Originally, my plan for this summer(2024) was to travel to other cities in China, with a mix of solo travel and meetups. However, I heard from some classmates and friends that they were planning a trip to Japan, and that got me excited because I had actually been thinking about traveling to Japan since the beginning of the semester. The friend who was traveling with me had a crazy plan—15 days packed full (since a single-entry Japan tourist visa allows for a 15-day stay). Starting from Tokyo, we would head west and south all the way to Fukuoka and Saga. At first, I hesitated, thinking the budget would blow up and that the time might not be enough. But in the end, I decided to let him plan the main itinerary, and I just followed along.
Preparation
My passport was ready last year, but I hadn't had the chance to use it until now, so it wasn’t collecting dust anymore. I found a travel agency on Fliggy and got my visa sorted. I compared hotel prices on multiple domestic and international platforms, quickly booking those that were both cheap and well-located. As for the flight, it had to be with a budget airline—after all, I’m a poor university student. As for the train tickets, my friend was even more "impoverished" than I was, he took an ordinary hard sleeper train and slowly went to Shanghai. After considering it for a while, I decided to just take the high-speed train to Shanghai instead (I chose the cheapest high-speed train ticket for the day). Then, we proceeded to book the daily itineraries (though there were a few changes during the trip since it was a free and easy style of travel).
July 16
I took the high-speed train to Shanghai early in the morning. Since the high-speed train tickets were relatively cheap, I managed to catch the CRH3C model—no charging sockets under the seats, only at the ends of the carriages. I arrived in Shanghai at noon, and this was my first time visiting the city. After meeting up with my friend for lunch, I immediately headed to The Bund along the Huangpu River to see the landmarks I had seen countless times in promotional images—the Lujiazui skyline and the Oriental Pearl Tower. It felt surreal to finally see them in person (haha).
Since we had an early flight at 8 a.m. the next day, we went to the hotel early to get some sleep. (Though I didn’t sleep well at all, maybe because I was too excited or just not used to going to bed so early.)
July 17
Our hotel was right next to Pudong Airport, but since it was my first time taking an international flight, we followed the rule of getting there as early as possible. We woke up at 4 a.m. and took the hotel's free shuttle bus at 4:40 a.m. to the airport. (After passing security checks, we ended up waiting in the departure hall for an hour and a half, haha.) After nearly two hours of flying, we arrived at Saga Airport. Our first stop would be JR Saga Station.
We took the train from JR Saga to JR Nagasaki, which took a little over three hours. There was a mishap along the way: We intended to get off at JR Nishi-Ura Station, but when we tried to swipe our IC cards, it indicated that manual assistance was needed. However, there were no staff at this small station. So, we had to continue to JR Nagasaki Station and ask for help in recalculating our fare. We later learned that from JR Isahaya onward, Nagasaki is in a separate fare zone, so it’s better to buy a ticket directly instead of using the IC card. Otherwise, you'll need to find staff to calculate the fare manually. (The staff at Nagasaki were super fun and friendly, really warm-hearted! Although there was a language barrier, they managed to help us solve the problem in the end.) (In fact, throughout the trip, every Japanese staff member we encountered—whether at train stations, convenience stores, supermarkets, or restaurants and hotels—was always kind and polite.)
We arrived in Nagasaki around 8 p.m. and were surprised to find that the large shopping mall next to the station closed at 8:00 p.m. and so did most of the restaurants. We had no choice but to grab a bento from a convenience store. (It's actually quite normal for malls and restaurants to close early in Japan, but it was a bit of a surprise to us since we had just arrived.)
Taking advantage of the nightfall, we went to Inasa-yama Park. From here, you can look down at the illuminated Nagasaki city, which is one of the New Three Major Night Views of the World.
July 18
In the morning, we visited Nagasaki Peace Park...
At noon, we headed to Nagasaki Airport. We stopped by a supermarket in Ōmura City and, as expected, Japanese fruits lived up to their reputation for being expensive. A palm-sized watermelon cost 324 JPY (around 15 CNY).
At Nagasaki Airport, we walked across the Minoshima Bridge, and the sea breeze felt really pleasant. While checking in, I used the Apple Wallet digital boarding pass for the first time. I noticed many people were using the same thing. It was a new experience, and I found it quite fascinating.
As we approached Narita Airport, I took a picture of the whole Inubosaki cape from the plane. It looked exactly like the map, and I recognized it immediately.
Once we arrived in Chiba, we took the Chiba Urban Monorail. The view from it was unique and definitely worth trying.
July 19
In the morning, we took the JR train to Tokyo Station. I had expected the area around the station to be crowded, but to my surprise, there weren’t as many people around. Taking advantage of the opportunity, we bought a physical Suica card (only major stations like Tokyo and Ueno tend to have them available). We had planned to visit the Imperial Palace, but we missed the morning entry time, and the afternoon time (after 1 p.m.) was too late, so we skipped it.
We checked off Tokyo Tower, though we didn't go up (because, frankly, the ticket was too expensive). Then we visited the famous Shibuya Crossing.
In the afternoon, we headed straight to Shimokitazawa—Bocchi the Rock and 114514. For the former, we checked off several iconic spots (Shelter, Honda Theatre, the graffiti wall, the small park, the Shimokitazawa station exit). As for the latter, we didn't find the Beast Mansion and, respecting privacy concerns, we decided to leave it at that.
Next, we went to Ikebukuro for "city walk". However, we didn't manage to find the area with a particularly high concentration of Chinese residents.
In the evening, we went to Akihabara. However, many of the famous shops, like those selling GUZI (Second dimension culture Goods), closed at 8 p.m., so we ended up just wandering around for a little while before heading back to the hotel.
Some of the GUZI/CD/comic stores in Akihabara had floors on the upper levels or basements dedicated to unspeakable items (later on in Osaka, we even encountered stores with such products directly on the first floor, where you could see them from the outside. I have to admit, Japan is way ahead in this aspect).
July 20
Morning, we continued exploring GUZI shops in Akihabara. However, after making a full round of the famous stores (like Radio Kaikan), we didn't find many items that interested us. And for the ones we did like, the prices felt too steep (constantly comparing with second-hand prices on Xianyu does that to you).
Afternoon, we headed to Shinjuku. My friend dragged me to a GUZI/book/manga store near Shinjuku Station. In the farthest corner, inside a “GUZI bargain bin,” we dug up some super cheap PJSK gold-edged collectible cards. As expected, the“rubbish bin”suits us best, haha. (Though, it's only worth it if you actually find something you like. If you keep digging and find nothing or if someone else snatches up the good stuff, it can be quite frustrating.)
Evening, we went to Ginza, expecting it to be a high-end commercial district packed with people. But when we got there, it was still surprisingly empty—or at least, nowhere near as crowded as shopping districts in China. After Ginza, we took the Yurikamome Line back to our hotel. (Yurikamome Line was so expensive!!)
July 21
We left Tokyo and took the JR train to Kumagaya, then transferred to the Chichibu Railway to reach Chichibu (Saitama Prefecture). (I'm not particularly interested in railways—this part of the travel was mainly planned by my friend, who is a train enthusiast. Throughout the travel, a significant portion of our expenses went into transportation. One reason is that we often just used our IC cards without researching cheaper ticket options. Another reason is that we took a wide variety of buses and trains, and transfers added to the costs. But most of the time, I didn't mind this arrangement. If we ever had different preferences, we would just split up and meet again later.)
The Chichibu Railway locomotive was a steam-powered train built in 1944 (Shōwa 19), while the passenger cars in the rear were powered by electricity. (It had a certain Second Industrial Revolution but not-quite-there-yet aesthetic, haha). The train crew shoveled coal into the furnace one scoop at a time, and thick smoke—sometimes light, sometimes dark, puffed from the chimney as the train whistled past station after station. Along the way, we occasionally saw local residents waving at the train. [Later, we learned that we had coincidentally arrived during the Uchiwa Festival(うちわ祭) and that this particular locomotive was celebrating its 80th anniversary, from 1944 to 2024.]
Upon arriving in Chichibu, we spotted some familiar anime character standees—Menma from Anohana, which was the only one I recognized (sorry!), probably because this was a filming location for the anime.
In the afternoon, we found Häagen-Dazs for 240 JPY (about 11 CNY) at a supermarket. Häagen-Dazs freedom is indeed possible in Japan! I instantly bought one to try (also my first time eating it).
After that, we took the Seibu Chichibu Line to Higashi-Hannō, then transferred to JR and Odakyu to reach Enoshima. I visited the famous Kamakura Kōkō-mae Station (the iconic location from Slam Dunk and other anime). However, there were too many tourists, so I just snapped a few photos and left. That night, we returned to Yokohama for an overnight stay.
July 22
We took the JR train to Odawara and then switched to the Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora, but we didn't stay long there. We took a bus through the mountains behind Hakone and continued on the JR train to Numazu (Numazu Station is really taken over by Love Live hhh, and there's even a commemorative stamp you can get at the station).
After a brief stop, we headed to Nishi-Fujinomiya to check into our hotel, but an unexpected issue arose. We had no choice but to quickly book a hotel in Shizuoka and rush there, which meant we had to skip Mt. Fuji (I had originally planned to go back to see it, but after checking the Mt. Fuji Visibility website, I saw that the visibility was low the next day, and with no snow on the summit in summer, I decided to give up on it).
July 23
Today, we had a longer journey, so we used the Seishun 18 Ticket we had purchased in advance. We took the train from Shizuoka to Toyohashi for lunch (JR Toyohashi happens to be one of the filming locations for The "Too Many Losing Heroines!"). In the afternoon, we arrived in Nagoya, and of course, we went straight to Sakae (my friend wanted to take the city bus first, so I went ahead). Nagoya is known as a shopping hub, but we didn't really focus on buying anything.
Our hotel tonight was right next to the railway, so we could hear both JR and Meitetsu trains passing by at night (a "train-view" room, which my friend loves).
July 24
We left the hotel for JR Nagoya Station, and everything went smoothly. However, according to the news, strong winds that day caused massive train delays nearby. We had to wait for more than half an hour at JR Owari Ichinomiya for a temporary train. As a result, the people who were originally spread across two carriages were all squeezed into one. This was our first and only experience of being "squeezed" on the Japanese JR railway—people were standing so tightly that we couldn't move at all. Japanese trains and subways can really make you question life when it gets this packed.
Fortunately, we only had to endure the squeeze for two stations before arriving in Gifu. After a quick lunch break in Ōgaki, we continued on to Maibara, and then took JR West to Ōtsu (since we crossed into a new region, we had to recalculate the fare). We planned to visit Ōtsu because my friend wanted to take the ropeway up Mount Hiei to overlook Lake Biwa. The idea sounded perfect, but it happened to be the only rainy day during our trip to Japan. When we arrived at Sakamoto Hiei Station, we found out that the ropeway was closed due to the weather. So, we couldn't go up the mountain (but we did enjoy a distant view of Lake Biwa from Ōtsu Port).
Next, we headed to Kyoto. In the evening, we went up Kyoto Tower (although the wind made the tower sway slightly, and my friend complained that the camera kept blurring the time-lapse shots).
At night, we returned to the hotel and watched some TV. KBS Kyoto typically airs popular anime shows from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (like "Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian" and "Oshi no Ko"), though not every hotel has these anime channels. Also, the anime didn't have Japanese subtitles, so it felt like we were watching a silent movie. They also aired ads midway through the shows. However, every hotel had Japanese variety shows. During these shows (when they broadcast scenes from the outside, the corner of the screen would show small guest avatars and colorful text. It's funny how every Japanese variety show seems to have the same style—it's so uniform, yet hilarious.)
July 25
For today's itinerary, my friend and I had quite different plans, so we decided to go our separate ways. My friend went to visit the Kyoto Railway Museum, while I headed south to do the Kyoto Animation and "Hibike! Euphonium" pilgrimage. (To be honest, I haven't seriously watched "Hibike! Euphonium", but since I was already here, I had to do a proper pilgrimage.)
I took the Keihan Main Line to Rokujizō Station first (home to the iconic bench scene). Without exiting, I continued to Ōbaku Station, then walked to the 7-Eleven and Tōdō High School to take photos (though, since it's a school, I couldn't go inside). After that, I headed further south to Kuyashi Bridge, Kumiko's Bench, and Asagiri Bridge. Returning to Keihan Uji Station, I saw it was filled with "Hibike! Euphonium" elements. Then, I took the train back north to Kohata Station, which led me to Kyoto Animation Co., Ltd. I'm truly grateful to Kyoto Animation for bringing us so many incredible anime works. I also paid my respects to the staff members who lost their lives in the tragic fire five years ago. 🙏
On the way back to Kyoto, I stopped by Fushimi Inari Taisha for a quick visit. I occasionally saw Japanese girls wearing kimonos and drawing omikuji fortunes—it felt just like in anime…
In the evening, we reunited at Gion-Shijō, then headed to Nara for the night. While flipping through TV channels, I found MyGO!!!!! on BS Nittere. "Still GO! Still GO!"
July 26
Nara Park Deer-Watching. 🦌 (My friend happens to love "Shikanoko", watching them with laser focus—his phone ringtone is even the anime opening theme, haha.) Some deer are very polite—if you bow to them, they'll bow back. But very few can stay rational after spotting deer crackers in your hand. The moment you hold deer crackers, a herd will start chasing you, and some may even nip at your butt. Even if you're not holding crackers, if a deer thinks you have food, it might still chase and nibble at you. So, a tip: feed them where there's only one deer, so you won't get mobbed and can take a nice photo with it. If a herd comes after you, just throw the crackers to them. Make sure your hands are completely empty, open your palms, and let the deer know: "I don't have any food anymore."
We took a quick stroll around Tōdai-ji, then hopped on a bus to Yamato-Saidaiji. But we weren't there to see a temple—we had a rather questionable pilgrimage site in mind (let’s just say it was kind of cursed, lol).
After that, my friend wanted to take the Ikoma Mountain Cable Car, while I headed straight for Osaka. I took the Kintetsu Line to Osaka-Namba, spent some time playing at arcade games nearby, and even met up with an online friend (which I hadn't originally planned for, haha).
For these two nights, we stayed near Shin-Imamiya and Tengachaya in Osaka. While exploring the area, we found some unbelievably cheap vending machines (drinks and water for under 100 JPY.) Later, we learned that this area is supposedly Osaka's "slum" (?). Well, it definitely suited us broke university students perfectly… That said, the streets here weren't very clean, which was something we hadn't encountered in any of the other Japanese cities we had visited so far.
July 27
In the morning, we took the Hankai Tramway. My friend wanted to check out Abikodō Station at the southern end of the line (Abiko is both a place name and a surname, but we still found it kinda funny). ["Abiko(我孫子)" in Chinese means "my grandson".] Next, we visited Tsutenkaku and then headed to "Animate Osaka Nipponbashi", where I bought some manga. (I wouldn't really recommend buying GUZI here, but I highly recommend buying manga—I was absolutely thrilled, ahhh!!)
After that, we went to the Dōtonbori. Taking a picture with the iconic Glico Running Man—arms raised in victory—instantly tells people you've been to Osaka, haha.
We got back to the hotel a bit late in the evening and decided to grab dinner from the supermarket. Something interesting happened, and we managed to have a full meal at an incredibly low price (I'll talk about this in detail later).
July 28
More than half of this day was spent on the move. Using our Seishun 18 Ticket, we slowly made our way from Osaka to Hiroshima on local JR trains, with short stops in Kobe and Okayama along the way, (We really got our fill of JR trains that day.) and had to switch trains at several stations. But we had plenty of time to catch up on sleep. The train wasn't particularly fast, so we could take in every bit of the scenery along the way. Some sections of the track ran right alongside the Seto Inland Sea, giving us a chance to admire its breathtaking deep blue waters.
At one point, my friend suggested a wild idea: taking JR from Okayama to Shikoku for a quick tour, then catching a ferry from Ehime Prefecture to Hiroshima. But we just didn't have enough time. As much as we loved the plan, we had to scrap it. (Our visa allowed us to stay until August 1, but since August 1 was no cheap flights that day, we had to leave by July 31.)
By the time we arrived in Hiroshima, it was already quite late. After dinner, we took a City Walk around downtown Hiroshima. Although Hiroshima is the central city of Japan’s Chūgoku region, its population is only around 1.19 million, and the city center felt relatively quiet (especially compared to the ultra-dense populations of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.) After our walk, we called it a night and got some rest.
July 29
In the morning, we visited the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome…
I didn't mention much about Nagasaki before, but I'll share my thoughts here: The civilian victims of the atomic bomb were tragic figures—indoctrinated by fascist ideology, only to become sacrifices when that same fascism met its downfall. The loss of innocent lives to the bomb is something that deserves mourning, and a Peace Park is indeed necessary. However, if one tries to paint Japan purely as a victim while ignoring the countless atrocities committed by Japanese fascists against people across the world, then such “prayers for peace” ultimately fail to serve their true purpose.
This is why we chose not to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The same reasoning applies to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. Of course, I urge everyone to always respect local laws and regulations—never do anything reckless. But in our hearts, we must recognize that places like these shouldn't exist in the first place. We chose not to visit, and that silent contempt was enough.
At noon, my friend wanted to visit Itsukushima, so we took the Hiroshima Electric Railway to Miyajimaguchi and then boarded a ferry to the island. The scenery there was truly something special.
In the afternoon, it was back to JR trains again. We took a train from Hiroshima to Shimonoseki. (From Osaka heading west toward Hiroshima and Shimonoseki, the JR Sanyō Line mostly operates local trains, with no rapid services, so the journey was quite time-consuming.) By the time we arrived in Chōfu for lunch, it was already 4 p.m.—practically dinner at that point. (I was starving, absolutely starving!) After our afternoon lunch, we rushed to Kokura (Kitakyushu). This was our third time crossing JR fare zones (JR West to JR Kyushu), so once again, we had to calculate the fare manually at the station (because we were too lazy to buy actual tickets—same price anyway).
Upon arriving in Kitakyushu, my friend went to check out a GUZI shop, and right at the entrance, he spotted a Hoshino Ai GUZI on clearance for just 300 JPY (around 13–14 CNY). Without hesitation, he bought it. As expected, if you want cheap GUZI, Akihabara is a total scam—you're just a walking ATM there. The real deals are in smaller cities like Hiroshima and Kitakyushu. 😂
July 30
We traveled from Kokura to Fukuoka Tenjin (I've always thought Tenjin is such a beautiful name—definitely the most elegant-sounding place name in Fukuoka). Braving the scorching sun, I went to see Fukuoka Tower. (Using a sun umbrella was impossible—the strong and unpredictable sea breeze would have flipped it instantly.)
Three years ago, I met a Japanese friend online who happens to be from Fukuoka. He once sent me a photo he took looking up at Fukuoka Tower. Now, seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. This very place is my Japanese friend's hometown. Later, I asked him when he planned to visit China. He said he was considering a trip to Vladivostok first, then to Shenyang. (He has always been fascinated by China and Russia, just as we are intrigued by Europe, America, and Japan.) I smiled and told him, "中国はいつでも君を歓迎します。" ("China always welcomes you.")
After wandering around the Hakata Station area for a bit, we set off for Saga at dusk. "We began here, and we end here. A journey tracing the Tōkaidō, Sanyō, and Nagasaki Lines has now come full circle."
We transferred at Tosu Station, and before long, we were back at JR Saga. Stepping off the train onto the familiar platform, walking through the same station hall, I suddenly felt a strange sense of returning home. (First impressions really do matter. Before this trip, I never would have imagined that I'd start in Saga and Nagasaki. But now, I find myself deeply attached to these two cities—sometimes even more than Tokyo and Osaka.)
July 31
The Travel essentially ended yesterday—today was just about catching our flight home.
The same airport gate we exited from 14 days ago at Saga Airport was the one we walked through today to check in. Even the flight, aircraft model, and the high-speed train ticket price and train type after landing back China were all "mirrors" of our departure.
At Saga Airport, I picked up some souvenirs (like chocolate and tea). (For those wondering—food items purchased at airport shops after clearing security can generally be brought back to China without issues.)
After landing at Pudong Airport, I took Metro Line 2 from start to finish, then transferred to a high-speed train at Hongqiao Station to head home. (Meanwhile, my friend once again embraced the “budget life” by taking a slow train sleeper back.)
(This concludes the travel log. However, this wasn’t everything from the trip—more details and travel tips will be covered in a separate “Travel Notes” section.)
In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese blogs, the Chinese blogs shall prevail.
Attention: The comment sections of Chinese and English articles are not interoperable.