A Slightly Less Touristy Japan (page 3 of 4)

After devouring a tonkatsu, I pick up my suitcase at the station and we take the train for a 50-minute ride to Matsumoto. I part ways with my two French friends here and head to my capsule hotel. It’s pretty stylish since I opted for a larger room. A curtain separates the room from the hallway. Everything’s nice and quiet here—and clean. Afterward, I take a stroll through Matsumoto toward the castle and the surrounding streets along the river, which I already know from my visit last year.

















Seafood dinner at "Isomaru"

We really do keep running into each other in our travel journals, don’t we? 🙂 Thanks for the kind words! Keep up the great work.

Day 16: Matsumoto to Kawaguchiko Since my train leaves at 9 AM for Isawa Onsen, I try to find a place for breakfast but no luck. Either they don’t open until after 8 AM or there’s already a line at the door by 7:30. So I head to a 7-Eleven to grab some yogurt and eat it at the hotel. At Isawa Onsen, I catch my connecting bus to Kawaguchiko. I’m staying at a youth hostel—a pretty basic room, but at a great price. After a ramen lunch, I rent a bike from the hostel to ride around the lake. The weather isn’t great—overcast with zero visibility of Mount Fuji all afternoon. And it’s only 15°C.

The lake loop—with stops—takes me about 3 hours. Along the way, I pause at Oishi Park, get a view of Lake Saiko, and finally visit Omuro Sengen Shrine.











Dinner at a really nice little restaurant (Kokua). Amazing sea bream in parchment paper, plus chicken wings, fries, horse sashimi, and a beer—all for 4,000 yen. Since there aren’t many customers, the chef comes over to chat with me. That’s one of the perks of solo travel—you get to know people quickly.

Day 17: Mount Fuji then heading to Tokyo Shinjuku Yes! Clear blue sky this morning. I bike around the lake again, this time with beautiful views of Mount Fuji.











I then head to the Chureito Pagoda. A nice neighborhood leads me there. Big climb (400 steps) for an amazing view.



Back to Kawaguchiko center. It’s packed at this hour (11 AM). After lunch, I take the bus to Shinjuku. Good thing I booked the day before because all the buses were full. Arrived at 2:35 PM in Tokyo. I take the subway to my hotel, which is in the Korean neighborhood. A great tip for paying less, and it’s only a 10-minute walk from Shinjuku.

Walk toward the center of the buildings to go up to the top of the Metropolitan Building. Only a 30-minute wait and free entry.

I continue through the narrow alleys of Shinjuku (Omoide Yokocho) before heading to Kura Sushi for one last sushi meal.







Afterwards, I head back to the Metropolitan Building to see the nighttime illumination show on the building, before blending into the lights of Kabukicho and then heading to the hotel.

Hey Patrick. I haven’t been around here for (way too) long, but I just read your really well-explained report with amazing photos—it’s great! I especially loved the first part of your trip, which instantly reminded me of the spring walk I took back in June 2019. I passed through the exact same spots and even wrote a travel journal about it here. Since I’ve been to Japan so many times, the rest of your descriptions brought back some really nice memories, and I’ll definitely be following along for more. I really should find the motivation to write up a travel journal about my last trip to Japan this past April-May… but I’m a little lacking in that department. 😏

Hey Patrick. I haven’t been here in (way too) long, but I’m really enjoying your well-explained report with those amazing photos. I especially loved the first part of your trip—it immediately reminded me of the spring walk I took in June 2019. I passed through the exact same spots and even wrote a travel journal about it here. Since I’ve been to Japan many times, the rest of your descriptions brought back great memories, and I’ll definitely be following along. I really should find the motivation to write a journal about my last trip to Japan in April-May… but I’m a little lacking in that department. 😏

That’s right. I’d read your journal carefully and drew a lot of inspiration from it for the first part of my trip. So, it’s great that there are more offbeat travel journals out there. Thanks!

Day 18: Excursion to Enoshima and Kamakura Departure by train from Shinjuku to Ofuna Station. From there, I take the suspended monorail to Enoshima.



After a quick breakfast by the sea, I enter the peninsula. No tourists yet at this early hour (9 AM).









I head up to the observatory and wander through the pretty adjoining gardens.

Quite a few stairs to reach the northern tip of the island, along the water before heading back to the center to catch the train for a short trip to Kamakura.









I’m in line at a small restaurant specializing in bonito fish. Great choice with the platter at 1780 yen.

Then I head to Hokoku-ji Temple. Meh, I’m disappointed. It’s nothing special, nor is its tiny bamboo forest. Hasedera Temple, which I saw last year, was way more interesting.

Next up, Kencho-ji Temple. Okay, but compared to Kyoto’s temples, it doesn’t quite measure up. That’s the issue when you can compare temples!







I spend time in the charming Komachi shopping street. Lots of great shops!



I head back to Tokyo in the late afternoon. I take the opportunity to relax at the hotel and pack my suitcase since I’m leaving very early tomorrow morning.

Meet-up at 7 PM with my French friends at the restaurant *Kiyomachi Koisigure* in Shinjuku—such a lovely setting! Another excellent spot before one last stroll through Kabukicho.

Day 19: Bye bye Tokyo. Hello Hong Kong

Japan’s transport system is still impressively efficient

Subway then train to Haneda Airport. My flight takes off at 10 AM and lands in Hong Kong at 1:45 PM. Right away, I notice differences from Japan as soon as I step into the restrooms. Cleanliness isn’t up to the same standard, and there’s no charging station for phones. A 30-minute train ride to reach Central Hong Kong. As soon as I exit, the second shock: the temperature. It’s 33°C (91°F) with a feels-like of 38°C (100°F), and the humidity is intense. I spend the whole afternoon walking past big department stores with their doors wide open, hunting for air conditioning. The “Central” area is packed with towering buildings. Lots of pedestrian bridges help you cross the busy streets. There are plenty of colorful trams and double-decker buses.

Third difference: the Chinese are less disciplined when crossing streets. I ask a police officer for directions to the "sky train." People say the Chinese aren’t very friendly. Not true. The cop takes his time and helps me find my way using his own phone. Oh, I forgot to mention—I no longer have 4G coverage, so I’m only using the "maps.me" app. Meh, it’s not great because with all the pedestrian walkways, it’s not easy to get your bearings. I take the sky train up to the Victoria Peak observatory. There’s a beautiful clear sky, and the view over the whole bay is amazing. Surprisingly, there aren’t too many tourists. A lot of people come at the end of the day to watch the sunset.

I head back down to central, walk through a few shops to cool off because I’m drenched in sweat, and catch the Star Ferry for the bay crossing. Another truly beautiful moment.









This time, I’m exploring Kowloon. Here, it’s a more "local" area. I spot a small snack place to eat dim sum and crispy duck. I’d exchanged euros to get 200 HKD, and now I only have 100 HKD left. Luckily, I’d already paid for the return train to the airport and the SkyTrain online.

I continue my way through Kowloon toward the "Temple Street Market." Not great. I spend 5 minutes there because it’s selling junk "made in China" for tourists and a few street food stalls.









At 7:30 PM, I’m back along the bay to watch the sound and light show on the buildings across the way. To be honest, aside from the pretty illuminations and the stunning nighttime view of the bay, the show’s a letdown. No sound and just a few light variations on a handful of buildings. I expected better.











Walking back to the Kowloon train station is a bit of a hassle. In the dark—with not many people around to point me in the right direction, and no signs anyway—I have to cut through a huge mall. In short, it takes 30 minutes to finally get there. I spend the rest of my Hong Kong dollars at the airport. Yikes, a beer costs 99 HKD, which is 10 €. Okay, it’s a big one, but that’s Singapore prices. Flight’s at 12:45 AM. Here we go for a 13-hour-40-minute flight. Day 20: Arrival in Brussels at 8:25 AM Another amazing trip to add to the list.

After traveling to North America (Canada, USA), Central America (Mexico and Costa Rica), South America (Bolivia, Peru, Argentina), Africa (Namibia, Egypt), the Middle East (Oman), Asia (India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Bali), and Japan twice... There are still plenty of far-flung destinations left to discover. Planned: Jordan in October and Malaysia in February. And on my next wish list: Guatemala, Colombia, Uganda. So much more to explore!

Thanks for following this travel journal, and see you soon! Patrick

I’ll be in Malaysia next March after a trip through Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines... Hope to meet up if fate allows!

Among other great destinations, I’d recommend South Korea and Taiwan—they reminded me of Japan from the last century. Otherwise, Singapore, Sri Lanka, or the vastness of Australia... The world is huge, but time’s always short.

I also really enjoyed my stay in Hong Kong, where I got to watch the 2025 New Year’s Eve fireworks from a boat—perfectly positioned!

Hey Patrick. At 67, with 22 trips outside Europe under your belt, it’s clear you’re not just a tourist ticking off boxes—you’re a real traveler who knows how to craft your own journey.

What stands out in your recap is the elegance of independent, well-paced travel. No more falling into the trap of the overpriced national JR Pass that everyone bought on autopilot. You dissected your needs, opted for surgical precision (the Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass), and handled the rest à la carte with an IC Card. At an average of 46 € per night on Booking in 2026, you prove you can explore contemporary Japan without getting slammed by tourist inflation.

Special mention for your culinary philosophy. Skipping the Wagyu beef or Kobe hype—often just a tourist trap for influencers—to focus on Onomichi oysters, okonomiyaki, a measured omakase, and those quick combini breakfasts with views whizzing by—that’s the essence of smart travel. It’s real, sensory, and far from Instagram clichés.

Your route also shows a knack for balance: alternating solo introspection (the Shimanami Kaido by bike, the Nakasendo trails) with friendly connections. Choosing to step off the hyper-touristed paths while keeping a few strong anchors (like Kyoto’s Aoi Matsuri or Miyajima) reveals a sharp sense of timing.

In short, a raw, no-frills travel journal that makes you want to slow down and repack your bag.

What’s your most vivid memory from that solo stretch on the Shimanami Kaido compared to the buzz of your urban stops?

Thanks Patrick for this travel journal! 🙂 I hope you’ll find the energy to share your next trips with us here. If you do, I’ll definitely be following along. You always uncover such wonderful things with your writing (well, your keyboard...)

I’ll be in Malaysia next March after a trip through Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines... Hope to meet up if luck’s on our side!

I’ll be there from February 16th to March 4th (then leaving Penang for 3 days in Singapore—returning to Brussels on March 7th).