this shit rocks no. 66: my 3-week Japan itinerary!
Including stops at Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hakone, and Kamakura!
Well, well, well. You’ve made it to the third and final sending from my travels in Japan. When you receive this e-mail, I will (god willing) be on a plane over the Pacific ocean on my way to LAX. Please send lots of messages/texts so that I can experience a rush of notifications when I turn my phone off airplane mode in a couple hours.
This trip has been such a treat, and I feel so lucky that I was able to see so many different cities in Japan. If it’s not apparent from my IG stories, this country is so incredible and I definitely plan to return. As promised, see below for my itinerary, which includes the places that Julie and I stayed, the restaurants I’d recommend, and other fun things to do at each stop.
Thanks for hanging with me during my travels and for bearing with me during my 3-week recipe hiatus. Next week’s sending will have a recipe. Any requests?!
General Japan Housekeeping Items
Get a Japan rail pass before your trip if you plan to frequent multiple cities. Since I was here for just shy of 3 weeks, I got the 21-day pass, but there are also 7- and 14-day options. The price is going up in October so plan your trip accordingly!
Get a Suica or IC card upon arrival. You can use these for the subway and other small purchases.
Get an E-sim data plan on Airalo.
Fill out your immigration papers ahead of time so you can breeze through the airport.
Download a translate app.
Download a few episodes from Sightseeing Japan. We would listen periodically and it gave a lot of helpful context to the things that we were doing and seeing.
Buy all of the essentials from my epic travel list, duh. If you prioritize any purchase, let it be a pair of sneakers that you absolutely love. Julie and I averaged around 25,000 steps a day on this trip. The best way to see any city (IMO) is on the shoelace express.
Go to the convenience stores (7-Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson’s) as much as you can. Since my trip was 3 weeks long, I needed to have some non-restaurant buffer meals so that I didn’t get sick of eating out (this happens to me on pretty much every trip) and to help cut costs. It was great for breakfasts (soft boiled eggs and coffee were some of the best) and they also have lots of sandwiches and salads that were fun for low-key lunches or dinners.
Get a credit card that rewards travel. I booked a lot of this trip on my Chase Sapphire, plus it gets you 5x points on travel booked with rewards, 3x dining, and 2x travel. No foreign transaction fees, either!
Osaka
We stayed at Hotel Wing International Osaka. Location wise, this wasn’t the most central, so if you’re trying to wake up in the heart of the action, this isn’t your spot. All in all, it was a clean and comfy stay—would stay again.
Osaka Castle: We arrived around 11 am, and the line to enter the castle took about 1 hour but it was cool to go inside and see the view from the top. There are exhibits on each floor of the castle but we skipped all of them because I already got a 5 on AP World History so no need to revisit that, you know?
After Osaka Castle, we walked about 15 minutes to lunch at Sakura, which was okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancakes prepared in front of you on a griddle). This place was legit—not a ton of English among the staff so ordering was a bit challenging but the food was on point.
Dotonbori: This is a street along a canal with tons of street food vendors. We went at dinner time and it was very busy. It was a bit overwhelming, but we stumbled upon Manmanki, a nearby yakitori restaurant (and the owner is a total G who lived in NYC for 8 years) and it was one of my favorite, low-key meals of the trip.
Shinsekai: Southern district in Osaka known for restaurants, barcades, clothing stores, etc. This is where we tried kushikatsu (deep fried skewers) and takoyaki (deep fried octopus balls). Nothing too life changing but a fun area to stroll around.
Human Beings Everybody Noodles: Incredible ramen in a funky space.
Schwa2: Fun craft brewery in Osaka. We enjoyed it so much we went to their sister store twice in Kyoto. It’s always 5 o’clock when you’re on vaca!!!!
That Depends Coffee: Really good coffee and the owner was so nice.
Nara
We did this as a day trip while we stayed in Osaka (though you could also do it out of Kyoto). It’s about a 1 hour train ride.
The city is known for its park, which is home to deer that you can feed. I was not that amused by the deer TBH and the park was extremely crowded. My recommendation would be to skip it.
We got far away from the park and rented bikes here. After cruising around Nara (lots of pretty cherry blossoms along a canal), we had the most amazing dipping noodles at Kamaiki. We took the train back to Osaka and were back at the hotel before 4pm.
Kobe/Arima Onsen
If we’re being technical here, we never *actually* made it to downtown Kobe, just the train station. Instead, we stayed one night in Arima Onsen (a town near Kobe that’s tucked away in the mountains) at Taketoritei Maruyama. This was one of our nicer accommodations—it’s a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) with private onsens (hot spring baths). We woke up to a dreamy Japanese-style breakfast and soaked in the springs. This leg of our trip was a great reminder to us both that you don’t need to be on a honeymoon to luxuriate on vacation (though it doesn’t hurt to have other single friends to do it with).
Lunch at Kutsurogiya. This was the real deal. Shoes off upon entry, sitting on the ground for the meal, and an incredible spread. This is where we had kobe beef (it was steamed with other vegetables). A delicious, inexpensive (Michelin-starred!) meal.
Kyoto
We stayed at the Prince Smart Inn Kyoto Sanjo. This hotel was brand new and in a great location. The room was clean and affordable. Would definitely stay here again.
Keage Incline: This is a former railroad track that is picturesque while the cherry blossoms are blooming. Not a ton to see here but fun to snap a few pics and continue on.
Philosopher’s Path: Same as above—not a ton to see but the cherry blossoms were pretty along the canal.
Stand Umineko Craft Beer: The sister craft brewery store to Schwa2 in Osaka. Good beer and good pickles.
Sushi dinner: Inexpensive and delicious near Nishiki market.
Fushini Inari Shrine: We arrived around 8 am and there was already a good amount of people. We walked around for about an hour then headed out. Would highly recommend doing this at an off hour.
Big Time and Little Trip to Heaven for vintage shopping.
Nitta Bakery: This was one of my favorite finds of the trip. Such a cute spot with amazing bread and sweet treats. They’re only open Friday-Sunday.
Kiyomizu-dera: Buddhist temple that was very busy. There is an entrance fee which we didn’t pay, so we basically took a picture outside of it and left. I did, however, get a black sesame ice cream on Yasaka street which was amazing. The Yasaka shrine is nearby and similarly picturesque.
Maccha House: Get the matcha tiramisu!
Torikizoku Kiyamachi-dori: Inexpensive yakitori in Pontocho Alley! Yummy chicken skewers and we got this bowl of sesame dressed cabbage which doesn’t sound that cool but it was so simple and delicious. Vegetables on vacation need to happen at some point.
ING Bar: Random dive bar (it’s on the 2nd floor). Cute owner playing eccentric music. We drank deer and played jin rummy because we are not like the other girls.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest: This was pretty crowded and not much to do other than take a pic. Cannot recommend the Okochi Sanso Garden enough—it’s 1,000 yen for a lovely stroll around a zen garden (with way less people than the bamboo grove) and you get matcha at the end.
Arabica Coffee: Stopped here after the zen garden for iced matcha lattes. There was a decent line that we waited on but it was a nice stop.
Men-ya Yukou: The most AMAZING ramen. Definitely a top tier meal. Had to wait a little but worth it. 10/10 lunch.
Nishiki Market: Outdoor market with food stands. Pretty busy but fun to stroll through.
Kura Sushi: Nothing incredibly groundbreaking about the sushi but very fun conveyor belt experience and inexpensive.
Flip-Up Bakery: Super cute bakery with delicious bread and sweets. Their sweet bean bread was one of Julie’s favorite bites of the trip.
Fiveran Bakery: Another fun bakery find in Kyoto! The scone was one of my favorite bites of the trip.
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion): We went around 11 am (took a second to get there on the bus) and it was very busy. Not much to do besides take a picture but it was a very pretty temple.
Dunstan Coffee Roasters: Holy shit, this was a great iced latte.
Tattoos at Horishaw: This guy was so kind and thorough. Be a COOL GIRL and get a tattoo in Kyoto!!!!!
Hakone
You could do Hakone as a day trip from Tokyo, but we decided to spend a few nights there. We did 2 nights at Hakone Guesthouse which was probably our most “bare bones” accommodations of the trip (read: we slept on the floor and shared a bathroom with strangers), but it was a good spot. We did 1 night at Hakone Ashinoko Hanoari which overlooked Lake Ashi and it was so nice (especially after 2 nights on the floor). That was our first and only public hot spring of the trip and it was pretty great, not going to lie.
Coffee Camp: Cute shop by the hostel with really good coffee and breakfast.
Do the Hakone loop: You can take a cable car to a ropeway to a pirate ship to see most of Hakone. The ropeway goes through sulphur springs which smell absolutely foul, but you can eat a boiled sulphur egg (they’re black and not nearly as tasty as the 7-eleven eggs) and it’s said to add 7 years to your life (I’ll keep you posted). Once you disembark from the ship, you can make your way over to the Hakone shrine which is on the water and picturesque.
Bakery & Table: Get the curry bun!
Gora Brewery: This was one of my favorite spots of the trip (so much so that we went back the next day for lunch). Make a reservation (we went the day before to make one) and get the Aburi salmon sashimi and anchovy potatoes. WHEW!
Hakone Open Air Art Museum: First and only museum of the trip! I am not a museum person but I really enjoyed this one. Lots of fun exhibits, my favorite, of course, was the sunny-side egg bench.
Tokyo
We stayed at Bespoke Hotel in Shinjuku. It was nice to be on this side of town (close to Shibuya and Harajuku), but if you wanted to stay more central, then I’d recommend Ginza. The hotel was super clean and the free coffee and breakfast were highly utilized. Would stay again. We also found the NYT’s 36 hours in Tokyo to be supremely helpful.
Soushi Menya Musashi: Our first meal in Tokyo and it was so freaking good.
Afuri Fine Ramen: We somehow got stuck in a hailstorm waiting in line for this ramen (close to a 90 minute wait…I’m not proud), but it was super delicious.
Ebimaru Ramen: Two words, people. LOBSTER. RAMEN. This was a fancier lunch but I absolutely loved it. We tried the classic lobster ramen as well as the sesame dan dan chili noodles and an Asian-inspired risotto (it’s hard to explain, IDK). The chef here has a background in French cuisine so it was a fun fusion of flavors.
Kappabashi Street: If you want to do any kitchen shopping, this is the place to do it. Tons of shops with Japanese knives, cookware, and dinnerware. Truly one of the more dangerous stops of the trip.
Tsukiji Outer Market: Definitely one of the more highly trafficked stops in Tokyo, but I would recommend going early. Try the rolled egg on a stick as well as a cup of seafood soup.
Mitsukoshi Ginza: The thought of going to a department store does not excite me, but this is not your average department store. There is an amazing food court in the basement where we picked out an array of sushi, salads, and sandwiches, then brought them up to the rooftop and ate it all for lunch. So perfect and affordable.
Mikado Coffee: If you go to the department store, go here after for a mocha soft serve. DIVINE.
Golden Gai: Fun little sequence of alley ways with bars. Super cute at night.
Sushi Panchi: Okay, so I actually lied in a previous newsletter when I said that I didn’t make any restaurant reservations in advance of this trip. I made one and it was this omakase dinner that I found via this video. Definitely our most expensive meal of the trip ($325), but I still felt like that was pretty reasonable for an 8-seat, 12-course, cocktail-heavy sushi meal prepared by the hottest sushi chef I have ever seen?!!?
Grab a Cafe Orange (cold brew with gin, tonic, and orange) at Single O Hamacho then walk over Kiyosu-bashi Bridge. What’s so great about a bridge, you ask!? IDK. But this was a nice one! Then we walked over to Kiyosumi Gardens (150 yen to enter) and it was so peaceful and beautiful.
Koko Head Cafe: We happened to be in Tokyo the week that Top Chef’s Lee Ann Wong was opening her new cafe on a rooftop near Tokyo Station. The cocktails were tropical and tasty. Plus, you can’t beat a rooftop bevvy.
See a Swallows baseball game at Meiji Jingu Stadium. SO MUCH FUN.
Kamakura
We did a day trip to Kamakura on one of our nights in Tokyo and I cannot recommend it enough. One of my favorite days of the trip. It took about an hour and half each way on the train. It’s a cute beach town south of Tokyo. There were definitely other tourists there but it wasn’t as overwhelming as some of our more touristy spots along the trip.
Kōtoku-in: My favorite historical/religious piece of the trip. A truly epic big buddha statue. There was a small entrance fee but you can’t put a price on the picture I now have with Big Buddha. I would recommend walking here from the Kamakura train station (about 25 minutes) because we hit a bunch of great shops (like this place where I bought a cute ring) along the way.
Kibiya Bakery: This cute little bakery is tucked away in an alley on the way to Big Buddha. I enjoyed the pistachio scone.
Matsubaraan: A quaint soba noodle shop in a historic home where we had the most delightful lunch. Slightly pricier than your average lunch but worth every penny (or yen, whatever). We ordered the most refreshing radish and bean salad, then tried hot soba noodles and cold dipping noodles. Hard to say which I preferred. We also strolled to the beach after because you’re just a few blocks away.
Glanta: This is a fun custom jewelry shop where they make pieces right in front of you. Both Julie and I got custom rings (because this is our honeymoon) and they were super affordable. It was kind of like a Japanese Catbird vibe.
I would almost kill for a pistachio scone!
Your rad! Can’t wait to fallow in your footsteps 🤖🤖🤖