Japan

Our personal notes and recommendations from our Japan trips. Enjoy!

Places

• Tokyo: All direct flights from the US go to Tokyo. Go to Haneda if you can - it’s closer to the city and the train connections are better. Generally speaking - stay on the west side near the Yamanote line for most touristy things. We enjoyed the area around Meguro, Ebisu, and Shibuya.
• Osaka: If there were only one city we could visit, it’d be Osaka. Fun, casual drinking culture and not as expensive as Tokyo, and central to tons of other cities. You could spend years eating at the places around Umeda, Nakazakichō, and Kitahama. Also home of our favorite cat cafe, Cat Tail.
• Kyoto: Lots of temples and shrines. It’s more spread out and a bit harder to get around. Overall food scene is fancier and more refined, and not as big as nearby Osaka. After seeing all the usual sites in one long day trip, we haven’t been back.
• Kanazawa: Kanazawa in particular feels like you took all the usual touristy pieces of Japan and condensed them into one small city. Significantly less crowded than the big three cities, it’s a great way to get the vibe of both traditional architecture, gardens, and modern city life in a couple of days.
• Hiroshima: Almost all the action is centralized around Hondori - outside of that it gets much quieter. Worth a day or two for the Peace Museum, Itsukushima Shrine, and the Kure Maritime Museum aka Yamato Museum. Worth pairing up with a Shikoku trip and a Shimanami Kaido adventure.
• Shikoku (Takamatsu, Imabari, etc.): The smallest of the main islands of Japan, we explored this for a week as part of the Shimanami Kaido. We spent 4 days in Takamatsu and the surrounding area and loved the smaller, quieter cities and more relaxed vibe. The main disadvantage is that the island isn’t connected to the Shinkansen network, but there are still plenty of trains that link it back to Osaka.
• Kyushu (Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, etc.): More nature and more medium-sized cities compared to Tokyo and Osaka. Good access to beaches and resort / onsen towns. Also a good stopping point before visiting nearby Korea or Okinawa.

What to do

Our favorite (non-food-related) things:

• Shimanami Kaido (Hiroshima / Shikoku) - It’s like the Cycling Road from Pokémon. Doesn’t require any sort of intense physical training either since you can either rent an e-bike or just spread it over two days (we did this in November a few years ago and it was easy). YouTube: Abroad in Japan: 24 Hours in Japan’s Inland Sea Paradise. It’s worth pairing this with the Setouchi Triennale too.

• Harry Potter Studio Tour (Tokyo) - This is a variation of the one in London with some different sets and backdrops. Easily worth half a day, even for people that aren’t die-hard Harry Potter fans. Tickets need to be purchased in advance - we bought ours about a week in advance from KKDay since it was sold out everywhere else.

• Baseball (Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Hiroshima) - Sit in the outfield for the best experience and be amongst the fans that will chant for the whole game and buy a surprisingly cheap beer from the beer girls. Only between March and October. Tickets can be bought in advance for a considerable markup online or for much more reasonable prices at Lawson ticket machines. Three teams currently offer online English sites - the Swallows and Giants in Tokyo, and the Fukuoka Hawks.
• Live music - The craziest thing about concerts in Japan? No phones. There were no explicit signs, the audience just…watched the show. We’ve used Ticket Japaaan to reserve tickets for bands we knew were popular, but it’ll be more expensive. The cheapest way is to use Lawson ticket machines in Japan.

• Kyudo (Tokyo) - Traditional Japanese archery with massive 6-foot bows. We booked on Tripadvisor but the same group posts on Viator and Airbnb.

Shopping

• B-Side Label (sticker shop)
• Sekaido Shinjuku (art supplies)
• MAP Camera (cameras) - Really good selection of high quality used equipment. Reasonable prices too, especially when tax free.
• ADA Lab (fancy plants)
• Ghibli DONGURI Republic, Shonen Jump Shop, and Mugiwara ONE PIECE for anime merch
• Tokyu Hands, Standard Products (upscale Daiso chain), and Muji (much larger than US ones) for all kinds of random home goods.

Transportation

• Public transit all the time. We used cabs one time in 2 months.
• We never found the Rail Pass worth it, especially now that the price has gone up.
• iPhones can add a virtual Suica to Apple Wallet. Once you do that you can pay for everything on the trains and convenience stores with the phone and recharge with the Apple Card or any other non-Visa card.
• Collect station stamps! Collecting Eki Stamps: A Fun Japanese Railway Quest

What to eat

Our preferences

• We aren’t super interested in higher end kaiseki-style meals. We haven’t done too much high-end sushi either. Most of these are now doable with Omakase.in or Pocket Concierge. Both are geared towards English-speaking tourists looking for fancy restaurants.
• For reservations, we had the most success with Tabelog (Japanese Yelp) and TableCheck.
• There’s no requirement to speak English. If translation apps don’t work, then we’ll trust recommendations. We embarrassed ourselves a couple times but nothing bad happened!
• If you see nomihōdai (飲み会) - embrace it! It means all you can drink and is usually less than $20.
• Raw anything is fair game. Food safety is generally not a concern since many restaurants have a direct relationship with their suppliers and the overall supply chains are much shorter (far less industrialized farming compared to America).
• Try the weird stuff! You probably won’t find any chochin back home!

Favorite food places:

tl;dr (Tokyo)

• If you don’t want any language-based stress and need easy reservations:
  • A classy place to eat and drink: EUREKA!
  • Modern twists on Japanese food: SG Low (or any of their other bars for interesting cocktails 🥃)
  • Experimental sushi in a private setting: Bellwood Sushi
• If you want to try and drink a ton of sake and your vibe is:
  • Post-work happy hour: Tachinomi Nagi
  • Late night rowdy and fun: SAKE MARKET

Tokyo

EUREKA!

• Roppongi, Tokyo: Google Maps
• Pricey, but the place to go for a more guided, English-friendly sake experience with one of the biggest selections we’ve seen. Innovative food too - a really safe choice.
• English: 3/3 Perfect English and English menu. Reservations via IG @eureka.sake.

Kirimugiya Jinroku

• Shinjuku, Tokyo: Google Maps
• Picture-perfect udon and some of the best tempura we had in Japan.
• English: 3/3 English menu. Longer lines on weekends.

Katsuo Shokudo

• Shibuya, Tokyo: Google Maps
• A tiny breakfast restaurant focused on katsuobushi - smoked bonito tuna flakes. The main dish consists of these flakes shaved over rice, known as nekomanma (cat rice). More details in the Michelin guide, but based off Instagram it sounds like she’s expanding the menu.
• English: 3/3 Not much English spoken but English menu.

Tachinomi Nagi

• Shibuya, Tokyo: Google Maps
• Standing bar, small bites. Focuses on Fukushima prefecture sakes. Ask for recommendations and they’ll keep pouring different types.
• English 1/3: No English, but has a limited English menu.

Kubota Sake Bar

• Shibuya, Tokyo: Google Maps
• Has an “all you can drink” option where you can just pick any glass out of the fridge and try. They can also give recommendations. Food snacks are okay.
• English: 3/3 Online ordering.

SAKE MARKET

• Shinjuku, Tokyo: Google Maps
• A rowdier and more casual version of Kubota Sake Bar. The sake selection isn’t as wide, but they have a greater variety of drinks including shochu and whiskey(!). You can have food delivered or brought in, and there was a good mix of locals and tourists. There’s another location in Akihabara.
• English: 3/3

SG Low

• Shibuya, Tokyo: Google Maps
• Izakaya, non-traditional. More “modern” like what you would see in somewhere like New York. Afterwards, hit up æ - ash, is a coffee shop that turns into an espress martini bar at night.
• English: 3/3. Reservations required but easy to make via TableCheck.

Sushi at The Bellwood

• Shibuya, Tokyo: Google Maps
• Non-traditional sushi omakase. Very fusion-y and fun, creative takes on sushi. Only 4 seats, so lots of interaction with @terai_nstagram.
• English: 3/3. Reservations required but easy to make via TableCheck.

SG Club

• Shibuya, Tokyo: Google Maps
• High end cocktails, high end prices. Japanese/Western fusion cocktails from former Angel’s Share people. Tasty snacks too - not enough to make a meal. Basement bar is less touristy and has a different menu. Favorite cocktails: Consomme Fizz, Cheek to Cheek is Back!
• English: 3/3 Perfect English and English menu. Online reservations.

Bar TRENCH

• Ebisu, Tokyo: Google Maps

High end cocktails, high end prices. Our favorite out of all the ones we visited - more “Western” cocktail flavors that go beyond the fruity drinks common in Japan. Favorite. cocktails: Bananita, Mezcal Milk Punch

English: 3/3 Perfect English and English menu. Online reservations.

LambCHAN

• Meguro, Tokyo: Google Maps
• A creative local restaurant - we saw several other industry folks from the Meguro area eating there. The entire menu is dedicated to lamb, from appetizers to desserts. The lamb tataki with ponzu jelly is a unique dish you probably won’t get anywhere else.
• English: 2/3

Osaka

Kemuri

• Kitahama, Osaka: Google Maps
• Standing bar with some creative twists on yakitori and a fun, hip atmosphere. Get the rare sasami (chicken tender) with blue cheese or the shrimp with smoked quail eggs. One of our favorite yakitori places.
• English: 1/3 Use Google Translate on the menu or ask. The staff definitely understand a bit more English than they speak.

SAKE NERD

• Namba, Osaka: Google Maps
• Lots of interesting options in the fridge - pick a bottle and hand it to the staff or ask them for recommendations. Creative food as well - fun twists on normal Japanese bar snacks.
• English 2/3 Pretty good English. The English menu doesn’t have everything - check Instagram or Tabelog to see if there’s any specials. Online reservations via Tabelog.

Nenju Muchu

• Namba, Osaka: Google Maps
• Tiny (5-6 seat) standing bar. Only shochu - don’t expect anything else. Great place to explore an unknown (outside of Japan) spirit and try some weird ones. We sampled shochu distilled from everything from rice to chestnuts.
• English 2/3 Pretty good English. No menu - just ask for recommendations and name flavors you like.

和酒BAR ま (@washubarma)

• Tenjinbashi, Osaka: Google Maps
• Standing bar with lots of sake options and all the snacks are centered around smoke. Smoked chips, smoked cheese, smoked meats, and maybe even a smoked sake.
• English 2/3

Pine Osaka

• Umeda, Osaka: Google Maps
• Newly-opened standing bar focused on wagyu. Lots of small creative dishes and snacks.
• English 1/3

Max the Hormone

• Umeda, Osaka: Google Maps
• A casual place to load up on wagyu and offal. Each seat has a tap so you can make your own lemon sours! Very dangerous and very delicious. For maximum indulgence, get the butter steak.
• English 1/3 Reservations available on Tabelog.

Kanazawa

Inuwashi Sake Bar

• Kanzawa: Google Maps
• Huge selection of sake with very reasonable flights. The owner has great English and is very charming. Lots of food options but we didn’t get a chance to try.
• English: 3/3

Nihonshu Makoto

• Kanazawa: Google Maps
• Quiet place to take a break while exploring Higashi Chaya. Lunch sets and a cheap nomihodai where you can pick any bottle out of the fridge. Good oden.
• English 2/3

Hiroshima

Saloon George

• Hiroshima: Google Maps
• Quiet neighborhood bar across the street from our AirBnB. Very friendly owner and a fun place to sit back and have a light dinner.
• English: 2/3

Bakudanya

• Hiroshima: Google Maps (multiple locations)
• Hiroshima-style tsukemen where you dip noodles into chili oil. Super refreshing and not as “heavy” as ramen normally is.
• English: 2/3

Kyushu

Hakata Issou

• Fukuoka: Google Maps (multiple locations)
• Super pork-y tonkotsu ramen. It’s creamy from all the pork fat but manages to taste light for how rich it is. There’s always long lines - we wound up going to a different shop down the street that was also really tasty and the closest to the fatty tonkotsu popular in the US.
• English 3/3 Very touristy, so long lines but English menus

Torikawaya

• Fukuoka: Google Maps
• Lots of delicious Fukuoka-style chicken skin (the place literally translates as “chicken skin shop”). They also offer basashi - Fukuoka horse sashimi.
• English 1/3

Toricloud

• Kagoshima: Google Maps
• A typical example ‘higher end’ yakitori spot. They grill on skewers then remove the pieces and plate them separately, keeping things a little more refined.
• English 2/3 Staff speaks a little bit of English.