This is my 3rd trip to Japan. I’ve been interested in the country since I was a child and always jump on an opportunity to come to this beautiful country. My father was born in Fukuoka so I spent my Christmas there (although my family is back home in Florida). It was nice but it seemed very similar to Osaka just on a smaller scale and with less foreigners than its bigger counterpart.
The first time I lived in Japan (May to December, 2013) I was able to visit places in Okinawa and Hokkaido, as well as Mt. Fuji, Hakone, Tokyo and other cities. On my second trip (December 2-5, 2016 approximately) I visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara with two friends from Rollins who were also studying in Shanghai at that time. This time (August 28-present) I revisited Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Fuji, and Tokyo as well as visiting Kobe. I still have plans to see Himeji Castle and hopefully visit other cities such as Hiroshima, Miyazaki, etc.
In Kyoto, I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough–Sumibi tou Wine. The food and drinks are mostly–if not all–original and absolutely impeccable. The staff are also extremely friendly and if there’s only one place you can eat while here, this is it. Some main attractions, of course, are Fushimi Inari with the seemingly endless torii gates, Kinkakuji (the golden pavilion) is nice but surprisingly small. I prefer Nijo Castle. In Arashiyama you can take a nice stroll through the bamboo paths. Nara is famous mainly for the friendly deer that you can hand feed, pet, and some will even bow their heads to you.
On my most recent adventure, I stayed at Kawaguchiko (one of the five lakes surrounding Mt. Fuji) in a hotel called La Vista and let me just say that the view is breathtaking. You can have a room with a bath or a balcony with a view of Mt. Fuji, they have public onsens with a perfect view as well as 5 different types of private ones that you can use 24/7 without reservation as long as nobody else is using it.
In Tokyo, I visited VR Zone Shinjuku and played some of the games they offer in virtual reality such as Mario Kart–this is a must do! Also, if you’re into art, cafes, or coffee/cocoa then you should visit Reissue, where they will make art on top of a coffee or cocoa with the picture that you show them. There, the best hotel (in my opinion) is The Gajoen Hotel Tokyo.
Although my time on this trip is drawing to a close, my time in Japan is not. I will return for more wonderful experiences in the land of the rising sun.