Spring Breaking Our Way Through Japan

Japan has always held a special place in my son Colin’s heart. From a young age, the world of manga and anime profoundly influenced his life. After several false starts over the past few years, we finally made this trip a reality in March. This was the first visit to Japan for both of us, though I had been to Asia a few times before.

Colin had high expectations for this trip because:

A) He loves Japanese food—especially ramen.

B) He’s passionate about the culture—Naruto, anime, manga, and more.

C) I’m convinced he was Japanese in a past life.

Japan is a country where the familiar becomes extraordinary. Sushi travels by conveyor belts, ancient shrines are as common as churches in Rome, fishmongers serve tuna straight off the bone, and neon lights stretch as far as the eye can see. Over the course of a week, we immersed ourselves in culture, cuisine, and unforgettable experiences. If culture shock is on your bucket list, Tokyo has you covered—because nothing here felt familiar. Here’s a closer look at our adventure.

Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo

After a long flight on Japan Airlines from Kansas City to Chicago to Tokyo, we arrived in Japan around 3pm feeling excited but jet-lagged. While there are a number of options to get from the airport (either one), it was a no brainer after a 13 hour flight to simply hop on the Airport Limousine Bus (only like $7 a person) which would take us to the front door of a neighboring hotel in Asakusa, where it was then just a short walk to our hotel, The Kanzashi Tokyo Asakusa, a cozy, modern spot steps from the iconic Senso-ji Temple. 

We still had a little spunk left in us, so we wandered Asakusa’s lantern-lit streets, in search of our first bowl of ramen. The vibe was serene—paper lanterns glowing, the faint scent of incense from the temple, and Colin starting to get a bit more wide-eyed at all the excitement and magic happening around him.  The iconic Senso-ji Temple was lit up beautifully at night, and even better was completely empty.  It is amazing to think that this thousand-year-old temple (although rebuilt a few times) sits in the middle of a city like Tokyo.

After getting in about 10,000 steps bopping around the area, we settled on Kamukura Soup with Noodles – which who knew was a chain with over 70 locations.  Nonetheless, we settled in on their Oishii Ramen – translating to Delicious Ramen” which was amazing.  We left with our bellies full, and ready for bed.  It was time to start dreaming about Day 2’s big adventure.

Day 2: Mount Fuji & Lake Kawaguchi Tour

Weather was a bit crazy while we were in town.  We hit, Fall, Winter, Spring and Sun, Rain and Snow over the course of trip.  For our trip to Mount Fuji, we hit winter where the region got 7” of snow the day before causing a bit of havoc for the day’s itinerary.  We woke up early for our Best of Mount Fuji & Lake Kawaguchi Tour, an absolute must for first-time visitors to Japan. After making our way down to Tokyo Station – on the cleanest subway I have ever seen – we met up with our tour guide and loaded the bus ready to conquer this Mighty Mountain.  First stop was Lake Kawaguchi, one of the famous Fuji Five Lakes, where we bought some treats, enjoyed a unique mix of grape (Kyoto & Shine Muscat flavor) ice cream and marveled at the reflection of Mount Fuji on the water’s surface.  During the summer this place would have been amazing.  It also would have helped if I could have felt my fingers.  Maybe ice cream wasn’t a good choice.    

In Oshino Village, a touristy village featuring eight ponds (all fed by Mount Fuji) we filled our bottles with fresh spring water flowing directly from Mount Fuji—a simple yet magical experience, and found a few local treats to sample including Chicken Gangeong, some other delectable treat we have no clue what it was and our first of many vending machine beverages.

Next, we made our way to Arakurayama Sengen Shrine, home to the famous pagoda overlooking Mount Fuji. We climbed 398 steps (Colin counted) for what should’ve been a picture-perfect view of Fuji… but fresh snowfall left the peak shyly hidden behind clouds….but the sight was still breathtaking.  The recent cooler than normal weather also delayed the reveal of the cherry blossoms bloom  This was definitely a bummer.  Below is how the view was supposed to look vs how it did look.   

During this trip, we were supposed to also visit Mount Fuji 5th Station, but due to the snow, we could only visit the base and the visitor center—a bit of a disappointment, but still an amazing experience.  I can’t imagine how breathtaking all of these stops would have been…if we hadn’t just had snow in the area the night before.  I am sure it is magical here late spring into summer.  As we made our way down the mountain we were able to enjoy a Whiskey Soda (made with Mount Fuji water) and Mt Fuji Rice Dumpling.   

After returning to Tokyo, we explored the area around and under Tokyo Station, a lively district filled with great restaurants, shopping, a Character Street filled with every iconic animated creature ever made popular by Japanese culture.  We worked our way back to the hotel, noticing the 2,080 ft tall Tokyo Skytree (3rd tallest structure in the world) for the first time.  Too tired for dinner, we stopped at the neighborhood supermarket and picked up a handful of things to sample for dinner.  Which wasn’t a wise decision.   

Day 3: Exploring Tokyo with a Guide

Still a bit “off” with our time zones, we were out the door early again – around 6am – ready to explore the city before everyone else woke up. Again, we had the Senso-ji shrine to ourselves and were able to watch a morning “service?” and chant being led by a monk which was pretty cool.  Outside of Tokyo Station we also found our first cherry blossom of the trip.  Because we were early for our tour, we popped into 7/11 to see what all the fuss was.  And let me tell you, everything we had was amazing.  I had a chicken and egg with tyaraki sauce sandwich, a curry bun thing and Colin loaded up with a few pastries.  I also got a large coffee which was small in nature.

We met up with Yuki for our walking tour of Tokyo, which became the perfect intro to Tokyo’s contrasts. Walkin almost 40,000 steps over the course of the day, we marveled at the Imperial Palace’s moats and bridges, tossed coins for luck at Senso-ji Temple, and dove into the sensory overload of Nakamise-dori Street searching for stuff we didn’t need.

For lunch, we stopped by a popular conveyor sushi restaurant where Colin and I sampled a number of slimy and slippery things.  To be honest it was delicious, but Colin did test his luck when he ordered Hotaru Ika – baby squid which was served raw on top of rice wrapped with seaweed.  I could have sworn they were still moving, but I guess they are a delicacy and popular dish.  It took about 1,000 chews, and was not the best thing I ate while in Japan. 

After a quick subway ride, we were off to the other side of town and the Meiji Shrine which offered a tranquil escape in the middle of the city.  After slowing life down for a second, we plunged ourselves into the electric energy of Shibuya Crossing—Colin’s favorite moment, comparing it to “a real-life video game” as we fought the 3,000+people who crossed this intersection every time the lights changed.  I think we watched the lights change a dozen times as we marveled at the symphony of movement.  A short walk away, we visited Harajuku, an area known for the “kawaii” culture, where we all gaped at “interestingly” dressed rainbow-haired teens, animal cafes (yes there is one for every animal out there) and world-famous crepes piled high with whipped cream and every topping you can think of. The day ended in Shinjuku, one of the most populous areas in the city where we craned our necks at the glowing Godzilla head and watched in marvel at the giant 3D cat billboard and its realistic features, all why loving everything we saw that glittered with neon.

We made our way back home in search of our next bowl of Ramen.  And to our surprise, we found Ichiran Ramen (another chain) but oh so good.  This place was a little different, in that it was created so you didn’t have to talk to anyone.  You ordered at a machine, were told where to sit in a cubby for one, were served by a waiter who didn’t talk to you, and if you needed anything, you had “wooden” slab with different sayings on it to hand to the waiter.  This said, the amazingness of the food outweighed the weirdness of the restaurant experience.   

This really was an amazing day, and amidst the neon lights and towering skyscrapers of Tokyo, surprises were found at every corner.   There is nothing better than exploring a city of foot.  You just get to experience so many things you typically wouldn’t otherwise. 

Day 4: A Rainy-Day Adventure

Rain didn’t stop us! We grabbed one of Tokyo’s many free umbrellas and set out to explore the city. While walking to Akihabara – only about 1.5 miles from our hotel, we stumbled upon Ueno Park – not originally on our “list” but so glad we found it.  Ueno Park, was even more magical than we expected. We admired some of the early cherry blossoms, visited a shrine, and enjoyed a quiet moment enjoying a Sakura latte and cinnamon roll (both absolutely amazing) at Doutor Coffee while we watched the morning rush hustle by from the Ueno subway station.

After a brief pitstop at a neighboring WeWork type building waiting for the rain/snow to let up, we were finally on our way to Akihabara, Colin’s most anticipated destination. While the area is known as the anime and gaming mecca, it wasn’t quite as exciting as we expected.  While we were able to explore many Pokemon, Anime and multi-story electronic shops, it just wasn’t the vibe we were looking for.  I am sure that the major snow downpour also wasn’t helping.  This said, we found another amazing bowl of ramen at Kata Furya for lunch (this one the best yet) and visiting a few more anime and Pokemon card stores, we were back on our way to explore the city. 

Continuing on our journey, we made our way through Ginza, Tokyo’s upscale shopping district, where we ran into Nissan Crossing and were able to check out (and drool) over a real life GTR.  It was pretty cool and definitely made Brendan jealous.  After enjoying another Sakura latte, we were on our way to Tsukiji Fish Market to try some fresh seafood.  While we got there as things were closing up for the day, that didn’t stop us from trying some bluefin tuna sliced right off the fish.  It was amazing!

We made our way back home, stopping again at Senso-Ji Temple, before deciding to make the trek over to take a closer look at the Tokyo Skytree.  This place had it all. Besides a nice mix of local artisan shops and big box Japanese retail store, it also had tons of restaurants.  We hopped in line and took the 40 second elevator ride almost 2,000 feet into the sky.  The views were incredible – being able to not only see Mount Fuji, but also reminiscent of the city Courscant – a city planet from Star Wars.

We stopped by Wagyu Brothers (an Instagram recco) for dinner on the way home, which was probably our most expensive meal of the trip.  Wagyu Brothers served wagyu beef burgers in a number of ways with hand cut fries.  While the beef melted in your mouth, the burgers were a bit sloppy to eat. After dinner, it was a nice walk back to the hotel for our last night in Tokyo.        

Day 5: Let’s Head To Kyoto

We packed up and headed to Tokyo Station to catch the bullet train to Kyoto—an experience in itself! After picking up a few snacks along the way and figuring out where in the world we had to go, we headed to track 14 to board the train.  We had just watched the movie Bullet Train with Brad Pitt, so that was our expectation.  I have to say reality was a bit different in that there weren’t as many amenities on our train as featured in the movie.  But what did impress me was watching the world fly by at nearly 200 mph.  Our 280-mile journey took just two and a half hours.

As we pulled into Kyoto Station, we were refreshed and ready for our next adventure.  Our hotel was only about a mile away, so we started on our trek ready to discover a new city.

Kyoto is a cultural capital renowned for its rich history and stunning beauty. Once the imperial capital, Kyoto is the perfect example of Japan’s rich cultural heritage – it features 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city’s traditional wooden architecture and serene temples offer a glimpse into its illustrious past, making it a must-visit destination for anyone interested in Japanese culture.

After checking into Comfort Hotel in Gojo, we relaxed before our evening Gion Geisha Night Walking Tour.  Well that was until we realized our tour was an hour earlier than originally thought.  Colin and I sprung out of our room and sprinted the 2.3 km to the meeting spot.  Sweaty and out of breath, we were ready to start our adventure. 

Gion is well-known for its geisha culture and is a must-see destination in Kyoto! The geisha are called "geiko" in the Kyoto dialect, and their apprentices are called "maiko". There are fewer than 200 geikos in Kyoto, and it can be difficult to witness a show of their talents in traditional arts, unless you are ready to spend big bucks to be entertained.  Nonetheless, we were out on the hunt. 

Gion at night was a magical place. For almost two hours, we wander through the quiet alleyways, enjoying the tranquil beauty of Kyoto, as soft lighting illuminates the ancient streets.  Throughout our walk, we passed Minamiza Kabuki Theatre, known for its iconic kabuki theatre, first made popular in the 17th century, where actors wear heavy and unique make-up making them look a bit like Geishas.   There’s been a theater at this location since the early 1600s, the current building was built in 1929. But over time, the other six have disappeared.

Pontocho is a narrow alley on the opposite side of the Kamo River from Gion. The Pontocho street is pedestrian-only and is super charming and atmospheric! It is lined with old wooden buildings, housing cozy cafes, bars, and restaurants.  Pontocho is not much to look at in the daytime. So make sure to visit Pontocho in the evening when it comes alive, and all the atmospheric lanterns are lit and glows emit from the local restaurants and tea houses. 

Along our journey, we also stopped by Yasaka Shrine, one of the neighborhood's most popular and iconic destinations. Visitors are drawn to its proud lantern lined glory.  It was interesting to see, but 5 days into our trip, all these Shrines were starting to look the same.   

While we didn’t spot any geisha, the tour gave us a fascinating look into Kyoto’s rich culture.

Day 6: The Best of Kyoto

When you think of Kyoto, the first image that likely comes to mind is the striking rows of vermilion-colored torii gates. These iconic gates, known as Senbon Torii or "thousands of gates," are found at Fushimi Inari Taisha—our first stop of the day.

Fushimi Inari Taisha is one of Kyoto’s most revered Shinto shrines, dating back to the 8th century. Dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice and agriculture, it is famous for its mesmerizing pathways lined with thousands of torii gates. The shrine is open 24/7, and while we arrived at 10 AM to find it packed with visitors, I’ve heard that arriving at sunrise offers a far more tranquil experience. Despite the crowds, the atmosphere was undeniably magical.

After about 45 minutes of exploring, we headed to our next stop—the Higashiyama District, home to Kiyomizudera Temple and Yasaka Pagoda.

The Higashiyama District is a beautifully preserved area brimming with traditional shops, charming cafes, and historic temples. While we found ourselves shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists, it was worth it for the experience and the chance to capture one of the most Instagram-worthy shots in the world. After some exploring (and snapping our perfect shot), we indulged in matcha tea, takoyaki (octopus balls), and a rice bun burger—each more delicious than the last.

Kiyomizudera Temple, another highlight of Kyoto, is a breathtaking wooden structure built without a single nail—designed to withstand earthquakes. The temple is named after a sacred water fountain believed to grant health, longevity, or love—but you must choose wisely which blessing to seek. While the cherry blossoms hadn’t fully bloomed yet, the temple’s beauty was still breathtaking.

Next, we made our way to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. I won’t sugarcoat it—this place is incredibly popular, and you won’t have it to yourself. But no photo can truly capture the ethereal feeling of walking through towering bamboo stalks swaying gently in the wind. It’s a place that has to be experienced in person.

Because three incredible photo ops weren’t enough, we ended our sightseeing with a visit to Kinkakuji Temple—the famed Golden Pavilion. Seeing its gold-covered top floors shimmering in the sunlight was a surreal moment, and the surrounding gardens were just as impressive.

After a short ride back to Kyoto Station, we said farewell to our tour group and set off in search of ramen. Kyoto has several "Ramen Street" concepts, where entire floors in train stations and department stores are dedicated to ramen shops. We stumbled upon a place that had won second place in the Kansai Tonkotsu Ramen category—so, naturally, we had to try it. Another culinary triumph.

Day 7: Back to Tokyo & Departure

We woke up early, packed our bags, and set out to soak up Kyoto for a few last hours. A walk through the Gion District in the daylight gave us a fresh perspective, and we happened upon Nishiki Market—known as "Kyoto’s Kitchen." This bustling market is where local chefs source the freshest ingredients each morning. Unfortunately, we arrived too early to witness the action—aside from a few impressively large alleyway rats scavenging for scraps.

Undeterred, we hunted down a Doutor Coffee for one last Sakura Latte and cinnamon roll before gathering our bags and bidding Kyoto farewell. A short ride took us to Kyoto Station, where we boarded the bullet train back to Tokyo. Just two and a half hours later, we rolled into Tokyo Station, took in a few last cherry blossom sightings, and hopped on the monorail to Haneda Airport.

Naturally, we couldn’t leave Japan without one final bowl of ramen—conveniently available at the airport’s very own Ramen Street. A perfect end to an unforgettable journey.

Final Thoughts

This trip was everything I hoped for and more—an unforgettable adventure exploring Japan’s rich culture, food, and landscapes with Colin. From the bustling streets of Tokyo to the serene temples of Kyoto, every moment was a memory in the making.  If you’re planning a trip to Japan, I highly recommend this itinerary—just be ready for a mix of fast-paced city life, serene nature, and plenty of delicious food! Arigato, Japan—you’ve stolen our hearts (and our suitcase space), thanks to all the snacks and Pokemon merch.

But before we sign off, below are the Top 10 Things To Know

1. Google Maps – essential to figure out where in the world you are going when you have no clue what anything says, or what anyone is saying.  Even though there is usually English paired with Japanese on signes, etc….Google Maps is 100% the main tool you need to get around.  Also works amazing on subways, etc. 

2. Google Translate - Many businesses have menus, signs, etc that are only in Japanese.  This is a lifesaver.  You can also type a sentence in English and it will type in Japanese to show anyone you need to communicate with.  This came in handy when we were at the many Pokemon secondhand stores.  Smiling and bowing also helped a lot.

3. Pocket wifi –Lots of folks made this a big deal.  And I am sure it is, but we had T-Mobile Magenta plan and your phone, data, etc worked just fine.

4. Suica – again, people made a big deal about this.   I just downloaded Suica app and connected to Apple Wallet and you just tap and go.  Very easy to use and upload more money as needed.  NOTE everyone needs one to travel on the subway, etc.

5. Train Transportation – all I can say is trial by fire.  This was what caused the most confusion and fights during our stay.  28 or so different train lines, but by the time you get to your last day in town, you will have figured it out.

6. Foot Transportation – Walk to your left.  This is on the sidewalk, on escalators, staircases out of the subway, etc. This said, there were many bicyclists, so watch out.  This also is true for cars as well who drive on the left.  So when in doubt look both ways. 

7. Cash Is King – There are plenty of ATMS at airport.  Just grab cash there for best exchange rates.  Every 7/11 has an ATM.  And the idea of having a coin purse is true.  There are vending machines (including beer vending machines) everywhere, so having coins is essential to daily survival. Coins also come in handy at the many shrines when making a wish.   And while we are talking about Cash, your iPhone calculator has a built-in currency converter.   

8. Comfortable Shoes Are a Must.  We walked 30-40k steps a day.  Don’t worry about looking cute.  Pack for comfort.    

9. Be Adventurous With Food. Japanese cuisine is not only delicious but also surprisingly affordable. Don’t miss out on 7-11 pastries or sandwhiches and Doutor’s Sakura Latte.

10. Punctuality Is Everything: The Japanese are incredibly punctual, and trains will leave whey they say they will.  1 min stops, means 1 min stops.  Make sure to give yourself extra time to find your train, as the system can get a bit confusing at times.