Japan
Kyoto & Tokyo
From February 5 to February 15, 2023
KYOTO
Day 1
We flew in from Seoul in the morning and quickly took note of all the covid precautions Japan had underway. There was testing, labs, and quarantine areas inside the airport itself; which we had not seen in any other country.
We landed in Osaka, which seemed very industrial to us, but apparently Osaka has the most Michelin stars than any other city in Japan. We took a car from Osaka to Kyoto and in an hour we made it to our hotel, Ritz Carlton Kyoto.
After we checked in, we walked along the river out in front of the hotel and watched as people walked, exercised, sat, enjoyed a snack, and even played live music.
We turned in towards the city and stumbled upon Nishiki Market where we had a quick snack (travel days can make one ravenous!). We found our way into a speakeasy bar, Scotch & Branch, on a hipster street called Gokomachi-Dori. This street had unique shops, boutiques, vintage stores, and unique artisan type goods.
We went back to the hotel for dinner at Tempura Mizuku, which was located in the basement of the hotel. The food was incredible and the menu they gave us had the types of fish we were going to eat as well as an illustration of them also. Our favorite dish this night was the wagyu beef, as we had never had fried wagyu before. Yum. At the end of the night our sushi chef asked to take a picture with us.
Day 2
We woke up for our first full day in Kyoto for a tour of the city. The first stop was the crown tourist jewel of Kyoto, The Kinkaku-Ji zen buddhist temple, covered in gold leaf flakes and overlooking a beautiful pond and rock garden. This is an icon not just in Kyoto, but for all of Japan.
We walked through the temple and surrounding areas, got fortunes from a ‘vending’ machine, purchased snacks from local vendors and continued our tour through Kyoto.
We stopped at another famous temple, mostly for its rock garden called Ryoan-Ji Temple. This attraction wasn’t nearly as busy, but it was very beautiful and worth the visit. People sit for hours just to admire the small rock garden and contemplate its meaning.
The next stop was Sagano Bamboo Way that you had to walk through before reaching Tenryu-Ji Temple (Hailey’s favorite temple in Kyoto). The bamboo forest leading up to the temple was a very unique and beautiful way for discover the sacred place. If you’re looking for a smaller local place to stay outside of the center of Kyoto, this area might be a unique spot to try. Definitely give yourself time to walk around after seeing the bamboo forest and the temple. You can even hire a rowboat and take it out on the river.
The last temple we visited was very different from all the rest, as each member of its community created and donated 1,200 Rakan stone figurines about 3 feet tall each. The Otagi Nembutsu-ji Temple was very different from all the rest we had visited and was charming in its own way. Outside the temple there were 3 large bells you could ring. Of course we did.
After our city tour, we stopped for a margarita pizza back in Kyoto from Salvatore (fast casual type of place) and went back to the hotel to rest before heading out for the evening.
We went to Bar Rocking Chair to kick off the evening and quickly realized that this was a serious bar with not much talking inside. We also discovered that smoking inside bars in Japan is still legal. It was very quiet and serious. No cell phone usage was allowed.
We had toppan dinner at Mouriya Gion, the wagyu and the fried rice were out of this world.
We walked home along the river and called it a night.
Day 3
We went for a walk around Imperial Park before we walked to lunch. We hoped to see the Imperial Temple, but it was closed this day. Kyoto was originally the capital of Japan before it was moved to Tokyo, so the imperial attractions are historic and exciting ones.
We started with lunch at a Michelin starred Italian spot named Vena. This was a very buttoned up lunch, which was unique to have an Italian style, but French coursed meal, but in Japan. It was delicious and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
We took a cab to the Fushimi Inari Taisha area where we walked around the well recognized red gates to the temples and shrines inside. Without really having a plan, we found ourselves continually walking through all the red gates (there are thousands), admiring all the shrines (there are about 30,000), and we climbed our way all the way to the top of the sacred place. With each passing of the red gate, it means you are passing into a more and more sacred place, so we joked that we were climbing to enlightenment every time we wanted to quit and turn back around. The hike is 2.5 miles, but worth every step. Perhaps one of the most popular things to do in Kyoto.
After a laborious day, we worked up an appetite for our first traditional sushi dinner at Sushidokoro Man. This place felt VERY local, had incredibly fresh fish and was very relaxed. Other than us, there was a group of older men in the restaurant who seemed to be telling jokes, making fun of each other, and having a good ole boys night out. The sushi chef and everybody inside the restaurant was salt of the earth, and we’d love to go back and visit next time we’re there. They might even pretend to remember us.
Day 4
We started our day off with lunch at Macedonia Yuki, an Italian spot ran by a Japanese man with a passion for Italian food and culture. He opened the restaurant just for us, and went through every single menu item with us on an iPad showing us pictures and describing what it tasted like. It seemed like we were in his living room while he cooked a complete meal of appetizers, pastas, and pizza for us. Such a unique experience and the food was incredible!
With bellies full, we had our next activity of a Maiko experience. At Gion Kyoto Miyagawacyo Guesthouse HANAKANZASHI we had a private performance by a Maiko and Gaiko. At first, the performance started with a traditional tea ceremony which was slow, clean and deliberate. Then both Maiko and Gaiko came in the room to perform songs with a traditional dance. The Gaiko was on a stringed instrument and singing while the Maiko danced. After the musical performance, the ladies came back into the room where we got to sit and have back and forth dialogue with them. We learned about their daily lives, their reason for choosing the Gaiko path, what they like to do in their spare time, and even told them a little bit about the western world. When it seemed like we were just about to wrap up the experience, the girls offered to play games and teach us some of their games. We played 2 separate games, one of hand and rhythm coordination, and the other similar to rock, paper, scissors (which was samurai, old lady (samurai’s mother), and the tiger). They convinced Max to play a tune on the foreign stringed instrument, and after that we wrapped up the experience. We headed to dinner at Moritaya Kiyamachi where we ate shabu shabu.
We polished off the evening with cocktails at bar Bees Knees.
Day 5
Our last day full in Koyoto started with shopping through the Nishiki Market and lunch at Napoli pizza place called Pizzeria Marita, walking distance from the market. The pizza was top notch!
We picked up some souvenirs for ourselves, and gifts for others at Aritsugu, specialty boutique Japanese knife and kitchen store.
We then headed about 40 minutes outside of Kyoto up to Suntory Yamazaki for a whisky tasting. You must have a reservation and the entry ticket we bought was a self-guided (and quick) tour. Perhaps a guided tour would have been a longer experience.
Our last dinner was at Kodaiji Wakuden, a traditional Reitan type of dinner.
We checked out a very unique bar after dinner that had a magic show with every cocktail that was presented, L’Escamoteur. It’s run by a French guy (also doubles as a magician) and has a very lively atmosphere about it.
TOKYO
Day 6
We woke up early to take the 11am bullet train from Kyoto. The ride was about 2 hours, 300 miles, and a lot of small-town scenery in between. We arrived in Tokyo and checked into the Aman Hotel. Hello beautiful!
We didn’t have much time to tour around the city before our dinner so we made a quick stop at Bar Landscape near our dinner spot. Bar Landscape was more on the serious side, but their cocktails were solid.
We briskly walked in some light rain to our dinner at Honten Yamashina at the top of a skyscraper overlooking the city and the Seiko tower. It was a fancy spot, and they cooked teppan style. Their mini hamburgers were incredible!
Day 7
We met our guide Mari Ohara at 11am for a tour around Tokyo. The first stop was at the Imperial Palace in the middle of the financial district. We watched a changing of the guard before carrying on through the Kokyo Gaien National Garden.
We hopped in the car and made our way to Asakusa through Kaminarimon Gate to check out a shinto and the markets leading up to it. This is a quintessential spot to feel like you’re in the heart of Tokyo with many vendors, locals, and tourists buzzing around. From here we walked through all other kinds of streets and neighborhoods that were also packed with people.
We made our way to another part of Tokyo called Chiyoda which is where you see much more of a younger digital lifestyle. There’s plenty of anime advertisements posted over buildings and billboards. It was in this neighborhood that we walked through a typical ‘convenient store’ type market, then went through an original ‘underground’ market/hallway that was one of the original black markets in Tokyo in the Chiyoda Akihabara area. Along these streets there is no shortness of dog petting cafes as well as vending machines for surprise anime trinkets.
Later that afternoon, in the early evening we stopped by Omoide Yokocho (near the Seibu Shinjuku stop) street to check out the local food spots all crammed together in a tight, but decorative hallway. No longer than a hundred feet, this alleyway/hallway is a great spot to see locals dining, having a beer, and having an entertaining dinner - street food style. A visit here is a must!
We had reservations at Bar Benfiddich that evening, so we made a stop to have cocktails before dinner. Bar Benfiddich was one of the more unique bars we have been to, mostly everybody sitting up at the bar area, only 1 actual bartender, but all the other personnel there was supporting the head bartender making cocktails. They would line up the ingredients needed, while the head bartender crafted the cocktails. His long handle cocktail mixing spoon was not a long chrome silver one like you’re used to seeing, but an actual twig from the branch of a tree.
After drinking as many drinks as they would let us in our 2 hour window, we made our way to dinner at Imafuku Suki Yaki for some shabu shabu.
Day 8
We woke up this day knowing it would be one of our busiest in Tokyo. We started off with massages and facials in the morning at the spa, but had to wrap up quickly for an 11:30am departure to tour the rest of the city with our favorite guide, Mari!
We started the morning off in the bustling area of Shibuya at Shibuya Scramble Square. We went up top to the observatory where we could get a 360 view of the city and look down into any area we wanted. This large tower overlooks the famed Shibuya crossing, and we got to watch large groups of people passing through every few minutes. After getting the 360 view of the city, we then made our way back to the bottom to check out the crossing ourselves. This crossing is well known for the crowds of people but also because it was featured in Lost in Translation. It seems funny that we would want to go to a part of Tokyo just to cross the street, but we did, and many others do also.
We walked around Shibuya for a bit, trying some street food and running into the “BTS of Japan”, and trying out a Purikura (photo booth), and wandering through the Sanrio store on Takeshita Street. Walking down this street was a mini culture in its own, full of Purikuras, dog cafes, costume stores, and other things I don’t know how to explain. This street is more popular for girls in their pre-teen ages, which made Max anxious to pass through it quickly. Mari and Hailey could have spent more time at the photo booths and shopping for Sanrio treats, but Max was reaching the end of the tour of this part of the neighborhood.
After Shibuya, we went to see a modern shinto temple at Meiji Jingu. This temple was very beautiful and had a lot of space around it to walk around and enjoy the scenery (it could almost easily get confused for a park).
The last stop of our tour was to a hipster town near Shibuya called Sarugakucho. This neighborhood seemed to be the posh neighborhood for the post-college crowd, sprawling with upscale boutique shops, a modern coworking “library” called Tsutaya, and coffee shops on every corner.
We had reached the end of our tour this day and we got dropped off to have cocktails at Memento Mori, a bar near Minato Toranomon. Memento Mori served cocktails all made from cacao, so the drinks were, of course, delicious. The bartenders were young and eager.
We were very excited for our dinner at 3110NZ by LDH Kitchen. Set up by well-known Japanese art dealer Nanzuka, which is an art gallery during the day and a sushi restaurant at night. The restaurant is in partnership with Saito (hailed as the worlds best sushi restaurant). You could tell this chef was up and coming, had a young team, and wanted to be taken seriously. Max kept giving him shots of sake, which we think, out of courtesy, he drank every one. He must have been feeling pretty good by the end of the dinner.
We polished off the evening at one last bar, Bar TRENCH, in Shibuya. Bar Trench had a great vibe, with bottles of alcohol that lined from the ceiling to the floor.
Day 9
Our day began by tapping into our primal selves with with a samurai sword class at Mugai-Ryu Suimoukai Honbu Dojo. Technically, the activity was called Iaido-Katana Sword Techniques of Mugairyu Discipline located in Nihonbashi Dojo. It was a cool and rainy morning. We arrived slightly late as it was hard to find the exact place, but we finally spotted the program leader waiting outside the doorway and waving us in. We made our way upstairs where we watched a 5 minute video on the history of Iaido and what we would be learning that day. We changed into traditional Mugairyu clothing, strapped katanas (swords) to our belt, and learned 2 routines to go through (sword drawing, return practice, quick strike, etc). Once we practiced the routines, we were then judged on our technique and the “story” our routine told. Thankfully, we both passed the test and were presented with certificates at the end of the class. We also learned samurai etiquette (how to bow properly), and slicing of moist tatami sheet. The experience lasted 2 hours and the time flew by.
We then made our way to a sock-making company who had been in business for almost 300 years. The Nihonbashi Artisan Experience of Shoemaking at Oonoya Sohonten taught us all about the history of Kabukis, the special socks that are made, and the emperors family. It was a niche business, and interesting to see the handmade socks made for all types of people.
Dinner that evening was at a well-known tempura restaurant called Tempura Kondo in Ginza. We were seated at the bar around the tempura frying station and picked our coursed/recommended meal from the menu. The chefs in front of us got to work, frying all kinds of things from fish, to vegetables, to potatoes and more. The main chef cooking was a force to be reckoned with and you could tell that he had been in that same position cooking for many years. He was even handling the fried food directly from the frying pan, which would have absolutely scorched anybody else’s hands without many years of practice and scars.
Day 10
Valentine’s Day in Japan is not necessarily celebrated, but we did our best to enjoy the day by getting 90 minute massages in the morning. Hailey got a Shatisu massage by a 30-year veteran Shiatsu master.
After massages we made our way to an art exhibit at teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM near Koto in Toyosu (on the east side of Tokyo). The best way to describe this is that it was a warehouse of art exhibits that take up the side of the whole room. You had to take your shoes and socks off to walk through some of the art exhibits, which had you walking through water alongside a few hundred other art seekers. It was a mix of digital art, VR, instagrammable photo opportunities, beautiful flower assemblies, and incredible light shows. The LED ceiling-to-floor light show was the best.
After the art show, we went for more culture at the Cotton Club near the hotel in Marunouchi. At the cotton club, it was an afternoon jazz show where we watched a trio of piano, violin & bass play some classical music. The violinist (Junko Makiyama) was the attraction of the show and she did not disappoint. The club was filled with an older crowd - as it was an afternoon mid-week show.
We finally made our way into Bar High Five where we had multiple cocktails each. This bar was not the liveliest, and there were seemingly a lot of rules, but the cocktails were some of the best we had in Japan.
From the bar, we walked to our dinner spot at Sushi Kanesaka. This was the best sushi, restaurant, and chef experience we had while in Japan. At our reservation time, we were seated at the sushi bar where the chef was going to prepare our meal for us one by one. The chef was very inviting, smiled, spoke English to us, and had a fun and lively energy about him. The fish was fresh and tasted delicious. There were others at the sushi bar who also were having a good time and overall the environment felt inviting and fun. There were 6 people total in the restaurant, and we met a Chinese couple who lived in Newport Coast for almost 10 years. We took many turns toasting each other with our sake glasses.
Day 11
We started our day with an exciting prep for lunch at Sukiyabashi Jiro. Although the walk from the hotel to Jiro was only 10 minutes, the hotel arranged a driver and escort to ensure we made it to Jiro on time and without any confusion on its whereabouts. We assume that since the hotel made the reservation, their name was tied to the reservation and they wanted to ensure no complications. We arrived about 20 minutes early to a subway station and made our way downstairs. There were 2 other groups already waiting. There was a sign at the front letting you know that pictures are prohibited inside. The wait was quiet and serious. Somebody from the Jiro team came outside to check out names with the reservation (and confirmed which hotel we were staying at). Once everybody waiting outside was checked, we were ushered into the restaurant right on time. There were 9 people total, all seated at the sushi bar. We had the second best seat in the house (closest to where the chef is preparing the meal), and the gentleman with the best spot was clearly a local that had been coming to Jiro for many years.
Our meal was a symphony of sushi. Everything was made one-by-one, and plated quickly after it was made. You are expected to pick up and eat your sushi within 20 seconds of it landing on your plate (to keep the rice in tact, etc). Once the first round of sushi made it to all 9 people, they went through the assembly line again to prepare the next round of sushi. Only 1 person was served at a time, and there were 19 sushi courses served total. It took about 20 minutes for Jiro to serve each of us, one-by-one, 19 courses of sushi. After we were served all the sushi, we were then allowed to ask for additional pieces. Max’s favorite was the semi-fatty tuna. Hailey’s most surprised was the Mackerel (Saba) served with ginger paste. After the meal we were served with a melon that Japan is known for; being incredibly juicy… and expensive.
We walked back to the Aman after our lunch, packed up our bags, and made our way to the airport to catch a ride from Tokyo to LAX on Singapore Air.
Next time we visit, we plan to check out:
Sushi Saito
Osaka
Cherry blossoms blooming (in April)
Leaves changing (in September)
Stay in a Ryokan (traditional Japanese housing)
Visit Aokigahara (forest)
Skiing
OSAKA
From March 21 to March 24th 2024
Stay
St. Regis
See/Do
Walk around the river to catch cute local restaurants and bars on your way to Osaka Castle. Get tickets in advance, the line was REALLY long when we were there. Don’t forget to visit the plum garden or the cherry blossom trees surrounding the temple. It was a Friday so there was a lot going on, like street food vendors outside the castle, some street performances with monkeys,
Walk around Dotombori main street and take in the views, street performances, funny outfits, tourist souvenirs and more.
See a sumo tournament at Edion Arena Osaka- make sure to purchase tickets in advance. The doors open early when the amateurs are fighting. You can sit in any seat you want during this time, as nobody is checking tickets or seats. Only when things heat up in the evening will you have time to sit in the seats you bought. Recommend buying box seats where you can sit on the floor (Japanese style). You can re-enter once per ticket (if you want to leave for dinner and come back later).
Eat/Drink
Lunch: Teppan at Rio - this was a corporate style place, a lot of business people coming in and out for lunch and having lunch meetings at the restaurant.
Drinks: CRAFTROOM - you might feel like you’re in the wrong place, but just keep looking and you’ll find it. Only 15 or so spots to sit inside.
Drinks: Bible Club - wooden basement speakeasy feel to it
Drinks: Bar Nayuta - younger bar, packed full of drunk people, fun for people watching, be prepared to sit shoulder to shoulder next to somebody else at the bar.
Lunch: A Canto - a coursed Italian meal with less than 10 seats inside. Love!
Dinner: Sugalabo - maybe an all time favorite in all of Japan!!!! Reservations are a must. Outstanding. At the end of the meal he serves fresh strawberries from Nara and you’ll never eat another one the same.
Drinks: Hollow Bar
Drinks: Bar Shiki
Flew to Okinawa (Naha airport)
OKINAWA
From March 24 to March 27, 2024
Stay
Halekulani
Eat/Drink
Dinner: Mamma Lella local Italian restaurant, ridiculous food! There were other Americans inside, perhaps there’s a military base nearby
Lunch: Warren’s Place - local burger joint… the place had a lot of rules, but that’s just Japan
Dinner: Restaurant at the hotel, Japanese Innovative SHIROUX
See/Do
Dive! We didn’t see very much wildlife, the most notable creature was a sea snake, but there is great diving in Okinawa, perhaps further south on smaller, less touristy islands
Flew to Nagasaki
NAGASAKI
March 27-29
Stay
Hilton
Eat/Drink
Drinks: Bar Nagare - the owner was absolutely so kind and we made friends inside! Made us feel like locals. We even went back the next night and made more friends!
Drinks: Victor - Again, the owner was such a cool guy, he offered us soup as a kind of amuse bouche or appetizer, he has such a cool bar with so much character, talked with us about all things, and a buddy he hadn’t seen in many years just so happened to come in that night and we all had a great time catching up together - just like we were all old pals.
Dinner: Osaka Hamanomachi Local yakiniku spot that was packed full of people, food is cooked directly at your table, almost hotpot style. So much energy in this place, a table of men next to us just laughing, cheering, making jokes about each other, and having the time of their lives. So much happening all over the place.
Drinks: Panic Paradise - an old bar with tons of music memorabilia, all paying homage to classic rock style music, wooden bartop, neon lights, etc.
Lunch: Omikase restaurant inside the Hilton… I think our first time trying abalone.
Lunch or dinner: Pizza spot Couch Pizza - just casual
See/Do
Walk around town and explore Nagasaki Peace Park, you can stand on the exact location where the bomb was dropped, from there, the further you walk around town you’ll see leftover wreckage from WW2 (half standing tori gates (Sanno Shrine), half standing churches, old pictures from just after the explosion)
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
Went to a local mall (Morimachi/Mezamemachi/Kawaguchimachi), took the ferris wheel ride to get a birds eye view of the city
Walk to their Main Street, Hamamachi, to shop around, watch locals get off work, go out to eat & have drinks with coworkers, etc.
Took the 9am train to Hiroshima (on Kamome)
HIROSHIMA
From March 29 to March 31, 2024
Stay
The Knot
Eat/Drink
Lunch: MoreThan Hiroshima - very popular spot, a lot of tourists, really delicious western style food and right next to our hotel.
Dinner: Kazuchan - Okonomiyaki food hall building full from ceiling to floor of different food vendors all basically selling the same thing. Just wait in line for a place that is already crowded with people, and they will get you seated quickly. Serving traditional food only found in Hiroshima.
Drinks: Bar Alegre - very cool speakeasy, less than 10 seats inside, best to make a reservation, sat next to a local Japanese guy who was just getting off work and having a drink by himself. Young bartender/manager/bar owner, very cool and delicious drinks!
Lunch: Wildman Bagel - while it wasn’t toasted or anything like what we’re used to in the states, it was still VERY delicious and a popular spot to grab a bagel with friends. We got two types and went back to the Hiroshima Peace Park to eat them on a park bench.
See/Do
Walk along the water from your hotel to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. There are busloads of people here, but they are all there to go inside to the museum. Because we had just been to Nagasaki, we felt we had seen what we needed to see, and just explored the Peace Park and read all the history on the plaques around the park (and listened to other guide groups as they walked around sharing the history).
See Hiroshima Castle - walking distance from Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. There’s a nearby area also where local vendors come to do book swaps, sell their handmade crafts, etc.
Walk around the Shintenchi Okonomimura and Hondori Street
Take the ferry over to Miyajima for a half day. Once on Miyajima, our first order of business was to see the Floating Tori Gate. We passed hoards of tourists making a day trip out of it, many deer that are somehow just walking all around the city, and just barely starting to bud cherry blossoms. While every corner you turn here, there’s things to see, our highlights of Miyajima were: taking the gondola to the top of Mount Misen, Daishoin Temple (and the buddha statues with red hats), & Henjo Cave. The best cherry blossoms we saw were near Yamamura Chaya.
Took the train to Kobe
KOBE
March 21-April 1
Stay
La Suite
Eat/Drink
Lunch: Royal Mouriya - Try to have a reservation - but if not, you can put your name in and see if they’ll put you on a wait list. It helps to speak a little Japanese!!!
Lunch or Dinner: Jesus Pizza
Drinks: Puzzle Bar - it was somewhat difficult to find, but well worth the cocktails! Very talented!
Drinks: Bar Brick - a total dude hang, they were watching sumo wrestling on tv, we stayed for a few cocktails
See/Do
After a nice big meal, we decided to go to the bowling alley and play a little to burn off some calories.
NARA
From April 1 to April 2, 2024
Stay
Noborioji Hotel
Eat/Drink
Eat mochi at the viral Nakatanidou shop - you can be there during the hours when they’re making it and see the hundreds of people who show up to video it
Lunch: Kappo Matsuki - a very quiet little restaurant, the food was very carefully selected
Drinks: Lamp Bar - Favorite bar in Nara!! A little hard to find, but once we did it was worth it! Make a reservation in advance if you can!
Dinner: Bambuno - Italian-ish food and delicious!
Lunch: Soba Zagin - if you’re craving some quick ramen, this is the spot to go!
See/Do
Walk along Mochiidono Shopping Street and shop at the vintage shops
Go visit the Todai-ji Daibutsuden Great Buddha Hall - the main attraction in Nara with deer wandering all about
Walk to the top of Mount Wakakusa - or however high you like to get to get a beautiful view of the city
Walk around Nara Park - when we went, cherry blossoms were blooming, so the walk around the park was incredibly picturesque, and many others were out taking photos too.
MIE (ISE SHIMA)
From April 2 to April 7, 2024
Stay
Amanemu - the hotel is a masterpiece!
Eat/Drink
The hotel isn’t walkable to a nearby city, so we mostly enjoyed relaxing, and most meals at this paradise hotel.
See/Do
Spend a half day in the spa at the hotel, the facilities are breathtaking
Mikimoto Pearl Island - watch the women dive to the ocean floor to retrieve the pearls, pick up a little pearl souvenir in the shop before you leave ;)
Ise Jingu (Geku) Shrine - there was a wedding procession when we were there and it was a sight to see all the women dressed in their kimonos and men in the traditional dress as well. It was called a Mikageuchi worship - you can prepare to spend a few hours walking around here
We also went to Ise-jingu Shrine Kotaijingu Shrine near Ujiimazaikecho - walked along their main street Oharaimachi-Dori Street and picked up some Wagyu Nigiri. Yummmm.
Shima City Hut Experience Facility Satomiian Ama Diver excursion near Shimacho Koshika. Such an incredible experience to spend the lunch hour with a real Ama diver who had just went to catch the seafood fresh that morning, teach us about their practices, and cook it live in front of us.
Took the train to Hakone
HAKONE
From April 7 to April 10, 2024
Stay
Hyatt Regency
Eat/Drink
Dinner: Toto Sapporo - we had the most incredible meal experience at this locally run restaurant. An Italian eatery, weaved in with a little bit of Japanese flare - the chef and owner of the restaurant cooked us a homemade meal that was out of this world. You have to make a reservation in advance. He ended up letting me come in the kitchen to observe him cooking, and we had such a great time that he offered to drive us around Hakone the next day and show us around. So we did! He was playing classical Italian music and we were all singing by the end of the meal. The restaurant was so beautiful, it most likely doubles as an event space (wedding venue) otherwise.
Lunch: 鮨脩(すしさね) (Sushi Sane?) - local spot we were taken to in Sengokuhara, not much English spoken at all, definitely no English menu. But possibly some of the best sushi we had in all of Japan… the nodoguro was out of this world!
Dinner: Nobu - apparently this was one of the first Nobu restaurants
See/Do
Take a dip in an onsen at the hotel or another onsen nearby
Meet a local and let them drive you around for a day (jk! Unless you do!)
Walk along the river and marvel at the cherry blossoms in bloom
We stumbled upon Choanji and walked around for a bit. The shinto shrines never get old.
Drove up to the Nagao Pass on the Hakone Skyline and had a great view of Mt. Fuji in the distance.
Drove to the Owakudani area to get a look at the volcanic steam and volcanic fields below. The thing to do here is eat a volcanic black egg.
Took the train to Tokyo
LAKE KAWAGUCHIKO
From April 20 to April 22, 2024
Stay:
Hoshinoya Fuji - when staying here make sure you book as much as you can in advance (including dinners!)
See/Do:
Eat/Drink: