I’ve been obsessed with Japanese culture since I was young. Growing up, it seemed that every cool gadget came from Japan. For some reason, Japan always seemed so foreign to me. This fascination continued to grow over the years. A few years ago, I learned that Hokkaido is one of the snowiest places on earth. A little research then showed me that the snowboarding there was superb. After months of planning, on a cold day in early January we found ourselves on a flight to Tokyo.
Tokyo
After a long flight to Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Justin, Sarmen, and I found ourselves with our backpacks ready to take on the biggest metropolitan area in the world. Very soon we realized that with google maps, navigating Tokyo was in fact super easy. Despite it’s enormous subway system and our inability to read Japanese, we didn’t find it that complicated to figure out how to get to our destination. Soon enough, we arrived at Shinjuku, our home for the first two nights.
Shinjuku is one of the main commercial and entertainment districts of Tokyo. From the moment I left the subway station, I was overwhelmed with how busy, bright, and crazy it was. After checking in, we went for ramen (1) and then headed to Shinjuku Golden Gai.
Golden Gai is an area within Shinjuku made up of alleyways that house tiny bars, restaurants and clubs, each with it’s own charm. These establishments can fit 4 to 10 people at a time.
The size and nature of the establishments at Golden Gai allows for interesting connections and conversations to flourish among patrons and staff. Despite the language barrier, we managed to have a great time talking to bartenders and other patrons.
We woke up early on Coming of Age Day in Japan and set out on our first full day in the city. We began the day by going back to Golden Gai to eat at a highly rated ramen (2) place named Ramen Nagi, which is open 24 hours and it usually has a line.
After Ramen we took the subway to Odaiba island to visit teamLab Borderless, an audiovisual interactive experience unlike any other. I echo what James May said: It is worth to go to Tokyo just to visit this place. It is very popular, so expect a wait, but it’s worth it.
After spending over three hours at teamLab, we decided to go to Shibuya for some sunset rooftop drinks followed by some delicious sushi at Umegaoka Sushi No Midori. On the way back to Shinjuku, Sarmen suggested we stop by a cat cafe. Super popular in Japan, cat cafes are places where you can hang out with cats. The one we went to was a 1,500 square foot apartment with small windows and 30 cats. You pay in 30 minute increments to hang out with all kinds of cats and crazy cat people. The musky smell of stale cat is something I am never going to forget. Sarmen and Justin really seemed to enjoy themselves though.
After the cat cafe, Sarmen and I went out and about in Shinjuku. Batting cages, jazz bars, beers at Golden Gai, 3:00 am beef dinners, okonomiyaki from the back of a truck…the night was decidedly Japanese. The most interesting thing we stumbled upon that night was a Girls Club. We paid 3,000 yen to hang out with these two female bartenders in their 20s. The fee included open bar, karaoke and conversations in broken English. There is no expectation of affection or touching or anything like it. This is just purely companionship. We found out through them that these establishments are very common in Japan and they also exist for female clients (They are called Boys Clubs). I find it fascinating that in Japanese culture it is perfectly normal to pay someone to hang out with you.
The next morning we woke up leisurely and decided to walk from Shinjuku to Roppongi Hills. It was a nice day out and we walked through some areas of Tokyo that were not touristy or commercial. I was nice to get a glimpse of regular day-to-day life in Tokyo. It felt quieter than in other mega cities that I’ve been to; I suspect this is because there is not that much traffic and people don’t honk as much. After a stop for some lunch ramen (3) and a few parks along the way, we arrived at our hotel in the early afternoon.
The bar at the hotel lobby had one of the nicest city views I’ve ever seen. We decided to relax, hang out and enjoy a beautiful sunset.
From our table, we got to see the city go from light to dark, and we got to closely appreciate the vastness that is Tokyo. I have never seen a human settlement so vast. Combined with how efficient and organized it is, I must say Tokyo is a monument of humanity. I feel like every urban planning student and city official (of any city) would get an immense amount knowledge just by spending two weeks in Tokyo.
Later that night, at the recommendation of Sarmen’s friends, we decided to head to Kagaya, an Izakaya joint in the Shinbashi district. I don’t want to reveal what Kagaya really is, other than the fact that it was one of the weirdest experiences of my life. Again, yet another uniquely Japanese experience. I highly recommend you don’t Google it and just head there if you ever find yourself in Tokyo.
After Kagaya, we decided to stumble back to Roppongi, stopping at bars along the way. It was our final fun night of drinking in the biggest city on earth.
The next morning we headed to Ginza for our final meal in Tokyo. Ever since watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi, it has been a dream of mine to eat at Sukiyabashi Jiro, one of the best sushi restaurants in the world. I was super fortunate to land a lunch reservation there for Justin and I, and shortly before noon we were standing outside the unassuming restaurant inside Tokyo’s Ginza subway station.
Lunch at Jiro is an experience unlike any other. The decorum while being in the restaurant is very high. There is a dress code, no loud talking, not many a la carte options (for example, you can only order still water, tea, and sake) and a general sense of reverence to the chef and the staff. I was lucky to get seat #2 at the sushi bar, directly in front of Yoshikazu, Jiro’s son and the sushi chef for our meal. Seat #2 meant I was served second, after seat #1 which was reserved for a regular. I did my best to copy all of the regular’s manners, including bowing every time the chef served me a piece.
I found lunch at Jiro to be more of a performance rather than a meal. The quality of the food was of the highest regard (It was the best seafood I’ve ever had), but what makes the experience unique is the ‘dance’ that the chef follows in preparing and serving each piece of sushi. I will forever dream of the chu-toro piece Yoshikazu served me.
Kyoto
Shortly after out meal at Jiro, we boarded the Nozomi train to Kyoto. The Nozomi is the fastest bullet train in Japan, and about three hours later we arrived at the Shunkoin Temple, our lodging for the night.
The guest house accommodations were simple and quiet. After three days of being in the midst of the hustle that is Tokyo, I welcomed the sereneness of the temple. That night I slept for over 12 hours.
The next morning I felt very rested for our meditation session. It was my first time doing a guided mediation session with a Zen Buddhism Priest. I learned a lot from his teachings and I look forward to learning more about this ancient practice.
After our session we explored the rooms of the Shunkoin Temple and the gardens of the Myoshin-ji Temple Complex (Of which Shunkoin is a part of), the head branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism.
After a brief stop for ramen (4), we headed to Arashiyama, a suburb west of Kyoto. Bordered by mountains and the Oi river, Arashiyama combines the beauty of a Japanese suburb with nature. Arashiyama is famous for its cherry blossoms lining the streets, the bamboo grove forest, and the Tenryu-ji Temple, another temple complex part of the Renzai school of Zen Buddhism. It was a nice, cool day for a nice walk in the neighborhood.
After a few hours walking around in Arashiyama, we headed to Osaka.
Osaka
We took the Nozomi to Osaka. What is regularly a one hour journey on a commuter train, it took 17 minutes. After checking in, we headed to Dotonbori for Korean BBQ.
The next morning Justin and I woke up bright and early and headed to Sakai, an industrial suburb of Osaka. Justin had arranged for us to tour the knife making operation of Konosuke, one of the few independent knife making operations in the world. We started by going to Tanaka’s forge facility, tuck away behind his actual house. If you see it from the street you would think it’s just a random garage. Inside, one of the most respected knife forgers alive works seven days a week forging beautiful knives for Chefs all over the world.
After watching Tanaka, his son, and his apprentice forging knives, we headed to Konosuke’s showroom to go check out some finished products. We both bought knives which were then sharpened by Ivan, Justin’s friend and Konosuke’s current master sharpener.
It was great getting a glimpse of masters practicing Ikigai. Tanaka, and Ivan devote their entire lives to mastering their crafts. It was very impressive to see them in action.
After lunch with Ivan and Konosuke’s CEO, we headed to the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery near Kyoto. We got to spend the afternoon touring the whiskey production process, ending with a delicious tasting.
We headed back to the hotel and got ready to experience our first Friday night in Japan. We dined at a ramen (5) joint and headed out on an all night bar hopping adventure through the Shinsaibashi district in Osaka.
That night we stumbled upon these high end looking bars and restaurants. We wanted to see what they were all about but we got rejected of every single one for not speaking / not being Japanese. It was the only time where we faced xenophobia in Japan.
The next morning we split up. While Justin ate ramen (6) and Sarmen shopped, I went on a nice walk to Osaka Castle. A beautiful landmark in the middle of the city, It was nice to slow down the pace of the previous two days and enjoy the outdoors on a beautiful spring-like day.
Saturday night was another night out and about in Osaka. We drank, ate street food, saw Japanese DJs, and stumbled upon Japanese Pop nightclubs. One peculiar thing about the night was when I realized that some folks were sleeping on the bar. I learned that this is somewhat common in Japanese culture: patrons are allowed to nap in the late hours while they wait for the subway system to open.
The next morning we woke up leisurely, went for ramen (7) then took it easy for the rest of the afternoon. For our final meal in Osaka, we went for Matsusaka Beef, one of the three Sandai Wagyu. It was a great way to end our time in Osaka and Honshu. The next morning, we were off to Hokkaido.
Niseko
We had been hearing that Hokkaido was having a terrible snow season. As our plane was gearing to land, we knew things were turning in our favor. All we could see was white. The snow gods had heard our prayers and decided to bless us with a multi day snow dump. We were pumped! We grabbed our bags, some ramen (8) and boarded the bus to Niseko. That Monday night, we couldn’t contain ourselves and went night riding.
The next morning we were up early for first tracks. That day we rode as much as we could of Niseko United. After a stop for ramen (9), we decided to ride home and take it easy. That night we met Saki, our guide for the rest of the trip, and organized three epic riding days.
Wednesday morning we met Saki first thing in the morning and headed out for a day of lift accessed back country.
We hiked to the summit of Mt. Annupuri then rode down some creamy powder lines on the back side. We would then traverse to the groomed runs, get on the lift, hike up again and go find a new pocket of fresh snow. Throughout the day we found both open back country runs and glades packed with power. It was glorious.
At our rest we stopped for ramen (10), and decided to take Thursday off from riding. That night, knowing that we didn’t need to wake up early to ride, we headed to Bar Gyu, one of the coolest bars I’ve ever been to.
On Thursday we woke up to a beautiful bluebird day. We finally got to see Mt. Yotei in all of it’s glory.
We grabbed a car, stopped for ramen (11) breakfast, then did a nice one hour drive across Hokkaido’s countryside to Hoheikyo Onsen. We chose this onsen because it let me in. To this day many traditional onsens still don’t let tattooed patrons into their premises. It was a pleasant day outside relaxing and getting ready for the final two days of riding.
Friday morning Saki picked us up at the hotel and drove us to the other side of the Niseko range. We parked the van by a closed gate, strapped on our rented snowshoes, then started a four and a half hour hike to the summit of Shakunagedake, one of the nine main peaks of the range. Saki did a great job at breaking trail and maintaining pace. The day had decent visibility, and at one point we were able to see the Sea of Japan.
At the summit, our break was short due to the wind drift. We strapped on our boards and rode down back to the car in four pitches. The ride down from the peak was the highlight of my trip.
That night we celebrated the amazing day with some ramen (12) and beers with our guide Saki.
Saturday we drove with Saki to Rusutsu for our final day of riding. I really enjoyed that resort. It was cheaper, with less people, great ramen (13), and much steeper. It also has an absurd amount of glades, which meant that almost all of our lines were untouched powder. It was a great ending to our snowboarding trip.
Sunday we started our long way home. We had our final ramen (14) bowl in Sapporo’s airport ramen food court. We achieved Justin’s dream of having one ramen bowl per day. At this point, the news were focused on a virus from China and how it had reached Japan. Little did we know at the time that everything would change shortly after this trip.
My first trip to Japan was everything I could’ve ever hope for. I got to experience the culture and the food better than I could’ve expected. The snowboarding was superb despite the forecast saying otherwise. I met some great people and experienced some amazing things. Overall, I have a deep admiration towards Japanese culture, and I look forward to the day I go back to experience it even more.
