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Kerry Wang

Japan 2026

/ 3 min read

Table of Contents

Info

Oct 6 to Oct 18 2026. Used Wanderlog to plan trip.

Learnings

Wealthsimple credited ATM fees. Shinkansen unreserved seats can mean you have to stand during rush hour. Also try to reserve the newer trains that have an outlet in each seat.

I don’t really dig the city vibe. The main cities were very similar and many attractions were temples/shrines which felt repetitive. Next time, perhaps go further north or south/west and do a camping trip / small towns visit.

Food

Felt Better

  • Thick cut Tonkatsu
  • Gyukatsu
  • The thin beef you put in shallow soy broth was good with A5 wagyu
  • Mlik cream puff

Tasted Similar Just Cheaper

  • Pork Ramen
  • Karaage (Fried chicken)
  • Nigiri (ngl I like westernized sushi more, nigiri too much rice)
    • Not big on roe
    • Umi did not taste too special
  • Roasted chicken wing
  • Stewed beef

For Next Time

  • ShabuShabu
  • Udon
  • Yakitori
  • Okonomiyaki
  • Soba
  • Yakiniku
  • Omurice

Purchases

  • Nail Clipper with catcher
  • Knife
  • Imabari Towel
  • Matcha Powder from Uji
  • Shupatto collapsible bag
  • Pens
  • Sunscreen

Next Time

  • Scissors
  • Wet stones
  • Fancy knife

Hotels

See Japan Trip google sheet for details

Dormy Inn

Only in-suite shower and no bath, while the natural onsen is nice, having a hot bath for day of walking was just more continent with in-suite bath. Only had two breakfasts and there appeared to be not significant variety in the core proteins.

Very happy with the stay, given the minimal options on island. Do consider staying on another island, e.g. the one with the sunset beach. Great dinner service. Has pajamas and laundry so really no need to bring a change of clothes.

SuperHotel

Favorite hotel of the trip. Has bath. Included breakfast buffet was awesome that rotated the two proteins, where was usually a fish and a meat.

Toyoko Inn

Had a room that reeked of cigarettes (not sure if there’s an option to avoid when booking). Elevator had a bit of a wait. Breakfast was kind of ass with a very dry fish as the main protein.

First Cabin

For price it was pretty good. Service was great. Only complain is that I get woken but other guests’ alarms even though they really should be prohibited. I think for time efficiency (e.g. shower was in basement), could consider a more private space for a bit of additional cost.

Cities

Osaka

  • Good transit
  • Good food options

Shiminami Kaido Islands

  • Islands with small villages
  • Secluded shrines / temples
  • Scenic

Kyoto

  • Lots of bus / bad metro system
  • Temples / nature

Nagoya

  • That samurai walk was neat, basically mountain towns; however, most of the trail was as-if a regular hike. The towns/homes we passed by were real homes, and did not seem historical like I’d imaginged.
  • Next time visit the Toyota Museums which were unexpectedly closed to me as there was a public holiday causing a push of the closure date.

Tokyo

  • Shops everywhere, multi-level department stores
  • Shopped at Hands, Donki, Matsumo drug store, Loft, Uniqlo
  • Great transit and food options

Apps

  • Google Lens/Translate
  • LUUP
  • Lime