Japan 2013
The gardens at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace. Cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and the Japanese have rolled out their blue tarps for “Hanami” — cherry blossom parties where they enjoy picnics and take hundreds of photos.
Along the river in Kyoto.
Japan – Impressions & Tips March 2013
We knew that Japan would be fashionable and friendly, but it truly exceeded our expectations. On the Tokyo Metro (which is confusing to even a seasoned world traveler and regular user of public transportation) we had both staff and fellow riders offer us assistance. One young man walked up the street level with us near the Imperial Palace and made sure we were headed in the right direction. In Nara we couldn’t find a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet (and were standing on the street turning the book around trying to make sense of the map), and a local stopped, called the number in the book, and then walked to the restaurant with us and introduced us to waiter. These are just a couple of examples of the polite and welcoming behavior we experienced. The women are all dressed in gorgeous clothes with their hair and makeup nicely done, and it would be an understatement to say that service everywhere is to the highest standard. Clean, organized, and, amazingly, not expensive. The exchange rate is 2013 was favorable and the dollar:yen ratio rising. Food at local establishments was considerably less than in large U.S. cities (particularly given the high quality), and even in Tokyo our hotel was very reasonable.
Rowboat rental season starts with cherry blossoms.
General Tips:
— We used the Rough Guide to Japan as our main guide book, supplemented by Fodor’s Toyko, Time Out Tokyo (an older edition borrowed from a friend, but as usual found it to be the superior city guide), and Lonely Planet Kyoto (which included Nara as a side trip city).
— The Japan Tourism Board will send you some brochures and fold out maps, but they are not that good, and free maps picked up locally in the various city tourist offices are vastly superior.
— Note that, unlike in other cities, one ticket does not give you access to the entire Tokyo Metro system, which is run by different companies. In the lower right hand side of the English translation of the map (distributed in almost all stations) you will see two columns. Each column represents one “company,” and you can move between those lines, but if you transfer to one of the lines in the other column, you will be a hefty supplement (essentially, you’ll have to buy another ticket). We made this mistake, but they station attendants were understanding and not angry, and we simply paid the supplement.
— If you are going to travel between cities by train, the Japan Rail Pass is the way to go. The round trip Tokyo-Kyoto plus just one day trip outside of either of those cities and already the pass was cheaper than a point-to-point ticket. Note that you must purchase the ticket in advance in the U.S. (the Japanese Tourist Board will give you a list of authorized vendors) and once you arrive in Japan you must exchange the voucher for the pass. You must reserve seats on most trains in advance, but this is easy to do. Even for the Narita Express train to the airport you must make a seat reservation (no additional cost). We purchased through JTB Travel from their NYC office.
Scroll to bottom for hotel recommendations and additional tips
— Our UK-issued international Mobal phone does not work in Japan. We rented one from the JTB Travel (where we purchase our JR Pass). After doing some research it was the best value phone. We hardly used it, but it was handy to have and worked well.
–Our hotels were all researched through TripAdvisor and booked directly through the hotel websites, and we didn’t have a single complaint (all are highly recommended)
Grand Hotel Fresa Akasaka in Tokyo was in a business district with a 24 hour small market down the block, directly across from a Metro station, and with many dining options within walking distance. Very clean, quiet and comfortable.
Nara Super Hotel Lohas JR Nara-eki is adjacent to the JR Station, so we walked just a minute to get there. Nara is pretty small, and we walked everywhere from the hotel. For us the big draw was that it has its own on-site onsen (hot spring bath), which we thoroughly enjoyed.
In Kyoto the Eco+Tec Hotel is in a quiet neighborhood just a few minutes from the subway station (make sure to print the map off their website) and within walking distance of many of the temples and other sites. We thoroughly enjoyed the common room atmosphere being able to talk to fellow travelers while still having all the privacy of a regular hotel.
Octopus balls. Think octopus in a blanket (like an undercooked pancake ball).
Asakusa Shrine.
A shrine in a small, urban cemetery we stumbled on our walk between Asakusa and Kappabashi (Kitchen Town)
Who needs to speak the language when you can just point at the plastic food? Here’s what we pointed at.
And here’s what what got. Tempura over rice and soba noodle soup. Delicious “lunch set” menu, which including iced tea is about $8 (750 Yen). This is in the basement of Sunshine City shopping center in Ikebukura.
Washing our money at Zeniarai Benzeiten Shrine in Kamakura. It is said that when you wash your money it comes back to you many times over. We washed 605 Yen. A few days later we found 20,000 Yen on the ground.
Sacred fox prayer offerings at Sasuke Inari Jinja shrine. From here you can hike up through the hills and over to the Diabutsu/Giant Buddha. This is not an easy walk/hike, but it is well worth it for those who are up to it.
Some of the Kuzuharaoka-Daibutsu trail looks like this.
Usually there are helpful signs (in English and Japanese) like this, but not always.
Sometimes the trail looks like this.
No trip to Asia would be complete without a giant Buddha. The Daibutsu in Kamakura.
No visit to a sacred site is complete without a creme filled snack in the shape of a holy man, hot off the griddle
Moso Bamboo Gardens at Hokokuji Temple
Burial shrines in the temple garden.
Deer etiquette at the municipal park in the city of Nara. Be especially careful if you’re an old lady from a Tweety Bird cartoon wielding a handbag.
Ferocious creatures begging for cookies (available at a kiosk near you).
Joining the masses during cherry blossom photo-op season at a Nara temple.
Earthquake simulator ride in the Nara Visitor’s Center.
Making a new friend.
Reading up on his behavior.
Pillow bar at Super Hotel Lohas JR in Nara. Our excellent hotel is right next to the JR train station and has its own onsen (hot springs bath) onsite.
Toilet menu. The graphics are not that helpful, but maybe the toilet does style a lady’s hair?
Lunch at Ippudo, Kyoto, also came with iced tea. Delicious.
Octopus treat at Nishiki Market.
Close up — Its legs are octopus, but it head is a candied quail egg!
Not to laugh or cast a stereotype, but the Italian word for raspberry is “lampone.” With an “L.”
During cherry blossom season the Kyoto temples are lit up at night. Particularly spectacular is Kiyomizudera Temple.
Many locals come dressed in traditional clothing and will be happy to pose for you. Japanese love to make the peace sign!
It is a requirement to take a selfie.
Yam cakes — so many street snacks to choose from.
Good luck.
You can take the little train to visit the shrines outside Kyoto.
I remember reading in my “Weekly Reader” circa 1976 when they opened the first McDonald’s in Japan. So here we are enjoying fries and a green tea shake. The “shaka shaka” not so much, since it turned out to be powdered seaweed.
Fushimi Inari is not like anything you’ve ever seen before.
Only you and your trusty dog can prevent forest fires.
Sometimes the simplest things are the most satisfying: after hours of hiking, we stop for hard boiled eggs and green tea.
Rest stop inside Fushimi Inari.
Busy night in the historic center of Kyoto.
The walk along the canal to Gingakuji Temple is lined with nice shops, eateries, street food vendors, and artists.
Gingakuji Temple has numerous gardnens.
Okonomiyaki street vendor. This is delicious if you ask them not to shake fish flakes all over it (that is what hides in the tall white canister to the right).
I don’t know what all is in this red bean and rice sweet and sticky concoction, but it is really good!
It’s Sweet Happy homemade cherry ice cream.
Leave it to the Italians to find a Roman aqueduct in Kyoto.
Geisha and her client.
More Tips and Hotel Recommendations
— Our UK-issued international Mobal phone does not work in Japan. We rented one from the JTB Travel (where we purchase our JR Pass). After doing some research it was the best value phone. We hardly used it, but it was handy to have and worked well.
–Our hotels were all researched through TripAdvisor and booked directly through the hotel websites, and we didn’t have a single complaint (all are highly recommended)
Grand Hotel Fresa Akasaka in Tokyo was in a business district with a 24 hour small market down the block, directly across from a Metro station, and with many dining options within walking distance. Very clean, quiet and comfortable.
Nara Super Hotel Lohas JR Nara-eki is adjacent to the JR Station, so we walked just a minute to get there. Nara is pretty small, and we walked everywhere from the hotel. For us the big draw was that it has its own on-site onsen (hot spring bath), which we thoroughly enjoyed.
In Kyoto the Eco+Tec Hotel is in a quiet neighborhood just a few minutes from the subway station (make sure to print the map off their website) and within walking distance of many of the temples and other sites. We thoroughly enjoyed the common room atmosphere being able to talk to fellow travelers while still having all the privacy of a regular hotel.
