Japan

Japan is known as the land of the rising sun and for us represents a place with exceptional charm and breathtakingly rich history, where ancient traditions are effortlessly fused with modern life.  

With 2 weeks at our disposal, we decided to finally make our way across the world to Japan, to explore the allure of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. We spent a total of 9 days in Tokyo, 4 in Kyoto, 3 in Osaka from where we took a day trip to Nara.

Tokyo

Tokyo, the Japanese capital, is a fascinating tangle of opposites, merging tradition and modernity in an unparalleled manner. Much due to its size, it would take a lifetime to get to know every facet of Tokyo, yet this is one of the reasons it presents itself as a city offering something for everyone.

STAY

While there is no shortage of hotels (and even some cool hostels) throughout Tokyo, we recommend staying in the Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi or Ginza area to remain in the heart of the city.

We stayed at the Roppongi S Hotel for the majority of our time in Tokyo. The boutique hotel offers Japanese style hotel rooms and the staff was extremely accommodating, making many of our reservations for us. We spent our final night at the Shinjuku Granbell Hotel

In comparison to its neighboring Shinjuku and Shibuya, Roppongi offered the perfect calm and speed for us to escape the hustle and bustle of its neighboring areas. This became a real asset for us, as Tokyo can cause a bit of a sensory overload.

Other lustworthy stays include the Aman Tokyo, Trunk Hotel, Hotel 1899 and Hotel Koé.

If you don’t mind staying off the beat and path, some great budget stays include the Citan hostel and the Wired Hotel Asakusa. For a unique experience, spend a night at a capsule hotel, such as First Cabin, The Millennials or Book and Bed.

EAT & DRINK

If you love food, get ready to embark on a culinary ride during your stay – if you choose to. From authentic Japanese food to international cuisine, budget food stands and Michelin starred restaurant, Japan offers an abundance of gastronomical delights and tempting cuisines. 

It is the place to let all your inhibitions about food go and fully commit to a mouthwatering culinary journey.

Restaurants
While Japanese food isn’t only all about sushi, we sure ate our fair share of it. We recommend skipping the overhyped Sushi Saito and Sushi Jiro and snagging yourself a reservation at Sushi Tokami instead.

For more casual and affordable spots, check out Musashi Sushi, Pintokana in Roppongi, Shionzushi or Umegoaka Sushi no Midori in Shibuya. Serving high-quality food is extremely important in Japanese culture, which means that even the more affordable sushi spots serve up fresh and delicious sushi that won’t disappoint.

IA tip: If you have yet to try fatty tuna (otoro), eel (unagi) or sea urchin (uni), this is your chance. You will get hooked.

Beyond sushi, our list of must tries is endless, but here are some of our favorites:

• Kaikaya by the Sea (go for dinner. While its highly frequented by tourists, it’s a great place to start your trip and enjoy a night of fresh fish and delicious sake.)

• Ginza Bairin (an absolute must, we went for lunch and discovered the best Tonkotsu in town.)

• Yakitori Imai (this one is among our favorites. Go for dinner and try the chef’s recommendation menu. Reservations are required.)

• Jomon (the lively, smoky yakitori restaurant is a great spot for a casual, fun dinner. Try to get a seat at the bar to be a part of the action.)

• Kagari Echika fit Ginza (the 1 Michelin star ramen joint is hidden inside Ginza station. There will be a line. But it is most certainly worth the wait.)

• Ippudo (this staple ramen spot is all over Tokyo and is a delicious, budget-friendly lunch or dinner spot.)

• Restaurant Path (became was so good, we came back for seconds. It offers a great alternative when you need a break from Japanese cuisine. We recommend trying the radicchio salad, ham & cheese sandwich, Japanese curry, and the mouthwatering Dutch pancake) 

Our researched paid off: in most cases, we were the only westerners in the restaurants that we visited, which is always a good sign. And while there was a slight language barrier at times, most head chefs speak English.  

Bars
We found ourselves sipping on cocktails a total of 3 times at the Park Hyatt’s New York Bar, and every night was different. The iconic bar boasts an amazing view of Tokyo and serves delicious drinks while a live band performs. Try to avoid the weekends as the wait for a table gets unreasonable. For a more intimate late-night haunt, drop by one of the Code Name Mixology locations. Sit at the bar and watch the skilled bartenders mix up an exciting concoction. Ginza Suki Bar and Little Soul Café also come highly recommended.

Coffee Culture
To our surprise, there is a dominant coffee culture in Japan. In Tokyo, we recommend:

• Blue Bottle Coffee, which is also a great first stop before seizing the day and serves some of the best coffee and a delicious avocado toast. Our favorite location was in Aoyama.

• Apartment Coffee

• Supreme Coffee

• Deus Ex Machina Café

SEE & EXPLORE

Shopping
A lot of the fun about shopping in Tokyo is stumbling upon the various shops. Some great areas to shop are Daikanyama, Aoyama, Shinjuku and Harajuku. One of our favorite streets was in Aoyama with amazing stores such as SUPER A MARKET, Maison Kitsuné, A.P.C. and Acne Studios. Similarly Daikanyama had an array of cool stores.

Shops such as Studious, United Arrows, Tomorrowland and Beams have a great selection for men and women. Check out Dover Street Market in Ginza for a wide selection of designer pieces and the Japanese-Brand Loopwheeler for unique knitwear. A favorite for vintage designer items is Rag Tag, where you can get amazing deals. More great finds can be made while strolling down Takeshita Street in Harajuku.

Culture
Mori Art Museum should be at the top of your list of things to see in Tokyo. We got additional tickets for the open-air rooftop Sky Deck, which was among one of the most impressionable experiences of our stay. Most people don’t splurge on these tickets, so the observation deck is unusually empty, with a 360°-view of Tokyo. Classical music plays in the background as you gaze over the middle of the city. It was a truly breathtaking experience.  

Art institutions include the National Art Center, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the Yayoi Kusama Museum. We opted for a walk down memory lane and checked out the Snoopy Museum in Roppongi.

There are various parks throughout the city for you to take a break from the high energy concrete jungle. Some of our favorites are Yoyogi, Ueno, Inokashira and Shinjuku Gyoen park.

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Station, Tokyo Tower, and Tokyo Skytree are among the city’s classic attractions. To discover some of the city’s cultural roots, visit Asakusa Shrine, followed by the Nogi and Meiji Shrines. And if you have the time, the gardens of the Imperial Palace are quite impressive. 

Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market relocated to Toyosu in the autumn of 2018, with many of its well-known sushi restaurants (e.g. Sushi Dai) and the notorious tuna auction setting up shop its new location. However, much has remained the same in Tsukiji, where visitors will still find many delicious street food vendors. Both Tsujiki and Toyosu are worth the trip.

Kyoto & osaka

Steeped in tradition, Kyoto is among the most captivating cities you will experience in Japan. The former capital has its own distinct identity, dialect, dishes, and charm.

We recommend visiting Osaka and Nara for no more than a day or two. You can get a feel for both fairly quickly. We discovered our favorite Ramen spot in Osaka, which is definitely worth a visit, and made some great vintage shopping finds.

Nara is known as the magical deer city of Japan, with Nara Park being home to hundreds of freely roaming deer that aren’t afraid to say hello. Licensed street vendors sell packages of biscuits that are specially formulated for the deer, allowing you to feed them.

STAY

We stayed in a cute Airbnb during our stay in Kyoto, as almost every hotel seemed to be booked out during cherry blossom season. However, the Celestine, RC Hotel, Hoshinoya Kyoto, Four Seasons, and Genhouin come highly recommended.

EAT & DRINK

We ate a lot of sushi and also enjoyed more traditional Japanese restaurants during our stay in Kyoto. Our favorite sushi spots included Sushi Sei, Musashi sushi, a cheap sushi kaiten spot, and our favorite Nishiki Sushi Shin, which blew our mind. Wajouryoumen Sugari Ramen and Katskura, which serves delicious Tonkatsu, are two great casual options.

Walk through Nishiki Market and you will find multiple vendors selling all kinds of foods, such as shrimps on a stick, oysters, and traditional Japanese confections.

The traditional Japanese Kappo Sakamoto was among our culinary highlights. If you only have one meal in Kyoto, let this be it. 

Check out L’escamoteur, Bungalow or Bar Rocking Chair for some post-dinner drinks. Bar K-ya serves up seasonal cocktails and has an extensive selection of Scottish and Japanese whiskeys.

We had the best chicken broth ramen of our lives at Chicken Soba Zagin Niboshi in Osaka. It’s so good, we would even suggest just coming to Osaka for lunch. Stop by the candle-lit Inc & Sons after dinner for a drink or two.

Be sure to drop by Arabica Coffee or Kaikado Café when in Kyoto and Lilos Coffee (for their Dominicana coffee and Matcha) while roaming the streets of Osaka.

SEE & EXPLORE

Kyoto is extremely rich in history and boasts various temples, shrines, and gardens open to the public. At the top of our list is the Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine, famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle an impressive network of trails behind its main buildings. We recommend going early and surpassing the crowds by walking all the way to the top of the trail. When walking back down you pass the Vermillion Café, where you can stop for some well-deserved refreshments. 

We had some time to kill before traveling back to Tokyo and by chance stumbled upon the Nishihongwan-ji Temple, one of Kyoto’s largest temple. To our surprise, the grounds were completely empty, which only made our perception of the temple more impressive. 

The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is another sight to see. While it is far smaller than expected, the surrounding nature is extremely peaceful and picturesque.  

Another impressive landmark is the Zen temple Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf, which glimmers across a tranquil pond.