Japan 2025
Tokyo
Tokyo is now absolutely my favourite metropolis. It’s astonishing how such a massive city, the largest in the world, can function so smoothly. Everything just works.
Trains are not only extremely punctual, but they also run incredibly frequently and literally go everywhere. But it’s not even necessary to travel across the city to find what you need. Every district in Tokyo has just about everything, shopping, food, entertainment, you name it.
The streets are so spotless, it honestly gives me small German village vibes when it comes to cleanliness. What’s surprising, especially at first, is that there are barely any trash bins around. But that’s not a failure of the system, it’s intentional. People just take their trash home. It’s like an unspoken rule that everyone follows without needing to be told: if you create trash, it’s yours to deal with.
Speaking of German villages: the level of calm and quiet in Tokyo’s metro system is seriously impressive. In Japan, it’s considered rude to speak loudly in the train, and the result is a peaceful commute. With the perfectly regulated temperature and clean surroundings, sitting in the train is genuinely comfortable. Honestly, it’s no exaggeration, you can fall asleep almost instantly in a Tokyo metro.
Even on the streets, despite the sheer number of people always around, it’s surprisingly quiet. People don’t shout. They respect space. This kind of public etiquette is rare in most places I’ve been.
And the friendliness. The level of service you get in shops, restaurants, and anywhere customer-facing is out of this world. Having lived in Germany (Berlin) for so long, this feels almost like heaven.
Another thing that makes Tokyo, and Japan in general, stand out is the availability of clean, modern, and free-to-use public toilets (don’t get me started on Japanese toilets) in nearly every train station. It’s such a simple thing, yet it makes a huge difference. As a result, people can travel around the city comfortably, without having to plan bathroom breaks or worry about where to go. You can drink, eat, and explore freely, knowing that a spotless restroom is never too far away.
Fujiyoshida
After Tokyo, we spent two days in Fujiyoshida, a small, quiet town at the base of Mount Fuji. We wanted to spend some time there to see Fujisan in all its glory. Its presence and influence on Japanese culture, especially in manga, have, in many ways, shaped my childhood. And in the end, we weren’t disappointed. It’s beautiful. Finally seeing it with my own eyes… that’s something else entirely.
Osaka
Took a bus back to Tokyo to go to Osaka via a Shinkansen line.
My impression of Osaka is that it’s Japan’s party city, or at least that’s how it felt, maybe that's because we stayed in the Namba district. The streets are full of people, restaurants are buzzing, and it feels like the whole place is on the edge of a permanent street festival.
One thing that stood out: there are a lot of Vietnamese people in Osaka. I overheard Vietnamese being spoken several times while walking around.
We didn’t stay long as we mostly saw Osaka as a fun base to visit Nara before heading to Kyoto, which is just a short train ride away. But we did manage to visit Osaka Castle and admire its impressive moat structures.
Nara
Nara is best known for Nara Park, one of Japan’s oldest parks and home to over a thousand freely roaming deer. This place is wild. I’ve never seen so many deer in my life, and with this level of freedom. It honestly feels like they’re treated as second-class citizens of the city: tolerated, fed, and bowed to.
Their main food source? Tourists. More specifically, tourists happily buying stacks of shika senbei (deer crackers) from vendors at the park entrance, then offering them to the deer, often followed by a gentle bow (from the deer, yes). It’s cute, chaotic, and slightly intimidating when you’ve got five hungry deer following you around like you owe them rent.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when tourism collapsed, the deer lost their main food supply and began to wander outside the park to forage. A telling example of how much these deer depend on human presence.
In the end, it was a pretty unforgettable experience: just strolling through ancient trees, passing old temples, and feeding as many deer as our wallets (and courage) allowed.
Kyoto
Kyoto is old and beautiful, but undeniably a bit touristy. Still, we wandered its charming streets lined with traditional machiya (wooden townhouses), dressed in rented (but surprisingly well-fitting) kimonos. That alone was quite the experience, part costume play, part cultural immersion.
The famous Fushimi Inari Taisha hike, the one that winds past thousands of bright red torii gates, is not to be missed when one is in Kyoto. That said, it’s also one of the most touristic things you can do in Japan. So, in an attempt to experience it differently, we caught the first train at 5 AM, arriving at the base of Mount Inari just as the sky began to lighten.
Were we alone? Of course not, apparently, a few dozen other people had the same “brilliant and unique” idea. Still, the path was blissfully quiet compared to the dense crowds that start rolling in after 7 AM. The atmosphere at that hour was surreal: silent, sacred, and surrounded by millions gates, each one donated by a business owner praying for prosperity and good fortune. Later on we saw several delegations of company people arriving to pray. Maybe they all have important deals to make the next days.
Kanazawa
After Kyoto, we took the train north toward the coastal city of Kanazawa. It’s a much quieter town, known for its well-preserved Edo period charm and slower pace. We explored the old Samurai district with its narrow lanes and traditional earthen walls, and visited the impressive Kanazawa Castle, which stands beautifully restored in the heart of the city.