Let me take you along my travel experiences in the country of manga, anime, sake and onigiri for a total of 4 weeks!
Japan has always been a long-desired travel destination of mine and with the age of 34 I finally decided to make my dream come true and travel through this culturally enriched country famous for its delicious foods, manga and anime.
To do so, I have promised myself to not rush through but actually take my time, enjoy and experience each place as much as possible and hopefully encounter new, hidden spots that are not stated as must-see's or mainstream tourist spots you would want to consider.
Of course, I have also tried several viral food trends, such as Carbonara Udon, Matcha Creme Brulee Pancakes, the famous Kobe beef, Japanese Curry, Omu rice and much more, which I am happy to share my rating on. Likewise, I have testes and visited several"must see"spots, e.g. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest or TeamLab Planets, which oftentimes did not match with what I was expecting, whereas other sights, in contrast, simply blew me away.
In short: my expectations and assumptions vs. actual reality were oftentimes connected with surprise, aha- and also wow-moments, which I am happy to share.
Prior to doing so, let me give you a brief overview on my travel itinerary:
First stop: Tokyo (10 days)
Daytrips to Yokohama, Hakone, Mount Fuji
Second stop: Kyoto (7 days)
Daytrips to Arashiyama & Uji
Third stop: Gifu (3 days)
Fourth stop: Nagoya (3 days)
Daytrip to Takayama
Fifth stop: Kobe (3 days)
Daytrip to Nada
Sixth stop: Osaka (5 days)
Daytrips to Universal Studios & Nara
I can already spoiler at this stage that Kyoto- which I was being told is one of the best places to see- is far down on my list when it comes to rating the above mentioned places. I will sequentially share my experiences, recommendations and possibly also cultural insights, encounters and learnings and am happy to receive your feedback, comments or questions.
Let the travels begin!
Comments