After we had our trip in China we flew to Japan's capital Tokyo. Japan is probably going to be forever my favourite country to visit. The people are so friendly and helpful, the food is amazing and there are so many fun and crazy things to do! We could have stayed longer but I think we did as much as we could and below are some of the highlights.
Tokyo
- We stayed in Sakura Hostel, Nippori in Tokyo. A really cheap and cheerful hostel where your beds are a very traditional Japanese style.
- The train system here are so effective. Google maps also syncs with all the trains and times easily so we were able to use the subway everywhere around Tokyo.
- First we drove in Mario Karts around Tokyo city!! This was incredibly fun, you get to dress up as cartoon characters, I was Stitch and Paul was Goku from Dragon Ball Z. It's a brilliant way to see the whole city and we started driving these motorised karts around 7pm for three hours so all the buildings were lit up at night. Paul brought his go-pro which attached to his helmet. You need an international driving licence which we bought in Ireland before we left.
- We visited the Shinjuko area and went to the Meiji Jiagu shrine which has lovely paths to walk around. Then we walked to Harajuku in particular the Takeshita street that is full of markets and stalls. We went to a cat café which lets you drink coffee and pet cats. We then walked to Gyoen National Garden but it was closed (not sure why). So instead we walked to the Government Buildings which has an observation deck you can go up for free.
- Myself and Paul did the Futako Tamagawa parkrun at 8am and we had our parkrun bands with us. There were over 100 runners and many were tourists like us. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me! Who doesn't love a 5km race in a foreign country?! 🏃
- We visited the Borderless Museum and had to queue for quite some time so if you are intending to visit go early. It is a senses museum with different rooms build with changing lights and music in various forms. I've never been to anything like it, so it's hard to explain what it is but we enjoyed it and taking pictures inside the different rooms.
- You have to go to the Shibuya crossing and watch hundreds of people cross at the same time. It's crazy! Go to the 2nd floor in Starbucks which has the best viewpoint of the crossing.
- There are so many amazing places to eat food but my number one recommendation is Ubeoi which is right beside the Shibuya. Great sushi restaurant that you order off individual ipads and your food comes out on a conveyor belt in front of you. We had so much to eat there and its very cheap!
- We visited the Pokemon Centre but unfortunately couldn't get a reservation for the restaurant- it books out weeks in advance. But we did go round the shop which has every character in the show as teddies and some people were playing Pokemon with their cards.
- We went to Disney Land Sea World in Tokyo and it was a great decision! We went after 3pm as it was half price and got to go on all the major rides no problem. The place was packed so did have to queue for some rides but nothing too long. It is the only sea world theme park there is so a great day well spent if you like rides! (Wish I brought my Disney ears I have from Paris Disney World)
- Finally on our last day we went to a Robot Restaurant. Again it's very hard to explain what is it but essentially it's a show full of robots and dancers, lots of music and strobe lighting. It's a funny experience and very 'Japanese'.
Kyoto
- We used JR passes to use the bullet trains around Japan. So today was our first day to validate them. Again we got our passes in Ireland before leaving as they only allow them for tourists purchased outside the country. (We bought them from an Irish travel company due to short time, but you can purchase them from the main website, it cost us €480 for 2 JR passes)
- It took two and a half hours to get to Kyoto from Tokyo. When we arrived we checked into our hotel and headed to the Imperial Palace Gardens and had a wander around there.
- We visited the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and got there by bus. We went early as it's a popular destination for tourists and you can take great pictures there.
- We also visited Fushimi Inari Taisha which is hundreds and hundred of orange gates that you can hike around.
Osaka
- We did a half day in Osaka, where we first stopped in Hep5 shopping center for food and went on the huge red ferris wheel that is inside the shopping center.
- We walked down Dohonbori street to see all the markets and shops which was packed full of people.
- While we were here, a boat full of boys and men were preforming in the river through Osaka, they has drums and costumes, singing as they went up and down the river which was very entertaining.
- We didn't get a chance to see Osaka Castle but if you have time you should visit it.
Hiroshima
- We used our JR passes to go to Hiroshima and included a ferry trip to Miyajima Island. Here lots of deer roam around the island and the UNESCO gate is situated here. We got cable cars to the top of the mountain and hiked down.
- We visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum which is dedicated o the atomic bomb that fell in this city. A very well put together museum and they have preserved the dome which they reckon was directly underneath the atomic bomb and the shell of the building still remains.
Hakone
- We got a train to Odwara then to Hakone as we wanted to get a good view of Mt. Fuji.
- First we went to an onsen which are hot and cold baths that are famous in Hakone. Men and women are separated and it was a very relaxing experience. We stayed for about 2 hours and each of the baths have different temperatures and settings.
- We then got a bus to the viewpoint of Mt. Fuji in all its glory. Make sure to check the weather before your journey as it may be cloudy and you won't see it.
And of course I'm ending this blog post with a video Paul made! Enjoy!
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