thattravelguy

🚨🚨HIDDEN ONSEN TOWN IN NEAR KYOTO ALERT 🚨🚨 📍Just a little over 2 hours north of Kyoto lies Yamashiro Onsen, a beautiful a off the beaten path Hot Spring Town with a rich history spanning more than 1300 years. With a beautiful atmosphere, fantastic hot springs, delicious food and beautiful Ryokan to stay at, Yamashiro Onsen really is the quintessential off the beaten path experience in Japan. Highly recommend visiting if you want to experience a truly off the beaten path gem without many foreign tourists and beautiful scenery! 🚆Yamashiro Onsen can be reached via Kagaonsen Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. To get to Kagaonsen Station from Kyoto, take the Limited Express Thunderbird train to Tsuruga Station and transfer to the Hokuriku Shinkansen. From Tokyo, the Hokuriku Shinkansen takes around 3 hours to reach Kagaonsen Station. From Kagaonsen Station, your Ryokan accommodation will be able to pick you up with a dedicated shuttle bus (ideally specify your arrival time in advance). #pr

This is such a cool thing to do on your next Japan Trip! 😱 Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese technique to restore broken plates, cups etc. that is said to have started when a Japanese nobleman’s China plate broke and he had it sent back for repairs. When it arrived, he wasn’t satisfied with the result and instead had it fixed back together with gold, creating the first instance of Kintsugi! And you too can try it when visiting Japan by booking your Kintsugi Experience on Klook, right in the heart of Shinjuku! And don’t forget to use my code “THATTRAVELGUY” for some extra $$$ off! #pr #klookcreator @klook_usa

Nobody ever thinks about visiting Ibaraki when they come to Tokyo… and that’s a mistake! 👀 📍Located just around 2 hours from Tokyo, Ibaraki is one of those places that gets overlooked by almost every tourist, despite having some really beautiful nature, temples, ocean views and seasonal flowers. Here are some of the highlights you can visit in just one day: ☔️Amabiki Kannon: Beautiful hillside temple surrounded by nature and especially famous for its Hydrangea in June and July. ⛩️Oarai Isosaki Shrine: A beautiful shrine right next to the ocean with its famous Torii Gate standing in the water. 🦪Nakaminato: One of the best places in the area to try fresh seafood, with massive oysters being one of the local specialties. 🌸Hitachi Seaside Park: A huge park famous for its seasonal flowers, including the famous blue Nemophila in spring and red Kochia in autumn. 🚍And the best part is that you can visit all of these places as part of a day trip from Tokyo without having to worry about figuring out all the connections yourself. I visited Ibaraki with Klook and would definitely recommend booking the tour if you want an easy way to explore the area, with pickup and drop-off right outside Tokyo Station. 💴Use my code THATTRAVELGUY to save some extra money on your Klook booking! Definitely consider adding Ibaraki to your Japan itinerary if you want to get away from the usual tourist spots around Tokyo. #pr #klookcreator @Klook USA

I wish more people knew about this area north of Tokyo! 😱🍁 📍Most people come here for the autumn colors, but summer might actually be my favorite time to visit. The mountains are covered in lush green, the weather is much cooler than Tokyo and some of Nikko’s most famous spots can feel surprisingly peaceful. 🌊Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls and Irohazaka are especially beautiful this time of year, with the deep blue water and green mountains creating a completely different atmosphere from the famous red and orange fall scenery. But the biggest difference is the lack of crowds. You can visit places like Toshogu Shrine and Shinkyo Bridge without dealing with the same insane congestion that makes Nikko so difficult during peak autumn season. 🚍If you want an easy way to visit from Tokyo, Klook has day tours to Nikko with pickup from Shinjuku or Tokyo Station, so you can see the main sights without having to worry about getting around yourself. 💴Use my code THATTRAVELGUY to save some extra money! Make sure to add Nikko to your travel itinerary no matter which season you visit Japan in! #pr #klookkreator @Klook USA

Hidden Gems near Tokyo don’t come better than this! 👀 📍The Miura Peninsula is a beautiful getaway from Tokyo city, featuring wild oceans, cliff views and some of the freshest seafood you can find in Japan! With a nice rustic mix of old-school Showa-Japan and modern surfer town vibes, this area can easily rival Kamakura; minus the crowds. And what’s even more insane is the value ticket that you can get for this area: The Misaki Maguro Ticket, at just around $25 covers pretty much all transportation, a fresh Sushi or seafood bowl in more than two dozen restaurants of your choice and even an activity like a bike rental or glass floor boat ride! Get your Misaki Maguro Ticket on Klook and easily exchange it for the physical ticket at the Keikyu service center in either Yokohama or Shinagawa. And if you do, make sure to use my coupon code THATTRAVELGUY, to save some extra money! #pr #klookkreator @Klook USA

🍜 Think a 3⭐ restaurant is bad? Not in Japan. 🙅 One of the biggest mistakes I see travelers make is skipping restaurants because they have a "low" rating. But Japan's review culture is completely different. A 3.3-3.7 on Tabelog can easily be one of the best meals you'll have on your trip. I've found some of my favorite local spots this way, places packed with Japanese diners that most tourists would walk right past. That's why I use Tabelog whenever I'm looking for somewhere to eat. It helps you discover incredible local restaurants, check reviews, and even make reservations, all in multiple languages. If you're planning a trip to Japan, this is one app you'll want to have before you arrive. Comment below and I'll send you the download link! #tabelog #tabelogapp #pr

DO NOT RESERVE A SEAT FOR THE BULLET TRAIN IN JAPAN 🚅❌🇯🇵 Here’s why 👇 When taking a bullet train in Japan, you have the option of getting a reserved or non-reserved ticket. While the reserved ticket does guarantee you a seat, in my opinion it is the worst of the two options for 4 different reasons: 💴The non reserved ticket is cheaper. Only slightly, yes, but considering it is the better option, the extra savings of a couple hundred yen is a nice little bonus on top. ⏱️Flexibility. With a non-reserved ticket you can pretty much take any train along your route for that day. Worried the Nozomi might be full? Get on a Kodama instead (even if it is slower). Sure, if you miss your reserved train, you can still use the ticket like a non-reserved one, but again, then the unreserved would just be better. 🗻Higher chance of seeing Mt. Fuji. Now this is a big one. Most of you are probably aware that you want to sit on the right hand side from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto to see Mt. Fuji (and on the left when returning). Well the problem is that most of you know this. Meaning these window seats usually book out fast. So if you’re unlucky, you might be out of luck. BUT, if you get on an unreserved car, especially from the first departure station, for example Tokyo, and you line up a bit earlier, you can pretty much guarantee a stress-free window seat.

I can’t believe it took me over 10 years to finally visit this part of Japan; I was missing out for so long! 📍Fukui is one of Japan’s least visited prefectures situated on the Hokuriku Arch along the sea of Japan. Primarily known as “Jurassic Land” due to many dinosaur fossils being found in the area, Fukui should also be known as “off the beaten path wonderland”. At least if I had a say in it. With stunning rural landscapes, lush forests and some of the most incredible temples I have ever seen, this prefecture has it all and yet it is missing one thing noticeably: tourists. In many of the places I visited, I ended up being the only person. Something which felt satisfying but also eerie at the same time. With the recent expansion of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, Fukui can now be reached from Tokyo Station in less than 3 hours, making for the perfect stop between Tokyo and Kyoto! If you are looking for a stunning off the beaten path area to explore on your next Japan trip, make sure to add Fukui to your travel itinerary :)

Run, don’t walk to Family Mart if you are in Japan right now! 🏃🧦 To celebrate its 45th anniversary, Family Mart Japan is currently selling exclusive socks in a unique design in each of Japan’s 47 Prefectures, featuring regionally inspired colors. Each design is completely unique to each prefecture from Hokkaido to Okinawa so if you travel to multiple places in Japan, you can collect them all. But be fast, because even I had difficulties finding some in certain prefectures, being told that they are sold out in the entire prefecture! 😱

This might be Hakone’s best hidden fall color spot 🍁🏛️👇 📍Hakone Museum of Art is a small museum near Gora best known for its beautiful moss garden and fall colors. While most people visiting Hakone focus on the lake area or ropeway, the gardens here become incredibly beautiful in November with maple trees covering the pathways in red leaves. The atmosphere is also much quieter and calmer than many other places around Hakone. 🚃The museum is located just a few minutes on foot from Koen-Kami Station or around 10 minutes from Gora Station. 🍁To find more hidden fall color spots around Hakone, Tokyo, Kyoto, Mt. Fuji and more, feel free to check out my off the beaten path fall color guide. Link is in my bio 🔗🗾

Before Fall colors, these beautiful flowers are the highlight of early fall in Japan 👇 📍From September 21st to October 6th, the Kinchakuda Spider Lily festival is taking place in Saitama, just north of Tokyo. At Kinchakuda Manjushage Park, tens of thousands of vibrant red spider lilies blanket the area in an irresistible hue unlike anywhere else. Note that the official festival period does not necessarily coincide with the bloom of the flowers; that is dependent on weather. Please consult the website for official updates on current flowering status. 🚆To get to the park, take the Seibu Ikebukuro Line to Hanno Station and transfer to a local train to reach Koma Station. From there, it is a roughly 20 minutes walk with a lot of signage to reach the festival grounds. 💴Entrance fee is 500 yen but only during the period in which the flowers are actually blooming (To be decided)

Hidden in the hills above the city are countless beautiful temples and ancient shrines with stunning seasonal scenery; the most beautiful of all being in fall. Here are a couple of my favorites 👇 📍Myohon-ji: Beautiful massive temple grounds with a terrace on the main temple building overlooking fall colors. 📍Houkoku-ji: Most famous for its bamboo grove, there are some stunning fall colors here too, especially at the entrance. 📍Zuisen-ji: Calm temple at the end of a residential street with massive cave up on a hill. 📍Egara Tenjin Shrine: The main highlight here is a massive Gingko tree overlooking Kamakura city below. 📍Sugimoto Temple: The oldest temple in Kamakura located up on a hill. Stunning fall colors and rich history. 📍Jochi-ji Temple: Small temple with beautiful Gingko tree and cinematic stone steps leading up to it. 📍Ichijo Ekan Sanso: A former Kyoto villa that was moved to Kamakura. Only open during the fall season. 📍Kakuon-ji Temple: Small temple grounds with stunning Momiji Maple leafs. For more fall colors, feel free to check out my off the beaten path Japan Guide with 55+ autumn spots across Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kamakura and more! Link is in my bio 🗾🍁🔗

This might just be the prettiest building in Tokyo! ✨ 📍MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives is located right next to Takanawa Gateway Station and while already impressive from the outside, once you enter inside, you will be completely stunned. Spread across 5 floors, there are amazingly designed chill-out places, a museum with rotating exhibitions and even an open-air rooftop garden with amazing views out on the train tracks below including the famous Shinkansen Bullet train passing below 🚅 Make sure to add this spot to your itinerary if you visit Takanawa Gateway!

Everybody that visits Hakone misses this incredible free spot 😱 📍Located inside the gardens of a local Ryokan in the Hakone Yumoto area is a beautiful waterfall that is freely accessible to the public, making the perfect start for your Hakone day trip. Walking there alongside the river in Hakone is also a fantastic way to see a new part of the area (I even saw a Kingfisher on my way there!). Highly recommended making the way there if you are visiting the Hakone area anyways! 🚆To get there, it takes around 15-20 minutes walking from Hakone-Yumoto Station. Cost: Free.

At this point I am also not sure if I would take it back 🫶🇯🇵 Locations: 📍Rikugien, Tokyo 📍Skytree, Tokyo 📍Minamiaso, Kumamoto 📍Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 📍Koyasan, Wakayama 📍Arakayama Sengen Park, Yamanashi 📍Tadami Line, Fukushima 📍Yamakita, Kanagawa 📍Tokyo Edo Open Air Museum, Tokyo 📍Asakusa, Tokyo 📍Lake Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi 📍Haraoka Piers, Chiba 📍Shosenkyo Gorge, Yamanashi 📍Shibuya, Tokyo 📍Airplane, above the clouds

🚨🚨NEW FREE ACTIVITY IN TOKYO ALERT 🚨🚨 The other day I finally got to tick this fantastic experience off my Tokyo bucket list after years; here’s how you can too: 📍Located in eastern Tokyo, Wasen no Tomo Kai (Wasen Friendship Association) is inviting the public to try these traditional old-school Japanese rowing boats around once a week. The exact schedule can be found on their Website (https://www.wasen-tomo.com/en/), but is generally once or twice a week on Wednesday or Sunday. When I went it was pretty empty so I got a private ride where I could steer the entire time myself! Departures are from 10:00AM to 14:30PM and are cancelled if the weather is too bad. 🚆The closest station is Sumiyoshi Station on the Shinjuku Subway Line. From there, it takes around 15 minutes to reach the pier where the boats depart from. Highly recommended adding this spot to your Tokyo itinerary to try something completely unique and FREE!

Because I can Sheryl. Okay? Two years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Kyoto during fall colors for the first time and I was completely blown away by the stunning scenery everywhere. But what I was even more blown away by was the amount of people. Specifically how few there were. Due to a combination of fall colors being two weeks late and me researching spots that are very off the beaten path, these spots are actually as empty as they look like on these pictures. Highly recommend adding Kyoto to your fall color itinerary and hitting up these spots because they really deserve to be seen by more people 🫶🏻🍁

Want to Travel all of Japan for less than $20/day? Here’s why you don’t 👇 This is the Youth 18 Ticket, the absolutely cheapest way to get across Japan. For just 12500 Yen for 5 days, you get unlimited train travel across all of Japan, allowing you to cover distances that would otherwise cost up to 20 times the price for almost free. But the catch? You can only use local trains which are very slow and require a lot of transferring. A Tokyo-Kyoto trip, while only costing $20, will turn from a brisk 2.5 hour direct ride on the bullet train to a 7 hour trip with 6 transfers in between. Sure you save some money, but for most people, this way of traveling is not really worth it. Another downside is that unlike in the past, you can only use the Youth 18 Ticket on consecutive days. No more staying a couple days in one city and then moving on; this significantly lowers its value (although you can still get your money’s worth). If you really want to try this style of travel, the ticket is on sale during holiday periods in Japan in Spring (March 1st to April 10th), Summer (July 18th to September 8th) and Winter (December 10th to January 10th). There are two versions: A 5 day ticket costing 12,500 Yen and a 3 day version costing 10,000 Yen).

These are some of my favorite viewpoints across Tokyo. From observatories, to slopes and even just rooftops. Tokyo a city with 35 million people has (almost) as many fantastic views! 📍Hijiribashi Bridge, Ochanomizu 📍Back of The Ueno Royal Museum, Ueno Station 📍Mukojima-Hyakkaen Gardens, Sumida 📍Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory, Shinjuku 📍Marunouchi Building, Tokyo Station 📍Shintoshinhodo Bridge, Shinjuku Station 📍Kibunezaka, Ota City 📍Mori Tower, Roppongi 📍Asakusa Visitor Center, Asakusa 📍Carrot Tower, Setagaya 📍Shiinamachi Station, Toshima 📍Bunkyo Civic Center, Bunkyo City 📍Kitte Mall, Tokyo Station 📍Skytree, Sumida

📍Boso Peninsula: Located in Chiba Prefecture, this peninsula offers stunning beaches, mountains and small fishing towns. It’s a mostly off the beaten path destination with few tourists. Highlights include the Kominato Railway, Nokogiriyama, Haraoka Pier and Gakekannon. 📍Saitama: The Tokyo suburbs stretching to the north soon become Saitama. In the south of the prefecture there are some stunning Sakura spots such as Kawagoe Kumagaya, while the north offers unspoiled nature in the Chichibu Region. 📍Hakone: A classic getaway from Tokyo offering mountains, lush forests and Fuji views. The best season to visit is in Fall for the stunning fall colors. Do expect this to be more crowded though. 📍Kamakura/Enoshima: Another classic day trip from Tokyo. This seaside town in Kanagawa West of Tokyo perfectly blends surfertown vibes with ancient temples as this used to be the capital of Japan. Easy to reach and get around. 📍Izu Peninsula: Located just west of Tokyo with stunning beaches (Shirahama), Onsen Towns (Atami, Shuzenji) and plenty of beautiful nature to explore (Mt. Omuro, Jogasaki Coast, Kawazu). Easy to reach with a direct limited express train from Tokyo. 📍Ibaraki: Often voted as Japan’s most boring Prefecture. Some very nice off the beaten spots do make it worth visiting such as Mt. Tsukuba, Oarai Shrine, Amebiki Kannon and Hitachi Seaside Park. 📍Kawaguchiko: The best place to see Mt. Fuji near Tokyo. Access is easy via a direct train or bus. Can get very crowded during peak seasons (Fall, Sakura), but the area is big enough to get away from crowds. 📍Nikko: The earliest fall colors near Tokyo in Fall. During autumn, it can get extremely crowded here but summer is a good alternative season to visit to escape the city heat. Can be done as a day trip or overnight. 📍Tokyo, Okutama: Westernmost region of Tokyo that sees unspoiled nature with forests, rivers and lakes. Easy access via train from Central Tokyo makes this the perfect getaway especially in summer to swim in the wild rivers or in fall for some autumn hiking.