Have no real interest in Japanese culture and thus nothing that initially drew me here (compared to say, my friends that enjoy Pokémon, manga, Japanese cuisine, etc), but I think that has changed after this trip.
Summary:
- I like public bathing now
- I like putting ume in noodle soups now
- A super enjoyable intro to Kyoto can in fact be done in a day if you skip the top 5 things one goes to Kyoto to do
AMA if you find this thread useful!
1 Night in Tokyo (Shinjuku):
- Arrived via ZIPAIR at 7pm. The itinerary from SFO is perfect; you arrive at NRT and the airport is EMPTY, immigration just wants to go home for the day, everyone is so chill. Skyliner into the city was easy, then transferred to the subway. Originally expected to take the Narita Express direct to Shinjuku but it is not nearly frequent enough to be useful at that hour!
- Checked into my hostel and explored Shinjuku Ni-chome. It was fine, met a few people, everyone back home raves about Eagle Tokyo but as a solo traveller I sort of just found it cliquey and boring lol.
3 nights in Osaka (Yodoyabashi):
- Osaka highlights were Shinsekai (I am a fan of Showa era aesthetic and kissatens) and the aquarium.
- If your plan is to stay in Osaka and do daytrips to Kyoto and Nara, Yodoyabashi as a location cannot be beat. The train access is incredible and the neighbourhood itself is very calm and away from the chaos. I stayed at the Onyado Nono chain and would recommend it to anyone. Super comfortable, amazing onsen on the 13th floor, and lots of fun amenities that instantly cured my jetlag. Went to their onsen twice a day. I did not use the shower in my own hotel room once lol.
Day trip to Nara:
- My dog recently passed away so I wanted to see some cute animals. The deer did not disappoint. I fed them and pet them, saw the giant buddha and later bought knife #1, a reasonably priced santoku from a Nara based brand called Kikuichi. This took from 9am-3pm, in time to enjoy night in Osaka.
Day trip to Kyoto:
- Against all common logic I skipped all of the top destinations and ended up having the perfect day. Gion > Kodaiji > Yasaka Shrine > shopping around Kawaramachi > cab to Ginkakuji (total lifesaver and timesaver) > Honenin > Eikando > Nanzen-ji > dinner > train to Osaka. 9am to 7pmish.
- The shrines were lovely but my highlights are actually the shopping; Nuunu is amazing for affordable local 'hip' art, and there are many great stores for high quality incense for religious purposes (I burn incense for my dog every morning lol).
2 nights in Nikko:
- Chanced upon Nikko at peak fall foliage. Kegon Falls is incredible. A true highlight of my trip. Just bear in mind things close EARLY in Nikko and you should plan dinner accordingly. Also finding a cab before 10am or after 6pm is quite the challenge. 2 nights is the perfect amount of time for a stay; was also my first experience using a very adorable unmanned sento bath with a vending machine for entry, completing my conversion to Japanese bath lover. Best food rec might actually be Nikko Coffee, which has an amazing plum kakigori and craft cola.
5 nights in Tokyo:
- Asakusa: Stayed at Andon Ryokan in a Japanese style tatami room with futon. Compact but affordable and with a bookable hot tub for bathtime. Had the best Japanese breakfast of my trip. There are also so many beautiful sento in the vicinity. Try out Araiyu if you are a fan of rustic Showa era architecture and witnessing local life routine stuff. I spent 5 min complimenting the owners on how beautiful the building was via google translate. I also did a really enjoyable glass-cutting workshop at a place called Sokichi. There is also a pretty good 3COINS location if you like the idea of Daiso for beige moms.
- Kappabashi: Overrun with tourists but still enjoyable (and let's face it, I am one). I went with Washin-Dou for knife #2; the staff there is incredible. Only issue is that they laser engrave knives rather than with a chisel and hammer, which looks a little cheap. Knives #3 and #4 at Tojiro, since they are known for their affordable yet excellent bread knives.
- National Diet Library: Ended up going here to look up a rare and out of print Japanese ceramic technique book. Simple library card signup process, very convenient xerox/reduplication service, and a cute café on the 2nd floor with good omurice. And you do not need to be a Japanese resident to use it!
- Akihabara: Exploring the book offs, hard offs etc, was a ton of fun. Bought games and electronics here and in Nakano and Ogikubo.
- Ginza/Marunouchi: Went here to get an American-style worker-bee salad slop bowl because I needed fibre and raw veg in my diet. Otherwise boring.
- Ueno: Ueno Zoo is very cute and super affordable although some animals seemed to be exhibiting repetitive compulsive behaviours. I got a t-shirt anyway oops 😐 Also there is an awesome gay store in Ueno called Big Gym which has a good selection of erotic manga. If you're into that. Very refreshing after finding Shinjuku slightly lame.
- Ikebukuro: I liked the Sunshine City mall; lots of stores dedicated to fandoms and it made it easy to buy gifts for people.
by Straight-Traffic-937