Fushimi Inari timelapse! What I learned from my first video

Are you learning how to edit travel videos? We're no experts: we are normal travellers, we enjoy visiting new places, filming our adventures, and sharing them with fellow travellers through videos and blog posts. It was always Darek who filmed and edited our travel videos. What I (Giulia) want to share with you is what I learned when I did it myself for the first time: what I did well, what I could have done better, and what was just plain wrong. Amateur advice from an amateur youtuber :)

Keep going and you will finally find yourself alone!

Our trip to Japan was our honeymoon (itinerary here). We spent two weeks there, two amazing weeks, trying to enjoy it and savour it as much as possible, while filming and documenting for our friends and family at home. You know the feeling, right? The once-in-a-lifetime experience that you want to record and live at the same time, and you're afraid of messing up. Darek was a pro: he recorded during the day while already thinking of how to edit it in the evening, mixing sightseeing with memories. I decided to do an experiment at Fushimi Inari-taisha, the famous shrine of 10000 gates in Kyoto: I wanted to  show what it's really like for normal people like us to hike to the top of mount Inari. I would film everything on the GoPro, and later on squeeze it into a timelapse. The crowd, the queues for selfies, the maps, the forks in the road, the shrines, the shops, everything! Right? Wrong.

It was only while editing on my super basic iMovie, using 3 functions, that I realized how important it is to film it right, in order to spend less time editing.

So, here is what I learnt, so that you may avoid making my same mistakes:

BEFORE AND WHILE FILMING

• Watch some examples to get prepared

Check out similar videos for inspiration. Do you aim for artistic? Or informative? Can you speak comfortably to the camera? We mixed a bit of everything and it did not come out well. If I had watched a couple of amateur timelapses, I would have noticed how shaky they are, how long the hike takes, what is interesting and what is boring.

• Make up your mind before you start filming

During the hike, I filmed everything: in front, above, around, myself, behind, us speaking, us waiting... I thought it was going to transmit the realistic experience of all the stimuli around you, the details and the big picture. Well, when the speed is 8x faster, it turns out to be a nauseous video of shaky images, glimpses of our faces, and blurry segments. I should have decided what to focus on, and kept the camera more steady.

• Know your gear

I used the GoPro just a couple of times before the big day. I tested some Field of View options but I did not pay attention to the audio. I got the field right, but it was quite a noisy surprise when I started editing. I definitely should have made more experiments before the big day.

• Take your time

I knew my editing skills were very basic. What I did not know was how hard it is to improve them :) Instead of learning editing, I learnt that it's better for me to spend some more time filming, waiting for the right moment, capturing the right angle, than spending much more time editing material that is just not good and does not fit well together.

EDITING

• Video first, music second

So, I had 4 files of 17 minutes each. I start with the first, cut here and there, faster this, slower that, add the second file, the  third, the fourth... I just have to speed it up, right? And then add some music to it, right? Wrong. After all this work, I realized that the complete, real experience I aimed to transmit actually made the video dizzy and confusing. One second of forest outside of the Torii gates, repetitive glimpses to the top of the gallery, turning around for Darek, turning to the side for shrines... I had to cut many little pieces in order to make a more stable flow along the path, and then fix the music again. In the end, I did not have any patience left, but there was certainly much more to improve.

• Show it to someone

It was Darek who pointed out how nauseous the first draft was. I watched the clips so many times that I did not notice it! Instead, he instantly pointed out the shaky parts, the boring parts, the nice and interesting parts. His feedback made it easier to fix lots of mistakes.

• Keep it real for your audience

While editing, remind yourself of the objective of your video. What is your audience looking for? Something artistic, informative, personal? We were too shy to talk to the camera, but we still aimed to show in an objective way the hike to the top of Fushimi Inari shrine and all that it entails: the crowd, the effort, the amazing scenery, the length, the arrival, the satisfaction. We want other fellow travellers to know what they will find. Learning about a 1-hour hike in a 10-minutes video sounds like a good deal!

Here's the final result. Considering my beginner skills, I think it's quite alright!

Were my tips useful? Did you enjoy the video? Let us know in the comments!

Follow us on our next trip :)

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Goshuincho: an authentic souvenir from Japan

The most amazing memory we brought home with us from Japan is our Goshuincho, the red stamps book. It’s not a simple souvenir; it is the result of your interest in Japanese temples and shrines, it shows your patience in worshipping and queuing, and it will remind you of every temple you visited and admired.

I am so happy I learned about this before arriving to Japan: keep reading to be prepared for yours!

What is the Goshuincho?

When pilgrims used to travel through the country, they used to collect each temple’s “goshuin” stamp on a notebook, as proof of their devotion. Goshuincho literally translates into honorable (go) red stamps/seals (shuin) book (cho). Very religious people still do it and are cremated with their goshuincho. 

Nowadays, you can buy notebooks at most Buddhist temples and Shintoist shrines for 1000-2000 YEN (appprox. 8-16 EUR) and, after paying your respects or praying, receive the stamp at a specific office within the temple grounds for 300 YEN (only at Senso-ji in Tokyo we paid 500 YEN). The notebook cover comes in plain colours, with a design or drawing, and in many materials. It opens up like an accordion, so be careful not to drop it! And of course, it opens to the left, opposite compared to the way us westerners would open it.

I bought ours at Hokoku Shrine at Osaka Castle. Thus began our journey to visit temples, pray, find the relevant office, and patiently queue for our stamp. Even though each page should have a stamp, I left an empty page next to each stamp I got in order to write there the place and date and a few impressions (I failed to write the impressions, oops).

Our Goshuincho red stamps book and Hokoku shrine in Osaka

The stamp office at Hokoku shrine in Osaka

The stamp and the calligraphy

Apart from the specific red stamp of the temple/shrine, the black calligraphy tells the place and date, the name of the shrine, and possibly other words like “worship”.

The most fascinating moments are always when the priest/monk/volunteer takes the brush, dips it in ink, and gracefully traces the lines of the calligraphy. Sometimes, different calligraphies are available, which provides for an even deeper feeling of uniqueness. I would wonder how many times every day these people draw the same calligraphy on hundreds of booklets, how many people gaze at them in wonder, trying to impress in their memory the zen calm of each movement. It is a truly wondrous show of Japanese dedication to their culture.

Check out our videos to see the monks while they make the stamp!

At Shitenno-ji, Osaka

Different stamps are available at Kofuku-ji, in Nara

At the main temple of Kofuku-ji, in Nara

At Nan'en-do, still inside Kofuku-ji, in Nara

Nan'en-do stamp and temple, Kofuku-ji, Nara

A young pada-wan at Todai-ji, in Nara

The stamp of the Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto.
After walking around the Golden Pavilion, the temple and the stamp office are on top of the hill.

The stamp of Fushimi-Inari taisha, at the temple at the start of the walk, in Kyoto

At Kiyomizu-dera, the terrace temple in Kyoto

At Meiji-Jingu shrine, the most important Shintoist shrine in Tokyo

Travel tips

- This is a place of worship: pay your respects and pray before collecting your stamps

- Have 300-500 YEN ready with you

- Open your book at the right page and hand it to the monk

- If you forgot your book, you may purchase a single page with the stamp already made on it

- Thank them: Arigato gozaimashita!

What is your favourite souvenir from Japan? Share it in the comments!

Follow us also on Instagram and on YouTube :)

How much does it cost to travel to Japan? Our honeymoon budget

Are you considering selling a kidney to finance a trip to Japan? No need to! I mean, our 2-weeks trip to Japan was expensive, but you will find below the expensive experiences and the cheap choices we made. We hope to help you see that it is possible to travel in Japan on a tight budget, and also to make it a luxury experience.

In general, we are mid-range-budget travellers: even though we (actually Darek) have a reasonably good salary in Hungary, the currency is not strong and costs are high everywhere we go. Consequently, we try to save when we can, not waste money on meaningless stuff, and splurge when the occasion is right.

Our trip to Japan was our honeymoon, so we treated ourselves to some special experiences, but we were still mindful on many other aspects. Backpacking also helped us: more souvenirs = more weight on our shoulders, so we did not exaggerate!

Also, it's important to note that most of our guests gifted the honeymoon to us. We set up a page on given2.us (highly recommended!) and we described what kind of trip we wished to have, separating it into categories like accommodation, food, experiences, etc. Our guests were able to choose a category and received an automatic email with instructions on how to deliver the donation (e.g. Bank account or cash). We received an e-mail from the website for each guest who decided to donate, detailing the category, the amount they wanted to give, and the means chosen. It cost 1 EUR/day that the page was active (we activated it just a month before the wedding) and no commission was charged on the amounts donated. It was brilliant!

TOTAL EXPENSE FOR 2 WEEKS IN JAPAN

Let's get straight to it: for 2 weeks of honeymoon in Japan we spent approximately 5300 EUR, for the two of us, including everything: flight, accommodation, transport, food, attractions, souvenirs, presents, pocket WiFi and a new backpack (minus that, the total would be 5150 EUR). We already owned Darek's backpack and the camera gear. I calculated this with our bank statements and cash exchange receipts, but unfortunately I was not as good at keeping track of the expenses while travelling: I only noted 4900 EUR :D Also, I am not keeping into account banking fees and cash exchange commissions, which could be approx 50 EUR. Exchange rates could also cause minor discrepancies: we spent Euros (1 eur = 130 yen), Hungarian Forints (1 eur = 320 Forints) and Yen.

FLIGHT

We travelled from Budapest to Tokyo in late October 2018 with LOT (Polish airline) and we spent approx. 750 EUR for a return ticket for both of us, which is 375 EUR each. We booked in March 2018, fairly in advance. We chose this flight after researching on Skyscanner; cheaper options were available, but with much longer layovers. This flight instead had just 1 hour layover in Warsaw, both ways.

ACCOMMODATION

For 14 nights in Japan, we spent 1780 EUR, on average 127 EUR per night which is quite normal in Japan. We booked in September, perhaps prices would have been lower earlier.

We tried many different types of accommodation, but with some common features: always private double rooms, cleverly located in the city, with a somewhat nice or authentic design whenever we could, and balancing some expensive ones with cheap ones.

The garden at Uronza Guesthouse, Kyoto

We spent 3 nights in expensive Ryokan, the traditional Japanese accommodation which include dinner, breakfast, and onsen access. Hishiya Torazo in Shibu Onsen cost 250 EUR, Yudanaka Seifuso Onsen in Yudanaka 170 EUR and Edosan in Nara 340 EUR, for one night each, on average 253 EUR each. The more expensive ones were more special :) If this had not been our honeymoon, we would have spent probably only one night in a ryokan.

We spent 5 nights in western-style hotels, in Osaka, Kobe and by Narita airport. In Osaka at Hotel Candeo we spent 110 EUR/night without breakfast (but with rooftop spa), in Kobe at Hotel Trusty 183 EUR with breakfast, and at Narita airport at Narita View Hotel 87 EUR with breakfast and spa. In those cities there wasn't much choice of guesthouses or hostels with private rooms.

We spent 2 nights in capsule hostels, in Hakone at Azito Guesthouse and in Tokyo at Book and Bed Shinjuku. Both without breakfast, with shared bathrooms and showers, we spent 60 EUR in Hakone and 75 EUR in Tokyo.

We spent 3 nights in a traditional guesthouse in Kyoto, Uronza Guesthouse for 60 EUR/night without breakfast and with shared bathrooms and showers. One morning, we had the tea ceremony for just 1000 YEN, 7.80 EUR each!

We spent 1 night in a hotel in Tokyo, Hotel Fukudaya, a mixture of old style (tatami floor) and modern (tiny ensuite bathroom), without breakfast but close to Shibuya, at 93 EUR.

TRAINS

We spent 316 EUR per person on long-distance trains or trains between cities. The most expensive were, of course, the Shinkansen bullet trains from Tokyo to Nagano (60 EUR each), the one from Nagano to Osaka (90 EUR each) and from Kyoto to Odawara (88 EUR each). Cheaper options were available, but they took longer. Time is money!

All other trains were very affordable, clean and frequent, with 5-10 EUR each for trips of 1-2 hours between Osaka, Kobe, Nara and Kyoto.

We did not buy the JR pass (Japan Railways), because we knew it was not possible to use it on all trains. As it turns out, there are so many railway companies and sometimes JR is not the most convenient one, so we were happy to not be bound to them.

TRAVEL TIP: The best website to plan your trip is Hyperdia, but sometimes Google Maps is much more convenient and practical. It even shows the prices!

BONUS TRAVEL TIP: the turnstile will keep your precious tickets on the way out of the station! If you wish to keep it, ask someone of the staff, they will stamp it and let you out :) 

We saw Mount Fuji from the Shinkansen train!

FOOD

We spent 680 EUR in total for both of us for 14 days of travel (the 3 ryokan dinners and breakfasts are not included here, they count as accommodation), which means on average 24-25 EUR per person per day. Keep in mind that we don't each much.

To be more specific:

- We spent 4,65 EUR for each of us for breakfast, when not included in the accommodation. Sometimes coffee and cake at a café (7-8 EUR), sometimes take-away coffee and a croissant at a bakery or supermarket (2-3 EUR).

- We spent 4,20 EUR each for lunch everyday, but sometimes we replaced it with coffee or a snack. Noodles or dumplings in a "restaurant" could cost approx. 10 EUR, a bowl of rice and meat in a fast-food chain like Matsuya or Sukiya 4 or 5 EUR. Sometimes we had a big breakfast, so a couple of onigiri rice balls for 2 EUR was enough! The most expensive was lunch in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Osaka: 18 EUR for a plate of (small) pork ribs, veggies and potatoes, and a bottle of water. I was feeling dizzy so we shared one plate. Butterbeer was so sugary it could count as lunch!

- We spent 15,30 EUR each for dinner, when not included in the accommodation. In general, we indulged more on dinner than on lunch, but still kept a balance: a fast-food rice bowl or ramen for 4-5 EUR each, a nicer dish of noodles or gyoza dumplings for 10 EUR each, tempura and sake for 20 EUR each. Darek's birthday dinner was 30 EUR each, for three batches of whiskey tasting and a portion of delicious beef cutlets. Our epic Kobe beef dinner at Steakland in Kobe was only 45 EUR each, check out our mouthwatering VIDEO!

- We were always exhausted at night and did not go out much, so we spent only 66 EUR on drinks during the whole holiday, on 4 occasions. That's 8,24 EUR per person per occasion: sake at a Ryokan, drinks at the hostel in Hakone, beer with new friends in Tokyo, and whiskey on our last night at Golden Gai in Tokyo (some of those bar charge an extra just to let you sit there and have a drink, keep it in mind! We liked the spot so we accepted it.)

- Finally, we spent on average 2,65 EUR each per day on snacks like coffee (2-4 EUR), takoyaki octopus balls (7,80 EUR for one portion with a beer, we shared it), Taiyaki cakes (delicious at 1,50 EUR each), onigiri (less than 1 EUR each)... The most expensive was Butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, 5 EUR for a glass!

Delicious and cheap dumplings in Tokyo at Gyoza-ro Harajuku!

TRANSPORT

We spent on average 5,25 EUR each daily on transportation within the same city (metro, bus etc), 140 EUR in total. An average metro/bus ticket for 1 trip in Osaka, Kyoto or Tokyo cost between 1 and 2 EUR, up to 4 if you cross the whole town.

Special mention to the Hakone free pass, which is not free at all but is still convenient: for 30 EUR each (from Odawara), we could use all means of transport in the Hakone area for 2 days. If we bought each ticket separately, and it would have been more expensive. We took a bus, a pirate ship, a ropeway, a steep train (they call it cablecar), another train (3 times in 2 days), so we could say 30 EUR/8 trips = 3,75 EUR per trip. Hakone was one of our favourite stops in this trip, check out our video! 

EXPERIENCES

We spent 310 EUR in total, approximately 11 EUR each daily on attractions and experiences, including: temples, castles, locker of said attractions, Universal Studios, tea ceremony, museums, beer on the Asahi Sky Terrace, ferris wheel...

Worth mentioning:

- The Monkey Park at Shibu Onsen was 6,15 EUR each. The park is beautiful and the monkeys were adorable.

- The tea ceremony at our accommodation Uronza guesthouse was 7,80 EUR each. We watched and then served tea to each other, just the two of us. It was hilarious :)

- Hakone Open-Air museum was "expensive" with 12,30 EUR each, but the modern art was gorgeous and really worth it.

- Mori Digital Art museum in Tokyo was "really expensive" with 25 EUR each, but so entertaining and surprising, absolutely worth it.

- Universal Studios in Osaka was "ridiculously expensive" with 60 EUR each, but so fantastic and exciting and marvellous and amazing that I would go back right now. Luckily in October we did not need any more passes to save time or skip the queues.

- A few temples and shrines charge 2-4 EUR tickets, e.g. Kofukuji and Todaiji in Nara, and Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto. They were all worth it.

TRAVEL TIP: the Asahi building, close to Sensoji temple, is shaped like a beer mug! As if this wasn't clever enough, access to the Sky Room on top of it is free of charge, and a beer cost approx 5 EUR. Perfect for sunset!

The Torii path at Fushimi Inari-Taisha in Kyoto is free of charge!

SOUVENIRS

We spent 245 EUR on souvenirs, which is approx 8.75 per souvenir. Postcards, a bracelet, biscuits for Nara deers, books, small home decor, wooden shot glasses, a daruma doll, a poem by the Empress... But most importantly:

- The Red Stamp Book "Goshuincho": in every temple you can get its specific stamp with Japanese calligraphy. These stamps are supposed to be collected in a booklet called Goshuincho, which can be bought at most temples. It's a heritage from ancient times, when pilgrims would travel from temple to temple and have proof of their pilgrimage. The booklet cost 8 EUR and each stamp 2,30 EUR, we got 11 stamps. A fantastic souvenir!

- A wand from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: I could not resist. The "magical" version allows you to perform magic on some spots of Hogsmeade! It cost 37 EUR.

- Yukatas: they are the summer version of kimonos, or a simplified version if you wish. We bought ours in Kyoto at Chicago for approx 50 EUR each (not sure if they are second-hand or not).

- Beautiful things we got for free: origami from the ryokan owner in Shibu Onsen and from a gentleman on the way to Yudanaka.

A Goshuin stamp

PRESENTS

We spent 150 EUR on presents for our most loved and close ones. Authentic souvenirs could be daruma dolls that help you achieve a goal or a wish (available in lots of sizes and prices, ours were small 2 EUR ones), or temple charms for health, luck, love (from as little as 2 EUR to more than 10). Our small backpacks allowed only small souvenirs :)

POCKET WIFI

We ordered our pocket wifi with Japan Wireless through Giapponepertutti.it, which provided a nice discount of 1000 YEN (approx 7,80 EUR). We spent 70 EUR for those 14 days, including delivery to Narita airport, insurance, a power bank, cable and plug. We were really satisfied: a small device that fits in one hand provided unlimited WiFi everyday, with a battery life of 8 hours! We turned it off while visiting places, turned it back on when looking for our next destination on Google Maps, and charge it in the evening. At night, some times it was more stable than Hotel WiFi for uploading videos and pictures. We had only one converter, so the plug turned out to be super useful, because we could plug any USB cable to it.

BACKPACK

Travel light, travel often! We challenged ourselves to travel with just a small backpack as hand-luggage, meaning less than 8 kg. I'm proud to say we succeded, check out our video!

For the occasion, I bought my first proper backpack, inspired by Darek's excellent Osprey backpack. I chose an Osprey Transporter 40-liters, which fits in the usual hand-luggage sizes of approx 50x35x30 cm. We packed only the necessary, washed socks and underwear on the way, and counted with empty space to be filled with souvenirs :) We were very satisfied with this choice: it was so practical to get on and off trains, move around the city (and we changed many, see our itinerary), avoid fees to move big suitcases between cities. The backpack and a quick-dry large towel cost 150 EUR.

TOOLS: ONENOTE

While travelling, I was taking notes of all expenses and transactions on OneNote, a free software accessible from many devices and by many people.

Expenses on one page, e.g.

30 OCTOBER

23120 Shinkansen to Odawara x2 TW

990 breakfast Kyoto

1040 coffee and cakes odawara

8000 hakone free pass x2 TW

5100 souvenirs

500 black egg

2350 dinner

7800 azito guesthouse

2500 drinks

Money exchanges on another page, e.g. Forints to Yen here in Budapest, Euro to Yen on the Transferwise card, Euro to Yen cash in Japan, and cash withdrawals.

This is how I ended up with knowing exactly how much money we changed into Yen and spent, but not exactly how because I forgot to note some of the expenses :)

TRANSFERWISE, CASH AND CARDS

We were scared that our cards would not work in Japan, or that some places may not accept them (and truly some places do not), so we prepared cash and two cards: we exchanged cash to Yen in Budapest before departure and brought Euros in cash, we exchanged Euros to Yen inside our Transferwise card, and we were able to withdraw yen from Darek's Mastercard.

Transferwise was a great asset during the trip. Their card can hold many different currencies, which you can exchange within seconds on the app on your phone. They always use the official exchange rate of the day (the one you find on Google) and show you the fee they will charge. No crazy surprises on your bank report at the end of the month! This is how it works: the card has an IBAN, a bank account number, so you can transfer 1000 EUR from your own bank account to the card. Then you can open a new currency, choose how much money to exchange, and wow! You have a card with Euros and Yen. We paid for all hotels with the Yen on the card, exchanged at the best rate possible, and kept the remaining Euros for purchases in Euro. What if you finish the Yen? We did it, and it still worked! A hotel used the last few yen remaining, and then the card automatically exchanged the needed amount from Euro to Yen, at the best exchange rate. The app is so easy to use, I was shocked. We highly recommend it!

FORGOTTEN

I did not keep track of expenses for 386 EUR, which is 13,80 EUR per person per day.

CONCLUSION

So, to summarize:

We spent on average 156,77 EUR/day each, excluding flight and new backpack, including the forgotten expenses.

We spent on average 70,69 EUR/day each, excluding also accommodation and train, so just food, attractions, transport, souvenirs, presents, and the forgotten expenses.

Overall, it was an expensive honeymoon, but by choosing cheap accommodation, food and trains, Japan can be an affordable country to visit.

Are you considering visiting Japan? Let us know in the comments :) cheers!

Our itinerary for 2 weeks in Japan!

We are lucky because we are a balanced couple. When travelling, I (Giulia) am the overly-excited and overly-tired one, and Darek is the patient and zen one. I usually sprint and hurry when we are close to our destination, slow down to take just one more picture, and fall asleep on any means of transportation. Darek is more focused, less stressed - after his third trip to Japan, the excitement of the "once-in-a-lifetime" experience faded away - and sometimes he just needs another coffee.

Similarly, our itinerary worked out because it was balanced. I keep thinking that, if we had a couple more days or one more week, it would have been a more relaxing trip... But we all know that we would just have packed in more destinations and attractions :D

With balanced, I mean that we alternated very busy days with more relaxing ones. Also, we walked and saw a lot during the day, rested (and edited videos) in the evening, without waking up or going to bed at crazy hours. No sunrise at the temples or late nights at karaoke (maybe next time!).

Our full itinerary for 2 weeks!

Compared to our previous post, let's see what we managed to do (with lots of Google Maps links to help you around):

Day 0 - departure and night on the plane

If you did not know it already, 1 hour of layover is pretty tight. Thanks to our small backpack, we skipped check-in in Budapest, but we still had to go through passport control in Warsaw, as we were exiting the EU. We made it fine, but on a particularly crowded day, it would have been very stressful.

Day 1 - arrival to Tokyo, train to Shibu Onsen and a little sightseeing

This was a challenging day. Instead of sleeping on the plane, we watched The Incredibles 2, Ready Player One, and Ocean's 8. I slept a little, Darek not at all, and we landed at 9 am. 10 minutes into our Shinkansen train ride to Nagano, I went out like a light. Another local train and local bus later, at 4ish in the afternoon we arrived to our accommodation in Shibu Onsen, Hishiya Torazo Ryokan (traditional inn, map). The excitement of arriving kept us awake and happy: we visited the public baths in the village, walked around a little, tried the in-house spa, and enjoyed a fantastic dinner from 6 to 8pm. I fell asleep with my face on my phone at 8.30 :D Darek was still incredibly awake and editing the video.

Google doesn't even consider the itinerary we actually did:
Keisei Skyliner to Tokyo Ueno, Shinkansen train to Nagano,
local train to Yudanaka, bus to Shibu Onsen, and walk

The private onsen of Hishiya Torazo Ryokan

Day 2 - onsen and relax in Shibu: actually monkey park and peaceful walk around

After a good night sleep, this was a relaxing day. The walk to the Jigokudani Monkey Park was pleasant, the monkeys were adorable, and we were back in Shibu Onsen by lunch time. Afterwards, we picked up our luggage and made our way to Yamanouchi (or Yudanaka? Not sure of the name of the town). We stopped at the Kannon temple for a visit (it was exciting that my first Buddhist temple was a real temple and not just a tourist attraction!) and finally relaxed at the onsen of our second ryokan, Yudanaka Onsen Seifuso. Another delicious dinner, some editing, and we hit the hay.

A bus goes from Shibu Onsen to the Monkey Park, but we enjoyed the beautiful walk in the forest

The cutest and fluffiest monkeys ever!

Day 3 - train to Osaka and a couple of landmarks

It was a long trip to Osaka: local train to Nagano, train to Nagoya, train to Shin-Osaka, metro to Osaka, walk to Candeo Hotel (map), for a total of almost 8 hours. It might have been faster with the railway pass, but we did not have it and we were not sure which trains to take and how long it took to buy the tickets at the stations, so we decided to relax a bit and buy one ticket at a time. To celebrate Darek's birthday, we enjoyed takoyaki balls (a local specialty with octopus) at Acchichi Honpo Dotombori and then a whiskey tasting with delicious beef at Suntory Whiskey Bar. We even squeezed in a ride on the Ferris Wheel on the Hep five mall! (not really a mind-blowing view, at least at night). At the Hotel, it was simply paradise to finish the day in the rooftop heated pool.

A looong day on public transport

The birthday boy at Whiskey Bottle Bar Suntory :)

Day 4 - Osaka sightseeing

Tired from the day before, we started veery slowly, then I freaked out a little "we won't manage to see all the things in the list!" and we got moving. We spent 2,5 hours at Osaka castle, meaning the outer park, the walls, Hokoku shrine (where I bought the Red Stamp Goshuincho book!), the souvenir hall with the ninja star game, the castle itself and the historical exhibitions. When we arrived to Shitennoji Temple at 4, it was closing time :( Time for dumplings, more relaxing walks, and a simple dinner. Quite an easy day overall.

Not our actual itinerary, we used metro to the castle and bus to Shitennoji

Stunning Osaka Castle from the walls behind the main entrance

Day 5 - Universal Studios

This was a very busy and exciting day! Deciding what time to go to the Studios was a huuuuge dilemma. Finally, instead of waiting in line at 8 before opening hours, we decided to let the rest of the world queue and we would go at 10ish. At 10.30 there was no queue :) also, being a Thursday in October, there was no time restriction to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and all lines to the attractions were reasonable. The Harry Potter part was magnificent, we spent 5 hours in there :D then from 4 to 6 we explored the rest of the park, we went back to Harry Potter, and finally again to the main area to see the zombies roaming the park. We left at 7.30, meaning 9 hours at Universal Studios, totally exhausted.

Be prepared for a crowded train ride

Pure happiness!

Day 6 - train and Kobe - we skipped Himeji castle

A busy day was modified into a relaxing one. The original plan was Himeji castle in the morning (1,5 hours away from Osaka), then go back to Kobe (1+ hour) for the afternoon. We were too tired, so we decided to keep Himeji castle for the next trip :) . After a nice relaxing morning, we travelled to Kobe and explored the centre (mainly Ikuta shrine). By 6.30 we were ready for our amazing Kobe beef experience at Steakland. We were glad to spend the night in Kobe at Hotel Trusty, instead of travelling back to Osaka.

(Normally, our holidays last 4-5 days. On day 6 of documenting and posting every day, I was quite tired and almost wished for a no-tech holiday. At the same time, I could not imagine not making pictures and videos. I was struggling a bit, but Darek's evening editing was a reassuring pillar of consistency.)

Instead of taking pricey JR to Shin-Kobe, we found a local direct train
from Namba station to Kobe Sannomiya on Google Maps

Kobe beef dinner at Steakland, probably the best dinner we enjoyed in Japan!

Day 7 - train and Nara

A relatively relaxing day, compared to the amount of temples to see in Nara. Easy morning of breakfast and train from Kobe to Nara, check-in at Edosan Ryokan at 1.30ish, and we spent 4 hours in the park. We visited only 2 and a half temples: Kohkufu-ji (with the pagoda) and Todai-ji (with the giant Buddha) also inside, Kasuka-taisha (with the stone lanterns) only outside. After a relaxing bath at the onsen of the ryokan, we were served dinner in our room at 18.30. What a fantastic, delicious, surprising, marvellous experience!

Again, Google Maps proposed a perfect direct train from Kobe to Nara

Keep in mind that you will be continuously distracted by the deers :)

The gigantic statue of Buddha at Todai-ji Temple in Nara. A must-see!

Day 8 - train and Kyoto bamboo forest

Half-way through our trip, this was a day of transition. We were approaching Kyoto and Tokyo, which Darek had already visited: I relied on his memories and experience, but we still had choose what to see and what to dismiss. The problem with Kyoto is that all the main temples are on opposite sides of the city. Sightseeing in a couple of days becomes a game of tetris - my overplanning mind was overwhelmed.

In Nara, breakfast was served at 8.30 and at 10 we were out, feeding the lovely but slightly aggressive deers. On the train to Kyoto, we decided to start with Arashiyama bamboo forest, which was both far away from the centre and also a new sight for Darek. We spent a couple of hours there and in the nearby park, and made our way to Uronza Guesthouse in the centre by 5ish. Relax, easy dinner at a "fast food", and back to the guest house to rest.

Google Maps was so helpful in choosing the best connections

People-watching at Arashiyama bamboo grove in Kyoto, approx. 3 pm

Day 9 - Kyoto - Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple, Philopher's Path, and Pontocho by night

What a glorious, efficient and sunny day! I still don't know how, but we visited Nijo Castle in the centre, Kinkaku-ji Temple on one side of the city, the Philosophers' path on the other side of the city, and still had energy for a walk and dinner on Pontocho street.

We visited Nijo Castle from 10.30 to 13, as usual spending more time on gates and exteriors than inside (but in this case, only because it was forbidden to take pictures: the interior of the palace was gorgeous and super interesting). Lunch, bus to Kinkaku-ji, and at 2.30 we were at the gates. It's really crowded, but the Golden Pavillion is worth it! The path is quite short and restricted, so at 4 we were out and with still a bit of sunlight left! After 20 minutes by bus, we reached the Philosophers' Path. I'm sure that one could spend a whole day there, visiting every temple along it, but we only enjoyed a slow stroll by the narrow canal, and we were done by sunset at 5.30 ish. Finally, Pontocho street was torture: an endless sequence of restaurants, all with inviting aromas and traditional furniture, all a bit more expensive than we wished, but after all impossible to ignore. We were satisfied with our choice and even more satisfied to lie down our tired bodies on the bed at 8.30 :D

Screenshot from my Google Maps Timeline. Pretty useful!

Too many people in your picture? Cover them :)

Day 10 - Kyoto - Tea ceremony, Fushimi Inari, Kiyomizu-dera

A tiring but exciting day. When we signed up for the morning tea ceremony at our Uronza Guesthouse, we had no idea that we were actually going to watch it AND perform it. It was really fun! (and a wake-up call on how clumsy we are :D )

Due to Kyoto's painful geography, we chose to visit Fushimi Inari shrine and Kiyomizu-dera temple, which are on the same side of the city. We hiked to the top of the Torii path in a couple of hours and spent approx. three in total (12 to 3). After lunch and a few train stops back, we made our way to Kiyomizu-dera temple through a very suggestive cemetery. Even though part of the temple is covered for renovations, the view from the terrace was still lovely and the pagoda was marvellous :) On the way back to the centre, we walked down Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, narrow streets with cute houses and traditional shops, very cute but it gave off a Disneyland vibe. Dinner at Il Lago with Anri, an old friend of Darek's, and home.

Blue is the train, light blue is on foot

Pagoda + golden hour = a feast for the eyes! This is at Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Day 11 - train to Hakone and sightseeing, night in Hakone

Some rest and some activity. Waking up early was hard, but we were on a Shinkansen train by 9 and we got off at Odawara at 12! I will probably write another post about Hakone and the way it's organized. We were super-efficient this afternoon after turning our itinerary around because of early sunset: we managed to cross Lake Ashi on the pirate ship while the sun was still high, see Mount Fuji from the lake and from the ropeway, smell the sulfure at Owakudani station, and make our way back on Japan's oldest mountain railway to Hakone-Yumoto after sunset. After dinner and after making the daily video, we even had energy for a few drinks and chats in the common room of Guesthouse Azito!

On the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo you can see Mount Fuji!

Our clock-wise tour of Hakone, starting from Hakone-Yumoto

A postcard! Taken on the boat from Moto-Hakone to Togendai

Day 12 - morning in Hakone, evening in Tokyo

Late night = late morning! Even though we did not do much, this was quite a tiring day.

Breakfast from the supermarket, backpacks in a locker at the station, and off we were to the Hakone Open-Air Museum, which was really interesting and unique. We visited the vast grounds from 12 to 2,  but we could have stayed longer. Lunch, local train, local train, Tokyo train, metro, walk... We were at our accommodation at 6pm, quite tired but excited to be in Tokyo for Halloween! We set out to Shibuya Crossing to explore and find these crazy Japanese dressed-up people. We were not disappointed :) Still, after one hour of crowd-watching and crowd-crossing, we made our way to a popular "gyoza" dumpling spot in Harajuku, made friends with Tegan and Matt from Australia, and enjoyed a beer together while swapping Japan advice :)

Sooo many stations in Tokyo, but Google Maps is your friend

Our walk from Shibuya Crossing to Harajuku and back

Gorgeous art at Hakone Open-Air Museum

Day 13 - Tokyo - Shibuya, Shinjuku, Senso-ji Temple, Asahi terrace, Golden Gai

Still tired from the day before (and the day before that), this day started pretty late and made me a bit nervous. In the morning, we had to move to our second hostel (super cool Book and Bed Shinjuku), exchange cash, find breakfast, buy gifts, all with our backpacks and with the thought of all the places we would NOT visit constantly bugging me. Only 2 days in Tokyo, it was just as hard as Kyoto!

Finally, some pieces of the puzzle found their own place. Close to the hostel, we got some delicious street food and visited a festival at Hanazono Shrine. By 3, we were in front of Senso-ji Temple, the oldest Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, bathed in beautiful golden light. At 5ish the sun was setting, so we crossed the bridge and reached the Sky Room of the beer-shaped Asahi skyscraper (genious!). Ramen at 7.30 and we still had energy for a whiskey in the Golden gai streets of tiny bars. A reminder of how the location of your accommodation is eeeeeverything.

We spent a lot of time in the metro

The Asahi building, shaped like a beer! Clever Philippe Starck!

Day 14 - Tokyo - Metropolitan Government Building, Meiji-Jingu Shrine, MoriArt museum, night by Narita Airport

Our last day! No matter how tired we were, this was our last precious day. No time to spend wandering around fancy Ginza, pop Akihabara, traditional Yanaka, no time for the Imperial Palace or for the arcades. We chose the morning view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building (fantastic), a walk through the park until Meiji-Jingu shrine (fascinating wild park, very humble shrine) and MORI Digital Art Museum (absolutely amazing). The Digital Art Museum definitely deserves another post, but let me just say two things: 1- buy the tickets in advance on the website! We stood in line just 30 minutes thanks to that, and 2- plan at least 3-4 hours to enjoy, explore, get lost, see the same room twice with totally different art in it. Also DO NOT waste time on the Floating Nest room.

Out at 7.15, metro, fast food dinner, train, arrival to our hotel by Narita Airport at 11.30 at night. That took much longer than expected and drained our last energies.

Not our actual itinerary! We took metro and train from Meiji Jingu to MORI and back

Keep calm at the Digital Art Museum, or you will end up with overly-excited blurry pictures like me! :)

Day 15 - early flight back home, night in our bed :)

We were soooo so happy we stayed by the airport. Waking up at 7.30 was hard enough, I would have killed somebody if I had to wake up at 6 in Tokyo city centre. Also, not having luggage to check-in allowed us to go straight through security and passport control :) Again, no sleep on the plane and rushing at Warsaw Airport, but this time WE BOUGHT POLISH DOUGHNUTS so I was happy. :)

Super weird to wake up in Japan and go to sleep in Budapest in the same (long) day.

So, what did we learn?

• Giulia can still improve her stress management skills
• Darek is much better at editing videos on the road than at home
• We need to include relaxing days, to avoid freaking out
• I actually really need to travel with an enjoyment mindset, instead of an Instagram-driven bucket-list-ticking mindset (or a blog/vlog mindset - hmmmm)
• We really love to have active holidays and to explore different cities, accommodations and eating styles
• Travelling light was an excellent choice
• There is still so much to see, that Japan is already back on our bucket list :D

Do you think that our itinerary would be suitable for you? Or not? And why? Let us know in the comments! Cheers!