Trip Report: Short 9-day trip to Kanazawa, Aomori, Hakodate, Tokyo and Kamakura

Hi, all! My family and I recently came back from a trip between 2-9 April. This is mainly to report on how we did our trip this time, despite how short-notice it was. But also, I wanted to show how important it is to know when to use a JR Pass.

I want to make it clear, this is not meant for people who are visiting Japan for the first time. We've seen most things already on and near the Golden Route in previous trips. Whatever we've done this time is because we couldn't do it last time.

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Context for this trip:

We were actually bound for another destination on the same dates, but due to the ongoing Gulf war, that trip got cancelled a week before. We were entitled to a full refund from the tour agency, so the cost for this trip was essentially offset lol. My family all had their leaves approved for these dates, and we were already in our holiday moods, with luggage all packed, so it bummed us out pretty badly. We ended up making a trip to Japan after some consideration, while the flight routes were still minimally affected.

Luckily for us, there were hardly any cancellations for the airline we were using, too. The destinations this time fit perfectly into these dates, and the itinerary/route was easily decided on. We shared 20kg check-in between 4 people, and somehow, we managed to leave with less lol.

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Goals:

Shirakawa-go, visiting my cousin in Hachinohe, and buying a pair of Flower Mountain shoes for my dad. Those are literally the main goals. Our itinerary was centred around getting to these places as we couldn't make them previously. Other points of interest were added either as we worked on it or when we actually touched down. But ultimately, get these goals done and do it while relaxed. Our minor goals included Nakamise-dori (we didn't know it closed at 6pm last we went), Kamakurakoko-mae, Akihabara General Store Railyard, K-BOOKS Otome Pavilion (iykyk), and buying root hon-wasabi.

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Main route and transportation:

• KIX → Kanazawa (Base) → Aomori (Base) → Tokyo (Base)
  • Day trips to Shirakawa-go, Hachinohe, Hakodate and Kamakura.
• JR Whole Japan Rail Pass (via Klook) & ICOCA.
  • We had a hunch the 7-day JR Pass was more worth than purchasing Shinkansen tickets with the base itinerary, but we still made an spreadsheet for the calculations. Google Maps had both IC and non-IC fares listed and hasn't failed us yet, so we used it to decide on a route on specific dates (with a 30-min or 1-hour buffer between transfers in case we got lost).
  • As soon as our calculations for the base route itself hit the 50,000 yen mark (which was enroute to Hakodate), we stopped thinking twice and got it on Klook. At the time, it was cheaper there than on the official site.
  • ICOCA was used for whatever wasn't covered by the JR Pass (which was only used a total of 8 times).
• Klook for our trip to Shirakawa-go and Ainokura. We definitely weren't able to book reserved seats for the Nohi bus, not even when we used other arrival points. We also didn't want to risk getting stranded or separated if we had to use different buses. This was a clear decision for us.

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Expectations:

We didn't have high expectations because we knew this was a last-minute itinerary. We also didn't have low expectations because we were going to new places, and came just in time for viewing the cherry blossoms and experiencing remnants of snow (which were novel to us as we come from a tropical country). Also, because we came from a hotter climate, we expected to fall sick from the temperature change, so we kept our itinerary short and simple in case we do fall sick and had to take it slow.

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Itinerary

Day 1 (KIX → Kanazawa):

• Arrived at KIX at 11AM or so. Went straight to Kanazawa Station via Shinkansen.
• Arrived at Kanazawa Station around 6-7PM due to a delay. I'll talk about it more in the regrets section.
• Walked to our Airbnb. We were surprised that there weren't many open izakaya or restaurants on our way there. Luckily, our place had a burger shop in the building, so we just ate there then rested up for the night. We decided to leave the adventuring for the next day.

Day 2 (Kanazawa → Shirakawa-go → Ainokura → Kanazawa):

• Bus to Shirakawa-go, then Ainokura.
  • The tour on Klook was actually really just 2 tour guides with lots of tips and info about the two villages & guaranteed to and from trips. We were completely free to roam on our own! 2 hours in Shirakawa-go and 1 hour in Ainokura.
  • Tour guides were wonderful. They told us the history of the places on the way to the villages, and about the villages themselves. Also, they gave us tips on where we could buy sake by the cup (for those interested in trying different flavours instead of buying a whole bottle), where the photo spots were, and had reserved a restaurant for the group's lunch!
  • Lunch was a delightful traditional meal at a local restaurant in Shirakawa-go. It didn't look like it was , but it was absolutely plentiful.
  • Shirakawa-go was surprisingly not crowded with tourists. We covered everything we wanted to see in those 2 hours before lunch. Ainokura had even lesser tourists, and the 1 hour we had to explore was more than enough considering how small the place was. Both villages were so picturesque! We are a sightseeing and cultural heritage collection-viewing family, so the workshops didn't appeal to us very much. Strolled so much that I grew so many 10k step Pikmin on Pikmin Bloom in just those 3 hours.
  • Our tour guides informed us that the Kenroku-en and Kanazawa Castle would be open to the public for free, extending its opening hours to 9PM for the cherry blossoms! Since our Airbnb was only a 15-minute walk from there, we decided to leave them for the last destination of the day.
• Walked from Kanazawa Station to Nagamachi Samurai District, passing by Tamagawa Park. We visited all the free heritage residences in the district. When we came, the cherry blossoms, plum blossoms and magnolias were in full bloom! The combination of the old residences, pathways, and flowers was so gorgeous. It looked straight out of a historical J-drama.
• Took a bus to Higashi Chaya District. We got here around 5 or 6PM, I think. We knew we came pretty late, so there wasn't much to see. Good thing that also meant we were one of the very few tourists there! We were able to take a stroll around while the establishments were closing up. The buildings were a sight to behold! We were also surprised to hear the faint sound of a geiko performing, but of course, we didn't stop to listen.
• Our bus at the Higashi Chaya District's station was half an hour late. We decided to make the walk to the next bus station to head to Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en. Along the bridge, the sight of the blooming cherry blossoms by the river at night was wonderful, so of course we had another photo op!
• We weren't strangers to festival crowds, but the crowd for the night was insane. We got claustrophobic. Since it was near dinner time for us, and we were still looking to sightsee, we decided to brave the crowd for the food bazaar. As soon as we got a snack to lightly fill our bellies, we made our way to the castle and the Kenroku-en.
  • The crowds inside the garden and castle themselves were actually small. The castle was a sight to see in spring! So beautifully enveloped by blooming cherry blossoms! Kenroku-en, on the other hand, was underwhelming for us. We felt that the garden was more like a checkbox to tick. We strolled, and took our time. Even thought maybe it was just the wrong timing, but really. It wasn't spectacular to us.
• We had our dinner at an izakaya near our Airbnb. We were starving but the set meal we had was still so plentiful that we may have struggled to finish if it weren't for how there weren't many potential customers were poking their heads inside in search of vacant seats.

Day 3 (Kanazawa → Aomori):

• Walked around Kanazawa in the morning. Most shops were still closed, but the Omicho Market was open! We didn't stop by for breakfast there, though. Just sightsaw before we left for Kanazawa Station.
• Went to JR Aomori Station via the Shinkansen and Ou Line.
  • We were shocked to find that there was still snow on the ground the closer we got to Aomori. We had asked my cousin about the weather, and we had all wrongly assumed it had gotten warmer like Hachinohe did.
• We dropped off our luggage at the inn, just 5 minutes away from the JR Aomori Station! Then we went to the shore, Aomori Bay Bridge, and Aomori Prefecture Tourist Centre. We had our dinner at a ramenya in Lovina. It was fulfilling for us shivering and cold travellers, haha.

Day 4 (Aomori → Hachinohe → Aomori):

• Day trip to Hachinohe. Specifically, Kabushima Jinja Shrine.
  • My cousin was our tour guide here, though he did say the place had very little to offer at 9AM in the morning.
  • My god, we were so awed by the seagulls just taking flight around the island. You could hear them from afar, too. Absolutely mesmerising to see them fly. The view was breathtaking!
  • We have never seen seagulls up close before (we've only seen them in zoo enclosures), so we were definitely a little frightened to see them so fearless of humans, haha. Plus, they were large, so we did feel scared that we would get harassed by one since we weren't familiar with their habits at all. Luckily, we didn't accidentally scare or anger the birds, so yay!
  • When I looked up Hachinohe to see if it was a place we could stay, lots of people advised against it since most places open late, and close early. They were right. There really wasn't much to see while walking, either. At least the Same Station had a silly shark outside for a photo op.
• Went back to Shin-Aomori, and spent the evening at the Sannai-Maruyama Site! This was on my mum's list, not my cousin's. We took the Nebutan bus there.
  • This place was absolutely fantastic to visit since we are a family that loves cultural heritage collections and historical sites. Seeing the Jomon burial practices and living/communal spaces in real life felt like we were able to remember that these people had practices so resilient and full of care, we were able to see their legacy to this day.
  • I had a nasty migraine attack on this day, so I took an hour's break in the resting area. Aomori had few tourists, and this place had even fewer visitors, so it was completely calm. When I felt better, I still managed to cover the entirety of the outdoor area and the indoor museum. Easily doable in 2 hours or less.
• Ended the day at Shin-Aomori after sending off my cousin back to Hachinohe. Originally, we considered visiting Hirosaki if there was at least 4 hours left before the last train back. We decided against it, because (1) I still had a horrible migraine, (2)castle keep was closed, (3) cherry blossoms were not in bloom at the park, and (4) we aren't interested in apple-picking farms. Ultimately, we couldn't find a reason to visit Hirosaki that would make it feel like it wasn't a checklist.

Day 5 (Aomori → Hakodate → Aomori):

• Day trip to Hakodate via the Shinkansen and Hakodate Liner.
• We arrived right in time when the Hakodate Morning Market and all other markets were open! We checked them out in search of goods to bring back home. They've got food courts where you could sit at tables to eat what you bought at the vendors. Lots of testers, too. I had a lot of Hakodate's famous squid, and they were so yummy.
• Walked to the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse. Here, we had a mission: Flower Mountain. We easily found it in one of the buildings. They had lots of models to choose from, but they had limited sizes. My dad left disappointed because the one he wanted didn't have his size. Instead, in another building, my mum fell in love with a pair of Patrick shoes, lol. At least our visit inside the warehouses wasn't in vain. I also bought myself another marimo here.
  • This place actually has lots of souvenirs, but we've been to Otaru before. This didn't have that much of a wow factor.
• Walked to Hakodate City Museum of Northern Peoples. We love, love, love the collection! Although we weren't new to the culture, it was our first time seeing so many Ainu traditional attire and the results of their interaction with other communities. The director's talk posted by the exhibits were also hilarious to read.
• Walked to the Old Public Hall. The houses on the way there made us feel like we were in a J-drama, haha. Since it was uphill, there weren't many tourists around so we weren't being pushed or delayed by a crowd. We also visited the old churches on our way down to Hakodate Station. The journey around Motomachi district was so scenic thanks to the architecture, that we couldn't help but romanticise everything we saw.
• Had lunch at the Hakodate Beer Hall. Food was great for the price!
• We skipped Mt Hakodate Observatory because on our way to the warehouse, we saw that halfway up the mountain, it was so foggy you couldn't even see anything. The fog did not lift even after hours. We read ahead that plenty of tourists felt like they wasted their time waiting for a view that never came thanks to the obscuring fog. We didn't want to what time we could use to sightsee just to be blocked by a fog.
• Originally, we included Goryokaku if we had the time. We did have the time. But like Hirosaki, cherry blossoms were not in bloom and the area didn't have much of our interests. A view of the fort from the observatory tower at that point felt more like a checklist instead of a place we wanted to spend time in. We saw little reason to visit it.
• Went back to Aomori in the evening using the Shinkansen.

Day 6 (Aomori → Tokyo):

• We left our luggage at the inn after check-out since it was the exact time when most places were open for business.
• Visited the Nebuta Warasse Museum. Admission fee was a bit pricey, though it made sense once we saw the exhibits. They absolutely wowed us with the craftsmanship and how well-preserved they were.
• Went to A-Factory. We read that this was a must-visit for tourists, and since it was free, we figured why not? Honestly, it was quite underwhelming. If anything, it's a good place to get omiyage at the last minute. For us, it wasn't really anything since my cousin already got us these before.
• Left for Tokyo around 11PM, and arrived at 3:45PM? We went straight to drop off our luggage at the accomodation.
• Went to Togoshi Ginza since that was where we could find another Flower Mountain shop.
  • We aren't strangers to this shop, and the models they carry. Their shop assistants have been so lovely and wonderful!
  • The shoes are actual BIFL. We previously got our Spingle and Patrick in Otaru. We barely felt exhaustion in our feet despite walking 20k to 30k steps a day. Grip was fantastic, too.
  • What I especially love about the shop assistants are that they aren't shy in eavesdropping lol. They do have other models kept in the back that they don't display on the shelves. My sister couldn't find what she was looking for from the shelves, but they got to the back, and took out lace up loafers that she instantly fell in love with. This is the second time they've done that for her, haha.
  • We left with two new pairs of Flower Mountain and a pair of Recipe shoes. Wallets emptier, but hearts were full. Luckily, they were still within our budget lol.
• Walked around till we got to Ginza Sony Park. We had our dinner at a lovely restaurant where we found out about kamameshi. We've never heard of them, but the staff who attended to us was patient! We had some stumbles since he spoke too fast for us non-native speakers to understand. But we felt no hostility, and he even made sure to check up on us in case we needed help with anything.

Day 7 (Tokyo → Kamakura → Tokyo):

• Day trip to Kamakura! Initially, this was only for a pilgrimage to Kamakurakoko-mae, but the shopping street by the station had so much for us to windowshop at.
  • We got onto the One Piece Enoden train! We didn't know till we got to the platform. Whew, the train was full and crowded all the way to Kamakurakoko-mae.
  • The view of Mt Fuji during the train ride struck me. Seeing the temples and shrines nestled in the neighbourhoods and hillside as we passed by felt romantically fleeting.
  • We walked for a good 10 minutes in search of a brunch spot, but almost no shops were open. Only one was and the queue was so long. We decided to make the walk back to Kamakurakoko-mae, then back to Kamakura Station. There was a restaurant nearby that served us an amazing lunch with lots of whitebait!
• Went back to Tokyo by late noon to head to Ginza. Here, we had missions to do.
  • Stopped by Uniqlo to grab some clothes we wanted. We had already tried for sizes back home, so we just grabbed our sizes and got to the cashier right away. The queue for the fitting room and cashier counters were quite short, though. Much unlike last time.
  • Next stop was Mitsukoshi Ginza's supermarket to buy a hon-wasabi root. We only got one for the sake of trying it ourselves when we return home. It cost us 2500 yen for the small one. The bigger one was 2700 yen. Paid at the cashier first, then we packed it with ice ourselves. Luckily, it survived the flight home!
  • Last stop in Ginza was Muji to see if we could grab their latest psandex release. It was still sold out, so we left. Pretty bummed out since that means we'll now have to buy it at a higher price once it hit the shops at home, haha.
• A brief stop at Akihabara for Akihabara General Store Railyard. Our goal was to get a melody keychain! Fortunately, we found one at 2300 yen. Smaller ones were sold out. Ours was the Keihin-Tohoku jingle. Since we still had our JR Pass, we didn't feel compelled to spend time here just to make the fare worth it.
• Went to Ikebukuro and had dinner there.
  • First we visited several Lashinbang stores, and the Animate store next door to see if there was anything we'd like. While we did find the IPs we loved, the merch weren't what we liked to collect and the costs weren't justified either.
  • While my parents were waiting for our meals, my sister and I decided to look for K-BOOKS Otome Pavilion before it closed. We didn't bring our wallets with us since we didn't have any hopes of findings merch types that we liked. We very much regretted that lmao. My god, just outside felt like a pilgrimage but when we went in, it had everything we liked with the merch types we would love to bring back. Unfortunately, there was only 30 minutes left to closing time, so we couldn't run back to get our wallets, either. Didn't feel like it was good manners. At least we left with our memories and our wallets weren't any skinnier.

Day 8 (Asakusa → Haneda Airport):

• Check-out day and our last day in Tokyo.
• We left our luggage at Asakusa Station, and brought the carry-on with us since there were no lockers left. The costs for our carry-on at luggage storage places along the place were definitely out of the question since they cost more than the one at the station locker for large luggage.
• Straight to brunch at a restaurant near Nakamise-dori. Food was great! We had a sakura-flavoured ice cream desert here that was served with anko. It was so tasty. The restaurant tagged our carry-on and kept it away for us when we entered, so we figured it wouldn't hurt to ask if we could leave it there while we went around. They happily agreed!
• Walked along the Nakamise-dori and got a set of chopsticks and postcards here as souvenirs for people back home. They were surprisingly cheap. The street was extremely crowded as expected. But the closer we got to Senso-ji, the crowd pretty much dissipated. The further we went and closer we got to the main hall, there was hardly a handful around. I expected the place to be packed like a sardine can with the stories I've heard, but there was actually a lot of space that you could take pictures for a long time, uninterrupted.
• We had no intention to shop for anything else. Just sightseeing since we couldn't it last time. The area was gorgeous with all the blooms and buildings! Looked like they came straight out of a postcard. Tourists in their rental kimonos made the view even livelier and colourful, making for a perfect backdrop! We actually ended up spending 2 hours here even though it wasn't that big. Plenty of things to see!
• Got our luggage back from the restaurant the locker, then straight to Haneda Terminal 3. Since we got there early, we figured we could visit the other 2 terminals. We took the free shuttle bus to Terminal 2.
  • We found out that in Terminal 2 had the Pokemon vending machines before security! When we got there, we were actually trying to figure out the direction it was in. I think we looked lost by the pillar because a security guard came up to us and asked what was wrong. We told him about the search and he instantly informed us of where the vending machines were! Thanks to him, we easily found one of the machines closest to us, and bought a pair of Haneda Pikachu keychains.
  • Walked to Terminal 1 using the underground passageway. There was nothing much to see here, so we left after a short break. Took a shuttle bus back to Terminal 3.
  • When we got to Terminal 3, we noticed there was a new Godzilla installation at the Edo Market! As a family who love the series, we were thrilled to find a Godzilla statue, too! For some reason, the statue itself didn't have anyone taking pics of it so I assumed this wasn't new to them. But when we took photos with the statue, a lot of tourists stopped by and noticed it. I guess it's just the airport brain that made them miss it, haha.
• Had dinner at the ramenya and went to the boarding hall.

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Language:

My sister and I speak some Japanese. Just enough to communicate with shop staff but not enough to hold conversations with museum guides. If we were capable, I think our museum visits would've been extra wonderful. My parents do not speak Japanese, so we did the translation for them. For the we places went to, Google Translate does the job. Some plaques for the exhibits had missing texts in English, so we relied on Google Translate, and googled the specific words or the contexts they were used in for when it didn't translate properly.
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Regrets:

Besides K-BOOKS Otome Pavilion, I regretted not bringing my own toiletries. I have sensitive skin, so I bring my own shampoo and body wash on travels. This time, I didn't because I kept hearing about how lightly scented their stuff was. Boy, was I wrong. Two baths and my skin was killing me lol. Good thing I at least brought my moisturiser. By the time the short trip ended, the moisturiser bottle was emptied lmao.

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That's all for this trip! If it didn't come across, we enjoyed it very much. We got to everything we wanted to see and do. For something where the planning went only as far as calculating fare routes to major spots, it certainly was a great time. We made great use of the JR Pass, and had it not been for that, we would've spent an extra 5,000 yen at minimum, haha.