Monday July 20th 2026 • sunbro
Japan recommendations
Context
A good friend of mine recently asked me for my tips & recommendations about Japan based on my recent-ish trip. I’m by no means an expert and these are just a few quick things that came to mind, nothing exhaustive. I’ve omitted some well known temples & places, but they’re worth visiting if it’s your first time.
General tips
- Get an e-sim: (if your phone supports it) It’ll save you a lot of the hassle. A lot of places have wifi, but e-sims + data are cheap enough that you shouldn’t have to think twice.
- Learn a bit of Japanese: Writing your name in katakana and being able to read/understand basic Japanese will help out, especially with older shopkeeps and the like. At least learn basic greetings and thanks.
- Don’t panic: Going to Japan for the first time can be intimidating. Tokyo especially, but there’s no reason to panic. There’s usually a clerk to help you ensure you get the right train tickets or book the right ride.
Food
- Sushiro: Classic converyor belt sushi place, definitely worth it
- Unagi-don: My favorite dish, do try a specialized restaurant if you’re interested
- Tonkatsu: One of the best meals we had. Once again, try to have some in a specialized restaurant, it’ll be worth it
- Monster Hunter Café / Collab cafés: Our most unexpected meal. Despite appearances the food was pretty good and the decorations were great
- Sukiya: A cheap family restaurant, really helps out in a pinch
- Famichiki: Great breakfast or on-the-go snack
*These are location-agnostic. You should be able to find these in most cities, with the exception of collab cafés which probably more in Tokyo.
Activities
Tokyo
- Musicals: We saw the Prince of Tennis musical at Kanadevia Hall and it was a lot of fun. Do be careful, we had to book our tickets through a 7-11 kiosk and accidentaly bought standing tickets…
- Odaiba: We went there to see the Unicorn Gundam (which should be removed soon) but it’s a great place for a day-trip especially if you take the monorail and enjoy the views.
Osaka
- Osaka Aquarium: Self-explanatory
- Universal Studios: Fun theme park for all ages, has rides themed after classic Universal movies, a Despicable Me section, and Super Nintendo World
Kyoto
- Nintendo Museum: Not a great museum, more of an archive collection. Make sure you sign up for the ticket lottery in advance so you get your tickets. It’s not possible to get them on location. - It’s not in Kyoto proper, make sure to taste the matcha specialties in Uji
- Takarazuka Revue: An all-female musical theater troupe. The production value is off the charts, another great day-trip
- Osamu Tezuka Museum: Right next to the Takarazuka theater, very much worth it
- Fushimi Inari Shrine @ night: Overcrowded during the day, but much quieter at night
- Nara: Fun day-trip to see their famous deer, see some temples, and hike in the hills
Honorable mention
- Hiroshima: I went there almost a decade ago, I don’t remember much but I recall it was really nice
Shops
Tokyo
- PARCO - Capcom shop + Nintendo shop + SEGA shop + Pokémon Center: A mall with lots of shops, but including the ones listed. Worth a trip if any of these pique your interest
- Square Enix shop: Self-explanatory, has Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy goodies, located in a shopping plaza in Shibuya
- Harajuku: Previously Tokyo’s youth fashion neighborhood. That vibe has moved elsewhere, but it’s still worth visiting for a quick excursion
- Akihabara: Super touristy, but has a lot of secondhand video game/anime shops
- Ikebukuro: Similar-ish vibe to Akihabara
- Nakano Broadway: A bit outside of Tokyo, more secondhand shopping. Has a large collection of Mandarake shops, all with various specialties
Kyoto
- PARCO: Same as above
- Pokemon Center: same as above, but a bit different from Tokyo’s
Honorable mention
- Hard-off & Book-off: Famous secondhand shop chain that sells a bit of everything, you can spend hours browsing…
Written by sunbro
← Back to blog