Hello r/JapanTravel ! I just got back from my honeymoon in Japan, and I used this subreddit non-stop for help. I’ve never posted on reddit, but given how much fund I had/how helpful this community was, I wanted to publish a trip report here in hopes that I can help someone else plan their trip to Japan!
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* I will add tips and such throughout as well as my subjective views on hotels we stayed at/restaurants we ate at.
* Unless otherwise noted, we always took public transportation: busses, subways/metro, and trains.
* I will put in the comments just a list and a small rating of every hotel we stayed at and restaurant we ate at!
* I had a small backpack that I carried around everywhere with medicine, a water bottle, our itinerary, and our pocket wifi.
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**Day 0: December 10 – Tokyo**
We landed in Haneda airport at 6pm after a long flight from Los Angeles, we picked up our JR passes\* at the airport, called a taxi, and went to spend the night in the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi. Our pocket wifi\*\* that we ordered had already arrived and was in our room. We were quite tired, ordered room service, and conked out.
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\*We bought the JR passes before the price increase, and I still think overall we lost just a bit of money on them; however, it was very convenient having them. I don’t know if I would recommend with the new prices!
\*\*Having the pocket wifi was excellent. We basically were always able to use google maps without needing to pay $10 a day for service it turned out to only be $4 thanks to the pocket wifi. We could also imessage and whatsapp if need be.
**Day 1: December 11 – Tokyo (Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku)**
Our first day in Tokyo! My wife has been to Japan once before, but it was my first time so excitement was high! We had gotten tickets to Shibuya Sky\*, and it was well worth it! I can understand it being a little overhyped, but, if you make it a day one activity, it is fun to see how big Tokyo is! The ginkgo trees still had their golden leaves, and it was wonderful looking out into Yoyogi park.
A TON of shopping in shibuya scramble\*\* going through Tokyu Hands and a bunch of other stores. Really just taking our time and not rushing on day 1. Lunch was 7-11: grabbed some onigiri, sandwiches, rice balls. We then went to the rooftop of Miyashita Park, found some benches and ate our lunch.
We walked through Shibuya crossing a bunch of times taking lots of videos. It’s fun! Allow yourself to be a tourist, just be respectful and don’t block people’s way! Free of our bags, we ventured out to Yoyogi park, walked through to Meiji Shrine, got some prayer votives, and really enjoyed our time there.
A short walk as the sun was setting to Takeshita street which was….very touristy but also very fun! The food is very gimmicky and again, kinda fun for the first day to try a potatornado, 5 layer cotton candy, cremia ice cream, and a crepe from Marion crepes. Walked a bit down Omote Sando and then took cat street all the way back to Shibuya for dinner at a big Izakaya (【渋谷横丁】九州食市). We didn’t look up reviews, and we weren’t that hungry. It was fine! It has super low reviews online, but we didn’t mind.
Subway back to Roppongi. Rested at the Grand Hyatt and went out for a drink at Brewdog Roppongi.
\*We bought our tickets 1 weeks prior, and they were 2200 Yen a pop.
\*\* We had a lot of bags from our shopping and wanted to be free of them. There are coin lockers EVERYWHERE. Just keep your eyes peeled near subway stations, and ask an information desk near any mall. They will help you
**Day 2: December 12 – Tokyo (Tsukiji Fish Market, Temples/Shrines, Geishas, Gion district, Shinjuku OH MAN)**
We had a tour guide today! We booked a 6 hour tour with Tomoko Hiragi (you can find her online, she was AMAZING). She took us around the Tsukiji fish market, went to Fukagawa Fudo Buddhist Temple and watched a Gomadaki fire ceremony (very, very cool to witness), walked next door to Tomioka Hachiman Shrine, grabbed lunch at a tempura place that she picked for us, then to Kagurazaka to see the Geisha district (and we even saw a Mako!), before heading to Ginza and exploring the backstreets and finding out that department stores have secret underground food malls!
I cannot begin to express how amazing having a tour guide was. We aren’t usually tour guide people, but this (and one other tour) was a wedding present for us from a family friend, and it’s changed my mind on the subject. We were able to ask so many questions about Tokyo/Japan in general, and Tomoko-san was able to give so much more insight to the places we were visiting (her father worked for decades in Tsukiji fish market).
We were pretty gassed by the end of this so we headed back to the hotel and chilled for a few hours. With our energy returning we ventured out, grabbed ramen at Ginza Kagari Roppongi Hills (Very very tasty!) Before heading out to Shinjuku. Shinjuku station was a nightmare, but we eventually managed to figure out how to get to the Metropolitan building get to the top and enjoy the views. This was well worth the extra 20 minutes of walking, its free and is quite cozy up there. We also saw there was a stamp you could get\*.
We then walked all the way back to boodle around Shinjuku. We saw the big curved billboard screen with the cat. We got some drinks at Golden Gai Alley and made some friends. Hit up some capsule stores, claw machines, played some arcade games, walked around some areas that were a bit more “R-rated” and just had a blast. A long day!
\*So many places all over Japan had stamps. I was kicking myself for not picking up a small notebook or something of that ilk to put all my stamps in. Instead, I have my paper itinerary stamped to within an inch of it’s life.
**Day 3: December 13 – Tokyo (Ginza, Team Planet)**
An easy morning before we set out to Ginza for some more shopping! We have lunch reservations at Ginza Kyubey\* so we’re staying in the area. We did some damage to the credit card at Itoya and Uni-Qlo. If you like stationary and cool clothing, these places are for you! Lunch was omakase sushi at Kyubey and it lived up to the hype. Really fresh fish, excellent presentation, chefs were kind and informative. Top 10 dining experience of my life.
We had a TeamLab reservation at 4:20pm (coincidence, I swear) and so we slowly meandered our way there. TeamLab was very cool and very fun. It’s also crowded and very trendy with lots of people constantly taking pictures and videos for social media. If you’re in the right headspace, it’s a lot of fun. If you sour on that kind of stuff, it might not be for you. We had a blast, especially in the Koi pond room!
Then we traveled back and had some Ramen at Afuri before calling it a night.
\*We made reservations EXACTLY 2 months before the day we wanted to go.
**Day 4: December 14 – Tokyo (Disneysea)**
There’s probably 10,000 posts on Tokyo Disneysea so let me not bore you with too many details. We made it from rope-drop to the fireworks show. How have we kept going this hard? BECAUSE WERE TOUGH! (We will eventually realize we went too hard)
Musts: Green alien mochi, buy a fast pass for soaring (dont wait 3 hours its just not worth it), and do single rider for Indiana jones. The Sinbad ride song will change your life. Great popcorns. The Believe! show is something else. It’ll take your breath away. If you want good seats prepare to sit in them for an hour+ and get comfortable with something warm in the winter. Worth it though.
**Day 5: Decemeber 15 – Tokyo (Harajuku, Shinjuku-Gyoen Park)**
Like a maniac, I got up at 7:00am to go get breakfast sushi at Tsukiji Itadori Bekkan while my wife with common sense slept in. I dragged my now sleep-deprived, Disney-addled body through the cold wet streets of Tsukiji market for what? Some of the best sushi I’ve ver had? Yeah….I guess it was worth it.
I then returned and my wife wanted to go back to Harajuku now that she was feeling better. We both were pretty tired so we went to a cat cafe there (as we were missing our cats at home too), and it was so pleasant! We have heard bad things about the hedgehog/owl cafes, but the cat cafe we visited was excellent. We then spent some time on Takeshida street again, but ventured further out and just walked and walked and took it easy. We eventually (somewhat by happenstance) ventured towards Shinjuku-Gyoen Park and there were the last vestiges of maples leaves and golden ginkgos. It was absolutely lovely.
We had a reservation that evening at Butagumi (Pork Tonkatsu) for dinner, and it was exquisite! Such a charming restaurant and the pork was so good!
**Day 6: December 16 – Shibu Onsen**
After quite a few days in Tokyo, and still with plenty left to do for our next trip (Ghibli museum, Asakusa, Akihabara) we took the shinkansen to Nagano, then took a train to Shibu Onsen. You may have not heard about it, but it’s a small onsen town just outside of the Jigokudani monkey park. We arrived in the afternoon and stayed at a very decent Ryokan: Shibu Onsen KOKUYA. The town is special as there are 9 onsen that only people who are staying overnight can use. You can also get a towel and stamp at each of the onsen and then at a shrine when you are finished. It’s said that if you bathe in all 9 onsen you will have good health for the coming year!
The Ryokan itself also had multiple onsen for just the Ryokan guests. We got a room with our own private Onsen because my wife has a medium sized shoulder tattoo, and we weren’t sure on how strict people were going to be about tattoos. With all that said, we would find out later tonight. We changed into our Yukatas and went down for our first Ryokan dinner.
We had a wildly interesting Ryokan dinner mixing from really wonderful things, to things I have never tried but loved, to things I might not necessarily try again. The service is amazing. Everyone working there is so kind, always bringing you tea and water.
We finished up and went out into the cold night. We had an overcoat similar to a haori (though they had a different name for it). We had a big special key that our Ryokan provided us and we went to 4 of the 9 baths. For those wondering here’s a few of answers.
* Yes, you get fully naked and there \~might\~ be other people there (we had some bathhouses to ourselves, and others there was maybe 1 or 2 people)
* They are separated by gender but you can still somewhat hear each other over the adjoining wall
* There is no “front desk” or anyone checking for tattoos. I’m not gonna say this is a rule for all of Japan, but here at least it did not feel like a big issue to have a small-medium sized tattoo. It was also evening in December in off-tourist season so things could change.
* Yes, the water is hotter than you think it is. As one Japanese man in his early 20s told me “Pain. Pain.”
**Day 7: December 17 – Shibu Onsen (Jigokudani Yaen-Koen)**
We had Japanese breakfast! It was…interesting. I don’t mind fish in the morning, but first thing in the morning the array of different pickled items were not to my taste. We then took the bus and wend our way up to the Monkeypark. It’s a 40 minute hike up and it was COLD. To our luck it started snowing! The monkeys are so fun and cute and funny and wonderful to watch. We probably stayed for about an hour maybe a bit more. It ended up being so cold and biting that we went back into the admissions hut before heading back down.
Then we just….chilled. We hit up 3 of the onsen in our Ryokan where we could enter together as opposed to the ones in the town. We had another amazing dinner. Then finished out our remaining 5 public onsen. Something very magical about it snowing while you’re outdoors in a Yukata simmering hot after an onsen visit.
**Day 8: December 18 – Takayama**
We took 3 different trains/shinkansen to get from Shibu Onsen to Takayama, and it was so worth it. The scenery with snow was transcendent. Part of the allure of hitting up these spots was to take the trains out near the mountains! We arrived in Takayama in the late afternoon and we found our way to Sumiyoshi Ryokan. This was one of our favorite places to stay based solely on the elderly couple running it. They were beyond fun, kind, and wonderful, they were also funny and charming and silly. Everything you’ve ever wanted in a Ryokan host.
Since we didn’t plan we just kind of walked around the old town, then went looking for dinner. Surprisingly by 6pm everything either was booked or had a 2 hour line. We had some subpar beef bowls and ramen before turning in for the evening.
**Day 9: December 19 – Takayama & Shirakawa Go**
We had another Japanese Breakfast but this one I enjoyed a lot more! Maybe I do like pickles and miso in the morning. We then set out to explore the Old Town of Takayama and made our way to the Higahiyama walking course. I couldn’t find much online as to whether or not this was worth it, and I saw something about there being bears. We didn’t encounter any bears but you can take certain precautions like wearing bear bells and making noise as you walk. The walking course itself was stunning! We maybe got lucky in that we were the only ones walking around all these temples/cemeteries through the woods and everything had a fresh thin powder of snow on it. I’d say it’s very worth it because you won’t get this kind of intimacy with nature/temples in Kyoto with all the crowds.
On our way out, I don’t know the name but we stopped by a tiny coffee hut run by an elderly Japanese woman who made the best cup of coffee we had in Japan. With our hearts warm, we bought some Hida beef skewers and took a bus to Shirakawa Go. A lot of places said this was very touristy and overrun by tour buses. And….it was to a certain extent in the main part of town. But for 600 yen on the other side of the suspension bridge there’s an open air museum that the “tours” dont seem to go on, and you can leisurely walk around and enjoy this historic town at your own pace. Shirakwa Go overall was stunning! We spent around 3 hours there just walking around, visiting the varying museums, and walking up to the viewpoint. With the snow as well, it was (and I apologize for using the word so many times) magical. I don’t think you need more than 3 hours here unless you’re planning an overnight (which without having done, I’d recommend!).
Back to Takayama we made our way straight over to Center 4 Hamburgers and had the best cheeseburgers we’ve had in a long time. Maybe we were just missing home, but we were in near tears eating these burgers, fries, onion rings and washing it down with beer and a coke.
**Day 10: December 20 – Takayama / Kyoto**
We still have the morning to spend in Takayama so we walk around the Miyagawa Morning Market, went to a few of the different Sake breweries\* in town (they have these huge moss balls in front of them) and got a bit tipsy from our tastings. After purchasing a couple of bottles, we grabbed some Hida Beef Sushi (soooo good) and some Hida Beef Skewers (also so good!), then grabbed our luggage, said goodbye to our lovely Ryokan hosts, and made our way to the train station to head to Kyoto.
Another lovely two trains later we are in Kyoto! We used Machiya Locals and stayed near Gion. Out for a quick sushi dinner and called it a night.
\* Sake Breweries are like businesses, not like beer breweries in the US that are open in the evening for drinks. These places close at 4 or 5pm so make your plans accordingly!
**Day 11: December 21 – Kyoto (Chion-In, Kiyomizu, Kenninji Temple, Gion area, Toji Temple)**
We had another tour guide today! She was great and wonderful and was another wedding present. (For those wondering, booking a tour guide you have previously had as a wedding present for people going to that destination is an AWESOME present.) We visited all the main sites near Higashiyama and Gion and because it was December even some of the most “popular” spots were not that busy in the middle of the day. We were consistently told “oh my God. 2 weeks ago it was sooooooo beautiful”, and while we did feel like we missed out a little bit, we still had an excellent time. We really liked all the different temples with Kenninji probably leading the pack. We even saw two Makos in the Gion area!
After the tour, we took the bus to Toji temple which has a flea market once a month. So cool and if you happen to be in town for it (I believe it is always on the 21st of the month?), we would highly recommend. I got a really cool vest and my wife got some excellent coin purses. For dinner we tucked into Gion Yuki and it was an excellent Izakaya experience.
**Day 12: December 22 – Kyoto (Souvenir Shopping, Zen Temples, Philosophers Path, Silver Temple)**
We wanted to revisit the bustling alleys outside of the Kiyomizu temple with a bit more time devoted to souvenir shopping! We ended buying all kinds of things from chopsticks to a high-end tea set (that we got shipped back to the US!), we got soaps, matcha, candy, and more. There’s a very “cool” Starbucks that we went to as well before we got started on the sightseeing aspect of our day.
We started with Nansen-In which maybe was one of our favorite temples. Just a lot of exploring which was so fun. There’s a gorgeous waterfall you can catch as well. There’s even a back area where nobody is that you can take a little hike up and see some more shrines. Just a great area to explore. We followed this up with Eikan-Do which despite being “shrined out” we still had a great time and enjoyed. We had lunch at Hinode Udon, and to this day I’m still thinking about that curry udon I ate, it was spectacular! We only waited 10 minutes but I hear the queue could take up to an hour. With our bellies full of udon we took the path of philosophy all the way to Ginkaku-Ju just as the sun was setting and it was lovely. Maybe our favorite temple so far, it was just so mossy. The temple reflecting off the water. UGH! Again we know we missed the maple leaves, but there is still so much natural beauty in December!
We meandered back to our little house and took a nap since we were exhausted before heading out to the best dinner of our entire trip. We ate at a tempura place called Gion Tempura Koromo, and we did the Sake pairing. When I tell you, this meal changed my life….it’s an understatement. Every bite was more beautiful than the last. The shrimp tempura was a game changer. The beef! LORD HAVE MERCY ON MY SOUL. And most importantly, the staff was so kind, taking great care to use their google translate app to tell us everything they could about our meal and Sake. 10/10 no notes. We waddled back home, drunk and happier than ever.
**Day 13: December 23 – Kyoto (Fushimi Inari, Yukatas, Hotel Transfer)**
We started the day off correctly by hoofing it to Fushimi Inari and hiked all the way up. It was wonderful. Seeing our breath with the woods all around us going through the Tori gates! I mean c’mon! We also don’t believe in waking up at 6am to beat the crowds. We probably got there at around 9:30 and while it was crowded once you got going it was fine. It’s Japan! It’s a very popular world tourist destination, there are going to be people. Let that sink in and do your best to enjoy what is around you.
The rest of the day was a bit of a nightmare. We had tried to find a place that sells Yukatas, and we landed on this place called Chicago as well as a store called Mimuro. We probably spent close to 4 hours trying to buy Yukatas (as we wanted some for our parents too). If I were to do it again, I would realize Yukatas/Kimonos don’t need to be something you need to pickup for other people. If you want a pair for yourselves, that is ideal, but don’t go to great lengths to acquire them it will just eat up your full day.
We then made our second big mistake. We had wanted to stay at a “5-star resort” since it was our honeymoon, and we decided on the Hoshinoya Kyoto. Now I am sure people have had a great time here, but it can be very tricky to get to (you have a 2.5 hour window to catch a boat, otherwise you take a car through an incredibly narrow and frightening road), there are very few amenities once there, and you are somewhat trapped. We could not really leave to go out after we had arrived. The rooms themselves are amazing and being by the river in Arashiyama is unbeatable, but that is if you are really looking for peace and quiet and getting away from it all. If you have any desire to do anything, the Hoshinoya isn’t for you.
**Day 14: December 24 – Kyoto (Monkey Park 2, Arashiyama)**
We caught the boat ride out of the Hoshinoya this morning (which was pleasant!), and made our way up to the monkey park. Damn, we love these monkeys! You have the ability to buy food to feed the monkeys here which was a huge draw for my wife. She had a blast feeding them apple slices and nuts. It’s good to be in nature and seeing monkeys not caged in!
We then just spent the rest of the day strolling through Arashiyama, enjoying the bamboo forest, temples in the area, eating lunch at a strip-mall like sushi restaurant, and waiting 45 minutes for coffee from % Arabica (the Kyoto Latte was VERY good, but it was not nearly worth the 45 minute wait). Life was good in Arashiyama, and it was nice to slow down after yesterday’s hectic Yukata shopping day.
Our dinner (Christmas Eve) was at the Hoshinoya. We had booked a Kaiseki dinner, and given the 5 star resort I was sure it would be delicious. It…wasn’t. As I hope this post is apparent, I eat all different kinds of food, and enjoy trying most anything. The food just was very mediocre (a sin worse than being bad in my book) and for nearly $175 USD a person I wish that was not the case. Certain foods I just know were bad like their strawberry was very mushy and not at all fresh. I wouldn’t dog on this place so hard if the price tag had not been so steep!
**Day 15: December 25 – Kyoto/Osaka**
We had our luggage sent to our hotel in Osaka (Cross Hotel), and we had the opportunity to explore Kyoto some more! We visited Nijo-jo castle and really loved the art/sliding doors/squeaky floors! Next stop, we made the mistake of thinking KFC for Christmas will be good. (It wasn’t but it was definitely worth the experience). We walked around and just had a pleasant time around Nishiki market and the adjoining areas before heading to Kyoto station to catch a train to Osaka.
Getting to Osaka was super easy and quick, gotta love these trains. We picked up our Osaka Amazing pass from Osaka station and then took the subway to get to the cross hotel. Cross hotel was amazing! Right next to Dotonbori, the room was spacious and nice. Great hotel! We unpacked and then headed out to grab dinner at an okonomiyaki restaurant called Chibo. It was really tasty but the best part was having the chefs cooking right in front of you and squirting mayo from quite a distance. Dotonbori is wild and it was bananas just walking around. This was the most packed we had felt in Japan yet.
**Day 16: December 26 – Osaka Amazing! (Osaka Castle, Tempozan Ferris wheel, Osaka Acquarium, Tombori River Cruise)**
This was an excellent Osaka day if I do say so myself. The breakfast buffet at the cross hotel is PERFECT. The exact mix of Western and Japanese style breakfast that will make anyone and everyone happy. With a good start to the day we decided to try and use our Osaka Amazing passes today. They cost 2800 Yen per person and we wanted to make sure to use them to their fullest potential. We started by making a reservation right at 10am at the Tombori river cruise for an 8:00 spot. When I got there at 10 there was already a huge queue with certain times already sold out by the time I arrived. You gotta be on top of this.
Then we went to Osaka castle! There was a 30 minute wait to buy tickets, but if you had purchased an Osaka Amazing pass? You walk right in. That was almost worth the whole price of the ticket in my book! The castle and grounds are very nice. Yes it’s very modern, but going to the top, walking around and seeing the exhibits, and learning the history was really cool. I even paid a few hundred yen to take a picture with a samurai helmet. My wife thought I looked very handsome (I looked dumb).
We then went all the way over to Osaka harbor to check out the Tempozan Ferris Wheel. There was no wait for a regular box (there are some that are all glass that had a 15 minute wait). My wife was in a bit of a panic as she is afraid of heights, but we made it through and the views of Osaka are really nice. I don’t know if it was really “worth it”, but since it’s “free” with a purchase of an Osaka amazing pass, I couldn’t pass on it.
Then to the Osaka Aquarium (which is not covered by the pass). As far as aquariums go, it was top notch. I’m not a big aquarium guy, but my wife absolutely loves them, and so it was fun to see that. And even not being a huge aquarium guy, the whale shark exhibit was something I had never seen before. They really are majestic and seem to be treated really well. All in all, it’s a fantastic aquarium. We gave our credit card a beating at the gift shop. That’s life.
Back to the Cross hotel, we dropped off our new souvenirs before hitting up our first conveyor belt sushi restaurant, Daiki Suisan. It was awesome. Excellent, cool, delicious, something new. We had a couple beers, we were enjoying our lives, we then walked around further and deeper into Dotonbori making our way to this abandon building that had a ton of bars on the second floor. We grabbed some drinks before making our way to the Tombori River Boat onboarding and had a great time going up and down the river waving to folks left and right. With a final stop in to Don Quixote to marvel at everything, I’d say all in all, a great day!
**Day 17: December 27 – Nara**
Well folks. It’s the final day of our trip and we went to Nara. It took us almost no time at all to get there, probably an hour. We took the JR line as we had JR passes but the Kintetsu line is closer (we didn’t mind the extra time though). Kokufuji temple seemed to be going through some renovations so we didn’t spend that much time there. If you’re wondering “Oh where do I go to see the deer” like I was, don’t worry. They are EVERYWHERE. And in the morning they are HUNGRY. Yes, everything you have heard is true. The deer: Dirty. Poop: Everywhere. Do they nibble at you and bite and get their dirty noses involved because they want crackers: Yes. Is it worth it: 100%. It’s awesome. When else in your life are you surrounded by deer, having them bow to you like you are some cursed snow white. You can pat them on the head, give them a scratch here and there. It was so fun, but they are filthy. (We also did an extensive tick check upon going back and put all our clothes in the wash).
We then hit up Todai-ji temple and Kokufuji temple. You would think we’d be tired of temples by now, and to be fair my wife kind of was, BUT once we arrived and saw the size of that Buddha we were happy we were there. Very cool (we got the museum/temple double pass) and the museum itself had some very very good Buddhist art/statues/swords. Kokufuji was nice to be in the woods, still seeing deer in and around the temple grounds. The mossy lanterns were such a nice goodbye to everything.
Warning! The deer are full by 1pm! They don’t want your crackers anymore and will be sitting, lazing in the sun. If you wanna feed em, feed them EARLY! We made our way back to the more civilized part of town (no deer unfortunately) and watched the mochi masters pound some mochi into submission at Nakatanido Mochi Shop. They do the show every 30 minutes and it is SHORT so just stick around, grab some mochi, and then be prepared to witness what you have seen online in real life. The mochi was really tasty, though I don’t know if I’ll ever be a die-hard red bean fan. I’ll still eat it though!
We were pooped and had to pack so we made our way back, quickly stopped by the Pokemon Mega Store in Shinbashi (because…..I needed it), and then packed up everything. Ichiran Ramen for dinner and that was that. Goodbye Osaka. Goodbye Japan
**Day 18: December 28 – :(**
There is a taxi stand right on Ebisubashi and we took it to KIX airport pretty early in the morning. Arigato Japan. Sayanora <3