Hello there. If you reach this space, then that means you're either planning or have already planned a trip to Japan, which is awesome because it's one of my favorite places in the world, and I'm really excited to share some of the things that I like doing there with you. 🎉
A little bit of context. I lived in Japan for four years from 2019 to 2023. I started my first job there, and 6 months in, Covid happened. That led to two interesting things:
We went remote, so that meant that I could actually travel across Japan without having to take holidays, which was really interesting.
Although the borders were closed internally, Japan was open. However, most of the country was being extremely risk-averse and would not travel.
That meant I got to travel Japan at a time when no one was traveling and everything was open, which was surreal.
Four years of traveling in Japan definitely was not enough. But I did get to do a lot. I visited almost 60% of the country. That means 28 out of 47 prefectures. And I think the 28 prefectures that I did visit were some of the more popular as well as some of the hidden gems. Maybe someday I'll complete all of it. But until then, let me share whatever I have with you already. I plan to keep updating and making it prettier as it goes along, but I'll keep coming back here if you're still planning your trip.
And, of course, feel free to reach out directly to me if you want any tips or wanna check if a specific thing you want to do makes sense or not. If you are already not connected, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram. Feel free to follow my newsletter to read more of my writing.
The app is called ‘Been’, in case you want to track your global footprint!
The Basics
How long should I go for?
I think two weeks is the perfect time to get your first taste of Japan. If that's not possible, one week to ten days also works. Especially if you're flying in from far, you will need some days to adjust to the jet lag.
Where should I go?
If you have to choose, I think Tokyo and Kyoto are the two cities that will give you the entirety of Japan in your limited time. If you like snow sports, I would recommend adding Hokkaido into the mix. And if you have even more time, then I think you can add Hiroshima into the itinerary as well.
What should I do?
Let me divide everything in terms of cities, and then I'll mention the must-dos followed by other things that I think are hidden gems and some things that I think are tourist traps.
What do I do if I don't want to read your long-ass blog?
I knew you would ask that. Well, the best resource I can recommend is Japan Guide.
This is a really nice website that was created and is maintained by the Japan government. It has all the up-to-date information about all the fun stuff to do in Japan. I use this myself a lot as I was planning trips all around Japan. Definitely check it out.
Or watch this video for inspiration. This is a YouTuber that I really like, and I trust his recommendations as well.
Or, just wing it. A lot of the beauty of Japan is finding fun side quests and being lost in that country and the cities and just taking whatever it has to offer on face value. There's so much to do in Japan you're bound to get overwhelmed. I would say adopt the minimalist thinking just go there and enjoy moments that come to you and I'm sure once you go to Japan you will want to go again so there will be enough chances for you to to do the things that you may have missed this time.
Obviously goes without saying that these are skewed to the things that I really liked, there may be things that I missed or may not be interested in which would be up your alley! So feel free to filter these out as you see fit!
Tokyo
Honestly, you can never go wrong with Tokyo. How I would recommend you visiting is choosing a neighborhood and then just exploring it and finding fun things to do. Some of my favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo are Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Akihabara, Ginza, Shimokitazawa, Nakameguro and Daikanyama. Each of these neighborhoods is known for something unique and has a different vibe. Simply walking around and letting your intuition guide you or doing side quests will make you super satisfied. One thing you can do is research the neighborhood a bit beforehand so you have some specific places that you might want to visit. Just walk around and take it all in. Get lost in Japan like they say.
TeamLab is one of my favorite places. I personally love digital art, and this is a permanent installations of one of the most popular digital art museums. I highly recommend you book in advance. And a small tip, wear white so that you can get super cool Insta-worthy pictures. TeamLab Planets is special because each room is designed to be immersive from multiple senses.
For example, one room is filled with water up to your knees and then you see interesting holographic fish. On the other side, there's one room, which is a dome with really cool projections where you can lie down on the floor. So there's super cool stuff like that. There's also Team Lab Borderless, which is technically a bigger museum but it's also more crowded and less immersive. If you have to choose between the two, I would recommend doing Team Lab Planet since that's less mainstream and will be more fun (although it is a little bit further from the city). You can combine it with a trip to the Odaiba Gundam statue, which is also a pretty cool sight to see.
When you look at things to do in Tokyo, they will recommend you to go to Tokyo Skytree or Tokyo Tower. Skip that, very touristy, not fun. Instead, if you do like views or even if you don't like views, Shibuya Sky is awesome. It's on the 50th floor of a huge building in the middle of Shibuya, and the roof is open and it's really well-built.
So you can roam around, you can even have a drink up there. There's a helipad, and there are some amazing areas where you can view the entire Tokyo skyline, the sunset, and get really good pictures as well. I think it's a really great experience in terms of just feeling the beauty of the city as the sun sets and all the lights come up.
Cup Noodle Museum: the Cup Noodle Museum is cute. It's a nice place to spend a few hours. Although if you are short on time, then I would not recommend it.
But if you do go, you can create your own cup noodle and then decorate it as well. It's a fun little day, especially if you're going to Yokohama, it's a must do then.
Themed Cafes: Japan has some awesome themed cafes, these are super cool. One of the weird ones that you'll find often is a maid cafe. These aren't meant to be weird, but people make it weird if you go there with a nice perspective and just to enjoy the vibe. It's nice. But obviously if you go there from a perspective of being a pervert, that's what a lot of the old Japanese Grandpas do, and that's kind of weird. But otherwise, the cafes are just supposed to be a way to enjoy the kawaii culture of Japan. Other cafes you might like going to are pet cafes. Here there's Dog Cafe, Cat Cafe, Owl Cafe, and even a mini pig cafe. There's also stuff like prison cafe, ninja cafe, etc. Enjoy the weirdness, guys
If you want to go to the Ghibli museum in Tokyo, it has a very weird system where you can only book one month in advance, so just keep an eye on that if you want to visit.
Onsen: You have to do an onsen (these are hot springs). I know it sounds weird, just trust me, just do it.
This is the most ultimate form of self-care and relaxation, and the Japanese have hacked it. If you are in Tokyo, this is an onsen that I recommend.
Shrines: Some of my favorite shrines are Sensoji and Meiji Jingu. Sensoji is in the middle of the city, whereas Meiji Jingu is in the middle of a park/forest. Both are really cool and you should check them out.
They are open 24/7, so something unique could be you could visit them at night after hours.
Parks: Tokyo has some of the most beautiful parks. Yoyogi is really cool, and so is Shinjuku Gyoen.
Especially if you're there during sakura season, then these would be places where you can very easily find cherry blossoms. Most people will do picnics in the park, buy a bunch of stuff from 7-11, and just go and enjoy yourself. If you want a hidden oasis in the middle of Tokyo, go to Todoroki Valley - it's a really cool, traditional Japanese park/valley.
Arcades: If you are in Tokyo, you have to go to arcades.
You can find them all across the city. Just enter each game is like a hundred yen, and enjoy your heart out! You are an adult in the best place to be a kid.
Karaoke: Japan is really well known for karaoke. There are a lot of chains, and the one I like the best is Rainbow Karaoke in Shibuya. It's a little bit bougie, which I like.
A lot of these karaoke have drinks and food, so keep the party going. The rooms last all night. I would recommend booking a room beforehand if you already know you're gonna go, but it can also be a spontaneous move. Sing your heart out.
Gacha: If you are a hoarder like me and you like little toys and things. Gachas are awesome. They are scatterred all across Tokyo - sometimes in the train stations, sometimes on the streets.
Sometimes there are shops just for gacha where you put in one coin or a few coins and you get a mystery gift. That gift is something you can put on a shelf or your table, and these are always cute toys and really unique specific stuff.
Shopping: Japan has some of the coolest shopping experiences and is very niche as well. If you like something, you can definitely find a department store filled with floors and floors of that. Some places I would highly recommend visiting would be Donki. That's the anxiety-driven everything-in-one-store. You're going to blow your mind when you go there. One tip, a lot of these stores can get really busy, but since they are 24/7, you can go at 3 am if you wanted.
I would also recommend visiting stores if you like anime. So you can visit the Pokemon store, the Nintendo store. A lot of them are in Shibuya Parco. You can also visit Uniqlo, GU, or any other Japanese fashion stores. One store I really like is called Vigo - it's a Japanese street store. I'd also recommend going to Shimokitazawa for thrift shopping. It's a really cool neighborhood for that.
You honestly cannot go wrong with food in Tokyo. Eventually, I stopped booking the popular restaurants online and simply had my local favorites. I would recommend trying more chain restaurants; their quality is good, and they're super cheap. The food tastes great. But if there are some things you should do, here are some of my recommendations:
Tsukiji Outer Market or Toyosu Fish Market: go early and enjoy some of the freshest seafood in all of Japan since Tokyo is very close to an ocean. You will get really great sashimi, sushi, and other fun snacks.
Convenience Stores: Japan has some of the most amazing convenience store culture. I literally lived off of convenience store food for many days. Because it's so tasty. It's so cheap and there's so much variety. So definitely explore your 7-eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson each have special snacks. Definitely try the famichiki from Family Mart and the egg salad sandwich from Lawson.
Torikizoku: This is your local Japanese post-work dinner spot. Yaki Tori (skewers) come by the boatload here. Everything is 100 yen (less than a dollar). You can also get drinks here. This is the perfect dinner and pregame spot.
Ramen: You can never go wrong with Ramen in Tokyo. Everything from the world-famous Ichiran to a random shop in the middle of the street. Ramen will be amazing. One recommendation that I can give is you should try Tsukemen which is dipping noodles - this is actually one of my favorite kinds of ramen. A restaurant I really like for Tsukemen is Dogenzaka Mammoth.
Sushi: You could go wrong with sushi in Tokyo, so you need to be careful. Either go to the markets with the freshest seafood or try the popular trained sushi. I would recommend Sushi Katsuo Midori in Shibuya. It has a long line but it's very much worth it. And, obviously, there is no end to how much you can pay for sushi. There's a lot of omakase that you can book, ranging from $100 to $1000. So take your pick.
Izakaya: Definitely try out Izakayas - these are like Japanese pubs which have a lot of drinks as well as really good food (like Karaage and Edamame, etc.)
Udon and tempura: this could be something that you may not have had a chance to try properly, so I would recommend going to a nice chain store like Marugame or Hagemaru.
Japanese curry: Japanese curry is fire, and I recommend going to Koko Ichiban or one of the local curry shops to try it. It's a very hearty meal great for a cold day.
Matcha and Desserts: Japan is obviously the best place to try matcha, so go hard. Also, try the parfait in one of the matcha cafes. These are really great desserts. Honestly, some of my favorite desserts are from the convenience store as well, so that's something you can try too. Go ham!
One of my favorite things about Japan is that it's legal to drink in public, so you'll find a lot of partying going on in some of the main areas on the streets outside of convenience stores and bars. My recommendation is to start your night post your dinner or pregame at the Shibuya Center Street Famima.
This is the hot spot where everyone who is going out in Tokyo meets up. It’s it's a chill place where you can talk to new people, you can gather your groups, and then either you follow along with one of the groups or you can create your own way and go to the the clubs that I'm going to talk to you about.
Golden Gai: A touristy but still fun place to go is Golden Gai in Shinjuku. This is one block filled with 500 bars, each can seat maybe 6 people, and each of them are themed in a very unique way. I really like this place as it's beautiful at night. While you're there, you can also visit Omoide Yokocho which is also known as memory lane. It's the food version of this place. Some bars in Golden Gai that I would recommend going to are Albatros, Deathmatch from Hell, the heavy metal bar, ARAKU, and there's one bar which is leopard theme but i can't remember the name.
Cocktail Bars: Tokyo has some of the most unique cocktail bars with the best vibes. You can try, but you possibly cannot try them all. But some of the ones that I would recommend are SG Club, A10, Bar Orchard, Bar Trench.
Some words of warning: Roppongi and Shinjuku have been known to be dangerous areas to party, I usually stick to Shibuya. So, just keep that in mind as you decide to go wherever you want to go.
My Personal Favs:
Berry’s - you won't even find this on Google Maps; this is so hidden. But this was one of my favorite places - always a place to meet other Tokyo expats and people in the know. This is in an abandoned building on the 5th floor, so you'll really have to find it. But trust me, this is an amazing spot. Here is the location. Check their Instagram for their opening hours and any special events.
Dogenzaka Church: this place is just whack. It's a church-themed bar where the bartenders are dressed up as nuns. Go in with an open mind and just enjoy the weirdness.
Red Bar: this is a bit of a walk from Shibuya, but it's so worth it. This is one of my favorite bars. I've celebrated my birthday here a couple of times. It's just such a great vibe and the music is always interesting and their decor is funky. Their drinks are great.
Trunk Hotel: this is a really fancy hotel whose lounge turns into a bar in the evenings. I really like this spot heavily recommend.
Tasuichi: This is the dive bar hangout of all the Tokyo expats, really cheap drinks, but a completely degenerate and chaotic vibe. It's a great place to meet people, but be careful. A lot of them might be really drunk when you see them. Usually, this is the next stop after going to the Center Famima.
Mogambo: This is also kind of a trashy bar in Roppongi with a lot of characters, but it does have really fun music and decent drinks. It's a good pre-drink spot before you go out to a club in Roppongi, although I would not recommend that.
Clubs:
C'est la vie: I don't know if this club has become overrated now, but it had just opened when I had started in Japan, so this was a really cool spot. It has an indoor dance floor, and it has a really good outdoor terrace. The crowd here is always fancy, but the lines may be long. One hack you can try is to check which DJs are playing that night and just pick any random supporting DJ's name, saying you're on their guest list. You can get a discount and a drink ticket if you say that because they all have they are all also working as promoters, so they do need people to come in.
Baia: Also a super cool club with good decor and good vibes. It has three floors, so you can enjoy different music and cheap drinks.
1 Oak: this is a global brand known to play good hip-hop music. Anytime any celebrity or rapper comes to Tokyo, they always perform at one oak. So it's a good vibe, the crowd might be a bit aggressive though.
Camelot: This is more of a club for Japanese people. The crowd is fun and it plays more pop and EDM-y music.
Parties:
If you are in town at the right time, I know a lot of really cool organizations hosting a lot of fun parties. Definitely check out their instagrams to see this is a way for you to meet a lot of the creative and young expat community of Tokyo. And obviously there is a rave community in Tokyo if you know where to find it.
So, ideally your night would look like this: You have dinner, then you do pre-drinks, then you go to the Family Mart in Shibuya, then you go to a few of the bars that I mentioned, then you go to a club or a party, and after that, you do karaoke. Finally, you have ramen and then you take the morning train back. This was my life for multiple weekends during the time that I was there, and it was so much fun. Tokyo nightlife is surreal, and I'm so excited for you to experience it.
‣
Day Trips from Tokyo
Tokyo is also a really good place to go for day trips or overnight trips to places like Yokohama, Hakone, Nikko, Kamakura, Izu, Kawaguchiko, Disneyland and DisneySea etc.
If you had to choose just one, I would say do an overnight trip to Hakone. It's a really well-designed loop where you can do a lot of things: do a cable car over a mountain, look at Mount Fuji, visit a lake and do a little cruise, and stay in a nice fancy ryokan where you can eat traditional Japanese meals and do onsen (one of the must-do things that you should do if you're in Japan).
Disney Sea is also unique. It's an adult-themed Disneyland, so if you're into that, I would highly recommend it. If you are not going to Kyoto as part of your trip, then I would recommend going to Nikko or Kamakura to get a little bit of the traditional Japanese feel.
Kyoto / Osaka / Nara / Kobe
I write all of these together because staying in one of these cities you can visit visit all of them. Kyoto is the one I would recommend staying in, especially if you have a tie in Tokyo as well because Osaka is kind of like Tokyo's little brother, so Kyoto would give you a completely different vibe and then Osaka, Nara, Kobe are all 1 hour away from Kyoto by train. So it's a good central spot to be in with easy access to many of these cities which all have their own fun stuff going on.
‣
Things to book beforehand
Universal Studios: Book this quickly because these sell out.
I highly recommend going here because Universal Studios in Japan also has Nintendo World and Donkey Kong Land, which are really unique and super fun, especially here in Japan. You shouldn't miss that.
Japanese Tea Ceremony: If you're interested in Japanese culture, this is a very unique experience. You can find some good Japanese tea ceremonies on Airbnb. They are a little pricey, but I think they're worth it. You get to go into a traditional Japanese tea house and learn the art of tea and matcha.
Kobe Beef: if you want to try the world-famous Kobe beef, then you need to make your reservations ASAP. This is the only big restaurant reservation that I would recommend because it gets sold out, and lunch sets are cheaper than dinner, so keep that in mind.
‣
Things that dont require booking
Walking around in Kyoto: all of the popular tourist attractions in Kyoto are open 24/7 and can be accessed without tickets. These are some of the most peaceful and enlightening places. Kyoto has cured my depression many times, and it's one of my favorite cities.
Nara: Nara is awesome - it's a unique city where deer roam around freely and it has a lot of religious history in terms of Buddhism. I would recommend if you can actually push deeper into Nara, there are some really amazing shrines, and as the sun sets, it's a really beautiful experience looking at the woods and the lanterns. Almost feels like you are in historic Japan, and that is the vibe that you should be taking away from this region because it was a simple life.
‣
Must-dos in Kyoto
One of my favorite things to do is walking around Kyoto at night. It is one of the most serene and peaceful things that you can do, and a lot of realizations about my life came to me on these walks. If you have a chance, there is the shrine called Yasaka Shrine which is open 24/7 and it's basically empty after it gets dark. But the shrine is still lit with lanterns and it's a really beautiful experience to be there around midnight when it's quiet but it's lit. It's almost spiritual.
Definitely hike up Fushimi Inari during sunset. I think that's a really nice view and some of the best Instagram spots. Bonus points if you can rent a Yukata/Kimono from one of the shops nearby and live your anime dreams. When in Japan, right?
There is also this place called the Philosopher's Path which is a mile long walk next to a small canal and lots of cafes and pottery studios and places nearby. I really love grabbing a book and just walking through this path reading, reminiscing, and taking in the things around me and being present in the moment.
If you have a chance, definitely visit a Zen garden as well. I think if you go to Arashiyama bamboo forest, you will have a chance to visit that. Those are also really interesting and unique.
‣
Must-dos in Osaka
Obviously, you have to go to Dotonbori. Eat Kushi Katsu and takoyaki and okonomiyaki - these are all popular street foods from Osaka.
Some other fun things to do are: doing thrift shopping in Americamura and going to Shinsekai for the old Japanese ghetto vibe.
Osaka also has a good night life scene. However, I think Tokyo is better. Hot take. Actually, cold take. But Osaka people are more fun for sure.
Hyping yourself up for Japan
‣
Movies
Lost in Translation
Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift
Ghibli Movies - Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro
Miyazaki Movies - Your Name, Weathering with you
‣
TV
Shogun
Tokyo Vice
The Naked Director
‣
Anime
Attack on Titan
Jujutsu Kaisen
Spy Family
Demon Slayer
Death Note
Chainsaw Man
Horimiya
Dragon Ball Z
‣
Books
Anything by Murakami - Kafka on the shore, Norwegian Wood, Colorless Tsukuru
‣
Video Games
Anything by Nintendo - Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, and so on
