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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Perfect_Lead_4639 on 2024-04-01 09:12:04.

Hi all, just came back from a magical two-week trip with my gf in Japan in mid-March, and wanted to share some easy-to-read tips and recommendations as Reddit played a big part in my trip planning.

QUICK TIPS

  • Setup Ubigi eSIM or equivalent just before you fly off. Easy to setup, cost-effective, and had no significant connectivity issues throughout the entire Japan trip. No need to scramble around for a physical SIM card when you land in Japan.
  • Suica or IC card equivalent will handle all public transportation but the shinkansen and some limited express trains (i.e. Narita Express). Checkout this pinned thread for more details -
  • Debit/credit card can cover most of your purchases in tourist-populated cities & towns. We mostly only needed cash for occasional 1000-2000 yen purchases from street vendors.
  • Luggage transfer between hotels is a godsend. The train stations in Tokyo and Osaka have many stairs and are very crowded, it would be a nightmare to move large luggage yourself through the train system. Note that this is often cash payment only.
  • Bring a large empty luggage suitcase if you are planning to shop, so you can fill it up with goodies to bring home :)

TOKYO

  • Nintendo Store and Pokemon Center: Big worth if you grew up with these brands (I ended up going to 5 Pokemon Centers and 3 Nintendo Stores across Japan 🤣). In Shibuya they are next to each other in a shopping center and are extremely crowded. I actually found that a great time to visit was in the hour before close - the crowds had thinned considerably.
  • Shibuya Sky: Very worth to book. Inexpensive and amazing view of Tokyo. As you go up to the rooftop, you can watch people cross Shibuya Crossing. It gets crowded during sunset hours. The best photo spot is on the top roof level in the corner where they have an official photographer - there is a line and you can ask a group next to you to help take your holiday snaps.
  • Studio Ghibli Museum: Very worth booking. I’ve only watched Spirited Away before visiting, and now I’m inspired to watch all the Studio Ghibli movies. Much better online booking experience than Pokemon Cafe. They only allow you to take photos of the museum’s exterior - which has plenty of fantastic photo opportunities. The interior is packed with Studio Ghibli memorabilia. One section has wall-to-wall color drawings which are stunning - I imagine it would be a safety hazard if they allowed visitors to take photos there. Do see the short animated film showing they have in the underground theater.
  • Uraonikai: Highly recommend. This is a reservation-only omakase with one intimate sitting (max 6 customers) every night. It cost ~27000 yen (including drinks, which you are obliged to purchase) for the two of us. We saw this on a YouTube video and decided to book it. The chef handcrafts 15 courses right in front of you. The seafood quality and flavors were exquisite. Dishes which I’ve had at home - including squid and tuna - are elevated to another level here. The chef is rather friendly and gladly accommodated my partner taking hundreds of photos of our dining experience 😂
  • Isegen: Another exxy (~23000 yen for two) restaurant recommendation. Located in Akihabara, they specialize in serving monkfish. They dedicate themselves to preparing the various monkfish parts in the most delicious way, the highlight being the liver - also known as ‘foie gras of the sea’. It’s a traditional Japanese dining experience - a staff member takes your shoes and coat at the ground floor, and you sit upstairs on a tatami mat with no chairs (they have optional stools to assist!) and a low lying dining table. I gained a new level of culinary appreciation for the monkfish here.
  • Akiba Cultures Zone: A multi-storey anime/manga collectible store in Akihabara. I got lost in the huge collection of anime figurines on the upper levels. I’m not sure if they do good deals here, but this was the only place (within a couple of hours of walking through Akihabara) where I found Code Geass figurines, a favorite series of mine.
  • Pokemon Cafe: Crazy hard to book for your desired time. Cafe theming and decorations are really on-point. They have a regular Pikachu show which is nice. Food is quite overpriced and not great. Overall could miss this, if I were not a sucker for the challenge of the online ticketing system.

I’ve participated in hot NFT mints, rave ticket sales and sneaker releases that have sold out in minutes - none of these prepared me well for the horrible online booking system. How it works is that everyday at 6PM Japan time, bookings for the day which is 31 days ahead are made available. All the available timeslots (spaced out by 15 minutes) are gone in less than 1 minute. What makes this process particularly bad, is that it will randomly kick you out to a “We are sorry for the inconvenience, but please try again later” page. It will do this even if you didn’t click anything. At 6:20PM and 6:40PM Japan time, you can try again for timeslots which weren’t confirmed in the first 6:00PM round.

NOZAWAONSEN

  • Nozawaonsen overall: This place really left an impression in my heart. Picturesque snow mountain scenery on the transit in and out of town. An onsen town full of hidden gems. My gf had not done snowsports before, and she found there was plenty to experience outside of drifting down the mountain.

It’s not the easiest place to get to - I had to line up a local train ride in Tokyo, a shinkansen, and a bus from the shinkansen station that only came every 1-2 hours. But it was so worth it.

  • Nozawaonsen Hotel - We had a memorable stay at this medium budget accommodation (~80,000 yen for 3 nights, breakfast included). They do a beautiful traditional Japanese breakfast, have multiple onsen facilities including a foot onsen at the front door, and restock your room daily with bite-sized pieces of selected Japanese confectionery.

We discovered a chestnut treat that was so delicious that we later sought out the brand store (Obusedo) in Osaka and bought ~10 boxes to bring home as gifts. I also cherished their outdoor onsen pool with the sight of snow-tipped trees and clear night skies.

  • Sport Thanx (Equipment rental): Easy online booking process. Well located - quick access from the shop to the two main gondola stations. Free dry room so you don’t have to lug your gear to and from your accommodation.
  • Sooyu restaurant: Small family-run shabu shabu restaurant with four tables. Little tricky to book. They take care of customers really well. My stomach was in a blissful place after devouring their beef shabu shabu and chicken & fish hotpot.
  • Miyuki Shoten (sweet store): Apple pie with fresh apple slices in it (and Nozawaonsen is known for huge, sweet apples) 😋

Other food recommendations

  • Genki Burger: Small Australian-run shop. Many burger places serve a generic product (including Fergburger in Queenstown, New Zealand imo), but not this place.
  • Hotel Haus St Anton: Streetside oyaki (steamed buns with fillings) with flavors including apple & cinnamon, and sweet mashed pumpkin.

OSAKA

  • Makino Umeda Tempura: Tempura shop in Osaka train station. Fresh seafood produce that is expertly deep fried in front of you and served directly by the chef to your plate. Affordable and excellent.
  • Robatayaki Mizukakechaya: Three-storey open seafood grill izakaya in the alleyways of Dotonbori. They have a to-die-for grilled scallop - juicy, large and scrumptious. The first two floors have the chefs grilling food in front of guests, we unfortunately couldn’t work out the online booking system to get those seats.

NARA

  • Nara Deer Train: Train intricately decorated in a Nara theme including deer-hide patterned seating, grass-painted floor and handles with deer-head figures. We chanced upon this train for a few stops while taking the Kintetsu-Nara Line to Nara. I’m not sure of the schedule for this train.
  • Nakatanidou (Mochi pounding demonstration): Go here first before anything else in Nara, it’s very close to the train station and they may not do shows in the afternoon (as we sadly found out). I just couldn’t get enough of their signature fresh mochi balls.
  • The deers: Intelligent mammals that do an adorable gesture of bowing their heads to humans. They can be quite aggressive if they think you have deer crackers. If you find yourself being assaulted by deers, hide any crackers you may have and show your empty hands to get them to leave you in peace.
  • Kasuga Taisha: Shinto temple that compared to its large neighbor Buddhist temple Tōdai-ji, is underwhelming at first glance and a little further away from the train station. It has its own charm however, as you get to come up and close to hundreds of elaborately crafted bronze and stone lanterns. There’s a few deers scattered throughout the temple and we even witnessed one peering curiously inside a roadside convenience store.

KYOTO

  • Nishiki Market: Also known as ‘Kyoto’s kitchen’, it is a narrow shopping alleyway that runs for about five blocks. We enjoyed fresh seafood BBQ and tempura dishes at Yatai Mura Stall Village, and a matcha dessert at Sawawa Japanese Maccha Sweets.
  • Kinkaku Ji: Beautiful temple plated with gold lea…

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