In November, I had a chance to visit Japan for the first time, traveling with my partner, who has been there many times and was able to put together a cool itinerary.
We also visited Taiwan, but that’s a story for another blog post :)
Most of our 9-day visit was based in Tokyo, but we took side trips to Yokohoma, Hakone, Enoshima, and Kamakura. These are the highlights that stand out.
First Glimpse of Mt. Fuji
Lake Ashinoko was the setting for a fun boat ride. That’s where I got my first glimpse of Mt. Fuji as it peeked through from behind the hills. What a thrill to see this majestic peak!
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
After the boat ride, we traveled on the Hakone Ropeway up the mountain in an orb to a view point in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. There, we could see fumaroles releasing smoke from the side of the mountain. We also witnessed extraordinary views of Fuji.
Hakone Open-Air Museum
This is a cool outdoor museum with public art and a whole building dedicated to Picasso works. There’s a tower you can climb to get great views. But my favorites are the outdoor pieces, like the fried egg bench.
Great Buddha of Kamakura
The town of Kamakura was a fun visit. The sweets from the pastry and ice cream shops were excellent. The bamboo village was cool. We had lunch at a very traditional restaurant where no one spoke English, which is usually the best kind of experience.
The Great Buddha (at the Kotoku-in Temple) was the visual highlight. The 93-ton statue was created in 1252, which is insanely old. We were even able to go inside the statue.
Japanese Raccoon Dog in Enoshima
I’m always on the prowl for wildlife whenever I travel, but I didn’t expect to see any on the small island of Enoshima. Yet, while walking up the steep sidewalks along the hill, we spotted a weird-looking groundhog-like creature with a striped face rummaging about in the weeds.
Later, I learned this was called a Japanese raccoon dog. We were able to observe it for about a minute before it scurried away.
Exploring Enoshima
Enoshima was one of my favorite spots. We spent a day walking around the island, looking at the shops and eateries on its main walking path.
The Enoshima Sea Candle was a cool observation tower atop the island. The Iwaya Cave was a sea cave that has been eroded by waves over the centuries.
Imperial Palace
We happened to be in town on a day when citizens were permitted to walk the grounds of the Imperial Palace. Visitors aren’t allowed to get close enough to see the actual palace.
But it was interesting to walk the grounds and see these super-old temple structures, set against the backdrop of the modern skyline.
Other places I enjoyed
All the shrines and temples
All the towers (Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree)
Yodobashi Akiba, the 7-story store with lots of electronics
Ryokan traditional hotel
Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama
Chinatown Yokohoma
Other random things about Japan I really liked
-Restaurants would have big window displays showing many of their dishes, enticing people to come inside. It was great for people like me who didn’t speak Japanese and couldn’t easily read menus.
-The subway and train systems were extensive. It was easy and intuitive to travel all over the country via train. Trains came very frequently, and always on time.
-Public bathrooms were abundant. Even most subway stations had them. You rarely see that in the U.S. On the flipside, public garbage cans were rare. We had to carry our garbage around with us.
-In fitting rooms, you have to take off your shoes and leave them outside the fitting room before trying on anything.
Foods I really enjoyed – and some weird ones I didn’t
Foods I really liked:
Okonomiyaki — a cabbage pancake topped with tuna flakes
Katsu — fried chicken or pork cutlet, covered with gravy, served with rice
Black ice cream at Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
KFC-flavored potato chips found in stores
McDonald’s “sankaku pie” — a chocolate cream pie
Snoopy pancakes at the Peanuts Cafe
Sushi! I’ve never been much of a sushi person, but this was tasty. I also tried eel for the first time (not bad)
Thanksgiving dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I enjoyed all the Japanese dishes, but since we visited on Thanksgiving weekend, I was missing turkey and stuffing. Leave it to the Hard Rock Cafe to have an American meal available!
Foods I was amused by, but didn’t try:
The octopus cracker in Enoshima, an entire octopus flattened into a cracker (“Maruyaki Tako Senbei”). Actually, I took a bite of this, but it was not great.
7-11 sold mandarin orange and whipped cream sandwiches. How strange!
Vending machines sold hot coffee in plastic bottles. I didn’t even know that was possible. Somehow the bottle didn’t melt!