[srinath34]

Great travelogue Vasanth and it's nice to see your parents having fun too in Japan.

It is a lovely country and I have tremendous attraction of the place. Was lucky to visit there officially (once in 2012 and again in 2023). Unfortunately, both times it was in the winter season (Jan-Mar) so had to limit my sightseeing due to harsh conditions.

Somehow feel there is a sudden discipline that we get once we land in Japan.

Being a vegetarian as well struggled quite a bit on my first visit where I had to carry packed Indian food and provisions to self-cook and ended up getting quite fit. The second time getting veg/vegan food wasn't difficult (maybe thanks to the Olympics that brought a lot of tourists to Japan) and a lot of things were in English even in 7-11, FamilyMart and Lawson stores.

Would love to go there on a holiday sometime in the future to experience it as a tourist, especially Mt. Fuji, Osaka, and Kyoto.

[Vasanth]

Day 3:
Off to Osaka by Shinkansen and stop by at Shin-Fuji station. (Remember the station where Shinkansen stops will be called ‘Shin’ - and the place name. There is even ‘Fuji station’, Osaka and Shin-Osaka and so on).
We got the new Honda Jazz as rental car for about 5-6 hours. The car was booked prior from India.
Everything went without a hitch. They asked for IDP, we cruised around Fuji from noon till sunset. The speed limit is 120kmph on the expressway, but everyone zooms past at 140kmph. Even multi axle trucks keep up good pace.
Japan has one of the strictest driving tests. The road manners, lane discipline, is clearly noticeable.
Our Jazz was just as good as any other Honda. The NVH level was almost same as the Indian version I suppose. But could have been better.
Returned the car and hopped on Shinkansen and left to Osaka

The pace at which Shinkansen munches distance is just impeccable.
The distance by road from Tokyo to Osaka is 500km and according to maps it takes 6 hours.
But The Shinkansen takes just 3 hours
And Osaka to Hiroshima is 330km.
Which takes only 1 hour and 30 min by Shinkansen.
This level of connectivity, public transport system will never be possible in India
I am doing masters in Bangalore now. My home is 330km away in Mlore. It takes 7 hours by road, 12 hours by train & 2 hours to get to airport. And I need to plan and start my journey every time.
The velocity at which the Shinkansen picks up, the whoooooooshhhhh sound when it flies past at 300kmph is something our brains cannot comprehend.
Our colonial era Indian trains could be punctual at the least and free from malodour.



Just look at the floor of the train even at the corners and edges! How are they even able to maintain it that clean!


Our Honda Jazz for the drive.


In a town called Fujioshida
Unfortunately Mt. Fuji was covered with clouds and it was so stubborn to move away along the whole drive.





Day 4: Explore Kyoto and Osaka
Kyoto is just half an hour local train ride from Osaka.
This is the traditional side of Japan. It is also a tourist trap. The public transport system gets overcrowded.
It’s still a must see place. There are few attractions like the deer park but we skipped and chose to take a stroll in the medieval Japanese town.

Explore Osaka, loiter around Dotonburi, in the night. It’s vibrant and colourful.
















Dotonburi Osaka. You can even take a boat ride on the river.
There were octopus restaurants and long queue people waiting for it



Day 5: Visit Hiroshima
You’re guilty until proven innocent.
The perception I had in mind and the reality is completely opposite
I thought Hiroshima would be covered in debris, dirty contaminated radioactive atmosphere, environment etc.
Let the pictures speak for themselves.










Came back to Osaka by evening. Visited Dotonburi again and called it a day.
Osaka too had a very good subway system, with excellent connectivity.

They have maintained Kyoto just as it is. From the pictures you can see those electricity wires hanging around. There are no subways. In the whole trip there was just one time we hired a taxi. And it was in Kyoto.

[Vasanth]

Day 6 & 7: Back to Tokyo again
We need at least 4 days in Tokyo
Maybe 7? Maybe 10? Perhaps rest of your life? Aah! I don’t know!

Places visited
Knife shop at Asakusa
Japanese knives are renowned all over the world and it is the choice of knife for all the Michelin star chefs. Bought 3 knives from here with dad’s name engraved on it. And a knife sharpener too.




Spotted this beautiful Subaru Impreza WRX STI

The streets are … C-L-E-A-N

Shibuya scramble crossing again.
We crossed and had a sight of this mad junction n number of times.
Everytime I watch the video, i remember the scene from Fast & Furious movie Hans quote. “I need trust and character around me.”

Yodobashi electric city
So it’s basically Lulu mall of India.
But it’s just electronic items.
And it’s 8-9 floors
And you need to devote half day to spend here.
There is something for everyone. All weird inventions and stuffs which you never imagined you’ll find here.
I even laid my hands on the rare handmade Hasselblad Camera. Convert that money by yourself.









Just look how high end speakers, amplifiers etc are stacked up like Parle-G biscuits.




This is a toilet seat which you can attach to your existing ‘antique’ style commode. Where toilets are luxury in some villages in India, Japan is selling these.

[vb-saan]

Thank you for sharing the travelogue. Japan (Tokyo especially) is a place you find orderliness and chaos harmoniously co-exist.

Originally Posted by Vasanth

Suica Card

How did you manage to get the green Suica card? I remember what I got last time at Haneda airport was the red one, with limited validity.

Originally Posted by Vasanth

There are 2 airports in Tokyo
Narita: far from city, about 1 hour travel
Air fare will be cheaper.
There is dedicated metro just for this airport called Narita Express. There are buses and taxis too.

I am not sure if the airfares are cheaper to Narita when compared to Haneda. And from both airports there are Airport Limousine buses which will drop you off directly at the hotel lobby (almost all major hotels in Tokyo are covered).

Originally Posted by Vasanth

We are Indians. The only thing as an Indian I am proud of us is our food.

That’s quite a statement!

There are already a few responses on the comments on Japanese food; not adding further

[rajorshiroy84]

Hi. Thank you for the detailed travelogue. Can you please mention the hotels / Airbnbs which you availed of while in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto? Thanks!

[1.6S10]

I just returned from a little holiday in Japan earlier this week. Even though it was my second time, it was absolutely incredible (yes, including the food, hehe).

I came across this interesting Nissan “showroom”, called Nissan Crossing, in the Ginza district of Tokyo, right opposite the historic Seiko House.

The ground level showcased their 1,341 bhp electric hyper-car concept - the Nissan Hyper Force.







Also showcased were the Serena Hybrid MPV (can be seen in the far right side of the above picture), and the Ariya SUV (not pictured) - their second EV in over a decade, after the Leaf.

In the second storey sat the legendary GTR R-35 T-spec, where one could simply hop into the car! Needless to say, I did.







A bit further down was a Datsun 2000 Sportster





Beyond the Datsun was a nice little setup of various Nissan Hot Wheels scale models (or were they Tamiya?)



Further down from there was some merchandise including t-shirts, keychains, mugs, etc.

Originally Posted by AceCombatFanIN

5. What are some things that we do normally in India but should avoid in Japan?

Just to add to what handsofsteel already touched on:

• No talking on phones while in public transport.
• Eating on local public transport is not prohibited per se, but it is not recommended, as it's frowned upon. Unless it's a long-distance journey, like the Shinkansen (bullet train), where it's more acceptable.
• For some reason, eating while walking is also frowned upon
  I suppose they prioritise not eating in a hurry, and also eating might distract your walk, potentially disrupting foot traffic
• Although the streets and public places are squeaky clean, you will hardly find any public trash bins! So be prepared to carry your trash until you find a bin. The convenience stores like Lawson/7-Eleven/Family Mart have trash bins, though.

Regarding the language - “Konnichiwa” (hello), “Sumimasen” (sorry/excuse me), “Arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you) go a long way, and are well appreciated by the locals.

Cheers.

[bhairavp]

The 7-11s have some decent vegetarian snacks if you like. Everytime we go, we pick up Royce chocolates for family - much cheaper in Japan as compared to India.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by 1.6S10

[*]For some reason, eating while walking is also frowned upon
I suppose they prioritise not eating in a hurry, and also eating might distract your walk, potentially disrupting foot traffic
[*]Although the streets and public places are squeaky clean, you will hardly find any public trash bins! So be prepared to carry your trash until you find a bin. The convenience stores like Lawson/7-Eleven/Family Mart have trash bins, though.[/list]

Eating while walking is frowned upon because there are higher chances of bits of food (or wrappers) getting dropped, which violates their scrupulous sense of cleanliness.

In Japan, there are very complicated rules, mainly defined by local governments, around trash disposal. It is just not only simple differentiation between wet and dry waste. Residents would know this, tourists would not. In fact, Japanese Language Tests' reading comprehension would typically be such passages with a set of rules and questions based on that (I have done so many of them ). Public trash bins would mean these rules cannot be followed.

[Kkumar]

Vow, what a wonderful travelogue with great photos. Every journey makes a man more wise as it gives him exposure to new culture and civilisation. I think you had a great time in Japan. Thank you for sharing and keep on munching miles.

[1.6S10]

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

Eating while walking is frowned upon because there are higher chances of bits of food (or wrappers) getting dropped, which violates their scrupulous sense of cleanliness.

Ah, thanks, makes sense. The Japanese sense of cleanliness is second to none. Although I am one of those who carries their trash with them until a bin is found (regardless of which country I'm in), I must admit it got a bit frustrating at times struggling to find bins in Japan

[RaviKBobba]

Thanks for your post. The pictures show how clean their country is and gives us a nice vibe.

[anandkumargb]

Hi All,

Need your advice. I have a trip planned to Japan in May with wife and 2 kids. I am planning to take self drive car for 15 days. In all my research online and Social media reels, came across no one who has taken self drive cars in Japan.

I know Japan is famous for its trains but I prefer self drive cars. Need some inputs on parking tickets and spot availability. Would the hotels/Airbnb provide free overnight parking.

[Mustang Sammy]

Nice travelogue: well written and with informative and well shot pics. Japan is a lovely place to visit.

Have been there a couple times on work trips, 19 years back. The Japanese sense of aesthetics, attention to detail and workmanship is seen across everything they do. Things are thoughtfully designed, the whole country is spic and span, and even their public toilets will put a 6 star hotel suite elsewhere to shame.
I for one loved the food. The Japanese ethos of excellence shows up there too. The best European meal I ever had was in Kyoto.

[carhead]

Please pardon if this comes across as a rant. I also love & am proud of my country.

With both of the above points out of the way, I throw my hands up in despair at the total lack of civic sense & utter traffic chaos in India.

Littering, loud-mouthing, jumping queues, gaming the system are all inherent in our society. We aspire to be a world leader but cant get basic orderliness & discipline in place.

There would be many arm chair critics like me with multiple opinions on how to fix this.

My take is: We all need to make a conscious effort towards mending ways. Be true role-models & teach kids at a young age .

Time will tell.

[Vasanth]

Originally Posted by AceCombatFanIN

This is just the guide I needed! Thanks a lot for your informative post as I'm planning to make a trip to Japan for my first solo international trip ever around November 2025. I just had a few queries.

1. Did you know any prior Japanese beforehand for ease of communication?
2. What's the cost of renting a car for a day?
3. How many days would you recommend?
4. Is a budget around 1.5 to 2L sensible or am I being too cheap?
5. What are some things that we do normally in India but should avoid in Japan?

Sorry to pester you with so many questions, but that's just me being hyper since like I said, I'm planning for a trip too and this is exactly the guide I needed!

1. No we did not know any Japanese. The only thing I know is Arigato Gozaimasu, which means thank you. Language could be a problem when you’re shopping in 7-11s. For the packed noodles etc. the cashier won’t know basic words like chicken/vegetarian/pork etc.
2. Cost for renting a car a day: depends on the car size. They have kei cars. Which costs between 5-6k in Indian rupees a day. But they’re very underpowered. Suitable only for city commute. The next segment consists of Swift, Jazz etc. they cost between 9-11k INR.
3. Minimum 7 days. Maximum 15 days.
Because Tokyo alone we need 5 days at the least.
4. 1.5 - 2 L for a week’s trip is actually more than you guessed it. The only major expense is the Flight ticket. The transit, food and stay is all cheap. Japanese subways are so well connected and convenient we do not need to rent a car again.
5. What to do/not to do in Japan :
If there was a pictographic representation of ‘civic sense’ it would be Japan.
Apart from usual not being loud, not speaking on the phone, standing on left side of escalator,
Other weird things what I experienced were:
• do not hand the cash directly to the cashier. There will be a tray. You should deposit money on the tray
• in some places, the billing machine itself has tray, something like what we see in banks here. It sucks the cash and coins right inside. So no concept of handing over the cash.
• When we are giving or receiving something, do it in both hands and bow down. It’s a sense of great culture, respect and gratitude.
• On subways: be pindrop silent. I used to whisper into my parents ears/do hand and eye gestures to tell this is our stop, we need to get down.