What can I say about Japan? It’s safe, clean, quiet, and they work and party hard! The fashion! The animation! It’s a dream destination for those who love food, anime, fast cars, and Japanese Culture.

I visited three major areas: Tokyo, Osaka, and Hokkaido. There are endless things to do and places to do them. Hopefully, this guide can help with narrowing some of those choices down. The highlights of my trip were the Onsens (Hot Springs), sumo wrestlers, Visiting Nara, and Kyoto.

Get Straight To It

Accommodations

TOKYO

APA Hotel Nihombashi Bakuroyokoyama Ekimae, Tokyo:

Address: 103-0003, Tokyo, Chuo Ward, Chuo-ku Nihonbashiyokoyamacho 5-6

HOKKAIDO

HOTEL MYSTAYS PREMIER Sapporo Park, Sapporo:

Address: 064-0809, Sapporo, Chuo-ku Minami 9-jo Nishi 2-chome 2-10

OSAKA

APA HOTEL MIDOSUJIHON MACHIEKI HIGASHI

Address: 541-0048 OsakaOsaka Chuo-ku Kawaramachi 2-3-6

Transportation

Flight: BWI-SFO-KIX-HND Baltimore to Tokyo via United Airlines

HND-CTS Tokyo to Hokkaido via Airdo

CTS-HND Hokkaido to Tokyo via Airdo then Tokyo to Osaka via train

I used the rail system throughout Japan and had a MoMoPasmo Pass Card

It was easy to reload and worked throughout rail and bus systems

• Osaka to Tokyo VIA Shinkasen
  • 2hrs 30min

I found taxis to be expensive, but there is Uber available (uber was expensive too)

Recommendations

Food and Drinks: Try ramen, sushi (fatty tuna is my favorite) kobe beef, wagyu, Mochi, purple potatoes, soba noodles, udon noodles, matcha, white strawberries, shabu shabu (hot pot), takoyaki, yakiniku (barbeque)

Culture: They really follow the rules here. In Japan it is polite to eat all your food and not order too much (lots of places have different sizes you can order). Don’t walk and eat. Don’t talk on the phone in the trains, and don’t be loud there either. In onsens, take off all of your clothes. The traditional onsens do not allow people in with tattoos.

Planning Tools

Recommended Minimum Budget	$50/day activities $100/night Hotel $40/day Food
Recommended Duration	2 weeks +
Recommended Time to Visit	December to March (low prices and snow) April to May (Cherry Blossom Season)

Activities

Visit Onsens- Highly Recommended!

Mario Kart -via Street Karts $118 Recommend

Eat at the Tsukiji Outer Fish Market

Try street food in Kyoto

Visit Harajuku area

Visit the Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido

Snowboarding at Sapporo Kokusai Ski Area

Visit Hill of the Buddha in Makomanai Takino Cemetary

Try on Kimonos

Visit Temples (Asakusa Kannon Temple, etc.)

Visit Fushimi Inari

Feed the deer at Nara

All of the following were booked through Airbnb Experiences:

Authentic Japanese Food Crawl in Asakusa $62

Let us make a kimono (Kimono is a gift) $45

Watch Sumo Wrestler’s Morning Practice in Tokyo Skytree Town $105- Highly recommend

ZEN Breathing $55

Personal Photographer & Guide in Tokyo $66- Recommend

Ninja Experience in Sapporo City $46

A Guided Photoshoot In – Beautiful Kyoto $76

Complete Kyoto Tour in One Day, Visit All 12 Popular Sights! $105- Do not recommend

Osaka Food Tour – Ten delicious dishes at five hidden eateries– Recommend

Other Activities (Things I didn’t get a chance to do)

Try many of the Themed Cafes (Cat Cafe, hedgehog cafe, owl cafe, etc.)

Mt. Fuji

Sushi Making Class

TeamLab Planets (Immersive and Interactive light museum)

Tea Ceremony

Ningle Terrace

Visit little town of Biei

Inside Scoop

What can I say? It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t give you the good, bad, and ugly. I absolutely adored the onsens (completely naked hot springs) but most traditional ones do not allow people with tattoos in. FYI you do have to be completely naked. All the ones I went to were gender separated, so at least you’re not around others of the opposite sex. I won’t say people won’t look at you crazy, but maybe it was just me. I still love spa experiences so the ones with saunas, outdoor pools, salt caves, steam rooms, and all kinds of pools of various temperatures. They are very affordable, so I enjoyed making a spa day out of it. It was also dope to stay in a Hotel that had an onsen in Hokkaido, so after doing snow sports and being in the freezing snow all day I could relax at the onsen each night.

Not to be a debbie downer but Japan was lowkey a hard one for me. I am a true southern belle and the whole mind your own business thing sounds nice but when you’re struggling with your 3 bags going down a flight of stairs and the men and women are walking around you, then you start to appreciate helping strangers. I didn’t find people to be super friendly but just think New York city, for most that might be the norm.