Japan Twice in a Year
Was fortunate enough to visit Japan twice this year! Thank you, cheap flight prices.
1. The food in Japan was amazing, and cheap! We had sushi, tonkatsu, tempura, ramen, udon, soba, yakiniku, wagyu, shabu shabu, okonomiyaki, and more, and it was all fantastic. I think on average, the quality of Japanese restaurants is higher than American restaurants.
2. But the lines sucked. Waiting in line for a restaurant always involved physically waiting there. No digital waitlist where they text you when it’s almost your turn to come back, which is a convenient system many American restaurants employ.
I think there’s more of a priority placed on the art of the craft there (vs the focus on money-making and efficiency in the US). At one restaurant, we waited almost two hours in line while they were seating a single party of two at a six person table…
3. The train system is super clean and convenient. The local trains are easy for hopping around neighborhoods in Tokyo and the bullet trains were great for moving between larger cities. Google Maps even shows you which train cars are the most efficient for transferring to your next train.
4. There’s so many shrines and temples everywhere, with some very unique. They were very tranquil and nice to escape from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
5. There is beauty throughout the seasons. In the Spring, we saw the famous cherry blossoms in peak bloom. In the Winter, we caught some gorgeous snowy backdrops and hiked to see snow monkeys staying warm in the hot springs.
Spring: Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchiko, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima
Winter: Tokyo, Kamakura, Nagano, Matsumoto
Excited to explore more parts of Japan on future trips!
