Continued from the last post!

Day 9 (Kawagoe)

Kawagoe – Temples and Kanetsuki-dori Street (2 hrs) [blog post here]: This was another pleasant day trip that we made out of Tokyo. The place is easy to get to, and it also qualifies as a filler activity that you can swap in and out easily. How much time should you spend in Kawagoe though? We reckon for most visitors about four hours is more than sufficient, unless it’s your intent to visit every temple, shrine and shop along Kanetsuki-dori and Candy Street. The Starbucks outlet is pretty nice to chill in, but it’s not a big cafe with a lot of seating, and tables fill up quickly.

Candy Street (1 hr) [blog post here]: The shops along Kanetsuki-dori Street were varied, but I didn’t find them offering wares that were dramatically different from other small-town shopping streets I’d already visited in Japan. Candy Street though is quite different: the shops along the short street focus on snacks and sweets. So if this is your thing, skip breakfast if you’re visiting in the morning and go from shop to shop trying everything!

Day 10 (Tokyo)

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden (1 hr+) [blog post here]: This is a hidden gem that is well outside most international visitors’ radar and thus itinerary. It’s not a compact Japanese garden, but occupies a fair bit of space and is conveniently situated beside Tokyo Dome City, and a five-minute walk from Suidobashi Station. There are certainly prettier gardens than this in Japan, but Koishikawa Korakuen has the advantage of being uncrowded. We also benefited from some lovely autumn colours from the flora during the mid-morning we visited.

Rikugien Garden (1 hr+) [blog post here]: The second garden we visited on Day 10 morning. This one saw comparatively more visitors, likely because it was late morning when we reached. It’s also relatively better known, especially as a spot for wedding photography. Between this and Koishikawa Korakuen above — if you absolutely have to choose — go with Rikugien Garden if you’d like to see a traditional Japanese garden, and Koishikawa if you value serenity more than anything else.

Yanaka Ginza (1 hr) [blog post here]: This is a cat-themed shopping street that is popular with locals. Traditional shopping streets, while gradually fading in popularity among younger Japanese, are still fairly common in visitor itineraries. That said, unless you’re looking for cat-themed apparel and toys, it’s okay to skip unless you need filler activities.

Akihabara Electric Town (1 hr+) [blog post here]: This is a place for geeks who love technology, anime and manga to nerd out. Even if you’re not, you should still visit on a weekend and enjoy the atmosphere. Better still, go on a Sunday afternoon when the main road is closed to vehicular traffic.

Day 11 (Tokyo – Nikko)

Nikko (2 Days) [blog post here]: Most visitors would visit Nikko as a day trip out of Tokyo that’s about 2.5 hours away. But many travel websites recommend at least a night stay in this scenic town. The thing is: if you’re just visiting Toshogu Shrine and Shinkyo Bridge, then you really don’t need that much time — about two hours for both places is sufficient.

Tamozawa Imperial Villa (1 hr+) [blog post here]: This is a lovely villa and we’re glad we included it, but it is the kind of place you’d enjoy mainly if you appreciate the history of the place and how Japanese royalty lived. Kids might be bored since the exhibits are mostly viewing-only.

Toshogu Shrine and Shinkyo Bridge (1 hr+) [blog post here]: So far in our family trips to Japan, we normally do not enter shrine or temple interiors if they require paid admission — unless the place is particularly famous.

Day 12 (Nikko)

Nikko Edo Wonderland (4 hrs+) [blog posts here and here]: Our key itinerary activity and main reason for spending two nights in Nikko. This was a wonderfully done-up theme park that we regret not spending more time in. Pro-Tip: the Ninja show is an absolute must-watch.

Day 13 (Matsumoto)

Matsumoto Castle and Nawate Street (2 hrs) [blog post here]: If you’re visiting Nagano and looking for a city to stay in as a base, Matsumoto is a good option. Matsumoto Castle is a lovely building surrounded by a moat and offers great photo opportunities.

Day 14 (Matsumoto)

Daio Wasabi Farm (2 hrs) [blog post here]: If you love wasabi as a spice, then this farm is worth visiting. If you’re already staying in Matsumoto, it’s easy to get to.

Matsumoto Castle Winter Illumination (0.5 hrs) [blog post here]: This is a must-visit if you’re in Matsumoto.

Day 15 (Matsumoto)

Norikura Kogen Snowshoe Hike (3 hrs) [blog post here]: We really enjoyed this one since it was our first snowshoe hike. Walking through a winter forest and seeing the partially frozen waterfall was memorable.

Day 16 (Nagano)

Shiga Kogen and Kumanoyu Ski Area (3 hrs) [blog post here]: These were included in our Snow Monkey day trip package. Our guide took good care of us and the group had a great time.

Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park (2 hrs) [blog post here]: One of those places you probably want to visit at least once in your lifetime. Pro-Tip: wear proper footwear — the trail can be muddy and slippery.

Day 17 (Matsumoto – Tokyo)

Ueno (3 hrs) [blog post here]: We stayed in Ueno for our final night in Tokyo largely because we would be leaving from Narita on a 10AM flight.

Day 18 (Tokyo – Singapore)

Returning home: our 7 hr 40 minute Christmas Day flight home from Narita was uneventful. We experienced none of the long queues that other Singaporeans had reported when departing from Haneda and Kansai International Airports. For us, the entire departure process at Narita was painless and fast — everything was completed in about 30 minutes from arrival to reaching the boarding gate.

Pro-Tip: the SQ check-in row is at the South Wing.

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Next, we’re doing two sections for our rating of places: one for where we got the best views of Mt. Fuji, and the other — a normal one — where we divide the places we visited into ‘Must See’, ‘Should See’, and ‘Add only as Filler’. LOL.

Category	Places
Must see/visit	Chureito Pagoda, Shimoyoshida Honcho Street, Lake Kawaguchi Sightseeing Boat Ride, Panorama-dai Lookout, Lake Yamanaka, Enoshima Island (Sea Candle, Iwaya Cave, Winter Illumination at Samuel Cocking Garden), Arashio-beya Sumo Stable, Mt. Takao, TeamLab Planets, Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, Rikugien Garden, Akihabara Electric Town, Tamozawa Imperial Villa, Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko Edo Wonderland, Matsumoto Castle, Winter Illumination at Matsumoto Castle, Norikura Kogen Snowshoe Hike, Shiga Kogen and Kumanoyu Ski Area, Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park.
Should see	Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway, Fuji-Subaru Line 5th Station, Tokyo Dome City, Cat Cafe Mocha Harajuku, Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Small Worlds Tokyo, Tokyo Station, Marunouchi Winter Illumination, Kawagoe (Temples, Kanetsuki-dori Street, Candy Street), Daio Wasabi Farm.
Add only as Filler	Fuji Q Highland, Nagaike Water Park, Shin Okubo, Takeshita-dori Street, Tokyo Dome City Winter Illumination, Samuel Cocking Garden, Shibuya Blue Cave Winter Illumination, Yanaka Ginza, Toshogu Shrine, Nawate Street (Matsumoto).

That’s it for our itinerary and visitation notes as realised in the actual trip. We were pretty happy that we managed to hit about 90% of our planned itinerary — a much higher achievement rate compared to last year’s Kansai trip where several activities had to be dropped because of inclement weather.

Next post: pictures of flora in Japan, courtesy of the wife!