Japan 2025 - Day 14: Departure, Notes

Cherry blossom season officially started yesterday, in Tokyo. Michael and Sarah had gone to a park full of them yesterday, but were underwhelmed by the blossoms. I think they went out again this morning in search of more trees.

Sabrina and I got breakfast at the hotel restaurant and then went back up to the room to pack. We'd walked something like 140 or 150 miles in the past two weeks, and probably had a few more to walk today yet.

Our stay had included breakfast tickets for every day, and we hadn't used them the day we went to Nikko; the fine print said they were also valid for a lunch on weekdays, so we met for one last meal at the hotel restaurant after checking out.

The "meat plate" was the real wildcard. The description in English said something "Alsatian style chicken", which turned out to be a chicken cutlet covered in ground beef, topped with bacon and panko.

After lunch, we took the Ginza subway line over to Ueno station, then switched to the Skyliner train out to NRT airport.

The airport wasn't too crazy yet, and their security is fast and efficient, so we had plenty of time to shop and such. In case anyone needed convincing that the Japanese are serious about their tea, Narita airport has hot-water dispensers next to the drinking fountains.

Our friends had upgraded their seats again, which gave them lounge access and also one guest each. With a few hours to kill, we decided to check out the ANA lounge.

It's the first place I've seen a delivery robot being used to bring dishes back to the kitchen.

One of the selling points of the ANA lounge is that they have a noodle bar, in addition to the usual food options.

They also had a wide variety of sake available, depending on how expensive your seat was.

After an hour or so, we got bored of the ANA lounge and switched to the United lounge.

They didn't have a noodle bar, but they did have takoyaki.

The United lounge was close to our gate, so we enjoyed the (relative) peace and quiet for as long as possible.

Our flight departed at 5:45 PM. It's just over a 12 hour flight, with a 13 hour time change across the International Date Line... so we landed almost an hour before we left.

In no particular order, here are a few things that I'd like to remember for any future trips. Some of these we'd known ahead of time, either from a guidebook or advice from friends who had recently been to Japan, and some we discovered over the last two weeks.

• The JR Pass wasn't worth the cost for us, as there are many cases it doesn't cover and it got much more expensive in the last year or so. It might be worthwhile if you're planning extensive intra-city rail travel, but figuring out if it's a financial win is tricky.
• The IC transit card was a perfect option for us. We went with the tourist version, called "Welcome Suica", and it worked literally on every method of transit we used except Shinkansen (subways, local trains/trams, multiple different intra-city rail lines, cable cars, ferry, bus) in every city we visited.
• It can also be used to buy food at train stations, drinks from vending machines, anything from 7-Eleven, and souvenirs at the airport.
• While it was possible to purchase at HND airport using credit, it can only be refilled using cash. But it can be refilled at any train/subway station, and probably more places.
• Any remaining balance is lost when you leave, though (thus, spend at airport).
• The card is only valid for 28 days, meaning you can't pass it along to friends or use it on a later trip. (There may be other IC cards that don't have this limitation.)
• Trying to buy a train ticket without using a transit card is incredibly difficult, as most options are self-serve kiosk only, and they did not seem particularly user-friendly.
• It might be possible to just use a credit card or a smartphone with Google/ApplePay in place of a transit card, but this was unclear. It might only have been possible outside of Tokyo?
• Public restrooms are ubiquitous, clean, free, and almost entirely without paper towels. A rare few had Toto/similar hand dryers, but in general, expect to carry your own small towel or get used to wiping wet hands on your clothing. Almost none of them had hot water, either.
• Public trash cans are nonexistent. If you're lucky, a train platform might have one. Convenience stores and takeout restaurants sometimes had them available, but really only for trash from their stores. Get used to keeping a bag of trash with you, to bring back to the hotel or wherever.
• Eating while walking was expressly forbidden in most areas we went, with the possible exception of Miyajima. The expectation is that you stand in front of the vendor where you bought street food and eat it there, or carry it somewhere else (like to a park) and eat it there.
• Drinking while walking is fine, as there are vending machines everywhere. The vending machines often had accompanying recycling buckets, but if you get a coffee to go, be prepared to carry that empty cup around for an hour or two.
• Food was shockingly cheap, especially outside of Tokyo. We were not eating at high-end restaurants, but could easily get dinner for under $15 equivalent, per person (and under $10 for lunch). Expect to pay a little bit more to dine in at a place that also does takeout. There is no tipping.
• The star ratings in Google Maps are effectively on a different scale than in the US; while people seem to consider anything under 4 stars to be off limits at home, only very expensive restaurants rated in the mid-to-high 4s in Japan. Most restaurants were in the mid-to-high 3-star range.
• Every major train station is attached to a shopping mall, essentially. There are decent restaurants, sometimes food courts, almost always bakeries, etc.
• Convenience stores are literally everywhere. 7-Eleven has more stores in Japan than Starbucks has locations in the United States. There was a 7-Eleven within a block of our hotel in Tokyo, in two different directions on the same street. Most train stations had at least one, and some had multiple. There are also Lawson and FamilyMart chains that are functionally equivalent.
• If you can't be bothered to carry a water bottle, you'd still have no problem staying hydrated. I've never seen so many vending machines, anywhere. And they're all cheap, like a bottle of water for $1 or less. Even on the way up to a mountaintop shrine, there are vending machines selling drinks.
• Tokyo is absolutely enormous. Things that look nearby on a map can easily be 30 or 40 minutes by train (or multiple trains). The subway map and this page comparing the Yamanote line to other cities helps convey the scale of things, I think.
• Visitors have to fill out an online form to get through immigration. If you don't have the QR code from this process, they'll hand out paper forms on the plane but it was much easier to do ahead of time.
• Sabrina and I had very good experiences using an eSIM service for data while in Japan. After more research than was probably necessary, I settled on using Ubigi; it was simple and we never had a problem with it. I didn't even use 3GB of data in two weeks, but had purchased 10GB in bulk because it was cheap. If for some reason you want to use it, the referral code "J7R9CEG9" gets you 20% off. The eSIMs all seemed to be data-only (meaning you don't get a phone number, so no SMS but iMessage, FaceTime, and WiFi calling worked with some fiddling).
• All of the temples/shrines that charge admission are cash-only. Many street food vendors, and some restaurants, are also cash-only. The exchange rate of about 150 yen per $1 means that you can convert yen to USD by dividing by 100 and then taking 2/3 of the number (e.g., 1200 yen is about $8).
• While transit is fairly cheap, we used taxis a number of times and found them to be quite cheap too (especially when splitting four ways). There is no Uber/equivalent, but there is some way to use Uber to get a taxi I think. We just had hotel desks call us taxis, when applicable, or waived one down outside a train station. I think you're supposed to go to the taxi stand, but this didn't seem to be enforced. Every taxi we used took payment by credit card, also.

Resources that we used for planning, in addition to itineraries from several friends:

• https://www.timeout.com/japan/travel/japan-two-week-train-itinerary
• https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/travel-classes/monday-night-travel/japan
• https://jonellepatrick.com/the-tokyo-guide-i-wish-id-had/
• https://nerdnomads.com/travel/asia/japan
• https://www.japan-guide.com/
• https://www.theinvisibletourist.com/2-weeks-in-japan-itinerary-first-time/
• https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/10-days-japan-itinerary
• https://apassionandapassport.com/10-days-in-japan-a-first-timers-complete-itinerary/
• https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-japan-itineraries

Japan 2025 - Day 13: Kamakura

Sabrina and I had a late start, and went down to breakfast around 8:45 AM. She's been enjoying the Japanese breakfasts at this hotel (occasionally supplemented with pancakes).

After, we walked over to Takarachō Station and took the Asakusa subway down to Mita Station, where we met Eva and Mike. Together, we went to the adjacent Tamachi Station, took the Yamonote subway a few stops clockwise to Shinagawa Station, then switched to the Yokosuka Line for a 45-minute ride to the Kamakura. Perfectly clear, no?

We got off the train at Kita-Kamakura (North Kamakura), as Eva's Kamakura itinerary starts near that station.

Our first stop was at Engaku-ji, just a short walk uphill from the station. I had a feeling it was going to turn into another Stairs Day.

I think they were doing some renovation work, and had drained one of the ponds and rerouted some of the water, causing this main pond to be silty.

This is Eva's favorite area to visit, so she provided a very thorough history tour of the temple as we wandered around the gardens behind the main gate.

Just a few more stairs, and we found the Great Bell; it's about 8.5 feet tall, and is officially designated a National Treasure.

Sadly, we were not allowed to ring it. If it hadn't been secure with four ropes, Eva and I probably would have both tried.

We descended back to street level, and strolled over to Tōkei-ji, also known as the Divorce Temple.

For almost 600 years, this temple was essentially a nunnery, and a woman could force a divorce upon her husband by hiding in the nunnery for 3 years. This was the only way to get out of a marriage, at least in this area.

After leaving the Divorce Temple, we continued on to our next temple on Eva's tour, once again getting stuck at a train crossing.

We stopped to eat our lunch (brought with us from Shinagawa Station) at some benches in a small park. Eva wanted to just eat at a rest area in one of the temples, but the Rule Followers (Sabrina and Mike) wouldn't let us, on account of the "no eating" signs at the entrance.

This temple, Meigetsu-in, is also known as the The Temple of Hydrangeas, although we are months too early for them to be blooming.

In additioan to some interesting caves carved into the rock face behind the temple, it also contains a beautiful garden.

Note the miniature versions of the "moon viewing platform", similar to the large one we saw at Ginkaku-ji back in Kyoto.

On the way out of the temple, there is also a small bamboo forest walk.

Back across the road once again, we next headed for Jōchi-ji.

We did not stop to go inside this temple complex, but it was lovely to see from the outside.

They also had a large bell, but not nearly as big as the Great Bell.

At the top of the road, past Jōchi-ji, we found Eva's real objective: the Daibutsu Hiking Trail.

She described it as a short walk, I believe. It was a two-mile, moderate hike along the top of a ridge.

Somewhere near the halfway point, we stopped at a viewpoint to assess our progress and have some water.

Not long after that, we detoured off the trail to see the Zeniarai Benten Shrine.

Before entering, we had to purify ourselves with the cleansing water. We hadn't been doing this at any of the shrines, but Eva insisted we were unclean.

This shrine is colloquially referred to as the "money-washing shrine" in Eva's guidebook, because there is a spring where everyone washes their money to bring themselves good fortune. It wasn't clear to us if the washing baskets came with the incense as a set, but Eva decided we could just take the bowls.

We washed our metal coins in the sacred spring; there were some people washing paper bills, but that seemed like more trouble than it was worth (pun intended).

After ensuring our money would double, we stopped briefly at a shrine to show our respects. Mike reminded Eva of the proper technique, and she demonstrated it for Sabrina to follow.

There was a signpost on the way back up to the Daibatsu Trail. Eva said, and I quote, "I do not believe it is two more kilometers".

Our route was from the northeast corner to the southwest corner, on this map.

In a few spots, we had a slice of a view down to Kamakura and the ocean.

Eva can read enough of the phonetic alphabet to figure out roughly what the signs say. (There are multiple alphabets.)

The descent was much more abrupt, and we returned to street level about 90 minutes after starting.

This part was particularly harrowing.

Not far from the end, we entered Kōtoku-in temple, looking for the namesake of the trail: the Giant Buddha.

The unusual thing about this Buddha is that it's possible to go inside of it (for an extra 50 yen).

Inside, natural light spills in through two windows in the statues back, and it's possible to peer up into the neck.

There was a sign explaining how the statue was caste in many pieces, and also showing how the seams are sealed.

The last temple we would actually enter today was just across the street and down a bit, called Hase-dera. (There are so many temples around Kamakura that it is known as Little Kyoto.)

Hase-dera is known for its statues of Kannon, including a very large wooden one with an interesting origin story.

According to legend, there were two wooden statues carved from the same huge tree. One was placed in a shrine in Nara, and the other was set afloat in the ocean to choose its own destination, allegedly washing up on shore in Kamakura years later.

It was around 4 o'clock and the temple closed at 4:30, so the crowd was thinning already, making it a perfect opportunity for some kimono photos.

The view of Kamakura from the plaza in the temple was wonderful, but there was also a "sea view trail" or something like that.

We weren't really excited to climb even more stairs, but it was a loop so I couldn't pass it up.

From the top, the expansive beach was visible. Eva reported that it's only open for swimming in July and August.

At 4:30, they played a short song to let everyone know it was time to leave. On the way out, Sabrina and I did a lap through the caves near the bottom of the hill, still inside the temple grounds.

Even Sabrina had to duck for the low ceiling at the cave exit.

Nearly done with our day in Kamakura, we walked over to Hase station to take the streetcar over to Kamakura Station.

Back in town now, we took an evening stroll through the busy shopping district as stores were starting to close and the temperature was starting to drop.

Our tour concluded with a walk up the central promenade that runs from the ocean to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū shrine. The walk was originally flanked by moats on each side, but now splits the road in the center of town.

The remains of a 1000-year-old ginko tree abut the base of the stairs, held together by steel cables.

Having concluded our extensive tour of Kamakura, we walked back to the train station and rode about 45 minutes back to Tokyo.

We parted ways with Eva and Mike, and met Sarah and Michael at Tokyo Station. For our last dinner in Japan, we went to a fancy yakitori restaurant a few blocks from the train station. (I think it was Yakitori Haretsubame.)

We were lucky enough to get a table that had a recessed well underneath, for our feet. They had an English menu, but the iPad-based ordering system was Japanese-only, which made it a bit of an adventure to place our orders. Through a combination of the Google Translate app, asking waitstaff for help, and matching prices to the menu items, we made it work.

The table next to us was very animated and loud, at times; we couldn't figure out what the occasion was, from context.

It was around 9:30 PM as we walked back to the hotel.

Tomorrow, we need to pack up and check out by noon, then figure out how to get to Narita Airport, about 40 miles outside of Tokyo, for our early-evening flight home.