Ohayou, Japan

Japan is one of the most beautiful and one of the cleanest countries we’ve been to. If you haven’t heard already, Japan is one of the leading and innovative countries in technology. During each of our trips, we found different aspects of the country that amazed us each day. You can find unique items that you won’t be able to find anywhere else! We’re going to start off by recommending some attractions that we visited in certain areas and then go into more general advice such as where to eat and and how to get from one destination to another!

Miyajima Island, Hiroshima

This island is well known for its rich history, particularly for the atomic bomb attack during World War II. You can learn more about the attack from the Japanese perspective at the island’s Peace Memorial Park. After viewing the buildings, enjoy some delicious fresh and local omelettes made right in front of you. You can even create your own unique omelette!

Nara

Once Japan’s capital, Nara is a traditional rural area known for its abundant temples and artwork. At Nara Park, there are many deer just wandering around. You can feed them deer crackers (with the purchase of the snack, of course) and they may even come from behind you looking for food so be aware! Don’t be afraid though, these deer are very friendly and have a habit of roaming around the park. Because the park makes up a large part of the city of Nara, everyone bikes all around in an eco-friendly and animal-friendly environment.

Osaka

The CupNoodles Museum is a tourist favorite. There’s one located in Osaka and one in Yokohama. CupNoodles is known as the “birthplace of instant noodles.” You can learn all about the invention and transformation of the instant noodles. You can even create and customize your own cup as a souvenir! For more information on this exhibitions and attractions head over to their website.

Dotonburi

Known for its nightlife and “cheap but delicious” food, Dotonburi is one of the symbols of Osaka. It’s a densely populated area with many restaurants and shopping options. The area began as an entertainment district and still has Bunraku (puppet show) theaters and halls for Rakugo (comic storytelling).

Osaka Castle

For a view of Osaka and a taste of Osaka history, head to Osaka Castle. The structure was built to be the strongest and most beautiful castle in Japan. Although it was destroyed twice, it was rebuilt each times and still stands as a grand structure of Osaka’s history.

Kyoto

Traditionally, wherever the Emperor resided was dubbed the capital of the country. Therefore from the years 794 through 1868, Japan’s capital was Kyoto. Kyoto is definitely the place to go to soak up Japan’s history. Named a World Heritage site, the Nijo Castle is a symbol of the Tokugawa power. Fun-fact: its floorboards creak with each step to warn of the approach of an assassin.

Kinkakuji Temple

Also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, the Kinkakuji Temple is another historical site to visit. The area was built as a retirement estate and the only building that remains is the golden temple.

Famous for its thousands of torii gates, the Fushimi Inari Shrine is a popular tourist attraction. Many people visit the shrine for the mountain trails behind it. The hike to the mountain summit takes 2-3 hours, but you’re free to walk as far as you want and turn around. There are also a few food options along the trail that offer local Kyoto dishes.

In Kyoto, you can also find a traditional clothing shop and try on your very own kimono and/or yukata! Kimonos, which more people have heard of before, are more traditional and for formal attire such as weddings. Because I went during the summer, yukata was more reasonable as the layers are much more casual and thinner for walking the streets of Kyoto. Either one you decide to wear, mentally prepare yourselves that it will be a bit suffocating! It is sometimes a misconception that these types of clothing are meant for women only but kimonos/yukatas are also appropriate for men to wear as well!

Tokyo

Can’t forget about Japan’s capital and most popular city! When you visit a big city, there’s always a way to view it from above. I’m talking about observation decks. It feels like every metropolitan area has at least one tower known for its city view. Well Tokyo has two places you can go. The more well known one is the Tokyo Skytree, which is the tallest structure in Japan. The Skytree has 2 observation points: the Tembo Deck at 350 meters and the Tembo Galleria at 450 meters. It’s about $20 per person to get to the Tembo Deck, which is the main observation deck, and an additional $10 to enter their Tembo Galleria.

View from the Skytree's Tembo Deck

For more information and information on their “Fast Skytree Ticket” that allows you to cut the lines, head to http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/en/ticket/. The view from the top of the Skytree is truly spectacular, but if you’re looking for something cheaper, then head to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Shinjuku. Their towers stand just a little over 200 meters, but their observation deck is free!

There’s tons of things to do in Tokyo (as you’ll find from our many recommendations). There are a couple amusement parks you can spend your day at. There’s Disney Sea, which is not owned by Disney, so there’s a lot of unique food and attractions specific only to this park. Admission is about $70 USD. If you like cats, head over to Namja Town. It’s an indoor cat amusement park where you can play cat-themed games and participate in scavenger hunts. Go after 5pm when the admission prices are discounted. You can definitely cover all the ground in time. Another attraction for cat lovers is Cat Cafe Mocha Harajuku. This is basically what it sounds like - a cat cafe in the Harajuku District in Tokyo. You pay by the amount of time you choose to stay. If you’re not a cat person but still looking for a unique cafe experience, head over to Harry the Hedgehog Cafe. Pay $16 for 30 minutes of hedgehog play time and make sure you wear the gloves so you won’t get nipped. You can also purchase worms to feed the hedgehogs.

Are you starting to worry about your food budget or feeling cheap? Can’t afford every meal out during your trip? No worries!

• Japanese convenience stores (or known as konbini in Japanese) are the pure definition of convenience. Located almost around every corner of Japan and hotel lobbies, there are good quality and affordable meals that are freshly prepped for your tastebuds, ranging from onigiri rolls to chicken katsu rice plates!
• Vending machines! You might be thinking I’m crazy for making a meal out of a vending machine in America, but in Japan, it’s not your ordinary vending machines. You can buy a meal out of one of these for cheap.

Are you in a hurry to eat and hop back onto your sightseeing of the beautiful country? Japanese people have created a fast-food meal system without eating junk food all the time. This type of restaurant, called standing sushi bar, are innovated for working professionals with a limited amount of time to eat. These restaurants do not have seats. You simply stand up to eat the amount of sushi until you are satisfied and pay. These meals usually take about 5-15 minutes. What is a more unique and time-sensitive way to eat?!

Although a large city, Tokyo is not short of its nature and historical temples and shrines. The parks I recommend are Shinjuku Gyoen Park, Ueno Park, and Yoyogi Park. Ueno and Yoyogi are free to enter, but Shinjuku costs about 3 yen to get in. Adjacent to Yoyogi Park is Meiji Jingu Shrine, which was built and dedicated to the first modern emperor of Japan. The shrine also has a garden, which has an additional entrance fee. However, visitors to the shrine can partake in free Shinto activities such as making offerings and writing wishes on an ema.  A must see is Tokyo’s oldest temple and oldest shopping street: the Asakusa Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise.

 

Nakamise

Asakusa Senso-ji Temple

Shopping in Tokyo

• Ginza District --  like 5th ave in New York, boujee shopping
• Tsukiji Outer Fish Market -- includes other shopping 
• Ameyayokocho (another market alleyway) -- across from Ueno station is 
• Shibuya, a fashion district in Tokyo surrounding Shibuya Station and well known for its shops targeted for young people as well as a lively nightlife appearance.
• All the big train stations have its own shopping area if you need to buy a quick souvenir or just browse around while waiting for the train. 

Lodging

Host families (or also known as homestays) are very common here! Host families are current residents in Japan that are willing to open their houses to stay with them during your visit. These homestays are usually short-term, typically a few days to about one week. To prevent overstaying your welcome, we recommend staying with a host family for a few days and find another lodging space after. (Continue reading for more suggestions on where to stay!) There are many simple ways on how to get started with a host family, such as school programs or online websites. Personally, I contacted a local school and asked if any of their students are willing to host your stay for a few days as a local and cultural experience. Usually students are fond of this homestay program because they can meet foreign students and have a taste of their cultures as well. It’s a beneficial experience for all!

Like always, we recommend looking into staying at an AirBNB. It’s almost always cheaper than a hotel and gives you a local view of the cities. Be sure to read the entire rules as some AirBNB hosts are strict when it comes to their clean homes.

Transportation

• Japanese train systems are very on point! The trains (different from bullet trains) literally comes the minute it is expected to arrive and if you miss one, there should be a next one coming within the next ten minutes! Locals use these trains as a means to get from work to home and so on. Be careful and stand behind the yellow line to not get too close to the train tracks! As always, be sure to be considerate of others as these train rides are meant to be clean and peaceful. Local residents are usually doing their own agenda either by reading the newspaper, watching television (yes, there are TV’s in trains!), or on their mobile phone. If you want to speak with your friends, be sure to do so in a mindful way.
• If you want your own private car and chauffeur, we can always go with using the traditional method of a taxi. There are always taxis wandering around the streets waiting to be at your service. Be sure to have some cash on hand to tip the driver!

Additional Notes

Like we mentioned and as you can see in the photos, Japan is such a clean country! There aren’t any public trash cans anywhere! They train their citizens at a young age to not be wasteful and to emphasize personal hygiene. Furthermore, public restrooms are NOT dirty! There are different types of bathrooms depending on where you go. In more traditional neighborhoods like Nara and Kyoto, you can find a hole on the floor as your public bathroom. In more modern and high tech cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, you can find extremely modern bathrooms with a bidet to spray your bottoms after you take your leak! Anyway, we hope this post was helpful in planning your trip and/or convinced you to visit this lovely country! Emily only spent one week in Japan and Jannell spent two weeks -- we both definitely wish we had more time to explore every place we wanted to.

Arigatou Gozaimasu,

Emily and Jannell