Over winter break, my family and I took a remarkable 10-day vacation to Japan. We separated our travel with three nights in Tokyo, four in Kyoto, and two outside of Mount Fuji in Fujikawaguchiko. We worked through a travel agent, which is not necessary, but we found it extremely helpful. Staying at Mount Fuji was incredible and seeing Tokyo’s vibrant nightlife was unforgettable. This is how we did Japan and how I recommend you do it too.
My must-sees of Tokyo are the Sensoji Temple and Tsukiji Outer Market. Both of these give a good look into Japanese culture, plus the Tsukiji outer market offered delicious sushi and wagyu beef for unbeatable prices. In order to get food at many of these markets all over Japan, bringing cash is a must, as many of the vendors do not accept credit cards, which is pretty common in Japan as a whole. A large part of our tour days were spent visiting many beautiful different temples and shrines, (a little too many for my liking), so I recommend checking out a few and making sure your itinerary is filled with many of the other sites Japan has to offer like Kyoto or Osaka.
Another popular destination is the TeamLabs art collection in Tokyo. Every piece of art was beautiful and definitely worth seeing, but it is important to note that something like this can take up an entire afternoon. My two favorite places in Tokyo were Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai which are both located in Shinjuku. Golden Gai is a collection of different themed bars that are very small and seat around six people. Omoide Yokocho is very similar but the restaurants have different types of snacks and skewers. Both destinations are hole-in-the-wall restaurants where you can watch the chef cook in front of you which makes the experience personalized.
Kyoto has elegant temples as well that I would say are worth visiting and the Arashiyama bamboo grove is stunning. Another thing this city has to offer is a monkey park where you can visit and feed the monkeys. Just an hour away in Nara, there is a deer park where you can also feed and pet the deer. If you are limited on time and have to choose just one, I would pick the deer park. Also in Kyoto is the Fushimi Inari Shrine which has around 30,000 shrines that form a beautiful walkway through the woods.
Mount Fuji is not a “must-do” for a trip to Japan, but if you have time, why not? Relaxing in the countryside away from the bustling business of Tokyo proved to be amazing. There are many traditional bath house onsens near Fujikawaguchiko with views of Mount Fuji and are really amazing while resting in the hot springs.
Before visiting all of these intriguing places, I definitely recommend trying to learn basic phrases in Japanese. The English language barrier in Japan is still definitely present, and many people speak limited English. It is also easy to get around in Japan, Uber works very well even in remote areas, and Tokyo and Kyoto’s underground system is very well done and safe.
If you can make it out to Japan, definitely do it! It is an amazing country to see with amazing food and rich history and culture and traveling there will without a doubt be the adventure of a lifetime.
