Welcome to my magnum opus.

For the simplest experience, just add these lists to your google maps and thank me later! 👇️

🏗️ rest of this doc is currently under construction 🚧

I could wax poetic about Japan, but other white men have done enough of that, and in the end you’ll always just need to be there yourself. If you’ve spent extended time in Japan before, you already Get It™ and if not, well I hope you enjoy your time there as much as I did and do.

By the way, I’m writing this before I’ve actually been back post-pandemic, and/but will continue to update it in real-time going forward.

I’ve compiled my favorite places into these lists, along with any personal notes for each.

I recommend putting it on your map and consulting when you’re looking for something new to do.

places to eat a meal. the best of my best, and i’ve eaten a lot of food

places to stay, spaces to be in: ryokans, parks, museums, onsens, overlooks, and seats for sitting

dedicated to the art of vibing, alone or with others

If you have an unlocked phone that supports eSIM, download the Airalo app and buy their $4/gb LTE eSIM and laugh at everyone else juggling their pocket wifis. If you don’t have the ability to use Airalo, I’ve heard talk of physical SIMs like Sakura Wireless that might work for you. Google fi works as well, but is relatively expensive. Otherwise bite the bullet and become a pocket wifi-er.

If you have an iPhone, get the digital Suica card and load it up (either within Apple Wallet via a MasterCard [not VISA] or via cash at a train station machine or convenience store register). Then you can tap-to-pay for transit, vending machines, and basically any payment point.

If you use your credit card, you probably want to charge in yen, not USD (the payment console will give you an option), but check your bank’s conversion rates to confirm that that’s the cheaper option.

Use a “no ATM fee and no foreign transaction fee” debit card to withdraw cash from 7i Bank ATMs (available at every convenience store). ATMs in local banks probably won’t work for you. Always keep some cash on hand, lots of cash-only situations.

You can navigate through Japan without any Japanese, you’re fine, and if you’re in a city or in a tourist-heavy location people will have varying levels of English fluency/comprehension. Signs are in English, google maps is omniscient, etc.

If you want to min-max and most efficiently navigate with the least amount of language-learning effort, I personally recommend getting your pronunciation correct (specifically learning about pitch-accent) and training your ears to hear it and your mouth to say the sounds. At least for me they really weren’t that hard. By being able to hear and pronounce words with the right sounds, you’ll be able to pick up phrases and patterns faster, and also avoid the common mistake of pronouncing things wrong. With just this foundation, you’ll be able to navigate like 10x better than someone who hasn’t, just by being able to communicate specific words accurately, even if you don’t have any grammatical knowledge.

Anyway I actually do recommend watching anime/ghibli/whatever to pick up pronunciation — listen and repeat and practice perfect inflection mimicry and you’ll start to intuit pitch-accent. Dogen on youtube also has good lessons on this, and his videos are helpful for learning to notice pitch-accent to begin with.

After that you’ll pick up on common phrases, which i think is beyond the scope of this guide, but my advice for phrases is to find a phrase you’d like to use and then listen to a native speaker pronounce it and mimic the fuck out of them, inflection, accent and all.

I think that that’s all you need to casually navigate Japan for the least amount of effort but if you’d like to go further I’d specifically learn the ~50 (base) sounds and associate them with katakana and hiragana characters. Katakana characters are, in this context, primarily used to represent foreign words as Japanese sounds (Coffee = コーヒー = ko-hi-). This is useful because a surprising amount of words in Japanese are loan words, particularly for food. So if you learn Katakana you’ll be able to see that coffee is on the menu and order it. Hiragana is less useful to you as a tourist (it’s [broadly] used as non-), but tbh if you’re going to be learning characters you should also practice hiragana, it’d be weird if you just learned katakana.

Anything after that is out of scope for this doc, but I recommend wanikani for kanji flashcards. I used a textbook for grammar (Genki) and it was totally fine with the catch that textbook ≠ real world. Japanese text books as a category are considered terrible but frankly I’m not sure what else to use.

Honestly it’s hard to have a bad meal in Japan. Even the meals within tourist hellscapes are decent, but as long as you’re not eating there, perhaps 1 meal every few months will be dissatisfying. It’s all just good. Tokyo along boasts more Michelin stars than any other city, nearly twice as many as Paris, and the minimum bar of quality is just astounding. Certain cuisines more than others, of course, but damn even the New York style pizza at that one place slaps.

Ok, it’s really tough to be vegetarian or vegan in Japan, but it is possible, it just takes more effort than you might expect.

If you’re lax about animal products being used in the production of food (aka bone broth ok, but chashu ramen toppings not), it gets easier, but regardless you’ll have an interesting time.

I dedicate the rest of this section to Hundred Rabbits, who wrote the bible on plant based diets in japan. I also recommend literally everything else on their website, enjoy. 👇️

Hokkaido and Honshu have some of the best snow in the world. More discussion on this in the Hokkaido section.

Japan is one of the best places in the world to road bike and bike tour. Infrastructure is numerous, roads are excellent, drivers are friendly and overwhelmingly courteous. You need not camp if you don’t want to, but campsites are generally available. The Shimanami Kaido is an island-hopping route near Hiroshima, and is one of my happy places. See the section on the Shimanami Kaido for more information. You can also bike around Shikoku, if you’d like a 1,000km route that circumnavigates the island.

The safety of Japan means that you can calmly walk anywhere, anytime. City walks are particularly delightful, and there exist historical walking/hiking routes between destinations, which you can follow to this day. Follow Craig Mod for all information on walking around Japan.

There is SO MUCH COFFEE in Japan. You can spend the rest of your life tasting local roasters’ beans and traveling to all the cafes. Choosing a cafe as a destination and walking/biking there is a favorite pasttime of mine, as a medium by which to explore a place.

There exists a widely followed tradition in which each area of Japan (either an entire prefecture or as small as a specific neighborhood) has a specialty. These can be crafts—like “oh, so-and-so-town is well-known for making tiles”) or food—like “so-and-so-machi has literally the best uni in japan”—or anything, really. Importantly it’s kind of a made up list, but the fun is in of course you have to try the thing that this place is so well-known for! You simply must!

As an experiential traveler, it’s nice to have such an explicit, if made up, thing to try in each area, so please enjoy trying the “world’s best” bonito tataki or the “world’s best” red bean paste

Japan is safe af, enjoy. Left my passport on the train, got it back 2 hours later. Friend lost her wallet and only the cash was missing before being turned into the police. I feel comfortable leaning my expensive bike against a wall while I go into the convenience store.

If you’ve not spent time in a famously safe country (Scandinavia, Japan, etc), please enjoy the sense of relief you may feel after a few weeks when the background process of constant fear of strangers that you’ve lived with for your entire life starts to disappear. It is truly a thing.

In any collective, there exists a degree to which individuals in the collective sense the collective’s health and the collective experience. This individualized respect for the collective is very much present in Japan, contributing to the smooth experience of living. You will be impressed at how little trash is on the ground… despite the complete lack of public trashcans. Trains are quiet, both mechanically and culturally. Very few people jaywalk.

In my experience as an American I first experienced these feelings of the collective will as “shame” or “pressure”/“constraint” on my individual freedom, but after some time and appreciation for the lived experience engendered by this collective sensitivity, I’ve grown to love and appreciate how amazing it is to feel calm and respected by strangers. Granted my experience is specifically that as a foreigner, which means I don’t experience the famous negative externalities of this type of collective pressure.

The whole internet is going to tell you all about onsens and tattoos blah blah blah but it’s <current year> and unless you present as Japanese and also have large tattoos (in particular the full back or arm pieces that give yakuza vibes), or you’re bathing at a historically relevant onsen, you will be entirely and totally fine.

Again, my experience is that of a distinctly white and non-Japanese person, which means while people may be curious about your tattoos, they aren’t going to kick you out or say anything.

Additionally, this cultural inclination is a holdover primarily from the older generation and, naturally, will change with time — younger generations are naturally more progressive and worldly-aware.

Tokyo is a near-perfect city. You quite simply have to see it, to believe that it is possible for humans to coordinate at such a scale, to realize one can live in elegance and excellence among millions of one’s peers, and to do so gracefully.

I hope you love the city as much as I do, and export its urban fabric and quality of life to your own places and spaces.

Tokyo is organized around the Yamanote line, the green circular one that serves as the backbone. By daily ridership, the Yamanote line alone moves twice as many people as the entire NYC subway network.

That’s lit, and it’s just one of the so many train options in the city. The trains are so good and accessible and close to where you want to go that I don’t actually encourage renting a bicycle by default for Tokyo — the trains are just that good.

I recommend Ebisu for first time visits to Tokyo. Its transit options are excellent (Yamanote + Hibiya) and is walking distance to Shibuya and calmer areas like Hiroo, Daikanyama, and Nakameguro. The Hibiya will get you to the east side of Tokyo quickly, and the Yamanote will get you literally everywhere else. The fabric of Ebisu is also quite great, with a blend of walkable residential sections and dense station-centric businesses.

TODO: hotels?

Shibuya, Ebisu, Nakameguro, Hiroo, Ikejiri-ohashi, Shimokitazawa, Kichijouji, Jiyugaoka

Enoshima is Tokyo’s most prominent—but def not only—surf town: the Rockaways of Tokyo’s NYC. Lots of coffee, some seafood, surf, and some vibes. Go there and see.

Some coffee, some temples, some food, and some nature. Go there and see.

I highly recommend a bicycle for navigating kyoto, its the perfect vehicle for its streets. The temples are worth the tourist hassle to go see, enjoy! Don’t forget to get your soft serve ice cream after each visit!

I highly recommend getting convenience store take out and chilling on the riverwalk near kiyamachidori with all the youngsters one night — it’s a scene to behold.

Honestly Kyoto station is gorgeous, check out the skyway for views of the city.

A dense and walkable section of the city near the river with lots of food, bars, etc.

a delightful little walk and a delightful little cafe

A train museum that, if you like the idea of a train museum, you will love. Train spotters hang out on the roof terrace which has views of some great number of lines in the region.

is a quaint t-shirt store that you browse like a record shop

HEYYYYY — The greatest omurice personality in the world runs kichi kichi.

If you’ve seen k-on, you might recognize this stone bridge from one of the OPs

And if you liked the stone bridge, you’ll love the town of Toyosato, the inspiration for the environments in K-On. The old elementary school is a K-On museum, and it’s absolutely striking to visit and see how identical it is to the show.

Nagashi somen is a summer-time eating experience where you catch noodles coasting by in a bamboo trough, and you can experience this in a beautiful setting at Hirobun.

Osaka is great, though I haven’t spent a ton of time there yet. It is, however, home to the best katsu sando I’ve ever eaten.

I was in Osaka for a week, and I ate here for lunch nearly every day, and dinner sometimes too. It’s just that good.

An extremely dank curry spot.

Onomichi is a port-side town near Hiroshima that serves as one end of the Shimanami Kaido, the island bicycling network I love so much. It was extremely lively decades ago, when the port was well-used, but was on the decline once trade moved elsewhere. Now it’s experiencing a beautiful revival thanks to its fantastically dense old town, access to the Shimanami Kaido, and easy-going vibes.

An old man has lived by the roadside here for ages, photographing all of the cyclists that have come by (this road comes out of the valley, as part of a marked circuit of Shikoku). If you find yourself nearby, hope that he is home and give his store a visit.

Nakatosa, served by the Tosa-Kure station, is an absolutely delightful seaside town in the central southern coast of Shikoku. It hosts a seafood market and some delightful cafes, all with the ease of a sea-side town far from the major cities. Nakatosa’s 名物 is bonito tataki, which I enjoyed at Hamachan.

We biked through and stayed at the fancy Ryokan on the hill overlooking the town, which has beautiful views from the onsen — highly recommended. We got a recommendation for a restaurant in town, Omoya where we were waited on by the mayor’s daughter (!). After some fun chit-chat, she offered to let us call her dad, so we chatted with the mayor. He recommended we play some park golf (it’s 9 half-sized holes of golf with just an iron and a putter) before we leave, and we did so gladly.

In Nakatosa is Kokuya Cafe, an absolutely impeccable cafe with lovely owners and a beautiful garden. I highly recommend a visit.

Ok so first thing’s first: don’t bother going to Niseko, it’s literally not worth it unless you’re the kind of person who enjoys hanging out in a hypperreal resort town with rich families. If you’re searching for powder, go to Rusutsu, Asahidake, Tokachidake, Furano, and nearby smaller ski areas like Kamui and Kiroro.

If you want to ski Rusutsu, I would also avoid the resort area like the plague and instead stay nearby with a car OR stay outside of Niseko and take the 45 minute bus to the Rusutsu ski lifts.

Most resorts in Japan are considered “small” by American standards, but they’re more numerous and generally cheaper across the board. I stayed at Furano for 5 weeks and got a massive powder day at least once a week. If you rent a car, Furano is an excellent base for visiting the surrounding area.

Also life in Japan is just better, so the bang for your buck is off the charts. Unfortunately middle-aged Australians have also figured this out, so all of your on-mountain housing is, quick frankly, inundated with Australians. It can feel like one of those towns in California that’s entirely German architecture, but this time it’s Japanese architecture but everyone living there is Australian.

So my personal recommendation is to rent a car and avoid Kitanomine, again, like the plague. Find yourself a place to stay in the main city or nearby in the countryside and drive the 5-15 minutes to the lift and you’ll have a much better time. All of the good food isn’t going to be the easiest to access: if you’re in Rusutsu just walk across the street and your experience 10x’s because you’re off the resort. In Furano take the bus 5 minutes or walk 30 minutes into town and the quality of food and experience will, again, 10x.

Maybe I’ll write more about this later but Hokkaido might be the best place in the world to be in the winter (as a tourist), combining the quality of food, quality of snow, and cost of living.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Daisetsuzan valley (which i would describe as everything reachable by the JR Furano Line from Asahikawa to Furano). It’s absolutely gorgeous (esp. at sunrise and sunset) and is an all-season destination (epic snow in the winter and fly fishing/hiking/camping vibes in the summer).

The food is, broadly, excellent, but lies my new favorite curry restaurant in the world, Yuiga Doxon. It’s insanely good and presented with love and character out the wazoo. It’s a perfect restaurant experience. I recommend the Ox Tongue Doria w/ Bacon Topping, a dish that I ordered like 5 separate times. No reservations, so go by 5:15 to beat the tourist crowd. Personally their normal curry is good but not great, so I exclusively recommend the doria (baked) curries.

They also provide a homemade sausage (very Biltong-esq) otsumami that is insanely good.

Furano has a ton of curry shops, and outside of Yuiga Doxon here are my favorites:

Kichi — Sri-Lankan

Furanoya — Soup curry with local veggies and fall-off-the-bone chicken

SURYA — casual Nepalese curry & naan

Panier — hyper local and hyper friendly

I recommend 喫茶我夢舎楽, a modern kissa, staffed by a frindly but gruff old man who makes a decent cup of coffee and a crisp sandwich. He also loves Eric Clapton.

The best pour over in Furano, however, is perhaps surprisingly served by Mahou-no-spoon a curry shop around the corner.

Lamb shabu-shabu at Sennari

Dai Ichi Shokudo is number 1 in character and serves extremely yummy affordable food

And finally I recommend this onsen

The resort amenities are, frankly, disastrously underwhelming for the cost of living, and you have to spend your time around tourist families. I do not recommend.

The snow however, is supposed to be world-class, and while I didn’t get a chance to visit during peak season, I’ll be back next season to check it out.

Eat literally anywhere but on the land-locked cruise ship that is the Rusutsu Convention Center and you’ll have a good time. Make sure you make reservations, though, demand far outstrips supply.

Tanpopo Shokudo was just all-around excellent and delightful — this restaurant is deserving of its high ratings.

Mokumokuya is all you can eat Ghengis Khan

do not go to Sakuba

Sapporo is a city with a lot of character, and gives of heavy “access to nature” vibes. A friend told me he regularly surfs in the morning, snowboards midday, and skateboards at night during the winter and into the spring (they have spring skiing, though obviously the snow isn’t powder or anything).

Japan is an excellent place to be alone, I highly recommend a period of solo travel for any and everyone reading this. There’s a certain ennui granted by one’s set and setting and Japan’s setting is particularly *chefs kiss*.

The Inland Sea

Craig Mod