General Japan and Tokyo recommendations
My main reason for starting a blog is so that I can store all my recommendations in one place. Also, I can just direct my friends/coworkers to my blog if they were interested in a place I've already visited.
I typically recommend things for Tokyo since I've previously lived there for one year. I usually tailor my recommendations depending on what I think the individual might like but there are many similarities. I will get to the general items here, and hopefully in the future I will make specific posts for each city I visited in September 2016.
Pre-planning for people in Toronto:
Free maps/guides available at
481 University Avenue, Suite 306, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E9 Canada
http://ilovejapan.ca/
Has very handy Tokyo guide for all the sites and other items.
JTB Toronto office
Suite 1510, Carlton Tower, 2 Carlton Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1J3 CANADA
**VERY USEFUL** Hyperdia - This is the website/app that has train schedule that can help you map out your route. This really helps if you know the station you are arriving to. It provides different routes and the price. http://www.hyperdia.com/
I like how it picks different routes to tell you how much each route is and how long it'll take. Also tells you when the train will arrive. I used this to compare with the results from Google.
*NOTE* Tokyo walks on the left side on the street. Tokyo also stands on the left and walk on the right side on the escalator. This is the same for most cities in Japan. Osaka is an exception, people from Osaka typically walk on the right side on the street, and stand on the right side on the escalator. Unless they are from other parts from Japan, visiting Osaka. It's rough during rush hour to be on the wrong side because a lot of people will be coming at you.
Tokyo Area
Metro Pass: I recommend getting the Suica/Pasmo
(http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/
On the JR Yamanote Line, these are the main train stations that are connecting hubs: Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Tokyo and Ueno. From these stations, you can connect to other subway lines, and other train lines from different companies.
Odaiba is a man made island. You can get there from Shinagawa station. The monorail to get to Odaiba is computer operated. There's the Toyota display place. If you get an international license you can test out the cars there.There's a mall called Venus and it's like a mall that tries to look like a market. The lights change for day/night. You can go outside and walk around. It's kind of beach like? Also you can pay to go into Onsen Monogatari, which is like Japanese hot bath. Gender separated, you shower first and then you soak in a bath. Completely nude. It is a cultural experience though and I think you can walk around in a yukata. I have never been there though, but I have a friend who went here and soaked her feet.(http://daiba.
Tsukiji is the popular fish market. Tsukiji is supposed to move to a new spot, and there is a store to advertise/educate the new building, but the opening date has moved. Usually people line up at 5am to 6am to have sushi for breakfast. It's price approx. $35 for 10 pieces.There is the famous tuna action but it is closed off for tourists. When I went to Tokyo in 2008, I was able to access the market place at 8am. In 2016, we had to wait until 10am to access the market place. This must be to give a chance for the store owners to buy their fish before the public/tourists go to take photos. If you want to eat there, I suggest going to the stores/restaurant area because it's not as crowded. I watched two Japanese variety tv shows and the locals recommended these places:
#1 recommended: Sushitomi
#2 recommended: Sushi sei (I actually went to this one, and I think the sushi chef added too much wasabi)
Closer to the Market and very popular for tourists where you'll probably line up for at least 1 hr. I've gone to both of these places and I lined up at about 6am
Daiwa Sushi
Sushidai
Both are good places, but they are very popular because it's right infront of the market. I went in 2007 and 2008. In 2016, when I went to Sushi sei, I realized that all the tour buses drop their group infront of Daiwa Sushi and Sushidai. By the time I walked by, which was about 9am, the line up was ridiculous. Also in 2007 and 2008, I was lining up from 6am in the morning. The sushi restaurants in the restaurant/store area are less crowded and it's about a 5 minute walk. It's very close.
Ginza is known for luxury, brand name shops and nice restaurants. Gin means silver.
Asakusa is known for Sensoji temple. On the way to the temple, there is a arcade of stores for tourists once you pass the lighting gate.
http://wikitravel.org/en/
Within the shopping area, there's a place with a famous croquette for like 300 yen. https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/
There is a famous tempura restaurant, I didn't actually have a chance to eat here since it was so busy.
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/
Very close is the Sumida river. You can also see the Tokyo Sky Tree from the river, and even walk to the Sky Tree. In the summer, there is a firework day close to Sumida River. I went to the festival once, and it really matters at the location you are standing because I couldn't see anything. One interesting fact my friend told me is that the area surrounding the Sky Tree is government funded housing. So having the Sky Tree there has created jobs due to the stores and tourism.
Shibuya is popular spot for young people due to shopping. Very modern fashion and shops. The famous all crossing is here. You can get off at Shibuya station and there is a viewing area to watch the all crossing. The famous Hachiko statue is also located here. Around the Hachiko statue is tiles with Akita dogs on the walls.
You can pass by Cat Street if you wanna walk from Shibuya to Harajuku, which I think used to have a bunch of stray cats there, but not anymore. There are trendy stores though.
Harajuku is one of my favourite stations in Tokyo. During my half day off, I would go to Harajuku almost every week. People dress up in different types of clothes on this bridge near the Meiji shrine. Famous Takeshita Dori where girls dress up in cosplay. Famous street crepes. 100 yen building with 3 floors. There are a lot of interesting places to visit but I think they are usually covered in travel guides/websites. There is a emperor's shrine, Meiji Shrine.
Near Harajuku is Yoyogi park. Probably better to go during the weekend so you can people watch. There's most people and things to see. People cosplay, and play instruments. The best time is during cherry blossom time. Yoyogi park is a popular spot for hanami (cherry blossom viewing).
Another close city to Tokyo is Hakone http://wikitravel.org/en/
Hokkaido - known for: uni, hairy crab, ramen, potatoes, lamb, milk,
I bought cheese cake omiyage from a brand called
**In all department stores, the basement level is where you can buy
Shinjuku: Popular district for eating, restaurants and entertainment. Popular garden is: Shinjuku Gyoen National Park for 400 yen. The best time is to go during cherry blossom time, or during spring when the flowers bloom. Kabukicho is here for theatre for Kabuki shows.
Shinjuku Metropolitan Building.You can go to the top floor and observe the city for free. Just have to go through a security check. On a super clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji. Shinjuku is a very popular area. The train station is a major hub because it connects to lines going towards the West side of Tokyo. There's an app for your phone to help you navigate Shinjuku station.
It is possible to walk from Shibuya to Harajuku to Shinjuku. I've done it many times before, but I've always gotten lost because I didn't have GPS. If you only walk through with no shopping, it probably is about one hour.
Akihabara is known for electronics and hobbies. Or, you can say Akihabara is known for Otaku. There are anime stores, maid cafes, special fetish items here, but there's also a lot of electronics that you can buy.
Ueno is known for Ueno zoo and museums. There is also an area near the station with old stores. Ueno park is also popular for hanami. I only stopped in Ueno a few times and that was for Ueno Zoo, and to go to Ueno Park. Edo Museum is here too https://www.edo-tokyo-museum.
Tokyo Station is usually the first stop from Narita Express, and you can board the Shinkansen here. I found out recently that there is a lot of things happening at Tokyo Station. There are lockers, and a lot of food. I know there is "Kitchen Street", which has fancy food such has shark fin ramen, and curry rice. Which is all very good. Then there is another section in the station called "Ramen Street". There is one famous ramen store that has a line up that goes around the corner. These ramen stores you typically buy your food ticket and then wait in line. When you sit down, you hand over your ticket. I'm not sure if this is stupid but it's also because I forgot how to use a food ticket machine. So you have to insert your money first and then you press the buttons of what you want. You will get change. Last time, my friend and I kept just pressing the buttons first and then trying to insert our money. That did not work. I also found Garrett Popcorn in this station.
Overall thoughts for Tokyo
If it was my first time in Tokyo and I only had 3 days, I would recommend Asakusa, Shibuya/Harajuku, Tokyo Station, Odaiba.
Tokyo souvenirs (Omiyage) - Tokyo banana, which is like a banana flavoured twinkie with banana custard cream filling.
Close to Tokyo for day trip
The JR pass won't work for Kamakura or Hakone. The transportation companies are not Japan Rail. But separately for Kamakura and Hakone you can buy a day/2-day pass. Available to purchase at the Odaikyu part of Shinjuku station.
Kamakura, Enoshima: I think it's about 2 hrs by local train. There's an aquarium here. It's known to be similar to Kyoto but smaller. The 2nd largest Buddha in Japan is here. Near the beach and there's a nice aquarium.
Hakone is known to be close enough to Mt. Fuji to get a nice view
The ship that tours Lake Ashi looks like a pirate ship. Mine was called Victory
Hot Springs
There are some shrines here too
Sulphur mountain - there are these eggs you can buy that are boiled by the sulphur pits that are popular. It's like $6 for 5 eggs. It doesn't make the eggs taste any different really, but it's pretty fun to try. Basically very touristy, but fun.
Another close city to Tokyo is Nikko on the East side. Nikko is located in the Tochigi prefecture. I took a local train, and it just felt really long to get there.
It also has a lot of shrines and temples. Best known for the "See no Evil, Speak no Evil, Hear no Evil" monkeys. A bit harder to navigate in this area. As you have to walk a bit from the train station to get to the shrine area.
Transportation to Nikko is also not included in the JR pass. The way I got here was going to Asakusa station but then you have to switch to the Tobu trains. Felt like an extremely long ride but it is worth it when you get there.
Another city that is close to Tokyo is Yokohama. It's about 30 minutes away by local train or 10-15 minutes by Shinkansen. Known for a huge Ferris Wheel that looks like a clock, Japan's biggest Chinatown. I don't think there's that much to do in Yokohama, now that I think about it.
There's an aquarium but that's far to get to. Hakkeijima Sea Paradise.
This would be included in the JR pass.
There's a ramen museum where there are maybe 5 stores here where they
sell their specialty ramen. You can choose between small or large
bowl.
Hokkaido
Sapporo - was here for 3 days
Sapporo Beer Museum - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/
Inside the Museum there is the Sapporo Beer Garden - I had the grilled
lamb here. http://www.sapporo-bier-
Ramen Michi - Miso ramen served with corn is Sapporo's main ramen
dish. For me, I found the ramen in this street more expensive than
elsewhere. Tourist thing though.
http://kimi-tourguide.
There are other things in Sapporo. I went during the Snow Festival and
saw their snow sculptures.
In the main street, there should be the Hairy Crab restaurant. You
can get an expensive crab meal set.
Hokkaido is known for butter, melon (honeydew), fresh seafood, water, white chocolate, corn, beer,
cheese, and onsen
Sapporo Airport. Souvenirs: souvenirs:
White Lovers - Shiroi Koibito - available at T&T but it's very popular in Japan. It's like crispy light cookies with a chocolate centre
http://www.ishiya.co.jp/
"Snaffles" it was delicious, which is cheesecake. I've never had such wonderful cheesecake in my life. If you go to Hokkaido, I recommend this.
Otaru - very small http://www.japan-guide.com/e/
Known for the main canal area, and glass making. Lots of glass items can be bought here.
Might be worth it to eat sushi/sashimi here because it might be fresh. I didn't. I had lavender ice cream here.
**The thing about Otaru is, it's close to Sapporo. I feel like it's a
little bit of a tourist trap. I went looking to see how to make glass
or perhaps making some of my own. I left with a lot of bags.
Kyoto
Popular spots: there are a lot of shrines and temples in Kyoto
Kinkaku-ji: Golden pavilion which is covered in gold leaf.
Ginkaku-ji: Silver pavilion, pretty nice but definitely not as impressive as Kinkaku-ji.
Kiyomizu-dera: on a small mountain. Shrine. There's a love charm area. Very popular attraction
Fushimi Inari Shrine - the Shrine that is surround by tori gates.
Toji temple: Flea market on the 21st of the month. Also supposed to have the freshest water. warning: tastes like metal
Gion: small area where there's a Geisha theatre. In the morning, you can see Maiko (Geisha in training) walking around the city supposedly, but I've never seen any.
Nishiki Market - Fish Market
Food:
Udon - I have gone to Kyoto 4 times but I never bought udon there. I keep forgetting. It's also popular to have traditional Japanese food sets here.
At Kyoto station all the stores sell yatsuhashi/nama yatsuhashi - triangles with flavoured paste in the middle. At Kyoto station, they have a variety of flavours which you can't get at the airport. Also you can taste test a variety of flavours. When my brother and I were there, we just went around taste testing a bunch before deciding which flavours he would buy to bring home. There is the type that is just the outter shell that is baked. So it's like a cinnamon cookie.
Yatsuhashi - is a kyoto souvenir available in the airport.
City Bus All-Day pass 500 yen
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/
Bus box was infront of Kyoto station on the outside. There should be a sign where it says it's 500 yen (unless it has upgraded). It was a little office. Beneath is a bunch of department stores. In front of Kyoto station.
Osaka
30 minutes away from Kyoto by local train is Osaka
About 15 minutes by Hikari class.
Osaka is known for its comedians and being loud (speaking and fashion) compared to the rest of the country. Also known to be super friendly.
Tenjinbashi-suji: is probably the most popular street for tourists.
Must eat: takoyaki, okonomiyaki and there's the famous crab restaurant
where everytime you see Osaka you will see this crab. There's also
the glico man sign.
The aquarium, Osaka Aquarium. Which I went here in 2016, and it is a bit out dated.
Osaka Castle: inside is not like how it was previously. I think it was
bombed during WWII. They rebuilt it and the inside is a modern museum
From Kyoto another city that is close for a day trip is Nara
Known for free running deer and the largest Buddha in Japan
You can buy these deer cookies for 150 yen. There are signs where the city ask that you only feed the deer these cookies, and nothing else.
The route to get here can be covered by the JR pass.
I typically recommend things for Tokyo since I've previously lived there for one year. I usually tailor my recommendations depending on what I think the individual might like but there are many similarities. I will get to the general items here, and hopefully in the future I will make specific posts for each city I visited in September 2016.
Pre-planning for people in Toronto:
Free maps/guides available at
481 University Avenue, Suite 306, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E9 Canada
http://ilovejapan.ca/
Has very handy Tokyo guide for all the sites and other items.
JTB Toronto office
Suite 1510, Carlton Tower, 2 Carlton Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1J3 CANADA
**VERY USEFUL** Hyperdia - This is the website/app that has train schedule that can help you map out your route. This really helps if you know the station you are arriving to. It provides different routes and the price. http://www.hyperdia.com/
I like how it picks different routes to tell you how much each route is and how long it'll take. Also tells you when the train will arrive. I used this to compare with the results from Google.
*NOTE* Tokyo walks on the left side on the street. Tokyo also stands on the left and walk on the right side on the escalator. This is the same for most cities in Japan. Osaka is an exception, people from Osaka typically walk on the right side on the street, and stand on the right side on the escalator. Unless they are from other parts from Japan, visiting Osaka. It's rough during rush hour to be on the wrong side because a lot of people will be coming at you.
Tokyo Area
Metro Pass: I recommend getting the Suica/Pasmo
(http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/
On the JR Yamanote Line, these are the main train stations that are connecting hubs: Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Tokyo and Ueno. From these stations, you can connect to other subway lines, and other train lines from different companies.
Odaiba is a man made island. You can get there from Shinagawa station. The monorail to get to Odaiba is computer operated. There's the Toyota display place. If you get an international license you can test out the cars there.There's a mall called Venus and it's like a mall that tries to look like a market. The lights change for day/night. You can go outside and walk around. It's kind of beach like? Also you can pay to go into Onsen Monogatari, which is like Japanese hot bath. Gender separated, you shower first and then you soak in a bath. Completely nude. It is a cultural experience though and I think you can walk around in a yukata. I have never been there though, but I have a friend who went here and soaked her feet.(http://daiba.
Tsukiji is the popular fish market. Tsukiji is supposed to move to a new spot, and there is a store to advertise/educate the new building, but the opening date has moved. Usually people line up at 5am to 6am to have sushi for breakfast. It's price approx. $35 for 10 pieces.There is the famous tuna action but it is closed off for tourists. When I went to Tokyo in 2008, I was able to access the market place at 8am. In 2016, we had to wait until 10am to access the market place. This must be to give a chance for the store owners to buy their fish before the public/tourists go to take photos. If you want to eat there, I suggest going to the stores/restaurant area because it's not as crowded. I watched two Japanese variety tv shows and the locals recommended these places:
#1 recommended: Sushitomi
#2 recommended: Sushi sei (I actually went to this one, and I think the sushi chef added too much wasabi)
Closer to the Market and very popular for tourists where you'll probably line up for at least 1 hr. I've gone to both of these places and I lined up at about 6am
Daiwa Sushi
Sushidai
Both are good places, but they are very popular because it's right infront of the market. I went in 2007 and 2008. In 2016, when I went to Sushi sei, I realized that all the tour buses drop their group infront of Daiwa Sushi and Sushidai. By the time I walked by, which was about 9am, the line up was ridiculous. Also in 2007 and 2008, I was lining up from 6am in the morning. The sushi restaurants in the restaurant/store area are less crowded and it's about a 5 minute walk. It's very close.
Ginza is known for luxury, brand name shops and nice restaurants. Gin means silver.
Asakusa is known for Sensoji temple. On the way to the temple, there is a arcade of stores for tourists once you pass the lighting gate.
http://wikitravel.org/en/
Within the shopping area, there's a place with a famous croquette for like 300 yen. https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/
There is a famous tempura restaurant, I didn't actually have a chance to eat here since it was so busy.
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/
Very close is the Sumida river. You can also see the Tokyo Sky Tree from the river, and even walk to the Sky Tree. In the summer, there is a firework day close to Sumida River. I went to the festival once, and it really matters at the location you are standing because I couldn't see anything. One interesting fact my friend told me is that the area surrounding the Sky Tree is government funded housing. So having the Sky Tree there has created jobs due to the stores and tourism.
Shibuya is popular spot for young people due to shopping. Very modern fashion and shops. The famous all crossing is here. You can get off at Shibuya station and there is a viewing area to watch the all crossing. The famous Hachiko statue is also located here. Around the Hachiko statue is tiles with Akita dogs on the walls.
You can pass by Cat Street if you wanna walk from Shibuya to Harajuku, which I think used to have a bunch of stray cats there, but not anymore. There are trendy stores though.
Harajuku is one of my favourite stations in Tokyo. During my half day off, I would go to Harajuku almost every week. People dress up in different types of clothes on this bridge near the Meiji shrine. Famous Takeshita Dori where girls dress up in cosplay. Famous street crepes. 100 yen building with 3 floors. There are a lot of interesting places to visit but I think they are usually covered in travel guides/websites. There is a emperor's shrine, Meiji Shrine.
Near Harajuku is Yoyogi park. Probably better to go during the weekend so you can people watch. There's most people and things to see. People cosplay, and play instruments. The best time is during cherry blossom time. Yoyogi park is a popular spot for hanami (cherry blossom viewing).
Another close city to Tokyo is Hakone http://wikitravel.org/en/
Hokkaido - known for: uni, hairy crab, ramen, potatoes, lamb, milk,
I bought cheese cake omiyage from a brand called
**In all department stores, the basement level is where you can buy
Shinjuku: Popular district for eating, restaurants and entertainment. Popular garden is: Shinjuku Gyoen National Park for 400 yen. The best time is to go during cherry blossom time, or during spring when the flowers bloom. Kabukicho is here for theatre for Kabuki shows.
Shinjuku Metropolitan Building.You can go to the top floor and observe the city for free. Just have to go through a security check. On a super clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji. Shinjuku is a very popular area. The train station is a major hub because it connects to lines going towards the West side of Tokyo. There's an app for your phone to help you navigate Shinjuku station.
It is possible to walk from Shibuya to Harajuku to Shinjuku. I've done it many times before, but I've always gotten lost because I didn't have GPS. If you only walk through with no shopping, it probably is about one hour.
Akihabara is known for electronics and hobbies. Or, you can say Akihabara is known for Otaku. There are anime stores, maid cafes, special fetish items here, but there's also a lot of electronics that you can buy.
Ueno is known for Ueno zoo and museums. There is also an area near the station with old stores. Ueno park is also popular for hanami. I only stopped in Ueno a few times and that was for Ueno Zoo, and to go to Ueno Park. Edo Museum is here too https://www.edo-tokyo-museum.
Tokyo Station is usually the first stop from Narita Express, and you can board the Shinkansen here. I found out recently that there is a lot of things happening at Tokyo Station. There are lockers, and a lot of food. I know there is "Kitchen Street", which has fancy food such has shark fin ramen, and curry rice. Which is all very good. Then there is another section in the station called "Ramen Street". There is one famous ramen store that has a line up that goes around the corner. These ramen stores you typically buy your food ticket and then wait in line. When you sit down, you hand over your ticket. I'm not sure if this is stupid but it's also because I forgot how to use a food ticket machine. So you have to insert your money first and then you press the buttons of what you want. You will get change. Last time, my friend and I kept just pressing the buttons first and then trying to insert our money. That did not work. I also found Garrett Popcorn in this station.
Overall thoughts for Tokyo
If it was my first time in Tokyo and I only had 3 days, I would recommend Asakusa, Shibuya/Harajuku, Tokyo Station, Odaiba.
Close to Tokyo for day trip
The JR pass won't work for Kamakura or Hakone. The transportation companies are not Japan Rail. But separately for Kamakura and Hakone you can buy a day/2-day pass. Available to purchase at the Odaikyu part of Shinjuku station.
Kamakura, Enoshima: I think it's about 2 hrs by local train. There's an aquarium here. It's known to be similar to Kyoto but smaller. The 2nd largest Buddha in Japan is here. Near the beach and there's a nice aquarium.
Hakone is known to be close enough to Mt. Fuji to get a nice view
The ship that tours Lake Ashi looks like a pirate ship. Mine was called Victory
Hot Springs
There are some shrines here too
Sulphur mountain - there are these eggs you can buy that are boiled by the sulphur pits that are popular. It's like $6 for 5 eggs. It doesn't make the eggs taste any different really, but it's pretty fun to try. Basically very touristy, but fun.
Another close city to Tokyo is Nikko on the East side. Nikko is located in the Tochigi prefecture. I took a local train, and it just felt really long to get there.
It also has a lot of shrines and temples. Best known for the "See no Evil, Speak no Evil, Hear no Evil" monkeys. A bit harder to navigate in this area. As you have to walk a bit from the train station to get to the shrine area.
Transportation to Nikko is also not included in the JR pass. The way I got here was going to Asakusa station but then you have to switch to the Tobu trains. Felt like an extremely long ride but it is worth it when you get there.
Another city that is close to Tokyo is Yokohama. It's about 30 minutes away by local train or 10-15 minutes by Shinkansen. Known for a huge Ferris Wheel that looks like a clock, Japan's biggest Chinatown. I don't think there's that much to do in Yokohama, now that I think about it.
There's an aquarium but that's far to get to. Hakkeijima Sea Paradise.
This would be included in the JR pass.
There's a ramen museum where there are maybe 5 stores here where they
sell their specialty ramen. You can choose between small or large
bowl.
Hokkaido
Sapporo - was here for 3 days
Sapporo Beer Museum - http://www.japan-guide.com/e/
Inside the Museum there is the Sapporo Beer Garden - I had the grilled
lamb here. http://www.sapporo-bier-
Ramen Michi - Miso ramen served with corn is Sapporo's main ramen
dish. For me, I found the ramen in this street more expensive than
elsewhere. Tourist thing though.
http://kimi-tourguide.
There are other things in Sapporo. I went during the Snow Festival and
saw their snow sculptures.
In the main street, there should be the Hairy Crab restaurant. You
can get an expensive crab meal set.
Hokkaido is known for butter, melon (honeydew), fresh seafood, water, white chocolate, corn, beer,
cheese, and onsen
Sapporo Airport. Souvenirs: souvenirs:
White Lovers - Shiroi Koibito - available at T&T but it's very popular in Japan. It's like crispy light cookies with a chocolate centre
http://www.ishiya.co.jp/
"Snaffles" it was delicious, which is cheesecake. I've never had such wonderful cheesecake in my life. If you go to Hokkaido, I recommend this.
Otaru - very small http://www.japan-guide.com/e/
Known for the main canal area, and glass making. Lots of glass items can be bought here.
Might be worth it to eat sushi/sashimi here because it might be fresh. I didn't. I had lavender ice cream here.
**The thing about Otaru is, it's close to Sapporo. I feel like it's a
little bit of a tourist trap. I went looking to see how to make glass
or perhaps making some of my own. I left with a lot of bags.
Kyoto
Popular spots: there are a lot of shrines and temples in Kyoto
Kinkaku-ji: Golden pavilion which is covered in gold leaf.
Ginkaku-ji: Silver pavilion, pretty nice but definitely not as impressive as Kinkaku-ji.
Kiyomizu-dera: on a small mountain. Shrine. There's a love charm area. Very popular attraction
Fushimi Inari Shrine - the Shrine that is surround by tori gates.
Toji temple: Flea market on the 21st of the month. Also supposed to have the freshest water. warning: tastes like metal
Gion: small area where there's a Geisha theatre. In the morning, you can see Maiko (Geisha in training) walking around the city supposedly, but I've never seen any.
Nishiki Market - Fish Market
Food:
Udon - I have gone to Kyoto 4 times but I never bought udon there. I keep forgetting. It's also popular to have traditional Japanese food sets here.
At Kyoto station all the stores sell yatsuhashi/nama yatsuhashi - triangles with flavoured paste in the middle. At Kyoto station, they have a variety of flavours which you can't get at the airport. Also you can taste test a variety of flavours. When my brother and I were there, we just went around taste testing a bunch before deciding which flavours he would buy to bring home. There is the type that is just the outter shell that is baked. So it's like a cinnamon cookie.
Yatsuhashi - is a kyoto souvenir available in the airport.
City Bus All-Day pass 500 yen
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/
Bus box was infront of Kyoto station on the outside. There should be a sign where it says it's 500 yen (unless it has upgraded). It was a little office. Beneath is a bunch of department stores. In front of Kyoto station.
Osaka
30 minutes away from Kyoto by local train is Osaka
About 15 minutes by Hikari class.
Osaka is known for its comedians and being loud (speaking and fashion) compared to the rest of the country. Also known to be super friendly.
Tenjinbashi-suji: is probably the most popular street for tourists.
Must eat: takoyaki, okonomiyaki and there's the famous crab restaurant
where everytime you see Osaka you will see this crab. There's also
the glico man sign.
The aquarium, Osaka Aquarium. Which I went here in 2016, and it is a bit out dated.
Osaka Castle: inside is not like how it was previously. I think it was
bombed during WWII. They rebuilt it and the inside is a modern museum
Food in Osaka
Takoyaki - It's an osaka thing. It's a ball with an octopus piece in it. It's alright. Should be about 600yen for 5 pieces.
Okonomiyaki - osaka style is a pancake made out of cabbage. This is hard to find that is pre-made on the street.
From Kyoto another city that is close for a day trip is Nara
Known for free running deer and the largest Buddha in Japan
You can buy these deer cookies for 150 yen. There are signs where the city ask that you only feed the deer these cookies, and nothing else.
The route to get here can be covered by the JR pass.
Food to try in Japan
conveyor belt sushi - is cheap sushi (this is like their low grade) but i will say that their low grade sushi is still better than our expensive grade in Toronto.
ramen - pork bone (tonkotsu), salt (shio), soy sauce (shoyu) or even miso. In Tokyo station basement there's a Ramen street, you buy a ticket from the machine and then line up. There's one that's super popular and always has a line, but you can go to any really.
Japanese curry - fried pork cutlet - available in a lot of places. There's a chain called coco curry which is apparently really good.
Omurice - omlette wrap around a rice
Hambagu - hamburger patty with rice and sauce
Saizeriya - family restaurant usually open until 12am. Is a family restaurant all westernized food can be food here. Cheap but very good. So the omurice, hambagu would all be there.
Soba - buckwheat noodles. I don't really like this but it's famous
Pastel Pudding: I highly recommend this pudding underneath a lot of major department stores. My favourite is the classic なめらかプリン (nameraka purin). This is more expensive than the pudding in the supermarket but so good.
Food. Tokyo has a lot of Paris bakeries where you can find the famous
places that bake macaroons and French cakes.
Food. Tokyo has a lot of Paris bakeries where you can find the famous
places that bake macaroons and French cakes.
Snacks
Go to a 7/11 or Lawson's or Family Mart - get some fried chicken (kaarage) or rice balls. Cheap but filling and satisfying. Sometimes their fried chicken is even better than the ones here.
Go to a 7/11 or Lawson's or Family Mart - get some fried chicken (kaarage) or rice balls. Cheap but filling and satisfying. Sometimes their fried chicken is even better than the ones here.
Mister Donuts - you have to eat this! It's donuts but it's so fresh and good. Try Pon de Ring! Just do it!
Get Japanese soft served ice cream - I only had it in September and I've been craving it. It's so creamy!!
Get Japanese soft served ice cream - I only had it in September and I've been craving it. It's so creamy!!
Usually you can go to a restaurant to make this yourself.
Note: their bottle tea drinks has no sugar. It's just tea.
Kit Kat's galore - there's sake kit kat, green tea, strawberry. There's a Kit Kat stand that I found near my station.
Kit Kat's galore - there's sake kit kat, green tea, strawberry. There's a Kit Kat stand that I found near my station.
Spring Food:
Strawberries are in season.
There's this random thing that I really like but it's hard to buy. It's very Japanese. It's called ichigo daifuku (strawberry big mochi with red beans). There was some at Tsukiji or like bottom of department stores (it's a lot that I'm recommending this to you but it's in season and I really enjoy it, so I'm recommending this).
Summer:
Summer:
White Peaches
Winter
Nabe
Oden
Thank you for reading up to this point. This is a basic guide that I usually send as an email to my friends/coworkers. So I thought I should just add it here too.
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