I’m so excited to finally bring you a new series of Japan travel videos! The first videos in the series are up now on YouTube.
There’ll be a new video every other Thursday – subscribe to catch them:
PS: If you’d like notifications when there’s a new video, press the bell when you subscribe. ????
Spring 2023 Japan Trip
After 3 long years I finally travelled back to Japan in spring 2023. The videos are filmed at the end of February and the start of March. I decided to go before the start of cherry blossom season – while the sakura are beautiful, I wanted to avoid the crowds and go at the very end of the off-season.
The new series has videos from:
- Tokyo
- Nagoya
- Osaka
- Kinosaki Onsen
- Kyoto
- Kobe
I can’t wait to show you everything! There’ll be lots of ideas for things to do in Japan, along with practical tips to help you plan your trip.
So far there are several videos already on YouTube to get us started with the new series.
Travelling to Japan
See what it’s like flying from London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda in 2023. It’s the longest flight I’ve ever been on (13 hours!) because they have to fly under Ukraine and Russia. The way back went the other way around the world, over Alaska and Greenland, so it was a round-the-world trip! (Sounds more exciting than it actually is in practice, when you’re sitting on a plane for 14 hours straight!).
We flew Premium Economy with British Airways. The video shows what the seats are like, plus what I had for my vegetarian meal.
The video also covers arrival at Tokyo Haneda Airport. The new system with Visit Japan Web went very smoothly. There are plenty of staff waiting to tell you to get your QR codes ready and show which way to go. Then, once you’re in the arrivals hall, the video shows the process of picking up the pocket wifi and Japan Rail Pass, and travelling from the airport to the city on the Tokyo Monorail.
Hotel Room Tour: Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu
Next up is a room tour of the Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu. The hotel’s right in the centre of Shibuya – in fact it’s connected directly to the station. The hotel starts on a high floor so there’s a good chance you’ll get a city view. We were lucky to have a view of Shibuya Crossing from the room – I couldn’t believe it!
The video also covers what’s nearby and my thoughts on staying in Shibuya.
Sugamo: Grandma’s Harajuku
Sugamo is an area of Tokyo known as Grandma’s Harajuku, because it’s so popular with older people.
Although it’s on the JR Yamanote Line and only 10 minutes on the train from Ikebukuro, it’s a relaxed area with a more suburban feel – the perfect place to stroll around on the day you arrive in Tokyo if you’re too tired for busier, crowded areas!
There’s a cute old tram, lots of street food and a giant fluffy duck butt…
New Videos Every Other Thursday
Subscribe to watch the rest of the series as it comes out, every other Thursday on YouTube. And please let me know your thoughts in the comments – I always read them and reply to as many as I can (making videos is so one-sided otherwise!).
