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Japan 2026!
  • Shalee Gherbaz
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  • Shalee Gherbaz

Japan 2026!

One month in Japan doing Shalee's customised "Golden Figure 8 Loop" Japan itinerary of the central island of Japan. Read more
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    🇯🇵 Osaka, Japan
    Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Light on the updates

    Yesterday in Japan ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

    Michaels camera is playing up and we are hitting the point of our trip where we are mainly shopping and having downtime to wind down and take a breather after so many activities, so posts will be added here and there until we arrive home. ❤️Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Bahn mi for dinner

    March 11 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    Quickly ducked down to grab Bahn Mi's after 20k steps at Universal. Cheap, delicious, and I got to even have salt coffee again! Perfect way to end such an incredible day!

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Donkey Kong County and other characters

    March 11 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We ended the day wandering about NintendoLand, having the Donkey Kong sundae, and meeting various characters that were out and about. I played the bongos in Donkey Kong County, and Michael collected coins on his wristband thing he bought that's designed like an interactive game where you can touch items in NintendoLand and get points, images and stickers. Michael wrapped up his purchasing of merch, getting a wide range of products to take home (making the third suitcase now an inevitable reality that we will need to purchase before we leave Osaka) and we wandered back home.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this park, and feel that the express pass, whilst expensive, was 1000% worth it. I got to ride 6 rides, visit all the areas, and found the food offering, the aesthetics, and the management of the park and staff to be top notch. And seeing Michael so in his element as a dream of his came true... Priceless.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Michael meets Donkey Kong

    March 11 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Michael wanted to do the meet and greet with Donkey Kong. He had purchased his cute little headband with the Donkey Kong and barrels on it, was wearing his Donkey Kong tshirt and his Diddy Kong jacket he got from the Nintendo store in Tokyo, so he was decked out and ready to go. I will point out that both Michael and I got pulled up so many times by staff during the day to comment about how wonderful we looked, and how much they loved my beanie and Michaels Donkey Kong fit. Even strangers pulled us up, as my beanie is very much one of a kind, and we didn't see another single Diddy Kong jacket like Michaels.

    Everyone here is wearing park memorabilia and merch, or is wearing a school uniform (it's a Japan thing), so we really stand out. Plus, my coat I got from the flea market looks like it was designed in tandem with my beanie, and I have my capybara by my side that's the exact same colour, so I get comments on the full package, which is quite lovely.

    Anyway, back to the man of the hour. Donkey Kong. The way it operates at Universal is that the meet and greets get photographed by Universal staff, they take 2 pictures, and then you can buy them. But no fancy DSLR pics by you. So I had to pull a sneaky and try and capture Michaels meet and greet using zoom and taking advantage of crowds. So of course someone in the line got right in my line of shooting that I had set up to be as inconspicuous as possible 🤣🤣🤣

    Still, I managed to capture elements of it from the shadows and witness it for myself. I've never seen Michael as joyous and as happy as he was meeting this massive Donkey Kong. It also helped that Donkey Kong reacted more to people who were wearing Donkey Kong stuff, so Donkey Kong was as loving and excited as Michael was. So much so that he bopped Michaels headband off his head, causing lots of laughs.

    It really was one of those core life moments for him. Being here, buying the merch, meeting his favourite character. It was well worth a week's salary, which is how much today had cost once we add in all the food, the photos and all the merch. I just feel delighted and privileged that I am in the position to do this so that I can witness my hubby experience a childish whimsy and magic that feels rare and so special.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Universal: Donkey Kong Minecart Madness

    March 11 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We had finally arrived in Donkey Kong County, aka Michaels dreamland. Michael is the biggest Donkey Kong fan. Like, the biggest. So much so that he was willing to do a rollercoaster. This was one of, if not, the biggest incentive for Michael to want to come to Japan. His number one on the to do list.

    The man was in heaven. And we did the coaster with the regular 220 minute wait... In barely 20 minutes. By the time we got done with all three rides, it took us barely 70 minutes across the three, versus their total wait time of like 450+ minutes. Absolutely wild.

    And this coaster... My god! It was a BLAST! So immersive, and incredibly fun for a coaster that barely had any drops and no looping. It was family friendly but full of thrills, as it used a very clever mechanic that genuinely made you feel like the cart was bouncing off the track. And when the photo came back... My god 😅😅🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I mean, Michael looks gorgeously scarily delighted, and I look utterly terrifying and have a double chin for days. He was thrilled at the image, so of course we were taking it home hahaha!!!!

    Honestly, I don't think I've seen my husband as chuffed as this the entire time I've known him. It was heartwarming indeed.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Universal: NintendoLand Koopa Challenge

    March 11 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    We hit NintendoLand to tackle the last three rides of our day: the MarioKart Koopa Challenge, the Yoshi Adventure Ride, and Donkey Kong's Minecart Madness. We were allocated between 3-3.30pm for MarioKart, 3.30-4pm for Yoshi, and 4-4.30pm for Minecart Madness. I was a bit nervous that we weren't going to make all the entry times, given MarioKart had a 150min wait in the regular line, Yoshi had a 60min wait, and Minecart had a... 220min wait. So I told Michael no dordling, no photos, just mad dashing to make this schedule happen.

    It was SO SMOOTH. We hit MarioKart at 3.05pm and it only took 25 min to get through via express. The inside of this ride before you got to it was super cool. The theming in USJ before the rides are exceptional. Once we got on the ride, we had an absolute blast. It was go-carts on a track where it mixed real world animatronics with glasses that had augmented reality in them, and you had to steer your carts together and then use your buttons on the steering wheel to shoot items like shells at the other cart racers in your augmented reality glasses. Where you turned your head and looked was where you shot. Super super fun!

    Yoshi's Adventure was a very basic kids ride where you were on Yoshi's and just gallivanted about animatronics over the top of the park with a view out at everything. It was a welcomed relax, and Michael loved the set design and animatronics.

    After this, it was on towards Donkey Kong Country, which gets multiple posts on its own.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Universal: Snacks and Wanders

    March 11 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    After finishing up lunch at Harry Potter World, we had the Illumination Minions ride at 12.30pm, so we took a wander around the park until we arrived and smashed through the ride. This one was cool, as you had a laser gun, got placed on a spot on a conveyor belt, and went through a range of minions scenes and shot at different screens as you moved around. Thoroughly enjoyable!

    From here, we had just over three hours to kill until we were allowed into NintendoLand for our 3pm timed entry, so we pottered about to enjoy some themed snackies. We got a minion ice cream sandwich, some mixed berry churros (the one thing that really bugged me was that there were no plain churros in this park. Every single one was themed and flavoured in some way. In the end, we went for the most left of field one, which ended up being quite yummy), and some Mario treats. After that, we explored Jurassic World and had an absolute blast watching people get unexpectedly soaked on the main Jurassic ride. The coaster here was unreal. It was a corkscrew coaster, but it was on your stomach. I've done a stomach coaster before and it was super fun, but this one was nuts, and not something my inner ear could handle (nor my patience with a 150 minute wait time), but we did love watching it go by and discussing the mechanics.

    Then it was a breather on a bench beside the NintendoLand entry to just have a snooze and a read until 3pm.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Universal Studios: Harry Potter World

    March 11 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We had a wonderful day at Universal Studios which started in Harry Potter World. I had bought very expensive tickets in advance for today. They guaranteed entry in NintendoLand. NintendoLand is the only area of the park where you can't go unless you have a timed entry pass, and they are done by lottery on the day, or by very expensive ride passes where you get express passes for five to six different rides.

    Given Michael has dreamed of going to Donkey Kong Country (which is the new area inside NintendoLand that only opened last December) ever since it was announced years ago, and he had agreed he would go on the Donkey Kong rollercoaster despite his immense fear of heights and dislike of rollercoasters, there was no way we were chancing it on a lottery. Therefore, the expensive tickets that guaranteed entry and included an express pass for this ride were bought, and our schedule for the day was determined in advance.

    The first express ride we had on our pass was the Flight of the Hippogriff coaster. We needed to scan our pass between 10.30am-11am for this ride. We had gotten through all the massive lines for entry by 9.25am and as the Forbidden Journey ride was flagging as only having a 15 min wait, I suggested to Michael that we mad dash for this ride so that I could go on it. It is marked as one of the best rides in the world, and from what I could tell my inner ear would be able to handle it (I've had issues with dizziness and motion sickness on rides ever since my inner ear got overly impacted on a thrill ride when I was 20).

    By the time we got there, it was a 30 min wait, so I hopped in line and Michael wandered about and took a chill pill. I'm so glad I did. The ride was hands down the best ride I've ever been on, and right on the border of what 33 year old me could handle. It mixes massive digital screen work and practical sets and effects and you fly around a range of scenes and creatures from Hogwarts. It was so immersive, so fun, and completely seamless. You really felt like you were flying and the actual mechanics of how you were moving were completely hidden.

    By the time I got out, the line was 150 minutes long. By the time I did the express line of the Hippogriff ride (which was a very, VERY basic kids coaster, but a fun one that I could handle nonetheless), the queue was 200 minutes. So I was grateful to have gotten there when I did.

    We then wandered about the world, enjoying the butterbeers, which were delicious and came in hot and cold options. They were kind of like creaming soda with a butterscotch caramel flavoured cream that had elements of the consistency of marshmallow fluff without the overt sweetness. Yum!

    We also decided to grab an early lunch here before the lunch lines got crazy, and the lunch at the three broomsticks actually seemed somewhat nice. Michael got the beef roast, and I got fish and chips. We ended up splitting the meals between us, with me beelining for the veggies and thoroughly delighted to be eating mushy peas.

    We really liked this world in the park. The music was varied and immersive, the castle was really well done, and the food and shop options were really interesting.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Tasty Taiwanese

    March 10 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    We wandered around our local area after a relax at the hotel to find some dinner, and ended up opting for a Taiwanese place that had some yummy options that I had had over in Taiwan and knew Michael would like.

    It ended up being super delish. The noodles were such a good texture, and my Taiwanese hamburger (beef with peanuts, pickles and coriander) was absolutely heavenly! Another slam dunk of a meal.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Our Osaka Hotel is... One Piece themed

    March 10 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    I booked this hotel because of the location and it looked spacious... Turns out it's One Piece themed (a big anime here in Japan). It's a full apartment with heaps of amenities and room, with a comfy bed, good shower, and even a washing machine. Super cheap too. So can't complain!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Conveyor Belt Sushi in Kura Dontoburi

    March 10 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    We've left our bags in a locker at Namba station to come and have some lunch and do some shopping whilst we await our check in a little south of here. We've come to Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Dontobori. This is a recommendation from my friend Keith. Super easy system, yummy food (except for the tuna which I promptly spat out in the privacy of my booth hahahaha, I definitely do not like raw fish!)

    highlights were the teriyaki Yellowfin fish and the tempura shrimps (I could eat a thousand shrimps like this). The desserts also slapped.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Of all the mornings...

    March 10 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Michael struggles with time management today! It's the accommodations fault. It's too relaxing. The urgency of our departure time did not translate to him at all, despite us being awake at 7am in the morning, and having a lovely, lazy relax. I even had a bath and took snaps of the sunrise (will update later when Michael sends me the snaps I took). Like, just look how chill I am at 8am. We barely had anything to pack.

    And yet, it hits 9.20am, which is the time we have to leave to comfortably get to Onomichi station, find the platform, and get the train that gets us in with ample time to transfer at Fukuyama, I find myself at the front door packed and shoes on... And Michaels brushing his teeth 😭😭😭 I always allocate at least 2-4 mins leeway, but between bathroom, packing, turning things off, putting bags on, putting shoes on, we don't leave until 9.27am. It's going to be very tight. I say no stopping. We fly down the hill, get stuck at the light that takes forever to give us the ability to cross the road. I check the time, 6 minutes to walk 750m with all our bags.

    We have no choice. We jog. We have three minutes to go. My lucky charm smashes on the floor as we were running, gone forever. No time. We run across the road as the walk light goes from green to red. We get to the station. 1 minute. But on the other platform. I yell to Michael. RUN. NOW. We race down the stairs and up onto the other platform as the train arrives, jumping straight on it. No time to double check. The next train from here is 35 minutes after this one, and would only gives us 5 minutes to get the tickets and transfer to the shinkansen at Fukuyama to get to Osaka.

    We arrive at Fukuyama with plenty of time to sort out our Shinkansen QR tickets, go to the bathroom, to take a rest (given our lungs are now cooked from running through the cold), and to find our platform and hop on the train to Osaka. It was oh so dicey.

    I'm being a drama queen, but in all seriousness, of all the days to not take my schedule seriously... I need a megahorn to blast or something.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    A wonderful dinner in Onomichi

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Tonight we had a very slow, relaxed dinner at a great little restaurant that only has one chef cooking everything. It's all in Japanese so you have to translate with your phone and it takes time between your dishes, but it was seriously so nice!

    We ordered roast potatoes, sweet potato balls (not my fave so only ate a few), a beef stew with baguette (this was amazing), garlic prawns (beautiful and light, and the asparagus was delicious) and a pan seared chicken with veges (so good. For Michael, this was the nicest chicken he has ever eaten).

    After dinner, we wandered down to collect our bags from the storage lockers at the train station, and grabbed some snacks and breakfast pastries to have tomorrow morning for breakfast. The vibe was super eerie and cool, with Michael taking some amazing snaps through the alleyways and of our night view from our traditional house. I had a very relaxing bath, we ate traditional lemon cakes, and then just sat by the window reading, journalling, and collating our snaps. A really wonderful day spent in Onomichi.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Our gorgeous traditional homestay!

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We have such a gorgeous accommodation here in Onomichi up on the hill. We are in a traditional house that has been modified for comfort and serenity. Easily my favourite accommodation of the trip. The bed is so comfy, the bath was unreal (I've had two) and the chairs by the window looking out over the town to the ocean... Just amazing!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Naps and Snuggles at Rescue Cat Cafe

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    At the end of Cat Alley is a cat cafe called Utrecht. I had read online that it was a very laid back and simple set up, but that the cats seemed extremely content here. The reviews were spot on. It was one large room with a range of simple yet effective items and spaces, with I think 6 cats in total at most. But boy were these cats very happy.

    Three of them wanted to be snuggled and absorbed into people, one was cosily nestled in a bed and snoozing beside everyone, and the others were just wanted butt rubs and butt rubs only. I ended up taking quite a nice nap with the ginger cat, who loves laps and clothing. Eventually, three cats decided my jacket was the bees knees, and two of them had a very adorable play fight over it. It was just... This is my favourite cat cafe I've ever been to.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Cat Alley!

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    We went for a wander down Cat Alley, which is an alley down the side of the mountain that has a heap of random cat statues, drawings and art all embedded into the alleyway. It was super cute and random and there was even a cat tori gate.Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Senkoji Temple Complex

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Senkoji Temple is super interesting, as it has been built into the stone edge of the mountain. Lots of locals come and visit to hang various items that all symbolise different things that they are wanting to wish for to prosper in their lives. Once again, we found more frogs!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    The hike down to Senkoji Temple

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Michael took a heap of great snaps of our very small hike from the lookout to Senkoji Temple. It's a very easy walk but you do have to me mindful that all the steps are different heights and sizes! The nature is also stunning up here. So many different things to look at!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Cable Car Ropeway and Lookout!

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    One of Onomichi's major draw cards for local (and some international) tourism is the cable car that runs up to the top of Senkoji Park, which is up in the mountainside. This whole town is designed along the mountain, with it's houses, cafes, temples and cemeteries all built into the mountainside.

    We took the cable car up one way, with the intention of walking down the mountain to the temple and cat street before settling into our apartment for the afternoon once we are allowed to check in. It really is a gorgeous view at the top, and watching the old school cable cars come up and down the ropeway is just 👩‍🍳💋.

    Onomichi is also a very citrus heavy region, so the cafe at the top of the lookout area was selling a wide range of citrus goods and ice creams, so we nabbed a few things. My pomelo ice cream was delish, as was Michaels mandarin ice cream float. And the puddings... Oh the puddings were so good!

    On a different note, Cycling is extremely popular here (which I find quite funny given how many steps there are because everything is on a gradient), and we've also noticed a lot of desolated and abandoned traditional houses here.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Sakura in Onomichi!!!

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Michael and I were walking along the hondori shopping arcade after doing some light shopping (I got some very cute socks in my autumn colours and a really cute hair tie with a crocheted flower on it) when I spotted a pink blossoming tree out of the corner of my eye along the shoreline. We weren't expecting plum blossoms here by the ocean of all things, so we went to check them out and see if it was just one tree.

    It was a row of them, and they were Sakura! In full bloom! We couldn't believe it! Sakura... In Onomichi?!?! What a score!

    We figured we would miss the Sakura season, which is why I did so much research into the plum blossom season. So to actually get to see them up close, and with such a beautiful contrast of the ocean was so cool.

    Plus, an elderly Japanese man came over to have a yap and offered to take a photo of us together. He said that we had come to Onomichi at the perfect time to see the Sakura strip, that Michael was a very handsome man, that he thought Michael's beard translated all over his body (cracking Michael and I up) and that we should pop out a baby because it would be extremely attractive given how attractive we both were. Which was so funny, because when I bought my socks from an elderly Japanese shopkeeper, she pointed out Michael's topknot to say that it was very well done and he was very handsome.

    The Japanese elderly think Michael is hot stuff, and I seem to get the giggles and the waves from Japanese young adults in their 20s in these more rural areas. People are very respectful and kind here in Japan. We haven't felt anything but warm hospitality. I think it helps that we have been quiet, calm, respectful and following all of their customs in return. And we've got a good handle on the five odd phrases we do know in Japanese, and we can tell that it's appreciated that we try.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Early lunch in Hindori Shopping Arcade

    March 9 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    We have comfortably arrived in Onomichi without any issues. The Shinkansen ran on time, and the local train was easy enough to navigate from Fukuyuma Station. We have chucked our backpacks in a coin locker for the day so that we can wander about freely without any luggage whatsoever, as our Airbnb is up on a mountainside and won't be available until after 4pm.

    We were pretty hungry, and so we've decided today is going to be an "early lunch, early dinner" kind of day, especially given there isn't much dining around our Airbnb. That way, we can just buy snacks to munch in the evening if we get peckish. We've stopped in our first destination of the day, Hindori Shopping Arcade. Like most of Asia, the Japanese sleep in, and so many things are closed, but we will duck back here to collect our backpacks later in the arvo and see them then.

    For now, we are cosied up in a small eatery having Onomichi Ramen sets. These sets come with a bowl of Onomichi Ramen (the local speciality), a bowl of fried rice, and a side of either karaage chicken or gyoza. We got one of each. Super yum across the board! The fried rice here tastes like the fried rice I grew up with in my hometown. It's amazing!! Also, the chicken pieces were huge. We ended up with leftovers, unable to finish our meals because of the size!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazJapan 2026!Traveler

    Secondhand Shopping BookOff & 2nd Street

    March 8 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Michael suggested we hit up the BookOff and 2nd Street, as the images of the 2nd Street on google maps were showing that they had memorabilia and other stuff that wasn't just designer clothes and handbags.

    Well... We have learnt! When you go regional, you get a bargain! Gone were the luxury 2nd streets of the cities, and in were the bargains!

    I got my Yuri On Ice merch, a Shikamaru figurine (my fave character from Naruto Shippuden, an anime Michael and I both love) AND a super massive score... A Serena Pokemon Card Sleeve pack! This pack contains 64 sleeves to put your Pokemon cards in, and they all have Serena on them!!!! I can put here everywhere hahaha, as they are the same size as all of our credit cards/work access passes/pt passes, etc. and it only cost me $5! Stoked!

    But it gets better. 2nd Street had some absolute scores. We got 5 Naruto themed folder slips, which I want to use as placemats or frame and put on the walls at home, as well as super cool Naruto stat packs, which contained 12 separate Naruto characters. Then I found these plastic pop out mini stands of a range of Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, and Star Wars characters (Michael will keep the Alice characters, I'll keep the Beauty and the Beast, and I'll give my brother Glen the star wars ones). I found a cute keychain as well, and to top it off, I found myself an AMAZING autumn/spring jacket/dress that has a very specific detail that I have been searching for for ages. We don't know what it's called, but it's like an old fashioned bell collar that runs down the arms and around the top half of the back. My boobs are a little big to button all the way up, but it looks great as an open jacket, and for $9... I wasn't letting this go!

    Michael also absolutely scored. He got a secondhand Sony 28-60mm full framed lens for $190. These lens' retail at over $600 new, and secondhand online for $400-$500, so between this lens and the other one, he's fully set now! Winner winner!

    We finished up super late in the afternoon, so we ended up having "lunch" around 4pm ish at a local fast food chain that does beef and rice bowls. They hit the spot! Then we got ourselves home via 90 min train, packed up our bags to be shipped off to Osaka, ate some chicken snacks from the local Lawson's, finished off our game we've been playing (Dispatch), and hit the hay!

    Overall, today was an amazing day, and we absolutely have loved our time on the southern end of the mainland Japan! Next stop... Onomichi!    Read more

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