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JAPAN
honeymoon
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What to Pack
• The only real necessity I
would say to take to Japan
with you is the best rain
poncho you can afford.
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Things to
know when
in Japan
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Useful apps
• Hyperdia - The only app you need to use if you are travelling around Japan by train.
Tip: It’s free for the first month and then you pay a monthly subscription, so be sure to get it just before you leave for Japan.
• Yomiwa - Japanese Dictionary
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TOKYO
N&G SHIBUYA CROSSING
First stop: the busiest street crossing in the world! About
2,500 people cross at one time, and it’s definitely
something you don’t want to miss!

MAG’S PARK (IF OPEN)

Of course, you’re going to want to see that chaos from
above, right?! There are a few places that you can spot
Shibuya crossing from above:
• Starbucks (free)
• From inside the metro station (free)
• Mag’s Park (600 Yen)
• Cafe’s on the highest floor of the Magnet Building
(Inflated Price of 1 Item from the Menu)
• make sure to bring cash! Here’s a screenshot from
their website that will help you plan

Tip: If you want, you can change around your Itinerary so that you go to Shibuya on a super busy day so
you can see more people at the crossing. Usually, Fridays & Saturdays around 5 pm would be the busiest!
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CONVEYOR-BELT SUSHI
By far the COOLEST thing in Tokyo is how cheap the sushi is! And
it’s SO GOOD! Don’t go without marking every single one of them
on Google Maps first! And the two best ones are right in Shinjuku, so
don’t miss them!
HARAJUKU
After you’ve had your fill of the craziest cross-walk in the
world, head over to Harajuku! I recommend walking since
there’s so much to see on the way and it’s very close.

Tip: If you type in “Harajuku” on Google Maps, there are tons of different
places. So make sure to follow the spots I’ll have you mark on your Google
Maps so you don’t get too tired from walking around aimlessly!
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HARAJUKU GYOZA LOU
Wander around the cute area of Harajuku as much as you want, but make
sure that the next stop you have marked on Google Maps is this Gyoza
restaurant! Gyoza (or pot-stickers) were made in Japan and are one of the 5
Cheap Japanese foods that I recommend you try on your trip!
It opens at 11:30 and for both of us to get our own plate of 6 pieces of gyoza,
it cost 626 Yen or $5.89.
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TAKESHITA STREET
Your next stop is Takeshita Street! From the Gyoza place, the fastest
way is to head to Santa Monica Crepes. From there, you head up the
street and should end only one block away from the Harajuku Metro
Station.

Tip: A very busy street on weekends and best visited during the week. It houses
numerous shops selling kawaii fashion and accessories, as well as other fashion
statement clothing. A few candy and crepe shops as well, but go on an empty
stomach or share if you want to try more than one sweet treat as they are
huge! Personally I think this is also the best DAISO near Tokyo and a few great
thrift shops nearby.
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TSUKIJI MARKET/
TOYOSU FISH
MARKET
If you stayed up late to see the lights in Shibuya, you might not want
the early morning wake-up call for the Tsukiji Market. We decided to
skip it since we were pretty exhausted, but my uncle tells me that he
had the best (obviously fresh!) sushi there.

TOKYOTOWER
The Red Eiffel Tower! Like all things in every city you go to,
you can pay to go to the top of it lol. But for us, the view
IS the tower! So we spent an hour or so running around
the outside of it and trying to find cool angles. If you’d like
to go to the top, this website will tell you all you need to
know!
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NIGHT @
SHINJUKU

• Besides that street here are a few other places to see in

Shinjuku:
• Omoide Yokocho (alley filled with stores)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (Free
Observation Deck)
• The Robot Restaurant
• Since you are looking to stay on a budget and want to
save money for experiences, I read a ton of reviews about
the Robot Restaurant. It’s extremely expensive (I think
about $80 per person) and most people say that it wasn’t
worth the money. But it’s still cool to go see the outside of
it!
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NAKAMISE SHOPPING
STREET & SENSO-JITEMPLE
• The subway station closest to the area is Asakusa
Station.
• I suggest just showing up with only these two things
marked on your Google Maps and then walking around
and seeing what else you can find. The first stop is the
Nakamise Shopping Street which is lined with hundreds
of street vendors.
• Then keep heading down that same street towards the
Hozoman Gate, which will lead you directly to the
Senso-ji Temple. You can easily spend a whole day in
this area shopping and hopping from street vendor to
street vendor. You can also walk to the river and get a
beautiful view of the city from there!
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KYOTO
N&G TRAVELTO KYOTO
Since this itinerary only includes Tokyo, Kyoto and a small
day trip to Nara (which is very cheap on public transport!)
it doesn’t make sense to buy a Japan Rail Pass for a 7 day
trip to Japan unless you plan to visit other cities that are
included in the pass.
The cheapest option is to take a night bus from Tokyo to
Kyoto which should be bought at least a week in advance.
You can also buy a roundtrip pass from Tokyo to Kyoto on
the bullet train (non-reserved seat), or the Shinkansen. It
cost us $387 Roundtrip (for both of you),

You can use Japanican to get the tickets discounted 22%. I

recommend buying them a bit more in advance if possible.

Optional: Depending on the season, you can choose to

make a stop at Mt. Fuji on your way to Kyoto.
If you do plan to stop at Mt. Fuji, here are some places you
shouldn’t miss:
• Chureito Pagoda
• Lake Kawagachi
N&G DAY TRIP TO NARA
A free park with the most Disney-perfect deer you’ve ever seen?! Japan seriously has it all. The whole park
is free, but if you want to feed the deer you can buy “deer crackers” from people around the park.
Best Time to Go - Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter
Nara Park offers breathtaking views and great snapshot moments with deer throughout the year.
Attractions tend to be busy seven days a week, but regardless of when you visit, you can expect fewer
crowds than Kyoto and a more leisurely sightseeing experience.
Getting Around - Bus/on Foot/Taxi
Nara Park is best explored on foot, but taxis can come in handy when visiting attractions on opposite sides
of the park; find them at one of the several stands located around the park's edges. Buses also serve several
Nara Park venues and connect to other sites within the city.
Travel Tips
Deer in Nara Park are generally very docile and accustomed to people. That being said, they are used to
being fed and will give encouraging nudges when hungry. To avoid too much unwanted attention, keep food
items and leaflets (sometimes mistaken for food) under wrap when in the park.
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GEISHA SPOT IN
KYOTO

If you decide to skip Osaka and get the most

out of Kyoto, then you definitely need to get
back from Nara by 4 pm so you can be ready
to go Geisha spotting at 5 pm! Read this blog
post where I go into full detail about where &
when to see a Geisha in Kyoto.
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NINENZAKA &
SANNEIZAKA STREETS

Depending on the type of travel you like to do, this

could be an early morning day or just a regular day.
Jake and I like to get up early (about 30 minutes before
the sun rises) and see the most popular places before
anyone else gets there. You can take a nap in the
afternoon or just head in after dinner.

One downside to going in the morning is that none of

the shops are open yet, but they were walking distance
from our Airbnb, so if you stay there you can head
back to see what it looks like with or without people.
N&G FUSHIMI INARITAISHA
Probably one of the most Insta-Famous locations on
Earth, and totally worth going if you go early like we did!
What a lot of people don’t realize by just seeing these
pictures on Instagram is that these go on for about 3
miles and that it’s actually about 20 minutes outside of
Kyoto itself.

KIYOMIZU-DERATEMPLE
After NINENZAKA & SANNEIZAKA
Streets, head up the hill a bit to the
Kiyomizu-Dera Temple. Not only is it
absolutely gorgeous, but it is also set up on
a hill so it has one of the best views of
Kyoto!
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A FEW MORE PLACES IN KYOTO

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
• Nijo Castle
• Higashiyama Jisho-ji
• Nishiki Market
• Kyoto Imperial Palace
• Philosopher’s Path
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Have Fun <3