Dressing up as Mario, driving through the street of Tokyo.
Dancing to the electro pop with up beated tune, laser, drum with the robot cabaret.
Eating ramen lit on fire.
Deer bowing down to say thank you for giving them food.
These are some of the unique and quirky experiences you can find in Japan and the list doesn’t stop there.
I’ve been dreaming to visit Japan since I could play my very 1st Mario game and it has become reality in September 2016.
1 year prior to landing in Osaka airport, I wanted my Japan holiday to be perfect so whenever I get a chance, I researched like there is no tomorrow. I checked flights, area to stay, famous sight, food to try, how to get from A to B and man, I sure felt overwhelmed so many times and got sick of it at one point.
I still remember the 1st day I landed, everything became so surreal and I couldn’t stop smiling until we came back to Sydney. Japan was amazingly awesome in so many way and I cannot wait to go back.
Welcome to Japan 1st timer guide. My name is Sekha and I will be your guide of how to plan your Japan holiday.
What you need to come up with
How long can you go?
What are the things you want to see and do?
Event and Festival
Accommodation styles?
Budget
Now let’s break it down.
How long can you go?
If you want to cover the main cities like Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima, you will need around 14-18 days including your flying time. 18 is ideal so that you won’t have to rush everything. Remember it’s a holiday so you do need some down time as well.
Below is my suggested itinerary for 14 days trip.🗾🎌
Arrive Tokyo Cherry blossom with local, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, Shibuya crossing, Hachiko statue, Robot show
Tokyo Mariokart (Shibuya shop), Ueno Park,Zoo, Tokyo National Museum, Ameyoko, , Pub crawl
Tokyo Sumo, Nakamise street, Sensoji temple, Edo Musuem, Tokyo Skytree ( night)
Tokyo Disneyland/Disneysea
Tokyo Mt fuji day trip
Kyoto Gion, Geisha spotting, Maruyama Park
Kyoto Sagano Tokkoro Train, Hozugawa boat, Moon crossing bridge, Monkey Park, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Kyoto Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine, Nishiki market
Kyoto Nara, deer park, Yakushi-ji (giant buddha), Tōdai-ji
Osaka Osaka castle, Museum of Housing and Living, Hep Five Ferris Wheel, Umeda Sky building night time
Osaka Universal Studios or Hiroshima day trip
Osaka Kuromon Market, Shitennō-ji temple, Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street
Fly home Free day before heading back home
Or you can do it in reverse as well 🙃
What are the things you want to see and do?
Best way is to ask yourself what you are in to then work backward. Are you into temple, castle, food, museum, technology or just a bit of everything. As you can see from the above itinerary, there are endless of things you can do.
Here are some of the main attractions for each cities:
Tokyo
Shibuya crossing
Tsukiji fish market
Imperial Palace
Harajuku
Mario Kart tour
Robot Show
Kyoto
Kinkakuji aka Golden Palace
Arayashima ( Bamboo forest)
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Kiyomizu-deta
Geisha spotting in Gion
Osaka
Kuromon Market
Osaka castle
Dotonburi
Universal Studio
Nara
Deer park
Todaiji
Yakushi-ji
Hiroshima
Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Miyajima
It’s very easy to travel within Japan independently but if you want to be taken care of and enjoy the hassle free holiday then there are a few fully escorted tours as well.
Event and Festival
We were there during the Sumo tournament and I was stupid enough not to book in advance. We were so lucky that we got the last 2 spots on the last day of the season! Make sure to do your research so you won’t miss out! Here are some of the events you should definitely put on your list:
Sumo - Jan/Mar/May/Jul/Sep/Nov
Sapporo Snow Festival - February
Takayama Spring Festival - April
Kanamara Matsuri - April
Shibuya Ohara Matsuri - May
Gion Festival in Kyoto- July
Click here for more festival list.
Accommodation styles
We wanted a real local experience so we did a mixture of ryokan ( Japanese traditional style where you sleep on a tatami mat), apartment and hotel. Some ryokan even have a private onsen (hot spring) which is great as the public onsen, you need to go bare naked and tattoo is not allowed. Prepare to fork out a minimum of $500 a night if you want a ryokan with a private onsen. Although the price tag is steep but the experience you will get is unforgettable. Another option is to try out a sleeping pod. They are cheap, clean and a great way to mingle with people.
I’ve booked everything via Expedia and Airbnb so depending on your budget, location and style, Japan has everything. Airbnb was great however our host in Tokyo decided to cancel our booking a month prior as she was subletting. We were lucky to have a month to fix the drama but I have wasted so much time dealing with her. Airbnb is great in terms of pricing but if you are going during peak time or with your family, I’d think twice as the host can cancel even on the arrival day. Imagine the nightmare and headache you have to deal with. That’s why when I book apartments for my clients, I book it through Expedia Agent Site so everyone is protected.
Budget
If you are going for about 2 weeks and stay in a mid range hotel, travel insurance and flights. You will be looking at around $3000/person based on 2 people and this excluding spending money, food, drinks and day tours. Japan is not as expensive as you think.
Getting to Japan
There are so many airlines that can take you there and it’s around 9 hours for a direct flight.
Who fly direct to Tokyo? Qantas, Air Nippon and Japan airlines. Qantas also just started to fly direct to Osaka now so you can get back home from there instead of going back to Tokyo again.
Cathay Pacific has a lot of sales to Japan and they fly via Hong Kong so if you want to try out some local Dim Sim, it’s an extra of $40-$50 to add a stopover. Another city, why not?
I did an around the world and would recommend anyone to do it once in their life time. We flew from
Sydney – Los Angeles with Qantas
Los Angeles – New York with American airline
New York – Helsinki – Osaka with Finnair
Tokyo – Sydney with Qantas
This was only $2200 including taxes.
There are so many around the world combinations that you will be so surprise of how cheap the fare is!
Lufthansa is another great fare for $2300 including taxes in economy or $7900 in business class, you can do
Sydney – Tokyo then fly out from Osaka – Frankfurt – London – Munich – New York then fly out from LA or Buenos Aires – Auckland – Sydney.
So many possibilities!
Travelling within Japan
When you need to get from city to city, the most economical way is to get the Japan Rail pass ( JR pass).
Let me give you an example how awesome these passes are.
Below are the price for each sector.
Tokyo – Mt Fuji $120-$150
Mt Fuji – Kyoto/Osaka $120 - $150
Kyoto/Osaka – Hiroshima $120 - $150
If you just do 3 trains, you are already saving money. Green class is unreal. I’ve done it and I felt like a royalty! You can only buy the pass outside of Japan so make sure to organise one before you go.
JR pass can be used within metro as well but on certain train line. ( Prices are subject to change anytime)
Travelling within the metro lines, the best way is to get a Suica/Pasmo card which is equivalent to our Opal card but you can also use it to pay for things at a convenient stores etc. Initial loading is 500 yen.
Money
Cash is king in Japan. Credit card is not wildly used in certain area so always have cash with you.
I have a Citibank card which you can take money out without any fee and good exchange rate but you need to check the locations.
Food
One of the best thing to do in Japan is trying different food. The only 3 things we were looking forward to were sashimi, ramen and Mos burger. Man we should have done research before we went but everything seemed to turn out okay.
Make sure to download Foursquare on your phone.
This is an app that you can search restaurants around you and check out their rating, pictures and review. Best app for food while you are travelling!
Here are a list that you MUST try:
