japan was probably one of my favorite trips i’ve been on because the people, the food, the atmosphere, and the things to do and places to go are just so amazing. i went with a group of 18 people and it was crazy and hectic but it was nice having people surrounding me so i didn’t feel lost. we rented an airbnb for the trip, and it was so convenient! we had two rooms with 9 people in each room and we were a 5 minute walk away from the otsuka station. we stayed for about 9 days and mainly roamed around tokyo, but took a day trip to nara and kyoto. public transportation in japan is so easy to use and super affordable. the first day there was such a struggle trying to figure out how to get home, but by day 9 we were pretty much locals (jk lol). make sure you go with a group of people who are down and make sure that you have enough money! anyway enjoy my favorite things to do in japan!
nara deer park
i highly recommend this to anyone going to japan! it is quite a long train ride from tokyo, but how often are you in japan! we went on a rainy day but the deer were still out and about and ready to eat! you stop by a stand that sells little biscuits to feed to the deer and they DO NOT stop eating! if you have it in your pocket, they smell them and start nudging at your pocket. sometimes they crowd around you and you have to run away! sometimes they’ll try to follow you. taking a stroll through this beautiful deer parks.
arashiyama bamboo forest
this gem is located in kyoto, which is also quite a way from tokyo. it is a huge forest with lots of walkways for tourists. the bamboo is super tall and basically cover the sky. the weather was nice and chilly and there wasn’t a lot of sunshine when we went. i highly recommend going! it’s one of the most popular bamboo forests in japan!
fushimi inari shrine
this is easily japan’s #1 attraction. it is located in kyoto and there’s even an emoji for these famous orange columns. there are over 32,000 of these orange gates located throughout this shrine. it’s a bit of a walk, but there are food stalls and shops where you can stop and grab a bite to eat or a cool souvenir. besides it’s unique colored columns, there are some amazing shrines located inside and definitely worth checking out.
tokyo disney sea
i don’t know if it’s because i’m biased and i work at disney (so obviously i was amazed) but TOKYO DISNEY SEA WAS THE MOST AMAZING BEAUTIFUL DISNEY PARK OUT THERE. the architecture and the unique way japan was able to bring culture with originality made this such a sight to see in japan. and you HAVE to try the green martian mochi! they have flavored filling (strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate). they make the cutest little pictures and they were delicious! also try the flavored popcorn. i tried the curry flavored popcorn and it was amazing. i wish disneyland had something cool and unique like that. also rode their version of “tower of terror” and although i couldn’t understand anything, it was still really cool to go on.
shibuya crossing
“shibuya shi shi shibuya roll call!” i’m sure you’ve seen pictures or heard of this famous crosswalk but i was truly amazed by just how many people are crossing this crazy 4 way crosswalk. there are cars waiting and people are crossing every which way. shibuya is known for being a huge shopping center, they have big stores like adidas and uniqlo and also have japan native stores. there is a starbucks on top of one of the buildings and you can people watch up there while drinking a delicious green tea latte.
(photo by earl buenaobra)
harajuku shopping center
speaking of shopping centers, harajuku is a must! remember gwen stefani’s harajuku girls? a lot of young teenagers come here and like to dress like harajuku girls and wear wigs, and it’s a very fun vibe walking through this street full of stores and food. we went to yoshinoya (sounds lame right) NO. yoshinoya in japan is on a whole different level. it’s so good, and they serve eel there and it’s so much better than the US. also the store WEGO is basically the most amazing store ever!! they have such cute clothes for such a cheap price, and all the locations are different. some stores have like a “thrift” section and it’s so freaking amazing! they have guys and girl clothes and i basically ONLY shopped there.
(photo by earl buenaobra)
shinjuku
shinjuku is a another shopping center that is huge and it is fun to go there at night or during the day. at night, the neon lights make it so bright and lively. also make sure you go to a kareoke bar! we went to joysound in tokyo, and we had a wild time. it was all you can drink for two hours and i just about died. they have great food too!
ueno park
we went in april/may so obviously cherry blossoms are a must see! we went to many different parks but this one one of my favorites! it’s just so pretty to see a bunch of trees while walking in a nice park. you’ll often see people sitting down eating on a large bamboo mat with their friends talking and looking at the cherry blossoms. this is called hanami and it’s very popular to see during these spring months.
roppongi nightlife
if you’re looking for something to do at night, roppongi is the place to go! i remember it being a fairly long train ride to get there with a lot of connecting lines, but when we got there it was well worth it. we decided to buy a tokyo pub crawl deal on tripadvisor and it was fun, however it was a bunch of tourists. i wish i got the chance to just explore the nightlife like a local, but it was still a cool experience. i will say, catch the last train or else you’re stuck with a very expensive taxi ride back to tokyo.
robot restaurant
this is another touristy thing to do, but it’s a really cool show to watch! it gives me disney paint the night vibes. make sure you buy tickets on tripadvisor beforehand. while we were waiting in line we saw joe jonas, so random LOL. they sell food and drinks inside but there’s tons of food vendors and stalls in the area so it’s best to eat/drink before!
real life mario kart
okay, so i didn’t actually go BUT half of our group went and they had the best time so i thought i’d include it in here. i’m sure you’ve seen the videos of people riding on the streets in little go karts dressed up as characters from mario kart, but i super regret not doing it. it’s about $50 and make sure you get an international drivers license before you go! it’s about $20 and you can get it at your local AAA.
oedo onsen montagari
this onsen was the most perfect place to relax! if you’ve never been to an onsen (hot spring)you should check it out. we were lucky enough to be there when there were cherry blossoms outside. we went at night when the rates were cheaper but this is one of the highest rated onsens in japan. i went with my brother and his two friends and there is a separate spa section for guys and girls so we decided to spend about 30 minutes to an hour and then meet up in the co ed area. there was food and dessert and shops in that area and everyone is walking around in a kimono so it was really nice. after that we went outside where there were more hot spring baths, and we even tried the fish pedicure even though i’m super ticklish, i thought why not! anyway definitely recommend trying this place out!
FOOOOOOOOOD!
last but not least, here are my thoughts on the food! i didn’t get to take many pictures of food (who am i) but here are my general recommendations. honestly, all the food in japan is good so i recommend just walking the streets and trying whatever is there instead of spending all your time researching the best ramen place in tokyo that requires hours of travel time. live like a local and try what’s around you! that’s why i can’t really name specific places i went to. but i do remember having the best ramen of my life at ippudo ikspiari in downtown disney. also make sure to stop by 7-11 to grab an onigiri or 5 LOL that’s one of the things i miss the most! also curry anything, DUH! they have a couple sushi places that have like $1 per plate that are like revolving sushi styled places. sushi nova is a popular one. also i mentioned it before but yoshinoya is bomb in japan so highly recommend getting an eel bowl! honestly the food was so good i couldn’t even have sushi for like a month after i came back because the quality just couldn’t compare.
well thanks for reading up on my favorite things to do in japan. shoutout to my lit ass group who was so down and the best travel buddies. japan 2017 was the best trip of my life. let me know if you liked any other things i didn’t mention!
OCTOURGUIDE 