A beginners guide to Japan
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| Nara Park |
Hey there groovers, and welcome to another blog post edition, This time we are experiencing the beauty and culture of Japan. Now if you are following my international adventures on the travelgram you would get a feel for how much I adore spending time in this country with all its temples and traditions. I start to think that I may have been a geisha girl in a past life, but lets be honest, i was probably most likely a sumo the way i love to consume the yummy Asian bread treats ....*drools*
In this blog I will give you a rough idea on where to start out when planning your great Japanese adventure. This is not an in-depth comprehensive guide by any means, but will give you some idea of whats around and good to check out in the cities of OSAKA and TOKYO, and what to expect when visiting including an easy way to figure out the currency conversions and a few points on customary rules to keep in mind.
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| Narita Temple |
Narita
When you fly into Tokyo there is a good chance that you will land into Tokyo's Narita airport. Now this is one of Tokyo's main international airports and is approximately an hour away by bus from the city itself, and a major transit hub. To be honest Narita is just a small urban kinda town with not a huge amount of attractions, However if you do find yourself here for the day even in transit to somewhere else in the world I would suggest a visit to the old town village and temple gardens. The old town street has some traditional Japanese charm and is quite a nice place to stroll through, they have some local food markets, noodle houses as well as a beautiful tea shop. You can catch the bus from your hotel into the Narita station and here you can start off down the small road that winds through the village eventually ending up at a huge gate, this will be the entrance to the Buddhist temple area.
Here there are some beautiful pagodas and garden walks, the monks pray here in the morning and if you are lucky to catch them at certain times of day they make their pilgrimage into the main hall for prayer.
The main pagoda temple is very impressive and can be seen from far away, It makes for some pretty awesome photo opportunities. The gardens also have a fish pond with koi and a small waterfall with many other shrines dotted throughout.
The main pagoda temple is very impressive and can be seen from far away, It makes for some pretty awesome photo opportunities. The gardens also have a fish pond with koi and a small waterfall with many other shrines dotted throughout.
Tokyo
If Tokyo is where you are headed then you are in for a treat, This epic city is awesome and so full of life, it is quite big with many amazing areas to explore but here are some places you can start out while you wander to find your own little alley way and new favourite noodle shop to enjoy some yummy Gyoza and then wash it down with a local Asahi beer which is one of my favourite pastimes.
SHIBUYA CROSSING would be the perfect place to start out. Shibuya is one of the worlds busiest pedestrian crosswalks with thousands of people crossing this famous area of road every minute, also known as 'Tokyo Time Square' Its the perfect place to people watch and snap some pretty awesome time lapses. Or you could just watch idiots like me getting those shots for the gram while trying not to get run over.
This area is just outside of the train station and you can buy a ticket for here on the subway which is easy enough to navigate. If you were wanting to have a great elevated vantage point of the crossing, my suggestion would be to head into the Starbucks (behind my left shoulder in the pic) and grab a seat and coffee in the upstairs window and just watch the world pass by.
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| Shibuya Crossing |
HARAJUKU
The very next stop down from Shibuya on the subway is the infamous Harajuku and so worth checking out. Japan has a hugely quirky and 'cutsie' culture and here you will find plenty of it, this place is notorious for groups of teenagers (and adults, no judgement here) to gather and dress up like sailor moon or other cartoon like characters with crazy hair and make up, some in Gothic get ups some in animal suits, because around this district anything goes, and the weirder you look the better.
The main street which can get packed with people is called Takeshita street and here you will find all sorts of animal themed cafes, second hand retro stores, costume places, and some amazing street food including a shop you can get a rainbow candy floss that is bigger than your head.
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| Harajuku, Takeshita Street |
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| Kawaii Monster Cafe, Harajuku |
If you want to check out something really cool the head one street back to the YM square, and look for the Kawaii Monster Cafe on the top floor. This popular cafe has a desert and candy-land theme with things on the menu like rainbow noodles and creative ice cream sundaes, during the visit the staff put on this intense 10 minute show with loud punk music and dance around a huge candy carousel, to be honest I had no idea what was going on, all i knew is that it was random, exciting, and I was into it.
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| Harajuku mall entrance |
Down from the Cafe is the Harajuku mall and this place has a really impressive mirrored ceiling entrance with is quite cool to check out and get some creative snaps of as It looks like you are in a kaleidoscope while riding up the escalator.
To be honest the mall itself isn't that overwhelming in a shopping sense, we actually just called in here to use the restrooms, but that was an adventure in itself as these were a few floors up and there were hefty queues,it was as if the toilets were some magical Disney ride, so my advice would be try and use the facilities in the cafes you visit as public ones in populated areas of japan can be a while to wait.
TOKYO TOWER From this distinctive Eiffel tower looking landmark you will be able to get some awesome panoramic city views, take a quick trip up the tower which is fairly easy to find on the train and will cost around 900 yen ($8 adult) and is open between 9am-11pm.
from here you can wander the streets and find whatever little dive bar or eatery to spend the evening checking out all your awesome pictures and checking how many steps you did on your fancy devices to feel better about all the steam buns you are about to consume.
Osaka
DOTONBORI
Now we are adventuring toward the west of Tokyo now, to the awesome city of OSAKA
if you are heading there and trying to decide on an area to stay, I would suggest as close to the Dotonbori area as possible, this is a bustling hub full of bright lights and amazing arcades full of food places and overly loud Pachinko slot casinos.
Head down to the centre of Dotonbori at night which is when it really comes alive, you can see the famous giant animal figurines on the sides of the restaurants, huge electronic billboards and late night shops. If you are looking for dinner maybe try and find a place that looks out over the river for a cool view, and definitely try the local cuisine which is the Okonomiyaki, basically an egg based pancake with a range of fillings including noodles, and toppings like fish flakes and kewpie mayo (yaammmm)
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| Okonomiyaki |
After you have finished eating, try a late night ride on the colourful Don Quijote Ferris wheel which will give you great views of the area from above.
NARA PARK
About a 45 minute train ride from Dotonbori area is the beautiful Nara Temple deer park, I love this place and have been a few times. You can easily find the park area a few minutes walk from the train station conveniently called 'Nara' and very easy to find this line on the subway with a colour coded direction tile.
The entire park area is full of over 1200 free roaming Sika deer who are sacred to the temple area and classified as national treasure, Back in 1637 It actually used to be a crime punishable by death if you were to kill one of the deer, I wouldn't "deer" try to harm them now anyway...although they may try and harm you, so be careful as these cute little guys could give you a small harmless nip or light head bump if they are excited for food or it looks like you may have some wafers to feed them. We saw it a few times and heard some girls scream. I mean i shouldn't laugh but it can be rather entertaining to witness. The wafers for them can be brought at many vendors inside the park area for about a dollar, they also do a cute bow before receiving their treat which is fun to watch.
This is one of Japans oldest parks, the Todai-ji is the largest wooden building in the world and houses an impressive 15 meter tall statue of Buddha.
A small noodle house in the park area is where I had the best Ramen noodle bowl of my life!!!
Nara is a very easy day trip and so worth seeing. Its free to enter the park however you may need to pay a few dollars here and there to enter some of the temples and shrines.
Kyoto
The amazing and traditional Kyoto which used to once be the capital of Japan is just so full of incredible sights and is approximately an hour away by train from central Osaka depending on if you take the high speed bullet train or not.
In this historical prefecture you have a plethora of popular temples and landmarks to see, My suggestion would be to get an early start on your day here if its just be a day trip as there is a lot to see, You can buy a hop on hop off buss pass for the local bus network, and they will give you a map with all the landmarks and corresponding pictures on it which makes things a lot easier, The bus counter can be found on your right as you exit the train terminal
In this historical prefecture you have a plethora of popular temples and landmarks to see, My suggestion would be to get an early start on your day here if its just be a day trip as there is a lot to see, You can buy a hop on hop off buss pass for the local bus network, and they will give you a map with all the landmarks and corresponding pictures on it which makes things a lot easier, The bus counter can be found on your right as you exit the train terminal
It does take a long time to get around town on the various busses so allow a bit of extra time for this and maybe even narrow it down to what you would really like to see ion the circuit and the best route there. The following places have been a few that I really enjoyed seeing while visiting Kyoto.
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| Temple Outside the bamboo forest area |
The golden temple or the Kinkaku-ji "Temple of the golden pavilion" is a zen Buddhist temple on the water and very pretty to see. there are some garden walks around and is one of the most popular temples in Kyoto.
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| Golden temple |
Arashiyama bamboo forest Is exactly what it is, a beautiful tall bamboo forest you can walk through and is a photographers haven, The way the sunbeams shine through the top of the bamboo is stunning, so maybe try and get there as early as you can as these paths fill up quickly around mid day. The surrounding area and temples make this a beautiful scenic area to wander and explore. the small village town is very quaint and has some cute little shops including one where the owner sells these gorgeous painted trinkets and characters made out of silk larvae, we brought one for our Christmas tree and it was put in a special little box with a hand drawn message from the owner.
Kiyomizudera Temple also known as the "pure water temple" is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan and is a UNESCO world heritage site, Its a simply stunning temple with elevate views over the eastern part of Kyoto. The adjoining village has some traditional shops and small eateries, you can even try a gold leaf ice cream if you are feeling fancy, and here you will also see a lot of locals dressed in traditional robes. there is also some striking red pagodas and garden paths to enjoy especially if you are lucky enough to be there during the springtime and cherry blossom season .
Some things to keep in mind for your visit to Japan...
CUSTOMS- It may seem a bit odd but please be prepared to remove your footwear in some restaurants and spas if requested, this is quite customary and some establishments may even have some slippers or "Uwabaki" to change into while you are there, its a show of respect and a way to keep their floor areas clean and traditionally the Japanese ate dinner on the floor so its a generational tradition to still honour this.
ADHERE TO THE RULES The Japanese people enjoy and will follow a sense of order especially in crowded areas like the subway, you might get some looks if you were to be standing on the specific walking side of the escalator, or to not give your seat up to an elderly person when the sign above says you should do so, I know this is a no brainer but out of respect we will always try to conform to the general rules for the masses and follow everyone else when moving through busy areas, or keeping noise levels to a minimum on the train because this may be considered rude. so just something to think about.
CHERRY BLOSSOM This popular time of year when the cherry blossom trees are in full beautiful pink bloom happens around the beginning of April each year and this makes Japan a very busy and appealing place to be. You may want to plan your trip to coincide with this celebrated festival however keep in mind that the prices for hotels and attractions may increase slightly or be booked out in advance. but this is indeed a very special occurrence to witness in person and makes for some incredibly colourful holiday pictures.
CURRENCY The local currency is the Japanese YEN and the denominations will be in the hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands....but you will feel so rich haha.
An easy way to think about this in regards to what you are spending is that $100 yen is roughly 1 dollar NZD or .80c USD. So if the bus is $300 yen then its around 3 dollars in your local currency.
And the easiest way of all is just to cover up the last 2 digits of the bill and there you have it, the rough number that you are actually spending.
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| Views from the Kiyomizudera Temple |
Some things to keep in mind for your visit to Japan...
CUSTOMS- It may seem a bit odd but please be prepared to remove your footwear in some restaurants and spas if requested, this is quite customary and some establishments may even have some slippers or "Uwabaki" to change into while you are there, its a show of respect and a way to keep their floor areas clean and traditionally the Japanese ate dinner on the floor so its a generational tradition to still honour this.ADHERE TO THE RULES The Japanese people enjoy and will follow a sense of order especially in crowded areas like the subway, you might get some looks if you were to be standing on the specific walking side of the escalator, or to not give your seat up to an elderly person when the sign above says you should do so, I know this is a no brainer but out of respect we will always try to conform to the general rules for the masses and follow everyone else when moving through busy areas, or keeping noise levels to a minimum on the train because this may be considered rude. so just something to think about.
CHERRY BLOSSOM This popular time of year when the cherry blossom trees are in full beautiful pink bloom happens around the beginning of April each year and this makes Japan a very busy and appealing place to be. You may want to plan your trip to coincide with this celebrated festival however keep in mind that the prices for hotels and attractions may increase slightly or be booked out in advance. but this is indeed a very special occurrence to witness in person and makes for some incredibly colourful holiday pictures.
CURRENCY The local currency is the Japanese YEN and the denominations will be in the hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands....but you will feel so rich haha.
An easy way to think about this in regards to what you are spending is that $100 yen is roughly 1 dollar NZD or .80c USD. So if the bus is $300 yen then its around 3 dollars in your local currency.
And the easiest way of all is just to cover up the last 2 digits of the bill and there you have it, the rough number that you are actually spending.
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| YEN currency |
So there you have it folks, A rough beginners guide to start you out on your Japanese adventure including Narita, Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
Like I said i'm no Hemingway, nor do i write for National Geographic or a fancy travel magazine (clearly) So this is not a in depth comprehensive guide to all the hidden avenues of the country, but more just something to consider when basing yourselves in these awesome cities for the first time.
Travel is about creating your own map and finding new places to see and explore, However I do hope this was mildly helpful and slightly insightful.
I always enjoy my stopovers in this interesting and intriguing country and I am constantly posting pics and information about Japan when I visit, so feel free to follow along my world adventures on Instagram here www.instagram.com/nats_travelgram
I hope it becomes one of your new favourite places too.
Have a great day team, and thank you for reading
Arigatogozaimashita
Natalie :)
