Hi Japan Travel OT!
I traveled to Japan a couple months ago and forgot this thread existed :( I got by without it though. Overview of my trip
1 week in Kyoto
Sights:
-Hiked Mt Arashiyama and fed some monkeys checked out the ridiculous view, shopped in the stores below the mountain, and checked out the bamboo forest
-Visited the Inari shrine. I was blown away by this one. We started off in the crowded temple portion with tourists from all over taking selfies, and then kept hiking through Torii gate after torii gate until there were only a few people left around and the quietness of the forest took over. The ancient shrines are beautiful
-Visited Kiyomizu-dera. A beautiful Buddhist temple with far-reaching grounds and a great view of the city. We also walked through the busy shopping street that weaves in front of it, had a beer and people watched (Japan isn't nearly as into craft beer as the US, but Kyoto Brewing Co. makes some good stuff)
-Hanimikoji - only strolled down. took care not to harass the Geisha
Some food and drink recommendations:
-Ichikawaya Coffee - Small coffee house a little away from the busier portions of the city. They make delicious egg salad sandwiches and some sort of grape sandwich that they load with grapes and whipped cream and then cut at angles to make it look pretty. The coffee there was phenomenal and the service was excellent.
-Teuchi-Udon Kendonya - the Oyakodon and Udon here were excellent, and a ton of food.
-L'Escamoteur - high-end cocktail bar with a magic theme. This place was incredible, from the atmosphere and the presentation, to the drinks themselves. Highly highly recommend. Get there at least 15 min before opening to get in line and try to get a seat at the bar
-Kyoto Beer Lab - A tiny craft beer joint stylized like one you'd find in the US. Bonus, it's only a couple blocks from the original Nintendo HQ location
Day trip to Osaka:
Sights:
-Aquarium - This was worth it. The aquarium is mostly one massive tank with multiple viewing angles and a vast assortment of fish, including whale sharks
-Dotonbori - ultra touristy but also a lot of fun. lots of bright lights and a nice bridge to view it all from
Food and drink:
-Kobegyu Steak, Ken - This was the main attraction, the famous Kobe beef. Did not disappoint. And Chef Ken is super polite and excited about his craft (needless to say, expensive as hell)
-Gundam Cafe - why the hell not?
1 week in Tokyo
Sights:
-Shinjuku/Shibuya - The famous crosswalk, the lights, the Godzilla, the Hub Pubs, Hachiko memorial (goodest pupper), arcades, and Robot Restaurant (ridiculous and over-the-top fun show)
-Sunshine City - Cool view
-Akihabara - arcades and videogame merch shopping. I'm not into anime which is a large chunk of it, but there were good board game stores there too.
-Takeshita Street - the land of the harajuku style. just a tourist street now. but there's a Shiba cafe and it was awesome
-Asakusa - the Skytree... Skytree was absolutely worth it for an unbelievable view.
-Odaiba - Gundamn statue. Dude is huge. Didn't get to see the show though. Teamlab Borderless Digital Art museum was incredible. There is also some good food over there and a small beach to view core Tokyo from afar. Toyota museum was neat
Food and Drink:
-Butagumi (in Roppongi) - Tonkatsu restaurant with crazy menu of options to choose from. pick your cut of meat, level of fattiness, and source region. Also the best miso soup I've ever had
-Cafe Reissue (Shibuya) - Lattes with art. Show them a picture and the artist will draw it into the foam in your drink. Great for dog/cat owners
-Teppanbaby Hiroshima (Shinjuku) - Okonomiyaki restaurant. Awesome soul food
-Happy Pancake - a small chain, but super fluffy pancakes
-Spirit Bar Sunface (Shinjuku) - We were hoping to try the famous Bar Benfiddich, but it was closed for remodeling. This place was in the same building, and some reviews said they even liked it better. They weren't kidding. This place was great. A true mixology joint with no menu. They just ask for a flavor profile and then concoct something. Their primary focus is tequila, but I had a couple good whiskey drinks.
-Golden Gai (Shinjuku) - crazy bar-hopping in a few alleys with a large number of tiny bars. The downside is that beer is expensive as hell and it's hard to bar-hop as they all have a cover charge or minimum. We ended up having a few beers in the street with people from all over the world just around the corner thanks to the Rugby world cup taking place then ( drinking in the street legal, if uncommon)
Other travel notes:
-JR Pass - this came in handy for the duration of the trip. We were able to ride the shinkansen to Kyoto and back to Tokyo, while also using it constantly all over Tokyo and for the day trip to Osaka. Some notes: A lot of the local trains in Kyoto don't take it, and those will cost you a few backs each way depending on how far you're going. That's easy to figure out at the ticket machine. The map and price is right above it. In Tokyo, the Yamanote line is included and will take you anywhere in the core city. The lines the cut through it are also included, which is great. The train over the rainbow bridge to Odaiba is unfortunately not included
-Passport... carry it on you. A lot of touristy places have discounts if you show it, including the Skytree
-I was hoping to go to Nara, and we were hoping to go to the five lakes at Mt Fuji, but the typhoon prevented that :(
-I'm sure a lot of these details are already in this thread, but if anyone wants some more details on my experience let me know!