In May I was fortunate to visit my sister in Japan while she was partway through several months of travelling. I focused on exploring Kyoto and Osaka as I was limited on time, so those are the places I’ve covered in detail in this blog post. My sister spent a month there and she’s kindly summarised the other places she visited at the end of this post: Okinawa, Hiroshima, Naoshima, the Japanese Alps and the Mount Fuji foothills. It’s a long one so grab a brew and get comfy!

Kennin-ji, Kyoto

I flew direct from London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda Airport, which is a lengthy 14 hour flight, and we had some amazing views of Mount Fuji on the approach to Tokyo. Sadly my luggage hadn’t made it onto my flight but it was expected to fly out the next day, and fortunately I could borrow some of my sister’s clothes in the meantime!

I hopped on the metro to Shinagawa station, where I took the shinkansen (bullet train) straight to Osaka. They’re so futuristic-looking with their streamlined shape, and it felt very smooth onboard even though they travel at such high speeds. I took a metro to Namba station and my sister met me outside our hotel, Meander Osaka. It was so lovely to catch-up with her! We headed out to soak up the bright lights and distinctive 3D signage of the Dotonbori area, bustling with lots of small eateries. We had a fantastic dinner at Gyukatsu Motomura Namba, a tonkatsu restaurant some friends had recommended, where we seared tender beef cutlets over hot stones. Delicious!

Shinkansen

Dotonbori, Osaka

The next day we had a lovely breakfast at Bibi’s Café Bar and then headed to Loft, a Japanese store selling a range of household goods plus an amazing stationery section! We both purchased some washi tape and stickers – I couldn’t believe how beautiful and affordable they were. We took the metro to Osaka Castle and picked up some lunch from a supermarket which we enjoyed in the castle grounds. The castle itself was beautiful, with striking green rooves and lots of gold embellishment. There is a museum inside (prebooking recommended) but the interior is modern so we opted not to go in.

Osaka Castle

We stopped for tea, coffee and cake at Brooklyn Roasting Company, where you can sit in the shade outside overlooking the river. It was a lovely place to cool down, as it was 30°C with blue skies all day! Afterwards we wandered around Nakanoshima rose garden which was in full bloom with heaps of beautiful roses set amongst the urban background. We took a bus to Osaka Itami airport to collect my suitcase, which amazingly had been sent on from Tokyo as promised! In the evening we returned to Dotonbori and enjoyed some okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes) for dinner at Chibo Okonomiyaki. It was really fun to eat at the counter and watch the lively chefs at work.

Brooklyn Roasting Company

Chibo Okonomiyaki

The following day we had some fluffy pancakes for breakfast (and waited far too long for them!) then took the metro from Namba to Shin-Osaka, and from there it was only a 15-minute journey on the shinkansen to Kyoto. After dropping our luggage at our accommodation we set off to explore some nearby temples, the first one being Kodai-ji. It was a delight to step off the busy streets and into the peaceful grounds. I purchased a goshuincho (traditional Japanese stamp book) to collect goshuin at each temple or shrine. Goshuin consist of unique red stamps and beautiful inscriptions hand-drawn in front of you, recording each temple you visit and on what date. At Kodai-ji there was also a lovely bamboo grove you could walk through (which meant we didn’t feel the need to visit the Arashiyama bamboo forest across the other side of town).

Kodai-ji, Kyoto

Goshuin

Kodai-ji

We had a lovely tea and coffee break at the Hario café, which is built around a charming courtyard. Afterwards we wandered around Kennin-ji temple, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto. Zen is one of the main branches of Japanese Buddhism. The temple had beautiful raked stone gardens, charming walkways and delicate wall paintings.

Kennin-ji

Kennin-ji

Our accommodation for our first night in Kyoto was a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. Our room had tatami mat floors, shoji (paper) screens and low tables and chairs. In the evening the staff set up the futon mattresses on the floor for us to sleep in, which were surprisingly comfortable! There was a private onsen (hot spring bath) that we were able to use, and we enjoyed a traditional breakfast in the morning too. The Kyoto Higashiyama-so ryokan was located in the beautiful historic quarter, and then for our remaining three nights in Kyoto we moved to the Onyado Nono Kyotoshichijo hotel near the main train station, which was also well-placed for exploring the city.

Kyoto Higashiyama-so ryokan

In the morning we ventured out to Kiyomizu-dera, a temple built very high on stilts using no nails! It looked amazing amongst all the acer trees and with the Kyoto skyline in the background. It was one of the busier temples but there was still plenty of space for everyone to spread out (opening time and dusk would be quieter). Next we visited the lovely Yasaka shrine, which is free to visit as it’s sponsored by local businesses who have their names inscribed on all the lanterns, and I painted a small sketch of the entrance (view it on @alexaholroydart). With more time I’d like to visit the nearby Chionin and Shorenin temples, along with Nanzen-ji and Eikando Zenrinji slightly further north. The number of temples in Kyoto is seemingly infinite! We had a lovely lunch at Kyoto Gion Saryo, which serves delicious soft warm milk bread with various accompaniments. We strolled into Gion and admired the charming architecture, and I purchased a lovely wall hanging from Eirakuya, Japan’s oldest cotton cloth merchant. In the evening we went to Fushimi Inari Taisha and walked through the iconic red Tori gates which ascend into the hillside.

Kiyomizu-dera

Yasaka shrine

Eirakuya, Gion

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Rainy weather greeted us the next day so we decided to hit the shops. First though we hopped on the metro to reach Sundays Coffee, where we met some friends who were nearing the end of their 2-week honeymoon. It was so lovely to hear about their trip! They recommended the eatery Stand By Me, a tiny place they’d stumbled upon and discovered that Michael B Jordan has visited multiple times! We enjoyed some delicious yakisoba for lunch there.

Stand By Me

As for the shopping, we enjoyed browsing the art prints at Nuunu, along with all the stationery at Hands, tag and Loft, which is so well designed and affordable (for example high-quality fineliner pens were a quarter of the price that you’d expect in the UK!). We took a breather in the Muji café and then enjoyed the huge Muji store plus the clothes at Uniqlo and Gu. We also stumbled across a lovely antiques shop called Antique belle where I picked up two small tea cups.

On our last full day in Kyoto I’d booked us onto a roketsuzome (Japanese wax-resist fabric dyeing) workshop at the Roketsuzome Craft Centre. We selected designs to trace over onto fabric using melted wax, soaked the fabric in blue dye, then it was dipped into boiling water to remove the wax before a final rinse and dry. I chose designs of lillies and irises on a noren (traditional Japanese curtain). It was a really fun experience, and fascinating to learn about the process first-hand.

Roketsuzome Craft Centre

For lunch we had some amazing sushi at うを捨, a tiny restaurant with only 2 tables seating up to 8 people. In the afternoon we visited Kinkaji-ju temple with its famous gold exterior, which was busy but still worth visiting. Lastly we headed to the Daitoku-ji temple complex, consisting of multiple peaceful temples that I could wander round all day! Hoshun-in was particularly special with a pavilion, rockery and pond all tucked away at the back. The attached bonsai garden was lovely too, and it was hard to comprehend that the beautiful miniature trees had been so diligently looked after for hundreds of years.

うを捨

Kinkaji-ju

Daitoku-ji

The following day I parted ways with my sister and took the shinkansen back to Tokyo for the night. After dropping my luggage at Hotel Intergate Tokyo Hyobashi (a convenient 10 minute walk from Tokyo’s main train station), I set out for an explore and visited the grave of Taira no Masakado, a notable samurai. The art gallery MoMA was sadly closed but I enjoyed a lovely walk in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. I did a little shopping in Ginza, stepping into the beautiful art shop Gekkoso, the lovely stationery store Itoya and briefly the Uniqlo flagship store! I’d wanted to try the sandos at Grill Bon as recommended to me by some friends but they’d sold out for the day, however my sister managed to visit when she passed through Tokyo a week later and said they were delicious! I’d love to spend some more time in Tokyo as I only had a small glimpse of the city. The next day I returned to Haneda airport on the metro and flew home to the UK.

East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, Tokyo

I’d heard a lot of positive reviews of Japan from friends and thankfully it did not disappoint. I’d really love to return to explore more of the country. As well as the peaceful temples and charming architecture of Kyoto, and the delicious food of Osaka, it’s experiencing the distinct Japanese culture that really sets this country apart. Everyone is polite and considerate of others, never shouting or rushing around as you’d find in other major cities. Nobody litters – public bins are rare so you carry your rubbish home with you. Public transport is timely and efficient, and the metro and trains are really well-signposted both onboard and in stations. Toilets are high-tech. Many shops, restaurants and hotels have efficient automated systems. Shoes are removed before stepping into temple buildings, ryokans and ryokan-hotels (with slippers often provided). And so much of the architecture and design is really carefully thought-through.

Kyoto

In terms of logistics, the currency is the Japanese yen, with £1 equating to roughly 200 yen at the time of writing. Contactless card is accepted in a lot of places, but cash is often needed for small restaurants and temples. Travelcards for public transport can be easily bought and topped up, with an app available for Apple users and a physical card for those with Android phones. Japan is 8 hours ahead of the UK during British Summer Time so anticipate some jet lag. A luggage forwarding service is also available throughout the country which I’ve heard is very efficient, though I didn’t try it out myself.

Kennin-ji, Kyoto

As I mentioned at the start, my sister spent a month in Japan, also visiting Okinawa, Hiroshima, Naoshima, Hida (Japanese Alps) and Fujiwaguchiko (Mount Fuji foothills). She spent 3 nights in each place including Tokyo at the end. She met me in Osaka (2 nights) after Naoshima, and then after we’d explored Kyoto (4 nights) she headed to the Japanese Alps. Here’s a rundown of her trip:

Okinawa – one of Japan’s islands. It’s probably only worth going out of your way if you’re interested in diving. It was rainy season when I was there so I wasn’t able to see a lot, and you really need a car to get around.

Hiroshima – I really recommend Hiroshima for the memorial museums and I enjoyed the city itself too. It’s definitely worthwhile to do a daytrip to Miyajima to see the Itsukushima Shrine and the Giant Torii that appears to float on the water, and it’s easy to reach by train or ferry.

• Stay: Guesthouse Akicafe Inn – near the station but also central
• Eat: Ramen Kabachiya, Okonomimura

Miyajima

Naoshima – One of Japan’s art islands. This was incredible and I’d highly recommend being there for a few nights. You can hire bikes and cycle between the exhibitions which is so lovely.

• Stay: Guesthouse Roji to Akari
• Eat: Ebisukamo, Naoshima gelato

Naoshima

Hida, Japanese Alps – I’d really suggest making time to see the Japanese mountains if you can as they’re so peaceful. I took a coach to Takayama which is the main tourist hub, and then stayed very rurally outside a little village called Hida. I particularly enjoyed the Kumihimo braiding experience at Hida Furukawa Sakura Gift Shop. I also did a daytrip to Kamikochi for an amazing walk, but I’m sure you could look into staying in Kamikochi as it was a bit of a way out.

Kamikochi

Fujiwaguchiko, Mount Fuji foothills – I was weirdly underwhelmed by this. The town itself was quite uninspiring and everyone’s only there to get a photo. Perhaps consider staying at another viewpoint such as Hakone. Alternatively, wait for good weather and do a daytrip from Tokyo.

Tokyo – Amazing. Definitely worth spending some a good chunk of time here as there are so many different areas.

I was also recommended to visit South Korea on the way to Japan which I hadn’t considered before. I would highly recommend spending a few nights in Seoul if you’re able to – it was such an amazing city with so much going on and so aesthetic everywhere too!

I hope this provides some useful inspiration if you’re planning your own trip to Japan.

Alexa

P.S. If you enjoyed reading this post, why not take a look A Fortnight in the Philippines, Exploring Egypt or Sightseeing in Sri Lanka.

Header photo: Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto