1) Asakusa and Senso-ji Asakusa is a mostly pedestrian section of Tokyo with various stores, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. At the northern end of Asakusa is the Senso-ji temple, a large complex with food stands, cherry trees and various buildings. As with any significant shrine, there are aisles of vendors geared toward tourists. We stayed in Asakusa and found it to be a very good neighborhood to base ourselves. Above, bottom left, the pagoda and main hall of the shrine.

Ise Sueyoshi Meal Type: Traditional Kaiseki Though we had the traditional, we were excited to see that this restaurant actively welcomes gluten free, vegan, vegetarian and Muslim meals. They also had a section on the reservation form to describe a dietary need that didn’t fit neatly in those categories. Phone: 03-6427-2314 Email: info.sueyoshi@gmail.com Website: http://isesueyoshi.blog.fc2.com/ Address: 4-2-15 Nishiazabu, Mizuno Bldg. 3F, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0031 (Note the 3

There are many types of food to explore in Kyoto and we love all of it. We had the gift of time, which allowed us to scope out many restaurants and make reservations for later dates. If you don’t have the time for that, you can either plan a day early in your visit where you go to these places and make reservations for later in your visit, or ask your hotel to reserve for you. You may want to be more spontaneous. We certainly found some great places by just walking in and ge

Things that make sense in Japan? We've got you covered: bathrooms, restaurant reservations, transportation, visas, phone cards and more. Isn't Japan Really Expensive? Not necessarily. Even when exchange rates were seriously not in the favor of US dollars, we found some key ways to keep expenses low. Use a business hotel : our choice has usually been Toyoko Inn , but there are several brands that are similar, such as Dormy Inn , Tokyu Stay and Daiwa Roynet . These are often a

Some tips we include in other Japan blog locations hold true for Fukuoka, including: Food courts in the basement of large department stores like Daimaru and Mitsukoshi are local experiences you shouldn't miss, and great places to find lower-cost meals and food souvenirs. Reservations are often necessary and always appreciated. If a restaurant says they are full, and you see empty seats, don't take it personally. Many restaurants plan food purchases based on reservations. If y

This is a great city for museums, shopping (including antiques!), rich history, and lovely walks. Jump to the Food recommendations here , Hotels here , and Arita day trip here . We were based near the JR station which has many malls all around it and easy transport by bus or tram everywhere in the city. If you arrive at the port (on a cruise) or are near the port, there is a bus stop very close that gives excellent instructions in English and offers an all-day pass for 600 ye

Public transit in Japan is fantastic, and we have taken at least 10 trips to Japan without needing to drive. But on our trip to Kyushu, several of the places we wanted to visit were rural and did not have much public transit (bus or train) infrastructure. Reserving a car I tried to rent a car online directly from several of the major car rental companies. Toyota, Nissan and Times (formerly Mazda rent-a-car) all wanted Japanese addresses and/or ID numbers. So I ended up renti

One of the bigger cities on Kyushu with over half a million people, Kagoshima is a nice place to spend a few days. Jump to our Food , Hotel , or Shopping sections on this page. Sengan-en This is one of the final residences and gardens used by the Shimadzu clan at the end of the Edo period and after the Meiji restoration in 1868. Both the house and gardens are spectacular. It’s easy to spend several hours here even though the gardens are relatively compact, between eating lu

On this page you can jump to sections on Kumamoto , Yakushima , Yufuin , Beppu , Takachiho (Gorge) and Mt. Aso , and Obi Castle Town in Nichinan There are separate pages for Kagoshima things to do and food , Fukuoka things to do , Food in Fukuoka , and Nagasaki To Do and Eat . Also, note that we mostly used trains and buses to get from place to place. We did, however, rent a car when going from Beppu to Takachiho to Obi Castle Town in Nichinan to Kagoshima, and then when w

Fukuoka, the capital of Fukuoka prefecture, is the biggest city on Kyushu. There’s a lot to see, do and eat. We spent a total of 5 days in Fukuoka and still didn’t see everything we wanted to. For details on restaurants in Fukuoka, check out our post " Food in Fukuoka " 1) Dazaifu Tenmangu This large temple complex and the Kyushu National Museum (below) are located in the town of Dazaifu, a suburb of Fukuoka. This temple is dedicated to learning and education so many people

NIJO MARKET AREA Nijo Market is a great place to see local fresh seafood and other Hokkaido products, as well as eat some of those items....

We went to Hakodate for three nights as an extension of our Sapporo trip--targeting an uni-rich area. There was a cruise ship in port and...

Noboribetsu is an onsen town about an hour south of Sapporo along the coast. It borders the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. The onsen...

Day trips from Sapporo is a separate blog post. Shopping Perhaps because Sapporo is snowy for much of the year, there is a great deal of...

1) Yoichi/Otaru How to get there from Sapporo You can take the train (Airport Rapid Express) or bus (Chuo Bus) to Yoichi and/or Otaru. ...

I ran in both Kyoto and Tokyo. See below for more info about running in those cities. Running in Kyoto There are two places in central...

​1) Heian Shrine (Heian-jingu) This is a large temple complex in Higashiyama north of Yasaka-jinja built in 1895 to commemorate the...

Sanjocho Neighborhood We mostly explored food and necessities in Sanjocho (google map location), but there are also many clothing,...

Running in Kyoto There are two places in central Kyoto that I found good for running: the grounds of the Imperial Palace (aka...

Neighborhoods in Kyoto One of our long-term ideas is to spend 1-3 months a year in Japan – we love the food, culture and lifestyle. So,...