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  • Dave Hippler

Japan 2025

A 41-day adventure by Dave Read more
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    🇯🇵 Naha, Japan
    Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    Taketomi
    Flying into IshagakiGrilling a tiny piece of carrot at a BBQ jointHigh school PE? More fun than I had.Maesato beachFree Awamori and beer for 3 hours every night....Awamori selectionSweet potato dessertsFee-Fi-Fo-FumAt an IzakayaOn TaketomiSukuji BeachSukuji BeachMangrove near the beachKabira BayKabira BayKabira BayKabira BayOn the ferry to Taketomi

    Ishigaki, Okinawa

    Nov 19–24 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 68 °F

    Okinawa is an archipelago of islands that make up Japan's southern-most prefecture. We're pretty close to Taiwan but it just wasn't worth heading over there when we're flying out of Seoul soon.

    It's been said that Okinawa is like Thailand without the tourists. So far that seems to be true. We're in a very southern island called Ishigaki. It's still a touristy place, as evidenced by all of the T shirt shops. But high season is over and it's nowhere near as bad as Thailand now. Other tourists that we do see seem to be mainly Japanese, Taiwanese, and Chinese.

    The weather has been overcast but in the 70s so we can't complain. The city of Ishigaki itself is pretty ugly, the only one we've seen on our trip in Japan. The reason to come here are the beaches throughout the main island and visiting the smaller pristine Islands nearby.

    We've taken a ferry twice now to the small nearby island of Taketomi. You can rent bikes here but why? It's so small and flat that you can walk everywhere easily. We bought a 5-day bus pass when we arrived at the airport. That let us see several of the beaches on the main island and get to and from the small airport.

    The local drink here is called Awamori. It's another rice based alcohol like shochu and sake but it's distilled for more of a kick. The apartment hotel room we rented includes a 3 hour happy hour of drinking it or the local beer, Orion. Most of the t-shirt shops here are selling shirts of Orion beer if that's any indication of what there is to do here. I'm certainly not complaining though. After all the running around we've been doing it's nice to just relax and have beach days.

    More photos and videos are here.
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/LyDh85tKx9WprGV7A    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler

    Mt. Aso

    November 17 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    We took a day trip on a tour from Fukuoka to see this volcanic caldera in Mt. Aso National Park. It's the largest one in Japan. Half the time you can't get up to the rim because the sulfur dioxide concentration is too high.

    We wanted to do this on our own but I forgot to renew our international driver's licenses before the trip. It worked out because getting on a bus is a lot easier and probably cheaper, given toll and parking costs.

    It's a beautiful area surrounded by dairy and vegetable farms. This is the daiyland of Japan. That volcanic ash makes for fertile soil and there are lots of cows eating grass here. A different kind of grass also grows here. It's the kind that is weaved into tatami mats that are the flooring of traditional tea houses and Ryokan.

    After we left the rim of the caldera an alarm went off. Pretty soon people were moving rapidly away. Apparently sensors go off when the air gets too poisonous. We're lucky to have gotten views when we did.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/Azsm9nUzXKUA443J6

    Our trip so far. Click on the photo to start the video.
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/rTydSg9nHMrMucMMA    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    1Sumo wrestling festival
    Dancers at a Christmas marketDancers at a Christmas marketInteresting food at the Christmas MarketANYTHING with English on it is coolHakata bay boat race arenaOh, the irony of a $300 Rage Against The Machine TshrtOur apartment in FukuokaI love how this kid is wearing his whole suit while playing soccer barefootAnother Host club adCinderellaThis is at the third Christmas market we foundHakata harbor - where the Mongols failed to invade in the 13th centuryNight time at the Christmas Market outside of Hakata train stationLobster at a French restaurant we foundSteak with fois gras at a French restaurantCanal City Mall art displayFukuoka art museumFukuoka art museumMy favorite piece at the Fukuoka art museumSumo merchIn the red light districtCanal City Mall at nightAt the Sumo festivalThe 12 generals at the Fukuoka art museum

    Fukuoka

    Nov 15–19 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    This is Japan's 6th largest city. Never heard of it before the trip, but we love it. It's big, but not crazy like Tokyo or Osaka. And it has a great subway and bus system.

    Christmas is big here. But shopping is bigger. We've stumbled on 4 European style Christmas markets. The one outside the main train station had groups of dancers in a competition when we arrived.

    Every other building is a mall. These people love to shop. Outside of malls, there are nonstop clothing stores separating the malls.

    The best part of our visit is that we just so happened to be in town during a Sumo wrestling festival. What luck. We spent hours at the arena and it was super fun and pretty interesting.

    There's not one thing I don't like in this country. Ok, they could use some public garbage cans. It's so clean here, but where are the garbage cans?

    We walked a lot, saw some fun neighborhoods, drank at a Christmas market and befriended a Japanese couple over drinks and Google translate. The food never ceases to amaze and delight us. We had a wonderful French meal including lobster, a bottle of French wine, steak with fois gras and a live piano player playing on stage. It was well under $100 out the door. Unbelievable.

    You could probably pay for your trip here if you brought all your old clothes thst have anything in English written on them. The only expensive thing here is vintage Americana, especially US university sweatshirts. In one vintage shop, they were selling for over $300 a piece. We've seen several UW sweatshirts and even an Iowa State one.

    Kyushu is amazing and we would love to come back. We're heading south next, to some tropical islands in Okinawa.

    More photos and videos are here.
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/qDgcUECYKYPhjUmu5

    Sumo photos
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/vRvzc2wF9bsTCRpX8    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    Sunset at Mt. Inasa Overlook
    Our apartment in NagasakiPeace Stadium and Happiness Arena. Love it.Glover GardenGlover GardenDessert at Glover GardenNagasaki Koshibyo Confucius ShrineMatcha ice cream in ChinatownGround Zero st NagasakiA model of The Fat ManSunset at Mt. Inasa OverlookGodzilla is coming!Nagasaki Koshibyo Confucius ShrineChina Historical MuseumChina Historical MuseumIowa Cyclones shirt in Nagasaki - it's Deanne's alma materSunset was fantastic on Mount InasaThe spectacles bridge, an optometrist's "Must See"Potato Chip Boy loves soy sauce flavored potato chipsThe old Dutch settlement of DejimaPeace Stadium, in the middle of a mallFukusaiji ShrineFukusaiji ShrineNagasaki Koshibyo Confucius ShrineThe RopewayGlover GardenGlover GardenMt Insa viewpointGlover GardenSuwajinjanagasakaJapanese Navy frigates

    Nagasaki

    Nov 11–15 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    The bus ride over the mountains from Beppu to Nagasaki waa beautiful. Some of the leaves are starting to change.

    We rented a fairly large apartment for four nights and it had a rooftop terrace. I thought it might be too many days but Nagasaki has a lot more to offer than just the nuclear bomb sites. It's history is rich and it's a major place where East met West.

    First it was the Portuguese who traded and spread Christianity here. Nagasaki has one of the best bays on this southern island, so it was only natural for foreign sailors to stop here because they were coming from the south.

    But the shogun's tired of the Portuguese and kicked them out and allowed the Dutch to trade from a tiny prison-like a compound called Dejima. This lasted for 200 years during the Edo period, when Japan was closed off to the rest of the world except for small trade with the Dutch and some Chinese.

    When Japan opened up to the world in the Meiji restoration, Nagasaki was crucial because it had coal, dry docks for shipbuilding, and steel works. Mitsubishi started here for example and still builds giant ships, among other things.

    But of course it's most famous because it was the second and last place where a nuclear bomb was dropped during war. The Peace Museum and ground zero, which the Japanese call the hypo center, are fascinating and sobering. Even in mid November the museum was packed.

    On August 9, 1945, the bomber Bockscar originally wanted to drop it on Kokura, an industrial city north of here. Cloud and smoke cover prevented that and Nagasaki was the secondary target. There was a lot of cloud cover here but during a break, they dropped the bomb. It missed the main port area and landed in a residential area just north. Six days later, the Japanese surrendered and WW2 was over.

    But there's so much more the city has to offer. We're staying near the train station, across from Stadium City, a giant mall. I'm not a mall person but I walked over alone at night to check it out. I didn't get the connection but it's a soccer stadium surrounded by two mall towers! There's also a basketball arena next to it. They're called Peace Stadium and Happiness Arena. How wonderful.

    Nagasaki is in a big valley that leads down to the bay, so some neighborhoods are hilly. Its name means Long Cape. There's an excellent bus and tram system but we did a lot of walking to see several shrines and temples. There's a large garden complex called Glover Garden on the hill above the bay. That's the former home of a Scotsman who helped bring the industrial revolution to Japan. Tea, coal mining, steel, ship building, you name it, he had his hands in the trade. Thomas Glover was the man.

    There's a cable car which they call the ropeway. It goes up to mount Inasa and we were lucky to have an amazing sunset and spectacular views of the city below. Of course the food here has been amazing. We just love the city and we're glad to have had four full days to take our time to see it.

    More photos and videos are here.
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/HrScJRTChxd5zzMd6    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    Outside of Sanso Kannawaen, our Ryokan
    Breakfast at our RyokanUmi JigokuA shrine in BeppuSanso KannawaenSanso KannawaenSanso KannawaenSanso KannawaenSanso KannawaenSanso KannawaenSanso KannawaenUmi JigokuUmi JigokuUmi JigokuUmi JigokuUmi JigokuSanso Kannawaen10 course kaiseki dinner menuSanso KannawaenThe groovy socks came with the roomModel touristsMulti course saiseki dinnerSanso KannawaenSanso Kannawaen

    Beppu

    Nov 10–11 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    Without planning it, we went to the two places in Japan that have hot sand baths on the same day. Beppu is the other major hot springs resort town in Kyushu. It was pretty hard finding Ryokan on short notice so went from the far southwest corner to the far northeast corner of Kyushu when we found some.

    Not too much exciting happened in either town except we totally splurged on ourselves. If the photos and videos seem pretentious it's because they are :).

    The Sanso Kannawaen is a modern Ryokan on a large hill above Beppu. The room was like a huge apartment and included our own onsen which was nice because the public onsens are separated by gender.

    The breakfast was absolutely fantastic with multiple food types. But the most amazing part was the dinner. It was a set dinner called kaiseki. These emphasize small portions of regional dishes and are multi-course. Ours was 10 courses! It included two servings of lobster and countless other items. I posted the menu if you're interested.

    Outside of the ryokan are several natural geysers and boiling springs like in Yellowstone National Park. They're called "hells" for some strange reason. We chose a random one to visit and it was pretty fantastic.

    More photos and videos are here.
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/Hm5ZLwQxZfWGVSxK6    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    The hot sand baths of Ibusuki
    They have cool manhole covers hereA Ryokan dinnerOn Kagoshima BayOur Ryokan roomObi Wan Kenobe, babyOne of our 2 onsen bathsBreakfast at the RyokanThe hot sand baths, as seen from the bayDeanne can't resist theseStairs to the hot sand bath onsenHot sand bathsMore haute cuisineBreakfastUnagi eelLots and lots of Shochu at the grocery storeCreative manhole coversA walk through a small Japanese townWe usually order food on touch screen devices or our phones at restaurants.

    Ibusuki

    Nov 8–10 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    I've never paid anyone to bury me alive before. But that's what travel is about isn't it? Trying new things?

    The sleepy town of Ibusuki is just what we needed after 2 weeks of large Japanese cities. It's an onsen town and its major draw is the hot sand baths. The whole town is nestled on some seriously hot spring water. Walking to our Ryokan on a warm day, we had to avoid the vented drains, where steam rose from the flowing water under every street.

    We checked our bags with the friendly proprietress and killed 3 hours in town until 3:00 check-in. She seemed to be the only one running this traditional Japanese inn with a built-in onsen. In this case, it's 2 private baths with the hot mineral waters.

    As far as Ryoken go, this was very reasonably priced. It's seen better days, but it's the real deal and is quite charming. You leave your shoes at the door and wear slippers inside. The room has traditional tatami mats for the flooring. Instead of beds, there are futons. You wear yukata robes with obis (black belts) to the baths. And for a guy who is almost two meters tall, you twist your legs into pretzels to sit on the floor under the small tables for meals.

    For some reason she couldn't prepare dinner the night we arrived. Usually breakfast and dinner are offered. Lunch in town was at a beautiful restaurant but the food was the only bland meal we've had. Dinner however was at a traditional izakaya, a restaurant pub and it was great.

    I've been sampling different types of shochu, the popular drink here made of sweet potatoes. It's usually 25% alcohol and you can drink it hot, mixed with something, or on the rocks. I'm usually drinking it on the rocks. It's nowhere near as strong as whiskey or vodka and it goes down easy.

    Breakfast was a delicious mix of pickles, rice, miso soup, and small portions of the local fried fish, omelette, a small cabbage salad and a pot of green tea.

    We soaked after we checked in and I soaked before breakfast the next day but the big draw for the day were those hot sand baths. On the beach, there is an onsen that hires people to bury you under the black, hot volcanic sand on the beach. The mineral hot spring water is running right underneath it into the bay.

    It's quite organized and there are pictures and videos and diagrams of the process so everyone understands. For about $15 each you rent a yukata and obi, get a small commemorative towel to keep, and a larger towel that you rent. You wear nothing but the robe and go outside and lay down and they bury you with the sand.

    They wrap the small towel around your head and kind of prop your head up so you can at least see the clock. You stay for 10 minutes and I must say it feels pretty amazing. But you can leave whenever you want and just kind of get up and push the sand off. Then you go inside the onsen to drop off the yukata and shower and then sit in the hot mineral waters inside. As far as a spa day goes, this one is pretty inexpensive. Too bad they don't allow cameras so there are no photos. The one posted here is from their website.

    Tonight we had the full Ryokan dinner experience. It was a multi course meal and the plates kept coming and coming. A boisterous group of Japanese retirees like us was having a grand old time and even apologized for laughing. No apologies necessary!

    The first Ryokan we booked is all the way up north in Beppu, so we're taking an early train to make it up there in time for checkin tomorrow afternoon. It just so happens that these are the only two cities in Japan with hot sand baths. We'll be in both cities on the same day.

    More photos and videos are here.
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/yMNvXYPoNTbQM5SU6    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    Sakurajima
    Terukuni ShrineTerukuni Shrine 照國神社Terukuni ShrineWisconsin sweatshirts are coolThirteen Stone BuddhasA random sub in the baySakurajima SelfieSengan-enSengan-enSengan-enSengan-enSengan-enSengan-enSengan-enSmoky SakurajimaA shrine on the volcanoA shrine on the volcanoA foot soak in the hot waters of SakurajimaOn a very crowded bus on SakurajimaSakurajima volcanoThe underwear of local hero, Takomori SaigoEvery meal is an adventureAt dinner in KagoshimaHeading back to KagoshimaBonito Sashimi. Melt in your mouth delicious!

    Kagoshima

    Nov 6–8 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Kagoshima is the largest city next to an active volcano, closer than Naples is to Vesuvius. Volcano Sakurajima is right across Kagoshima Bay from us. This isn't a major tourist hotspot but we found a $70 flight here from Kobe and it's a good jumping off point for visiting the island of Kyushu.

    It's about the size of Milwaukee with a few tourists sites and a great transportation system. We rarely do this, but we opted for the Hop on Hop off pass to see everything in one day. A lot of the tourist sites have to do with the local samurai hero, Saigō Takamori. He is sometimes known as The Last Samurai and was important in the Meiji restoration. That's the modernization of Japan that ended the Shogunate.

    The highlights were Sengan-en, a Shogun family villa that is restored and has amazing gardens. The other one is the smoky volcano of Sakurajima. Many times of the year there's so much ash you have to carry an umbrella for that and wear a mask. But it wasn't active and we had great air quality.

    We took a short ferry ride across the bay and jumped on the tourist bus for views around the island, a foot soak in the hot waters, and an observatory on the top. On a random Friday in November, the buses were packed with Japanese tourists. We were one of the few gaijin (foreigners). It didn't hurt that it was in the mid 70s and sunny.

    I must say every meal here is an adventure. There's so much more to Japanese cuisine than sushi and tempura. We are picking random restaurants based on Google maps reviews, and almost every one of them has been fantastic. A bonus is the fact that the food and alcohol here are incredibly cheap. We're having a hard time spending $40 for meals for two with drinks. Last night I ordered (among other things) a "rice ball wrapped in meat." Delicious. It looked like a reverse corn dog, with something akin to bacon on the outside.

    The island of Kyushu is famous for all of its Onsen, or hot springs since we're right on the Ring Of Fire. Ryokan are traditional family owned lodgings with Onsens and with breakfast and elaborate dinners included. There are many Ryokan throughout Kyushu. Most are booked months in advance, so we're having a hard time finding any that won't break the bank and are near a main road. Ryokan are pretty much the only expensive thing in Japan and they are usually in a rural area so city dwellers can get away from it all. My international driver's license expired, so we can't rent a car.

    But, we found one in an onsen town to the North in Beppu. And after booking that, we found one in nearby Ibusuki. So we're headed down there next for two nights before heading north to Beppu.

    More photos and videos are here.
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/YjobZkTSFqdjvmTr9    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    Kobe Beef!
    Our hotel in KobeNunobiki Herb GardensNunobiki Herb GardensFinally chilling outTouristingHarborlandKobe Port TowerSelfie spotBecause one is not enoughThe earthquake memorialChinatownKobe at nightBefore our first Kobe Beef mealOur personal chefKobe at nightMoegi HouseWeathercock House (The Former Thomas House)In KitanochoA yakiniku restaurant for Kobe BeefIkuta-jinja ShrineIkuta-jinja ShrineIkuta-jinja ShrineKitanocho

    Kobe

    Nov 4–6 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Kobe is just a hop, skip, and a jump down the coast from Osaka. It's home to the fabled Kobe Beef, a trademark type of Wagyu beef that is arguably the best in the world.

    I sure picked the right hotel here. For $100/night, we have a spacious room in a central location, amazing bed, and free drinks and snacks for up to 3 hours each night. Damn.

    We got to check in early and went to the hills on a gondola for the Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway. The views were amazing and the garden was top notch.

    There was a horrendous earthquake here in 1995 that killed thousands. They've had 30 years to rebuild and there is still lots of high rise development going on here. Harborland is one of the results of billions in investment dollars. It's a large shopping area on the water. There are tour boats and a large park, along with a Ferris wheel. Nearby is the Kobe earthquake memorial which describes the event and has video and photos showing the devastation. We walked home through the small but vibrant Chinatown.

    We're in Kobe, so why not splurge on the best steaks in the world? We went to one of the oldest steak houses in town (Mouriya Honten) and went all out for dinner. It was the most expensive meal we've ever had, and probably the best. A personal chef prepared a Kobe sirloin steak along with a non-Kobe Wagyu steak. Both were melt in your mouth amazing. I didn't notice too much difference between the two, to be honest. You don't need a knife for these steaks, they are so tender and marbled to perfection.

    The next morning, we toured the Kitanocho neighborhood. It's where foreigners traditionally lived and many of them built houses like in their home country. We went into a couple from the early 1900's.

    Lunch was at a different Kobe steak place. This one was a yakiniku restaurant. That's a Japanese-style BBQ restaurant where you grill your own steak and vegetables at a table with a built-in grill.  It was great, but not as good as last night's meal. But, it cost 1/4 of the price! And it's still a Kobe steak.

    On the way back to our room, we stopped into Ikuta-jinja Shrine, one of the oldest Shinto shrines in the country.

    In the morning, we took the autonomous (no driver) Portliner monorail to the airport on a man-made Island in the bay. We flew to the island of Kyushu on SkyMark, a low cost carrier. It was on a new Boeing 737 and cost us $70 each with luggage. A bullet train would have taken much longer and cost more. Our destination is Kagoshima, a city on a bay across from a very active volcano.

    More photos and videos are here.
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jv3TrfVRxUYTLSwz7    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    Dotonburi district
    Osaka CastleUnagi eel restaurantDotonburi districtAdvertisement for a host show in the Dotonburi districtPopcorn MamaThe Alfonse Munch MuseumNamba Yasaka Jinja ShrineGambling parlorDotonburiHousing MuseumHousing MuseumHousing MuseumAmerica MuraNamba Station CelebrationNamba Station celebrationMaid cafe in OsakaOn a trainAmericanaA pop up shop for a J-pop boy bandNerds are people tooOur first shabu-shabu mealMore Americana in America MuraDeanne's KimonoA strange ad on a train

    Osaka

    Nov 1–4 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Osaka is not too far from Kyoto so we took a local train from near our hotel. It was more like a subway train. We're renting an apartment for the first time and it's nice to have a little more space and a kitchen.

    There's a convenience store on almost every corner here. Between 7- 11, Family Mart, and Lawson's, you are want for nothing: hot meals, snacks, cold drinks, a bathroom, coffee etc. After we checked in we tried to go to a local restaurant but they were full so we decided to just grab food at a Family Mart and eat in a park where we watched a youth baseball team practice.

    Then it was off to Japan's most visited tourist site, the Osaka Castle. It's a beautiful and impressive building that is built up on high ground surrounded by moats. The castle has burned and been rebuilt several times. This latest version is from the 1930s but was damaged and restored after World War II bombing. It was a beautiful weekend day and the line was only about 15 minutes long.

    We're trying new foods, so for dinner we went to an Unagi (eel) restaurant. They opened at 5:00 and we were the first ones in the door and within 12 minutes the place was sold out. We got lucky on that one because it was delicious.

    After dark we headed to the Dotonbori nightlife area. Wow. Imagine about five or six Las Vegas strips crossing each other. There's bright neon lights and animatronic displays that restaurants have above their door showing what food they sell. Thousands and thousands of people of all ages and nationalities are milling around, walking along the canal, drinking, eating, and having fun. Pachinko parlors are seemingly everywhere. Think 10 Bourbon Streets without drunks and puke.

    Host shows are popular here. These are bars where pretty boys in makeup are paid to flirt with women and they're incredibly popular. There's no sex involved but women of all ages pay to drink and have the company of a young man who pays attention to them. That speaks volumes.

    On Sunday we went to the Osaka aquarium. It was highly recommended by our friend Jo, who lived in Japan for 3 years. It was huge and pretty incredible, probably the best aquarium I've been to.

    We had lunch at Tempozan mall next door. Our guide book recommended eating at one of the many restaurants inside. We tried a Tonkatsu restaurant again for the pork cutlet set meal. Lucky for us it's oyster season and we got pork cutlet and 3 fried oysters, miso soup and rice for about $11 each. Incredible. When you enter a restaurant in Japan, at least one of the staff yells "Irasshaimase!" which is akin to "welcome" or "come on in." And when you leave, more times than not, someone will escort you to the door smiling all the way. Probably the best service we've ever had and it's interesting to note that tipping is not a thing here.

    I was skeptical of using the IC card for everything but it really is convenient. You don't have to buy tickets for any transportation, except a bullet train. You just tap your card on and tap off when you leave a station. They work in every city we've been to so far, so no need to get a new card for each city. We've been running all over town.

    We saw a poster in the subway for a Mucha museum. He's the Czech artist who kick-started the Art Nouveau movement, one of our favorites. The museum was great. They have a lot of his original work. They are doing a comparison to a Japanese artist, Takehisa Yumeji.

    We explored the shopping district in the Namba neighborhood and went to the lion headed temple of Namba Yasaka Jinja. After that, it was just exploring neighborhoods and streets including the Kuroman market.

    That night we tried an Okanimiyaki restaurant. It's an Osaka favorite. It's kind of like a big omelette with cabbage and seafood and meat inside. There's a grill in front of everyone. The chef grills it on the main grill and then puts it on the warmer grills in front of everyone. It's fun to watch and eat.

    On Monday, our last day, we didn't really have anything planned. In the morning we took in a housing museum which sounds odd. It is an 18th century recreation of an Edo era village on the 7th and 8th floor of a building. Deanne rented a kimono for the occasion. It was very informative and fun.

    Lunch was shabu-shabu, another first for us. It's a hot pot where you cook your own food in front of you. The owner couldn't have been nicer and taught us how to do it and when we were leaving, it started raining and he even offered to give us an umbrella. The rain stopped and we didn't need to take it, but what a kind gesture. We're seeing a lot of that.

    We had no agenda so we just wandered around different shopping streets, and there are a lot of them. There's a high-end street with a super expensive stores. They were mostly full. The Japanese are really fashion conscious and seem to spend an exorbitant amount of money on clothes. We went to the American trendy district called America Mura. Baggy jeans and baggy gray sweatpants are in. They are not cheap. And anything with English writing and especially an American University on it is pretty popular. What's cheaper are nonsensical words that are not copyrighted.

    We love the vibe of Osaka. They seem a bit more carefree and fun loving then in Tokyo, less business like. But talk about crass commercialism! These people spend money like it's going out of style on clothes and odd collectibles.

    Once again we could have used more time here. But tomorrow we check out and head to Kobe, just down Osaka bay.

    More photos and videos are here.

    Main Osaka album
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/H5ko8H2E5LpTkLvf8

    Osaka aquarium
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/DaGL6mfYM7is9SHG8

    Unagi Eel restaurant
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/nMTeMn3W4XNq1gT26    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    Maruyama Park
    Mount Fuji from our bullet trainCoffee breakSchool kids at Kyoto stationThe shinkansen bullet trains have bidets in the bathroomNear the Kamo RiverGrey Heron on the banks of the Kamo RiverYasaka ShrineAt Chion-inChionin TempleChionin TempleMaruyama ParkIn GionGionNo thanks!Making Soba noodlesSanjūsangendō TempleAt the sake tastingFushimi Inari ShrineIn the bamboo forestGion at nightGion at nightFushimi Inari ShrineFushimi Inari ShrineCheap and delicious

    Kyoto

    Oct 29–Nov 1 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Kyoto is a city of temples (Buddhist) and shrines (Shinto). Along with Tokyo and Osaka it's on the "Golden Route" of must see sights in Japan. There's a lot of tourists but it's much more subdued than Tokyo.

    We stayed at another business hotel with amazing breakfasts. After checking in we hit the ground running and saw the nearby Yasaka Shrine and the Chionin Temple, both of which are inside a large park. Renting kimonos isa popular thing for tourists to do here so we see lots of women from all over the world wearing kimonos. And surprisingly there are lots of young Japanese women that rent them for the day also. There's not one babydoll maid outfit in sight. That's a tokyo thing. Deanne passed on renting a kimono since they don't look comfortable for long distance walking.

    We took a bus all the way across town to the famous bamboo forest. There was nothing serene about it with all the tourists and people renting rickshaws. We chose a random temple to visit and absolutely loved Jōjakkōji Temple. It had a great view from the top of the hill. On the way out we stopped by the popular Tenryu-ji temple but didn't like it as much. It's famous for their gardens but we were there before the leaf changing and after the flowers died.

    Then it was back across town to walk on the lovely philosopher's path which is a trail that follows a small river. The Ōtoyo Shrine was right there, so why not?

    Later, we walked through the Gion area which is famous for its tea houses and geishas. The thought of sitting through a 4-hour tea ceremony with my legs crossed on the floor is not appealing me in the least, so we skipped that. But we did manage to see a geisha walking home later at night. Taking pictures of them is taboo.

    The Nishiki Market is a lively market street near our hotel that's full of restaurants, food vendors, and tourists. As you can imagine the food here is absolutely amazing.

    That was all in one day! We've got three nights here but basically two and a half days so we're hitting it hard. After Osaka we're flying to the island of Kyushu where we hope to slow it down a bit.

    We ate twice at a nearby soba noodle restaurant. They make the buckwheat noodles by hand after milling the buckwheat at the restaurant. They are gluten free so I can eat them and they're delicious.

    On Friday we went to the Fushimi Inari Taiaha shrine. It's incredibly popular with the Instagram crowd because of its lovely orange toris, or gates. Afterwards we went to a sake museum for a tasting. That was perfect for a rainy day.

    We were going to call it a day and remembered another temple that was well worth the visit. Sanjūsangendō Temple is the home of the Big Buddha and it's surrounded by a thousand smaller statues. Too bad it doesn't allow photographs

    We could have easily spent another day or two here to do so this on a slower pace. But then again, after a few days, the temples and shrines begin to blur together.

    Next up is Osaka which is just south of here. It's the third largest city, after Yokohama and it has a reputation for great food and friendly people.

    More photos and videos are here.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/LKzRNdKR66dnQXEr7    Read more

  • Dave HipplerJapan 2025Traveler
    Senso Ji Temple
    Senso JiThe Shibuya ScrambleTokyo National museumUeno areaKita-no-maru ParkLive from Budokan, where Cheap Trick playedTokyo train stationThe Imperial PalaceWhat we've been eatingInfantalism is real hereAt the Kabuki TheaterIn the Kabuki MuseumAkihabaraGo Kart tours of AkihabaraThey have animal petting cafes here. Of course they doHarajukuYou can play the piano but only for 5 minutes. Exactly.HarajukuGachapon machines are ubiquitous. They sell little toys for 100 yen.Men at work

    Tokyo

    Oct 24–29 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    We took the Keisei Skyliner train from Tokyo Narita airport to the Ueno station. I booked a room in that neighborhood because it seemed so convenient coming direct after a long travel day. I had no idea that there were so many restaurants and bars in the neighborhood. We visited many other neighborhoods and we found ourselves wanting to go back to Ueno for dinner and drinks instead of overpriced tourist neighborhoods. It's next to a very large park full of museums and that was pretty convenient too.

    At the airport we bought our IC card and topped it off with money and grabbed cash at a 7-Eleven ATM. IC cards, or integrated circuit cards are debit cards that you have to buy and top up. It's a strange way of doing business but they're not really into credit cards as much here. You can use your card for transportation, snack machines, and most stores and museums will accept them also. There are IC machines at every bus and train station and you can check your balance or get your money back whenever you want.

     7-Elevens are everywhere and kind of an institution in Japan. What used to be an American company was purchased by the Japanese in the '80s and they really ran with it. If you're on a low budget you could get everything you need at 7-Eleven including hot meals.

    We experienced some jet lag and I found myself walking around from 3:30 to 5:30 a.m. the first morning. Obviously Tokyo is an incredibly safe city. Trains stop running at midnight and don't start until 5:00 so it was fun seeing the drunks stumble into the train station after waiting for the first train home. If you missed a midnight train while partying then you just stay out partying for 5 more hours!

    We stayed at a business Hotel chain. The room was ridiculously small but lodging is about the only expensive thing here. Food and drinks are really inexpensive and good value. The Dollar and Euro are really strong against the Yen right now.

    Over 5 days and nights we hit most of the major neighborhoods and sites. Obviously, we just scratched the surface. It's an amazing city and kind of mind-boggling. I've never seen such a clean and quiet city that's this big. By many standards it's the largest city in the world, but that depends on how you measure it and how far out you go.

    Here's a rundown of some of the major things we saw:

    The Imperial Palace area surrounded by a peaceful park. I had to see Budokan, the martial arts and concert venue nearby. It's where Cheap Trick recorded their live album in 1978.

    Tokyo National Museum - a fascinating collection of historical objects from Japan's history. I really love the exhibits on their sword making and the samurai armor.

    Senso Ji Temple - an Instagram "must see" temple. It wasn't too crowded when we went on a drizzly day. It was our first temple in Japan.

    Tsukiji Outer Market - this is the former main fish market in Tokyo. The fish auction market has since been moved farther away but the old market is now a tourist area for overpriced sushi and Wagyu beef. It's a lot of fun though.

    The Kabuki theater museum near the main Kabuki theater of Kabuki-za. It gave a great description of the Kabuki art form.

    Shibuya Scramble - Wow. We went to this world famous pedestrian intersection at night. It's the busiest pedestrian street crossing ever. We also went into a huge electronic store. It's s crazy how many people collect things here. There's floors and floors of collectibles: plush toys, plastic toys, manga characters, models and on and on. I don't get it but some people travel around the world to come here for this kind of thing.

    Harajuku - this is a trendy clothes shopping area. Clothes with English language on them are still pretty popular. Fashionistas galore....

    Shinjuku Golden-Gai and red light district of Kabuchiko - Golden Gai is a back Alley bar area. It used to be cool years ago but now it's an overpriced tourist trap. We thought we'd have a few drinks here but there's like a $10 cover charge to sit in a ridiculously small bar that holds five to seven people. Locals stopped coming here. 10 years ago Japan had 4 million tourists a year. Last year they had 40 million. I think they're sick of us, but we've experienced no negative interactions.

    We walked through the red light district to get a train and that was interesting to say the least. They have bars full of young men with lots of makeup to flirt with girls. I thought they were gay bars but maybe they're both? The bars in this area are run by the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. We took our train back to Ueno for dinner and drinks for about 25% of the price.

    Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building - the city hall here is in 45 storey twin towers and they have free observation decks on top. On a clear day you can see Mount Fuji but unfortunately there was cloud cover in that direction. Views of the rest of the city were great.

    Akihabara - A trendy neighborhood for toy, manga and electronic stores. We stopped in Taito Station, a video arcade on steroids. Interactive games are popular where you dance or play a drum set, guitar or Japanese Taiko drums to a video game. This neighborhood is really popular with cosplay kids. It also has dozens of maid cafes. It's such a strange thing. Young women dress up in maid costumes at these cafes to serve you meals or just coffee and dessert. The customers range from perverted old men or moms taking their daughters out for a special treat. Prices are high and you get a Polaroid photo of you with a maid posing. Most of them will do a song and dance for your table also. We skipped it! Bored maid touts stand in the street handing out bills for their cafe.

    Street style food vendors or full restaurants and bars are everywhere. Vending machines are on almost every corner and you can buy all sorts of hot or cold drinks for about a dollar each. Cheap and delicious food like Yakitori skewers, sushi, wagyu skewers, Tonkatsu pork cutlets are what we've been eating. I just love that we don't have to carry water because there's a vending machine nearby at all times.

    We did a lot more sightseeing and those are just the highlights. We're averaging about 9 miles a day of walking. Everyone is pretty fit here because the food is healthy and you have to walk a lot to and from buses and trains and go up and down steps all the time. It's exhausting but fun. I definitely want to come back.

    More photos and videos are here.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/UQR7r4XSNtZeeCvD9    Read more

    Trip start
    October 24, 2025
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