Here is my list of everything I did over my first 3 weeks in Japan.
Beautiful park to visit on your first day in Tokyo. Gorgeous flowers in the spring and you can even visit a zoo with tons of animals!
Ueno Park
Beautiful garden. Perfect free activity for a few hours in Tokyo!
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
One of the coolest streets to explore in Tokyo. All the tight alleys and small shops make for an unforgettable experience.
Omoide Yokocho Memory Lane
First shrine I visited in Japan. Picked up our goshuincho book here to collect shrine stamps the rest of our trip. Crazy to see a shrine surrounded by sky scrappers in the middle of Tokyo. They also have a small section of torii gates that makes for ...
Hie Shrine
The busiest intersection in the world. A must see just for the Fast and Furious reference!
Shibuya Crossing 渋谷スクランブル交差点
Beautiful views of Shibuya! Make sure to pick a day with no rain in the forecast so you can go out in the open air section.
Shibuya Sky
The ramen making experience was so cool! Even as only English speaking tourists they were very accommodating which made for an awesome experience. You go through the whole process to make your own instant ramen from scratch and they give you extras t...
Cup Noodles Museum
We rode one of the worlds former largest ferris wheels! It gives beautiful views of Yokohama and the park has many other rides to enjoy as well.
Yokohama Cosmo World
Awesome area to visit while in Yokohama. Tons to see and the street food is incredible!
Yokohama Chinatown
I would recommend seeing both imperial palaces because they both have unique experiences. Seeing the history here was incredibly beautiful.
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Loved the traditional buildings of the Gion district! I wish we knew to prebook a tea ceremony because this would be the place to do it! Although the streets are closed during the day to tourists, at night they are just as beautiful.
Gion - Kyoto Travel
The most beautiful bamboo forest! Definitely go early in the morning or late at night to be the crowds. Avoid going between 9am-4pm.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
This is the park you want to visit to see the bowing deer. The park is huge and you can find hundreds of deer who will bow for a cracker you can usually buy from people sitting at the park entrances.
Nara Park
I still can't get over the size of the place and the 50ft Buddha statue it houses! After you finish walking through Nara park you should end up here.
Tōdai-ji
My favourite shrine I have visited in Japan so far! The thousands of torii gates that line the mountain are unbelievable to see! The hike can take 2-4 hours depending on speed and if you stop at shops along the way.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
One of the castles in Japan that still houses traditional interior architecture. That woodworking is incredibly inspiring and same goes for the artwork.
The coolest interactive museum I have ever seen! Tons of sensory stimulation makes for an incredible experience!
teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM
A shrine dedicated to cats! Pick up one of the lucky cat souvenirs in various sizes! They limited 1 per customer though.
Gōtokuji Temple
Awesome experiences to learn about sumo wrestling if you can't attend one of the professional tournaments. The meal is delicious and prepared by former professional sumo wrestlers who then teach you about the sport and demo it live for you.
