#japan tips

[city-cost]

A couple from Akihabara on Tuesday where we were doing some research for the latest video on our YouTube channel.

[japan-wonders]

Japanese people are known for being very respectful. However, you should also be respectful when traveling there! Here are some manners and rules you should follow when you find yourself on the streets of Japan. Find out here!

[traveling-couch-potato]

Japan Day 3

More than a little exhausted this morning but we had a long day ahead. We started with a long trek from our hostel to the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The buildings are mostly closed but you can tour the East Imperial Gardens which has good English signage. We were hoping to enter through the Otemon Gate but due to the high traffic on a Saturday during the peak of cherry blossom season, we were all funneled in through an entrance near the Kokyogaien National Garden. Once we were in there were plenty of guides and maps including English translations to help you around the grounds.

Map of the East Imperial Gardens

Tons of fun exploring the old palace grounds which are extra gorgeous right now due to the cherry blossoms.

From there we explored and ended up leaving through the Hirakwamon Gate and heading to Chidorigafuchi Park. We walked through the park then back up to the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery Area. This area is also lined with cherry blossoms and is even more packed. As you continue down the path you will see a very distinct boat house with a long line where you can rent boats for $8/half hour. The river is fairly packed but it’s so gorgeous floating through the river underneath all the cherry blossoms.

The walking areas under the trees are extremely crowded but the floating petals make it all so dream-like.

Difficult to paddle but if you’re lucky enough to be a passenger you get to relax and enjoy a gorgeous ride.

After finishing with the boat we had given up finding the festival food but as we headed toward the station with a plan to pick up convenience store food we hit the Yatai Stalls with endless offerings of classic Japanese street foods. And being us, we got a little bit of everything.

Endless stalls of food and even some small trinket and game booths.

After getting out fill we got onto the metro and headed into Akihabara. Our first stop was a made cafe but they couldn’t host 3 people groups well so one of the kind maids walked us across the way to another cafe Zettai Ryoiki. This place had a more gothic French style. The experience definitely isn’t cheap but we wanted to do it at least once. You pay a ~$5 admission fee an each person is required to get a drink per hour. We also got a dessert set which included 1 parfait, 1 drink, and 1 polaroid. For 3 people our 3 drinks, 1 parfait, and 1 polaroid turned out to be about $17/person. While I wouldn’t need to experience this again, I did have a lot of fun trying it out once.

Because it was our first time, the maids gave us little kitty headbands to celebrate.

Parfait is pricy but quite tasty. I just wish they would have drawn a dumb face.

Once we finished the cafe we wandered the streets of Akihabara for hours shopping through endless stores filled with figurines, plushies, and other hobby goods. And of course we had to make a pitstop for more food at PABLO for some gooey gooey cheese tarts.

This place is weeaboo heaven. Somewhere between Times Square and every anime convention dealer’s hall ever.

Line was PABLO was long but continuously moved. Soooo worth it for these guys.

This was all followed by more shopping then a walk towards our final stop of the night: dinner at Gyukatsu Ichi NI San for some of the most amazing Gyu-Katsu I’ve ever had. The wait is killer since it’s a small place that only seats ~13 people so we did have an hour wait but getting to sear our own Katsu on a hot stone plate was so fun and the meat was so tender and flavorful. Definitely a delicious place.

So good. Everything from the peppery potato salad to the accompanying wasabi sauce.

By the time we finished our meal, our feet were in more than enough pain so we finally headed back to our hostel (but not before picking up a quick breakfast of an Egg Salad Sandwich from our local 7-11. I’m so ready for bed now. Night world!

[traveling-couch-potato]

Japan Day 25

One of my main goals when I decided to visit Japan in the spring was to see the wisterias in Kitakyushu. I decided to give myself a break and go with a pre-set tour group instead of dealing with the trip details myself. I booked through Japanican.com who offered an English guided tour. I met the group at the Tenjin Expressway Bus Station early in the morning and hopped onto the small tour bus so we could get on our way.

Tiny charter bus with half of the guests being Chinese speakers and the other half being English speakers (mostly from Asia). Not the friendliest bunch so guess it’ll be a lonelier day than I expected.

Our first stop of the day was the Munakata Roadside Station. This place has a few outdoor vendors selling food, a supermarket, some ice cream shops, and a cute bakery called Komekopankoubou Himenoho. 

I picked up some bread from the bakery and some ice cream for breakfast because why not just complement carbs with carbs?

I also loved the konnyaku stand in front of the supermarket that was just boiling just vats full of konjac.

Once we had breakfast, it was off to our next stop...to get more food. This time a buffet at Rihga Royal Hotel Kokura Corbeille. Bascially a buffet about 30 minutes away from the gardens at a nice random hotel.

After stuffing myself with all the food we finally headed to our main destination, Kawachi Fuji Gardens. It was quite a gloomy day and a fairly crowded one at that so the gardens weren’t as magical as I hoped but it gave me an opportunity to really put my photo skills to the test. I took some more proper shots on my Sony but I’m fairly happy with what my phone was able to yield too.

We spent about 90 minutes at the garden, slowly enjoying the scenery before finally making our way back to Hakata. I took a quick break back at the hotel before walking around the corner to Canal City. 

At first this place didn’t seem to daunting but after a while I began to realize how endless this place actually is. There were countless clothing stores, restaurants, and even a Harry Potter Wizarding World cafe! My favorite part was definitely the intricate water shows though! The first was already a poppy jazzy eye candy show and the second was this amazing interactive Godzilla game/watershow where you use your phone to try to collaboratively save Canal City from destruction . It was so cool to watch!

 I ended my night by stopping by Ramen Stadium in Canal City, essentially a food court with just a bunch of ramen. It was a crapshoot on which place to choose but I went with Umami near the front entrance and it was a solid choice.

I got the house special ramen which included a layer of amazing chashu, half a smoked egg, and strangely some citrus marmalade on the side...

I was more than ready to end my day here. Tomorrow is a long travel day so I had to get back to my hotel to get ready!

[theprimeng]

10 Things All Visitors to Japan Should Know

Many visitors to Japan arrive with images of ancient temples, bright city lights, and world-famous food. Those highlights certainly exist, but what often leaves the strongest impression is the country’s everyday order and courtesy. Streets appear spotless even though trash bins are rare. Trains arrive almost exactly on schedule. Restaurants deliver attentive service without asking for tips. These…

10 Things All Visitors to Japan Should Know

[suspiciously-human-sized-horse]

Telling someone the moon is very beautiful means you love them, btw

[suspiciously-human-sized-horse]

Just a tip:

If you’re easily overstimulated, DO NOT go into Japanese electronic stores like Bic Camera and also Don Quijote stores.