Dre’s Guide to Japan
Known for its beauty, cuisine and unique culture, my first international trip since 2019 was to none other than Japan! From the food, to shopping, sights, design thoughtfulness, to food (yes I said food twice because it was that good) it lived up to everything I expected and more.
This incredibly blended modern yet traditional country will leave you speechless with its breathtaking views, a stomach full of the best food and asking questions about why your country can’t have public transportation as good as Japan. It’s truly unlike any place I’ve ever visited with its rich culture and city planning. A golf event brought me there, but I stayed for the culture and adventure. Some highlights included shopping in Harijuku, petting deer on Miyajima Island and a sunset dinner in Odiba.
Japan had no lack of memorable moments. In the two weeks I was there, I don’t think I even got to check off a third of the list of activities I wanted to do. I am already planning another trip. If you are looking for your next travel destination, Japan should definitely be at the top of your list.
Pack your bags and get ready because this guide is going to get you excited and armed for your next adventure to Japan.
Let’s start with the practicals and some things I wish I new before traveling…
Book your accommodation near a main train station
booking not only close to a subway station, but at a subway stop that is near a main station where the bullet train passes through will make your travel time and logistics more seamless especially if you have a lot of luggage and plan to travel to multiple cities
for example, I booked a stay in Shinjuku area while in Tokyo and Namba while in Osaka, which are two great neighborhoods. Our airbnbs were about a 10 minute walk from the subway station but another 8 stops away from Tokyo and Osaka station which is the main hub where all the lines go through. In hind site, I wish I would have stayed closer to those bigger stations because it would have made getting around easier
Get the JR Rail Pass if you are planning to travel around the country
I have linked the JR Rail Pass site above. Details are there! DO NOT lose the issued ticket. You cannot get a new one. One thing to know that I didn’t realize at first is that the JR Pass will work for any train above ground and those lines will typically have squares around them. The underground subway lines will have circles. Simply slip you ticket through the gates of that JR line and it will let you through. More helpful tips on public transport are below.
Public transportation facts and etiquette
there are 3 types of public transit: aboveground which includes Shinkansen (bullet train), underground subway and a bus system
people do not talk on the phone while on public transit
make sure you give up your seat to young children, elderly people and the disabled
they have female only cars as well
Download Sucia
this is a refillable payment card that you can download on your smart phone. Simply got to wallet, tap the add button on the top right corner, click add transit card, locate Sucia and add it to your wallet
you can add up to 20,000 Yen and use this for payment pretty much everywhere including public transit
when you are paying you don’t even have to open your wallet, just simply tap your phone on the reader and it will connect to pay
Get a translator app
I like google translate. They have the enter text function and camera function which can be very helpful because not many people speak English when you’re in non tourist areas and away from city centers. You can also just hold your phone up to foreign texts so you can read things like a menu or a remote control.
Bring a wifi donegal
I would highly recommend bringing your own wifi donegal. This saves you money. You can get one at the airport for rental at $12 a day, but we brought our own and it was only about $10 for 10g of data.
Japan is modest
women wear long skirts, sleeved shirts and pants even in the summer. It’s important to respect the culture, so even though it was really hot when we were there and I was burning up not wearing shorts or tanks tops we chose to dressed modestly. So if you are planning to go in the summer bring loose clothes that cover you.
tattoos are not as common, you don’t need to necessarily cover them in public, but they are prohibited at some onsens (Japanese hot springs)
Fast Facts
no public garage cans, make sure you properly dispose of your trash. This is one of the cleanest countries you will ever go to.
it is frowned upon to eat while walking or in public spaces. If you grab food on the go, eat it in a designated eating area
take off your shoes
it’s common to be requested to take off your shoes. Make sure to check and look around when you enter places. You can place your shoes in the cubby and slip on a pair of slippers they will have for you
go with the flow of traffic
you’ll notice on escalators people stand to one side and then on the other they leave for people walking
there are designated lines to wait to get on the train and bus. Be aware and respectful of this and let people get off first
heated toilet seats!
the toilet seats are great, they not only heat, but play ambient noise for privacy, they spray water for cleaning and more
Our tickets for various Shinkansen rides.
With the JR rail pass will need to book seats ahead of time for the Shinkansen. If you have luggage I would recommend booking the seats with extra luggage space which are the seats at the back of each car. You can reserve seats at the green kiosks at main stations or see the attendant office.
just tourist things haha
Screen shotted to the right is a google maps public transit route. It’s worth noting that it not only gives you which line to take but which platform and which exits to use while leaving the station. Taking the exit stated will help you get to where you’re walking to much more easily. The stations can be very big!
Japan has a baggage mailing service. You can ship your bags directly to your airline terminal, pick them up there and check them in. This is really helpful if you have a lot of luggage or buy things on your journey. We only needed our golf clubs for part of the trip so we shipped them off to the airport for the second half and they store them there. They also have storage lockers at the main train stations as well!
Okay, enough with the practicals, on to more of the fun destination and activity parts of this guide.
Destinations:
Tokyo~
This was the first stop in our journey. There is so much to see and do and I would definitely allot 3-4 days to see Tokyo if you also plan to travel to other parts of the country. Some notable can’t miss areas include: Shibuya, Asakusa District, Ginza and Harajuku.
Below are activity ideas, unique food experiences and other areas to see.
Areas to be sure to check out
Harajuku
Ginza
Shibuya
Asakusa District
Odiba
Shinjuku
Akihabara Electronic Town
Food EXPERIENCE ideas:
Teacup Pig cafe, Cat Cafe, Robot Cae, Maid Cafe
Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ)
Shabu Shabu (Japanese hot pot)
Catch your own fish and they cook it for you
Izakayas (Japanese bars)
so much more!
Activity Ideas
Stay and go to an Onsen
Sumo wresting
Baseball game (baseball in Japan is huge!)
Kabuki show
Japanese wiskey and sake tasting
shop til you drop!
Traditional tea ceremony
Cooking class
Karaoke
teamLab Borderless Museum
Shibuya Crossing and Sky Scramble
Explore Golden Gai
Shinjuku National Gyoen
Tokyo Imperial Palace
Go Kart in Shibuya (the company we used got shut down but a few still exist)
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to much on this list, but these were all things I really wanted to do!
The couple things you don’t want to miss for sure are Shibuya Sky Scramble and teamLabs. Shibuya Sky Scramble, has the best views of the whole city. I would highly recommend going right before the sunsets so you can see it during the day and night. Take your time up there and lounge in one of the sky hammocks. It’s a one of a kind city 360 view.
TeamLabs is an international art collective that seeks to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology, and the natural world. teamLab Planets is the Tokyo museum where you walk through water, and a garden where you become one with the flowers. You enter barefoot, immerse your body with others in the artwork spaces, and become one with the world.
Food Intermission:
Taking a brief break from talking destinations to give you the food rundown. Japanese food reigns supreme! Everything is amazing. There is such a variety of Japanese cuisine itself and of course you can get other types of food too. The Japanese do other foods like Italian, Chinese and French really well, but I stuck with Japanese food majority of the time. You can get something delicious in the train station, convenient store, mall, 10 seat hole in the wall bar and of courses restaurants. I ate all different things and tried to not eat the same thing twice because there was just so much to choose from! My favorite was definitely the sushi and the fruit and cream sandwiches. If you can’t read the menu, just point to something, I’m sure it will be tasty.
We drank lots of coffee and tea! Tea is brewed so beautifully there and I would definitely encourage you to check out a tea shop experience and a traditional tea ceremony. Kitasando Coffee in Tokyo was my favorite coffee shop though! If you know me, you know that I love finding the best coffee shops around the world and this shop had one of the best coffee soda’s I ever hard!
Kyoto~
Stop 2 was a short day and a half pop into Kyoto. I treated myself to a nice hotel stay right along the river. It’s a beautiful spot for a morning or evening stroll and runs right through downtown where there are great shops and food. You’ll definitely want to check out Nishigi Market and Pontocho Alley.
Of the famous Kyoto attractions, we only had time to make it to Fushimi Inari Shrine, but there is a ton more to see. You can checkout a full write up for Kyoto done by The Invisible Tourist. Alyse does a great job laying out itinerary and activity ideas. You can click here for her guide!
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Osaka and Hiroshima ~
Stops 3 on our tour of Japan was Osaka and from there we also took a day trip to Hiroshima. My business partner and I do some work with a Japanese based company so part of our travels were work related. Our trip to Hiroshima was to visit one of the companies factories that makes golf club heads. It was so cool to see them forge the heads that I play with!
Down in the Hiroshima area there is also a famous island called Miyajima that we got to visit. You take the ferry there and it’s a great spot to stroll around, eat oysters and pet some deer that roam the island. There are also cute hotels if you wanted to do an overnight trip.
We returned back to Osaka and our time spent there was really just meals with friends and a little walking around town. We didn’t have time to see many of the famous sights. In my research though, I found this guide written by Hana an Osaka based travel blogger and English teacher to be really great! It’s a great comprehensive local perspective, check it out.
Miyajima Itsukushima Shrine
I rounded out my trip back in Tokyo for a day, which was prefect because there were some friends we wanted to meet up with and food I still wanted to eat before flying out of Narita. This trip to Japan was truly one to remember. We received such amazing hostility, met awesome new travel friends who helped us navigate the country (honestly they were a god send, we were pretty lost in the beginning), connected with mutual friends living locally and got to experience an incredible new culture.
Japan undoubtedly makes the list of top places I’ve gotten to explore and I don’t think I have come home from a destination so excited to plan the next trip back. I can’t wait to visit again during cherry blossom season or for a winter ski trip. My taste buds will continue to long for Japanese food, my hands for the hand wipes they give you at every meal and my eyes to see such clean streets. But for now, my heart is full from the unforgettable experiences, new friends and opportunity to experience a different part of the world. See you after my next trip with another guide!
P.S. If you’re interested in my personal detailed itinerary from the trip it’s linked here.
Lots of Love,
Dre