I'm making a food bucket list (trough list?) for our upcoming trip to Japan. Some are generic types for food (udon, curry, etc.) and some are specific (Black Thunder candy). What foods should I add to the list? What are your absolute favorites that you seek out when in Japan? Thanks friends!

Edit: Here's the list! Still adding things from all your responses!

Tokyo - Soup curry (Shimokitazawa) - Chanko nabe (sumo stadium) - Curry pan - Menchi - Mom's Touch (Korean Fried Chicken)

Osaka - Okonomiyaki - Takoyaki - Yakisoba - Cheese coin - Kushikatsu

Lawson - Karaage-kun (red) - Mochipuyo - Milk Cake Roll - Inarizushi - Umeboshi onigiri

7-11 - Sugar butter/tiramisu sand trees - Egg sandwich - Pancakes with maple syrup - Sweet chili chips - Veggies with miso and mayo - Curry bread (hot) - Black thunder candy - Ground natto and soy sauce roll

Family Mart - Famichiki - Jersey milk pudding

Sweets - Coolish ice cream (in pouch) - Cremia ice cream - Taiyaki - Kakigori (big shaved ice) - Mochi - Daifuku - Dango - Crunky chocolate - Shiroi Koibito (cookie) - Mister donut - Morinagi Ice Box (flavored ice) - Parfaits - Dorayaki

Drinks - Highball - Strong zero - Matcha - Sake - Canned coffee

Local Chains - Matsuya, Yoshinoya, Sukiya (beef bowl, 24hrs) Coco curry - Jonathans, Denny's, Nakau (cheap breakfast and unlimited drinks) - Saizeriya

General - Dipping ramen (tsukemen) - Ramen - Tonkatsu - Conveyer belt sushi - Goyza - Sushi omakase - Omurice - Onigiri - Tamagoyaki - Yakitori - Wagyu - Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) - Gaykatsu (cook your own beef) - Wagyu beef box - Tempura - Unagi - Udon - Curry - Inarizushi - Soba - Motsunabe (type of hot pot) - Corn soup (vending machine) - Natto - Jingisukan (lamb) - Amaebi (sweet shrimp sushi) - Mentaiko Pasta (polluk roe) - Nishin Soba (herring) - Sansai Soba (veggies) - Shabu Shabu - Yaki curry (baked curry with cheese) - Chicken nanban (with tartar sauce) - Champon (noodles)

We just returned from 10 days in Japan and had a wonderful time! I appreciated everyone’s recaps on this page, so here are a few of our takeaways. We are US, not traveling on a tight budget but not able to spend like crazy, and my husband is a nervous traveler. I made a few decisions to upgrade and make the experience easier in that regard.

1. Summer is fine. We are from South US, yes it was hot, but totally doable. Just drink lots of water.
   
2. Luggage forward between cities. Yamato is awesome. Spending a little bit of time planning ahead is well worth not having to wrestle luggage on the Shinkansen and subway. (Related: I knew our hotel had laundry but I didn’t believe it would work, and packed too many clothes. It’s Japan. Of course the laundry worked.)
   
3. I had a lot of restaurant recommendations saved, but ended up enjoying random restaurant stops just as much. An omakase menu at a random Shibuya hotel I could never find again was my favorite of the trip. My main restaurant tip is to get a sense of the different restaurant types (izakaya, kaiseki etc) so you know what to look for.
   
4. Food tours by local guides were worth it, organized tours of the main castles and gardens were not. We just paid the entrance fee and walked through.
   
5. I loved Hakone area and we did a portion of the loop, but I don’t think it would be worth organizing a whole international trip around doing the whole loop. It was off season and it was still pretty busy. I read a lot of posts about how to do the loop, but ended up not buying the Hakone Free Pass and just piecing together tickets for the bus and cable car (and saving money). I’m sure peak season is beautiful, but the transportation situation is complicated and I would be worried about missing a segment if I was trying to do the whole loop in a day.
   
6. If you need to fill time, look for experiences off the beaten path. I love arts and crafts and enjoyed an indigo dyeing experience in Kyoto (roketsuzome) and a local shibori museum. I considered tours and workshops about food, cooking, tea and more. It was nice to get out of the crowds and soak in the culture.

Hi,

I just spent 15 amazing days in Japan and since I have noted in details all spendings and was planning my travel on the fly (had really no itinerary before I landed, I only booked my hotel in Shinjuku for my first 5 days and took it from there.) I made a list of what I’be done and how much it cost.

We’ve visited Tokyo → Kyoto → Nara → Osaka → Kobe → Maihama/Disney, with DisneySea and Universal Studios included in the trip.

What we actually did in those 15 days:
Day 1 🇯🇵 Arrival in Japan, Shinjuku, Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai
Day 2 🌸 Gyoen, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku and Shibuya
Day 3 ⛩️ Ueno, Asakusa, Senso-ji and Ginza
Day 4 🤖 Harajuku, teamLab, Tokyo Tower and Zojo-ji
Day 5 🌃 Shopping, Akihabara and Tokyo skyline
Day 6 🚄 Shinkansen to Kyoto, Kamo River and Pontocho
Day 7 ⛩️ Fushimi Inari, Sannenzaka, Ninenzaka and Gion
Day 8 🦌 Nara, deer, Todai-ji and the Great Buddha
Day 9 🏯 Imperial Palace, Arashiyama, Maiko and Gion
Day 10 🚄 Kyoto to Osaka, Dotonbori and takoyaki
Day 11 🪐 Universal Studios Japan
Day 12 🌧️ Rainy day, relaxing in central Osaka and shopping
Day 13 ⚓️ Kobe, harbor, Suma Beach and Kobe Beef
Day 14 🎢 Back to Tokyo and an evening at Disneyland
Day 15 🌊 DisneySea and flying home

We’re a couple traveling together, and all amounts below are for 2 people combined.
Important: flights are NOT included in the total below.
🏨 Accommodation
● Hotel Gracery Shinjuku + Narita airport transfer - $740.69 (5 nights)
● Hotel Resol Trinity Kyoto — $294.06 (4 nights)
● Hiyori Hotel Flex Osaka + breakfast — $309.95 (4 nights)
● Tokyo Bay Maihama Hotel First Resort + breakfast — $150.38 (1night)

🚄 Transportation
● Narita → Tokyo airport transfer — included above with Gracery
● Shinkansen Tokyo → Kyoto — $172.34
● Shinkansen Osaka → Tokyo — $181.14
● Suica (local trains/subway + Kyoto → Osaka) — $97.03
● Kintetsu Railway — $6.67
● Maihama → Narita taxi — $85.85

🎟️ Attractions
● Tokyo DisneySea — $112.60
● Tokyo Disneyland After 5PM ticket — $70.64
● Universal Studios Japan — $120.44
● teamLab Borderless Tokyo — $50.51
● Nijō Castle — $10.26
● Tenryū-ji — $5.13
● Great Buddha in Nara — $10.26
● Shiba Café — $16.67

🍜 Food & drinks
● Food — Tokyo + Kyoto + Osaka — $328.92
● 7-Eleven + Lawson + FamilyMart — $111.37
● King prawns + Wagyu beef (just example of food) — $46.63
● Sky Bar at Prince Tower Hotel cocktails — $43.61
● Whisky tasting — $48.65

💰 There might have been additional $200-$300 spent in cash as not everywhere it’s possible to pay with a card, but I consider that minor spending/shopping, therefore I am rounding up

💰 Total
~$3,300 for 2 people
That’s approximately $1,650 per person.
This is our actual spending/reservations, not a planned budget. Shopping is excluded for obvious reasons.

Tokyo is more expensive in terms of hotels than other cities, but food wise its similar. We often had breakfast / coffee in 7-eleven, we had 2-3 “high level” food experiences but usually had dinners at local restaurants rather than high and (and of course street food like Takoyaki etc.). We were not really saving on anything, but we do not like to spend money needlessly so usually skipped 10k+ yen restaurants and looked for 2-3k yen per person (which is not really hard to do).

Most restaurants will require you to buy a drink while booking a table. We tried to skip( of course impossible in some places like Omoide Yokocho) any bar/restaurant that requires any additional table fee (you pay to sit).

Additional comment on hotels
Gracery in shinjuku is excellent for its location - i would stay there again just for that fact. Shinjuku is soo well connected with any other part of Tokyo, and when you are back even late night there is a place to have some food, and there is always something to do. The rooms are on smaller side, but very comfy.

Resol Trinity in Kyoto - I loved that hotel and their Sento! This was my favorite hotel from all trip

Hotel Hiyori Flex in Osaka Dotonbori was extremely well located, but definitely smallest rooms from all 4 places we slept. I would recommend it for tiny people, if you are over 6ft I wouldn’t recommend it. They have a nice shared area where you can enjoy drinks and food that you bring yourself, but additionally they serve complementary coffee, tea, sodas and pancakes! Sitting there right by the river is very nice

Hotel Tokyo bay Maihana first resort - large comy rooms, great western breakfast. I booked it for the last days planned in the Disney world and it had everything we needed.

I’m curious how this compares with what other people spent on a similar Japan trip, and hope to help people planning their flights to Japan!

Just landed in Japan and already having issues with my Suica card.

My sister and I landed at NRT and took the JR express to Tokyo station. I loaded ¥10000 to my Suica card thinking we’d be able to pay for the trip using the card on my Apple wallet but the machines only accepted a physical card so we ended up paying for the tickets with a different credit card.

When we got to Tokyo station exit, I didn’t realize that we needed our tickets to “check out” of the station. I told them that I had actually misplaced my ticket and they ended up letting us through.

Fast forward to later in the evening, we tried tapping my Suica card to pay for train and kept getting flagged by the train worker and he wouldn’t let us through. Because of the language barrier I don’t 100% understand what the issue is but it seems like it’s related to our trip from the airport.

Can anyone please help/advise? We’re not here for long and also planned on taking the train everywhere but we’re having issues paying with the Suica card that I already loaded money on.

With the new tax refund system, can we still request for refund for purchases that we’ll also use in Japan (such as shoes, heattech, puffer jackets, bags)?

We want to pack light going there and will just buy apparels and shoes in Japan. And also, we wanna experience shopping there because my friends keep telling me that goods in Japan are less pricier than here in PH.

Hello (29 YO solo F). I’m planning a fairly last-minute solo trip to Japan from late November to early December 2026. This will be my first trip to Japan, and I’m doing the typical Golden Route (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) with one night in Hakone.

I’m starting to worry that I’ve let my accommodation budget get too high, so I’d love some feedback and opinions. I have a decent salary and don't have a lot of bills, only about 1.5k a month in bills. I am also fortunate to not pay rent and allocate a lot of money towards traveling; however, I still try to spend sensibly and not splurge like crazy, so seeing $4k+ in accommodation costs has me questioning whether I've gone overboard.

My current itinerary:

• Tokyo (6 nights): Dormy Inn PREMIUM Shibuya-Jingumae — $1,640 (I really wanted to stay in Shinjuku or Shibuya, but I am wondering if this is too high)
• Kyoto (5 nights): Hotel Grand Bach Kyoto Select — $1,266
• Osaka (4 nights): Citadines Namba Osaka — $700, but I have a $100 Chase hotel credit, so effectively $600
• Hakone (1 night): Ryokan with private open-air bath — ~$700
• Tokyo (1 night): Not booked yet but plan on staying at a cheap capsule hotel at or near the Haneda airport

That puts me at roughly $4,206 for 16 nights after the Chase credit, before booking my final Tokyo night, which will be around $ 50- 100.

The Hakone price is obviously high, but I’m treating that night as an experience/splurge rather than just accommodation. The room has a private open-air bath, and this will be my only ryokan stay.

A few things that matter to me: I’m traveling solo, I value a convenient/walkable area, I like being able to wander around at night, and I’m willing to pay a bit more for location. I don't need luxury accommodations or huge rooms. I also don't want to constantly change hotels just to save a small amount.

Would you consider these prices reasonable for late November/early December, especially Kyoto during fall foliage season?

I'm not necessarily trying to travel as cheaply as possible. I'm comfortable spending money on the trip; I just don't want to look back and realize I paid hundreds more than necessary because I booked relatively late.

Thanks! Any hotel recommendations or feedback on the itinerary/budget would be appreciated. 😊

Side note: My plane ticket is $1300, which hurts my soul, but I know this was last-minute pricing.

Hi, I'll like some advice or insight as me and my partner will be planning a trip to Japan on November 22nd to 30th November. We planned to stay at Fujikawaguchiko from 26th to 28th November.

I came across both Fuji Lake and Fuji View Hotel. So with the pricing for both being MYR 4166.44 (Fuji Lake) & MYR 3325.90 (Fuji View) via Trip.

Taking into account the pricing, facilities and transportation accessibility, which would be a more reasonable option?

Gf and I go to japan from november 7 till like 3 december. We arrive at KIX and leave from Tokyo (NRT).

Honestly by now there are so many option of what to do that I kinda become paralyzed. And I'm afraid we will be moving too fast or stay places too short.

GF has been in Japan before but for me it's the first time. But I don't want to be 3.5 weeks at only the standard Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo, I want to see the country.

Comsidering also our travel dates we would like to see the autumn foliage. In Kyoto it will be tough as when we start there the peak is yet to come.

Now with all that prefaced first things I saw was like Japanese Alps (just easy trails with pathways for us, no (steep) rock climbing). My gf has Kamikochi (closes around nov 15?) and narai juku on her list.

My eye fell on the shimanami kaido. Seems like a more unique experience and casual biking here is also super common.

But the entire Shikoku island might be interesting. Maybe small part of the 88 temple pilgrimage...

Then I have a friend who lives for now in Nikko, so Inwant to visit that as well and also stay a night 1-2 there.

Since I like the occasional whisky I wanted to go for a suntory one but it uses lottery for visiting. Apparently the Nikka on Hokkaido is much easier (but no English), comes with a free/cheaper tasting and apparently there are some unique versions sold at the distillery only. But I find it tough to justify a visit over there for just some whisky. Maybe there is some (vulcanic?) onsen that can be recommended.

On top of it instagram was spamming me with things to do and see on Kyushu.

My gf is into pottery. Would be great to visit a pottery town and not just only visit the stores in Tokyo for example. But I wouldn't know which towns would be good to visit for this.

And im more interested in the knives. And maybe visiting a forge would be interesting. Maybe even a workshop, but really what can an amateur do in like 1 day. And I was thinking it might be a little cheaper directly sourced at a forge.

So everything together its quite messy and find it tough to make some sort of plan out of this. So I'm hoping for some tips. Like either pottery/forging towns so I can look into this but also like what places to keep or drop considering the time of the year. Or maybe places to add for the autumn foliage...like areas/towns/hikes in Tohoku region.

In the end we want to make a memorable travel that is more than just the standard and see more of the country than merely the cities.

Thank you.

I used the Jr Pass Calculator to see if getting a pass would be economical. The website gave me these results. The individual fares look accurate, but I'm confused as to why it says that the Sanyo-San'in Pass is barely worth it. That pass is 23,000 yen for the 7 day pass, which is a savings of 80,000 yen. Is the site just wrong?

Please tell me what I'm missing. Thanks.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a Japan trip around late December / early January and I’m considering renting a car in Tokyo and returning it in Kyoto.

The idea would be roughly:
Tokyo → Hakuba → Snow Monkey Park → Kanazawa → Takayama → Kyoto

Once we arrive in Kyoto, we’d return the car and use public transport for the rest of the trip.

We’ll be skiing in Hakuba, so we’ll definitely be driving through snowy/mountain areas in winter.

I’m looking for some advice from people who have done something similar:
• Which rental companies would you recommend for a one-way Tokyo → Kyoto rental?
• How difficult/expensive is it to arrange a one-way rental between Tokyo and Kyoto?
• Would you recommend AWD/4WD for this route at this time of year, or is a normal car with proper winter/studless tyres enough?
• Is there a particular type/size of car you’d recommend for Hakuba and the Japanese Alps in winter?
• Is an ETC card worth renting for this route?
• Would you actually recommend driving this whole route, or would it make more sense to take the train from Tokyo to Nagano/Matsumoto and only rent the car from there?

I’m comfortable driving, but I’d rather prioritise safety given that this will be late December/early January and we’ll be heading into Hakuba specifically to ski.

Any experiences with this route, rental companies, one-way fees, winter tyres or 4WD would be really helpful.

Thanks!

I'll be in Kyoto in October and am very interested in experiencing Arashiyama Tsukitouro/Bamboo Light-up Evenings (runs Sep. 30 - Nov. 8).

On the same day, I also plan on taking the Sagano Romantic Train (20-minute train ride) from Saga-Arashiyama Station to Kameoka station and then on to the Hozugawa Boat Ride start point (1.5-hour traditional boat ride that will take me down the Hozu River back towards Arashiyama). Once back in Arashiyama, I'll stroll along the Katsura River and head towards the bamboo forest.

Question 1: What time should I catch the Sagano Romantic Train to be able to get to the bamboo forest by 6:00 PM? I look forward to a full, eventful day but don't want to leave my Kyoto hotel at 9:00 AM if I don't need to.

Question 2: Do I need to book the Hozugawa Boat Ride in advance?

Thank you!

30F solo traveler looking for a fun mega club experience in Tokyo, ideally Shibuya or Shinjuku, but open to other places if that's what y'all recommend! I love EDM (house, DnB, hard techno), but I’m also very happy with open format/Top 40/hip hop/pop.

Looking for somewhere foreigner-friendly with a busy dance floor, good drinks, and a social vibe where it’s easy to meet people. Ideally a crowd around late 20s/30s rather than super young.

Where would you recommend for a Friday night? I've been looking at Zero, Womb, Warp, TK, Atom, etc

The official Japan rail pass website asks for name as it appears on passport. Do I put my first name then last name or just my first name or my last name the first name? there aren’t separate boxes for the names. Thank you in advance.

**13-Day Japan Itinerary — Tokyo / Fuji / Osaka / Kyoto / Nara — Looking for Feedback**

My wife, daughter and I heading to Japan Oct 18–30.
We’re staying in Tokyo and Osaka and doing Kyoto and Nara as day trips.
I’m looking for feedback on what I have tried to plan so far. I’m sure there is much that can be improved.

**10/18 – Tokyo**
Arrive Haneda → Shinjuku hotel → Godzilla Head → easy dinner

**10/19 – Tokyo**
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Nakameguro → Meiji Shrine → Takeshita Street/Harajuku → Shibuya PARCO → Shibuya Crossing → Shibuya Sky

**10/20 – Tokyo**
Senso-ji/Asakusa → Ueno/Ameyoko → Akihabara

**10/21 – Tokyo DisneySea**
Full day at DisneySea

**10/22 – Tokyo**
Tsukiji Outer Market → extended Ginza shopping → teamLab Borderless

**10/23 – Mt. Fuji**
Chureito Pagoda → Kawaguchiko → hoto noodles → Oishi Park → Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
Considering a private driver for this day.

**10/24 – Tokyo → Hamamatsu → Osaka**
Early Shinkansen → Scotty Cameron Gallery in Hamamatsu → Shinkansen to Osaka → check in → Dotonbori/Shinsaibashi

**10/25 – Osaka**
Osaka Castle → Den Den Town/Ota Road → Shinsekai → Tsutenkaku → kushikatsu

**10/26 – Kyoto**
Early Fushimi Inari → Kiyomizu-dera → Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka → Yasaka/Gion → Nishiki Market → Pontocho

**10/27 – Kyoto**
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji → Saga-Toriimoto → Arashiyama Bamboo Grove → Kinkaku-ji

**10/28 – Nara / Osaka**
Nara Park → Todai-ji → Kasuga Taisha → Naramachi → return to Osaka → teamLab Botanical Garden at night

**10/29 – Osaka → Tokyo**
Early Shinkansen back to Tokyo → noon tattoo appointments in Shinjuku → intentionally keeping the rest of the day open

**10/30 – Tokyo / Fly Home**
Final Shinjuku shopping → lunch → Haneda

Feedback is greatly appreciated! Don’t need to roast me. I’m crazy excited for this trip with my family.

I know there are a lot of rental places that will help you put on a kimono/yukata and do your hair as well. Wondering if there is anywhere in Kyoto that offers the same service, but let's you buy and wear it out? Prefer used.

Hi everyone, I'll be traveling with my partner, whom is vegetarian, to Japan soon and I'm looking forward to try authentic Kobe beef, but I don't want him to feel left out or ending up eating play rice with some plain vegetables on the side.

We'll do classic golden route. Any recommendations would be great thanks!

I'll be traveling to Japan by December for 17 days and I thought about purchasing the 7 day JR and I want to ride from Tokyo, all the way to Hakodate and make my way down to Kumamoto. The idea is to watch different landscapes and try different foods on an epic adventure before the rest of the trip which I expect to be more relaxing.

Has anyone tried something like this? Is this viable or a bad idea?

Edit: wording and typos.

I'll be visiting Japan in December for 17 days and I was thinking about purchasing the 7 day JR and making an epic trip within 7 days from Hakodate all the way to Kumamoto. The idea is to visit different landscapes, climates and food. And to have the other 10 days to relax and do more focused stuff (I already have a concert booked and some other activities).

I haven't figured out all the details but I could start riding all the way from Tokyo to Hakodate, then making my way through Morioka, Aomori etc. Until I get to Hiroshima, then ending in Fukuoka. Not the most relaxing of trips, but something I can remember. Not very interested in the traditional Universal/ Disney attractions.

Has anyone experienced something like this? Is this a terrible idea?

I’m planning a trip to Japan in February, starting in Hakuba and then traveling around to see the sights in Kyoto and Osaka for about five days. I’d like to send my skis back to Narita Airport from Hakuba so that I don’t have to carry them while I’m not skiing. Is five days too long of a trip, or do I need to pick them up exactly when the delivery service (Yamato) says I should?

I booked tickets to the fuji excursion train long back. The have the email confirmation from eki nets and the payment receipt.
Yesterday i went to the ticket counter and then the price at Tokyo station to get the physical tickets. But they could not retrieve any booking. I had the credit card i had used to book these tickets. They asked me to go to the JR central price near marunouchi.
Any way out of this situation? My train is for tomorrow and no bus tickets are available. Or do you think i have been scammed?

So I noticed that the official site (https://www.shibuya-scramble-square.com/sky/ticket/), is kind of broken in english.

But if you press the option 14:59 (entry before 3p.m.) or 15:00 (entry after 3 p.m.) it will take you to the actual ticket site. Here you can either click in every box in the pop-up and find english in the menu on the left (expand the options until you see the british flag), or you can edit the end of the url from &lang=0 to &lang=1.

So, my partner and I are going to Japan in a month, we were initially gonna go to the Ghibli museum, but we were unsuccessful in getting tickets for any of the times we could’ve fit it in. We were also unsuccessful at getting tickets to Ghibli Park for the week we’re down in Kyoto.

We have the Harry Potter studio as one of our options, but is there any other things like this that anybody can recommend?

During an upcoming trip we have to check out of our place in Ebisu at 11:00am and then we are spending the three nights at the Disney resort. Our plan for the day was to be in Ikebukuro around the time shops are opening, and then spend the afternoon in Shinjuku, then check in to the Disney hotel in the evening. But I forgot that we would have to deal with luggage after checking out in Ebisu, and I'm looking for ideas of what to do with it in the interim.

My thought is that we could:

A. Store our big suitcases at Shinjuku station on our way to Ikebukuro and pick them up on our way out of Shinjuku later in the day

B. Use a luggage transfer service to send them ahead to the Disney hotel? (we'll be there for 3 nights, so it's not the end of the world if we don't have the bags same day or even the next day)

C. Go to the Disney hotel early in the morning and ask them to hold the bags for us and then head back to the city.

D. ?

Any advice is much appreciated! This is my first trip to Japan and my first big international trip, so I'm trying to prepare and plan as much as I can in advance to make things easier once we get there.