[Japan] Final Thoughts

Before anything else, here is a summary of all my posts about our Japan experience:

Family Trip to Japan
Osaka
Nara Park
Kyoto
Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko
Temples and Popular Areas in Tokyo
Hachiko and Shibuya Sky
teamLab Planets and an Afternoon in Odaiba
Tokyo DisneySea!
Hunters Bar, a Monster Hunter-Themed Restaurant
Dinner and a Mini-Reunion at Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu
Food!
And More Food!
Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba
Marunouchi Hotel in Tokyo
Travel Tips to Osaka and Tokyo
Final Thoughts

Dotonbori in Osaka

This was our planned itinerary. However, the typhoon hit us on Day 4 so we ended up compressing the two day trips to Kyoto (days 4 and 5) into just one, on day 5. It also meant that we had to drop a few items. As such, we no longer got to see the Golden Pavilion, Ninenzaka, and Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Day 1: Depart Manila, arrive in Osaka
Day 2: Day trip to Nara Park
Day 3: Osaka: Universal Studios Japan
Day 4: Day trip to Kyoto from Osaka: Tea Ceremony and Kimono Experience Kyoto (Maikoya at Nishiki), Samurai and Ninja Museum
Day 5: Day trip to Kyoto from Osaka: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), Ninenzaka, Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Day 6: Travel from Osaka to Tokyo via Shinkansen
Day 7: Day trip from Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchiko for Mt. Fuji viewing
Day 8: Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa, Ginza
Day 9: Akihabara, Hunters Bar, Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu
Day 10: Hachiko Statue, Shibuya Crossing, teamLab Planets, Odaiba
Day 11: Tokyo DisneySea
Day 12: Imperial Palace, Shibuya Sky, Meiji Shrine
Day 13: Departure from Tokyo, fly back to Manila

Torii gate at Meiji Jingu in Tokyo

This trip to Japan was my first international trip since the pandemic. It's also the first time my nephews traveled abroad as adults. Their previous international trip was to Singapore and Malaysia more than a decade ago and they were still kids back then.

Todai-ji Temple in Nara Park

Japan is pretty much a walking country because taxis are expensive and you can get to most places quite easily via subways, metros, and the rail system. A big change since the last time I was in Japan (more than two decades ago) is that railway stations and trains now have English signs and announcements. This makes it a lot easier for tourists to go around and find their way.

Restaurants and bustling crowds in Dotonbori

When we took the Shinkansen from Osaka to Kyoto, we initially ran into a challenge because reserved seats were sold out that day. (My guess is this was because there was a typhoon two days before and up until the previous day, many intercity trains were still not in operation.) The only tickets we could get were the cheaper, free-seating ones. Thankfully, the train we got on was originating from the Shin-Osaka station which is where we were boarding. This meant that the train was complete empty when it arrived. Not only did we manage to get seats, but our seats were also next to each other. Cool!

Tokyo Station in Marunouchi

One other great thing about trains in Japan, such as the Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo and the Narita Express, is that there is a lot of legroom and space. They are designed for people who are bringing lots of luggage with them. We actually managed to fit large luggage between us and the seat in front of us. That's a lot of legroom! There are also areas at either the front or the back of each car where you can place your luggage and you can also put smaller bags on the overhead storage spaces.

Lots of leg room in the Shinkansen from Osaka to Kyoto

Whenever my mom and I travel, we try to find Catholic churches and hear mass on Sundays, even if the mass is celebrated in a different language. In Osaka, we heard mass at Sacra Famiglia Osaka Umeda Catholic Church. I'm guessing this was organized by the Filipino community in Osaka because many of the songs sung during mass were the same songs we sing in the Philippines. They even sung a song in Filipino!

Sacra Famiglia Osaka Umeda Catholic Church

In Tokyo, we heard mass at St. Ignatius Catholic Church. This was a beautiful church with an incredible ceiling and stained glass panels.

St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Tokyo

I forgot to write about this tip in my Travel Tips post so I'm sharing it here. But if you do plan to see Mt. Fuji - there are a variety of places where you can do this, not just Lake Kawaguchiko - you can find out what the visibility is of Mt. Fuji by checking the live webcams: https://www.fujigoko.tv/english/.

Selfie with a shrouded Mt. Fuji

The Uniqlo store in Ginza is an interesting place to visit not only because it has 12 floors, but it provides a customization service i.e. you can customize the clothes you buy here. There is also a cafe on one of the upper floors. I really wanted to try it but there wasn't enough time. (My friend Tim who I met up with in Tokyo for a few drinks told me that there are many retail establishments in Ginza that have cafes, and one of the best ones in his experience was the one in Ralph Lauren.)

Custom Corner at Uniqlo in Ginza

The food court at the basement of Mitsukoshi Mall was quite impressive. There are so many stalls that offer a huge variety of food. My family bought a sushi platter here one night and because it was almost closing time, it was at 50% off. The discounted price was 400 yen which was an absolute steal!

Ginza Wako and Mitsukoshi Mall

Many restaurants in Japan have automated the ordering process, eliminating the need for waiters to get people's orders. In many restaurants we visited, we had to order by scanning a QR code and ordering from our phone. In some other places, like Ten-Ti-Jin (the ramen place in Dotonbori), there is a machine at the entrance where you place your order. It then gives you a stub that you give to the cashier for payment. We didn't know how it worked though so the cashier at this ramen store just told us to go in and place our orders directly with her. We did see how other people were placing their orders outside. When we encountered a similar machine in a restaurant in the Shin-Osaka station, we now knew how to use it. 

Food ordering machines at a restaurant at the Shin-Osaka Station

I talked about using Klook to rent pocket wifi devices while in Japan. I was quite worried about returning them. However, it was quite straightforward. The pack comes with an envelop that is already set-up so you just need to put all the pocket wifi items inside, seal it, and drop it off at one of the post office mailboxes at the airport. When we arrived at Terminal 3, I asked guest services where I could find that mailbox and they helped me. The airport does have wifi so we could still connect to the internet for free even without our rented pocket wifi devices.

Dropping off our Klook pocket wifi rentals at a post office mailbox at the airport

Our trip was packed and we ran into some problems such as typhoon and our Lake Kawaguchiko troubles. Despite all this, it was still an incredible experience that I got to share with my family. Hopefully, we get the chance to visit Japan again in the future.

[Japan] Travel Tips to Osaka and Tokyo

Navigating the train system in Japan takes some getting used to. Part of the confusion is that in Japan, you have a combination of subways and the train lines above ground which sometimes share the same station. Once I kinda understood this (and it took a while for me to figure that out), I was more able to figure out how to get to where we wanted to go.

Stained glass installation at the Ginza Metro Station

How to travel from Osaka to Nara

This was my first challenge. I tried searching online how to go to Nara and I kept seeing that you can take the 35-minute limited rapid express from Osaka-Namba to Kintetsu Nara Station. However, looking at the Osaka Subway map, I couldn't find the Osaka-Namba station. Now that I know a bit more, it's because the Osaka-Namba station is not part of the Osaka Subway. However, it is connected to the Namba subway station which is on the Sennichimae Line and the Midosuji line. As such, if you want to go to Nara by subway and train, go to the Namba station. Once there, find your way to the Osaka-Namba station (there are signs that will help you figure this out) and from there, take the 35-minute limited rapid express. (Here are a couple of articles I found that might help you: https://livejapan.com/en/in-kansai/in-pref-osaka/in-namba_dotonbori_shinsaibashi/article-a2000323/ and https://www.the-kansai-guide.com/en/article/item/16325/.) 

Quick note: on the trip from Osaka to Nara and back from Nara to Osaka, we managed to get on the rapid express, which takes 35 minutes because it skips most stops. I am not sure if all trains from Osaka to Nara and back are limited rapid express or if there are some trains that stop at every station. I'm not quite sure how you can check which train is rapid express or not so I'm just happy that we actually got on it both ways.

Display at the Ginza Metro Station

How to get from Osaka to Kyoto

This trip was a bit easier to figure out. To get to Kyoto, we took the rapid train from the Shin-Osaka station (which is also an Osaka Subway station) to Kyoto. We had the option of taking the Shinkansen, or bullet train, which costs 1,420 yen and takes only 15 minutes. However, the special rapid train costs only 560 yen and takes between 24 to 29 minutes. I figured I would save a lot of money (I was paying for four people so that would have been a 3,440 yen price difference each way) so we decided to take the rapid train since an extra 9 to 14 minutes of travel time wouldn't be too bad. You can read more about traveling from Osaka to Kyoto in this link: https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/osaka-to-kyoto.

Samurai sword display at the Samurai and Ninja Museum (photo taken by my nephew)

More tips

Here is a wonderful link to use: http://www.hyperdia.com/sp/. This site helps you figure out how to get from one train station to another. My friend JM shared it with me and said that it works for all train, railway, and subway/metro stations in Japan. I used it in Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo and I know that it works in each of these cities. All you do is select the station where you are starting and the station where you are going and the site will give you several suggestions how to get there, as well as the expected travel time to reach your destination for each option. It was pretty cool!

Crystal of Light by Tokujin Yoshioka on display at the Ginza Metro station

I also used Google Maps quite heavily to help me figure out how to get around. It is quite accurate and updated in Japan. On Google Maps, I would select the train option and it would tell me how to walk to the nearest station, at which station to get off, and how to get from that station to where we wanted to go. As far as I can recall, it worked every time.

If you plan to visit Shibuya Sky to get incredible views of the city, I have two recommendations. First, select your timeslot and purchase your tickets online at their official website. Purchasing online gives you a 300 yen discount per ticket. It's important to note that  if you buy same-day tickets at Shibuya Sky directly, there is a chance that no more slots are available (that's what happened to us), which means you might have to buy tickets for a future day instead anyway. Second, try to get a slot maybe half an hour or so before sunset and stay there until after the sun goes down. That way, you get to see Tokyo while the sun is still up and also at night, which is a completely different view and experience. You can also try to get a table and enjoy some drinks while you are there.

Atop the Shibuya Sky Roofdeck

Lake Kawaguchiko is a great place to see Mt. Fuji. If you do plan to go here and you are taking the train, make sure you buy tickets from Lake Kawaguchiko back to Tokyo as soon as you arrive. These tickets run out very fast and if you are unable to get tickets, you might end up like me and my family, where we had to stand or sit on the floor of the train because seats were no longer available. (That was certainly not a pleasant experience.) I used this link as a reference guide: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html.

A glimpse of Mt. Fuji at the Lake Kawaguchiko train station

However, when I was in Lake Kawaguchiko, I discovered that there are actually many options to get from Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchiko via bus, including from Tokyo Station (which is where our hotel was). Because I didn't know this, we had to travel to the Shinjuku station which cost us time. I searched online about this after my trip so you can read more about these bus options in this link:  https://japanbusonline.com/en/AreaSearch2/3130000/4194301001.

The beautifully serene Lake Kawaguchiko

This should almost go without saying but if you are going to Universal Studios Japan, try to get Fast Pass. These Fast Passes go very quickly, especially since you need one to get into Super Nintendo World which people have said is the best area in USJ, so try to buy these tickets early.

Jujutsu Kaisen: The Real 4-D attraction at Universal Studios Japan

The Disney Resorts - DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland - also have a FASTPASS. To buy Tokyo Disney tickets, you need to create an account at their website.

Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySea

The Tokyo Disney theme parks and Universal Studios Japan both have apps that give you directions on how to get around. They also provide waiting times at each of the different attractions in these theme parks. (Disney Resort app: https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tdr/app.html. Universal Studios Japan app: https://www.usj.co.jp/web/en/us/enjoy/app.)

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan

For the first time, I used Klook to rent pocket wifi devices that I would use in Japan. I picked it up at the Osaka Kansai airport and I returned it by dropping it into a post office mailbox at the Narita Airport. I decided to use Klook instead of renting travel wifi here in the Philippines because the Klook option was cheaper. The kit I rented came with a pocket wifi device, a power bank, and a voice translator which we tested while we were at the hotel - it works! - but we never really used it. I'm also happy that I rented two pocket wifi devices instead of just one because it meant that my family and I could split up into two groups and we could still easily communicate with each other while we were out.

My Japan Wireless pocket wifi kit from Klook

If you are buying items in Japan from the same store worth at least 5,500 yen, ask about the Tax Free option. Note however that if you are buying food tax-free, they will seal it in a bag and you can't eat it until you leave Japan. (That said, they didn't really check it at the airport.) Just make sure you have your passport with you when asking for the tax-free option. Also, if you buy items at the airport, I think everything is tax free even if you spend less than 5,500 yen.

Mitsukoshi Ginza

If you are going to include a meal at Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu while you are in Tokyo, try to schedule it on a Sunday night and select either the 6-8pm or 8-10pm so you can enjoy the Taiko drum performance. (RenKa was performing while we were there but in the past, they featured other bands.)

RenKa taiko drum band performing at Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu

Nakamise, the short road that leads to Senso-Ji Temple, is a great place for buying souvenirs. We purchased most of our souvenirs here. There are also some really souvenirs, such as magnets and Hachiko-themed items at Shibuya Scramble Square and Shibuya Sky.

Hachiko stuffed toy

The Akiba at Radio Kaikan is a great place to buy food items, either for you to eat or to bring back home with you when you leave Japan. They sell Tokyo Banana and Tokyo Banana Cookie/Chocolate Sandwiches, including the Pokemon design which I didn't see anywhere else.

Akihabara

Many people suggested getting JR Pass. Before you get one, I suggest you do some math to see if you will actually save money by getting one. I didn't get one for me and my family though because I computed it and felt that we actually would spend less for individual JR tickets, including our Shinkansen trip from Osaka Tokyo. You can read more about, and order, the JR Pass here: https://www.jrpass.com.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Finally, if you are taking the Narita Express from Tokyo Station to Narita Airport, I recommend that you get your tickets early, especially if you have a flight in the morning. The earliest Narita Express leaves Tokyo Station at around 630am I believe. We got one at around 7:20am I think. It takes 2 hours to get to the Narita Airport and it stops at Terminals 1 and 2. If you are flying via Terminal 3 like we did, it is very easy to just walk there from Terminal 2. (I think it took just 5 minutes.)

Next: Final Thoughts on my Family Trip to Japan

[Japan] Marunouchi Hotel in Tokyo

In Tokyo, we stayed at Marunouchi Hotel, which was another very pleasant experience. I picked this hotel because someone recommended it on social media, saying that it is right in front of Tokyo Station which is where you can ride the Narita Express to the airport. Upon further research, Tokyo Station is also where the Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo terminates. It seemed like the best and most convenient option for us so I booked rooms in this hotel for me and my family.

Marunouchi Hotel

Needless to say, I was very happy with this choice. First, it was indeed just across the street from Tokyo Station, where you can get on both the Tokyo Metro and the JR Lines. This meant that it would be very easy for us to get around the city. This also meant that there were a lot of restaurants and convenience stores near us.

Marunouchi Hotel lobby

The review I read also mentioned that there is access from the hotel basement to Tokyo Station. After checking in, my family and I tried it out to familiarize ourselves with the area and to get some dinner. I gotta say, the basement access really made our experience even better because there was no need for us to cross the street to get to the Metro!

View of Tokyo Station from the hotel elevator

Next, our room was huge for a Tokyo hotel! It was also quite beautiful. The room size was really good for us because towards the end of our trip, we were getting quite tired and the extra space made the room feel more comfortable, relaxing, and rejuvenating.

Our twin-sharing room

The amenities in our room were also pretty nice. My mom commented that the shampoo in the room was really good and it made her hair feel really soft. (I had relatively short hair so I couldn't really feel it as much haha.)

Bathroom sink

Our rooms were quite expensive but considering our location, it was actually a very good price. I looked up other hotels in the area and they all cost twice as much or more! I am not quite sure how Marunouchi Hotel manages to charge rooms at a rate much lower than its neighboring hotels but that made it an absolutely great find.

Bathroom

Breakfast was not included in our room rate and it cost about 4,000 yen per person so we decided not to have breakfast at the hotel. Howver, being next to Tokyo Station meant that there were many restaurants around us, including City Bakery which was just right across the basement exit of our hotel. The food here was not only good, it cost just about the same as, or even less than, breakfast in some cafes and brunch places in Metro Manila. Their coffee and baked items were all good too.

Our beautifully designed hotel room door

Right next to it was its partner restaurant named City Bakery Bistro Rubin which serves Western food. We ended up having dinner here a few times because it was so conveniently located and the food was pretty good too. The price of food here is comparable to similar restaurants in Metro Manila so it didn't feel overly expensive.

Chicken dish at City Bakery Bistro Rubin

I mentioned that there are many convenience stores in the area. The one we visited the most was the Family Mart which we always passed by when heading back to our hotel. Our rooms also had free drip coffee which we enjoyed every evening. (We were always tired at the end of each day so it was always still easy to fall asleep despite having caffeine at night.)

The lobby is also really beautiful. The wood panels, the design, the decor, and the lighting made it feel very warm and welcoming.

The hotel lobby was really beautiful

The staff were also friendly and professional. Also, similar to Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba, the hotel provides guests with sustainability options. If you don't want to have your beddings changed, you just need to place a card on your bed. Cool!

I'm very happy that we got to stay at Marunouchi Hotel. It was very convenient and comfortable. It is on the expensive side, but given that it is considered to be a 5-star hotel in a very good location, I would argue that the room rate is a bit of a steal. If I visit Tokyo again with my family, I will almost certainly stay here again.

Marunouchi Hotel
https://www.marunouchi-hotel.co.jp/en/
1-6-3, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-0005, Japan
TEL: +81-3-3217-1111

Next: Travel Tips to Osaka and Tokyo

[Japan] Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba

Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba served as our wonderful home while we were in Osaka. I will say though that this hotel wasn't actually my first choice. I looked for hotels with the best reviews in the Dotonbori area but the ones I saw that were in my price range were no longer available when I was trying to book. I then used Agoda to look for available hotels in the Dotonbori area that were within my budget and Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba was recommended. I saw the ratings and they were pretty high. As it turned out, Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba was a great hotel and perfect for us for so many reasons.

The lobby and breakfast area of Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba

First, the price. Compared to many other hotels in the area, Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba is pretty inexpensive. I booked our accommodations before we had our visas and Agoda didn't provide a free cancellation option for this hotel so I actually ended up paying an extra Php 1000 per room per night (I wanted the option to cancel since I wasn't sure if we would all get visas). Even with this additional free, the price of the room was still very competitive. And it included breakfast!

Twin Sharing Room

Next, the location. Dotonbori is only a stone's throw away, making it very easy for us to have dinner after a long day of traveling and sightseeing. The Nihonbashi Station is just about a 5-minute walk away. There is a taxi stand almost right outside the entrance (this made it easy for us to get a taxi heading to Universal Studios Japan). There is also a 7-Eleven right next next to the hotel (which had an ATM, making it very easy for us to get money). 

Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba Entrance

Next, the room. Yes, it was small, which is normal for hotels in Japan, especially inexpensive ones that are in a great location. However, I love the fact that the bath area is separate from the toilet. 

Bath area inside our room

The sink is also outside both the bath and the toilet areas. This meant that someone could be using the toilet while someone else was in the bathroom or was brushing their teeth. As such, morning preparations and evening clean-ups were much faster and more efficient.

A separate toilet area with the famous Japanese toilet

Then, the breakfast and the lobby. As I mentioned, buffet breakfast was included in our room rate.

White and banana bread, jams and spreads, and fruits at the breakfast buffet

There is free coffee and free water at the lobby. There is also free shaved ice! (There are also print and video instructions on how to make shaved ice.) However, you can't eat food at the lobby if you purchased it outside the hotel. This wasn't an issue for us because any food we had, we would just eat inside our rooms and we just could get coffee and water from the lobby and bring it to our room.

Free coffee, water, and shaved ice available at the lobby

I read a review saying that the breakfast buffet was pretty basic and I guess it kinda is but I thought it had enough options - bread, savory items, fruits, even soup and salad - making it satisfying enough for me and my family. My favorite breakfast buffet item was the the pasta with sausages (I always had a lot of this haha).

More breakfast buffet options, including my favorite: pasta with sausages

The service was also very good. The staff at the lobby were always kind and helpful. When I asked the receptionist about how easy it would be to get a taxi to the Shin-Osaka station, she informed me that it would be better to reserve a taxi in advance since we needed a big vehicle for our luggage and she booked one for us (I even got an email confirming the reservation). When I randomly shared my disappointment about not being able to see Osaka Castle, she suggested that maybe the taxi could make one stop at Osaka Castle so we could see it before taking us to the train station. I can't recall if she was the same receptionist who helped me call and talk to Maikoya to reschedule our Tea and Kimono ceremony and Samurai and Ninja bookings that were cancelled due to the typhoon. Finally, my nephew and I lost one of our room keys and surprisingly, they didn't get charge us for it when we checked out.

Finally, one additional thing I loved about the hotel is their effort to be more sustainable. They inform guests upon check-in, and through posters in the elevetors and cards in the rooms, about their Eco-clean approach. Regular full cleaning is done only every 3rd day of a guest's stay. On other days, they only replace towels and dispose of garbage in the rooms. They don't fully clean the room and they don't change the beddings. Personally, I think this is sensible because I don't think it's necessary and definitely not environmentally friendly to change sheets every day. (For guests who prefer more frequent cleaning, I think it's possible to request this.)

Information on the hotel's Eco-clean approach

I really loved our stay at Hotel Vista Osaka-Namab. I'm not sure why but it kinda gave a bit of a family vibe, almost like you were part of a small albeit temporary community and that you were being cared for by the staff. If I have a change to go back to Osaka, I will most likely stay here again.

Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba
https://www.hotel-vista.jp/en/hotels/osaka-namba
〒542-0084
1-1 Soemon-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
Tel.06-4708-5519
Fax.06-4708-5509

 Next: Marunouchi Hotel