Most people who travel to Southeast Asia usually do all of its countries in one go but my plan was a little different. After exploring Thailand and Vietnam, I made an uncharacteristic detour to Japan. Why, you ask? You can find the answer together with my Japan itinerary in this brand new part of my travel diary.

You can also watch my guide to Japan on Youtube 😉 (Turn on English subtitles!)

So why did I want to leave the tropical climate of the southeast and travelled northeast instead? The answer is easy: the sakura season! Japan is known to be most beautiful when its countless cherry trees are in blossom. This period only lasts around 1-2 weeks and is different for every part of Japan so I had to time my visit well – and I succeeded!

Japan is an expensive country (certainly a lot more than Thailand or Vietnam) so I only allowed myself two weeks to stay here. It was still enough time to fall completely in love with this unique place and its smiley people – but I will tell you about that some other time. Now it’s time to sum up my two weeks in Japan. If you are planning your Japan itinerary, here’s some inspiration! (And HERE are the things you should know before going to Japan.)

TOKYO

I felt like I had to start my Japan trip in its capital. I had only planned three days in Tokyo but I quickly learnt the city has so much to offer that you could easily stay for weeks and still have a lot to explore! It is the second largest city in the world (by area) after all.

During my time in Tokyo I was learning a lot about the Japanese culture and felt constantly fascinated by everything. That included navigating through the most insane train/subway system I have ever seen – and I loved it!

But let’s be honest, most of the time I was just chasing sakura trees everywhere. You may think you’ve seen cherry trees before, but the cherry trees in Japan are just a different league. There are so many of them – and when the whole city is in blossom, it looks unbelievably beautiful! Of course, this is the peak tourist season in Japan but I would still recommend visiting at this time (late March/early April).

Some of the things I did in Tokyo were…

• Tokyo Skytree: I am always chasing good city views so I went straight for the highest one. While not exactly cheap, Tokyo Skytree is the tallest broadcasting tower in the world (634m) and that is just something I did not want to miss.
• Metropolitan Government Building Observatory: If you don’t feel like paying for Tokyo Skytree, I have good news! Tokyo has many places where you can look over the city for free. The observation deck of the Metropolitan Government Building is one of them. They even have volunteers who will show you all the interesting stuff in the skyline and tell you more about Tokyo. Highly recommended! It is located in the heart of the Shinjuku district, a busy commercial hub of Tokyo.
• Shibuya: Supposedly the busiest crossing in the world. Like many other tourists, I had to come here to watch the madness and cross the intersection myself. Even though I chose to see Shibuya outside of rush hour, it was still a crazy place to experience. And because I am a film junkie, I also came here for the statue of Hachiko, the dog who is now waiting for his owner outside the station forever.
• Sensoji Temple: The oldest temple in Tokyo which was also one of the most crowded places you can find in the city. However, I was willing to forget about the crowds because it was here I saw blossoming sakura trees in all its beauty for the first time.
• Sumida Park: A random park next to the river I stumbled across, which felt like a good place to do what the locals do on a spring sunny day, have a picnic under the beautiful cherry tree blossoms – aka hanami.
• Yoyogi Park: Another great place for admiring the sakuras.
• Meiji Shrine: A popular shrine in the middle of the forest.
• Akihabara: Although not a big fan of video games myself, I paid a short visit to this famous “nerd” district where every buildings is packed with gamers geeking out day and night.
• Odaiba: An artificial island with a beach (unfortunately no swimming allowed), amazing views and lots of entertainment. Make sure to be by the window for the train ride crossing the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba! One of my favourites places in Tokyo.
• Meeting up with a friend: I made a Japanese friend earlier on my trip, in Vietnam. Since he lives in Tokyo, he showed me his favourite local spots, including more city views I would have never found myself.

KYOTO

From Tokyo, I took a Shinkansen train to Kyoto, the tourist paradise (or hell) of Japan. In the sakura season when I visited, it was a lot more crowded than Tokyo. Kyoto actually offers a lot more culture, temples and historical sights which is why I stayed for six nights. Just a word of warning: Kyoto is more expensive than Tokyo, especially when it comes to accommodation.

Kyoto has some 2,000 temples so it’s not easy to choose what to see. Some of the temples I visited were Kiyomizu-dera (a must see), Kinkaku-ji Temple (the Golden Pavilion) and Byodo-in Temple.

Other places in Kyoto I went to were…

• Arashiyama: The part of Kyoto famous for its Bamboo Grove. I was staying nearby so it was easy to get up early and get there at 7am to beat the crowds. Actually, the Bamboo Grove was a bit disappointing – it’s busy even early in the morning because everyone wants their photo and besides, it is much smaller than I expected. However, there is a lot more to Arashiyama. Just next to the bamboo spot you have great viewpoints and a temple with beautiful gardens (full of cherry trees). I also went to the Togetsu Bridge area and the Monkey Park. By the time I was leaving the area (around 12pm), the streets were overflowing with people.
• Fushimi Inari-taisha: If you follow me on Instagram, you might already know that this was my most favourite place in all of Japan. I found it really fun to walk through thousands of orange shrines (featured in the Memoirs of Geisha movie) but only early in the morning. Fushimi Inari-taisha is the most visited place in Japan and getting there at 7am was absolutely worth it. The shrines continue all the way to the top of the hill and the good news is, almost no one bothers to walk that far – so I can only recommend going all the way. Around 9.30am on my way back, I saw people waiting in a long line to have their photos taken at the most famous photo spots (same place I had nearly to myself at 7am) – I can’t even imagine the crowds later on!
• Nijo Castle: I found it super interesting to explore the interior of this castle. Japanese castles are simply so different to the European ones 🙂
• Nishiki Market: Great place to try lots of Japanese food.

I also did a little hike in the north part of Kyoto (near my guesthouse) which was so peaceful and almost felt like being in the countryside. I found nice views of Kyoto and some wild bamboo forests (which were more impressive than the famous Bamboo Grove in Arashiyama).

Similarly, to escape the crowds in Kyoto I can recommend walking along the river where you can enjoy nice sceneries with plenty of sakura trees and cute houses.

From Kyoto, I also did a day trip to Nara, the town famous for its deer. Because deer are sacred animals in Nara, they are roaming free. Tourists come here to feed them “deer cookies” that are sold everywhere. Quite frankly, it wasn’t the great experience I was expecting. It made me upset to see many tourists feeding the animals “human food” or simply teasing them just to get a cool photo. And while the deer may look cute, they can also be a little aggressive and bite. Speaking from experience.

OSAKA

My last stop was Osaka, the least interesting city out of the three (but hey, maybe I’m just saying that because the sakura season here was already over). Similar to Tokyo but smaller, and with less culture than Kyoto. On the bright side, the city centre is not huge so you can easily walk (or cycle) around town and along its water canals.

The highlights in Osaka were…

• Osaka Castle: The main attraction of Osaka. More impressive than Nijo Castle but the queue for entry was huge so I didn’t bother going inside. Don’t worry though, you can admire it from the outside for free and it looks quite spectacular.
• Dotonbori: Walking around this area full of food and weird advertisements was quite fun and shouldn’t be missed. I don’t really know how to describe this place other than: the Camden Town of Osaka.
• Abeno Harukas: The tallest building in Japan. The view from the top might be a bit expensive but I just went to the free viewing platform halfway through.

Aaaand… I ended my Japan trip with a day at the Universal Studios in Osaka. Normally, this is not the kind of entertainment I seek out, but someone I met in Japan told me about it and said there was a Harry Potter World in there (only three of those in the world). And let’s face it – mention Harry Potter to me and I’m sold! So I, a budget traveler, bought a ticket to the USJ and spent a day drinking butterbeer and riding roller coasters. No regrets.

And that’s my two-week Japan itinerary. 🙂 I absolutely loved my time in Japan and definitely want to go back someday!

After Japan, I went to South Korea, Hong Kong and mainland China (where I am at the time of publishing this article). Stay tuned for more adventures!

Have you read my diary from Thailand and Vietnam yet? 😉

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