Thought on My First Japan Trip Ever.

Likes

• Signs: Though sometimes difficult to interpret, signs are ubiquitous, especially in train stations.
• Books: Japanese books are beautifully designed, making them desirable for a collection and inspiring for learning Japanese.
• Garbage: You must carefully consider buying food or drinks since there are limited places to dispose of trash. It's customary to eat on the spot so you can dispose of your waste at the store.
• Meat BBQ in Tsukiji Market: The food tastes great but is quite expensive.

Food

Overall, I wasn't particularly impressed with the food. It wasn't bad, but for the same price range, I believe I can find similar quality in Thailand.

• Yakiniku Jumbo: Expensive, but the misuji cut was excellent and worth trying again. However, I think I could find the same grade of beef in Thailand at a cheaper price and possibly replicate the experience at home.
• Gyukatsu Motomura: Not worth a second visit.
• Abebe Bakery: Delicious and worth returning to.
• Beer and Alcohol: Alcohol is available in every convenience store. Sweet plum wine is expensive but can be found in cans at 7-11.
• A Shop in Omoide Yokocho: It has a tourist vibe, but the food is good, and the total cost was around 5,000 yen.

Mt. Fuji submit

• The climb is of moderate difficulty, but starting from the 7th station for the summit can be exhausting due to the long duration of both the ascent and descent.

Kamikochi

• The initial impression was cold upon arrival at the bus terminal, even amidst the summer heat, because we arrived around 5 AM.
• We met a Thai couple camping near the terminal.
• The first half of the trek to the Takamura Campground mostly had amateur trekkers, with little greeting exchanged. However, in the second half, "konnichiwa" was a common greeting among trekkers.
  • They stopped selling food at 2 PM, leaving only snacks, soft cream, and drinks available.
• We couldn't find any hotels in Matsumoto and had to return to Tokyo on the same day.

Noteworthy

• A group of Korean kids in the next room were loud at 2 AM, prompting Nami to step out and ask them to quiet down.
• We noticed many elderly people still working.
• Coffee in cafes is expensive, but I particularly liked Boss Craft coffee from convenience stores for its mild/milky aftertaste.
• Our cats accidentally turned on music on my keyboard; thanks to Bank & Bell for helping turn it off.
• Non-reserved train seats added a thrill of uncertainty about losing our seats.
• For the first time, my camera lens fogged up. Lesson learned: don’t store anything wet or damp in the same bag as the camera.
• The Tokyo Tower photo spot at a parking lot was the worst experience in Japan—crowded and disappointing, highlighting assumptions about shared preferences and behaviors among Thai and Chinese tourists.