FIRST VISIT TO JAPAN: A 2 WEEK TRAVEL ITINERARY

Are you planning for your first visit to Japan? Here’s how my incredible 2-week first visit to Japan went.

From experience, it was a bit overwhelming searching for places to see and things to do for a first-time traveller so I have listed down the places I visited and things I did. I hope it will be useful for your first visit to Japan.

Japan Travel Buddy Corner

For my first visit to Japan, I was a solo traveller for most of the trip but my cousin, Caressa (Ate Car), lives in Japan and I stayed with her when I was in the Yokohama area.

My high school friend, Jaclyn, and my friend from university, Ryan, also live in Japan. I met up with them after their work or over the weekend as well.

It was a good opportunity to go and visit them after years of not seeing each other.

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Japan Day 1: Perth – Tokyo (Haneda)

It was a 14-hour flight from Perth to Tokyo (Haneda) via Singapore. I arrived at Haneda International Airport and when I got out of immigration, I collected my JR Pass in the Travel Service Centre.

JR Pass is a must-have when you visit Japan!

Read more about Japan Rail (JR) Pass here
👉 To get a Japan-wide JR Pass, purchase the pass here
👉 To get a Regional JR Pass, purchase the pass here

From the airport, I took the Airport Bus to Shin-Yokohama, where I met up with Ate Car and we had dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Japan Day 2: Yokohama + Tokyo + Shibuya

Minato Mirai 21

The plan for the day was to sightsee Yokohama, specifically the Minato Mirai 21 area and at night have dinner in Shibuya with my friends, Jaclyn and Ryan. 

I stayed around the Kamoi area so I took the JR Train from Kamoi to Sakuraguicho. As I got out of the station, the first thing that caught my eye was the huge Ferris Wheel — the Cosmo World Ferris Wheel.

FUN FACT: The Cosmo Clock 21 is both a giant Ferris Wheel and the largest clock in the world.

Nippon Maru Ship

I head towards the Ferris Wheel through the moving walkway and got off the exit that led me to what seemed like the Pirate-of-the-Caribbean ship. I don’t know ships, I’m sorry! 

Honestly, I thought the ship was just for amusement park use and didn’t know there was a history behind it. 

As I approached the ship, I realised that it was a ship museum and it was the Nippon Maru Ship. I did a tour inside and learned how life was for the crew who used it before it retired sailing. 

Yokohama Maritime Museum

After visiting the ship, I made my way to the Yokohama Maritime Museum, which was just right across it. I learned about the port’s history and the different ships that used and are still using the port up to this day.

Cup Noodle Museum

I reached the Cosmo World Ferris Wheel after the tour at the maritime museum. It was still too early to get on it so I decided to go to the Sky Garden Observatory. However, I got confused and lost so I somehow ended up going to the Cup Noodle Museum on foot. It was a pretty loooooong walk!

At the Cup Noodle Museum, I discovered the exciting world of instant noodles and got to see the different cup noodles of the world. I didn’t know there were this many instant noodles in the world!

Sky Garden Observatory

After my cup noodle experience, I went to the Sky Garden Observatory. The observatory was just right across the Nippon Maru Memorial Park. Yes, the place I was at, to begin with!

I spent a good hour at the observatory in awe of Yokohama’s scenery. Thank God for the good weather as the view was amazing!

I planned to go to the Red Brick Warehouse next but because of the fireworks show that was happening that night, the crowd started to build up so I caught the train to Tokyo, instead.

Tokyo

When I arrived in Tokyo, I made my way to the Imperial Palace East Garden. It was about a 10-minute walk from the Tokyo station.

I was excited to see the place because I was curious about what a real-life Japanese garden would look like. Despite saying it was going to be open on that day, it was not. There was a government function and visitors weren’t allowed to go in.

Since it was too early to go to Shibuya, I decided to just walk around and enjoy the peaceful scenery of Tokyo. I was surprised there weren’t too many people there.

Shibuya

I arrived at Shibuya just before Jaclyn and Ryan did and as I got out of the station, it was packed like it was crazy busy. Afraid that I’ll get lost, I waited for my friends near one of the exits of the station. 

When they arrived, we headed off to have dinner at Ichiran. We arrived at the ramen place and there was quite a long queue but we got in fairly quickly after making our order on a machine.

I am not a ramen fan but the ramen at Ichiran was the best ramen I’ve ever tasted! A must-try especially if this is your first visit to Japan!

Full of our very delicious dinner, we ended the night with some desserts while having a good chat. 

Japan Day 3: Kyoto

I took the Shinkansen, Japan’s bullet train, from Shin-Yokohama to Kyoto. It was about a 2-hour trip.

When I arrived in Kyoto, I headed straight to the Tourist Information Centre to buy the Kyoto City Bus 1-Day Pass. This pass allowed me to have unlimited travel on buses around the city and it helped me save up on bus fares.

Read more about Japan Public Transport Pass: How to Save on Trips here

Since I was going to be in Kyoto for a couple of days, I stayed at the APA Kyoto Ekimae Hotel, just a 7-minute walk from the Kyoto station.

👉 Book your Kyoto accommodation here

I arrived in Kyoto at around 9:00 am. I know that it was still too early to check in but I decided to just try my luck. When I was at the reception, the lady at the counter checked my reservation and she told me that my room was ready. Awesome!

I left my things in my room, freshened up a little and was on my way to get around Kyoto.

Golden Pavilion

The Golden Pavilion was the first place I visited. I thought since this was far from Central Kyoto (about a 40-minute bus ride from Kyoto station), it would be the hardest to get to but I was wrong as it was easily accessible.

Just across the pond from where the pavilion sits, I had enough space to get some snaps of the temple. By following the path, it led me to the head priest’s living quarter, a tea garden and a religious hall.

After the Golden Pavilion, I headed to the Nijo Castle.

Nijo Castle

During my visit to Nijo Castle, it had some renovation. There were some sections of the castle grounds that were closed. 

Fortunately, this did not include the Ninomaru Palace, where the shogun resided during his visits to Kyoto. The tour inside the palace somehow made me understand and see how life was when it was still being used.

The thing I liked about this place was its garden. The leaves were vibrantly green as I was there during the summer but I could imagine how beautiful it would look during the cherry blossom in spring or how vivid the leaves’ colours are in autumn.

Kyoto Imperial Palace

My next stop was the Kyoto Imperial Palace. As I made my way to the entrance of the palace, I could already tell that this place was huge.

The palace offered some guided tours but I was being adventurous so I explored it on my own. 

Unlike the Nijo Castle where the palace was open to the public, Kyoto Imperial Palace was not. However, the Kaninnomiya Mansion, where the court nobles used to reside, is open for visitors.

I was so amazed by its spacious palace grounds and I loved its beautiful garden. Just WOW! 

Japan Day 4: Hiroshima + Miyajima + Osaka

I left Kyoto for Hiroshima still using the Shinkansen. It was about a 2-hour trip.

Having a JR Pass, I got to use it for the Hiroshima Sightseeing Bus and the JR Ferry to Miyajima Island for FREE! 

Read more about Japan Rail (JR) Pass here
👉 To get a Japan-wide JR Pass, purchase the pass here
👉 To get a Regional JR Pass, purchase the pass here

Hiroshima Peach Memorial Park

My first stop of the day was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. 

If it wasn’t for the Atomic Bomb Dome, I couldn’t even tell that Hiroshima experienced the bombing. This iconic structure just showed me the hardship this place suffered and how Hiroshima rose above it and recovered.

As I made my way to the Peace Memorial Museum, I walked through the Children’s Peace Monument. It is made for the children who died in the bombing.

Walking closer to the museum, I saw tents and people protesting. The media was there, too. I could tell something was going on. It was only when someone approached me to sign a petition that I realised what it was all about. This made my visit to Hiroshima even more memorable. 

When I visited Hiroshima, it was on the 6th of August. It is the day of the Hiroshima bombing! How great was my timing? 

Finally, I arrived at the Peace Memorial Museum. 

Growing up and learning about World War 2 in school, I always perceived the Japanese as the bad guys and that they deserved everything that happened to them but after the tour inside the museum and hearing the stories from the victims of the bombing, it had me in a different perspective. 

The innocent people especially the children that were just going about their day at the time of the bombing did not deserve all this.

After having a quick tour of other parts of Hiroshima using the sightseeing bus, I headed back to Hiroshima station to catch the JR train to Miyajimaguchi station. From Miyajimaguchi, I caught the JR Ferry to Miyajima Island. 

Miyajima

On the ferry, you could see the Itsukushima Shrine and that is where I was planning to head first.

The tide was changing when I came. It was still at low tide but the view of the Torii Gate looked like its floating above the water.

When I got to Miyajima, the first ones to greet me were deers. They were all roaming around freely on the island.

After spending a bit of time with the deers, I made my way to the Itsukushima Shrine which was a 10-minute walk from the Miyajima Pier.

After exploring the shrine, I did a quick tour of Senjokaku. It is located on top of a small hill, just beside the Itsukushima Shrine. It has a very spacious hall and a very attractive five-storied pagoda.

After I visited Miyajima Island, I made my way to Osaka.

Harukas 300

From Hiroshima station, I stopped at Osaka to go see the Harukas 300. The best way to end my day!

I have a thing with observatories so I didn’t miss the chance to visit the tallest skyscraper in Japan. Among the observatories I visited in Japan, this was my favourite. The view was just perfect!

The best place to see an awesome Osaka sunset and city night lights. A must-visit when you are in Japan!

Japan Day 5: Kobe + Osaka

It only took about 30 minutes by Shinkansen to get to Kobe from Kyoto.

I bought a Day Pass for the Kobe Sightseeing Bus but I didn’t have to use it straight away as my first stop was the Shin-Kobe Ropeway, which was just beside the station.

Read more about Japan Public Transport Pass: How to Save on Trips here

Shin-Kobe Ropeway and Nunobiki Herb Garden

I arrived at Shin-Kobe Ropeway just as it opened. As it was still really early, only two other people were lining up for the ropeway.

It was a cold morning so my view of Kobe from the ropeway was a bit hazy but still fascinating! While on the ropeway, I had an aerial view of the Nunobiki Waterfall, the Glasshouse and the Nunobiki Herb Garden.

I got off at the top station of the ropeway and made my way on foot to see the Glasshouse and the Herb Garden.

After getting around the Nunobiki Herb Garden, I wanted to have a Kobe steak for lunch. I found a restaurant at a mall just right beside the Shin-Kobe station. Unfortunately, the place needed a reservation so I settled for a shabu-shabu restaurant instead. The restaurant’s name was しゃぶ扇新神戸店

The servers didn’t speak any English but despite the language barrier, they offered good service. 

It was my first shabu-shabu experience. The waitress saw I had no idea what I was doing so she gave me a guide on how to enjoy my meal. Quite a fun experience!

Kobe Port Tower

I can’t get enough of my observatories so I headed down to the Kobe Port Tower. The observatory of the tower was not as tall as the previous observatories I’ve visited but it had a great view of the Kobe port.

My favourite part of the tower was the white glass floor that becomes transparent when someone steps on it.

Kobe Maritime Museum and Kawasaki Good Times World

Just right across the Kobe Port Tower, I learned the history of the Kobe port and how it links Japan to the world at the Kobe Maritime Museum. It has some indoor and outdoor exhibits of historic and modern ships.

Within the same building, I learned the history and had an interactive experience with some of the Kawasaki vehicles being displayed at the Kawasaki Good Times World.

Kitano

As I made my way back to the Shin-Kobe station, I stopped by the Kitano district, where Kobe’s first foreign settlement is located. I got a chance to go in and was fascinated by the displays inside the foreign houses.

Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory

Curious about the Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory, I stopped by Osaka once again on my way back to Kyoto. When it said floating garden, I expected it to have a garden but there wasn’t any.

It was not as grand as the Harukas 300 but it has an open-air deck and the sunset view of Osaka was still beautiful! 

It was still a great way to end my day!

Japan Day 6: Nara + Kanagawa

Nara

It was time to head back to Yokohama but I still got one more stop before I go. From Kyoto, I took the JR train and it was about an hour to get to Nara. I bought a Nara 1-Day Pass to use for the bus.

Read more about Japan Public Transport Pass: How to Save on Trips here

As I got out of the train station with my day pass, I went straight away to the bus stop to queue. I visited Nara on a weekend so there were lots of local and overseas tourists.

My first stop was Kasuga Taisha Shrine. The shrine’s pathway was populated with people and deers, too.

The pathway to the shrine displayed small gates and stone lanterns. It was quite a sight!

I was in awe by the deer population of Nara that I walked from Kasuga Taisha Shrine to Todaiji Temple to see more of them.

When I got to Nara Park, I was amazed by its beautiful scenery and of course, there were still a lot of deers. I saw a lot of people feeding the deers with deer crackers, which are sold around the park.

The next stop was the Todaiji Temple. The temple was probably the most populated temple I’ve visited in Japan. It might be because I visited the temple on a weekend or maybe because it’s one of Japan’s most famous temples.

Both people and deers share Todaiji’s spacious grounds. But despite the crowd, I could still feel the calmness and serenity of the place.

Kanagawa

Ate Car and her friends were at Kanagawa to watch a fireworks show. On my way back to Yokohama, I stopped by Atsugi where I met up with her.

It was a fireworks show sponsored by different companies. It was about an hour of just fireworks.

It was incredible! I literally ended my day with a bang!

Japan Day 7: Tokyo

I was with Ate Car and she showed me around Southern Tokyo. I used my JR Pass to take an hour train ride and a few transfers to get to Roppongi Hills from Kamoi station.

Roppongi Hills

Roppongi Hills was filled with apartment buildings, office spaces, shops, cafes, restaurants and parks. I also found some huge anime displays and a giant spider sculpture.

After wandering around the Mori Garden, we caught the train to Tokyo station.

Sky Bus Tokyo

Just about a 5-minute walk from the station, we grabbed some tickets for a Sky Bus experience at the Sky Bus Tokyo ticket counter (Marunouchi Mitsubishi building).

We bought the Tokyo-Odaiba route and got to see a top deck perspective of the Tokyo station, Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow Bridge. Fuji Television was our stop.

Aqua City Mall Odaiba

We had lunch at Aqua City Mall and after a very scrumptious meal, we went around the mall where we discovered this cool medieval passageway and more amines.

We also had a beautiful view of the Rainbow Bridge from the mall’s open deck. 

DiverCity Tokyo Plaza

Just a few meters away from the Aqua City Mall, I met up with Jaclyn and Ryan at DiverCity Tokyo Plaza.

I got to see the infamous Gundam, which they took down a few months later.

After catching up with my friends and having to witness fanboys doing some crazy moves, Ate Car and I headed to Tokyo Teleport to catch the Sky Bus to do the Odaiba night course but unfortunately, we didn’t get there on time.

Because we missed our bus, we went to Palette Town instead.

Palette Town

We started at the Toyota Mega Web, where we got to see Toyota’s past, present and future cars. They had a car test drive too, which I wasn’t able to do because I didn’t have an international driver’s license. However, we enjoyed doing a test sit-down of some Toyota cars being displayed. 

The best part of this night was the Venus Fort Ferris Wheel. Probably the best place to see Tokyo at night.

Don’t you just want to live on the top floor of one of those buildings so you can have this amazing view outside your window every night?

Japan Day 8: Tokyo DisneySea

My Japan visit wouldn’t be complete without a Disney experience. I used my JR Pass to get to Tokyo DisneySea from Kamoi station.

Before my Japan trip even started, I tried to purchase DisneySea tickets online but the site wouldn’t let me. Under their information list regarding the payment conditions, it said they would only allow credit cards issued in Japan for their online transaction so my ticket would have to wait until I get there.

Purchasing the tickets at the entrance was so easy and in no time, I was in. They had people greeting me at the entrance and were giving me a map.

Mysterious Island

My first stop was Mysterious Island. I was there to get a FastPass to the Journey to the Center of the Earth ride.

After getting my FastPass, I was feeling kind of hungry so I decided to have an early lunch at the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge

Full from my delicious lunch, I was on my way to the Mermaid’s Lagoon. I passed by the Lost River Delta.

Lost River Delta

As I passed by this area, I realised I could do a solo rider at the Indiana Jones ride and the Ranging Spirits so I enjoyed that perk first and I did both rides in less than 10 minutes.

To take me to the other side of the Tokyo DisneySea, I caught the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line. I thought it would take me near the Mermaid’s Lagoon but it took me around the Mediterranean Harbor.

American Waterfront

It was time for my FastPass but when I got there, the ride was closed due to some issues. I gave up on that ride and went on to do the Turtle Talk, which was at the American Waterfront.

I queued up for the show and I don’t know why I was surprised that the show was in Japanese. Despite the language barrier, I enjoyed the show because I love turtles! 

After the Turtle Talk, I took the Disney Electric Railway to the Port Discovery area. I wanted to do the Aquatopia but the line was impossibly long so I proceeded to just walk around and find the Mermaid’s Lagoon.

Arabian Coast

Because I took a few wrong turns, I somehow ended up at the Arabian Coast and I saw Aladdin and Jasmine posing for some photos.

Mermaid’s Lagoon

Still determined to find Ariel, I got my map out and thoroughly followed the path to the Mermaid’s Lagoon. Finally, I found it!

I got to Triton’s Kingdom and enjoyed everything there. Definitely, my favourite place at DisneySea.

I had dinner at the Horizon Bay Restaurant, which was at Port Discovery. I would have loved to have dinner with a Disney character but it was fully booked. Maybe next time!

After dinner, I went to the shops I was at earlier to buy some Disney memorabilia. After a bit of shopping and strolling, I made my way back to the Mediterranean Harbor.

Mediterranean Harbour

I looked for a good spot where I would have a clear view of the Fantasmic show. The show was pretty awesome!

It was hard to leave as DisneySea looks pretty stunning at night! Definitely, a must-visit when you come to Japan.

I spent my entire day there and the experience was awesome! With this night view, I did not want to leave. Can I just stay?

Japan Day 9: Nagoya + Yokohama

It was about a 2-hour train ride from Kamoi to Nagoya.

At the Nagoya Tourist Information Center, I purchased the Nagoya 1-Day Pass to have unlimited rides on the Me~guro Nagoya Sightseeing Route Bus. 

Read more about Japan Public Transport Pass: How to Save on Trips here

Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology

Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology was the first stop of the Me~guro Nagoya Sightseeing Route. 

In this museum, I was surprised to learn that Toyota started as a fabric equipment manufacturer. From fabric manufacturing, they progressed on to metals then to engines and then assembling cars. 

My favourite part of the museum was the robot exhibit. They play for visitors at certain times.

Nagoya City Science Museum

I felt like a kid again learning science for the first time when I visited the Nagoya City Science Museum. 

There are different themes and exhibits on each floor. I have a ton of favourites. To name a few, I enjoyed the special exhibit about life in the South Pole at Basement 2 and was so amazed by the Tornado Lab on the 2nd floor.

Midland Square

My Nagoya experience wouldn’t be complete without visiting their tallest building, the Midland Square.

I was lucky to be there in such nice weather that I enjoyed a terrific view of Nagoya from the 46th floor of the Sky Promenade.

Yokohama

I got back to Yokohama and met up with Ate Car at Minato Mirai 21.

Inspired by our Venus Fort Ferris Wheel experience, we tried the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris Wheel at Cosmo World and experienced the Yokohama night view.

After the Ferris Wheel experience, we made our way to the Osanbashi Pier.

The Osanbashi Pier had this Noah’s Ark feels. It’s not an ark, it just had some wooden floors that I felt like I was on an ancient ship. It is definitely a perfect place to admire the beauty of Yokohama’s skyline, especially at night.

Japan Day 10: Kamakura

My JR Pass had ended so it was time to use Ate Car’s spare Pasmo Card.

Kamakura was around a 45-minute train ride from Kamoi station. As I arrived at Kamakura, I bought the Kamakura Free Kankyo Tegata to cover my train and bus fares. 

Read more about Japan Public Transport Pass: How to Save on Trips here

Great Buddha of Kamakura

My first stop at Kamakura was the Great Buddha. I know from the pictures that the Great Buddha of Kamakura is huge but I was told that it only came second to Nara’s Buddha statue. So, I had my expectations low for this one. However, being there, up close, it was gigantic!

Hase Temple

The next stop was Hase Temple (Hasedera). It was a 6-minute bus ride from the Great Buddha of Kamakura. It would have taken me about 10 minutes if I had walked but I took the bus because it was 32 degrees Celsius weather. Please don’t judge me!

I was in awe as soon as I entered the Hase Temple. The garden was just so lovely.

Then, I climbed its terrace. It is where I found the Kannon-do Hall.

Just a few steps from the hall, I saw a beautiful overlooking view of Kamakura.

Kenchoji

The third stop of the day was Kenchoji. Compared to the first two places I visited, Kenchoji had several temple buildings.

The first thing I noticed as I entered the main gate was its temple bell. As I walked further, I found a garden and an observation deck.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

My last stop at Kamakura was the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. I entered the shrine from a side entrance, as I came from the Kenchoji Temple.

Even though it was a weekday, the shrine was still full of tourists.

The shrine’s layout is of a typical Japanese Buddhist temple architecture. The shrine has sub-shrines, a main hall, gates, gardens and ponds as historically, it’s not only a shrine but also a Buddhist temple.

As I headed out of the shrine, I found the water lily pond. Temple and shrine gardens in Japan are just simply amazing!

Japan Day 11: Harajuku

Jaclyn showed me around Western Tokyo. She lives near Tokyo so her place in Harajuku was just a few minutes’ train ride.

Coco Ichiban

We left her place just before lunch so by the time we reached Shibuya, we were kind of hungry. She brought me to Coco Ichiban. We had our lunch there and I tried the Burger Curry with Scrambled Egg.

Harajuku

We walked to Harajuku after a very scrumptious lunch. Harajuku is bustling, especially on the famous Takeshita Street.

We were there on a weekday and we still braved the crowd just to get to the other side. Why is it so busy though?

Japan has the prettiest and best food display in the world! 

While walking Takeshita Street, I got distracted by some Japanese crepes on display. I can’t help but stop, stare and be amazed by them. I just had to try one.

After having a mini food trip at Harajuku, the next stop was at Shinjuku.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Because Jaclyn knows I’m a big fan of observatories, she brought me to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The building has two observation decks, the North and South observatory.

Because of its FREE admission, the queue to get into the building was a bit long. We got to the observatory just in time for an early night view of Tokyo.

As we exited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, we noticed it looked pretty amazing and just had to get a shot of it.

We grabbed dinner at a nearby restaurant and tried the Okonomiyaki.

Japan Day 12: Tokyo Summerland

I was with Ate Car and Jaclyn when I visited Tokyo Summerland. It was summer and we just had to go to where the water was.

Tokyo Summerland is a water adventure park with amusement rides. The park has strict rules regarding tattoos, including non-permanent body stickers and paint. They also forbid people from bringing pets, glass bottles, glass food containers, cans and dangerous items.

A few days before this trip, we did some research. We feared the worst for this place as there were bad reviews about it online. However, we already bought our tickets so nothing can stop us from going! 

On our way to Tokyo Summerland, the bus was full so we pretty much expected the place will be full as well. As we entered, I was like, “Is this it?”

The place looked pretty small and as expected, it was crowded! But I guess we didn’t do enough research because that was just the indoor part of the park. I had a sigh of relief when I heard there was an outdoor area. 

Tokyo Summerland Outdoor Area

As we got to the outdoor area, we saw this large pool and some slides, which got us pretty excited.

First, we looked for a spot where we could leave our things. Luckily, there were still empty benches near the toilet and it was just across from a restaurant. We had our early lunch just before the restaurant got packed. 

After a good lunch, we changed to our swimsuits and started to queue up on some slides. The lines for the slides were pretty long but the drop was worth it! 

They also had some rides. The most obvious one was the Star Wheel Ferris wheel and I just had to!

Aside from the restaurants, there were a lot of food stalls inside the theme park so we never ran out of food options. I snacked on a delicious Takoyaki.

We never went into the indoor pool because as I said earlier, it was pretty crowded!

Before deciding to shower and change into our casual clothes, we spent the rest of our time at the outdoor pool.

We headed back early to avoid a full bus.

‘Til my next Japan summer holiday, Tokyo Summerland!

Japan Day 13: Cafe Gram

I didn’t have any plans for this day but shop for things I can bring back to my family and friends in Perth. Going to Café Gram was a last-minute idea.

The night before, Ate Car, Jaclyn and I had dinner at a steakhouse restaurant and beside it was a restaurant that sells pancakes for breakfast. It looked so appetising that I wanted to try them but instead of going back there for breakfast, we searched for another place where we can have pancakes. Café Gram was on top of that search list.

The next day, we arrived at Café Gram just about 5 minutes before they opened. There were already people queuing. 

As we lined up, a waitress asked us if we wanted a Premium Pancake. She said that they would only serve us one and it will be served at 12:45 pm.

We were a bit surprised as to why we had to wait that long for a pancake but we were already there so we were cool with waiting.

We didn’t have our breakfast yet and we were feeling kind of hungry. While waiting for the Premium Pancake, we ordered some other breakfast food.

I had the Mixberry French Toast. Ate Car and Jaclyn had the Bacon Egg Pancake. We also ordered the Premium Parfait to get some fruits/dessert.

Well, that was supposed to be a smiley face in the Premium Parfait and not a “u” but it melted as I took the picture!

12:45 pm, the pancake arrived.

The wait was worth it. It was the fluffiest pancake I’ve ever had! I would come and visit Café Gram again on my next Japan trip.

Japan Day 14: Tokyo (Haneda) – Perth

It seemed like my first visit to Japan had gone by so quickly.

I spent my last day in Japan shopping and spending what’s left of the yen that I had. Then, I headed to the airport for my flight.

Although I had a 2-week first visit to Japan, I still had places I wanted to go and things I wanted to do. I guess this means Japan, I will be back for another visit. See you soon!

First Visit to Japan Recap

My first visit to Japan was fun! I had an incredible 14-day trip. To be honest, going to Japan was not even a top priority on my travel list.

What made me want to visit Japan was hearing the amazing stories my brother and sister experienced during their first visit to Japan. I ended up wanting to stay a bit longer and be back sooner.

During my stay in Japan, I was able to visit a lot of places and some major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya and Kobe. I also got to learn more about Japan’s history and culture.

The highlights of my Japan trip were visiting Hiroshima, exploring Tokyo DisneySea and going to the observatories. I also enjoyed trying out the ramen at Ichiran, the crepes at Takeshita Street and the super fluffy pancakes at Cafe Gram.

When you visit Japan, I recommend buying the Japan Rail (JR) Pass and/or a Pasmo card so you can save on your public transportation fares.

I hope you find my Japan travel itinerary helpful. I know you will have an incredible first visit to Japan soon. Enjoy your travel and stay safe!

First Visit to Japan Links

• Accommodation – Agoda, book here
• Japan-wide Japan Rail Pass – Purchase the pass here
• Regional Japan Rail Pass – Purchase the pass here

Related Posts:
Japan Public Transport Pass: How To Save On Trips
Japan Rail Pass Review: What You Need To Know