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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/mak6453 on 2024-01-28 04:15:21.

I’m long overdue in posting this report, we went last year, April 6, 2023 - April 18, 2023. I’ll do my best to keep it somewhat organized, but it’s harder now that things aren’t completely fresh. Most points will be very high level, but I’m happy to provide more detail in a private message if anyone has questions.

JR Pass Note: Our group of 4 had the regular, 7-day JR Pass during our trip, and it’s what allowed us to save some money on flights by going round trip from Tokyo. I know that the recent price change was significant (69% increase, last I saw) and makes it hard to justify unless you’re taking a TON of train rides. My recommendation is to avoid the JR pass and instead spend a little extra flying out of a different airport in order to avoid the travel time (and expense) of taking the Shinkansen back to the other side of the country. If you do elect to go for the JR Pass, note that the lines at the airport and every other major subway station are completely packed. We had budgeted 30 minutes to pick ours up (laughable) when we should have budgeted hours. My recommendation is to dodge the airport line, go to your hotel, get to another JR pickup location 30 minutes before they open the next morning and be at the front of the line. If you’re like us, you’ll be awake due to jetlag anyway.

Day 1: Flight to Tokyo. There’s not a ton to say about the flight, so I’ll use this day as an opportunity to give some travel related tips.

• Pack light and use hotel washing machines. We were surprised to find that every hotel had coin washing machines, and some even had them in the room. I’d have packed way lighter had I known.
• We went the portable wifi route, and we stuck together so we only needed one for the four of us. It worked great, but it’s worth noting that to return it, you’ll need to drop it at a mailbox before you go to the airport. Some airport terminals do not have a mailbox to accept portable wifi units, nor is there a counter to return them at. It’s a very expensive mistake to make.
• Trust Google Maps. The only times we got lost in major cities was when we thought we knew better that Google. Put in where you want to go, and pay attention to the subway color/number combos as well as the Platform number - very important you’re at the right platform, not just the right line and stop.

Day 2: Because you lose a day in the time change, this was really day 1 getting off the plane in Tokyo around 4pm. We had a lot planned for this evening, but we were all exhausted and it took far longer than expected to pick up portable wifi and get to our hotel, so we just got dinner around our hotel, which we found out was actually in Koreatown. We were trying to stay near Shinjuku, but messed up. I don’t recommend Koreatown - completely different vibes, and the dirtiest part of Tokyo we saw the whole time. The original plan was dinner at Ichiran ramen and then drinks and late night food at Omoide Yokocho AKA Memory Lane where they’ve got a bunch of bars crammed into a few little alleys. I’m sure it would have been fun, but jetlag got us good.

Day 3:

• Tsukiji Market - great call, must do in my opinion. The earlier you can get there, the better. The lines end up getting pretty long (on a Saturday at least) and we were able to try a ton of delicious food before it got too busy. Big win here, and I’ll be going again on my next trip.
• Gundam Center - BIG error on my part. Turns out that there are TWO Gundam centers in Tokyo. I booked tickets at one that was across the city, not the one that was near Tsukiji Market. We ended up not getting to experience this. I don’t know if it’s been shut down yet, but make note of which location you’re buying tickets for.
• Teamlab Planets - I’m pretty sure this is closed now. It was just OK. A cool experience, but probably not worth the time that we could be experiencing the rest of Tokyo.
• Pokemon Center Tokyo DX - We’re Pokemon fans and stopped into several of these, and they were all pretty fun but mostly the same experience. Would recommend if you’re a fan.
• Ginza - we walked around the Ginza area, which was very nice. I recommend it if you have any fashion lovers who want to get some shopping done. If I’m ever in Tokyo with my wife, this will be where we spend a day.
• Nihombashi station - we accidentally got off the subway here and stepped out into a really cool mall/food hall that was a totally unexpected thrill. If you’re in the area, I recommend stopping for a snack.
• Akihabara - We’re gaming/anime nerds (and proud), and expected this to be a huge feature of our trip, but it was a pretty big disappointment for everyone. It just felt kind of run down, and there wasn’t much of interest. You can find the Japanese version of many video games at Super Potato, or 200 stores that all sell the same anime figurines. I’d honestly pass on it completely if I were you - nerd or not.

Day 4:

• A note on Japanese Breakfast (not the band): We were surprised to find that most stores/restaurants in Japan don’t open until like, 10am. As a result, breakfast is mostly not a thing. I had some of the saddest (in a funny way) breakfasts of my life in Japan. Don’t try to wake up early and go to a Japanese diner for breakfast - they’ll offer you “bottomless toast.”
• Harajuku - A very lively area that felt a little too touristy for us. I’d probably recommend walking through it once - scoping out the stores - and then walking through the park just next to it to really experience peace after pure chaos. We went on a Sunday around midday, so that could be why it was so packed with bodies.
• Lunch was at a place nearby called Gyukatsu Motomura Harajuku. It was phenomenal but we had to wait hours in line for a spot at the bar. I later found out that there are identical restaurants in other cities that have no line, and we went to the busiest location by far. Don’t wait in line for this if you can go to another location at another time in your trip.
• Shibuya - We were fortunate enough to know a local who guided us through Shibuya and took us to some great spots. We got a beer at a brewery in Miyashita Park (a cool mall-like area with an open air park on the roof), walked a good bit sightseeing, then ended up at a really interesting place for dinner that he asked me not to share because it was already slammed with locals every night as it is. Sorry! Walking around Shibuya was great though - so many interesting areas.

Day 5: Kyoto by Shinkansen

• The shinkansen ride was great - a really cool experience. We got our ekiben (train bento box) and boarded. Thanks to this subreddit, we knew to get seats on the right side of the train when heading for Kyoto, so we got an awesome view of Mt. Fuji. It’s incredible.
• Wajoryomen Sugari - We got lunch at a ramen place we found on Google maps called Wajoryomen Sugari. Small place, basically no sign on the small door. If you do find it, it’s delicious and a great, quiet atmosphere. You put in your order at a self service machine at the end of a long, dark hallway that opens into a little open air courtyard/garden for waiting. You sit along the wall in queue and give your receipt to the guy at the bar when you’re up. Ramen was excellent.
• Hotel - We stayed at the Richmond Hotel Premier Kyoto Shijo, which I thought turned out great. It’s a straight shot down the road to a lot of good walking attractions.
• Gion and Kiyomizu-dera - We took a very long walk east through a mall that led toward the Kamo River, which has a nice walking trail next to it. Walked down for a while and crossed the river at Shijo-dori, which brings you into some historic buildings that are pretty cool. Walked through the Gion area - highly recommend - took us to the Hokanji Temple at around sunset. Things started closing up around then, which I found surprising, but the view was incredible. We kept the hike going up to Kiyomizu-dera and enjoyed it quite a bit. I recommend going earlier and maybe leaving around sunset, rather than arriving then.

Day 6:

• Fushimi Inari - If you’re down for a hike, I highly recommend this. Listen to what people recommend here: GO EARLY. It’s beautiful and peaceful, you won’t regret waking up before the sun. We had a somewhat unique experience, I think. We didn’t follow the tori gates up. Almost immediately after leaving the base, there is a side path up to a few little houses/huts. If you visit those, I think you’re supposed to go back down and follow the gates. We saw another path following the bamboo forest around the side of the huts and took that by mistake. It still leads you up the mountain eventually, but it’s a less defined path and probably added an hour. The trade off is you see some really cool shrines (and maybe memorials?) including some waterfalls. It’s a more intense path though. Not recommended if you’re out of shape (like me) unless you take your time a bit.
• Nijo Castle - I’d give this one a 6.5/10. Maybe not worth the entry fee, but certainly not a waste of time. There’s some interesting history they’ll explain to you - you’re walking around an ancient castle with gardens and a huge moat, so that’s cool.
• We spent the rest of the day trying out random food and visiting another Pokemon Center. It was pretty chill, but we had a big, early morning. It’s never a bad idea to build in some down time to just wander and eat :)

Day 7:

• Redemption Breakfast - the best breakfast we had in…

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