Japan has always been a country we dreamed of visiting. It was simply a matter of time and opportunity. So when the time finally came we were absolutely ecstatic! Now looking back we are so proud of being able to visit and experience this amazing country as a family. It is one of the most important trips we ever did! Japan changes you in various ways. You get a different perspective on life, culture, and society.

We stayed for about two weeks. We landed in Tokyo. Stayed there for a few days and moved to Hakone for one night. Then to Kyoto from where we did various one-day trips. The final destination was Osaka from where we flew back home. This will be a summary of the entire trip. For more details on the specific locations click on the “read more” link next to it.

Tokyo

Hard to describe Tokyo in a few sentences. If we have to I would say that it is a magical city. We tried to explore it as much as we could and the crowds allowed. The streets were almost all the time full. The metro and train stations were an insane super organized madhouse! Everything just works. Everything is on time and life does not stop for a second. We stayed mainly in the Shinjuku District. That was the most optimal since the hotel was right next to the metro/train station which we utilized for every day trip we went on. / read more

Hakone

After the few day trips, we did from our hotel in Tokyo next on the list was Hakone. We stayed in a traditional Japanese ryokan hotel where the rooms were in their tatami style setup. We wanted to truly experience the culture and we absolutely loved it. The food was amazing and we never needed anything more than what we had in the room. We also had in the hotel one of the many hot springs (also known as onsen) on the island which we truly enjoyed. If you have a chance to experience it do it. It is a very similar experience to Iceland and its Blue Lagoon. / read more

Kyoto

Our second “base” was Kyoto and from here we did a series of day trips to various landmarks and must-see places. The city itself is beautiful and if you stay in a hotel close to the train station you can really visit a ton of places quickly. Everything in Japan is connected via the train line. Or at least almost everything. We visited here the famous Fushimi Inari shrine and many others. We also dressed in traditional Japanese clothing while exploring the city as many Japanese people do. It was tons of fun! / read more

Tsukushima aka Miyajima Island

Miyajima was a day trip from Kyoto and it is 30 mins ferry ride from Hiroshima. We spend most of our time that day in Miyajima and enjoyed the amazing views and food there. Island has so many traditional Japanese buildings, shrines, and little shops that even one day felt hard enough to see everything. / read more

There are many souvenir shops, tiny restaurants, and various attractions. Just offshore, you can see the giant orange Great Torii Gate. The gate marks the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine, built in the 12th century.

Osaka

Another day trip we did from Kyoto made us realize that Osaka needed a lot more time than one day to be truly appreciated. Just exploring the amazing Osaka Castle requires more than half a day so we ended up spending most of ours there and around it :). / read more

Kobe

Our Kobe experience did not start great. The day we visited the city it was raining, windy and cold. We walked under the rain from the train station around the city until our reservation time was up for an authentic Kobe beef experience. After which no one cared about the weather, the wet clothes, or the cold. We thought we had an idea what a high-quality steak was but we were wrong. So … so … wrong. Nothing we have tasted before came close to this. Truly amazing! / read more.

Nara

Our last day trip was to Nara from Kyoto where we spent the majority of the day exploring the Kofuku-Ji Temple and the surrounding areas. This is also where we had the best shrimp udon soup by far. The temple was quite busy but its sheer size and layout make it a great place for pictures. There are deers everywhere in Nara. They are considered the “messengers of the gods” and if you visit Nara Park you can feed them and pet them as much as you like. / read more

Overall Japan was an adventure we will remember for the rest of our lives. We liked it so much that we are planning to visit again the first opportunity we get!

Here is our second video compilation of the trip. We hope you enjoy it:

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Hakone (箱根町 Hakone-machi) is a town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The town had an estimated population of 12,000 and has been designated as a Japanese National Geopark by the Japanese Geoparks Network.

Lodging

We picked a mountain ryokan with a restaurant, near Hakone Gora Park. The whole experience was very traditional. Rooms are as you would expect in the Japanese style (known as washitsu). There are no beds and during dinner, the hotel staff sets up these futons on the floor (tatami). They are actually surprisingly comfortable but kind of short (if you are taller than 6 feet). The meals are all prepared by a master Chef with multiple courses etc. The hotel we stayed at was Lalaca in Hakone.

We really enjoyed the food and the entire atmosphere. During the entire experience, you are dressed in the traditional Japanese home robes. Another awesome feature of the hotel and Hakone, in general, was that you have an onsen on-premise you can enjoy at a scheduled time. It is a natural hot spring bath very similar to the ones we experienced in Iceland.

Hakone Ropeway

Another experience you can enjoy is the well known Hakone ropeway. During our visit, we did not get the best weather but even with the rain we still liked the ropeway a lot. You actually get a clear view of Mount Fuji while enjoying an aerial funitel line! Also very visible from the stop at the top of the mountain are the many hot springs and gorgeous views of Hakone. There are some souvenir shops at that stop as well.

Lake Ashi

Another view you get from the Hakone Ropeway is that of the Lake Ashi. It is a very scenic lake which you can explore via these sailing warship style ships and/or ferries. It was overall pretty touristy with various activities around the lake. Note that we did not like the food at the restaurant located at the ropeway stop. The restaurants after you disembark the ship on the other side of the lake were on a whole different level! The trip with the ship is not very long so stay hungry until you get to the other side 🙂

Lake Ashi is a crater lake that lies along the southwest wall of the caldera of Mount Hakone, a complex volcano that last erupted in 1170 CE at Ōwakudani. The lake is known for its views of Mt. Fuji, its numerous hot springs, historical sites, and ryokan. The lake is located on the Tōkaidō road, the main link between Kyoto and Tokyo.

If you have a drone with you or just some time to kill and you are in the vicinity of Hakone do that at Lake Ashi. Beautiful views on the ground and up in the air. The fact that you can get a clear shot of Mount Fuji is absolutely awesome. Also, the warships themselves are great to look at as they come one by one at their stop.

Conclusion

Overall we really enjoyed Hakone. It was everything we thought it would be and more. Great true Japanese traditional experience which stays with you forever. The ryokan setup was great, the food was amazing and the only thing we wished we were luckier of was the weather.

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