As the title says, I recently returned from Japan and I had the time of my life. Everything from the food, culture, Japanese people’s politeness and the craziness of Tokyo…It was an absolute blast. Super keen on getting back out there again for longer. I’ll definitely be more well prepared to make journey much smoother, which I’ll go into more detail below. I spend 11 days in total in Japan which was spread across Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. I also travelled solo.
**Airport**
Regardless of what airport you fly into, you’ll want to take the public trains into Tokyo. Taxi’s are notooriously expensive in Japan and should only be used in emergencies. This is assuming you are on a budget, otherwise go crazy.
If you can, I highly advise you to fly into Haneda as it’ll make your journey much shorter and easier to get to Tokyo. Narita is nowhere near Tokyo and you’ll have to take a long train journey to Tokyo station most likely which is a pain to navigate even without being jetlagged.
**On Arrival At Airport**
So there are a couple of things you want to do when you touch down. Buy a Sim Card and get a Pasmo/Suica card.
* So I tried to cut costs and buy a sim card once I got closer to my accomodation. Although it saved me money, it was a pain getting to my accomodation relying on free wifi and directions I prepared before my flight. I would say buy a sim card at the airport. Make sure your phone is unlocked.
* The other thing you’ll want to do is get a pasmo/suica card. Not sure the difference between the two but the method is more or less the same. Load the card up with money and you can use that for travel, vending machines etc. Trust me it’ll save so much time and hassle!
* The other thing I’ll reccomend is taking out a lot of cash. If you’re buying the Pasmo/Suica card I believe you’ll have to have physical cash to load them up. I’ll say take out around $200 worth for now. Although a lot of places in Tokyo accept card, the country is still a cash based society so you’ll almost certainly come across establishments that only take cash.
**Commuting**
Unless you are willing to blow a ton of money during your trip, you will be depending on public transport during your trip. In all three cities I visitied, I was using public transport several times a day. There is also the Shinkansen to get from Tokyo to the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto). It’s great and an activity within itself.
**Other notes**
Yeah so Japan’s culture is different from the west. So try your best to assimiliate, look up videos on Youtube on what to expect and do. Learn some Japanese as well. These aren’t a must but you don’t want to look like a\*\*hole. Sooner you start the better.
**Itinerary**
Day 1: Arrived in Tokyo and settled in. Stayed in Shinjuku. Walked around Shinjuku, avoided the scammers in Shinjuku (wasted some of their time by having pointless conversations). Had some ramen and hung out with fellow solo travellers in Golden Gai.
Day 2: Checked out Tsukiji Market for some delicious fresh seafood. Ventured off to Akihabara to check out the nerd culture and play some games. Ended the night in Golden Gai before going to a batting cage.
Day 3: Visited Asakusa for temples and shopping in the area. Went to Shibuya in the evening to check out the crossing and ate some sushi from a conveyer belt resturaunt. Had a nap before heading to Roppongi for a bar crawl. Ended up in Shibuya again for an Izakaya (specialised in chicken skin) and nightclub (Womb).
Day 4: Woke up late from being exhausted from the previous night. Checked out Ikebukuro for sunshine city. Had Wagyu beef for dinner in Akihabara.
Day 5: Checked out Teamlab Planets (very cool). Wandered around Shinjuku some more (Don Quiote store is fun) before going to an anime themed bar in Nakano. Ended the night at an Izakaya in Shinjuku, Karaoke and nightclub (Warp).
Day 6: Slept in for a bit before heading to the Shinkansen to Osaka. Got myself a bento box for the journey. On arrival in Osaka I checked into my hostel around Namba area and I had curry at a buffalo curry place (forgot the name). Explored Dottonbori for a bit and tried some street food.
Day 7: Went to Universal Studios Japan. Such a fun experience but the food was poor. If you go buy the express pass as it will save time. Went back to Namba area after for some Shabu-shabu (hot pot) before going to a karaoke and club (Giraffe).
Day 8: Took it easy and checked out Osaka castle. Had some more food in the Dottonbori area before going to a bar to chillout. Had an early night for the next day.
Day 9: Day trip to Kyoto. That’s right I only did a day trip. However, I managed to check out a lot of the main sights (Fushimi-Inari, Ginkaku-Ji, Gion, Arashiyama). It was very crowded so had to depend on a taxi to get to Kyoto station. Ended the day with some drinks at a bar and went to Giraffe club again.
Day 10: Train back to Tokyo. Grabbed another bento box. Stayed in the Roppongi area which is a rather bougie area. Relaxed at an Onsen (public bathhouse) which was uncomfortable until you get in the bath. Highly reccomend. Had some Sushi before heading to bed.
Day 11: Last day in Japan. My flight wasn’t until late night so spent the day checking out Ueno and doing some shopping (lot’s of snacks). Ate as much food as possible before getting the Narita express to the airport.
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So there you have it. I feel like I did a decent amount whilst leaving enough time to just explore and not feel pressured to stick to a plan. Honestly, there is a ton of stuff to do in Japan and some of my favourite nights were when I just had an open mind. My favourite areas in Tokyo were Tsukiji Market, Shinjuku and Shibuya. I reccomend staying in the Shinjuku area if you are into nightlife and good food. Otherwise, check out Asakusa which is more chill but has tons to do. For Osaka, I would say stay in the Namba area if you are into nightlife.
Overall, Japan was a blast with so many cool things such as vending machines (which actually work), their obsession with Gatcha toys and the variety of foods they have on offer. I definitely want to check out this amazing country again.
17 comments
Thanks. Did u buy Nintendo land pass? How were lines in all of universal?
We’re you in Kyoto on a weekday or weekend? Curious if it matters re: crowds.
I just wanted to call out for anyone reading this post that if you’re staying in Shinjuku and flying into Narita then you can simply take the Narita Express without any need for a transfer. Super easy and you can use your JR Pass (if you bought one)
A few things about your initial notes:
1) Suica/Passmo can also be bought through digital wallets, at least Apple Wallet. You can reload it digitally as well with a linked card in your Apple Wallet and not have to worry about tracking down a machine or going out of the way to buy a physical card.
2) For those with newer phones, I’d highly recommend doing eSIM instead, which you can buy and activate the night before your trip. Ubigi worked well enough for me. If you’re on TMobile, you have free text and data in Japan depending on the plan you’re on.
What was the izakaya called that was known for chicken skin in Shibuya?
This post is so on-point and yet is detailed. Thanks for that!
What I gathered from people’s feedback (solo, couple, family, etc) is that one should really not do fushima ans arashiyama on the same day as arashiyama is 1.5hr away from kyoto, though this depends on your starting point. Generally speaking it’s better to separate them into 2 separate days.
Where do they have the box food for train rides?
Does anyone know if there are travel esim? I’ve seen recommendations for Japan Experience sim but not sure if they’re still reliable.
Thanks for all the helpful tips. I am super impressed at how much you fit in for your day in Kyoto. Sigh… I was young once!
Any solid social hostels you recommend (or don’t)? I’m headed to all three cities in June as a solo traveler as well, and keen to hang with some likeminded travelers. Thx!
wow, I am shocked, didn’t know there are scammers in Shinjuku!
Just want to add that the first time I went I had gone through all of the hassle with getting the SIM card only to realize my phone plan already covered anywhere data, so I went through the hassle and paid for nothing.
I would say to check your phone plan first, but otherwise a solid tip if it’s not covered.
I just returned from my own two-week trip yesterday, and this time I skipped the SIM, knowing what I know.
Hi, where was the wagu in akihabara and would you recommend it?
Would you recommend getting the jr rail pass? Going to Japan for 21 days . Tokyo Osaka Kyoto – $600 per person for 21 days or is it cheaper to get seperate
Thanks a bunch for this post! My itinerary is nearly identical to yours and this post makes me feel so much more confident and comfortable with my trip.
This is really good information for me as I am currently in the planning stages of what hotel/area and the usual tips for Tokyo (atleast).
If you have any other tips that didn’t come to mind during this post or if anyone else has something to add would appreciate it.