I’ve seen that this sub is really into itinerary checks and I myself have been reading a few of them as I prepare to go with my wife for a 14 day trip to Japan in january. But I want to ask you all something different, what I’m calling the anti-itinerary. The places that in your experience as tourists in Japan you think that are overhyped, boring, plain bad, too overcrowded, tourist traps, too expensive for what you get, you guys name it. It can be anythging really that you think is a bad idea to visit or do, or that you had a bad experience with ( yes, you can tell me about that restaurant that made you feel sick!).
So, I’ll be visiting Tokyo ( 6 days), Hiroshima ( 2 days), Kyoto ( 4 days), Mount Fuji/Fujikawaguchiko ( 2 days.
What shouldn’t I visit/do in those places?
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4 comments
Team Labs Planets, not because its overhyped, but its so crowded with everyone else and that makes it hard to enjoy.
Went to Harajuku thinking there might see some interesting shops or at least crazily-dressed Harajuku Girls (who look like Hanabie). It was insanely crowded on the main streets which I hate, and rather unremarkable. If it weren’t crowded though, I would have considered the otter cafe but that’s about it.
Kyoto is overhyped, as a place to stay.
Don’t get me wrong, some of the most beautiful temples and shrines are there, but I think they are best visited from Osaka as day trips, unless you specifically want to do Fushimi Inari at night or something.
The primary reason is: everything closes at like 5pm, and shin osaka shinkansen runs a few hours later than that. Night life is much better in Osaka as well, so you can spend your morning/day in Kyoto, then return to Osaka.
Oftentimes you’ll get to Kyoto station faster from Shin Osaka than if you stayed at many of the common accomodations in Kyoto
One of my favorite things to do when I visit a new place is to just grab my camera (as I love photography) and just float around. Maybe go to a well-known place like a train station or tourist site, and just wander for a few hours in the opposite direction (of course having internet access to maps is a good idea!).
I’ve had a few times where I end up alongside a weird highway that has no pedestrian crossing, or down by a bay where there’s nothing interesting or it feels kind of dangerous, but by and large, the result ends up being really fun and interesting when you just kind of follow the non-tourists to see how they live and where they eat and drink. It’s worked well in Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and a bunch of other places a bit more off the beaten track like Fukui or Sendai or Shiretoko.
Also, if you do have net access and can check out reviews of these random places before you go in, prioritize looking at the 1- and 2- star reviews first, before you look at the number of 5-star reviews. There are a lot of people who are star-struck with Japan and 5-star everything because it’s SO COOL, haha.