One month traveling in Japan, an awesome country.

Yes, the toilets are much improved from our time in Southeast Asia and thankfully I’m no longer carrying toilet paper with me everywhere we go. But Instagram influencers have covered this beyond what’s needed so we’ll try to focus elsewhere.

Laos toilet, and this was fancy with a tank!

Japanese toilet with control panel on the side

Japanese instructions to NOT PUT FEET ON TOILET

Thirty-three days in Japan was the most we’ve spent in any one country so far, with Spain in second at 26 days and South Africa in third at 24 days. That will change before the end of this journey as we have about 6 weeks in Indonesia. I digress... over a month in Japan was pretty amazing. We’re impressed with this country in so many different ways. In this post we’ll focus on what we thought were places, experiences and food to not be missed. I also wrote a post about our observations of Japanese culture, a little more niche reading perhaps, but you can read that one here.

Itinerary in review:

• Hakuba (5 nights) with a day trip to Nagano

• Tokyo (6 nights) with a day trip to Mt. Fuji

• Kyoto (4 nights) with a day trip to Nara

• Osaka (7 nights) with day trips/overnights to Himeji and Koyasan

• Hiroshima (3 nights) with a day trip to Miyajima

• Beppu (2 nights)

• Fukuoka (5 nights) with a day trip to Dazaifu/Yanagawa

We were also fortunate to have Molly and Enrique along with us from Tokyo through Osaka - thanks again for making the trip out to travel with us, we had a blast exploring with you!

You might be asking, after a month in Japan, what were the highlights? The highlights were many, some were places we visited and some were experiences we had. And then there’s food, which of course, we’ll cover from a gluten free/ Celiac and vegetarian/pescatarian POV. Below is our DO NOT MISS list.

What I don’t cover too much here is shopping - we’re just not shoppers and Japan didn’t change that, Don Quijote didn’t help (IFYNYN):

Hakuba

Experiences

• Skiing of course! Hakuba valley has about 7 different resorts. We hit the tail end of the season, so spring slush was plentiful. The valley is beautiful, the skiing during prime season would be epic. If Josh twists our arm we might consider a return visit.

• Nagano day trip - we took a tour from Hakuba to Nagano, others joined the tour off a Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo. The tour took us to Zenkōji Temple, our first Temple visit in Japan. We also enjoyed our first sake tasting and then a beautiful lunch with a visit to the snow Monkeys.

Happo One skiing

Nagano Snow Monkeys

Sweet potatoes - so glad to have found these!

Tokyo

Places

• Mt Fuji - we think she might just be a myth. We tried to visit her but she was in a cloudy mood.

• Tokyo Sky Tree - wow are you up high! Wow are the views of the vast city insane! Wow, Mt. Fuji is not cooperating!

• Team Labs, Boarderless - this was our first Team Lab experience and we were all blown away. Very cool concept and the cherry blossom on top was the En tea house at Team Labs, Boarderless. Super super super cool, don’t miss this one!

• Meji-Jingu Shrine - Shrines and Temples are a bit part of the sightseeing in Japan, sorta like churches in Europe, though arguably there are even more here. Meji-Jingu was on my top 5 list for Japan.

• Kataguchi- Hongu Shrine - this was another one that hit my top 5 list. We visited Kataguchi as part of our Mt Fuji day day trip. Beautiful nature surrounding this shrine and in April there was still some snow on the ground making it even more special.

Sky Tree views at sunset

Team Lab, Boarderless

Kataguchi-Hongu Shrine

Experiences

• Cooking class - We did a Ramen cooking class that focused on making gluten free ramen noodles and it was awesome. We also learned how to make some pretty awesome Ramen soup as part of the class. I’d highly recommend taking a cooking class that is not sushi. The added benefit of this class was going to Nahoko’s house in Kunitachi and seeing a more suburban area outside the chaos of the Tokyo center. Turned out this suburb is also famous for its street lined cherry blossoms!

• The Metro - where to start. Tokyo metro is epic, the stairs are epic, the underground malls, walkways and entire cities are epic and oh yea, commute hour is epic. Sardines in a can should give you the image you need.

• Cherry Blossoms - This was a bucket list, round the world anchor for our trip. I wanted to see the origin, the epicenter so to speak of the cherry blossom and boy did we. They are everywhere (this was unexpected), lining the streets, riverways, canals, parks, just about anywhere you can imagine. The cons… everyone comes to see them.

• Conveyor belt sushi - what a blast of an experience. Ordering on a tablet (thankfully with English as an option), your sushi, beer, other drinks arriving on the conveyor belt to stop right at your table. Doesn’t get better than that. Oh maybe it does, the overflowing sake Molly ordered! But outside of conveyor belt sushi, we ate and enjoyed the sushi everywhere, from fancy department store food halls for a quiet meal in our Airbnb, to fish markets and a fabulous sushi bar in Kyoto.

Conveyor belt sushi!

Cooking with Nahoko

Kunitachi blooms

Kyoto

Places

• Nara - definite must-do day trip from Kyoto or Osaka. The deer seem to be the draw and they are everywhere and kinda fun (Molly and Enrique really loved them!) But there are more shrines and temples and gardens here also. We LOVED Nigatsu-do which had awesome views from the terrace and more importantly, very few crowds. We wandered down back into the main area and realized how beautiful some of these random side roads were were. It was nice to have a quieter experience here.

• Secret Harandani gardens in Kyoto which showed off the spring blooms, as Molly noted, “so many wild-looking blooms, it felt like being inside an impressionist painting.”

• Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple - I think this puts me at my top 4 of 5 and we’re only in Kyoto! It is easy to get worn out on shrines and temples, but a few are truly memorable, this one with the little quirky statues was a fav.

• Fushimi Inari Shrine with it’s instagramably famous 10,000 gates. Tip here, go beyond the crowded areas, the further up your climb, the thinner the air, I mean the crowds!

• Nishiki Market - not as great as Tokyo, but fun to browse, taste and shop (Enrique bought a new sushi knife… oops hope I wasn’t supposed to keep this a secret?!?!)

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple

Harandani gardens

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Experiences

• Wandering through Gion and Higashiyama areas. Try, try, try to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds and enjoy the ambiance of these beautiful, historic areas, we definitely nailed this:

  
  

• Sake Tasting at Matsui Sake Brewery

• Cocktail bar - Apotheca - nice find from David, “for science”. Tucked away little place that was a tad hard to find, with our own private room cuz our group (of 4) was so big. Definitely not your typical cocktail and very cool find.

• Train to Kyoto: Third try for the win, we bought Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets in the green car (first class car) on the literal right side of the train to ensure we could see her on our way from Tokyo to Kyoto… and finally, though her peak was covered again in clouds, we got to see her for a minute or two as the train sped past on her on the southern route

Sake tasting

Sushi & Sake Tasting

Mt Fuji from the train to Kyoto

Considerations:

• We would have liked more time in Kyoto and perhaps worth a re-visit during the off season when maybe it’s a bit less crowded.

• Getting "shrined out" is a thing. Try to research ahead of time all the possible shrines and temples you might want to visit, then cut it in half picking the ones that really sound interesting or unique. Then expect you still might have picked too many. It’s easy to get shrined out.

• Scenic railway train to Nara wasn’t worth it. The train car was cool, but for the 40 min train ride we had expected scenic views which was not the case.

Osaka

Places

• Himeji - must-do day trip from Osaka or Kyoto. This castle was the cats meow, especially with the cherry blossoms.

• Koyasan - beautiful, historic, sacred Buddhist area. We did this as an overnight at a Buddhist Temple. Many Temples in Koyasan offer this experience. If you haven’t yet stayed at a Ryoken, this might be a good option to get that experience. If not, this could be a day trip but a long one.

• Nara could easily be a day trip from here.

• There are some things to see in Osaka, the castle, more shrines and Temples but I wouldn’t put these in my top 5.

Experiences

• Baseball game! Don’t miss going to one. We saw the Hanshin Tigers at Koshien stadium- fans were awesome! They have a ‘tourist’ section, ticket comes with some fun souvenirs.

Osaka Castle

Hanshin Tigers baseball

Hanshin Tigers baseball

Yanagawa Cemetery

Himeji Castle

Himeji gardens

Hiroshima

Places

• There are a handful of sights that focus on remembering and documenting the A-bomb. They are well done, moving, informational and absolute must-see sights.

Experiences

• Another opportunity for a baseball game

• Miyajima - day trip, if you’ve made it out to Hiroshima, definitely take a day to visit this island and its famous floating tori. That said, the island had much more to offer, especially in aiding your step count for the day.

Itsukushiima Shrine, Miyajima

Miyajima deer

Views from Mt. Misen

Kyushu - perhaps a new name for you, Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan’s four main islands and the most southernly. It’s know for its varied hot springs, mountains, and nature.

Places

• Beppu - famous as a hot springs town and though onsens (communal bathing hot springs baths) are available, it’s known for it’s natural, steaming hot, hot springs that tourist visit, but don’t bath in. There are some religious sights here but mostly the “hells” of Beppu are what make it famous. We enjoyed a slightly different pace this town offered and our hotel rooms’ private onsen.

• Fukuoka was our home base for five nights and served us well for some needed downtime. Nothing spectacular, but a nice city nonetheless and a great base for day trips or further exploration of Kyushu.

• Dazaifu & Yanagawa day trip - Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine was beautiful and rounds out my Top 5 Shrines to visit. We paired it with Yanagawa which made for a nice day trip from Fukuoka

• We didn’t make the trip to Nagasaki, but another great day trip option from Fukuoka

Experiences

• Another opportunity for a baseball game in Fukuoka to see the SoftBank Hawks play at the PayPay Dome. A domed baseball field was a first for us and though we had fun, we have to hand it to the Hanshin Tigers for the spirit award!

Beppu Hot Springs, foot baths

Sea Hell, Beppu

Monk's head hot springs, Beppu

Mount Tsurumi, Beppu

Fukuoka, Soft Bank Hawks, baseball

Yanagawa canals

Yanagawa canals

Dezaifu Tenmangu Shrine

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine

FOOD

Hakuba Food

• Our first dinner was at a little izakaya, Cakuichi. I had read it was a tiny spot but didn’t quite expect what we were in for. This restaurant is basically the chef’s kitchen and dining room. He lives upstairs. He cooks, someone helps him with serving and it was an amazing experience. All in, I think the place had 4 bar seats and a table for 6. Hot pot was the option of the day for us GF, pescatarians.

• Hakuba Pizza was the first and last GF pizza spot I’ve found in Japan and bonus, they have vegan cheese. Bonus #2, their happy hour prices were very agreeable.

• While in Nagano I quickly learned how many of the street stall treats were not gluten-free, but was quickly excited by how much the Japanese like sweet potatoes - YUM! We found them all over Japan, cooked roasted, salted and sometimes with honey.

Tokyo Food

• Sushiro - conveyor belt sushi, allergy info online (chain in many cities, and others similar types of restaurants that are very good as well)

• Department store basement level food halls (every city has these)

• Turret coffee, I had to put a plug in for this tiny coffee shop (next door to Starbucks, near Tsukiji market). As Enrique said this was best coffee he’s ever had and I would agree, especially the Sakura latte.

• Tsukiji Fish Market Tokyo, have I mentioned the sushi yet?

• Hagashiya lunch in Ginza with previous co-workers/friends was a treat, truly beautiful and elevated experience.

• Gluten Free T’s Kitchen, Ueno

• Gonpachi, Asakusa (gluten free menu) with a few locations

Kyoto Food

• Engine Ramen (Kyoto & Osaka) - Both are good, Osaka was better in our opinion, with slightly improved flavor and a stepped up ambiance. Also, Osaka takes reservations - a big plus!

• Kikyo Sushi - Make a reservation! Sushi bar with a gluten free menu. Sushi was delicious, flights of sake were amazing. Family run business. Win, win, win.

Osaka Food

• Genji Soba, at here twice. 100% buckwheat soba noodles, gluten free tempura. Yum. Can make reservation through their Insta.

• Engine Ramen Osaka - better than the Kyoto and takes reservations

• Comecono Laboratory & Cafe in Hankyu Department store, vegan and some gluten free options, but some cross contamination possible as well

• Vegan Cafe Tsukineko - tiny, like super tiny and super cute little cafe with delicious menu of items including pancakes! All vegan and gluten free. If you can call ahead, highly recommended.

• Tenpu Terrace, Koyasan - great find for some vegan and gluten free lunch

Hiroshima Food

• Sarashina - Okonomiyaki restaurant in the famous Shintenchi building full of okonomiyaki restaurants!  For gluten free Okonomiyaki, head to the second floor and walk past 2 or 3 shops before you find Sarashina on the right

Kyushu Food

Beppu

• Taco Nargo - ate here twice, pretty yummy spanish flavors and veggie tacos

• Jigokumushikobo Kannawa- traditional 'hot spring' teamed food. Recommend getting your number early, then visit some hot springs, then go back to eat. We waited 1.5hour

• Suited Beppu Yamanotetens - sushi - really good, local place

• TANE - tried to make it here but was closed