Japan

Japan is an incredibly country, and you can see why it is right at the top of peoples bucket lists. I spent 3 weeks here which was the perfect amount of time to cover off the big 3 city's, but also venturing into the countryside to take in the breathtaking scenery.

This country has so much variety, you have the incredible infrastructure and technology of the city's, the history and traditional culture and also the picturesque countryside.

I traveled the entire trip on the train which was incredible, super reliable, on time, cost effective and just a great way to see the country.

The people were the most friendly I have ever met, the streets had no litter on them, everything was immaculately clean, the food was amazing and so much variety, need I say more.

• Tokyo

• Mt Fuji

• Kyoto

• Osaka

• Shimani Kaido

• Hiroshima

• Takayama

Tokyo

It is more than likely that you'll fly into one of Tokyo's airports, and you'll be thrusted right into a gigantic city, with millions of people, millions of things to look at and see, but at the same time it not being too overwhelming due to how organized everything is. I stayed at UNPLAN Hostel, which was great, very clean, comfortable dorms and a very convenient location in Shinjuku.

There are absolutely a million things to do in Tokyo, to cover all of it I'd recommend spending 5 days, I personally stayed 4 and here's what I got up to!

Explore Shinjuku

Shinjuku comes alive at night, I mean it's busy all the times but at night all of the bright lights are on, thousands of people are out and about in restaurants, bars, seeing shows and it's chaos but again in an organized way. The train station is Shinjuku is the worlds busiest, seeing 3.8 million passengers, PER DAY, it's quite incredible. Within the Shinjuku area you have;

Gyoen National Garden - A great spot to get away from city life, see some beautiful gardens and some pagodas next to small ponds.

Omoide Yokocho - Is an incredibly tiny alleyway which has incredibly tiny restaurants and bars fitting in a maximum of 8 people in each, an experience that cannot be missed.

Golden Gai (often referred to as piss alley) - Is another tiny street, well around 3 streets in a block, and it's full of tiny bars again only fitting 8 people max. A very intimate experience as you'll end up speaking to the other customers, the bar staff and each bar is unique and has their own style.

Explore Shibuya

Another very popular tourist area, arguably busier than Shinjuku, specially during the day as it has mountains of fashion outlets, restaurants, bars and loads of things to check out.

World's busiest crossing - Yep a lot of people just walking across the road really, but it was in Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift so that's cool.

Mario Karts - I didn't do this, but you'll see people driving go karts through the streets dressed up in Mario Kart characters.

Tokyo Subway

Maybe a strange thing to include but you'll end up riding this a lot, coming from London I appreciate a good underground network, but this was incredible. So clean, organized and literally all trains came within 10 seconds of when they were supposed to.

Senso-Ji

This is one of the most visited temples in Japan, you can also see that with the crowds that are there, but it's still a great site with a 5 story pagoda, and a long street full of stalls.

Imperial Palace

This is the center of the city, where the imperial family live and it's a fortified castle that you can't actually enter but walking around the groups is till very impressive.

Takeashita Street

Interesting name I know, but it's a super busy and colourful street that is well worth checking it out, loads of unique shops and stores.

Meiji Shrine

Is a beautiful shrine that is set up a small park, takes about 20 minutes to walk around and it has a spectacular gate you enter through into the park.

Ameya Yokocho

This is one of Tokyo's largest food markets, it's where I tried some incredible wagyu beef, along with some super fresh sushi, o yeah and a natural lemonade drink, so you can get all sorts here, it's a really cool place to check out for a couple hours.

Day Trip To Nikko

Arguably saving the best till last, you get a 1.5 hour train from Tokyo out into the countryside to a small town called Nikko. It is famous for having one of the most lavish complexes of shrines, that takes a good 30 minutes to walk around seeing them all.

Very impressive, but it was quite busy so that part I enjoyed the most was actually my 2 hour hike through Kanmagfuchi Abys. This takes you through and along a gorge, which is super peaceful, and you also get to see a very impressive site of around 100 buddhas placed in the forest overlooking the river.

Lastly, the famous bridge which was built in 1636 and is the entrance to the shrine.

Mount Fuji

Definitely one of the highlights of the trip, if not the highlight, but let me give you a word of advice, don't do that day trip from Tokyo and instead stay in Lake Kawaguchi. It's the most popular tourist attraction in Japan, so staying here allows you the early start without most of the crowds, also it's a beautiful setting to spend a night or two, so why not! I stayed at Tokoyo Inn Fuji which is a popular chain across Japan, it was one of the budget hotels but it was great, no complaints whatsoever, comfortable room, quiet, good location, all you need for a night or two.

Tourist Bus Ticket - The first thing you want to do is buy a day pass for the bus, as this is what you use to get around the lake and see all of the attractions. It's a really cool service where it has 22 stops, you can get off as many times you like and get back on whichever direction you like.

Chureito Pagoda - I got up early and walked to the train station, to jump on a couple trains totaling around 35 minutes, to Shimoyoshida. I did this first as it's on the train line from Tokyo, so tends to be peoples first stop and wow I timed it well, no one going up and when I was coming down around 50. It's a 10 minute walk from the station, you then have around 10 minutes of stairs up to the Pagoda which gets the heart pumping but the view is amazing with Mt Fuji in the background.

Mt Fuji Ropeway - I had to wait around 20 minutes in line for this, so another one you want to hit early but it's a 8 minute cablecar up to the top where you're greeted with a great view of Mt Fuji and the lake below. I decided to get some steps in and take a peaceful walk back down which I'd recommend, super easy only about an hour but you escape the crowds and get some great views.

Maple Corridor - Is at stop 18, just a 5 minute walk to it and it's a long straight stream that has beautiful colour flowers, and you can walk down it getting some very instagramable photos.

Incredible View of Mt Fuji - is at the last stop on the bus route at the other side of the lake, but you walk through a garden, and round a bend that not many people seem to know about. But you're greeted with a beautiful bed of purple flowers in front of you where you can get some incredible photos of with Mt Fuji in the background.

Saiko Nenba-Hama - This is quite out of the way, it's around 45 minutes one way on the green line bus, but I just squeezed it in late afternoon which was fine as I was staying by the lake. It's a preserved historic village, set by a stream and again an incredible view of Mt Fuji in the background, but it's super interesting to see and learn a bit about the history of how Japanese people used to live in the countryside all those years ago.

Saiko Lake - I drove past this on the way to Saiko Nenba-Hama and it's smaller but arguably more beautiful. You also see a lot of campers and car campers down by random inlets and on the shoreline which looks super relaxing.

Hoastay Coffee - I went here both mornings because the coffee and food was so good. It's also a 8 minute walk from the town center so was a little bit quieter than all the other cafes.

Hoto Tempura Wanaka - I waited here for 20 minutes to be seated, which I never do however it was late and I needed to eat, it was honestly one of the best meals I had in Japan, which explains the wait. They specialize in Hoto soup which is miso based and full of noodles and veggies, along with delicious prawn tempura.

Mt Fuji - Again, staying at the lake for a night or two just allows you to take it slow, not rushing on a day trip, so you can wonder round the streets and the lake taking in all different angles of Mt Fuji, which yes is a spectacular sight.

Kyoto

For more than 1,000 years, Kyoto was the capital of Japan until 1868, meaning it still holds a very special place in the Japanese people hearts, and as a result it's the most traditional big city in the whole of Japan. It has a completely different vibe to Tokyo and Osaka, and if I was to revisit any of the big 3, I would choose Kyoto. It has so much to see, so many old traditional buildings, historic sites and a sense of pride is restored in the locals there. I stay at Ryokan Hostel, which was a great location, very comfortable dorms and super clean bathrooms. I also stayed at Hotel GOCO where you could not ask for a better location, a stones throw away from the town center, super comfortable rooms, friendly staff and a good price.

I spent 2 action packed days in Kyoto, and here is what I did;

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest - Is one for instagram, as it looks spectacular as you walk through the forest with giant bamboo trees towering over you, they must be about 50 feet tall.

Fushimi Inari Shrine - This is called 10,000 gates, as you walk up a mountain through all of these red and black gates, it's a decent workout as takes about 45 minutes to get up there, but you see some interesting smaller shrines along the way.

Kinkakuji Template - This temple is gold, which is rather unique, and it sits on a small pond so you get a really cool reflection off the water too.

Nishiki Market - This is a food market right in the heart of town, it offers a whole host of different cuisines, mainly of course fish but you could spend a good few hours in here.

Yasaka Pagoda - This is right in the middle of a popular area in Kyoto called Ninenzaka, it towers over all of the small buildings and it a great sight.

Ninenzaka - Is a very popular area to visit, do so in the morning, but it's a bunch of small streets, old buildings and boutique shops, along with a couple pagodas to see.

Philosopher's Path - Is a great walk along a canal, under a bunch of trees, small buildings either side and makes for a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle.

Restaurant Row Alley - Is one of the main streets for restaurants and bars, it's very narrow and probably has around 100 restaurants to choose from, the place to go for dinner.

Gion Area - Is a very popular block of around 4 streets, that is like a mini town within the city, has loads of old buildings, restaurants and a stream that runs through some of it.

Imperial Palace - A great place to get some steps in as it's absolutely massive, but interesting to see the grounds, buildings and understand a bit more about the history.

There are honestly around 20 other temples that you can go and visit, I personally are done after around 3, but there are more unique ones scattered across the city. I spent the rest of my time walking along the Kamo River, which is next to the Gion area, where all the restaurant street is and all of the shopping.

Osaka

Osaka is only a 20 minute train ride from Kyoto, but it's another hugely popular city to visit, it's most known for being the foodie capital of Japan. I personally didn't vibe with Osaka too much, maybe it's because I came from Kyoto which I loved. I can see why it is popular though as the Dotonbori area is very cool to check out, and the food choices, variety and quality were some of the best I had in Japan.

I was there for 2 days and here's what I did;

I stayed at Agora Place which you just couldn't ask for a better location, it was a stones throw away from Dotonbori yet still quiet.

Dotonbori - This is the main tourist hotspot in Osaka, it has the main shopping streets, lots of restaurants, bars and of course has the river running through it which is great to walk along, people watch, watch the boats go down and soak up all the lights at night.

Shinshabashi - Is the main shopping street I referred to, it's gigantic, always a sea of people, you can browse and buy all of sorts of weight and interesting gadgets.

Shiteno-Ji Temple - Orginally built in the 6th century, it is one of the oldest templates in Japan, and is the most important for Buddhism, an interesting place to spend an hour.

Shinsekai - This is an old retro neighborhood and it's super interesting to walk around as it's a million miles away from the new modern neighborhoods you see in Osaka.

Osaka Castle - The grounds of this place on a sunny day are stunning, there is a moat that goes around it so it reflects off the water, up a massive stone wall, an impressive site.

Kuromon Ichiba Market - I got both lunches and a dinner in this place as it had so much variety, was cheap, fresh and delicious. The dishes I tried were;

Takoyaki which is a snack, balls made up of flour, eggs, soup stock and filled with different fillings such as octopus, squid and more.

Okonomiyaki is a batter made of flour, water and vegetables mixed into it, and then you can choose pork of seafood to go into it, and it's essentially like a big pancake.

Taiko-Manju is a baked sweet, made of flour, eggs and it's filled with the flavour paste in the middle where you can choose from fruits, chocolate and more.

Yakiniku is essentially your own mini BBQ, where you cook whichever meat you ordered, you can get all types of side and it's similar to a raclette or fondue where you cook yourself.

I also had some of the best Tempura and Sushi in the food market, just so fresh, well cooked, delicious and there is also something cool about having it in the hall with the atmosphere.

Shimanami Kiado

This is a unique bike route in Japan, between Osaka and Hiroshima. It is a number of very small fishing villages, that until recently were only connected via boat. They built 7 bridges connecting all of the islands, and in turn a great cycling route was formed where you simply follow the blue line all of the way, you can't get lost, and it's just a great experience seeing some rural Japan whilst also getting a good workout out, as it's 80km!

I stayed in Onomichi which is the start of the route, it's a 15 minute train from one of the main stations where you get the bullet train from so it's easy to get to.

You get a small boat across to the actual start point, where you follow the line, take in numerous stops and in general you have 8 hours to complete it to ensure you get the last bus home, but obiously I did it in lighting quick time.

It is quite a challenge as every bridge, you of course have to climb up to right, so they built in these circle roads where you gradually climb up to each bridge.

There are a couple cafes you can stop at along the way, to fuel up, and there are of course multiple seven elevens to top up on water and snacks.

You get a bus back which takes about 1.5 hours back into Onomichi.

Hiroshima

I am into my history, so I wanted to head down here for a couple days, it's a 2hr bullet train from Osaka, then you have to of course head back up so a little out the way but it's worth it. I also discovered one of the best views I had on my entire Japan trip kind of by accident, that's what I love about exploring, you never know what you'll uncover. I stayed at The Knot, which was a great hotel, mid-range, great rooftop bar and seating area, and location.

Miyajima Island - We'll start there, so this is a full day trip, it takes around 40 minutes to get to from the center, and then you have to get a 10 minute ferry across to the island, it's all very efficient just like the whole of Japan.

The main thing to see here is the Itsukushima Shrine, which is a shrine set in the water, meaning at low tide you can walk out to it to get up close, and at a high tide it looks as if it is floating on the water, so it's really up to you what you want to see, I went for high tide.

Mount Misen - I got the cable car up, which takes around 15 minutes. I then decided to miss the last cable car down meaning I had a 2 hour hike ahead of me, but what this meant was a mountain top all pretty much to myself which was incredible, a peaceful moment I won't forget. On the way down I also got joined by a deer who followed me for a bit on the walk, probably wanted some food but it was cool nonetheless.

Daisho-In Temple - You see this walking down, and it's built into the mountain, alongside a river and a fair way up so it's a very impressive sight.

Atomic Bomb Dome - This is a remarkable building, it somehow remained standing on the day of the bomb, and to this day still causes a difference of opinion as some locals want to forget about that awful day and others know it's an important tourist symbol.

Peace Memorial Museum - This is a difficult place to visit, but important and very interesting. A museum which takes you back before the bomb, the day of the bomb, the impact and the aftermath all told through survivors stories.

Hiroshima Castle - This wasn't quite as impressive as the others I'd seen in Japan, but it's one of the few that you can actually enter and walk up to the top in.

Takayama

Now we get into the countryside, I arguably saved my favourite place till last. From Hiroshima it was a 3.5 hour bullet train to Matsumoto, then a 2 hour train into the countryside, which was spectacular. I stayed at Wat Hotel & Spa, which was a really nice hotel, very nice rooms, upstairs spa where you have your own private onsen and the location was great.

Exploring Takayama - This is a small town right in the countryside, with small streets, buildings that were built in the mid 1600's and a stunning backdrop of mountains. It has amazing restaurants to choose from, some boutique shops and in general is just very peaceful.

Shirakawa-Go - Is a day trip from Takayama, it is a world-heritage listed site and you can see why. It's like something out of a movie, the spectacular huts in these green fields, with streams running through them, temples scattered around and again the backdrop of the mountains.

The hut design is gass-ho which is shaped in the way of praying hands, has extremely large thatched roofs which keep the warmth in them in the winter, and also to withstand the heavy snow from accumulating on the roof.

I only spent 2 full days here, which is all you need but I could have stayed for one or two more to soak up the countryside a bit more. The train journey alone was very impressive in and out of Takayama, I went back to Tokyo for one more night as I was flying out from there.