JACKETS: MANGO DENIM BARN JACKET WITH CONTRAST COLLAR, FREEPEOPLE WE THE FREE MADISON CITY DENIM JACKET, MANGO CROPPED TRENCH COAT.
JEANS: AYR THE LALA IN TRUE STORY WASH JEANS, PISTOLA WES HIGH RISE BARREL JEANS, ZARA TRF HIGH-WAISTED CROPPED FLARE JEANS IN DARK INDIGO WASH.
SHOES: NEW BALANCE 327 SNEAKERS, ZARA PATENT EFFECT LOAFERS.
If you know me, you know I plan everything so this trip it was quite the journey as we didn’t have reservations or tight itineraries we had to follow. Don’t get me wrong, we had many places, museums, cities, restaurants and experiences on the list but besides booking the hotels for 2/3 of our trip, we decided where to go each day the night before and it was fantastic. To be realistic, we couldn’t see it all, it is impossible, but we saw a lot in 15 days and made the most of our time in Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Ozaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Amanohashidate & Ine Bay, and Hakone.
Japan in October offers the perfect mix of end of summer bliss and early fall winds. Daytime is nice that you can wear a t-shirt and jeans and a light layer for later in the evening or a wool matching op and skirt set with a cute barn or parka jacket and loafers for cooler day of walking around. I only packed one carry-on and a tote bag and was able to mix and match everything from oversized shirts, jeans, jackets and sweaters. I traveled with sneakers that worn most days and a pair of loafers for evening dinner or days that we were traveling. We did walk over 25K steps daily so get ready to get those steps in!
What to do in Tokyo: Day 1
Imperial Palace East National Gardens: A must, so beautiful.
Tokyo train station.
Ginza shopping district. Co&Co has nice vintage Chanel pieces.
Aquarium: Cute in the mall, a nice break in between vintage shopping.
TeamLab Planets: Get tickets at least one day before so you can lock in a time, alternatively, go to a hotel rooftop bar nearby, charge your phone and wait for your time because this is a bit far from city center to return another day. The digital art was something else!
What to do in Tokyo: Day 2
Nezu museum: Favorite museum with an amazing garden.
Taro Okomoto Memorial Museum, small gallery with fun sculptures.
Blue Note Tokyo, WTW Aoyama, home goods store with cute west coast clothing.
Omotesando mall, Ralph’s coffee, go behind the main strip into the alleys. Amore vintage and Paradise vintage offer nice vintage luxury pieces.
Yoyogi Park: A must.
Meiji Jingu Shrine.
Rosemary’s Tokyo.
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden: My favorite Tokyo park.
What to do in Tokyo in the evening: Day 3
Shinjuku
Omoide Yokocho Memory Lane (near west exit of Shinjuku Nishiguchi) is a traditional alley with food spots, tiny bars, it’s fun to watch if you’re in the area.
Godzilla sighting, the 3D cat across from the train station is a vibe.
Akihabara for anime fans.
Shibuya Scramble Crossing: Good views from the train station, rooftop bars, L’Occitane, Starbucks (go to the cafe, pay $11 and get unlimited food and drinks and charge your phone).
What to do in Tokyo: Day 4
7/11 are much better quality than the ones you will find in the U.S., and you can always rely on them for coffee and snacks if you’re starting early as some cafes open at 9:00 AM, late night food and an ATM. Family Mart is an easy grocery store you’ll find everywhere.
Sensō-ji Buddhist temple.
Melon pan, warm sweet local pastry, a little pick me up, tasty.
Asakusa.
Don Quijote: For all your souvenirs and childhood dreams stop.
Tokyo Activities
Chopsticks 🥢 making class: We booked this via Get Your Guide, and it was a lot of fun. You can upgrade to better quality chopsticks if you’d like but the basic ones will do just fine. several instructors available to guide you in the process. If something does not work, you can get another one. You can engrave them with your name, dates, whatever you want. If you want the exact one we did, just let me know and I’ll send to you.
Local beer tasting at the museum. You can do a tour or do it on your own. It’s free and an activity to do on a rainy day after many days of walking around.
Tokyo Activities Continued
Match Tea ceremony making class: This experience was very special. We thought it would be very touristy with the kimonos and stuff, but it was great! You arrive, get to pick your kimono, they dress you in a white kimono cover, so the actual pretty kimono goes over it, and it doesn’t get dirty. Then they do your hair however you like it or they have recommendations, I wish I could have taken them with me. They did a fantastic job in under 4 minutes. Then you meet your partner, take some photos, and the tea making ceremony begins. We learned a lot, left relaxed and loving matcha.
What to do in Kanazawa:
Kanazawa was a dream! My favorite was the old Samurai district, it was everything I hoped to be! Besides Tokyo, Kyoto and surroundings, Kanazawa was one place I had pinned for years and I’m so glad we finally made it.
Gyokusen’inmaru Garden
Oyama Shrine
Kanazawa Castle
Kanazawa Castle Park
Kenroku-en Garden
D.T Suzuki Museum: A must!
What to do in Kanazawa Continued:
Many museums to choose from, we went to the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.
Hirosakainari Shrine.
Myouryuji (Ninja Temple)
Stop for tea at PHYTO soixante-deux, it’s the cutest herb and tea store.
Can’t miss the Nagamachi Samurai District, this is just how I picture Japan to be.
Another traditional neighborhood that we loved was the Higashi Chaya District.
What to do in Kyoto:
Kiyomizu: Super touristy but if you really want to see it, go for 5 minutes, and then make your way north.
Kodaiji-jushozenji & Entokuin: Get a combo ticket, less touristy, very zen.
Kinkaku-ji Temple: Very touristy but worth it, it’s quick to see., the Rokuon-Ji Temple area has many others you can stop by.
Ryoanji Temple’s Rock Garden was beautiful, nice spot to meditate.
Bamboo Forrest is overrated.
Nijo-Jo Castle: World Heritage site, worth the visit.
Imperial Palace and Gardens.
Kyoto Afternoons
Staying in Kyoto and doing day trips was the best decision. If you are traveling with a family, I recommend the Tokyo Stay hotels, they are simple, they have everything you need, including kimono type pajamas, always centrally located and washer/dryers in each room. We loved walking around in Kyoto, the Shirakawa canal, the quaint streets in the neighborhood, hidden alleys and empty streets away from the chaos were a favorite. We got to the Nishiki market once just to see it, and one walk was enough.
A day well spent in Nara & Osaka
Nara Park: From Kyoto, you can take the train to Nara and immerse yourself in a world of Bambis. There are deer everywhere that follow up, super friendly but be careful with the bigger ones, those didn’t come that close and seemed a bit standoff ish if you’d ask me.
Yoshikien Garden: So beautiful, many spot where you can stop and meditate and take all the beauty in.
Osaka: Vintage shopping, so many to visit, I liked @allu_official.jp the most, good variety of Chanel and Hermes and the staff was very friendly.
Cutest matcha tea and cocktail bar in Kyoto:
The experience begins from your arrival at the Kashokan, the passage through the garden, Roji, to the townhouse to the bar itself, which is modern yet quaint.
Fun fact, this used to be the private residence of a tea ceremony master. The space is beautiful, serene, and never crowded, they only allow people to be seated at the designated spaces.
We went during twice because why not. Never tried matcha before this trip but I can see what the hype is all about.
🍵 Premium Matcha & Bar Kashoan CLASSIC TEA & COCKTAILS 抹茶＆バー 何生庵
⏰ 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Tuesday through Sunday.
🍸 The Common One Bar Kyoto
⏰ 6:00 PM – 2:00 AM Monday through Sunday
Note that the name and menu change from day to evening and there’s a cover charge in the evening.
📍 Japan, 〒605-0087 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Motoyoshicho, 46.
Day trip from Kyoto:
Shinkansen to Hiroshima.
Ferry to Miyajima: You can get the ticket the same day, usually an hour before.
Itsukushima Shrine Otorii Gate (when the tide is low, you can walk by it.
Miyajima was better than we expected, there were deer everywhere, similar to sea lions in the Galápagos Islands.
Cutest tea house Sekei, across from @iwaso_miyajima Ryokan (stay here if you want the Ryokan experience).
Amanohashidate & Ine Bay:
Another favorite day trip from Kyoto was heading to the other coast and visiting Amanohashidate & Ine Bay, Fuyana known as the Venice from Japan, the boat houses were super cute. We rode the cable car to get a closer look at the sandbar in Amanohashidate, took a stroll in the beach and had tea and matcha ice cream. We took a quick boat ride and saw all the charming two-story homes with boats parked on the first floor, very picturesque. A nice day trip where everything was planned and we just got to enjoy the ride.
Hakone onsen & Ryokan time
You can go for the day from Tokyo, there are many tours available. We wanted to spend the day at an onsen and relax without being rushed so we spent one night there. Note that taxis are scarce so either stay in a hotel close to train station or go for longer. The bus works great but if you want to go explore Hakone the bus takes a bit so a couple days will be better. We went primarily to sit back and relax and don’t do anything else besides being in a geta and taking it all in before we head back to Tokyo for a couple of nights.
Japan Favorites 🤍♥️🤍
1️⃣ Amanohashidate & Ine Bay
2️⃣ Miyajima Island
3️⃣ Tokyo’s Imperial Palace East National Gardens, Nezu Museum, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
4️⃣ Kanazawa’s Samurai District
5️⃣ Kanazawa’s D.T Suzuki Museum
6️⃣ Kyoto’s Shirakawa canal walks and hidden alleys
7️⃣ Hakone onsen & Ryokan time
8️⃣ Matcha cocktails
9️⃣ Nara
🔟 Kyoto’s Kodaji temple, Kiyomizu, Entokuin, Imperial Palace and Gardens
Here’s a little transportation tip: Trains are a bit tedious but you’ll get the hang of it. If you want a day or 3-day pass you need to take your passport to the main ticket office or have cash to pay for one way trips. Your hotel concierge can direct you where to go. You can buy Shinkansen or regional train tickets the day before. Do it at their office so you can get reserved seats. When doing them on the machine, sometimes you can’t find reserved seats even though they are available. If you buy them online, you still have to go to ticket office to get the actual tickets. Yes, they take AMEX everywhere. Buses are easy too.
For easiness, you can also use the SmartEX app to book and pay for your Shinkansen tickets in advance and then use a QR code. Sometimes it was confusing but the ticket agents will always know better routes and give you recommendations, so we did all the training booking in person. We took a few Ubers and the drivers were always very friendly. We walked for the most part, as I said earlier 25K daily steps got us far! If you have any specific questions, please ask away.
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