We flew to Haneda Airport from Chicago, direct, and it’s a long one. I broke it up with some movies and games, and it was a breeze. Food service was interesting and okay for being stuck in a can. Looking back, I will say I should have skipped some of those meals. When we landed, I wasn’t really hungry for anything, which kinda bummed me out since I was in Japan and food is phenomenal here. When I go again, definitely skipping some of those meals the plane provides.
Landed around 3:30 and did the whole immigration thing. They stopped handing out the customs paperwork you used to fill out on the plane, but luckily we filled all this out a day before our flight using the Japan Travel website. It was super simple and definitely sped things up at immigration. Highly recommend you create an account and fill this out before your trip. You can sign up for the tax free QR code as well, but we had issues using it. We used our passport directly, and by law, you should carry yours at all times anyway.
Even though I bought a ton of stuff tax free stuff and they bagged it up, no one checked anything at the airport on our way back. Not sure if you get pre-selected or what, but we were stressing a little about it since we bought so much and didn’t have it organized. They literally didn’t do anything for the tax free stuff we bought.
I screwed up the phone service thing since I thought I would buy it right when I landed. The WiFi available at the airport is pretty trash, so using that to sign into AT&T and add the international add-on was annoying. Ended up using dial services to get it added to my account. You should probably not do what I did. I just didn’t buy the eSIM or anything and paid extra through AT&T.
I’ve read that the eSIM is a breeze to sign up for, but I like to be stubborn. I also read the eSIM is for data only and you can only text when you’re on Wi-Fi. Not sure if that’s the case, but I didn’t want to deal with it. Have your phone service figured out before your arrival.
Most of the trip was focused around taking in the sights, walking, architecture, art, vintage decor, and design. Brief info about us, my wife and I went last year and couldn’t get enough. We decided to go again this year and spend much more time as well as check out other cities.
Last year we mainly did Tokyo with some short day trips like Hakone, Nikko, and Kawagoe. We’re in our 30s. I’m extremely active and run regularly. I can walk for days nonstop and love exploring. My wife is the complete opposite and enjoys shopping and relaxing at the beach. She mentioned several times during the trip how her feet and legs were hurting, so she bought several heat pads she wore throughout the day, which helped her a bit. They are literally in every store, so I recommend them if you feel sore.
Pack good walking shoes. I wore open Keen sandals and it was super easy sliding my feet off at some areas that required it. My wife wore shoes with laces, which didn’t bother her, but she always had to retie them. My only issue was small rocks would sometimes get into the sandals, but other than that, they were perfect.
Luggage forwarding is insanely easy. I recommend it, although sending to the airport is expensive. I think I paid $30 per bag to Haneda from Kyoto. Regular sending is $12 or so per bag. We had a couple of backpacks between us and our massive checked luggage. The luggage bags were forwarded every few days so we weren’t paying at every single place we traveled, since some stops were only for a couple of days. Not having to carry these around was worth it. I did buy apple tags but not sure if it helped. Probably would have if our luggage was lost but that never happened. Mind at ease tax I guess.
One thing I will say is we overpacked. Literally could have brought one backpack, bought new clothes, shoved them into luggage, and had that forwarded every few days. Lesson learned. By the end of it, we ran out of space and were lugging massive extra bags around. We wore only a fraction of the clothes we brought since it was so much traveling and no point in spending time figuring out outfits when we can buy new clothes at Muji or several other retailers for super cheap. Muji had great stuff for 1000 yen a piece, INSANE.
They have storage lockers literally everywhere, and they’re not like the ones in Germany that are disgusting and broken. Every place we went, even parks, had luggage storage available costing 1000 yen or less for the whole day. Came in clutch a few places we traveled to.
We already had a Suica card installed on our phones, which I highly recommend. It was super easy adding money to Suica using Apple Pay. One thing we did not have that a lot of places and vending machines took was Pasmo, so maybe add that to your wallet too. Missed out on some fun vending machines since we were out of coins and too lazy to look for change.
They do have machines to change paper money to coins, so keep an eye on that and always have a few 100 yen coins on you. The 500 yen coin was annoying since lots of weird vending machines wouldn’t take it.
I know absolutely no Japanese other than “Arigato gozaimasu” for saying “thank you kindly” and “Orimasu” to get off the trains or buses. I’m pretty sure no one really cares if you just say “Arigato,” but it’s not hard adding on the “gozaimasu” at the end. Apparently it’s more polite? We used Google Translate for most translations at restaurants and train stations, and no one really gave us a hard time. They enjoyed helping us and were super friendly.
Several hotels offer washing machines, so if you are staying for a while, look for hotels with washing machines or at least have a laundry place nearby. You will need to do laundry. They have a pre wash cycle which cleans the machine before use if you are worried about it being disgusting from others.
Purchasing train tickets is simple enough, so don’t stress. We used Google Maps most of the way and it was relatively simple finding things. We had some issues underground since the service wasn’t pinning us correctly and jumped around, but there are signs everywhere.
Weather-wise, we got lucky and only had one major torrential rainstorm at night. There were a couple days with clouds and sprinkles but nothing too crazy for our main days out. We did pack travel sized umbrellas, which I recommend having.
Onto the trip
Sep 16th–19th: Tokyo Stayed in the Minato area since it’s calm and we actually enjoyed it last year. We visited a few places we enjoyed the year prior and took it easy for the most part to get used to the time zone change. It wasn’t too bad honestly, because our time zone had us getting up early around 5–7am, which helped beat some crowds to places. We aren’t night people, so being in at 9–10 pm isn’t bad for us.
19th–21st: Kanazawa Itinerary felt a bit packed even though we were pretty central to everything. Did the usual, Omicho Market, Kenroku-en Gardens, Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Higashi Tea District, D.T. Suzuki Museum, Kanazawa Castle, and Nagamachi District.
We did miss a few things like the Museum of Architecture and a couple of other places, but we only had so much time. One extra day here would have cut into other stops, but if you have the luxury, I would add two full days here.
21st–22nd: Shirakawa-go We were only here for the arrival date, and the next day we departed. Can you spend more time here? Yes. But for us, it was fine this way, and we got to see most of the village areas and enjoy the scenic views. Luckily, our hotel offered a free tour of the whole area and even took us to the top of the lookout area, which I highly recommend for everyone.
Problem is, there are only two ways up, walking or tour bus. Both eat up a lot of time, and the main view area closes relatively early around 3:30–4:00. There are two lookouts if I remember correctly, but the main one closes early. Stayed at Shiroyamakan, and holy smokes, it was worth it. Access to two private onsens, one overlooking the running river, incredible! Our rooms were very traditional with a view of the river. They also serve dinner and breakfast, both traditional and amazing experiences. The family that runs it is tied to the city and was wonderful.
22nd–23rd: Takayama Took the bus from Shirakawa-go to Takayama, and it was simple since the hotel is right across the street from the station. Arrived early, locked up our bags, and did a brief walk. Visited Hida Takayama Retro Museum, which was so cool, definitely recommend. Also visited Miyagawa Morning Market, then made our way to the hotel through a provided shuttle.
We decided to stay at Wanosato since it was our anniversary. The hotel provides a shuttle ride from the station, you can select what time works for you, but once you’re there, you’re pretty much stuck since there’s nothing really to do outside of it. The hotel was a huge highlight for us to relax and take in the beautiful views.
Ended up booking one of their villas and WOW, it’s well worth it. Pretty much your very own house in the woods with a view of the river from the living room. Private bath, large rooms, and a perfect traditional setup for dinner and breakfast. The food here was very traditional and delicious.
They have a couple of different onsens, one has a fake rock façade with separate cold and hot baths, and the other is more modern with a clean look but only a hot bath. This one had a door to the actual forest, it was great to sit in the onsen, open the door, and get a fresh breeze while hearing the river water.
I was super early and the only person at the onsen while it was public, so that was great to have it all to myself. They do offer private times, which you select when you arrive. The hotel is broken up into the main area with a few bedrooms and shared baths, then four separate villas a short walk down some steps. The whole area is incredible. The main area has a fireplace and offers drinks and relaxing. CHECK IT OUT.
23rd–25th: Nagoya Traveled to Nagoya next. On our one full day there, we went to Museum Meiji-Mura, and that place is massive. A bit out of the way since it took us about an hour and a half to get there. People say they do it in like 3–4 hours. No way for us. We got there at 10:30 and left at closing.
We missed a few things, but our main reason was seeing Frank Lloyd Wright’s hotel entrance. We love architecture, so we spent a ton of time walking around and both loved it. With the little extra time we had left, we visited the Toyota Museum of Industry and Technology and Oasis 21.
Missed out on the Railway Museum, Antarctica Museum, and a few others on our list, but the travel time would have clogged things up. Could have used an extra day here.
25th–27th: Kurashiki Arrived in Kurashiki with enough time to take a stroll through the historical quarter and have a nice meal. Our full day here was meant to relax and take it easy. We checked out all the little shops and visited the Piggy Bank Museum, which was cool to see.
Stayed at Royal Park Hotel Kurashiki, which is very central to everything and super nice compared to the area, which is more old-timey if that makes sense. You’ll understand when you visit.
27th–28th: Naoshima / Teshima We visited Naoshima Island next with a small trip to Teshima Island on the departure day. Got lucky and scored tickets for The Park at Benesse House Museum, then the Museum itself for the second night.
The Benesse House Museum has four places you can stay. Park and Beach in one section, or the actual Museum and Oval in another. While at The Park, you have pretty good access to the Benesse area attractions at night. If you book the Museum, an added perk is getting to walk through the museum past closing until 11 p.m., which was an amazing experience.
The hotels are very spacious and clean, but food options are limited. Its either their restaurant at night which is a bit upper scale or there’s a 7-Eleven, but it’s reliant on the bus or taxi to get to and is literally on the other end of the island from the museum. They have great restaurants at the museum, but sometimes you just want junk food. Recommend having snacks packed.
One of the other options to stay at Benesse House Museum is The Oval, which is not open to the public except on certain days throughout the year. Unless you book it, you do not get to see it. I was pretty bummed when I found out I wasn’t allowed. BOOK THE OVAL if you can.
I scoured the Benesse House Museum website a month before our trip and got lucky to find The Park open and everything else booked up. Kept checking every day and The Museum had an opening so I booked it right away. There are other accommodations on the island but it was our anniversary trip so did not mind paying the extra costs involved through the Museum and it kinda worked out for us.
Most of the first day there we spent checking out Benesse Museum and the surrounding area exhibits, then focused on the art projects the next day. You have to book these in advance since they’re super strict about timing.
While I will say some of the art projects were neat, some were kinda blah. Book in advance, otherwise you don’t get in. There’s a neat bathhouse on the island which was awesome to experience as well, so if you’re into that, check it out.
We screwed up on the bike rentals and unfortunately they were all sold out by the time we figured it out. Luckily, when we arrived on Teshima Island it was the first thing we took care of, and without bikes that place is impossible. The main attraction for us was the Teshima Art Museum. It’s on the other end of the island and takes a while to get there, even on bikes or by bus. Well worth it, but you have to book in advance as tickets do sell out.
I booked all of these before our flight to Japan and had issues getting into some of the art projects on Naoshima, so I suggest booking two weeks in advance if not three. Both islands were an incredible experience and the boats weren't hard to figure out.
Book early and don’t forget to purchase electric bike rentals. The system’s super easy and you’re provided keys so you can park bikes literally all over the island without worrying about them getting stolen. I’m from Chicago and it’s an issue, especially if you have a nicer bike or electric.
29th–Oct 2nd: Kyoto After all the boat rides, we got on a train to Kyoto. We stayed at Sakura Terrace The Gallery and probably saw the most tourists here, as well as in Kyoto itself, so while being tourists ourselves, it was kinda weird seeing other tourists.
The first full day there we went to Nara, and that was awesome. Checked out the temples there and took in the whole deer thing. It was a fun experience and took up most of the day.
Our next day was pretty chill. We went over to Kyoto International Conference Center. Even though we weren’t allowed in, we got to see the main lobby and the exterior of the building. If you love architecture, definitely check it out.
We made it over to Nishiki Market, which was nice to see. Even though we had two full days here, it kinda disappeared quickly since the place is so massive. We saw Philosopher’s Path and enjoyed that area. Checked out a few coffee shops, then made our way to the trains to purchase our return tickets to Tokyo.
We wanted an easy trip, so we purchased reserved seats back to Tokyo even though people say you don’t have to. We bought a day ahead and had no issues.
Oct 2nd–4th: Tokyo / Departure We planned to fly out on the 2nd, but the flight was cancelled due to mechanical issues. I was happy on the Shinkansen back to Tokyo finding this out, as it gave me some time to figure out what we were going to do. Since we had time, we visited the Mori Art Museum, which I definitely recommend to everyone.
The Sky Deck was closed due to an event going on there, but you still get a great view from inside the Mori Art Museum, so it wasn’t a total loss. Ended up booking the next day’s flight, but that got weight-restricted and we were stuck again. This time I booked a hotel with an onsen, and we enjoyed that before our third trip to the airport.
We were flying standby, so our tickets weren’t exactly interchangeable easily. Ended up flying back to the U.S. by going to Washington, D.C., then to Chicago. That portion sucked, but that’s on us.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the snacks and try everything out. This is meant to help anyone since I did learn a few things reading some posts, and I have a million hours left on this flight home hahaha. Definitely coming back.
by bussy1847