Japan wrap-up: Part 1

when you spend so much time together that you start to match

We are finishing our last few days in Japan, so that means we’re doing an exit interview at the end of the trip (lol) - just a quick reflection on the highs and lows, what we would have changed about the trip, etc… tell me we’re not the only ones who do this! Anyway, similar to my goodbye SF post, there are sooo many awesome, weird, lovely things here but I tried my best to narrow my reflections down to my top 5 experiences. And while these aren’t all Japan specific, I still highly highly recommend checking it out on your next visit to this uber unique country 😁

⭐ Woodblock making class

Aditya and I enjoy taking classes back home in SF, because it’s always such a hands-on, fun learning experience. So we looked for a Karakami class, which is woodblock-printed paper, all handmade in the design! In ancient Japan, this type of paper was used by high-society aristocrats for poems and letters, with the intent of the designs bringing out beauty in their writing. Now, you can see this type of paper almost everywhere in Japan - from stationary pieces, to wallpaper, to interior decorations. This was a really fun couple hours and I’m glad to have made something that actually turned out nice that I can hang up at home (unlike all my failed paint ‘n sip classes I did 😑 I wouldn’t gift any of those paintings to even my worst enemy).

⭐ Creative Dinner Takayama in Kyoto

Ok this dining experience was incredible, and one that will be remembered forever. The restaurant is owned by Chef Takayama, and he trained in Italy so he serves a multi-course japanese-italian fusion meal. As expected from a michelin star restaurant, the food was delicious and the plating was gorgeous, but what stood out is actually the non-eating part. As you can see in the pic, we all sat theater-style to the chef and staff, so we watched them not only prepare the food (felt like a show) but also the chef and the staff come and engage with you in between the courses to get to know you - it was such a great conversation and opportunity to hang out with locals. And it was a 20 course meal so we were there for over 3 hours! So, 5 stars for the tasty food, but another star for a wonderful night speaking with such kind and genuine people. We did this for our 1 year anniversary, but I would go again even for a non-occasion (plus it's a fraction of the cost of many of the US fine dining experiences!)

⭐ Gion tour

There are so many guided tours offered in Kyoto, but we really enjoyed our small-group night tour through Nishiki night market and Gion neighborhood. We were able to try so many samples at the market, and chat with our tour guide who is Australian, but has been living in Japan for the last 25 years raising his family. I thought I would have preferred someone born and raised in Japan as our tour guide, but he was quite insightful about the cultural differences between the East and the West, speaking anecdotally. We ended the night seeing a few Geishas walking around in the evening, preparing for their night out to entertain :)

⭐ Beatles Cover Band

Japan’s music scene is next level, so when we heard about this live Beatles cover band at Abbey Road within the nightlife-packed Roppongi district, we had to go. They say the Japanese are well known for being “expert imitators” - they study the subject with the most keen attention to detail, and that couldn’t be more true for this band, The Parrots. They’ve been playing since 1990 and have performed worldwide, even for Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Sting, and countless others major artists. And lucky for us, we can find them here in Tokyo in this little club 4 nights a week for just $30 dollars. This band speaks almost no English, yet they can play a cover of all 200+ Beatles songs, with the accent and imitation down to the last hair. Even if you’re not much of a Beatles fan (I knew like 4 songs 😅), you will be dancing in your seat because the energy and talent they bring to this was just that good.

they're also just so sweet and polite 🥰

everyone that watched them play here!

⭐ Staying in a Ryokan and doing a head spa

We did a weekend trip to Hakone, to stay in a Ryokan which is a Japanese style inn. This was a really different and pleasant experience - you check in your shoes at the front desk (you’ll get them back if you leave the inn for the day 😆), and they hand you yukatas, a more casual, kimono-style dress, to wear around the inn. Kind of interesting to be wearing the same clothes as all the other guests! We stayed in Hakone to experience an onsen, which are natural hot springs (Japan has 25,000 hot springs!!) - very relaxing to stay here for a night or two. They say 1 hour of being in an onsen equals 4 hours of sleep 😴

And if you go to a onsen resort town like Hakone on a clear day, you can often see the magnificent Mt. Fuji too. She is STUNNING!

Lastly, for my ladies and fellas that love to get pampered... let me put you on this Head Spa business. A long scalp massage plus a hair treatment, this was also extremely relaxing and my hair has never been softer. I found a standard one in Tokyo, but they're all over Japan. Really wish we had these in the US, all the best self-care things are in asian countries, they do it right!

So there are the top 5! Many of the places we went to didn’t make this list, but I’ve stored everything that we did and every place that we ate or drank at in Wanderlog (places that we actually recommend, contrary to what we thought, not everything is perfect in Japan ha!)