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2023 Japan/China

May - June 2023
A 23-day adventure by Juliet Sinclair's Trips Read more
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  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 1

    Day 1: Tokyo

    May 26, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Finally we are heading to this long awaited trip!! For the first time ever, we set foot in the brand new Kansas City airport terminal. I have to say I really like the artworks, the efficient security lines, the new restaurants and shops. It’s so much better than the old terminal!

    Happy to say the flights to Tokyo were uneventful. Although I was surprised the airline food was getting better somehow, at least for United. The butter chicken and breakfast waffles were totally better than expected. Of course our expectations were very low.

    Tokyo is very crowded! Haven’t been back to an Asian city for the past three years, I almost forgot what’s like to walk in a crowd.

    Another thing I noticed was that despite the lack of garbage cans on the streets, the city is super clean. Also, Japanese people really obey the walking signs. Even on the small side streets with no cars around, they would still wait until the walking sign is on before crossing.

    The neighborhood around our hotel is really lively! Full of little shops and restaurants. We went to a Japanese BBQ restaurant, ordered some finest Kobe beef to grill; and then got some fried chicken from a hole in the wall place on our way back.

    We will be spending 5 days in Tokyo! It’s going to be amazing!    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 2

    Tokyo: Day 2

    May 27, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Tokyo: Day 2

    We had been to Japan 10 years ago, and I have noticed some changes since last time.

    First of all, people here bowing a lot less now. I remember back then, everyone would bow to you at waist level excessively, to the point I started to worry about their back pains. I see them bowing at lesser degrees and less often these days, which I think it’s better for their backs.

    Second, improvements of public transportation. The fast train ride from airport to downtown is more comfortable and faster than the long subway ride 10 years ago. Also, the entire subway system has been improved with more frequent trains and better station identification solution, by introducing numbers. Instead of trying to remember the names of the stations, you can now just to by G18 or S10, much easier for the riders.

    OK, first task of the day, find the best Ramen restaurant and be one of their first customers of the day. We arrived about 15 minutes before they open, so we wandered a bit. By the time we went back, there was already a line. Darn it! Fortunately we still made it in this tiny restaurant. WOW! One of the best ramens we’ve ever had! Not too surprising since it’s top rated in Tokyo.

    Next was an art aquarium exhibition; so the displays were art pieces made with goldfish and flowers. Honestly before today, I didn’t know this kind of art existed, but it was absolutely amazing! Each piece was carefully created and exquisite, utilizing different kind of goldfish, accompanied by different colors and shapes of flowers, under ever changing lighting. WOW!

    The Imperial palace is located at the center of Tokyo, unfortunately it’s not open to visitors… due to the fact the Emperor of Japan and his family still live there. The armed guards posted at the gate were certainly very serious about their jobs. However, the lovely garden in front of the palace seemed to be a perfect park for the commoners like us. Many Japanese families were resting in the shades of the pine trees in the garden.

    Evan, being the planner of this entire trip for Japan, told us there was a food street near Tokyo wharf, so we were excited to head there for our dinner. Unexpectedly, the entire street of almost 100 restaurants, was dedicated to only one type of food, called Momjayaky. Basically it’s pan fried batter with many different ingredients, cooked on hot flat grill. Since the menu was in Japanese, we had a difficult time ordering. Fortunately our nice waiter spoke a bit English. Between his broken English and friendly attitude, and our handy google translation app, we managed to order three rounds of delicious and unique food. By the end of our meal, we had became friends!

    The first day in Tokyo was a resounding success!    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 3

    Tokyo: Day 3

    May 28, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    “Hello! Pretty lady!” Steve opened his eyes this morning, and said this to me as the sunrise lights shined through the window.
    “Are you crazy? I am so old now!” I said.
    “Well, just stating a fact.” He said.
    Well, after over 20 years of marriage, I guess it’s nice Steve still feels that way. 😂 Tokyo morning became very special to me suddenly. ❤️

    A few months ago, Evan told us he wanted to spent his 18th birthday in Japan. We told him sure, but he had to plan the entire trip. Well, he spent many days planning, creating a google spreadsheet for all the cities he wanted to visit, along with all the dinner options and activities. Amongst all the places, where we were going today was one he wanted most: Akihabara, the electronic capital of the world, the gamer’s paradise, the anime lover’s dreamland.

    As an avid gamer myself, and spent a couple years watching anime with Evan, I was excited to go as well.

    Although, the first task again was to head to one of the best restaurants in Japan. The restaurant is called Tonkatsu Hasegawa, They “use premium Hiraboku Sangenton pork from Yamagata. The house-made panko breadcrumbs are outstanding as well – they produce a golden crispy crust that is light and never oily.” According to the Time Out Magazine.

    This tiny restaurant only has few tables, so even though we got there early, due to the fact there was already a line waiting outside, we ended up waiting almost 2 hours to get in! However, their food was without a doubt one of the best in the world!

    After lunch, we finally got the chance to walk around the area, squeezing through thousands and thousands super nerds from the world. Pretty girls dressed in sexy maid outfits, handing out fliers. Sadly few people were paying attention to them.

    Evan wanted to get a plushie for his friend, and the only way to get the best ones are by using claw machines. There are stores with hundreds of claw machines filling in multi-floor buildings. Evan decided to get a super cute dog, started to try to pick it up, but failed over and over. A nice Japanese worker took a pity on him, opened the case and moved the dog as close to edge as possible, but the dog was still elusive to us. After many more tries, we left with our heads down. 😭

    We walked pass Maid cafe, both men felt too embarrassed to go in. We walked pass the Cat Cafe, Evan went to check it out, but since I am highly allergic to cats, we didn’t end up going inside. Apparently there is an Owl Cafe as well, but the reservation has been sold out for days. So we left without going into any cafes.

    Next, we went to Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, a peaceful oasis inside the steel forest of Tokyo financial district. The lovely flowers and pine trees were stark contrast against the background of grey buildings.

    For our dinner tonight, Evan picked a very unique restaurant called Maguro Oroshi Fisheries Terrace, a waterfront eatery with outdoor seating, including some nice swings overlooking the water. The food was cheap and fresh.

    We had planned to go to a high tech museum tonight, but by the time we got there, the tickets had all sold out! We bought our tickets for Wednesday afternoon. So looking forward to this visit!

    It has started to rain by the time we went back to our hotel.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 4

    Tokyo: Day 4

    May 29, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    A week before this trip, I fell down the stairs. My right ankle was swollen, and I was considering renting a wheelchair in Tokyo. Fortunately after a week of elevation and icing the ankle, I was able to walk somewhat normally.

    Last time when I injured my right ankle, the physical therapist recommended 20 minutes of walking per day. Well, that’s not going to happen this time. Tokyo is a very walkable city, and I have been walking for hours a day. Surprising, the ankle is healing, and with the support of an ankle brace, I am waking better every day! So YAY!

    Today’s breakfast was food from 7/11 right next to our hotel. Unlike those 7/11 in America, the stores here offer some great premade food options. The dumplings, the curry donuts, and the egg salad sandwiches were surprisingly good and tasty.

    We headed to a famous artisan street this morning. A stretch of 50 stores under a railway track selling all the goods made by hand. After some browsing, both Evan and I walked away with a pair of hand-made kangaroo leather shoes. If you see me wearing a pair of red leather shoes, chances are they are made by a Japanese artisan.

    After a long subway ride, we arrived at Roppongi, an area famous for their high end shops and expensive restaurants. One of the biggest buildings here has an observation deck with an amazing Tokyo city view. Unfortunately, due to the rain, we didn’t get the best view of the city. There is also a modern art museum on the 52nd floor. I absolutely loved all the architecture displays. Many 3D models of the most unique buildings in the world!

    Today ended with one of the best sushi restaurants in Tokyo. Every dish was so delicious and beautiful, with the most exquisite ingredients that’s available seasonally. We ordered a ten course meal and tasted many things for the first time in our lives. Have you ever heard of pink pepper? It’s so tiny yet full of flavors!

    Well, today is an expensive day. 😬    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 5

    Day 5: Tokyo

    May 30, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Today’s focus is Shibuya, the downtown of Tokyo! It’s a full day of events from 10 AM to 10 PM.

    We skipped breakfast and went directly to Shibuya for Udon noodles.

    The world busiest crosswalk truly lived up its name; there were about few thousand people crossing at the Shibuya crossing with us once the lights turned green.

    The Udon noodle restaurant is on the 13th floor of one of the tallest buildings in Shibuya, and it has a great view! Even though we arrived early, there was already a line. By the time it was our turn, it seemed all the windows seats had been taken. So I asked the hostess if there was any still available. She hesitated and said if we can finish our meal within an hour, there was a reserved table available. I said yes.

    Oh boy, we got the beat table in the house! It was a private corner room with an amazing view of the Shibuya area. It never hurts to just ask, right? As we were admiring the view, our food, which consisted three huge bowls of noodles with many toppings arrived, and they were so delicious! We haven’t had any bad meals for Japan yet!

    After lunch, we headed to the rooftop observation deck called “Shibuya sky”. Seriously, you wouldn’t be able to imagine how big Tokyo is until you see it from high up. The sprawling metropolis stretching to the horizon in all directions, further than what your eyes can see. Being the largest city in the world, Tokyo impressed me in so many ways! Their subway system is so efficient that we never have to wait for more than three minutes; their city is so clean that we only saw one piece of garbage the entire time we were here, even though there’s never any garbage cans on the street; the people are so polite that I rarely see anyone raising their voice. What a city!

    Slowly, we strolled towards Yoyogi park, a large park that’s right by Shibuya, just like how Central Park is in the middle of Manhattan. Immediately, all the urban chaos had faded away, and the ancient trees towering above us, providing much needed shade against the noon sun. We sat on our park bench for a long time, resting our feet and admiring the scenery, trying not to fall asleep in this quiet and calm oasis. Eventually, we got up, and walked towards Menji shrine that’s right by the park, but stopped for ice cream along the way.

    As night started to fall, the lights lit up all around us, we found ourselves back in Shibuya. There were so many people bustling around still, some trying to get home, some were resting on a rooftop park, sipping Starbucks coffee, some were having dinner with their friends in a long stretch of food stalls specializing cuisines from different parts of the country. I don’t think this city can be more perfect, but it continued to impress me with all its details.

    By 9:30 pm, we were riding an elevator towards the top of Tokyo Tower. I was already at awe seeing the city from Shibuya Sky, but the night scene on top of Tokyo Tower, which is one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo, brought the awe to even higher level. So many lights, millions and millions of them, sparked against the nightly sky, and the moonlight paled in its brightness. It was absolutely magnificent!

    By the time we got back to our hotel, I have walked over 22,000 steps for today! Fortunately my injured ankle didn’t bother me too much anymore, otherwise this wouldn’t have been possible.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 6

    Day 6: Tokyo

    May 31, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Today is sadly the last day in Tokyo for us, it’s also one of the most exciting day, because we would visit the coolest museum in the world called Team Lab Planet this afternoon.

    In the morning, we went to a popular Ramen restaurant Called Ichiran Ramen. You know they were serious about their food when they wanted to know how you like the richness of the soup and the firmness of the noodles. The ramen here is good, but not surprisingly, not as good as one of the best ramen restaurants we went to a few days earlier.

    For the first time ever, we encountered the most touristy place in Tokyo, Asakusa Shrine. There were so many tourists and groups we were shoulders to shoulders with many people. Leading up to the shrine were rows of stalls selling food and goodies for tourists. We all felt claustrophobic after a short while so we left soon after.

    Ueno Park is a known for its cherry blossom and museums. Unfortunately we were too late for the blossom, but we were sure that one of the 6 museums and a zoo would be a perfect place for a few hours this afternoon.

    We picked the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in the end, which turned out to be the perfect choice, because they were displaying the winners of best art from all the art institutions of Japan. We met an older gentleman standing in front of a nice painting, hesitatingly asked me to take a photo for him with the painting, because it was painted by his sister. I happily obliged. He was so happy, in his broken English, telling Steve I was a nice person. So sweet!

    Next, it was main attraction of the day, Team Lab Planet, an high tech museum that’s so awesome that every exhibit makes you say “holy sh*t! That’s amazing!”

    Here are my three favorites.
    - The Infinite Crystal Universe: crystal strings hanging from the ceiling, with the utilization of mirrors, they created an illusion of infinity

    - Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers: in a dark dome, the stars, flowers, and butterflies are projected to the ceiling. This is an exhibit that’s best viewed laying down

    - Floating Flower Garden: real flowers hanging from the ceiling, with mirrors on the floor and ceiling, you become part of the flower falls

    Please make sure to check out the videos of these exhibits, you won’t be disappointed!

    I have to say, Tokyo has become my favorite city of the whole world! It’s sad to leave here tomorrow.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 7

    Day 7: Tokyo to Kanazawa

    June 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    After a much needed relaxing morning, we headed to Tokyo Train station for our bullet train to Kanazawa.

    Apparently the food vendors near train station ticket counter have limited heating options, for example, they are not allowed to have microwaves. Once again, I am so thankful to Google Translator app, since the cashier had trouble understanding my request of heating things up. My cold bento box was actually quite good!

    Evan went to get some fried chicken, and he was eating it cold, and said it wasn’t too bad. As we were leaving, a Japanese guy stopped Evan, and pull out a piece of paper with English words on it. From what I could understand, he was the guy sold Evan cold fried chicken, and had hard time explaining why it was cold. So he went somewhere got his words translated and wrote them down, and then tracked Evan down to apologize and explain. Japanese people are indeed extremely polite!!

    Our bullet train ride was fast and smooth, 4 hour ride was a breeze.

    We booked an Airbnb house here. Even though the house is over one hundred years old, it’s very well maintained and tastefully decorated. I love the tiny garden in the courtyard! It has the perfect location of right next to all major attractions of the city.

    The reason Evan chose Kanazawa was for its famous gardens. Kenroku garden, which is right by our house, is the most famous one, considered as one of the best in Japan. Since it will be a lot of rain tomorrow, we decided to go there immediately before it closes.

    Well, if we can imagine what a perfect Japanese garden would look like, this is it!! Every sight you see here is picture perfect! The same location can look differently from different angles. The flowers blossomed by little streams, ancient trees of various sizes shaped the spaces, and little bridges provided the focal points. We could spend all day here to admire every corner. Unfortunately it was closing time.

    Dinner was at a restaurant called Itaru, it was a perfect place because it’s busy but still got few tables available to us. The food was surprisingly good!! The sashimi was the freshest we’ve ever eaten, especially the mackerel, it’s entirely possible the fish was caught this morning!

    Rain has started, and it’s going to last all day tomorrow.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 8

    Day 8: Kanazawa

    June 2, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Well, Evan’s plan is great so far, but not perfect. Because just as we are leaving tomorrow, there is the biggest Samurai Festival of Japan happening right outside of our Airbnb, but we will not be here to see it. There will be lion dances, taiko drums, and most interesting of them all, the marching of the actual descendent of Samurai families!! I can’t believe we will miss all of that! 😭

    There was heavy rain all day today, so we were focused on indoor activities.

    Omicho Market is one of the most famous fish markets in Japan, and there is a famous sushi restaurant located within it. We were lucky enough to get seats after waiting for a short time. All I can say is that the sushi here was one of the freshest I’ve ever tasted.

    Kanazawa castle is mostly a wooden structure, there’s no nails in the entire building! Instead, they use intricate locking systems to keep the beams attached. We admired all the architectural details in this amazing building.

    Next, Kanazawa Modern Art Museum. There were a lot of people here, not too surprising since it’s a rainy day. Even though the art pieces were interesting, what impressed me was the fact an entire wing was dedicated to art pieces from Highschool students in the city, and some pieces were very interesting!

    Rain was pouring down hard on us, as we walked slowly towards the Tea House district. The old buildings were well persevered here. You could easily imagine what was like to have Geisha and Samurai walking around in these narrow streets.

    Hot shower felt nice after we got home.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 9

    Day 9: Kanazawa to Kyoto

    June 3, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Day 9: Kanazawa to Kyoto

    As we were leaving Kanazawa, the citizens were starting to line up the streets for the festival, and TV reporters already started their broadcasts. Unfortunately we were leaving right before the events started. Oh well, there is always the next time!

    The train ride was comfortable and uneventful, although we snacked the entire way with the yummy food we got from the train station before we left. The fancy cookies with a cat image on the box were especially delicious!!

    I think I found the oldest taxi driver is Japan at the Kyoto train station. He was at least 80 years old! Communication was difficult since the address on Google maps didn’t make sense to him. I ended up showing the nearest landmark to him, this time he got it and started to drive. Well, as Chinese say, the older the ginger the spicier it gets. Our driver was fearless when navigating the busy and narrow Kyoto streets, avoiding all the traffic! At one point, much to our amazement, he turned into an impossibly busy street with many pedestrians. As he slowly driving on, we slowly realized that our Airbnb was in the middle of the busiest tourist attraction in Kyoto!!

    Imagine you were standing in the middle of Time Square in NYT, and found your house right in the middle of it. Well, considering it’s location, we imagined it would be a tiny house.

    Well, we were wrong, very wrong. This house, with a simple black gate facing the tourists, is impossibly large, and beautiful inside. As you walk in, there was a cooking pit on the floor and a large tatami area. To our right, a large modern bathroom, a toilet room and a laundry room. Continuing inside, a dinning room with a fireplace and sofa, next is a decent size kitchen in Japanese standard. A nice courtyard garden outside.

    Second floor, the master bedroom has two king size beds!! Another bathroom with a shower, another toilet room. And then, there is an entire suite at the end of the hallway, with a tatami room, a living room and a bathroom! I think the house is designed for three families to stay here. Evan happily claimed the suite at the end of the hall, Steve and I each got a king size bed. 😂

    Getting onto our comfortable beds, we unintentionally took a nap. By the time we got up, it was dinner time.

    Aiming towards a Japanese curry restaurant which has a Michelin star, we started our stroll on the narrow streets with old houses, admiring how well the streets preserved their heritages and charms. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed today. So we randomly picked a Japanese Western food restaurant since it was busy inside. The hamburger steak and pork cutlets were delicious!!

    Walking the exact same route back, we realized we got a full moon tonight. The streets near our house were quiet now, revealing its real beauty.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 Japan/China
    Day 10

    Day 10: Kyoto

    June 4, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    It always seems that the days are longer when you are on vacation. When you are home, the days are kind of similar and blending into each other, suddenly it’s weekends; while you are on vacation, there is so much to do that you are kind surprised that so much are able to be fit into one day.

    Taking advantage of living right in a tourist spot, we were able to take some photos without any tourists in them. However, we still didn’t leave home early enough, because soon after, the streets were full again. We plan to leave even earlier tomorrow.

    For our brunch today, we headed to a market about 20 minutes away. This massive foodie’s heaven is more than 400 years old! So many food stalls and shops stretching all directions, as far as eye can see.

    We were happily trying many different things to eat, fried rice balls on sticks, seafood on sticks, deep fried creamy seafood balls, grilled dough with sweet red bean paste in the middle, and a slice of butter. Every thing was so delicious!! You are not supposed to eat and walk in Japanese markets, we were doing well at first, but forgot the rule when eating the last item. An announcement was made on the loud speaker, reminding people not to eat and walk. We felt so ashamed since it felt it was directed to us. 😂

    One of my favorite places to visit when we were here 10 years ago, was Fushimi Inari Taisha, the mountain with all the red traditional gates on the paths. So I was excited to visit it again. Oh boy, compared with the visitors from 10 years ago, this place got so much busier now. It was hard to find a gap between people for a decent photo. We then figured out the trick was to walk slower than most people, so there would be more chance for a gap. We managed to take some nice pictures this way.

    Next, we went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which has become a huge public park. We found a nice shaded spot under a big tree to lay down and rest. I actually took a nice nap there.

    We then ubered to another park with nice gardens. You can always trust Japanese to create relaxing spaces for you to enjoy.

    It was kind of hard to find a place to have dinner today. The curry place we tried to go to yesterday is closed on Sundays; we walked into a nice looking restaurant, only found out that it would cost us about $500 to eat there; picked another place and walked there with our already tired feet, only to find out they were closed, even though Google Maps said they were open. At this point, we were exhausted and hungry. Passed by a sign saying home cooked meal in the basement here, so we went down the stairs. The tiny restaurant only had 10 seats, but it did have three free seats. A cute Japanese couple was running the business, the wife did most of the cooking, while the husband running around doing everything else. It took a while for us to get our food, but the dishes were very tasty! Especially the home made dumplings!

    Checked my Apple Watch when we got back home, I walked over 24,000 steps today! So glad my ankle didn’t give me too much trouble.    Read more

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