JAPAN / THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE / Insider Travel Guide

Embark on a captivating journey through Japan with this immersive insider travel guide. From Tokyo’s bustling streets and street food to Hakone’s tranquil beauty, Kyoto’s ancient traditions, Nara’s unforgettable deer encounters and Osaka’s vibrant entertainment district, this hour-long video offers an epic adventure. Packed with insider tips from locals, off-the-beaten-path discoveries, and a gastronomic exploration of Japanese cuisine, this meticulously planned Japan itinerary ensures you experience the best of both tourist hotspots and hidden gems. Whether you’re planning your own trip or seeking a virtual escape, let this be your immersive 4K Japan experience and travel guide🇯🇵✨ #japantravel #travelguide #traveljapan #insidertips

NOTES:
– Before coming to Japan, I advise you to fill out this form to avoid doing it at the airport when you land: https://services.digital.go.jp/en/visit-japan-web/
– The best tip if you want to visit many cities is to let your current hotel send your suitcase to your next hotel overnight. This means you won’t have to drag it along on train rides or your activities for the day. This service costs 20-30$ and is super efficient.
– The app I mention is AirAlo and it honestly saved me, along with the Google Translate app (as few people speak good English in Japan).
– The Suica card plus individual train tickets was a much better investment than the Japan RailPass, which has become SO expensive and it was actually cheaper to just get the Suica / separate train tickets on their own. This is a calculation you can make before coming to Japan depending on where exactly you’re planning on going.
– Here is where you can apply for the ticket lottery to visit the tuna auction: https://toyosu.jcdlotterysite.jp/?lng=2
– If you’d like to book Shohei for a tour around Kyoto, click here: https://www.withlocals.com/host/shoheit65901cc06/
– I didn’t film my visit to two Kobe Beef restaurants but I can definitely recommend them: Kobe Beef Mouriya Gion in Kyoto and Wanomiya in Osaka.
– Other restaurants I recommend that weren’t shown in the video: Yakiniku Ushigoro Nishiazabu and HACHE Steak in Tokyo, ITO sushi in Kyoto and sushi Takeuchi in Osaka.
– Gora Kadan was the hotel I stayed at in Hakone. I booked 6 months ahead and already half of the rooms were sold out so make sure you reserve early.
– Other places I booked early: Shibuya Sky, TeamLabs Borderless, Luxury Aoniyoshi Sightseeing train (book it here https://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/aoniyoshi/) , some restaurants and all hotels.
– Hotels in cities that I really enjoyed: Palace hotel in Tokyo, Fauchon hotel in Kyoto and Ritz in Osaka. I got free breakfast, late checkout and upgrades in all of them because I used Little Emperors when booking. You can get the same benefits at the best hotels, try it for free here : https://littleemperors.com/ – Travel Tier Membership . Promo Code for 3 months : KGLE3M

Subscribe to the channel for more travel content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQkZeS9_natdBe_xYwDrUQ
Hong Kong video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaJg–rvzcU&t=34s

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 INTRO
0:35 TOKYO
29:12 HAKONE
37:40 KYOTO
50:42 NARA
59:05 OSAKA

[Music] Japan a destination that’s been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember with months of planning and tips and hacks from local friends I’ve managed to create a fully immersive experience to take you through this unique country where every moment is a masterpiece from truly hidden gems to the most iconic landmarks mouthwatering food Rich culture and let’s face it some shocking moments I take you on an adventure of a lifetime through this unfiltered guide first stop Tokyo well the journey starts in a very hectic and busy Tokyo with my local friend Veronica we actually met back home in France in our building we became really good friends and then she left me to move back to Tokyo so I’m really happy and excited that she’ll be showing us around showing us the top hidden gems the most touristy spots as well as stuff that you may not have heard of before so let’s get started we’re going to explore this area we’re going to make it to the famous Sho AC Crossing with a lot of really nice surprises along the way so stick around this is going to be a dynamic start to Tokyo and you don’t want to miss this the famous Takashi Street in Harajuku is where the stour begins usually it’s known for cosplay in wacky fashion but in this case this is so crowded I expected more costumes like more cosplay and stuff but maybe I’ve been looking at Instagram too much maybe the reality is just a really really crowded street so this is not something that locals do we avoid this even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of takesi to Street I definitely felt more at home andando a modern area perfectly combining eclectic shopping with high-end residential [Music] complexes you live in this area is this considered a high paying area or the rents higher here than in other areas for regular Japanese um person living here is pretty highend what is the average a person would pay for rent and how big of an apartment would they get 30 m and rent around this area €3,000 you know all those videos and pictures that you see of Japan having very very tiny spaces and Tiny Apartments it turns out that that is actually true because 30 square m is considered a luxury compared to some other spaces that you get Veronica recommended a doughnut place so we got here and check this out this is the line I’m not even joking all of that is to get some donuts we decided to go to the bakery next door not only do we have an empty Bakery with donuts that look just as good but we’ve also got transparent soda cans now this is something I’ve never seen before next on to the shabuya crossing the world’s busiest pedestrian Crossing with over 2,000 people crossing per green light as we approach the famous sh a scramble Crossing I’ve got a question is it a self-fulfilling prophecy like is it so crowded because people know that it’s crowded so they come there hence making it crowded in my opinion I would agree yes it’s a very popular touristic [Music] place it looks more overwhelming than it actually is when you’re Crossing but seeing it is really really impressive because you realize just how condensed Tokyo is when it comes to its 40 million person population I understand why it’s famous and I think that during the nighttime which is the next time we’ll come back here later on today it’s going to be even more spectacular so here at Mita park there is one of my favorite absolute best ice cream in Tokyo it’s so creamy oh my gosh o it’s milky is that good wow this is like the plain milky vanilla we’ve got a chocolate version and a cone as well I’m very faithful to my flavor so vanilla for me I don’t care I just want ice cream Mita Park is also known for its rooftop Terrace where locals can gather to socialize or practice their skateboarding skills oh my God so we are going in the tiniest Alleyway the name of this teeny tiny little street is Shibuya yokoo so Shibuya allei you wouldn’t know it’s here unless you’re looking for it and all these tiny little bars open up at night there is only about four to six places four to six stools in each of the bars so if you’re here at night this might be a nice place to explore shopping down she’s a bad influence so all I said was I want some Japanese candy and sweets for myself and for my friends Veronica has brought me to like a 54o shop with everything ranging from cheesecake flavored Kit Kat to virtually the most peculiar candy I’ve ever seen in my life I may have gone a little overboard but in my defense about half of this is for my friends came out of the candy store and it’s just after Sunset so we’ve got about half an hour to go until we go right up over there to the shabuya sky where we’ll get a spectacular view of nighttime Tokyo and you’ll see just how big and vast the city really [Music] is Veronica has just led me into this super super fancy food court as you can see it looks properly luxurious and actually it’s right above a subway station apparently this is what they do here in Japan for all the big stations they have food courts and then they have restaurants with readily made meals so that if you’re in a rush to get home from work you can buy a readily made meal or you can do your shopping or have a meeting or something in a fancy food court so everything is sort of condensed into one place I’ve also noticed that the way that they display food is very different to what I’ve seen back home because everything is actually plastic so all their display foods are not edible at all this is in cafes restaurants markets all the display Foods look something like this so I’ll be honest with you guys when I first tried to book Shibu Sky I actually wanted to go during sunset cuz it’s the most popular time to go but I was a day late in Booking the tickets meaning I try to book it on the 29th day before coming here instead of exactly a month earlier and everything was sold out even like 20 minute time slot for Sunset was all gone for every single day of my trip to Tokyo so the only piece of advice I can give you is book way ahead and that goes for everything that goes for observation decks restaurants museums like everything that requires the booking do it 3 to four weeks ahead at least okay looks like we’re [Music] here the the amazing thing about CH Bois Sky which I actually didn’t really expect is the amount of space you have and it’s completely 360 and the glass doesn’t go up all the way like it does on most observation decks so you can kind of stand and film or take pictures over it if that’s what you want but look all of that is Tokyo all of that is Tokyo all of that is Tokyo as far as the eye can see it’s really really mind-blowing and I’m so happy that I got to do this so early on in my trip to Japan because this sets a really high for everything else [Music] now the day has started off with a bit of luxury as our Uber showed up and I realized that the Ubers here are a lot fancier overall than the ones in Europe for roughly the same price so look at this I’m going to recline up this is like a proper van as well it’s so spacious and then have a look at this I’m getting my uh leg rest up as well so for the 20 minutes that I’m going to ride to the asakusa area I can practically sleep if I wanted to as I mentioned before this area is called asakusa best to come here early in the morning it is known as an Entertainment District even though before it had a historical significance all these tiny little streets Paving your way to the main Temple is neam madori one of Japan’s oldest shopping streets now known for irresistible food why you ask because Japan went for a rice cake was really nice it’s soft and it’s like puff pastry covered in a sweet sauce it’s actually really really nice and it’s warm too I’m happy with my choice and there was a lot of choice this was very hard through those tiny little streets we’ve arrived at the SV Temple which is a Buddhist temple from the year 645 so it is in fact the oldest Temple here super super Grand a lot of people here really well maintained I have to say like even though it’s old you would expect to be following to Pieces but it’s really not they really take care of their history they preserve the culture and everything that these temples stand for and I really appreciate [Music] that I felt that walking through the sensui temple was equivalent to entering a realm where time Stood Still inviting moments of reflection and Tranquility amidst the the bustling City this gave me the opportunity to stand back and truly appreciate Japan’s Rich culture and history for the first time during my [Music] trip the Uber has brought me to ueno Park which is a very large public park first open in the 19th century I’m going to have lunch here with my local friends they recommended a really nice traditional restaurant but first I’d like to point out the first public trash that I have seen here in Japan if you walk around the streets you’ll notice that not only is it incredibly and impeccably clean but that there are no trash boxes no bins nothing of that sort anywhere that’s because people are actually expected to bring their trash home with them instead of leaving it anywhere on the streets so that is I believe how the city stays so clean no matter what area you go to you’re not going to find a single piece of litter on the ground well so far everything has been incredible in Tokyo except for one little detail I haven’t seen any dogs even in the park I’m looking around and there are no dogs why I think I’m at the right place for the lunch that my local friends recommended but I can’t read anything so I don’t know this is the first time in a long long long while that I’m in a country where I cannot read anything and uh it’s it’s really [Music] unsettling okay yeah this is definitely traditional as traditional as it gets I would say going to sit right here that’s really cool as well you get like your own private little room I didn’t expect that I thought it was like a restaurant with tables um but that you share with everyone but this is like a whole new level of traditional private and thank you so much the food looks really good as well the pictures that I’ve seen so I’m going to take you guys through this very unusual lunch experience inshot is a traditional cake restaurant meaning that small portions are prepared with local ingredients I’ve noticed that the tofu in Japan in general tastes completely different to the repackaged stuff that we buy in Europe like it actually has taste here and the texture is totally different so I don’t think I can ever eat tofu again in Europe that’s it Japan has ruined Tofu for me why is the food so good here the presentation was to die for and every dish had an element of the unexpected desserts here we’ve got a wine jelly with some fruits rice moochi and a leaf oh my gosh the texture is super [Music] weird lunch was good dessert was questionable overall we recommend right yeah I think so seasonal ingredients which is different to usual street food over here speaking of street food where are we going now Akihabara it was time to try the Tokyo subway so one of these cards not only gets you on uh the Subways but you can also use it for vending machine purchases you can go to the convenience store with it you can take the bus so it’s not just the subway as a form of public transport it’s a little car that looks like this and you top it up with actual money and then you use it every day or as often as you need to we’re here and we’re going down here you have to be really quiet in these trains you’ll see it’s completely silent everyone is very respectful of each other’s personal space and each other’s quiet time so very different to European trains for [Music] [Applause] [Music] sure we’ve definitely come out in aabar but we’ve just got there in a really dodgy way this is where they sell Electronics um things you wouldn’t be able to find in regular big department stores it’s all in the dodgy Alleyway yeah aabar in Tokyo is known worldwide as the crazy Hub of anime manga and electronics our first stop had to be one of the countless gaming arcades here so you’ve got mirrors and makeup lights so you can make yourself look presentable before the photo booth and then you can edit your face after we need to try [Music] this oh my God so these they have everywhere you’ll see rows and rows of them so there’s about hundreds of them on most of the streets over here in Ikea Bara we’ve got some anime characters some animal figurines pandas there’s even ones where you can buy girls underwear apparently in general in a habara you’ll find everything everything you can find manga anime Pokémons you can find all sorts of different cafes with you know like sexy Maids serving you you can even find hug cafes where people will just give you hugs so whatever comes to your mind this is probably the place where you’ll be able to find it this right here is a multifloor king KF sex drop apparently well that was uh interesting to say the least now it’s getting dark outside all the lights are starting to come on and I’m going to go grab a coffee uh before finishing the day and uh planning tomorrow passed the coffee place there’s actually a whole Japanese Supermarket I was not expecting this and I’m kind of Blown Away by how much there is I don’t understand what 3/4 of the stuff is but I’m very very intrigued as a local what would you buy here so this here is salmon egg like a pouch of salmon egg inside when you slit it open it it’s like a bunch of little balls and all of these products like this one here is mayam and then inside is a bunch of like little salmon eggs so this is called ad doraki really good mine’s peanut flavor what’s yours and mine’s the black sesame DOTA y oh inside okay it’s like a sandwich yeah oh I messed up okay it’s F nice I wish the filling came out to the edges CU white basically just the P if you ask me akiabara is a must visit area in Tokyo but don’t do what I did and stay out late and then plan an activity for 5:00 a.m. the next day [Music] the toyosu tuna auction in Tokyo is a renowned spectacle where massive Tunas priced for their quality and size are auctioned off to the highest biders Before Dawn gaining access to the highest viewing Deck with a guide requires you to enter an online Lottery a few weeks before the auction needless to say I was so happy when we won the Green floor is contrast with the red tuna me and every fish gives about 7 00 niris 1,200 Tunas get sold here daily and the auction uses hand symbols for [Music] pricing super cool experience definitely something very different seeing the amount of tuna fish and just how the process uh has evolved to become what it is as an auction was really really cool a 5 minute drive away from that fish market which is the new one is the original fish market which has Outdoors a lot more hectic you can see there’s a bunch of people and it’s only 7: in the morning and I’m actually thinking of getting something to eat here the sui Fish Market was once the largest wholesale fish market in the world so only trying a few things will be hard first attempt at local market food is unagi so e m so good oh my gosh it’s coated in like a sweet sauce not even a soy sauce it’s really really really nice just really buttery melts in your mouth corn fish cake sounded weird enough to be good sweet corn layer is um better I would say than the inner fish layer for all reasons look it’s pretty nice not bad like um s out of 10 so what we’ve got here is a traditional rice cake it’s warm it’s wrapped in seaweed and inside you can pick a filling so I asked what the best one was and he said that it’s grilled salmon belly which is what I’ve got right here next it’s time to explore ginsa Tokyo’s most prestigious shopping area with some of the most expensive commercial real estate in Japan here you’ll find sleek skyscrapers designer stores fashion forward boutiques but also some smaller specialty shops which is what I’ve come to discover another thing that I noticed in Japan is how silent the construction works are even in a busy area like Ginza I later found out this is because the actual construction happens in a confined space elsewhere and only the assembly occurs on site also employing a debel meter to ensure noise is kept to a [Music] minimum wow smell in here is something else a quick stop in a quirky plant shop and on to my next find a tiny Boutique on a side street entirely dedicated to Chopsticks there are hundreds of them and you can even have them engraved I had a hard time choosing so I went for eight separate sets top tip when you’re shopping make sure to bring your passport it’ll get you taxfree if you’ve worked up an appetite visit sushia in Ginza this is a Japanese omasa lunch meaning there’s no menu and it’s up to the chef to prepare a multi-course tasting menu in front of you based on the day’s freshest ingredients Mix vegetable baby s salad this is Ronda Ronda is wasabi and soy sauce or Wasabi and salt or P you CH this is a andan I love Japanese hes the only thing that they don’t do is desserts so I found a place called ginak kimuraya which was established by a samurai in the 9 19 century and they serve traditional pastri so I’m going to go there tastes like um like a custard donut my cameraman took it away cuz it was his to begin with interesting interesting is where this commentary ends on to the next one okay regular Bean custard would probably still be my favorite so my cameraman did a very good job picking that one the bean paste definitely tastes more local more unique I would say but it’s not for [Music] everyone about an 8-minute drive from Ginza you will come to an area called mat which I actually had no expectations for because I wasn’t even planning on coming here to begin with so I don’t really do that much research but now that I’m here I can see that it is absolutely breathtaking you’ve got these amazing perfectly manicured Gardens ponds huge modern Office Buildings and inside them there is everything from you know boutiques cafes Cinemas offices shops exhibitions everything and then you’ve got luxury designer boutiques green areas for people to sit around when they’re on their work breaks now the reason that I’ve decided to come here is because I really wanted to see the borderless exhibition by teamlabs and teamlabs is a company that’s been doing digital art exhibitions all around the world but the original one the most famous one is definitely here in Japan you’ve probably seen seen pictures all over Instagram with those shiny chandelier style lights so that’s exactly where I’m going I’m going to tell you guys if it’s worth it or not and then after that I’m going to take you to a completely free observation deck on the 33rd floor on one of these buildings it’s a Hidden Gem not a lot of T sow about it so I think it’ll be really interesting to compare that to the shabuya sky that we’ve seen previously in the video and after that I’m also going to show you a really luxurious place for sunset [Music] team lab borderless was a mesmerizing journey through a surreal landscape of light Sound and Motion blurring the lines between art and technology and yes this is something else I had to buy tickets for 3 weeks ahead [Music] pretty much in the same building complex as the borderless exhibition you’ve got something called the sky Lobby now I’ve shown you a paid observation tower when we went to the Shibuya sky at night but this one is actually free and it’s amazing for the day just because you get such an amazing view of the most famous telecommunications Tower here which is called the Tokyo [Music] Tower we’re getting close to Golden hour but there’s still one more thing to show you before the day ends with a spectacular Sunset a really relaxing thing that you can do in central Tokyo is walk around the Imperial Palace it’s got a really wide span of gardens moats historical ruins trees everywhere and Tokyo being such a crowded City this is like a little OES where no matter how big it is you’re always going to find a huge space to yourself and just when I least expected it my first dog sighting in Tokyo which is almost as exciting as this mesmerizing Sunset [Music] location this is actually inside the Four Seasons Hotel here in Tokyo and they’ve got this stunning Rooftop Bar it took some time for me to find it and to look up this sunset times organize everything accordingly but look it’s absolutely perfect you can come here for drinks or for dinner and let me tell you this is definitely the most luxurious place that you can watch the sunset from as it got dark we decided to head back to Ginza to two places that not many tourists know about the first being toig a y aor restaurant that was established almost 100 years ago and right next door Ginza music bar and since I was in the mood to explore nightlife it was only Logic for us to head to Shinjuku next this neighborhood in Tokyo offers a glimpse into the vibrant pulse of Urban Japanese life walking through Shinjuku sometimes looks like this look one hand other called absolute insanity and here we are golden guy is a famous bar area within Shinjuku and it’s really funny because to get there you actually do have to go through the big crowded streets which reminded me of the shuya scramble crossing a little bit but then you end up in something that’s so small and so quaint with the tiniest little bars you’ve ever seen in your life I absolutely love the contrast even though I’m not sure I’m actually going to stay for a drink [Music] [Music] they’re all so so so tiny maybe enough to see six people maximum it’s sort of like that tiny little Street we saw near the uh shabuya scramble Crossing but at night I think this is a little bit more vibrant and Lively it’s Sunday today by the way so I’m guessing that Fridays and Saturdays it gets really really cramped and busy here as another late night brought another picture perfect morning I realized it was time to say goodbye to Tokyo and continue this journey despite this being my first time in the city and my first stop in Japan I can safely say it exceeded All my expectations and surprised me in so many wonderful ways I’d even go so far as to say it’s my new favorite capital city in the world well today the day starts unfortunately with us leaving Tokyo I just got to the train station I’m going to have to say goodbye to Veronica We are continuing on without her unfortunately to a place called hakone where we are going to get to using a bullet [Music] train Japan’s famous shanen is known to travel up to 320 km an hour and as the city quickly turned into Lush Countryside we approached hakone where I’ll be spending One Night in a luxurious ran just arrived at Ooa station which is the arrival point for our state in hakone in case you guys don’t know about hakone it is a mountain Retreat really close to Tokyo only about a half an hour train right away and it’s right next to Mount Fuji you’ve got beautiful view use and uh really nice rans which is where we’re going to stay it’s all very traditional and I think we’re going to have a really great time and something totally different to Tokyo the luxurious gorak kadan Retreat assigns a local Japanese assistant to each room during your stay Welcome to our room in gadan this is absolutely epic I’m so excited about this so when you enter you’ve got these Japanese slippers which I’ll try to put on later cuz I’ve seen everyone wearing them with socks then you go in be careful not to bash your head against this so we’re going to have our breakfast and our dinner sitting down at this traditional uh table on the floor then this area is like a relaxation area with traditional Furniture we’ve got this whole Terrace space the feeling that you get here is really really caling you can hear water trickling in the background the air is really fresh like Mountain Air let’s go see my favorite part of the room which is actually the bathroom and one of the reasons that I picked this room and not any other room my own private onen in rakan there’s a lot of thermal Waters and thermal activity here so what’s really popular to do here is go to one of these uh like onson spots does but they are not private so all the women can go together you have to be fully naked by the way and then all the men go together in another one one of these rooms uh with the private one you can use it whenever so I really like that concept I think for one night it’s worth the extra money obviously you have a toilet that is a Japanese toilet look at that opens on its own when there’s motion detected you’ve got all sorts of different options here I mean I’ll let you read what these are and toilets in Japan are only ever like this I actually haven’t even seen a regular Western one since I got here the last part of the room that we haven’t seen yet is the bedroom I think it’s the most simple part of the room cuz it’s just two mattresses um but I think it’s interesting to see because actually here you can choose if you want to sleep on a western mattress so like this or on a tatami bed which is basically on the floor like they would do traditionally I picked the soft fluffy Western mattresses cuz I do want to get a good night’s sleep but if I’m feeling brave today I guess this is always an option if you’re an art lover there’s definitely something for you here in hakona it’s not just rans and onsens there is actually a pretty famous outdoor Art Museum and sculpture garden that was founded in the’ 60s well I’m back in my room in gorak kadan honestly I’m a bit obsessed with this hotel and I really really wish I could have stayed just a little bit longer I wanted to give you guys a few really valuable Japan tips before I go take my bath in there and the tip number one would be to fill out your Immigration Form before you actually get to the airport that means that you have to log in online and you have to do a questionnaire and give your passport details and the details of your stay in Japan and then you can just leave the airport use a QR code instead of queuing up like everyone else does number two would be to change your money as soon as you get here as a lot of companies or taxis don’t actually accept card so having cash on you is pretty vital when you get to Japan and my third tip would be to download an app called AO which gives you data and a virtual eim without you having to buy a local SIM card [Music] here is my Yukata that I have managed to put on hopefully the right way after my bath so how it works is you’ve got the left side going over the right side and not the other way around because that’s how they dress corses apparently then you’ve got the band which for women is meant to be on the waist and then for men can be slightly lower down and my favorite part the socks these socks are actually me to be comfortable when wearing their traditional flip flops whilst you’re inside whilst you’re on this kind of floor you’re only going to be barefoot or wearing socks a Yukata is normally worn to bath houses for example whereas a kimono is considered a more formal piece of clothing here bit of a fashion show and soon it’s dinner time [Music] as much as I enjoyed those fish dishes they are actually not comparable to the Elma Cass that we had in Tokyo unfortunately but I also ordered some wagy beef from their menu as you can see it’s cooking right in front of me at the moment this right here I have a feeling is going to be the highlight of the dinner m see that’s the thing about Japan you expect a country to specialize in either fish or meat but here both things are equally as good and if I’m being perfectly honest they are better than any fish or any meat that I’ve had anywhere else in the world the dessert is a cream with strawberry sauce and what I love about any Japanese dinner is that they’ll always serve you green tea as well as one of these wet towels that comes at the start and at the end of every mail to make sure that your hands are clean well I’ve got my traditional pajama on they gave it to me here right after dinner not sure how comfortable it’s going to be but the fabric is definitely nice and soft so at least I’ve got that going for me I am going to go sleep now and I’ll see you guys tomorrow good morning I slept quite well despite the Japanese pajama not being quite as comfortable as I had hoped but having said that the mattress on the floor really was comfortable they’ve just brought me breakfast and I had a choice between Japanese breakfast and the western style breakfast um I had a look at the Japanese one and it was just fish so I went for the safe option very excited I think that this will keep me full for a while which is a good thing because today we’re heading on over to [Music] Kyoto just got to aada station the hotel was was an awesome experience I have to say uh staying there one night two nights however long you have time for is definitely worth it yes it is expensive and you do have to book about 6 months ahead but if you are organized trust me it’ll pay off now at the station this is also a really cool experience because uh you have a bunch of different food options here it’s really efficient really good honestly some of the best noodles I’ve ever had you order on the machine and in about 30 seconds you get your food food at the counter you can stay there you can eat it and then they clear your plate and basically you’re in and out of 5 minutes eating the best noodles of your life it’s absolutely epic and I didn’t actually expect this from the train station as the bullet train took me on a 3-hour long journey to Japan’s historical Capital Kyoto I got a glimpse of a cloudy Mount Fuji my arrival in Kyoto was met with a more Dynamic energy than hakone but definitely not a as hectic as Tokyo in Kyoto I’ll show you how to explore the city like tourist and a local but first when I was in Tokyo Veronica kept telling me to visit a Japanese 7-Eleven they are everywhere here virtually at least one on every street I would say and the things in here are very different to the 7-Eleven merchandise that you would find in the US [Music] it’s just after 8:00 a.m. and I am in the otagi nsui temple this Temple is mostly known for the 1,200 sculptures that represent the Disciples of Buddha and each one of them has a different facial expression the tradition is that you come in here and you try to find a sculpture that resembles your own face after this I’m going to take you on a 8-minute walk to a private bamboo forest the famous bamboo forest is only a short drive away from here but that gets very crowded very very early on in the day so you and I are going to explore a different option A more private option but equally as beautiful so stick around I think this is going to be a really useful tip for when you come to Kyoto [Music] so first you’re going to walk down a road basically with a wall covered in Greenery and moss on one side then you’re going to walk through these traditional streets until you reach that staircase and that is where you have to go to get to your private bamboo [Music] forest the bamboo Grove actually belongs to a temple and a cemetery what I recommend doing is go for opening time to the oragam busui temple at 8:00 a.m. spending about 45 minutes there and then walking down right on time for the 9:00 a.m. opening here as you can see I’m basically alone here no one has really gotten up this early to come here and it’s a fantastic feeling [Music] [Music] adashino nambutu ji Temple is a Serene sanctuary steeped in history and Tranquility the Bamboo Grove only accessible through the temple grounds gave me the chance to experience the essence of kota’s spiritual and natural beauty as I wandered through this magical Hidden Gem alone I’m in the taxi now going to meet my local guide Shi who’s going to show us around the guon district and everything in that area and I’m also really curious to ask him about life here in Kyoto my name is sh Toyota I’ve been living in Kyoto for 12 years and it was just pleasure to meeting Christina Kyoto were founded in 794 and it was our capital until 1868 everything you know about Japan today has its roots in kto from kimonos to Arts to culture to spirituals religion archit [Music] that’s the traditional Street we just saw here is a shrine dedicated to the god of entertainment and then this street over here is where you’ll see some gishes at night now in order to be a part of entertainment given by the gishes you actually need to be a member of one of these clubs and in order to be a member you have to know another member so it’s not like a tourist can walk in and just see gishes doing their thing it’s very much private members Club the word gisha literally means artists they perform right in front of you in a very private settings they start at age 15 and they start first start as a dancer we call them MOS by the way so let’s say someone is a member at a gisha club they’re obviously very wealthy what does a wealthy person do in Kyoto CEO of some company lots of old companies for example kimono stores in the newer side a lot of chemical companies are here a lot of pharmaceutics are here oh the big one Nintendo is from kotto oh that’s right Nintendo we all know [Music] Nintendo next is the yasaka shrine that roof is layers and layers of tree bark by the way in general there’s a lot of orange colors here which contrast so beautifully with the greenery you’ll see this time of year this is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto cuz this is older than the city it’s actually made in mid 00s in the shrines we worship a lot of our Shinto gods in the main altar here we worshiped the god of the Guardian now a walk through the historical streets leading up to the main Temple that I’ve been dying to get a glimpse of really nice this street doesn’t have any uh poles or any wires through it either so that’s been a really good thing to see in some of these streets because what I’m used to hear in Japan is everything looking meticulous but then as soon as you get onto a big street it’s full of wires and poles as soon as you look up and even though these streets are packed with shopping opportunities I asked Shi to take me to a local Tea House okay so this you said was a rice cake with soy glaz sauce which is very sweet with some soy sugar powder m I’m not sharing this with you I hope you know go ahead go ahead it was really really good a lot more bitter than the stuff we get in Europe cuz this is real matcha were you really like high class kotto czen if you live close to the Palace all these traditional areas we were just walking like I literally don’t know anyone that lives here it’s a nice dream but not reality yeah probably they’ve been passed down through generations and generations there I’ve never seen it on sale you said that you prefer living here to the United States oh 100% no offense folks no offense 100% why is that why do you prefer it here the value of everything here is very high high standard the service is very high standard oh the social services too Universal Health Care the roads are clean everything is clean here coming to you from Under the Umbrella we didn’t get very lucky with the weather as we’re approaching the main Temple but tell us about it anyway this is the kizu temple one of our 17th World UNESCO Heritage sites we have in Kyoto and this is safe to say the most popular temple in Japan everyone comes here once in a lifetime more than 1300 years old but also the main hall is one of the biggest wooden complexes in the world held by 139 wooden poles [Music] so we’re walking back under the rain and the street is even more crowded than it was before and I was just asking show he what the criminality here is like he said that there are some ver I can’t say I can’t say either there’s some people stealing money you know just uh stealing money you guys get the word that we can’t pronounce despite the fact that our society is very organized very safe very clean there’s a pressure to maintain that which is a very uh mental pressure for us the citizens we got to act in this own way uh Japan has the most number of Mental Hospitals in the world you know that is a sign I said bye to shohi and headed over to the other side of Kyoto for my next activity where I’ll be learning more about the drink I’ve been having with every meal in Japan so far sake sake is made from various types of rice which is polished to different degrees before molding fermenting and filtering sake can range from dry to Sweet with classifications like junai ginjo and da Gino needless to to say I liked some varieties more than [Music] others he am not going to lie I did get a little bit tipsy during that scker tasting there’s just so much sucker oh I don’t know how everyone drank everything I was about a quarter of the way through and already my head started getting a little bit dizzy anyway ahead of us we’ve got a food market uh so that’s where I’m headed now I’m hoping to find some nice traditional lunch eat and uh yeah I think that’s all that I can say without you know falling flat on my face well I found a chicken katsu restaurant which is great because chicken katsu isn’t something that I’ve had here since my arrival to Japan this restaurant is really local it’s a concept where you actually with the table with other people and you’re separated by a glass divider let’s give this a [Music] try crispy on the outside and soft on the inside absolutely perfect and they also serve it to you with some rice miso soup some tofu so that’s always something that’s complimentary with meals over here [Music] trying out the Koto Subway I got in using my sua cart which is the same one that I used in Tokyo I have a feeling that it’s going to be just as meticulous and organized and timely so let’s see if I’m [Music] right earlier today whilst drinking traditional match with shohi I became curious to find out more about tea ceremonies in Japan in a such a ceremony the main aim is to appreciate a fleeting moment of togetherness with your company the guests First Watch as the host meticulously cleans and purifies the tea utensils and prepares the tea in front of them followed by a small Japanese dessert and then the matcha itself it’s important for the guests to rotate their cups so that the main part of the design faces outwards towards the host as a sign of respect you guys won’t believe this but earlier today it was snowing here I looked out the window when I woke up at about 6:30 a.m. and sure enough there was snow falling on the rooftops but I also saw some sunshine so I took the opportunity and I went out bright and early to the Fushimi inar Shrine this Shrine is probably the most photographed one in Japan it’s basically 10,000 orange structures first dedicated to the god of rice which was also their form of currency back in the day so it’s like dedicated to the god of of business and then over time worshippers donated more and more of the structures and then businesses had their names engraved on it too the color orange is for good luck and to repel bad spirits and it is quite a while to hike up to the top but I think it’s going to be worth it so I’m going to do as much as I can before heading over to the next activity you are going to see these foxes everywhere throughout the trail and we talked about how all of these gates are to honor the rice God and these foxes right here are actually The Messengers of the rice God they’re said to be cunning and Woody and Sly but the perfect Messengers well I guess that’s that traffic is being diverted about halfway through because of a fallen tree so that is my hike done I guess normally it takes anywhere from 40 minutes up to 2 and 1/2 hours to hike all the way to the top but I’ve had to stop at about 20 minutes because of tree this was nice but I wish I’d come about 2 hours earlier it’s open 24/7 by the way so you can integrated into any part of your day by night it’s apparently quite nice as well although with the sunlight you are going to get more of the bright orange [Music] colors the next activity is actually a very special train going to a new location yet again this train might even be cooler than the bullet train I took to come to Kyoto it is called the luxury sightseeing train from the’ 60s and’ 7s and it takes you from Kyoto to Nat which is the famous wild Deer Park here I think you’re going to want to see this train and if you want to book it make sure you do so about 3 to 4 weeks ahead I actually got the last two remaining seats on this one and I’m so so so happy because this is an experience like no [Music] other this is another seating option I still think that whatever seat you book you’re still getting quite a treat it’s absolutely amazing such a cool experience being on a train like this and then comparing it to the [Music] shinen Nar Deer Park which was first established in 1880 is renowned for its 1,400 sacred deer believed to be messengers of the Gods in Japanese mythology it looks like there’s some sort of courting or bathing ritual going on behind [Music] me some deer are definitely braver than others here I have arrived at to G temple one of the largest wooden structures on the planet basically it was the largest one up until 1998 and this Temple actually dates back from the 8th Century it’s a Buddhist temple well as you can see the line to go inside kind of resembles the line for the donuts in Tokyo don’t judge but I’m actually getting hungry so I’m going to head over and get some food well I’ve unfortunately finished all my dear cookies what I was thinking was how much I missed animal contact when I was in Tokyo and Kyoto there’s very few animals around there I mean even dogs I don’t really see and just like that lack of wildlife really got to me after about a week I think that’s one of the reasons that I’ve enjoyed my time here so far and now I think it’s time for me to get some food cuz watching them eating all my cookies has worked up an appetite for [Music] me let theas restaurant in Nara is known for its melin star status and captivates diners with exquisite French cuisine and impeccable presentation using local ingredients even though the dishes are small they make up for it in quantity and exceptional flavors the deer of Nora are wild animals they can occasionally attack people please be careful bite kick but knock down I decided to take my chances and it was going great until it [Music] wasn’t okay hey no that was really scary for a minute one of them bit my leggings one of them basically wiped his face on my sweater one of them bit the other’s butt and there was a chunk of fur in his mouth yeah they get aggressive over to this side oh this one looks so sweet though I can’t say no to this one hello hello oh this one’s like Bambi [Music] so we have a deer now we have a deer now yes it appears that we have a deer now my pet deer soon left me in search of snacks elsewhere so off I went with a bruised ego and a broken heart to explore Isen Gardens a meticulously crafted Masterpiece from the Ado period right in the center of naraan garden is actually the only traditional walking Garden here in the NADA area it costs about about 1,000 yen to get in but you’ll see it’s a lot bigger than it looks on the map and there’s just so much to see here it’s really relaxing the nature is absolutely beautiful The Sounds the smells the sights in this park are really worth seeing if you’re in N this is almost the scariest back there at least these aren’t violent they’re not going to headbutt me and bite my leggings off I was wrong yet again [Music] they gave me a rose at the restaurant so cute the amazing thing about NATA is that it’s so walkable you don’t actually need a car once you’re in Nat to get from attraction to attraction there’s deer everywhere so please don’t think that that little area outside the station is the only place where you’ll see them I find that the deer closer to the inner area of the parks are a lot more wild and it’s kind of more interesting to interact with them but now we are going to see another Shrine which I think is going to be a little bit less crowded than the main one this Shrine is called the kasuga shrine it’s a world heritage side it’s from the 8th Century orange Gates Again just like we saw in Fushimi Inari in Kyoto now we know what they mean wow this place it’s kind of like aliceon Wonderland mixed with something even more whimsical I can’t quite put my finger on it but I think this Shrine I definitely prefer to uh the central Temple that we saw [Music] earlier this part of Nara feels almost surreal I have to say it’s like you’re in some sort of I don’t know CGI movie almost like all of these deer are just so perfect and blend into the woods so well it’s really hard to describe if I’m being perfectly honest I think that when you step off the train you see a bunch of tourists a bunch of vendors for cookies like this big big crowded space you’re like o is this really all it is and then you go deeper and deeper and you start exploring Nara for more than just that part outside of the train station and you come to realize that actually it’s really really magical I feel like I’m in a story book now there’s one more stop in Nara before I head back to the train station and I just want to take this opportunity to thank you guys for being here I really really enjoy making these videos for you so if you found it useful and valuable for your next trip to Japan please hit the Subscribe button please interact with this video and also if you want to follow my travels in real time I interact a lot through Instagram stories so be sure to follow me on there as well it’s @ Christina Hower Main Street of Nara that is where they make the famous Mochis with the demonstration of the guy actually like beating the Mochi by the way I missed the one for today cuz we were still having lunch but if that’s something that you’re interested in then when you get toara just go there and check what time they’ll be doing that and then you can always come back [Music] [Music] Oreo Japanese me on a scale of 1 to 10 if you like sugar being your only ingredient it’s definitely a 10 surprisingly enough my day in Nara ended up being one of my favorite days in Japan and now on to the next stop welcome to Osaka I just got out of the train station my taxi is right here I’ll show you guys a little bit about Osaka and what makes it so special I’m sure that we’ll make the most of it what I’ve noticed in Japan is that you never have to open your own taxi door either the driver does it for you or the door opens automatically using a button next to the driver’s seat and did I mention the overly expressive ads on the screens inside taxis but that’s clearly not enough entertainment so what I’m about to show you is Osaka’s main Entertainment District itself Doon [Music] Buri well we’re starting in probably the most famous part of this area which is the canals probob entertainment neon lights everywhere bright color similar to akaba in Tokyo that we saw earlier on in the video but here you’ve got a water element added to it as well I can’t believe how many of these there are in Japan covered shopping arcades everywhere in Tokyo Kyoto here I think it’s part of Japanese culture at this point but past the arcades you’ll also find hosen G Temple from the 17th century and home to a famous Moss statue [Music] [Applause] [Music] going for dinner to a katsu place today meaning that it’ll be like deep fried vegetables fish meat and the only reason that I know where it is is because I’ve looked at a bunch of Google reviews so you get to the address and then you have to go down the stairs through a corridor and it’s the second restaurant that has no English signs whatsoever so basically you won’t know that it’s there unless that is specifically where you’re going to too and I’m hoping that the food is going to be good as well so let’s find [Music] [Music] out well no visit to Osaka is complete without visiting Osaka Castle this is probably one of the most famous landmarks in Japan if not the most visited Castle in Japan from the 17th century and if you think that it’s just one Castle you are very wrong that’s what I thought and I came here only to realize that it is in fact a huge structure built using over half a million large stones [Music] [Music] [Music] standing at 170 m tall is this huge work of art called the umeda sky building on the top floor you have an observation deck where you can see Osaka from above unfortunately the weather isn’t quite looking perfect cuz it’s really cloudy today but nevertheless I decided to come anyway because it’s my only day here in Osaka tickets can be found online and yeah I can’t stop looking up it is pretty amazing even from here I’ve gone up one floor to the Skywalk which is basically all outdoors and you can do the perimeter of the Terrace with everything right beneath you the only thing is it is so cold so so so so so cold but that’s just my luck with the weather before I left Asaka I absolutely had to get udo’s famous cheesecake super creamy fluffy cheesecake that they make on the spot there they’ve been making for approximately 40 years now if you go there and you see a huge line don’t be put off by it because actually it’s really organized and the line goes really fast one of these will set you back approximately $7 but what you are getting is actually a full cake so have a look at this ooh look at that very very light I am not getting much cheese in it if I’m being perfectly honest it’s more like whipped eggs this would go really well with Nutella chocolate sauce or Jam I’m actually thinking of calling the hotel now and asking if they have some of that stuff so if you want a local dessert here this would be the perfect option and it is unfortunately the last breakfast that I’m going to have here in Japan because after this I have to pack my bags and head over to the airport so if you have watched up until now thank you so much and I really really really appreciate you I hope that this video has been useful for you and I highly recommend you go down into the description because there are a few other points that I didn’t mention in this video this whole trip has just been incredible amazing like my mind has been blown I know that I will be coming back to Japan and I think when you visit if you use my itinerary you will also feel the same way so feel free to reach out to me if there’s anything that I haven’t covered that you want to know more about thank you for being here thanks for watching please like comment and subscribe and check out this video next