Japan trip on a budget

Japan on a budget

A 45-year-old dream come true.

Gion neighborhood in Kyoto

For 45 years, ever since I read the novel Shōgun, I had dreamed of Japan. At last… my wish was fulfilled.

We were four senior citizens, between the ages of 68 and 78. Other travelers had told me that mattresses in Airbnbs can be very uncomfortable, so I only booked hotels. It was a bit more expensive, however I was able to keep costs down by doing extensive preliminary research, even though it was close to cherry blossom season.

We spent the first night in a hotel near the Tokyo central station so we could leave early the next morning. It was more expensive than all the other lodgings we booked. And, as seems to be the case everywhere in Japan, the room was tiny, but very well organized. At reception, we could help ourselves to lotions, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and so on, as well as instant coffee and tea. Hotels also appear to always offer a pyjama for use during the stay, and slippers.

One thing you’ll always hear about Japan: the toilets are incredible multifunctional devices, a bit overwhelming at first.

Breakfast in Tokyo at Renoir Ginza 6-chome

After an elegant breakfast of egg sandwiches and coffee, we walked to the main train station and managed to book seats on the bullet train to Osaka. By sitting on the right-hand side, you can often see Mount Fuji from the window.

Mount Fuji seen from the train

In Osaka, we stayed at The Rise Osaka Namba, a large hotel, less good than the previous one in terms of cleanliness and amenities. From there, we took short trips to visit Kyoto and Himeji.

In Osaka‘s’ Dotonbori district, along the river, there are innumerable bars, restaurants, and small shops, with lots of neon lights. Among other places, we happened to walk into a Japanese tapas restaurant by chance — pricey but refined and delicious.

Scenes of Dotonbori in Osaka

We took 2 day trips to Kyoto, where I hoped to see “real” geishas… but no such luck, we only saw tourists who had rented geisha and samurai style outfits! It was still a fascinating city to visit.

The first time, we went on a guided tour. The weather was atrocious, cold and rainy, but the bamboo forest was jam packed full of visitors. After the forest, our tour took us to the Golden Pavilion and Nara, home of many deer and a grand temple.

Tapas in Osaka and bamboo forest in Kyoto

The Golden Pavilion and hungry deer in Nara

On the second Kyoto visit, we wandered the streets on our own.

We had a wonderful lunch of ramen-style soup in a tiny restaurant, across the street from the place recommended by Lonely Planet (that one didn’t impress us). I also discovered that Kyoto is the hometown of matcha, and there is an entire 2-story shop dedicated to it.

Fantastic noodle soup and wonderful restaurant owners in Kyoto’s Matsumoto Yakiniku

Lattes in Kyoto including a Matcha latte

On another day trip, to Himeji, we ate an exquisite okonomiyaki (a cabbage pancake) cooked before our eyes in a tiny café. The place was so tiny that the owner closed it during our lunch!

Okonomiyaki at Kanbei, in Himeji

Himeji Castle was fascinating. You have to take off your shoes on the lower level, and climb up (and then back down) steep wooden stairs. There’s not much decor, but the views are stunning.

Koi (goldfish) competition and Himeji Castle

Nearby, we stumbled upon a goldfish competition. As none of us could read Japanese, we couldn’t figure out how the winners were chosen. Returning via the shopping area, we stopped in a bar (among the friendliest places we found, generally speaking!) and then took our train back to Osaka.

On the way back to Tokyo, we spent one night in Odawara. I booked a room at Toyoko Inn, a hotel chain with larger rooms, and breakfast included in the price. They have a membership option, but it wasn’t free and couldn’t be used for the first stay. Much of the food was very mysterious to us; everyone had their own tolerance (or lack thereof) for the unknown.

Clothing store in downtown Odawara

A sample breakfast at Toyoko Inn in Odawara

In Odawara, a restaurant refused entry to our group of senior travelers at 5 pm, stating that the restaurant was full (it had just opened). We heard later that some foreigners have caused problems and managers just wanted to avoid the hassle. We found a small bar, where once again, we found a warm welcome. And then another underground bar with a large collection of jazz records, and more warm welcoming. We finally ate dinner in a modest restaurant where we had a great deal of difficulty understanding what we were ordering, but we enjoyed most of the food.

Food in Odawara and Bar Spat

In the morning, we visited Odawara Castle and the absolutely fascinating Samurai Museum. I went on my own to a boutique in the city, had a great conversation with the store manager via translation apps, couldn’t afford any of the dresses. I ended up with a loose linen-cotton top, a cotton scarf, and the most beautiful socks.

Exhibit at the Odawara Samurai Museum

Final stop: back to Tokyo, in the Ikebukuro district, at Hotel Route-Inn Tokyo Ikebukuro. Once again, there was a lavish breakfast included in the rate. We did not try to see all of Tokyo — the city is ENORMOUS. We saw a few cherry trees in bloom (the blossoms were late), and very unexpectedly, we came across an exhibition of Palestinian art.

Blossoming tree in Tokyo

We ate a lot in Japan : food from restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and supermarkets. We also drank quite a bit. I especially enjoyed the sake and plum wine.

I only did a tiny bit of shopping. I regret not buying more socks (very pretty and inexpensive) and small towels. Japanese women have their own style, and always look well turned out, but I don’t think it works for me.

Note: We did not buy a JR Pass for the bullet train, as we weren’t going to be using it enough.

The trip was a bit stressful, as we were in a culture we didn’t know well, and I for one tried to communicate (thank you online translation apps) but also to not offend anyone. I was still bowing on my way back to France! I was overjoyed to be able to stop dreaming of going to Japan. Maybe we’ll return one day, this time to visit small villages and the countryside.

Restaurants and bars:

Tokyo: Kura Sushi Ikebukuro East (conveyor belt sushi); Renoir Ginza 6-chome (chic little sandwiches and coffee); Fruit Parlor Kajitsuen Ikebukuro (expensive but delicious cream with fresh fruit cake)

Osaka: Teppan Osaka (best to reserve); Local Sake and Sushi Igosso Namba; Shotbar BA3

Kyoto: Matsumoto Yakiniku Restaurant (lunch features wonderful ramen, dinner is a different menu)

Himeji: Kanbei for okonomiyaki

Odawara: Bar Spats (great cocktails), Restaurant Quruli Quruli

This is an incomplete list, but I’m having difficulty finding all the names without reading Japanese.

Residential area

Osaka by night

Sidewalk tile depicting Odawara Castle

Some more resources:

Japanese convenience stores — I loved them!

Osaka

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