Going to Japan ... any recommendations?

[garyclark]

I'm looking for recommendations for Japan. Will be there for two weeks in April. Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kanazawa. Looking for:

- Restaurants
- Travel tips (planning on getting a 1st class rail pass, and also renting a car for a day in Kanazawa to explore the coast and ruins)
- Shopping for items you can only find in Japan
- Menswear shops (I've heard it's difficult for Westerners to buy much of the menswear over there because of the size limitations (I'm 6', 215 lbs). Not sure if that's true or not.

I tried to search for an existing thread about this, but was overwhelmed by threads selling Japanese products. If a thread like this exists, please feel free to point me towards it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JP Tod]

I went to Japan for 2 weeks in April, 2019 and it was, by far, my favorite trip ever! Enjoy the cherry blossoms!
I went to Tokyo, Mishima, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Atami and then back to Tokyo.
We were fortunate enough to have sushi at Sukiyabashi Jiro, but there are other excellent sushi places if you can't get that reservation. Also, I know this sounds crazy but we had exceptional pizza at Pizza Studio Tamaki (it has a Michelin star).

In Kyoto, I would recommend doing a Kaiseki dinner or lunch. We went to Gion Okumura and sat at the bar. Fantastic. And you have to pop down to the basement level food halls at one of the luxury department stores for a food court experience unlike any other.

In terms of shopping, we didn't have a ton of time. What I will say is, I was not prepared for how massive Tokyo is. On the map things look close,but getting there (via the train) seemed to take a lot longer. We physically could not get to all the places we wanted to shop in the time we had.

Hope that helps!

 

[garyclark]

I went to Japan for 2 weeks in April, 2019 and it was, by far, my favorite trip ever! Enjoy the cherry blossoms!
I went to Tokyo, Mishima, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Atami and then back to Tokyo.
We were fortunate enough to have sushi at Sukiyabashi Jiro, but there are other excellent sushi places if you can't get that reservation. Also, I know this sounds crazy but we had exceptional pizza at Pizza Studio Tamaki (it has a Michelin star).

In terms of shopping, we didn't have a ton of time. What I will say is, I was not prepared for how massive Tokyo is. On the map things look close,but getting there (via the train) seemed to take a lot longer. We physically could not get to all the places we wanted to shop in the time we had.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the tips!

 

[hws]

Bukkake!

 

[Oneflewover]

The rail pass is a must. Works so well and quick. I used Air BnB for local guides in Tokyo x2 and Sapporo, worth every penny to get proper insight. Bento boxes for the trains are a must. Ate at street bars and station bars, food is excellent and competitively priced. Get your kit off and visit onsens, liberating.
I wrote a bit of a blog https://thetriptojapan.blog/

 

[matic]

get a JR pass, airbnbs are great, sim cards or esims for service, english is not really a language barrier as it mightve been 20 years ago.. and 6' ppl are more common than not. just booked my trip for december! stupid excited because it's just the best place on the planet

 

[garyclark]

get a JR pass, airbnbs are great, sim cards or esims for service, english is not really a language barrier as it mightve been 20 years ago.. and 6' ppl are more common than not. just booked my trip for december! stupid excited because it's just the best place on the planet

We'll be in Tokyo, Hakone, Osaka, Kyoto, and Kanagawa. Going in April. Any recommendations?

Is 1st class on JR pass worth it? It looks like it might be because you get an assigned seat?

We'll be renting a car for a daytrip in Kanagawa. Any driving tips?

We have T-mobile for our phones. Which esim do you recommend?

 

[garyclark]

The rail pass is a must. Works so well and quick. I used Air BnB for local guides in Tokyo x2 and Sapporo, worth every penny to get proper insight. Bento boxes for the trains are a must. Ate at street bars and station bars, food is excellent and competitively priced. Get your kit off and visit onsens, liberating.
I wrote a bit of a blog https://thetriptojapan.blog/

Great blog. Thanks for sharing it. We're going in April, height of tourist season. Also, hopefully not as much snow

 

[JP Tod]

We'll be in Tokyo, Hakone, Osaka, Kyoto, and Kanagawa. Going in April. Any recommendations?

Is 1st class on JR pass worth it? It looks like it might be because you get an assigned seat?

We'll be renting a car for a daytrip in Kanagawa. Any driving tips?

We have T-mobile for our phones. Which esim do you recommend?

I assume that you plan to stay at a ryokan in Hakone? Check out THE RYOKAN COLLECTION for a great selection of properties. We stayed at the Atami Fufu and it was really incredible. I had been warned that there might not be any English-speakers at the ryokans, but we didn't have a problem. It was fun to wear the traditional kimonos (they instruct you how to wear them). There was a great selection of Japanese whiskeys in the bar, too. And the kaiseki dinner was delicious. A lot of ryokans serve the meal in your room, but we were advised to eat in the dining room because there can be lingering smells. Just something to think about. We also chose a place with a private onsen.

Osaka was fun, it was only a 12 minute train ride from Kyoto, so we went for dinner and to check it out. Was glad we didn't spend a lot of time there.

Regarding phones, my partner and I use different carriers, so I ended up renting a hotspot because it was cheaper. (Japan Wireless japan-wireless.com ) We were able to pick up the device at the airport and drop it off at the last hotel. Oh, that reminds me, you might look into spending the night before your departure at an airport hotel if you have an early flight out of Narita.

If you have a train pass, I would also encourage you to find a smaller town to visit. One of my favorite stops was Mishima which is a good place to view Mt. Fuji (there is a skywalk which was very cool but not for those afraid of heights...or suspension bridges). The cleanest, nicest town. It was basically silent. No one yakking on their mobile phone. It was amazing.

Not sure what kind of accommodations you're looking at but we did a mix of typical Japanese business hotels (Apa is one of the names) to save some money and get a more authentic experience but we blew the budget in the ryokan as well as me cashing in all of my Marriott points to spend two nights in the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo. There are a lot of 5* luxury properties. If you have the opportunity to stay at one in Tokyo, it's worth it!

Pics below:
On the skybridge in Mishima
Sushi in Mishima
Private Onsen in Atami
The bar at the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo

 

[garyclark]

I assume that you plan to stay at a ryokan in Hakone? Check out THE RYOKAN COLLECTION for a great selection of properties. We stayed at the Atami Fufu and it was really incredible. I had been warned that there might not be any English-speakers at the ryokans, but we didn't have a problem. It was fun to wear the traditional kimonos (they instruct you how to wear them). There was a great selection of Japanese whiskeys in the bar, too. And the kaiseki dinner was delicious. A lot of ryokans serve the meal in your room, but we were advised to eat in the dining room because there can be lingering smells. Just something to think about. We also chose a place with a private onsen.

Osaka was fun, it was only a 12 minute train ride from Kyoto, so we went for dinner and to check it out. Was glad we didn't spend a lot of time there.

Regarding phones, my partner and I use different carriers, so I ended up renting a hotspot because it was cheaper. (Japan Wireless japan-wireless.com ) We were able to pick up the device at the airport and drop it off at the last hotel. Oh, that reminds me, you might look into spending the night before your departure at an airport hotel if you have an early flight out of Narita.

If you have a train pass, I would also encourage you to find a smaller town to visit. One of my favorite stops was Mishima which is a good place to view Mt. Fuji (there is a skywalk which was very cool but not for those afraid of heights...or suspension bridges). The cleanest, nicest town. It was basically silent. No one yakking on their mobile phone. It was amazing.

Not sure what kind of accommodations you're looking at but we did a mix of typical Japanese business hotels (Apa is one of the names) to save some money and get a more authentic experience but we blew the budget in the ryokan as well as me cashing in all of my Marriott points to spend two nights in the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo. There are a lot of 5* luxury properties. If you have the opportunity to stay at one in Tokyo, it's worth it!

Pics below:
On the skybridge in Mishima
Sushi in Mishima
Private Onsen in Atami
The bar at the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo

We're staying at a fun Godzilla-themed 3-star hotel in Tokyo (my wife's a big fan, and it's very centrally located). Then a 4-star business hotel in Kyoto (also doing Osaka on a daytrip). In Kanagawa, we're staying at the Holiday Inn, which looks like the big nice hotel in that city. And then we're staying at a high end hotel in Tokyo at the end.

In Hakone, we're staying at an onsen. It looks pretty tradtional, with tatama mats and traditional architecture, but has a spa and restaurant. Is there a difference between an onsen and a ryokan? This one has hot springs, with different hours for men and women.

 

[bgk]

I love sushi but never felt need to visit many super high end places, some are a bit too uptight. A fun experience in the Ginza is Itamae Sushi Ginza Corridor, standing sushi that is pretty good (esp the tuna) and you can just point, talk to others in the shop, drink sake etc. It's about 20-30 bucks a head too, great for a lunch on the go. Hinatomaru, which has some branches, is also v good value I have heard but never been.
Kaikaiya by the Sea is touristy but it's a fun seafood izakaya with pretty good food, easy to navigate with cool staff, bit pricey but right outside the madness of Shibuya proper. Only dinner I think.
Isetan Men's Shop a must visit, can find some unique Japanese brands and some western brands not easily found outside of their home country, esp Italian (expensive tho)
It's a little bit of a hike but for a huge range of Japanese denim can check out Hinoya in Ueno, they have a few outlets on the street and all the brands to try, if you're into that. Good staff too, tho English is not great (Google Translate app is awesome actually for getting around). It's a good one stop rather than checking out all the brand shops, which are a bit spread out. Real McCoys shop is definitely worth a visit tho.
Tokyo's Napolitan pizza game is no joke so I second the above if you in the mood for something non Japanese. Nohga is a totally random but excellent Italian place in Akihabara, which is one of the strangest places on earth. I also like Il Tamburello in Nihonbashi but that's not a very touristy area, unless you're checking out department stores nearby.
Kyushu Jangara is pretty good ramen, they have a few branches.
I have gotten addicted to Yakitori, tons of good ones but my office on visits is near Ginza so I've done Birdland there, also further out near Kanda I had a really good, friendly meal at Torihiro.
For a nicer night out and cool experience the tempura bar at the Okura Hotel was great, tho pricey.
If you guys like craft beer there are some pretty good local brands that have nice bars, including Hitachino above Tokyo Station, iBrew (a few branches), Baird Brothers and Yona Yona. Tokyo Aleworks under Yurakucho Station has good beer and awesome fries. I wouldn't bother with food at those places otherwise.

 

[garyclark]

I love sushi but never felt need to visit many super high end places, some are a bit too uptight. A fun experience in the Ginza is Itamae Sushi Ginza Corridor, standing sushi that is pretty good (esp the tuna) and you can just point, talk to others in the shop, drink sake etc. It's about 20-30 bucks a head too, great for a lunch on the go. Hinatomaru, which has some branches, is also v good value I have heard but never been.
Kaikaiya by the Sea is touristy but it's a fun seafood izakaya with pretty good food, easy to navigate with cool staff, bit pricey but right outside the madness of Shibuya proper. Only dinner I think.
Isetan Men's Shop a must visit, can find some unique Japanese brands and some western brands not easily found outside of their home country, esp Italian (expensive tho)
It's a little bit of a hike but for a huge range of Japanese denim can check out Hinoya in Ueno, they have a few outlets on the street and all the brands to try, if you're into that. Good staff too, tho English is not great (Google Translate app is awesome actually for getting around). It's a good one stop rather than checking out all the brand shops, which are a bit spread out. Real McCoys shop is definitely worth a visit tho.
Tokyo's Napolitan pizza game is no joke so I second the above if you in the mood for something non Japanese. Nohga is a totally random but excellent Italian place in Akihabara, which is one of the strangest places on earth. I also like Il Tamburello in Nihonbashi but that's not a very touristy area, unless you're checking out department stores nearby.
Kyushu Jangara is pretty good ramen, they have a few branches.
I have gotten addicted to Yakitori, tons of good ones but my office on visits is near Ginza so I've done Birdland there, also further out near Kanda I had a really good, friendly meal at Torihiro.
For a nicer night out and cool experience the tempura bar at the Okura Hotel was great, tho pricey.
If you guys like craft beer there are some pretty good local brands that have nice bars, including Hitachino above Tokyo Station, iBrew (a few branches), Baird Brothers and Yona Yona. Tokyo Aleworks under Yurakucho Station has good beer and awesome fries. I wouldn't bother with food at those places otherwise.

Thanks so much for this!

My wife speaks conversational Japanese, so that should help us get around.

Did you do the Park Hyatt thing? I want to go grab a drink and take in the view there, but am worried about crowds and long lines.

 

[JP Tod]

We're staying at a fun Godzilla-themed 3-star hotel in Tokyo (my wife's a big fan, and it's very centrally located). Then a 4-star business hotel in Kyoto (also doing Osaka on a daytrip). In Kanagawa, we're staying at the Holiday Inn, which looks like the big nice hotel in that city. And then we're staying at a high end hotel in Tokyo at the end.

In Hakone, we're staying at an onsen. It looks pretty tradtional, with tatama mats and traditional architecture, but has a spa and restaurant. Is there a difference between an onsen and a ryokan? This one has hot springs, with different hours for men and women.

I believe an onsen is the hot springs bath - it can be communal (single sex) or private. A ryokan is a style of inn, which typically includes a pretty elaborate dinner and you wear a traditional kimono (we provided our measurements when making the reservation)

 

[bgk]

Never did the Park Hyatt thing but rooftop bar/restaurant at Four Seasons Otemachi (Pigneto) has an awesome view into the Imperial Palace if you do a drink outside.

 

[garyclark]

I believe an onsen is the hot springs bath - it can be communal (single sex) or private. A ryokan is a style of inn, which typically includes a pretty elaborate dinner and you wear a traditional kimono (we provided our measurements when making the reservation)

Yeah. Still getting the terminology right. We also made some changes, and are now staying at a ryokan in a city called Yugawara at the southern border of Kanagawa.