DONT do the japan trip everyone does: 3 tips to get the MOST from your trip here
Don’t do the Japan trip. Everyone does. That sounds a bit dramatic, but here’s why you should change your travel plans. I’m guessing if you clicked this video, you’re planning a trip to Japan. And whether it’s your first time going or your fifth time going, you’re not trying to see only the Instagrammable spots or check off the list of Trip Advisor top 10 what to do. You want something a bit different. And to be frank, you should. There’s so much to do in the land of the rising sun without it having to be the land of the rising tourists. You will experience over tourism in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. With Japan being one of the hottest tourism spots in the world and the Japanese yen being so cheap, it’s likely going to be this way for the foreseeable future. If you’re like me, you’re excited to experience traditional Japanese culture. And as much as I love traveling in Japan, part of it felt like it was an all-encompassing theme park. And no, I’m not just talking about Tokyo Disney. Interactions with people were transactional and inauthentic. But it didn’t feel like this everywhere. That’s why I made this video to give you three suggestions to unbasic your Japan trip so you can experience more of what Japan has to offer without having to add days onto your trip. But if you can add days onto your Japan trip, go ahead and do that. You’re not going to regret it. Disclaimer, if you do go to Japan and only visit the Golden Route, it’s still going to be a great trip. I think it’s incredible for anyone to travel out of their own country and go anywhere else. So, if that’s you, you’re awesome. After spending hundreds of hours watching videos, reading an old Japan travel guide, planning, budgeting, and booking a perfect 5 weeks in Japan, it was all worth it. We did, of course, visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka being our first time in Japan. I mean, you almost have to. You’re not just going to Japan and skipping out on Senoji Temple in Asaka or the video game and anime haven, Akihabara. You’re going to cross Shabuya Crossing and see all the cool stores in the area. Probably go up the third largest tower in the world, Tokyo Skytree. You’re going to see Tokyo Tower. Well, we didn’t see Tokyo Tower, but anyways, uh Team Labs, the most visited museum in the world. You get it. There’s things that you just have to do when you’re in Tokyo. You’re going to go to Kyoto and see all the traditional sites. the Arashyama bamboo forest, the Watyama monkey park, Kin Kakuji, the golden pavilion, Bushimi Anari shrine with all the red Tory gates. I could go on and on, but Kyoto’s cultural sites are one of a kind, and that’s why crowds are so crazy. You’ll take a day trip to Nar and feed the deer, see a big Buddha, and watch people make mochi at a dangerous speed. Osaka’s Doburi district is iconic with all the street food. You’ll see the Osaka Castle, which you learned about when you binged Shogun. And you don’t have to do all of these things, but you probably will. And there’s a reason why it’s called the golden route, cuz it is pretty cool. But my favorite parts of Japan were actually outside all of these cities. So, here’s suggestion number one. Plan a few days outside of the Golden Route. GMA Prefecture is a 45minute train ride north of Tokyo and is a mountainous home to hundreds of hot springs. The town I’d recommend would be the Kusatu Onen town. It’s home to this hot waterfield. And walking around at night, I felt like I was in 1600’s Japan. An hour and a half trip from Tokyo is Nigata, the seaside prefecture famous for its rice production and sake. You can visit the world’s largest sake vending machine, and look at some rice fields. It’s cooler than it sounds. The whole Tohoku area is just a big W. The Yamagata area has the Ginszen Onsen, a hotring town famous for inspiring architecture in Spirited Away. Almare to the far north is famous for the most delicious apples in Japan and the Nebot Museum, a display of giant handcrafted floats meant to ward off evil spirits during an annual festival. And everywhere in between those places is awesome. To quote the New York Times, in 2023, Moroka, not Tokyo, not Kyoto, was featured on this year’s 52 places to go list. Craig Ma mentions in this article how there isn’t a mustsee attraction in Moroka. The city’s combination of kindness, cuisine, walkability, and history enchanted me. And it’ll enchant you, too. For example, we ran across a festival there by total accident and visited Sakistan. We struck up a conversation with the owner and before we knew it, night was upon us. The shop owner had 10 minutes to pack up his entire stand and leave the street. My wife and I jumped in to help him pack up. And to thank us, he offered to open his sake shop exclusively for us the next day and give us a tour. His sake shop has been in the family for multiple generations and he’s continuing the tradition as a sake connoisseur. Just a unique experience you wouldn’t sign up for online. The next day, Tokyo TV interviewed me about my travels and asking why I came to the less touristed town of Moroka. It’s moments like these I remember much more fondly than just the times I took pictures with national monuments. My last trip recommendation would be anywhere in Hokkaido. Flights from Tokyo are an hour and a half and typically around 10,000 yen or $70 one way. You can also take a one-way Shen Kansen ride that’s about 4 hours. Hokkaido is the wild frontier of Japan with untouched natural beauty and abundant wildlife. The capital city of Saporro is very modern along with the port city of Hakodate. But the further east you go, the more diverse the nature gets. You’ve got volcanic valleys, mystical blue ponds, pink flower wonderlands. It is worth your time and planning to get here. Apparently, 99% of tourists never go there. So, you could be the 1%. I’ve actually put together a 14-day itinerary that features all of these places, so go ahead and click it somewhere up here or subscribe to the channel so you can watch it later. Suggestion number two, consider booking Airbnbs over hotels. Now, we’ve all heard the horror stories of Airbnbs, and I can see why booking abroad can be a bit scary, but if you thoroughly look through reviews, pictures, message the host ahead of time, etc., you can avoid all that drama. I won’t go into another story like I did with the shop owner in Moroka, but connecting with my Airbnb hosts, getting freshmade breakfast every morning, and asking for local secret spots to visit was much more special than checking into my Appa Hotel. Nothing against Appa Hotel. I totally recommend them if you are going the hotel route. Well, actually, I will tell a story about one Airbnb host we had. She was actually in the middle of making a Japanese documentary on her life and we were her American guests for breakfast. And well, another story, uh, our host in Sappo actually made a different breakfast every single morning we were there and catered to our dietary restrictions. You’re not going to find that hospitality in over touristy places. So, give Airbnb a try and make some of your own stories. Disclaimer that Airbnbs in Tokyo are much more likely to be entire rentals and not people’s homes. So, you may not get that hospitality level there. Suggestion number three is to rent a car in Japan. Now, warning, if you only go to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, for the love of Buddha, do not rent a car. You’re not going to find parking hardly anywhere. And I mean, if you’re watching this video, you probably know that trains and buses are incredibly convenient. So, I’d only recommend renting a car if you are going outside of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Being able to pull over as you please adds these random side quests to your trip that you won’t have planned for. We found so many beautiful parks and hikes along our journey, not to mention the freedom of not having to operate on a bus or train schedule. Keep in mind, you will need to buy an international driving permit before going. I was able to find one for about $20 at AAA, and I got it pretty quickly. If you’re nervous about driving in Japan, that’s understandable. The good news is most cars will be automatic transmission, and they actually come with a bumper sticker letting others know that you’re a foreign driver. Yes, you will be on the left side of the road, but you’re probably not going to get anyone to be angry at you or honk at you because you’re driving a little slow. As promised, those are my three suggestions to unbasic your Japan trip. If you’ve already planned your trip or you’re too limited on time for anything but the golden route, don’t worry. you could just re-watch this video for the next time you come to Japan because trust me, you’ll be back. I really appreciate you watching till the end of this video. If you like this one, you’re probably going to like this 14-day itinerary I made. So, go ahead and click that to check it out. Be sure to subscribe and I’ll see you in the next one. Oh, did you click the 14-day itinerary yet? Oh, yeah. Yeah, do that. It’s It’s pretty darn good. I worked really hard on it. All right. See you.
Don’t follow the typical path; let’s make your next adventure to the land of the rising sun truly unique! Instead of hitting the same old tourist traps, this video shares how to experience japanese culture in a more authentic way. Subscribe for more cool japan travel and to inspire your next road trip!
#japan #japanitinerary
0:00 intro
0:26 land of the rising tourists
1:24 disclaimer
1:47 golden route
3:09 suggestion one
4:40 shopkeeper story
6:25 suggestion two
7:42 suggestion three
1 Comment
Nice tips man!