Guided by Adventure

Japan 2019 was Hayden and mines first ever trip together! While I had traveled internationally many times before, it was my first time flying alone and taking a trip without my family. I flew alone because Hayden was already in Japan and had been for a few months as he was on deployment, stationed in Gotemba. He was lucky enough to get Christmas and New Year off, and we planned a trip so I could visit! This started our travel bug and let loose our dreams. Unfortunately, since we were on a time crunch as Hayden had to report back to base every few days, we were limited on locations, but we made our trip memorable and as perfect as we could have imagined!

What Did We Bring

What is Japan like in the winter?

Japan in the winter is still very pretty. The highs are around 54 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lows are around 39. It felt cold due to the wind, but there was no snow in Tokyo, and it did not rain when we were there. Overall it was a very busy time.

Getting Around

Getting around Tokyo is very easy! If you have international data, Google maps work with the subway system, so navigating is not very hard. We do not recommend driving a car in Tokyo. However, if you are going outside of Tokyo, it is easier. We were not old enough to rent a car, so we used other forms of transportation.

In Tokyo, we walked a ton! We also utilized the subway system. It gets confusing due to the minimal signs in English, but it is easy to figure out after the first day. We did not use Taxis in Tokyo as the traffic is super bad, and it would have taken much longer to get around with a taxi versus walking.

When we traveled outside of Tokyo, we used busses to get to different cities and taxis or walked to travel to our destinations. Japan has a very good public transit system, so we were never worried about getting around.

Exploring

Walking around Tokyo is very fun! There are many fun places to stop, awesome scenery, arcades, and fun stores. We enjoyed checking out the different districts by walking or taking the subway. Shinjuku, Shibuya, and downtown Tokyo were our favorite parts of Tokyo to walk around and explore.

Shinjuku has lots of fun stuff to do! If you are a Disney fan, check out the Shinjuku Disney Store for lots of cool Disney merch! The TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku is a cool movie theater to see Godzilla perched on top!

In Shibuya, we found some beautiful areas to walk. One of our favorite stores there was B-SIDE LABEL, a sticker store that sells all kinds of super cool stickers! The Disney Store is also located in Shibuya. Hachikō Memorial Statue is an adorable statue dedicated to the Akita dog. Another fun experience in Shibuya is going to a Hedgehog Cafe! We loved seeing the adorable hedgehogs and sugar gliders.

Koto City has many fun places to explore, such as Venus Fort! Venus Fort is an indoor mall similar to Las Vegas, with Roman decorations and ceilings that look like the sky!

Where to Eat

Something else we loved in Japan was the food! We had lots of delicious food at many different places… Walking around and exploring for street food snacks was super fun! Panda Sugar has great milk tea, and many yummy crepe stands have delicious crepes. Arirang Hot Dog is a shop with delicious Korean corn and cheese dogs. We also found other street food vendors serving caramelized strawberries and yummy snacks! Upon exploring Japan, we found many cool cafes and bars, walk around, and you will find some too! Don’t forget about the vending machines all over Japan with yummy snacks, cold drinks, and even hot ones!

Believe it or not, 7/11 is one of the most trustworthy places to get snacks! They had delicious drinks and yummy food. We always found something yummy to eat or drink, and the prices were never bad.

In Shinjuku, there is a very good ramen restaurant called 駄目な隣人 新宿店. Gindaco is also a good place for lunch or snacks! One of our favorite styles of restaurants was shabu shabu, where you choose what broth you want and what food you want, then cook the food at your table in your broth! We loved eating at Shabu SAI しゃぶ菜.

If you are looking for the famous Japanese Fluffy pancakes, head to A Happy Pancake Ginza! They have super great fluffy pancakes.

We found the BEST ramen shop in Gotemba. ジャンジャン軒 was by far the best ramen we had in Japan! It is right underneath the Gotemba Train Station, a small ramen shop with two tables and six bar stools. You order from a vending machine out front and bring it to the chef. They make the ramen, and you find a seat. Absolutely the best hole-in-the-wall restaurant ever! There are also a few fun karaoke bars in Gotemba, along with another delicious restaurant called 豚バカ一代, just up the street from the train station.

Tokyo Disneyland

The FIRST of our top three favorite activities was Tokyo Disneyland! I mean, common, how could we not visit??? We had so much fun! We spent Christmas Eve at Disneyland. We bought Disneyland tickets and scheduled a hotel pickup through Get your Guide! We got picked up early in the morning from our hotel in Tokyo, and our van took us directly to Tokyo, picked us up when we were ready to leave, and dropped us off at our hotel. The ticket was super simple, easy to use, and very helpful!

We LOVED Tokyo Disneyland. Not only were the rides awesome, but the food was delicious! Very different than the food at California’s Disneyland. There were crepesand many churros, ramen, and mochi ice cream flavors! We ended the day with the Tokyo Disneyland parade and beautiful fireworks. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Hakone Kowakien Yunessun

The second of our top three activities in Japan! Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is not located in Tokyo. It is in Hakone. Hakone is a beautiful mountain town close to Gotemba. We did not have a rental car, but taking a bus to the Yunessun was not hard. It was a long bus ride but very easy to navigate and very beautiful as you were surrounded by trees. We took the bus from Gotemba to Gora Station, then to the Hakone Kowakien Yunessun. The stop at Gora Station is very fun! We found lots of souvenirs and yummy treats. It was a very cool stop and very beautiful.

The Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is amazing! They have a few slides that were fun to slide down, a waterfall with a fish tank underneath, and a large outdoor pool with beautiful mountain views! Inside they have areas with hot tubs filled with rose water, coffee, wine, matcha tea, and more! They even had a pool with little fish that ate off your dead skin. We had so much fun at the spa!

If you have tattoos, make sure to cover them, as they will not let you enter with tattoos. Hayden purchased this leg cover-up for his band tattoo, and I purchased these cover-ups for my tattoos.

Fuji Safari Park

The last of our top three activities in Tokyo… and this was by far our favorite! The Fuji Safari Park was MAGICAL! Depending on the season, you can also take a walking tour to walk next to the enclosures and get up close experiences, but it was closed in December. If you have a car, you can also drive through the enclosures on your own!

We took a cage bus tour through the enclosures. The bus stopped inside each of the different enclosures, and through the cage, you were able to feed many different animals! We fed bears, lions, tigers, buffalo, and many other animals! After the driving tour, you can walk in another section with food, souvenirs, and more animals! They even have a section where you can walk into a kangaroo enclosure and pet the kangaroos. We saw monkeys, red pandas, jaguars, and many more amazing animals. It was such an awesome experience, one we will never forget.

TeamLabs Tokyo

We spend Christmas Day at TeamLabs Tokyo! We had so much fun exploring their many rooms with light shows and modern art. This was a very unique experience that we are very happy we did! The music, environment, and scenery transport you to a different world as you walk through the experience!

Meiji Jingu

The Meiji Jingu is a beautiful shrine! Before entering the shrine, you must wash your hands and mouth in a well to cleanse yourself. Meiji Jingu was established in 1920 to commemorate the virtue of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, who took the initiative to make a foundation for modernized Japan. It is free of charge to enter and open from sunrise to sunset. It is also located in a beautiful park, Yoyogi Park, which you can explore before or after entering the shrine! Please be sure to follow the shrine’s etiquette when visiting. Overall this shrine gave us a traditional feel and some history for our visit to Tokyo.

Yoyogi park

Yoyogi Park is absolutely beautiful! It is located next to the Harajuku Station for easy access and has lots of nature and historical sites, including the Meiji Jingu. We loved walking around the park, looking at the beautiful scenery and admiring the history.

Meiji Jingu Gaien Ice Skating Rink

Christmas means snow and winter; while there is no snow in Tokyo, you can still enjoy ice skating at the Meiji Jingu Gaien Ice Skating Rink! We had so much fun ice skating. It was such a great moment and helped make it really feel like Christmas!

Shinjuku Golden Gai

If you are looking for a fun nighttime activity with an active nightlife, look no further than the Golden Gai! The Golden Gai is a ton of tiny bars that fit anywhere from 4-10 people at a time with one bartender. These bars are packed together on a few tight streets and piled on top of one another. Some bars are below, and others are on top, where you must climb a ladder to reach it! Each bar has a different theme. It was so much fun hopping from one bar to the next, hearing about the bartender’s stories and drinking.

Bar Hopping

On New Year’s Eve, we decided to do a bar-hopping activity! We booked a Tokyo Pub Crawl on Get Your Guide and had a fun and memorable New Year! We went to three different pubs and at the end went to a massive club and counted down to New Year! This was such a fun experience.

Would We Go Back

YES, we really want to go back! However, it would not be in December. We would revisit during the Cherry Blossom season and go to more rural towns in Japan versus revisiting Tokyo. We would spend maybe a day in Tokyo, but we are not city people, so spending our entire time in Tokyo is not in the plans for our entire trip. We loved the food in Japan and the mountainside and scenery in Japan, so we are very excited to visit again!