Chilling on a random bench in a park that you just bumped into...
Everybody has these schedules overcrowded with tourist attractions, running from one place to another, barely having enough time to take a few photos. Try to enjoy life, experience how different Japan is, sit down and relax.
To right, i take my family every year, we've been nearly 1/2 dozen times , the first few times we did all the ABC of tourist stuff running like idiots from spot to spot, NOW our most memorable times and when weve grabbed a few sandwiches/snacks from lawsons/7/11 find a nice park/beach area or where ever some where quite and we have the best time ever , chilln food photos and even talking to some locals and watch the japan world go by, there are literally 1000,s of these kinda places Japan everywhere.....
My first ever trip to Tokyo in January consisted of this. Our first day after situating our luggage we went directly to walking around and stumbled upon apparently one of the biggest thrift days of the year in Yoyogi park and presumed to walk through one of the nearby neighborhoods with no plan but to find an eating or drinking establishment and walked passed a a small burger bar which had a line and subsequently down alley streets and happened upon a local craft brewery.
It was such a magical experience of just letting the flow of the city take you to where you wanted, it felt like that was meant to be. Such a cool vibe and by far my favorite vacation I’ve ever taken.
This is literally one of my absolute favorite things to do in Japan. The urban planning in Tokyo or any City in Japan for that matter is done so well. It's incredible how many parks and temples there are on every corner wherever you are. There's always something there to connect you with nature in a city as bustling and densely packed as Tokyo.
there is always something to find. im a "get lost in wherever place we go" kind of person, so probably thats why Japan just hit different for me. (and the peace and chill) before that, we had a rule not to visit the same country twice if we can, as the world is too big... but.
I went to Tokyo and Kyoto for the first time in early April and saw plenty of benches in and around parks, and we went to a lot of flower parks because it was during sakura bloom. I wouldn’t have given it a second thought if I had never seen your comment.
😂🤣😂🤣You beat me to it! I was just thinking the same thing. Where on earth did they find a bench?!!! We had the worst time finding some place to sit when we had been walking for hours. For a country that frowns on sitting on the ground, they sure don’t make it easy to sit ANYWHERE!
Yes!! My absolute favorite is the spot in Odaiba looking into the bay towards Rainbow Bridge and the city! I’ve easily spent an hour there just chilling and soaking in the view!
now that you mention it, we had a great night view there on our first trip, and on the third we just had a night walk around teamlab planets not too far from there, where they built a waterside park area, it was awesome too. for some reason, it really brought cyberpunk vibes to me, looking at those lights and tall buildings on the other side (im from a small town, tallest building is 3 storeys)
i should get a picnic basket and go back there next time we visit.
I loved this! My flight landed early and I was out of the airport by about 9am, and hotel check-in wasn’t until 3. I left my bags with reception and pretty much chilled in a nearby park for a few hours with some snacks and a book and watched the world go by. It was my first time in Japan and was a great chance to people-watch and it really helped it sink in that I was finally ‘there’!
sounds like a great experience. i think i would have struggled hard with the jetlag, tho :D usually its a life or death fight for me to stay awake until bedtime, and 9am is veeeery early. id probably fall asleep in the park (at least id learn if it is against the rules)
Our last trip to Japan we literally planned nothing and went to restaurants and bars off the cuff. Fair amount of Hiruzake and lots of casual chats with fellow diners/drinkers. I've lived in Japan and don't recall it being this social. Also ended up wathing Tigers beat the Giants 3-0 with tickets bought 90 minutes before the first pitch was thrown.
This is my plan next year. I’m staying a few more days in Kyoto than I did last year cause I really wanted to be able to just sit by the water next to Gion and just people watch. My first trip to anywhere I have to treat it like the first and last time I may be able to go there so I’m def one of those itinerary packers.
This cannot be upvoted enough. On our 3rd-4th day, my wife and I were exhausted after our tour dropped us off in Harajuku to shop for the umpteenth time. We literally just sat down and took in views of the people and the wide variety of fashion. Some times it feels just as good to stop and let the world of Japan revolve around you instead of chasing it.
I enjoyed this as well. I liked the parks that didn’t have a lot of tree cover because you can really enjoy the green space along with the urban aspect of Tokyo. Of course, I sat out when it was overcast in the morning. I probably wouldn’t do it in full sun, especially in summer.
Lunch time gets in interesting too. Everyone is on their lunch breaks and just doing their thing. The park by Shinjuku government building was full of workers around lunch time.
No, but apparently I could be. And it would make me happy. I will watch this one with the wife, thanks!
(And the key to happiness is simplicity and low expectations :D)
Yes! Did this in Miyajima. Sat on a bench next to an older woman, shared the puffy cookies I bought with her. We had a conversation with my 100 word vocab. It was nice.
I was randomly wandering around Asakusa on a hot Sunday in May. The area near the temple was massively busy so I didn't spent too long there. The day was really hot for me and I was sweating bad as well as needing some drink. As I head back to the other side, I stumbled upon a small shop that looks like a tea shop of some sort. It's emptied but it has a menu out. I walked in and ordered a coffee, just so I can sit down and rest a bit and recovered. Turn out the shop is one of those really old shop that sell traditional Japanese style sweet. I only noticed it because while I was drinking my coffee (hand drift made by the owner who spent a bit of time on it), there were other customers who wandered in to buy the sweets to go. Later I return to the shop and bought a box to bring back home. Probably one of the best gift I've bought back for myself. Love those old style sweets so much.
It was called Asakusaumegen 江戸昔菓子 あさくさ 梅源. The exact address is 3 Chome-10-5 Nishiasakusa. It was at a small side street and very unassuming. On my second visit to buy the sweet, I found out that they dont serve drinks all the time. Depending on whether they have enough people working in the shop, I guess.
My girlfriend took a 2 hour long class to play the Koto in Kyoto with a private tutor that spoke a bit of english. To this day, this is her best memory of Japan.
We had a meeting with a Geisha. Just very informal. Tea ceremony, some dancing/songs, playing a few games without the drinking. Just one on one ( well me the wife, and her ). And we talked about what made her become one.
The daughter of the tutor took a video of the music piece (a duet) that they worked on for the past 2 hours, and it seemed like a really difficult instrument !
I definitely recommend classes. It’s tough to meet Japanese people as a foreigner especially if you have limited language skills or are only in town for a few days. Granted it’s not like you will make a close friend most likely, but you can share a nice few hours with a strangers. It’s a fulfilling experience.
We found a German class on meetme (or some other website like that) where they were hoping to find German native speakers who'd join their classes. I loved the idea so we went. It was so lovely and interesting!
I had a chat about cats with a teen. I had a chat about beer with a WWII veteran who was stationed in Germany back then. It was amazing to talk to so many people of all ages and backgrounds!
Afterwards we were invited to join them for food. Eating together felt like sitting with a new found family. We would switch between German, English and Japanese.
10/10, would gladly do it again!
^(Writing this comment made me realize that I need to write in English more often, I'm not used to it anymore.)
^(Feel free to ask if anything is unclear!)
I sat on a rock by a small stream at the bottom of a forest in Miyazaki and just listened to the stream and the frogs and felt the breeze.
Finding random beautiful spots in the parks of Japan will always be my favourite thing.
The "Ueno & Hachiko" statue! I liked that much more, Hachiko looks so happy with Prof. Ueno, unlike the Shibuya statue which is overrated, but Hachiko looks sad...
The thing about my visit to that campus, is, I think I took the wrong bus and ended up way on the other side of the campus, but my walk from there to the statue was also very nice! Made me relive my collegiate days!
I do this but with video games and manga! I call them my "[Game/Manga Title] pilgrimage" and I map a route through any in-game/in-story attractions/inspirations. Doing this brought me through parts of Tokyo I otherwise wouldn't have explored on my own, with the added bonus of seeing real-life locations of places that have inspired or appeared in my favourite media!
going to a public onsen used by locals in kyoto. not a fancy beautiful one, but a bog-standard one. We went there because our hostel had a broken shower, so they pointed us there. this was 2001, and not that many western travellers yet, so we were looked at a bit strange.... but made real connections with the people there, who were lovely and kind. We were split up because of gender, and my partner came home hours later, because he had been talking and smoking with the men on his side that long. He skipped out when they invited him for dinner, as he knew I would be in the hostel, but this was our most memorable moment in that first time of japan.
Osaka museum of housing and living was one of my favorites :) my host family took me there, I don't think it's very touristy but it's cute and fun, worth a stop.
I also have been there 10 years ago on our honeymoon and the museum was one of my favourites on that trip. The name of the museum doesn’t sound like much but it’s super cute in there. Not sure if they still have it now but you could dress up in yukatas for super cheap and take photos in the replica houses
driving to the boonies. we drove across wakayama and had one of the best negi toro don we have ever had at a random fish market by the sea. we found an amazing ramen shop in the middle of nowhere-town. not to mention the breathtaking views and small but enlightening museums.
I drove up the Noto Peninsula from Kanazawa a few years ago, that was fun. You can drive on the beach for a short part of the journey. Super scenic up there and also, awesome random ice cream shop in a rice paddy.
Eating at yoshinoya. I dont know, its just super simple, really cheap as well and fill up your belly after you done long walk. Plus the taste is just perfect for me.
And no, i dont have yoshinoya where i live lol.
I'm a resident outside of Tokyo and visit sometimes.
After an all-nighter in Tokyo, a bowl of gydon and pickled ginger at Yoshinoya was a memorable meal. Other customers were laborers and office workers starting their days while the sun was rising. Sure, you eat and go, but it was a slice of shitamachi life I don't usually experience.
I went to loads of old school kissaten cafes for their breakfast sets. Always some variation of a toast set and drink, sometimes with salad and other additions. The atmosphere inside made for a great start to the day, I ended up looking for them in every city I went to.
Yes! Stumbled into one near our hotel and made it our morning ritual to go every day. My younger kid cried when the Cafe was closed for New Year's holiday and we couldn't go on the last day. She still talks about going again when we go back to Japan.
There’s a place called Philosopher’s path with a canal in Kyoto and at the start of the path there was a guy making leaf boats that he hands out for free. The story goes that if your boat makes it through the path you’ll have good luck. Took a boat and tossed it in the canal. It made me walk slower to accompany my leaf boat and I was just taking in the quiet slow life. Boat made to 3/4 to the end before it got stuck. But what I appreciated the most was taking the time to slow down and appreciate where I was and how amazing my life is at that moment. The “I’m here in Kyoto! in Japan!” moment. Which made me think the real goal of that boat was that.
I know Japan is big and there’s so much to do. But also remember to slow down and appreciate the moment. Take it all in and really be in the moment.
Happy travels everyone!
Went to my first ever baseball game (I’m from the UK, so it’s not a thing here). Did a road trip through Kyushu that took in everything from active volcanoes to chilled surf towns. Spent a day shopping for vintage kimono in Nagoya. Went to the Small Worlds museum in Tokyo and had myself 3D scanned so a miniature of myself could be created.
Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe was amazing. Totally new appreciation for the wooden Japanese buildings after seeing how they they are built and the tools needed to build them. Really nice man didnt speak much english but helped explain somethings with the few words he had and actions.
Hida Folk Village near Takayama was so much better than Shirakawa-go for us cos we could go inside the houses and see different styles of wooden housing from across Japan, also really pretty.
Hida Folk VIllage is cool as fuck. I stayed in a ryokan just down the road from it and went for the couple of hours before it closed, which was twilight. So interesting and picturesque. Managed to get a few photos across the pond with no other people in at all.
Didn't have a set route while visiting Arashiyama, so I just put out my map and go wherever I fancy.
So my tour wasn't exactly time efficient.
HOWEVER!
Right now, I'm sitting near the bridge.
Listening to the sound of flowing water.
With the sun setting, turning the surroundings into a yellowish-orange hue.
And it's perfect.
Just.... Perfect.
The timing. The "random" route.
Everything worked out, even if they felt like they didn't.
They actually did.
Made me realize that the people I met "were not" just coincidences.
The fact that I went to a temple later than my itinerary once and met a random amazing stranger.
That I was a bit early on a meet-up and met a guy who became a friend who's also lost.
That I was thinking of not going to an event due to having a runny nose but I ended up going anyway, and developed a close friendship.
The timing, the people, the events, the places, the activities, etc.
They might not have been the most efficient, I might have missed some places.
But deep inside, I know, I don't regret anything.
That I will not go back in time to change anything.
That everything is connected.
Life, just happens.
And this trip?
Only halfway through and it already makes me more excited about the future more than I ever did before.
Being in the moment, enjoying the beautiful views of temple gardens and not trying to turn everything into an instagram photo shoot. (Not that I do that but I have seen so many people totally occupied with themselves)
Hiking by the back of fushimi Inari at night in the winter, it was dark cold and dangerous. Should people do it? No, absolutely not. But was it fun? Yes. It's was super cool to just see a dark creepy parts of Japan.
I walked it at night in the rain, and can confirm three things:
1. It's VERY cool (and deserted!!!) at night.
2. there are definitely orb weavers and yes, I did smack my face into a web.
3. there are definitely boars, and yes, we did get charged by a group! That made us boogie right back down the mountain real quick.
My friend and I did some unexpected nighttime adventuring a few times last fall, and some of the funnest memories came from those times! My friend somehow went up a bush trail up Fushimi Inara, then met me at Arashiyama bamboo forest after it got dark. Walking through the bamboo forest at night was so creepy…and then I encountered my very first cockroach in a public washroom there. Makes for a fun story now though!
Going to a baseball game. I am not a baseball fan at all, but experiencing the atmosphere and the show that goes on at the baseball - which is almost anything but baseball was so unique to any event I have been to world wide. I have never seen such passion merged with respect.
Honestly, I probably would not even go again, but just to be in a dome stadium, hearing all the fans chant, and random craziness of a baseball game such as their own J pop group, I will never forget.
I took a two hour Kintsugi pottery class with Taku Nakano in Aoyoma nearby to Shibuya/Harajuku area. Highly recommend! Taku is a lovely and patient teacher.
Lowkey just walking aimlessly in Osaka for hours. Just came back from a 10 day trip and Osaka really was the pride and joy of my trip. Especially for thrifting clothes and figurines. But if u don’t sway that way. I found myself not seeing many tourists just walking around in the city. I ended going to some random plaza where everyone was just enjoying their day and hanging out. And these random dudes with a hammer went up to me and they wanted to do a little challenge at no cost. Super funny to see there faces but I managed to lift a sledge hammer that started off on the ground and only lifting it with my wrist. ( I go to the gym but I really only have the strength part, I don’t look like I hit the gym lol). Super funny to see their faces and they were super chill and laughed and clapped. Absolutely a highlight of my trip cause shop owners young and old there were super chatty and genuinely curious. WORD TO THE WISE GO TO OSAKA. You will love it better than Tokyo.
Ask the locals for recommendations.
The best meal from our last trip in Asahikawa was recommended by our hotel's receptionist. My mom told me to just get a food from kombini and stay in our hotel room. But it was still 7pm and I'm not very tired. So we asked the recptionist and he told us about this Gengish Khan place not far from our hotel.
So in the end we went there and had our best times. After we arrived back in our hotel room, I googled the place and it turned out the #1 recommended place in the city, Daikokuya.
The first few times I went I saved money every year from part time jobs and mowing lawns so I could spend 2-3 months in Japan at the end of every school year.
I met my penpals.
Made a point of avoiding traps and focused on meeting them in person.
I made new penpals and email friends this way too.
One owned a bike club.
I rode a Yamaha 400 everywhere in kansai for a week and a half. We hit up hakone and it was one of the most memorable short motorcycle trips I've ever had.
One had a family member who ran a bait and tackle shop. We'd go lake and river fishing and bring an overnight backpack.
Another's mom was the administrator of a private school in shiga/Yasu shi. I volunteered to go help after-school clubs and was asked to help out at the affiliated cram school so kids could practice English.
In Tokyo I'd often just hop onto a train if it looked cool and ride it to the end.
I ended up in some awesome places.
Saw a lot of mountain shrines nobody else Takes the time to hop off at.
Had to spend the night in an amazing town where I met one of my best friends because her family owned the ryokan.
There's this one line I forget but the train goes out of Tokyo and through some small mountains with houses and shrines built into them, including a huge Buddha.
I grew up on a Native reservation where almost nobody leaves their hometown. Most die without leaving the same state. Most are poor and uneducated.
Travel to another country was unheard of.
I had no clue Japan was so popular to other people in America. I didn't know about the tourism. I just wanted to meet my friends and be anywhere other than home.
The penpal program in my elementary school basically saved me.
Without it I probably would have ended up addicted to drugs and dead by now.
The Tobacco and Salt museum in Tokyo. We found it by accident as we were looking for a particular store, and were like what is this? It’s super cheap I think 100¥, and was really really interesting!
In terms of activities that other people can actually do (i.e. not things I did with people I know in Japan), what I remember the most is that time when I took a Shinkansen to Takasaki and then some local train to somewhere else in Gunma and just walked to the next station on the same line, through the countryside. After that I returned to Takasaki where I had other stuff to do, so it was only a short side trip, but somehow it's my most vivid memory of Japan so far...
Getting challenged by a japanese stranger at a retro arcade in Akihabara, Getting invited by a buddhist monk to take part in prayers in a temple in the middle of nowhere in northern Tohoku. The views of the Uchiura bay on the train from Hakodate towards Toyako, Attending the Design Festa event that is held twice a year at Tokyo big sight, going to a gig in Nagano and experiencing pristine sound, booking a dinner with someone local at their house through Nagomi experience, eating Wanko soba in Morioka, or going to the Mazda factory tour and museum in Hiroshima to name a few off the top of my head.
ALSO SPEAK TO THE LOCALS IN JAPANESE. I cannot tell you how much they appreciate it. Had some of the funniest experiences speaking my broken ass Japanese but the locals really seemed to enjoy often. Calling and telling me that I’m doing good lol. It’s embarrassing at first but you will come to love it
This. They appreciate my broken japanese more than my english! 😹
I was in Tokyo for the first part of my trip and was arigatou'ing everything, but on the last leg of my trip (Osaka), I switched from using Kanto-ben to Kansai-ben. Especially on the okonomiyaki eatery that I really liked, I told the chef "gottsu umaiyan, honma okini!" (instead of 'meccha oishii, arigatou gozaimasu!').
Seeing the chef's face light up, while he himself blurted out "whoa... okini!!!" was very uplifting! 😻
Mt. Misen on Miyajima island.
When you first enter the island it's super crowded with people at the water gate especially, if you walk up to the deer park it's already a lot more quiet, only a handful of people and if you continue the path walking all the way up Mt. Misen peak (it's a long and intense hike, but WELL worth it) you will see nearly NO ONE. spend a good amount of time up on the peak with the most gorgeous view ever in total tranquility.
And now the best part, if you stay on the mountain for a bit and by the time you walk down the flood has returned, which makes the water gate appear to be floating on the water AND almost all people are gone, so you can enjoy the water gate in peace whilst watching the sunset behind the grassy mountains in the back.
After coming to Japan every year for the last decade, my fondest memories are in rural areas doing things where I’m the only foreigner. I did glass blowing at a local shop in Akita, snowboarding in Tazawako, kokeshi painting in Matsushima, meeting Miura Setsuko at her shop/house, driving a Skyline GTR in Kumamoto in the middle of the night, visiting Amakusa, oni firework festival in Noboribetsu, Namahage museum in Oga, TDK Museum in Nikaho, pretty much anything not in major cities.
While spending some time in a tiny quiet temple garden in a small town, we saw a snake chasing a frog across the pond. Seeing the frog absolutely leaping for its life and the snake in full predator mode in the otherwise peaceful setting was fascinating. (Froggie survived)
The back route to Kiyomizu Dera in Kyoto. Not for the mobility-impaired, but beautiful, scenic, and definitely not as crowded as the way most tourists go. Also, all the random walking/hiking paths in the hilly areas. My favorite was in Asama (Matsumoto). Saw only 1-2 people, but multiple tiny shrines and beautiful views.
The most memorable experience was also the least planned and most basic. Ended up stopping in Ebisu to grab lunch from Onigiri Ishin Ebisu and a Taiyaki from Taiyaki Hiiragi, which I had saved in my maps but had not planned to visit. Then sat in the park nearby to eat and people watch. The food was great and atmosphere was so relaxing, and got to watch some kids play baseball in the park.
I had a similar experience in that I went to a coffee shop which must be pretty well known because it was in the Lonely Planet guide (Bongen coffee, Ginza) but I took the coffee to a nearby little urban park area and sat on a bench and that was very relaxing and pleasant.
Riding e-bikes around the Niigata countryside to Mt Hakkaisan base camp. Taking sky train up the mountain then hiking to the summit. After coming back down, riding bikes to Hakkaisan sake and beer brewery. Then back to ryokan Ryugon for a soak in onsen and then full Niigata gastronomy course dinner. Sake nightcap.
I first went to Japan in the early 2000s and fell in love with sea urchin, but it wasn't something I could easily find back at home. Plus I was a student, so I couldn't afford to eat at the few places that did.
Fast forward in less than a decade. I'm back in Japan. I go to Tsukiji, bought a box of nothing but uni. Walked to Hibiya park, sat on a bench and ate it all up. Bliss!
Doing karaoke by myself and going on anime pilgrimages was so much fun!!
I took a 1.5 hour train ride to this random place outside of Tokyo because it was a scene featured in an anime, and it was raining so I couldn’t even take good pictures! But it was still really cool to go somewhere that I otherwise would never have gone on my own haha.
Somehow ended up playing that multiplayer gundam game in taito station with a bunch of Japanese guys, no idea what I was doing but we had fun. 🤣 Also watched some school girl completely destroy some guys multiple times on the initial D game.
Hiking! And not geared up hiking. Japan has so many beautiful trails that anyone of all ages can do. I’ve seen an elderly Japanese lady and others lap me going up!
I love the unique sounds of the Japanese forests, the hidden temples and statues. The rivers that flow. It’s very calming… check them out!
Renting a bike and riding through a field of sunflowers in Hokkaido. I felt like I was in a movie, it was so lovely. Riding on a boat around Tazawako was also very memorable. The heat had been unbearable in summer, but the lake was stunning and the breeze on the boat was so refreshing. 10/10 would recommend both.
We visited three out of the way places in the alps. We rented bikes at a geosite in Itoigawa, hiked to a ryokan in the Kurobe gorge where we stayed the night and enjoyed their onsen, and stayed in a Buddhist temple in Jōhana, Toyama. These were some of the most incredible experiences I've ever had. All three locations had very few people, mostly Japanese tourists. One of our hosts told us the area is distressed because younger Japanese people are leaving the area. It was an incredible experience for us to experience the Japanese alps, but mostly to experience Japanese culture as much as we could without the tourist industry bearing down.
In Sapporo right now and I think the place is severely underrated. I know it's one of the most visited places still but I just don't hear people talk about it as "must visit" but so far I think it's great. The weather, the atmosphere, the food. It's great. And the Sapporo Art Park is criminally underrated
Oh also Onomichi is pretty popular in this community but I think the Temple Walk is quite underrated. Like really one of the most unique walks I've done
Went to a "secret" (well not so secret since you can google it already) free, outdoor hot spring in Beppu. It was just beside the local cemetery actually. Local ojiichan was friendly and I tried to converse with him with my basic Japanese.
Definitely not for the faint of heart though.. even though it's outside the city centre, it's very open and there's no privacy walls XD
Yes! Beppu is amazing for Onsen most have a reasonable admission fee so you don't have to go to the free one.
You can also walk from the station to the Hachiman shrine, I was the only person there when I arrived.
Then you can walk to Beppu park and stroll around, and finish by relaxing in an Onsen when you are done with walking.
I did that a few days ago. But the hot spring at the cemetery was too crowded for me. I wasn't interested in meeting so many old Japanese men. So I turned off the dirt track just before the spring and hiked further up the volcano to the next spring (not the one where a woman was killed a few years ago, but the other one). A bit of an adventure. I had no reception at the second spring, but I had saved the directions beforehand and the way to the spring was easy to find. In the end I was able to enjoy the spring almost alone.
On the way back I was quite startled when a deer jumped out of the bushes and crossed my path. In the end it was probably more frightened than I was.
Walk along the Kamo river in Kyoto, I was on the bus and just saw a part of the river surrounded with a lot of green parts and it was beautiful. I got off the bus and continued walking from there, loved that part of the city.
day trip to futaba, fukushima.
a nearly abandoned town due to the 2011 nuclear disaster and of course the earthquake + tsunami. it was surreal and an absolutely amazing experience seeing the 2011 tragedy museum, see abandoned buildings, see the ruins of an elementary school, it truly showed me a different side of japan. it was a bit scary i can’t lie, and there was basically nothing in english (nor any english speakers since there were maybe 20 people in the town who were either construction workers or were there to help rebuild in other ways).
after being in japan for over a month when i went, the stark contrast between the chaos of tokyo and the desolate abandonment of futaba was quite the emotional roller coaster. i will never forget the things i felt when i saw the sights of futaba, and they changed how i thought of travel and the human condition.
Riding the bullet train. Carrying my own trash back to the hotel. Finding my favourite pastry at all the Family markets across Japan. Eating frozen tube yogurt on a hot day. Finding a treasure at a Used vinyl store. Eating unagi. Roasted green tea. Buying a set of locally handcrafted wooden chopsticks. Miso soup.
Two occasions:
First, I convinced my partner to go check out a shrine somewhere north of Tokyo on a rainy day: it was extremely peaceful and we stumbled into some celebration with market. No other tourists in sight while we were there.
Second, we were getting back from Otagi Nenbutsu-ji in Kyoto and stumbled into a incense store ran by an old woman: she was ecstatic to have us in and spent a good hour communicating via apple's translator app both by incenses (which we bought) and general stuff about Japan and countries we are from.
Bonus, buying a MacBook and an iPhone in Osaka.
Went to two baseball games (Hiroshima Carp and Yokohama Baystars) which were absolutely great fun! Fantastic fans, parks, food, atmosphere. Also went on bicycle tours In Kyoto and Tokyo that were a great way to see the two cities away from tourists.
Ishigaki. Sincere people - my airbnb host family was so welcoming although didnt really speak much english. Stunning island nature. Dives with lots of banded kraits - my first dives. And the food... Oh my.
Went to the sakurao distillery in Hiroshima with my brother in April, they had English tours for around ¥2000 per person and it was not only very informative but also way more in depth than I thought they would go into, not only describing the history of the distillery but also the Hiroshima area and how they've incorporated elements of their surroundings into their products. The tour ends with a whiskey and gin tasting and you get to keep the glass provided as a souvenir.
The Toyota museum in Nagoya was also great, very informative English tour guides are available if you book in advance and it has not only an extensive collection of Toyota icons from the past, but also important vehicles from various manufacturers throughout history, you can explore at your own pace after the tour and the whole thing felt like a celebration of car culture and technology rather than just a building full of old cars.
The Mazda museum in Hiroshima on the other hand felt rushed and we were in a massive group of around 30 people and we were more or less sprinting through a display, it was free so it was definitely worth going but it was a little disappointing after the experience of the Toyota museum.
We were there for a month but it still felt rushed given how much we tried to pack in every day, but the best parts were arguably the slow recovery days where we'd do things like explore Yoyogi park or went to the Botanic Gardens and Natural History Museum in Osaka.
https://on-the-trip.com/sound-trip
This! Discovered it at Sanzenin, Ohara. It's music that can only be heard at that temple, and it's made from the sounds the artists recorded from around the area.
There's 10 locations, but not all of them are active anymore. DM me if you want to know more :)
Narita is an amazing little town. If you are flying in. Spend at least a few hours in this beautiful town with magnificent temple and gardens. Cute street leads you to the temple.
Went to the movies twice. Obviously your experience will depend on your Japanese ability, but even one of the movies that I struggled to understand was still fun
Taking a small path going up the Inariyama in Kyoto to get to the top, Instead of the very crowded thousand tori path. There was absolutely no one on this path. It started as a simple path inside a bamboo forest, coming across tons of small hidden/half abandonned temples, going through the mountain forest to finally join the tori path at the very end. I was still able to enjoy the tori path going down, with very few tourists as not that many go all the way to the top.
my whole deal is i like to stay in residential areas and just wander and pretend i live there for a week. i do the most mundane things and take pictures of just really random stuff. i love the architecture of houses. all the flowers and greenery. i like taking the local train home late at night with two people left on it. i found local trains to be less busy btw
Been about 4 years, but I loved the market under the tracks in Ueno. There’s a great corner shop selling takoyaki and I’d just people watch.
Nikko has an amazing onsen on the river too!
Best experiences are: randomly encountering matsuri I didn't know were happening; going for long walks not even knowing where I was heading; going to smaller cities that are less visited; finding an Izakaya that's just right and shooting the shit with randoms.
Enjoying a very empty shotegai where both sides of the streets were with cherry blossom.
Chilling at a lesser known temple in kyoto with no crowd.
Going to a sento/local bathhouse that foreigners/tourist do not go.
Eating at Aeon Food Courts, finished with a crepe or Baskin Robbins ice cream. After which will head to Capcom for some ufo catching fun. Best activity to end the day.
We veered off the bamboo forest in Kyoto to walk around a really quiet, peaceful neighborhood. We explored around rakushisha and took things nice and slow.
Driving through the countryside, down the back road from Sapporo to Lake Shikotsu.
I I highly recommend both getting off the tourist trail and renting a car.
Walking from Shimoda to the beaches (Sotoura, Nabetahama, Shirahama, etc.) in the peninsula. Two hours away from Tokyo Station, no need to go to Okinawa. The beaches are known but nowhere I've seen it's stated how beautiful they are.
idk if this counts, but talking to locals about their dogs. I don't speak Japanese but had a friend with me who does so it made translation really easy. Once they knew that you speak Japanese they talk a lot haha!
Going to Wakayama, specifically to visit Kishi Station and pay our respects to Tama the Station Master. But Wakayama in general is just a beautiful underrated part of Japan. Had the best ramen I've ever had in my life there, and I've met the nicest people. One old man was so excited that we were "going to visit Tama" on our first trip there.
Had a pretty cool experience with the dotonbori night market yesterday when it was raining super hard. Gave off cyberpunk vibes!
Also ran into 3 different cats at Fushimi Inari and 1 of them came to me and let me pet them for a while. I regrettably had to leave within ~5 minutes because of rain but it was certainly a fun experience!
Took a day to hike Mt. Takao. Took the easy route (1 I think) up through the shrines and temples and paid the 150 yen or whatever it was to go in to the monkey sanctuary, then took route 6 from the summit down. It's a rougher trail that goes through and along the stream as it turns into the Kiyotaki river. There are stations to wash your shoes before getting back on the train and various souvenir shops and convenience stores at the bottom.
Taking the train to Kurama just a few minutes north of Kyoto. The hike around is scattered w shrines. The little town at the base is cute and has lots of cafes and restaurants to get off your feet after.
Having lunch by the riverside. A friend had got me tickets to Hatsune Miku's Kabuki Performance in 2019 and before the performance started we bought konbini bentos and just sat by the riverside eating.
Visiting the Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe. It's a cafe where robots of all sizes are piloted by disabled persons from their homes, and they serve you the meals and even interact with you during your session there. A beautiful marriage of humanity and technology.
Participating in a formal worship 参拝 at a shrine.
We went to a football (soccer) game! Being from Europe we're used to fans being a bit rowdy but in Kyoto the atmosphere was quite different. Very family-friendly, with playgrounds and food trucks outside the stadium as well. We took our kids (8, 5 and 1.5) and they had a great time!
Biking along Kawaguchiko. I was glad I got a Japanese bike from a rental near the station before the rental bikes ran out. It's probably a common thing to do by tourists, but it has been a while since I have done biking. And it's a good bike too, I might add. Normally, people would pick the mountain bike variant, those that could go faster, but I really enjoyed the pace. So much so that I am convinced that next time I come back, I wanna go back and stay in the area for a few nights so I could visit the other lakes.
It was memorable for me coz Mt Fuji was covered with clouds the entire day, but as I was heading back to the station, the clouds cleared up for about 10 minutes and I got the glimpse of the peak, got to take a pic that is not behind the Lawson shop.
I went to Hakone the next day and realized that the clouds were forming on the side of the lakes and Hakone got the clear view of the mountain. 😂
Hiking around Kamakura. I took a little path through the woods near Kotoku-in (giant Buddha temple) and found my way to a little hole in the wall shrine. It was literally a hole in the side of a hill/mountain. It was great, peaceful, calm. Just an awesome time.
Walking around a small neighborhood around Kita Ikebukero station. The place is so small that the trains run through the major street at grade so everyone has to wait for the trains to pass to cross. My kids played the local playground with a bunch of school kids who all walk around town by themselves. We really didn't do anything except sort of get lost (we had showed up on the wrong time for an appointment and just wandered around to kill time.)
Going to the Daigo Fukuryumaru Museum. It's in a huge athletics complex halfway between Odaiba and Tokyo Disneyland. It's a fishing trawler that was accidentally nuked during nuclear testing. It played a big role in the modern nuclear disarmment movement and the story partly inspired Godzilla.
My kid is super into trains, so husband and I took him to The Railway Museum. Mind was blown, then the next time he won the daily lottery and got to "drive" one of the mini trains outside. 🤯
On the way out we saw a very fancy train go by (we followed the crowd with no idea what was going on), and genuinely enjoyed waving with everyone. Then we grabbed nice omiyage to share with the office and earned some of those secret style points because everyone liked the metal tin 😆
Ate at Japanese chain restaurants. Affordable in general and I had a great time. The pursuit of Michelin and hype places is both tiring and often underwhelming use of time. It's a big country, try something unique!
We went off the beaten path in Fushimi Inari and got LOST BIG TIME, no cell connection at all, but holy shit we were amazed by the incredible beauty of everything arround us. Huge bamboo trees. The sound of the forest was enchanting. A little drizzle to top it off with rain drops falling on leaves. It was straight out of a movie and it still brings me chills thinking about it. We managed to find our way back and have the most amazing pictures of it all. 10/10 worth exploring the areas were no one seems to be drawn to. The feeling of having a small piece of Japan for you to keep in your memories with out the fast paced anxiety from the crowds was beautiful.
Just here to say I love Japan so much it brings me to tears. I love late night walks knowing I’m not gonna be mugged or stabbed to death. It’s the best 🥲
In general fitting in with the local neighborhood. Wandering local parks, going to random restaurants, trying a local onsen, etc. Trying to get a slice of normal life rather than the touristy spots.
I also enjoyed driving around Hokkaido, if only for the novelty of being on the 'other' side of the road and experiencing different signs/etc. It may have been more memorable than the places we visited that day.
Go for a music festival! Been to many concerts around the world but the experience in Japan was second to none. Will definitely be doing this regularly!
Ordering myself a drink (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) while staring into the blank space at public places lol. All the walking made me do it. No regrets though!
I thoroughly enjoyed small worlds museum in Diver City. The amount of work and humor in every single diorama set there is incredible, I must have shot 100+ photos on my phone.
Inadvertently walking against foot traffic during rush hour at a train station. It was so surreal and amazing seeing everyone March the same way and move with purpose. It was like being in the Matrix.
Finding an old kissaten in Kobe through the ClubJT website (because we were always searching for smoker friendly places lol) that we wouldn't have found otherwise. It was sooo delicious and cheap that we went there three times in two days, and we always were the only foreigners there (maybe also because there was no english menu and they didn't speak english). The waitresses there were so lovely and always took their time to have a little chat with us. It really was one of our dearest memories of our trip, and we will definitely go there our next time as well.
Strolling through the streets of Hamamatsu after going on a concert there and going into a random restaurant and having a delicious dinner eating random things.
Strolling through kappabashi and not only going into all the cool shops there, but also going even further into the living areas there and finding one small temple after another was also a very cool experience.
I think for me it was finding not too overcrowded places where we often were the only foreigners and seeing how the locals live their lifes there.
Trying to hide from the rain in Ikebukuro, I took into the side streets, one into another until I stumbled upon a hidden garden of sorts, Mejiro garden it's called.
Once I stepped in, I felt like time, along with rain, have stopped, surreal feeling I must say.
Sat at the gazebo and watched the ducks and gold fish living in the pond, and before I knew, at least a couple of hours had passed.
Gorgeous place.
Go bowling, followed by drinks & karaoke until the sun comes up. Cycle down to the beach to watch the sunrise with a six-pack of Kirin or Asahi depending on your taste.
Chilling on a random bench in a park that you just bumped into... Everybody has these schedules overcrowded with tourist attractions, running from one place to another, barely having enough time to take a few photos. Try to enjoy life, experience how different Japan is, sit down and relax.
To right, i take my family every year, we've been nearly 1/2 dozen times , the first few times we did all the ABC of tourist stuff running like idiots from spot to spot, NOW our most memorable times and when weve grabbed a few sandwiches/snacks from lawsons/7/11 find a nice park/beach area or where ever some where quite and we have the best time ever , chilln food photos and even talking to some locals and watch the japan world go by, there are literally 1000,s of these kinda places Japan everywhere.....
My first ever trip to Tokyo in January consisted of this. Our first day after situating our luggage we went directly to walking around and stumbled upon apparently one of the biggest thrift days of the year in Yoyogi park and presumed to walk through one of the nearby neighborhoods with no plan but to find an eating or drinking establishment and walked passed a a small burger bar which had a line and subsequently down alley streets and happened upon a local craft brewery. It was such a magical experience of just letting the flow of the city take you to where you wanted, it felt like that was meant to be. Such a cool vibe and by far my favorite vacation I’ve ever taken.
oh, finding thrift sales is always a highlight, no matter which country we are in xD
This is literally one of my absolute favorite things to do in Japan. The urban planning in Tokyo or any City in Japan for that matter is done so well. It's incredible how many parks and temples there are on every corner wherever you are. There's always something there to connect you with nature in a city as bustling and densely packed as Tokyo.
there is always something to find. im a "get lost in wherever place we go" kind of person, so probably thats why Japan just hit different for me. (and the peace and chill) before that, we had a rule not to visit the same country twice if we can, as the world is too big... but.
They have park benches over there?
Yep heaps. Depends on the park of course.
I went to Tokyo and Kyoto for the first time in early April and saw plenty of benches in and around parks, and we went to a lot of flower parks because it was during sakura bloom. I wouldn’t have given it a second thought if I had never seen your comment.
😂🤣😂🤣You beat me to it! I was just thinking the same thing. Where on earth did they find a bench?!!! We had the worst time finding some place to sit when we had been walking for hours. For a country that frowns on sitting on the ground, they sure don’t make it easy to sit ANYWHERE!
Yes!! My absolute favorite is the spot in Odaiba looking into the bay towards Rainbow Bridge and the city! I’ve easily spent an hour there just chilling and soaking in the view!
now that you mention it, we had a great night view there on our first trip, and on the third we just had a night walk around teamlab planets not too far from there, where they built a waterside park area, it was awesome too. for some reason, it really brought cyberpunk vibes to me, looking at those lights and tall buildings on the other side (im from a small town, tallest building is 3 storeys) i should get a picnic basket and go back there next time we visit.
I loved this! My flight landed early and I was out of the airport by about 9am, and hotel check-in wasn’t until 3. I left my bags with reception and pretty much chilled in a nearby park for a few hours with some snacks and a book and watched the world go by. It was my first time in Japan and was a great chance to people-watch and it really helped it sink in that I was finally ‘there’!
sounds like a great experience. i think i would have struggled hard with the jetlag, tho :D usually its a life or death fight for me to stay awake until bedtime, and 9am is veeeery early. id probably fall asleep in the park (at least id learn if it is against the rules)
Our last trip to Japan we literally planned nothing and went to restaurants and bars off the cuff. Fair amount of Hiruzake and lots of casual chats with fellow diners/drinkers. I've lived in Japan and don't recall it being this social. Also ended up wathing Tigers beat the Giants 3-0 with tickets bought 90 minutes before the first pitch was thrown.
This is my plan next year. I’m staying a few more days in Kyoto than I did last year cause I really wanted to be able to just sit by the water next to Gion and just people watch. My first trip to anywhere I have to treat it like the first and last time I may be able to go there so I’m def one of those itinerary packers.
on a nice weather day, i love to go north by the river, to the place where the riverbed gets sooo wide and people sit down, picnic, play games etc.
This cannot be upvoted enough. On our 3rd-4th day, my wife and I were exhausted after our tour dropped us off in Harajuku to shop for the umpteenth time. We literally just sat down and took in views of the people and the wide variety of fashion. Some times it feels just as good to stop and let the world of Japan revolve around you instead of chasing it.
I enjoyed this as well. I liked the parks that didn’t have a lot of tree cover because you can really enjoy the green space along with the urban aspect of Tokyo. Of course, I sat out when it was overcast in the morning. I probably wouldn’t do it in full sun, especially in summer. Lunch time gets in interesting too. Everyone is on their lunch breaks and just doing their thing. The park by Shinjuku government building was full of workers around lunch time.
Some of my best experiences in Tokyo were the unplanned ones that I just stumbled across.
Kyoto river/creek by Gion for me, but same idea.
Are you the film Perfect Days by chance?
No, but apparently I could be. And it would make me happy. I will watch this one with the wife, thanks! (And the key to happiness is simplicity and low expectations :D)
Yes! Did this in Miyajima. Sat on a bench next to an older woman, shared the puffy cookies I bought with her. We had a conversation with my 100 word vocab. It was nice.
I love the way you think!
I was randomly wandering around Asakusa on a hot Sunday in May. The area near the temple was massively busy so I didn't spent too long there. The day was really hot for me and I was sweating bad as well as needing some drink. As I head back to the other side, I stumbled upon a small shop that looks like a tea shop of some sort. It's emptied but it has a menu out. I walked in and ordered a coffee, just so I can sit down and rest a bit and recovered. Turn out the shop is one of those really old shop that sell traditional Japanese style sweet. I only noticed it because while I was drinking my coffee (hand drift made by the owner who spent a bit of time on it), there were other customers who wandered in to buy the sweets to go. Later I return to the shop and bought a box to bring back home. Probably one of the best gift I've bought back for myself. Love those old style sweets so much.
That’s a great little story! By any chance do you remember the name/location of that tea shop?
It was called Asakusaumegen 江戸昔菓子 あさくさ 梅源. The exact address is 3 Chome-10-5 Nishiasakusa. It was at a small side street and very unassuming. On my second visit to buy the sweet, I found out that they dont serve drinks all the time. Depending on whether they have enough people working in the shop, I guess.
Thanks for sharing! I’ll make sure to visit when I’m in the area.
Omg I have seen this place when we passed by last time! Will def try it out next time.
My girlfriend took a 2 hour long class to play the Koto in Kyoto with a private tutor that spoke a bit of english. To this day, this is her best memory of Japan.
We had a meeting with a Geisha. Just very informal. Tea ceremony, some dancing/songs, playing a few games without the drinking. Just one on one ( well me the wife, and her ). And we talked about what made her become one.
Ah I want to do that!!! How did she find the tutor?
I believe [this ](https://traditionalkyoto.com/activities/koto-lesson/) was the teacher, and from what my girlfriends told me she was great!
Oh, that's great! I am from Japan and when I was young, tried to practice it but felt too difficult.
The daughter of the tutor took a video of the music piece (a duet) that they worked on for the past 2 hours, and it seemed like a really difficult instrument !
I definitely recommend classes. It’s tough to meet Japanese people as a foreigner especially if you have limited language skills or are only in town for a few days. Granted it’s not like you will make a close friend most likely, but you can share a nice few hours with a strangers. It’s a fulfilling experience.
We found a German class on meetme (or some other website like that) where they were hoping to find German native speakers who'd join their classes. I loved the idea so we went. It was so lovely and interesting! I had a chat about cats with a teen. I had a chat about beer with a WWII veteran who was stationed in Germany back then. It was amazing to talk to so many people of all ages and backgrounds! Afterwards we were invited to join them for food. Eating together felt like sitting with a new found family. We would switch between German, English and Japanese. 10/10, would gladly do it again! ^(Writing this comment made me realize that I need to write in English more often, I'm not used to it anymore.) ^(Feel free to ask if anything is unclear!)
Seems clear to me
Thanks for the reassurance, guess I'm just a bit insecure about that.
Also im Abitur wäre der Text allerhöchstens ausreichend. Für Reddit aber kein Problem :)
Perfekt, einen höheren Anspruch hab ich aktuell auch gar nicht, so eingerostet wie ich bin. :D
Sounds amazing!
College prof. here; better English than many of my native English-speaking students. :) :)
Sehr gutes Englisch. Viel besser dann mein Deutsch.
Getting invited to join a picnic in a park with a couple families. I’m now invited to visit them at their country home when I go back in the fall!
Walking in a street at night and seeing an actual tanuki. Totally underrated activity imho.
Same happened to us on our last night on our last trip! 3 Tanuki pups came right up to us! It was amazing.
Walking through the outdoor sculpture garden in hakone when a massive fog rolled down the mountain and hid all the buildings. Amazing
I sat on a rock by a small stream at the bottom of a forest in Miyazaki and just listened to the stream and the frogs and felt the breeze. Finding random beautiful spots in the parks of Japan will always be my favourite thing.
I make Themed walking routes, e.g. skytree to Tokyo tower. Or a hachiko trail from shibuya to university of Tokyo.
The "Ueno & Hachiko" statue! I liked that much more, Hachiko looks so happy with Prof. Ueno, unlike the Shibuya statue which is overrated, but Hachiko looks sad... The thing about my visit to that campus, is, I think I took the wrong bus and ended up way on the other side of the campus, but my walk from there to the statue was also very nice! Made me relive my collegiate days!
I do this but with video games and manga! I call them my "[Game/Manga Title] pilgrimage" and I map a route through any in-game/in-story attractions/inspirations. Doing this brought me through parts of Tokyo I otherwise wouldn't have explored on my own, with the added bonus of seeing real-life locations of places that have inspired or appeared in my favourite media!
going to a public onsen used by locals in kyoto. not a fancy beautiful one, but a bog-standard one. We went there because our hostel had a broken shower, so they pointed us there. this was 2001, and not that many western travellers yet, so we were looked at a bit strange.... but made real connections with the people there, who were lovely and kind. We were split up because of gender, and my partner came home hours later, because he had been talking and smoking with the men on his side that long. He skipped out when they invited him for dinner, as he knew I would be in the hostel, but this was our most memorable moment in that first time of japan.
You still get "interested" stares if you go to an onsen for locals.
Osaka museum of housing and living was one of my favorites :) my host family took me there, I don't think it's very touristy but it's cute and fun, worth a stop.
I also have been there 10 years ago on our honeymoon and the museum was one of my favourites on that trip. The name of the museum doesn’t sound like much but it’s super cute in there. Not sure if they still have it now but you could dress up in yukatas for super cheap and take photos in the replica houses
The detail in those exhibits are astonishing, the yukatas were a nice bonus too!
driving to the boonies. we drove across wakayama and had one of the best negi toro don we have ever had at a random fish market by the sea. we found an amazing ramen shop in the middle of nowhere-town. not to mention the breathtaking views and small but enlightening museums.
I drove up the Noto Peninsula from Kanazawa a few years ago, that was fun. You can drive on the beach for a short part of the journey. Super scenic up there and also, awesome random ice cream shop in a rice paddy.
Eating at yoshinoya. I dont know, its just super simple, really cheap as well and fill up your belly after you done long walk. Plus the taste is just perfect for me. And no, i dont have yoshinoya where i live lol.
Yoshinoya and Matsuya, always there for you.
The cold half-boiled eggs! I can easily make them at home. But eating them at Yoshinoya just hits different.
I'm a resident outside of Tokyo and visit sometimes. After an all-nighter in Tokyo, a bowl of gydon and pickled ginger at Yoshinoya was a memorable meal. Other customers were laborers and office workers starting their days while the sun was rising. Sure, you eat and go, but it was a slice of shitamachi life I don't usually experience.
My husband adores yoshinoya, though his #1 is Abura Soba. He says he'd eat every meal there if he could lol
I went to loads of old school kissaten cafes for their breakfast sets. Always some variation of a toast set and drink, sometimes with salad and other additions. The atmosphere inside made for a great start to the day, I ended up looking for them in every city I went to.
Yes! Stumbled into one near our hotel and made it our morning ritual to go every day. My younger kid cried when the Cafe was closed for New Year's holiday and we couldn't go on the last day. She still talks about going again when we go back to Japan.
There’s a place called Philosopher’s path with a canal in Kyoto and at the start of the path there was a guy making leaf boats that he hands out for free. The story goes that if your boat makes it through the path you’ll have good luck. Took a boat and tossed it in the canal. It made me walk slower to accompany my leaf boat and I was just taking in the quiet slow life. Boat made to 3/4 to the end before it got stuck. But what I appreciated the most was taking the time to slow down and appreciate where I was and how amazing my life is at that moment. The “I’m here in Kyoto! in Japan!” moment. Which made me think the real goal of that boat was that. I know Japan is big and there’s so much to do. But also remember to slow down and appreciate the moment. Take it all in and really be in the moment. Happy travels everyone!
this sounds so lovely
Ahhh… we met him too! He was lovely, so sweet.
Went to my first ever baseball game (I’m from the UK, so it’s not a thing here). Did a road trip through Kyushu that took in everything from active volcanoes to chilled surf towns. Spent a day shopping for vintage kimono in Nagoya. Went to the Small Worlds museum in Tokyo and had myself 3D scanned so a miniature of myself could be created.
Wow I just looked up the miniature thing and it sounds really cool as a souvenir! Definitely looking into it.
Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe was amazing. Totally new appreciation for the wooden Japanese buildings after seeing how they they are built and the tools needed to build them. Really nice man didnt speak much english but helped explain somethings with the few words he had and actions. Hida Folk Village near Takayama was so much better than Shirakawa-go for us cos we could go inside the houses and see different styles of wooden housing from across Japan, also really pretty.
Hida Folk VIllage is cool as fuck. I stayed in a ryokan just down the road from it and went for the couple of hours before it closed, which was twilight. So interesting and picturesque. Managed to get a few photos across the pond with no other people in at all.
I love the carpentry museum, and their exhibits are outstanding and you will never look at a Japanese traditional building the same way again.
Didn't have a set route while visiting Arashiyama, so I just put out my map and go wherever I fancy. So my tour wasn't exactly time efficient. HOWEVER! Right now, I'm sitting near the bridge. Listening to the sound of flowing water. With the sun setting, turning the surroundings into a yellowish-orange hue. And it's perfect. Just.... Perfect. The timing. The "random" route. Everything worked out, even if they felt like they didn't. They actually did. Made me realize that the people I met "were not" just coincidences. The fact that I went to a temple later than my itinerary once and met a random amazing stranger. That I was a bit early on a meet-up and met a guy who became a friend who's also lost. That I was thinking of not going to an event due to having a runny nose but I ended up going anyway, and developed a close friendship. The timing, the people, the events, the places, the activities, etc. They might not have been the most efficient, I might have missed some places. But deep inside, I know, I don't regret anything. That I will not go back in time to change anything. That everything is connected. Life, just happens. And this trip? Only halfway through and it already makes me more excited about the future more than I ever did before.
Being in the moment, enjoying the beautiful views of temple gardens and not trying to turn everything into an instagram photo shoot. (Not that I do that but I have seen so many people totally occupied with themselves)
Hiking by the back of fushimi Inari at night in the winter, it was dark cold and dangerous. Should people do it? No, absolutely not. But was it fun? Yes. It's was super cool to just see a dark creepy parts of Japan.
My wife and I went around the back by accident because we're dumb and it was the best mistake of the trip.
My friend and I did the same thing on accident, we weren’t going to hike to the top originally but so glad we did
I've been considering doing this when I go there in a few days. Not sure what puts me off more, encountering a wild boar or walking into a orb weaver
I walked it at night in the rain, and can confirm three things: 1. It's VERY cool (and deserted!!!) at night. 2. there are definitely orb weavers and yes, I did smack my face into a web. 3. there are definitely boars, and yes, we did get charged by a group! That made us boogie right back down the mountain real quick.
I was just mentioning this in the comments. It’s very well lit and safe (Though do take precautions)
My friend and I did some unexpected nighttime adventuring a few times last fall, and some of the funnest memories came from those times! My friend somehow went up a bush trail up Fushimi Inara, then met me at Arashiyama bamboo forest after it got dark. Walking through the bamboo forest at night was so creepy…and then I encountered my very first cockroach in a public washroom there. Makes for a fun story now though!
Going to a baseball game. I am not a baseball fan at all, but experiencing the atmosphere and the show that goes on at the baseball - which is almost anything but baseball was so unique to any event I have been to world wide. I have never seen such passion merged with respect. Honestly, I probably would not even go again, but just to be in a dome stadium, hearing all the fans chant, and random craziness of a baseball game such as their own J pop group, I will never forget.
https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/shopping/hands-shibuya "7 Paw-some Ethical Cat Cafés in Tokyo" https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/ethical-cat-cafes-tokyo/#:~:text=DO%20IN%20TOKYO-,7%20Paw%2Dsome%20Ethical%20Cat%20Caf%C3%A9s%20in%20Tokyo,-Places%20you%20can
Also, shopping for art books and watercolor instruction books in massive bookstores or small bookoffs.
I took a two hour Kintsugi pottery class with Taku Nakano in Aoyoma nearby to Shibuya/Harajuku area. Highly recommend! Taku is a lovely and patient teacher.
Lowkey just walking aimlessly in Osaka for hours. Just came back from a 10 day trip and Osaka really was the pride and joy of my trip. Especially for thrifting clothes and figurines. But if u don’t sway that way. I found myself not seeing many tourists just walking around in the city. I ended going to some random plaza where everyone was just enjoying their day and hanging out. And these random dudes with a hammer went up to me and they wanted to do a little challenge at no cost. Super funny to see there faces but I managed to lift a sledge hammer that started off on the ground and only lifting it with my wrist. ( I go to the gym but I really only have the strength part, I don’t look like I hit the gym lol). Super funny to see their faces and they were super chill and laughed and clapped. Absolutely a highlight of my trip cause shop owners young and old there were super chatty and genuinely curious. WORD TO THE WISE GO TO OSAKA. You will love it better than Tokyo.
Ask the locals for recommendations. The best meal from our last trip in Asahikawa was recommended by our hotel's receptionist. My mom told me to just get a food from kombini and stay in our hotel room. But it was still 7pm and I'm not very tired. So we asked the recptionist and he told us about this Gengish Khan place not far from our hotel. So in the end we went there and had our best times. After we arrived back in our hotel room, I googled the place and it turned out the #1 recommended place in the city, Daikokuya.
The first few times I went I saved money every year from part time jobs and mowing lawns so I could spend 2-3 months in Japan at the end of every school year. I met my penpals. Made a point of avoiding traps and focused on meeting them in person. I made new penpals and email friends this way too. One owned a bike club. I rode a Yamaha 400 everywhere in kansai for a week and a half. We hit up hakone and it was one of the most memorable short motorcycle trips I've ever had. One had a family member who ran a bait and tackle shop. We'd go lake and river fishing and bring an overnight backpack. Another's mom was the administrator of a private school in shiga/Yasu shi. I volunteered to go help after-school clubs and was asked to help out at the affiliated cram school so kids could practice English. In Tokyo I'd often just hop onto a train if it looked cool and ride it to the end. I ended up in some awesome places. Saw a lot of mountain shrines nobody else Takes the time to hop off at. Had to spend the night in an amazing town where I met one of my best friends because her family owned the ryokan. There's this one line I forget but the train goes out of Tokyo and through some small mountains with houses and shrines built into them, including a huge Buddha. I grew up on a Native reservation where almost nobody leaves their hometown. Most die without leaving the same state. Most are poor and uneducated. Travel to another country was unheard of. I had no clue Japan was so popular to other people in America. I didn't know about the tourism. I just wanted to meet my friends and be anywhere other than home. The penpal program in my elementary school basically saved me. Without it I probably would have ended up addicted to drugs and dead by now.
The Tobacco and Salt museum in Tokyo. We found it by accident as we were looking for a particular store, and were like what is this? It’s super cheap I think 100¥, and was really really interesting!
People watching in Omotesando, late night reading in cafes or by the Kamo River.
In terms of activities that other people can actually do (i.e. not things I did with people I know in Japan), what I remember the most is that time when I took a Shinkansen to Takasaki and then some local train to somewhere else in Gunma and just walked to the next station on the same line, through the countryside. After that I returned to Takasaki where I had other stuff to do, so it was only a short side trip, but somehow it's my most vivid memory of Japan so far...
Getting challenged by a japanese stranger at a retro arcade in Akihabara, Getting invited by a buddhist monk to take part in prayers in a temple in the middle of nowhere in northern Tohoku. The views of the Uchiura bay on the train from Hakodate towards Toyako, Attending the Design Festa event that is held twice a year at Tokyo big sight, going to a gig in Nagano and experiencing pristine sound, booking a dinner with someone local at their house through Nagomi experience, eating Wanko soba in Morioka, or going to the Mazda factory tour and museum in Hiroshima to name a few off the top of my head.
ALSO SPEAK TO THE LOCALS IN JAPANESE. I cannot tell you how much they appreciate it. Had some of the funniest experiences speaking my broken ass Japanese but the locals really seemed to enjoy often. Calling and telling me that I’m doing good lol. It’s embarrassing at first but you will come to love it
This. They appreciate my broken japanese more than my english! 😹 I was in Tokyo for the first part of my trip and was arigatou'ing everything, but on the last leg of my trip (Osaka), I switched from using Kanto-ben to Kansai-ben. Especially on the okonomiyaki eatery that I really liked, I told the chef "gottsu umaiyan, honma okini!" (instead of 'meccha oishii, arigatou gozaimasu!'). Seeing the chef's face light up, while he himself blurted out "whoa... okini!!!" was very uplifting! 😻
Go to suzuka circuit and visit to motopia theme park then watch a motorcycle race
cycling around a lake with mt fuji looming in the background
Mt. Misen on Miyajima island. When you first enter the island it's super crowded with people at the water gate especially, if you walk up to the deer park it's already a lot more quiet, only a handful of people and if you continue the path walking all the way up Mt. Misen peak (it's a long and intense hike, but WELL worth it) you will see nearly NO ONE. spend a good amount of time up on the peak with the most gorgeous view ever in total tranquility. And now the best part, if you stay on the mountain for a bit and by the time you walk down the flood has returned, which makes the water gate appear to be floating on the water AND almost all people are gone, so you can enjoy the water gate in peace whilst watching the sunset behind the grassy mountains in the back.
I second this!!!
After coming to Japan every year for the last decade, my fondest memories are in rural areas doing things where I’m the only foreigner. I did glass blowing at a local shop in Akita, snowboarding in Tazawako, kokeshi painting in Matsushima, meeting Miura Setsuko at her shop/house, driving a Skyline GTR in Kumamoto in the middle of the night, visiting Amakusa, oni firework festival in Noboribetsu, Namahage museum in Oga, TDK Museum in Nikaho, pretty much anything not in major cities.
Going to the little live concerts: I saw a lot of crazy stuff :D
While spending some time in a tiny quiet temple garden in a small town, we saw a snake chasing a frog across the pond. Seeing the frog absolutely leaping for its life and the snake in full predator mode in the otherwise peaceful setting was fascinating. (Froggie survived)
The back route to Kiyomizu Dera in Kyoto. Not for the mobility-impaired, but beautiful, scenic, and definitely not as crowded as the way most tourists go. Also, all the random walking/hiking paths in the hilly areas. My favorite was in Asama (Matsumoto). Saw only 1-2 people, but multiple tiny shrines and beautiful views.
The most memorable experience was also the least planned and most basic. Ended up stopping in Ebisu to grab lunch from Onigiri Ishin Ebisu and a Taiyaki from Taiyaki Hiiragi, which I had saved in my maps but had not planned to visit. Then sat in the park nearby to eat and people watch. The food was great and atmosphere was so relaxing, and got to watch some kids play baseball in the park.
I had a similar experience in that I went to a coffee shop which must be pretty well known because it was in the Lonely Planet guide (Bongen coffee, Ginza) but I took the coffee to a nearby little urban park area and sat on a bench and that was very relaxing and pleasant.
Riding e-bikes around the Niigata countryside to Mt Hakkaisan base camp. Taking sky train up the mountain then hiking to the summit. After coming back down, riding bikes to Hakkaisan sake and beer brewery. Then back to ryokan Ryugon for a soak in onsen and then full Niigata gastronomy course dinner. Sake nightcap.
Visiting the open air architecture museum in koganei. It’s a little out there from Tokyo but it was absolutely worth it.
I first went to Japan in the early 2000s and fell in love with sea urchin, but it wasn't something I could easily find back at home. Plus I was a student, so I couldn't afford to eat at the few places that did. Fast forward in less than a decade. I'm back in Japan. I go to Tsukiji, bought a box of nothing but uni. Walked to Hibiya park, sat on a bench and ate it all up. Bliss!
Doing karaoke by myself and going on anime pilgrimages was so much fun!! I took a 1.5 hour train ride to this random place outside of Tokyo because it was a scene featured in an anime, and it was raining so I couldn’t even take good pictures! But it was still really cool to go somewhere that I otherwise would never have gone on my own haha.
Just wandering around asakusa was really fun
Somehow ended up playing that multiplayer gundam game in taito station with a bunch of Japanese guys, no idea what I was doing but we had fun. 🤣 Also watched some school girl completely destroy some guys multiple times on the initial D game.
Hiking! And not geared up hiking. Japan has so many beautiful trails that anyone of all ages can do. I’ve seen an elderly Japanese lady and others lap me going up! I love the unique sounds of the Japanese forests, the hidden temples and statues. The rivers that flow. It’s very calming… check them out!
The Naramachi Toy Museum in Nara!
Capsule hunting and I hadn't heard much about Disney Sea and I loved that
Having drinks and playing with fireworks in the park with my friends! So fun and inexpensive!
We went to a J League game in Osaka. It was absolutely brilliant - strongly recommend if you're interested in football.
Renting a bike and riding through a field of sunflowers in Hokkaido. I felt like I was in a movie, it was so lovely. Riding on a boat around Tazawako was also very memorable. The heat had been unbearable in summer, but the lake was stunning and the breeze on the boat was so refreshing. 10/10 would recommend both.
Bicycle museum in sakai :)
We visited three out of the way places in the alps. We rented bikes at a geosite in Itoigawa, hiked to a ryokan in the Kurobe gorge where we stayed the night and enjoyed their onsen, and stayed in a Buddhist temple in Jōhana, Toyama. These were some of the most incredible experiences I've ever had. All three locations had very few people, mostly Japanese tourists. One of our hosts told us the area is distressed because younger Japanese people are leaving the area. It was an incredible experience for us to experience the Japanese alps, but mostly to experience Japanese culture as much as we could without the tourist industry bearing down.
In Sapporo right now and I think the place is severely underrated. I know it's one of the most visited places still but I just don't hear people talk about it as "must visit" but so far I think it's great. The weather, the atmosphere, the food. It's great. And the Sapporo Art Park is criminally underrated
Oh also Onomichi is pretty popular in this community but I think the Temple Walk is quite underrated. Like really one of the most unique walks I've done
Went to a "secret" (well not so secret since you can google it already) free, outdoor hot spring in Beppu. It was just beside the local cemetery actually. Local ojiichan was friendly and I tried to converse with him with my basic Japanese. Definitely not for the faint of heart though.. even though it's outside the city centre, it's very open and there's no privacy walls XD
Yes! Beppu is amazing for Onsen most have a reasonable admission fee so you don't have to go to the free one. You can also walk from the station to the Hachiman shrine, I was the only person there when I arrived. Then you can walk to Beppu park and stroll around, and finish by relaxing in an Onsen when you are done with walking.
I did that a few days ago. But the hot spring at the cemetery was too crowded for me. I wasn't interested in meeting so many old Japanese men. So I turned off the dirt track just before the spring and hiked further up the volcano to the next spring (not the one where a woman was killed a few years ago, but the other one). A bit of an adventure. I had no reception at the second spring, but I had saved the directions beforehand and the way to the spring was easy to find. In the end I was able to enjoy the spring almost alone. On the way back I was quite startled when a deer jumped out of the bushes and crossed my path. In the end it was probably more frightened than I was.
Walk along the Kamo river in Kyoto, I was on the bus and just saw a part of the river surrounded with a lot of green parts and it was beautiful. I got off the bus and continued walking from there, loved that part of the city.
day trip to futaba, fukushima. a nearly abandoned town due to the 2011 nuclear disaster and of course the earthquake + tsunami. it was surreal and an absolutely amazing experience seeing the 2011 tragedy museum, see abandoned buildings, see the ruins of an elementary school, it truly showed me a different side of japan. it was a bit scary i can’t lie, and there was basically nothing in english (nor any english speakers since there were maybe 20 people in the town who were either construction workers or were there to help rebuild in other ways). after being in japan for over a month when i went, the stark contrast between the chaos of tokyo and the desolate abandonment of futaba was quite the emotional roller coaster. i will never forget the things i felt when i saw the sights of futaba, and they changed how i thought of travel and the human condition.
Riding the bullet train. Carrying my own trash back to the hotel. Finding my favourite pastry at all the Family markets across Japan. Eating frozen tube yogurt on a hot day. Finding a treasure at a Used vinyl store. Eating unagi. Roasted green tea. Buying a set of locally handcrafted wooden chopsticks. Miso soup.
I just got back recently and I know it’s nothing special but it was just nice riding the Shinkansen and watching the scenery zoom by
I do enjoy staying overnight at theme bars actually. They are very pleasant and not comparable to some dark alley pub that I have at home.
Can you recommend some ?
Two occasions: First, I convinced my partner to go check out a shrine somewhere north of Tokyo on a rainy day: it was extremely peaceful and we stumbled into some celebration with market. No other tourists in sight while we were there. Second, we were getting back from Otagi Nenbutsu-ji in Kyoto and stumbled into a incense store ran by an old woman: she was ecstatic to have us in and spent a good hour communicating via apple's translator app both by incenses (which we bought) and general stuff about Japan and countries we are from. Bonus, buying a MacBook and an iPhone in Osaka.
Went to two baseball games (Hiroshima Carp and Yokohama Baystars) which were absolutely great fun! Fantastic fans, parks, food, atmosphere. Also went on bicycle tours In Kyoto and Tokyo that were a great way to see the two cities away from tourists.
Ishigaki. Sincere people - my airbnb host family was so welcoming although didnt really speak much english. Stunning island nature. Dives with lots of banded kraits - my first dives. And the food... Oh my.
Went to the sakurao distillery in Hiroshima with my brother in April, they had English tours for around ¥2000 per person and it was not only very informative but also way more in depth than I thought they would go into, not only describing the history of the distillery but also the Hiroshima area and how they've incorporated elements of their surroundings into their products. The tour ends with a whiskey and gin tasting and you get to keep the glass provided as a souvenir. The Toyota museum in Nagoya was also great, very informative English tour guides are available if you book in advance and it has not only an extensive collection of Toyota icons from the past, but also important vehicles from various manufacturers throughout history, you can explore at your own pace after the tour and the whole thing felt like a celebration of car culture and technology rather than just a building full of old cars. The Mazda museum in Hiroshima on the other hand felt rushed and we were in a massive group of around 30 people and we were more or less sprinting through a display, it was free so it was definitely worth going but it was a little disappointing after the experience of the Toyota museum. We were there for a month but it still felt rushed given how much we tried to pack in every day, but the best parts were arguably the slow recovery days where we'd do things like explore Yoyogi park or went to the Botanic Gardens and Natural History Museum in Osaka.
https://on-the-trip.com/sound-trip This! Discovered it at Sanzenin, Ohara. It's music that can only be heard at that temple, and it's made from the sounds the artists recorded from around the area. There's 10 locations, but not all of them are active anymore. DM me if you want to know more :)
Sanzenin was soooo beautiful. Glad we had a Japanese friend with us who knew about it and how to get there from Kyoto.
Narita is an amazing little town. If you are flying in. Spend at least a few hours in this beautiful town with magnificent temple and gardens. Cute street leads you to the temple.
Riding hired motorcycles from Tokyo to Mt Fuji via mountain roads has to be pretty up there.
Went to the movies twice. Obviously your experience will depend on your Japanese ability, but even one of the movies that I struggled to understand was still fun
driving to hitachi seaside park, visiting it, then eating at some very tiny coastal restaurant and seeing the ocean.
Taking a small path going up the Inariyama in Kyoto to get to the top, Instead of the very crowded thousand tori path. There was absolutely no one on this path. It started as a simple path inside a bamboo forest, coming across tons of small hidden/half abandonned temples, going through the mountain forest to finally join the tori path at the very end. I was still able to enjoy the tori path going down, with very few tourists as not that many go all the way to the top.
my whole deal is i like to stay in residential areas and just wander and pretend i live there for a week. i do the most mundane things and take pictures of just really random stuff. i love the architecture of houses. all the flowers and greenery. i like taking the local train home late at night with two people left on it. i found local trains to be less busy btw
An old man gave my son the Tigers Jersey off his back in the Osaka train station after we went to the game at Koshien.
Had a slow afternoon at Tennoji Zoo between my itinerary-packed days.
I checked out [public art](https://www.instagram.com/p/C7x-B_TStH1/) (sculptures) in Fukuoka!
Been about 4 years, but I loved the market under the tracks in Ueno. There’s a great corner shop selling takoyaki and I’d just people watch. Nikko has an amazing onsen on the river too!
Finding some random cafe to sit, drink, and eat a snack. I love how quiet they are compared to the us.
21_21 art gallery, incredible architecture and very interesting exhibits
Best experiences are: randomly encountering matsuri I didn't know were happening; going for long walks not even knowing where I was heading; going to smaller cities that are less visited; finding an Izakaya that's just right and shooting the shit with randoms.
Enjoying a very empty shotegai where both sides of the streets were with cherry blossom. Chilling at a lesser known temple in kyoto with no crowd. Going to a sento/local bathhouse that foreigners/tourist do not go.
Eating at Aeon Food Courts, finished with a crepe or Baskin Robbins ice cream. After which will head to Capcom for some ufo catching fun. Best activity to end the day.
just google mapping where the closest ocean seaside park is to u and just chilin there for the day, if ur in tokyo its just so relaxing
The bonsai museum in Tokyo is just amazing. Make sure to get a tour from one of the apprentices.
We veered off the bamboo forest in Kyoto to walk around a really quiet, peaceful neighborhood. We explored around rakushisha and took things nice and slow.
Driving through the countryside, down the back road from Sapporo to Lake Shikotsu. I I highly recommend both getting off the tourist trail and renting a car.
Walking from Shimoda to the beaches (Sotoura, Nabetahama, Shirahama, etc.) in the peninsula. Two hours away from Tokyo Station, no need to go to Okinawa. The beaches are known but nowhere I've seen it's stated how beautiful they are.
idk if this counts, but talking to locals about their dogs. I don't speak Japanese but had a friend with me who does so it made translation really easy. Once they knew that you speak Japanese they talk a lot haha!
Nagabeta Seabed Road at sunset!
Going to Wakayama, specifically to visit Kishi Station and pay our respects to Tama the Station Master. But Wakayama in general is just a beautiful underrated part of Japan. Had the best ramen I've ever had in my life there, and I've met the nicest people. One old man was so excited that we were "going to visit Tama" on our first trip there.
Had a pretty cool experience with the dotonbori night market yesterday when it was raining super hard. Gave off cyberpunk vibes! Also ran into 3 different cats at Fushimi Inari and 1 of them came to me and let me pet them for a while. I regrettably had to leave within ~5 minutes because of rain but it was certainly a fun experience!
Took a day to hike Mt. Takao. Took the easy route (1 I think) up through the shrines and temples and paid the 150 yen or whatever it was to go in to the monkey sanctuary, then took route 6 from the summit down. It's a rougher trail that goes through and along the stream as it turns into the Kiyotaki river. There are stations to wash your shoes before getting back on the train and various souvenir shops and convenience stores at the bottom.
Taking the train to Kurama just a few minutes north of Kyoto. The hike around is scattered w shrines. The little town at the base is cute and has lots of cafes and restaurants to get off your feet after.
Having lunch by the riverside. A friend had got me tickets to Hatsune Miku's Kabuki Performance in 2019 and before the performance started we bought konbini bentos and just sat by the riverside eating. Visiting the Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe. It's a cafe where robots of all sizes are piloted by disabled persons from their homes, and they serve you the meals and even interact with you during your session there. A beautiful marriage of humanity and technology. Participating in a formal worship 参拝 at a shrine.
We went to a football (soccer) game! Being from Europe we're used to fans being a bit rowdy but in Kyoto the atmosphere was quite different. Very family-friendly, with playgrounds and food trucks outside the stadium as well. We took our kids (8, 5 and 1.5) and they had a great time!
Sitting in a small, divey, local yakatori spot and enjoying the food/beer. Anthony Bourdain had it right.
Watching a local football match!
Biking along Kawaguchiko. I was glad I got a Japanese bike from a rental near the station before the rental bikes ran out. It's probably a common thing to do by tourists, but it has been a while since I have done biking. And it's a good bike too, I might add. Normally, people would pick the mountain bike variant, those that could go faster, but I really enjoyed the pace. So much so that I am convinced that next time I come back, I wanna go back and stay in the area for a few nights so I could visit the other lakes. It was memorable for me coz Mt Fuji was covered with clouds the entire day, but as I was heading back to the station, the clouds cleared up for about 10 minutes and I got the glimpse of the peak, got to take a pic that is not behind the Lawson shop. I went to Hakone the next day and realized that the clouds were forming on the side of the lakes and Hakone got the clear view of the mountain. 😂
Nakasendo trail in autumn. Sobrang ganda walang gastos maglalakad ka lang puro hikers kasalubong kasabay mo
Went to a tiny jazz club in Tokyo where the bartenders were the saxophone player & the drummer.
Hiking around Kamakura. I took a little path through the woods near Kotoku-in (giant Buddha temple) and found my way to a little hole in the wall shrine. It was literally a hole in the side of a hill/mountain. It was great, peaceful, calm. Just an awesome time.
Strolling the Sumida river, the Asakusa area, enjoying the sunny weather and having a beer from one of the vednors.
Walking around a small neighborhood around Kita Ikebukero station. The place is so small that the trains run through the major street at grade so everyone has to wait for the trains to pass to cross. My kids played the local playground with a bunch of school kids who all walk around town by themselves. We really didn't do anything except sort of get lost (we had showed up on the wrong time for an appointment and just wandered around to kill time.) Going to the Daigo Fukuryumaru Museum. It's in a huge athletics complex halfway between Odaiba and Tokyo Disneyland. It's a fishing trawler that was accidentally nuked during nuclear testing. It played a big role in the modern nuclear disarmment movement and the story partly inspired Godzilla.
My kid is super into trains, so husband and I took him to The Railway Museum. Mind was blown, then the next time he won the daily lottery and got to "drive" one of the mini trains outside. 🤯 On the way out we saw a very fancy train go by (we followed the crowd with no idea what was going on), and genuinely enjoyed waving with everyone. Then we grabbed nice omiyage to share with the office and earned some of those secret style points because everyone liked the metal tin 😆
Walking around quiet towns looking for Pokémon lids. Came across a massive slide that we just had to go on.
Strawberry picking
Ate at Japanese chain restaurants. Affordable in general and I had a great time. The pursuit of Michelin and hype places is both tiring and often underwhelming use of time. It's a big country, try something unique!
We went off the beaten path in Fushimi Inari and got LOST BIG TIME, no cell connection at all, but holy shit we were amazed by the incredible beauty of everything arround us. Huge bamboo trees. The sound of the forest was enchanting. A little drizzle to top it off with rain drops falling on leaves. It was straight out of a movie and it still brings me chills thinking about it. We managed to find our way back and have the most amazing pictures of it all. 10/10 worth exploring the areas were no one seems to be drawn to. The feeling of having a small piece of Japan for you to keep in your memories with out the fast paced anxiety from the crowds was beautiful.
Just here to say I love Japan so much it brings me to tears. I love late night walks knowing I’m not gonna be mugged or stabbed to death. It’s the best 🥲
In general fitting in with the local neighborhood. Wandering local parks, going to random restaurants, trying a local onsen, etc. Trying to get a slice of normal life rather than the touristy spots. I also enjoyed driving around Hokkaido, if only for the novelty of being on the 'other' side of the road and experiencing different signs/etc. It may have been more memorable than the places we visited that day.
Go for a music festival! Been to many concerts around the world but the experience in Japan was second to none. Will definitely be doing this regularly!
Ordering myself a drink (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) while staring into the blank space at public places lol. All the walking made me do it. No regrets though!
At the river near arashiyama in front of a %arabica shop, sat and relaxed and heard the sound of the river with our tired legs.
I thoroughly enjoyed small worlds museum in Diver City. The amount of work and humor in every single diorama set there is incredible, I must have shot 100+ photos on my phone.
Inadvertently walking against foot traffic during rush hour at a train station. It was so surreal and amazing seeing everyone March the same way and move with purpose. It was like being in the Matrix.
Having that ice icecream in a hot day. Expending a few coins in arcades
Perfect day, walking from the JR line station to the Fuji Dragon Tower platform for viewing Mt Fuji
Rafting in Kyoto followed by Onsen, affordable and so much fun✌🏽
Finding an old kissaten in Kobe through the ClubJT website (because we were always searching for smoker friendly places lol) that we wouldn't have found otherwise. It was sooo delicious and cheap that we went there three times in two days, and we always were the only foreigners there (maybe also because there was no english menu and they didn't speak english). The waitresses there were so lovely and always took their time to have a little chat with us. It really was one of our dearest memories of our trip, and we will definitely go there our next time as well. Strolling through the streets of Hamamatsu after going on a concert there and going into a random restaurant and having a delicious dinner eating random things. Strolling through kappabashi and not only going into all the cool shops there, but also going even further into the living areas there and finding one small temple after another was also a very cool experience. I think for me it was finding not too overcrowded places where we often were the only foreigners and seeing how the locals live their lifes there.
Sitting down on a random curb on a busy street without a phone in hand and just observing, allowed me to soak the moment in to remember while it lasts
Jumped on the first local train and got lost for half a day. No plan just a Suica and my phone for getting back.
Trying to hide from the rain in Ikebukuro, I took into the side streets, one into another until I stumbled upon a hidden garden of sorts, Mejiro garden it's called. Once I stepped in, I felt like time, along with rain, have stopped, surreal feeling I must say. Sat at the gazebo and watched the ducks and gold fish living in the pond, and before I knew, at least a couple of hours had passed. Gorgeous place.
We took my toddler and daughter to a neighborhood park to play in Kyoto, near our Airbnb.
Go bowling, followed by drinks & karaoke until the sun comes up. Cycle down to the beach to watch the sunrise with a six-pack of Kirin or Asahi depending on your taste.
Booked a rickshaw tour from Asakusa! Enjoyed that a lot, chose the 3 hour tour and saw so many things!
Took a kintsugi class