japan 2020
sapporo. tokyo. kyoto. osaka.
There is nothing better than travelling with your best mate, exploring one of the most welcoming and culinary rich cities in the world.
Flynn and I spent 3 weeks in Japan. 1 week in Sapporo, 1 week in Tokyo, 3 days in Kyoto and the rest in Osaka. It was the perfect balance and we got to do everything we wanted to … including pottery…
Scroll below to see our itinerary, what we did daily and recommendations. Food isn’t something I’m going to talk about too much or give recommendations because food here is good, very good. I don’t think I have ever eaten bad Japanese food in Japan. Instead, my recommendations will focus more on what to do.
flynn making mochi
itinerary
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This consisted of 4 days of Skiing and 1 day of rest. On our rest day, we ended up going into Sapporo city and visiting the Sapporo Beer Museum. We skied in Niseko and stayed just outside Grand Hirafu area (Midtown Niseko).
As I was coming from Korea and Flynn was coming from Aus, we met up at Sapporo Airport and managed to catch, no joke, the last bus to Niseko. Unfortunately, there isn’t any train that goes direct to the resort so driving or catching a bus are your only options.
We stayed at Midtown Niseko and this was ideal. We were just outside of town and the hotel had a shuttle that left every 20 minutes, taking us right to the ski lifts.
Food wise, we ate on the slopes for lunch and found our way around for dinner.
However, on our final day, we took the local bus to the train station (about 25 minutes by bus) and we trained it into Sapporo city to visit the Sapporo Beer Museum. The tour was good but the highlight was the beer after. Highly recommend paying a visit.
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Our next stop was Tokyo for 6 nights. We stayed in an Airbnb in Shinjuku City. Location wise, we were very central and we were generally a short walk or a short train ride to places we wanted to visit.
Our itinerary for Tokyo was:
Day 1: Vintage Wear Area - Shimokitazawa, Baseball Centre - Diaba, Harajuku, Hedgehog cafe, exploring Shibuya Area.
Day 2: Ginza, Imperial Palace, Udon - Ginza, Akihabar, Diaba, All you can eat shabu shabu (Onyasai shabu shabu).
Day 3: Chureito Pagoda (Sunrise EARLY MORNING)
Day 4: Street Go-Karting
Day 5: TeamLab Planets - 10AM, Senso-ji (temple), Meiji Jingu, Ikebukuro
This was honestly enough for us and we got to see everything we wanted to in Tokyo. We also had enough time to wonder around and do our own thing which I recommend to also plan for.
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Kyoto on the other hand was jam packed. Not known for its shopping, but the historic sites, we aimed to visit as many as possible. Our itinerary was probably too much to the point that we were go, go, go for the days that we were there.
Our itinterary:
Day 1: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka Shrine, Kinkaku-Ji, Arashiyama - Bamboo Forest, Ryoan-ji, Nishiki Market
Day 2: Senjusangen-do Temple, Gion’s Geishas and Templesm Traditional Kyoto Street GION, Ramen - Okakita in Sakkyoku, Nijo Castle, Nara (visit the deers)
In hindsight, we could probably have done with an extra day here.
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Our itinerary for Osaka wasn’t anywhere near as jam packed, and we had enough time to also do what we wanted without rushing.
Day 1: Asahi Beer Tour 11AM
Day. 2: Shinsaibashi, Osaka Castle , Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street, Pottery Museum
Day 3: Universal Studios
Personally, this was enough especially with the itinerary we had.
my recommendations
visit and walk around the bamboo forest (Arashiyama in Kyoto)
shop in Shimokitazawa (Tokyo) for vintage clothing
street go-karting in Tokyo
catch Mt. Fuji at sunrise at Chureito Pagoda (pic on the left)
arashiyama
When in Kyoto, this is a must visit. This forest is iconic and supposedly the most photographed bamboo forest in Japan. Give yourself about 1 hour to thoroughly walk around to take in the surrounding. The bamboo trees sore over you like no other and is unlike any other forest I’ve ever been to. It’s free as well.
jrpass.com explains it ‘Visitors describe their trip to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest as stepping into another world. Upon entering the forest, you’re surrounded by a sea of green bamboo stalks shifting in the breeze. The emerald light dapples the forest floor and infuses the area with a sense of magic and otherworldliness. The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is one of the most photographed sights in Japan, and for good reason! If you’re traveling in Kyoto, it’s a unique and stunning destination like no other.’
shimokatazawa
If you are into vintage shopping/thrift shopping, this is the place to be. Shimokatazawa is a commercial and entertainment district in Setagaya, Tokyo, and recently, a hip cultural quarter with a lingering old-Tokyo vibe. Narrow, mural-painted lanes are lined with stylish stores for vintage clothes and vinyl where you can find some of the best vintage shopping in the world.
There are no specific shops to recommend, but go for a wonder around and visit as many as you can. Each have their own style and they’ll be one that will fit your style.
street go-karting
Street Kart Tour Akihabara #1 by Go-Kart is the one that Flynn and I did. This was a 90 minute tour that went past Akihabara, Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Sky-Tree just to name a few. The route has changed since we did it but nonetheless I highly recommend this for a truly unique and different experience.
These karts go over 80km p/h…. and you drive them on the main roads…. even on a highway.
chureito pagoda
Just a bit out of Tokyo which took us around 2 hours to get to. An iconic spot that has a great vantage point overlooking Mt. Fuji. We took the earliest train and arrived around 8am. By the time we left, it started to get quite busy, and is a bit of a walk to the vantage point itself (all stairs) so give yourself some time but also try and arrive early to skip the crowds.
