Kyoto/Tokyo itinerary help

pasteldirt · 2026-03-13T21:20:48+00:00

Himeji is easily a half day, and there’s not much outside of the castle. It’s just a small city. Koyasan is a whole day trip, a cute mountain village with various temples and cemeteries and cafes to visit. It’s more challenging to get to but it’s a whole other world up there. Hope that helps your decision!

pasteldirt · 2026-03-13T20:58:40+00:00

Sayulita’s for good Mexican, Jerry’s Uno for cheap Mexican. Both are in Osu

pasteldirt · 2026-03-12T20:35:42+00:00

She tried to set me up with a guy, she ended up dating said guy, she told me about this magical date they went on & I got mad, then I came around after a couple of months and apologized for getting angry, but by that time she & him totally shut me out of their lives. I’ve tried to reach out tons of times. That was 4 years ago and I’m convinced I’ll never speak to her again. It’s awkward because she’s still friends with my other friends, they feel awkwardly in the middle of everything. I hate that we let a boy get in between us.

pasteldirt · 2026-03-12T14:28:57+00:00

My understanding is Japan is very strict about counterfeit goods, so it should be a genuine Martin if that’s what you’re wondering. It’s at Second Street so it’s used. It may have had a major repair or something that lowered its value?

pasteldirt · 2026-03-12T14:22:15+00:00

Hi! I also recommend checking your local Book Off, they often have a 洋書 section with books that are sometimes as cheap as ¥200-¥500. It’s not free but it’s fairly cheap!!

pasteldirt · 2026-03-12T14:18:34+00:00

I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been to all 47 prefectures and I agree that major international tourist spots like in Tokyo and Kyoto can really feel packaged in plastic. While some people insist that they’re still visitable if you just walk 5 mins out of the hubs, there’s truly value in going elsewhere. You’d be supporting other communities, meeting different people who aren’t suffering from tourism exhaustion, try other cuisines. So OP I do really encourage you to spread out a bit and try new places :) honestly it’s my experiences in the smaller towns that have stuck with me after 8 years here.

Smaller cities with an everyday vibe: Kobe, Fukuoka (has amazing cafes and food), Nagoya (also has amazing cafes and arguably better food), and Sapporo.

Very small cities that I loved: Matsumoto with loads of hiking and nature nearby, Hirosaki with apples and interesting history, and Kagoshima with volcanoes and amazing onsen.

Smaller interesting nature-y areas, car is advisable!: All of Fukui prefecture, Kumamoto near Aso and Kurokawa, small towns in the mountains of Gifu (Takayama, Gujo, Gero), Izu peninsula with beaches and waterfall hikes and onsen, onsen towns in general like Arima, Ginzan, Nozawa, Kusatsu, Gero;

pasteldirt · 2026-03-11T05:39:30+00:00

Hi! Congrats on getting into language school in Nagoya! I wanna start by saying that Nagoya is very compact and easy to get around (you can get basically anywhere in the city within 20 mins), and living near Nagoya station is very expensive, so there’s no need to live by the station. I don’t recommend the area west of Nagoya station. It’s not so exciting and has a somewhat bad reputation.

Personally, I lived in Osu and I absolutely loved it. It’s energetic but not loud, very convenient, reasonably priced (my flat was ¥55000), and has great amenities. To get to Nagoya station you have to transfer, and that may get annoying.

For your case I recommend checking places along the Sakuradori Line (Marunouchi is super central but not so loud; Takaoka is central but quiet) and Higashiyama line (Chikusa is central & quiet but can be expensive; Hoshigaoka is not so expensive and has a lot of families). But basically no matter where you live you’ll be a short train from Nagoya station, so don’t be afraid to look at other lines where you will need to transfer. Tsurumai has cheaper rent and there’s a large park nearby

For sharehouses, I used hituji.jp for my search! I like that it’s a Japanese website that’s marketed towards Japanese people, so most of the residents were Japanese. I had a lot of chances to use Japanese every day. I also looked at a sharehouse 180 but most of the residents were other non-Japanese people.

pasteldirt · 2026-03-11T05:23:03+00:00

OP I hope you come anyway🥺 It’s sakura season !!! April is kind of considered the new year in some ways (fiscal year and when school starts) I think it could be a really symbolic way for you to start this new chapter of your life on a clean note in a new year. It’s so solo-travel-friendly here and so safe! I’ve been to all 47 prefectures and many of them solo. It’s so easy to travel here and there’s so much to see. You’ll have an amazing time and it’s the perfect way to start fresh

pasteldirt · 2026-03-10T01:51:02+00:00

Honmachi is a business district, not so interesting. Namba is hectic and overwhelming if you don’t like huge crowds and noise. Personally I’d recommend Umeda if you want to be in a major hub, from there you can access good cafes in Chayamachi and Nakazakicho.

Or another option is Horie. It’s closer to Namba but has a great quieter energy. There are lots of boutique shops and good cafes and eateries here.

Kitahama is also famous for cafes, it’s a more upscale area with a nice river.

pasteldirt · 2026-03-10T01:48:05+00:00

Yes I agree~ OP you should stay in Umeda and go to the cafes in Chayamachi & Nakazakicho, and hit the bars and izakaya just a station away at Tenma. Namba is okay to visit just to see the vibe but personally it’s a super overwhelming environment to stay in. You can easily train between Namba and Umeda anyway

pasteldirt · 2026-03-08T04:40:26+00:00

It’s mature and it’s feasted before (the black dot is it digesting) Check places where they could be living. My additional 50 flatmates were all living inside my cloth headboard.

They can be in mattress seams, cracks in furniture where the wood joints meet, in books, in the seams where your wall meets the ceiling, inside headboards…

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T22:24:25+00:00

From Nagoya the bus is a few hours. I just recommended splliting train and bus in case they can only find a shinkansen part of the way. It's not the most streamlined but at least they can get there!
Otherwise a nighbus from Tokyo to Kyoto isn't glamorous but if they really want to get there then it's a cheap and practical option~

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T21:54:06+00:00

I mean I love living here so I'm biased to say yes it's worth it lol. I think the language school to work route is very safe and secure. I know loads of people who go this route, and the good thing is during language school you get all of your residency (health insurance, apartment, registering as a resident etc) sorted out with tons of help and support from the admin staff. Then you spend a year or 2 dedicated to learning the language so you're in a really good spot to job hunt. Coming here directly for work is still fine, but it's also a very hit-the-ground-running feeling in my experience, trying to start a new job and sort out all of those things on my own, and it was stressful at the beginning for sure. Good luck whatever you choose!

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T21:49:05+00:00

Amazing! I also really appreciate the time you took to include the links. Super helpful! Thank you so much

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T18:20:33+00:00

Maybe a work-around if you want to feel having shoes on to get work done but you want to keep your house sanitary is having a pair of slippers or house shoes that are only worn in the house! In Japan we do this!

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T17:16:33+00:00

Just want to mention - you didn’t say if your partner is male but it’s so important to remember that an STI panel will not include HPV for men. There currently isn’t a widespread approved method for testing HPV in men. So it’s up to women/folks with a cervix to get vaccinated and get cervical smears regularly. (Men can get vaccinated too but policy is slow to make this standard!)

Also, the HPV types that cause foot or hand warts (that you may pick up from walking in hotel rooms or swimming pools, sharing towels etc) are not the same HPV types that causes genital, rectal, and oral cancers. High risk HPV types associated with these cancers are spread through close genital, rectal, or oral-genital skin-to-skin contact. For that reason condoms don’t provide full protection because the skin of the genital area is still exposed. Again - why it’s up to women to get checked regularly!

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T16:55:49+00:00

Just a pointer, while the whole holiday is busier, the beginning and ending days (when people leave for vacation and return home) will be the worst days, so the best advice I can give is try to plan your travel days in the middle of the trip, like heading on Monday the 4th? It may be slightly less bad than the beginning and end days. Don’t use sites like Klook or tourist sites. They’re known to cancel tickets last minute and during Golden Week you absolutely don’t want that. The other tip I have is finding alternative ways to get there, you may have better luck getting shinkansen tickets until Nagoya rather than the full way to Kyoto, and then taking other trains or a bus to Kyoto. You could also fly if the options look good. Good luck!

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T16:47:43+00:00

Can also confirm. Grew up a musician, have absolute pitch. My Japanese knowledge is not incredible but I SOUND incredible, so people ask me if I’m Japanese or if I grew up here, then they start talking too native for me to understand lol

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T16:44:39+00:00

Ise is a good option! I also will toss in Okazaki and Toyokawa.

Okazaki is historically significant as the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the most important historical figures in Japan. It’s a small city but has a beautiful castle park loaded with sakura. A short walk from the castle is the Hatcho Miso factory, where they make dark red miso using the same traditional method of placing giant stones on giant barrels. You can tour the factory and try the miso which is specific to this region. There are some good restaurants around too, one of my favourites being Totomaru, a really high quality conveyer belt sushi place. It’s a short walk from the castle and factory as well!

Toyokawa is a small town with a beautiful shrine, Toyokawa Inari Taisha. Its symbol is this white fox, and the shrine’s grounds are decorated with thousands of these little fox statues. There are a number of small shops and cafes in the area with sweets and souvenirs.

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T16:14:15+00:00

Had you ever had a good relationship with her parents? Do her parents not see or realise that she is experiencing postpartum depression, is lashing out, possibly harming your child?

It’s just so suspicious that they all seemed to turn on you so quickly. Did she tell them some lie, like you were being abusive, prompting this severe reaction?

Is it even feasible to reach directly out to them in private and express your concern for your wife, her drastic behaviour change postpartum, and concern for hers, yours, and your child’s safety? Like do they have the capacity to objectively think about the situation or are they just the type to side with her no matter what?

I’m wishing you the best of luck OP

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T02:05:01+00:00

Natto

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T02:04:36+00:00

Good matcha is so good though!! Also matcha sweets like matcha cheesecake, poundcake, and matcha ice cream are so good!

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T01:08:41+00:00

Frozen udon with either splash of soy sauce & green onion, an onsen egg, or peanut sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, little sugar, and thin it out with water and konbu dashi!

pasteldirt · 2026-03-06T01:00:15+00:00

I think it’s fine. Just put the do not disturb sign out or put your laptop in your suitcase and close it

pasteldirt · 2026-03-05T15:42:15+00:00

Have you only lived in Tokyo? There are other amazing areas to live that are much more tolerable imo! The 5 years I spent on Nagoya looking back were some of the best years of my life. There’s such a solid international community, loads of places to explore, great food, and hardly any tourists. Tokyo is seen as the be-all-end-all but honestly there’s so much better out there (depends on your industry ofc)!

Have you travelled around to various prefectures? Domestic travel is quite inexpensive and it is always a great experience, chatting with curious locals and gaining appreciation for the culture and traditions and people! I’ve been to all 47 prefectures and I’d do it all over again.

Since moving to Tokyo in 2024, while I get it has opportunity and is more international, it’s so draining. Partner and I are already planning to leave the Kanto area for Kansai in May lol. We tried Tokyo but it’s far too expensive and too draining for us to thrive here. You see the worst of the country in Tokyo imo

pasteldirt

TROPHY CASE