In December 2013 we embarked on our first trip to Mainland Japan; we explored Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka in 6 days. I know it’s been a WHILE since that trip (lol!) but I’ve decided to share more of our travel itineraries with you! We visited shrines and temples, learned all about Hayao Miyazaki’s animation magic, traveled at 320 km/h on the shinkansen (bullet train), walked along 10,000 red torii gates, searched for geisha’s in Gion and left a love lock on top of Osaka.
Day 1: Tokyo
We arrived at Haneda Airport in the morning and took the long way/the cheap way to arrive at The New Sanno, a military hotel in the city. We left our bags and went off to explore Shibuya, infamously known for having the busiest crosswalk in the world.
Day 2: Tokyo + Mitaka
Our first stop on our second day was Sensōji Temple, the oldest and most popular Buddhist temple in Tokyo. We souvenir shopped around Nakamise Street, tried agemanju with bean paste, took a billion photos around the temple before heading towards the Sky Tree, which is only one train stop away. Tickets were a little pricy and it was crazy busy so we decided against it, but ate some Cold Stone ice cream at the mall to make up for it. Afterward, we headed to the Imperial Palace East Gardens… but sadly it’s closed on Mondays and we hadn’t realized it until we reached the gate. Feeling defeated we walked back and took the train to Mitaka Station where we took the cat bus to the Studio Ghibli Museum!!
Day 3: Tokyo + Kyoto
Before heading off to Kyoto we walked around the Imperial Palace East Gardens on a very rainy morning. We got to see all the autumn colors (it was my first time seeing them!) but we were a bit bummed that we couldn’t actually SEE the Imperial Palace. No idea it was only open to the public during New Years’ and the Emperor’s birthday in February, but you can visit the grounds on a tour! Afterward, we took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto. We stayed at the MyStays Hotel Kyoto Shijo and the location was really good! We mostly hung around Shijo Dori, the main shopping area in Kyoto, which coincidentally was where our hotel was located.
Day 4: Kyoto
On our second day in Kyoto, we headed to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which was #1 in my Japan bucket list and still is hands down my favorite place in all of Japan. We later saw the tallest pagoda at Toji Temple, photographed more autumn leaves and tried a tea with gold leaves (it wasn’t good, lol!). Later in the afternoon we searched for geishas/maikos in Gion until the sun went down.
Day 5: Kyoto – Osaka
On our second day in Kyoto, we headed straight to Kinkaku-ji or the Golden Pavillion, one of the most famous temples in Japan. It was super busy, but the pavilion is so breathtaking it’s worth a visit at any time. It was a short stint in Kyoto, but know hat it was not the last time we visited this magical city!! Afterward, we headed to Kyoto Station and took the train to Osaka. We left our suitcases at the train station and visited Osaka Castle.
Day 6: Osaka
On our second day in Osaka, we headed to Dotonbori Street first thing in the morning, grabbed some Starbucks coffee, did some shopping and took a boat tour around the canals. Afterward, we took the train to the Umeda Sky Building to visit their 360-degree observatory and get see a nice view of downtown Osaka. We had a lock customized with our wedding anniversary and we left it in their Lumi Deck. Since we visited a few weeks before Christmas we were surprised to find an authentic German Christmas Market outside the Umeda Sky Building! We did some souvenir Christmas shopping, ate, drank some German beer and shared a cup of warm glühwein. It was the perfect way to end our first trip to mainland Japan.
Like I said above this was just the first of MANY trips to mainland Japan, six to be exact. Click to go through all of my Japan posts. You can also see them organized by trip: Mainland Japan Trip (this one), Japan Girls Trip, Japan Winter Trip With Friends, Spring in Japan, Mainland With Friends and Last Japan Trip. I’m hoping to write down more of our itineraries and when I do I’ll link them here as well. I hope all of these posts get your excited to visit Japan!!