It’s been two months since we visited Japan, and I can still say it’s one of the friendliest cultures I have ever interacted with. I truly believe this is a country I could see myself living in if ever given the opportunity. Click the link to read more about some of our highlights that still put a smile on my face!
We were in Japan for approximately 10 days. We spent 3 nights in Kyoto, 1 night in Nara, and the rest of the time in Tokyo. Before I get into the top 6 things to experience at least once, here are a few tips I think would be helpful for you.
Tips:
- Get the Japan Rail Pass. It’s about $250 a person, but traveling to/from cities will save you a lot of money. Unfortunately, it doesn’t cover local travel in most cities, so you will still have to purchase subway or bus passes.
- Plan out your destinations everyday. While the people are incredibly kind and helpful, we noticed that many of them did not speak English. As long as you point to a map, or tell them the destination, you will be fine!
- Eat at the train/subway stations! They’re super clean. In fact, I had the best noodles at the subway station, and still have cravings for it.
- When planning where to visit, I strongly recommend incorporating more of the smaller cities into your itinerary. We stayed 5 nights in Tokyo and after awhile, it started to remind me of any big city experience.
I did a ton of research before we arrived in Japan and even created an itinerary of things to do/see/eat. I have this paranoia that I will miss out on something amazing, so I search on Pinterest and Instagram for cool places. In the end though, I had the most fun when we were walking around. We discovered so many little stores and cafes that my research may have never found.
Here are some of the highlights from our trip:
1. Robot Show: Yes, this is a tourist trap, but it’s super cool! We purchased tickets online for about $40, and it came with one beverage, including alcohol. I don’t recommend purchasing the boxed dinner though. There’s no way to describe this show except that it’s super weird. I didn’t include photos on purpose because it’s worth seeing for yourself. (Akshay’s note: I loved the lights, the lasers, and the dinosaurs.)
2. Coffee Shops: Coffee is huge here. While they have hundreds of Starbucks, they also have many local coffee shops. While we were in Kyoto, we discovered the coolest little coffee house, owned by a husband and wife. It reminded me of a bar, except the beverages were coffee and tea! Everything was so tasty, we came back two more times! It’s located right next to the Westin Miyako Kyoto. Another great place for tea was up in the mountains of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. In order to avoid all the crowds, we trekked up the mountain, and eventually stopped at a cute little outdoor tea shop.
3. Tea Ceremony: I had read about the Japanese traditional tea ceremony and felt that this was something we should experience. I decided to sign up for one in Kyoto called Tea Ceremony Room Juan. It’s located very close to Kyoto Train Station, and our hostess, Masumi, was very passionate and sweet to us. We were there for about an hour and she talked about the meaning and purpose of this custom. We even got to participate!
4. Private Onsen: While we were in Nara, we stayed in a traditional ryokan. While I think the experience itself was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I wasn’t a huge fan of the food because there were limited options. However, our room came with a private outdoor onsen. It was seriously so amazing! It was super cold outside, so hanging out in a hot tub was a very relaxing, refreshing experience. Also, if you do happen to find yourself in Nara, make sure to visit Nara Park, which is filled with hundreds of deer!
5. Sushi/ Teppanyaki: Honestly, there was no place where we went wrong with food. We alternated between sushi (Akshay’s favorite) and teppanyaki (my favorite). We even woke up at 5AM to experience the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. I had so much fun finding small restaurants/ cafes with a more intimate setting. Also, if you have the chance, make reservations at a Japanese steakhouse. We were lucky enough to make reservations at Kaiser 511 during the Christmas holidays. Their Kobe beef was just amazing!
6. Taiyaki Fish Pastry: I think this one is more of a preference if you love red bean as much as I do. I had seen photos of this pastry and was very determined to try it for myself. We ended up finding it in one of Tokyo’s districts, Asakusa. I recommend exploring this area since it has a more traditional feel to it than the other areas of Tokyo. The fish pastry was absolutely delicious, and I wish I could find a place in Orange County!
I left out the obvious historical/must-see sites since I’m sure your research will take you to these spots. Even after 2 months being back in the U.S, I still get so excited to talk about this wonderful country. I hope that one day I can return during cherry blossom season. I hope you can all visit this country at some point in your lives because it is so worth it! Also, I want to add that every single toilet (public and private) come with heated seats!
