Japan 2025

Japan Day 1. Saturday, July 19th. Traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto.

Cleanest country I’ve ever seen. The trains smell like they’ve just been cleaned. Even the streets in Tokyo, from the view of the train from Haneda to Shinagawa station, look clean and maintained. I see people walking peacefully. I don’t see crowds here but we’re not in the main spots for that I would safely assume. 

Everyone is very respectful. People keep to their side of the escalator and no one is yelling or bumping into each other. In general there is a care for what’s around you. No shoving or screaming. 

We are on the Shinkansen train to Kyoto now so passing through the countryside and I’ll have to think of the right words to describe it. It feels otherworldly in the best way. Almost unreal. But maybe that’s because it’s so different. 

Haven’t gotten a chance to try the convenience stores but we passed so many in the train station and I feel excited to try everything. Everyone on the train eating from these adorable bento boxes. The food in general just looks better. Like the kind of food you would want from a train station that’s made for humans to actually enjoy traveling. It’s all neatly packaged and there’s so much variety. I haven’t gotten a chance to look more deeply. Small joys include not seeing a Starbucks in sight.

It’s amazing to be in a country where people are respectful of the whole. In a place where civility and care truly matter for the space to be truly appreciated and enjoyed by all. Coming from the United States where the default is innate “I’m in it for me”, Japan feels like the opposite. It’s a country of proper rules for the good of all. And people obey them. This shouldn’t be hard. But then again, we’re a nation of terrible toddlers. 

I’ve felt the same general respect in France, but maybe not to this extent. Europe is an entirely different energy than here. Having been in Japan for a total of 5 hours and not actually seen much at all, these are just my first thoughts and I’m obviously jet lagged so they’ll be clearer later. But I do feel this adult energy here. 

No place is perfect. No country is perfect. We’ll see if this proves to be true as our trip continues, as Japan feels like they’ve really got it together.

Kyoto Day 1. Sunday, July 20th.

I feel like I’m in another universe. Everything is smaller here, compact. And purposefully made. Our room in our ryokan is very simple and in the same way, built for comfort. We are given robes to wear to the spa. An amenity kit that includes more than just a toothbrush and toothpaste. It has knit socks. 

The city is pristine and smells fresh. I’ve never said this about a city before. At some points you feel like maybe you’re in another time, but then you come upon something so modern that you’re thrust back into the reality that Japan is so much farther ahead of us. For example, the convenience stores (I’ve only been to a small Lawson at this point) have takeaway coffees with little straws attached so you don’t have to sip from a big bottle. And everything is the right size. Waste is almost impossible. 

Today we’re going to be wandering and plan to spend time at Nishiki market. 

I went to the onsen this morning in our hotel. It’s split up by gender and I prayed that I was wearing my robe set correctly. I saw a guy in the elevator going to the spa as well and he was wearing his so I was able to relax.

The entrance to the onsen is of course, where you put your shoes. Then you go through a sliding panel door into a beautiful little changing room. Baskets line the walls instead of lockers. A slight change but more thoughtful, if only for the fact that it eliminates the slamming and rattling of locker doors that disrupt the peace so much. 

The onsen is in the room off to the side of the changing room, through another sliding panel door. Shower heads line the walls above little seats with accompanying buckets for washing. This is done before and after you enter the actual pool. The back wall is an enormous floor to ceiling window over looking  rock wall with flowing water falling down into a small garden. The room is dimly lit and the warm pool overlooks the window. When you bathe, you feel as if you’re completely at peace. I didn’t spend too long here. It gets warm. But as I floated in the shallow pool, I felt more relaxed than I’ve been in a long time.

Kyoto Day 2. Monday, July 21st.

Last night we went to a bar and enjoyed a cocktail while we chatted in English with the bartender. The bar was a speakeasy on the second floor of a tiny set of apartments, stacked on top of each other like legos. He asked how we’d gotten there and I wondered how many Americans come through.

He told us we should experience a ceremony at a temple the next day where we walk across a river. The experience is part of a festival called Mitarashi Festival. We went and were a part of a throng of Japanese doing the same thing. The water was freezing but I was impressed by how organized everything was. No one pushed and everyone got to have the same experience. 

Afterward we went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace which was a little disappointing.  It was impressive and large but there wasn’t much to see. We couldn’t go inside. The gardens around the palace were beautiful though. As we rounded the corner to see more of the living quarters, I saw one of the guides pick a piece of wood off the ground at the gates entrance to the palace.

It’s about 1000 degrees out and so we spent the afternoon at Nishiki market, ducking into places for sushi and wagyu on sticks. Our favorite treat though, are these magnificent and enormous oysters. The older Japanese man shucks them in front of us and sets them on a plate with lemon. He then guides us to the back of his stall where a few tables are set up and we can watch the workers clean and slice fish for sashimi. It amazes me that among the fish and clams and oysters and mussels, not a fly or bug in sight. Not even a smell. Just of water. 

Kyoto to Hakone Day 3. Tuesday, July 22nd.

I was sad to leave Kyoto and feeling extremely moody in the morning. I often feel like I ruin things when this happens but I’m trying not to let it get in the way of my own experience.

We went to the golden temple this morning and that made me feel better. Such a serene place in what feels like the outskirts of Kyoto. We walked through and at the end went to a tea house where we were given bowls of iced matcha and a small sugar cake. This was revitalizing. I left the golden temple feeling peaceful.

We left for Hakone today and took the train. It was about two hours to get there and we wound through the countryside.

I bought mostly leggings and some vintage shirts in Kyoto. The vintage shopping so far has been excellent. As has the adidas store where I bought a few pairs of leggings. At the vintage shops I bought a Polo rugby shirt and a Lacoste t shirt with red and white stripes. It has a great, slightly rough and thick texture. I’m only wearing the new leggings today as we travel, saving the rest for Tokyo.

The train is comfortable and we order a coffee (me) and a beer (Jay). We arrive at the Odawara train station and it’s bustling. We have about 45 minutes to wait here. So far Odawara looks a little grey but I have higher hopes for when we travel further into the mountains and see Lake Ashi. Our ryokan is on the shores of the lake and hopefully we’ll be able to see Mount Fuji.

In Odawara station Jay tries the pizza. It looks very good but it is so small and cute. Almost like a dolls pizza. I try what looks like a ham and egg salad Uncrustable sandwich wrapped in plastic. The Japanese, for their cleanliness, don’t seem to mind wrapping as many things in plastic as possible. Same with those little wet wipes they give out everywhere. Everything wrapped in a little plastic bubble.

The drive to Hakone winds through the mountains and is beautiful. Normally driving through scenery like this would make me depressed, but I don’t feel that way here. It’s just lush and green. When we get to out ryokan, however, the sadness hits like a tiny little tidal wave. It’s evening and quite grey. The hotel is beautiful and very traditional, but it feels maybe a little older. Not shabby, just not exactly what I was expecting. The lighting is harsher and it smells exactly like my grandparents old condo in New Jersey. A slightly jarring sensory experience when you’re in a traditional Japanese robe and slippers, padding your way to a hot pool with a bunch of naked people wading through steaming water. 

We chose this hotel for the traditional experience, the onsen, the kaiseki experience, and the view of the lake. It really is beautiful, especially when you’re soaking in the tub. That smell though, and I’m ten years old again, sitting in my paternal grandmothers kitchen while she sets out a plate of sliced cheese. 

The kaiseki here is an adventure. Everything is delicious, except you really don’t know half of what you’re eating. They try their best to explain and my guilt rages as I apologize inwardly for not having any knowledge of Japanese. We know “Arigatou gozaimasu”, which means “thank you so much”. I have also just taken to saying it as a hello. 

Hakone Day 2. Wednesday, July 23rd.

We agreed we didn’t really think this part of the trip through. There’s not much to do in the hotel besides soak in the onsen, and even for that there’s only so much you can take. We had our Japanese breakfast which was beautiful, and headed out to walk a bit before our 10:30 bus to the train.

We leave for Tokyo today and I am happy that we didn’t plan an extra day. The area around our hotel is strange and we can’t put our finger on why. There’s a slightly depressing tiny zoo and aquarium, as well as what looks like a water bus called “Ninja”. All this is on what could pass for a single block of town, which also holds a shopping center. We’re glad we switched to an earlier bus and decide that we could have planned this part better. Everyone, of course, could not be nicer. The food was on par with some of the best I’ve ever had. 

Tokyo Day 1. Wednesday, July 23rd.

Tokyo is not as overwhelming as I thought it would be. I guess I expected myself to have a complete nervous breakdown considering what I had seen on social media, television, and from watching Anthony Bourdain. 

I thought my brain wouldn’t be able to take Tokyo. It scared me a little bit. I can do New York and Paris. But this is so so different, in every possible way, I guess I just wasn’t sure of myself. 

But I fell in love. Especially with the subway. Vending machines and convenience stores around every corner, the city feels reliable, if charged with this energy that is absolutely indescribable.

Our first night we went to Shinjuku and did some more shopping. I bought a pair of Onitsuka Tiger yellow sneakers which I love, and we got some more basics at the Uniqlo and Adidas stores. Normally I don’t find many differences, but in Japan the styles are much better in these stores, which surprised me. We got beer and some snacks at an underground beer hall of sorts. Jay ordered beer and I ordered Pepsi zero. We also ordered potato salad with bonito flakes and scallions, two kinds of sausages, and a quarter roast chicken. The most wonderful part of the meal came when we realized that a drawer opened on the side of the table, and inside were more wet wipes, chopsticks, forks, and knives. Perfectly arranged for the guests. 

We ordered and checked out through a QR code. Fast, convenient, like much of what we had already seen in Japan. 

That day a woman my age gave up her seat with a smile for me on the subway. In New York if anyone did that, which no one would have, I would have presumed there was something wrong with them. In Japan, people are so polite it amazes me. Truly, really polite. The minute we say our “arigatou gozaimas”, we are bombarded with how good our Japanese is. I continue to feel a strange mix of guilt and pride.

Tokyo Day 2. Thursday, July 24th.

This morning we had breakfast at the hotel. Our hotel is very nice but the coffee is weak as hell. I had two tiny cups and needed a third. The breakfast buffet is interesting. They have all the requisite items, pastries, smoked salmon, prosciutto. It feels a bit like the buffets you see at Mexican all inclusive resorts. But then there’s pasta with tomato cream sauce. Next to hard boiled eggs. 

We got in a bit of trouble for wearing the provided slippers out of our room and downstairs. But someone should have left a sign out telling ignorant U.S. tourists how to wear them. When trying to throw away a plastic cup at the breakfast buffet, one of the hotel concierges rushed over and took my trash directly from my hands. She seemed very concerned so I gave it to her, but felt awful about it. From then on I took my trash to our room.

We saw the Imperial Palace today, or what we could see of it, which wasn’t much. It’s basically an enormous, flat, well manicured park, but the only buildings we could see that felt old were the guardhouses. The rest was just trees and flat walkways. Maybe we didn’t look hard enough, but after Kyoto we became suspicious of palaces in Japan. The shrines and temples were much better experiences. 

The heat here is relentless. That is the only way I can describe it. You can’t escape it if you’re outside and it wears not just on your body but on your mind. You feel it down to your core. The refuge we find turns out to be the 7-11 and Family Marts scattered around the city around every corner. Like beacons, we flock to them.

Tokyo Day 3. Friday, July 25th.

So far my favorite things I’ve eaten are as follows:

1. The chopped fatty tuna and onion sushi rolls at Nishiki market in Kyoto.

2. Tuna nigiri at Nishiki market.

3. Raw oyster with lemon straight from the shell at Nishiki market.

4. The sashimi course at our last kaiseki dinner in Kyoto. Also the fried sardine at the same dinner.

5. Every mochi filled with bean paste at the various 7-11s that I’ve tried.

6. These cracker/pastry sandwiches filled with blueberry frosting, also sold at the 7-11 and Family Marts.

7. These little kneaded plum gummy snacks from Muji.

8. Every dessert at our kaiseki meals.

9. Those savory Japanese uncrustables.

We’ve eaten a lot of sushi and it’s all been delicious. I could never get sick of sushi.

Tokyo Last Full Day. Saturday, July 26th.

Yesterday felt worse than today. I tend to get nutty around vacations, always counting the days in the back of my mind until I have to return to real life. Surprisingly, this happened only a few times this trip. First, at the end of our time in Kyoto. Second, yesterday (Friday). I feel better today for some reason. Maybe it’s because I got my first Prada bag and shopping is usually my cure-all. It qualifies in nearly every way as addictive behavior, as once I start I have a very hard time stopping and I tend to use it as an easy out for my feelings. But it gets me out and about and keeps me curious about the world. So in my mind, the healthy benefits outweigh the bad. The shopping in Japan has been extraordinary. 

Tokyo to San Francisco. Sunday, July 27th. 

It took me until today to realize that I’ve been writing June instead of July for the past few days. It’s almost August, god. 

Our flight home was easy. In fact, seamless. We met some American tourists in Kyoto who said that Narita airport was a mess. Nothing compared to American airports, they said, but still a mess. 

I don’t know where these people were flying out of or how they’re used to traveling, but if an Hermes next to a Godiva next to a Gucci next to a spotless mochi store makes an airport a mess, I hope to someday have their bank accounts.