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Japan: The Golden Route

  • Our itinerary gave us 10 days in Japan. If we had more time, we definitely would have liked to get off the beaten path a little more, but we still loved seeing all the iconic places along the Golden Route. 

    • We chose to do a multi-city flight. We flew into Tokyo and out of Osaka to maximize our time.​

  • Special Note:

    • We traveled to Japan in the summer, which is actually their slow season for tourism. It was nice to have fewer crowds than the spring/ fall, but I don't doubt that traveling during the peak seasons is well worth it!​

      • The summer is incredibly hot in Japan so make sure to plan accordingly!

        • I purchased cooling spanx from Thigh Society and they were a game changer. 

        • There are a ton of vending machines with cold water throughout the cities in Japan, but keep in mind that there are very few (hardly any) public trash cans. Sometimes the vending machines had recycling bins attached to them, but you may be stuck carrying the water bottles around for a while. 

          • I chose to pack a purse backpack to make it easier to carry my own reusable water-bottle.

  • A few helpful tips:

    • Google maps was the best way to navigate the public transportation in every area.

      • make sure to pay special attention to the exits when using the subway systems in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.​

      • Google maps was also very helpful with the bus system around Kawaguchiko (the Mt. Fuji region) 

    • Adding a Suica card to your apple wallet will allow you to easily pay for all forms of public transit, including the subway, trains, and busses.​

      • You can easily add funds through apple pay- I've read that the Suica card doesn't work on Android phones, so make sure to look into that if you don't use apple products. ​

    • Japan has its own Taxi app called Go Taxi, but Uber also works in Japan and is actually connected to their traditional taxis, so we took advantage of the Uber app.​

    • Several bars and restaurants are cash only. If you don't have time to order or exchange ahead of time, you can use the ATMs once you're there. We found an ATM in many of the 7-11s or Family Marts.

Day One: Arrive in Tokyo

  • We flew into Narita International Airport, which is much farther from Tokyo than Haneda airport. 

    • After we landed, we took the train from the airport to our hotel. ​We didn't arrive to our hotel until about 5:30 P.M.

      • We stayed in the Shinjuku area at the Hotel Amanek, which was a great area for good, inexpensive food and nightlife. ​

        • This hotel was also only a 7 minute walk from the nearest subway station.​

    • We managed to get a table at Kakekomi Gyoza for some great gyoza! 

    • We walked around a bit-- some popular areas:

      • Golden Gai- bar street (you will need cash for these bars)​

      • Omoide Yokocho

Day Two: Tokyo

  • Note: Most businesses in Tokyo don't open until 11:00 AM; due to the jet lag, we woke up very early, but that also allowed us to walk around before the extreme heat set in.

  • Walk around Meiji Jingu Shrine

    • Open from sunrise to sunset​

  • We did some shopping in the Harajuku area before heading to the Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience. ​

    • We made a reservation for 11:30 AM. ​

    • We each chose to do a tea course. I would recommend ordering a different course from your travel companion so you can try more teas/ food pairings.

      • Our tea course lasted a little over an hour. ​

  • After our tea experience, we stopped into a sushi restaurant for lunch and then headed to some of the different famous shopping areas: Takeshite Street, Cat Street, and Harajuku Street.​

    • Takeshite Street has a lot of the popular cafes and capsule toy stores. 

    • Cat Street and Harajuku Street are well known for their thrift stores. 

  • Head over to Shibuya Crossing ​

    • Make a reservation for Shibuya Sky- try to time it for sunset if possible.​

    • You will need to make reservations ahead of time.

      • We did not do this because tickets were sold out, but it's something I kind of wish we had scheduled ahead of time. ​

Day Three: Tokyo

  • We spent the morning at the Tsukiji Fish Market

    • We chose to book a food tour, which included samples from a few different food stalls of our choice and a sushi lunch. We ended up with a private tour unexpectedly and really enjoyed it. We don't think the tour is super necessary; it would be very feasible to simply walk around on your own- just make sure to bring cash if you opt out of the tour.

  • Afterward, head over to the Imperial Palace ​

    • Note: it is closed on Sundays and Mondays​

  • Walk around the Asakusa Neighborhood and visit the Senso-Ji Temple

    • There are lots of souvenir shops that line the walkway to the main temple​

  • We headed back to the Shinjuku area for dinner before bar hopping around the Golden Gai streets​

    • ​Before dinner, we had drinks on a rooftop bar to watch the sunset​

    • Most owners don't allow photography inside the bars.

    • You will need cash for all of the bars in Golden Gai.​

Day Four: Tokyo- Kawaguchiko

  • Notes:

    • If you want to explore more of this region, it may be worth it to rent a car. We had no problem depending on the bus system, but it definitely limited our options.​

      • Reminder: you can use the same Suica card that you used for the subway in Tokyo to pay for the bus system around Kawaguchiko​

      • Make sure to keep track of the last bus times when you're out!

    • We weren't sure about the amount of time we had in Japan so we decided not to hike Mt. Fuji, which is pretty out of character for us. The most traditional way to complete this hike is to do it over two days so you can watch the sunrise at the summit. You have to reserve a lodge ahead of time. 

    • In retrospect, the hike is a doable day hike if you start early and are accustomed to hiking. While we were there, we looked at the elevation gain and mileage. We've done countless hikes with similar, if not harder stats, so we somewhat regretted not taking the opportunity to hike Mt. Fuji while we were there. That said, there are plenty of other things to do in the area, and it helped us avoid having to pack hiking equipment — so make the decision for your desired trip!  
       

  • We took the JR East train from Shinjuku Station to Kawaguchiko Station (this is the last stop on the bullet train)​

    • The last train from Shinjuku was at 11:36 AM, arriving in Kawaguchiko at 1:36 PM​

      • You can purchase your tickets online but will have to pick up paper tickets from one of the kiosks at the station. You will receive a QR code via email when you purchase your tickets. At the station, use one of the kiosks to scan the QR code and your ticket will print for you.​

    • When we arrived at the station, we chose to take a taxi to our hotel, but you could easily take a bus or even a hotel shuttle.

  • We stayed at La Vista Fujikawaguchiko and absolutely loved it. 

    • The hotel offers incredible views of Mt. Fuji, has spa services on site, and has its own onsen that is free to hotel guests.​

    • Note: this hotel is not close to the main town, so we had to take the bus to and from places. We also had to walk a ways to access restaurants, but we didn't mind. 

      • When we first looked for hotels, a lot of them were fully booked so we had limited options-- make sure to book early! We booked our hotel in February and traveled in August.

  • We arrived at our hotel around 3:00 pm. After we got settled, we walked down to the bus station and grabbed an early dinner from an Udon restaurant right by the bus station.​​

  • Take the bus to Oishi Park for beautiful views of Mt. Fuji. 

    • Most things in this area close early, so we relaxed at our hotel and took advantage of the spa services, which were available until 11:00 pm​

Day Five: Kawaguchiko

  • We spent this day taking in some of the most iconic views of Mt. Fuji

    •  We weren't too worried about timing because we were here during  the slow season, but I would imagine all of these spots are incredibly crowded during the spring and fall.​

  • We first took the bus to the Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway. 

    • We arrived around 8:30 am and spent maybe 40 minutes here. I think if it was busy, this would be missable. There are much better views elsewhere but since it was so quick for us, we didn't mind.​

  • After the ropeway, we continued to head to Arakurayama Sengen Park to see the Chureito Pagoda.

    • It is a bit of a walk to get up to the Pagoda, so be prepared for a lot of stairs. ​

  • Our last excursion of the day was Oshino Hakkai Village.

    • This was the most crowded place we went, so it may be worthwhile to do this in first.​

    • The main street was very crowded but the museum area was complete empty, which was surprising because this was the most cenic part of the historic village (in my opinion). 

  • We headed back to our hotel to clean up before dinner.​

    • We had the absolute best meal this night- we walked (about 20 minutes) from our hotel to a family owned restaurant. There were only two restaurants opened past 6:00 pm​. Definitely take advantage of the local restaurants in this area!

Day Six: Kawaguchiko

  • We took the bus out to Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine

    • This is one of the trailheads for the Mt. Fuji hike​

    • We found a great restauarant and ice cream spot in front of the shrine.

  • We weren't careful with our timing and missed what was meant to be our next stop-- Mt. Fuji Distant Worship Site (Tenku No Torii), which closed at 4:00 PM​

  • We made reservations at our hotel for their 5-course dinner, so we packed and relaxed at our hotel before dinner.

Day Seven: Kawaguchiko-Kyoto

  • Booking the route from Kawaguchiko to Kyoto felt confusing but was actually very simple.

    • We took a coach bus from the Kawaguchiko Station to Mishima Station.​

      • You will want to book this ahead of time- I used this website.​

      • The bus ride is about an hour and a half

      • You will receive your ticket via email and can show the digital ticket to the driver before boarding

    • We then took a bullet train from Mishima Station to Kyoto Station​

      • ​We purchased these tickets onsite.​

      • The train ride was a little over two and a half hours

      • Our total transportation time lasted from 12:00 PM-5:34 PM

    • Once we arrived at the Kyoto Station, we took a taxi to our hotel.

  • We stayed at Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto

    • This hotel was centrally located and offered great amenities, including a rooftop bar and open air Onsens​
      ​

  • We spent our first evening in Kyoto walking around Yasaka Pagoda Street.

    • The shops were all closed, but it was great to be able to walk around the historic area without massive crowds of people.​

    • We came across a few different temples and shrines along the way.

Day Eight: Kyoto

​

  • There are countless temples, shrines, and historical monuments all over Kyoto. We popped into temples along different paths- most of which we had all to ourselves.

    • We periodically used Uber to get around. Uber is connected to their taxi system, which made it very convenient​
       

  • We started our day at Chionin Temple.

    • In addition to the main temple, there were two beautiful garden areas that you could pay to access.​

  • Second, we went to the Nanzen-ji Temple

  • Head to Toyo Sushi for an incredible sushi lunch then go to Kyoto Nama Chocolat (a beautiful Japanese tea house) for tea and dessert.

    • Definitely try the chocolates at Kyoto Nama Chocolat; they were incredible! ​

  • After lunch, we walked a part of the Philosopher's Path. This area is beautiful but definitely more note-worthy in the spring than the summer.​

  • Our final temple was the Hōnenin Temple, which was recommended to us by the tea house owner.

    • We lucked out at this temple because there was an artist there who was painting custom artwork.​

      • We purchased a beautiful piece for just $30 USD.
        ​

  • From here, we headed to Fushimi Inari Shrine. ​

    • Again, we visited this site a little later in the day to avoid massive crowds. This was definitely the busiest area that we came across all day.​

Day Nine: Kyoto

​​

  • Start your day at the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.

    • Make sure to explore the surrounding area as well. We came across Arashiyama Yusai-Tei Gallery by wandering through one of the gardens and walking down to the river. 

  • After lunch, we headed to the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

    • We signed up for a tour of the gardens and then walked around the main area on our own.​

    • While we were heading to the imperial palace, we came across some local baseball games. We decided to watch them play for a little bit before heading over to the palace.

  • We had a great dinner at Aji no Tentoku​

    • Unfortunately, we started to feel a little sick so we headed back to our hotel and took in the views at our hotel bar before going to bed early.​

Day Ten: Kyoto-Osaka

​​

  • We had the best breakfast at Sakura Cafe Hanon

  • After breakfast, walk around Nishiki Market and some of the surrounding streets/ shops

  • We took the subway to Osaka (about 50 minutes) for our last night before flying home.

    • We chose to fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka so we wouldn't have to spend time traveling all the way back to Tokyo.​

  • We stayed at Candeo Hotels Osaka​

    • This hotel was great, but the breakfast was quite crowded so consider heading down a little early. We didn't go down until about 9:45 am​

  • Walk around Dotonbori Area

    • We tried different foods, walked through the shops, and enjoyed the city views.​

Day Eleven: Fly Home

© 2024 by Mary Colombo

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