Some thoughts and observations, with my travel days outlined below:
- Spending my first night close to the airport after a late arrival was really great – it meant I could get into bed and then also have a late start as the hotel had an 11am check-out. This was really helpful after a 20+ hour trip. It was also super fun having the robots to check-in!
- Suica card on my iPhone made travelling around Tokyo, and Kyoto to some extent, super easy. Could also use it at Conbinis and some restuarants.
- I bought my Shinkansen tickets a couple of days before I took the train. You can buy them on the day, but I was so happy to have mine bought when heading back to Tokyo – the snow caused delays across the country, and the Osaka train station was chaos!! So many people had to wait for hours because they hadn't bought a ticket prior to that day.
- The logistics of the Kumano Kodo can be a little challenging, but it is such an exquisite part of Japan. The forests are so ancient, and it is breathtaking walking through them. If you can't do the multi-day Nakahechi walk, it is seriously worth considering the Daimonzaka and Dainichigoe. Each is only a couple of kilometres, and takes an hour or two. They do both involve serious uphill sections, though. And Yunonmine Onsen is just wonderful!
- If you're going to visit Koyasan, just stay the night!! The magic of the place is really in being there rather than just passing through.
- I loved the gachapon! And the ones in Kyoto were very different to those in Tokyo. You could get really beautiful little miniatures – I got a little matcha tea set, a 3D image of a famous painting, a little stone deer and a fat cat fishing! When I go back, I will definitely be looking for more.
- I also recommend collecting goshuin (temple/shrine stamps) as well as train and location stamps – just keep them separate. Goshuin are sacred and require their own book.
- I also bought omamori charms, and kept of record of what each was for and where it was from. I then gave these as gifts with a note on the origin, and people loved them! And of course KitKat in funky flavours!
- My best souvenirs are the ones I use every day – a kitchen knife (just from Loft), tenugui towels that I use as dish towels, and the little gacha minis that sit on my shelf.
- Definitely agree with packing light! Places like Muji and even conbinis have such awesome travel-sized toiletries, it is so worth not bringing extra weight from home.
- I thought that I had a fairly slow-paced itinerary, but I was still on my feet all day and out of my hotel from morning to night. Going back, I plan to go even slower!
- Also, there doesn't seem to be a lingering culture when it comes to coffee shops or restaurants – you sit, you eat, you go!
- And the stairs!!! So many stairs! If you want to prepare physically for a trip, forget the treadmill and get on the stairmaster!!
- And yes, a few basic phrases in Japanese do go a long way. Most people really appreciate the effort. I bought the most amazing stuffed cheese ball thing from a street vendor near Nakamise dori – it was so good, and I walked back and bought another. But the best part was seeing the vendor's face just light up when I said "totemo oiishi desu" (this is really delicious).
Day 1: My flight landed at Haneda at 10:30pm and I chose a hotel close to the airport for the first night. (Henn na Hotel Haneda….it’s the one with robots and dinosaurs at the check-in counter – a super cool introduction to the craziness of Japan!)
Day 2: Sent my luggage to my Shibuya hotel using Airporter (super convenient – could pre-book and pay online). Then made my way to Shibuya via Zojoji temple and Tokyo Tower. (Tokyo Tower was great to get a sense of the vastness of the city….it literally stretches as far as the eye can see. Zojoji temple has the Garden for Unborn Children – this is an incredibly beautiful and moving sacred space).
Day 3: Walked from Shibuya, up through Meiji Park and Shrine, to Shinjuku. Explored a bit and then walked back via various shops and department stores.
Day 4: Morning Shinkansen to Kyoto. Went straight to Arashiyama from Kyoto Station and stored luggage in locker at the station. Took a taxi to Otagi Nenbutsugi and then walked back down to Arashiyama Main Street via Adashino Nenbutsuji (the one with the secret bamboo grove!) and Toriimoto Preserved Street.
Day 5: Walked to Kiyomizudera early – it started to snow which was magical! Also did a Kimono experience and Tea Ceremony through Ju-An at Kotokuji Temple – highly recommend. Finished the day with a walk through Nishiki Market.
Day 6: Spent the whole morning at Fushimi Inari, climbing the mountain through the back pathway and bamboo forest, and then walking down through the main Torii gates. Really enjoyed this approach and saw so many extraordinary shrine spaces on the way up.
Day 7: Attended the Setsubun festival at Yasaka Shrine where they have a special performance by local maiko. This was an amazing experience to be a part of!
Day 8: Sent my main luggage back to Tokyo – the guesthouse helped with this – and kept a small backpack for 4 nights. Took an early train to Shingu (about 4hrs) on the Kii peninsula. Visited the Hayatama Taisha, one of the three shrines that make up the Kumano Sanzen.
Day 9: Train to Nachi and walked the Daimonzaka section of the Kumano Kodo to the Nachi Taisha Shrine (the one with the pagoda and the waterfall in the background). Then back to Shingu and onto a bus to Yunomine Onsen. (Arrived to falling snow and steam rising from the river!)
Day 10: Walked the Dainichigoe section of the Kumano Kodo to Hongu, and the last of the Kumano Sanzen shrines. Bus back to Yunomine Onsen.
Day 11: This was the most logistically challenging day of my trip. I had to take a bus from Yunomine to Tanabe, and then three trains, a cable car and a bus to Koyasan. Arrived in the early afternoon and checked in for my temple stay at Saizenin Temple.
Day 12: Experienced the early morning prayers at the temple – the singing is otherworldly. Spent the day exploring Okunoin cemetery – the whole area was covered in snow and it was sublime. Took an afternoon train to Osaka. Got a hotel in Namba close to the Shinkansen station, and just explored Dotonbori for the evening.
Day 13: Shinkansen back to Tokyo (delays due to heavy snowfall along the route). Stayed with friends. Went to izakaya and karaoke!
Day 14: Explored Kichikoji with friends
Day 15: Explored Ameyokocho shopping area and then Yanaka and Nezu. Stayed in a capsule hotel (just for the experience!) in Asakusa.
Day 16: Visited Sensoji and Nakamise shopping street as well as Kappabashi before meeting friends in Ginza.
Day 17: Packing and final bits of shopping before heading to the airport for an 11pm flight.
by BranchLongjumping574