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Travel Diaries: Tokyo and Osaka, Japan
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items Going to Japan has always been a childhood dream of mine. I was so grateful to go over the summer with some friends. We did so much and I’m excited to share some of the activities we did on our trip!
Sections
5
Food
Activities
Shopping
Hotels
Skincare, Hair, and Cosmetics
Food
We went at night but there was still so much to see. They have drinks and food where they show you how they make some of the drinks like matcha. They have a gift shop at the front where you can purchase reserve items specific to the Tokyo location.
Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Tokyo
This place is a must see place when visiting Mt. Fuji. We got to try the pickled cucumbers and sesame mochi. They also have a ton of other food stalls and shopping areas.
Oshino hakkai
We went to this matcha tea house in Uji and every dish we got was amazing. We got matcha cold soba noodles and a matcha parfait. They also gave us complementary matcha tea. We had to pick up some matcha as souvenirs right after.
Recommendations for the Best Food And Matcha in Uji, Japan
Activities
We visited Tokyo Disney Sea and allocated a full day here. I finally got to try the Alien Mochi and flavored popcorn! So many beautiful rides and buildings.
Tokyo DisneySea
This was the first temple on our trip! We said our prayers and took some cute pictures here!
Sensō-ji
Team labs Tokyo was such a cool site to see. It was essentially an immersive art exhibit you and you get to take a lot of beautiful photos. Highly recommend if you’re in the area.
teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM
We had to visit the iconic Shibuya crossing and take some photos here while we went shopping.
Shibuya Crossing
This was a great view of Shibuya. Make sure to make your reservations ahead of time since they sell out!
Shibuya Sky
We visited an animal cafe since Japan was know for them. We got to see otters, hedgehogs, and also a capybara! You can also feed the animals. The animals were so cute and staff were friendly.
HARRY ASAKUSA | HARRY Hedgehog Cafe®
This aquarium/art exhibit was not what I expected! They had a huge variation of goldfish and they were so beautiful! I couldn’t believe how many they put together. Great photo op place!
ART AQUARIUM MUSEUM
The bamboo forest was a popular destination we had to attend. I felt like there was a never ending trail of bamboo to walk through.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Another temple we visited while in the area!
Tenryu-ji
This temple was beautiful and also fun to see all the Daruma dolls people placed around the temple.
Hōrin-ji (Daruma-dera)
This was my friends main request when visiting Japan and this place did not disappoint! They had whale sharks and the aquarium had a fun passport activity where you could collect stamps after visiting each area.
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
This was another stop on our tour where we got to hike up and visit a pagoda with Mt. Fuji in the background.
Arakurayama Sengen Park
Another photo op to see Mt. Fuji in the background!
Hikawa Clock Shop Mount Fuji View
We went on a tour bus to visit this specific Lawsons convenience store. Lucky for us, they were open and we were able to take some photos of Mt. Fuji behind it!
The Mt Fuji barrier at Lawson in Kawaguchiko is back up again
This was so cool to see. They have specific times when they make mochi and they open the window for everyone to watch. Afterwards, you can buy the fresh mochi they just made!
Nakatanidou
We visited this temple while at Nada park where there were deer everywhere. This was such an experience I’ll never forget!
Todaiji Temple - Nara Travel
This temple was beautiful and home to the fox. We loved the area and took home some charms along the way.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Shopping
This place was so cute. They had a ton of Miffy merchandise as well as a bakery next store.
Arashiyama Miffy Sakura Kitchen
This place was an adorable and super hard to not get anything. They have some photo op areas and a ton of souvenirs you can take home. They have a restaurant but had a long wait time that we didn’t have time for.
Arashiyama Rilakkuma Tea House
We stopped by the mall located right next to the museum to pick up some sandals but they have a ton more shopping stores you can visit.
Tempozan Harbor Village
The iconic running man was a must take photo op. They have a huge strip of food and shopping that you can be there for hours.
Dotonbori | Travel Japan - Japan National Tourism Organization (Official Site)
The fish market was so fun to visit and shop. They sell seafood and meat but also a lot of cooked items with sit down areas.
Fish Market Tsukiji Outer Market
We arrived in Japan with very little and did a ton of shopping for our weeks clothes on this trip. They have two large floors with a huge selection of items for men and women.
UNIQLO Shibuya Dōgenzaka
This is the perfect place to buy souvenirs for family and friends. They have a lotion and scent for everyday of the year.
Yoroshi Keshodo (Cosmetics) “365 Hand Cream”
Hotels
This hotel was so cute but super small. Just be mindful of that. They have a washing machine on the first floor if you need to do laundry. They also have a restaurant attached to their hotel.
APA Hotel Roppongi SIX | Business Hotel Reservation Site - APA Hotel
Skincare, Hair, and Cosmetics
I love this! So easy to apply and strong protection.
Bioré UV Aqua Rich Sunscreen Protect Mist SPF50+ 60ml
Saw some great reviews on this and had to try it!
Clear Sunscreen Stick SPF 50+
Had to try this stain remover spray that’s lightweight and easy to fit in my purse.
Stain Remover
Bought one of these at a drugstore in Japan!
Eye Shadow – CANMAKEUSA
I bought a few of these which leave my hair so shiny overnight!
Hair Oil
This was the face wash I used in Japan!
KRACIE NAIVE FACIAL CLEANSING FOAM PEACH, 130G
I tried this for the first time and it works wonders for my hair!
&NINE Savon du Savota 3D Repair Hair Oil 100ml
I bought one of these at the pharmacy which was very moisturizing!
Lip Cream | Bestselling Ultra-Moisturizing Lip Balm
I like to get the refillable hair mask packets because they’re easy to travel with and I already have a jar I can continue to refill. These are great to moisturize your hair especially bc I have chemically treated hair.
Honey Japanese Hair Products
I was really into hair care on this trip since Japan has so many products. Have this in the states but had to get one at the pharmacy.
Fino Premium Touch Hair Mask 180g