yokozuma

Lovely report.

I did a tour round Japan recently and especially loved Kanazawa. It's said to have the best sushi in the world due to it's location, perfectly situated between the best fishing area and rice fields.

Glad to see Mr Donut on there as well, I always felt guilty going in thinking I should be having some Japanese sweets but they were too good to turn down

broenor

Thank you! No, I didn't use the JR rail pass. The main reson was that I wanted to try the Nozomi super express trains. And after what I read the JR rail pass is not valid on the Nozomi trains. I would be about even if I bought and used JR rail pass for the rest of the train trips or if I not used the pass.

Thank you for your feedback! Yes, I can agree that "easy" might be a relative term in this case. In general I found that information was displayed in English in addition to Japanese on train stations and the Metro in Fukuoka, Kyoto and Tokyo. And announcements on train was usually also given in English. Travel is also "easy" in the sense that transports are reliable. But it can be difficult if you have ask a random person on the street for direction and so on (quite a number of people who speaks limited or no English). Or if you travel more off the beaten track.

Glad to enjoyed the report! Agree, great sushi in Kanazawa.

gardener

I am glad you tried the Hakata Ramen. No trip to FUK is complete without the famous local ramen noodle soup.

arlflyer

I think this is one of the things that surprised me the most about Japan: the prevalence of really good western-style baked goods. Aside from donuts (was not expecting to see Krispy Kreme in Shinjuku!) there seemed to be a high-end patisserie on every corner.

chicagodesi

Beautiful pics!

broenor

Agree. I ate at the Ramen world on the 5. th floor of Canal city complex in Fukuoka. They had some places serving very good ramen.

I aslo noticed the number of patisseries around in Japan. They might have a liking for the french (Tokyo even have it's copy of the Eiffel tower)

Thank you! Glad you liked them

flybob

Great report! A real inspiration for my upcoming trip

DanielW

Awesome photo's of Japan. Such a photogenic country, with everything from the food to the Nozomi.

broenor

Thank you! Have a nice trip to Japan. You have something to look forward to.

Thank you, much appreciated! Agree, there is many photogenic motives in Japan. Also much thanks to the Japanese attention to details; it be food, art, crafts and so on.

dutch_122

Hello broenor,


Excellent photos and trip report.
Visiting Japan myself in November, really looking forward.

dutch_122

Strawboy1230

Great TR man. Those were some gorgeous photos. Thank you for sharing!

Bretteee

I want to go to Japan but was worried going without an organised tour.

And the organised tours cost a fortune.

Do you speak a little Japanese?

So it seems doable to go without a tour group.

I did go to Tokyo in 1976 and was too scared to go for a long walk as the street signs are all just in Japanese.

I had the same problem in Athens.

TPJ

Wonderful report!

I love JP for one thing... After taking my family for vacations in JP earlier this year, all my friends believe I am a billionaire as all of them think JP is veryyy expensive... IMHO JP is more affordable than France or Germany...

Bretteee

You can do it on your own - just buy a Lonely Planet guide - the only place we were on a day tour was Kyoto as the temples are located not that close from each other.

broenor

I'm glad you enjoyed the report! Have a nice trip to Japan in November.

Thank you for your kind words!

Tahnk you! I use a Nikon D3200. On this trip I used two lenses, a Nikon 35 mm f/1.8 and the 18-55 kit lense (actually the only two I have...:-)). The food pictures and pictures after dark are (almost all) taken with the 35 mm lense. I bought this lense just before the trip and I really get to like it.

I hardly speak any Japanese at all. I travelled alone (with my Lonely Travel guide book) and that worked very fine for me. I had booked the hotels before I left, but everything else including train tickets where orgainzed while travelling. As TPJ says it may be most convenient to take a day tour in Kyoto, but is manageble using public transport (pluss walking) as I did.

Thank you! As mentioned above I agree with your comment to Bretteee and that Japan not is as expensive as many seems to think...