I always wondered why tourists who went to Japan before, keep going back time and again, but after visiting the country myself , I now fully understand. In this article, I’lol be reminiscing my days in Japan, maybe this can give you travel ideas, or if you haven’t, make you want to go to Japan in some way.
I went to Japan during the mid-term break and to say I was excited was a complete understatement. I was ecstatic. The plane ride to Japan was smooth, I didn’t get airsick, it was off to a great start. Unfortunately, in regard to the difference of our time zones (Japan being 2 hours earlier) when we landed there it was already 4pm. We also had to take a bus from Narita to Tokyo, taking up even more time. However, when we landed in the heart of Tokyo, all the exhaustion we felt from the plane ride evaporated out of us all. Shinjuku was everything all at once: there were people in suits busily discussing what people in suits discuss, high-school students goofing around in every store, elderly people going home after a long day of work, somehow even the idea of people living their lives here totally amazed me. I remember seeing sky scrapers with huge TV screens everywhere, while the cool Japanese air whipped across my face. I was romanticizing Japan after a few hours of being there, and I loved it. We checked into our hotel, and walked around Shinjuku street for the rest of the night. Our first meal there was amazing : grilled seafood and ramen. I would recommend learning some basic Japanese before you go there though, as not all Japanese people can speak English.
Our first full day in Japan. Our hopes were up. Our bellies were full (breakfast at hotel). We were ready for DisneyLand. As I came with my little cousins, this day was reserved for them. We got to DisneyLand at around 10am, but the place was already packed with people, especially since the schools were on break. To be honest, after seeing the amount of people, I really didn’t have high expectations for the day, but it turned out that we didn’t wait an insane amount of time for rides (maybe because we were choosing the most boring ones) and the rides were pretty good. The best part though, was the lunch. My grandfather took us to the “Hungry Bear” restaurant, he claimed that the curry here was amazing. It really was. The rice was the perfect amount of sticky, the curry was just the right amount of sweet and salty. My tastebuds were blissed, it really was the ideal meal after a long day of waiting in lines. At about 4pm, we left DisneyLand and headed back to Shinjuku by train. We ended our second day with a hot, hearty bowl of ramen and a walk along the busy shopping streets.
Our third day was a rainy type of day, it was calm and slow, a contrast to yesterday’s hectic atmosphere. We took a bus up the hills, and arrived at our first destination: The Great Buddha of Kamakura. The Buddha was located in a lush, green forest and there were pathways for us to walk while admiring the serene atmosphere. After buying some souvenirs and treating ourselves to some delicious ice cream (yes, in rainy weather), we went further up the hill and arrived at a restaurant. There, we had the best, most fresh sushi and fried vegetables and little side dishes that were adorable yet tasty. Everyone was stuffed by the time we went back to the bus, and we took a little nap before reaching our next destination. As we were high up in the mountains now, the weather was a freezing 8 degrees, but it got even colder when we ascended to the top of the hill on a cable car. We had reached Owakudani. Known for its black eggs, the valley had a very distinct smell which was caused by the coal in the volcano. We quickly bought some snacks and gifts in their gift shop and headed back to our bus as we all weren’t quite fond of the smell. Again, it wouldn’t be a good day if we didn’t end it with more shopping. Our guide took us to Gotemba Premium Outlet, which was filled with stores I didn’t know where to start. Towards 7pm, we gathered in the bus and reached our hotel, where we ate dinner there too.
We reached the fourth day. A taking pictures kind of day. After having breakfast at the hotel, we took a little bus trip down to the Oshino Hakkai Village. This was the type of village you saw in cute Japanese films in the suburbs. I loved it. Coincidentally, there were a lot of Thai people in this area. In the village, we ate strawberries ( which were surprisingly cheap, about 200 baht), grape ice-cream (absolutely delicious, like when you’re eating grape flavored candy ) and some delicious chewy mochi. We then took some pictures while admiring the serenity of the village : the pretty flowers, the clear water pond with several majestic looking fishes and turtles. Following that, we took another short bus trip down to a strawberry farm, to an all-you-can-eat strawberry buffet. I must say, the staff here were adorable and even handed out free raisins for us to try. My family and I filled our strawberry cravings to the brim, and took some more photos as we had the view of Mount Fuji there. From there on, we got taken to a barbecued type of restaurant, but instead of regularly heating the pan, they got their heat source from Mount Fuji itself, I thought that was really cool. I don’t know if it was because the meat was well marinated, or because we were eating using the heat of Mount Fuji, but again, it was delicious. The grilled pork, paired with the sweet and sour sauce with a mouthful of soft white rich really hit the spot. As you can tell, we ate a lot today, so to exercise we went to take a long walk along the Kawagujiko beach as well as a hike up to the Red Pagoda of Chureito (we took a lot of photos). However, honestly speaking, after climbing 400 flights of stairs, the view up on the Pagoda wasn’t breathtaking (it was a view of Mount Fuji) , it was pretty but I expected more. After a day of tirelessly eating and walking, we ate again. We decided to go to a shabu shabu place, filled with many different vegetables, a variety of drinks and meat, the place reminded me of Thailand’s Momo Paradise. That was the end of our fourth day.
Alas, our last full day in Japan. I was miserable, I didn’t want to leave, but I knew I had to enjoy it while I could. To start off the day, our guide took us to the Chigiji fish market, which, when I say was filled with people, I mean there was no place to walk. My brother and I were frustrated after just five minutes of walking, and decided to wait for the rest of our family on a bench. To be frank, no one really got anything from the market except snacks that tasted average, at least we got to play with vending machines. Another thing worth mentioning is that there are a ton of vending machines in Japan, whether it’s for drinks, dessert or even toys. After that, we headed to Tokyo Tower, and this was by far the worst part of the entire trip. We had to pay quite a lot of money to go up, and wait a total of 2 hours just to get to the top of the tower, which was nothing but an average sized circle room with windows overlooking the city. Everyone was grumpy having to stand in line for so long, and by the time we descended the tower, it was already 2pm. So, we all grabbed a quick meal of ramen in the food court nearby to calm ourselves down and we were ready to shop again. We took the train to Omotosando and the family split up : a group to go shopping and another to go visit the Omoto Shrine. I felt as if I should experience this day to the fullest, so I went to the Shrine. It did not disappoint. The Shrine was surrounded by tall, green trees that seemed never-ending and the weather was cool as we walked along the pathway to see the actual Shrine, which was eye-catching, to say the least. You felt the history behind the place in the air you took in, and even in the trees above you. Finally, our dinner was the best meal from this trip. We went to Rokkasen, yet another restaurant consisting of grilled meat and many, many side dishes. The beef here was worth salivating over, especially when you had it medium-raw when it was sizzling hot, dipped with the special sauce they have for you. My stomach is grumbling as I write this. That concluded our last full day in Japan.