Found your channel because I'm planning my first ever Japan journey in April. Love your calm narration and the serene vibes. Immediately subscribed! :)
HAHAHAHA Dude SanaySK, litteraly the same, me and my partner are going over on the 26th April for the first time (Many years spent planning thanks to covid) and youtube also reccomended this to me, absolute gem and an awesome video
Very good and accurate information. I’ve seen a few videos lately from “creators” trying to capitalize on Japan’s reopening and the general popularity of the destination. All they did was take stock footage (or wrong footage) and read out from an outdated guide book. One bit of info that can be added: the Odakyu Romance Car (train) from Shinjuku would take you directly to Hakone-Yumoto Station. No need to transfer at Odawara.
Video was great, enjoyed the shots of you walking around. Reminded me of some Craig Adams videos with similar shots. Would love to see your video timestamped to separate the days and allow people to know where to click back to re-watch a day.
Have an amazing trip, its going to be epic! I will be releasing a vid in the next few days about best Special Wards in Tokyo to look for accommodations. Hopefully that will complete the circle :).
That's the master plan. If the channel continues to grow hopefully I can be on the road indefinitely making denser, better content :). Thank you for watching!
Great video and great recommendations. I have gone to the Fuji Five Lakes and Nikko from Tokyo, both well worth it. Ambitious day trips. Kyoto - I don't know. Your photography and editing is terrific.
started following your channel because of your Banff videos, glad you're back with another Japan travel video! planning to go for the first time this year and will definitely be using this video to help with that. keep up the great work!
As someone just getting started with this stuff, that means a lot thank you :). You will love it! From a tourism point of view Japan is probably one of the best places to visit, hyper photogenic, amazing food, amazing transportation and one of the safest places on the planet.
Great video. I will be over there soon enough. I will have a few days in Tokyo, so a day trip is planned. So so much to choose from though. Leaning towards Hakone.
If you are going to Hakone, and if possible with your itinerary, I would strongly recommend choosing a weekday. Japanese locals like to drive their vehicles there on the weekends and it makes navigating the traffic a bit more cumbersome.
Both as a day trip? Definitely not, even though you can drive or take a bus between the two in about an hour there is too much to do at both locations to try to squeeze them into 1 day. If I were to do it that way I would start early a.m. in kawaguchiko and then spend the night at an onsen in hakone. Use the next day to fully explore the main attractions and then head back to Tokyo. If you have a few days to spend on hakone and kawaguchiko then absolutely, that would work very well.
I do a little but honestly don't even worry about it. Tokyo was already mostly in English before the Olympics happened and as part of the initial preparations to setup the games there is now English just about everywhere. Japanese people also know that tourists are coming back into Japan so don't stress about that they will try their best to communicate with you, especially across the service industry. That being said, you should learn a few basic phrases like thank you, pardon me and how to order basic things. This is mostly to be respectful. If you plan on going to some remote areas outside the city make sure you have google lens installed on your phone so you can just point at Japanese text and get instant translation. Its going to be super fun! Have an amazing trip!
Great video! You touched on some places that I'd love to visit and hike around on my next trip to Japan (third trip). I am wondering what shoes you were wearing for this video. They look super comfortable and a little bit more practical than my current hiking boots.
I am with you on that one. I ended up wearing the puma axelion cross trainers as most of the places I visited were paved. Even some of the hikes I did had well established trails so didn't need to unpack the hiking boots which was definitely nice.
There are a LOT of onsen options in Hakone that range from high end luxury hotels to private airbnb style accommodations. For example, Hakone Ginyu private open air bath options that let you overlook the surrounding mountains. If you are looking for a traditional Ryokan style place you could try Ashinoko Hanaori. If you want public multi-pool type options with gender segregation you can go with Hakone Yuryo. I haven't stayed at one since pre-covid 2019 so I am not sure how they have changed as I only did a day trip there this time. I don't want to lead you astray with a recommendation but worry not, your options are many.
Thanks very much :). I think next time I go I will have to stay in Fukuoka. Everyone I have spoken to in Japan has nothing but good things to say about the city and the food there.
Thank you for such an amazing video. I definitely learned a lot of valuable tips that will surely be useful on our first Japan trip in April. Blessings!
Thank you, your video has helped greatly in planning our trip to Japan. We aim to be there in autumn, what dates do you recommend to see the best colour? Kyoto is top of my list 🙂
Glad to hear. The length of summer does play a role in how intense the colors are and at times of month they reach their peak. There are websites that track this and give good estimates. For reference I was there the last week of October and first week of November.
What a wonderful lovely places. Thank you for showing other beautiful nature parts of Japan. I like the angles of the pictures and video taken and also the video editing accompanied by the calm story telling. I feel like being there myself 😀. Where do you buy the Hakone pass?
Thanks very much :)! The Hakone Free Pass comes in two flavors. You can buy the pass at Shinjuku station which will also include round trip train tickets back to Tokyo. I believe the cost for this pass is 6100 Yen. If you already have a JR Pass you don't need to waste money on getting the full pass. You can take the train to Odawara station and buy the pass without the round trip train ticket for 5000 Yen. This will include all the local transportation as mentioned in the video and you can use your JR Pass to get back to Tokyo on the bullet train.
Just day trips for all 3. Left Tokyo around 8am each day and spent about 5-6h at each place before returning. If you can spend the night though that would be great as there is a lot more to do and see besides just the highlights.
Yes there is. They lowered the standard to sub 100g so anything over 99g will need to be registered... which is basically every drone lol. You don't need a drone pilot license yet but you will need to go through the entire process which can take a few weeks to process. If you plan on going soon now is the time to register, just in case. For more information check out this site: www.mlit.go.jp/koku/drone/en/ The ministry of land, transportation and tourism also has a map that shows you where you can fly safely so make sure to check that carefully. There are a lot of places where people fly on UA-cam which are actually illegal (e.g. Mt. Takao). One of the major requirements which may be prohibitive is the requirement for your drone to be able to transmit its location aka Remote ID. Flying without this is illegal. Fortunately a lot of the DJI drones have this built in but if not you will need to buy an external adaptor and attach it to your drone which is a massive pain.
It was all doable as a day trip. Everything you saw in the video probably took 4-5 hours and I wasn't rushing since I had to stop and film. But there are a lot of other cool areas around to explore so if you can stay 1 night it will definitely make it a more relaxed experience :)! Have a great trip!
All depends what you want to get out of any given location. Any one of these daytrips can easily be a 2 or even 3 night stay if you really want to explore the area. But I would pick any of these places for a nice nature walk vs the location of my next video lol... may receive some criticism for that one as it's closer to tokyo and quite popular.
Kwaguchiko - October 28 | Nikko - November 1 | Hakone - November 3 | Kyoto - November 5 I did day trips to Nagano, Mt. Takao and a ton of other places as well as I was there for quite some time. I am not sure what I will do with that footage quite yet :). Yokohama on Halloween night was also amazing!!
Thanks all for your patience :) it was a fun trip but a lot of work to edit! Additional info for the various passes is in the video description.
This was so lovely and calming to watch. nice videography and music :)
Thank you for coming to Japan
What a beautiful video, a real pleasure to watch!
Thank you that means a lot :)
This is a wonderfully informative and beautiful video. Thanks for capturing and sharing!
Very Good Video
Found your channel because I'm planning my first ever Japan journey in April. Love your calm narration and the serene vibes. Immediately subscribed! :)
Thank you and welcome :)! Enjoy your trip. April is one of the best times to go not just for cherry blossoms but nice stable weather.
Im also going for my first time in April. I think i definitely want to go to Hakone and stay in a hotel with an outdoor onsen
HAHAHAHA Dude SanaySK, litteraly the same, me and my partner are going over on the 26th April for the first time (Many years spent planning thanks to covid) and youtube also reccomended this to me, absolute gem and an awesome video
Very good and accurate information. I’ve seen a few videos lately from “creators” trying to capitalize on Japan’s reopening and the general popularity of the destination. All they did was take stock footage (or wrong footage) and read out from an outdated guide book. One bit of info that can be added: the Odakyu Romance Car (train) from Shinjuku would take you directly to Hakone-Yumoto Station. No need to transfer at Odawara.
Tks for the video
Video was great, enjoyed the shots of you walking around. Reminded me of some Craig Adams videos with similar shots. Would love to see your video timestamped to separate the days and allow people to know where to click back to re-watch a day.
Great idea :) thank you for the awesome feedback and thanks for watching!
日本に来てくれてありがとうございます😊
美しい映像まで嬉しいです☺️
ありがとうございます!
今年また日本に行きたいです。
Great video. We plan to visit in April. Can you share the music playlist?
It's all in the video description along with other useful links :). Thanks and have a great time!
Im planning to visit Tokyo soon ,thanks for sharing.
Have an amazing trip, its going to be epic! I will be releasing a vid in the next few days about best Special Wards in Tokyo to look for accommodations. Hopefully that will complete the circle :).
Japan is so magical!! We loved our time in Hakone and beyond
Very nice video mate
Thank you very much!
Great video..Thank you for this info...
Thanks. Great narration. We need more
That's the master plan. If the channel continues to grow hopefully I can be on the road indefinitely making denser, better content :). Thank you for watching!
Great video and great recommendations. I have gone to the Fuji Five Lakes and Nikko from Tokyo, both well worth it. Ambitious day trips. Kyoto - I don't know. Your photography and editing is terrific.
Thanks very much! I travel alone and I like to walk quick so day trips work well for my style of exploration :")
Great video!
Which month did you travel there? The autumn color looked wonderful!
Last week of October and first week of November :)
started following your channel because of your Banff videos, glad you're back with another Japan travel video! planning to go for the first time this year and will definitely be using this video to help with that. keep up the great work!
As someone just getting started with this stuff, that means a lot thank you :). You will love it! From a tourism point of view Japan is probably one of the best places to visit, hyper photogenic, amazing food, amazing transportation and one of the safest places on the planet.
Wow amazing video! So well done! Looking forward to more videos. Subscribed!
I'll be visiting Tokyo and Hakone in May. Cant wait! Thanks for the video!
It's going to be fun :), enjoy!
Beautifully shot, and I love your recommendations!
Thank you :) still have a ways to go!
That Was a beautiful video in all aspects. Thank you 🙏👍
That is high praise :) thank you very much.
Beautiful editing! It’s been a pleasure to watch 🌻
Thank you for taking the time :). Much appreciated!
Great video! Thanks 🙏
My pleasure!
When did the video recorded in Nikko? Date and month ?
Early November 2022. Basically as soon as Covid-19 restrictions got dropped :)
Hi , may i know what pants are you wearing, it looks comfortable for traveling.. thankss
Projek Raw cargo pants. It's a Canadian company so not too mainstream :)
Great video. I will be over there soon enough. I will have a few days in Tokyo, so a day trip is planned. So so much to choose from though. Leaning towards Hakone.
If you are going to Hakone, and if possible with your itinerary, I would strongly recommend choosing a weekday. Japanese locals like to drive their vehicles there on the weekends and it makes navigating the traffic a bit more cumbersome.
Glow Kaizanblu good song
Would you recommend to travel hakone to kawaguchiko then back to Tokyo ?
Both as a day trip? Definitely not, even though you can drive or take a bus between the two in about an hour there is too much to do at both locations to try to squeeze them into 1 day. If I were to do it that way I would start early a.m. in kawaguchiko and then spend the night at an onsen in hakone. Use the next day to fully explore the main attractions and then head back to Tokyo.
If you have a few days to spend on hakone and kawaguchiko then absolutely, that would work very well.
I’ll be visiting Tokyo on May. Thanks for the video.
Do you speak the language ? I don’t so I’m afraid 😳 it’s going to be my first time going to Japan
I do a little but honestly don't even worry about it. Tokyo was already mostly in English before the Olympics happened and as part of the initial preparations to setup the games there is now English just about everywhere. Japanese people also know that tourists are coming back into Japan so don't stress about that they will try their best to communicate with you, especially across the service industry. That being said, you should learn a few basic phrases like thank you, pardon me and how to order basic things. This is mostly to be respectful. If you plan on going to some remote areas outside the city make sure you have google lens installed on your phone so you can just point at Japanese text and get instant translation. Its going to be super fun! Have an amazing trip!
Great video! You touched on some places that I'd love to visit and hike around on my next trip to Japan (third trip). I am wondering what shoes you were wearing for this video. They look super comfortable and a little bit more practical than my current hiking boots.
I am with you on that one. I ended up wearing the puma axelion cross trainers as most of the places I visited were paved. Even some of the hikes I did had well established trails so didn't need to unpack the hiking boots which was definitely nice.
Beautiful video! Know of any good places to stay in Hakone with an outdoor onsen? Or do they have any public outdoor ones there?
There are a LOT of onsen options in Hakone that range from high end luxury hotels to private airbnb style accommodations. For example, Hakone Ginyu private open air bath options that let you overlook the surrounding mountains. If you are looking for a traditional Ryokan style place you could try Ashinoko Hanaori. If you want public multi-pool type options with gender segregation you can go with Hakone Yuryo. I haven't stayed at one since pre-covid 2019 so I am not sure how they have changed as I only did a day trip there this time. I don't want to lead you astray with a recommendation but worry not, your options are many.
Hope to return to Japan for a visit soon. Great footage!!
Thanks very much :). I think next time I go I will have to stay in Fukuoka. Everyone I have spoken to in Japan has nothing but good things to say about the city and the food there.
Thank you for such an amazing video. I definitely learned a lot of valuable tips that will surely be useful on our first Japan trip in April. Blessings!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, your video has helped greatly in planning our trip to Japan. We aim to be there in autumn, what dates do you recommend to see the best colour? Kyoto is top of my list 🙂
Glad to hear. The length of summer does play a role in how intense the colors are and at times of month they reach their peak. There are websites that track this and give good estimates. For reference I was there the last week of October and first week of November.
Love the song with the female vocal. What song is that? Also great video so relaxing
Thank you very much :). The song is called "All I Need" by KaizanBlu & Denney.
@@sojournchris thanks. Keep making content. I’ve watched countless UA-camr videos and yours has alot of potential to get air of subs.
What a wonderful lovely places. Thank you for showing other beautiful nature parts of Japan. I like the angles of the pictures and video taken and also the video editing accompanied by the calm story telling. I feel like being there myself 😀. Where do you buy the Hakone pass?
Thanks very much :)! The Hakone Free Pass comes in two flavors. You can buy the pass at Shinjuku station which will also include round trip train tickets back to Tokyo. I believe the cost for this pass is 6100 Yen. If you already have a JR Pass you don't need to waste money on getting the full pass. You can take the train to Odawara station and buy the pass without the round trip train ticket for 5000 Yen. This will include all the local transportation as mentioned in the video and you can use your JR Pass to get back to Tokyo on the bullet train.
@@sojournchris wow, thank you so much for detail information!
What size pot
Nice suggestions but seems like going to Hakone would be a long day trip. Didn't you stay overnights in these locations?
Just day trips for all 3. Left Tokyo around 8am each day and spent about 5-6h at each place before returning. If you can spend the night though that would be great as there is a lot more to do and see besides just the highlights.
hi, is there a need to register 249g drones to fly in Japan? What would be the requirements?
Yes there is. They lowered the standard to sub 100g so anything over 99g will need to be registered... which is basically every drone lol. You don't need a drone pilot license yet but you will need to go through the entire process which can take a few weeks to process. If you plan on going soon now is the time to register, just in case. For more information check out this site: www.mlit.go.jp/koku/drone/en/
The ministry of land, transportation and tourism also has a map that shows you where you can fly safely so make sure to check that carefully. There are a lot of places where people fly on UA-cam which are actually illegal (e.g. Mt. Takao). One of the major requirements which may be prohibitive is the requirement for your drone to be able to transmit its location aka Remote ID. Flying without this is illegal. Fortunately a lot of the DJI drones have this built in but if not you will need to buy an external adaptor and attach it to your drone which is a massive pain.
@@sojournchris thank you very much! Very well said😎
すごい映像！
ありがとうございます!
Did you stay overnight in Nikko? Was is all doable within the day trip? Thanks
It was all doable as a day trip. Everything you saw in the video probably took 4-5 hours and I wasn't rushing since I had to stop and film. But there are a lot of other cool areas around to explore so if you can stay 1 night it will definitely make it a more relaxed experience :)! Have a great trip!
@@sojournchris Thank you. I’d love to stay there for 2 days but I think a day trip is easier if I don’t want to carry my luggages around.
The lake location might be tenable if you had many days based in Tokyo and some serious downtime to spare.
All depends what you want to get out of any given location. Any one of these daytrips can easily be a 2 or even 3 night stay if you really want to explore the area. But I would pick any of these places for a nice nature walk vs the location of my next video lol... may receive some criticism for that one as it's closer to tokyo and quite popular.
I am planning to visit Tokyo in November. May I know in which month you visited these places in Autumn from the video ?
First week of November :)
On what date were you in each of the places?
Kwaguchiko - October 28 | Nikko - November 1 | Hakone - November 3 | Kyoto - November 5
I did day trips to Nagano, Mt. Takao and a ton of other places as well as I was there for quite some time. I am not sure what I will do with that footage quite yet :). Yokohama on Halloween night was also amazing!!
@@sojournchris Thanks !!
Hakone was Nov 3 ;x ... messed up the copy paste lol
whats the place with trees called at 10:59 sir?
Those are the paths you can expect to find all around the Toshogu shrine. Very beautiful lush green and moss everywhere. Edit: in Nikko still.