I know this is about a full month after my trip to Japan but I’m finally ready to share our trip with all of you and must see spots for anyone planning their own trip. I have to say the country was so clean, everyone was so respectful and every city so safe! I would highly recommend Japan as their architecture is completely different than anything here in the US and even Europe where I have traveled all over and the food, so yummy!
Up first, day 1 and 2 in Narita and Shizuoka…
Our first night’s dinner
The menu from our first night’s dinner
Japanese rest stops
Day 1:
We arrived in Japan in the late afternoon and took a shuttle to our hotel. Our first hotel, the Raddison in Narita was close to the airport and only took about 20 minutes to get there. We were only here one night and didn’t spend any time exploring as we were exhausted and jet lagged. However, we had a delicious dinner at Yamato which was an easy walk from our hotel. It was very authentic, they didn’t speak any english but had an english menu luckily!
The gondola ride up to the top
Paths and shrines along the top of the mountain
Mount Fuji in the distance from the lake
A very windy and chilly day at the lake
Day 2:
We woke up early and took a bus rode to Shizuoka. Along the way we stopped at many rest stops which I recommend as the food is so much more delicious than what we have here riding on the turnpike. It felt more like street vendor style and the bathrooms at these stops were spotless. The toilet seats were heated!
At Hakone we saw the beautiful Lake Ashi and the Hakone Shrine. We took a boat in the lake to the gondola which took us up to Owakudani. The views on the ride up are stunning but if you’re scared of heights this may not be the best idea for you. Once at the top there are beautiful shrines and rock paths to explore. If you look below you’ll find views of the lake and town. To the side you’ll find Mount Fuji. It was gorgeous! On a clear day the views are amazing. It is very chilly and windy though as you’re in a higher altitude so bring a coat!
After checking out the views we came back down from the mountain, rode the ferry again and stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants along Lake Ashi. The streets is lined with many options from American burgers to quick sandwiches but we opted for ramen. After lunch we checked out some of the shops along the street. They are very tiny and have more tourist knick knacks but still worth a look for gifts. During this evening we stayed in Hamamatsu which at the Hotel Crown Palais. This is halfway between Hakone and Kyoto which is where we were headed the next day. It is a beautiful hotel with a classy bar that we went to in the evening.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post on Kyoto…
