2019 in Japan (Tokyo + Kyoto + Hiroshima + Osaka + Kobe + Odawara)
On November 1, 2019, I took a long-haul, trans-oceanic, non-stop flight from Toronto (YYZ) to Haneda (HND) in Tokyo, Japan, resulting in the visit of my 19th unique country:
This made it my:
- 2nd time in Asia
- after China (2013)
- 1st time in Japan
- largest time zone difference to date
- +13 hours
Itinerary
Staying from November 2 to 15, I visited Japan without any major travel agency aside from same-day bike tours in some cities:
- 2019-11-02
- Tokyo (acclimatization evening)
- 2019-11-03
- Tokyo (touring day)
- 2019-11-04
- Tokyo to Kyoto (Shinkansen bullet train!)
- Mount Fuji
- Kyoto afternoon and evening self-tour
- Gion district (old-style Japanese village)
- Tokyo to Kyoto (Shinkansen bullet train!)
- 2019-11-05
- Kyoto morning bicycle tour
- Golden Pavilion
- Kyoto morning bicycle tour
- 2019-11-06
- Kyoto morning walking self-tour
- Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Kyoto to Hiroshima (Shinkansen bullet train!)
- Hiroshima evening
- Kyoto morning walking self-tour
- 2019-11-07
- Hiroshima self-tour
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
- Peace Park
- Atomic Bomb Hypocenter
- Children's Peace Monument
- Atomic Bomb Dome
- Orizuru (paper crane) Tower
- Okonomiyaki lunch
- Hiroshima to Osaka (Shinkansen bullet train!)
- Glico billboard
- Hiroshima self-tour
- 2019-11-08
- Osaka morning bike tour
- Osaka Castle
- Osaka morning bike tour
- 2019-11-09
- Osaka to Kobe (Shinkansen bullet train!)
- Kobe day trip
- Meriken Park
- Kobe beef ramen sampling
- Cable car ride
- Kobe to Osaka (Shinkansen bullet train!) return trip
- 2019-11-10
- Osaka in the morning
- Gate Tower (freeway through a building!)
- Osaka to Odawara (Shinkansen bullet train!)
- Osaka in the morning
- 2019-11-11
- Odawara morning bike tour
- Mount Fuji from a distance
- Japanese countryside
- Odawara to Tokyo (Shinkansen bullet train) - last ride
- Odawara morning bike tour
- 2019-11-12 to 2019-11-15
- Tokyo (sightseeing and shopping to end the trip)
- Ueno Zoo (pandas!)
- Senso-ji shrine
- Olympic Park (for 2020 Summer Games)
- Tokyo Dome (baseball stadium)
- Shinjuku shopping district
- Godzilla (at Hotel Gracery)
- Tokyo (sightseeing and shopping to end the trip)
Reflection
I was pleased with Japan and would certainly wish to visit again. Perhaps next time I will check out the northern island of Hokkaido, which I did not visit. If I like Japan that much more, I would also make another trip to Japan to visit Kyushu, on the southern end.
The vending machines and 7-Eleven stores really made me feel at ease here. I never had to spend large sums of money on food. Everything here ran on time: transportations and tours took place like clockwork with little to no hiccups.
Japan has their stuff together!