Working daily at a 9-to-5 job can sometimes get boring, and you might want a break and have some adventure in life. What better thing to do than travel to someplace new? There are many places in Asia that are worth visiting, such as Thailand or South Korea, but personally, Japan is my favourite as there are many unique places to visit, and the food is amazing. It’s also rich in culture and tradition that is evident in many aspects of Japan.

There are many major cities in Japan that are definitely worth a visit, but for your first visit, you will most likely go to Tokyo and Osaka, the two most popular cities. The Shinkansen (also known as the bullet train), one of the fastest trains in the world, makes travel between cities is quite fast and easy!

You might be overwhelmed with too many things to do in such big cities, but here are some activities that you might not want to miss!

1. teamLab Borderless Tokyo

This is the world’s first digital art museum that opened in 2018 and is becoming one of the most popular attractions in Tokyo. The museum consists of two floors with amazing audio and visual displays created by a team of designers, animators, programmers, architects, and mathematicians. With all the stunning lights and projections, you will get to immerse yourself in a fantasy-like experience! If you love taking pictures for your Instagram, this is the place to be! It is the perfect Instagrammable spot that will make all your friends envious!

Some tips for visiting the museum are:

• Reserve tickets ahead of time.
• Wear white as it acts as a canvas for the lights and will make your photos turn out better!
• Wear flat shoes (heels are not allowed).
• Download the app for an even better experience.

2. Animal cafes

Something different that you can find in many places around Japan is their famous animal cafes. This trend originated in Taiwan but got popularised in Japan. There are many different cafes with all sorts of animals, the most common ones being cats or dogs, but there are unique ones too, such as hedgehogs, rabbits, owls, birds, and more. If you love cute animals, this activity is definitely one for you! It is also a great activity if you have some time to spare. There are many located in the popular shopping districts such as Harajuku or Shibuya.

How it works:

You pay a fee for the time you spend in the cafe. Some cafes require you to just buy a drink to enter, and there are some that require both. You get to spend time in the cafe interacting with the pets.

3. Shopping in Japan

The three main shopping districts Harajuku, Shinjuku, and Shibuya are located fairly near each other, and you can find something different in each of these places. At most places, if you spend a certain amount, you can get a tax refund when you show your passport.

Harajuku is famous for its fashion boutiques, where you can walk along the main street that is always buzzing with people, and find many stores that sell cute apparel that is known as Harajuku fashion for prices that are quite affordable. Harajuku is known as being the hub for Japanese pop culture which targets the younger generation, but even if you don’t find things you want to buy, it is an experience just walking down the street. There are also many cafes and food outlets that you can try. One of my favourite things to get are the crepes. Outside the store, you will see a colourful display of various flavours, which will make you salivate just by looking at them. Santa Monica Crepes is the one I tried when I visited last time.

Shinjuku is home to many department stores that are quite popular in Japan. You will be able to find anything from fashion to electronics to food. Each department stores have a different atmosphere. Shinjuku is a good place to visit if you love to shop. Some of the department stores include Isetan, Keio, and Odakyu.

Lastly, Shibuya is a popular destination, and it is known for the Shibuya Crossing, which is one of the world’s busiest crosswalks. This is because it is a business commercial and shopping district. It is a great place to experience Japanese city life. Located right beside the crossing, Shibuya 109 is a popular department store that has ten floors of fashion and beauty targeted towards young women. It is also a major nightlife area.

4. Japanese Shrines

One of the most interesting and Instagram worthy sites are Japan’s Shinto shrines! There are countless different ones that have their unique features, and they are all integral to Japan’s culture and landscape.

One of the most popular shrines in Japan is Meiji-Jingu located in Tokyo, near Harajuku. It is a shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji, the first emperor of modern Japan, and his wife, Empress Shoken. At the beginning of each year, millions of people visit this shrine for prayers, to wish for luck and prosperity for the year. The shrine itself is surrounded by beautiful gardens and forest, and you can feel the peace and tranquillity as you enter the gate from a bustling city.

5. Dotonburi

Osaka is another major city and Japan and is definitely worth a visit. Dotonburi is a major tourist destination that is often seen in pictures. The most iconic symbol is the Glico (the brand that makes Pocky) signboard, which everyone takes a picture of. The neon lights and giant billboards can all be seen from the Ebisu bridge along the river.

This area is also famous for its food. Okonomiyaki and takoyaki are the two most popular dishes in Osaka. Okonomiyaki is a savoury pancake made of vegetables, eggs, and seafood, and takoyaki is fried wheat balls with octopus.

Dotonburi is also known for its giant 3D signs of food outside restaurants. There are many signs that display what the restaurant sells, such as a giant crab, dumpling, octopus, etc.

6. Take a day trip to Kyoto

While you are staying in Osaka, you should take a day trip to Kyoto as its beautiful scenery and amazing food is worth a visit. You can travel there easily by train. There are train tickets for a range of prices that can take you there in either 15 minutes (if you take the Shinkansen) or up to an hour depending on the train. Kyoto used to be Japan’s capital where the emperor lived. It is rich in history and culture. It is famous for its shrines, gardens and teahouses.

One of the most famous attractions in Kyoto is the Fushimi Inari Shrine. You may recognise famous pictures of the thousands of torii gates. Each gate shows the name and date of the person or organisation who donated the gate. It is quite mesmerising to walk through the gates, which leads to hiking trails that bring you to shrines at the top of the hill.

Kyoto is known for matcha and hojicha; you definitely must try some of the tea flavoured food. Matcha is now quite widespread globally and we can find drinks like matcha lattes in cafes everywhere. Hojicha is roasted green tea, which is very popular in Japan today. One of the most common matcha and hojicha flavoured food is soft-serve ice cream. If you have a sweet tooth, you will love it! Other matcha flavoured foods include jelly, mochi, castella cakes, cookies, and even noodles! My personal favourite is a Japanese style ice cream parfait which usually includes ice cream, mochi, jelly, and azuki red bean. One of the most famous places to get this is at Nakamura Tokichi Honten Uji Honten.

7. Shop at Don Quijote

One of my favourite things to do in Japan is to buy souvenirs. Most of them usually include Japanese snacks. Don Quijote is a discount chain store around Japan where you can find a variety of different things. You can find everything from groceries to electronics. I can spend a long time just looking at the different number of snacks they sell which can be quite overwhelming when you want to try everything.

If you love Kit Kats, you should try some of Japan’s interesting Kit Kat flavours. There are known to be more than 200 flavours, and obviously it would be difficult to find them all, so here are some of the flavours that are popular:

• Green Tea/Matcha
• Strawberry
• Uji Hojicha
• Strawberry Cheesecake
• Cranberry and Almond
• Japanese Sweet Potato
• Wasabi
• Japanese Sake

Other popular snacks that you can bring back home:

• Pocky - there are many more flavours you can get in Japan, and they also have giant versions!
• Meiji Apollo Strawberry Chocolate
• Meiji Rich Biscuits
• Tirol Choco Kinako Mochi & Tirol Choco Matcha Mochi
• Fujiya Milky Candy - chewy milk candies
• Wasabi peas
• Melty Kiss chocolate
• Jagabee chips
• Orihiro Puru Konjac Jelly

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

I hope this post has inspired you to take a trip to Japan, or if you have already decided to go, maybe this will have given you some ideas of what to do! What places do you think we have missed on our list? Leave a comment so we can add it to another list in the future!

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