To the best of my memory, GoogleMap search history and journal entries.
TOKYO
DAY 1
- Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku — Excited but drained from a 16 hr flight, G and I immediately collapsed on the small bed of our hotel room after check-in. It was already past 6PM and dark outside. We hydrated ourselves using the hotel vending machines and managed to step outside for dinner.
- Fūunji (Ramen restaurant)— Our ramen experience peaked on our first night in Tokyo. Only a short walk away from where we were staying, this place was absolutely worth the hype. The restaurant was efficient — on brand with the rest of the country — and the line moved quickly. I ended up ordering extra toppings at the kiosk thinking the ramen order doesn’t already come with them. The result was the bowl below with doubled toppings.
DAY 2
- Sensō-ji, Hozomon Gate, Hoppy Street — Finally having slept in an actual bed, not airplane seats, we were feeling refreshed and ready to start our day. We took the train from Shinjuku to Asakusa, and explored the neighborhood. Maybe because we went early in the morning (around 8–9AM), many of the shops between the gate and the temple weren’t open. That was fine because we knew we would get a lot of chances to shop and weren’t in a rush. We grabbed breakfast around here as well.
- Edo-Tokyo Museum — A quick train ride from Asakusa led us to this museum. I quickly ditched the audio guide, but still learned so much about the Great fire of Meireki, the trades and the history of the city. We spent about two hours here until noon-ish.
- Shopping— After the museum, we had lunch and spent the rest of the day shopping in either Akihabara, Shibuya or Shinjuku. I don’t remember the names of the places we went to but, let me tell you, we were surrounded by so much color and stimulation; saw so many things from gaming men to anime books. I was busy touching every product on every floor of every store we went to but didn’t buy anything aside from some Pokemon facemasks to take home as gifts for friends and family.
- Golden Gai — This may be out of order but, at some point of the night, we checked out this alley way full of tiny little bars. G and I aren’t big drinkers, especially when it’s just us, so we didn’t stop by any of them. However, I can definitely see groups of friends, solo travelers or other couples enjoying this place to grab drinks and socialize.
- Hanbey Izakaya Shinjuku — Loved the vintage vibe and decor of this izakaya. We had dinner here and I highly recommend it for anyone as long as they are okay with people smoking indoor.
- Karaoke — We stumbled upon a 24 hr karaoke place (there are plenty of them) after dinner. G and I grabbed a small room, and spent about two hours destroying each other’s eardrums. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me.
- Omoide Yokocho — We walked through this charming little street on our way back to the hotel and took some photos.
DAY 3
- Kyudo (Japanese Archery) — G had booked a Kyudo class for us through Airbnb in advance. We met up at a train station with the instructor and other classmates. The pace of the class was too slow for me but my favorite parts were meeting other travelers, wearing the Kyudo uniform and watching G enjoy every second of it. This lasted for about 3 hrs.
- Shopping — We originally had planned to check out the Imperial Palace after kyudo but it was closed that day. Instead, we did some more window shopping in either Shibuya or Shinjuku. I took a lot of time pondering if I should buy the things that I was picking out. (I didn’t. Typical of me.) G was extremely tired by the end of it.
- Shibuya Crossing — We crossed the street and that’s about it here. I think G and I were bickering at this point because we were both exhausted and HANGRY.
- Genki Sushi (Conveyer Belt Sushi Restaurant) — This place fixed any issue we were having. We ordered so much and paid so little. I recommend having lunch or dinner here.
- Thrifting — One of the highlights of my trip; I bought two coats and three tops for ¥3000 at a thrift store nearby. I can’t remember the name of this place but will update this when I do.
- Karaoke — Across the street from the thrift store was a 24hr karaoke place. G and I belted out to Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and called it a night afterwards.
DAY 4
- Packing and Shipping — I packed up my suitcase with all the stuff I had accumulated and wouldn’t be needing for the second leg of the trip. With the help of the hotel receptionist, I was able to ship out my suitcase to Narita airport for pick-up on the date of my departure. This left me with just my backpack and a duffle bag.
- Commuting — Half of this day was spent commuting to Fujikawaguchiko. G and I bickered some more as we rushed to catch our train. Thanks to me, we made it just in time. The train ride was about 2–3 hr in total I think.
At this point, we were looking forward to unwinding in nature.
FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO
DAY 4 (continues)
- Oike Hotel — We checked in around 3PM. This was the most expensive place we stayed at during our time in Japan. Our room was a traditional style room (we slept on the floor) and had the view of Mt.Fuji. In hindsight, I wouldn’t recommend splurging for the view unless you plan to stay in because if you’ll only be in the room at night or in the morning, you wouldn’t see Mt.Fuji anyway due to the fog.
- Biking Around Lake Kawakuji — Already feeling relaxed, G and I rented bicycles and rode around the lake with Mt.Fuji and the sunset as the backdrop. It was romantic and a big highlight of the trip for me.
- たんぽぽ (Izakaya dinner) — There weren’t many dinner options close by so we took a walk to the closest, most viable restaurant that popped up on our search. Another highlight of my trip. The owner of the restaurant, an old Japanese grandma, warmly welcomed us, hugged me (not G) and served us food of her choice after asking us how hungry we were and the kind of things we liked. She didn’t speak much English so she used a little electronic translator to communicate with us. We were stuffed by the end of it all and grateful for her hospitality. You have to go to this place for dinner.
- Oil Massage — G had been wanting to get a massage for days now and it was finally time to get one since the hotel offered it. We scheduled it for 9:30PM and it was a great way to end the night. The price was comparable to New York I think.
DAY 5
- Outdoor Onsens— The hotel had both indoor and outdoor onsens separated by gender. G and I both enjoyed the outdoor onsens where we both got some alone time to contemplate in silence surrounded by a mysterious morning fog. Another highlight of the trip.
- Commuting to Kyoto — 1 hr of bus ride, ~2 hr on the bullet train and a 30 minute DiDi ride from the train station to the hotel. We had McDonalds on-the-go for lunch.
KYOTO
GoogleMap of places we visited in Kyoto: https://goo.gl/maps/s3QpFF2FGWusfF1Y7
DAY 5 (continues)
- Cross Road Hotel — We checked in at our hotel around 3:30PM after spending the day commuting from Mt Fuji area to Kyoto. I recommend staying here: good location, decent price, modern room, best pajamas. Skip the hotel breakfast if you don’t want to spend $33 per person for it. Splurge if you want to save time and decision making.
- Shinkyogoku Shopping Street Union + Nishi Market — We took a stroll down these shopping streets after we checked in at the hotel. I bought a used kimono for $10, G bought a set of chopsticks for $100+. We snacked on street food but didn’t go all out because we had dinner plans. If your belly can handle it, try oysters at Nishi Market.
- Wajouryoumen Sugari Ramen Restaurant — A quick walk away from the Nishi market, we had dinner at this “hipster” ramen place where we acquainted with a couple of university kids. The ramen itself was average according to my tastebuds but the set up was cozy and worth checking out. We arrived at the opening time (6PM) and there was already a short line outside, even with the rain.
- Pontocho Alley — We ended the night by talking a short stroll down this little alley where I forced G to take many photos of me. The walk on the way back to the hotel from here was quite romantic because it was raining lightly and the pavements were glistening under the street lamps.
DAY 6
- Fushimi Inari Shrine — After having a 7AM breakfast at the hotel, we took a DiDi ride to the shrine. Taking DiDi was a great decision because we wanted to save energy and be time-efficient for a long day ahead. When we arrived, we hiked to the peak of the mountain and back at a slow-regular pace which took about two hours and was worthwhile. The early morning fog made the atmosphere even more enchanting. This place is a must-visit in Kyoto.
- Nijō Castle — From the Inari Shrine base, we took a 20 min DiDi ride to the castle. Wanting to learn more about the history, we used English audio guides to tour the castle ground. I recommend visiting this place but, if you don’t have the time, you’re okay skipping too. We spent about an hour and a half here until lunch time.
- Gion-Nanba Kaiseki Restaurant — Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese multi-course meal that is served for either lunch or dinner. Kaiseki dinners on average are $100+ per person so I suggested we did lunch instead which was roughly $50 per person. After doing some research online, I picked Gion-Nanba because a) the second half of our day would be spent near the Gion District where the restaurant was conveniently located, and b) it had good ratings. I had made a 1pm reservation in advance earlier that day by emailing the restaurant directly. Make sure to check their schedule because most restaurants close between 2–6PM. We took a DiDi ride (our last ride for the day, promise) from the castle but still struggled locating the restaurant because you can only get in through a tiny little alleyway and there’s no English sign outside. G and I did not like a lot of the dishes that were served. Although we wouldn’t recommend this restaurant, we would recommend the experience of Kaiseki. We don’t regret coming here because our legs did need some rest and we didn’t want to make a decision on what to order.
- Hanamikoji Street, Sanneizaka, Starbucks Coffee Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya— I know, it may seem like a lot of places but they are all connected and we just strolled through all of these without really having to check the Maps. Along the way, we spotted many people dressed up in traditional costumes (you can rent them for the day) and taking photos although we didn’t take part in it. This is the historical district of Kyoto and a must-visit.
- Kiyomizu-dera Temple — By the time we arrived at the temple, it was right around sunset. From the top, we took in the views of the city, the majestic temples and autumn colors. This place is another must-visit when you’re in Kyoto, and one that should be done around sunset in my opinion.
- Tendon Makino Kyoto Teramachi — After a long eventful day of exploring Kyoto, we first went back to our hotel to drop off souvenirs we had purchased (matcha KitKats, v-toe socks, etc.) and then walked to this tempura donburi restaurant. G and I both love tempura, and this place overdosed us with it. We will mark this as a once-in-a-life-time kind of experience for the sake of our own health.
KYOTO-TOKYO(HARAJUKU)-NARITA
DAY 7
- Station Lockers — We left Kyoto around 11AM and took a 2 hr express train ride to Shibuya. Once we reached Shibuya, we stored our backpacks in the station lockers and took a quick train ride to Harajuku. We then spent the entire afternoon in Harajuku until 6PM.
- Photo booth, Shopping (for me), Massage (for G), Dinner — Harajuku is trendy scene, and I really loved exploring all the little boutiques. G patiently waited for me outside of every shop I went into but, at some point, I dropped him off at a massage place and continued to window shop alone. We only spent one hour apart but I quickly missed him and realized the trip was that much greater with him around. I was also done with window shopping at this point.
- Hotel at Narita Airport— Around 6pm, we took the train back to Shibuya, grabbed our stuff and headed for Narita. I don’t recall the name of the hotel but it was a good call to have spent the night here since we both had morning flights the next day. Our JR Rail Pass also expired that night so it was perfect timing.
This wraps up our week in Japan. I’m extremely impressed by what I experienced, and I think I’ll be back again for the cherry blossom, the snow, the food and the people one day. I couldn’t share all the photos and videos we took across four different devices, but you’ll see them for yourself and much more during your visit.
Enjoy!
