Hello! Have finally looked through all my Japan pictures and written down recommendations for you. If you’ve been, it would be nice if you could add your own recommendations below for anyone who is planning a trip :)
Osaka
Did a food tour around the Tenma area. Started out strong with this grilled miso crab, which was to die for. The tour takes you through some of the back alleys filled with izakayas and restaurants. Highly recommend doing the tour with Ryoko, who came recommended by my sister.
Stepped into a Pachinko parlour, a slot-machine hall. I’ve never been to one of these before. Long rows of people seated in front of their machines. I ran out because it was a complete sensory overload. Too bright, too loud.
Lunch at a Gifuya for some kushikatsu. Skewers of deep-friend seafood, meat and vegetables that you dip into a sauce made of Japanese worcestershire, soy and ketchup. I loved the sweet potato and shishito pepper, Sajjad loved the scallop. The texture of the batter is different from tonkatsu because it uses a finer panko.
Our first meal in Japan was at this place. It was my first time eating boiled tripe! Tasted of nothing, but texturally fun. A wagyu tartare that was creamy and rich. But I couldn’t get past the raw egg. I kept expecting it to hit me with that egg flavour that i so dislike (never did, but still).
Our hotel breakfast was so good. I ate salad for breakfast every single day! Who am I? Mostly I was sipping on the salad dressing, eating a few salad leaves on the side. The dressing was labelled as ‘Japanese salad dressing’ and I saw bottles of it at convenience stores all over. But recipes online seem to vary quite a bit.
Himeji
We spent a day in Himeji, a castle town where Sajjad came to for work (not at the castle, in case you were wondering haha). We walked around and inside the castle, did a tour with a very lovely, very enthusiastic volunteer tour guide.
Went to quite possibly the nicest cafe I’ve ever been to. Run by a father and son, it has so much personality and a beautiful onyx bar-top. Nice cinnamon toast too.
For lunch we went to a small noodle shop that has been around since the 1940s. They’re famous for their Ekisoba.
Kyoto
As touristy as it is, the Philosopher’s Path was a highlight for me. As the walk progresses, the foliage around gets thicker, the path slightly steeper and the views, spectacular. I think there’s a metaphor here.
The Botanical Gardens in Kyoto were quite possibly my favourite part of the trip. There’s a greenhouse there that is otherworldly. There’s a flowering plant in there called hot lips.
We did a picnic by a lake, with picnic gear rented from a cafe close by. 100% didn’t need to rent the picnic stuff since the area had benches, but I don’t think we would have thought of doing a picnic otherwise.
Eikandō Temple for its layers upon layers of green and the stunning views of Kyoto below.
Lunch at Echigo Soba. Sajjad says this was his favourite meal. He had the cold soba noodles, served with grated radish. And tempura.
We did a wagashi class in Kyoto. Wagashi is a traditional sweet from Kyoto that is typically served at the tea ceremony. The one we learned to make was with mochi rice flour and azuki bean paste. It was a nice way to spend an hour, using our hands, being creative and learning something new. A break from the sightseeing as well.
Gorgeous matcha and hojicha lattes at Kurasu.
We’d bookmarked a couple of smaller places to buy matcha from, to bring back home, but we ended up picking them up from Ippodo, which is still good, but a larger operation. You can find the other places saved in our Kyoto map.
For our last meal in Kyoto, we went to this restaurant where I had amongst other delicious dishes, the most perfect slice of tomato I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. The wagyu is the main attraction here and some of the cuts were so good, it just melted on our tongues.
Kawaguchiko
First meal in the town was at Konami, and it was spectacular. We had hoto nabe, which is a noodle from this region. It’s thick and chewy and so satisfying to bite into, served in a pumpkin and miso broth. There’s chilli sauce on the side to stir in. This might have been my favourite meal in Japan. I feel like I’ve said this at least 3 times in the post already.
Stayed at the stunning Hoshinoya Fuji. The cottages are nestled on a wooded hill that overlooks Kawaguchiko lake, with Mt Fuji beyond. Although we were there during the rains when the chances of spotting Fuji are quite low, we were lucky to have glimpses of it every now and then. We were meant to go here for our honeymoon 5 years ago, but covid. We finally made it, except with mum and my cousin in tow haha.
Tokyo
This meal at Unison Tailor has sent me spiralling. I had the egg in a hole, which so incredibly delicious, I’m now re-evaluating everything I believe about cooking (how can something as simple as bread, egg and mayo taste so exceptionally good and unlike anything I’ve had before?) Like everywhere else in Tokyo, it only has a handful of tables, so get there early.
The most beautiful fancy supermarket. My favourite part is that they have free ice packs for you to use to pack your perishables. You can also rent an ice locker to keep your things, in case you have a day of shopping ahead of you.
Found this clear soy sauce that a friend told us about.
Itoya, a stationary brand that has been around for over a 100 years. with the most exquisitely made things. I got journals, writing pads with watercolour prints on them, fountain pens for gifts, and other beautiful things you don’t need but will absolutely make your life better.
Cremia soft serve!!! I was looking for it all over Tokyo, but finally found it at the train station as we were leaving Tokyo. Don’t have a picture, but imagine a bunch of tourists standing on the platform, licking their ice cream cones at 8 am.
Spent a morning at Tsukiji outer market in Tokyo. We went early, and the stalls were just setting up. We had the grilled scallop that Sajjad loved. Was entirely too fishy for me.
We’ve created google maps with all of these recommendations as well as many more that we simply didn’t have the time/stomach space for. Feel free to save the maps.
Thank you Aysha! Loved the photographs as well.
These photos are so beautiful! They look like they belong in a travel magazine 💕 Japan should pay you for this much beauty captured.
Also the lists and the maps. Amazing! You and S make a great team for travel. Can only imagine the amount of work this took to plan 💕✨ thank you for sharing.