I just got back from a 2 week long trip to the Japan. This was my 11th country and somehow, this was just different from anything or anywhere I have been till now. All I feel now is emptiness, I don't know how to cope with this. The pictures and videos are just memories.
This is my way of giving back to what was a beautiful country.
Total Budget: INR 218,000 for 14 nights
Flights: 90K, Accommodations: 40K, Inter City travel: 10K-12 approximate, rest is sightseeing and miscellaneous expenses.
Itinerary Split: Tokyo 4 nights, Kawaguchiko 1 night, Matsumoto 3 nights, Kyoto 6 nights
As for bookings, I had accommodations reserved and paid in advance but the train tickets I purchased from the station machines which were really easy to use.
Some helpful points
Without going into heavy details of every place I visited the below is a summary:
Tokyo: What a beautiful city man. I went to all the districts which are present in a usual Tokyo itinerary like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, Ueno, Asakusa and also added in Yanaka, Nezu Shrine, and the an experience of the old Tram Lines. Ideally I would have liked to add Kamakura to the mix but could not. I averaged 25K steps each of the days so really wasn't able to drag my jet lagged body for day trips. And I have learnt over traveling these countries that you don't have to tick off every spot or attraction.
Kawaguchiko: I had a night at Kawaguchiko. From Tokyo I took a Kaiji train to Otsuki and from Otsuki I went to Shimiyoshida first to do the Chureito Pagoda. Thankfully, Mount Fuji decided to keep it's peak without clouds allowing some good pictures. Total luck because the clouds just appeared and disappeared in matter of 10-15 minutes. In Kawaguchiko, I went to Oishi Park which was again beautiful but Fuji didn't show itself here, totally clouded.
Matsumoto: I wanted to base myself in Matsumoto for Kamikochi and the Nakasendo trails. I didn't do Nakasendo trail but I did go to Kamikochi for a day which was very good nature getaway. You need to pre book the buses to Kamikochi from Shinshimashima. The train can be purchased on the day as well from Matsumoto to Shinshimashima. I went from Kawaguchiko to Matsumoto so needed to get to Otsuki then change to a different train for Matsumoto. From here to Kyoto, I used the Limited Express to Nagoya then the Shinkansen.
Kyoto: You will not get any Instagram like pics anywhere at Kyoto unless you are there by about 6 AM. Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari. Yasaka Pagoda, every Instagram spot, be prepared to face crowds or just do it early. Kyoto may seem like a temple overload but just walking that city is so beautiful. I enjoyed just going into Yodabashi and exploring items I'd never buy. Nara is, in my opinion, a must do trip from Kyoto. Just a beautiful town with it's deers and the long walks. Todai ji temple is also a must see sight. 6 nights I believe is not too much unless you have energy. I just was out of energy the last 2 days so skipped Kifune and Ohara where I wanted to go. And also I didn't do a bunch of main attractions like Kiyomizu dera, the golden temple etc. Doesn't matter if you also happen to skip some of it - traveling is not about ticking attractions for me.
I felt Osaka was not required as a base particularly as I didn't want another base shift. I just went from Kyoto as a day trip and thought it was enough. But if you want to do Universal Studios etc. for sure base yourself there also.
My flights were open jaw tickets, fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka.
That is about it. I can't wait to get back to this place. Until then, I guess all I have is memories. Safe travels everyone, be nice, help others.
PS: 20 pictures is all that Reddit allows to upload so it is 20 only. If anyone is wondering what is the camera, it is Samsung S24 base model and edited using Snapseed.