What to do in Japan for 2 weeks?

[Raymond Lin]

Let's finish this off.

Day 10

Tsukiji Market







I just went snacks crazy here, for breakfast.

First up some tuna sushi.



Then 500 yen for 5 sticks of different kind of chicken, some are nicer than others











Then mochi with a strawberry, a bit expensive, 300 yen for this but it was nice.





Japanese Omelett, it was okay, This was meant to be famously delicious but at this point I wasn't hungry anymore.





Then I saw some Unagi.







Time to head back to the hotel and drop off some grapes that I bought. At 2000 yen…..they do taste different but boy are they expensive!









Mt Fuji from the hotel



Then I made my way to Meiji Shrine





Lucky to see someone getting married.



These are little boards that you can buy, you write something on it and the priest will bless it, you can also write a wish on it.



Reading these actually made me very grateful to be there and there are some funny ones.



Some kind of fruit and veg thing for the gods going on, there were a few of these.









Then made my way to Harajuku but first lunch, soba noodles with Tampura.







Novelty drinks in a light bulb.



The only graffiti that i saw



This is the famous street, but it is not as hip as it was 10 years ago, it's just a tourist trap these days.





I bought a crepe, every flavour has a model sample.





After that I head to Roppongi to Mori Tower. IMO the best view of the city is here, you can pretty much don't need to bother with other places, if you had to pick one, this building is it.













I also went to an art exhibition inside, most of it is interactive.







Then I went to the roof









I wifi the 2 photos above to the couple on the spot, through broken english and lots of smiling and nodding.

Night set so 1 more place to see but first more ramen, tsukemen.

















Phew, that was a long day !!!

 

[Raymond Lin]

Day 11.



Lost in translation





Went to Ginza, this is like the rich shopping district, like 5th Avenue in NYC.





roof of Ginza 6, they even have a shrine up here





Then the most expensive Starbucks I've ever had









Lunch!





Real life Mario Kart, although it is no longer Mario Kart coz Nintendo made them to remove the outfits !



Then I went to get cake. This wasn't was also pricy.













Quick stop back here to get some gifts before heading to Tokyo Tower, got ice cream in a bread, the bread is hot







The "golden poop" is under renovation.



It's hard to judge the scale of how tall Tokyo Tower is because it is on the outskirt of the city.









For referece, that building in the middle of the frame is 30 stories tall.







More ramen, ticket from machine, much better than the last one!





It was raining so I wanted umbrella shots, back to Shibuya













It is normal to show a lot of legs in Japan but no one (locals anyway) shows cleavage or even shoulders.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Day 12.

Bacon inside bread, 2 ways







Went back to Akihabara







Then dinner somewhere random that I forgot !























Then Shinjuku for Robot Restaurant.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Day 13.



I purposely looked for Udon, another version of noodles I've not had in Japan until now, comes with chicken egg on rice on the side







Went to see some royal garden but it was closed so went to Ikebukuro







Hands down the best bowl of ramen ever, after all the food in the past 2 weeks, this was the best.





The Pokemon Centre was here, went to see it, just because.



Last visit to Shibuya





Saw a Delorean





On the way to Tokyo Tower I got off on the wrong stop, saw a poster for an exhibition for an anime director that i like so I went !











Then decided to walk to Tokyo Tower.



came across Shakeshack.

















Day 14.

Sunrise, flight was at 11:30am so got up early, took the limousine bus notice the structures have metal joints, for earthquakes.









Phew !!!

 

[Raymond Lin]

That is looking really amazing. Makes me very tempted to try put away money for a long journey like that. How much did you spend on it in total? Just so I know what to aim for

I spent £5k, almost to the penny, it would be 20% cheaper had I gone with someone and share the accommodation cost but you can’t get away from the travel and food and entry fees. £2k of that was for hotels. £1k for flight, £250 for trains and subways and £200 for airport parking and petrol in the UK. £1600 spending money.

 

[Raymond Lin]

very nice photos ray (don't think mine are half as good)
it seems you got very lucky with the weather as well. we got caught in 2 typhoons (1 in tokyo and 1 in kyoto) i wont complain about the rain in the uk anymore.

all the pictures of the food make me realise how much i miss it now

The weeks and months prior was raining non stop, I checked the weather, but it really did stop just in time for me. I bought an umbrella but only used it once. Then broke it accidentally which was a blessing coz I didn’t want to bring it back anyway.

I have been making all the food at home since I got back, from Ramen, Takoyaki, will make okonomyaki and Taiyaki next.

 

[Raymond Lin]

yeah we flew out on the 23.10.17 went for 2 weeks. apart from the 2 typhoons the weather was outstanding and fairly warm compared to the UK.

i've been meaning to pop into the japan centre supermarket in london at some point as i've run out of most of it. however i dont think my cooking is up to par compared to what we had in Japan just yet.
also really miss the grape fanta / soda

I knew the area is typhoon central late summer so I really aimed for the fall colours, I had a wedding to shoot at the time for middle/late of October so my schedule couldn’t have worked anyway for those days, which was a blessing in the end. The weather was fine, I was in 2 thin layers most days with the exception of Hakone where it was 2c. The rest of the time it wasn’t that bad, I would call it mild to breezy.


Food wise, I have been able to make really good ramen, SousChef.co.uk is a great site for getting ingredients, their tonkutsu broth is really nice, get some ramen and then make the meat at home. I use recipe from Jun’s Kitchen YouTube Channel for his ramen for the pork, I sear and then sous vide it for 12 hours. It’s lovely.


I didn’t buy any grape soda there, I know they taste different but the thing I want is Calpis ! Love the name, the white drink. I can only seem to find the concentrated version here, not the 500ml bottles.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Has anyone ever transfered from international to domestic at Haneda?

I understand the procedure is to go through immigration, collect luggage, get on bus to domestic, check in and drop off luggage.

I've booked a separate onward flight that gives three hours for the transfer but am now worrying a little. Have I given myself enough time?

I did the same in Narita, had the same amount of time and I made it with collecting a rail pass and SIM card in between.

 

[Raymond Lin]

How much time did it take you once you got through immigration?

After booking the tickets I remembered it took over an hour to get through immigration last time, it was managed surprisingly inefficiently.

I recall I spent most of the time waiting in line because everyone had to had their fingerprint recorded and then passport check and then luggage check where they asked me if I have X, Y, Z items in my luggage, he even brought out a ring binder with photos pointing it out and when I said I didn’t he then asked to see the content so that took the longest. It was efficient in terms of everyone knew what they were doing but it felt really procedural and it was longer than the same thing that I did in Chicago a year ago.

After that it was fine, and internal flight has a 30min before boarding limit, not 1 hr so that gave me more time.

One thing is they are STRICT with on board carry on weigh, they had scales at the door at the gate. I had to stuff my pockets with my spare l lenses and i just made the cut.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Interesting, never had any weight issues, or even scrutiny when flying internally from Osaka or Sapporo (Shin Chitose) ... in fact the only issue I had (in Osaka) was going through the usual hand luggage x-ray jobby at security as you do for any flight I had a bit of a communication breakdown with the chap feeding in the bags but that just turned out to be he wanted to lie down my bag differently than it was ... Shin Chitose was chaos but that was for other reasons.

Arriving into Japan from the UK I've had my main suitcase searched once by Customs and was pulled aside once by Immigration (their finger print reader ... well wouldn't) ... both times from getting off the plane to being through and buying Limobus tickets was <45mins.

In my carryon, through BA long haul I had my laptop, charger, a DSLR body, 3 lenses, headphones and my Nintendo Switch. It's not a problem on BA as they don't check and it is also a 23kg limit.

On Jetstar it was a 7kg limit, i thought I got away with it because they didn't weight it at baggage check but when I got to the gate there was scales at the door. So I word the headphones, put a lens in each pocket and camera over my shoulder. It was silly really when I could just stuff my pockets because at that point I would have stuffed my Nintendo Switch between my butt cheeks rather than check in a laptop in the haul with just a back pack for protection.

Lucky the bag was like 6.8kg with my pockets full of gear !

 

[Raymond Lin]

We won't be taking internal flights but we will be taking the train.
What are the overhead luggage rails like for size?
On a shinkansen people have said there isn't a large amount of room for luggage at the end of the carriage so items may have to be stored overhead.
Will the overhead take a full sized case, medium case and very large case?
Or would we be best to courier the luggage on ahead?

At the end of some carts there are space for 2 suitcases but they are almost always already taken unless the train is empty.

The overhead can take a medium size case, so don't put too much in your suitcase because you will have to lift it above your head, how good are you at weight lifting? lol I almost hurt myself once doing it, so the next time I took out things like my laptop to remove the couple of KG to help.

Remember that the Japanese are VERY courteous, they don't even put their handbags on the seat next to them in an empty train so blocking an entire seat with your luggage is a big no no.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Okay great guys likely we'll take backpack for the trip out of city and locker it up in between times.
Suggestions for lockers to use if out of the city for 8 days?
Staying in different hotels before and after, so can't leave them in a hotel i don't think.

Lockers in stations are charged daily rate, 700yen for the largest size, 500yen for the smaller ones. Be warn that some of them have a closing time like 10pm so you can't retrieve it until the morning if you use one of those. I've used many lockers at stations when i arrive at a new city so i can explore the place before heading back to grab the luggage before moving on or check in.

 

[Raymond Lin]

These can be booked several times at a time? charge it up for 8 days and then return and it'll be fine?

I am not sure, some of them are old school, like a locker, some have a central monitor UI where you put in money there at a console. Those might be able to.

There are however other places, like a shop front at stations where they are for luggage storage.

Some stations can even send it to your next hotel for a fee, about £20 per piece.

 

[Raymond Lin]

-edit
Thanks raymond
Found it myself, most are 3 days, but larger stations have long term luggage storage, we'll probably do it that way.

What station do you usually depart from if going to Kyoto from Tokyo on Shinkansen?

Tokyo Station is the main one, but I did it the other way as I took a flight down. Which it arrives at Tokyo Station, but since my hotel is the stop before that, i got off there. Technically I never actually been to Tokyo Station.

But it goes from Tokyo to Shimbashi and etc, just use google maps which is your best bet, it even tell you the platform to use.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I know you stated your initial sim was lost and you went to Kodak for a replacement but
Did you get one of the mobile wifi thingys as well, or just work from a sim for your phone?

Kinda, the one I ordered in the UK and picked up in Narita airport I lost the instructions so I bought a replacement from BIC Camera when I got to Fukuoka. But later on I found the instructions I realised it didn't work anyway !

So buying a sim card from BIC camera is the way to go, 5000 yen for 5G or 30days.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Great Bic rather than Kodak, got it, thx.

Thing to note, IOS 11 won’t allow you to change the VPN, or I’m too stupid to find it! So the iPhone didn’t work at all, lucky I brought a spare android phone with me.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Since this seems to be the unofficial Japan thread...

I've found some terrific flights for Japan in June (£510 return), flying into Osaka and out of Tokyo. I can only afford (both financially and time!) two weeks so going to have to skip the bottom part of the country. Thinking a week in Osaka/Kobe and Kyoto and then a week in Tokyo. Think this is appropriate? Or, should I really try and get down to Hiroshima/Nagasaki? It seems a long way to go and not go, but I don't really want to be rushed. I like eating (street food is great), architecture, history, parks, water, beer, cocktails, bars, nightlife. That sort of thing!

Edit: I can actually fly into Fukuoka and out of Tokyo for £505.. Obviously, I'll need to get a JR Pass but this may be the better option... Certainly busier, but would see much more of the country!

Hello !!!

You are basically doing what I did, my advice is that if you really want to do what I did, i.e. going from Fukuoka and out of Tokyo and planning to spend a week in Tokyo then your 1st week will be rushed, it can’t be helped. I wanted to see as much as possible and eat as much local foods as possible so by the time I got to Tokyo at the end of week 1, Tokyo was actually my 9th city I visited, 9 cities in 7 days.

Fukuoka
Hiroshima - Miyajima
Hiroshima
Kobe
Osaka
Nara
Kyoto (3 nights)
Hakone
Tokyo

Places like Miyajima, Kobe & Nara were half day trips. There will be a lot of early mornings, I did not sleep beyond 8am the entire first week, some days I was up before 6am.

Do I think Fukuoka, Hiroshima and Miyajima is worth seeing? I think Miyajima is worth a trip, Hiroshima if you are interested in WW2. I went to Fukuokaa solely for the authentic ramen, on the way up I stopped by Kobe for beef.

In terms of JR Pass, if you are using the Shinkasen more than 3 times, it’s worth getting it. Part of the reason I squeeze the first week in like that is because I only bought a 7 day JR Pass so I had to be in Tokyo by the 7th day. I didn’t want to spend another £120 to get a 2 week pass if I were in Tokyo on the 8th day, it seem like a waste even though I know I could use it on the Yamotone line (like the Circle line in London). £120 would more than double the cover for a week’s underground and trains within Tokyo.

In terms of food, if you want to eat, stay longer in Osaka, it is the kitchen of Japan. There are many things that is famous there and arguably the best there but the other side of the coin is that there isn’t any food you can’t find in Tokyo.

If you do not want to be rush then I would just spend your first week so that 3 nights in Osaka (do a day trip from Osaka to Kobe), 4 nights in Kyoto, then train to Tokyo on your 7th day. Kyoto is a city you can spend as long as you want in, the pace of it is much slower than Tokyo and you can take your time looking at all the history and world heritage sites.

You can do a day trip between Osaka to Kyoto with a half day in Nara like I did. Get up early in Osaka, leave early and arrive before midday to Nara and walk from the main train station (it is 1 main high street, dead straight) towards Nara Park and you will pass all the temples on the tourist guide books. You will get to see the deer, a few temples (the largest wooden structure in the world) in about 4-5 hours there. Then take a short 30 min local commuter train to Kyoto from Nara with commuters and school children at rush hour (you’ll get a seat if you get on in Nara. Check into your hotel in the early evening and go out to find food or head into Gion to see some Geisha.

P.s. Japan in June is cheap is because Japan in June is fricking hot and humid, just so that you are aware.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Going late March to early April or mid October to mid November is best for weather and colours.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I’m booked to go in July. Starting in Tokyo. Any recommendations for hotels or places to stay?

I stayed in Park Hotel Tokyo, if you land in Narita there is a limousine bus service that takes you downstairs.

 

[Raymond Lin]

Thought I'd bump this thread as I arrived back yesterday and thought I'd put a few notes about finances.

I thought Japan would be incredibly expensive, especially as we (my girlfriend and I) were only going to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and back to Osaka. For a bit of context, we didn't shop (I bought a keyring, and a £30 caligraphy thing) and she bought some cheap sourvineers. We like to drink, and eat. We mainly ate at busy places we walked past, and drank predominately at standing bars and with dinner. We went to the major temples, and Disney but mainly walked around and went into the independent galleries, and just soaked up the atmosphere.

In response to the above post, we mainly withdrew money at the 7-Eleven shops as they don't have fees, used a Post Office once and another convenience chain once or twice. These latter two places both had fees and I was using a Halifax Clarity Mastercard.

Our total spend for 13 nights, for two was £5455.16 or £2727.58. It's broken down as below, remember that these costs are for two:

Hotel spend - £1,381.23 (This includes a £372.86 night at a Ryokan in Kyoto which included dinner & breakfast). Other hotels were probably best classed as business hotels rather than luxury. We use the hotel as a base and tend to be out most of the day so not that interested in the facilities. As long as it's a good location, and clean we're happy. We did have 3 nights at an Airbnb in Tokyo which was around £100 a night. I can put hotel names, and more details about pricing if anyone wants.
Flights - £823.72 (Edinburgh - Amsterdam - Narita) and then (Handea - Paris - Amsterdam - Glasgow)
Rail pass - £408.00 (7 day rail pass, including delivery).
Wifi - £56.95 (This is a pocket wifi device, gave us unlimited internet for the whole period. Picked up at Narita airport and popped it in a post box at Handea on the way out. Great value).
ATM spend - £2,278.99 (We mostly spent using cash, so this covered dinners, drinks, snacks, entrance fees for attractions, etc.)
Miscellaneous -£506.26 (This includes Mario Kart, a couple of cocktail bars where I paid on card rather than cash, Disney Tokyo and a few bottles of booze).
Total Spend
£5,455.16
Per person
£2727.58

Overall, I think this is great value and we were surprised with how affordable it was. You can easily spend hundreds on a night out, but you can also spend £30 and have a great night out. Indeed, each time we went out to a place that only had Japanese people in it we were bought drinks, given food and had a better time compared to the places suggested in Lonely Planet/online blogs which are full of tourists and inflated prices.
We got ripped off once, where we paid £20 for two bottles of Ashai but that was in a Korean bar...

Happy to answer any questions and I'll try and get some pictures up ASAP.

£2700 is cheap for 2 weeks. Any chance of pics?

I am itching to go back again, this time only for 1 week I think, will do some day trips out of Tokyo to nearby area, and will plan another in 2020 during April if i can in the Kyoto and more southern regions Japan. Anyway, what hotels did you stay at in Tokyo?

I am thinking of doing this. The hotel I stayed at last time some reason i can't book yet, its too early. This will have another 12% cash back so should be around £1600. Flight is around £800 direct so it works out like £120 or so a night which isn't a bad deal.