park behind it, which was really cool, with all the [full blast momiji](https://imgur.com/a/hz6YASQ). We even saw [a heron](https://imgur.com/a/UJAV3ek), which made me think of the last Miyazaki film.
– Here we got approached by 3 boys that wanted to interview us in English for a school project. It was very cute and they gave us [an origami crane as a gift](https://imgur.com/VtpF3DB) in return. Contemplated on actually having kids.
– Checked out the Hanamikoji Street and the city center. Lots of tourism happening.
– We had booked a Tea Ceremony [here](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ipPC9uEumm26XnhH9) but I had mixed feelings over this as it looked like a tourist trap. Duration is around 1.5h – 2h but the overall tea thing is perhaps 15min (explaining how to make it, drink it and what it’s about) and everything else is just flair. They will talk to you about a bunch of random off-topic things not related to tea at all. But you get to dress up in a kimono and take photos so if that’s what you’re here for, it’s what you get but don’t expect some deep insight around different teas, ceremonies and history behind it.
– Went to Nishiki market and again felt a bit like a tourist trap, we tried a few skewers here and there but everything seemed like a stage.
– Walked to Nana’s Green Tea for some coffee and matcha cake, was pretty good. but black sesame latte was too sweet.
– We went back to Kyoto Station for our luggage and headed towards our ryokan on foot.
– We were too tired to go out for dinner so another round of exploring konbini food (Seaweed fried chicken was pretty good!).
Money spent: 10580Y
## Day 5 – Fushimi Inari + Nara
– This made all the sense in our planning as Fushimi Inari is “on the way” to Nara but in hindsight, I felt we left unexplored the temple grounds and didn’t climb all the way to the top. This temple gets packed, we were there at 07h and there were already people here and there. We saw the tori gates and did [some photos](https://imgur.com/a/EbGimEY) and started climbing up. This is when you leave all the social media noise behind and can really soak in the forest. However, we couldn’t spend much more time, unfortunately, and didn’t get to the top.
– Had [this riceball wrapped in meat and spring onions](https://imgur.com/a/Zkx8Hzo) on our way down that was pretty good. Didn’t find that type of food anywhere else on the trip, though.
– Next was Nara, we saw and fed the deers, they look pretty well taken care of and we saw some of them head-butting other people but it looked like fun and game.
– Todai-ji Temple, really left an impact with all the huge statues inside it.
– Kofuku-ji was under renovation so we couldn’t really get too close.
– Eat some Tonkatsu at [this place](https://maps.app.goo.gl/JtGaqsv98a5kvCdF8), was pretty good but we waited for 15min or so to get in. You even get (have to?) to make your own Tonkatsu sauce, which was fun.
– Went to Nakatanidou to see the mochi being hammered but it’s kinda a tourist show more than actual mochi being made (I assume it increased the sale). However, the mochi was good, had some peanut powder or something, I liked it.
– Rokumei Coffee, we tried the Kenya Blend and their French toast,e both are highly recommended
– Went back to the station and headed back to Kyoto.
– We wanted to go for dinner at [Hikiniku to Come](https://maps.app.goo.gl/R9D2neY8zmrxWCJV9) but forgot to book. Possibly one of my few regrets from the trip as the food looked amazing. If you miss it, there is a similar place in Tokyo Station, though.
– We took a few skewers at Nishiki market and called it a night, went to relax on the tatamis.
Money spent: 16880Y
## Day 6 – Kyoto, Kiyomizu Dera
– We checked out from the ryokan and moved our luggage to Kyoto Station. Then took a bus from there towards Kiyomizu Dera.
– This temple gets crazy packed so we knew we gotta be early. It was beautiful and since we got there early, we could actually enjoy it without the crowds. The [momiji game is strong](https://imgur.com/a/rDj6J5a) and we spent a good 2h just walking around, taking photos and talking about moving to Japan. [The Goshuin was pretty](https://imgur.com/a/mQvNDWe) and did I mention the [koi pond](https://imgur.com/a/8Oup8hx)?
– On our way down, Sannenzaka and Ninnenzaka streets were packed but we saw them and bought some souvenirs in different shops. There is one that specializes in matcha stuff and had some really nice sweets.
– We went towards Heian Shrine and on our way there got some really nice coffee at [Ohana8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/yAbr95pMAHGuCXiYA). Tried the Hawaiian Coffee and an egg sandwich. Highly recommend
– The Shrine itself is free but if you want to enter the gardens behind it, that needs to be payed but imho, it’s worth it as you can see a cool garden/forest with a pond and a nice bridge. We got lucky and saw a wedding there as well. There is also a cafe in the garden.
– We got hungry and improvised the food at [this place](https://maps.app.goo.gl/W5HGNX25tyqzRHkW6). Great Omurice and “hamburg” with very generous portions. We were the only tourists there and it was a nice experience
– We got our way back towards the center and had some [matcha icecream and dango](https://imgur.com/a/pXFPqfK).
– We went and stocked with some matcha and hojicha at [this place](https://maps.app.goo.gl/tPy9xgYYnw5dDj5h7), was a really old shop but the tea is on another level. A bit pricey but very high quality goods.
– We said goodbye to Kyoto, headed back to the station and got on our Shinkansen for Tokyo.
– Had some bentos on the Shinkansen, got to Tokyo Station and went straight to our hotel in Ginza.
Money spent: 16600Y
## Day 7 – Tokyo, Shinjuku
– Out of all the Tokyo areas, I liked this one the least, saw some weird stuff on the streets and overall, I think it’s hyped up.
– Hanazono Shrine first (got the nicest amulets there)
– Checked out Don Quijote.
– Gyoen National Garden, was a nice escape from all the weirdly-dressed people. You have to pay to enter but it’s totally worth it, a very nice park with places to eat and have coffee.
– Went back and had one of the nicest fish-broth ramens at [Ramen Hōsenka](https://maps.app.goo.gl/TwbUQphxtd6qfJDg9). You have to first queue for the machine, then queue for the seat but totally worth it, we had the sea bream broth tsukemen and it did not disappoint. The egg yolk was volcanic red and super tasty. The machine is in Japanese, though and we haven’t seen any of the staff speak English but we managed to order without stopping the queue too much 😅
– Went to see the Godzilla head.
– Wanted to get some coffee but everything was packed so we ended up in a mall at the station and the place that had the least waiting time was [this hawaiian place](https://www.google.com/maps/place/MOKUOLA+-shinjuku+lumine+est-+%E3%83%A2%E3%82%AF%E3%82%AA%E3%83%A9+-%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9F%E3%83%8D%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88-/@35.691066,139.7009771,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipN4bgHfoe2mpFVigmAdJzFTRFemWuoeduKUdbk9!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipN4bgHfoe2mpFVigmAdJzFTRFemWuoeduKUdbk9%3Dw203-h114-k-no!7i4000!8i2252!4m12!1m3!2m2!1shawaii+food!6e5!3m7!1s0x60188cd0a6f79805:0x18f0ad27dd3cd618!8m2!3d35.691066!4d139.7009771!10e5!15sCgtoYXdhaWkgZm9vZFoNIgtoYXdhaWkgZm9vZJIBE2hhd2FpaWFuX3Jlc3RhdXJhbnSaASRDaGREU1VoTk1HOW5TMFZKUTBGblNVUmhNWFJQY1hkblJSQULgAQA!16s%2Fg%2F1tfmc6tw?entry=ttu). We had a pancake and coffee but eyeing the food on the other tables, it looked pretty good.
– Saw the 3d cat thingie.
– Walked around [Omoide Yokocho](https://maps.app.goo.gl/qnssAweoYL7j8brVA) but were too full from the crepe to try anything (oops).
– Went back to Ginza and had dinner at [this izakaya](https://maps.app.goo.gl/hhmnBsWVqKRGiMhZ8), was a nice experience, we tried a bunch of skewers, the wagyu and the fried onion. We managed to find a seat without reservation but just barely.
Money spent: 18966Y (4k IC cards recharge as next day we were going on a long trip)
## Day 8 – Trip to Kamakura
– We decided to shuffle our days a bit since there was good weather so we got on a couple of trains to get to Kamakura, in total around 50min.
– We decided to take coffee and breakfast around the station but many places we checked out were expensive for the okish quality of coffee and food, it seemed so I would recommend going further into the city.
– Took the bus from the train station to get to [Big Buddha](https://imgur.com/a/MB56nEy). Prayed for some good weather and got [our goshuin](https://imgur.com/a/OH1LPO6).
– Then walked to Hesadera Temple and got some dango coated with black sesame and a nice coffee at [Uni Coffee Roastery](https://maps.app.goo.gl/c7vkvSQoR7mbtnNo9) along the way.
– [Hesadera Temple](https://imgur.com/a/z94hsL2) got pretty packed quick but we spent a good 1.5h there, the bay views are amazing and [a video doesn’t do it justice](https://imgur.com/a/Kpqc12E). The [smiling buddha gave off a peaceful vibe](https://imgur.com/a/wGXwxV5) and [momiji action was going strong](https://imgur.com/a/4UFgK5A). We even got a [bag for our goshuincho](https://imgur.com/a/QRSsSap) made of kimono cloth as it kept falling to the ground, we could never get used to the accordion-like mechanism when opening it. In this temple, oyster shells are used as ema plaques, which is related to a legend of one of the temple spirits. There is a similar legend in Spain for one of the saints (Santiago), which also involves seashells. Similarity in different religions. Oh, and did I mention [the koi pond](https://imgur.com/a/6IEoz8R)?
– We improvised for food as many places were full (and we even got turned down in one place, which I didn’t understand why) so we got inside [Sometaro](https://maps.app.goo.gl/HaFKR29D5gc7JeqQ8), a place where we got to make our own okonomiyaki and yakisoba. The lady was explaining everything in Japanese but we were able to pick up the instructions from context and some of our broken Japanese we learned before. Was pretty cool and the food was nice, given the fact it was prepared by amateurs.
– We walked to the seaside from there and enjoyed a nice walk on the beach, saw many people surfing and some fishermen gathering their nets. We also saw [this weird bird](https://imgur.com/a/sHM1FHA) that looked like it only has 1 leg but after some time deployed it’s second leg and walked off (playing with our feelings).
– We walked back all the way to the center, sightseeing the local architecture and concluded that many people here own dogs, more than anywhere else we’ve seen up to this point.
– Saw some [interesting manhole art](https://imgur.com/a/VWKUHjm).
– We also saw some dove-shaped butter cookies being sold and were all the hype but we were not interested.
– We did bought some rice crackers in bunch of flavours in some of the local shops and also tried this deep fried bread roll filled with curry from some yellow shop that had a giraffe symbol. Was pretty good but can’t remember the name.
– At this point I was slowly getting down with cold so we decided to head back. I felt we left this place a bit unexplored and would love to come back some day.
– We decided to try [Tsujita Tsukemen Ramen Shop](https://maps.app.goo.gl/SE4jqLz1fbkecC2Q8) as it was next to our hotel and it turned out to be one of the places we will return multiple times as the ramen was a banger. They make this thick broth meaty ramen and have this option with some extra meat that looks like pulled pork but way better. And the staff is hilarious, they kept greeting the customers (from what I could understand) every 10s. And the there is only one song playing, which reminds me of some ’80s video game of samurai battles. It’s as if you are battling with the ramen bowl (So that the people eat faster?). Highly recommended!
Money spent: 15107Y
## Day 9 – Ginza
– As I was down with a cold and it was raining, we decided to explore Ginza and take it easy.
– We found a nearby pharmacy and got some cold medicine on a gamble that went in our favor as I was recovered 2 days afterwards.
– We went to Tsukiji Temple that was being prepared for something we didn’t really figured out what so it was kinda closed but you could walk on the outside. Not sure if it was that or the architecture of the temple, it was way different from all the other ones we’ve seen. ChatGTP says “The architectural style of Tsukiji Hongan-ji was heavily influenced by the architectural features of Indian and Thai temples” but looks European to me 🙂
– Saw some [giant-ass leaves](https://imgur.com/a/dtz9rzk).
– Off to the Tsukiji market from there, where we’ve tried different skewers of Tuna, Kobe and some sushi. Also had a matcha banana smoothie that was great. Then shopped some more tea, spices and snacks. It was raining and we came late-ish (most of the things closed around 13h), I recommend getting here early or visiting multiple times to try all the food as there is ALOT of options everywhere.
– Saw some more [manhole art](https://imgur.com/a/Md9F62b).
– Had a coffee and pastry at Starbucks Reserve Roastery Ginza that was pretty good (Colombia and Ecuador Blends).
– Did some heat-tech shopping at Uniqlo as it was getting cold, according to the forecast. Good stuff!
– Went and tried a Chinese-style spicy ramen at [Hashigo Ginza Hon-ten](https://maps.app.goo.gl/mfAZks2icKUnAnaT6), was pretty interesting and different, would recommend
Money spent: 44997 (20k went to Uniqlo)
## Day 10 – Hokusai Museum, TeamLab Planets
– Since it was still raining, we decided to do more in-door activities. It was OK to get the TeamLab tickets one day ahead (perhaps not all the timeslots were available but more than half was)
– We went to the Hokusai Museum only to find out that they were preparing it for a big event 2 days from then so some floors were closed and we could only see the replicas from the permanent exhibition. The permanent exhibition was also nice and replicas were pretty good. Everything is accompanied by screens that tell you more about Hokusai at the time as well as major historical events. The man was a beast, supporting hundreds of artists and learning to paint at a very old age. he also made books that explained his drawing techniques. Truly inspiring.
– From there we went to have some conveyor belt sushi at [this place](https://maps.app.goo.gl/6Q3MQJYzMJT2AAJG8) and it was pretty good, they even gave us some english explanation for different dishes. We ate a [bunch of plates](https://imgur.com/a/72iwk2n) of different sushi and had some miso soup that warms the soul.
– We took a bus to TeamLab Planets and even though, there was some queue, we got through reasonably fast. IMHO, the entire thing is a bit hyped. I like the idea but it’s very difficult to “enjoy” when you have a bunch of people bumping into you or rushing through all the rooms or you are always in a way of someone’s photo shooting. The last part, the one with [the garden full of glowing eggs](https://www.teamlab.art/images/pc-l/25937) was a disappointment as it didn’t have any lights since it was broad daylight. So come at night if you want to see that, otherwise, looks a bit sad. Perhaps I was still cold and wasn’t feeling it but I felt like the whole thing is a bit hyped up and overcrowded.
– We wanted to try the matcha cake in a box from [Salon Ginza Sabou](https://maps.app.goo.gl/EYYH4vTv5p2g2Sg38) but they were closed due to a private event. So we pivoted to [Marunouchi Cafe Kai](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pgk4y35Gn8CCrQgZ7) to try the matcha tiramisu but again, no luck as they were sold out.
– We went to Tokyo Station but ended up in the basement mall part that is outside of it, where the restaurants are less crowded and stumbled upon [Tonkatsu Wako](https://maps.app.goo.gl/YhwsnQr6gX89kw7DA) that was a find – great tonkatsu with huge portions.
Money spent: 17221Y + TeamLab Planets ticket which I don’t recall the price.
## Day 11 – Mount Fuji, Kawaguchiko
– Probably one of the best days of the trip, we bought the bus tickets 3 days back as we were 10min from Tokyo Station from where the bus was and it was 4x cheaper instead of taking the train.
– We got out one stop before Kawaguchiko, at Fujisan Station and took a [Thomas Train](https://imgur.com/a/S6sQlqp) for (I think) one stop to get to Chureito Pagoda. It’s 20min walk from there with many steps along the way. I suggest to come early as it gets pretty packed so everyone can get their Instagram photo. TBH, the Pagoda is a bit ugly in person but the sight of Mount Fuji is just breathtaking.
– We snapped a [few photos](https://imgur.com/a/TStVNzN) and once it got packed, we went down and had some nice coffee at a [local kiosk](https://maps.app.goo.gl/oBh4SNPu16vTWDSQ6) ran by an older Japanese couple while looking at Fuji-san, [a priceless experience](https://imgur.com/a/IYGI9B3).
– Since Thomas the train runs once every hour, we decided to walk back towards Fujisan Station in order to catch the bus for Kawaguchiko. It was a good decision since we could [marvel at Fuji-san from everywhere](https://imgur.com/a/TpcoYYW) on our stroll.
– Ran into some [Fuji-san manhole art](https://imgur.com/a/Ln9JM8g).
– We took the train from there to Kawaguchiko and went to see the [Kawaguchi Asama Shrine](https://maps.app.goo.gl/bVsYjGEyaLD9mZKT8), the [huge trees](https://imgur.com/a/L0Y5bI3) inside the temple grounds were amazing. If you climb all the way up, you will see the famous Tori as well as the long line of people waiting to take a photo. It’s on “private property” so you have to pay 100Y per person but IMHO, it was a waste of time to wait for sake of social media validation so we went back down, towards the lake, in search of some food.
– We stumbled upon [Momijitei-Hoto](https://maps.app.goo.gl/JaneqP2SGFaJNV4a6) and I didn’t know that “hoto” is a thing. We had 2 of hoto set meals with huge noodles and it was more than we could handle. The food was great but just [too much of soup, noodles and mushrooms](https://imgur.com/a/U9wCaCi). The black sesame tofu was delicious!
– From there we crossed the street onto the lake beach and snapped some amazing photos of [Fuji-san](https://imgur.com/a/MRsyPF8). There was nobody so I might dare to say we have found a hidden gem of a spot for photos.
– Then we walked back to Kawaguchiko Station, just soaking in the surroundings.
– Ran into some weird-looking [cabbage flower](https://imgur.com/a/7E0NiBJ) and wondered if it’s edible?
– We shopped for some souvenirs along the way and ran into some more [Fuji-san manhole art](https://imgur.com/a/8qMjeOQ), then got on the bus and went back to Tokyo Station.
– Hunger took over so we explored the places to eat and settled on this [Unagi place](https://maps.app.goo.gl/jnCW3LnFYYhhGV7S6) that was a bit pricey but very tasty. You could also see how they prepare it, which was cool to watch
Money spent: 19450Y (Unagi was around 7k + we recharged our IC cards for 2k as Thomas is an Express Train) + Bus tickets that were around 4k, I think.
## Day 12 – Harajuku/Shibuya
– Took the train to Yoyogi Station and walked towards Meiji Jingu Temple, entering the forest from the north.
– On our way, we stopped for great coffee at [Dimlight Espresso](https://maps.app.goo.gl/bHLz3AbW7JnzjaRM7) and even bought a bag of coffee beans from Kenya.
– [Temple was nice](https://imgur.com/a/XbGaLKi) and had many details, like the marriage tree but amulets were very expensive. So were in majority of Tokyo temples, now that I think about it.
– Went to see the Togo Shrine afterwards and do some shopping around Takeshita street
– Had the crepe at [Marion Crepe](https://maps.app.goo.gl/8PgnKsPqLcv1G9nQ9) but was not impressed, it’s just hype, you can get these anywhere in Japan.
– Visited the Togo Shrine and to the [nicest winter goshuin](https://imgur.com/a/r9IAOwY).
– Had lunch at [Seiko-en Yakiniku](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Aykj9b7EV7oCbJ7C9), great value for money and tasty.
– Walked around Cat street, did some shopping.
– Walked to [Flipper’s Pancake](https://maps.app.goo.gl/89RccqVMV9Sr1CW96). It was good but huge portions.
– Found a random place to do [Purikura](https://maps.app.goo.gl/aD2EH5vssj13xDUo6). Man, I was not prepared for this experience. We also got help from some teens on how to use the whole thing, it was a bit daunting at first but I quickly upgraded my editing skills as we went along.
– Walked down to see the famous Shibuya crossing and the Hachiko statue. It was OK, I heard people say it’s much nicer to see it from Shibuya Sky but we couldn’t get tickets on time, waited too long to see the weather forecast, but I don’t even feel bad about it as we did and saw so much that it doesn’t even matter.
– Then we wanted to go and see the Tokyo Tower as it was our last chance, this was not planned originally as we should have seen it 3 days ago but I was sick so we couldn’t. But we didn’t even climb up, just walked around and took some photos, thinking about how different it is from all the animes I’ve seen.
– Dinner at Tsujita Tsukemen, some more thick broth meaty ramen for our colesterol
Money spent: 19955Y
## Day 14 – Asakusa with some Akihabara
– Went in early to Sensoji, this was similarly packed like Fuhsimi Inari and Kiyumizu Dera. Temple was nice but the Goshuin we got looks like [it was done with little love](https://imgur.com/a/zXPKuop). We liked [the one we got in Asakusa Shrine better](https://imgur.com/a/oUsJQ1Y).
– Explored the surroundings and went for a [coffee & waffles](https://imgur.com/a/RYHL2LY) at [Fuglen](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ANbUTqUrHvoQpbaNA), which didn’t do pour-over coffee but it was nice.
– Participated in some lottery and won a [Shiba plushy](https://imgur.com/a/zX9BHKF) to which my wife got emotionally attached so we decided to keep it and named it “Chibita”.
– Went to Kappabashi Street and found some nice matcha bowls we decided to buy. Problem I had with this street is that it was too large, wide and you cannot just quickly cross to the other side in case you see an interesting shop across the street. If you want to check everything out, it just takes so much time.
– We went to see the [Tokyo Sky](https://imgur.com/a/1Hjt30s) but day was very foggy so [couldn’t see much](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/077/424/JCNID.jpg?1318992465). Still, we ended up exploring the mall and [bought another knife at Tokyo Tower Knife Shop](https://imgur.com/a/aLGjpZM). They even let you try them or can do a demo for you and the difference is crazy between a sharp quality knife and a “normal/dull one”.
– We wanted to try the local burger chain MOS and totally regretted it, one of the few, if not only so-so meal in Japan.
– We decided to go back to the Hokusai Museum for the exhibition. It was a combined exhibition from the Katana Museum and Hokusai, showing different samurai and sword drawings, paintings and ukiyoe, all originals + swords from the Katana Museum. We also saw one of the original Kanagawa Wave prints. Was totally worth it going back, in case you are interested, the exhibition is until the [end of Feb 2024](https://hokusai-museum.jp/modules/Exhibition/exhibitions/view/2777)
– We also realised there is some [Hokusai manhole art nearby](https://imgur.com/a/44kebkH).
– We went to Akihabara to get our dose of geek, visited an MTG shop and bought some Godzilla cards and booster packs because I’m a nerd.
– [Kanda Shrine](https://maps.app.goo.gl/5KeP7qh7euVyQ5hz7) visit, contemplated life a bit and though about moving to Japan again. [Said goodbye to our last Japanese temple](https://imgur.com/a/oEuhIkM).
– Went to Don Quijote and loaded up on Kit-Kats of every flavour there was.
– We were pretty tired at this point and out of time, as well as loaded with shopping bags so we decided to go back to the hotel and skip the Gachapon Hall 😢.
– Another dinner at Tsujita for a goodbye ramen.
Money spent: 53843Y (Knife was around 20k alone)
## Day 15 – Travel
– We managed to pack everything somehow without buying another suitcase, which was definitely on the table.
– Needless to say, we shamefully did some more souvenir shopping at the airport, there were plenty of things with a reasonable price, before and after security check.
– Boarded the plane and headed back home.
Money spent: A lot, cuz I bought a Seiko among other things 😅
# Travel
## Airplanes
– We booked the plane tickets in April 2023 (so around 7 months in advance) for around 2300e total.
– Our flight was Madrid -> Frankfurt -> Tokyo Haneda and same way back
– Was a bit worried about the jetlag and downloaded the [Timeshifter App](https://www.timeshifter.com/). Worked great for me but my wife didn’t really followed it and also had no issues with jetlag so YMMV. I also heard that traveling east doesn’t cause jetlag problems as much as traveling west so it could be true. It could help that we’ve landed in early evening and had to travel to Osaka so we had something to do before going to sleep.
– Also filled out the [online form](https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/main/#/vjwplo001) to get the QR code for customs on landing, as it looks like it saved some small amount of time.
## Shinkansen
– Didn’t bought JR Pass because of the price increase (oops) but I don’t think we’ve spent more money overall on transportation. Didn’t calculate in much detail but on a high level, I think we were fine.
– We booked all the tickets via [SmartEx](https://smart-ex.jp/en/index.php), pretty good experience. If you have some big luggage, like we did, you have to go to the car with the reserved seats and book the extra luggage space but it was fine.
– The site also explains [how to enter through the Shinkansen gates](https://smart-ex.jp/en/entraining/qr/) as there might be some confusion around that (don’t forget to pickup ‘seat information’ ticket that gets out of the shinkansen gate after you scan your QR code).
## Local Trains & Buses
– Bought a [Welcome Suica](https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/welcomesuica/welcomesuica.html) on the vending machine in Haneda (it’s when you go past the customs), took 2min. We had to recharge it every few days as we went along but it was pretty quick and smooth. Just pay attention to spend all the money before you leave as it’s not refundable.
– Great hack is to use the Apple Wallet, if you have iPhone, as that gives you a virtual Suica that you can link to your card and can feel like you have [unlimited money](https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExNTUzOWxhbGZobW12OHJwZWgzbGRyazlpcTIwNDRxcXRlNGpjMGcwayZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/3o84sq21TxDH6PyYms/giphy.gif) but for some reason, our bank’s card didn’t allow us to, we’ve tried several cards and banks but couldn’t make it work. As I said, doing the Welcome Suica thing was no issue, though.
# Wifi
– We chose Sakura mobile wifi thingie as our phones don’t allow for other sim cards. I didn’t bother dragging the thing with me around as I knew I will be wearing a backpack most of the time and won’t split but it looks like it was rate limited or something as at times it would just stop working and I would have to reset. So can’t really recommend it, might suggest to pre-order a sim-card or choose a different vendor for the wifi thingie.
# Things we didn’t do on purpose
– Bamboo Forest and Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto. We thought it was hype and that it probably looks better in photos then in real life. Also, as we had limited time in Kyoto, we didn’t want to go all the way there for this, would be stretching our time too thin.
– Shibuya Sky. The long queue times seems like a time waste just to snap a photo.
# Things we couldn’t do but wanted to
– Visit Gachapon Hall
– Eat Micheline Star Ramen in Tokyo like [Chūka Soba Ginza Hachigo](https://maps.app.goo.gl/sxThY9Air7oaS1pz7).
– Eat at [Hikiniku to Come Kyoto](https://maps.app.goo.gl/KUmB4YHmeaGAUjDP8)
– Have an omakase
– Try more food at Tsukiji market
– Walk around Nakameguro
– Try more matcha icecream
– Do a Free Tour of Tokyo
– Spend more time at Fushimi Inari
Thanks for reading and apologies for the long post!