Discovering the Traditional, Modern, and Natural Attractions in Japan in 12 Days [An Impulsive Decision, a Flexible Itinerary, and a YouTube Adventure]
Japan has been in my travel bucket list for the longest time. I have always been fascinated by how tradition and modernization seamlessly coexist in the country. You get to experience history through well-preserved culture and also somehow travel to the future. To be honest, I didn't think I would be able to visit Japan within the next 3-5 years of my life... or maybe 10! I knew it was going to be expensive for me, and I knew I needed to plan it well to get the most out of my hard-earned money.
An Impulsive Decision
As luck would have it, I went on a 12-day Japan adventure last year on an impulse! My parents and I tagged along a friend and her family. The borderline obsessive-compulsive planner in me kind of died a little. My peace of mind relies on the fact that I'm traveling with my parents. Whatever happens, I'm pretty sure I would never go hungry. 🤣The tour package arranged by my friend's family was for 6 days, including travel time, but my fam stayed for about a week more to explore.
Of course, we could have cut costs here and there had we planned the trip better, but still, the adventure was worth it. We totally enjoyed our trip and we embraced what the place had to offer... without the pressure of having to tick off boxes on our imaginary travel bucket list.
One thing I loved about having a flexible itinerary was the freedom to listen to our bodies. We slept in when we're tired; we stayed longer when we feel like relaxing more; and we left when we got a little bored. We just lived one day at a time.
That's the beauty of travel. We get to marvel at everything we experience, rather than merely confirming what we have previously read about. ❤️
Day 2: Osaka Tour
Day 3: Nara and Kyoto Day Tour
Day 4: Universal Studios Japan
Day 5: Osaka Tour (via Osaka Sky Vista)
Day 6: Osaka Expocity
Day 7: Shinkansen to Tokyo
Day 8-9: Tokyo Tour
Adding the Japan series here:
A Flexible Itinerary
Believe it or not, we didn't have a solid plan on how to spend those extra days in Japan. We just decided to wing it and figure out our itinerary as we go. Brave? Crazy? Or just plain lazy? Haha!
Of course, we could have cut costs here and there had we planned the trip better, but still, the adventure was worth it. We totally enjoyed our trip and we embraced what the place had to offer... without the pressure of having to tick off boxes on our imaginary travel bucket list.
One thing I loved about having a flexible itinerary was the freedom to listen to our bodies. We slept in when we're tired; we stayed longer when we feel like relaxing more; and we left when we got a little bored. We just lived one day at a time.
That's the beauty of travel. We get to marvel at everything we experience, rather than merely confirming what we have previously read about. ❤️
Trip Overview
Day 1: Arrive in OsakaDay 2: Osaka Tour
Day 3: Nara and Kyoto Day Tour
Day 4: Universal Studios Japan
Day 5: Osaka Tour (via Osaka Sky Vista)
Day 6: Osaka Expocity
Day 7: Shinkansen to Tokyo
Day 8-9: Tokyo Tour
Day 10: Shinkansen to Osaka
Day 11: Day tour to Hiroshima
Day 12: Depart Osaka to Manila
My YouTube Adventure
Oh, I have started to post my Japan vlogs on my YouTube channel. I'm experimenting on creating longer, more detailed vlogs compared to my attempts at short cinematic travel videos in the past (Taiwan, Iloilo, Palawan, etc.)Adding the Japan series here:
*This is an ongoing series. I'll be updating this post as soon as I have new videos up on YouTube.
Osaka
Universal Studios Japan
Nara and Kyoto Day Tour
Japan has been in my travel bucket list for the longest time. I have always been fascinated by how tradition and modernization seamlessly co...
