My wife and I just booked a vacation for 10 days in Japan. Neither of us have ever been, and we’re looking to get the most out of it. We’re flying into Tokyo and staying south – Tokyo and Kyoto are definite destinations but also probably Hiroshima, Osaka, and day trips to interesting locales.
Any advice you may have about hotels, restaurants, sights, itineraries, etc. would be infinitely appreciated.
I’m jealous. I LOVE Japan, and can’t wait to go back one day. I’ve been to all of the places you mentioned, and would recommend staying in Kyoto the longest, if you can. Kyoto has the most incredible culture I’ve seen, where they fully embrace the modern world while simultaneously honoring the traditions from centuries ago. The mountains are beautiful, and be sure to go off the beaten path for temples, not just in the square.
10 days including flight or excluding, b/c you lose 3 to flight/time difference… so really only 7 days to sightsee…
Let’s assume day -1: leave for Japan, day 0 - arrive in Tokyo - adjust time difference
Day 1 - 2: Tokyo. Not toooo much history here… Visit the fish market, walk around the electronic district, and ofcourse your wife might wana see the fashion areas etc… just eat random stuff and be happy 
Day 3-5: Kyoto. A TON of stuff to see here… you might wanna do day 3-4 in Kyoto… add in a day trip or Nara or something… then another day in Kyoto … this is so you don’t get templed/shrined out.
Day 6: Nara
Day 7-8 HIroshima / The Orange gate place, name escapes me at the moment
Day 9-10 Osaka
Day 11 fly home, arrive same day
If you lose 3 days to travel, then obviously your schedule is more compact
The only place i recommend to stay at is in Kyoto, stay at the Westin Kyoto.
Close to subway, close to an awesome okonomiaki joint, and the rooms are pretty huge (ours had a bedroom and a living room). and we just got the most basic room (with points).
Thanks, Mark – very helpful! We are actually staying 10 nights/days not including travel, so your itinerary is spot on and super helpful.
Ah I remember… the Orange Gate place near Hiroshima is Miyajima.
Of course there is the Fushimi Inari shrine at Kyoto as well.
Oh and when i said “not so much history in Tokyo”. i meant there’s not nearly as much to see as a tourist… of course I don’t mean there’s no history in Tokyo as a city
Enjoy!
Just outside of Tokyo is Kamakura. Lots of history there. Also in Tokyo is the National Kabuki Theater. Worth it to go to a half day preformance. Walk around Ginza for awhile. There’s a sake tasting center there. I like lunch at the Sapporo beer hall, also in Ginza. Spend an evening in Roppongi. Visit one of the large department stores in Shinjiku. Don’t miss the two basement levels where the food stalls are. Usually there are free samples. The train station in Shinjiku is the busiest in the world. Almost a million people/day go thru there on a workday.
Agree; if you go to Kyoto, you must spend some time in Nara, the ancient capital. Visit one of the classic Japanese gardens.
You’re going to wish you had more than 10 days. Not even visiting Kanazawa and the Noto-Hanto penninsula, nor Nagano and the Japanese Alps.
I’m sure its not much help, but there are also some treasures on Kyushu. Beppu has Monkey mountain and hot springs for both you and the monkeys. It was beautiful and the people were so friendly in 1962. Nagasaki is also an interesting place, but like in Hiroshima, some people show some disdain for Americans. Lots of mountains and beautiful parks and shrines on Kyushu. Cormorant fishing is also a unique experience but its only from mid May to mid October. You have to take an hour and visit a pachinko parlor and two hours to hit an old style Ginza.
Granted, a lot of things have changed since I was there, but the people were fantastic, the art and culture phenomenal. Thinking about it, I remember the smells and sounds. Pedestrians were fair game as anything with wheels had the right of way, even on the sidewalk. The base we were stationed at, Hakata Administrative Annex (formerly Brady AFB), is now Marine World, just across the bay from Fukuoka. I mean, how much change can there be in 49 years?
And by the Ryan, get used to being called Lion. I was Landy for 3 years.
A big +1 on Nara!!! The Giant Buddha and the tame deer alone make it worth a day trip.
If you want a special experience, spend at least one night at Hiiragiya in Kyoto. Expensive, but well worth it. Have a traditional dinner in your room: http://www.hiiragiya.co.jp/en/
One of the most beautiful and peaceful places on Earth is just outside Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera
I just got back from a 17 day trip through Japan and have been blogging about it (with pics) on my blog, address below (sorry for the plug). It was, to put it mildly, AMAZING. The people, the history, the culture, the food, the sake, the beer, everything was AMAZING. Did I mention it was AMAZING?
We did a few days in Tokyo (Meiji and Sword Museum rocked, as did Tsukiji and Ginza), followed by 2 days in Ise (near Toba, on the Pacific Coast at a ryokan (bed & breakfast) with our own onsen (hot tub) on the terrace overlooking the ocean) and where breakfast/dinner were Kaiseki-style. Kyoto was next, ate at a restaurant where the chef only serves what he kills, saw Nara, the sacred deer and the largest Buddha, then up the mountains to Takayama (gorgeous temples), then back to Tokyo. As someone said, Tokyo is nice, and what’s incredible is how quiet it is for such a large city, but the more interesting stuff is outside the city. However, definitely hit Tsukiji market early and don’t be shy about trying new things. There’s an oyakodonburi guy there who speaks French and who made us breakfast one morning there that was outstanding, then sent us to a sushi place where everything was pretty much still moving. Yum!
Did I mention it was AMAZING?
One last thing, don’t be shocked if they stare at you, especially outside of Tokyo. I’m 5’10" and I was one of the tallest people around, especially in the less-touristy places (it was kind of nice!). Feel free to email me for more info/addresses/pics.
Did I mention it was AMAZING?
Oh, one last thing, if you have an iPhone or an Android, look for free apps that teach you Japanese and its prononciation, as well as free maps of the places you’re going, that helped me out a LOT. And if you have Wifi calling capability, you can call the US for free; I did that from Tokyo and a few other places where I had Wifi connections.
2 restaurants I loved in Tokyo:
Sushi Mizutani in Ginza. 3 star Michelin sushi? Yes, and how! If you see something beautiful at Tsukiji in the morning, I would bet you’ll see it again here in the evening.
Tetsuan in Azabujuban. Tiny restaurant where the chef shops, cooks, serves your food, and pours your sake. Dishes I remember - sauteed awabi in a sauce of soy, sake, and small japanese lime; corn tempura; and takkikami gohan, rice cooked in an iron pot, seasoned during my visit with a whole fish grilled while we ate.
If you don’t speak Japanese, you’d probably need a hotel concierge to book for you.
Oh, another thing. When will you be there? If during baseball season, you have to go to a game. Very similar, yet very different from the US baseball experience. In Japan, it’s more about the crowd. Join in, get a noisemaker and have fun.
You also have to have good ramen at least once during your stay. I’m fond of Miso/corn with a side of gyoza. Kimchee ramen is also good if you like spicier.
I want to point out that out of all the hotels I have stayed at, none of them had WiFi. So if you’re bringing an iphone or tablet, I’d recommend bringing a WiFi router with you…
Here’s a great example. I never travel without one of these in my bag.
http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-300Mbps-Wireless-N-Travel-TEW-654TR/dp/B002G1CLS0
Thanks so much, everyone – this is immensely helpful. Our plans are starting to firm up, and we’re staying 5 nights in Kyoto (including one or two at Hiiragiya), a night in Hiroshima, and 4 nights in and around Tokyo. We are hoping to take day trips to (or potentially spend the night in) Nara, Nikko, and Kamakura, and to Miyajima from Hiroshima. We’ve booked some higher end meals – Ryugin and Sawada in Tokyo, and Nakamura in Kyoto – and are now trying to find some great less expensive izakayas, tempuras, etc. We’re going to see Sumo in Tokyo and will try to catch a baseball game if possible. We thought about a kabuki show in Tokyo, but they are very long and I’m not sure it’s worth cutting into the day so much. Any thoughts?
If anyone has any killer restaurants or entertainment/activities in these places, or any other suggestions at all, keep them coming. Thanks!
In Hiroshima, find a local place for this:
and drink local beer with it!
+1.
You can start your okonomiyaki binge in Kyoto… Lots of random places are great…
Are you going to get a reserved box for the Sumo? You can show up and get nonreserved tickets, but you have to go early before the main matches begin. It’s best to get seats opposite the referee. With nonreserved seats, you need to grab them early and keep them all day. The day starts with the lower class wrestlers, basicly high schoolers. As the day progresses, the higher levels compete. The two highest levels are the real professional rikishi. The top level are the major leaguers and they start late in the afternoon. If you get reserved seats, then you can show up any time. Most of the time is spent eating and drinking while you watch the matches.
Eric mentioned Kamakura and I see you were already thinking about it. It is a great place for a day trip. I had a free Saturday after a business trip and took the train down from Yokohama to Kita-Kamakura. There are some temples nearby and behind one of them an entrance to a hiking trail that takes you up over the valley and allegedly over to the other side of the town. I was trying to get to a temple called Zuisen-Ji which is a bit out of the way. Partway along the path I felt like I had lost my way and was getting further away from civilization, so I backtracked to a spot where I could cut down the hill into town, and from there asked my way to the temple. It was really worth visiting - it’s cut into a hillside and has a very different look from the others I’ve visited. I like walking (recently walked from Gevrey-Chambertin to Nuits-Saint-Georges) and Kamakura is a great place for it.
I just mentioned this in another thread: Take a look at japanesepod101.com, a podcast-based language teaching site. I used it extensively while learning some Japanese. It’s very good and very entertaining.
I would definitely go to an onsen/ryokan like Michel did. I think that could be a highlight of the trip. Even though I lived in Japan a long time, I have never been to sumo or kabuki, so I can’t comment on those. I think if sports/wrestling or theatre are something you enjoy, then it would be worthwhile, but simply going because it is Japanese and you feel you should do it then you may not enjoy it.
Regarding things that haven’t been suggested.
I like Koya-san, which can be done be done as a day trip from Osaka, although you may not want to eat up an entire day with that. I like the temple in the forest on a mountain atmosphere. I did it as a part of a bus tour which included stops for parsimmon picking and a brief bath at an onsen, so I probably did not see as much of Koya-san as I could have.
I think it is possible to rent bicycles to get around Kyoto. It may be a fun thing to do. In any case you will have more than enough time to see all the major temples/shrines. Kiyomizu-dera is a standout. (I am also partial to Heian jingu because I got married there).
It is interesting to read about what happened on the ground in Hiroshima after the bomb fell before you visit. I read Ibuse’s Black Rain before I went.
In Tokyo, I think it is interesting to walk from Omotesando through Harajuku and then Shibuya. Lots of stores. You’ll probably get lost though. If you need gifts for children there is a Kiddyland in Omotesando and a Hakuhinkan Toy Park in Ginza. I’m not a fan of Roppongi and there is no real need to go there unless there is a specific restaurant or store you want to visit.
In terms of eating, well, there will be good stuff all around you and I don’t think it will be too hard to find a good izakaya, ramen, etc. You’ll discover how consistently good food is in Japan and probably never eat as well as you do on this trip. I would suggest you try yakiniku and yakitori. The area around Tsuruhashi station in Osaka has a lot of yakiniku restaurants since it is a kind of mini-Koreatown, but you can find something good in Tokyo or Kyoto I am sure. You can even get decent food at the convenience stores. Family Mart has great deserts. I suggest you not limit yourself to Japanese, but also try some French or Italian food, since it is top class. The French bread at the bakeries in department stores is always very good. The following site has a list of Michelin 3 star restaurants if you don’t have such a list. The complete MIchelin guide would probably be useful as well to find more affordable restaurants. There are just so many restaurants in Tokyo it will make your head spin.
http://www.3starrestaurants.com/michelin-restaurants-star-guide.asp
The Salvatore chain has good pizza/Italian at a reasonable price if you are ever in the mood for that.
Regarding wine…
I’ve been to a place called (Budou Shushokudo)Sakura in Roppongi twice over the past few months and found the food to be very good. It is a restaurant attached to a wine store. You can choose a wine and then pay a corkage fee (2000 yen) and have it with your dinner. The wine selection isn’t all that large, but it is good enough. There is also a winelist. There isn’t a website, but here is a link to a dining site that might be useful and has the address. Sorry, only in Japanese, but maybe you can show the link to the concierge at your hotel and they can help.
I’ve wanted to try Wine Bar Mayu out, but have never gotten around to it. It is in Shibuya. A bit pricey, especially given the exchange rate. It just looks so cool.
The Tokyu Department stores (2 in Shibuya) have good wine selections. If you want beer, try Yebisu.
Finally, I suggest visting a Uniqlo store. The heat tech clothing is a hit if it is in season when you go. Your wife will enjoy it and it makes good gifts for people the clothing can fit. You might also enjoy wandering through a Don Quixote store.
Have fun!