[JSG] My first two week itinerary of Japan

Travelling to: Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Gifu and Tokyo

This is the 2 week itinerary I wrote back in August 2013. Hopefully this will help you look at places to go on a quick timescale.

Accom - All of my accommodation bookings were via www.booking.com or in Tokyo I used Sakura
Trips - We also booked a day trip from Tokyo Snow Club
Travel - Apart from the Osaka subway line, the Japan Rail Card my friends used worked everywhere. However, because I was a resident I wasn't able to get one.

Obviously this was tailored to all of our specifications and we had specific dates to do things (also on a budget, being students/graduates and all)

Hopefully this was a help to someone out there. Or inspired you to think that planning a trip in Japan isn't too hard!

[JSG] My Top 5 Places to go in Japan

So before I get down to the heavy posts on each city/area. I thought i'd list my top 5 places to go in Japan. (disclosure: some will be bias as i've not travelled everywhere)

In no particular order:

1. Osaka - the kooky cousin of Tokyo. I find myself most at home in Osaka (probably because it's one of the closest cities near me) Besides that, the buzz and bustle of the streets definitely makes me feel like this is the place the be. Osaka/Kansai food is definitely one of my favourite regions, if not the tip-top one.

2. Miyajima - A little island off the coast of Hiroshima prefecture. The overflow of cute, hyperactive deer and breath-taking views on the island are just something you have to see. I recommend checking the tide times before you go, if you want to get those amazing pictures of the floating tori surrounded by water, but also enough time to stroll around the beach and get up close and personal with the tori.

3. Kyoto - If you want to see old style Japan, but stay foreigner friendly, Kyoto is the place to go. I found that Kyoto had the most amount of foreigners around. Probably because it is jam-packed with english-friendly signs, buses, restaurants etc. Whether you want to stick to central Kyoto or escape to beautiful Arashiyama on the outskirts. Definitely a must-have in your itinerary.

4. Tokyo - I can't not put Tokyo in my top five places. It has such a vast amount of culture hidden at every corner you won't know where to start. I'm going to post a separate post detailing the best places within Tokyo. But just as a little snippet now, my favourite places were definitely, Shibuya, Asakusa, and the Tsukiji fish markets. Similar to Kyoto, theres so much to see in central Tokyo, but if you venture further out, there is lots of hidden gems to see.

5. Nara - feeding wild deer in Nara park, having a picnic, checking out one of the oldest wooden structures in the world. Just a typical day in Nara. It's such a relaxing place to be, but often overlooked by the nearby bustling cities in Kansai.

So there was a little post of my top 5 places in Japan. Watch out for more in-depth itineraries of each area coming up soon!!

Japan Survival Guide Introduction [JSG]

Welcome to my Japan Survival Guide
I guess I should mention a little bit about myself before I get to it.

I'm currently a final year student at university in England. I've just returned back from studying and living in Japan for a year. It was a eye-opening experience, being immersed into a new culture and developing my language.

Throughout the year I was able to travel around many cities. For the last two weeks I was there, 4 of my friends came over to do a '2 week intense travelling of Japan'. I got to play tour guide and wrote up lots of notes and information into an itinerary for them.

I then realised, that for someone who doesn't speak Japanese (or very little) some parts of travelling around Japan can be daunting. Thus, I've decided to write up little snippets of advice I gathered from my year in Japan. I'll include itineraries, lists, maps and general information on the area (restaurants, bars, clubs, famous points of interest and secret must-not-miss places!) so you can travel Japan and experience a stress free trip!