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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Consistent-Climate16 on 2024-11-24 09:25:34+00:00.

My Travel Plan: Tokyo > Karuizawa > Norikura Kogen > Kamikochi > Kiso-Hirasawa > Narai-Juku > Osaka > Okinawa > Tokyo

A few months ago, I made a post (now deleted) on this sub-reddit welcoming feedback on my itinerary. An overwhelming majority of the comments suggested that this might be a difficult itinerary to traverse for a first timer, all the more so for someone who can’t speak Japanese. Needless to say, this left me quite discouraged but I had already made all the bookings by then and a lot of hard work had gone into putting together this itinerary so nothing could be done. To add to my misery, I came across a post that described experiences of racism experienced by a brown tourist in Japan. Considering this was only my second international trip, I was filled with apprehensions.

Now that my two-week long trip to Japan has come to an end. I can say it with certainty that not following the golden route was possibly the best decision I could have made for myself.

I feel like I could experience the quintessential Japan by exploring its countryside. I had so many conversations with the locals in Shinshū (I mean Nagano, was just trying to sound fancy), I had the best time in Narai-juku interacting with the shop owners. We had learnt a lot of Japanese phrases by then, which came in very handy. Infact, by the end of our trip, two Japanese locals even asked me if I know the language when I said “Mata sugu ni aimashou”. Hahaha, so yes, everything I said had a sprinkle of Japanese, which I believe was really valued by the locals. I even bought the Arukuma thinking it was cute, I didn’t realise its importance until a woman in Kamikochi beamed with joy on seeing it on my handbag and even went as far as to pet it, which I thought was so funny and cute!

This might attract hate but Osaka was the let down of my trip. We were in Osaka for just one night since we had to catch our flights to Okinawa from KIX, thus didn’t get around much, just visited Dontonbori and God, I am never going back to that place again. It was overcrowded and loud and I was pushed and shoved by a six feet man, which disgusted me to the core and from then on, I just wanted to go back home. People were smoking on the streets and there was trash everywhere, which was unlike any other place I had visited in Japan.

Moving on, Okinawa was peaceful and beautiful, our ferry to Tokashiki got cancelled, so that was a bummer but we stayed in Nanjo City for most part of our trip and it was heavenly.

When we visited Karuizawa, fall foliage was at its peak, so the sights were very picturesque. We visited Kumoba Pond, Kumanokotai Shrine, Old Ginza Street and explored the local bakeries. Rented e-bikes and cycled all around the town during the day, it was one of the best days of our trip.

We just had two and a half days in Tokyo, so we couldn’t get around much. We stayed near Tokyo Skytree Town, and had the best Match of my life at the Gion Tsujiri Store. Rest, we could only explore Shinjuku area. Did a lot of shopping and ate ramen everyday.

All in all, it was an amazing trip. Although I had so many inhibitions, the hospitality and kindness of the locals made us feel very welcome in Japan and I wish to visit again very soon.

EDIT:

For some reason, this post has been hit with a lot of downvotes and aggressive comments. I, in no way, meant to imply that my itinerary is better than anyone else’s. Everyone’s travel philosophy and style is different, my family didn’t have a lot of problem with constantly being on the run and we like covering a lot of ground in a short time. On average, we spent two nights in each place and yes, by the end of the day we all were out like a light but we enjoyed every bit of the whole process.

To me, city activities do not carry much appeal, and I really value interactions with the locals of any region I visit. Someone in the comment section said “you do not need to go this far to interact with shop-owners”. Well, while I was in Kiso-Hirasawa, an old Japanese woman saw me standing on the side of a road, she approached me and I immediately pulled out my Google Translate, she then began to point at a tree nearby and told me that a plum tree grows from the root of a pine tree and If I will go round the corner, I will witness their roots joining. I did go round and witnessed the same. We then had a long conversation about where I was from and what I was doing in that town. I personally do not feel that the fast-paced life of cities allows room for such small but special interactions. It all boils down to individual philosophy. I am sure, Tokyo-Osaka have their own appeal, it just wasn’t for me.

Also, to anyone asking for transportation details, I have everything meticulously laid out in a google document along with the fares, which I am more than willing to share with anyone who needs it. To spell out everything here was simply not feasible.

EDIT #2:

Since I have received numerous requests to share my travel document, I am attaching its link here for everyone’s kind perusal. This document also contains my accommodation details along with the places I intended to visit in each region, specifically Karuizawa.