Japan - 2026
This was a return trip to Japan. I last visited in 2015 and I was surprised by how it had changed!
I arrived in Narita Airport after an 18hour flight and made my way direct to Kyoto. The transfer was easy using the Narita express and the Shinkansen. I was suprised how quickly I arrived in Kyoto.
Impressions
The first thing that I noticed immediately was how much more touristic Japan seems to have become since my last trip. I found Kyoto to be really intense, it reminded me a bit of Chiang Mai in Thailand.
Eating
I opted mainly for snacks and ready meals from 7-Eleven and similar convenience stores. It was good for snack food to keep me going and decent for a main meal to take away and eat in the hotel room.
A lot of people seemed to have the same idea and it saved money. It was especially during the first week that I ate like this.
When I ate out, I would find some of the places that were like a diner style places where you can order meals from a machine and the chef makes it. Sometimes I would also sit down in restaurants and I had Sushi a few times.
I like the diner type places as it feels something unique to Japan. It was similar to the last time I went, only it was more technology based where there was a tablet running an app at the table / entrance. One of these had a robot deliver the food.
I managed to find some of the old school diner places where they have the button machines with a picture of the food that you press and get a bus style ticket with a number on it.
I went to Uji which is famous for it's green tea and had a matcha flavoured ice cream. Ice Cream is not my thing though
Another novelty was the vanilla ice cream in Kanazawa that has a strip of gold leaf on it. It doesn't really make any difference to the food. The gold leaf is edible.
Transport
I spent a lot of time on public transport on this trip to get to various locations. Here are the modes of transport that I used:
Shinkansen
These are the "bullet trains". They are super fast and a really fun way to experience the Japanese scenery as you zoom by the countryside and vast concrete jungles.
Local Trains
These can be quite ordinary, but some are old school, tin boxes that rattle around
Busses
I tried the local buses in the Mount Fuji area. They were really crowded and it was a bit hard to understand the system. You have to take a paper ticket with a number on it and when you get off you pay the exact fare which is displayed on the screen, corresponding to the ticket number.
Trams
In Toyama it had a tram system. These had a fixed fare of 240 JPY that you pay when you get off. You have to put the change in a machine or use the machine to get the exact change from a note.
Highway Busses
These are pre-booked busses, a bit like National Express where you bok a seat for date, time and destination.
The one I booked was for the Shirakawa-go day trip. It was comfortable and I enjoyed the scenery on the way.
Subway (Chikatetsu)
Kyoto and Kobe (when I visited for the day) had subway systems.
These operated in a similar way to the other trains, in that you buy the ticket for the destination that you want and then just go to the platform and board the train.
Accommodation
I booked in advance using booking.com.
I booked different types of accommodation, hotels, capsule hotel and ryokan.
Hotels
Pretty much the same as standard hotels that you get everywhere else. Here is an example of the one I stayed at in Kyoto.
Capsule Hotel
These are for convenience, you check in and get a locker where you store your luggage and you are issued a set of clothing to wear in the dorm.
When you are ready to go to bed you go to to changing rooms where there is a shower and you change into your pyjamas.
You then go into the dormitory room to sleep. This has banks of "capsules" where you sleep for the night.
When you get up you take a shower and change back into your outdoor clothing.
These tend to have a curfew so there are some hours during the day where you cannot go back inside.
Ryokan
This is a traditional Japanese style hotel.
The one I stayed in was like a guesthouse. You get a room which has a tatami floor with a table in the middle.
For sleeping you need to make your own bed on the floor using the provided futon.
The toilet was separate and for washing it had an onsen which had a shared shower and bathing tub.
A traditional set of clothing was provided for the evening.
Money
Japan used to be awkward for money. The last time I went, the advice was to take all the money you need, exchange it to JPY before you go and take it with you. I did much of the same this time, but I also had cards for backup.
The Wubbeley (Revolut) card worked for transactions in the shops, train stations, etc. which was convenient. I'd recommend the same, but not to rely on it entirely.
Locations
Kyoto
Kyoto was my first destination after getting off the plane I transferred directly to Kyoto on the Narita Express and by changing to the Shinkansen. The transfer was fairly quick and comfortable.
First Impressions
I was surprised at how much touristy it felt from what I remember when I last went years ago. After checking into the hotel, I went for a walk around the city centre. I noticed how saturated with tourists it seemed on the street. I didn't remember it being like that.
On the first evening I just went to relax in the park that was at the end of the high street and then went back to my room where I ate some noodles that I brought from the local SevenEleven.
Nintendo
I went to see the actual Nintendo headquarters as this was something I was interested in. It was about a 15 minute walk from where I was staying, a couple of blocks down.
It's just a square block with the Nintendo logo on each side of the building. I just wanted to see the place where all the magic happens as I've been a fan since I was a child.
Here is a picture for anyone who is interested.
The Nintendo shop was interesting, it is within a department store and has a terrace on the rooftop with some mario style blocks that you can sit on and a life size mario level complete flag.
Leading up to the department store, in the subway there are murals on the wall depicting scenes from Super Mario Bros. with the music playing.
Day Trips
For most of the time that I spent in Kyoto, I went on day trips to near by locations. This was the plan because I have been before and I wanted to do something new.
In the evenings afternoons I would spend time around the city centre or go to a temple, garden or shrine.
I visited the botanical gardens which were nice, but it was very hot.
On one evening I went to the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. This is my favourite location in Kyoto. It has hundreds of gates as you walk up hill and there a many depictions of the Kami in the form of stone carvings. Part of it has a bamboo forest. It was very crowded though.
Ōtsu
Ōtsu is a smaller city near by to Kyoto. It is right next to lake Biwa.
This was my first full day on this trip so I was quite tired and decided to go there. I went for a walk around the seafront and part of the lake.
The highlight was when I got back to the sea front at the end of my walk and they had a small market and traditional drumming.
Kurama
On my second day, I took the Eizan Electric Railway from Demachiyanagi (the university district in Kyoto) to Kuruma
Kuruma had a hiking trail which takes you over the mountain and back round. On the way you see many temples and shrines.
At the base, there was a huge statue of a Tengu (bird demon) which you can see in the photo.
Uji and Nara
This day trip was to Uji and Nara. Uji is on the way to Nara so it fitted well as a day trip to see both places. Uji is famous for it's Matcha green tea.
I arrived very early in Uji and there was hardly anyone around.
I went for a walk around the river which was quite pretty and then I went to visit the temple. The temple was really beautiful, it was situated on an island in the middle of a pond. There was also a nice museum in the temple grounds.
After that I went for a walk around the main drag which is a street that sells a lot of Matcha based products. I brought a Matcha late and a Match ice cream.
At around 11am I made my way to Nara. I had been to Nara before. It is one of my favourite places in Japan because of the Deer. The city has a lot of parks which are easily accessible from the center and in the parks there are deer that roam freely. You can buy buscuits to feed them with, but they can get quite aggressive when they know you have them and they will ram into you to try and grab them. The girl selling them told me to hide them under my shirt which was good advice.
There are a lot of shrines and temples in the parks and I went for a walk around them.
Kobe
Kobe was my last day trip from Kyoto. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get there on the train. The city is built along the cost with the backdrop of step mountains in the background. It's famous for it's highly prized Japanese beef from purebred Tajima cattle raised in Hyōgo Prefecture. I didn't try any because of my pescatarian diet.
I was fascinated by the brutalist architecture at the harbour area. I went there to look around and stopped there for a coffee.
Afterwards I took the cable car to go to the top of the mountain where they had some gardens and some European style buildings. I brought a craft beer and then went for a walk down to the base where I caught the train back.
On the way there is a waterfall which as nice to see and there was a place where I brought a Lavender flavoured ice cream.
Kanazawa
Kanazawa is one of Japan’s best-preserved historic cities, known for its beautiful gardens, traditional samurai and geisha districts, fresh seafood, and rich cultural heritage. Once the seat of the powerful Maeda clan, it escaped much of the destruction that affected other Japanese cities, allowing visitors to experience a glimpse of old Japan through attractions such as Kenroku-en, one of Japan’s most celebrated gardens, and its atmospheric historic neighbourhoods.
From Kyoto in the early afternoon, I took the limited express thunderbird to Tsurugi and then a Shinkansen to Kanazawa. It was a fairly fast journey and I arrived there surprisingly quick. I checked into the capsule hotel and then went for a coffee and a quick look round. This was mainly in the shopping mall and the shops around the station, I also went to the shrine which is near the castle.
On the first day I went to Kenroku-en gardens in the morning. These are famous gardens and considered to be number three in Japan. They were beautiful with waterfalls and ponds with islets. The thing is that it started raining very heavily so I had to take cover.
Next I went to the Nagamachi Samurai District and then the Higashi Chaya District (geisha district) in the afternoon. These are streets with traditional houses. I found it pleasant, but a bit boring to be honest.
Within the geisha district they had the gold leaf museum. Kanazawa is famous for it's gold leaf and it's used in a lot of the buildings you see around the city. You can buy ice creams that have a piece of gold leaf stuck to them. It's a bit of a gimmick.
Later on I went to the castle which is nice, but it was closed so it wasn't possible to go inside. The park around the castle is very pretty.
This is a day where the loneliness really hit and I felt depressed. It was getting a bit much with the endless sight seeing and I wasn't really enjoying it.
Day 2 in Kanazawa was more positive, I went to visit some of museums which were nice. I found the Zen museum to be relaxing and it helped with my mood.
Museums
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
- Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art
- D.T. Suzuki Museum (Zen Museum)
Day 3 in Kanazawa was a morning visit to Myoryu-ji the "Ninja Temple". This is famous for its hidden rooms, secret passages, and deceptive defensive architecture designed to look simple from the outside while being a maze-like stronghold inside. Despite it's name, it has nothing to do with Ninjas, it was built in the Edo period by the Maeda clan as a fortified Buddhist temple
I had to book in advance and they give a guided tour of the temple. It was interesting and worth visiting if you are there.
Just after I made a brief stop at the ninja weapon museum. This is a small museum with displays of Samurai and Ninja weapons. It has a shooting range where you can throw ninja throwing stars. It was interesting and a worthwhile visit.
Shirakawa-go
In the afternoon I went to Shirakawa-go on the highway bus which is about 1.5 hours. I enjoyed the bus ride there and back, it was good to see the scenery on the way with the mountains and villages.
Shirakawa-go is a village with traditional houses with the thatched roofs. There was a trail that you walked up that takes you up into the mountains above the village for panoramic views. It was very pretty.
I went back down to the village and walked around for a bit. It was nice to see something like this in Japan. The thing is that it was insanely touristy, but still a nice place to visit and I'd recommend it. It doesn't require loads of time to visit.
Day 4 in Kanazawa was the day I transferred to Toyama. This was a short Shinkansen journey that I did in the afternoon so I spent the morning in Kanazawa. I went to the Ōmichō Market and then revisited the castle before I had something to eat and before taking the train.
Ōmichō Market was actually one of the highlights for me in Kanazawa. It's a big market that sells fresh sea food and there are numerous stalls where you can buy food. I ate here a few times, I had oyster ramen, some sushi and potato croquettes with creamed crab. The potato croquettes were delicious.
Toyama
The central areas are very touristy, but pleasant and have a charm to them. I recommend just walking around the old town and along the costal path which has parks and views of the city.
The beaches are small, but nice, they have some sand and a relaxed vibe to them.
I arrived in the afternoon and brought my tickets to Fujikawago before checking into the hotel.
Toyama was a lot quieter than the previous two places and quite pleasant, but nothing particularly amazing to see. A bit of a soulless place to be honest.
On day 1 I went on a trip to the Kurobe Gorge. This is a scenic place where you can go on the Kurobe Gorge Railway that takes you to a location in the mountains with scenic views. This is just a touristy thing really, but it is nice and worth doing.
I took local trains to Unazuki Onsen Station from Toyama station and changed at Shin-Uozu Station for the Toyama Chiho Railway. Unazuki Onsen is where you can get the Kurobe Gorge Railway. The train to Unazuki Onsen was like a tin box that rattled loudly all the way. I loved seeing the countryside from the train on the way.
The scenery around Kurobe Gorge was beautiful and the train ride was worth it to see the gorge. It takes you to the viewing point where you get about 30 minutes and then back.
When I got back I went for a walk around the station area where you get views of the dam and the bridge.
I got back from Kurobe in the early evening and went for a walk in Toyama park. After eating I went on the trams and took the circular line so that it would take me in a loop for viewing the city.
On day 2 I stayed local in Toyama, I went to two museums. The first one was the glass art museum. This was a large building with several rooms that had sculptures made of glass. The top floor had some really nice works. Some of the stuff on lower floors was a bit boring to be honest, but I really liked the exhibits on the bottom floor. It had a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere of light, glass and reflections.
In the afternoon I went to the science museum. This was surprisingly good. It had a lot of information about the paleontology and geology of the area. There were several floors with a lot to see. On the first floor there were fossils and it had an animatronic T-Rex.
Other floors had various exhibits on natural history and scientific discoveries in the region. The top floor had a planetarium show which was interesting.
What I found fascinating is where there was a fossilised forest that was discovered under the sea. It is ancient and in the Science Museum there are some fosilised plants. There is actually a whole museum in Uozu dedicated to it, but I didn't visit it.
Fuji
Mount Fuji (Fuji San) was the last destination on my itinerary.
I'd always wanted to see the iconic Mount Fuji as I've always been intrigued by it's symbolism and sacredness. I thought this would be a great place to visit on a trip to Japan.
I made my way from Toyama to mount Fuji which took most of a day. It's not as easy to get there as it sounds because I needed to take a Shinkansen to Tokyo then transfer to Shinjuku, then I needed the JR Chuo line to Otsuki where you change for the train to Kawaguchi go. The Shinkansen was just under two hours, about 30 minutes to transfer to Shinjuku, about 1.5 hours for the JR Chuo line and finally another 1.5 hours on the train to Kawaguchi.
Kawaguchiko was a nice place, it's a resort town which is right by the Kawaguchi lake. It had a feel to it, a bit similar to the Lake District in the UK.
I was worried that I just wouldn't see Fuji at all because of the weather and that it'd be a bit disappointing. When I go there it was very cloudy and raining a bit. I went for a walk for a couple of hours by the lake and then got something to eat before going back to the Ryokan to sleep. I liked the Ryokan, it had an onsen and you could put on a traditional dressing gown before going to the onsen where you first wash and then bathe in the hot water. It was so relaxing after travelling or sightseeing all day.
I woke up the next day early at 4am and went outdoors to see the sun rise.
It was amnazing! I could see mount Fuji with some small clouds floating in the middle of it and then there was a flock of birds that flew past. The view was stunning.
I made my way early to the train station area to find out about the bus to the 5th station. They sold me a ticket and then I used that to go up to Mount Fuji at the 5th station to look around. It was lot fresher and the views were really nice. I had lunch there and went back down for the afternoon.
In the afternoon I visited the music forest museum. This is a weird place which looks like a cartoon impression of a European town. It had various buildings with some exhibits that were of old fasioned automated musical organs. There were some demonstrations of them. It also had a shop where you could buy music boxes and all sorts of things. It was interesting.
Narita
On my final day I went for a walk around the lake in the morning.
I checked out at around 8.30am and made my way to Narita where I stayed on my last night so that I could easily get to the airport the next day.
Narita was surprisingly interesting, I wasn't expecting anything to be there, but it had a nice shoping lane which led down to a shrine complex with very beautiful gardens. This was a nice activity to do before eating my last Japanese meal in Japan of Takoyaki and going to bed.
In the morning I took the train early to Narita airport and brought some souvenirs with my remaining money before boarding the flight.
Japan, thank you for the memories — until we meet again.