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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/IceSpiceDogsDance on 2025-06-16 05:28:27+00:00.

My girlfriend and I just returned from 2 weeks in Japan and had an INCREDIBLE time. I was scouring this subreddit and other travel forums for months leading up to the trip, and there’s some helpful things I’d love to share, along with a general (short) overview of our time in each city. We usually had 1-2 things we wanted to get to each day, and otherwise did a lot of wandering and exploring.

Big Takeaways:

-Japan feels CHEAP AS HELL right now as an American tourist. We were constantly blown away. Meals for $5-7 USD, drinks dirt cheap, admission tickets for places usually 500 - 1000 yen (~$3.5 - $7), travel and accommodations reasonably priced too. I think too many people go to the big name Western-style hotels and only eat at places they find on Google that are especially friendly to Westerners out of fear or discomfort. Go off the beaten bath even just an inch and you’ll find a very affordable country. I think flights + accommodations + transportation + everything spent on the trip added up to about $2200 for each of us.

-Learn various "hello"s (Ohayo Gozaimas for morning, Konichiwa during the day, Konbanwa in the evening) and be enthusiastic about your “thank you” (Arigato Gozaimas!!!). I felt nervous / unsure about trying to speak a different language, but it goes along away. I saw tons of foreigners make no attempt at speaking Japanese, just pointing at things and then mumbling a “Thank you” in English. I felt like the small effort we made was appreciated and it’s just fun to make little connections with the employees you meet.

-Similarly, you say “Sumimasen” (excuse me) when you need a server or wait staff at a restaurant. Otherwise they’ll mostly ignore you. Say it when you want to order another drink, or get the bill, or have a question. It feels a little rude at first to what we’re used to, but just do it confidently and you’ll fit right in.

-When all else fails, Google Translate is a lifesaver. Don’t be afraid to go in somewhere that looks good just because they don’t have an English menu. Pointing and saying “Thank you” is okay. This will lead you to some delicious places you’d never go otherwise!

-I feel like the descriptions of IC cards I read ahead of time were overly confusing. Get a Suica card, tap it to get on trains. That’s it. You can add it to your apple wallet right now from your couch and refill it with your phone. (Yes, there are special tickets needed for Shinkansen and some Limited Express trains, but, seriously, it’s simple as this and our Suica worked in every city we went to).

-Having a small bag was a lifesaver (I have This Carhartt one). Passport / cash / phone / wallet, keep your trash in there until you can find a garbage can, I even rolled up a shirt I bought and stuffed it in and one time. Bags rock!

The trip:

Tokyo (Ikebekuro)

Tokyo is incredible. If you’ve never been, it’s hard to describe. Bustling, very alive, a million different little places to explore. We loved Shinjuku (of course went to Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai, both twice), the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park, explored Sunshine City and Akihabara on our rainy day, and the Ghibli museum. We enjoyed staying in Ikebekuro as it was a cute neighborhood with good food and bakeries right off the Yamamote line, which connected us to almost everything. Just heading to new neighborhoods and getting lost is awesome.

Kyoto (Gion)

Kyoto is, also, incredible. We loved the old-time feel of Gion, getting dinner and drinks in Pontocho, wandering Nashiki market and some of the nature we got to experience here. Arashiyama monkey park and Fushimi Inari were both highlights. Yes, both required a bit of a hike, but it didn’t feel like anything too strenuous for a couple in our late 20’s. People make a big deal out of timing Fushimi Inari “Just right” - we ended up sleeping in and getting there around 9:30. There was a SEA of people at the bottom, but we climbed all the way to the top and the last third was nearly desolate. So, if you absolutely need the pictures of the empty Tori gates, I guess go at 6am, but it’s not necessary. We ate at a couple amazing restaurants here - Kokodenome and Rutubo. Both highly recommended. Also - the kobe beef skewers will haunt me forever.

Nara

A day trip, of course to see the deer. They were lovely, very cute - and they bow to thank you for the crackers. Just walking around watching them is great, plus the forested walk to the shrine & temple are lovely.

Osaka

Another day trip. We liked Osaka, but didn’t get to experience much of it, and I think we were a little “shopped out” by the time we got here, so Dotonbori kind of overwhelmed us. We wandered about, checked out Osaka Castle and Yasaka Shrine, got some lunch at Tenjinbashi, and that’s about it. I’ve heard people spend a whole week here and love it - would love to come back and dive deeper.

Shimoda

This was a pretty random pick, but we wanted somewhere off the beaten bath and a little chill. We definitely got that in Shimoda. It’s a little coastal town at the end of the Izu penninsula, and we came during the sleepy rainy season. Still, we stayed at an awesome guest house with a lovely family nearby who fed us dinner one night and even helped make calls to local onsens for us to find out where we could go (mixed gender bath, plus we have tattoos). We saw one or two other foreigners while here, and it was just a great little time immersed in the local culture. Had some amazing seafood, went to the Museum of the black ship, swam in the ocean when the sun eventually came out, checked out the sea cave and ended up going to the Thousand Person Bath (Kanayaryoken). Plus we got to borrow bikes from the family and ride around the area - it felt like a jungle. We loved it.

Happy to answer any questions for potential travelers, and I hope this is helpful. Enjoy your eventual trip!

Edit: corrected name of Onsen in Shimoda.