Probably my favourite holiday in my lifetime and already planning the next one for October. Spent way too much time stressing about domestic travel and everything else, and not trusting that Japanese efficiency and consumer first culture, everything fell into place without a single hitch.
First two days in Tokyo were spent just warming up. That combination of eating at a Tsukuji restaurant (and getting ripped off) and Teamlabs with my 75 year old father and his even grumpier banker friend was probably not the best way to start. We also did the whole wagyu A5 meal in the New Otani Hotel Teppanyaki restaurant, and while it was the best steak meal I’ve ever had, matched with amazing service, between the three of us the bill came to $1000 which is basically the same amount for a return ticket to tokyo from India. Dad paid for it tho, so no sting really. lol. Did the Nezu museum which was boring, but a peaceful space with a breathtaking garden.
Spent three nights in Kamikochi (the japanese alps) and this was definitely a highlight. Stayed at family run japanese style lodge, rooms were overlooking the river, with the sound of the river constant. Breakfast and dinner was included, and each meal was an event… some 7-8 delicious courses each time. Between the majestic setting, a very local experience from the hotel and food, and spending the whole day light trekking up and down the river, I couldn’t have been happier. Can’t recommend this place enough for an easy three day trip (about 3 hours from Tokyo by train and cab).
Then came Kyoto two days, which was a bit of a low point. Weather was absolutely shite - humid and torrential rain, loads of tourists, and my Dad getting hit with the reality that he’s 75 and can’t do more than 1KM of walking per day without gassing out. Curated a lovely and chill plan for us (lot of the stuff in this thread along with reccos from his banker friend who had already left for india), instead he decided to trust chatgpt and basically do the most touristy shite (golden temple, philospher’s walk etc). Offered to hire a guided car so that it could take us to all the spots versus us walking to each one… he refused and insisted on walking. Suffice to say it was brutal on him and we pretty much lost the rest of the days because he zapped all his energy. Did find some great places to eat (tempura, tsukemen) and did the 7-11 meals too (egg salad sandwich, onigiri, custard cream puffs etc), which even my dad was a big fan of. Got some major cheap thrills when i figured out the limo bus airport transfers so we didn’t have to pay an arm and leg to cab it from kyoto to itami. had to buy the tickets from a machine and used all the 10 yen coins I had collected so far, took me like 5 minutes for to get those tickets lol.
Then the absolute highlight of the trip - Hokkaido. Flew in from itami and spent three days in Sapporo. Maybe it’s because i was comfortable by now, but I actually preferred Sapporo to Tokyo. The people, the amount of space, the beautiful parks, even the shopping… super chill. Totally my scene. Dad also got mad excited about Odori Park because it was in the middle of the “Flower Festival”. Rented the car in Sapporo and started the road trip (boy I’m glad i didn’t opt for any treks with my dad and just opted to drive on scenic routes). Driving in Hokkaido is an absolute pleasure. First we spent the night in Lake Toya, which was truly beautiful. Food wise the main highlight was this cute dairy farm run by women called Lake Hill Farm (bookmark it). Insane pizza, cheese cake, ice cream and cheese. We then roadtripped around the coast back up to Lake Shikotsu (which tbf wasn’t as nice as Toya, but still had its own charm). On our way we stopped at this seaside restaurant called Hikaruumi (bookmark it) - serving up the freshest, most delicious sashimi bowls and oysters. Sushi sashimi will never taste the same again after this place. The weather was like California just at the start of spring. Big blue skies and warm, and cool nights. Not single dark cloud the whole trip in Hokkaido. Kyoto felt like a lot of lost time in Hokkaido, but no regrets.
Then Tokyo again, Otani again. By this time we were quite pooped. Got all my shopping done in Ginza but holy shit that fucking Uniqlo and Don Quijote was a fucking nightmare. Like a fish market in calcutta. Never again. Discovered an awesome Japanese bag brand called Porter. Obsessed with it now. And of course Beams. Plus all my butterfly table tennis gear too. Though, next time I’ll just get my shopping done in Sapporo. Did Akhibara for all the action figures lol. Don’t ask how much I spent on that. Discovered a lovely kyoto style Shabu Shabu place in Akasaka called Hyoki (bookmark it). And an onigiri ramen place called Eddie (bookmark it) - where there was an indian girl helping the owner and didn’t break her Japanese persona even once lol.
My dad left for India and I spent my last three days with my friend in Utsonomiya (the gyoza and strawberry capital of Japan, plus a Honda town). This was my live like a normal japanese part of the trip, and I had an absolute blast. Drove to this beautiful trekking area called Nasu ripping shit up in his Honda sports car, did an outlet where everything was dirt cheap, experienced my first real Japanese supermarket (fuck Don Quijote) with my friend guiding me for everything. Ate at the most insane restaurant that specializes in Beef Tongue - that meal is enough to visit again. He pointed out all the blow job shady massage places, but I did not partake lol. And then the smoothest limo bus ride to Narita to end the trip.
He asked me what I thought about Japan on our last night. This is what I told him:
- It’s a myth that Japan is expensive. It’s cheaper than India for A LOT of things.
- It’s the most consumer friendly country I’ve been to. If you pay money for something, anything, you will be provided with the best and easiest experience ever.
- I get that 80% of my trip was touristy shit, but mostly everyone spoke english. And mostly everyone who didn’t, pulled out google translate to communicate.
- The only time the Japanese get a bit tense with you is if you fuck with their efficient system, without doing the research. Do the research on how to make your life easier and avoid stupid, unnecessary questions.
- Don’t be a thicket and rely on cabs for anything, rent a car or utilize the greatest public transport known to man.
A big big big thanks to everyone in this thread who helped and kept me chill! Especially you @RichM, @vinnyt77, and @Henry! Hokkaido tips were crucial!
