WWMD: Two Weeks in Japan/ Tokyo

Your trip overlaps Marine Day, the holiday that celebrates the ocean. You should incorporate a visit to the oceanside where an event is taking place.

If you are planning to stay in a hotel, consider the JR Pass for getting around Tokyo and beyond the city limits for day trips. If you are undecided on accommodations and want to spend time adventuring around Tokyo, but not primarily in town, you can spend ~6,000 - 15,000 Yen on a camper van from Japan Campers.

As for travel, Navitime seems to be the most common recommendation for getting around. Get a phone data-only plan from Mobal Japan and pair Navitime with Google Maps while on the ground.

I'd spend only a few days in Tokyo and get out. Standard tourist traps there were not my favorite but still cool of course. I did like taking the subway to the highest rated ramen spots in and around Tokyo every lunch and observing the salarymen, wandering random neighborhoods, taking the subway anywhere to watch people, and visiting the fish market at 6am to see fishmongers bid on tuna.

I wish i spent more days in Kyoto. The standard tourist traps were crowded but still worth it. The less busy temples were my favorite there, like the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple which i did walking loop from two train stations and included 八大龍王 shrine / Kuya Falls which was an amazing fucking hike and no one else was there when i did it. Also there is a hiking loop (with a train station close to to both trailheads) that go to Kurama-dera Temple, which is much much more than just a hike to a temple. There's a museum up there (ok it's not great), endless scenic stairs, massive cedar trees, and many more cool buildings.

I often hiked up random trails above other temples in Kyoto to get 'exercise' which was super rewarding with views and random shrines up high, but as people mentioned it is humid as fuck there so that may not work in July. If the weather somehow clears, I'd hightail it to mount Fuji or the mountains north of Nagano to take lifts up to hiking trails or stay one night in the huts up there - all plans I had to do until I lost my passport and broke a toe.

i also visited one of the 'three perfect gardens' in japan because I like japanese gardens so why not see the best? it was Kenroku-en and an easy strike from Kyoto thanks to trains, I spent a night there and moved on quickly. Super peaceful and jawdropping. the castle across the street from the gardens was a sweet bonus - Kanazawa Castle.


I also did a lift served day mountain biking, that is also highly recommended. local vibe at these biking places is very friendly!

Fuck that was too long of a post, oh well. And I forgot, there's only 6 main Sumo contests and one is happening while you are there in July, you should really try to go: https://www.sumo.or.jp/EnTicket/year_schedule

When I was there I went to watch Sumo wrestlers practice since there was no tourney at the time and it was worth it watching them get after it. It was pouring rain and you can only see them through a window in an alley, ha. It's in Tokyo, google it.

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Originally Posted by mcski

Natto is like the best gelato compared to shirokara. But skip them both for sure!

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LMAO. Agreed, but I can at least handle natto. Haven't come across shirokara though so I had to look it up. I'm damn adventurous with cuisine when I travel, but even I might have my limits. For the unfamiliar:

Eating out in Japan: The one Japanese dish you won't be able to eat
https://www.traveller.com.au/japanes...ated-me-grcj4r

The only food I've said no to was Balut in the Phillipines. Blech...

When i lived in Tokyo, my friends and I got recruited onto one of their crazy gaijin shows where they made us eat progressively more “interesting” Japanese cuisine for repulsion reaction shots. I think there were 10-15 things and shirocara was the last. Lol. PS -from what I’ve heard Balut is delicious if you commit and go full send

And second seeing a sumo championship. Fantastic sport viewing experience

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Originally Posted by Ottime

Awesome start. Thanks mags - gives me a bunch of stuff to research.

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Of course! Since you're coming from Singapore, yeah. You're going to fit right in no problem for all the reasons you said.

Also, living in SG, don't listen to all the knuckleheads warning you about rain, heat, and humidity. Haha. Yeah, it gets hot(ish) and humid, but it ain't nothing compared to what YOU'RE used to. Piece of cake. I used to run a global route bouncing all around, and going from the blazing hot Middle East to the steamy jungles of Thailand in monsoon season, then back up to Japan, it was always pleasant by comparison. Even in July.

More great stuff. Many thanks. And not too long muted.

We are not too worried about humidity, and making contingency plans incase it is full on monsoonal weather. It it looks like non stop rain for ten days, we then will head north to see if we can avoid some. Otherwise, heat, humidity, rain is what we get every damn day here.


Natto does not look terrible. I eat fermented soybeans here, but it is much more of a salty dish than anything else. We add them to stir fry or soup. Curious about the Japanese version.

The squid dish looks a bit concerning to me. The linked article mentions floss, and its crazy how popular floss is here. First time I had a chicken floss bun I was shocked with a sweet custard inside with the salty chicken floor on top. Such an odd combo, and it kind of works. Do not dislike the custard and floss combo, but not my go to snack either.

Bumping as I'm less than a month out

Can I use the JR Pass to get around Tokyo? Or will that only be helpful when traveling outside the city. Spent a good two hours reading websites and now I'm more confused than before.

Think of a JR Pass as being a tool for traveling between cities. While it does work within Tokyo it's not the right tool to use.

If you're traveling between a lot of cities then the JR Pass is a good deal. If you're only traveling once or twice then it's not so great. Typically flying across Japan is cheaper than the train. The train is very convenient since it doesn't involve security and boarding lines.

For getting around Tokyo get a SUICA or PASMO card. These cost 500 yen and are your ticket to move anywhere within the city and also are accepted in a lot of stores that don't take credit cards. You can preload them with yen or tie it to a digital wallet. The metro system in Tokyo is arguably the best in the world and Google Maps works very well for navigating the city. You can buy one of these IC cards at any station.

Something to add to all the good info above: in 2013 small restaurants had you order at a machine and hand order ticket to the cook at the counter. This way they don’t handle filthy money bills. All is good if the machine has pictures. If not, we match the writing on machine to the writing on a picture menu/poster. Google translate will handle it in 2023 like a champ.

Nagano is a day trip away on the bullet train. Mountain views on the way there and back, walk in park/temple, eat, explore, ride back.

Don’t remember the situation with public bathrooms. I think we were using Starbucks facilities mostly. Plan ahead.

Just be aware that the guys handing out cards and saying "free peep" in Tokyo are not talking about a brightly colored sugar coated marshmellow confection.

A restaurant recommendation for your time in Tokyo.

It's not cheap (around 17000 yen per person not including sake) and unless your kid is super adventurous it's too expensive to have as a family dinner but over to you to figure that part out. Maybe get your brother in law to take him while you and your wife enjoy a meal together.

Make a reservation for either lunch or dinner at sushi-y in azabujuban (that's a neighborhood downtown about 20 minutes from Tokyo Tower by foot). In this case there's no discount for lunch that I'm aware of. It should be the best omakase experience you'll have and it's quite inexpensive by U.S. or Singaporean standards. I've taken 2 groups of Americans there now and it's been a huge hit both times.

The reason this place is so unique is that the chef speaks English and used to run a restaurant in Manhattan and then Honolulu. So you get the traditional Japanese omakase experience but you also get the explanation of what you're eating, why it was chosen, and the detail that went into it. While it's great to have the adventure of not knowing exactly what you're eating as you travel abroad you miss most of the insane details that are involved in high end sushi. Being able to ask questions and having him patiently explain things will make the 2 hour meal one of the high points of your trip. The chef also incorporates most of the seafood and products from Toyama, which is on the far side of Japan and one of the main seafood hubs in Japan.

Highly recommend this as a must do in Tokyo.

A couple more inexpensive lunch recommendations. Most of these are in the Roppongi neighborhood since that's my lunch spot.

Yakiniku - lunch special is 1000 yen ($7)
https://goo.gl/maps/jBUuJAD5ULbQpmSW8

Udon - a must if you enjoy udon. A reservation is a good idea since this place gets crowded. Directly next to Don Quixote though so you can kill some time there if necessary.
https://goo.gl/maps/tPjQkhipMkyHiMQe7

Korean BBQ - higher quality but still less than 2000 yen for lunch. In the Mori building on the 5th floor. Not that easy to find but it's near the restrooms.
https://goo.gl/maps/eh57mUJYj2gjFgi4A
Splurge on the Wagyu Bibimbap. It's served raw but the bowl is hot enough to cook it as you stir up the contents.

Sushi go-round - super cheap, super fun. Order whatever you want via iPad and get it delivered to you. Lots besides sushi too for picky eaters. No reservations here so don't worry if the line is out the door. It moves quickly. See the scramble/crossing nearby and combine with harajuku, meiji shrine, and yoyogi park.
https://goo.gl/maps/yrJ84aRv8GSodrnh6

Ichiran Ramen - a chain but a good one. Go early or be prepared to wait a bit during the lunch rush. Or just walk to a different one if you're in Shibuya, Shinjuku, etc.

Tonkatsu - fried pork cutlet. This place isn't inexpensive but you can probably get out of there for under 2000 yen. In the basement of the Mori complex.
https://goo.gl/maps/JVWENV9EzD3nqWPb8

For ramen, I watched the doc Ramen Heads before going to Tokyo. You don't HAVE to see it, but it's great. Here is a list of all the great ramen places from the documentary - https://ifbth.com/ramen-heads-filming-locations/

You can download their google map of locations to your phone.

I ate at a few of those places like Tai Shio Soba Touka and it was all mind blowing. Nothing was super close to my hotel unfortunately, but I wasn't in a rush and enjoyed walking from the subway stations into 'small' neighborhoods to find them.

In 'Ramen Heads,' Osamu Tomita, Japan's reigning king of ramen, takes us deep into his world, revealing every single step of his obsessive approach to creating the perfect soup and noodles, and his relentless search for the highest-quality ingredients. In addition to Tomita's story, the film also profiles five other notable ramen shops, each with its own philosophy and flavour, which exemplify various different aspects the ramen world. "

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Originally Posted by Ottime

Bumping as I'm less than a month out

Can I use the JR Pass to get around Tokyo? Or will that only be helpful when traveling outside the city. Spent a good two hours reading websites and now I'm more confused than before.

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Pretty sure the JR pass doesn’t cover tokyo subways. I think there are Day passes though that you can get which would be worth as subway rides can add up fast there.

Do you have accommodations booked already? Staying in historic places like a Ryokan in Kyoto was one of the coolest experiences we had in japan and really helped it feel like a unique trip. I really liked the nightlife and restaurants in Osaka because it's all in one main area, and the food was super good there. Fewer foreign tourists that Tokyo or Kyoto which made the experience different and nicer in some ways. We ended up in a bar big enough for 5 people chatting we an older couple from Nara for a while exchanging our views on world politics.

Check out TeamLab. When my daughter and I went in 2020 it was super cool (she was 13 at the time and loved it).

New exhibit: https://planets.teamlab.art/tokyo/




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