I've been reading your posts about Japan and finally went at the end of April. I've always wanted to go, it was at the top of my list of countries to visit but I've dreaded the long flight and kept postponing it. Well, I went with my husband and we both loved everything about it. We stayed 2 weeks in Tokyo and one in Kyoto and both cities were amazing. The people, the food, the views, the streets, we loved everything. We're already planning to go back. Just wanted to say that you were right and thank you for giving me courage!
On my last day, I cried too while eating yakisoba! I did not want it to end. No, I did not go to an onsen.
Crying out of happiness or sadness?
Sadness knowing it was my last meal in Japan. My 12-year-old thought Iâd gone mental.
Was Kyoto âtouristyâ?
Itâs definitely touristy if you want it to be. You can spend days in Kyoto just walking around the different temples and gardens in the city and never be bored. Even some of the smaller ones are absolutely breathtaking. Such an awesome feeling of peace there.
bored touch paint absurd alive illegal mountainous bag future attractive
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Bagan is the most magical place Iâve ever been so thatâs exciting to hear
Same. We were there a couple of years before they banned climbing up the temples. Were trying to find a spot for sunrise, and this kid took us into this tiny tunnel (like maybe 50cm wide) in the corner of one that didn't have visible stairs, and it wound its way up onto the roof within the walls. Super cool.
Chiang Mai is dope. The temples, night market, and chill bars were so fun
It was beautiful! Different from Tokyo but still touristy enough to fill one week
Why am I just now noticing Kyoto and Tokyo are anagrams đ€Ż
So, in Kyoto, the "kyo" part means capital, and "to" means metropolis. In Tokyo, however, the "to" means east and "kyo" means capital. Anagrams, but thanks to Japanese's many homophones, they have different meanings.
Edit: sorry, the kyo in Kyoto is actually Kyou (long o sound, means metropolis/city), I got that confused with just kyo, which means past.
You have that a bit mixed up. In Tokyo and Kyoto, itâs the âkyoâ that shares the same character (äșŹ) and has the same meaning, which is âcapital.â The âtoâ in each are different. In Japanese, itâs pronounced Toukyou and Kyouto.
Whelp that's embarrassing, I even double-checked it!
I mean I wouldnât say âtoukyouâ or âkyoutoâ more like Tookyoo and Kyooto. Yeah they use ă but itâs pronounced ă
Touristy as in filled with tourist traps and cheap souvenirs? Absolutely not. Touristy as in the popular areas are filled with tourists all the time? Yeah for sure. There are a number of very cool places to see and things to do in Kyoto, but there are also a handful that tourists flock to that I wouldn't consider to be special (Arashiyama bamboo forest...). For every popular temple and Yelp-suggested restaurant, there's a dozen other places to see and restaurants to visit that are both awesome and quiet, you just have to look for them outside of the normal Instagram/Lonely Planet/etc. sources.
Kyoto ended up being out least favorite city when we visited last fall (out of 6 different cities) because it was incredibly overcrowded in Gion.
That said, it's still an insanely cool city... I just wouldn't allot a ton of time to it relative to other Japanese cities, and would recommend hitting somewhere like Kanazawa for a similar vibe with fewer tourists.
But... you are also a tourist, you add to the crowd... I find it hypocritical to say "oh, I did not like it there, so many tourists," when you're a tourist yourself.
I catch myself doing something similar . I stand there with my shorts and camera and mutter â those dang tourists â under my breath. Then I realize how ridiculous I am being . Itâs really the ones who donât know how to behave, though that annoy me.
Eh, crowdedness is a perfectly valid factor in deciding how you feel about a place. I can't do anything about other tourists, but if the alternative is for me to just not visit places, then fine, I'll be a hypocrite and be totally fine with that.
Avoiding touristy places may be hypocritical, but also more enjoyable. Which do you choose? Not be a hypocrite, but enjoy your vacation less?
No, I'm saying it's hypocritical to complain about a place having too many tourists when you are one of them. The sense of entitlement is ridiculous and laughable. Like, if you want to visit a popular city such as Kyoto or Tokyo or London, the other tourists should stay at home so you can enjoy the place and be a tourist on your own. When I visit popular places, the crowds never bother me. I know beforehand that it may turn out crowded. That doesn't stop me from wanting to visit. If I should wait until it stops being popular, then I might wait forever and never get to visit it. Sure, I might want to see a less touristy city just for the sake of having a less crowded vacation, but I'll be missing on seeing the main attraction. I will be choosing the lesser of the options. Kyoto is popular for well deserved reasons, other tourists should not bother you because you're also there as a tourist!
You could easily spend a busy week in Kyoto and never set foot in Gion at all. I've spent probably a month in Kyoto over various trips and have maybe spent a cumulative day in Gion. Almost none of the top tier attractions are there.
For most of my time in Kyoto I had the same feeling, it is an amazing city⊠but, the crowds of tourists even in the offseason were off putting. I think if I were to do it over Iâd spend a day or two there to see the easy to access spots and decompress a bit and allocate more time to other places like some onsen towns instead of spending so much time in Kyoto. Iâm from a small city so the big city life is a little daunting to me, even if it was the most pleasant city experiences Iâve had traveling so far.
I allocated the least time to the mountains in the north and I regretted it, I think I wouldâve liked more time in the Nagano region which was FAR less crowded even in ski season, and absolutely breathtaking.
Yes and no. Some spots in Gion were hit so hard with overtourism that they had to block off roads and alleys to visitors. We went in March and dodged the crowds for the most part by going early in the morning to the popular spots.
Kyoto touristy? During the âbestâ month of all the year? Nah itâs just you and the shrines and temples đ all jokes aside I think Japan might be one of the few places that are wonderful and âintimateâ even when fully crowded
Ha ha the bamboo forest was crowded af
This is a skip. More like a bamboo backyard. So small.
I'm Japanese and I'd been there long ago. Initially, it was not for such a large amount of tourist. Indeed it's small area, enjoying a moment of serenity while going through this short trail. Now I agree skipping here.
I could understand why it would be a nice respite for locals or on an uncrowded morning. Love Koyoto and Japan but overall.
It's the good kind of touristy. The "no shit all these people are here, this place is awesome" kind.
Yes. I saw more Americans there than Tokyo.
I went and the only part that became a bit too crowded was around Kiyomizu-dera, plus Fushimi Inari until the first checkpoint. This was on 2018 in February though
How does Kyoto compare to Tokyo?
They have same letters
They appear to yes
probably the most touristy place in japan
why is it so expensive to fly out there đ
That is a good question. The flights were 30% of our budget
Pro tip, live nearby Japan.
Flights will be less than $400 a person.
Bangkok to Osaka last July cost $140 for a 6 hour flight. Bargain!
I live in the Middle East near a popular flying hub. Direct flights are still 600$ đ Not too bad, but still a bit on higher side for me.Â
Edit: in hindsight, I guess it's not too bad for a 10 hour flight.
$600 is still better than the 1.2-1.8k EU/US tend to pay of course.
Bro, $600 is a steal. Itâs usually 3 times that much from the US.
Do either of you speak or understand any Japanese? I keep hearing how awesome it is but Iâm just scared to go somewhere that I canât comprehend any of the language or writing!
I don't know a word of Japanese but I've been many times and never felt like it really held me back.
If you're having trouble reading something you can always hold your phone up to it and use live camera translation.
Learn thank you, and sumimasen. Maybe I'm an ugly American, but I've stayed in Japan for up to a month at a time and I got along fine just pointing and such.
Unlike a lot of other places, I found that Japanese aren't as eager to "practice their English." Like in SE Asia, even if they only know a few words, people will often happily just start trying to converse with me when they realize I'm American. But not so in Japan. I think this kind of works to your advantage, they are okay if you can't speak Japanese.
You know, I heard the French get aggro if you don't attempt French, but I didn't experience any of that in Paris. I just pointed at stuff.
sumimasen is one of the few Japanese words I learned when I went 20 years ago and still remember it so it was funny to read your post
Don't let the language concern hold you back! We are just wrapping up a 6 week trip in Japan, and never had a problem. We spent 4 weeks in big cities, and two weeks in the Hokkaido countryside bike touring on our own. Google translate worked absolutely everywhere. In all big cities, enough English signs or people to help in person (such as ticket machines) to not even need the phone.
We did learn about a dozen words that we used everywhere. (Thank you, please, how do you do, water tea, beer, hot, cold, etc.)
We loved that the conbini (convenience stores, where you buy a lot of your quick meals and snacks) have signs you can point to for chopstick, bags, fork, spoon, etc.
I went last October and was honestly so surprised how much English there was. Almost all train station and transport signs are in English and lots of menus are too. You can definitely get by as an English speaker no problem, especially if you learn some polite basic phrases like thank you and excuse me.Â
So many people also have translation apps or devices - having Google translate makes things even easier.Â
So⊠sumimasen? Iâm hoping to survive the entire trip on sumimasen, onegai, kore kudasai
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Ironically I was so prepared to use that and the most trouble I had was figuring out the train map (Iâm not from a big city)⊠I spent 30 minutes translating everything on one sign board just to realize I was looking at the wrong map⊠never felt more like an American idiot.
Unless youâre heading into the countryside, the main cities have enough English.
Also if you're in the countryside, expect some less than friendly potentially xenophobic reactions. It's not a big deal but I definitely felt unwanted in some of the smaller towns I visited.
Yeah, they just never expect foreigners to rock up to their small town.
Japan is the easiest place I've traveled without knowing the language. In the big cities, they're used to dealing with foreigners. Many of them don't speak English but everyone uses Google Translate.
Just learn to say "thank you very much" or "arigatou gozaimasu" as it's polite.
You can definitely survive a trip without knowing much, but I'd bring a friend or two in that case. Seeing hundreds of people in one area, and not being able to converse with any of them instilled a sense of isolation I never felt before. It was oddly sobering.
Places like Tokyo kind of felt like DisneyWorld to me. The foreigners and locals don't really blend like in other places, they just cohabitate. I felt completely disconnected from the locals but it felt ok.
I know a little Japanese but was tongue tied the first two weeks. Just say Arigato Gozaimasu and Sumimasen and you'll be fine. Tokyo and Kyoto are very tourist friendly. Everything even the temples and and shrines had English annotations
Learn how to read hiragana and katakana if you can, they're very easy should only take a week or two. Helped me a lot when I went there last year, sometimes signs would have funny fonts so my phone wouldn't be able to translate it but I could read most of it and type it into Google translate using romaji.
Google translate bridges most of the gap. Learn how to say "please", "thank you", "excuse me", "this", and "that" and that'll get you the rest of the way.
My friend ordered an entire meal using "this" and "that" while I struggled to read the characters to the wait staff. Her way was MUCH easier!
English signage is all over the place. Just learn hello, please, thank you, goodbye etc
Google translate app. I just flew back from Tokyo. With google translate communicating is not a problem whatsoever anywhere. Did not feel intimidated going anywhere in Tokyo after I downloaded google translate on the second day of my trip.
So happy for you! Japan is my N. 1 place to visit from my bucket list :)
I went during your time for the first time and I also thought it's probably my favorite country of all time that I visited. I went to Osaka/Kyoto during Golden Week and people here are like don't go during Golden Week because of the crowd and it wasn't even that bad. It's also the best Japanese food that I ever had compare to the expensive crap we have in the US.
Yes, we caught the Golden Week. I didn't even notice any difference.
ETA the best ramen I've ever had was in Kyoto. Delicious!
I had Ramen Sen-No-Kaze in Kyoto and I thought that was really good. I had to wait friggin 2 hours but I felt even that long it was worth it. I probably should have just ate in the Tsukiji Market which is close by it. However, I think when it comes to Kyoto, I felt their Soba noodles were their best. I still think Tokyo has a much better selection than Osaka and Kyoto in general. Did you go to Osaka?
I had Ramen Sen-No-Kaze in Kyoto and I thought that was really good. I had to wait friggin 2 hours but I felt even that long it was worth it.
Same!! 2 and a half hour wait but definitely the best bowl of ramen I've ever had. While we were waiting I was super curious why it was so busy and almost exclusively tourists there, turns out it was recommended by Yelp or TripAdvisor or some place like that.
I lived in Japan for three years, and when I left, it took me a long time to get over missing my life there. Iâm glad you had a wonderful time!
Flying to Japan for 3 weeks in October. I'm hoping we love it as much as you.
You will. Itâs hard not to.
Did you go to the Tokyo fish market? It was an absolute bucket dream of mine (after watching Jiro dreams of sushi). It was such an incredible experience.Â
were you able to bid on fish there?
Haha not me! Plus itâs BIG money to buy a tuna.
Old market or new market? The old one shut down around 2018
I went to the old Tsukiji market. I was able to book a tour through airbnb.
After living in Japan for two years and Okinawa for three years, I can honestly say Japan and its prefectures are truly some of the best places to visit, or even live in. Iâm so glad you and your hubby enjoyed it. đđœ
The problem with Japan is that itâs hard to travel to other parts of the world after. Nothing compares.
Not sure I agree.
Japan is cool, I've been a few times to different parts. I'd be ok if I didn't go back.
There are other amazing parts of this world. New places I'd love to explore and others I've already visited and would love to return.
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Taiwan, in my opinion, is easily tied with Japan for how amazing it is. Jiufen, despite how crowded it can get, is still one of my favourite places I've ever been.
The UK also has so many gorgeous places that aren't just London; Canterbury, the Cotswolds, York, for example. Go to the first two in the summer for best results.
Chamonix in France, Krakow in Poland, and Vienna. Slovenia is shockingly underrated on travel forums, too. Svalbard is amazing, but is supposedly similar to Iceland which I haven't been to so can't compare.
A safari in Tanzania and Kenya is genuinely unforgettable. Nothing compares.
Haven't been to the Americas yet so I can't say if anywhere there is a must.
I'll gladly go on record and say I enjoy Taiwan much more than Japan.
I went to Japan last year and so keen to visit Taiwan next year. It looks awesome and most Taiwanese people I've met are so cool and nice! It looks like the nature in Taiwan is absolutely unreal.
The national parks in the US are definitely the best. For instance, I go to Yosemite every year and Iâm always blown away by the scale of Yosemite
Yosemite is beautiful, certainly. I'm not sure I could call it "the best" compared to all the other natural beauty in the world!
I say that as an American.
Im sure but I didnât say itâs the best. Itâs my personal favorite that Iâve been to and itâs only a few hours drive from my house. I have yet to see Iceland, Switzerland, Patagonia, the Andes and Iâm sure those places will blow me away
Edit: Iâm an idiot. The original reply I did say âbestâ. I stand corrected
Places I'd like to visit again before Japan: Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Estonia, Lithuania, UK, France, Austria, Italy, and All of Scandinavia.
New places I'd like to go before Japan: Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Spain, Portugal, Latvia, Georgia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and a whole bunch more. Those are just the top of my head for trips in the next 2 years.
I understand why people like Japan, but I'm not all that enamored with it. It's fine I guess. I'll probably return again in my life, just won't go out of my way.
I adored Japan but personally just don't like the repeat trips when I've got so many places to visit. In the next few years I really want to visit Georgia, Taiwan, Jordan, Morocco, Slovenia, South Africa... that's probably about 2/3 years of annual leave if I take two week trips to those places!Â
Some people love going to the same place again and again (I see this a lot with Japan in particular) but there's so much out there. I think Japan attracts travellers who love to see all of the world, as well as people who specifically just love Japan and will keep going back again and again. I think I'll definitely visit again, but not for a while.
Lithuania and all of Scandinavia (not just the fjords and mountains of Norway) over Japan, really? I live a one-hour flight away from Lithuania, southern Sweden and Denmark; maybe I should go...
You should go! Estonia and Lithuania are a ton of fun. They're also inexpensive and have a really interesting history.
Scandinavia is obviously expensive, but is very unique. Copenhagen is a great city and so easy to get around on a bike and I love bikes. Stockholm has a great food scene and lots of history. Oslo isn't huge and not somewhere you'll spend weeks and weeks like London, but outside of town is beautiful and in town has tons of interesting architecture.
Spain, Italy, Mexico, France, Thailand are places that I have traveled to where itâs just as beautiful. Iâll give Japan credit for its ease on traversing around but thereâs so much beauty in this world.
Iâd add Norway to your list.
Our of nearly 60 countries including Japan, honestly think Mexico has a special place in my heart. Absolutely unreal country.
I've loved so many countries, Japan is up there as one of my favourites, but I can never stop thinking about my two trips to Mexico.
I absolutely loathe that mentality, itâs so tacky. Japan offers a lot for tourists but the world offers such wonderful experiences elsewhere. Japan is just another country, not worse or better.
Totally disagree. Went to Japan then ended up in Portugal and found Lisbon to be more beautiful than Kyoto in many ways and the food was overall better.
Japan is more fun though.
Been to both as well I'd pick Japan. But Lisbon is cool AF
Oh donât get me wrong. Iâd pick Japan too, but saying nothing compares is silly
Lisbon is great but I wouldn't call those two cities comparable at all. Incredibly different culture, architecture, religion, and cuisine aside from what Portugal actually brought to Japan through trade.
Surprised you thought the food was better in Lisbon though. We thought it was solid but way less unique. Plus Kyoto has 100 Michelin star restaurants to Lisbon's 17. They take food way more seriously in Japan.
It was a lot easier to find good places in Lisbon. Iâll have to go back to Japan at some point and try to eat better, because in Lisbon I found wonderful middle eastern, mediterranean, Turkish, and of course Portuguese food.
The coffee was awful in Portugal though, while Japan had the best coffee if that matters to people.
You think Portugal coffe is bad... where the hell did you drink it its know for its coffe
Oh I would far disagree about easier about your Lisbon to Japan comparison. I found it much more flipped the other way arround. Lisbon felt like it was trying to play little Europe.
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Make sure you go to Sintra. Best day trip Iâve done. Place feels like an actual fairytale.
The food part isn't so true. Local.
Lisbon doesnât feel touristy and glows because of how regular it feels.
The people are very nice, the food is fantastic but any type of shopping is very expensive.
Itâs nice, definitely worth a visit, especially with young kids who are treated very well there, but itâs no Japan.
Also, make sure you are in great shape as it is very hilly.
Thatâs not true. Lisbon is very touristy/expat-saturated now, and the locals are reeling from a cost of living crisis while the tourists/expats oogle at how cheap everything is there (to them). I loved Lisbon but the inequality felt really palpable
Thank you. Us locals are over it. We hear go to Lisboa it's so "cheap" all the time. It's a bit insutling. Expoited. It's not cheap for us. Not at all.
One more note, public transit doesnât compare. We had to rely on taxi cabs more in Lisbon making it hard to feel like a place where you can just get lost.
But still a great place.
Really? I though the combination of trains, metro, trams and buses worked quite well overall. It's no Japan, but for a European city of its size it's not bad at all.
Didn't want to climb down 4 stories to the subway? Also didn't like the inadaquite street car?!
Hard disagree on that. To each their own
Nah, Iâm going to have to stand my ground on this. Saying something like nothing compares is outlandishly pretentious. RightâŠthe other 196 countries arenât even worth seeing. Everyone just pack your bags and move to Japan or schedule every vacation to Japan because itâs so wonderful.
Itâs great, no question, but come on your head might be up your ass a bit to make a statement like that. Nothing comparesâŠhmph!
Hold up why the downvotes lol
There are so many other places in the world that are also great to visit why would you limit yourself to one country
itâs the internet, people fetishise Japan here
The absolute state of this subreddit that your comment would get downvoted. I love visiting Japan and have done so 4 times and am planning to go back next year, but there absolutely are tons of other places in the world that are wonderful to visit. Japan isnât the objective best travel destination because there isnât an objective best one! Everywhere has its own charm thatâs worth celebrating!
Iâve slowly seen this sub turn into r/JapanTravel
If you were new to Reddit and came to this sub you would think the only country that existed was Japan.
I get it though. Japan is the epitome of the travel world right now. Everyone should honestly book their next vacation to Japan it really is that good. In fact, I donât know when the tourism numbers will go back down if ever.
I think people who grew up during Japan-mania (back when Japanese was the language to learn and they were going to completely buy out the American economy, before China came onto the scene) have had a fascination for Japan for many years and now have the disposable income to travel there and are surprised that it is indeed everything they thought and more.
Personally I loved visiting Japan. I had dreamed about it for 15 years and I went for the first time last November. I went back again earlier this month. I'll probably not take another trip until 2025 or 2026, but I think it's a fascinating country with such a unique history and culture, and it's quite large that you can do a repeat trip with entirely different activities in new regions you didn't get to explore previously. It also helps that, right now, everything in Japan is pretty darn cheap too (for westerners, at least).
I remember back in the day, the country everyone loved to visit over and over was Spain or Italy... People went to Spain or Italy six or seven times in a decade, from the States, back when it was a bigger pain in the ass to travel internationally than it is today. Before we know it another country will replace Japan in the traveler's imagination.
Yeah I wonder what that next country will be
I donât agree but canât argue with that username
I donât think Iâll struggle to enjoy future travel (or I certainly hope not!) but it was an absolutely amazing trip that has stuck with me to an insane degree in the month and a half since I got back. And the best food destination Iâve ever been to. So I can see how, more than maybe any other trip Iâve ever taken, Iâll find myself comparing places and experiences to Japan, for sure. Iâm going to Copenhagen in a couple of weeks which is also an amazing food city and Iâm already thinking âwell will it be Japan good?!â I know, totally different places and cultures, apples and oranges, but still funny that that was my thought.
I donât think Iâll actually struggle to enjoy future travel but itâs more of a ringing endorsement of how much Iâd 100% recommended Japan to anyone thinking of going.
That is exactly how I feel like right now. I feel like I've already seen the best...
This is exactly how I feel - and I lived there . I have literally no interest in going to any other country . It has this incredibly strong pull , which makes it very hard when the rest of the family are a bit like âJapan , mehâ !
Good to hear it was everything that you'd hoped for. It's put me in the mood for an early December Tokyo trip, some solo capsule hotel hopping!
What did you do for 2 weeks in Tokyo?
We did a lot and 2 weeks were not enough. We would've liked to stay another 2 weeks, maybe 1 year
Itâs never enough. Even if a week in major cities.Â
it's not that hard to imagine, tokyo is insanely big and there's also quite a few daytrips possible, like hakone, kamakura, yokohama, nikko waterfalls, etc
How did you travel around and what kind of accommodation did you go with. What things would you recommend someone planning to go?
In Tokyo, we took the trains and metro a lot. We stayed in hotels (APA Hotel) near the main stations. The first week we stayed near Shinjuku station, the second week near Kyoto station and the third week near Ueno station. My card seemed to not work at 7 11 and Lawson so my advice is to always have cash in your wallet. Keep away from taking public transportation during rush hour. We were coming back from Miraikan around 5 pm and we were like sardines in the train. Do not recommend. For souvenirs, go to Asakusa. Follow the lead of the people around you, don't rush. In the 3 weeks there, even when the streets were congested with people, I have not seen anyone elbowing their way through the crowd. Be quiet, especially on the trains. I'm very impressed with how quiet Japan is despite being crowded.
Just bring a physical Apple Credit Card. Apple has no international fees and it works everywhere.
Im going next week, i know ill hate the 11 hr flight butâŠive endured worse. Its funny as i get older (im 30M) my tolerance for that kinda stuff goes down.
I'm nearing my 40s, you'll be fine
Next time extend your trip to Korea. Itâll be an opportunity to expand your Asian cultural interest, and the convenience factor is ten times better. Also, you also get to learn about some dark side of Japanese history with their comfort women, damaging cultural property in other countries, etc.
Maybe South Korea should face Lai Dai Han & Kopino (plus many other issues) and set an example?
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Weâre going in October, if you had to pick one thing to do in Tokyo what would it be?
I lived there for a long time, try to find a busy izakaya to see what the locals do after work. It's an experience every friend who came to visit absolutely loved.
If you head to Shinjuku, look up Yamato, hands down my fav one. Mostly a younger crowd and it gets Loud and hectic. Food and drinks are very affordable compared to anyone else, and you can find a lot of popular Japanese food on their menu. They have digital menus to order from that I BELIEVE has English as well.Â
If you go to Harajuku, there's an okonomiyaki place called Sakura Tei with a cool vibe, and they even have an all you can eat option (tabehoudai. Nomihoudai is all you can drink. Both usually have a time limit, but some places don't...)Â
October probably has no festivals to check ou, but if you're there for Halloween, head to Shibuya for streets full of drunk people in costumes. Roppongi for the same with a lot of foreigner friendly clubs. Kawasaki if you have kids as they have a parade for them.
Since it's Autumn, the leaves are a popular thing to see in nature, so heading south to Kamakura will scratch the Kyoto itch if you aren't heading there separately.Â
If you like to drink, you can drink openly on the streets, only the trains are frowned upon, but totally OK. If there's a festival, many people will be drinking on trains.Â
Hope you get to try some of these!Â
Honestly, my favorite thing was walking around the streets and take everything in. Oh, and the Shinto temples and shrines (and I'm saying this as an atheist). But I can't just pick one thing. It's too soon.
Senso-Ji temple and the area around it.
Hard to pick just one. We really enjoyed Tsukiji market, knife shopping in Kappabashi, and teamLab Borderless.
Also highly recommend Ginza Hachigo (formerly Michelin star ramen shop) for lunch. Reservations go online at 9am Japan time every Saturday for the following Tuesday-Sunday. They sell out in seconds. It was like $10/person and one of the best meals of our life.
Shibuya Sky. Nothing will be beat feeling the wind and seeing the endless city scape, and if youâre lucky you can see MT Fuji San too
Meiji Jingu
Akihabara if you're in any way interested in anime/manga/jpop subculture.
Spend your Sunday in Kichijiouji.
You can have a stroll in the park, visit the Ghibli museum if you're a fan, or go shopping in the mall or stop by any of the stores/arcades/gachapon in the shotengai.
Then you got banging tasty food at ç挫æ±äșŹ - fish, Iseya ăăă ç·æŹćș - chicken skewers, The Daps Famous Hood Joint if you want some Philli cheesesteak, Taiwan Roryu Koshomochi - pork and veggie seasameseedbuns, Satou - for deepfried beef snacks, Banchoen no Motsuya - gyoza.
If you think you can order drinks in Japanese try heading to Tetra Apartment ăăă©ăąăăŒăăĄăłăăčăăą where they have multiple snackbars on the ground floor. Otherwise I am sure you can find a seat at a bar near the station.
I did this on the last day of my trip and two weeks later I cannot stop thinking about how much fun it was! Cannot wait to eventually visit it again and explore some more.
Did u go to Disneyland??
No. Why would I want to do that?
To stand in line all day
Hahaha, no, but we went to Ueno Park to see the pandas and the line to their side of the park was so long we could've easily waited a few hours. Luckily for us, one of the panda climbed up on the roof of his building to eat some bamboo and I took some very nice pictures without even being in line.
I would like to open a theme park called line up land with no rides
Hahaha, great idea! Then people would pay to stay in line just for the experience!
It's a rare joy in life to get to stand in a line that barely moves
Cuba has plenty of them! Open a branch in Cuba
Is it a line up for cigars?
A line for anything, anytime, no one knows
Tokyo Disneyland Resort is actually pretty brilliant for people watching. Even more than Disneyland in Anaheim, itâs a locals theme park. Itâs a popular destination for date nights, kids hanging out together, etc. Lots of people dress up in matching themed outfits (it was the place I was first introduced to âOsoroiâ), and unlike the US there didnât appear to be a clear gender divide in terms of who liked to engage in this.
Itâs also significantly cheaper to visit than it is any of the US theme parks, especially since they do discounted evening tickets. Which is amazing considering theyâve got arguably the best Disney park anywhere in Disney Sea.
I'm not interested in Disneyland or Disneyworld or anything of the sort. I would definitely not waste my time waiting in line for this kind of theme park. I wanted to see the Ghibli Museum but couldn't manage to get tickets, and I got over it really fast.
ETA we don't have kids
How hard would it be to navigate with just English?
Not hard: the Google translate/Maps app will get you most of the way. Apple Pay makes it super smooth to get on/off.
Shinkansen tickets are a little more irritating but still manageable.
I tell ya it is addicting. After going to Japan and Italy, I don't want to travel anywhere else. I have my 4th trip to Japan booked for November this year. The customer service, the shopping, the food, the culture pull me in. I love the conbinis, high standard for restaurants, public transportation, mall culture, gacha machines, temples.
I'm glad that more people are discovering the beauty of Japan.
Back in the day you were called a weeaboo if anyone had interest in visiting Japan lol.
I think I was a weeaboo for a very long time, lol. I knew it was beautiful, that's why I wanted to go, but it turned out to be even more than I expected, if that makes sense. Amazing country. Coming back home literally feels like going back in time
not sure why you're getting downvoted. in my experience this was definitely true during the late 90s and early 00s.
Definitely on my bucket list but as another mentioned did/do either of you speak the language? If not, was it easy to navigate with out knowing it
Almost no tourists to Japan know any of the language. It's not a problem if you apply common sense.
Guess that makes sense
I know a little Japanese but was tongue tied the first two weeks. Just say Arigato Gozaimasu and Sumimasen and you'll be fine. Tokyo and Kyoto are very tourist friendly. Everything even the temples and and shrines had English annotations
Good to know. Totally a place I want to go
Itâs amazing
I have been dreaming of this trip lately, now that Iâm getting more comfortable with flying again. Was the April weather pleasant? I donât mind heat or humidity, I hate the cold though!
My friend was in Tokyo this past April, and she said it was rather warm. I went last year at the end of May and it was a bit on the hot/humid side. Iâd say early April is a great time to go (weather wise) if you donât mind crowds, since it will be peak cherry blossom season!
Very pleasant weather. Some days were warm enough to go out in a Tshirt. We also caught some rainy days too but that did not stop us from going out and explore. Tokyo is beautiful on cloudy days too.
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Did you need a visa?
No
how much you spend for 2 weeks in Tokyo?
I think we've spent more in Kyoto than in Tokyo... I think we've spent around 2500 in Tokyo (hotels and meals for 2 people)... I'm really not sure... The thing is we set out a budget and when we came back we discovered that we've spent 20% less than we planned. And we've come back with double the luggage.
oh nice I'm going very soon to Tokyo and everyone told me about how expensive is.
It is a less expensive than Europe that is for certain (I live in Europe and visited most of the major countries here)
May I ask how much did you spent in 3 weeks total for 2 people? And how do you navigate around?
Without flights, around 5000-5500 dollars. We used metro, trains, the shinkansen
I see thanks for info.
Japan is very interesting and yet attractive vibes all over the place. One of few countries that I want to go back again.
Nice
It Sounds amazing! Japan is definitely on top of my travel list, can someone suggest good places to eat in kyoto?
what did you do 2 weeks in Tokyo? I would have spent in Nara and Osaka and such.
I went to Nara from Kyoto and 1 day was enough. In Tokyo, you can easily fill 2 weeks with activities. 2 weeks were not enough. I still have things on my list to see and do in Tokyo that I just couldn't get to them this time around. Maybe next time.
would you mind sharing your itinerary? like things you did, for others :)
I would rather not because our itinerary included some things that are personal - like two exihibitions that I wouldn't have the chance to see outside Tokyo. We did a somewhat relaxed vacation. I made a list with what I wanted to see and tried to cross at least one thing per day. The rest of the day was spent walking around the neighborhood where the place from the list was. Sometimes, we got to see two things from the list on the same day, which was awesome but also exhausting.
Thatâs awesome! We loved Japan as well.. weâll definitely be going back.
Wonderful to hear. I remember on my last day in Tokyo, I started crying while eating my last meal đ. It was tonkatsu. Did you go to an onsen?