Solo Trip
My Solo Trip to Japan in 2022
Preface
At this time, I had been wishing to go to Japan for a long time. Finally an opportunity arose when I realized that by joining a Japanese learning school there, not only would I be able to improve my Japanese, which I had already been learning for 2 years, but I would also be able to sightsee and explore the country on my own terms. Thus a plan was created for 15 year old me to travel to Japan all by myself for a month.
Journey
Japan is quite far from the East Coast of the US, so it is expected that it would take a long time to get there, but my travel time was definitely longer than most people’s. Starting off with a flight from Newark to Chicago early in the morning on July 29th, and a quick stopover there, I then enjoyed and endured almost a 13 hour long flight from Chicago to Tokyo. However, the trip didn’t end there. Not only did I then have to wait for 17 hours at Haneda airport, where I had no shortage of issues as to where I should check in my bags and where I should sleep, I then had to take yet another flight in order to reach Kansai International Airport (KIX), where I was then picked up and led to my homestay house. And so I reached my final destination on the morning of July 31st.
August 1st
After arriving at Genki JACS, the Japanese language program I was participating in, I met with the other students and quickly made friends with them. Soon my lessons were finished for the day, and I realized that the best use of my time would be to go sightseeing whenever my lessons ended each day.
One of the first pieces of Japanese Culture which I experienced after arriving in Japan was eating at a belt sushi restaurant, which I went to with three of my new friends, Samuel, Storm, and Roman.
Later that evening, my new friends and I explored the nearby Yasaka Shrine.
August 2nd
Another new culinary experience was eating ramen at Kyoto Engine Ramen, where there were vegetarian and vegan dishes on offer alongside the usual meat and fish filled ones.
Although Yasaka Shrine was impressive in its own right, Fushimi Inari Shrine, my next destination, was indescribably better. Being the head shrine of the kami Inari, and containing thousands upon thousands of vermillion torii gates, while being located next to Mount Inari, makes it the perfect spot for a scenic, although slightly exhausting hike up the mountain. You’ll barely even notice how tired you are since you’ll be busy admiring the beauty of these mystical gates.
August 3rd
Bento boxes are an infamous meal in Japan, and so at lunchtime, I decided to check out the variety of meals which a bento shop provides on a daily basis.
Not much later, a friend of mine and I decided to conquer the looming Kyoto Tower and take in its breathtaking view.
That evening, on my way back to my homestay house, I explored one of the large EDION electronics stores which happened to be nearby, and which are scattered all over Japan.
August 4th
On this day, a friend and I went to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which was much larger than I expected. Although the main building itself wasn’t too large or impressive, the area which it was contained in spanned far and wide, containing multiple nice views. Unfortunately, it suddenly began pouring when we went and so the two of us were thoroughly soaked by the time we were able to leave, despite the fact that it had been boiling hot when we entered the premises.
Since I still had more time left in the day, a few other friends and I went over to the famous Kiyomizudera Temple. Although it was a bit foggy, the views were exceptional and this location ended up having one of the largest impacts on me.
August 5th
Everyone has heard of the infamous cat cafés which exist in Japan, and so I had to check one out for myself. Thus, my friend and I went to Puchi Marry Cat Café, where there was an abundance of cute cats which could be pet.
Pontocho street
Festival at Kameoka
August 6th
Shimogamo shrine
Fabric dyeing at Yuzen Handmade Corner
Playing the piano on a public street
Going on a stroll through different areas of town
August 7th
Anime and manga shops in Denden Town such as Torejaras, Surugaya Specialty Store, Gamers, Taito Station Games, and Animate
Going to a maid café
Dotonbori
August 8th
Kyoto Railway Museum
Kyoto Aquarium
August 9th
Yasaka Pagoda
Kodaiji Temple
Japanese style Starbucks
Nanzenji Temple
Philosopher’s Path
August 10th
At a nearby Japanese bookshop which I visited, there was a small selection of manga which could be bought, along with more traditional Japanese novels
100 yen store
After going to the 100 yen store, I quickly popped into one of the Kyoto Surugaya Specialty Stores, to check out some of the anime merchandise they were selling there
Kyoto National Museum
August 11th
I spent this entire day at Universal Studios Japan (USJ). Although I visited every area in the theme park and rode almost every single one of the most popular rides, for the sake of brevity, I must only mention the highlights
One of the first areas I explored was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which contained one of my favorite rides, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
In the afternoon, I got to explore one of the newest and most detailed areas, Super Nintendo World. Although it was by far the most crowded area in the park, and thus required a free reservation to enter, it definitely had a unique charm to it
Nearing the end of the day, I also got to see parts of Universal Cool Japan, or in other words, an anime related area unique to the Japan location of Universal Studios. Unfortunately, the Attack on Titan ride, which seemed quite exciting, was temporarily closed
August 12th
Nishiki Market
International Manga Museum
Festival at Nijo Castle
August 13th
Going to Nanzanji again
Kyoto City Zoo
Making a goshincho
Karaoke
Onsen
August 14th
On this day, I went on a day trip to Hiroshima. My first stop was Shukkeien Garden
Hiroshima Castle
Due to my legs being tired after a morning full of strenuous walking, I decided to take a quick break at CoCo Ichibanya to have some wonderful curry for lunch
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
After leaving the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, it was getting quite late, and so I was forced to rush through viewing the many memorials in the Peace Memorial Park. I was able to visit the Hiroshima Victims Memorial Cenotaph, the Flame of Peace, and the Children’s Peace Monument, with the grand finale being the historic Atomic Bomb Dome
August 15th
On this day, I made a day trip to Kobe, a city quite close to Osaka. Starting off with the city’s most famous shrine, I visited Ikuta Shrine
Nunokibi Herb Garden Ropeway
Nunokibi Herb Garden
August 16th
Continuing the pattern of day trips, I visited Nara for some time. First, I went to Kofukuji Temple
Deer at Nara Park
Todaiji Temple
Kasuga Taisha
Later in the evening, I did some window shopping at a music store, where there were a variety of high quality instruments and a One Piece Mugiwara Store Mini
August 17th
After going to Arashiyama for the morning, I visited the kimono forest there
Bamboo Forest
Sogenchi Teien Garden
Nonomiya Shrine
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
August 18th
A trip to Miyajima island started off with taking the JR ferry
After reaching the island, I had to see the most iconic item there, the red torii gate at Itsukushima Shrine, which can be considered a symbol of Japan. Unfortunately, when I went to visit, it was being renovated, and thus it was quite heavily covered with scaffolding
After Itsukushima Shrine, I moved onto Mt. Misen, which I began to hike up. When it got too late in the day and too dark to keep moving forward, I was forced to come back down the mountain
August 19th
Within the Daitokuji Temple complex, I first visited Ryogen-in Temple
Zuiho-in Temple
Kinkakuji
August 20th
Chion-in Temple
Karakami cards at Karamaru
Nishijin fabric
Shonen Jump Shop
HEP Five’s red ferris wheel
Water Clock
Finally, to end off the day, I ate some Okonomiyaki for the first time at a vegetarian friendly restaurant called Aju
August 21th
This day was spent fully in Osaka, and so I started off with the One Piece Mugiwara Store
Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle Park
Osaka Science Museum
Grand Front Osaka
In the basement of the Hanshin Department Store, there was also a wonderful area to shop for food, especially a variety of desserts
Ohatsu Tenjin Shrine
August 22nd
Sanjusangendo Temple
Soon afterwards, I bought a yukata for my mom at Kyoto Kimono Rental SAKURA
Lashinbang
August 23rd
On this day, I ate ramen for a second time at Kyoto Engine Ramen
Ginkakuji Temple
Sports Entertainment Round 1
August 24th
On the 24th, I bought another yukata, for my dad this time around
Unfortunately, one of the members of my homestay family tested COVID positive and so I had to move to a hotel. However, the Toyoko Inn was quite nice and so I saw this more as a new experience than a negative one
August 25th
Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
After leaving the monkey park, I attempted to board the Sagano Scenic Railway train, but was too tired and thus ended up missing the last train of the day
August 26th
Due to the fact that this was the last full day left in my Japan trip, I decided to spend it revisiting two of the most memorable locations I had visited. The first was Kiyomizudera Temple
After leaving the temple, I quickly hurried to Fushimi Inari Shrine, where I proceeded to walk up the mountain for a second time. On the way up, I discovered a new route, called the Bamboo Route, which also led to the top of the mountain. Although I wouldn’t recommend it if it is your first time visiting the shrine, since you would miss out on the majority of the iconic red torii gates, it is the perfect hike for a second visit
Return Journey
I thought that my return trip would be less eventful than my previous journey, but I was greatly mistaken. Everything seemed to be going well until I hit Chicago, where the line for Immigration seemed to go on forever. The mere 2 hours and 45 minutes which I had between flights was nowhere near enough time to reach the appropriate gate. After having missed my flight, I was fortunate enough to be accommodated in a flight which departed only 3 hours after the one I was originally meant to board. Furthermore, I was even given $30 worth of coupons to buy food with, which I didn’t hesitate to spend on some tasty Mexican culinary masterpieces. With a full stomach, I boarded my final flight which would conclude my trip to Japan.