Exploring Japan for the First Time

I loved my experiences in Japan so much, my family and I are going back this December. When I say experiences, I mean that I went to Japan this past December and then again in May... My first experience in Japan was with my good friend (her first time too) and the latter was a last minute trip with my husband. It wasn't his first time there, but he was too young when he did go that there wasn't much he remembered. Because I returned to the some of the same attractions the second time, I will actually talk about both trips in this blog.

Planning the trip
My friend, husband, and I researched on places we wanted to go and narrowed it down to what we are able to do within our five day trip. As usual, I started off creating an itinerary of activities. This included the address, hours of operation, fees, and estimated train fares. I planned the activities according to distances, so the places we went to each day were close to each other. The best part about this itinerary is being able to see how much I can budget for food and shopping.

 Places I recommend for short trips to Japan

There are so many things to experience in Japan, however, if you are only going there for a few days, I will share the things you HAVE TO DO while you are in Japan. :)

1. Edo-Tokyo Museum
   This was a huge museum. There were so many replicas and rich history that I appreciated. I enjoyed learning about the Edo era and gaining more knowledge of the Japanese culture. I would definitely recommend this museum as a first stop.
   
   
2. Ebisuya Asakusa This is definitely a great experience to learn more about Japan. You ride in a rickshaw and are provided information by the person touring you. Our tour guide was Daisuke and he was awesome. In addition to the history he shared with us during our tour, he was really funny. He even offered to take our pictures!
   
   
3. Tsukiji Market
   The Tsukiji Fish Market had a variety of seafood for sale. There are also many food stands and restaurants. My husband and I went to quite a few stands to try their foods. They also hold auctions here early in the morning, we didn't get up early enough for that. =( But we did get to see a little glimpse of cutting a huge tuna.
   
   
4. Takeshita Street
   Takeshita street is a tourist hotspot. There are lots of cute shops here. My favorite shop though was the Daiso store. You'll also find interesting food stands here like the famous Crepe shop.
   
   
   
   
5. Shibuya Crossing
   The Shibuya Crossing has a fun idea to it- the pedestrian scramble. You can basically witness hundreds of people crossing at the same time. Aside from the fun time we had get caught in the scramble, you will find lots of specialty shops and restaurants here.
   
   
   
   
   
6.  Themed Restaurant
   My friend and I went to the themed restaurant called Ninja Akasaka. We dined in a small chamber looking room and were served by a Ninja! We kept cracking up though because we kept thinking that someone might pop out of somewhere and freak us out... It didn't happen, although I wish it did. Haha. It was a really cool experience for us.
   
   
   
   
7. Temples
   You have to visit a temple. Each temple in Japan has it's own history. We visited the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Although it was crowded, it was a very pleasant experience.
   
   
   
   
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Hope you enjoyed!