Our stay in Japan

Back to Japan

 

JAPAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

identity card

 

Map

Continent: Asia

Language: Japanese

Area: 377.915km2

Population​​ (2016): 126,702,133 inhab.

Density: 349 inhabitants / km2

Capital: Tokyo (the most populated urban area in the world, with more than 37 million inhabitants, including the whole agglomeration).

Currency: Yen (JPY)

Political​​ Regime: Parliamentary Democracy - Constitutional Monarchy

Main​​ religions: Shinto (107 million people), Buddhism (94 million), Christianity (2.16 million), Others (1 million).

 

 

 

Our 'Wish List'

 

- sing the Totoro song IN Japan

- see people dressed in manga-clothes on the street

- visit Japanese temples

- visit the Ghibli museum

- see Shinjuku and THE pedestrian crossing

- see Mount Fuji

- take the Shinkansen train

- visit old Kyoto

- go to Mount Koya

- go to Okinawa la Belle

-​​ think about Totoro every day

- fight with chopsticks to eat pasta!

 

 

 

Our itinerary

 

During our 3 weeks stay in Japan, we stayed 10 days in Tokyo, 7 days in Kyoto and Osaka and 4 days in Hiroshima.

We really recommend staying in Tokyo for a long time. 10 days were a minimum for us. We would have stayed longer ... Tokyo is huge with many neighbourhoods to visit, each with its own identity. There are also many parks where it is good and pleasant to take your time. In addition, it is possible to visit a lot of​​ things from Tokyo (we went to Nikko and Yokohama - but we can also do Hakone for example, and many other things!): The train network is very well done and allows to travel easily and quickly from one point to another.

Kyoto and its region also deserve at​​ least a week in our opinion. Kyoto has many temples and gardens that are worth visiting. And from Kyoto we can go to Nara and Osaka.

For Hiroshima, we only stayed a few days and we focused on Miyajima and the Mount Misen trek which absolutely charmed us and we highly recommend it.

 

 

Good to know :

- There are 2 airports in Tokyo: make sure you know where you arrive to plan your transportation to the city!

- there are many train companies in Japan, and often several stations in the same place: when you plan​​ a trip, check which train company you want to take & go to the​​ corresponding train station (not the one of the other company !)

- there are hundreds of trains in Tokyo: if your train is announced at 13:57 at platform 4, it will be at 13:57 at platform 4: do not do like us! do not get on a train that stops at 13:53 at platform 4: it's not good !!!​​ 😉​​ Everything is extremely punctual and accurate in Japan ...

- to plan your trips: use the site HYPERDIA: it is essential to find oneself in the labyrinth of transports !!!​​ http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

 

 

 

 

What to do in JAPaN ?

 

 

Tokyo

 

RESUME :

- Tokyo is a city ... amazing! We wanted to visit it in order to be confronted with a culture very different from ours, and at the same time we were a bit apprehensive because Tokyo is a megalopolis of 36 million inhabitants and, living in a small village deep in Norway, we do not really like big cities ... but we were motivated - well, this city has charmed us all! we loved it ! It's a subtle blend of hyper-modernism and tradition. It's surprisingly calm, clean, efficient. People are extremely polite and respectful (the gap between the Paris metro and the Tokyo subway is just ... unbelievable ...). The combination of ultra-modern skyscraper streets, state-of-the-art shops, robots, people dressed in manga-clothes... and parks,​​ temples, monekos and people in kimonos is unique. We felt very well in Tokyo. All over. All the neighbourhoods we visited charmed us one way or another. They all have something special and are worth a visit!

- Transport is extremely efficient, punctual, precise, well done. On the other hand, on the side of the user, it is necessary to be able to understand the maps of the networks and the principle of the different companies / different stations / rails ... not obvious at the beginning but it is done quickly.

 

 

TO DO :

- take height ! climb up a tower (for example, the Sky Tower, Fuji TV Tower) to get an overview of the megalopolis: it's amazing!

- do not hesitate to enter the game rooms: it's typically Japanese!

- taste all the dishes: there are hundreds of small restaurants / small stalls that sell hundreds of different small dishes all more attractive than the other - we loved everything we tasted, especially okonomiyakis.

- take the​​ Yurikamome​​ airline to go to Odaiba: we discovered a whole part of modern Tokyo from this mind-boggling train line!

 

 

TIPS:

 

-​​ take a transport card​​ (PASMO-SUICA type): it is a prepaid card with a sum of money on it that you can fill​​ as needed at automatic terminals. This is essential !! In Tokyo, the prices of the journeys are different from one station to another, from one company to another, and one pays according to the distance. You will spend a lot of time paying the right rate​​ every time, queuing at the ticket counter. With the Suica card, you pass the card on the terminal at the entrance and the exit and everything is automatic! it's perfect ! ATTENTION, however: the card can be returned (against his deposit of 500 yen) ONLY on​​ Tokyo! not Kyoto or other example ... so remember to bring it back before leaving Tokyo!

 

 

-​​ Japan Rail Pass or not? THE big question of a traveling trip to Japan ... well there is no obvious answer: it all depends on what you want to do: the best is to​​ make a budget: you can calculate the cost of your transport through the Hyperdia website and compare with a Japan Rail Pass. In our case for example, it was not advantageous to take it. But it depends on what you do ...

 

-​​ bank withdrawals: we had read a​​ lot about the fact that bank withdrawals can be difficult in Japan ... we did not notice anything special: all ATM we tested worked properly. Be careful however: everything is paid in CASH in Japan! So think about making big withdrawals and having enough cash permanently with you.

 

-​​ buy food at the supermarket: even if you do not have a kitchen in your home: they have plenty of 'bentos' meals ready! It's awesome ! there are dozens of dishes to discover, and it's really cheap! especially if you come in the​​ evening: the prices fall because they have to sell the stocks before the next day​​ 😉

 

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- go to the​​ museum GHIBLI: if you are fans of cartoons of the famous studio (Mononoke, Totoro & co.), it is essential not to miss this opportunity to discover the​​ world of its creator Miyazaki !!! ATTENTION: Tickets can only be bought on the internet (or you will pay an arm with dealers, while the tickets are really cheap) on the 10th of each month for the following month: connect to the site (http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/), At 10:00 am Japanese time and try to book your tickets by choosing a day and a time: it crashes often, but persists! we managed to pass at a given moment. Attention 2: places are usually sold in​​ a few hours: try to be in front of your computer at the opening so you can choose (for us it was 3am ...!).

 

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THE DIFFERENT QUARTERS:

 

-​​ Asakusa district: This is the traditional Tokyo district with the very impressive Buddhist temple of​​ Senso Ji, and its typical shopping streets​​ Nakamise Dori​​ &​​ Kaminarimon Dori.​​ Start at the tourist office just opposite the Kaminarimon (the famous gate with its giant red lantern): go upstairs - you will have a view (free!) of the site!

 

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-​​ Ueno park​​ with its zoo. A beautiful park, very big. We were very lucky when we went there: there was plenty of street entertainment and a culinary festival - we had a blast! The zoo was nice, but crowded.

 

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-​​ Tsukiji fish market: very touristy, many stalls are there for tourists and not for professionals, but hey, it's nice and interesting. And if you leave the aisles organized for tourists and enter the halls, there you can see the real fish stalls and it's great!

 

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-​​ Odaiba: Tokyo's entertainment district is an artificial island located in Tokyo Bay, southeast of the heart of the capital. Consisting mainly of offices and shopping centers, there are also large games rooms (Sega Joypolis) including the Oedo Onsen, the Gundam (a transformer 'real' size), a Ferris wheel and full other attractions.

 

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-​​ Oedo Onsen Monogatari in Odaiba: it is a small sort of ‘leisure park’ that reproduces traditional Japanese streets with a real 'onsen' (a kind of Japanese spa with natural hot spring) that must be tested during a stay at Japan!

 

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-​​ Shinjuku district: famous for its busiest station in the world! It is mainly a business district, a hub of Tokyo night life and for shopping, but also offers beautiful parks (Shinjuku Gyoen) and temples.

 

-​​ Shibuya district: famous for its pedestrian crossing. This is the district of fashion and Tokyo youth par excellence (Harajuku) - this is where we can meet young people dressed in manga​​ 😉.

 

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-​​ the imperial palace: in the central district, a site​​ that contrasts sharply with the rest of Tokyo: it is a very large space, with a gigantic park, an immense esplanade and an imperial palace that can be seen from afar. The​​ palace gardens​​ are beautiful and are worth visiting for a few moments before returning to Tokyo packed with people.

 

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Nikko

 

This is a GRANDIOSE site that we highly recommend !!

For transportation: take a train from the line 'Tobu'. It takes about 2 hours to reach the site. It's a long trip back and forth on the day, but it's worth​​ it! Otherwise, if you can, stay one or two nights!

The city of Nikko itself is located at the foot of the mountains, surrounded by nature. The landscapes are beautiful. We were there in October and the fall colours were incredibly beautiful, sometimes unreal.

Arrived at the station, you can then walk (or take a bus) until the beginning of the site: a hill located north of Nikko where you will find remarkable temples.

 

 

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Kyoto

 

RESUME :

- Big city located more South of Japan compared to​​ Tokyo, just next to Osaka the hyper modern. We are there in 3h time by the famous Japanese fast train 'Shinkansen'.

- Kyoto is supposed to be the 'traditional / authentic' counterpart of Tokyo: we confirm! it is smaller, modest in size compared to Tokyo and you can walk in parks and forests, and visit many temples (this is the former imperial capital of Japan), it's very nice.

 

TO DO :

 

- walk in the old quarter of​​ Gion: yes and no ... that's what is listed in all the guides like THE thing to do in Kyoto​​ ... we were not convinced ... or we did not come across the good street that could have charmed us ...? all we have seen is a quarter crowded with tourists but ultimately few interesting things ...

 

- go to the​​ market Nishiki: it is very touristy but still​​ has a share of authenticity, very nice, with lots of weird products to test!

 

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- do all the temples of​​ Higashiyama​​ district: they are beautiful!​​ KiyomizuDera,​​ GinkakuJi,​​ KodaiJi,​​ Heian-jingu

 

- Mount DaimonJi-Yama from Ginkaku-Ji Temple​​ for a beautiful view of the Kyoto Plain

 

-​​ Kurama: Mount Kurama is a sacred mountain north of Kyoto, known for its hiking trails and Buddhist temple, Kurama-dera.

 

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-​​ Fushimi Inari Taisha: THE iconic Kyoto Shinto site extremely photogenic. We all have these images in mind with these hundreds of red-orange 'doors' lining up infinitely in the forest: this is it! So yes, it's beautiful. It has a magical side, out of time: when we start to walk through these doors (torii) that follow each other, we do not really understand the thing ... and then, motivate yourself: continue the path! continue again! go further than the first stops where 90% of the visitors stop: you will be very soon alone on the way, in the hilly forest passing through this chain of doors vermilion colour ... and there, in the calm and the sounds of the forest, you will feel the very special atmosphere of the site ... we loved​​ 😉

 

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ADVICE​​ :

- as for Tokyo: have a transport card (SUICA type) that allows you to take​​ train, metro, bus without having to queue to pay his ticket individually each time.

- The buses are crowded and very slow during the day ... if you can, avoid ....

 

 

 

Nara

 

Nara is a small town about 40 kilometers south of Kyoto. You can take a train to Kyoto Central Station and be there in 20 minutes. And you can explore the city, its main attractions and the park in a big day from Kyoto.

It is known for its historical heritage (former capital of Japan) and especially today for its parks with deer that move freely: accustomed to the visitors who feed them, they do not hesitate to approach people and are not afraid.

Be careful: do not miss the majestic temple of​​ Todai-Ji​​ with his big Buddha, it's very impressive - and make the small hike to​​ Mount Wakakusa​​ which is a small hill that rises to 342 meters altitude: once arrived at his summit by one of the hiking trails (fee), it offers a panoramic view of the old imperial city and its park.

 

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Osaka

 

RESUME :

Osaka is the third largest city in Japan. You​​ can visit lively districts comparable to Tokyo, parks and temples, the castle and the magnificent aquarium. The streets of the center are also very lively in the evening.

 

TO DO :

-​​ the aquarium​​ !!! magnificent ! the best we've ever done I think ... it's​​ one of the largest aquariums in the world. It is built around a gigantic central pond welcoming 2 whale sharks! just that ! plus a multitude of other sharks, fishes, rays and co. ... It's really grandiose and magical. We would spend hours sitting watching​​ the whale sharks broom in this huge space. It was really amazing.

- the streets of the​​ Dotonbori district: in the evening all the bright signs flash, the shops spit their music on the sidewalks and the restaurants / foodstuffs harangue the customer to taste all kinds of typical Japanese dishes: a great atmosphere!

 

ADVICE :

- if you are based on Kyoto: no problem! you can be in 30 minutes by train in the heart of Osaka! so the city is visitable from Kyoto to the day.

 

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Hiroshima

 

RESUME :

-​​ Hiroshima is a 'small' city (well, everything is relative is not it ...), 'small' after Tokyo and Osaka-Kyoto ...

- There are not tons of things to do besides the atomic bomb and Miyajima site, but the city is still nice

 

 

TO DO :

 

- The site of the atomic​​ bomb: The​​ dome of Genbaku​​ is the only construction that "survived" the explosion of the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in August 1945. The ruins of the building are today a UNESCO-listed Peace Memorial. You can visit a museum dedicated to the​​ tragedy.

 

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-​​ Miyajima: DO NOT MISS !!! It is accessed by boat. The site near the pier, the famous torii out of the water and temples is extremely touristy. It's very beautiful, but it's crowded! The best thing is to go hiking​​ Mount Misen​​ - you can also​​ take a small cable car to go up, but it's expensive and you have to queue for hours​​ 😉​​ And the hike is superb: the trail meanders on a mountainside in a forest magnificent. Ok, it climbs hard, but it's worth it! and there are not many people!

 

 

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Other sites/activities we haven’t tested…

 

 

-​​ KAMAKURA: from Tokyo you can take a train to Kamakura, a 'small' (everything is relative to Japan!) coastal city located south of Yokohama. There are special passes​​ (Enoshima Kamakura Free Pass) that can​​ be taken for the day that cover all the transportation required for the trip. The city serves as a resort for Tokyoites and foreign tourists who come during the day to visit its many temples, its big Buddha and enjoy the beach.

 

-​​ HAKONE: Hakone is a small​​ town located 80 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, nestled on the mountainside, in the forest. It is a spa resort popular with tourists for its natural hot springs and​​ Lake Ashi​​ from where​​ Mount Fuji​​ can be seen on a clear day. You can get there by day from Tokyo, but it's a bit heavy with a lot of transport - or take your time planning to spend one or two nights there. There is the​​ Hakone Free Pass​​ absolutely essential to cover the different means of transport necessary to complete the loop.

 

-​​ MONT KOYA 'KOYASAN': Mount Koya is a sacred mountain 100 kilometers south of Osaka. It is a recognized Buddhist pilgrimage site, where travelers can come for a religious and / or spiritual retreat in one of the 117 temples of the complex. The interest is twofold: you can come and visit the temples and parks, the nature, spending a night in a traditional 'temple' and taste the rhythm and the atmosphere with local monks ... .but ... everything is relative: it remains a big tourist industry and the 'temples' and 'monks' are​​ extremely well-honed in the management of tourist flows ... and prices are prohibitive! We would have liked to test, but it was completely off budget for us! ;-(

 

 

 

Accommodations

 

 

-​​ on TOKYO: we recommend at 200% the small apartment proposed by Toshi on​​ AirBnB:​​ 'Tokyo Skytree Flat (2 Bedroom)for Family or Couple'​​ 

https://www.airbnb.no/rooms/6670367

 

The apartment consists of 3 rooms: 1 kitchen-dining room, 2 small bedrooms 2 places each, 1 bathroom and a toilet. It's quite exceptional for Tokyo !! there is even a washing machine! The kitchen is very well equipped. It is also very well located, 5 min walk from the big station of the Sky Tower. The neighborhood is quiet and very nice. And Toshi is a great host, lovely, very kind and very helpful. We loved our stay in Tokyo also thanks to him​​ 😉

 

-​​ on KYOTO: we recommend the small apartment ‘Sangendo’ proposed on Booking.com:​​ https://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/sangendo.no.html.​​ It is well arranged, well supplied and well located, effective. With a washing machine. Very nice !

 

-​​ on HIROSHIMA: we were at the​​ https://hiroshima.hanahostel.com/​​ hostel next to the central station. We also recommend it because it was very nice. Our room of 4 people was​​ of respectable size (for Japan!), sanitary and common areas were clean and well maintained. The staff and other travelers very friendly.

 

 

 

To make the point

 

 

 

OUR MEMORY LIST

 

One place:​​ Nikko

An image: people who walk in traditional kimonos

A character:​​ Totoro

An animal: Totoro !!!

A dish: ramen, sushi

A smell: all the food stalls ...

One color: red

A sound: the music of Totoro !!

One​​ word: alligato

 

 

 

Our numbers

 

Family 2 adults, 2 children (9, 6)

Date of entry country: 23.10.2018

Release date country: 13.11.2018

Number of days: 21

Sites: 3: Tokyo, Kyoto-Osaka, Hiroshima

Total expenditure: EUR 4,550

Food: 750 EUR

Transport: EUR 950

Accommodation: 2.200 EUR

Activities, visits: 500 EUR

Extras, souvenirs: 150 EUR

Average: 54 EUR / day / pers.

 

 

A paper guide ?

 

Internet!

After buying the LP and flipping the other guides in bookstores ... and well… my advice would be: DO NOT BUY! 😉 use​​ the internet! jump from site to site, from travel blog to travel blog - you can learn much more than in guides, with generally more relevant comments and less sanitized / consensual than in the guides. You will see that the same big sites / temples / parks​​ come back regularly in the comments of the travellers.

 

 

 

What we liked

 

Adults liked:

- Tokyo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- video games rooms

- meet geisha and ladies dressed in traditional kimono

- thousands of restaurants, street food stalls

- the bentos at the​​ supermarket

- the busy streets

- illuminated signs

- Osaka Aquarium

- Oedo Onsen in Odaiba

- Nikko, Nara, Miyajima

- Ghibli Museum

- differences from Europe

 

The children liked:

- Ghibli museum & Totoro

- video games rooms

- the animals, the deer of Nara,​​ feed the deer (Noah)

- Osaka Aquarium

- trees

- Joypolis in Odaiba (Maya)

- Tokyo

- Sky Tower

- geishas and monekos, ladies dressed in traditional kimono

- animal cafes (cat, dog, owl, hedgehog (??))

- Miyajima

- a little temples (Maya)

 

 

What we didn’t like

 

Adults did not like:

- Busy Kyoto buses

- Gion district in Kyoto

- very (very) expensive transport

- very expensive accommodation

- Shinkansen, it moves too much!

 

The children did not like:

- the temples (Noah)

- Nara deer (Maya)

 

 

 

Glutenfree​​ logistics

 

For the gluten-free in Japan, in summary:​​ IT'S VERY DIFFICULT !! ;-(

 

In the supermarkets, there is almost no article written in Roman / English letters on it: unless you read the Japanese characters, it is simply impossible to read the ingredient lists ... We tried applications for smartphones that take pictures of the characters and offer a translation, but none worked correctly.

There are some articles specifically dedicated to people with food allergies. But: 1. it's really very little, 2. it's very expensive, 3. it's usually in the area for children / newborns (?), And 4. Here again you have to be able to read / understand what it is…

 

We managed to ask some people for advice. But it is also difficult because​​ in Japan few people speak English!​​ So we were often limited to rice, vegetables, fruits and raw fish.

 

Sushi is also an option, but beware: some sushi rice contains vinegar which can contain gluten ...

 

A cheap and practical little snack that can be found in most 'convenient stores' (7eleven, Family Mart, Lawson): the​​ onigri, a mouthful of stuffed rice - those with tuna + mayo are gluten free.

 

For restaurants and street food: it's also very difficult ... mainly because of the language barrier: you can not read menus / ingredients and very​​ few Japanese speak enough English ...

The majority of the restaurants we tested with the translation card told us that they could not serve gluten-free food - where we could have it for very simple sushi / macki (and once they contained vegetables soaked​​ in soy sauce ... that the Japanese do not identify as containing gluten ...)

 

 

 

 

WE RECOMMEND !

 

- Tokyo: ALL!!! We loved it !!

- Nikko

- Kyoto Fushimi Inari

- Kyoto temples Hagashiyama

- aquarium Osaka

- Miyajima

 

 

 

 

 

USEFUL INTERNET LINKS

generalists

http://planetemaneki.com/

https://www.kanpai.fr/

https://www.tourisme-japon.fr/

http://www.fr.jal.com/frl/fr/guidetojapan/

http://www.japon365.com/

http://www.japan-guide.com/

https://www.vivrelejapon.com/​​ 

http://www.routard.com/guide/code_dest/japon.htm

 

practical

http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

 

accommodation

http://japaneseinngroup.com/

http://www.ryokan.or.jp/lang/fr/

http://hanahostel.com/

http://j-hoppers.com/

https://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/

http://www.hostelworld.com/

 

travellers blogs

http://www.lesechappesdubocal.com/infos-japon

https://www.atroisauboutdumonde.com/copie-de-australie

http://oiseaurose.com/category/japon/

https://nowmadz.com/category/destinations/japon

http://www.instinct-voyageur.fr/tour-du-monde/voyager-au-japon/​​ 

https://mylittlebackpacker.wordpress.com/2016/02/21/tokyo-bons-plans-budget-et-transports/

https://www.unsacsurledos.com/category/par-pays/asie/japon/

 

gluten free information

https://glutenfreeinjapan.com/

http://www.celiactravel.com/stories/getting-gluten-free-food-in-japan/

https://lazybeggars.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/japan-is-not-the-gluten-free-mecca-you-think-it-is/

http://www.legalnomads.com/gluten-free/japan/

http://trulytokyo.com/gluten-free-tokyo/

http://www.foodsmatter.com/coeliac-disease/management/gluten-free-in-japan-12-15.html

 

 

 

 

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