Our 1-day Nagoya, Japan itinerary is an efficient step-by-step touring plan for visiting the city’s best museums, eating, and visiting the castle. Best of all, it’s a jam-packed experience that can be accomplished as a day trip while traveling between Tokyo and Kyoto or Osaka on the Shinkansen. Along the way, you can visit a […]
When traveling to Japan’s Kansai region, Kyoto is a great home base. It’s easy to get to several other major cities by standard rail or Shinkansen in under an hour or two, and a few lower profile mountain escapes are also easy to access. We’ve done numerous day trips from Kyoto, and in this post, […]
Robot Restaurant is a crazy show in Tokyo, Japan’s Shinjuku district with dancers, lasers, monsters, and more. In this review, we’ll share how to buy discount tickets, assess whether Robot Restaurant is worth the money, what you should expect, and photos from our experiences. (Last updated February 26, 2019.) If you want the short answer: YES! Robot Restaurant […]
In this guide to Universal Studios Japan, we’ll offer tips & tricks for visiting this very popular theme park in Osaka. Due to its location, size, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, USJ is a busy park. This strategy is essential for avoiding crowds at Universal Studios Japan…so you don’t wait in a 240-minute […]
When planning trips and picturing the traditional side of Japan, Kyoto is what first-timers envision. It’s the quintessential cultural experience filled with temples, shrines, gardens, teahouses, geisha, quaint alleys, wooden homes, etc. While there’s so much more to Kyoto than all of this, it is the notion of Japan that you’ve seen or imagined. First-timers with […]
No city has been as impacted by Japan’s rising tourism numbers as Kyoto. Crowds during cherry blossom and fall colors seasons can be oppressive, as can national holidays and school breaks. In this post, we’ll offer a sober appraisal of the congestion you might face in Kyoto, plus ways to survive and avoid the worst […]
Visiting Japan is not cheap. Kyoto, in particular is known for ritzy restaurants, luxury hotels, and a level of personalized service via teahouses, ryokan, and geisha performances that are expensive. With that said, it is possible to do Kyoto on a tighter budget, and in this post we’ll cover money-saving tips for that. The easiest way to […]
During spring sakura season, Himeji Castle’s cherry blossom viewing parties and nighttime illuminations are one of the best events in all of Japan. In this post, we’ll offer some hanami at Himeji tips and our thoughts on the Himeji Nighttime Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you […]
Some of Japan’s best independent coffee shops and cafes can be found in Kyoto, which is one of the world’s hottest places for third wave coffee. While Kyoto is famous for its tea ceremonies and matcha, locals are actually more coffee-obsessed. This list features our favorite coffee shops in Kyoto, including a couple that are must-do […]
Kyoto, Japan has some of the world’s best restaurants, great teahouses, coffee shops, and more. This dining guide covers where to eat in Kyoto, listing the top spots for a variety of price points, from cheap ramen to high-rolling kaiseki multi-course dinners. This includes the best izakaya, tempura, soba, udon, ramen, katsu, unagi, sushi, and okonomiyaki […]