Japan– category –

After a short rest, I headed to teamLab’s seasonal exhibition “A Forest Where Gods Live” at the neighboring Mifuneyama Rakuen. Spread across dark garden paths, old hotel structures, and illuminated natural scenery, it was an immersive nighttime experience that required both the app and sturdy shoes.

At Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel in Saga, I found teamLab installations woven into the hotel itself, a spacious traditional room, a standout sauna, and a leisurely dinner and breakfast that made the stay feel full from check-in to checkout.

After arriving in Fukuoka, I headed straight to Cross Life Hakata Tenjin and spent the night in an adjoining room. From the art-filled interiors to the large public bath and a busy breakfast the next morning, it was a short but memorable stay.

Before flying out from Haneda, I stopped at BEER CAFE+ for a quick, light lunch and chose iced tea over the café’s signature beer.

After a short rest at my hotel, I headed out into Fukuoka and made my way to Canal City, a place I had admired since childhood. On this second visit, I was struck again by its dramatic waterside setting and stayed to watch the Canal Aqua Panorama show, “Imagination.”

I stayed at Hotel MiraCosta during a DisneySea trip and got to enjoy the full experience, from a digitally seamless check-in and a Venice-themed room to breakfast at Oceano and a relaxing visit to Terme Venezia.

Before heading home, I warmed up at Sennin-buro, stopped by Tsuruya once more, and even tried the free footbath on the platform at Kamisuwa Station. Here’s what I picked up at the supermarket to bring a little Shinshu flavor back with me.

As soon as I arrived at Matsumoto Station, I headed straight for Meau Shin-Daimae, a branch of the Meau in Shinanomachi, Tokyo, for a spicy, deeply satisfying curry meal.

After finally visiting the Matsumoto City Museum of Art, I spent time with Yayoi Kusama’s bold works and the museum’s distinctive exterior and displays.

After visiting the museum, I stopped at Shioribi, a café near the station that still looks like an old electronics shop from the outside. Inside, it opens into a cozy café with upstairs seating, books for sale, and coffee served in a soba choko cup.

While exploring shops around Matsumoto, I stopped by the Matsumoto Folk Craft Furniture Chuo Folk Craft Showroom, browsed the furniture, and ended up impulse-buying a tote bag featuring a pattern designed by Samiro Yunoki.

After visiting two museums, I spent the latter half of my day exploring central Matsumoto and stopped at Ceramika Matsumoto, a cheerful shop on the ground floor of an unexpectedly striking municipal housing building.

After warming up over curry, I headed to the Matsumoto Folkcraft Museum, a quiet place in a residential neighborhood with a spacious garden and displays ranging from combs and chests to old shop signs.

I headed to INDIA GATE, a biryani specialty restaurant run by the same group as SPICE GATE, for my second visit. This time I had a half-and-half plate of the weekly biryani and their standard sea bream broth chicken biryani, along with an impressive spread of side dishes.

In Fushimi, I walked past old merchant streets and wooden storehouses before visiting the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum, where I learned about the brewery’s history and traditional sake-making and finished with a tasting.

After visiting Gekkeikan, I headed to Kizakura Kappa Country, a brewery-themed stop with extensive kappa exhibits, sake displays, and paid tastings. I tried a junmai nigori sake available only at the directly operated shop and liked it enough to buy a bottle.

On my way back toward Kyoto Station, I spotted brewing tanks through the window of a wooden building and ended up making an impromptu stop at Yamorido for a refreshing craft beer.

After returning to Kyoto Station to pick up my luggage and making a quick stop at Takashimaya in Kawaramachi, I headed to House of KI NO BI, the direct retail shop for the craft gin KI NO BI. The shop carries limited editions, and there is also a bar in the back, where I stopped for a drink.

To wrap up my one-night, two-day Kyoto trip, I stopped by IL LAGO for an Italian dinner of cicchetti, pasta, and their signature 100% duck hamburger steak.

I returned to The Westin Miyako Kyoto and was delighted to be upgraded to a spacious junior suite. Between the curved design of the renovated room, the excellent Spa Kacho, a quick drink in the club lounge, and a relaxed breakfast buffet the next morning, the hotel once again became a highlight of my time in Kyoto.

I went back to Yuuki, a sake brewery-run izakaya in Gion, for a long-awaited dinner of carefully prepared small plates and an unusual sake made from brown rice.

After lunch, I headed to the Columbia Kyoto Store, a machiya-style shop I wanted to visit after buying snow boots from the brand for a trip to cold Nagano. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but the Kyoto-exclusive items made the stop worthwhile, and the walk afterward led past two striking churches.

I visited the Former Kyoto Prefectural Office Main Building, a 1904 Renaissance-style government building that is still in use today. From its bright inner courtyard and red-carpeted staircases to the old governor’s office, it felt like walking through a film set.

On my final day, I took the bus to Heijō Palace Site and wandered through its enormous former capital grounds, from Suzaku Gate and Daigokumon to the restored audience hall and the excellent free museum nearby.

I began my Kyoto trip with an overnight stay at sequence KYOTO GOJO, a hotel one subway stop from Kyoto Station and just a short walk from Gojo Station. With self check-in, facial recognition access, simple modern rooms, and a large public bath, it made for a smooth and comfortable start.

Getting into Katsura Imperial Villa took persistence long before I arrived in Kyoto. After finally winning a reservation, I visited this remarkable estate and found that its guided tour revealed layer after layer of hospitality, wit, and carefully staged scenery.

After visiting Dazaifu Tenmangu, I stopped by Kanzeon-ji and found a completely different atmosphere: quiet, sparsely populated, and full of history. The highlight was the temple’s impressive treasure house, where the Buddhist statues inside left a strong impression on me.