Japan
Tokyo:
This city is a vivacious city that seems very futuristic. The truth about this city is that it is very touristy This is because most people land in Tokyo and decide just to spend their vacation there. Don’t get me wrong; if you go to Japan you should visit Tokyo and spend a few days there. But I do feel that you shouldn’t just stay there for your entire vacation. I do believe this for all of the places that I visit since the whole country isn’t represented in just one city.
Attractions and foods:
Now for the regular content, Tokyo is a great city with lots to offer such as the Art Aquarium Museum. This was one of my favorite attractions that I went to since it was such a cool environment. Another great attraction that we went to that day was Team Labs. Team Labs was a great immersive sensory experience that I recommend everyone experience. This attraction was a more touristy attraction but it was still amazing to go to. Another attraction that we went to in Tokyo was the Tsukiji fish market. This market is one of the oldest fish markets in the world. It was great to get a bite to eat and enjoy the day. Even though I’m not so much of a fish lover, other people traveling with me were able to try some of their rare delicacies such as octopus and other fresh fish. Even though this was a fish market they still offered other interesting foods such as egg on a stick, caramelized strawberries, fresh fruits, ice cream, and my favorite wagyu beef. The best part of the fish market is that it’s very big and in some ways hidden. Now obviously if you're walking down the street you can see that it is a fish market but if you go into the market there are a ton of small alleyways that you can walk through and find restaurants. These restaurants tend to be the better ones(this is where I got the Wagyu beef). And because of this, I would recommend that you go through the side streets because even though this sounds weird there are some gems.
Location:
The location that I stayed in while in Tokyo was Shinjuku which was a lovely neighborhood and it was nice since we got to see how people typically live. If I ever go back I would prefer to stay in Sensoji since it was a more lively neighborhood and had more to offer. It would be much easier to commute to attractions or be close enough in walking distance. Because of that, I suggest that you choose to pick a hotel in Sensoji or find a lively and easy commuting neighborhood to where you're planning on visiting.
Hotels:
Location and hotels go hand and hand so as I said my recommended place to get a hotel is in the neighborhood of Shinjuku these are some good hotels in different price ranges:
The Hundred Stay is a hotel in the price middle range being $231 CAD a night.
The Knot is a hotel in the lower price range but it is still not cheap coming out to $98 CAD a night.
Now if you looking for a nice pod hotel in the Shinjuku area The Global Hotel is perfect for you and costs $23 CAD a night
Now on the more expensive end of the scale is an Airbnb that costs around $241 CAD a night accommodates 8 guests and includes 4 beds, 2 bedrooms, and 1 bath it is called Room in Hotel in Shinjuku City, Japan
Kyoto:
Kyoto I would say is one of the best cities to go to in Japan since I believe Kyoto is the calmer version of Tokyo. It was the original capital city of Japan before the Emporer moved it to Tokyo. Kyoto was probably my favorite City because of the atmosphere it has and the neighborhoods it has.
Foods:
A great restaurant that we went to in Kyoto was Kura Sushi which was a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. It was a long line to wait but was fun to go with a group of people. Another suggestion for food would be to find a ramen place near your hotel since Kyoto has a lot of great ramen places such as Monsen - Kiyamachi which is an authentic ramen place in Kyoto. Now other great restaurants in Kyoto offer other types of cuisine and options that will help kids and other “picky” people which is nice.
Attractions:
Kyoto has a few great attractions that stood out to me when deciding what I was going to do. I chose to go to the Golden Shrine which was lovely and even though it was very rainy it was still a great day to visit it. And before that, I went on a great walk. And I know that walks sometimes suck and aren’t fun but this one was nice so I do recommend that you go on a walk in your neighborhood because of the beautiful streets and parks. Now if you want to go to more touristy attractions I would recommend Arashiyama Monkey Park. This park was fun since you got to feed the monkeys and hang out with them ( we humans were in a cage and monkeys came to eat through bars from the outside). Sadly the only downside of this Monkey Park was the steep hike to get there. I mean it was fine but not very appealing we’ll say. But the hike was worth the Monkeys at the top.
Location:
The location that stood out to me the most when deciding where to stay was Arashiyama since it felt similar to a small community setting outside the bigger city. I believe that this was one of the best decisions I made while traveling because this location gave me to some degree a more local experience as opposed to your more touristy neighborhoods. And of course, there are other great locations to get accommodation in but if you’re looking for some great food, attractions, views, and experience I would recommend Arashiyama to be the place you decide to get your accommodations in and to explore.
Hotels:
As I said the best place to stay in Kyoto is Arashiyama, these are some examples of places that I recommend that you stay in Arashiyama:
The Arashiyama Benkei is a good hotel option based on that it is near the center of Arashiyama and that the price is around $70 CAD a night which accommodates 2 guests.
The Riverside Arashiyama is a nice hotel that accommodates 4 guests and includes 4 beds, a shower and bath, a kitchenette, free Wifi, and air conditioning and heating. This cost around $156 CAD a night.
The Muji Arashi offers 2 semi-double beds & 2 futons & 3 futons & 2 semi-double beds, 1 bath, and 4 bedrooms. This will cost you around $440 CAD a night.
Why Japan?:
Japan is an all-around amazing place to visit for truly all ages as long as they can endure the “LONG” flight to get there especially since I was coming from Canada. But even the flight was worth the experience that you get while you’re there. Now obviously Tokyo and Kyoto are not all of Japan but they are in my opinion some great places that are in Japan. But don’t be worried readers, there will be more content on Japan coming soon! In conclusion, I believe if you have the chance to take it you won’t regret it one bit.
Safety:
Now all around most people in Japan are respectful and kind. But sadly like I said it’s not everyone so especially if you are a woman traveling alone or even in groups be aware of your surroundings and sadly be prepared to be stared at or catcalled a few times. Sadly this is the world we live in, but truly in any country you could run into this but in Japan it was more apparent to me. So stay safe!
Environment:
In regards to the environment since we only have one, make sure when you're traveling to be conscious about the environment since we still need it to last us many more decades so think green.