Safety

• Japan is a very safe country and has one of the highest in the world literacy rates. Gun laws are extremely strict and the country hardly ever sees more than 10 gun deaths per year. We roamed the streets of the big and small cities with our son without being concerned at all for our safety. Policemen are exceptionally well trained in various martial arts and are very well respected. Overall Japan would be one of the last counties for you to be worried about your safety. Just use common sense and you would have nothing to worry about.
• Many Japanese people wear face masks. This is mainly for health reasons and allergies. Also since the majority of them travel via the train/metro it helps them to feel more safe health-wise.

Language

• English is not a very popular language in Japan. We found out that other than the staff at the hotels we stayed at (in various cities) the majority of the people we had the pleasure to speak with did not speak English. Many of them at all. Staff at the train stations were helpful but mainly by hand signals and finger-pointing. At the main tourist attractions, most of the staff there either spoke or understood English so if you are planning to visit those places chances are you would be just fine.
• The vast majority of the signs at train stations, airports, roads, etc are translated. Overall be patient if you are in a situation where you need to ask for advice or directions. Japanese people are very nice and polite and will do their best to help.
• Learning some key phrases, words, etc would help. Other than saying “Hi” and “Thank you” in Japanese we did not know much else and we were just fine so do not spend too much time on this.
• Luggage storage. Most hotels would let you store your luggage with them. Most of the train stations have plenty of lockers for luggage storage.

Money

• Japan is a cash society. The local currency is the “yen”. Credit cards are not accepted in many places. Many of the mid and high-level restaurants, taxies, hotels as well as 7-Eleven convenience stores do accept credit cards. We carried cash with us consistently.
• Bring cash with you. We never carried more than $500.00 with us and when we ran out we just used an ATM. There are plenty of ATMs at airports, train and metro stations, etc. Overall we never had a problem finding one to get cash out.
• Japan is not cheap. Prices overall are comparable to those in the USA so plan accordingly.
• When paying to place the money/credit card at the little tray. Japanese people only take the payment from that tray and never from your hands. This was our experience.

Lodging

• Plan your hotel’s locations strategically. Make sure they are close to train/metro stations. Japan has a superb rail system and you barely ever would need a car if you made a good hotel choice. To see how we did it check out the main post going over each of the locations we stayed. In each of the cities, we have provided a link to the actual hotel. The hotels we stayed at were within walking distance of the train station.
• Hotels are not cheap. Prices are similar to those in the USA and Canada. Rooms are noticeably smaller.
• Make sure you try the Ryokans (the traditional Japanese inns). At least one night you should stay at a Ryokan for the experience. It is worth it. Note that you sleep on the floor on a portable mattress. Do not worry it is overall pretty comfortable. The food is great too.

In general, ryokan rates include meals fees, too. If you stay overnight, ryokan prepares the dinner on the day and the breakfast on the next day.

Transportation

• Japan’s rail system is second to none. Use it. Get yourself a JP rail pass and book your hotels close to the train/metro stations. You would not need a car if you do that. Note that JS rail pass is NOT always the most cost-effective way to get where you want to. We got it mainly for convenience but in more than a few cases it was not what we needed and we had to buy extra tickets.
• Cars overall are not a very popular way of transportation in Japan. Since their rail system is so efficient the majority of people use it for their daily transportation needs. Also, space-wise owning a car does not make much sense in large cities. We did not use a car even once during our stay in Japan. Anytime we needed to go anywhere we either used a train or a bus.
• Taxies are decent in Japan. Prices are reasonable and drivers would generally not try to screw you over. Just like in other countries in larger cities taxies tend to be more expensive. Based on our research.

Cuisine

We absolutely loved the food in Japan. However, we are big fans of raw fish, sushi, and overall exotic cuisines. Our son obviously is not being four years old. For him, however, there was plenty of rice and chicken, pork katsu, etc. His favorite meal to this day is the Kobe beef we ate in Kobe. But then again … once you try that it is hard to say anything else really.

• Food quality overall is great. If you love sushi and raw fish Japan would be a heaven for you food-wise.
• Japanese people do not eat on the go. This is not a thing there at all.
• If you are not into raw fish etc there are plenty of other options. There are also various Italian and other types of food restaurants. We mainly focused on the local cuisine however and we do recommend it.
• A lot of local places do not have servers but instead have vending machines located right at the entrance. You push the letter/number combination of your dishes, then insert your money. The machine will print a ticket which you give to the chef. They will let you know when your meal is ready to go pick it up. We ate one of the best Udon soup in one of those places.
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are the same in most places. We had udon soup and chicken with rice for breakfast and we loved it :).
• Meal portions are good. Not as humongous as those in the USA however and that is a great thing. If you are used to 2-3K calories per portion meals (not including your Coca-Cola) you would be disappointed.
• Make sure you try an authentic Kobe Beef. Do not leave Japan without experiencing this. Trust us!

Electricity

• Same as the USA – electrical outlets are 100 volts non-polarized and ungrounded with two pins. If you are coming from USA no need for a converter.

Garbage

Yes, you read that right. Garbage is a topic in Japan because THERE ARE NO TRASH CANS almost anywhere! One of the biggest time wasters during our stay was to constantly look for trash cans. After a few days, we just carried a plastic bag with us. We also carried paper towels as well. Yes, we know traveling with kids is fun 🙂

• Trash cans are hard to find. Carry a plastic bag with you. Japan has very strict garbage laws. Businesses and homeowners need to be very careful about how they organize their trash. Almost all the attractions we visited did not have trash cans anywhere. Probably our biggest frustration during the entire trip!

Public Bathrooms / Washrooms

• Most of them are well maintained and clean overall.
• Some are squat toilets some Western-style toilets. Plan accordingly if you are traveling with kids 🙂
• No paper towels in most of them. Bring them with you. You would need them.

Travel Guide Book

Here is a LINK TO THE GUIDE BOOK we used to plan our trip to Japan. It had everything we expected and more. We highly recommend it.

Tours, Tickets and Attractions

A site we trust and you can use to conveniently book TOURS AND TICKETS FOR ACTIVITIES IN JAPAN.
There are more than 300 activities on that list so choose wisely.

Booking Hotels in Japan

If you are ready to go and just need to make your hotel reservations here is a LIST OF THE HOTELS IN JAPAN for your convenience. It is an affiliate link to Booking.com and booking through it would help support this web site. For which we thank you in advance 🙂

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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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We only had a day in our schedule so we did what we thought would be the best time-wise. However, looking back you can easily spend 3-4 days in Kobe just visiting the attractions and eating Kobe beef daily. Some of the attractions we had on our list were: Arima Onsen, Mount Rokko, Sōraku-en gardens, etc. Number one however was as expected the authentic Kobe beef experience.

The Kobe Beef Experience

Plenty of restaurants offered Kobe beef and most of them were fully booked. We got quite lucky to make a reservation online the week before. The best restaurants there are very expensive and booked way in advance. We did not care about the price that much since how many times in your life you would actually eat an authentic Kobe beef? Unless you live in Japan this is a very rare and unique experience.

The restaurant we ended up going to was Royal Mouriya in Kobe. It was everything we hoped for and more. We had our own room with a personal chef who was very polite and dedicated. We had a salad and a soup while the chef was preparing the Kobe beef and the vegetables. Every single part of the main meal was cooked to perfection in front of our eyes. The steak looked like nothing we have ever seen with perfect distribution between the meat and the fat. The so-called marbled texture was like nothing else we have ever tried.

Kobe beef (神戸ビーフ Kōbe bīfu) is Wagyu beef from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle, raised in Japan’s Hyōgo Prefecture. The meat is a delicacy, valued for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty, well-marbled texture. Kobe beef is generally considered one of the three top brands (known as Sandai Wagyu, “the three big beefs”), along with Matsusaka beef and Ōmi beef or Yonezawa beef.

The entire experience was about a few hours and remains the best meat we have ever tasted. We have tried plenty of filet mignon stakes etc but nothing comes close to this. It feels weird that you can point a finger at an entire city like Kobe and what you remember the most is a meal. But everything else just pales in comparison.
If you are going to Kobe make sure you have a reservation to try it. You would thanks us I assure you later.

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The City

Being the second-largest city in Japan you can imagine exploring it would take not days but months. We were very optimistic in our planning and had several attractions we wanted to see. To mention some of them: Osaka Aquarium, Minami (Namba), Universal Studios Japan (although we have been to a few of them in the USA), and the Osaka Castle. As we mentioned in some of the other logs when in Japan last week of our trip we got somewhat of a grumpy/rainy weather which limited our traveling options. Even with the bad weather, however, we loved the city. Plenty of green areas, parks, and cherry blossoms, and of course the gorgeous Osaka castle.

Osaka Castle

The castle is one of the top attractions. It has a very different feel from the various temples we visited. Surrounded by a huge moat, stone walls, gates, and citadels it is truly an impressive complex. The gardens and parks surrounding it are really adding color to all the gray stone walls everywhere. Cherry blossoms also paint a beautiful picture and the only drawback we noticed was the number of people there. The castle overall is quite busy so to take pictures in some of the areas you have to wait in line. To enter the castle you have to go through a somewhat narrow bridge over the moat. Traditional Japanese boats go under it and around the castle.

The castle is one of Japan’s most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period

You can go inside the castle and go to the top floor for a better view of the entire complex. There are also various gifts and other shops, a museum, etc. We spend our day exploring it and trying to learn as much as we could about its history. If you can be there on a sunny day it really is like a place from the fairytales. With all the cherry blossoms everywhere and the greenery, just a beautiful place. Must see if you are in Osaka.

You can also hop on a boat ride around the moat which even with the rain and everything plenty of people seemed to be enjoying. The moat is surrounded by high walls and the weather was enough for us to not be very excited about that attraction.

Given the limited time we had, we really enjoyed our stay in Osaka. It is a humongous city and to even begin to get a taste of it we felt you would need at least a week. If you want to experience an amazing mix of Japanese traditions and the modern city, Osaka is the place. We can’t wait to go back and explore it in more detail on our next adventure!

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Japan’s first permanent capital was established in the year 710 at Heijo, the city now known as Nara (奈良). Nara is located less than one hour from Kyoto and Osaka. Due to its past as the first permanent capital, the city remains full of historic treasures, including some of Japan’s oldest and largest temples.

We had enough time to walk the streets of Nara as well as the Kofuko-Ji temple. The streets and the little shops everywhere reminded us of the ones in Kyoto. The little parks and greenery around the temples as well as the deers made Nara stand out from all the places we visited in Japan. We felt really relaxed in Nara, something with the combination of the traditional Japanese architecture and those cherry blossoms under which deers just walk around makes you really happy and upbeat. Even though we were under the weather during that week we had an absolute blast there. You need a lot more days to explore everything in this city. We felt that we could have easily spend another 3-5 days just wandering around the temples and beautiful streets of Nara.

Things to see

The most famous temple in Nara is the Todaiji Temple followed by the Hōryū-Ji temple. We did not have time to explore these since we were sick at the time but we highly recommend them. Both as well as some others were high up there on our list. Unfortunately, we only had time to explore the Kofuku-Ji temple realistically.

Kofuku-ji Temple

The temple was quite big in comparison to some of the others we manage to visit. It is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the Seven Great Temples, in the city of Nara. It used to be the family temple of the most powerful aristocratic clan during much of the Nara and Heian Periods – The Fujiwara. Temple was established in 710. At the height of Fujiwara’s power, it consisted of over 150 buildings!

During our time there (we visited Japan in March) there were plenty of cherry blossoms in and around the temple. Just beautiful scenery and a great background for pictures. The temple overall was not as busy as some of the others. The streets outside of it however were quite packed with cars and people. There were also some lines to some of the buildings so have that in mind if you plan to explore everything inside this temple.

Cuisine

By far the best shrimp udon soup we had in the entire trip was in Nara. It was a small place with a huge line to get a table and an old woman who ruled in there with an iron fist, She was not very polite and frequently re-arranged already sitting customers to different tables like she was playing Tetris. No one complained since they knew how good the food was. At the time we thought that was rude but after we ate our lunch we did not care. Best udon noodle soup ever!

Conclusion

We rushed through Nara and we wished the circumstances were different. It was an amazing city to easily spend a week there and enjoy everything it has to offer. If you are planning your trip make sure you have more than a day there. Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka we felt required more than a few days to really enjoy and see the main attractions. From the time we had there however it was an amazing experience and we highly recommend it.

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Itsukushima (厳島) is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), which in Japanese means “Shrine Island”. The island is one of Hayashi Gahō’s Three Views of Japan specified in 1643. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture.

Getting There

Getting to the island is quite easy and convenient from Hiroshima Bay. In a typical organized way, you get in a line waiting for the ferry to arrive. You are on a boat for no more than than 35 minutes. Everything is very quick and nicely setup so you do not waste time. In less than an hour, you can be on the island ready to explore.

Itsukushima shrine

The “floating” tori gate that welcomes you on the island is part of the Itsukushima shrine and probably one of the most famous tori gates worldwide. The shrine is quite popular partially due to the great combination of scenery and location. Have in mind that the island is overall quite busy and there were lines to get inside of the shrine. We walked around it and got as close as possible without getting wet to the Torri gate. It was low tide.

The shrine looked absolutely beautiful from the outside and if we were not short on time we would have gone inside. At the time we were there however it was quite busy and we did not want to spend much time waiting. We tried the local cuisine (for which also you had to wait in most of the places) and just enjoyed exploring the areas around the shrine. It turns out it has tons of history and religious significance which we did not know at the time. There were boats full of people passing through the tori gate almost every hour.

The shrine complex itself consists of two main buildings: the Honsha shrine and the Sessha Marodo-jinja, as well as 17 other different buildings and structures that help to distinguish it. The complex is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and six of its buildings and possessions have been designated by the Japanese government as National Treasures.

The temple was designed and built to look like it is floating on the water. As a matter of fact, it would have been if we did not have a low tide when we were visiting. Overall a great looking attraction and cultural treasure which we highly recommend. If we had at least a day more to spend at the island we would have visited it in combination with the Toyokuni Shrine.

Toyokuni Shrine

Another shrine that made a great impression on us was the Toyokuni Shrine. You can see it from the ferry when arriving at the island with its five stories high pagoda (Gojunoto). The temple is built 500 years ago and is dedicated to the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (one of the three unifiers of Japan in the 16th century).

The Streets

The streets around the island really made an impression on us. The ancient temples on one side and the cherry blossoms on the other. Plenty of small cozy boutique/souvenir shops and restaurants. The deers who were running around not bothered by the people at all were the last ingredient to make this place one of our absolute favorites. Just make sure you protect your belongings from them. They ate almost half of ours! 🙂

As a matter of fact, we have it actually documented in our Japan trip video where the deer started eating various papers from our bag while we were enjoying the views. It did not bother to stop ever after we repeatedly tried / “asked” hereto. Pay attention and enjoy this beautiful island. We surely miss it already!

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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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Lodging

Similar to what we did in our visit to Tokyo we made sure you are staying next to Kyoto train station. The station which by itself could be an attraction. It is filled with restaurants, stores, and beautifully architected. As we mentioned almost everything in Japan is connected via train or metro so staying next to a train station is a very good idea. Our hotel was about two minutes walking distance from it. We highly recommend it as a “hub” for daily trips around Kyoto. The hotel’s name is Hotel Gracery Kyoto Sanjo.

Cuisine

We usually either Yelp or ask locals when traveling and looking to experience the local cuisine. Most of the highly rated places in Kyoto were not accessible without crazy wait times. Very few of them accepted reservations or spoke English so have that in mind. We managed to visit a few of them and it was worth the hype and wait. We had the best udon soup and sushi in Kyoto and Nara. For Kyoto specifically read more bellow about the Nishiki Market and the Heart Bread Antique. Those two for us left a great impression.

Things to See & Do

We made reservations prior to the trip on a few things we really wanted to experience in Japan. One was to dress as samurai (something our son was really looking forward to). The other to visit Kyoto in the national Japanese kimonos. It had to be in Kyoto since we wanted to do it in the Fushimi Inari Shrine (the one with the hundreds of the orange gates). We did both reservations online and both were absolutely worth every penny. If you have the time do not think twice about it. We had people stopping us to take pictures and others saying “We should have done this!”. We reserved our kimonos from this web site (use google translate).

The samurai experience included a few sessions where you throw ninja stars and play with various weapons. A 30 minutes history lesson about the samurai and ninjas as well as a sword-fighting demonstration. Overall great experience. It ended up with a 30 minutes session where you can dress as a samurai and take family pictures. Note that you do not actually dress with the authentic samurai armor. Those (as shown below) cost tens of thousands of dollars. You end up dressing (as shown above) with a leather copy of the real ones.

Fushimi Inari Shrine

No other shrine in Kyoto dedicated to Inari is as famous and as beautiful as the Fushimi Inari Shrine with its close to one thousand torii gates up the Inari mountain. We really tried to reach the top but the kimonos we were wearing do not help when caring for stuff and climbing tons of stairs. You have to remember than the kimonos come with sandals, so the comfort level is quite different when it comes to climbing and moving a lot.

The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari which is 233 meters (764 ft) above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) and take approximately 2 hours to walk up.

Important Note – Look for the Hidden Bamboo Forest!

When you are in the Fushimi Inari Shrine at the beginning of the pathway keep your eyes open to the right side. There is a “hidden” walkway which leads to a small bamboo forest! It is a less known hidden gem we found about while doing research on the shrine. The main pathway is absolutely crazy the majority of the day and taking pictures alone or with your family is close to impossible. The best time is late afternoon or just go around like we did for most of our photos and look for other views.

Toji Temple

Toji temple is famous for a few things. Its five-story pagoda is the tallest in Japan and at one point it was the main headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. The temple is very well maintained and quite beautiful. We spend about half a day inside exploring it and we felt we needed more time to see everything. There is a very nice fish pond, various flowers, and more than enough benches for visitors to relax and enjoy. Also plenty of cherry blossoms along the pond 🙂

Nishiki Market

While in Kyoto and have a few hours to spare we also would recommend the Nishiki Market. Located one block north and parallel to Shijō Street and west of Teramachi StreetIt is quite a famous place for all kinds of local foods and sweets. It is very busy and quite a tight narrow corridor that you walk through, but other than that it is a must-see. You should also try some of the fresh food from there. We liked everything we tried.

Important Note – Look for the Heart Bread Antique!

If you want to take a break from the Japanese food and want to get some French bread and croissants head over to the Heart Bread Antique. It is right next to the market. Everything we tried there was absolutely delicious! We actually went back again the next day and had deserts after our second visit to the Nishiki Market.

Day Trips from Kyoto

As we mentioned in the beginning our plan was to have Kyoto a base city from which to do day trips via the Japan Rail. Since our hotel was walking distance from the train station that was a very convenient way to explore multiple cities quickly. Bellow are the day trips we did and links to larger and more detailed articles.

Itsukushima / Miyajima Island

We heard a lot of good things about Miyajima and they all were true. This island was a calm beautiful piece of heaven. With its huge tori gate right at its shore to the numerous deers welcoming you when you arrive. It was like a fairy tale. Tons of restaurants and small shops and very historic look and feel of Japan. / read more

Kobe

Although we knew Kobe has so much to offer and experience we wanted to make sure one thing we will do when we get there. Experience an authentic Kobe Beef! Our son is a very picky eater. We could not stop him from eating there and close his mouth from screaming “Oh my gosh this is so good!” It was … it was the best steak we ever tried. An experience that we think is an absolute must in Kobe. / read more

Nara

Nara is the capital of Japan’s Nara Prefecture, in south-central Honshu. It is famous for its beautiful temples and countless deers running around them. The temples and the combination of old and new Japan really made Nara one of the top places we recommend now for people to visit and experience. / read more

Other

Although we did not have a chance to visit these they are highly recommended attractions for our next trip. A few of them we missed on our trip due to unforeseen circumstances. The list includes Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, Tenryu-ji temple, Kinkaku-ji, Myoshin-ji, and others.

Conclusion

Kyoto is a must-see destination. It has everything you want to experience in Japan and more. Beautiful temples, shrines, parks, museums, and amazing food. Its location is perfect for day trips to close by cities and attractions. Do not miss Kyoto. Trust us it is that good!

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There are three parts of Tokyo: Western, Central, and Northern. We strategically stayed at the western side and our hotel was 5 mins from the absolute busiest train station in the world, the Shinjuku Station (used by an average of 3.64 million people per day)! The location was very convenient since it was right in the middle of the Shinjuku district where you could find tons of busy restaurants, shops, and anything you can imagine.

Lodging

If you need to plan something properly when visiting Japan that one thing would be your train travel. Everything (or almost everything) is connected either via train or metro. We had our hotel right next to the station so we can do day trips easily and it worked nicely. The hotel we stayed at and one we can honestly say that was good and well priced was Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. It is actually located in one of the tallest buildings in that area which also hosts a bunch of good restaurants and a movie theater.

Logistics

We did what everyone online recommended, we bought two weeks Japan Rail Pass (JR). It was for the most part good advice. For some of the day trips, however, we had to buy other tickets so have that in mind. It is not one “Multi-Pass” for all. Every afternoon we would plan the next day travel-wise. Figure out the train schedule etc. Everything runs so efficiently and on time always that it makes you question the reality you live in. We tried to travel with the so-called “bullet trains” as much as we could. They are called Shinkansen.

Things to See

As you can imagine in such a big city with so much culture and history there are a lot of things to see. We initially just enjoyed walking around the city and experiencing the vibe and cuisine. Not that you can have enough of that but when we needed a break we visited some of the more recommended and well-known attractions.

Senso-Ji Temple

This was one of the main attractions we knew we had to visit. It is known as Asakusa Kannon and it is considered the most sacred and spectacular temple in Tokyo. The locals were all dressed in their national kimonos and everyone is taking pictures. If you for a second thought that in your country selfies are everywhere you should go to this temple. Japanese youth loves selfies and their phones! The temple is huge and provides plenty of great places for pictures. The only issue is that it is super crowded and taking a picture with just you or your family will be a challenge. Overall we highly recommend this place. The old-style buildings and the atmosphere are something to be experienced. Everywhere everything is full of color, history, and good emotions. For more information, you can also visit the temple’s official website.

Ueno Park

This was one of the main places we really wanted to visit due to all the pictures and stories we have heard about its beauty. It did not disappoint! We were a week early for the cherry blossoms there but everything else was beautiful. The park hosts four museums: Shitamachi Museum, The Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Tokyo National Museum and Ueno Royal Museum, few Pagodas the Ueno Zoo as well as various other attractions. Plan to come back at-least-once if you want to see everything this place has to offer. There are also a good amount of street food places everywhere as well as places to sit, rest, and enjoy the atmosphere.

Tokyo International Forum

The forum was actually designed by the American-based Rafael Vinoly company and was completed in 1996. It feels brand new and it looks impressive inside and out. It is huge! From the inside, all you see is glass and metal shapes around it. It just looks unreal and it is hard to imagine how exactly it was built by people. The forum is packed with various restaurants, huge conference rooms, etc. You can learn more on the forum’s official website.

Getting to it is a great experience as well since you walk through a business district filled with various interesting buildings, parks, and stores. If you are close by the forum make sure you also stop by the Tokyo Station located close by. It was also designed to have a western-style facade and it is a great place for pictures.

Imperial Palace

Although we were lucky to get amazing weather and worry-free travel we were not so lucky when it comes to the palace. At the time we were there it was closed and we were only allowed in the area around it. Since those areas are next to the palace they were quite beautiful and filled with cherry blossoms and other trees. Overall this place is a must-see even if you cannot get inside the palace perse.

Tōshō-gū Shrine – Day Trip to Nikko

We did a day trip to the Tosho-gu Shrine which surprised us with its size and amount of details everywhere. It is an extremely impressive sight. Every building is decorated in so much detail that you really need to stop and pay attention to enjoy them. Take your time this place is magnificent.

Together with Futarasan Shrine and Rinnō-ji, it forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 42 structures of the shrine included in the nomination. Five of them are designated as National Treasures of Japan, and three more as Important Cultural Properties.

Other

These are just a few of the places worth visiting. Tokyo is such a cosmopolitan city that you can write entire books on what, where, and when to see and experience. Some worth mentioning: Tokyo Tower (which will test your patience). Kabuki-za Theather, Kitanomaru Park, Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, and many many more.

Tokyo at Night

We stayed less than a week in Tokyo but one thing that would remain with us for a very long time is how alive this city was at night. The lights flashing everywhere, swarms of people around you, bars and restaurants packed and everyone just embracing this organized chaos. It is absolutely something to experience and see!

Overall it was an absolute dream come true for us. The city left such a lasting impression on us that the first opportunity we get … we are going back 🙂

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