JAPAN Travel: Early Morning Itinerary (Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara & Osaka)

Join me each morning as we explore some of Japan's top sites before it becomes overcrowded! Are you an early-riser, or maybe just jet-lagged? Here are some ideas of places you can check out in the early hours during your visit to Japan. The metro/subway system opens at 5am in most of these places, then the city is your to explore!

TOKYO:
Senso-ji Temple: The grounds are open to the public 24 hours, and the temple opens its doors at 6am. Most of the vendor shops open around 10am.
Tsukiji Fish Market: Vendors start to open around 5am, most shops are open by 8am.
Shibuya Crossing: Nice & peaceful so early in the day, but most of the surrounding businesses open closer to 10am.

KYOTO:
Kyoto Station: Here, you can catch most forms of transit including the metro, JR lines, Shinkansen and buses. There are lots of places to eat in the station and some stores for souvenirs.
Kurasu Coffee: Specialty coffee from Kyoto! This was a 5 minute walk west of Kyoto station. I liked it so much, I actually visited here twice! (Check out my Japan Coffee video coming soon!)
Fushimi Inari Taisha: My favourite shrine in Japan and the most beautiful, in opinion. Clearly lots of people think so too, so get here early if possible!
Nakau Restaurant: I trust that a Japanese breakfast almost anywhere in Japan will exceed your expectations in one way or another! Nakau has many locations all across Japan, open 24 hours.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest: Out of all these Kyoto spots, this is the one to do early if you can only choose one. The paths through the forest quickly become congested as more tourists show up throughout the day. 7am was the perfect time!

NARA:
Chami Specialty Coffee Roaster: If you love a latte like I do, I would recommend this cafe! They had a large selection of baked goods, as well as a seating area upstairs.
Nara Park: Famous for all of the deer! Pretty cool to see, I recommend visiting here if you are in the Kyoto/Osaka area, it is popular for day trips.
**I will soon be sharing another video dedicated to Nara and what we did there!

OSAKA:
Namba Yasaka Jinja: This was such a gorgeous shrine, really cool and unique Lion's head, however lots of people pass through these grounds so come early if you can!
Najimikimpa Korean Restaurant: This was located just up the street from the shrine, about one block north. We ordered the Bulgogi and the Japchae Rice which were both delicious, so happy we stumbled upon this place!
Dotonbori: This street is well-known for its street food and huge tacky storefront decorations. It is quite something to see and liveliest in the evenings.
Don Quijote: Many locations across Japan, check for a location near you! I like to shop here for souvenirs to take home!

I ordered the PASSPORT NOTEBOOK here:
https://amzn.to/3RxT4du
I bought mine for under $10 CAD and there are several countries available, so hopefully you can find your country! I will make a video in the near future about the stamps and stickers we have collected so far :)

[Sadly, my microphone broke on the first day in Tokyo, so my apologies in advance for some of the audio]

If you are planning a trip to Japan in the near future I would love to talk travel and brainstorm any itinerary ideas! Thank you for watching! Lots more to come on our Japan travels, so I'll see you in the next video!

Love,
C

Video Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - Tokyo
09:50 - Kyoto
25:39 - Nara
29:49 - Osaka
34:21 - Closing