Spent 17 days in Japan from May 4th to May 21st, 3 full days in Tokyo with a friend before joing up with a group tour that went from Kobe to Nagasaki while passing through several cities. Going to provide a breakdown of activities, restaurants, and hotels, with personal thoughts interspersed. All lodging, transportaion and food from Kobe onwards was included in price of trip, with exception of lunch and dinner in Fukuoka. Truncating the itinerary, sorry if it sounds short and blunt, happy to answer any questions for more detail
Day 0/1 (5/4/24): Landed at Narita airport in Tokyo, took the Skyliner to Daimon station and checked in at our hotel (Shiba Park Hotel), ate dinner at Gyu-Kaku (came to about $36 for two people and plenty of delicious meat) went back to hotel and crashed.
Day 1: Ate french toast from 7/11 for breakfast. Went to Akihabara, shopped at various buildings (Radio Kaikan, Lammtarra, Gamers, Square Enix Cafe shop, really cool Girl’s Last Tour pop up shop), ate lunch at Kyushu Jangara (ramen) then went to Shinjuku for the Amazing Digital Circus pop up at the Marui Annex. Later went out to the Tokyo Hilton Odaiba for their French Food and Sweets buffet (with seaside terrace seating) and walked around Aqua City after.
Day 2: Bought pastries at Le Pain Quotidien for breakfast. Went to Ikebukuro Sunshine City and attended the exhibition event for Frieren (very packed), found out about a 20th anniversary exhibition for Sgt. Frog on the floor below, and walked through that (ticket came with a very cool gundam model). Afterwards we shopped around (Pokemon Center/Capcom Cafe), had lunch at an izakaya (Shirokiya), and went back to the hotel. Crashed without eating dinner.
Day 3: Went to Kirby Cafe in the Tokyo Skytree/Solamachi building (had a beef bowl with a Kirby lunch box I got to keep, chocolate coffee au lait, and a chocolate parfait), shopped around Solamachi (Pokemon Center, Jump Shop). Went back to hotel to drop purchases off then went out to Shibuya. Shopped around the Parco building (Nintendo Store, Capcom Store), then went to the Hashi 84 Cafe (location is a secret and access is by reservation only, cafe is run by a former Nintendo employee and full of items given to them by coworkers and friends in the game industry, lots of signed art). Afterwards we went to Tower Records. Last stop of our Tokyo time was to Yamato Transport, we shipped all of our purchases back home to free up space for the group tour. Dinner at Yakiniku Like.
Day 4 (Day 0 of our guided tour): More pastries at Le Pain Quotidien, checked out of our hotel. Met our guide at Shinagawa, and took a train to Haneda. Flew on JAL to Kansai (KIX), took a ferry across the bay to Kobe, then took a taxi to our hotel (Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel, interesting shape, beautiful view of the bay). Had dinner at hotel buffet (very good variety of food, had several mediterranean dishes)
Day 5 (Day 1 of guided tour): Had breakfast at hotel buffet (also very good), met the other tour attendees. Went to Kikamasamune brewery, took tour and had a sake tasting sample (for group, I do not drink personally), had lunch at a small okonomiyaki shop (Suechan, was a small room as part of someone’s house by an apartment building, people gathered around these two grills built into tables, two elderly ladies did all the cooking). We then went to the Kitano Ijinkan district, had coffee and pastries at a french cafe, then walked around and shopped for about 45 minutes. Afterwards, we went to the Sannomiya area and shopped at the Gai Shopping Street and the chinese/chinatown section. For dinner we went to a steakhouse (Kobe Steak Propeller, very delicious steak with finishing salt and sauce options, also had very good fresh baked bread).
Day 6: Checked out of hotel, tour guide rented a van and drove us across a bridge from Kobe to Naruto. Had a very delicious set lunch (Kaiseki? It had a fish head in a very good sauce) at the Bay Resort Hotel Naruto Kaigetsu, then we took a boat ride over the natural whirlpools in Naruto (didnt affect the boat as much as you would think). Afterwards, we went to Ritsurin Gardens and walked around, then checked in at our hotel (JR Clement Inn Takamatsu, has a very nice public bath on the top floor). For dinner we had Sanuki Udon at Udon Okajima (very delicious, one of my favorite meals on the trip.
Day 7: Breakfast at hotel buffet, took a ferry (very nice ferry, had a nice lounge/seating area) to Shodoshim, visited the Marukin Soy Sauce museum/factory (had soy sauce ice cream). Ate lunch (variety plate with karaage, chips and salsa, and potato salad) at Mame Mame Brewery. Then we visited the Shodoshima Olive Park and the Meiro no Machi (maze village, didnt walk around much), took the ferry back, and had a large yakiniku dinner at Bokkee (also one of my favorites, olive beef is delicious, and so is beef intestine)
Day 8: Breakfast at hotel buffet, tour guide switched from rental van to rental bus (named the Nom Nom Express), drove to Udatsu Townscape in Wakimachi, walked around the shops (lots of indigo dyed goods). Had lunch at an italian restaurant called Ristorante Punta (very good, delicious genovese/pesto, had delicious beef as the main course). We then took the bus all the way up a mountainside to Iya Onsen (traditional Ryokan nestled on the mountainside, has an outdoor hot spring bath next to a river that you take a cable car down to). Dinner was another kaiseki meal.
Day 9: Tried using the bath in the hotel itself (not the riverside bath), was full of bugs. Breakfast was japanese style (skewered fish, various veggies), took a shuttle down the mountainside to a train station, took bullet train to Matsuyama (Had a hamburg steak bento from Hokka Hokka Tei). Checked in at Hotel Tsubakikan (very nice hotel/mix of traditional ryokan and modern hotel). Went out to see a park with some samurai homes (they were closed on a monday), then went to Haikara Street (shopping area next to our hotel/Dogo Onsen), did some shopping (recommend the pudding shop, had a delicious cat themed parfait with pudding and ice cream), watched the clock transform and went back to the hotel. Dinner was at hotel buffet.
Day 10: Breakfast at hotel buffet. Visited 10 Factory (a citrus/mikan shop that specializes in products from large variety of citrus breeds), had a juice tasting (recommend the Kashi 28 Gou if anyone decides to check it out). Took a cable car up to Matsuyama Castle (beautiful view of the city/ocean). Ate lunch at Dining Vudori (cafe hidden on the top floor of a building, specialiazes in omelet rice). Afterwards we went to the Okaido shopping street, I visited a Mitsukoshi department store (which ruined all other department stores for me), and bought a new wallet (old one fell apart during the trip). We were supposed to visit Dogo Onsen, but my friend had some sort of stomach illness and couldnt go, so I got him some medicine and kept him company. Dinner was another Kaiseki, sashimi was good, and it was someone’s birthday in the group, the guide surprised them with a cake.
Day 11: Breakfast at buffet. Checked out of hotel, took train to Yawatahama. Went to Agora Marche, had a choice of either grill your own freshly caught (not by you) fish, or to eat at a cafe close by. I needed a break from fish, so I went to the cafe and had a very nice pizza. We took a ferry after for 3 hours (of which 1 hour and several hundred yen were spent in a nice massage chair) and arrived in Beppu. We checked in at the Amane Resort Seikai (100% recommend, beautiful hotel right next to ocean, fantastic rooms WITH your own personal tub hooked up to a hot spring on a balcony overlooking the ocean), and took some time to enjoy the room. Dinner was at the hotels french restaurant, Bistro Vent Nouveau (THIS was the best meal of the trip, absolutely fantastic. It was a multi course meal like a kaiseki, but in a french style, highlights were the charred rockfish with a white wine and beet sauce (Top favorite dish on the trip), and the amberjack tuna with egg and vinegar)
Day 12: Breakfast at hotel buffet. Went to the various hells/jigoku of Beppu (hot springs/sulfur pools not fit for bathing). Was supposed to have steamed food (steamed in the hells I think) but the wait was too long, we had rice bowls with karaage/tempura on top. Went back to the hotel, had a 150 minute massage. Dinner was a kaiseki at the hotels japanese restaurant, Gen (wasn’t as good as Nouveau, Sashimi was fantastic, didn’t care as much for the other dishes).
Day 13: Checked out of hotel (after crying), took train to Fukuoka. Checked in and dropped bags at Hotel Nikko Fukuoka. Ate lunch at Khaos (Mandarin restaurant that is an omakase experience, had shark fin soup and jellyfish amongst other things). Went to Ohori Park, took a swan boat around the surrounding lake. Went to the Tenjin shopping district, shopped around (Animate, Surugaya, Tower Records). For dinner, we went to Nakasu, guide gave us money and let wander the Yatai (food stalls) by the riverside, ended up choosing Hakata ramen. Went to a nearby bar that also served sweets called Mont Pignon, had a dessert called a Dutch Baby (a cinnamon dusted pastry served with ice cream and lemon), and they gave me some raspberry milk.
Day 14: Free day in Fukuoka, went shopping for anime/game artbooks in Tenjin (Lashibang/Mandarake). Also went to the Tokyu Hands in the JR Hakata Station. There was a food stall/tent event going on at the station, got a sandwich stuffed with beef (also had some gold flake on top, oddly enough). Was still hungry, bought some pastries at Heart Bread Antique. Shopped at the Marui Annex (Surugaya)
Day 15: Checked out of hotel. Took train to Nagasaki. Left bags at hotel (JR Kyushu Hotel Nagasaki). Ate lunch at Lekker (Toruko Rice or Turkish Rice). Went to Glover Garden, walked around. Dinner was at an izakaya called Katsugiya (chicken nanban amongst other items). After dark, the guide hired cabs to take us up to the Inasayama observation deck to view the entire city.
Day 16: Breakfast at hotel buffet. Went to the Dejima trading post (former dutch trading post from approx the 1600s to 1800s). Afterwards took a boat tour of Hashima Island/Gunkanjima (island that was a former mining facility/town). Last activity of the trip was the Atomic Bomb Museum (tragic, but very informative/moving).
For our last dinner, we went to a kaiten sushi bar by the name of Wakatakemaru (sushi/sashimi/karaage).
Day 17: Breakfast at hotel buffet. Checked out of hotel, took shuttle bus to Nagasaki airport. Said goodbyes to other group members/tour guide, took JAL flight to Haneda Airport. Took limousine shuttle bus to Narita, ate udon at their food hall, and flew back home.
by jellyroll8675