1 tonkotsu, extra togarashi | what I enjoyed in Japan and how it felt
I spent 3 weeks in Japan and these are the places I would gladly make a second appearance
I have to give baby Sofia Coppola credit, but she described exactly how it feels to be in Japan perfectly, at least for the first time. As an introvert, it creates a safe space. “It feels like science fiction, or like you’re stepping into another world. The jet lag is so extreme that everything feels a little more dreamy, and just so different than real life.”
Maybe not speaking the language aids to that. It’s elusive. It’s hazy. It’s an intoxicated state of being stimulated by everything around you. Everything feels half awake.
Traveling around the country, and even outside the country only intensified the feeling. I took this trip with my partner, who I am so grateful to have in my life. We share the same traveling habits, and he’s a magician when it comes to planning.
I took this trip to celebrate the last year of my 20s. Much like the characters in the movie, Lost in Translation, Tokyo is a great place to escape to when you’re feeling lost, and need a bit of quiet. Much of my 20s was both beautiful, and confusing to say the least. There’s so many options placed before you. Sometimes it “felt like a movie”, and other times it felt uncertain, unclear, and stuck in this floating state. I am deeply grateful for it though. A classic self-discovery decade.
Anyways.
Here is where I went - Tokyo
When making my itinerary, I centered it around what I find most enjoyable, and based the itinerary for spaces that carry the adjectives of calm, historical, or realistic. I made sure to try to stay true to what I would want to see. So not entirely touristy, but a few things here and there. Everything I link are places I’d go to again. The first leg of the trip was not as great as the second leg, so excuse the low energy in these next few paragraphs.
Touchdown in Tokyo on Day 1 around 8pm, in Minato City. We went to a local ramen place that was surprisingly so good and only $8! No one in the restaurant spoke, you paid for your ramen with a machine, and waited for a seat to open. It was the perfect first exposure to their culture. We were a 5 min walk away from Tokyo Tower (which wasn’t planned, I honestly forgot that existed). The jetlag hit me for the entire first week, so much of my memory is blurred, so be prepared for updates to this very post if it ever comes back to me. We had an AMAZING dessert and natural wine down the street, then went to bed by 10pm.
The airbnb we stayed at was a 10/10, especially after a long flight, and it was a good price for the area. Minato City is a quiet city with great nightlife. However, I would only recommend staying here for affordable stays, because it is quite far from everything else. Even though the people were reserved, no one was shy of kind. I remember actually struggling at self checkout in a store, and someone (not a clerk) was quick to help.
Day 2. With the haze of waking up at about 4-5am for 7 days straight, I am proud to say most of our breakfast was purchased from 7-eleven. The egg sandwich, the fresh smoothie, and onigiri was balanced enough to hold us off for a few hours. It’s hard to say no to it, when there’s always one less than 5 min away. We were in a more business-y neighborhood. Great tonkatsu, great art museums, and farm to table. No sign of tourist, and people were really to themselves.
One quick side thought: although the people were respectable, no one seemed to smile in Minato City. After being on a flight for a few hours, it definitely got to me, and made me question if I would move to Tokyo (as one does). Also, how does anyone get their protein in here?
We only had 1 day till we had to fly off to Hong Kong for a wedding, so we spent it at camera stores and walking around Ginza. [Quick note on camera stores: go in with low expectations. I mainly wanted to see the few cameras I’ve been curious about in person. However, prices were the same if not more than the US].
I wanted to get the simple stuff out the way (shopping for basic needs like an onitsuka sneaker). I’d highly recommend going to Dover Street Market if you like to see mainstream pieces in person, and it is an impressive experience. The Issey store is a wonder as well. What really impressed me was the Hermes Ginza store, and its surrounding shops. Another store to visit would be the Lemaire store, but this is closer to Daikanyama. I left a bit early due to exhaustion, and we went to one of the top ramen spaces in Tokyo. If you want to go, book a week ahead (more info on the website).
The day ended on two things I wouldn’t rush to do again. For dinner we went to a spicy ramen spot that taught me not all ramen is equal. It was very oily, and the atmosphere was a fever dream with a drum playing to my heartbeat. After, we went to Chiyoda for souvenirs and game play, but it was pretty dirty, and the games weren’t so good. Not a good mix for jet lag.
The next few days were a blur with the wedding, and all I recall is blinking and landing back on a train headed to Kyoto. We did stay in this manga airbnb in between. It was cheap and cute for one night, but wouldn’t rush to book again.
Neighborhoods to check out
If I could spend more time in a specific place, I would opt for Book Town (wish I had more time to go here!), Daikanyama, Koenji, Shinjuku (some parts), Omotesando, and Shimokitazawa. Each space carried something unique.
Where I went - Kyoto
Day 3. We loaded up on so many snacks in prep for the long ride, but was pretty hungry by the time we landed. I would only go to this restaurant for the view, otherwise I’d ignore the rave reviews. We only went being that you can rarely check in earlier than 3pm. We got our luggage (I was so happy to be with my clothes again), and checked into the most impressive Airbnb I’ve seen. Three-ish floors, massive bathroom, and an outdoor onsen. I even had a separate room for yoga in the mornings. It honestly had so much which I might make a separate video for.
Jet lag/exhaustion was at an all time high by this point, so we ate somewhere easy with no reservation at Engine Ramen. The people there were sooo fun, and sweet! It was also the first time we heard anyone speak English casually, so it was refreshing. It has mid reviews, but I thought it was decent. Ended the night at this tiny smoking bar, which was ok, and a little too small if you’re not used to the cig smell.
Day 4 - 7. This is when things went into overdrive, and so many things happened in between. The most memorable were Rokujuan and OndoriO. Rokujuan is perfect for an afternoon stroll, a 100 year old tea house that serves sakura warambimochi. Although, extremely beautiful, I wasn’t extremely impressed with the tour. However, keep in mind, this is in comparison to almost everything being a 10/10, so it had a lot to live up to. The day we went was beautiful, with a light misty rain, and no one else in the restaurant. I just wouldn’t recommend coming hungry. OndoriO is definitely a fine dining experience which was a 15/10. The food was exceptional, and I would fly back just for the pasta.
The next few days were Nara and Osaka. If I could go back, and if shopping is your objective, I’d spend at least 2 days in Osaka midway through. I definitely wish I had more time, and didn’t expect to like it so much. Many of the shops I’d recommend are in the guides below.
After those two days, we moved to Maana Kyoto suites (there’s two locations, both are great), which was our first hotel of the trip, and our first exposure to a really tiny space (especially for a suite). I would definitely stay here again, just for its location, and coziness. The breakfast downstairs was the best breakfast I’ve had at any hotel ever.
We walked to Kawaii Kanjiro’s house, the home of a historical poet and craftsman. It was a beautiful escape, and would definitely go again, especially for the cat. Stumbled on to this distilled water bar that was just so cute. We went to a few other spots (in the guide), but truly loved the Kennin-ji Temple. Had dinner at, once again, another phenomenal place. But this time, it was sushi, and I am still searching for the words to describe how it made me feel (I had so much Unagi). The place wasn’t “beautiful”, but the food was good fresh, life changing, and def raised my standards extremely high.
I quickly want to say that no, not every dish you get in Japan will be delicious. In fact for every 5 dishes, there were at least 2 I wasn’t so crazy about.
Went to this cozy, chic bar that played the coziest music (it was cold, and close to christmas-time) and had great conversation with other travelers. I would definitely be a regular here. Ended the night at Round 1 Kyoto. This was the nicest and largest one I’ve personally seen, and would highly recommend going for bowling, or to be amazed at how good these kids are at what they do.
The last few days we went to a few pastry shops, an Oyakodon, Syokudo, Izakaya, and of course, more ramen.
Kanazawa
Day 7-10? To be honest, I lost track a bit, and definitely swiped the passenger princess card by this point. I just knew we were at the end of week 2. Our next town is Kanazawa, which is about 2 hours from Kyoto, and I think Japan’s coldest city. I am exaggerating, but the temperature (45 degrees F) was not what it felt like in the slightest (more like 22 degrees F). Even though I was unprepared, I loved this experience so much more than I expected. We were next to the Geisha district and Samurai quarters. It truly felt like I transported to that time. If you watch the anime Demon Slayer (what a name), it’s best season (3) was based off this town. From the streets, to the personalities of the locals, I actually felt like I was in an episode of Shogun. We went to the Suzuki museum, and the neighboring Samurai house next door. We ate soba noodles which I did not have the acquired taste for, and sushi. Thankful for this experience.
Back in Tokyo
Day 10 - the last leg
Being that we technically did not have too much time in Tokyo, we dedicated the last week to take it all in. By this point, I was overjoyed to finally stay put for more than 2 days. We stayed at Onsen Ryokan Yuen Bettai, a traditional Japanese hotel in Shimokitazawa. It was very chic and cozy, and by this point, the general haze of Japan started to subside. To be honest, I am a bit divided on if I would stay at this hotel again. I don’t think the price justified what you get. Pro - traditional, and fairly large onsen (with delicious red bean ice cream), and 20/10 location. Con - customer service, the food, and the tiny rooms. A bit hard to explain, but I would look into other options IN this neighborhood.
At this point, we were less focused on good eats, and more so on shopping and walking around. We primarily went to Kindals, Kanful, Tricolore, and if you’re in town on a Saturday, the Oi Racecourse market. While we didn’t have as much luck, this creator did, and would highly recommend planning ahead.
Shinjuku was surprisingly my favorite space to shop. I would go to Kindal Shinjjuku, and Kindal Daikanyama, and this thrift home goods store. This camera store had a wide selection for digi cams. Super tiny though. We also had maybe the 3rd best ramen on the trip here.
Lastly, I am going to recommend stopping by Grandfather’s in Shibuya, another smoke and drink bar. I am not sure if it was the day, or just that the lack of jet lag, but this is my favorite place now in Tokyo. Somehow lively and chill at the same time. I am honestly even hesitant to share it.
On the second to last day, I got my nails done, and then we finished off with tattoos. The last tattoo I got was in Greece, and I was lucky enough to be tattooed by a beautiful free spirit with whom I connected with. I wanted to create the same experience - something that would always remind me of how I felt right then and there. That beautiful trance, that half-awake feeling.
Japan is very gentle, very graceful, and filled with subtlety and unsaid things. To some my love for it may be blown out of proportion, but I keep anything that gives me the feeling of connection close to my heart. It may be boring, or slow moving to others, but its overall style sensibility strikes a cord with me. Thank you for coming this far!
Love love Japan so much! I feel so much of the same feeling you felt! I went just exactly a year ago and finally put my guide together! Everyone's recent Japan trips inspired me to finally get that post up :)
Defintitely will be using this for my trip to japan!