14 thoughts on “Japan Bound”

  1. While personally knowing nothing, I’ve noticed that @megsloveslife is there at the moment with her son so maybe check out her instagram! I’ve loved watching her adventures and am now interested in travelling there 🙂

  2. .. wow.. Going to Japan…. my brother and his partner love visiting Japan…..
    I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time…. relax and enjoy …
    Have a great day…hugs… Barb xxx

  3. Oh I LOVE Japan, it is one of my favourite countries and the people are just BEAUTIFUL!
    I didn’t know a word of Japanese, but it turns out you don’t need to.
    They are so over accommodating for all us visitors that go ignorantly not knowing Japanese.
    They see you coming and go straight for the english menu and if not nearly every eatery has a visual display of the food.
    We stayed in Shinjuku, but Shibuya is the place to shop, but it’s all pretty close with trains one the money and once you figure them out they are easy.
    Food it depends what you like, but IMO you can’t go to Japan without smashin’ a bowl of Ramen. My fav Miso Ramen, although the best I had was in Hikkido.
    Also the best Bimimbap I has was in Japan, hands down.
    Oh and grab kids clothes, they seriously had some of the funkiest kids clothes I’d ever seen… so much so I was able to get my daughter and son to wear them, was cross gender funky, if that makes sense.
    But ENJOY it, it’s busy its crazy but it is beyond words.
    Live it up. xx

  4. Tokyo
    Anywhere around the Harajuku-Omotesando area is exciting and fun and cute
    Daikanayama – especially the beautiful T-Site which is open until late
    Shimokitazawa – for a Totoro cream puff
    Loft is a great store to visit, also maybe the Marc Jacobs Bookstore if it’s still around near Omotesando

  5. Lucky duck. Bucket list for me too.
    Seeing the cherry blossoms ( which I feel you may be a little late for) and don’t laugh but doing karaoke in a funky Japanese bar is also quite high on my bucket list adventures.

  6. Ummmm all the other comments seem wise and full of “Adult type advise” I say Kit Kats! Apparently in Japan they have lots of weird and different flavored Kit Kats. Do some Kit Kat research!

  7. Tokyo – be prepared for the crazy! Soooo many people. I always escape to Kyoto/smaller rural areas only Japan trips so can’t give too much advice. If you can get the bullet train down to Kyoto for a couple of days it is so worth it! Last time I was in Tokyo we did a bit of shopping around the Hanae Mori building/Oriental bazaar and I picked up a lovely second hand Kimono to bring home. It was 6 or so years ago so not sure if it is still there. Yokohama Chinatown is also fun but I was last there about 11 years ago so again not sure if it has changed! If the city gets too much, jump on a train and head somewhere like Takayama. I can’t remember how far by train but it is a gorgeous little town. I also went a hot spring that was on a cliff on the coast somewhere in sure was near Tokyo. I’ll try and remember where it was because it was absolutely stunning! Sorry for the essay!! Enjoy your trip xx

  8. Tokyo station is crazy busy but grab a point and speak map it’s very handy. They don’t speak a lot of English in Japan. I was there last year (I was lucky enough to travel all over).
    For photos the train station building is lovely. There’s the Tokyo tower or sky tower. The crossing in shibuya called the scramble, when you get off the station there the Hachiko statue. A really busy temple is Meiji Jingu and there’s some great markets there also. The tsukiji fish market. All the food which is so beautiful. You will just want to take photos of everything because it’s so different.
    I loved Japan the people are really lovely I hope you have a great trip
    Wendy

  9. I was lost in The Tokyo underground for 1.5hrs on one of my visits lol

    there are no English signs at all and you need to know the colour of the train lines if you wish to travel this way. I had a translator machine thingy, and it is a must, because English is not spoken much at all.
    However if you do to karaoke you will find that the young Japanese know all the western songs in English fluently…………although they don’t speak a word of it!
    I was on the mid level of Tokyo tower and was really fortunate to see the sun setting behind Mt Fuji, but this is unusual because of pollution.
    the Japanese people love Australians, and so don’t be afraid to approach them, but do remember that they are big on social politeness.

    and most importantly Japan has the scrummiest pastries…….savoury and sweet, and in fact there is a really unbelievable pastry shop in the Tokyo underground!!

    depends on what accomodation you have chosen, many are quite small due to the lack of space in Japan.
    you will love it though, the first time I went, it hadn’t been on my list of must see countries, but I went to my sons’ wedding and I loved it, I returned a few years later and love it even more.

  10. I loved Japan! People don’t really speak English, but most of them do understand it. We often asked people in the underground for direction and even though they did not reply, they would guide us to the right trains. The people selling the train tickets usually talk English good enough!

    Check out the JR Shinkansen (the super fast trains) they sell week passes, but you need to purchase them from overseas. Doing so will safe you loads of money. With this pass you can take JR trains and the shinkansen. Check out this website for more info: https://www.japan-rail-pass.com/?currency-code=USD&ap=b6021as&gclid=CP7j_POrqsUCFRcXjgodSysAdg

    In tokyo – we loved just walking around. Spend a couple of hours making photos at Shibuya. Not only at the department stores around there that sell the weirdest clothes (def check out department store 109 men and 109 women) but also because of the crossing. Try to get a seat on the 1st floor of the Starbucks which has the best view over this immense crossing
    Ebisu is an area which is nice for dinner and drinks. Advantage they have a lot of English menus too!
    Asakusa area is nice to walk around – don’t miss the Senso-ji temple, and if you love Udon I can recommend Okiwariya. Loved it!
    In the Roppongi area you will find the Mori Art Museum (which has an amazing skydeck). And if you like the movie Kill Bill – head over to Ganpachio on which the movie was based. Owh and at the Grand Hyatt you’ll find the Maduro Bar with amazing jazz music {if you like that kind of music 🙂 }
    Ginza is the area with the more expensive department stores. Even if you don’t want to buy anything, go inside and go to the basement. They have amazing food department stores there – with perfectly round melons selling for over US$200!!! And more of those kind of things. Here you’ll also find the Tsukiji Fish Market – this is awesome especially if you are able to get into the morning auction {they only allow 120 people each morning…}. Closeby you’ll find Sushizanmai which is open 24hrs a day and sells delicious sushi {if you love tuna, try the tuna sushi platter, its a tasting with different grades of tuna and it’s just delicious!}. It belongs to a chain http://www.kiyomura.co.jp.e.sv.hp.transer.com/

    Hiroshima is interesting too – we walked around the museum and the area where the Nuclear bomb was dropped. Truly an impressive sight.

    And last but not least Kyoto – which I really loved! Best way to get around is by bicycle {or maybe that’s just my Dutch roots talking 😉 }. Easy to hire a bike everywhere for around 700Yen per bike per day. The temples are amazing, but I think the Kiyomuzudera temple and the golden pavilion were the most beautiful! Loved seeing couples walking around in traditional clothes. And off course you have the geisha area here (although they don’t really like to be photographed, so be careful doing that…)

    Hope you’ll have an amazing time! We sure did 🙂 Looking forward to reading all about it 🙂

  11. I love Japan – just keep going back. One of those countries where you actually feel like it is foreign and different to what you are used to as far as lifestyle. I just wander and wander and people/house watch. Use the trains, so easy. Street addresses and building numbers are a bit more tricky! I love to eat Oyakodon, so much tastier over there than our versions! Enjoy 🙂

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