Hewo, SGland! I hope you are having a great and restful Sunday! It is snowing here, so I am taking this time to write about my trip to Japan. If ever you want to know my itinerary, how I booked hotels and train passes, how much I paid, etc, I could write another blog about it. A lot of people are planning trips to Japan and I got several people asking me questions about, basically, how to book for a trip like that. So, if you yourself are planning a trip there, I can tell you everything, I am pretty transparent about this!
We went to Japan in November 2023, we hoped to see the colourful foliage, but unfortunately, we didn't see much of them (except some in Nikko), because of the climate change. Usually, in Japan, November is the best time of year to see the autumn colours, but because they had a warm summer and a warm beginning of autumn, the foliage got pushed back a week or two. So, beginning of December would have been better. Actually, we are going back there in May, and we are going to Hokkaido to see the late cherry blossoms there, but again, because they had an unusually warm winter, the cherry blossoms could be early this year, so... we might miss them! Global climate change really disrupts everything.
Anyway, we first landed in Tokyo, but we only spent one night there before heading to Nikko. Then, we went back to Tokyo to spend a couple of days. We got to visit Kamakura and Enoshima for a day. Then, we made our way to Kyoto, we visited Nara for a day. Then, we headed to Osaka, we visited Kobe for a day, before going back to Tokyo to go back home. It was a very busy trip, I am not sure I would do this again lol
Nikko (日光)
Nikko was super nice! It is a small town 2 hours away from Tokyo. It is famous for its Toshogu shrine and its Kinugawa onsen (those hot spring spots). Our hotel was in Kinugawa and we were able to booked a private onsen (for people with tattoos, you cannot go to public ones, you can only hope to be able to book one that is private). Usually, in public ones anyway, men and women are separate, so if you want to go with your boyfriend or girlfriend (unless you are in a same-sex relationship), booking a private one is the best option.
Nikko was really picturesque and the mountains were absolutely breathtaking! This was the view we had from the balcony of our hotel!
We rented a traditional hotel, somewhat like a ryokan, so we slept on futon and there was tatami on the floor (traditional Japanese floor). The onsen was great, although very hot, and really, even in November, it wasn't that cold.
What I was really excited for was the Toshogu shrine. The shrine was built in 1617 and it is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the shrine. We even say that his remains are burried there. Tokugawa Ieyasu is very famous in Japanese history, because he is one of the unifier of Japan. Before the 1500s, Japan was divided by lands that were each ruled by a clan. Ieyasu, along with Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, unified Japan.
There were a lot of stairs to climb... if ever you are visiting certain temples or shrines in Japan, prepare yourselves to climb.
That was a small shrine we passed by before going to Toshogu shrine! The papers you see attached here are Omikuji! Omikuji are fortunes you can buy for about 100 to 200 yen at shrines. They tell your fortune. You can get a really good one or a really bad one. If ever you get a bad one, you can attach it to wires, like in the picture. For good ones, you can either keep it for good luck, or you can tie it to a tree.
Kanmangafuchi Abyss is a gorge that was formed 7000 years ago by a volcano eruption. There, you will see thousands of these little statues, called Jizo. Jizo statues are shaped to represent Jizo Bosatsu, which is the guardian deity of children and travelers.
You can leave money on them as well.
This place was so quiet and peaceful, I highly recommend!
In Nikko you can also visit the Edo Wonderland. It is a themed park that is supposed to represents how Japan looked like during the Edo period (1603-1868). You can even dress like a lord or a lady there!
Tokyo (東京)
Tokyo, as people know, is one of the biggest cities in the world. There are a lot of people. To be honest, I try to avoid highly touristic areas, because I hate taking pictures of strangers, so I try my hardest to avoid it, but really, it was impossible. You might be able to if you go there super early (like 5 to 6am). We wanted to see as much as possible on this trip, so we had a very busy schedule, but the next time we go, we want to take things a bit more slowly, so hopefully we will be able to avoid crowds.
Our hotel was in Ueno district, and honestly, I loved it. Ueno is very close to Asakusa, which has the famous Asakusa shrine (picture above), and it is very close to Akihabara, which is very famous for its anime, manga, and video games.
Even during a rainy day, this place was crowded!
One of the thing I really missed was the vending machines lol I swear, I wish we had vending machines here. We do have them in Canada, but vending machines in Japan are something else... they serve cold and hot drinks, which is great all year around. There are everywhere in Japan, you will see them practically at every corner; they are almost ingrained in Japanese culture at this point.
Of course, I had to take a picture of the Pikachu ones!
Tokyo also has a lot of themed cafes. Unfortunately, the Pokemon cafe was fully booked. But for our first night, we went to a maid cafe, which was...... how would I say...... it was really cringy, but... fun? Lol. For those of you who don't know what a maid cafe is, it is a place where girls, dressed up in maid outfits, will serve you and usually, they do entertainment stuff, and they make you say spells to make your food taste better. Honestly, go check it out on Youtube, you will see how it is!
We also went to a hedgehog and otter cafe. I am usually not fond of those, especially if they have exotic animals, because I am always worried if they care for these animals. I myself had a hedgehog once, they need a lot of care.
But they had tenrecs! One of them just fell asleep in my hand, look at his little face!!!!
They call it cafe, but really, they don't serve any drink nor food, it is really just to see exotic animals. They also had a meerkat and a groundhog.
For our last day in Tokyo, we went on top of the Tokyo Tower to see the entire city at night, it was really magical!
Kamakura and Enoshima (鎌倉 & 江の島)
While being in Tokyo, it is very easy to go visit another city for a day-trip. We chose to go visit Kamakura city. We wanted to go to Kamakura and then stop by Yokohama on the way back, but we ended up staying in Kamakura, because we ended up on the island of Enoshima.
The highlight of Kamakura city is this big Buddha (picture above). It is also a lovely city near the ocean. The famous train spot in anime is from the Kamakura-Enoshima line, a train that departs from Enoshima and stops at Kamakura station. We were lucky to do the entire line, and you can see the ocean while enjoying a really picturesque ride.
In Kamakura, there is a temple you can climb to and you can see some of the city in the background!
It was really weird for me to be at the beach in November! Enoshima is a small island south of Kamakura. You can either take the train or go by foot (or car).
It was actually pretty warm, but we didn't swim because we wouldn't think to do so in November. We did rent scooters to go around the island though. And although we didn't go to any of the places where you can easily see Mount Fuji, we still got to see it a little bit from Enoshima!
Kyoto (京都)
Kyoto is the place to go if you want a traditional feel. Kyoto is the old capital after all, so you get to see some traditional districts and even some Geisha if you are lucky (we saw one, but she was being followed by a photographer, which really enraged me, because they just want to do their own things, but they are constantly being followed). Starting in April however, they will restrict access to some parts of the Geisha district to tourists, because of this happenstance. Which I think is a very good idea.
Kyoto is also the place if you want to visit the famous Fushimi Inari shrine with its thousands tori gate. Again, it is better if you can go very early in the morning to avoid crowds. If you visit Kyoto and you go to the Fushimi Inari shrine, it is your chance to try out some kimono! We rented one at a shop very close to the shrine. It was something else to walk along these paths in a kimono. For women, they offer to do your hair as well, and it is actually pretty cheap!
In Kyoto as well, you can see some monkeys! There is a mountain that you can climb to go see these little guys.
They are running freely around you, but there was a small house with cages so you could feed them. There are some rules to resect in order for you not to get attacked, so please, if you go, follow these rules!
So, I really liked Kyoto, but there were two places that were very underwhelming. One of them was the bamboo forest. On Tiktok videos, it always appears as if it is a deep forest full of bamboos, but really, it is very small. It takes a minute to go through...
And really, you are in Japan, bamboo forests are not uncommon.
The second place was the Kinkakuji shrine. I know it looks super nice when it reflects in the water, but this place was so underwhelming.
You cannot get close to it, you cannot go inside it. You just follow a path, take pictures of it, and go. That's it. I would personally not go, although if it is your first time and you want to see it, it doesn't hurt to do so. But I would have done something else, have I known.
The old district is worth a visit though. There is also the Kiyomizu-dera shrine. But there were sooooooo many people, it wasn't super pleasant. It was during the evening too, so my pictures of it are not very great.
Nara (奈良)
One one-day trip you can do from Kyoto is Nara. Nara is a very old town (it used to be the capital during the Nara period in the year 700). Nara is famous for its old temples, but also for its deer park! Yes, you can see, touch and even feed deers.
Close to the park, there is a temple with one of the biggest Buddhas in all Japan.
I wish we had some more time to explore the city, but the park was so immense that we spent all day there. It was fun feeding the deers nonetheless!
Osaka (大阪)
To be honest, I liked Osaka more than Tokyo. I think people in Osaka are more friendly and less stressed, more cool. The night life is also better there, in my opinion. Although, the night life in Tokyo can be great, but it has become less safe at night recently in Tokyo, I've heard.
In Osaka, you can visit the Kaiyukan, which is the biggest aquarium in the world! They even have whale sharks! I've never seen sharks in real life before (I have a phobia of them, but I can do whale sharks, they're kinda cute). I think it is more great white sharks I can't look at.
We went to the aquarium with one of my friends, which I hadn't seen in 10 years! It was super nice to meet her again. We went to a kaitenzushi place for lunch (the sushi conveying belt place). I was amazed at how cheap it was. In Canada, everything is so expensive these days.
Osaka castle is very nice to go visit. It is now a museum, so you can learn a lot of things about the castle and about Osaka city during the Edo period.
I would imagine the castle being very difficult to besiege, being so high up! It is one of the best places to build a castle if you want to protect it from sieges.
You can also go up the castle and see the city from high up!
Hep Five in Umeda is the place to shop in Osaka. I bought so many things there! I almost changed my entire wardrobe lol There is also a big Ferris wheel in the mall, it is very nice to do a tour at night! It closes at 11pm and it only costs 600 yen for a tour!
Kobe (神戸)
Kobe is very close to Osaka, so it is perfect for a day trip! This was the final city we visited before going back to Osaka, going back to Tokyo, and then going back home. We actually chose Kobe for the Kobe beef! We actually got to taste it, and honestly, after tasting Kobe beef, you cannot taste other meat the same way.... Kobe beef is sooooo good. I am not a meat eater really, but this? I wouldn't mind eating it everyday.
The portion is small, we took the cheapest one. The bigger plate was $800..... Kobe beef is really expensive, that is why we took the smallest (it wasn't so bad even though it was the cheapest).
Kobe has really nice places to visit. There is a Chinatown where you can get really good street food.
The best part I think is the harbour. It is just so nice to be close to the ocean.
I got to see one last temple before going back! Seeing as many temples as I can was one of my goals.
Universal Studios Japan
Of course, I cannot forget our time at Universal Studios Japan! The park is situated in Osaka. I highly recommend purchasing a express pass, because you will wait a very long time for rides. If people want me to write another blog to explain what I did to plan for everything on this trip, I could write about how to purchase an express pass and everything.
We wanted to go to USJ to go to Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter World. To access these parts of the park, you need a timed entry ticket (on the express pass, you do have it, along with some rides; you just need to choose which areas you want to access). So, we took an express pass that had timed entry for Super Nintendo World and Harry potter World.
Once you chose which one you want, they will give you the time for each area. Luckily, we had Super Nintendo World during lunch time and Harry Potter World during dinner time, which is what I wanted!
Luckily, for those of you who might plan a trip to Japan soon, for spring 2024, they will have an extended area of Super Nintendo World for Donkey Kong! Seriously, they did a really good job building this part of the park.
The rides we did were really fun too!
Ooouff, well, that's it! Honestly, even though our schedule was full and busy, we did enjoy every minute of it. We are going back in May and we will be visiting the north region of Hokkaido! This time, we will take our time and enjoy the food there. Apparently, Hokkaido has the best food, and the best seafood in all Japan, so I am eager for this!
If you want to see all my videos about my trips, I post often on Tiktok. My handle is dollyxpanda there!
If you are planning a trip to Japan, I can also tell you some nice places to go to!
