Japan Summary & Review

We really enjoyed our stay in Japan and are already excited to go back and see more.  One week is not nearly enough time.  We would recommend anyone who was interested in visiting Japan to do it.  They are such polite people, the country is clean, safe and easy to get around, and if you like sushi or sashimi... it doesn't get any better than Japan.

In case you're interested, here's a quick review of the country and the places we stayed.

Toyko is huge and like New York has many neighborhoods with very different vibes.  We stayed at the Sunlite Shinjuku Hotel located in an area that reminded us of Times Square in NYC.  This was a great location as it was near a bus stop, metro station and the Japan Rail Station.  The hotel was clean and had free internet but the room was very small (even smaller than NY or Europe hotel rooms) and the bed was pretty hard.  The staff, however, was excellent - very nice and spoke English well.

Kyoto reminded Kate of a downtown suburban city.  It had an urban feel without being a big city.  There was a great metro system and many people rode bikes instead of driving.  We stayed at the Hearton Hotel Kyoto - which we would highly recommend.  The room was small but didn't feel cramped.  The staff was excellent, spoke English well and gave great restaurant recommendations. This hotel was also well located as it was near a metro station.

The Food:  We didn't have a lunch or dinner we didn't like.  Amazing food, no matter the restaurant.  Typically you can't find a restaruant where the staff speaks English but we were still able to order by pointing to pics in the menus. Breakfast is not Japan's, and later we found is not Asia's, strong suite.  The bacon is boiled, the sausage is a hot dog, and often lunch/dinner foods are served (i.e. miso soup, dumplings, rice, etc.)

Nightlife:  We didn't find much of a nightlife in Japan.  While restaurants were busy, bars were empty and around "Happy Hour" times were often closed.  The sake and beer in Japan was quite good; however there is not a selection of wine.  Typically there is only one type of wine offered and they are unable to name it (i.e. it's referred to as white or red instead of merlot or chardonny).  We are finding this to be common in other areas of Asia - wine is just not as available.

Getting around: Taxis were well-priced and clean.  Typically drivers do not speak English but they can read it if you have the address printed.  Metro and the Japan Rail are very easy to get around as everything is in both Japanese and English - the staff also speaks decent English.  We purchased a week-long Japan Rail pass to get us to Kyoto and back to Toyko, to the airport and it also got us around Toyko.  It was pricey but probably saved us some money in the end.

If you end up visiting Japan, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!