Hey there, we’re excited to share with you our first itinerary. It’s mainly designed in mind for those who:

• have already visited the major tourist sites in Japan (mainly Honshu) before
• consider themselves foodies
• appreciate trekking, hiking, and nature
• are less interested in group tours
• like the off the beaten track

For some background, David and I have lived in Tokyo before – 3 years and 5 years respectively. Being that we had already seen most of the major first time Japan travel hotspots. Kyushu was of intrigue to me because I hadn’t been there before. Yakushima was a place I had wanted to visit ever since I saw the Ghibli film Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫).

We Recommend Getting these items before you go:

International Drivers Permit

If you’re planning to visit areas where public transportation is lacking or infrequent (such as Yakushima), obtaining an International Drivers Permit before you travel can make getting around a lot easier.

In the U.S. this is quite easy from your local AAA by:

• Downloading the forms from their webpage here
• Getting two passport photos
• visiting your local AAA office with USD 20 (price in 2019)
• Bringing photocopies of both sides of your valid driving license

It took David approximately 15 minutes on a sunny Saturday in the NYC branch.

If you’re from the U.S., it’s also worth noting that they drive on the left hand side in Japan- when you are renting a car in Japan, if you have a US driving license you may be required to watch a quick video before you get on the road.

Japan Rail Pass

Travelling in Japan by shinkansen bullet train is an experience, but it can also get expensive. The Japan Rail Pass is very useful for travelers who want to visit a few cities at a time. If you hold any sort of visa or a Japanese passport, you will NOT be eligible for the Japan Rail Pass. More information here. We ordered our passes from JTB and picked it up in person locally.

Travel Wifi / Pocket Wifi

Having wifi when traveling around Japan really made our lives easier, saving time when needing to get from point A to B. Before you leave for your trip, contact your mobile carrier to find out what plans exist. If you are in the U.S.:

• AT&T
• Verizon
• Sprint
• T-Mobile
• Pocket wifi (a dongle which you carry around with you like a mobile router) is also another option

Now Onto the Itinerary…

Day 0 : Late night arrival in Tokyo
Day 1-2: Tokyo
Day 3-5: Yakushima, Kagoshima
Day 6: Mt. Aso, Beppu
Day 7: Beppu, Fukuoka
Day 8: Hiroshima
Day 9: Miyajima
Day 10-11: Okunoshima, Osaka
Day 12: Kyoto, Tokyo
Day 13: Tokyo

Day 0: Late Arrival in Tokyo

Locations: Newark, Beijing (stopover), Tokyo (Shibuya hotel EN and
Mennobou toride Ramen)

Our two-week Japan homecoming trip started from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. For some background, We had not visited our second home for a long time. In fact, this was going to be my first time going to Japan as a tourist – meaning I can finally use the Japan Rail Pass!

Four months before we departed, we scored these cheap Air China tickets from Newark to Haneda International Airport with a stopover in Beijing, China each way. They were USD514/pp including taxes. On the way there, the layover was 2.5 hours, and coming back, it was overnight. The layover is less than ideal but for that price, it just can’t be beaten.

We finally got to Haneda Airport at around 21:00 JST. Luckily, landing in Haneda as opposed to Narita Airport meant that it was just a hop and skip away to Shibuya via the Keikyu Line to the JR Yamanote Line.

By the time we got to the hotel room, it was already close to midnight. We could have just gone to bed, but being the foodies that we are, we couldn’t not eat something on the first day we arrived. So, we freshened up a bit and headed out for some ramen at Mennobou toride (麺のぼう砦). At the first taste of the broth, it brought back memories of tonkotsu and how amazing it is compared to any ramen shop in NYC. The pork was so soft and tender, and the nii tamago yolk was perfectly orange. Paired with a beer for Dave and a yuzu sour for myself, it was the perfect first late-night homecoming meal.

Hotel: Shibuya hotel EN, 1-1 Maruyamachō, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-0044, Japan
The double room was tiny, but was clean, comfortable and functional. It was a bit strange to have the sink right next to the TV but it worked, space wise. The toilet / shower was separating the bedroom by a glass wall with Venetian blinds. One nice touch was that all of the toiletries didn’t contain SLS nor parabens which was a nice touch.

Restaurant: Mennobou toride (麺のぼう砦), 20-23 Shinsen-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
A delicious choice for quality tonkotsu ramen!

Day 1: Tokyo (Japan Homecoming)

Locations: Shibuya (Midori), Nakameguro, Meguro, Nishi Azabu (Mahoroba)

After a wonderful night’s sleep, we got up early enough to head to Sushi no Midori (寿司の美登利) in the Shibuya Mark City building before it opened at 11am. Sometimes known as Midori sushi, I cannot stress how much I love this place. I dream of it when I’m back in NY.

They have this new EPARK ticketing system which is nice (7 years ago when I last went, you had no choice but to just line up and physically hold your spot). You need to get a ticket and be present when they call your number but it’s nice to punch in your details (number of people in party, if you want to sit a the counter or table or no preference, and your phone number). We waited for about an hour before we got seated. But once we did, we gorged on sushi. We each got a sushi set for ¥2800/pp and we added on whale, aburi (flambeed) engawa, and some premium uni. This was an absolute delight. The set also came with some chawan mushi and a delectable salad with kanimiso instead of dressing. I was in heaven. Our sushi set had normal uni but that additional premium 極上uni was so creamy and delicious. Aburi engawa, one of my favorite pieces of nigiri sushi, was just as good as I remembered. The botan ebi was another delicious piece. Surprisingly good was the nama shirasu, 生しらす (little raw whitefish). I was so happy with this set. Tasted good with some beer and the sushi feast set us back around ¥9500 in total.

Dave and I then took a walk around memory lane in our old haunts. We thought it might rain so we walked to Nakameguro and Meguro river. We felt so fortunate to see the tail end of sakura / hanami season- especially since full bloom 満開already occurred over the weekend. It was beautiful to walk along the river lined with sakura trees. It was a Monday as well, so a lot less crowds.

Later that evening, we went for dinner at Mahoroba (まほろば) in Nishi Azabu. Mahoroba is a yakitori place which is in a jazzy cocktail bar. It was a bit of a strange atmosphere. The best items were the uni on top of chicken neck wrapped in seaweed. Also the tamago kake gohan with uni.

Restaurants: Sushi no Midori (寿司の美登利), Japan, 〒107-6302 Tōkyō-to, Shibuya-ku, Dōgenzaka, 1-chōme−12−3 マークシティイースト4F
Premium sushi quality for a reasonable price. Must order these extras: aburi engawa, botan ebi, premium uni

Mahoroba (まほろば), 4 Chome-10-1 Nishiazabu Minato-ku Tokyo-to東京都 港区 西麻布 4-10-1 ラポート西麻布 3F
Unique jazzy yakitori bar; order the uni on top of grilled chicken neck

Day 2: Tokyo

Locations: Tokyo (Yoyogi, Harajuku, Aoyama, Roppongi, Ginza, Shinjuku)

You might start to notice a trend, Dave and I love to walk everywhere (partially, it’s also due to my obsession with the fitbit step count). We trekked over to Yoyogi Park – It was nice to see sakura blossoms without droves of tourists, like the previous day. We then walked through Takeshita dori and Jingumae.

On our way walking to Roppongi, we stumbled upon the Aoyama Cemetery. Morbid and borderline sacrireligious, we walked through the cemetery- which is filled with beautiful Sakura trees. Even less tourists here and very impressive amount of cherry blossoms.

• 

Stunning. Afterwards, we ended up in Roppongi Hills. We went to Mori Tower for old time’s sake. The observatory on the 52F was just as we had remembered. The day was so clear, it was perfect for seeing Mt Fuji. We then walked through the modern art museum which had some fun and interesting exhibits.

We were finally craving food. There wasn’t anything calling out to us in Roppongi so we hopped on the Metro to Ginza. After walking along the main strip we ended up at a casual sushi place called Fukusuke. The lunch set sushi was alright but the premium pieces (uni and hotate) were spot on delicious.

On our way back we came across my favorite wagashi (Japanese sweets) place, Akebono! And they had their prized ichigo daifuku. I was excited to eat one of my favorite desserts of all time. There was a limited edition 限定 yuzu daifuku too which I couldn’t resist. The mochi was so delicate and irresistible. So good!

We had dinner at Warayakiya, an izakaya in Shinjuku specializing in food from Kochi, Shikoku with some of our Tokyo friends.

Afterwards we took the train back to Shibuya we walked around looking for a small meal. We ended up at an okonomiyaki place called Mura (むら) right by our hotel. We ordered a seafood okonomiyaki and a curry cheese monjayaki. Delicious and simple- cooked it ourselves like the okonomiyaki experts we are. Oh, the best part was that it was ¥3020 for two pancakes, and two Chu hai (shochu mixed drinks).

Restaurants:

Fukusuke, 10F Ginza Trecious, 2-6-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Akebono, 東京都中央区銀座5-7-19
If you are here during the spring/summer, the ichigo daifuku (fresh strawberry wrapped in a thin layer of red bean paste and an outside layer of mochi) is the best I’ve tried

Warayakiya Japan, 〒160-0022 Tōkyō-to, Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku, 3-chōme−15−11 アドホック新宿ビル8F
Japanese izakaya featuring regional food from Shikoku. This is great for large parties

Mura 〒150-0046 東京都渋谷区松涛1-29-2 B1
Cheap and delicious late night DIY okonomiyaki

Yakushima Preparation Tips

• Be sure to take out enough cash before departing, ATMs are not easy to find on the island.
• Renting a car is highly useful – the island only has one main road so it isn’t stressful to figure out where you are going. There were many times I was glad I wasn’t one of the people waiting in long lines for buses. We rented a car from Times Car Rental.
• If you plan to see Jomon Sugi, buy a ticket before the day you want to hike. (Don’t be like us!)
• Equipment packed from home: Waterproof hiking boots, light waterproof jacket and pants, long, cushiony hiking socks, moisture wicking layerable shirts, small waterproof bag
• To Buy locally: Pocket Tissues, Toilet Bags, Bottled water, snacks. Our hotel packed breakfast and lunch bentos.
• If you plan to take the ferry to and/or from Kagoshima, it is useful to pre-buy Toppy Jetfoil tickets (the website however, is in Japanese)

Day 3: Yakushima (Home of the Ancient Cedar Trees)

Location: Yakushima (Yakusugiland)

We had to wake up at 4:05am (…3 hours of sleep!) in order to catch our 6:25am flight to Kagoshima, which then connects to Yakushima. Unfortunately, no trains were running during that hour. Also, it was raining hard. We managed to grab a taxi outside. We took the highway (extra ¥2000) and the short cab ride from Shibuya to Haneda came out to be a whopping ¥10,000!

One thing to note about Yakushima is to take out enough cash before coming here. We did not do this beforehand and on our last day when we were getting low on cash, there were no ATMs around and doing a search indicated that the only place that had one was the Japan Post. Most places aside from the local supermarket we found, do not take credit card (even at the gas station, our U.S. credit cards did not work).

We did get to the airport at around 5, when the check in desks were just opening. While waiting at the gate, Dave did 10 minutes at a massage chair for ¥200. We ate a katsusando from maisen and an onigiri each. The barely filled flight to Kagoshima via JAL was nice. Then, in Kagoshima there was only a short wait to get on our next flight. The flight from Kagoshima to Yakushima was on a small turboprop commuter plane taking off at 8:50am.

Before we got to Yakushima, the prediction was 100% rain. I also read on a lot of websites that Yakushima is a very rainy island. So we were convinced that our first day would include a rainy hike. When we arrived it was sunny and 70F. The car rental (Times) was a breeze, and our hotel, Jomon no Yado manten was a minute drive away from the airport. We arrived at around 10:40am (felt like it was the afternoon though because we had been up at 4) so our room wasn’t ready. We got changed into our waterproof gear and headed for our first hike.

Before going to Yakushima, we read about renting equipment from sport stores on the island. Since Dave and I were planning to pack very light (we had a carry-on suitcase for a two week trip), we decided to bring the minimum needed and if we needed anything extra we would rent it. I think that if we were to start a hike very early in the morning when it was still dark, a hat with a light on it might prove useful but we always hiked when there was daylight. We also did not use hiking poles (they would be pretty useful though if you want to move quickly), and we didn’t buy a guidebook. We also didn’t use any guide services.

We set out to find a shop to get some snacks and water. On the main road to Yakusugiland, we couldn’t see any convenience stores- so we stopped at an omiyage shop. As we purchased some water, we asked the shopkeeper where the nearest supermarket was. She drew us a map of the nearest one which was towards Anbo port and we stocked up on onigiri and snacks. The shop looked really rundown from the outside though and I didn’t believe it was a supermarket until we stepped in.

Yakusugiland was a 38 minute winding drive along small roads up hill. Upon arrival there were some awesome toilets before the hike (during the hike you will need to do your business in these toilet bags inside toilet stands and then carry it back with you to civilization). The cedar (sugi) trees were amazing. There are a variety of hikes which one can embark on from 30-210 minutes. We ended up doing the 150 minute route. No rain! We lucked out on great weather. The hike wasn’t easy though. There were a lot of steep climbs and declines, getting down on hands to steady myself at certain points. Our knees and legs felt heavy. It was worth it to see the mossy cedars. One of the trees on this trail was 2600 years old. We finished the 150 minute course in 140 minutes.

Our hotel room was nice- it was huge, and included a tatami room. The downside was that there was no shower in the room. The shared bath (separate for men and women) had an outdoor bath 露天風呂which is always delightful but it’s a little bit of a pain not having the option to shower in your own room.

Feeling the jet lag combined with a grueling hike, we had an early dinner at Kagoshima horumon yakiniku. We tried some deer meat, and also  the black pork kalbi which was delicious.

We had bought some yakushima shochu (which is what it’s supposed to be famous for) from the little supermarket we found but it really didn’t taste that great.

Yakusugi Land, Japan, 〒891-4311 Kagoshima-ken, Kumage-gun, Yakushima-chō, Anbo
Hike Difficulty: Easy/Intermediate, for the 150-minute course. We are city slickers who don’t do a lot of hiking

Hotel: Jomon no Yado Manten, ８１２−３３ Koseda, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4207, Japan
The public onsen at the hotel is perfect after a tough hike, and they will pack breakfast and lunch for you for your trek if you request them to

Restaurant: Kagoshima Horumon Yakiniku, 鹿児島県 熊毛郡屋久島町 宮之浦 378

Day 4: Yakushima (Full Hiking Day)

Locations: Yakushima (Shiratani Unsuikyo)Hike Difficulty: Difficult (for the Bugyousugi course & Takoiwa)

We originally intended to go on the famed and well-worn trail to see Jomon Sugi (the oldest and largest ancient Yakusugi/Japanese cedar, possibly in the world). Jomon Sugi is supposedly 2170-7200 years old (the tree is hollow, making it difficult to carbon date). From research, this isn’t supposed to be a difficult hike and people of all ages can do this hike. When we arrived, we had asked the hotel to prepare a breakfast onigiri bento and a lunch bento thinking we will do this 10-12hr hike starting from 5:30am.

Once we got into the car at 5:30am we disappointingly realized that you had to have gotten a ticket to get on the bus to the Arakawa Trail leading to Jomon Sugi. This procedure was enacted to control the congestion of visitors going on this trail, and you cannot just decide to drive up there without a ticket. Since it was already 6am by the time we discovered this information, we couldn’t even take any more buses on this trail since the schedule we found online only seemed to say buses ran until 6:30am. So this would be a good piece of information to note if you want to see Jomon Sugi!

We headed to Shiratani Unsuikyo instead (we were supposed to do this hike on our last day). We arrived at the parking area and scarfed down the delicious breakfast onigiri bento prepared by our hotel. We were able to start hiking at 6:47am.

Shiratani Unsuikyo is famous for the kogemusu no mori (Moss covered forest), which was inspiration for the movie Princess Mononoke. This was exciting, considering that Princess Mononoke was the first Ghibli film I watched, and in my environmental science class in High School.

This hike was the most memorable of my trip here in Yakushima. Since we had all day, we opted to take the longest route (Taiko-iwa) and we did ALL of the possible detours to see the many ancient sugi trees including Yayoi Sugi which is 3000years old. Every step of the way was beautiful- mossy stones and tree stumps give the forest a mystical feel. No picture I took was able to convey the “alive” feeling I got when looking at the scenery. My imagination kept turning the inanimate objects into live creatures. It’s really stunning.

To our luck, there were barely any people on the trail going there despite this being the second most popular trail. Plus, there was no rain. We had the moss covered forest to ourselves for a while. In terms of difficulty this was fairly difficult for non-experienced hikers like Dave and myself. I’m glad we brought our own waterproof hiking boots. We didn’t use hiking sticks which slowed us down a bit but it was nice not to have to rent them.

From the start of the entrance we opted for the challenging bugyousugi course which contained many ancient sugi trees. This was actually by accident as we thought it would be the easier way to get to taikoiwa. This route was the most un-tamed and we only ran into one other hiker along the way. There was a lot of up and down and climbing over slippery rocks as well as crossing four streams (one of which Dave fell into and got his boots fully submerged under water and caught between rocks) but was so peaceful and we had the forest completely to ourselves. Luckily Dave was carrying the wet bag because part of it went into the stream too. He was thankfully not hurt when slipping off the slippery rock). It was rewarding course overall. Taikoiwa was more rewarding. You hike up to a huge rock at the top of the mountain 1070m, revealing the most beautiful and breathtaking overview of Yakushima. Combined with the beauty of the moss forest, you see everything and feel challenged by the hike. The waterfall close to the entrance is pretty as well. We did every course which we finished up at 1:23pm (inclusive of eating a leisurely lunch at 11:17am) 

There was also a trail (called tsuji toge path) at the path to Taikoiwa which leads out of the Shiratani Unsuikyo to the arakawa trail to see Jomon Sugi which is supposed to be difficult. It takes 12hours round trip which we weren’t sure we would make in a timely manner so we opted out. Glad we did.

We made it back to the hotel and got cleaned up. To spend the next hours of daylight we decided to get in the car and go to the Seibu rindo pass, which is a driving path on the west part of the island through UNESCO protected forest. It’s famous for spotting monkeys and deer. We set out at around 4:30pm knowing sundown would be 6:42pm. Driving to the west part of the island took about 58 minutes along narrow roads but it was worth it. We spotted about 8 monkeys and 4 deer despite the rainy weather. We actually weren’t supposed to be in the pass between 5pm-7am but did not realize it until we got out of the path. This meant though, that we couldn’t turn back to return to Anbo port, we had to circle the entire island to get back to our area. So that’s what we did!

For dinner we intended to go to iso no Kaori which was closed until the 12th randomly. Then we went to an izakaya 若大将 wakadaisho which was too full. The other two restaurants on the same street were also full. (Wow where were all these people on the trails?) we opted for another restaurant closeby called Kakureka隠れ家. Not bad, very simple. They had a dish called ninja yakisoba which was pork, japanese mayo, and roasted nori strips on top. The yakisoba noodles were bouncy in texture. We also tried kuruma ebi (caught fresh from their tank in the restaurant) which was like ¥800 for one shrimp. That wasn’t really worth the price. The karaage was good.

We headed back to the hotel and bought a mixer of grape juice from the vending machine to mix with the shochu we bought the prior day.

Hike : Shiratani Unsuikyo , Miyanoura, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4200, Japan
Hike Difficulty: Difficult (for the Bugyousugi course & Takoiwa)

Scenic Drive: Seibu Rindo Pass (UNESCO), 469-45 Koseda, Yakushima-chō, Kumage-gun, Kagoshima-ken 891-4207, Japan
Drive slowly and monkey-watch (do not feed them!)
Note that the driving path is closed between 5pm-7am daily

Restaurant:Kakureka隠れ家, 鹿児島県熊毛郡屋久島町宮之浦６６

Day 5: Yakushima to Kagoshima

Locations: Yakushima (Ohko no taki waterfall, Banyan Tree Park, Nagata Inakahama Beach, Yoggo Valley), Kagoshima

Our plan today was to spend another day in Yakushima, and head to Kagoshima by ferry at 16:30 (we bought these toppy jetfoil tickets online before we came to Japan for vacation). Two days of hiking resulted in some pretty sore muscles.

We had ordered an onigiri bento and lunch bento again from the hotel (even though we weren’t planning to go on anymore hikes we figured their ¥650 bento was cheaper than a regular lunch). After we had our breakfast, we checked out before 10am. We knew we wanted to go to the Ohko no taki waterfall on the west side of the island (Yakushima only has one road encircling the entire island- with two routes going in different directions).

On the way we saw a cookies shop called Mam’s Kitchen. The Shio butter cookie shaped like a turtle was freshly baked and had some macadamia nuts in it. We also tried a tiny chocolate chip cookie. They both cost ¥160. We continued down the rows and came across the Banyan tree park. Right next door was a coffee shop named Kiina. We needed some caffeine so we hopped into Kiina first for black coffee. The Banyan tree park (志戸子のガジュマル園）was nice in the sense where it felt like we had it to ourselves but aside from banyan trees, nothing special.

Coasting along to the west coast we came across the Nagata inakahama beach, which we walked along on the sand. Little did I know, this is where the most sea turtles lay their eggs in the world. July-August are good times to spot sea turtles!

It was almost time for lunch. We came across signs for Yoggo Valley (横河渓谷). Sometimes one can swim in here like a pool (not today, though). We sat here on the rocks and had our lunch bentos, like a picnic.

The seibu rindo came up again. This time not raining, we were still able to spot more wild monkeys and deer.

After that, we finally got to the Ohko no Taki waterfall. It was well worth it, a majestic waterfall it was.

Dave sped through the “monkey safari” as much as possible to get to the Times rental miyanoura branch by 3:30pm. We also needed to fill the tank. On top of that we only had ¥7000 worth of cash left as we did not take out additional cash before Yakushima. We asked two gas stations if they accepted credit cards and they did not. The third one we encountered close to the rental car shop said they took credit card. But none of our cards worked in their reader. We ended up only needing ¥3900 to fill up the take thankfully! The gas station gave us a ticket/receipt certifying that we filled up the tank.

We got a lift from the rental car area to the Ferry terminal. The ferry ride from yakushima to Kagoshima was a total of 2hrs 10 minutes with a stop in Tanegashima. We arrived in Kagoshima at 6:40pm. It was a 20 minute walk from the ferry terminal to our hotel – Richmond Hotel.

On the way, we passed by a park with a great view of the Sakurajima volcano as a backdrop. Along the way I noticed that there were many colorful azalea bushes lining the sidewalk.

We booked our super cheap room at Richmond hotel through agoda (around $60 all included). When we did the booking we booked a non smoking double bed room. At check in they attempted to give us a tatami room with two twin beds (why they always insist on giving us 2 beds I don’t know) but we were able to get a double room. However, the room was a smoking room…

It was already fairly late. We tried to call ahead to two places that seemed to have black pork shabu but they were already full. We opted to try this black pork katsu place (it was literally black) called Kurobuta (黒福多). They mix charcoal with the bread crumbs to give the crust a black look- it looked like Oreo cookie crumbs. We ordered two cuts – the hire (tenderloin) and rosu (fattier pork loin). Normally the hire cut can be dry but not the special Kagoshima kurobuta. It was slightly pink looking and so, so tender. I could cut it in half with just my chopsticks. The rosu cut was not as flavorful but still delicious. We tried some other Kagoshima specialities – kibinago (silver “bait” fish) sashimi which was not really that special. You do dip it in this pickled miso which was kinda interesting. The satsuma-age wasn’t my favorite. It’s a slightly sweet fish cake which has onion in it. The kakuni pork using this kurobuta was also outstanding, but doesnt overshadow the deliciousness of the star dish. Basically, kurobuta is Berkshire pork from England brought over 400 years ago. The Japanese feed these pigs sweet potato to give it the flavor it has. Kagoshima was filled with places specializing in this black pork. Good thing we only had one night here, otherwise we would be stuffing our faces with pork.

We strolled around the Tenmonkan area which seemed to be the main strip. As we exited the restaurant it suddenly became a red light district – flooded with salarymen haunts like hostess clubs and annai information places. And a lot of people trying to get salarymen into their clubs. We strolled around a bit- tried to get a closer look at the Ferris wheel that lit up the night sky. We ended up at the Highball bar in Tenmonkan and had a few drinks before heading back to the hotel after midnight for bed.

Mam’s Kitchen, 1261-13 Miyanoura, Yakushima-chō, Kumage-gun, Kagoshima-ken 891-4205, Japan
Freshly baked salt (shio) butter cookies

Kiina Coffee Shop , １８１−９７ Shitogo, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4204, Japan

Restaurant: Kurobuta (Kagoshima), 3-2 Sennichichō, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima-ken 892-0843, Japan
Amazing, melt-in-your mouth famous black haired Kurobuta pork. Our favorite was the Hire (ヒレ) tenderloin cut

Bar : Highball Bar (Kagoshima), Japan, 〒892-0843 Kagoshima-ken, Kagoshima-shi, Sennichichō, 2−14 天文館文化通りグルメスターズ1階

Hotel(s): Richmond Hotel, 5-3 金生町 Kagoshima, 892-0828, Japan

Day 6: Mt. Aso to Beppu

Locations: Mt. Aso and Beppu

In planning our trip we decided to rent a car to avoid having to waste time waiting for trains and connecting buses (we didn’t have much time). We set out to the Budget Rent a Car at 7:45am. It was a 26 minute walk but a nice way to stroll around Kagoshima in our short time here. We checked the volcano conditions (daily updates at 8:30am), as there are days where the fumes are too poisonous where visitors aren’t allowed. Conditions were looking good.

From Kagoshima to Mt Aso it is about 3 hours. Dave drove straight there and we ate convenience store (conbini) onigiri in the car.

When we arrived at Mt Aso, we started off at Nakadake crater. It was hard to see much aside from the huge plume of smoke. Sulfuric oxide makes up most of the gases inhaled at Mt Aso.

Once we reached the toll booth gate for mt Aso, there is a sign that says that it is a no toilet zone. But, luckily there were actually porterpotties there.

We descended back to some of the other sightseeing points. It turns out that there are indeed hiking opportunities- there were many trekkers climbing up to see the Nakadake crater (many rocks, good thing we wore our boots). We didn’t realize that it was more than 1.5 hours to get to the crater- we didn’t bring enough food or water. Also we drove up to the crater earlier so really it was likely to be the same scene. After scaling rocks for 40 minutes we headed back down.

After Mt Aso we decided to stop for lunch in the Aso area. Aso is known for the akaushi beef. We went to a family restaurant called Yoka Yoka tei and tried the akaushi beef Donburi with a soft egg in the middle. We also had some basashi. Both were just average but, better Japanese food than what we would get in NY any day.

Two hours of driving later, we ended up in Beppu- surprisingly more of a large city instead of a small village like place. Was not expecting that. Our hotel/ryokan was right by the Beppu tower – Umikaoru hotel Matsumi. We had gotten a room which has a rotenburo onsen attached to the room, a real treat!! We were allowed to select our yukata too. (Purple for me). Once we got in the room we ran the bath and hopped in. Lovely.

After relaxing for a few hours, we went to dinner at 凡のはなれ醸し屋(ぼんのはなれかもしや), an izakaya 10 minutes away from the hotel by walk. We tried a kabosu chuhai (Japanese citrus) which was nice. We tried some Oita/Beppu specialties- Dangojiru (hearty soup with flat white flour noodles), ryukyu sashimi (raw fish marinated in soy sauce mirin sake and sesame seeds), and of course, toriten (chicken tempura).

We then went for a second dinner at icchome ramen- the tonkotsu was very bone brothy. Then we went back to the hotel and called it a night.

Edit: We realized that on the official Mt Aso website, that they closed off viewing the crater and 1km vicinity of the volcano on 4/14/19. So we were so lucky to see it on the day we decided to go (4/12/2019)!

Scenic Spot : Mt. Aso, Takawara, Aso, Kumamoto 869-2223, Japan
Make sure to check the official website for volcano conditions before you head there; if there is enough noxious gases the volcano area will be closed for safety
If you need to maximize time, be sure to rent a car to make your life easier

Restaurant(s):

• Yoka Yoka Tei (Aso), 2395-1 Ichinomiyamachi Miyaji, Aso-shi, Kumamoto-ken 869-2612, Japan
• Bon no hanare Kamoshiya (Beppu)
• Icchome Ramen (Beppu),
  1-chōme-3-31 Kitahama, Beppu-shi, Ōita-ken 874-0920

Hotel: Umikaoru hotel Matsumi (Beppu), 3 Chome-14-8 Kitahama, Beppu, Oita 874-0920, Japan
Book a room with your own hotspring; you can choose the color of your yukata robe too!

Day 7: Beppu to Fukuoka

Locations: Beppu and Fukuoka

The umikaoru hotel matsumi included a lovely breakfast – we didn’t bring our smartphones so we lived in the moment. But it was a kaiseki style 9 compartmentalized breakfast bento with some grilled fish, rice, and a clam soup broth. Very satisfying. The Mentaiko was particularly delicious.

At 9:30am after checkout we decided to go to the Shoningahama Seaside Sand bath (砂湯). Thinking there wouldn’t be much of a wait, I was shocked it was 1hr wait. The entrance fee is 1030/pp and an extra 350/pp for a bath towel. While waiting, we dipped our feet into a foot bath which was extremely hot. Finally they called our number. First you change into a yukata. Then you go outside to a sand pit. There are people shoveling holes into the sand and you lie down. Then they pile more sand on top. It felt heavy and warm. We laid there for 15 minutes. After the time is up, we shake off the sand and rinse it all off in the shower room. It was refreshing and I felt warm all over.

Next we decided to go to the Takasaki Monkey Park which was also very close by. Didn’t think much of it- just thought it’d be very commercial. But surprisingly it was quite nice. The monkeys are free to come and go- they are not confined to the park. We saw the feeding- where monkeys go crazy to get food. It was all very cute.

We then made our way to Fukuoka by car. Fukuoka was a little under two hours away but it was rainy so it took a little longer than expected. After a stressful car journey we managed to make it to the Budget rental car center to return the car in the tenjin area. We then walked 20 minutes to our hotel- Canal City Fukuoka Washington. Fukuoka is surprisingly (…or not so surprising) a big red light district. Soaplands, adult information booths were everywhere. Something about it seemed more unabashed than the way the same stores are presented in Shibuya or Shinjuku. We had to pass through these areas each time we arrived at Canal City Fukuoka Washington Hotel. Our hotel was within a large shopping mall complex (Canal City).

It was after 5pm when we arrived. We decided to have an early ramen dinner and see if we can eat more later. It was raining so we purchased an umbrella from a Lawson next to the hotel for ¥700. We then realized we could have taken a cab for a similar price. We made our way to Nagahama ramen nanba wan (16 minute walk) and arrived at 5:44pm. Amazing Tonkotsu ramen… so delicious. It stopped raining so we ditched the umbrella at another conbini in the Tenjin area (main shopping district).

We then walked to mitsukoshi depachika to find the omiyage I loved eating – Hakata Toorimon (only the best manju ever). It was just as delicious as I remembered. Only got 5 pieces. Try it for yourself!

We walked towards the Fukuoka tower but knew it was almost 3 miles away. We passed by the Fukuoka castle ruins and the park surrounding it was beautiful.

We made our way back to the hotel and watched a bit of the special water show (space invaders) at Canal City (the water show is also visible from our hotel window!)

After relaxing at the hotel with a can of chuhai (kiwi flavored one!), at 22:00 we forced ourselves to eat another bowl of ramen- this time at Hakata Issou Nakasu branch. One bowl of the regular ramen was only ¥700 (ticket machines are used here). This second bowl’s broth was more brothy, with the bits that normally get skimmed off. I felt it was more salty and less creamy than the prior bowl.

Relaxation : Shoningahama Seaside Sand bath, 9 Shoningahamacho, Beppu-shi, Ōita-ken 874-0023, Japan
Get buried in warm volcanic sand in the famous Beppu sand bath

Scenic Spot : Takasaki Monkey Park, 3098-1 Kanzaki, Oita, 870-0802, Japan
For some live monkey interaction!

Hakata Toorimon, 1-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0012, Japan
My favorite food souvenir can be found everywhere in Fukuoka. It’s a buttery manju (bean paste bun). Its not your traditional red bean paste- it incorporates butter and cream and has a bit more of a western feel to it. I ate all of it during the trip and couldn’t bring any back home

Restaurants:

• Nagahama Ramen Nanba wan (Number one), 2-chōme-5-22 Nagahama, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 810-0072
  • Quintessential Fukuoka style tonkotsu ramen – #1 in my book!!
• Hakata Issou Nakasu,3-chōme-1-6 Hakataekihigashi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 812-0013

Hotel: Canal City Fukuoka Washington, 1-chōme-2-20 Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 812-0018, Japan

Day 8: Fukuoka to Hiroshima

Locations: Fukuoka and Hiroshima

We woke up early in the morning and packed quickly. We wanted to enjoy some more time in Fukuoka during the day. The weather was perfect this morning as well. No jacket weather. We went to the Hakata Station and reserved Shinkansen tickets for the Sakura 11:51am. Instead of a normal breakfast, we decided that since we were in the birthplace of the almighty tonkotsu ramen, we should have one more bowl. We walked back to Nakasu and went to the Ichiran flagship store. Third bowl of ramen within 16 hours- literally all we ate in Fukuoka. Not as special as the other two we had but, there was no line and it was nice to eat in the individual booths.

We then started off for the Fukuoka Castle ruins but realized that it was 40 minutes away from check out so we headed back to the hotel. Afterwards, it was time to get on to the Shinkansen.

The Sakura stops at Kokura and Tokuyama before reaching Hiroshima close to 1pm. The Oriental Hotel Hiroshima was a 28 minute walk. A much needed walk even with luggage.

It was another 20 minutes to the atomic bomb museum. We knew it would close at 5 so we wanted to get a quick lunch beforehand. We stumbled upon momijitei, an okonomiyaki that looks like it was made for otaku. Anime and okonomiyaki.. we ordered a seafood okonomiyaki and a cheese/garlic one. Each one was Hiroshima style, and made with care. It was lacking a bit in seasoning. But the chef/owner was so nice- he gave us a free dessert icecream which had a chocolate sketch of the A-Bomb Dome and “Welcome to Hiroshima” in the background. Very skillful.

We made it to the museum before 4. It was soo crowded; lots of tourists. Could barely see any of the exhibits… We then walked an extra 24 minutes to the Shukkeien, a beautifully recreated Japanese style garden. We were there until closing time at 6.

We made our way back to the hotel to relax. Close to 9pm we made our way to a local izakaya, Arashi. We tried some mentaiko tempura, tako ten, tempura anago don, assorted sashimi, salmon ochazuke, and oyster with butter (Hiroshima is famous for oysters- and I love oysters!).

Historic Site: Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Museum, 1-2 Nakajimachō, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima-ken 730-0811, Japan

Restaurants:

• Ichiran Main Store: 5-chōme-3-２ Nakasu, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 810-0801
• Momijitei (Hiroshima), 〒730-0031 Hiroshima-ken, Hiroshima-shi, Naka-ku, Kamiyachō, 2-chōme−3−10 リブレ紙屋町ビル302号
• Arashi (Hiroshima), 2-3 Horikawachō, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima-ken 730-0033

Hotel: Oriental Hotel Hiroshima, 6-10 Tanakamachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima-ken 730-0026, Japan

Day 9: Oysters Galore in Miyajima

Locations: Hiroshima and Miyajima

We woke up early to spend the day in Miyajima. We took the JR sanyo line 26min to miyajimaguchi. We the boarded the Ferry for 10min, which was all included in jr rail pass. We decided to have an early lunch at yakigaki no hayashi, which is- you guessed it, an oyster specialty restaurant! Hiroshima oysters are big, and creamy. Not as briny as the east coast US oysters though. We got two beautiful lunch sets which included kakimeshi (rice steamed with oysters), kakifurai (deep fried), yakigaki (grilled), and of course, raw oysters. Basically almost all of the best ways to eat an oyster.

After this particularly filling meal we decided to get to the top of Mt Misen. Rather than use the ropeway, we climbed 2.5km up on foot, which took around 90 minutes (pretty steep). In hindsight, taking the ropeway up might have been less strenuous but we decided to do it the hard way. Out of breath and tired, we finally got to the top of Mt. Misen. We took the ropeway back down which took like 15 minutes.

We walked around Itsukushima shrine and through the shopping street again. We came across the Miyajima Brewery and tried the lemon ale and the IPA. Both were good. We also shared a momiji manju (matcha flavor) but it was just ok.

When we first got to Miyajima the tide had been low and we were able to walk on the sand and see the entire torii gate. At around 4:45pm the tide had risen so we were able to see the torii in a different light.

After taking the ferry and train ride back, AND walking 20 minutes to our hotel we were pooped. And it already nearly 7pm.

We had dinner at 8:30pm at another oyster specialty restaurant called Ekohiiki. When in Hiroshima… right? It was 17 minutes walk from our hotel (my fitbit step counter got about 32k steps overall). It was delicious- deep fried fugu, tempura oysters, grilled oysters, oyster kaki kamameshi, uni on top of spinach, chicken karaage… the stand out was the kamameshi. So good.

Restaurants:

• Yakigaki no Hayashi, 505-1 Miyajimachō, Hatsukaichi-shi, Hiroshima-ken 739-0588
  • Oyster heaven for the oyster lover
• Miyajima Brewery, 〒739-0556 Hiroshima-ken, Hatsukaichi-shi, Miyajimachō, ４５９−２ BREWERY （宮島ブルワリー）｜宮島ランチ・ディナ
• Ekohiiki, 〒730-0051 Hiroshima-ken, Hiroshima-shi, Naka-ku, Ōtemachi, 1-chōme−7−20 小松ビル

Day 10: Okunoshima to Osaka

Locations: Okunoshima and Osaka

We forced ourselves out of bed by 7:30am. We planned to go to Okunoshima- aka Rabbit Island. We knew it would be a bit of a nightmare to get to so we had to make all the right trains. And with luggages.

From Hiroshima we had to catch the 8:53am Shinkansen (Kodama) two stops to Mihara, and then get the JR Kura line to Tadanouchi station. From there was got a ferry to Okunoshima. We didn’t set foot onto the items until 10:40am. We only had just about one hour to get the 11:40am ferry back to Tadanouchi. At the ferry terminal we were able to leave our luggage there for 500yen each, and purchase some rabbit food. It was worth it. These bunnies unfortunately have bad eyesight but it was so cute to see them nibbling away at the food. The island itself is literally just feral bunnies running around and an abandoned poison gas museum. Something very desolate about this place. There was rabbit poop all over the place and I think one rabbit flung urine over my pants. Before coming here I had seen a youtube video where a traveler laid on top of the grass, placed rabbit food on his torso, and bunnies climbed all over him trying to get food. I don’t think the ground is fit for lying on considering the poop situation.

When we got back to Mihara, we had a quick bento lunch in the town. Actually we meant to eat ramen or sushi but everything was literally closed. It was so bizarre- it was a ghost town that already closed after lunch services but it was only 1pm! The random karaage bento was actually quite nice.

We meant to catch the JR Sanyo line at 1:35pm to catch the Sakura Shinkansen at Fukuyama going to shin Osaka. But as we got to the station, we realized that there was a kodama Shinkansen going straight to shin Osaka. Thing is that this train gets us to our destination 15 minutes later. But we decided it was worth it because it was direct, we scored seats in the non reserved area, and there was free Wi-Fi along the way. So we decided to chill out on the slow way to Osaka. We got to the Shin Osaka station at 16:14. Going to Okunoshima was a tight scheduled place to tack into our packed schedule but was worth it. Unique little place and lots of bunnies. Funny thing is you reach Mihara and you only see tourists coming out of the train and transferring to tadanouchi. I guess we’re the only ones who really want to see the bunnies.

We also decided last minute to not stay in Kyoto on the 18th (but do another night in Osaka instead).

Once we got to Shin Osaka it was a few stops on the midosuji line to nanba eki. From nanba it was 14 minutes walking to our hotel, the Doutonbori Crystal hotel- the best room we had so far. More space, big bed (…two twin beds put together), bathroom that doesn’t smell slightly moldly.

After some instagram searching, we found Izakaya Toyo in the Kyobashi neighborhood. This is a lively, outdoor standing bar where you can only order chutoro sashimi, kappa maki topped/overloaded with uni and ikura – two of my favorite things together. We got one of their specials- crab- also. It was sooo awesome!! Kyobashi wasn’t very touristed either which was another huge plus. There was a 30 minute wait but was so worth it.

Next we had one okonomiyaki at kaze no machi, also in Kyobashi. We had the special which had 5 different ingredients.

After that we went to get kushiage at Kushikatsu Katsuhiro 勝大, also in kyobashi. It was our first time having this in Osaka. We ordered a 10 skewer set. Three small dinners in one evening, what a treat. How will we spend our full day in Osaka?

Okunoshima, Tadanoumicho, Takehara, Hiroshima 729-2311, Japan
Otherwise known as “Bunny Island”. Feed and play with docile wild bunnies! It is a bit of a pain to get to so plan ahead

Osaka
If you are a foodie, this will be the ultimate destination

Hotel: Doutonbori Crystal Hotel, 2-chōme-9-24 Shimanouchi, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0082, Japan
One of the best budget hotels we stayed in – spacious rooms and so close to all of the action on Doutonbori!

Restaurants:

Izakaya Toyo (Osaka), 大阪府大阪市都島区東野田町3-2-26
A must for fresh uni and toro lovers. Worth the 30-minute queue .

Kaze no Machi (Osaka), Japan, 〒534-0024 Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Miyakojima-ku, Higashinodamachi, 5-chōme−1−19 KLM1F

Kushikatsu Katsuhiro (Osaka), 1-chōme-5-9 Dōtonbori, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0071, Japan

Day 11: The Ultimate Food Tour in Osaka

Location: Osaka

Dave and I have both been to Osaka before, on separate occasions. When I first visited more than 10 years ago, I didn’t get to quite experience the full extent of what Osaka has to offer to a self-proclaimed foodie. It is the ultimate foodie destination. In order to try as many delicious specialties as possible, we decided to nibble a little bit at each place. It turned into a food tour, and I think our stomachs almost exploded. The only two places I really wanted to go for were gram (the pancake pictures flooded my Instagram feed for months) and the famed ikayaki at Hankyu Department Store, but we stumbled upon a few gems.

We set out to get the famous fluffy pancakes at gram- it didn’t open until 11am but we queued up at 10:30am. This place only has 40 orders of the fluffy pancakes per day and we were the first patrons lined up. They were awesome! We actually greedily had two orders, little piggies we were. So much for rationing stomach space.

As if that wasn’t enough, we went to a random conveyor belt Sushi place also in shinsaibashi called 元禄寿司 genroku sushi – aburi hotate and uni cucumber- only 351yen. Rice wasn’t the best but it was super quick and cheap.

We strided back to Doutonbori, where we stopped by the famous kani douraku for a taste of Kanimiso koura (shell) yaki for 500yen (crab shell filled with soupy kanimiso and crab) かにみそ甲羅焼き. I love kanimiso so this was a treat I never had before.

Next we trekked for an hour to Osaka Castle. On the way we got Roasters Coffee handdrip Colombian iced coffee. Very Brooklyn vibe.

We made our way to osaka jo castle which was pretty loaded with tourists. The plum garden was pretty.

W then got a snack of tako sen(3 pieces of takoyaki in two senbei crackers like a little sandwich) for 200yen at Wanaka.

Next, we took the JR loop train to Osaka station to go to the uber famous Hankyu department store’s ikayaki stand (阪神名物 いか焼き). We tried the ikayaki and Derabanでラバン (ikayaki with egg). Surprisingly not as tasty as okonomiyaki or takoyaki.

There was a choboyaki stand right next to the ikayaki stand called Ganso Choboyaki honten and we got to try this also. Tasted like a takoyaki but in a rectangular shape. It has konyaku, benishoga, and negi. We tried one with cheese and a normal one. Actually it seems like choboyaki is the prototype of takoyaki! Who would have known. Of all of the entire time I lived in Japan I had no idea.

And when we thought we couldn’t eat any more, we went for some tsukemen inside of the hankyu umeda station called Kyoto Menya Takei (had to go inside of the gates to get here). Delicious broth and perfect thick noodles but unfortunately I really couldn’t eat very much- not even the pork.

After that we took the train back to the doutonbori crystal hotel.

Close to 9pm we came back out for dinner. We strolled to ura namba which was close to Nipponbashi metro station. Ichiba zushi was our first stop. It was a place where you walk in and sit in counter seats and there are a few old guys making sushi on order for you. This place was right next to the Kuromon market so I guess that’s why the fish was fresh. We only had a few pieces- uni x2, unagi, salmon, ootoro, and hotaru ika. They were all really good. Especially hotaru ika which was in season and was one of the specials. Wished we could eat more but felt heartburn kicking in. So well priced too.

Then we went for takoyaki at Takohachi, which was a stand on doutonbori. After that we had a few drinks at a tiny standing bar called Nomiske. They had perfectly large cubes of ice.

Lastly we went to this awesome kushikatsu place (changed my thoughts on this cuisine). The name was 串かつかせやん. There were some really drunk salarymen in there so it was lively. The quail eggs, gyu here, pork, and shrimp pieces were standout. The owner/sole person manning the counter is also very friendly and accomodating.

Osaka is a food playground for adventurous foodies indeed.

• Gram, 1-chōme-5-24 Shinsaibashisuji, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0085, Japan
  • Ultra fluffy jiggly pancakes that are often imitated. Line up early- only 40 orders a day!
• Genroku sushi, 3-chōme-11-1 Minamisenba, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0081, Japan
• Kani Douraku, 1-chōme-6-18 Dōtonbori, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0071, Japan
• Roasters Coffee, 6-chōme-18-27 Tanimachi, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0012, Japan
• Wanaka, 3-1 Ōsakajō, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 540-0002, Japan
  • Try the Tako-sen たこせん which is an alternative way to eat takoyaki!
• Hanshin Meibutsu Ikayaki, 〒530-8224 Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Kita-ku, Umeda, 1-chōme−13−１３ 阪神百貨店梅田本店 B1F
• Ganso Choboyaki Honten, 〒530-8224 Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Kita-ku, Umeda, 1-chōme−13−１３ 阪神百貨店梅田本店 B1F
  
  • Interesting fact: Choboyaki came before Takoyaki
• Kyoto Menya Takei
  
• Ichiba zushi, 3-chōme-2-13 Nanba, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0076, Japan
  • The hotaru ika (baby squid) was memorably delicious
• Takohachi, 1-chōme-5-10 Dōtonbori, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0071, Japan
• Nomiske
• Kushikatsu kaseyan, 〒542-0083, 1-chōme-13-9 Higashishinsaibashi, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0083, Japan
  • Best kushikatsu restaurant in Osaka

Day 12: Mame Shibas and Pugs Galore

Locations: Osaka, Kyoto (Katsura) and Tokyo

I’m not sure how our Japan trip became a cute animal vacation (we saw monkeys, deer, bunnies), and last night when I caught sight of this Mame Shiba dog cafe, I really wanted to go. We checked out of the hotel at 10am and headed to the Mame Shiba cafe that we came across last night (and it was closed). It opened at 10:30am. While we waited we had some more takoyaki from Takohachi (same stand as last night).

They only let you stay for ½ an hour; which is fine because those dogs were actually not so friendly and didn’t want to play with humans or want to be touched. They were pretty disobedient as well. I think this place is overall, a pass.

And if a shiba dog cafe was not enough, our next destination was a pug cafe. So anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love pugs and their squishy little faces. I first heard about the Living Room Cafe about a year ago and I knew that when we made our pilgrimage back to Japan, we had to stop here. So some people come to Kyoto for temples, matcha, and traditional Japanese culture. We came for the pugs.

We made our way to Katsura station which was about an hour from the Nipponbashi station. The Living Room Pug cafe was a 13 minute walk from there, kind of in the middle of nowhere (in a very suburban part of town). There are also a lot of cabs there so that you can take a taxi there too (was a bit tough walking along the streets with our luggage). At the station we picked up two lunch bentos at the station and we arrived at the cafe at 12:35pm to eat a super quick lunch before opening. We were the first to arrive.

After filling out a registration form (à la doctor’s office style) we were allowed in after 13:08. The entry fee was 1200yen/pp which had some snacks (for humans and for dogs) and a drink. Even as we approached the room, pugs were eager to play and they were excited to see humans. There were 13 pugs, each with their names written on the back of a jersey they were wearing. Gontaro knew how to shake hands, Reo likes to leap onto the back of people’s necks. Maria was the youngest little pug at 5 months, and A! was a miniature black pug and was tiny even at 11 years old. We of course had to get the special course for an extra 600yen which was a goblet of special dog treats plus cheese and chicken breast – feast.

Almost every table got one of the special treats and each time it came out, the pugs went nuts. They were so well trained. No peeing in any area aside from the designated pee spot, and no pooping inside at all. Also they were trained not to eat any treats on the table and can only eat it if a human gave it to them directly. The tables were also just tall enough so they couldn’t properly reach. There was a lot of smiling, laughing, and if you were sad before, you wont be after an hour with these crazy animals. They all loved sitting in our laps and being petted, particularly A! Kantaro, Reo and Roko. It was just a ball. The whole hour went by really quickly. This was one of the happiest moments in our time in Japan. The horde of pugs melt all of your problems away.

We left the pug cafe and walked back to the station with our luggage, strangely energized. We caught the hankyu line one stop to karasuma where we got the subway line two stops to Kyoto station. Originally we were due to take the 3:22pm hikari but we managed to snag reserved tickets for the 2:59pm Hikari. Even had time to buy some quick omiyage food souvenirs.

We arrived in Shinagawa station a little before 6pm. From there we got to the Shibuya Tokyu REI hotel which was closest to the Miyamasuzaka exit from the jr station (close to where the sbarro used to be). We unfortunately reached rush hour so trains were sardine can style- and we had our suitcases.

After unpacking we set out for a little dinner adventure. We started off at the Uogashi standing sushi bar in Center Gai/Udagawacho. My old haunt was a bit different though- there were mostly travelers and they even had an English menu which was shocking. But, still they had the cheap aburi engawa (so good we got three pieces each!), and hotaru ika (not as good as the one in Osaka unfortunately!). We filled up a bit more than we liked but the total bill was only 3600yen.

We then visited my next favorite old haunt Tasu ichi just a few steps past the Uogashi. The interior was the same but the environment different. We had one drink and left.

We decided to go to Ikebukuro to try to escape the Shibuya crowd a bit. We strolled around but didn’t quite find anything especially appetizing. So we headed to Shinjuku golden Gai hoping to find some hole in the wall. When we actually got there it was shockingly different. Golden gai used to kind of intimidating if you dont know Japanese. But every little bar had English signs outside and we saw more non Japanese than local japanese there. We decided to leave.

We went back to Shibuya and decided to try a yakiniku place called Ushihachi which was in a building right opposite of the Starbucks at scramble crossing which was amazing for picture taking. We had the table that had the best view also. This place was alright- we just had a course set which was slightly overpriced at 3000yen. This set had high quality meat (4 different kinds) but only 12 pieces so it was a bit more appetizery than a meal. We managed to make last order which was before 10.30pm.

Finally we were still a little peckish and wanted noodles. We came across Kamukura close to center gai which is actually a chain from Osaka but decided to try it. Their soup is a mystery even to the workers there but to me seemed to be a mix of chicken and soy sauce broth. There was lots of stir fried cabbage and pork strips (for 750yen) and it was delicious.

Pet Cafe: Mameshiba Cafe, 548-1 Nakanocho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8042

Pet Cafe: Living Room Pug Café,151 Katsurakawatachō, Nishikyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 615-8017
The only Pug Café in the world. It might be the happiest place on earth

Restaurants:

• Takohachi (Osaka)
• Uogashi (Tokyo), 25-6 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0042
• Tasuichi (Tokyo), 33-14 Udagawachō, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-0042
• Ushihachi (Tokyo), 〒150-0043 Tōkyō-to, Shibuya-ku, Dōgenzaka, 2-chōme−3−1 渋谷駅前ビル 4Ｆ
  • Great view of the Scramble Crossing if you snag a seat by the front entrance
• Kamakura (Tokyo), 29-4 Udagawachō, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-0042, Japan

Hotel: Shibuya Tokyu REI hotels, 〒150-0002　東京都渋谷区渋谷1-24-10

Day 13: Last Full Day in Tokyo

Location: Tokyo

We woke up and leisurely got ready. Midori sushi opens at 11am so we went to Mark City before 10:30am and got a ticket for midori sushi (number 24!). Then we got a quick coffee and matcha latte st Chelsea cafe inside of mark city and strolled along dogenzaka. We returned to Midori sushi right before 11 but didn’t get a seat until 11:20. We had an amazing sushi spread of aburi engawa (x2), Anago, tamago, ikura, botan ebi, premium uni x2, premium raw scallop, hotaru ika x2, ootoro. Glorious. 8900yen total and totally totally satisfied.

We then hopped on the train to get to Kappa bashi to look at Japanese knives. We ended up buying a Japanese Damascus steel gyutou 牛刀 knife to use at home.

Next we decided to go to Akihabara and have a snack of fresh soba at Kanda Yabusoba. We ordered an anago soba and a wakatake soba which had wakame takenoko and chicken breast. Somehow we were able to finish it. We got some good views of the sky tree also.

Then it was dinner time with our Tokyo friends again at Gambrinus in Roppongi. One interesting dish was the deep fried monjayaki.

After dinner and drinks, a few of us hit up Propaganda for a couple of lemon drop shots and beers.

After others had gone home/MIA Dave and I went to the afuri across the street. Sadly enough it wasn’t as delicious as we remembered it to be. Possibly due to their recent expansion?

We then took a taxi home and went to bed.

Restaurants:

• Sushi no Midori, 〒107-6302 Tōkyō-to, Shibuya-ku, Dōgenzaka, 1-chōme−12−3 マークシティイースト4F
• Chelsea Cafe, 〒107-6302 Tōkyō-to, Shibuya-ku, Dōgenzaka, 1-chōme−12−3 マークシティイースト4F
• Kanda Yabusoba, 2-chōme-10 Kanda Awajichō, Chiyoda-ku, Tōkyō-to 101-0063
• Gambrinus, 第２千陽ビル ２F, 5-chōme-9-22 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 106-0032
• Propaganda, Roppongi-dori Ave, 2F, ３丁目-１４, 5-chōme-5 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 106-0032
• Afuri, 〒106-0032 Tokyo, Minato City, Roppongi, 4 Chome−9−4 UFビル4 1F

Day 14: Tokyo to Beijing

Locations: Tokyo, Beijing

Today was our last hurrah in Tokyo. We decided to have the famed cheese ramen at Kyujyukyu ramen  九十九ラーメン in Ebisu. They put grated cheese (Hokkaido grated Gouda) over tonkotsu ramen. One of my favorite old haunts in the area where our company used to be when we lived and worked in Tokyo.

We also went to Beard Papas for delicious choux cream pastries in shibuya. Sadly matcha wasnt one of their seasonal flavors but still perfectly delicious.

Our last spot was Tenkazushi kaiten sushi in dogenzaka (near 109) and had about 7 plates of conveyor belt sushi which was under 2000yen. There was even a time special of fatty toro for 150yen a plate (limit two per party). Why cant we get this in the USA?

Then we had to sadly depart from Haneda to Beijing and back home. ‘Til our next adventure…

Restaurants:

• Kyujyukyu ramen, 〒150-0012 Tōkyō-to, Shibuya-ku, Hiroo, 1-chōme−1−36
• Beard Papas,渋谷区道玄坂１丁目１２−１ 渋谷マークシティ 東横のれん街, 1-chōme-12 Dōgenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-0043
• Tenkazushi, 2-chōme-9-10 Dōgenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-0043