Japan ranks high on many travel wish lists, and rightly so. Whether it is for the big city life, the amazing food, everything kawaii, the centuries old traditions, the stunning nature, the well-organized and friendly people, or just all of the above, Japan is just amazing and completely different. For me, it has been on my bucket list since I was a child and together with my sister we have been saying that we wanted to visit during the cherry blossom season since forever. And then it happened, I got an alert that flight tickets for April were selling for 270 euros, we both asked three weeks of from our jobs, bought the tickets (by this time they were €450, but still) and started planning. A couple of months later we were boarding a plane, ready for an incredible three weeks in Japan. Here is how we filled these three weeks:
Sakura, sushi and shopping-galore in Tokyo (day 1 to 5)
where we stayed: Imano Hostel
Our first couple of days in Japan were spent in Tokyo and were mostly filled with eating and shopping. I wrote all about these days here.
Tokyo is so big and diverse that you can easily spend months here without doing the same thing twice, but the amount of time you should sacrifice to this city is best determined by how you want to fill in the rest of your time in the country of the rising sun. If you will be visiting more cities, you might want to wait a little on the shopping to save up some space in your suitcase and if Kyoto is on your itinerary you can safely skip the temples in Tokyo because you will sure see enough of those.
Hanami in Hakone (day 6)
mode of transport: train & bus
On our way from Tokyo to Osaka, we made a stop in Hakone, a mountain town from where you can see Mt. Fuji on a clear day. Outside of the winter season, odds of clear weather are small and chances of spotting this Japanese icon are not too high but this does not mean that you should skip Hakone all together. There are plenty hot springs, hiking paths, boat rides and cable car rides (if the volcano is not active that is) to keep you busy for a day. And the mountains covered by cherry blossom trees in spring is a truly magnificent site in its own right. Something about Japan that is truly great is that you don’t have to worry about your luggage. In every train station there are lockers and a manually operated luggage counter or you could make use of one of the greatest Japanese inventions and simply ship your luggage to you next hotel.
Okonomiyaki in Osaka (day 7)
mode of transport: train
where we stayed: airbnb apartment
In the evening we arrived in Osaka. Osaka has a reputation of being a laid-back city and it is true that you immediately see the difference with Tokyo. The people appear to be more relaxed and not all girls look like perfect robot-like super models. Another difference with Tokyo, which we were less enthusiastic about, is that here apparently people are allowed to smoke in restaurants, while they are not allowed to smoke on the streets. The world upside down for Europeans like us.
The next day, we woke up early to visit the sights of Osaka: the Umeda sky building and the old castle. Afterwards, we made our way to the city center for some donuts, some shopping and some coffee. In the evening we wanted to check out what Osaka is really famous for: street food. Sadly enough it was raining cats and dogs and if there is one thing that can really ruin a good street food dish, it is a couple of liters of cold water. After trying the famous octopus balls we decided to make our way back and look for another Osaka institution: conveyor belt sushi.
what to see?
- Umeda SkyBuilding: This special high-rise building near the Osaka train station has a very typical form and is a real Osaka landmark. You can go up to the 39th floor for a bird-eye view of the city but since we had done this in Tokyo we skipped this part and just marvelled at te building from the street level.
- Osaka Castle: This Japanese style castle is actually a replica since the original one was attacked multiple times and burned down more than once. Similar castles can be found in other cities, like Nagoya.
- Namba Parks: To see this shopping center’s main attraction, you have to take the elevator up to the roof. The incredible rooftop gardens are a great example of urban garden and really nice for a stroll, even when it’s raining cats and dogs.
where to shop?
- Biotop: This concept store has a branch in Tokyo and one in Osaka, which are both equally pretty and worthy of a visit. You can come here to buy clothes and plants or for a nice meal or coffee
where to eat?
- Floresta donuts: This chain specializes in natural donuts and has stores all over Japan. If you wander past one, it is always a good idea to hop in for one of these tasty pastries.
- Dotonbori: This must be one of the most famous food strips worldwide. Known for glico man and the giant crab and puffer fish and all of the food of course. This is the ideal place to try some okonomiyaki or takoyaki.
- Conveyor Belt Sushi: If you want to eat as much sushi as possible while in Japan, but are not a multimillionaire conveyor belt sushi is a good alternative. Be it only for the fun experience or the convenience that you do not have to speak any Japanese to get what you want.
where to drink coffee?
- foodscape: This is honestly one of the breakfast places I have ever been. The interior is pretty and light, the coffee is delicious and the pastry chef had his training in Germany, what more can we wish for?
Meditating on Mount Koya (day 8 & 9)
mode of transport: train, cable car & bus
where we stayed: Shojoshin-in
After the best breakfast ever, we left Osaka for Koyasan. Koyasan is the headquarters of Shingon buddhism and a pilgrimage for Buddhists worldwide. But no worries, you do not need to be able to levitate to visit this place. There are more than 100 temples in this small town and in most of them you can stay the night for an ultimate zen experience, amazing vegetarian food and a prayer session very early in the morning. While for me, this was the first night my jet lag wasn’t tormenting me, my sister did not manage to catch any sleep because it was too quiet (I know).
Apart from staying in one of the many temples, people come to Koyasan for the Okuno-in one of the biggest buddhist cemeteries. And as everything in buddhism, their cemetries are pretty serene and beautiful rather than scary or sad. After spending almost a week in busy Japanese cities, two days in this peaceful paradise was exactly what we needed.
Temples, Tori gates and geishas in Kyoto (day 10 to 13)
mode of transport: bus, cable car & train
where we stayed: the lower east nine hostel
When people think about Japan, they immediately think about Tokyo and Kyoto as the two opposite sides of Japanese societies. The ultra-modern Tokyo versus the historic Kyoto. although you would not be able to tell from the very modern train station and it’s neighborhood. And it sure was not easier to find our hostel. In total, we spend four days in Kyoto, of which two in the city itself and two day trips (to Nara and Arashiyama).
Our first day in the city, we started on the hunt for breakfast but as in the rest of Japan, it is quiet a challenge to find any place opening before ten so the rest of our days here we decided to stay in the really pretty hostel bar. In the end we did find a really pretty place around lunchtime (yes, we were waiting in front of the door when they opened). After filling our stomachs in a sleek decor, we started with Nanzen-Ji, the temple at the south side of the Philosopher’s path and our first of many temples in Kyoto. Along the famous philosopher’s path there are many pretty pretty blossom trees, nice little tea places, cute shops and ceramic places, where you can make your own cups or bowls. The path ends at the entrance of another temple (Ginkaku-Ji or silver temple), which we visited but wouldn’t have paid to visit again (the lesser version of the gold temple, with too many people and you can only visit the insides with a Japanese speaking guide). To end our day, we went to Fushimi Inari, the Shinto shrine with hundreds of orange tori gates winding up a mountain. We were there at sundown, which gave the entire place an even more magical atmosphere. The second day, we made a day trip to Nara, the ancient capital of Japan, known for more temples, a giant buddha statue and – most importantly – deer. Deer are seen as holy in buddhism and this in combination with the hundreds of tourists feeding them means that this place is heaven for these animals. Our third day in Kyoto was centered around one thing – geishas. We started with a visit of the incredibly beautiful gold temple and spent the rest of the day in the old part of the city, sipping matcha, visiting temples and spotting geishas. We had the luck of being in Kyoto during the spring recital of the geisha dance, the surest way to see geishas in their natural environment. The fourth and final day in Kyoto, we took the train to Arashiyama, for one of the greatest days of our entire trip. We started with an amazing cappuccino in one of the nicest places ever, before climbing a mountain to spot some Japanese snow monkeys (who certainly are not shy). Our lunch spot was almost as nice as the coffee place and then we headed of for the bamboo forest – which in all honesty is more a bamboo street, but pretty nevertheless.
Overall, I would say that in the big clash of the cities, I would root for Tokyo. After getting used to the extremely efficient public transport system in Tokyo, Kyoto just seemed like a complicated mess to get around. In addition, it was very hard to find an affordable place to eat where people would not be smoking inside, something that never seemed to be a problem in Tokyo. However, a couple of days in Kyoto are an essential part of any trip to Japan.
What to see?
- Nanzen-ji: the start point (or end point, depending on how you’re looking at it) of the philosopher’s path. One of the biggest temple complexes in Kyoto, especially worth a visit for the impressive grounds. Take the small path up the mountains to get away from the crowds.
- philosopher’s path: a small path next to a river linking some of the temples and sightseeing places in Kyoto. Especially nice during spring when covered with blossoms. Stop in one of the many cafes or cute shops, or do like us and make your own pottery.
- silver pavilion: the smaller brother of the golden pavilion. I would skip this one next time because it is expensive, crowded and less impressive than it’s more famous counterpart
- fushimi inari: a shinto shrine existing of hundreds of bright orange tori gates winding up a hill. Don’t stop in the beginning for pictures, because they will be ruined by thousands of tourists, but instead keep on climbing until the point where most people have given up. One of the highlights of our trip
- giant buddha: inside the largest wooden building worldwide, you can find Japan’s biggest buddha statue. One of the main reasons to visit Nara apart from the deer.
- golden pavilion: as a person who loves anything gold, this was one of my personal favorites, despite the amount of people and the fights to get a good picture.
- gion: the geisha district really feels like stepping back in time, although it remains a weird idea that this profession still exists and, given the large amount of tea houses closed to the public, is still extremely popular.
- kiyomizu dera: as most of Kyoto’s nicest attractions, this temple lies on top of a mountain and is very different from all of the other temples you will have seen by now. Nice views over the city.
- Arashiyama monkey park: if a trip to the onsen resort where you can spot the snow monkeys taking a bath (as on the world-famous National Geographic cover) is not on your itinerary, it is worth climbing the (extremely) steep mountain to visit the monkey park in Arashiyama. Watch out for your belongings and be guarded because these monkeys are not people-shy.
- bamboo forest: despite being difficult to capture on camera, the bamboo forest is one of the most photographed sights of Japan. Again, being here in peak season means that you will have to be patient to snap a photo without hordes of tourists, but maybe your patience will be rewarded by a group of young monks willing to pose for your perfect snapshot.
- Okochi-Sanso villa: in the middle of the bamboo grove, you find the entrance to the villa of one of Japan’s most famous actors of times past (don’t worry, we had never heard of him either). One of the most impressive Japanese gardens we have seen on our entire trip.
Where to eat?
- & noma: this café has the prettiest mid-century European decor, extremely friendly staff wearing matchy striped shirts and some pretty nice soup and salads.
- Saganoyu: this restaurant and shop in an old bath house was one of the highlights of our trip. We had the most delicious pasta with a Japanese twist. The only downside is that you are not allowed to take pictures.
Where to sip coffee?
- % arabica: these sleek white coffee roasters have two outlets in Kyoto (and a number of other places worldwide), and both are pretty. We went to the Arashiyama branch for a delicious cappuccino and breathtaking river views.
- Café Bibliotec Hello!: I have to admit that we spent an entire evening here. Sometimes, travelling can be tiring, so when we arrived here for a coffee we were so happy to find a relaxed place that we decided to stay for dinner and wine. The only downside is the smoking but it appears that all relaxed places in Japan are smoker friendly.
Nagoya – the underdog (day 14)
mode of transport: train
where we stayed: Nagoya Traveller’s Hostel
Nagoya was on our itinerary for two reasons: because it is conveniently located between Kyoto and the Kiso valley and because people call it the coffee capital of Japan (clearly, this was something we couldn’t miss). Admittedly, Tokyo has more coffee places, but Nagoya is this charming underdog, where people are so proud and happy with visitors that they are even friendlier than in the rest of the country (if that is even possible). Since this was our last city before immersing ourselves in the Japanese countryside, we filled our day here with some souvenir shopping, some coffee sipping – of course – and our first mos burger of the trip (even though we had been searching for this so-called Japanese McDonalds in all other cities we’ve been to).
Our hostel in Nagoya was the only real hostel of the trip, including creepy dudes, so we were quiet happy to find out that we were given a private room and the owner was extremely kind and welcoming. Somehow, we ended up in the gay neighborhood again (we were also staying in the gay neighborhood in Tokyo) which meant loads of life-sized pictures of boysband members. We also had the opportunity to finally discover the best Japanese invention ever: luggage shipping. For a mere 14 euros, we shipped our luggage to Kusatsu-onsen, a small onsen town some 300 kilometers from Nagoya, which meant that we did not have to transport our luggage on and off trains, busses and along a hiking trip. I can only say that I wish we tried this sooner… and that a similar service would exist in other countries.
What to see?
- International Design Center: Japan is known for its design, so it’s no wonder that they have an international design center. The building mainly houses offices, a small shop and an exhibition space with temporary expositions, but it is especially interesting for the architecture.
Where to shop?
- loft: if you’re not much of an architect buff, it is still worthwhile to visit the international design center for the huge loft branch inside. As mentioned in my Tokyo itinerary, this shop has everything you can possibly want, and believe me, you will want everything!
Where to eat?
- mos burger: the Japanese version of McDonalds, only somewhat harder to come across by accident. Good for a cheap and good hamburger meal and even in a fast-food place the friendliness of the service personnel will absolutely stun you.
Where to sip coffee?
- the cups: beautiful, airy and light place serving third-wave coffee, salads and ice cream. They have two branches in Nagoya.
Hiking back in time in the Kiso valley (day 15 & 16)
mode of transport: train & bus
where we stayed: Shimosagaya
Time to get our nature on. Our next stop was a small ryokan in Tsumago, a village where nothing has changed since the Edo period (they are not even allowed to have visible electric wiring). From Nagoya, we made our way to Magome, another charming Edo-period town, and from there, we hiked the remaining 8 kilometers to our stop for the night. The path between Magome and Tsumago runs along the old Nakasendo, the old highway connecting Kyoto and Tokyo during the Edo period, and is the only part that was not touched by the construction of modern roads. The villages along the way are called post towns and were specially constructed to host messengers who went from one of the two ancient capitals of Japan to the other to bear news.
The weather gods were not favourable (I honestly do not know what I have done in a previous life to frustrate them that much), so our hiking day coincided with the only full day of rain since our arrival in Japan. Luckily, halfway along the path there is an extremely friendly man inviting people into a small inn and serving hot tea and the nature along the way is breathtaking enough to make you forget about the rain. Be carefull for bears, because, yes, apparently they still roam the forests of Japan, but there are bells every couple of meters so you can announce your presence and make sure you do not startle a mother bear protecting her cubs.
After a warm welcome, great meal and a good night sleep we woke up to clear skies and could finally discover the extremely pretty Tsumago. But even though our day started out great, we would not arrive to our next destination unscathed. One tip: make sure that you always have enough cash, since Japan is still a cash society and European bankcards are only accepted at 7-eleven ATM’s. This is how we ended up at the small Nagiso train station where they did not accept credit cards (or any cards for that matter), without cash and no 7-eleven in sight. Moreover the only unfriendly Japanese person appeared to be working at this exact train station and he was not only unable to tell us what our options were, they also changed every ten minutes, as did the prices and the whole process took so long that we ended up missing 4 consecutive trains. In the end, we paid double the price of the train tickets because we could not pay for the entire trajectory up front and we ended up on four different local trains, filled with giggling school girls, who luckily were able to help us and tell us where to get off. You would think this was the end of our troubles. Think twice. We arrived at Karuizawa, from where we had to take a bus, around 4PM only to be told that the last bus had left half an hour before. Luckily, this turned out not to be true and after some panick attacks and a lot of running and asking around we did manage to arrive in one piece in Kusatsu-onsen. And we had never been so happy to find our luggage waiting for us in our rooms. Imagine that we would have to redo the entire trip with big suitcases.
Soaking in Kusatso-Onsen (day 17)
mode of transport: train & bus (and a lot of stress!)
where we stayed: Yoshinoya
After a long and hectic day, we were happy that the final stop of our itinerary was all about relaxation. Because of the volcanic activity on the islands of Japan, there are many natural hot springs throughout the country and soaking in a natural hot spring – or onsen – is an intrinsic part of Japanese culture. Tired as we were, we decided to start by checking out one of the free onsens in the towns center. The onsen we decided on was more like a public bathhouse, mainly used by locals. The water was exceptionally hot that day due to high volcanic activity, but the entire Japanese family present that evening (from grandmother to couple-month old baby) were determined to get us inside. The onsen ritual comes with a lot of rules, but the locals are more than happy to guide you trough.
The next day, we started with one of the bigger bath houses. It is really true what they say that all of the reservations Japanese people seem to have are dropped from the moment they take a bath together (naked that is). Before going to the next onsen, we wanted to do something else to give our skin some rest. On the city map, we’ve seen that there was a waterfall close so we decided to go and check it out. However, the map did not end up being true-scale and we were not equipped for hiking (think pencil skirt, ballet flats, a little basket with our towels and shampoo and no water). In the end we ended up hiking for 8 kilometers, along steep mountain paths next to a small ravine but we saw a waterfall, have a nice story to tell right now and did deserve another soaking session. The last hot spring we visited was a large outdoor bath and by far my favorite. In the evening there was a special event with hundreds of candles and live music. The perfect evening before heading back to Tokyo.
The last day in Tokyo (day 18)
mode of transport: bus & train
where we stayed: Bunka hostel
Our last day in Tokyo (and in Japan) was filled with last-minute souvenir shopping and coffee drinking. I realise this is starting to be repetitive but those are my two favourite things to do in a city. We did also walk past the big sumo wrestling stadium and spotted some real life sumo wrestlers in the nearby subway station.
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