First trip to Japan

28 comments

1. Glad you’ve put Nara in there! My partner and I absolutely loved it and had a blast bowing to the deer!

   One suggestion would be Nikko! Beautiful town with great views and amazing food!

   Also to hire bikes! We hired a bike for a whole day at both Kyoto and Osaka and it was something like 500 Yen… best way to get around and you see so much more.

   GL and enjoy!

2. Personally I would consider giving another day to Kyoto. It really a city that benefits a lot from more time to explore on foot or bicycle, and there are lots of little things to do just outside the city proper if you somehow manage to get bored (e.g., Kurama/Kibune, Ohara, Uji, Mt. Hiei).

   I think the broad consensus is that Okunoshima is kind of a waste of time unless you’re pretty well traveled in Japan and are really running out of things to do. It’s kind of a big detour just to see what equates to a glorified petting zoo. Whether or not you keep Okunoshima, I would highly recommend spend the last “Hiroshima” night in Onomichi. It’s a gorgeous town that’s has a much different feel and pace compared to some of the other places you’re going. It’s also fairly close to Okonoshima, and also on the way back towards Kansai, so it makes more sense to stay there rather than double back to Hiroshima.

   At Himeji, don’t skip Koko-en. It’s practically free if you buy the combined ticket with the castle, and it’s one of the best gardens in the country.

   Lastly, be sure to look up events or seasonal foliage for the specific dates you decide on. Festivals can really make a trip, and foliage can really add to a place’s atmosphere. If you go during fall foliage season in Kyoto early November to early December, but especially mid-late November), I would seriously consider adding more time there.

3. I also need to vouch for renting bikes in Kyoto. One of the highlights of my trip a few years ago.

   Tokyo also has a lot of viewing platforms in high rises that can be enjoyable. (Mori tower is great and there is a cocktail bar) Particularly if you can time your visit to watching the sunset and see all the city lights come on.

   You also didn’t note Tokyo Tower. It is cheaper than Skytree and has shorter lines.

   For your trip you might want to order a pocket WiFi device. You can pick it up at the airport and drop if off when you leave. I found it pretty handy when I was touring around.

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5. I can only comment on your Tokyo part, but well done. That is exactly what I would tell people to do.

   Asakusa is really cool there are a ton of things to do there. You may want to check out Kappabashi kitchen town it is close to Asakusa with very few tourists and a ton of cool stores.

   Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi is by far my favorite part of Tokyo, I would love to stay there for a long while. It has a real palpable vibe of understated coolness.

   Have fun

6. For the Pokémon cafe book it in atleast a month or 6 wks in advance. Otherwise you might miss out.

7. Next time you should also visit Takayama and book Green Takayama hotel. It has a onsen and if your room has a smell like smoke you can ask for another room! After your bath in the onsen, you can enjoy a bottle of milk or eat a ice-cream!

8. Can I ask, what’s your budget for this trip? I’m thinking of going too. And I don’t know how much I need to save.

9. if you want to avoid the fuss/expense of traveling from osaka to kyoto, it’s like a 15 minute train ride between the two cities, if you take the express with the JR pass.

   also, IMO make time for nishiki market in kyoto, it was my favorite morning market in Japan.

10. Umeda Sky Building is pretty cool view. Glass walled elevator, then a escalator across to the other tower. That lands you in the gift shop area. Then there’s another escalator to the viewing platform which gives 360° views of Osaka. I only made it to the gift shop area because of heights and stupid brain

11. Be sure to ride the full loop line in both Tokyo and Osaka. Granted, you can also do that virtually on YouTube, but there’s real value in getting that sense of scale and an overview of the city. You will return with more of a sense of knowing the place, and have a basis for filling in myriad places and details later.

    Take lots of pictures, including signage and public maps, and anything that makes you go “wtf is that?”. The oddest details will provide fodder for later discoveries after you get home. I got loads of entertainment out of re-exploring around where I’d been later in Google maps/streetview.

    Make at least a half assed attempt to learn tourist-grade Japanese. Do this months ahead of time. Work thru some conversational audio lessons like Pimsleur, or at least study a phrase book. Try to learn the hiragana and katakana alphabets. It might seem like nothing sticks, but it will help a lot. And of course, try your best at speaking a little Japanese when you’re there, even if it’s just using your phrasebook. It doesn’t matter if you fail miserably; just try. In the cities, people will likely meet you halfway with their best attempt at English, but don’t expect it.

    Look up the short documentary series Japanology Plus (or its earlier incarnation Begin Japanology). Every episode tackles a different topic. Just dive in with a few that grab you. Knowing more ahead of time will enhance your trip massively.

    Be brave and eat everything. Stay away from familiar western fast food. If all else fails, convenience stores (“combinis”) are everywhere and have surprisingly good food ready to eat.

    Unless you’re going in winter, it’s going to be warm and humid. Travel light, dress light and stay hydrated.

12. Tokyo, maybe a bit full, but doable. I would recommend to be flexible. If you enjoy something, take time to enjoy, do not rush to the next location just for the sake of doing everything on the list. There is one day you got the order wrong. Do Meiji-jingu first as it’s open super early as opposed to shop that open at 10-11 am.

    Unlike someone else suggested, if you had to replace Sky Tree by a different observation deck, I would choose Roppongi Hills Mori Tower or Shibuya Sky before Tokyo Tower.

    Mount Fuji, if you think about Kawaguchiko, then you have to keep in mind that transportation will not be optimal. First of all, when you go, try to use the Fuji Excursion train, so at least you will be able to go in a single train, but it won’t be totally covered by the JR Pass. Next day, you will have to either backtrack toward Tokyo to take the shinkansen it Shin-Yokohama, or take a bus to Mishima. This will make the trip to Hiroshima pretty long and pretty much be a day spent in the train. I would consider going doing Kawaguchiko-Kyoto-Hiroshima-Osaka, so shorter to get to Kyoto. Or do Kawaguchiko as an overnight trip from Tokyo. Like leave luggage in Tokyo, spend the night away, return to Tokyo for at least a night.

    Hiroshima, see more than the dome, go check the museum too. Miyajima is worth it, can also go hike Mount Misen.

    Agree with other people, skip the bunny island. If you decide to go to the island, do not feed the rabbit. The big problem is that the island is small and there is an over-population of rabbit and no predator. Tourist go, feed rabbit (with cabbage because it’s cheap, but not good for rabbits) then they have lot of babies because they have food, so they eat everything they can, destroying the ecosystem, relying even more on people feeding them. But when something happen and they are not fed, they start dying because there is no food, and no, the solution is not to feed them, this will make the problem worst.

13. While in Kyoto catch a train to town called Uji, it’s only 30 min away.
    Also check out Koya-san, an hour away from Osaka.
    In Tokyo, if you find yourself near Shinbashi, go to see Hayao Miyazaki’s NTV Clock.
    Please note that Tsukiji market no longer exists, it’s Toyosu market now.

14. Here are a few recommendations from my trip in 2019.

    I mapped everything thing on google maps and Apple Maps for convenience. Definitely check out JR PASS and get your selves a SIM card when you get there there re some unlimited data only plans that are pretty great and cheap if you know where to look ie not the airport
    TOKYO
    Meiji Jingu shrine nearby Yoyogi Park. The quiet paths leading to the actual shrine are very pretty. It’s near Shibuya and Harajuku.
    Shinjuku Gyoen Park is pretty depending on the season. It’s a mini Central Park with nice views on nearby NTT Docomo Tower. There’s an old mansion in the grounds with a nice view.
    Senso-ji temple in Asakusa. That’s the old Tokyo. Very different vibe from most of the rest of the city. I would go mid-evening for the dramatic red color of the buildings against the dark sky and less people.
    New York Grill and Bar at Park Hyatt for the incredible views in the iconic Kenzō Tange building. It’s on floor-52 and opened to non-guests of the hotel. There’s typically live jazz after 7pm.
    Golden Gai in Shinjuku is an interesting spot. It’s very narrow and a complete mismatch of lights and small container-like holes in the wall for drinks. One of my favorites.
    The Imperial Palace in Chiyoda is considered the Japanese White House where the Emperor still lives—open to the public to visit. The grounds notably are beautiful. Interesting fact, the land itself where it was built was once worth more than all of the state of California combined.
    The National Museum of Western Art is part of the UNESCO world heritage sites. Mostly designed by Le Corbusier, it’s a must-see. Beyond the architecture, what’s on display is to die for.
    KYOTO
    Mount Hiei for the gorgeous views on Otsu, Lake Biwa (the largest in Japan) and the Kyoto basin. It’s accessible by subway, then tramway, then cable car up the hill and then ski-resort-style cable car.
    Gion (the neighborhood up the hill) for the ambience. It’s untouched from the last few centuries. Lots of beautiful pictures to be taken there. In particular around Hokan-ji temple that’s seen in every single photo that’s coming out of Kyoto.
    Arashiyama (aka the bamboo forest). It can be crowded depending on the hour but early in the morning is best.
    Sanzen-in dates back to 750ish. It’s a temple in the nearby mountain range accessible by subway and bus. It’s relatively easy and incredible to be up there. In particular the small walk leading to the temple once you exit the bus at the terminus.
    Nara (40 minutes from Kyoto with Limited Express from KYO-station)
    Nara deer park because it’s iconic and kind of freaky to see so many deer in one place. You can feed them crackers for ¥150. If they’re hungry they can be quite intense and run after you if you tease them. Though, Japan is the only country in the world where rabies has been eradicated so I wouldn’t worry about getting bit.
    The grounds around (just behind the park on your way to Naramachi) have pretty temples standing tall.
    Naramachi (the old Nara) is like walking back 500 years in time. It used to be a merchant town (the largest in Japan when Nara was the capital). Streets are filled with small homes as unique as the next one.
    also check out Kiyomizu-dera Temple And Inari Shrine
    OSAKA
    Osakajo (Osaka castle). Very touristy but quite iconic. The grounds with the tall walls for defense are incredible. It can be a long walk around so prepare for that.
    Kaiyukan aquarium. Unsure how I feel about fish in aquariums but it’s an incredible place nonetheless by Osaka Bay.

15. 2022 yeah at this rate that wont happen but anyways

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    I would give nara more than just a few hours its out of the way a bit.

16. If you want to see miyajima for the nature and to go hiking go for it. If you’re visiting for the itsukushima shrine and the torii you might want to do something else that day, as it’s currently being renovated and is encased in scaffolding.

    Other than that I wish you good luck (considering Japan’s renewed Sakoku stance due to Corona) and fun exploring. Often times the most interesting things I discovered were just small shrines, temples, buildings or views I stumbled over while getting to a major attraction. Just keep your eyes open and it’ll be an amazing experience all over.

17. For Tokyo You might want to think of some other things to do if you’re like my family you’ll get through things fast. Nagano Broadway was always my favorite place for anime figures over Akihabara. The ninja museum and Godzilla hotel at night was fun or the ninja restaurant.

    When I went to Hiroshima I went to another museum where you can go inside a submarine I recommend going there and the atomic bomb museum as well as the peace place and the other building, they are all in the same vicinity. You need to line up for a time ticket to get into the atomic bomb museum but you can choose any time you want supplies lasting (line up early morning.) You can also make a crane in another building that was close by, it’s based on a story from that day.

    Rabbit island has two docks make sure you note which one you get off at.

    For Nara if they start doing it the mochi pounding is worth watching, probably not available during this time but I don’t live in Nara. Might also be worth going to Kobe

18. Fushimi Inari Shrine requires quite a bit of time to climb. It’s best to be prepared for this. Both the west and east sides of Kyoto are good places to visit. I would also recommend the area in the middle of the city, around Daitokuji Temple, where the temples are clustered.

19. Is tsukiji still open?

20. TOKYO: Ghibli museum will be near impossible at the current moment because the museum is only open to Japanese nationals and residents. So unless you know a guy good luck. Also as a caveat my friend did go there and was slightly disappointed because the museum was more dedicated to the making of the films rather than the films themselves. Also should note near skytree is a large studio ghibli store so check that out. If you’re already planning to do USJ consider Disney Sea as well as it is an exclusive Disney park in Japan (tickets are hard to get so keep that in mind).

    Note: Since you plan to go to Ueno park and other outdoorsy places, Id recommend going in the spring because summer is a hot hell, fall’s autumn lead viewing is cool but is not as pretty as cherry blossoms and winter well you’d want to wait till theres snow.

    MT. FUJI/ HAKONE: By Mt. Fuji area I am assuming you’re referring to Hakone, in that case I recommend getting the Hakone pass. If you get it at the Odawara Station its ¥1000 yen cheaper and will get some discounts in the area. Hakone can be done in less than a day. I encourage you to visit the open air museum if you’re a fan of Picasso. There is a sizable exhibition.

    HIROSHIMA: WRT to your plans my friends were able to do most of those things in a day. Hopefully this piece will save you time or money.

    OSAKA: WRT to Nara from Namba station its about 45 min and realistically you only need to spend about 3-4 hrs there. Note about USJ, I went very recently and it wasn’t super busy which was nice most wait times were under an hour, but if Japan decides to go back to pre 2020 conditions its going to be busy as hell.

    KYOTO: I recommend getting the Kyoto bus pass as that is mainly what is used for transportation in that city. I recommend buying if you plan on using the bus more than 3 times in one day otherwise its not worth buying. The pass will save you some on transportation if bus around a lot.

21. Yokohama is a pretty nice place to go for a day trip from Tokyo or a half day stop from shin Yokohama (shinkansen station). Take the JR all the way to motomachi street, walk to the moving Gundam (it does not move much… but still makes you feel like a kid up close), buy food at Chinatown, eat and walk along the bay then go back to the shinkansen/tokyo or go minatomirai and see cosmoworld, old buildings, ships.

    Pokemon ships have different designs and some exclusive Pikachu’s for each store.

    Disneysea is really nice and lines are around 30mins and it is possible to ride all the “adult” rides.

    Skip bunny island if you are really tight.

    If you really like nature, Ise Jinggu might be worth checking out as the national shinto shrine which you could contrast with the temples of Kyoto. You could make a side trip there for a half day from Nagoya.

    Do Kyoto before Osaka to save you a train trip and it is always better to be nearer the airport on your last days just in case.

    When you play crain games ask, don’t be afraid to ask for help from the staff if you feel stuck. But from experience, Taito staff are more helpful and generous but it of course depends store to store.

    For hotels in Tokyo, if you wish to stay in a quiet area, I would consider the Hamamatsucho area by the bay. Though it is not as central, it is a newer area and has at least 5 train lines within 1km. But if you want to party, it might be best to stay near the place you will party.

    Hope you could visit here soon!

22. What about Skytree!!! Visiting Mt.Fuji I stayed at an Onsen hotel in Fujikawaguchiko. It was amazing.

    Kamakura the temple with the biggest Buddha.

    If you come at the right time there’s a fertility festival. Pretty much a bunch of penises and penis related things lol.

23. Don’t overplan. Just go with the flow

24. What time is your arrival in Tokyo? If you are arriving in Haneda, the limousine bus is a shuttle that can drop you off at Asakusa area and one of them directly into Tobu Hotel Levant Tokyo. And if you plan to stay at Ikebukuro, the bus can also drop you off directly at Ikebukuro Station/West or at Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo for 1200yen.

    Its very hassle free to get to the city center esp if you have a bit of luggage with you you don’t want to haul at the trains.

    The routs may change due to the pandemic situation but if you want to know more about this shuttle here’s the English site https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/guide/en/timetable/

    Two of my friends did suggest when booking hotels to get the ones with a breakfast package, it saved them the hassle of finding food before their tours.
    They also booked some with a coin laundrymat in the hotel. Since they washed their clothes, they packed less and more space for souvenirs/less weight on luggage.

25. You can’t spend 1 day in Mt Fuji area (which is pretty indescript). I’ve spent 3 days in Hakone and 3 days at the 5 Fuji lakes.

    Personally I’d ditch Hiroshima, maybe cut a day out of Osaka, and spend more time out of the cities.

26. I’ve already had two flights to Japan canceled. Japan will probably be the last country in entire world to really open for tourism but it’s nice to be optimistic. It’s hard to be now a days

27. You need a reservation for Pokémon cafe so make sure (if we open) you book that in advance. I’d also do teamlab borderless over planets it’s bigger and better. I personally think Tokyo will take at least two days bc you have to catch trains everywhere and walk. Sometimes commuting can take anywhere from 20min to and hour just in Tokyo depended on the time of day. Rush hour 7-9am & 5-7pm. And the ghibli museum is also reservations only atm. As others have suggested I’d cut Hiroshima & add another day in Osaka do universal & super Mario world one day and Osaka life the next. Or switch go to Kyoto then Osaka. A lot of things are reservation only and you will have to purchase tickets at 7-11 or lawsons if any are available. Good luck though! It’s amazing here and we love it

    ETA: with Japan being super serious about Covid-19 I feel that even in late 2022 you will have to quarantine no matter vaccination status. If fully vax’d it’s 5 days, if no vax 10 days and retest. I feel as if ppl planning on coming should be aware of this.

28. While I am fairly certain this is the obvious answer and you’re correct, I just want to double check – by “cat street” you are definitely referring to “Yanaka Ginza cat street” and not separate to Yanaka Ginza – correct? Asking just because there is [“Cat Street” in Harajuku](https://www.japanvisitor.com/tokyo-area-guides/catstreettokyo) so wanted to just double check you definitely didn’t mean them separately (which I’m guessing you did not).

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    >6- tsukiji fish market,

    Also just checking – if it’s the auctions you’re looking for, you actually want [Toyosu market](https://tokyocheapo.com/entertainment/sightseeing/toyosu-fish-market-what-to-know/) as the inner market of Tsukiji closed down a few years back and was shifted across to Toyosu. Only the outer market remains in Tsukiji now.

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    >11- 1h to coast of Hiroshima miyajima deer island explore, floating Tori gate

    Sounds super obvious but it’s actually easy to forget but check timings if you want to catch the tide timings if you’re wanting to see it specifically when it’s “floating”. I saw it at low tide and it was still pretty cool, but advising just in case. We kind of decided to go there on a whim when we went so didn’t really look or care about tide timings ourselves but it also wasn’t something I actively even thought about checking.

    Will also repeat the same blurb I always do (and it’s just personal preference so feel free to ignore it) – personally would suggest staying in either Kyoto or Osaka depending on the experience you want/which fits your needs best. Just saves you the hassle of moving your stuff for such a relatively short journey between the two. If you want nightlife, Osaka is definitely the spot to stay and if you want more “tradition” and quieter nights I’d go for Kyoto. Obviously if you want to experience both, experience both, but i’ve always just chosen one and set up basecamp and much preferred it that way.