My First Time in Japan 2025 | Tokyo, Kyoto & Ramen Adventure

My First Time in Japan 2025 | Tokyo, Kyoto & Ramen Adventure

We went to a temple at the worst possible time. Coming up, a chaotic taxi ride, an accidental wedding crash, a quest for a missing river, and the moment I finally learned what it really means to sweat in Kyoto. All this and more on my first time in Japan. [Music] What I wanted to do is take the opportunity to walk through the past, right? The idea here is that my first trip to Japan in 2019, I recorded different clips, but I didn’t know what I was doing. And I had a very terrible phone. uh some some ancient Android device from back in the old country. And I did my best to film just as just to make sure I have memories for some use. And now in the future, many years later, 2025, I decided, oh, I could repurpose this old stuff. I I don’t want it to be left in the left in the pages of history. So, you join me now in an undisclosed location by the wonderful water. It’s actually a very calming sound the way the water gently taps the concrete, if you will. But in 2019, in September of 2019, I went to Japan for the first time in my life. So, welcome everybody to my first time. I remember a lot of the things that I’ll be showing you during this video if if I do my editing job correctly. You’ll hear my voice carry you through some of the clips. For example, my first time going to Japan, I didn’t know what to expect, nor did I know what to bring. So, I packed way too many things. I I I brought shaving cream, razor blades, deodorant, toothbrushes, combs, shampoo, h all those things turns out you don’t need to bring because any moderately low price decent hotel in Japan provides you with all of it. So stupid me brought a small pharmacy of things that just took up space in the luggage and it was a terrible idea but at least that’s how you learn through trial and action. I went there with a great friend, his name is Jard Jardanovich, a Czech Republic fellow and we were enjoying exploring the different sites and the scenes within Kyoto, the older parts of Kyoto especially. And that night we wanted to get some food and I figured, hey man, it is aggressively hot cuz it’s in the middle of Japanese summer. So for the first time ever, I got us a taxi. I got a taxi in Japan and I figured, hey, we could take this taxi thanks to the hotel that ordered it for us because back then I couldn’t speak any Japanese. We got in the taxi and I had the information on a little card that I gave it to the taxi driver that he would whisk us along the journey to the restaurant. The hilarious part was the entire drive he’s talking to someone on the phone and he keeps repeating the word gajun with a little bit of extra punch if you will. So, he’s driving along and I don’t understand much, but I keep understanding the word gajjun and it just keeps hitting over and over and I’m just like, “Hey, wait a minute. What’s what’s going on here? What why are you first, why are you saying that in your phone call? And second, why are you saying it with such extra power behind the pronunciation?” But regardless, we got to the destination. And for the first time in my life, way back then, I tried uh Ichiran ramen, which a lot of people online uh dismiss as sort of fast food ramen. But as someone who was yet uninitiated, delicious, changed my life, mind changed, horizons opened, and that was the beauty of Japan. The other parts I really enjoyed was just getting used to trains, going to a train station, buying a ticket, getting one of those Suika cards, finding the right platform. Am I in the right place? No. Damn it. Go downstairs again. Go walk over. Come back. Go up to another platform. That was fun. Especially from someone who grew up in America and you’re used to just car. you’re used to just driving around. But back in 2019 in September in the blazing sun in Japan, my first time, I was learning about the train stations and how to navigate the rainbow spaghetti that is the train system in Japan, Tokyo especially. uh nightmarish cavalcade of of ridiculousness, but once you learn it, it all makes sense. And I thought that was another great moment of history that I was like, “Oh, what the hell is this?” But then once I started using the trains more and more, it became uh rather fun. Also in Kyoto, I I got to try out different hotels and one of my favorite was a thing called First Cabin. I think First Cabin is probably one of my favorite budget slash very ultra premium feeling quick hotel. I actually recorded the journey from the uh hotel onen like bathing area all the way up to my uh little hotel room. It’s kind of like a pod, if you will. And I guess you’ll see some of that here in this clip that I’ll show you where I’m walking along slow, taking my time recording things, but also being in awe because it’s a very long winding walk, but also because I’m in Japan and I’m in I’m in slippers that are way too small for my feet. I’m in hotel clothes that are way too small for my body. I’m a tall guy, so I got to watch the door frame so I don’t hit my head again. But I’m happy. I’m I’m genuinely happy to be there and I love it. We also spent time with a friend of mine. So, a wonderful friend named Kazuhisa. We call him Kazu. In 2019, I went back to see him. It’s been a while. And we enjoyed exploring Nagoya, which is a wonderful city that is a little bit below Tokyo, but honestly, it’s an absolutely amazing place. And I wouldn’t mind the life in Nagoya. That’s something for the future. And the best part was the memory of driving around and just talking and I’m asking them like where where do you guys have a river? Because I wanted to go see a river in like the anime style was like there’s a long river bank and then like a slope near river. No, you mean is there a river? Actually, there’s a river. Oh, over there. Oh. Oh, that’s great. And his wife is driving us, a wonderful lady named Chis. And we’re in this tiny little awesome car and she’s driving along blasting American music, which I thought was fantastic because if you turn the tables, we do that here. So, I thought that was a lot of fun. Oh, but just checking the time to make sure I’m not running out of memory again. More interesting parts about that trip, a 2019 journey, my first time in Japan. There’s so many memories. So, we went to a temple. [Music] at the worst possible time. Tourists, two incredible Japanese people, natives, uh, and then two very tall, obviously easy to spot foreigners walk into this very sacred temple area. And there’s chanting in the distance like some sort of anime like if you were watching Ninja Scroll and in the background there’s some sort of ancient temple chanting. What that clip doesn’t show is that there was a wedding in that temple. A little bit offcreen from what I recorded. There was a wedding happening while we were visiting. So I remember immediately uh my friend and his wife and his wife were like, “No, no, no. We got to go. We got to go. Can’t stay here. Can’t stay here.” To be polite of these people enjoying this wonderful celebration with their family and loved ones. But that was a little bit of extra joy in the journey back in 2019. Also, while in Kyoto, I learned what it really means to sweat again. First time in Japan, first time in Japanese summer, first time traveling internationally, first time traveling alone. I didn’t really know what to bring. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what to pack. So, I forget the place, the name of the place, but I put it up in uh post editing. We go to this temple walk, this mountain in Kyoto. And in this mountain is a long journey to the top. Walking through what’s called Tory gates. These big red gates that are very famous and synonymous with Japanese culture. You’ll see them before. I like this light. And it’s a long way up and it’s hot. I’m walking with my friend and it is really really warm and I’m sweating buckets because I didn’t bring any shorts and I’m wearing jeans and I remember specifically the hardship of trying to work my way up with these giant crowds of people and they’re all taking pictures and going ooh and ah and there’s all these ladies trying to do like Instagram reels so They’re holding up the line because they want to do like poses where the Tory gates go into like a tunnel and I’m just like, “God damn it, it’s hot as hell.” And I’m waiting in this traffic jam in the Kyoto Mountains trying to see some temple. So then I stumbled upon a map and then the map made my face worry cuz after all the worrying, after all the climbing and sweating, we were barely halfway there. But I noticed something different. There was a big loop and you were supposed to go one specific way, which is what my friend wanted to do. But I wanted to get to the top and I wanted to avoid people. I discovered there’s another way if you just go the opposite direction. Okay. So I’m I’m here going up to here. Ja because he wanted to do it the traditional way went back to go here. I just continued to walk and get to the temple and finish that journey sweating buckets. All right, so here’s a little little tidbit. It’s super crowded, but only if you go in that direction where the the gates names are facing you. But it’s all one giant circle up the mountain. So if you go the opposite direction, there’s almost nobody. And then the other memories were just Tokyo exploring. Just being there for the first time ever. Just actually seeing what the place I’ve dreamt about forever. Finally walking there was a big difference and enjoying the wonderful food. There’s a few other clips I’ll put in there now just to make sure it gets documented and friends and family could see our experiences, but similar to how clouds move and slow boats meander through canals, all journeys come to an end. So the saddest part of that journey was going back back home to Washington at the time only to discover that the job I have is done and I’m unemployed. Oh, 2019 was a a difficult time for me, but we made it work. And one thing that always helped me stay the course was my deep love of Japan. Its people, its food, its culture, just every aspect that makes me smile. Smile so much. My cheeks hurt from smiling. So, I hope you like this journey. Uh, I I wanted to repurpose old clips somehow. So, I figured why not talk about it now while I’m in a wonderful area. Take care.

In this Japan travel vlog (2025), I look back on my first trip to Japan — the adventure that changed everything. From overpacking and that odd taxi ride, to driving through Nagoya, enjoying heavenly Ichiran Ramen, and walking through the endless torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, this trip was filled with unforgettable memories.

Join me as I relive my favorite Japan travel moments — exploring Tokyo’s streets, visiting Kyoto’s ancient temples, navigating Japanese trains and Suica cards, and soaking in the beauty of Japanese culture that still makes me smile.

If you love travel vlogs, Japan adventures, or just a good storytime for motivation, consider subscribing — more adventures coming soon. 🇯🇵✨

My First Time in Japan – Timestamps

00:00 Intro
00:49 Cat Dad
02:06 Packing Too Much
03:14 Odd Taxi
04:28 Ichiran Ramen
05:00 Trains in Japan
06:15 First Cabin Hotel
09:25 Driving in Nagoya
10:25 Nagoya Surprises
11:56 Summer in Kyoto

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► The Music
We used the following copyright-free music with permission from amazing artists. Please check out their incredible work! 🎶
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For the cosmic sound:
[Copyright Free Orchestral] Multi – Cosmic Danger
by Artist Jules Schattenberg
[Link] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDcLwLrWO4&list=PLG5X0XcsRVZLgo8kvbvh87SRqZvwPvTKR&index=6

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For lovely background music:
【Royalty Free Music / No Copyright】 Bossanova for Tea Time
by Artist Ng Reimond 🌌🐤 吳雷文
[Link] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cluZU3mKERM&list=PLG5X0XcsRVZLgo8kvbvh87SRqZvwPvTKR&index=6

—
Song: Fragments
Composer: AERØHEAD
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoZbM1a4PKQ6haa2Ap4TSdg
License: Creative Commons (BY-NC 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

—
Song: Embrace
Composer: Sappheiros
Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZVHXQZAIn9WJXvy6qn9K0
License: Creative Commons (BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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► Equipment I Use
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