Japan, a country known for its unique culture, food, and high-speed train system, is a place not to be missed if you have a love of sushi and new cultural experiences. While it’s been almost a decade since my Fall of 2016 trip, I wanted to share our itinerary and accommodations to help others with trip planning.
Why travel to Japan?
We decided to plan a trip to Japan because my husband and I both love sushi, and Japanese food in general. We were also intrigued by what we had read about Japanese culture, and the high-speed trains that make travel super efficient around the country. We planned a Fall vacation to beat the heat and avoid some of the crowds. (Things you can do before kids!)
Planning for Japan:
The Lonely Planet Japan book was incredibly helpful for much of our planning. We decided to anchor our trip on stays in Tokyo and Kyoto, with additional stays in Takayama, and Kanazawa too. After reading their sample itineraries, we decided on the following itinerary:
- 2 nights in Tokyo at Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nihombashi-Kayabacho
- 2 nights in Takayama at Rickshaw Inn
- 1 night in Kanazawa at Guest House Pongyi
- 4 nights in Kyoto, 3 at Capsule Ryokan Kyoto, and one at Hiiragiya
- 1 night in Tokyo at FIRST CABIN Tsukiji
Also, purchasing JR Rail passes in advance of our arrival to secure the best price. Our trip predates cheap international cell phone coverage so we also purchased a wifi hotspot for pickup at the Tokyo airport for the duration of our stay.
Experience in Japan:
Japan far exceeded any expectations I had prior to travel. The food, culture, and variety of experiences was truly incredible.
While it’s been almost a decade some highlights from our time in Tokyo included drinks at the Park Hyatt Tokyo bar, seeing a show at the Robot Restaurant (sadly now closed), watching Sumo practice at the Arashio Stable (I couldn’t figure out match tickets for our trip), pastries from Dominique Ansel’s bakery- where the line was a lot shorter than the ones I stood in in NYC, and seeing a variety of temples and markets.
Takayama was a relaxing stop after Tyoko that allowed us to decompress from all of the lights and noise, and experience Japanese mountain culture. Highlights included hikes to mountain onsens where we saw monkeys, walking through the Sake brewery neighborhoods, and seeing smaller temples. We also enjoyed some incredible beef at a now closed restaurant too.
Kanazawa was the most unusual stop on our trip. While we really enjoyed the restored Ninja temple, and eating ice cream with gold leaf, dinner at Yamashita stole the show. We had read this NYT article in advance of our trip, and expected the owner to be gruff. Instead, after we slurped down some initial snails we had the most incredible meal that included a puffer fish course and lively banter with the chef using our wifi hotspot to help translate. By the end of the meal the chef was offering us his homemade soju, and the staff was so friendly as we left the restaurant.
A trip to Kyoto included stops at the Golden Temple, Arashiyama bamboo grove, Fushimi Inari Taisha as well as day trips to Osaka and Nara. On our way to Osaka we stopped at the Suntory Distillery for yet another memorable experience. We were excited to try the rare whiskeys they make that are hard to find at home. We had booked early morning tour tickets on our way to Osaka, and were embarrassed to admit it to a local film crew who greeted us as we left the train station; since we did not want to look like American degenerates drinking before noon. We said we were going to a local temple– which we did to kill time before our morning tour.
Low and behold, guess who came over to us in the tasting room right as we were about to start enjoying the incredible whiskey Suntory produces? Of course, my husband ended up being interviewed by the film crew and said we would not be buying anything to take home when asked. The joke continued to be on us when the film crew saw us leaving the gift shop with several bottles of spirits. I’m pretty sure my husband landed on TV, but we may be glad we don’t know what was said about him.
After our trip to the Suntory Distillery, we enjoyed a day in Osaka seeing the Glico Man, eating conveyor belt sushi, udon and seeing the city light up at night which was quite impressive.
A day trip to Nara included seeing incredible temples, a million wild deer, and men making mochi in traditional Japanese garb.
Look for deals if you want to stay at Hiiragiya because we were able to price compare and find one for one night. It was a breathtaking experience to experience a traditional Royokan. The level of service and attention to detail for all of the food we had was beyond incredible. It was a highlight of the trip to experience the in-room dining and the tatami mat decor.
A capsule hotel stay for our final night was the opposite experience. I really wanted to try a traditional capsule hotel since it seemed so different from American hotels. While the amenities in the bathroom were next level, it was hard to store the bags I had for a ten day trip in my tiny area. Furthermore, there was only a small curtain for privacy, and somebody opened mine in the middle of the night when they were trying to get into the wrong bed. Was one night worth the experience? Yes, but it was also enough and my husband and I had to sleep on separate floors.
Before heading to the airport on our final day we tried to experience the famous fish auction, but were unable to find it in time. Trying to use a map in the middle of the night to find it ended up being more challenging than expected, but we did have a sushi breakfast at one of the food stalls adjacent to the market before going to the airport.
Lessons Learned:
- The Japanese trains are just as efficient and fast as you read about. It was so cool to watch our speed on the hand-held GPS climb while on the bullet train.
- Be prepared for super crowded trains in Tokyo during rush hour. Again, reality is the same as what you see on TV.
- Be open to new food experiences like Puffer Fish because they may end up pleasantly surprising you.
- Also, check out my international travel checklist for must-do items before every trip.
Travel Gear:
- Osprey Fairview 55L Women’s Travel Backpack: This pack was super helpful since it was hard to navigate the older streets of Japan with a wheeled suitcase.
- Osprey Tempest 26L Women’s Lightweight Hiking Backpack: Perfect for hiking and carrying on your front while wearing a larger pack on your back.
- Travel Towel: We used this in onsens to save money on rentals. We had already purchased them for a previous trip to Iceland.
- Check out my travel gear page for a full list of my recommendations. Please know I can make a commission from products that help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.
Final Thoughts:
Japan is such an awe-inspiring place to visit. It’s hard to decide if that or a trip to Australia was my most unique trip yet. I cannot wait to go back with my kids so they can experience the Mario and Pokemon culture and possibly go to Disney Tokyo. We are already hyping up a trip, and are considering the potential for skiing too to see more of the northern part of Japan which is so fascinating.
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