{"id":741992,"date":"2025-09-12T15:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T15:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/741992\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T15:01:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T15:01:09","slug":"2-weeks-in-japan-ultimate-2025-travel-guide-%f0%9f%87%af%f0%9f%87%b5-would-you-try-this-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/741992\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Weeks in Japan: Ultimate 2025 Travel Guide \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 | Would You Try This Trip?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title = \"2 Weeks in Japan: Ultimate 2025 Travel Guide \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 | Would You Try This Trip?\"   width=\"580\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZYb97j1k_hQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<br \/>\n2 Weeks in Japan: Ultimate 2025 Travel Guide \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 | Would You Try This Trip?<br \/>\n<br \/>\nWe set out to travel around Japan with the\u00a0<br \/>\ngoal to go beyond the usual tourist route while still experiencing the most famous sites. If\u00a0<br \/>\nyou&#8217;re looking for a more interesting itinerary, this video is for you. Hello bears. Over the two\u00a0<br \/>\nweeks, we slept in a Buddhist temple, saroke in a tiny town, hiked the old samurai trail, flew\u00a0<br \/>\nto a remote island, and even stepped into a ring for a sumo fight. This is the kind of Japan\u00a0<br \/>\nyou don&#8217;t usually see in a travel guide. Let&#8217;s go. [Music] And what better place to start our two\u00a0<br \/>\nweek adventure than Osaka, the city of lights and amazing food. Dive into Osaka&#8217;s unexpected\u00a0<br \/>\nmoments, even experience just how insane a baseball game can get. And trust us, Osaka set\u00a0<br \/>\nthe bar high. Portuguese are back in Japan. [Music]\u00a0\u00a0 Hotels in Osaka are very affordable, even in the\u00a0<br \/>\ncity center. And every hotel provides amazing pajamas, full dental set, and of course, toilets\u00a0<br \/>\nwith seat heating and water jets. Trust me, we need this in the western world. Um\u00a0<br \/>\nstation. Imagine everybody in your city deciding to cummute at the same time\u00a0<br \/>\nand so much food everywhere. [Music] Oh, is this pure? Shinsakai feels like a time machine. This\u00a0<br \/>\narea was built in the early 1900s with influence from New York and Paris, but over\u00a0<br \/>\ntime became a nostalgic pocket of Osaka&#8217;s past. Old school arcades, weird mascots.\u00a0<br \/>\nWhich one you want? [Applause] [Music] Don&#8217;t worry, the entertainment district\u00a0<br \/>\nis alive since the Edo period. Originally lined with theaters before evolving\u00a0<br \/>\ninto the now lit food paradise. Best thing to share with friends is hot pot. We ended up in a hidden bar. Kamba. Kamba. Kamba. Let&#8217;s check out nice local\u00a0<br \/>\ncocktail specialties and very cool vibe. Compai. Are you making a video? It&#8217;s coming. What happened? What&#8217;s\u00a0<br \/>\nthe name of the team? I have no clue, but they wear white. Buffalo. Buffalo. Yes.\u00a0<br \/>\nYou think Americans love baseball? Well, Japanese love it even more. The game was\u00a0<br \/>\nboring, but the atmosphere was great. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Like in the US, drinking and eating\u00a0<br \/>\nis as important as the game. Next, we stopped by Gins for some glasses. They made\u00a0<br \/>\ncustom lenses in 30 minutes for a very good price. Japanese efficiency is next level two dot clusters\u00a0\u00a0 which is clearer. What is the speed\u00a0<br \/>\nlimit 80 kilome per hour? [Music] Most of Japan&#8217;s historic buildings\u00a0<br \/>\ngone. Osaka, once a merchant city, was almost entirely destroyed during the World\u00a0<br \/>\nWar II bombings. Earthquakes and fires over centuries also played a part in reshaping the\u00a0<br \/>\ncity. What you see today is mostly rebuilt, but the spirit remains. Let&#8217;s\u00a0<br \/>\n[\u00a0__\u00a0] the camera and enjoy. True Japanese. I need one of these.\u00a0<br \/>\n[Music] Namba&#8217;s back streets are food heaven. Tons of tiny isizakayas. What Osaka\u00a0<br \/>\nis really famous for. I think they might. Do you know which one is this?\u00a0<br \/>\nI have no clue. Go for it. really nice. You my favorite. [Music] Oh my god. Really nice. [Music] and tempura, some buckwheat, wasabi, and some\u00a0<br \/>\nsauce. Oasaka was a perfect start to taste Japan&#8217;s flavors and vibe. In our trip, we balance between\u00a0<br \/>\ncities and nature. And now we take a train to the mountains of Koasan, the center of Buddhism\u00a0<br \/>\nin Japan. established the Shingong sect of esoteric Buddhism in 816 with the hope of bringing\u00a0<br \/>\npeace to Japan. [Music] The journey to Quest is a nice train ride through lush valleys and the\u00a0<br \/>\ncable car that pulls you up into the clouds. Welcome to Coasan, the spiritual\u00a0<br \/>\nheart of hesetary Buddhism in Japan. Home for the next two nights. Fukuchi in temple.\u00a0<br \/>\nThis isn&#8217;t just any stay. This is a shukubu, a traditional temple lodging. But\u00a0<br \/>\nthere are rules to follow. First, you need to leave your shoes at the entrance to\u00a0<br \/>\njump into local sandals. [Music] I have to admit, the place is like a labyrinth. You definitely\u00a0<br \/>\nneed a map to find your room. [Music] [Music] Let&#8217;s I like it. It&#8217;s very cool.\u00a0<br \/>\nAnd look, there is a toilet here. Okay. You think it&#8217;s a massage thing\u00a0<br \/>\nor We also had to change to Yucatans, an outfit that fits perfectly the vibe. [Music] Most temples offer the Japanese\u00a0<br \/>\nbathing experience once it&#8217;s a place dedicated to relax and heal while you&#8217;re\u00a0<br \/>\nsitting in hot spring water. And here you don&#8217;t need to worry about what to wear because\u00a0<br \/>\nsimply you are not allowed to wear anything.\u00a0\u00a0 You need to go bat naked. Thus,\u00a0<br \/>\nmost of them are segregated. Dinner is traditional Buddhist feast called\u00a0<br \/>\nsuji royori. This is completely plant-based, offering new flavor combinations for meat\u00a0<br \/>\neaters like us. Okay. And then tea, soup, and this is okay. Thank you. We should start\u00a0<br \/>\nwith this one. The food was beautifully prepared and was surprisingly delicious,\u00a0<br \/>\neven if we had no idea what some of the\u00a0\u00a0 ingredients were. What do you think this is?\u00a0<br \/>\nMatcha salt. That&#8217;s really awesome. Not this. [Music] If you know what is this one,\u00a0<br \/>\nlet us know in the comments. [Music] They are stone candles illuminating the\u00a0<br \/>\npath in the cemetery of very interesting name that I forgot. After dinner, we venture\u00a0<br \/>\ninto the misty night to visit Okonuin Cemetery, Japan&#8217;s largest and most sacred\u00a0<br \/>\ngraveyard with over 200,000 tombs. It is also the resting place of\u00a0<br \/>\nthe legendary monk Kobo Daiishi\u00a0\u00a0 who established Coasan as a spiritual center\u00a0<br \/>\nas early as the 9th century. That&#8217;s very nice. It was magical to fall asleep in our\u00a0<br \/>\ntemple room while listening to the\u00a0\u00a0 light rain with smell of wet wood and\u00a0<br \/>\nwarm lights through rice paper doors. Morning comes very early in Koasan. At sunrise,\u00a0<br \/>\nwe joined the monks for a sacred ritual. Cameras were not allowed, but trust us, it was\u00a0<br \/>\npowerful chanting, a spiritual wakeup call. Good morning. Sticky. Breakfast is another masterpiece\u00a0<br \/>\nof Buddhist cuisine. Simple,\u00a0\u00a0 pure, and surprisingly filling. Who\u00a0<br \/>\nimagined that tofu can taste so good? Kuasan is part of the famous Kumano Codo\u00a0<br \/>\npilgrimage route. And so it starts from cars and the temple to Bit Kika to the rat. We are only\u00a0<br \/>\ndoing a small section today, but even this short walk through the forest feels like stepping back\u00a0<br \/>\nin time. The first one. The first sacred stone, babe. And do you see these stone statues?\u00a0<br \/>\nAnother one. These are actually markers and they are placed every few hundred meters along\u00a0<br \/>\nthe trail to help pilgrim stay on the path. Sounds are quite fun. They are\u00a0<br \/>\ndifferent. They are Japanese sounds. It is beautiful colors. And you can find over 100 temples\u00a0<br \/>\nin Koasan. And temple hopping is a\u00a0\u00a0 whole experience. Each temple has\u00a0<br \/>\nits own history, its own vibe. [Music] We love the atmosphere\u00a0<br \/>\nof the current complex temples. This guy is completely high. Look at his eyes. Oh\u00a0<br \/>\nmy god. You cannot see that. This one is calmer. [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music]\u00a0\u00a0 We realized you don&#8217;t need to go to Kyoto to see the red gates and we also\u00a0<br \/>\nfound the guy who paints them. But it&#8217;s not just temples and spirituality. It&#8217;s\u00a0\u00a0 worth to discover the modest\u00a0<br \/>\nlittle town of Coasan as well. Do you want coffee? But after all that walking, we have earned some\u00a0<br \/>\nfood. Hello. Hidden on a quiet side street, we find this tiny sushi spot\u00a0<br \/>\nwith absolutely delicious food. The presentation was a bit rustic,\u00a0<br \/>\nbut the taste was amazing. [Music] So, what was the place? It was my favorite was\u00a0<br \/>\nfilled like it&#8217;s an internet phenomenon cuz it&#8217;s in the middle of nowhere, but it has good ratings.\u00a0<br \/>\nSo, everyone that and for a good reason. Yeah. And it was not sushi. It was It was with a bit of\u00a0<br \/>\nrice. Have a nice day. Our time in Quasan comes to an end with one last peaceful breakfast.\u00a0<br \/>\nTime to go to Kyoto. Should be an easy ride, right? Well, Japan had other plans for us.\u00a0<br \/>\nTrains in Japan are famously on time. So, when we got hit with a delay,\u00a0<br \/>\nwe knew it had to be serious. [Music] So, we made it to Kyoto. It was not easy.\u00a0<br \/>\nTrains were delayed, which is awkward. This is Japan. It&#8217;s not supposed to happen. We\u00a0<br \/>\nalready checked in. And we are going to a\u00a0\u00a0 place where I&#8217;m very excited to Mishi Mishi\u00a0<br \/>\nMarket. Nishi Markets, which is right here. After 2 days of plant-based Buddhist cuisine,\u00a0<br \/>\nwe were craving seafood and headed straight\u00a0\u00a0 to the Nishiki Market. The 400 years old\u00a0<br \/>\nmarket is often called Kyoto&#8217;s Kitchen, selling everything in over 100 food\u00a0<br \/>\nstalls. The street food here was amazing. This is the fried crab. Very good. Eat the bottom. Done. And this pizza. Since Kika is from Portugal,\u00a0<br \/>\nshe&#8217;s a seafood snob. And even she was satisfied. Just look at these giant oysters. [Music]\u00a0<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s one of the biggest you ever had. Mhm. They were practically the size of my face. They\u00a0<br \/>\nare very nice. No, but they&#8217;re not as tasty as the Portuguese one. Agree. [Music] We also tried\u00a0<br \/>\nbaby octopus. Almost fell. Try it. Give it a try. I almost ate the fruit. Sorry. It\u00a0<br \/>\nwas delicious. It&#8217;s a must try. [Music] Next, we hoped in a very crowded bus heading\u00a0<br \/>\ntoward Gillon, Kyoto&#8217;s most famous historic district. Gillion is what you imagine when you\u00a0<br \/>\nthink of traditional Kyoto. This is the place where memoirs of the geisha basically comes to\u00a0<br \/>\nlife. We started right at the edge of Kon at the Yashaka Shrine, one of Kyoto&#8217;s most beloved\u00a0<br \/>\nspiritual sites. It&#8217;s also an excellent place to cool off with our first shaved ice of the\u00a0<br \/>\ntrip. It&#8217;s nice with the fer condensed milk. Okay, moving on. Just a short walk away is\u00a0<br \/>\nHokanji Temple that was built originally in the sixth century. It is known for its\u00a0<br \/>\niconic five-story pagoda and it&#8217;s one\u00a0\u00a0 of Kyoto&#8217;s most photographed\u00a0<br \/>\nlandmarks for a good reason. The old streets are cute, but\u00a0<br \/>\nbe warned, the crowd is huge. So many tourists. And did we see geishas?\u00a0<br \/>\nWell, not exactly. More like hundreds of tourists dressed as geishas in rented kimonos.\u00a0<br \/>\nBy sunset, we reached Kioa in UNESCO rated site and one of the best viewpoints in Kyoto.\u00a0<br \/>\nIts massive wooden terrace overlooks the entire city. There is something magical\u00a0<br \/>\nabout watching the sunset from here.\u00a0\u00a0 You can&#8217;t help but wonder who stood here centuries\u00a0<br \/>\nago seeing the exact same pink sky. As night fell, we ditched the map and just wondered. [Music]\u00a0<br \/>\nThis is the streets with the lanterns which has a lot of little restaurants hidden and marked\u00a0<br \/>\nwith this lantern. And we checked most of them. Kyoto tip. Always book your dinner spot in\u00a0<br \/>\nadvance. We learned it the hard way. Every time we asked for a table, the staff just\u00a0<br \/>\nsmiled. We basically got a full walking tour of Kyoto&#8217;s restaurant scene before finally\u00a0<br \/>\nfinding a place. Strong wasabi. No, wrong. What&#8217;s him? It&#8217;s probably he. Hi. ready. We started day two early to beat the heat and\u00a0<br \/>\nthe crowds at one of Kyoto&#8217;s most iconic spots, Fushumi Inari Taisha. And despite we arrived\u00a0<br \/>\nbefore 8:00 a.m., it was already busy. Ready? From the first gate, it&#8217;s a 4 km hike to Mont\u00a0<br \/>\nIneri, passing through thousands of vibrant tour gates. Respect to whoever maintains this.\u00a0<br \/>\nEach gate is hand painted just like the ones we saw in Quoasan. Okay. So, what&#8217;s this place\u00a0<br \/>\nabout? Fushimi Iner is dedicated to Inari, the god of rice and prosperity and dates\u00a0<br \/>\nback over,300 years. And it&#8217;s a real hike. Not everyone got the memo. We saw people doing\u00a0<br \/>\nthis in rented kimonos and wooden sentinels. As we climbed higher, the crowd slowly thinned\u00a0<br \/>\nand some stretches were surprisingly quiet, even peaceful. [Music] The top made it to\u00a0<br \/>\nthe top. By the time we reached to the top, the heat was full on. We were drenched, exhausted,\u00a0<br \/>\nbut honestly, it was worth every step. If you&#8217;re visiting in summer, trust us, come as early as\u00a0<br \/>\npossible. It&#8217;s not all sweat, it&#8217;s water. Okay. After a quick refresh at the hotel, we crossed the\u00a0<br \/>\ncity to visit Tenri and the nearby bamboo forest is a UNESCO verted site. Originally built\u00a0<br \/>\nin the 14th century, the garden design was absolutely breathtaking. One of the best examples\u00a0<br \/>\nof traditional Japanese landscape we have seen. And then the famous bamboo forest. We are not sure\u00a0<br \/>\nif we saw more bamboo or more people. It&#8217;s a short walk, very photogenic, but after a few minutes,\u00a0<br \/>\nwe were ready to escape the crowds. At this point, we were templed out. We were hot, tired,\u00a0<br \/>\nand ready for the next Kyoto experience. food and drinks. Let&#8217;s go. The Camo River Bank\u00a0<br \/>\nis pretty cool. Perfect place to have a beer by the river or in one of the local bars. Cool\u00a0<br \/>\nvibes. After drinks, we had dinner plans in an awesome beef place. I think it&#8217;s romantic.\u00a0<br \/>\nAnd I also think that when you&#8217;re drunk,\u00a0\u00a0 it&#8217;s very difficult to navigate in the small\u00a0<br \/>\nstreets. I would. I&#8217;m not drunk. Later. Yes. [Music] How is it? Let&#8217;s see who is here. Here we\u00a0<br \/>\nlearned Kobe is not on the top of the beef chain. So today we are eating the three big beefs.\u00a0<br \/>\nCan you explain what we have here? Matusaka beef ki beefato. [Music] Voila. [Music] First lifet looks like we&#8217;re\u00a0<br \/>\nin Hungary. Yes. Smells so good. [Music] He&#8217;s having sex with food sex. Sorry. What did you just say, Valins? We are on everybody\u00a0<br \/>\ntalks about Kobe, but that was the the least amazing. It was amazing. No, I agree. [Music]\u00a0<br \/>\nThen we went back to the bars by the river. It was fun. Okay, Kyoto is a must in your first Japan trip.\u00a0<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s beautiful, but we had enough of the crowds and the temples. That&#8217;s why our next stop is the\u00a0<br \/>\nNakasendo Trail. A trail used by federal lords, samuris, and merchants during the edo period.\u00a0<br \/>\nAnd first we speed it up in the shin kansen, even reaching 280 km per hour\u00a0<br \/>\nbefore we finally slowed down. [Music] We arrived to Magumapos town at 600\u00a0<br \/>\nm elevation. It is the 43rd town out of the 69 on the full trail and the most busy\u00a0<br \/>\nand touristy out of the ones we visited. At the end of the beautiful narrow town,\u00a0<br \/>\nthe path starts where we disappear for 8 kilometers in the deep forest. Yes,\u00a0<br \/>\nbirds. They said you need to make them know you&#8217;re around. We are around. Okay,\u00a0<br \/>\ngirl is going to go on the bamboo side. I need to talk about bears. Yes, there are actual\u00a0<br \/>\nbears in the forest. Not often seen but real. Mostly Asian black bears who are not looking\u00a0<br \/>\nfor trouble. But if you meet them with cubs,\u00a0\u00a0 you can have a problem. The Japanese solution are\u00a0<br \/>\nbeer bells. Sorry, bear bells to let them know you&#8217;re here. They don&#8217;t eat me. Sounds like a good\u00a0<br \/>\nplan. You can find them every few hundred m. And it&#8217;s basically saying to the bears, hey, I&#8217;m here.\u00a0<br \/>\nPlease don&#8217;t eat me. Hello bears. [Music] This point is 77 777 m above sea level. A power\u00a0<br \/>\nspot of the happiness of the happiness. The green thing. I like marijuana. Through\u00a0<br \/>\nthe hike, we came across something you don&#8217;t expect on a trail like this. a tea house\u00a0<br \/>\njust sitting in the forest and it&#8217;s run by volunteers from Tumago who serve up\u00a0<br \/>\nfree tea and pickles to passing hikers. [Music] It&#8217;s raining. Purify yourself. [Music] little bridge. From this point, we started\u00a0<br \/>\nto ascend and the little stream next to us slowly turned into a river. [Music] Luckily,\u00a0<br \/>\nthe clouds also disappeared as we got close to Tumago. Tumago was one of the first towns\u00a0<br \/>\nin Japan to be protected and it shows. But it&#8217;s not a museum. People leave here. The\u00a0<br \/>\nsilence isn&#8217;t created. It&#8217;s just how it is. This town is so gorgeous.\u00a0<br \/>\nProper Japanese Alpine style. Now we were heading to a tiny bus stop. By\u00a0<br \/>\nthe way, you can reach all these little post\u00a0\u00a0 towns by public transportation. It&#8217;s a bit of\u00a0<br \/>\na hustle and hiking is a lot more fun. We made it. Cheers. Japanese beer. After we took a\u00a0<br \/>\ntrain to Kizo Fukushima, another post town that is by far not as well preserved. [Music]\u00a0<br \/>\nYou can find accommodation also in Sumago, but they are quite limited. So for us, a\u00a0<br \/>\nperfect alternative was an onsen in the forest, new hotel, new pajama in the mountains.\u00a0<br \/>\nThis place was almost completely empty. So we had both the indoor and outdoor\u00a0<br \/>\nspa only for us. [Music] Nature sauna. What is the name of the station? Yabahura station.\u00a0<br \/>\nFrom here, it&#8217;s a steep climb over the Tori Pass, the highest section of the Nakasando trail. Looks\u00a0<br \/>\nlike a busy town. This part is less visited. So, we were not surprised we were the only tourist,\u00a0<br \/>\nbut we were definitely amazed that we did not see a single soul. Only an old man who invited us to\u00a0<br \/>\nhis garden. What happened? Nice guy offered us a cucumber. Nice old guy. His own planted cucumbers.\u00a0<br \/>\nThat&#8217;s true. This is your color type vibe. Yes. And this is my type of day. Finally, we go to the\u00a0<br \/>\nforest for some shade. In the Edo period, this was considered the toughest section of the trail\u00a0<br \/>\nbecause of blizzards and bandits hiding in the forests. This hike is a lot more quiet. We didn&#8217;t\u00a0<br \/>\nmeet anyone until we arrived to the top. [Music] Interesting. Here at the peak, a shrine and a\u00a0<br \/>\nsurprisingly not red to gate was waiting for us. We have some company. It&#8217;s funny in Switzerland\u00a0<br \/>\nthis means cows. Like this floor, green floors. [Music] Long time ago, a villager who had no\u00a0<br \/>\nchildren found an abandoned baby in the tree hole. He looked after the baby and they lived happily\u00a0<br \/>\never after. It said that you will be blessed with baby if you make tea with the tree bark. Fallen\u00a0<br \/>\nscared me of infertility to give luck in Europe. You are here. And where are we going? N station.\u00a0<br \/>\nWe will pass another thingy. Another viewpoint. The toilet. We might go. Yeah. [Music] Did\u00a0<br \/>\nyou realize we are hiking with only small backpacks? Obviously, it&#8217;s not all our stuff\u00a0<br \/>\nfor 2 weeks. Japan has an amazing service. Hotels transport your luggage for a small fee to\u00a0<br \/>\nyour next accommodation. So we sent our luggages from Kyoto to Matsumoto already. So we only\u00a0<br \/>\nhad to carry clothes for 2 days. [Music] No, I&#8217;m not. [Music] Ah, I can see it. You can gohead\u00a0<br \/>\nto cut the web. Huh? This where the view is. And yamo. Even the bears speak\u00a0<br \/>\nItalian. They don&#8217;t attack like\u00a0\u00a0 this. They attack like this. And no bears. I mean, it&#8217;s good, but it&#8217;s bad. At the end,\u00a0<br \/>\nwe didn&#8217;t have a bear encounter. There was a big noise at some point in the bushes. Kika thinks\u00a0<br \/>\nthey were bears, but I&#8217;m not convinced. [Music] As we enter the little town, do you have any words?\u00a0<br \/>\nThe Alpine program is over. Well done. We reached Naray once the richest town on the trail.\u00a0<br \/>\nLong street, dark wooden houses, stillness everywhere. [Music] For lunch, we stopped in a\u00a0<br \/>\ntraditional familyrun restaurant. Got the tempura and I got the bears. Jesus Christ. Believe you&#8217;re\u00a0<br \/>\ngoing to eat that. bears. Let&#8217;s go. He&#8217;s crazy. Not even surprised anymore. It&#8217;s actually very good. It has a\u00a0<br \/>\nlot of seasoning and sauce. Yeah, it&#8217;s very good. You should try\u00a0<br \/>\nit. I&#8217;m not going to. Five. [Music]\u00a0\u00a0 Okay. [Music] I brought the corn. Make a right here. Now we are on our way to Matsumoto for\u00a0<br \/>\na surprisingly fun and a bit crazy time. Now it&#8217;s time to discover the\u00a0<br \/>\nfamous castle, Katakoy Castle,\u00a0\u00a0 which means cool castle, the\u00a0<br \/>\ncrow, the black castle. This one quick history. The fortress was built in the\u00a0<br \/>\n16th century, and it&#8217;s one of Japan&#8217;s most well preserved castles that avoided fires, wars,\u00a0<br \/>\nand earthquakes. So you can still appreciate the original materials. Let&#8217;s stop for a second.\u00a0<br \/>\nWhat do you think this castle looks like? You are absolutely right. It looks like Darth\u00a0<br \/>\nVader&#8217;s helmet. And it&#8217;s not far from the truth. George Lucas was actually inspired by samurai\u00a0<br \/>\narmor when he designed Darth Vader&#8217;s outfit. I told you Matsumoto doesn&#8217;t have a lot of foreign\u00a0<br \/>\ntourists, but they have a lot of Japanese ones. Okay. [Music] But there is one recommendation. Don&#8217;t come on a\u00a0\u00a0 Saturday on a summer weekend. It\u00a0<br \/>\nwill be completely full. [Music] The castle was nice, but now we are ready for a\u00a0\u00a0 Saturday drink. [Music] Let&#8217;s have\u00a0<br \/>\na sake. No, we are in the sake in [Music] number two. It&#8217;s really nice. [Music] So, what do I think\u00a0<br \/>\nof Matsumoto? I think it&#8217;s really a mix of old and the new. It&#8217;s like Matsumoto. Matsumoto.\u00a0<br \/>\nMatsumoto. Matsumoto. Downtown Matsumoto. As we went into the modern city center, we\u00a0<br \/>\nbump into something we didn&#8217;t expect. Japanese October Fest in August. It didn&#8217;t\u00a0<br \/>\nmake much sense. October Fest in Matsumoto. But they definitely kept the\u00a0<br \/>\nimportant German elements. Beer,\u00a0\u00a0 sausage, and bad music. Big time party. Big\u00a0<br \/>\ntime party. You want drinks or foods first? Wish chopsticks. Fearfest in Japan. The\u00a0<br \/>\nfood section had a Japanese twist with some amazing seafood that reminded us\u00a0<br \/>\nwe are still not in Bavaria. Now we are ready to go to the bar area of the town.\u00a0<br \/>\nAs eating and drinking different isakayas, we realized Matsumoto is ready for Saturday night. [Music] Hello. [Music] Go back to your home. [Music] Each time I find myself laying flat\u00a0<br \/>\non my [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] The night ended in total chaos.\u00a0<br \/>\nI even felt enchy dance moves. So why did we want to show this Matsumoto\u00a0<br \/>\nexperience? If you look at it alone,\u00a0\u00a0 it might not be the most iconic town in\u00a0<br \/>\nJapan. Matsumoto was a fantastic experience, giving us a better pictures of Japan&#8217;s\u00a0<br \/>\nculture beyond the known temples in the\u00a0\u00a0 big cities. And what&#8217;s next? Have you ever\u00a0<br \/>\nheard of the beautiful Nijima Island? It&#8217;s a hidden paradise that even many Japanese have never\u00a0<br \/>\nheard of. Though it&#8217;s technically part of Tokyo, the small island offers unique activities like\u00a0<br \/>\nthe volcanic sand spa night on sun by the sea, special food scene, or the secluded surf beaches\u00a0<br \/>\nwithout anyone else around. If you are searching for a true island adventure in Japan, you\u00a0<br \/>\nmight not need to go as far as Okinawa. [Music] First, where is Nijima? It&#8217;s part of the ISU\u00a0<br \/>\nIslands, floating only 160 kilometer away from Tokyo. Getting here is part of the adventure.\u00a0<br \/>\nEither you can take an overnight ferry or take a short flight from the tiniest airport\u00a0<br \/>\never from the biggest city in the world. Ready for a tiny plane? The airport felt like\u00a0<br \/>\na bus station and the plane was not bigger than a bus. This islander window seat hint.\u00a0<br \/>\n[Music] We flew above a few other islands, but Nijima&#8217;s beauty stood\u00a0<br \/>\nout already from the plane. [Music] From the airport, a free shuttle bus took us to\u00a0<br \/>\na tiny little street, but in a tiny little house, we had a tiny Airbnb room. [Music] On Nijima,\u00a0<br \/>\nforget about taxis or Uber. The best way to get around the island is by renting a rusty\u00a0<br \/>\nold bicycle. It works perfect. [Music] We immediately cycle to the best beach for sunset\u00a0<br \/>\nright next to the open air onen. [Music] The yunohama onen is very special. First, it looks\u00a0<br \/>\nlike a Greek archeological site. It&#8217;s open for 24 hours a day. It offers fantastic scenery and very\u00a0<br \/>\nuniquely in Japan, it is mixed gender. So we could enjoy it together with Kika under the night stars\u00a0<br \/>\nand with the sound of the crashing wave. [Music] It&#8217;s dinner time and the last open\u00a0<br \/>\nrestaurant had a very interesting\u00a0\u00a0 menu. Saw some horse meat sashimi.\u00a0<br \/>\nNot what we expected in Nijima. It smells really bad that fish, but\u00a0<br \/>\nit doesn&#8217;t taste very good as well. Very good. It&#8217;s amazing. I love it. Early morning we headed to the Habushira beach\u00a0<br \/>\nwhich is famous for two things. It&#8217;s 7 km long sand beach and for competition surfing. We were\u00a0<br \/>\nnot lucky with the second as there were no waves. No surfing today though. But the\u00a0<br \/>\nbeach was empty and absolutely beautiful to hang out. [Music] As it&#8217;s\u00a0<br \/>\na long beach without surveillance, you need to watch out for the currents.\u00a0<br \/>\nThey are quite powerful. [Music] When we were leaving the beach, we learned an\u00a0<br \/>\nunfortunate news and we faced the dilemma. We had a return flight for the following day, but a\u00a0<br \/>\ntyphoon was approaching the island overnight. It felt risky to take our tiny plane with typhoon\u00a0<br \/>\nconditions, jeopardizing our next and last stop on our trip. We made a tough decision to\u00a0<br \/>\nchange our flight to the last one today, allowing us time to still visit the coolest\u00a0<br \/>\nsites. coming with the bicycle to the airport. Ever done that before? We only had to agree at the\u00a0\u00a0 airport verbally to change our\u00a0<br \/>\nflight. No paperwork. Done deal. Next, we headed to the more protected beaches\u00a0\u00a0 on the west for an easy swim\u00a0<br \/>\nin the crystal clear waters. It said on a clear day you can even\u00a0<br \/>\nsee Mount Fiji from here. [Music] Before leaving, we tried one last experience\u00a0\u00a0 that Nijima is known for. The\u00a0<br \/>\nsand spa or Sunabaru. [Music] As a kid, could you imagine any better job?\u00a0<br \/>\nPlaying in the sand and burying people. Someone who is doing it professionally. The heat\u00a0<br \/>\nbuilds up slowly, but it&#8217;s intense. You like it? A butterfly. [Music]\u00a0\u00a0 The short trip to Nijima felt\u00a0<br \/>\nlike a holiday in our holiday.\u00a0\u00a0 If you&#8217;re looking for a real beach\u00a0<br \/>\nexperience and you are short on time, I don&#8217;t think there is anything\u00a0<br \/>\nbetter you can find close to Tokyo. Now we are shifting gears and flying to Tokyo. For\u00a0<br \/>\nthe next days, we will discover this mega city, go to the biggest tuna action in the world, eat\u00a0<br \/>\ncheap or expensive, and enjoy the night life. It&#8217;s going to be Tokyo is a mega city. And due to many options,\u00a0\u00a0 you can easily overlook some of the great things\u00a0<br \/>\nit offers. Life-threatening food, sumo fights, traditional architecture mixed with crazy\u00a0<br \/>\nnightclubs and karaoke or the best immersive museum. And we took the challenge to experience it\u00a0<br \/>\nall only in 5 days. Not easy. And to accomplish, we had to move around and stay in different\u00a0<br \/>\nparts of the city. Let&#8217;s go, Tokyo. [Music] After landing from Nijima Island, our first\u00a0<br \/>\naccommodation was near the Taranon Tower in Minato district. It&#8217;s a business area with great\u00a0<br \/>\nviews to the Tokyo Tower. [Music] It was busy like no other city, but it did not feel chaotic. We\u00a0<br \/>\nstarted in a traditional Japanese restaurant, and despite the crazy crowd, they made you feel\u00a0<br \/>\nlike a guest. After serving exceptional food, the chef walked outside with us,\u00a0<br \/>\nsaying, &#8220;Thank you for our visit.&#8221; The next morning, we aim for an\u00a0<br \/>\nambitious breakfast at Suki Fish Market, a place that is on top of every\u00a0<br \/>\ntravel list. [Music] Let&#8217;s try this. [Music]\u00a0\u00a0 It&#8217;s clearly focusing on tourists, but some\u00a0<br \/>\nof the more hidden parts offer awesome food options. What do we have? Can you\u00a0<br \/>\nexplain? Patty, tuna, sea urchin, fish, Japanese omelette, uh, wasabi, uh,\u00a0<br \/>\nginger and rice on the bottom. Perfect. Was it your favorite experience? By\u00a0<br \/>\nfar not, but it&#8217;s totally worth it. Right after, we headed to the famous\u00a0<br \/>\nShinjuku area to stay in a traditional onsen. It&#8217;s a fantastic place to relax\u00a0<br \/>\nin the middle of the busiest area of\u00a0\u00a0 Tokyo with a great night view. [Music] And\u00a0<br \/>\nShinjuku by night is not so chilled. So, we filled up with some food before we\u00a0<br \/>\nexperienced the famous night life. We started in the entertainment district, Kabuko,\u00a0<br \/>\nwhich is Tokyo&#8217;s version of Time Square. Some Tokyo craziness. Find Godzilla.\u00a0<br \/>\nFind it. Where is it? It&#8217;s an area that is not guarded by police, but by Godzilla. You cannot miss Golden Guy, which used\u00a0<br \/>\nto be the red light district that was\u00a0\u00a0 turned into 200 bars in the 70s. The tiny\u00a0<br \/>\nbars are as big as a small hotel room, and the atmosphere is largely impacted by\u00a0<br \/>\nthe people who are in it. It is visited\u00a0\u00a0 equally by locals and tourists, giving\u00a0<br \/>\nan interesting vibe. We&#8217;re happy. [Music] [Music] Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. girl with friends. Tokyo by night. Must be morning. What&#8217;s\u00a0<br \/>\nthe time? I don&#8217;t know. 4 4:37. Next day, we started extremely early because we were heading\u00a0<br \/>\nto the largest tuna auction in the entire world that starts at 5:00 a.m. Everybody was ready at\u00a0<br \/>\n4:30 to guide us where to go, which is cool. Yes, they&#8217;re really nice in Japan, actually. You cannot\u00a0<br \/>\nreally go inside the auction, so you watch it from above. Luckily, a broker stepped by and explained\u00a0<br \/>\nus what is actually happening. I&#8217;m a a dealer here. They are uh making three lines. They are\u00a0<br \/>\nall from Northern Close to Ireland. Okay. Ireland. Where are you from? Portugal. Portugal. Oh, close\u00a0<br \/>\nto your country. Yes. Because long distance boats can go back to Japan when the freezer was full.\u00a0<br \/>\nOkay. It needs at least 10 months. Awesome. And those ones, do you know where are they from? Uh\u00a0<br \/>\nthey are different species. They are from all all\u00a0\u00a0 over the world. The three lines there are blue fin\u00a0<br \/>\ntuna frozen blue fin tuna the biggest okay biggest tuna and it&#8217;s it&#8217;s the best tuna most expensive\u00a0<br \/>\nbefore them you guys tuna they are not not so expensive do you still like tuna after dealing\u00a0<br \/>\nwith it so many times I I used to like tuna I eat uh a lot of tuna before but not anymore because\u00a0<br \/>\nI I get sick of tuna Understand? Where are you from? From Hungary. Hungary. Yes. No. No. See\u00a0<br \/>\npart goes to the supermarkets. This part is okay. It&#8217;s good. It goes to uh hotels, hotels\u00a0<br \/>\nand restaurants. This part goes to the easy isayas which is cheap. And this is the cool\u00a0<br \/>\nwhich goes to upscale restaurants. Austral go back to this. Yeah. Okay. Every\u00a0<br \/>\nrestaurants are good here. Okay. 6 a.m. sushi. Why not? We had a breakfast\u00a0<br \/>\nhere, but not too heavy as we had lunch plans in a luxury restaurant in\u00a0<br \/>\nthe luxury area of Tokyo, Ginsza. [Music] The famous restaurant was preparing with\u00a0<br \/>\nprecision the highest quality dishes. It was very nice restaurant to try, but we\u00a0<br \/>\nprefer the vibe of the izakayas. [Music] Have you ever heard of Tim Labs? This was\u00a0<br \/>\none of our favorite experiences in Tokyo. There are two of them and everyone\u00a0<br \/>\nrecommends the borderless exhibition. [Music] [Music] The borderless exhibition is a\u00a0<br \/>\nmust in Tokyo. Don&#8217;t miss it. [Music] Next morning we started with some\u00a0<br \/>\ninteresting food. After trying Buddhist cuisine in Koasan, eating be lars in the Japanese Alps, and\u00a0<br \/>\nlately eating horsemeat sashimi in Nijima, it&#8217;s time for the infamous toxic fugu, the puffer fish\u00a0<br \/>\nthat can easily kill you if it&#8217;s not prepared the right way. And the drink the drink is cocktail of\u00a0<br \/>\npuffer fish collagen jelly with fresh juice. Yes, it&#8217;s a risk, but I would not try anywhere else\u00a0<br \/>\nthan Japan. To get a license, it takes 2 to 3 years of practice with maximum Japanese precision.\u00a0<br \/>\nI felt okay. I&#8217;m going to try it. Oh my god. I think the skin is very chewy, but it&#8217;s\u00a0<br \/>\nnice. I think the sauce is awesome. [Music] Nice. But like the skin, it&#8217;s chewy and stuff.\u00a0<br \/>\n[Music] Let&#8217;s put it on the grill. [Music] It&#8217;s really funny that it moves. Not like\u00a0<br \/>\nmeat moving. Grilled drink. Drink is obviously the best, but the the bread was\u00a0<br \/>\nnice. Philly and the skin was very good. [Music] I hope he survived. He did the\u00a0<br \/>\npuffer fish on my buck at least. Well, the taste is okay and it&#8217;s an\u00a0<br \/>\nexperience. He&#8217;s happy. I am happy. We are at the most photographed place in Japan,\u00a0<br \/>\nthe Shibuya crossing. Every green light feels like a flash mob as over 2,000 people can cross\u00a0<br \/>\nat the same time. Crazy female category is crossing the finish line and she made it.\u00a0<br \/>\nBrilliant performance. Thank you so much. Another famous spot that is a must try is a\u00a0<br \/>\n24-hour open giant Donkey Hotel mega store. This is the ultimate crazy shopping experience.\u00a0<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s definitely a must. It really shows cultural difference. [Music] Still in Shibuya,\u00a0<br \/>\nit&#8217;s worth to visit Harajuku neighborhood, especially Takashida Street where you\u00a0<br \/>\ncan find some pretty bizarre stores. So, we cancel the museum program. You want to go\u00a0<br \/>\nhere instead? No. And after we eat some bacon, we also visited the Bohemian and hipster Shimokita\u00a0<br \/>\nZava district. It&#8217;s full of vintage stores and secondhand records. It&#8217;s fun if you look for\u00a0<br \/>\na different face of the city or for a haircut. [Music] Still feels like a flash with umbrellas.\u00a0<br \/>\nVisiting Shibuya at night is also a must. The crossing is still crazy that is fun to watch from\u00a0<br \/>\none of the rooftop bars with a drink in your hand. Few streets away. Shibuyo has its own golden guy\u00a0\u00a0 vibe at Nonby Yokucho. It feels\u00a0<br \/>\nmore young and less touristy. [Music] And the real night life starts\u00a0<br \/>\nafter midnight when the metro system stops and everyone who stays takes\u00a0<br \/>\nit seriously. So we did. [Music] Everyone was super friendly. Was a good party. It was a very good party.\u00a0<br \/>\nWhy? Cuz the music was awesome. You know, I would come back tomorrow, the day after,\u00a0<br \/>\ntomorrow, every day. Today, we are shifting gears for a Tokyo time travel. While much of\u00a0<br \/>\nthe city was reduced to ashes in World War II, a few places like Asakusa partially survived,\u00a0<br \/>\nbringing you back to the Edo period. This means traditional buildings, restaurants, and sumo.\u00a0<br \/>\nWe went for a sumo exhibition as there were no real tournaments at the time of our visit. It was\u00a0<br \/>\na lot of fun as we could even go inside the ring. [Applause] What&#8217;s your name? Who do you think will win?\u00a0<br \/>\nMe or the sumo master? I&#8217;m from Hungary. [Music] [Applause] Wonderful. [Music] Go. [Applause] The second bet is more difficult. We have a rugby player from New\u00a0<br \/>\nZealand. Will he win the fight? [Applause] [Applause] where you start with the misle. No, I think but\u00a0<br \/>\nit&#8217;s cool. We see the the new city now. It started to rain. Yes. the pagoda and you can see the sky\u00a0<br \/>\ntree or at least what is not under the clouds. Hey, sorry it was a joke is really cool and\u00a0<br \/>\nmore chill. It&#8217;s more like Kyoto. Chilly. We didn&#8217;t care about the rain. We\u00a0<br \/>\nhad to see Senzo G at night. [Music] Thanks to the rain, we could observe\u00a0<br \/>\nits beauty without the big crowd. Perfect sightseeing weather.\u00a0<br \/>\nToo bad has the umbrella. Look at the sky tree is coming back in\u00a0<br \/>\nTokyo. There are three main viewpoints, Tokyo Tower, Shibuya Sky, and Sky\u00a0<br \/>\nTree. And we chose the last one\u00a0\u00a0 because it&#8217;s the tallest and easy\u00a0<br \/>\nto access from Asakusa. [Music] It was interesting to connect all the\u00a0<br \/>\nlocations we visited by metro and it also felt like a look back to the last days we spent\u00a0<br \/>\nin Tokyo. But hey, it&#8217;s not over yet. [Music] We went to see the night life of\u00a0<br \/>\nAsakusa as well. Starting with\u00a0\u00a0 some games and ending up in karaoke again. Yay. [Music] [\u00a0__\u00a0] for California. [Music] Last light breakfast. And the sky started to cry\u00a0<br \/>\nas we were packing to leave. Tokyo was great. Some people love it, some people hate it. For\u00a0<br \/>\nus was just perfect time and we enjoyed every single second. Beyond the unique experiences,\u00a0<br \/>\nwe love the people we met. They were so nice and friendly to us. Join our next trip around the\u00a0<br \/>\nworld in Mexico, Polynesia, or Africa. And let us know in the comments what we should visit next\u00a0<br \/>\ntime in Tokyo. Thank you very much for watching. [Music] [Applause] [Music]<br \/>\n<br \/>\n2 weeks in Japan packed with food, temples, islands, sumo, and neon nights. A real 14-day Japan itinerary that goes beyond the tourist trail.<br \/>\nTwo weeks. Seven stops. One goal: experience Japan beyond the guidebook.<br \/>\nIn this full travel vlog we bring together our entire Japan journey \u2014 from neon cities to hidden islands, from ancient trails to sumo rings. It\u2019s not just a list of things to do, but the story of what it\u2019s really like to travel across Japan.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udccd Where we went:<br \/>\nOsaka \u2013 first impressions, street food, baseball &#038; nightlife<br \/>\nKoyasan \u2013 sleeping in a Buddhist temple &#038; night walk through Okunoin cemetery<br \/>\nKyoto \u2013 temples, shrines, and the city\u2019s timeless traditions<br \/>\nNakasendo Trail \u2013 hiking the old samurai route through the mountains<br \/>\nMatsumoto \u2013 castle life &#038; alpine flavors<br \/>\nNiijima Island \u2013 surfing, volcanic onsen, and island life<br \/>\nTokyo \u2013 tuna auctions, karaoke, sumo, and neon nights<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf8c Along the way we ate pufferfish, joined a sumo fight, hiked through rain-soaked forests, and even flew to a remote volcanic island. We mixed Japan\u2019s most famous sights with experiences most travelers never try.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\uddfa\ufe0f Chapters in this Japan Guide Vlog:<br \/>\n0:00  &#8211; Japan beyond the usual itinerary<br \/>\n0:35 &#8211;  Best of food or baseball in Japan?  Osaka!<br \/>\n6:03 &#8211; Sleeping in a Buddhist Temple in Koyasan<br \/>\n14:37 &#8211; Should you visit Kyoto?<br \/>\n23:18 &#8211; Hiking the ancient samurai trail &#8211; Nakasend<br \/>\n32:01 &#8211; Coolest Castle in Japan and Nightlife in Matsumoto<br \/>\n36:42 &#8211; Tokyo&#8217;s Okinawa island is Niijima<br \/>\n43:10 &#8211; The city that has it all.<br \/>\n1:00:20 &#8211; SUBSCRIBE for the next trip!<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 If you\u2019re planning 2 weeks in Japan, or just looking for inspiration beyond the tourist trail \u2014 this video is for you.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfa5 Join the Adventure:<br \/>\n\u2705 Subscribe:    \/ @leavingin5<br \/>\n\ud83d\udcf8 Instagram:   \/ leavingin5<br \/>\n\ud83c\udf0f Website: https:\/\/www.leavingin5travel.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2 Weeks in Japan: Ultimate 2025 Travel Guide \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 | Would You Try This Trip? We set out to travel around Japan w<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":741993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[144576],"tags":[293889,88687,411139,185256,398687,142563,88314,161235,411138,411140,187,373180,23665,199495,40242,411141,23207,184,27699,443,677,1081],"class_list":{"0":"post-741992","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hokkaido","8":"tag-2-weeks-in-japan","9":"tag-japan-adventures","10":"tag-japan-beyond-tokyo","11":"tag-japan-bucket-list","12":"tag-japan-food-travel","13":"tag-japan-hidden-gems","14":"tag-japan-itinerary","15":"tag-japan-off-the-beaten-path","16":"tag-japan-osaka-kyoto-tokyo","17":"tag-japan-temple-stay","18":"tag-japan-travel","19":"tag-japan-travel-couple","20":"tag-japan-travel-guide","21":"tag-japan-travel-itinerary","22":"tag-japan-travel-tips","23":"tag-japan-trip-2025","24":"tag-japan-trip-vlog","25":"tag-japan-vlog","26":"tag-27699","27":"tag-443","28":"tag-677","29":"tag-1081"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=741992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/741993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=741992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=741992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=741992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}