trip-to-japan

Wanderlog: https://wanderlog.com/plan/vxtimyknftafokdu/trip-to-japan/shared

Vending Coffee Ratings

Fire

  • not that fire, a little watered down even

  • a little sweet with some kind of cream

Viet coffee

  • drinkable, would get again if need something sweet 

Geisha blend 

  • Didn’t like it, it was pretty watery and got that typical cold brew after taste 

Top tier one coffee

  • best one so far 

Wonda morning shot

  • latte drink even though the packaging doesn’t really say it 

  • Very good as a latte

Cute packaging one 

  • barely tastes of coffee

  • probably good for people that just want a hint of coffee

Wanda Gold

  • not my favourite, pretty light tasting latte

Boss bottle

  • nice latte lots of milk flavour

  • would get again 

TRIP SEGMENTS 

Fukuoka segment

  • A bit more relaxed city with famous food like mentai, hakata style ramen, and montsunabe. The vibe is like a slower big city with some a busy downtown but much slower outside. The small streets with bars and vintage clothing shops around our hotel brings a youthful counterculture movement to the more traditional, rules based setting

  • Highlight: sumo, horse sashimi, mentai tempura at yatai, convinent stores 

  • Taking the bus and found the customs to be v different: getting on at the middle/back, take a ticket if it’s by cash and then pay when getting off by paying the exact change with the specified fare on the screen. If it’s IC card, you tap on and off. The bus driver is very patient with paying while leaving and you can break large bills or coins into change. The driver was also very physical with checking the mirrors and side mirrors

  • the airport is v conveniently located, but there are only 3 subway lines and the main stations are quite big making subway not that convenient for us, and most of time we walked and took the bus

  • bus didn’t follow schedule too well 

  • the first bus I took, I went to the front and just shoved money in the change machine and the driver didn’t say anything and just helped me to put the change into the main compartment

  • hanh also didn’t pay on the way off 

  • 7/11 worker was v stressed that she couldn’t help me with buying an IC card that they didn’t carry 

Train to Oita 

  • spun the seats around half way. Which I found interesting because I realized at the station that the train came from one direction and left in the same direction. Also we were in train 1 and was somehow at the end. Then at a station, everyone got up to spin the chairs around. Also there was two rows where they faced each other already and I thought it was just part of the cart setup

  • conductors bow when leaving the cart 

  • the houses on the country side are all v nice and castle roof style 

Kuju hike

  • a bit trail system that hits many mountains in the region 

  • the trail system is v well maintained and established with good camping facilities

  • we stayed at the onsen hotel which was fantastic with nice meals and warm tatmi rooms 

  • the place runs on cash and we almost didn’t have enough 

  • the hikers are almost all exclusively Japanese locals and have a v polite hiking culture with konichiwa and yielding to you

  • the hikers are also very prepared for the worst possible condition usually fully geared up with gaiters, walking sticks, large backpacks and gloves 

Bus to kuju

  • even the long distance buses are better to just pay as you go because they don’t really follow a schedule unless it’s the starting station 

  • and just pay when you get off 

  • like the komomoto bus never came 

Osaka

  • Soylent story, made of human 

  • the Osaka culture is v stylish and out going compared to the reserved and respectful in the south

  • Didn’t see any crazy drinking or drunk salary men in the dumps or anything 

Kyoto

  • transit is very inaccessible to places makes timings with things hard

  • the amount of tourists and narrow sidewalks makes getting to anywhere very hard

  • the shrines are just full of people and it’s quite unenjoyable 

Tokyo

  • dirtier than Osaka and Kyoto, more garbage generally

  • golden gai is interesting vibes but because of tourists it doesn’t feel as genuine as the smaller bars in Osaka 

  • transit is fantastic and the coffee scene is more vibrant here, better selection of pour overs

Overall

  • good execution 

  • good coorporating weather 

Activity Rating

B-Sumo wrestling

S-Hiking 

B-Staying in a mountain 

B-Onsen on a boat 

A-Onsen in a house

B-Onsen private 

B-Don quioto shopping 

S-500 yen aycd lemon sours 

A-Disney sea

Cruise 

Ring making 

Photoshoot

Akasuka rockza

Golden gai

5am ramen 

Haircut 

Chanting in a monk bar 

Fruit basket bar 

Yatai

Picnic by the river 

Eating good food on a train 

Karaoke 

Family mart / 711 runs 

Boat arashiyama

Vending machine coffee

Clean toilets everywhere and bidets

Couples watch