Juan Marcel & Rhylan’s Trip Along Japan’s Golden Route

Hello, this is Juan Marcel & Rhylan! At approximately 7:45am our journey begins, in iconic Tokyo Station. We have a Shinkansen (high speed bullet train) scheduled to bring us from Tokyo to our first stop along this unforgettable journey, Shizuoka. However, before heading to our train platform, we had an essential mission to complete.. Acquiring SNACKS haha. So, we asked a worker at the train station for directions to the best bento box shop - and not only did he give us directions, he actually left his post to walk us directly there himself.. This was a heart warming start to the trip for sure.

Once we acquired our delicious looking bento boxes, we headed straight for our Shinkansen, with tickets designated onto our IC cards, via the incredibly convenient and efficient Shinkansen Online Reservation Service offered by JR Central. After boarding the train, we excitedly found our seats and pulled out the SmartEX app to finish booking more of our upcoming Shinkansen tickets. Once this was all settled, we pulled out our bento boxes and took our first bites.. We had never imagined that they would be THIS delicious (WOW!!). And just as we thought that our day couldn’t get any better, we looked out of the window and spotted her for the first time ever.. beautiful Mount Fuji. Not a cloud in the sky.. We certainly hope that this perfect weather holds up for the day!

Shizuoka: Stunning Views and Tea at Nihondaira Yume Terrace

After our trains arrival at Shizuoka station, we headed straight for the best possible view in town, which we heard could be found at Nihondaira Yume Terrace! And as we approached the top of the hill, the view that met us there was one that we will never forget.

We’ve heard that Mt.Fuji is only clearly visible around 70 - 90 days out of the year, so what luck we had, by getting here on a day as perfect as this! From there, we decided to check out more of the grounds. And while enjoying the crisp air, stunning views and lovely weather, we noticed what appeared to be a tea house inside of the actual terrace.. So, we decided that we would be foolish not to try it out - especially since the Shizuoka prefecture is the largest tea producing region in Japan. We ordered dorayaki, green tea and a Matcha latte, and all of it was absolutely delightful. But nothing was more delightful, of course, than the stunning Fuji view we had along with our tea.

A Journey Through History: Ropeway to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine

After our tea break, we walked next door to the Ropeway which we were told would bring us to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, which we heard was absolutely worth the extra journey! So, we boarded the ropecar and as we looked out the window, our jaws dropped in awe of the unbelievable views of the coast line and green hills along the ride.

After the breathtaking ropecar ride to the shrine, we stepped outside into what felt like a journey back in time, to ancient Japan. There was a spiritual feeling here, and we felt grateful to get to experience it at all. One thing that we’ve always admired about Japanese people is how they seem to really value their history, traditions and spirituality. Watching them throw coins and bow, as seemed to be customary, we felt our hearts smiling.. This is what travel is all about!

Miho no Matsubara: A Dreamy World Heritage Site

From here, there was one more major stop here in Shizuoka that we had in mind before we could even consider leaving for our next stop along the Golden Route, which was the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Miho no Matsubara. And WOW, it definitely felt as though we’d left the best for last today.. Because as we approached the beautiful tree lined beach, we were immediately taken aback by the otherworldly nature of this place. Between the black sand, and the meeting of trees, ocean, and Mt. Fuji.. what a dream come true this sight is. We sat in the rocks of the beach, listening to the waves crash, and the sounds of families playing, while admiring the surreal sights, and thanked our lucky stars for the opportunity to have experienced such a perfect day.. I mean still, somehow, we managed to maintain a clear view of Fuji, with the exception of a small cluster of clouds which had now begun to form around her..

Heading to Kyoto: The Efficiency of the Shinkansen

After an absolutely perfect day in Shizuoka, we boarded our next Shinkansen train, which would be taking us from here to Kyoto for the night! We are always shocked by the efficiency, cleanliness and speed (of course) of the bullet trains. In fact, the rides are so fun, and easy, that we often find ourselves wishing that the journey was longer - because we enjoy our time ON the train so much haha.

Anyways, we arrived at a wonderful hotel in a perfect location for tomorrow’s planned exploring, and went straight to sleep, as we just couldn’t wait to wake up and start day 2 of this magical trip.

Uji: The Matcha Capital and the Beauty of Byodoin Temple

We started the next morning on a familiar road, Yasaka-Dori, surrounded by people, and the incredible, historic architecture of Japan's past. We’ve visited Kyoto city several times over the last 5 years, and while it could never possibly get old, we decided that it was time to push ourselves outside of the city - to see more of the Kyoto prefecture.

So, we hopped on the JR operated train, and rode through Kyoto, out of the hectic city, into a new city that we’d always dreamt of visiting.. Uji! Uji, Japan is considered the Matcha capital of the world, and somehow we’d never visited it.. Particularly shocking when you consider the fact that Rhylan is OBSESSED with matcha haha.

We sat down for our first Matcha of the day, at the iconic Nakamura Tokichi Byodoin Store, ready to see what all the hype was about.. Would this really be the best Matcha that we’d ever tasted? YES. ABSOLUTELY. We also got their famous Matcha jelly platter, which was filled with so many yummy, and refreshing treats.. What a wonderful start to our Uji day! And now that we were feeling the caffeine of that matcha, we needed to do some walking/exploring, and had the perfect spot in mind for that.

Byodoin Temple was one of the most idyllic scenes of the trip.. With vibrant colors between the green trees, red & yellow temple, and pastel pinks from freshly bloomed cherry blossoms that showed themselves to us.. How have we never visited this incredible city before??

Tasting Tradition: Tsuen, Japan’s Oldest Tea Shop

From here, we went on for our next try of world famous Uji Matcha.. This time, we chose to try it in the form of some Matcha soft serve and Matcha flavored Dango. And once again, it was absolutely perfect. This just might be our favorite day of the entire trip now.. But we’re getting distracted! The main goal when here in Uji was, of course, to shop for some Matcha tins to bring back home with us - as premium grade matcha from Uji would cost well over 4x as much when purchased in America.

We found ourselves wandering along the main roads, poking around at the beautiful wares being sold, while being intoxicated by the smell of teas being freshly made. But, nothing could have prepared us for the tea experience we were about to have once we set foot in the world famous Tsuen Main Branch tea shop. The oldest Tea Shop in Japan, established in the year 1160, making it 866 years old!! And it just so happened, that one of the descendants of the family who has owned this shop since then, was on site, providing tea service to potential customers, to give them a chance to try out their famous Sencha green tea.

After trying the Sencha, we decided that we must bring home a package (or two) of the sencha for ourselves (it was magnificent!) on top of a few tins of their top suggested Matcha! And from there, we made a final stop at another famous tea shop in town, named Tobi-En Tea Shop.. where we got a portable matcha shaker, strainer, bamboo scooper, and more hand picked Matcha.. We were in heaven.

But before we let the spending get out of control, we decided to get on our final train of the trip, to one of our favorite cities that we’d ever visited in all of Japan.. Osaka.

Osaka: Neon Lights and Culinary Delights

We arrived in Osaka at the perfect time of day in our opinion.. Just after nightfall, when the neon signage is all switched on, and the city fully comes alive. We were immediately thrusted forth into a dazzling light show, transporting us into a vision of what Japan's major cities must have looked like back in the 80s. Futuristic, but still grounded and charming, retro, yet forward thinking all at once. It’s a city that tugs at our heart every. single. Time. Especially because food will forever be the way to one's heart.. And Osaka has no shortage of great food..

After wandering around aimlessly for hours, enjoying the sights, smells, and sensory overload of the city - we ducked into a highly rated establishment named Shabu Shabu On-Yasai Dotonbori for our first ever Shabu Shabu.. Which we enjoyed every single bite of, as we reflected on what a remarkable journey this Golden Route trip was with JR Central..

Conclusion: A Trip of a Lifetime with JR Central

Coming to the conclusion that we’d barely even scratched the surface of this country that we love so dearly. Japan, we love you, and we promise to get off of the beaten path more in subsequent trips. Thanks for joining us for the journey, and a HUGE thank you to JR central, for giving us the ability to so seamlessly plan and navigate the trip of a LIFETIME on Japan’s iconic Golden Route via Shinkansen.. We’ll never forget it!