It was my first time traveling to Japan, let alone experiencing the winter season. I can describe it in three words: great, challenging, and worth it. (Okay, that was four words.) I want to share some of the places I went to, recommendations, and some tips you might also need to know before going to Japan.

Disclaimer: Any brands or companies mentioned are not paid or sponsored ads. They are simply what I found and used during the trip that was helpful for me.

Japan has four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. They are mostly known for their cherry blossom during Spring. But I happened to experience Japan during winter, not that it’s bad, but Spring and Autumn are most likely the best time to go to Japan if you want to enjoy the scenic views. The first tip that I want to share is, to do your research. It’s a no brainer. You have to actually be prepared when you travel. You not only need to know where you’re going but also the culture of Japan. Here’s one of the helpful sites I found: https://livejapan.com/

The second tip is, when planning for your itinerary, know what you want to do or see. That will also help you narrow down the places you need to go and also for your research. I swear it took me some time to narrow down the places or things to do in my 5-day itinerary, which I will share in a while. Japan has a lot, I mean, A LOT of places that can capture you. Be it in foods or restaurants, amusement parks (Disneyland and Disneysea, hello!), museums, art coffee shops, shopping, nature adventure, trekking, etc. They just have everything, well almost everything.

Travel agencies are a big help also. For easier transport and itinerary planning, they are pretty much convenient. I say this based on my own experience, having travel agencies are very helpful when you travel because you don’t need to worry much about anything, except for making itineraries. The need for train passes, sim cards, pocket Wi-Fi, museum tickets, or any other reservations you need before traveling I find very convenient using Klook Travel. The only reason why I made a DIY itinerary is that I only have 5 days, and I want to make the most out of it and not depend on fixed schedules on the travel package.

Have extra, EXTRA baggage allowance. Just for precaution. What do most first-timers do? Shop. And I learned that the night before my flight that I think I might have excess in my baggage because of shopping I’m forced to buy an additional baggage allowance. Or maybe just shop less. But for whatever reason, foresee the events when it comes to baggage allowance.

Observe Japanese etiquette. Again, if you did your research, once you arrive in Japan, practice them in order not to offend the Japanese and show respect for their culture. Follow their signs or instructions. And the most important thing I think you should observe is TIME. You’ll need it, especially when you’re going to take the train.

The last tip is to download helpful apps and maps. These are the apps I used during the trip:

Japan Navitime allows you to search train routes and schedule or other transportation options to your desired destination. They also give you transportation cost that helps you have an idea how much are you going to spend on the transit you will use.

Although Japan Navitime is the best recommendation to use in mapping out places, I downloaded Tokyo Rail Map because I bought a Tokyo Metro unlimited train pass using Klook. If you’re going to stroll around the Tokyo area only, this pass is beneficial, cheap, easy, and accessible. Another tip: before buying the ticket, finalize all the places you are going first to make sure what kind of train pass you are going to buy. Tokyo Rail Map shows all Tokyo Metro subway stations. If you want to save money for the trip this is one option I recommend. There are different train companies that offer different passes as well. So you might need to do your research on which city that destination belongs to. For faster and easier train transfers, I recommend using JR Pass. Klook offers affordable JR passes, but they are also available at the airport upon arrival.

Now, when you arrive you will most likely purchase a prepaid SIM card or rent a pocket Wi-Fi for internet access. If you want to budget and save money, Japan Wi-Fi helps you stay connected without needing to buy a prepaid SIM card or rent a pocket Wi-Fi. The only downside of this app is, not all areas of Japan with Wi-Fi can be easily accessed through their firewall. I suggest, if you are going to use this alternative to make sure you have your maps saved offline and to watch out for free Wi-Fi at Japan’s payphone or train station.

The other apps are for language learning and travel destination discovery. You may find other apps that may help you in those areas.

Now, here’s what went down on my trip to Japan:

DAY 1

SHINJUKU

• KABUKICHO
• GODZILLA HEAD
• CINECITY SQUARE **
• TOKYO MYSTERY CIRCUS
• DON QUIJOTE SHINJUKU
• MEMORY LANE
• SHINJUKU TERRACE CITY
• TOKYO METROPOLITAN BUILDING **
• SHINJUKU GYOEN NATIONAL GARDEN

HARAJUKU

• NESCAFE HARAJUKU
• TAKESHITA STREET
• CAT STREET**

DAY 2

YOKOHAMA

• NISSAN GLOBAL HEAD QUARTERS GALLERY
• RINKO PARK
• YOKOHAMA LANDMARK TOWER
• YOKOHAMA MINATOMIRAI
• CUP NOODLES MUSEUM
• YOKOHAMA WORLD PORTERS
• YOKOHAMA RED BRICK WAREHOUSE
• YOKOHAMA CHINATOWN

ROPPONGI

• TOKYO CITY VIEW AND SKY DECK
• ROPPONGI HILLS
• HINOKICHO PARK
• MORI ART MUSEUM **

DAY 3

SHIZUOKA

• GOTEMBA PREMIUM OUTLETS
• OSHINO HAKKAI
• LAKE KAWAGUCHI
• MT. FUJI 5TH STATION**
• KITAGUCHI HONGU FUJI SENGEN SHRINE

I booked a tour package for Mt. Fuji on Klook. There are different itineraries you can find that might suit your taste. I took this package because as you know that it is winter, you can only do much in the cold and it is only a day tour so it was perfect for the day I allotted for the rest of my itinerary, as well as my budget.

DAY 4

AKIHABARA

• HOME CAFE**
• AKIBA CULTURE ZONES
• KANDA RIVER
• ANIMATE AKIHABARA
• SEGA
• YODOBASHI CAMERA MULTIMEDIA AKIBA**

GINZA

• GINZA SIX
• GINZA SONY PARK
• OWL CAFE
• NISSAN CROSSING
• TOKYO RAMEN STREET

ODAIBA

• THE SOHO ODAIBA**
• TEAMLAB BORDERLESS
• LOTTERIA ODAIBA VENUS FORT

KAWASAKI

• LA CITADELLA
• TOKYU HANDS
• FURYU RAMEN HOUSE

DAY 5

SHIBUYA

• HACHIKO STATUE
• SHIBUYA CROSSING
• YOYOGI PARK**

EBISU

• YEBISU GARDEN PLACE

ASAKUSA

• NAKAMISE SHOPPING STREET
• BENTEN-DO**
• SUMIDA PARK
• TOKYO SKY TREE

So that’s it guys for my 5-day itinerary in Japan. Some would ask why I didn’t go to Disneyland or Disneysea when it could’ve been a worthwhile experience. Well, it was still a worthwhile experience despite not going to Disney Resorts. I want to enjoy it maybe going there on a different season like spring. I would want to do so much but five days isn’t enough. It gives me more reasons to go back and travel more. If you want to know other details such as processing Japan Visa, Japan immigration, or hotel recommendations, look on other sites or blog posts. They are all a big help too. I can’t share much to that extent because I haven’t lived in Japan for such a long time to know everything. Again, all I did was research. But for your curiosity, I stayed at Shinjuku Villa 2 Hotel. They’re the cheapest so far from what I’ve checked from Agoda or Booking.com. I got my Japan Visa through a legit travel agency back home in just 2 weeks of processing. And when I arrived at the immigration, everything went smooth. Just prepare the travel documents you need.

Also, one last thing,

live in the moment.

xoxo