I had the great pleasure of working with All Nippon Airways for this trip to Japan. They set me up with my flights to and from LA and my domestic flight within Japan and the experience could not have been more enjoyable. Almost every flight I’ve ever been on is simply a means to get me from one location to another but my experience with ANA made me question whether or not I wanted to get off the plane once I touched down in Tokyo (NRT). On the flight I elected for the Japanese cuisine and was not disappointed. It was the perfect way to get a little taste of what was to come over the next couple weeks in Japan. The staff was incredibly helpful and the inflight entertainment was more than I could have asked for (Cool Runnings ftw). The 12 hour flight flew by (pun intended)! If you’re thinking about traveling to Japan be sure to check out ANA, they might not be the most cost effective airline but they provide an experience that just can’t be beat.
My plan heading into this trip, my second time visiting Japan, was to essentially break it into three distinct experiences. First: hitting the road in a rental car and visiting some of the lesser-trafficked prefectures, second: hang around in Tokyo and enjoy one of the most incredible cities I’ve ever had the chance to visit, and three: catch a flight North to experience what some claim to be the best skiing in the world.
PART I: HITTING THE ROAD
My time driving around Japan was limited so I wanted to pack in as much as I could. I was just a few months too early to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom but heard of a prefecture about four hours West of Tokyo where they typically bloomed earlier in the year and knew I had to go see them. In addition to that, I wanted to catch sunrise at Mt Fuji, bathe in an onsen in Hakone, and try to experience a more authentic Japan. The route would have me in the car for about 10 hours. Not bad when it’s spread out over so many days! If you’re thinking of visiting Japan and want to move around a bit, I would definitely encourage you to get a rail pass. My first trip to Japan I ordered the 7-day-green-car pass for $360 from this website and it was perfect for moving throughout the country. The trains are clean, fast, reliable, and even kind of fun to ride on. This trip, however, I wanted to get off the beaten path a bit.
Sunrise at Yuigahama Beach.
I landed in Tokyo at 6pm on a Sunday night, rented a car, and set off for the small town of Kamakura. For the curious, my rental car cost me $295 after all fees and taxes and toll roads, not including gas. After about three hours in the car I arrived at my hostel ($62), a charismatic building with an onsen downstairs and the most comfortable beds. However, this was just a place to rest my head for the night, no time to stay still. I woke up early in the morning, around 5:30am, to catch the sunrise over Yuigahama Beach, the perfect way to wake up in Japan for the first time in 10 months.
After spending some time walking around the beach, admiring the sun as it rose over the bay and watching fishing boats set out for the day, I decided it was time to get a move on. I rented a bicycle and paid a visit to the Big Buddha statue near the town center, stopped by the bamboo forrest not too far away, and finished my exploration of Kamakura by stopping by the Sasuke Inari Shrine and Zeniarai Benten Ugafuku Shrine (to wash my money in hopes of doubling it, of course).
The torii gate near Hakone Shrine.
Next up on the list was Hakone, a place well known for its onsens, active sulphur vents around Owakundi, and beautiful torii gate on the shores of Lake Ashi. With a late day arrival I decided it was best to book a stay at a hotel near the base of the Hakone volcano to be able to wake up early again and catch the sunrise over Lake Ashi. The hotels here are a bit pricey (I spent $175 for one night) and the one I stayed at was very authentic Japanese, which made the experience that much cooler. It was worth the stay for one night but I don’t think you need more than 48 hours to see all that Hakone has to offer.
The forest approach to the Hakone Shrine.
After spending some time exploring the shrine and its early morning solitude, I moved up to the top of the volcano to explore the geothermal vents a bit. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on my side and high winds kept me inside but that meant I got to peruse the shopping center at the top and learn a bit in the museum. After taking a quick relaxing dip in a nearby onsen, I set off for my next destination.
Check out this sweet pink umbrella I bought from a local vendor.
The inspiration for this trip lies about two hours South of Hakone in the small town of Kawazu. Kawazu has a less common bread of Sakura Tree, the cherry blossoms, which allows them to bloom a couple months early every year. I high tailed it down there, got to be pleasantly surprised by the unique Kawazu Nanaduru Loop Bridge along the way, and finally arrived in the small town.
Couldn’t help but take some cheesy photos with the cherry blossoms!
There was a bit of rain upon my arrival but it wouldn't stop me from walking up and down the streets under the beautiful pink canopies of cherry blossoms while stopping at street vendors and enjoying as much food as my stomach could handle. The decision was made at this point to skip the night's stay in Kawazu and head to the next location to be able to catch the sunrise for a third day in a row. Fingers crossed the weather would hold this next day.
The spectacular view of Fuji from the Chureito Pagoda
The three hour drive to Minamitsuru, a district at the base of Mt Fuji, took a bit longer than expected due to inclement weather but it was still a great experience to get to drive on the wonderfully maintained Japanese roads. I got to my hostel ($40) later than I had hoped, about 1am, but it still left me with a few hours of sleep in a warm and comfy bed. Another early morning and I was off to the Chureito Pagoda to catch first light as it hit the imposing and incredible Mt. Fuji.
The view of Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi and a tasty cloud.
My last trip to Japan didn't allow me to catch a glimpse of this unbelievable dormant volcano but this day it was nothing but clear skies and was the highlight of my whole trip thus far. A true sight to behold. After spending some time around Lake Kawaguchi and stopping by Aokigahara Forest for a bit of spelunking it was time to head back to Tokyo and rest my head for the next few days. If you have the chance, definitely take the time to check out all of these spots, especially the view from Chureito Pagoda.
After spending the day exploring around the base of Fuji it was time to hightail it to Tokyo for some city livin’. This first part of the trip consisted of lots and lots of driving but I’m a big fan of being behind the wheel so I don’t mind it one bit.
PART II: TOKYO
First things first: I didn’t bring the car into Tokyo with me because I didn’t want to have to deal with parking so I drove it back to the airport and took a bus back into the city for $28. Driving through the countryside didn’t present any issues with directions but driving through Tokyo proved to be challenging for no other reason than Google Maps never knew exactly where I was. It seems like there’s three layers to every road, an underground tunnel, ground level road, and raised highway, so it could never really pin down exactly where I was and made navigating the city a bit of a chore.
Tokyo will always be one of my favorite cities. It blends together so many different experiences and feelings into one incredible vibe. The first night I decided to check out the very well known Robot Restaurant in the Shinjuku region and stopped by a karaoke bar on the way home to sing a few songs. I met up with some friends who had tickets to the Robot Restaurant so I can’t give an exact figure on how much it cost but I’m pretty sure it was around ~$60. It’s a crazy spectacle with flashing lights, dragons, and a bunch of other stuff I wouldn’t even know how to describe and it was a pretty cool thing to get to see firsthand. Take it for what it is; a super cheesy but entertaining night out and you’ll have a blast!
My last visit fell short by not being able to visit the teamLab art installation and I am so glad I was able to check it out this time. I liked teamLab Borderless ($27) much that I visited the art installation twice. Because it’s so cool, it gets very crowded inside. The first visit was midday, around 2pm, and the crowds were crazy. My friend and I decided to come back the following morning and be the first inside so we could have the space all to ourselves for a short time and it was worth it.
Between my flight from Sapporo and my return flight to LA I had some time to kill and had another friend back in Tokyo that wanted to go too so we dropped by teamLAB Planets ($27) as well. Can you tell I like this place? It’s definitely something you have to see for yourself, I’m certain you’ll be just as mystified as I was. If you only have time to visit one, I recommend teamLab Planets. It’s a crazy immersive experience and you can interact with the art a bit but you can’t go wrong by visiting either one of them. Be sure to get your tickets in advance otherwise you might miss out!
You’d be hard pressed to wander around the city of Tokyo and NOT see a bunch of people dressed up as video game characters driving around in little go-karts. That’s because Street Kart (formerly MariCar) lets you rent and ride around the city on tiny little karts, just like in Mario Kart! In order to do this you have to acquire an International Drivers Permit from your local AAA. It’s quick, easy and costs only about $25 for the year. If you don’t have one already, my IDP comes in handy for more than just go-karting as some places won’t let you rent a car without one. For $68 you get about two hours of drive time through the busy streets of Shibuya. Definitely a fun and exciting activity to do while visiting Tokyo!
Once that was all done, I knew I had to head back to the Shibuya area to experience the scramble and eat as much ramen and gyoza as possible. At this point, fattened up on as many noodles as my body would physically let me ingest, it was off to colder climates.
PART III: SKIING IN NISEKO
The cherry blossoms inspired and encouraged me to revisit Japan this time around but my friends invite to ski in Niseko is what ultimately led me further North to hit the slopes. I've heard time and time again how the powder in Japan is incomparable to anywhere in the world. I was also looking forward to resting my head in one location for six consecutive days rather than being on the move nonstop. After a two hour bus ride from the airport I arrived at the house, got my skis rented that same day, and was on the slopes in no time. There hadn't been much new snow fall lately but the stoke levels were still very high and five consecutive days of skiing Hanazono Niseko couldn't have been more fun.
I expected skiing in Japan to be more expensive than it wound up being. My five day lift ticket came out to $55/day and rental came to $43/day which put me right at $98/day all-in. Compare that to prices in Colorado, California, or Utah and it feels like a highway robbery. Owners of the Ikon pass get 5-7 free days skiing here as well. If I decide to return next year I’ll be sure to plan a bit more ahead of time.
There’s not much to write about here because every day looked very similar to the one before it: wake up, ski, eat, ski, eat, drink, repeat. Niseko is a cool little mountain town nestled into Japan’s Northern island of Hokkaido. It has everything you need a ski town to have: gear shops, fun slopes, great food, and a vibrant night life. The friends I met up with here booked the house through a charity auction and its location couldn’t have been better. We could walk to the base of the mountain every single morning and get the day started without having to deal with the hassle of shuttling ourselves over.
Aside from the lack of snow, Niseko went off without a hitch. I am already planning a return trip for 2020 in hopes that there’s a little more precipitation so I can get a taste of what skiing in Japan truly has to offer. At the front end of this trip I was thinking to myself how I would ever find ways to fill all 16 days of exploring Japan with activities. On my last day I felt like I hadn't seen nearly as much as I had wanted to. All that means, at the end of the day, is that I have to return sooner rather than later and continue my exploration.
FOOD
As you can tell, I don’t put much of an emphasis on food when I write about a place I’ve visited. I’m not much of a foodie but I understand that food is an integral piece to any culture and sometimes people have their concerns. My plan moving forward is to have a segment like this at the end of each write-up highlighting my experience with the local eats.
One of the things that makes Japan so great is its delicious food. Ramen, gyoza, sushi, and so many more options that are just as delicious as anything you’ll ever eat. I was never the biggest fan of ramen or noodle-y type food but after my first trip to Japan that changed instantly. I ate at Ichiran almost every single day and, yes, I know it’s a chain restaurant but I love it so much I could eat it all day every day until I die.
Another important thing to know is that the 7/11’s in Japan carry high quality fresh food for a low price. I’m pretty sure I ate at least one Omusubi from a 7/11 every single day as well. In fact, writing this right now is making me incredibly hungry.
You really can’t go wrong with the food anywhere in Japan. All of it is delicious and fresh and reasonably priced!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Japan is easily one of my favorite countries I’ve ever visited. It’s so clean, very safe, and has so much natural beauty mixed in with its incredibly unique personality. 16 days here still left me wanting more. It’s one of the few places that I hope to visit at least once a year because each experience can be so unique from the previous one. That’s something worth revisiting in my opinion.
I was fortunate to be able to partner with ANA for this trip and have my flights covered but I included what the flights would have cost me had I booked online through their website. I wasn’t necessarily looking for the cheapest places to stay the entire time either. Hostels in Japan are very nice but are a little on the pricey side - you get what you pay for! I could have saved a bit more money in certain areas but this trip was more about indulgence than most of the places I travel to.
Special shoutout to Elliott Howell for tagging along and taking most of these awesome pictures for me! Check him out on instagram @iamalliott for more of his photography.
Have you ever been to Japan? Is there something I didn’t do that you think I should go back and try for myself? What questions did I leave unanswered? Sometimes I get lost in a sea of words and it can be hard for me to focus so I want to continue to improve and provide the best information I can for you; the curious traveler. Let me know in the comments below!