Ultimate Japan Travel Guide

Ultimate Japan Travel Guide

I’m finally writing about my recent trip to Japan and South Korea. This was my first trip to Asia and I am already excited to return! In this article, I am going to write mostly about Japan but if you are more interested in South Korea, click HERE for some key points. My itinerary will include the full trip to both Japan and South Korea which you can find HERE.

Just another reminder that I am not associated with any of the companies I recommend and I’m just sharing my experiences from my travels. 

Japan. Wow, there is so much to cover about my travels to Japan. It truly is an amazing country with so much history and culture, contrasted with the newest, most innovative technologies. Whether you are interested in history, art, sports, food, shopping, or the outdoors, Japan has everything you could want and more. That being said, it’s nearly impossible to see it all in just 9 days, which is the amount of time we were able to spend in Japan for this trip. I hope I’ll soon have another Japan article paired with a new season, new activities, and cities that I can share with you in the near future. But for now, I’ll share with you what I experienced in Japan thus far… 

We went to Japan at the end of February through the beginning of March. My husband and I wanted to snowboard at the start of our trip before exploring the rest of the country. Our initial plan was to ski in Hokkaido at the Nisseko resort. After looking at additional flights and our “limited” time, we decided to stay in mainland Japan to ski, where we could access a ski resort more easily. We ended up going to Nozawaonsen which is a short two-and-a-half-hour bullet train from Tokyo. Traditionally Japan has amazing snow no matter where you go. Unfortunately for us,Nozawaonsen had a pretty bad season with icy conditions when

we were there. However, they were getting 10 inches on the day we were leaving so it’s not to say they don’t get snow at all. That being said, if you are looking to do a ski trip in Japan with guaranteed “JaPow”, take the extra time to go to Hokkaido and maybe even do some back-country skiing if that’s something you’re interested in. If you were like us and just wanted to experience skiing in Japan while also spending time exploring the rest of the country, Nozawaonsen is still a great spot to hit. The one good thing that came from no “JaPow” was that we were forced to spend more time in this little ski town with very few non-Japanese tourists. This allowed us to feel immersed in the culture, especially when we headed to our first public onsen. Nozawaonsen is a nice place to travel year round with it having 30 natural hot springs “onsens”, thirteen of which are free to the public. Japan has onsens all over the country but staying in Nozawaonsen made it seem like we were in the Onsen capital of Japan. There are a lot of cultural aspects and rules for bathing and relaxing in the Onsens. If you want to make sure you are being respectful and avoid being as shocked as I was, walking into an Onsen with 19 naked Japanese women speaking no English, click this article HERE. 

After leaving Nozawasnow we rented a car to drive to the Japanese snow monkeys.

They were so adorable and got so close to you.  My only regret was not bringing our camera because I think we would've been able to capture some incredible photos. That being said, you are close enough to them to not ~need~ a camera to get some good shots.

The photos to the right are pictures I took of the monkeys on my iPhone. This was a highlight of the trip and it was relatively easy to get to Jigokudani Monkey Park. If you aren't feeling as adventurous as we were to drive in a foreign country, there are also plenty of tour groups visiting the park daily. You could even do a day trip from Tokyo if you really wanted to see the monkeys without staying nearby. If you decide to drive

yourself in Japan, you will need an international learners permit. More information about transportation in Japan can be found, HERE.

Now more about TOKYO…

We stayed in Shinjuku which is considered the "Time Square" of Tokyo. It definitely feels that way, except there were way more lights and it’s WAY cleaner! Everywhere I read online suggested staying in Shinjuku for first-timers. We stayed at Hotel Gracery which has the massive tourist attraction of Godzilla on the top of the building. While that wasn't exactly why we selected this spot, it was still funny leaving our hotel and seeing tourists take pictures of it.

The hotel was honestly a pretty comfortable, modern, spacious, and affordable hotel in a perfect location. Hotel Grocery was within walking distance of many restaurants and a fun bar area called “Golden Gai” (More on this later). I personally enjoyed seeing all the lights, being within walking distance to a fun bar scene, and just feeling like we were "in it”; however, I don't think we would stay in Shinjuku or possibly even visit next time we returned to Japan. I would agree with people recommending it for first-timers unless the thought of going to Times Square really deters you. If that's the case, there are so many other great places to visit and stay in Tokyo. Asakusa, Ginza, and Shibuya are just a few of the other options if you want to avoid Shinjuku. Click HERE for a more detailed breakdown of each district in Tokyo. 

Tokyo Activities:

Tokyo truly has activities for everyone, but here are some of my favorite activities we did while we were in Tokyo. I’ll start with one of my favorite experiences… The Tsukiji Fish Market. The Tsukiji Fish Market is the largest in the world, selling roughly 2,000 tons (about 14 million dollars) of fish each day.

Tsukiji Fish Market

If you love seafood and fish markets, you should consider getting a tour for the 5am tuna auction. I considered doing this but after realizing we would’ve had to wake up at 3am and not even get to walk amongst the commercial sales, I decided to go later in the morning to the outer market that is more tailored to tourists and small purchases.

I LOVE all open-air markets, but I especially love markets that offer smaller portion sizes that allow you to try various types of foods. We went to the outer market around 9:00 in the morning and walked around for a few hours. I tried various seafoods I could’ve never imagined eating in my lifetime. They also had shops in the market selling knives, pottery, and other trinkets. Unless you absolutely hate seafood and the smell of it, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this market. 

Ramen Cooking Class

The Baba Ramen cooking class might be tied with the Tsukiji Fish Market as my favorite activity in Tokyo. I took my first cooking class on this trip and absolutely loved it! We wanted to do a sushi-making class but since the friends we were with weren’t huge seafood people, we decided to take a Ramen and Gyoza cooking class instead. 10/10 recommend taking this Ramen cooking class through Baba Ramen.

There are so many reasons why this cooking class was so amazing. We learned about the history, culture, and all the work that goes into making ramen. Secondly, the food was to die for! After three hours of meal-prepping ramen and gyoza, I was drooling, staring down the most delicious meal I’d ever helped craft with a cold beer in hand. Everyone in this small group class had split roles and you’re continuously working. One of my friends pointed this benefit out since the 4 other international cooking classes she had taken did not have the students “as involved” in the cooking process as this class. We started by smashing up pork bones, then created our broth, stuffed gyoza, and made our own pasta from scratch. We truly worked for this savory meal and the best part (aside from eating the delicious food) was how Baba Ramen shared their recipes with us after the class. I cannot speak more highly of this cooking class. If I wasn’t able to convince you to take this cooking class, check out Diplo’s social media where he shouts out this fantastic company. 

Asakusa : Senso-ji Temple

Historical activities in Tokyo mostly took place in Asakusa. It was here that we went to the Senso-ji Temple (oldest temple in Tokyo). We walked around the market before and after visiting the Temple. There are quite a few temples and other historical monuments to visit in this area of Japan as it is the oldest part of Tokyo.

It was fairly crowded and very touristy in certain areas so we didn’t end up staying as long as I was originally expecting to stay in Asukasa. It was still great to see the historical area and pretty easy to get to when utilizing Japan’s public transportation system. Speaking of Japan’s public transportation, click HERE for more information regarding transportation in Japan. 

Here are some other activities I had researched but didn’t necessarily get the chance to explore myself during this past trip:

• Sumo Wrestling: I was on the fence if I wanted to go to a morning training session tour. Ultimately we decided on some other activities but I hope to see them in action next time I return to Japan. If Sumo Wrestling is something that you’re very interested in, make sure you look at their tournament schedule. They have 6 big tournaments across Japan each year lasting about two weeks each. The sumo wrestlers might not be in Tokyo when you are traveling there if you don’t check their schedule ahead of time. You could also plan your trip around going to one of their tournaments if that's something you’re interested in. I hope next time I go to Japan, I can plan my trip at a time when they are competing in a tournament. 

• Samurai museum tour or class: While we did not get to experience this when we were in Japan, our friends did and they really enjoyed it. 

• Tea Ceremony: (I’m definitely making this a priority when I return to Japan and go to Kyoto).

• Museums: There are SO many museums, just google all the museums in Tokyo and pick which ones interest you the most. There is a popular interactive art museum called TeamLab Borderless.

• Themed Cafes: (cat cafes, etc… so many options, again google & find which ones interest you the most).

Noteworthy Restaurants, Cafes, and Bars:

This list of restaurants could only start with the best cafe in Tokyo (well in my opinion at least). The Dawn Robot cafe is my favorite in Tokyo since its purpose is to provide those with disabilities the opportunity to work and socialize like any other abled body person.

This cafe is a robot cafe that has robots greeting you at the door, chatting with you at the table, delivering your drinks, and making your coffee. Each robot has a live person speaking through the speaker to guests. They have a picture and bio next to them explaining not only their disabilities but their passions as well. There was even real-time translation of English to Japanese and vice versa that allowed us to communicate with employees who did not speak English. This cafe is currently starting as a pilot but I hope it expands to every country in the world allowing those with physical setbacks to still engage at work. The coffee and food were good but the best part of this cafe was the mission behind it. This is my most highly recommended cafe in Japan! 

Golden Gai: If visiting Shinjuku at any point, I recommend stopping by the Golden Gai area where you’ll find narrow streets with tons of tiny bars that max fit 8 people.

Don’t be offended if some places don’t let you in, it's not uncommon to stumble across some bars or restaurants that are for locals only in Japan. I was told this is partially because they want to still keep some places just for locals, but most often they don’t take tourists into their establishment because they don’t believe they can provide the best service to them (non-English speaking). I’m not sure how valid those reasons are but that’s how it was explained to me by a few locals I met when I was there. There were still so many unique bars to choose from in Golden Gai and throughout Tokyo. I had been told it gets extremely crowded in Golden Gai during peak season but we didn’t have any issues when we were visiting in the wintertime. Be mindful that a lot of things will be booked up and crowded if you are visiting in peak season (especially during the infamous cherry blossoms). 

Top-ranked bars in Tokyo… there are a few of them. We tried out some top-ranked cocktail bars in Tokyo, one of which is ranked one of the top 50 bars in the world. A disclaimer is that we love a good speakeasy even if that makes us seem like “pretentious hipsters”. That being said, we were a little disappointed with the experience at Bar Bennfiddich  The bar does a great job at promoting exclusivity, by only being open a few hours out of the week to take reservations over the phone. My husband had multiple attempts at trying to get a reservation before he was successful. This bar is so tucked away, that it's nearly impossible to actually stumble across it. It was super cool scoring a reservation and the decor was really nice. The only complaint we had was there really was no “experience”. We were a group of four so we were not sat at the bar so we didn't see any drinks prepared. We had an hour-and-a-half time limit and had to flag down staff to try to get a second drink in time. The drinks were good but not outstanding in my opinion. I think one thing that made it cool was that they made their own absinthe from the owner's private land. It was still cool to go to this bar but I think I had higher expectations since it was so highly ranked. We felt this way about another renowned cocktail bar that we went to called, SG Club. The drinks were REALLY good but we were definitely limited with time and kinda crammed in.

It was still fun to attend both cocktail bars, but we ended up stumbling across a local bar that seemed way more authentic than the other two renowned cocktail bars. It was our favorite bar experience in Tokyo because we got to talk with our bartender who owned the bar, as well as locals coming into the bar. The owner was actually confused about how we found it because it was more tucked away and usually just locals. We spent hours at Bar Subterraneans. We even became friends with some locals and went bar hopping with them after Bar Subterraneans closed at 2am (we were there on a Tuesday). Overall, I think the bar scene in Tokyo was really cool and there were so many places to still explore. If specialty cocktails are your thing, I still recommend making a reservation at the first two bars I mentioned or finding your own cocktail bar. Bar hopping in Tokyo can be a lot of fun, especially on the weekend when you can find people partying past 5am, as we witnessed when we were leaving for the airport one morning. Tokyo also offers great late-night food, of course, they serve savory food at all hours of the day. 

Speaking of delicious food, there are so many amazing dining experiences in Tokyo. One dining experience my husband sought out was finding a restaurant that safely prepared fugu (pufferfish). He had done enough research, that I felt comfortable with trying fugu with him. I did get a little bit of cold feet right before entering the restaurant and found myself more anxious trying the fugu than I was expecting. The chef and server were so friendly although they did not speak very much English. They had a menu that they likely pasted into Google Translate and we were able to figure most things out.

For those of you who do not know, fugu’s claim to fame is that if it is not prepared correctly, it can kill you. My husband had done a lot of research before picking the spot we ate at and I still have lived to tell the story today. If you are feeling as adventurous as we were, I highly recommend Sasaya. It might seem out of the way but their specialty is preparing fugu. We ate every part of the puffer fish in many different forms. While at the time I was regretting my decision to try the food, I’m actually very happy that I did. We had so many different dining experiences when we were in Japan. Everything from fish for breakfast, Michelin star, conveyor belt sushi, and ramen from the train station. It’s really hard to go wrong with any dining experience in Japan (unless you go to a sketchy fugu restaurant).  

Heard enough about Tokyo?

How about some info about Mount Fuji...

We were super lucky and had amazing views of Mount Fuji, on both days we were there. Apparently, there are often clouds blocking Mt. Fuji and views can be extremely limited, especially when visiting in the summertime. We found out February is one of the clearest times to visit and we got to enjoy that benefit with good views of Mt. Fuji in March. The downside is that they do not allow any hiking in the wintertime. Hiking Mount Fuji is limited to May through August.  I found one company online that would let you hike and then ski down Mount Fuji between April and June so that might have to be added to my list of things to do during my next trip to Japan. We took the bus from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji and stayed 2 nights in a ryokan. It is possible to do a day trip with a larger tour company if timing is limited. Again, just be aware of the unpredictable weather when booking a single-day trip to Mt. Fuji. The name of our ryokan that we stayed at was  Wakakusa No Yado Murei and it was very lovely. They provided free shuttle transportation to and from the main bus/train station. Breakfast and dinner were included and they had stunning views of the mountain with very relaxing onsens. Be mindful that the meals included were very heavy seafood. When you get to the main station in Mt Fuji, they have a local train that can take you to the main tourist spots. There are bike and boat companies available to go around the lake and experience other views of Mt. Fuji. We bundled up and rented some bikes to go around the lake. It was a nice form of exercise and outdoors to break up the city life we’d been living in Tokyo. Mt. Fuji is totally worth visiting, it really is spectacular. I just recommend being mindful of the season and weather when planning your trip so you don't end up being disappointed when you arrive.  

That is all I have so far for my Japanese experiences. I will hopefully have a new blog soon with more experiences in Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, Okinawa, and more but for now please enjoy these other useful articles about Japan travel:

* Cultural Tips

* Transportation in Japan

* Onsens

*Tokyo Districts

*Detailed Japan & South Korea Itinerary 

*Itinerary Options

*South Korea Key Points

Thank you for reading this long article. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me HERE. 

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