Trip Report: May 9-25, Tokyo and Kyushu

Just returned from a 2.5 week trip in Japan.

I started in Tokyo, before flying to Kagoshima and making my way back through Kyushu. I was by myself, making friends along the way.

# TOKYO (Kuramae)

Tokyo was exciting and overwhelming. I really enjoyed staying in Kuramae on the east side. It was really peaceful at night along the Sumida river.

The first night I got in, being totally delirious from sleep deprivation, I ran around Asakusa in the dark. With the day trippers gone, I had Senso-Ji almost to myself.

I stayed in a hotel/hostel with a popular, upscale locals bar and cafe on the first floor, which led to a lot of commingling between travelers and locals. (named Nui). Fantastic idea.

I found a few tiny music venues in the neighborhood which were exclusively filled with locals. Me and some new travel buddies I met were welcomed as tourists, and it led to fun interactions with the bands and random Japanese.

– Asaka’s Gold Sounds
– Pure’s Sound Market

Ueno and the area around the national museum definitely deserve a visit, as does Asakusa obviously. But it’ll be busy. Save for a quick trip, I stayed out of Shibuya/ Harajuku which I didn’t enjoy.

The most interesting day trip was to Fukushima area. I used a legit tour outfit (Real Fukushima) run by the community and was able to go into the exclusion zone area, and make visits to areas that were devastated by the tsunami. We stopped by one of the few combined community center/restaurant/market centers that had reopened since the disaster. It had such a hopeful feel to it after hearing about the problems getting folks to return to the area.Was a great experience overall.

The food in Tokyo was incredible in general and the 24 hour conbinis and ubiquitous vending machines were awesome for drinks and late night snacks.

Out of all the izakayas I went to, only one server was annoyed to deal with English speakers. The rest were friendly and inviting. Always useful to know a handful of Japanese and get your phone translation ready so you don’t burden them.

By far the highlight of my time in Tokyo was being able to attend the Kanda Matsuri festival around Akihibara. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The mix of ancient and modern, with the mobile shrines being paraded while chanting in front of Akihibara’s high tech backdrop was wild.

If you get a chance to attend a local traditional festival — any festival — do it.

# KAGOSHIMA

Kagoshima was a cute little city. You won’t need a lot of time in the city itself. The Sengan-en garden was beautiful, as was the ferry and bus around the Sakurajima volcano. I did both in a day.

I stayed in a really cute guesthouse called Hostel Tomal. It was a group of private Japanese style rooms in an old building that had been rescued by a sort of art collective group. The owner was very nice and helpful and spoke English.

At night, it’s a quick walk up to the observation point which has a great view of the city lights. (If using Google maps, keep going through the parking lot when you reach the top). This is really popular during the day for the view of the volcano over the bay.

The entire city was surprisingly calm and quiet at night, especially outside the entertainment district. There were very few western tourists walking around, but I did meet a few.

Food highlights:
– western cafe called “CAFESHOP”. Delicious sausage omelette and croissant after eating Japanese style breakfasts for a week.
– little curry place called “Friend and Bird”, nice old man running the shop.

If you are into table top games or just want a fun bar to drink and hangout mostly with locals, there is a place called “NEWGAME BAR” with a flat fee.

# ASO

I made an overnight stop at Mt. Aso, which was a quick express train from Kumamoto. It’s definitely worth a visit, especially if you are spending a lot of time in the cities. It was incredibly peaceful, I just biked around all evening.

The guesthouse I stayed in was lovely. It was run by a Japanese guy who had worked in California for a time, so he had all this American memorabilia and a big flag flying which I thought was cute.

There is also a great “red beef” restaurant there called “あか牛丼専門店 ごとう屋阿蘇店”.

# FUKUOKA

Fukuoka was probably my favorite place, and I stayed for 4 nights.

I was in Hakata, at Webase. It’s sort of a cross between an upscale hostel and a hotel. My private room was equivalent to a business hotel, but had the benefit of a shared kitchen, common space and rooftop patio.

Walking around Hakata, Nakasu, Tenjin at night was beautiful and a lively experience. Similar to Tokyo in that way, but more relaxed.

I ended up at a local music festival out at Uminonakamichi Seaside Park over the weekend. I was one of very few western tourists at the show, and this led to meeting some locals which gave me a ride back and took me to dinner. We went to a local izakaya that looked like an abandoned building on the outside (intentionally) and had a secret doorway. They called it the “ninja house” which was just a joke I think. (The place was called “Chinpunkampun Haruyoshiten”). They did get a chuckle out of making me try to find the hidden door. This experience was easily the highlight of my entire trip. Google voice translate works very well and really makes these experiences possible.

I also took a day trip up to Kitakyushu to see the Sarakurayama Observatory via cable car. It’s a quick trip and definitely worth the detour. Nanzoin was also beautiful to see, but I think I had more fun just stopping at random train stations out that way and walking around.

Food highlights:
– really cool Izakaya called “Takenoya Kawabata”
– modern Yakiniku place with great beef that will serve a single person called “Yakinikutokasudon Tatsunosu Nakasukadomis”

# HIROSHIMA

I only had a short time in Hiroshima, and did the typical route of the Atomic bomb dome/museum and Miyajima/Mt. Misen.

The Atomic bomb museum and surrounding area was a very somber and emotional affair, but important to see.

Miyajima and Mt. Misen were as spectacular as everyone says, but be prepared for lots of crowds. I think I most enjoyed the ferry ride over the most. Absolutely beautiful.

One major food highlight to point out:

“Hakushima Brunch”. The most adorable cafe you’ll find in Japan. Run by a lovely older couple who opened it when they retired. They were so happy to see tourists and interact. The French toast was fantastic and very cheap, and they gave me free home made matcha.

# YOKOHAMA

When I got back to Tokyo, I headed to Yokohama the night before I flew out. I didn’t have much time to see everything, but the harbor around the Gundam factory was *absolutely stunning* at night. Train ride was worth it just for the view.

After two weeks of almost exclusively eating Japanese food, I found an American style BBQ joint (including wagyu brisket!) there which was fantastic. In fact, some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had period. Place is called Midtown BBQ Yokohama.

Overall, I had a wonderful trip. Be polite, greet people in Japanese, don’t fear the trains, get off the beaten path when you can, and get ready to walk like you’ve never walked before.