Japan

Japan is our favorite place to visit. We've had the pleasure of going twice -- in 2015 and 2018. The culture, people, and food are special. It's a delightful place to get lost. Although Tokyo is the main attraction, the entire country has a ton to offer.

Chapters

Tokyo

Kyoto

Mount Fuji

Tokyo

Much like London, New York, and Hong Kong, Tokyo is in a constant state of evolution. Some of the spots we first visited are no longer there, but that's how it goes. One thing is for certain: whenever we're planning a big trip, another visit to Tokyo is always a consideration. Here's a map of our favorite spots.

Tsukiji Fish Market

If you love food, the Tsukiji Fish Market is paradise. The highest quality fish, fruits and vegetables from all over the world are sold in this market. They sell $14m in fish, $4m in fruits and vagetables every single day.

Our favorite thing to buy is the fresh strawberries. I've never tasted anything like them. Since it's a big place, we recommend starting your day with a walking tour. We took this one, but feel free to browse others on TripAdvisor.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

This beautiful park is worth spending an afternoon walking through on your trip. It's so beautiful, peaceful and perfect on a nice fall day. It even has an indoor greenhouse with all sorts of flowers and plants worth checking out.

Meiji Jingū Ōtorii

Our favorite neighborhood of Harajuku has this wonderful treasure, and a couple of shrines as well. The whole park is wonderful, great for a morning run, or a casual stroll.

Food & Drink

Japan is known for all sorts of culinary marvels. When in Tokyo, I think the only way to experience some of them is with a local guide. Almost every time we visit a big city, we try to do a food tour. The Aka chochin food tour was a wonderful sampling of 5-6 dishes that were casual, pub-type food. We had ramen, sushi, ice cream and a few things I don't even remember. We also had a couple sake drinks at every stop, so the night got blurry fast.

The highlight was the fresh sushi, served in a way I've never experienced. The chef fished a mackeral of of the tank, sliced it up right in front of us and served it.

When planning your trip, it's important to note that the nice restaurants do book out weeks or even months in advance. On our first trip, this was a bit of a shock. So you have two options: (1) stick with ramen and more affordable street food, which we did for one of our trips and enjoyed it just as much, or (2) use a reservation service like Voyagin to get help booking reservations in advance.

You have to use an intermediary because reservations require a phone call and very few folks at the restaurants speak English. In some cases, it's just about having someone that knows their way around the high-end restaurants, which is worth the price.

Sushi

We've had a bunch of sushi experiences in Tokyo (you should too!), but I'll keep the commentary to two highlights. The first is Sushidai. It's arguably the freshest, highest quality sushi you can get for your money in Tokyo. Located in Tsukiji Market, they are open early and have a line out the door the entire day. For roughly $80 US, the meal was absolutely amazing.

The one downside is that you'll be waiting in line to enjoy this wallet-friendly meal. We decided to be there when it opened at 5am, and joined the queue around 4am because we were a bit jetlagged anyway. We got in shortly after they opened with that strategy, but it's common for folks to wait a couple of hours to get in. Just bring a book and a patient attitude and you'll be fine!

The second sushi experience we had was on the high-end, as we made a visit to the Michelin two-star Sushi Masuda restaurant. The chef is Rei Masuda, who opened the restaurant in 2014. Before that, he spent 9 years working in the world famous Sukiyabashi Jiro, of "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" fame. Chef Masuda is most well-known for his care and preparation of the rice, which I think has a hint of vinegar.

As you'd expect, the entire experience was unforgettable — so much so that it would have been disrespectful to take photos, so we didn't. As a five-star dining experience, you should expect to pay a very high premium. As of the last update to this post, a meal costs about $315 per person. But if you are visiting Tokyo for some of the world's best, this place is sure to please.

Kaiseki

Kaiseki was on the wish list when we arrived. It's a traditional multi-course meal that has a specific rhythm in terms of the ingredients and flavors.

I did a lot of research and we ended up getting a reservation at Kohaku. Ishikawa was also very high on the list, but we were unable to obtain a reservation. Kohaku was certainly no disappointment.

As you can see in the menu photo below, it's personalized with your name when you arrive. Service-wise, it's the best experience I've ever had. We spent 15 minutes talking with the chef at the end of the night and he informed us that he received his third Michelin star that very day. He deserves it, the food and service was a work of art.

Ramen!

The exclamation point here is intentional and well-deserved. We fell in love with Japanese ramen on our trips. It's affordable, it's quick, and it's almost always world class in Tokyo. I was surprised to only find a couple of ramen photos when looking through our camera. The only explanation I have is that the food must have been so good, so appetizing, that we actually forgot to take photos. We've probably had a dozen ramen meals in Tokyo, and these few places really stood out:

Some other food worth having in Tokyo? Udon (try this place), Shabu Shabu, and Tonkatsu. Bottom line is that if you see a crowded restaurant, it might just be worth trying a meal. We've enjoyed just about everything we tried.

Tokyo is somewhat like New York City, in that you could eat at three new restaurants every day and always have tons of options available to you. Our advice is to keep an open mind, try food in all price ranges, and come hungry.

Travel Tips

If you are doing any travel outside of Tokyo — to Kyoto, for instance — you'll want to purchase a Japan Rail Pass. It will cover the cost of your longer trips and offer complimentary rides on some of the local public transportation trains. It's expensive, but you'll save a lot more money by purchasing this pass instead of going a la carte. Make sure to purchase your pass about a month in advance to make sure everything is in order before you leave. I'll be honest — it's a pain in the butt. But the pass is worth it.

Lastly, do bear in mind that taxis are very expensive, and Uber/Lyft don't have a presence there (as of 2018). We tried a couple other ride-sharing apps with poor results. Walking and public transportation will be your best bet in most cases. Google Maps does a great job offering public transportation options, and even tells you what the fare should be for various trains. We leaned on that heavily to get around, as most signs aren't in English.

Kyoto

On our most recent trip, we took the bullet train from Tokyo and spent a lovely few days in Kyoto. It's more relaxed, but still has incredible tourist sites, food, markets, and parks.

Unfortunately, we didn't take many photos, but we managed to save 26 lovely places in Google Maps:

Mount Fuji

We wanted to do one day trip as part of our journey, and we couldn't resist the opportunity to see the great Mount Fuji in person. Since I was going under the knife for hip surgery after returning home, I wanted to do something physically challenging and rewarding. Climbing Mt. Mitsotuge (next to Fuji) fit the bill and created memories we won't ever forget.

I did my research and was looking for something difficult. I should be clear that there are many easier ways to see Mount Fuji. You can make a whole day of it without having to do any climbing, it's a beautiful place. But seeking a challenge, we decided to climb Mitsotuge.

6.5 hours, 14 miles and 5,859 feet of altitude later, we had done it. What a ride. We wouldn't have made it without the amazing directions in this article. If you do this hike, make sure you have a copy of the article with you so you don't get lost. This photo gallery does a better job at showing the beauty of the hike. It was incredible.