Day 77-92.. Japan Part I (Sapporro, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Hakone)
- cameronwllloyd
- Jun 29
- 17 min read
Sapporo
We arrived in Japan at Sapporo airport after an overnight flight with very little sleep, so we were absolutely knackered but very excited to finally be in Japan. We grabbed a bus into the town but unfortunately check-in was not for about 6 hours, so we had to wander around town whilst we waited. First stop of course was to a kombini to grab an egg sando, which completely lived up to the hype. We then grabbed a famichiki (also really tasty) and wandered through the town. Sapporo is a super cool place with the quintessential Japanese signs and high rise buildings with some pretty stunning snow covered mountains in all directions. It was also the first time we had been cold in about 4 months so it was really nice to give our Scottish blood a little bit of a cool down.
After a wander we went for our first ramen. We queued outside this underground shop for about 20 mins and were eventually seated in this lovely, but tiny ramen spot which was very Japanese in design. We were given miso ramen which was absolutely delicious but very rich and heavy. We both loved it but it nearly knocked us out! We both spent a lot of time trying our best to be “good” tourists and not offend anyone or eat things incorrectly. Luckily, this apprehension didn't last the whole trip as we felt the social faux pas that we had read about were greatly exaggerated or easy to avoid if you are not simply rude.
Filled with noodles and rich broth we lumbered home for a nap in our lovely hotel which was designed somewhat like a chalet you would find in the swiss alps, it was really fab!
After a nice rest we got changed and ready for dinner at an omakase for some sushi and tempura. Some of the stuff was a little too much for Kirstin, but generally it was all really tasty and cam didn't leave a crum! We were eating in a small sectioned off area of the restaurant with a small window for the staff to view us and see if we needed any assistance. What was intended for nice privacy unfortunately led to Kirstin having a red-faced moment as she gagged on some fish that had a difficult texture just as the waiter looked into through the window…
Suitably sated we went off to catch up on some more sleep as we had some fun things planned for the next day!
Day 2
It was up early and we met our guide at a nearby bus station for the days fun activities. Today it was a polar opposite of what we have been used to, as we had traded beaches and sand for mountains and snow for a day of skiing. We were both nervous as it had been years since either of us had hit the slopes and Cam was worried his knee wouldn't hold up (haha, old!).
The mountains were so beautiful and we had so much fun. Cam only fell a couple of times and Kirstin was very polite in not rubbing in the fact that she didn't fall at all. We skied for a good bit and had loads and loads of fun. We had a beer at the top as well as some snacks and did a final couple of runs before heading back. No injuries and knees intact, the only thing that didn't go to plan was the fact that cam left his fav rugby jersey in the locker room… Luckily the amazing tour guide helped get it mailed to our hostel in Tokyo a couple day later. Cam was delighted, Kirstin was raging as there seems to be no consequences for Cams continued forgetfulness!
We went back to the hotel absolutely knackered and ordered some pizzas and enjoyed the free wine hour in the rooftop bar. To top off our skiing we had our own little Apres with cocktails and roasted marshmallows around the firepit looking out to the skyline of Saporro… Bliss.
Day 3
Today's main mission was exploring the city guided by the hunt for some cool “eki stamps” free stamps that you can collect all around Japan at the major touristy spots. We wandered seeing the sights and collecting stamps before stopping into a cute little ramen shop for some lunch. The ramen was very tasty and the vibes were really nice. We wandered some more and then Kirstin took a call about yet another job!
We finished the day off with a Yakiniku experience, which is a japanese BBQ, all the food was delicious and quickly made us sleepy so it was off to bed, but not before a stop to 7/11 to pick up a sweet treat!
Day 4
On day 4 we were up to get another bus into the mountains, we assumed that it was going to be the same bus stop as the previous trip… We found out almost too late that it was a different bus top… We committed our first offence in Japan and were late! Luckily the guide was very understanding as we were only 3 mins late and there were other tourists that were later!
The trip today was to explore more of the island of Hokkaido. The first stop was an old volcanic crater which was filled with water and covered in snow, it was absolutely beautiful and was massive! We stopped in a nice little mountain town and took it all in.
The next stop was a natural hot spring which smelled of eggs and not the good kind you find in the egg sandos. Professional Kirstin once again kicked in as she called back a law firm that had offered her a job to negotiate a pay increase. Meanwhile Cam explored the gift shop, what a power couple!
We then went to a lovely wee hot spring town on another massive volcanic lake. We stuck our feet in a lovely public bath that was roasting and took in the views. There was another spring which we spotted on the map which was for newly weds, so we went looking for that only to be greeted with a tattered plastic dragon with cold water. One of the only disappointments of the japan trip! We then had some fried chicken, a matcha and some cake in a lovely little cafe. We went to an observation point to see another volcanic crater and then to an active volcano which apparently sprung out of the ground over 60m in just under a year, it used to be a field!
The final stop of the tour was to do some snow mobling up in the mountains which was awesome! The views were incredible, however Kirstins half of the snowmobile driving was slowed down by other tourists. At the halfway point we did some sledding and acted as big kids, it was great fun!
We headed back to Sapporo, had some tonkatsu which was unbelievable and then cam tried some weird fish snacks at the request of Teddy, the dried squid was actually really tasty! Then it was off to bed as we were traveling to Tokyo the next day!
Sapporo was an amazing way to introduce us to Japan, it had such a lovely vibe and it was nice to be cold again! There were almost no tourists and the people were so incredibly friendly. We would Defs recommend it.
Tokyo
Day 1
As with all travel days, it was quite long and tiring, so when we got to the hostel we just chilled out, had some drinks and tapped away to each other which was, as always, lovely. We eventually started to get hungry so we went out to try and find something to eat. What we found was a small local restaurant with no English spoken or on the menus... The menu was also quite intimidating.
What we ended up ordering was cold soba noodles that you dipped in a soy sauce dashi, it was simple, refreshing and very tasty. We had a broken English conversation with an older couple next to us who became very excited by the fact we had figured out how to eat the food properly. They were so cute and everyone at the restaurant was delighted to have some tourists as we were staying in a less busy area of Tokyo (edogawa). It was a lovely evening and we ended it with a stroll and some sweets from the kombini.
Day 2
We woke up at a reasonable time, got ourselves organised and set off for the weekend market. We made it there but unfortunately did not stay long as the rain was horrible. We wandered in search of some warming food and found our way to yet another ramen spot. Cam had tsukemen, which is a dipping ramen. Kirstin stuck with the traditional ramen. Both were very tasty, however, traditional ramen is definitely better! . We went for a wander for some more stamps but had no luck.
We were absolutely soaked to the bone and the rain and it did not look like it was going anywhere so we decided to head back and do a wash. We also found out that the Japanese have a contraption designed to dry shoes (a hair dryer shaped well to fit in your shoes) between that and the toilets it's clear they know how to live out this way. Cam also was lucky and happened to be upstairs when the rugby shirt which was left in Sapporro was delivered to the hostel.
Domestic responsibilities handled and shoes dried we had built up a hunger that needed addressed so we headed to an okinominyaki (Japanese pancake filled with all sorts) place that the hostel recommended. We were welcomed in by such friendly staff who gave us recommendations for our next steps and cooked some amazing food right in front of us. They were so friendly and the food so tasty that we fell in love with the place. It was ace! Hearts and bellies full we went back to our hostel for a nice sleep!
-photos of restaurant
Day 3
The morning we visited Shinjuku to do some vintage shopping and tried to hunt for a bargain. We only managed to find Kirstin some glasses but it was lovely to wander around in a different neighborhood.
We then went for some conveyor sushi which was the bst sushi of our lives to date. It was so fresh and so tasty. We ate loads and probably could have eaten even more!
We then did some more shopping (or attempt at shopping) in Keon-Ju before heading to the Tokyo metropolitan government building observation deck where we had our first glimpse of Fuji-San which was incredible even if it was mostly obscured by clouds.
Next stop was a good tour which took us through a number of places including memory lane which was very pretty but quite sad as it was a place where people gathered to find loved ones they had lost during the war. We were too busy shoving the food in our gobs that we didn't take photos and have since forgotten what we had (whoops). It was all really tasty though and we saw some amazing parts of Tokyo.
Stuffed to the brim we took the subway home and crashed.
Day 4
We started the morning with a creative activity were we did a kintsugi class, which is where you repair broken pottery with gold. It was loads of fun and we were chuffed with the finished products.
We grabbed a curry pan for a snack and then went to senso-ji shrine. At the shrine we did a fortune telling (you pick a choptisjc which corresponds to a prewritten fortune). Cam had a good fortune but Kirstin had one of the worst you can get so she had to tie it up at the shrine to hopefully banish it!
We then wandered across to kitchen street picking up some fried chicken along the way. Kitchen street itself seemed like a bit of a scam/ tourist trap so we didn't stay long but nearby we had spotted an antique shop but were put off by some yappy American tourists. We returned and found a treasure trove of Japanese antiques which were all beautiful. We subsequently spent about 45 mins in the tiny shop seeing what was on offer. We fell in love with a couple of Japanese scroll arts that were 80-100 years old. We bought without any plan on how we were going to transport them, but they were worth it.
We made our way, scrolls in hand to ueno park which was beautiful and we had a stroll around enjoying the blooming cherry blossoms.
Then we headed home to get dinner, on the menu tonight was a curry place which we had seen online where you can get the spice level between 1-20, the first time you go you can only get a maximum of 5… which is just as well as it was very spicy, almost too spicy for Cam!
Day 5
Another day of shopping and exploring, this time in ginza. Good for the step count and it was nice to explore more of the city. We didn't find anything of interest but had an amazing unagi lunch at a spot near the big shopping centre. We then had a couple of cocktails at a tea inspired bar which were really nice. After this we grabbed a couple of "Jackie juice" to drink on the bus to the team labs experience.
The team labs experience is a really well reviewed experience that's interactive and tactile, in all honesty though it was a little disappointing. It would be more catered/impressive for children. Definitely think you could miss this one. We had a quick bite to eat after this and then went to bed.
Day 6
Today we had a chill one wandering around Harajuku in hopes of finding a game boy, but they were all ridiculously expensive. We then went to Shibuya, went across the famous scramble and had a sushi lunch which was really tasty.
We attempted to go up Shibuya sky but it was fully booked so we headed to harajuku with some Jackie juice hidden in plastic cups. After many many steps we decided to head back to our hostel area and go to the fantastic Okonomiyaki place for dinner. The food was once again incredible!
Day 7
Kirstin had a haircut booked nice and early so we headed out towards the neighbourhood so she could get her hair snipped. Cam went to a nearby barber and was subsequently scalped. Kirstin's hair took a lot longer so cam just wandered around for a couple hours.
Once Kirstin was finished it was lunch time, Kirstin's hairdresser recommended a pizza place nearby to try some Tokyo style pizza. It turned out to be one of the best pizza places in Tokyo, and it was absolutely fantastic. The flavours were great and the dough was so soft, almost as good as paesano!
We wandered to a shrine and park that was on our hitlist and it was really peaceful and beautiful. We picked up some shrine trinkets and got our stamps and had a blether.
We walked over to the imperial palace but it was shutting by the time we arrived so we didn't get too close. At this point cam had almost 30k steps so was knackered. We headed home and had some picky bits for dinner from 7/11.
Day 8
Another early start, this time we were not doing shopping but rather going to see a Sumo stable (essentially a gym where the wrestlers train). It was really interesting and the wrestlers were massive. The sound that they made when they collided made us shudder.
We then went to an art museum (how cultured) which was based on the artist known for doing "the Great wave off kanagawa", Hokusai. Which was really interesting and Kirstin was told off for using the translate app for some reason, which made Cam chuckle.
We then headed to the fish markets where they used to auction off the freshly caught fish for sushi. We had some amazing tuni sushi and then had some daifuku (a mochi with cream, effectively) and some candied strawberries. Japan is probably the only country we have been to that can give Scotland a run for it's money when it comes to strawberry quality! We then had some of the best fatty tuna inigiri ever. Soon after the rain came pelting down so we ran for cover back at the hostel where we chilled for the rest of the night and did a wash.
Day 9
We woke up to the sun shining so it was off to explore. As the weather was better again we decided to give the flea market another shot given we were stuck in the rain during the first attempt. Kirstin was like a kid in a candy shop. The Japanese keep all of their possessions in really good condition so it meant there was a tonne of vintage stuff that was dirt cheap. A great example of this was the Prada handbag that Kirstin picked up for £80. Cam really wanted to visit the imperial palace which we only managed to skirt around so far due to closing time. It was only upon getting there that we realised you couldn't actually get into the palace so we had already seen everything you could when we had skirted around... doh!
Parched from walking about and shopping we went to a tea place where we had some traditional sweets and some lovely tea in a really cool, authentic looking tea house. Cam settled on a Japan 7s top which is really nice. Then it was onto the sporting part of the trip. First off we went to a rugby shop to pick up a Japanese rugby top and saw loads of really cool tops. From here it was off to the Baseball where we saw the Yomiuri Giants vs the Yakult Swallows (real name!). We picked up a couple of Giants jerseys which were really cool, had a kebab (how japanese) and then were enticed to buy a swallows shirt also as they were so cool! We sat in our seats and proceeded to get drunk on different varieties of Sours, luckily nothing like the UK Sourz! Going through the stands were young women carrying massive kegs on their backs delivering drinks to the punters, we have no idea how they did it! After posting on the instagram page, Kirstin received a message from Jodie saying that she was also at the game! We knew they were in Japan but hadn't planned on meeting them until we went to Kyoto... Not only were they at the same game, they were only about 20 seats to our left, which was bonkers! We went over and spoke to them for a bit and then went back to our seats to get even more pissed!
It was such a fun experience, but we were fully loaded on the booze and ready for some more so we headed to Golden Gai, which is a region in tokyo of tightly cramped bars each with their own vibe. On our way we grabbed some food and bumped into Jodie and Ian again! They were on the hunt for food so we once again parted ways. The first spot we found in Golden Gai was a little disappointing as it didnt really have any character and the bar tender was grumpy. So we decided to move on and struggled to find anywhere that wasn't either full or dull looking. That was until Kirstin tried a door with no signs or displays, it was totally disguised amongst the mental-ness that was going on around it. What we were greeted with was a slumped local salaryman and an elderly barmaid with a smile as wide at the bar itself. What the first bar lacked in character this one had in spades. We sat and chatted (using translate) for about an hour, all the while aunty kept our mugs of sake filled to the brim from an ancient looking bottle she made appear from nowhere. She also had the tunes flowing with swing low sweet chariot and rod stewart when we told her that we were from Scotland... We laughed and finished our sake before rushing to get the last train home, which despite our best efforts we didnt manage... The train we did get on managed to get us one island short of our final destination. We jumped in a taxi and made it home for an early rise the next day. Despite knowing that we were going to wake up with sore heads the next morning, we had such a great night which was finished in what we felt was a super special and intimate bar that most tourists will miss.
Fuji
The alarm going off first thing after a night of indulgence was not ideal, but we shot out of bed as today we were (hopefully) going to see Mount Fuji in all its glory. We trudged our way to the station and picked up some breaky and a matcha. On the train we jumped sitting smugly in our reserved seats as the majority of tourists had to sit on the floor in between carriages. The excitement was all too much for Kirstin who was asleep before we left tokyo. Cam on the other hand spent the journey looking at the clouds hoping that the clouds would stay away and we would get a clear view... Unfortunately we arrived at the station and all but a tiny smudge of fujis snow cap was visible. The clouds had almost completely covered the mountain. We were a bit gutted initially, so Cam kept turning to Kirstin and say "dont worry, i will fix it", before blowing in Fuji Sans direction. It only bloody worked, gradually as we climbed out way up to the first stop Chureito Pagoda the clouds slowly but surely began to disperse at Cams' instruction (it totally wasn't the fact that it was the fire department carrying out a controlled burn that morning so the smoke simply subsided). We were treated to an incredible view of fuji poking through the clouds, framed by cherry blossoms. Writing about it is giving us chills. It was incredible!
We stood at the top of the shrine taking it in for a while before we went for our next stop. On the way down we grabbed some wagyu skewers and daifuku. We struggled to get an uber to the next stop, Kawaguchiko, but managed to flag down a taxi driven by a sweet old man. On our way to Kawaguchiko the driver told us with a laugh that the tunnel was created to escape in the event that fuji erupted but it probably wouldn't help... Good to know! We arrived at the lake and picked up some hire bikes with questionable brakes and set off around the lake. As we set off there was not a single cloud in the sky and it was truly, truly breathtaking. It may have been the best moment of the trip and it was certainly the best view. We stopped about a quarter of the way round and had some snacks and took some photos. We sat on a rock and just took it all in whilst chatting, it was nothing short of perfect.
Luckily, despite the dodgy brakes we managed to get around the lake without incident. At the halfway mark we had the idea to call each other and have headphones in one ear whilst we cycled as the only issue with the first half was that we couldn't gab whilst we cycled. What came next was a string of “woweee”s and “how are we so lucky”. It was without a doubt one of the best days of the trip so far.
We made it round to the end of the circuit and grabbed a lovel lunch in a traditional looking japanese restaurant which served a local specialty noodle dish. It was delicious. Once we had finished we were off to the hotel. Cam was determined to make this night's stay special and wanted a room with a view of Fuji. We found an absolutely incredible hotel which was also a race track and had a car museum attached, which was weird. What it also had was an unobstructed view of Mount Fuji on a cloudless evening. The hotel was stunning. We also thought it was time for our first Onsen experience (effectively public bath). Unfortunately we had to split up as they were gendered onsens. It was quite nerve wracking getting naked and sitting in a bath with strangers. Cam was lucky as he ended up having the place to himself after 5 mins. He sat in what was effectively a big bath and watched the sun set over Fuji, completely relaxed. Kirstin had a similar experience but much less relaxing as she had to share with more people. She likened it to being in a really posh women's prison…
We got dressed and had a really nice traditional Japanese tasting menu meal complete with Sushi, Unagi and Wagyu beef. It was all amazing food in a nice relaxing environment with a good portion of the food prepared in front of you. Then it was off to bed as we had a big day of exploring the next day.
Hakone
Up we shot to another cloudless day at fuji, still mind blown by it. We got ourselves ready and headed to a nearby town to pick up our hire car. Nervously, we drove along trying our best not to break any rules. The drive was beautiful and we visited a couple of shrines which were really cool. We then stopped at a small tavern that was used over 400 years ago by samurai as they moved between places. It was so cool and you felt very much like you had taken a step back in time. We had a malted rice drink which was tasty but a little lumpy and some Japanese pickles.
We drove through the mountain passes and found our way to a small mountain town to have some lunch at a local wee spot that was really tasty but very hearty so we finished it and were ready for sleep. We woke ourselves up with a matcha and a walk before going to take the car back. We had actually managed to get everything we wanted to see out of the way earlier than expected which meant we had the option of getting back to Tokyo far earlier than planned. This also meant that we would have our first ride of the Shinkansen bullet train which was awesome. Cam was told off for trying to take photos too close to the railway but other than that we made it back to Tokyo for our final night before moving on. We had a final stop in the purgatory which was the 12 story uniqlo to return some bits that were too small. It took far too long but once we managed we headed back to the hostel, had some food and then hit the sack for the last time in our 20 bed hostel room.
Tokyo was super cool and we had loads of fun. We loved the food tour and the vibe of the city, we also really loved the baseball as it was so much fun. The absolute highlight however of the Tokyo area was visiting Fuji as it was insanely beautiful. We perhaps spent too long in Tokyo but it was definitely an amazing place to visit.
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