Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy a ticket to Japan
One Life, One Encounter – true to its spirit, this blog post is about our 10N/11D visit to bustling Tokyo to Zen-like Kyoto and laid back Hiroshima during the all famous Cherry Blossom time of the year (March end 2023)! Japan is a high tech world mixed with a lot of respect and politeness of their past and towards us visitors.
We were two families (other family being Sumit & Vinita Dubey) and had planned an ambitious itinerary with four kids including two toddlers. From dragging our strollers on the streets of Japan to finding elevators everywhere to not miss on the Shinkansen timings – this was indeed an adventure of the lifetime!
We arrived Tokyo Narita Airport from Bangalore by taking Singapore Airlines flight. Japan immigrations and customs were one of the smoothest where all things were done online prior to our arrival. We had made bookings with AirBnB in the Mejiro-Ikebukuro suburb which is on the JR Yamanote Line, one of the most used subways in Tokyo. We had taken JR Rail pass meant for foreign nationals but did all our seat reservations upon arrival in Tokyo, including Narita Express which takes you to the centre of Tokyo.
Day 1: Roppongi
After settling into our accommodation for the next 4 days, we headed to visit Roppongi area. Sun was playing hide and seek since we had landed there and it was a lot to bear for us Bangaloreans, ill equipped and weather spoilt. Nevertheless, we wanted to get some local supplies and figure out the transportation, so we headed straight to Mori Tower for the city view. Enroute we gorged on a Japanese curry chain CoCo Ichibanya where they have an english menu and quite a few options for vegans!
We had plans to dine in Gonpachi – Kill Bill fame restaurant in the same area but little did we know how food reservations work in Japan!
Day 2: Harajuku, Yoyogi, Omotesando, Ginza
We started the day little late by visiting Meiji Jingu Shrine, very conveniently located just outside the train line. This was our first Shinto shrine visit and we were mesmerised by views of giant Torii gates!
We walked down to Yoyogi park to witness our first Cherry Blossoms. The park was bustling with people who had their picnic mats spread under the trees. Further we decided to walk on the Takeshita street towards Omotesando. Along the way, we had the all famous Harajuku Crepes on the roadside. We saw almost all shops exhibiting the food being served using plastic or wax models emulating the look, texture and form of the the actual dish.
We took subway to reach Ginza next and saw experience centers lined up from multinational luxury brands such as Armani, Chanel, LV, Dior, Prada, Burberry, Bvlgari and likes. We had plans to dine in one of the restaurants inside Ginza Six complex but not having reservation bit us here as well. We ended up having dinner at Indian Restaurant Mumbai before calling it a day.
Day 3: Chuo, Shibuya
We had a lunch reservation at challenge-sumo-wrestlers where one can have real interaction with ex-sumo wrestlers. It was few hours well spent with a lot of photo opportunity and a multi course Chanko Nabe (food what sumo wrestlers eat) veg lunch. Sumit and Pulastya ended up challenging the wrestlers and forcing them out of the Sumo ring!
Upon roaming the streets while heading for Shibuya, we got our hands on a lot of local Japanese snacks such as Onigiri, flavored Mochi and Konnyaku.
We did the most touristy thing one can do in Tokyo by crossing Shibuya street a few times and clicking photos with Hachiko statue.
We found a T’s Tantan outlet nearby our stay and headed straight there for a sumptuous bowl of Ramen as we were craving for some filling local veg food. We also loaded ourselves with next few days of impromptu supplies with their ready-to-eat vegan ramen bowls.
Day 4: Kamakura, Yokohama
This day was a side trip to Kamakura and Yokohama city which is within 2 hours of reach. We wanted to get a glimpse of Fuji-san as the weather was also supporting us. A local lady advised us to visit Inamuragasaki instead of the planned Shichirigahama beach to increase our chances of getting clear views of Fuji-san.
Just outside the Kamakura station, we found lots of snacks to munch such as Dango sticks (soft mochi on stick), Matcha Gelato and Taiyaki (animal shaped cake filled with cream/chocolate).
While returning from the Inamuragasaki beach, we found a small hidden burger joint which luckily has something for us veggies!
Yokohama city has a lot to offer but as it was getting dark and cold, we headed straight to Cosmo Clock giant wheel from where one can witness Minato Mirai skyline. We had to do some desi jugaad to get a seat on the fairy wheel as we reached after the closing time but Sumit was hell bent on taking kids to a Mela, that being the last day of Navratri!
Day 5: Asakusa, Odaiba
We started with a quick visit to Ueno Park to witness more Cherry Blossoms. This was a day to visit Tokyo’s oldest part (Senso-ji Shrine) and slowly drift into the future (artificial island Odaiba). To get to Odaiba, we had a booking with Tokyo Water Bus which offers enjoyable alternative to trains and a way to travel along the Sumida river. We took Yurikamome to return from Odaiba, a driverless monorail which offers scenic route via Rainbow bridge.
Senso-ji is Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist shrine situated in Asakusa. It has two giant Torri gates and Nakamise street in between where one can shop for traditional Buddhist paraphernalia and souvenirs. Nakamise shopping street was super crowded with hardly any space to move around. We found a shop selling Melon Pan and Senbei (Rice crackers) which are must try while visiting this part of city.
Asakusa ferry terminal is within a short walk from Nakamise street and we reached Odaiba before Sunset. Odaiba is a man made artificial island which is home to many high tech corporations. It has a beach front and offers scenic views of Rainbow bridge in the backdrop of Tokyo skyline. It has Aqua City Mall which is home to many restaurants, including Ramen park of Odiaba – Tokyo Ramen Kokugikan Mai where we had our Ramen dinner.
Day 6: Shinkansen to Kyoto, Fushimi Inari
We moved to the next leg of our journey by taking Shinkansen to reach Kyoto by late afternoon. Most of the shrines and temples in Kyoto get closed by 5pm and hence we were rushing to reach Sanjūsangen-dō temple. Though we were aware of the closing timings, we overlooked the fact that they don’t accept visitors 30 mins before the closing time. Our disappointment quickly turned into a joyful experience when we found a nearby Thai food joint offering great views of Kamo River. As we were craving for some spicy food, we ate to our heart’s content and washed it down with Singha beer and Thai Ice tea.
Our last stop for the day was Fushimi Inari – home to thousands of vermillion torii gates, donated by individuals and businesses to Shinto God of Rice (prosperity). Arguably the most photographed place in one’s itinerary, this shrine doesn’t have a closing time, so can be visited any time of the day.
Day 7: Arashiyama, Gion
Most of the usual tourist attractions in Kyoto are lined up around Higashiyama yard, close to where we had booked our accommodation as well, barring few such as Arashiyama. Accordingly, we had planned to visit Arashiyama for the most part of the day starting from Shigetsu followed by a quick walk in the Bamboo forests and crossing Togetsukyo bridge to reach FuFu no yu Onsen – all located in a radius of a kilometer or so.
Shigetsu, which is Tenryu-ji’s Zen Vegeratian restaurant is on everybody’s wish list as reservations here gets filled months before. Eating in Shigetsu is an experience in itself as one gets to experience traditional Japanese welcome and Shojin Ryori meal – a multi course veg meal crafted by Zen Buddhists themselves!
It was a perfect setting to try out Japanese Rice Wine – Sake, which is served in a beautiful decanter, both hot and cold. As Sake is prepared from rice, the starch has to be converted into sugar which is a complex process. Arguably, no other country has developed such a refined drink from grains.
We clicked few photos in the over crowded Bamboo forests of Arashiyama and walked straight to Onsen. FuFu No Yu Onsen is a hidden gem in Kyoto which gels perfectly well with the exhaustion of indulging oneself in a lavish spread followed by a tiring walk. Although, I did find Sauna Warning on etiquette there, where it was advised not to take a dip when inebriated, something to watch out for after having a lot of Sake probably!
We had a late evening reservation for Gion Corner Traditional Arts performance where we saw seven kinds of arts including Kyo-Mai dance performed by apprentice Geishas. It was an hour long digest show for traditional Japanese performances, all under one roof.
We took a short walk through narrow alleys of Kyoto, dimly lit by moonlight, towards Yasaka Pagoda to see the street decorated by paper lanterns before calling it a day.
Day 8: Sanjusangen-do, Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji
We had a lot to cover for this day as we had already missed on one opportunity to see Sanjusangen-do, a Buddhist temple dedicated to Kanoon – Shinto God of compassion and mercy. Which place can better describe the intricate relation between Shintoism and Buddhism which has co-existed harmoniously since centuries and therefore yielding the saying that a Japanese is born Shinto but dies Buddhist!
Next, we headed towards Kiyomizu-dera, another Buddhist temple which is a Unesco World heritage site. The temple has a jutting wooden stage which overlooks Kyoto city and offers a great view, especially of Cherry and Maple trees below. As we had a reservation for a Tea ceremony on the other side of the city close to Kinkakuji temple, we quickly took an Uber to reach the place on time.
We had made a booking with Koto Tea ceremony where Nikita also got dressed in Kimono. Though we liked the overall experience, we felt it could have been more elaborate, partly due to the high hopes we had attached to this activity and partly sensing slight detachment of our host towards the narration.
Our next stop was Kinkaku-ji – Zen buddhist temple of Golden pavilion, which was within a short walk. It was very picturesque overlooking a large pond but sadly one cannot enter the structure itself.
We found a nice quiet place nearby, called Dainoji, which serves Okonomiyaki – best described as Cabbage pancakes, a dish which was on our wish list since we had come. To our surprise, the preparation was equally unique with a live counter on all tables.
Though we wanted to take a short walk along the Philosopher’s path lined up with Cherry trees, we decided to retire back to our stay as it got super cold after the Sun set in.
Day 9: Travel to Hiroshima, Miyajima
We came to the last leg of our itinerary where we checked out from Kyoto and put our luggage in Kyoto train station before we headed for Hiroshima and Miyajima. Coin lockers were automated (using IC cards), plentiful and came in all shapes and sizes. It was large enough to hold our big suitcases and it is possible to find even larger ones for oversized baggage.
As our JR Rail passes didn’t cover Nozomi category of Shinkansens, we had to reach Hiroshima changing trains at Shin-Kobe.
We wanted to reach Miyajima island from mainland Hiroshima before it was too dark, so we quickly grabbed few bites at Kissa Saeki and headed straight to A-bomb dome site.
It was mixed feeling standing at the epicentre where the first use of atomic bomb had happened. Its sudden use had an impact in shifting the balance of power in history and continues to shape the world as we see it today.
We took a transport ferry (~45 mins) to take us to the Miyajima ferry terminal from the site itself. We had made a booking with Miyajima Seaside Hotel for a one night Ryokan experience.
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn that typically features tatami-matted rooms, public or private Onsens, and other experiences where visitors may wear yukata and have kaiseki dinner. There are multiple choices across Japan where one can have Ryokan experience, but we decided on Miyajima because we wanted to remain on the island during night time to see Itsukushima shrine and its floating Torri gate.
After having a lavish spread of multi course traditional Japanese dinner, we took the night cruise to get as close to the floating Torri gate as possible.
We still had some motivation left for the day and after returning from the night cruise we dipped ourselves in Onsen, this time not like an amateur though. However, the highlight of the day was having a deep conversation with Sumit, sitting outside the Ryokan by the sea waves, holding a peach flavoured Asahi beer straight out of vending machine and few deers roaming at a stone’s throw distance!
Day 10 & 11: Travel back to Tokyo Narita & Bangalore
Though we would have much liked to spend more time on the island, we had a long day ahead of us changing multiple Shinkansens and reach Narita Tobu Airport Hotel where we had to spend the night before our next day return flight to Bangalore.
As the trip came to an end, an unwanted sadness crept and I could not help but think of the saying – It is better to travel well than to arrive, quite in the literal way!
GB Hacks:
- Japan Visa for Indians can be obtained in most major cities by submitting application to VFS. Charges are nominal.
- You will definitely need data connection while in Japan. Airalo is a good option to get global eSIM card. There are pocket wifi routers available as well.
- HappyCow is a good app to find vegan and vegetarian food in vicinity.
- Japan Travel by Navitime is a good app to find subway and Shinkansen schedules. It accepts JR Rail pass as a filter and optimises for that.
- There is 7-11 store chain available every few hundred meter or so. One can buy fresh snacks and baked products from the store.
Kedia's Travelogue 