Again, this is not a review or guide or whatever, this is just my experience in Japan. I went in October of 2023 and we planned it so well, I thought, and so many things went wrong on the actual trip. It was crazy. I did not foresee all that happening.

One – I booked the trip wrong. I thought I had taken into account the time difference when booking and I had carefully booked certain days off and I was like yes, this is going to work. I was talking to my friend finalising the trip and I looked at my booking again and I was like hold on… I did it wrong again! The last time was when I went to Ottawa Canada. However, that worked in my favour because we’re ahead and the trip was very flexible. I was visiting my cousin and I had planned nothing. For Japan though it did not work out, I had to cancel and get a refund on my ticket and then rebook because I hadn’t gotten the ticket you can amend. It was so stressful.

Time is my Achilles’ heel for sure. Anything to do with numbers.

My friend’s booking was fine, she was flying from another country so we booked separately.

Counter One – Japan felt different. It really felt like I was in another country. When travelling in Europe I am met with architecture or infrastructure I am familiar with. Although, when I went to Niort, France that was different and of course going to snow land Tromso in the dead of winter was different from the UK. But I’ve been lucky enough to go to European countries, America and Australia. So, a lot of places feel similar but different. They feel western just in different flavours.

Japan felt like Japan. I would wake  up and go outside and be like yes I am in a different place. The roads, the way they mark the roads, the buildings, the public transport, everything was their style. Even souvenirs! I looked up and down for fridge magnets because I collect them. They were probably at the airport but I had no time to check when I was at the airport so I didn’t see. I could not find fridge magnets. However, I was able to buy chopsticks, cups, and other beautiful things that were souvenirs and could be gift wrapped for free! Or maybe it wasn’t gift wrapping but the way they packaged my items, top tier. Their souvenir or gift game is top tier, you will want to keep everything.

Two – I overslept on the day we were supposed to move on to Osaka. We were in Tokyo and we had been for like two days and then we were taking a Shinkansen to Osaka. I woke up early because jetlag I guess. I got dressed and packed and was ready. Then it was too early to do anything so I took a nap. Big mistake! The hotel calling me is what woke me up as they were warning me I would get charged if I went over 10 am. I am so thankful because if it wasn’t for them who knows when I would have woken up.

My friend had gone on to do her thing and she advised me to go on and do what we had on our agenda that day. However,  I was so paranoid about missing the train as we were behind schedule and separated I decided to go straight to our station and wait for the time slot.

I had too much shit to carry because of all the shopping I had done in Tokyo. My suitcase was to be sent ahead on the luggage service but they were late to take ours so I was able to put some things away. Either way I still had a lot of crap, so I just want to the train station. I had lunch with salary men, it was soba… actually that part was nice.

Counter Two – Tokyo! Tokyo was great. We got to go to a cyber punk bar, that was fun. I got to go to Shibuya and I’ve always wanted to see the crossing. I got to see the Shanks statue that puts the hat on you. I went to Harajuku! I got so many cool things. I had thought I was too big for Japanese clothing but I was able to find stuff. Seriously, bring an empty suitcase with you! They have such cool clothes and jewellery! I got a bunch of earrings.

I also got to see my penpal of like a thousand years. She is Japanese and due to my flight mishap it took a day out of our hang out time which was a shame but I was able to see her the evening that I landed. We got to go to a nice place to eat and yeah it was lovely to see her in person for the first. That is something I have always wanted to do no matter what, to meet my penpal in person.

Three – Remember how I made a mishap with the flight? So we had to move around our hotel booking. I took an extra day off of the Osaka hotel booking by accident. I didn’t realise. I came down for breakfast and he was like, “Checking out?” And I looked at him  like he was crazy and said, “No, breakfast”. *tears* then I went to Kyoto for my day out. Again, me and my friend split up. She then calls me a bunch, and I see her frantic Whatsapp messages and I’m like shit! I have never been more panicked.

We were able to work things out. He had closed the hotel door and was going to charge us as I was AWOL. They thought I had run away. I told her to ask if we could stay an extra day, was there room? He said we could, luckily in the same room. I paid when I got back.

To this day I am so embarrassed. I loved the hotel they were very nice and BTS and Le Sserafim have stayed there, something I found out when we got there, Hotel Kojan. However, I can never return there no matter how much I liked it. If I see the hotel owner on road, amma have to turn away. So embarrassed!

Counter Three – we went to Universal Studios Japan. That was super fun. I was stupid and left the park to eat my food and tried to come back in. I got a nice old man who let me in but be warned, you can’t leave. It was still fun though. I just wanted to see the Harry Potter world, however there were many awesome sections of the park. By the end my feet were sore.

Also, the area where Hotel Kojan is, is super cute. I love the atmosphere and the multitude of shops. I wish I had explored there more.

I loved Kyoto. My feet hurt because I did not have good shoes the entire trip, please learn from me and wear good shoes! But even as I was in pain I had fun. I went to the Imperial Palace. You know I love old buildings so it was great. I loved the history. It was huge though. It has me wondering how Mao Mao gets from place to place so quickly.

She probably has good shoes.

Then when I went looking for an Ateez lightstick I found this little shopping district and it was great. I had a fantastic time. My penpal friend also recommended a café and it was lovely, right next to a temple (also penpal recommended) I got to explore that too. Bar the panic of the hotel it was a good day.

Four – we got on the wrong train whilst going to Osaka. I should have put this higher but it works here. Because actually now that I think about it those three things were the three big things that went wrong.

I’ll use four to talk about the little things that went wrong. We got on the wrong train because we got confused but it was ok as it went to the same place but just stopped at more stops.

I didn’t pack one pair of good shoes and converses are shit. They are not good for long term walking, I said what I said. My feet are picky and converses don’t work for them. I also wore heavy punk-ish boots. Sure, they look cute but are not for walking.

As I have never been to Japan and had so many things I wanted to do, I wasn’t totally sure about what I wanted to do when we were making our plans. So, for my side of the itinerary we made general plans like go see this etc. Now that I’ve been there, I know what I want to see and what I like to do.

The entrance and exit at a train station is different and there are multiple exits. So if you get off at a different one than usual you can be lost. If you leave your luggage in lockers at the entrance it can be hard to find where you put them if you are not familiar with the station. Take note of landmarks. It was scary honestly, I ran around that station looking for those lockers. Thank goodness for my map reading skills and great sense of direction.

Counter Four – Speaking of lockers, I love the lockers at train stations. They are so useful. You have a backpack but you want to explore the city, use a locker! You’re commuting to work or you’re a tourist lockers are so useful! You’ve done a lot of shopping but want to go to eat, use a locker!

Oh it should be noted train stations close early, earlier than I expected. So make sure to go back to the area your hotel is in, and eat and play (like Karaoke or something) in that area so it’s in walking distance and you’re not stranded.

We almost got stranded but my friend can speak moderate Japanese so we got a taxi and it was fine.

Oh another plus of the trip was Yokohama. I wanted to go there for the giant Gundame and I did and it was awesome! This was at the end of my trip and I loved it so much I had so much fun! It was so cool! That is what we should use engineering for!

After I reached peak happiness we explored the city and it was such a fun city. Maybe because I had gone with no expectations I had fun. We went to the lil theme park and there was a Tokyo Revengers stamp thing going on so we tried to find them all before everything closed.

Then I went to our hotel’s bathhouse! Eek! I never thought I would be brave enough, because you have to be naked and I am a foreigner, very visibly so (black woman) so I was worried and self-conscious because I am one of those women who isn’t comfortable naked.

I don’t know what it was about the bathhouse but as soon as I entered I felt fine. The Japanese ladies didn’t care about me. We were all naked, and we were all equal. It honestly had me thinking, why do we care so much about bodies?! Why do people comment on other people’s bodies? We’re all human.

So I also had a great experience at the bathhouse, the waters were so nice. I am glad I pushed myself to go because I now have tattoos so…

Oh! I almost forgot, we went to Ghibli Park. That was so fun and so cute. The warehouse is great to explore and we got to watch a small screening of a short film. It’s out of the city and so the train ride there is so peaceful! I love train rides in Japan.

The train rides can be so scenic. On our way to Osaka we passed Mount Fuji!! Mount Fuji! It looked so cool. I love mountains.

I lost my stuff at a train station bathroom one time and it was a small one. I was so worried and sad because I had gotten such cool things. After I ran around a bit I was able to contact the station operator and they were like come round and my stuff had already been handed in and sectioned off. I just had to show my passport and I got them back. I was so grateful.

It is worth it to learn basic Japanese. I really had to tap in to my limited skills. It makes me happy though, like if I go back I’ll actually get a chance to practise. They can tell you can’t speak well but they will let you struggle and figure it out. I don’t mind that.

Lastly, I love how polite people are about taking pictures at attractions. They queue up, you know as a British person I was already charmed by the queue, and take turns taking pics. No one rushes anyone, or photobombs. So I ended up getting amazing pictures because of it, especially at Ghibli Park.

Things I Would Like to Do:

If I am lucky enough to get to go again. I get a good job and save enough I would like to spend more than a week there. I only had eight days so everything was condensed into one. It made everything much more stressful, so I would like to spread things out and chill.

I would like to only schedule one activity to one day. Also, one city to one day. I tried to go to Nara on the same day I went to Kyoto. To be honest, I could have managed it if it wasn’t Autumn. The sun went down at five and I wasn’t about to meet deer in the dark. So if it was summer or late spring it would have been better. However, it is easier to do one city at a time to really explore and to enjoy without rushing and to spare my feet.

I would like to try sushi in Japan. Wait! Don’t throw the tomatoes! I didn’t get to try this time but I did have soba and udon and wagyu beef! So like I hit other items on the check list! I had dango too, I really looked for that dango, I had multiple types because I’ve always wanted to try it. I also have always wanted to try convenience store food so I did *braids tuck* love me an onigiri. So it wasn’t a complete fail. But yeah, next time sushi.

I would like to go to karaoke but with a Japanese speaking (can read Kanji) person because they will help me with the machine I imagine.

I would like to go to the muscle girl café and more cute cafés. I would love to go to a cat café. That’s a must next time!

I would like to go to more historical sites. I didn’t get to go to a castle in Nagoya and the oldest wooden structure in Nara I think. So yeah, would love to go there.

I would like to go to Tokyo viewing deck and to chill more in Tokyo. You know take my time.

Last but not least, I would love, love, love to go to Hokkaido. I have always wanted to go there and I am gaining a love for going to places in winter that know how to handle winter. Tromso was great and I feel Hokkaido will also be great, in a different way.

So that’s it, learn from my mistakes and may your Japan trip (manifest it!) be less of a disaster.

Oh P.S.: they have great stationary in Japan. Honestly, all the coloured pens you could wish for. They had literally everything you might need and in cute designs. I wanted to start letter writing, I found all my tools whilst there. A gold mine!