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Trip Report: First Time to Japan Nov 2025
Here is my report from our trip to Japan, Nov 1-23, 2025. I would encourage anyone who makes use of this forum to do their own reports as a way of paying it forward and saying thank you for the help given by other contributors. I am a big fan of progol for example, whose trip report was a gold mine of helpful information. I also closely read reports and appreciated advice from memejs ms_go PJTravels plambers mrwunrfl tripplanner001 among others.
My report will include background and planning, hotels booked and will start with our first days in Tokyo, then continue (provided anyone is interested) with train travel, Matsumoto & day hike on the Nakasendo Trail, bus travel, Ryokan stay in Japanese Alps area, stays in Takayama, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Mijima Island and our last few days in Kawasaki. While I have done a lot of trip planning and have a husband who prefers to stand aside and let me get on with it, this trip was a challenge and I spent many many hours on it. Travelling to Japan, in my opinion, is not the best choice for a freewheeling unplanned holiday, at least not at our age of 69 and 72. But I would still recommend self-guiding as it is definitely possible and a great way to go. Planning resources: *Japan Guide, the best resource going! https://www.japan-guide.com/ *Guide books from the library *Friends who have traveled to Japan recently *Fodors Forum trip reports. Another shout-out to @progol whose trip I basically copied. *YouTube videos and Facebook Group posts like Japan Travel Tips and Planning, although both should be taken with a big grain of salt as after a while you realize there is a lot of questionable advice/tips given. I did find the Walk the Nakasendo Trail FB forum useful. And I enjoyed Andrew Tidmarsh’s “Japan Unravelled” on youtube. Books I enjoyed and found worthwhile included memoirs Autumn Light and A Beginners Guide to Japan by Pico Iyer, and novels Kakigori Summer by Emily Itami and What You are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama. Accommodation: Tokyo: Asakusa Tobu Hotel, 3 nights, Twin Room B Matsumoto: Matsumoto Marunouchi Hotel, 2 nights, Deluxe Twin Okuhida Onsen: Yarimikan Ryokan, 2 nights, Modern Japanese-style Room with futon Takayama: eph Takayama Boutique Hotel, 2 nights, Hollywood Twin Kyoto: Hotel Mume, 5 nights, Wind Room Hiroshima: Hotel Granvia Hiroshima South Gate, 2 nights, Superior Twin Miyajima: Auberge Watanabe, Momiji Room, 1 night, Tatami mat & futon Kurashiki: Royal Art Hotel, 1 night, King Bed room Kawasaki: Hotel Metropolitan Kawasaki, 2 nights + late checkout charge on departure day, extra per hour charge so we had the room until 6pm, High floor Twin I knew I could buy what I needed in Tokyo if necessary and after seeing Takayama temperatures were going to be dipping into the single digits (celcius) I picked up a light down parka at Uniqlo Ginza which I wore a lot. We hand washed our clothes mostly but did use the washer/dryer at the hotels in Matsumoto and Takayama. I used travel folding hangers (Amazon) hangars all the time, they were really useful for drying clothes and also because most hotels had no more and often fewer than 6 hangers in the closet. Travel Day: The ANA flight from Vancouver to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (10 hrs 30 mins) was smooth and comfortable in economy. Haneda was crowded on arrival but manageable with lots of staff herding passengers. If you use the Visit Japan QR code don’t make my mistake and mix up the screenshots. We needed help as I had my husband’s QR and he had mine, which of course did not match the passport information. We used digital Suica cards for the Keiku Line and Toei Subway to Asakusa Station without having to transfer at all and made our way from there to our hotel, but not without getting a bit lost first. Arriving in the evening made it convenient to unpack and go to bed early, but the 16 hour time difference made it inconvenient to sleep much past 4am. Sunrise in November is about 6:30 am and sunset about 4:40-5pm Day 1 in Tokyo We were up and out by 5:30 to walk to the Senso-ji Temple nearby which was a marvelous way to be introduced to the temple in the peace and quiet of the early morning hours. As our first day was Nov 3rd we were treated to the celebrations of Culture Day (bunka no hi) and I was excited to be able to see the White Heron Dance and parade later in the day. We pushed through our jet lag joined by the company of my brother-in-law and his partner who were just finishing up their own trip with a few days in Tokyo. Highlights included walking through sunny Ueno Park and a visit to the nearby Tenjin Shrine. We went for a walk near the Tokyo Tower and over to Kappabashi Street before finishing up at a casual restaurant near our hotel. Whew! My app said we walked about 20k. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0c1992d008.jpg Early morning Senso-Ji https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b0f5997711.jpg So peaceful https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...024c4d829e.jpg But this is what it looked like later https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6dca1380eb.jpg The ceremonial parade and procession includes eight dancers in white heron costumes https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6f3e49e1af.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dcbb43d7d.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a887a2ac02.jpg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aff65d181.jpeg Tenjin Shrine https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...12b7902b72.jpg Tenjin Shrine https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...330debd164.jpg 1st evening wanderings https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e49efc87e.jpeg 1st evening wanderings |
Teamlabs Planets was something we wanted to do together so the four of us booked the first time slot at 8:30am on our 2nd full day, something we did as soon as tickets went on sale (a month ahead). By the time we left a few hours later it was getting uncomfortably crowded so going early worked well for us. It was a unique experience and even the skeptic in our little group said it was amazing and he loved it. To capture the effects, take video as the results are better.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2d99ddb83.jpeg TeamLabs Planets https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5d8bedc45.jpeg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dda704155.jpeg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6f90a7767.jpeg Those are real orchids! Carrying on to the Tsukiji Fish Market we were hungry and wanted to sit so we skirted the crowds and had a soba lunch at a small restaurant a little away from the market. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...88461255d.jpeg Walking over the bridge took us to the Fish Market Street A walk through Ginza and over to the Imperial Palace East Garden was next but unfortunately the one who really wanted to go there did not check the schedule. Closed Tuesday! Something I was anxious about was picking up our physical tickets for trains I had reserved for the coming few days, the Limited Express to Matsumoto and the Hida Wide Body from Takayama to Kyoto. Easier said than done but we were not far from Tokyo Station where I knew we could get those troublesome little easy-to-lose tickets, so that’s what we did. Passport, credit card used and PIN are all needed. That night’s good-bye dinner for M&J was in Roppongi at the “Kill Bill” Restaurant, Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu. It was lively and fun but I wouldn’t go for the food. Not happening the night we were there but they do have scheduled Taiko drumming performances which are very popular so that would have been something special. We really enjoyed staying in Asakusa. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...94d5a530c.jpeg Asakusa Tobu Hotel, very close to a lovely river walk https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b06bd72b9.jpeg Sumida River Walk |
What a beautiful start to your trip to Japan. I'm glad you were able to be there on a holiday when you could see some beautiful dress as we did. Japan is one of those places we think often about when we reflect back on our travels.
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Those heron costumes look amazing! Looking forward to reading the rest of your report!
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I'm looking forward to your report! Japan is such a fabulous place to travel I may just go back again!
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tripplanner001 I loved your report and studied it many times. You are a wonderful writer. memejs I admired your calm problem solving on arrival without an internet connection so no way to use google maps - yikes!
PJTravels I really loved our travels in Japan and like you can see going back again for sure. |
Matsumoto and Yabuhara to Narai-Juku hike
Having taken advantage of the wonderful service that is luggage forwarding we started out from Asakusa to make our connection in Shinjuku for the limited express train to Matsumoto. With the help of a lovely man who saw us looking lost we got on the right train for Shinjuku and once there found the platform we needed for the limited express to Matsumoto close by. We had allowed lots of time to do this and when we saw a train about to leave, my husband said, “Why don’t we go on that one?” “Because it’s reserved seating and we have a seat on the next train in an hour” I said. Lucky for my husband we are still married because I agreed to get on and the seats we happened to choose remained available the whole way, although we had to be ready at each stop to jump up and take the walk of shame to find somewhere else. In the confusion, we had not tapped out on arrival at Shinjuku so our Suica was still running for the next 2.5 hours as we carried on to Matsumoto. Thankfully the Fare Adjustment office in Matsumoto fixed that. During our time in Matsumoto we had sun, fog and cloudy chilly temperatures, but lots of autumn colours and it was a nice quiet change from Tokyo. Our room was comfortable and in a good location and the front desk was really helpful. We were near a 7-11 and got smoothies and cake for breakfast each morning. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...03f495bf2.jpeg 7-11 smoothie machine https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d1b526452.jpeg Matsumoto manhole cover design. It is a pattern based on a traditional Japanese folk craft of a decorative ball called "Temari" https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a821a4bfc.jpeg We loved Matsumoto and the very picturesque castle which we enjoyed in the morning before the tour groups arrived. The castle has the most beautiful floors which are very slippery; guards are stationed nearby to warn people to watch their step and not knock themselves out on the low beams when coming down. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1dc717d40.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...adfcd365c.jpeg Chrysanthemum display at the castle. The flower of autumn it is associated with the aristocracy and inspires artwork and poetry. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ba4ea0ba0.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...74c778520.jpeg Matsumoto https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4dd73d1d0.jpeg At Yohashira-jinja Shrine, this young boy dressed for Sichi-Go-San photos. I always asked for permission from parents before taking photos like this. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6d17baeb9.jpeg The hotel recommended this restaurant for tonkatsu, which they do extremely well. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c7d70310f.jpeg One man operation Ramen place. A big soccer fan he said he might see us in Vancouver if Japan plays there in the World Cup. |
francebound, we just returned on November 23rd also! by any chance, did you fly ANA from HND to JFK??
still zonked by the jet lag, and still trying to absorb our trip experience before I think about writing a trip report. we were in Japan for four weeks, and visited some of the same places. gorgeous photos! |
Nakasendo Trail
We had planned on a half-day to hike over the Torii Pass from Yabuhara to Narai, a little less well known route than the Magome-Tsumago section. There have recently been serious and fatal attacks by aggressive bears in Japan, concentrated in the northern prefectures like Akita, but reports of sightings in more populated areas further south and in the Kiso Valley. We were not particularly frightened but we hiked near other people and used the bear bells. We had downloaded an All Trails map but the signage is good. The hike was very enjoyable on a beautiful day. It took about 2.5 hours to complete and we spent a while in Narai before taking a (very crowded) train back to Matsumoto. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c6d4ff90a.jpeg Beautiful autumn foliage https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a3d3c714b.jpeg Ontakejinja Shrine, Mt. Ontake is visible from here https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ce62dbce2.jpeg Ontakejinja Shrine https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...142caa8af.jpeg On the way down from the peak https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9505e0e51.jpeg Narai: Coming home from school |
Hi adlmllr
We flew ANA from Haneda to Vancouver, leaving about 10pm. Maybe we passed you in the airport! It's a 17 hour time difference for us, more for you I guess. Our plane was almost half filled with students who were, I assume, going to do an exchange here, it is quite common. They all were in their uniforms and seemed pretty excited. |
Gorgeous fall foliage.
What the heck is that white ramen? I've never see anything that color. Do you knowthe name of the place? |
Beautiful! I'm hoping to return to Japan in 2027 and spending a day hiking the Nakasendo trail is something I'd really love to do, but as a solo traveler I'm not sure how smart that would be...
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Hi shelemm , I think it was a chicken stock base. He used an immersion blender and that may account for the milky appearance but it was a light tasting broth and delicious. My husband had come down with a cold so ramen was just the thing. It was one of those places that you decide what you want from a menu on the wall that has about 4 choices, pay in a machine and hand the ticket it spits out to the cook. Can't help you with the name of the place, sorry.
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Hi memejs Maybe look into walking the Magome-Tsumago Trail as it is more popular so you wouldn't feel uncomfortable doing it solo. Logistically it was a little bit more train/bus/walk/bus/train from Matsumoto but definitely doable. Japan Guide gives an outline and you can search online for more information https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6078.html
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Originally Posted by francebound
(Post 17691970)
Hi shelemm , I think it was a chicken stock base. He used an immersion blender and that may account for the milky appearance but it was a light tasting broth and delicious. My husband had come down with a cold so ramen was just the thing. It was one of those places that you decide what you want from a menu on the wall that has about 4 choices, pay in a machine and hand the ticket it spits out to the cook. Can't help you with the name of the place, sorry.
https://eunw.short.gy/X3Zzdn In English, the place is called Menshu Takanaka There is a sign on the wall in English that says "White Chickensoop Ramen." The Japanese on the vending machine translates as "Chicken Soup Salt Ramen." Shio (salt) ramen is a major style of ramen, but you found a real curiosity. |
Okuhida Hot Springs
The 2 nights we spent at Yarimikan were a definite highlight and getting there wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be. We had planned on going to Kamikochi enroute but with one of us feeling a bit coldish and tired we nixed that plan and booked a reserved seat on the Nohi Bus from Matsumoto Bus Terminal (right near the station) to Hirayu Onsen and transferred onward on another bus. We got directions from Yarimikan as to which bus stop to get off and we walked the short distance to the Ryokan. It started raining hard that evening until we checked out but that was okay since we really had earned a rest. The kaiseki dinners, lunch (not that we needed it!) and breakfasts were all amazing in their variety and beautiful presentation. I tried (almost) everything even if I didn’t know what it was. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9ae242074.jpeg On our way to the Ryokan a troop of macaque (snow monkeys) were comfortably sitting in the middle of the road. This guy seemed to be in charge. Our bus driver was having no part of them getting him off schedule so honked them off the road. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2cb2895c0.jpeg Yarimikan entrance https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...88a31eb1f.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...861db6d31.jpeg The women's indoor onsen room where one leaves their clothes in the basket before entering the washing and bathing area. I learned to clean every inch then rinse before entering the onsen bath but afterwards to not rinse off, leaving the hot spring water to absorb into the skin for the benefits provided. The experience is very addictive. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...381e96d3b.jpeg The outdoor onsen, early morning. The air was chilly but the water very warm and steamy. A 'pinch-me is this real' experience. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62dcd5f3f.jpeg Such beautiful dishes https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...76b88f7fd.jpeg Breakfast, (not everything is shown in the photo, the food just keeps coming!): tomato juice, small whole river fish we grilled ourselves, soup with noodles and vegetables, miso soup, sticky rice with miso heated on special leaves (for flavour), pickles, fresh soft tofu, eggs cooked in hot spring water, cantaloupe. |
shelemm Yes, that is it!
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You went at a very lovely time.
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Glad you enjoyed some awesome foliage in the Japanese Alps. Love the photo of Matsumoto Castle with the reflection in the water.
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I can tell I'm going to enjoy this trip report. Fantastic photography!
Glad we had the chance to say hello at Hotel Mume. |
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