exploring japan
apr 4 - 16 2019
cherry blossom season
my work / personal trip to japan; everything you need to know and all the places i visited.
i did not do any research or planning before my trip. i decided what to do based on general recommendations from friends and what i felt like on that day and in that moment.
General
cherry blossom season.
female traveller, and was solo at times.
things are smaller than you expect them to be, everything is compact.
bring layers, when the sun goes down it gets cold and it’s windy.
smoking is still allowed inside some establishments.
it is rude to leave a tip.
i felt safe the entire time.
storage lockers are everywhere.
bring a hand towel; it is very rare that bathrooms will have towels or dryers.
it is ridiculously clean even though there are no garbage cans on the streets.
no one jay walks, even if there are no cars coming.
expect longer traffic lights.
Money
cash is king.
quick currency exchange tip from yen to cad - take off two decimals and x 12% (% may change depending on exchange rate)
best place to use the ATM is 7-eleven, but can be found at any convenience store.
pasmo (train pass) can also be used on vending machines and stores.
Airport
narita airport is not air conditioned, it is warm!
you can ship your luggage to the airport before your flight so you don’t have to commute on the train with it. definitely worth it and not fun to have to go up and down stairs with luggage.
Transportation & Commuting
walking and taking the trains (if necessary) is the best way to explore the city
walk on the left side, pass on the right side
expect packed trains during rush hour and train attendances to push passengers in with a stick.
apple maps apparently works better than google maps
Communication
some locals have good english, some cannot speak any english at all.
you can get a wifi router at the airport instead of a sim card and multiple devices can connect to it. the only downside is the group has to stick together.
there is also free wifi available everywhere, connection may take a minute to load but you could get away without a wifi router or a sim card.
Food
try the local food in each area, and research what they are known for.
food can be found anywhere and everywhere; you will never run out of options.
drinking the tap water is okay.
there are slightly over 5 million vending machines in japan. one for every 23rd person.
tokyo
asakusa district
april 5 - 9 in the asakusa district
the highlight of tokyo was experiencing the different cafes and districts, i did things that i probably never would have if i was travelling on my own AND of course seeing the tallest standing buddha ever.
Akihabara in Chiyoda the Electronic District in Tokyo
Mocha Cat Cafe
15 locations across Japan
200 Yen for 10 minutes
Idol Cafe
All you can drink cafe that you pay per hour to watch “idols” sing and dance
Maid Cafe
Cafe / restaurant where servers are dressed as maids and treat you like a “master”
Tokyo Tower & cherry blossom walk by the canal
amazing walk at night time, not a lot of people and the tokyo tower is nicely lit up
Standing Buddha in Ushiku Daibutsu, Ibaraki prefecture
1 hour drive from tokyo
top five tallest statue in the world
120M high
Takashimaya Nihobashi
large department store with a basement full of traditional and gourmet treats.
Takeshita Street in Harajuku the fashion district
streets lined with small businesses and major chains
must check out Kyushu Jangara Ramen
Rest stop in Ebina from tokyo to nagoya
banana kit kat
melon buns
ramen
Tokyo Station
ramen street
tokyo character street
bucket list for next time
Shibuya district
Shinjuku district
Odaiba district
Asakusa, Sensoji Temple
nagoya
sakae
apr 10 - 12 in the sakae district
i got to explore nagoya on my own and this is when i started to research the best foods to eat and tried everything that i could. all the main attractions were within walking distance.
must try foods
Tenmusu - prawn tempura inside a rice ball
i made the group walk 30 minutes to get these rice balls; it was worth it.
Miso nikomi - udon noodles simmered in miso broth
a lot of flavour but i still prefer ramen
Kishimen - flat udon noodles at escu underground market
much cleaner broth and really enjoyed the flat udon noodles
Hitsumabushi - broiled eel at astuta horaiken
i have never had any eel like this, it melted in your mouth
attractions
nagoya castle
osu street
escu underground market
nagoya train station - one of the largest train stations in japan and in the world
recommendation
one full day was more than enough time to see everything I wanted to see. i would spend more time else where.
osaka
april 13 - 15 in osaka
i wish i had more time in osaka, 2 days was definitely not enough time. this is where my trip became more about experiencing local food more than site seeing.
attractions
shitennjoi temple - oldest temple in japan
osaka castle
dotonbori street & canal
must try foods
cozy coffee
espresso french toast
Street vendors
Takoyaki
Okonomiyaki
551 Horai
Steamed rice ball
Steamed bun with sesame
Ippodu
ramen
Matsusaka Projects
Kobe wagyu beef
Miyagawa- local bar with snacks
duck sashimi
chicken cariledge
charcoal edamame
bucket list for next time
explore more districts
experience more than just food
kyoto
april 15 in kyoto
12 hours in kyoto was DEFINITELY not enough time, this was probably my favourite place and day. i had to power through all the attractions and survived off 3 beligum waffles, an apple and banana just to get through it all but it was well worth it.
departed at 7am from osaka, arrived in kyoto at 9:23am. the total commute should have taken an hour but we had a 30 minute delay on the train.
rented powered electric bikes from Kyoto eco trip
biked 33km around to the four main attractions
arrived back home by 8:15pm, would have been 8pm if we didn’t miss our stop.
arashiyama bamboo grove
just off the main strip of food, and stores, just on the other side of the canal
arashiyama monkey forrest
a 20 minute hike to the top to feed monkeys
kinkaju-ji the golden temple
unreal scenery
fushimi inari shrine
did not have time to hike up but got to walk up a bit to experience the red tori gates
2-3 hours round trip to the summit
bucket list for next time
hike to the summit of fushimi inari shrine
try local foods
Yasaka Pagoda
Gion
Kawadoko at Kamogawa River
