6 weeks. Countless train rides. Thousands of kilometers. One unforgettable journey across Japan. It has been hubby's bucket list to slow-travel all around Japan, and we are glad to finally make this a reality. From vibrant cities to quiet countryside, snow-covered mountains to coastal towns, ancient temples to modern skylines — we are grateful for the opportunity to experience and see so many different parts of this country. We were also fortunate to experience the cherry blossom season this time around. Arigato gozaimasu, Japan, for the wonderful experiences and memories, and for showing us again what a unique country you are, with amazing culture and people.
24 Feb - 2 Mar 2026: Tokyo
2-3 Mar 2026: Hakone
3-5 Mar 2026: Nagoya, Nakasendo Trail
5-8 Mar 2026: Kyoto, Uji
8-12 Mar 2026: Osaka
12-17 Mar 2026: Sapporo, Niseko, Hakodate
17-18 Mar 2026: Akita
18-22 Mar 2026: Sendai, Ginzan Onsen
22-25 Mar 2026: Kanazawa, Shirakawago
25- 29 Mar 2026: Hiroshima
29 Mar - 4 Apr 2026: Kokura, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagasaki
4-6 Apr 2026: Beppu
6-7 Apr 2026: Fukuoka
3 Mar 2026 (Tues): Hakone - Nagoya
Checked out of our hotel in Tokyo at 8.45am to catch the 9.04am train to Odawara station...
...then transfer to the 10.02am Tokaido Shinkansen to get to Nagoya. We bought our Shinkansen tickets on SmartEX website for 8,700yen/pax ($56) with reserved seats.
Since we were early, we bought some food from the konbini thinking we'd have time to eat before hopping on the Shinkansen but we ended up being too busy watching bullet trains zooming by the station. P.S. Odawara station is a good place to watch Shinkansen coz it's a smaller station and a lot of bullet train just pass by without stopping so you get to see them going by in high speed.
This was our first time ever traveling on a Shinkansen (bullet train) so we were excited to finally experience it.
The 2-hour bullet train ride from Odawara to Nagoya was quiet, smooth, and uneventful. Unfortunately still no signs of Mt. Fuji because the weather was crappy...oh well.
Arrived Nagoya station at 12.06pm. Thankfully the rain stopped so we were able to walk to the hotel with our backpacks.
Our hotel - Comfort Hotel Nagoya Shinkansenguchi was conveniently located about 8 min walk from Nagoya station. We couldn't check in until 3pm but was able to store our luggage at the hotel.
The hotel also had a nice lounge where we could get free drinks all day.
Got this corner room which was more spacious than the normal standard Japanese hotel room. Booked this 2-night stay for 8,000 Choice points/night.
We had the afternoon free so hubby went to the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology (yes a Toyota museum) by himself while I went Uniqlo shopping at Nagoya station. It was raining so I borrowed an umbrella from the hotel. It's nice that hotels here just borrow umbrellas to guests without keeping any records, and trust that everyone would return them.
Withdrew some cash from the ATM using our Charles Schwab debiti card as we'd be needing some cash the next day. Even though we were able to use credit card and Suica most of the time in Japan, cash is still needed for transportation in the outskirts.
We met up with Brantyn and Anna at 6pm for dinner at Misokatsu Yabaton near Nagoya Station.
Misokatsu Yabaton is a famous restaurant chain originating in Nagoya, specializing in miso katsu (deep-fried pork cutlets topped with a rich, savory red miso sauce).
Stopped by the supermarket to grab some snacks before heading back to the hotel.
Another hotel, another pajamas...lol! Snacks and Uniqlo haul.
Early start for our day with free breakfast at the hotel at 6.40am. Comfort Hotel is a pretty good option to use points in Japan as it includes free breakfast.
Walked to Nagoya station to catch the 7.35am train to Nakatsugawa station.
Traveling around Japan using public transportation is nice because it makes you realize how civilized and courteous (有素质) Japanese are, even when it's busy/crowded. This 1.5 hour train ride cost 1,340 yen/pax ($8.54). We rode the entire line of this train and ended up having the entire car to ourselves after all the high school students got off at their school stop.
The 1.5 hour train ride took us to the outskirts of Japan with lots of farm land and nature.
After arriving Nakatsugawa Station, we hopped on the Magome bus to get to Magome. This 25 min bus ride costs 800 yen/pax ($5.11), cash only.
Magome-juku is a well-preserved post town from the Edo period.
Situated on a slope, this town features a main street lined with traditional wooden buildings.
There are waterways on either side of the street, and the fast-running water powers multiple waterwheels.
We arrived at 9.40am and were surprised that the town was so quiet (no other tourists yet).
We enjoyed the tranquil stroll accompanied by the sounds of water flowing on both sides.
This beautiful post town of Magome offers stunning views of the surrounding mountain scenery.
We weren't planning to hike the entire way so we stopped at Magome Jinbakami Observatory for some photos before turning around.
After spending about an hour in Magome, it was time to continue our journey to another famous post-town...Tsumago-juku.
Magome-Tsumago is a popular hiking route (5.6mile/9km) on the Nakasendo trail but we do not like hiking so we took the bus instead. The bus from Magome to Tsumago only runs 5 times a day so we had to plan ahead and time our visit strategically to avoid getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. This 25 min old school bus ride costs another 800 yen/pax ($5.11), cash only.
Arrived Tsumago-juku at 11.20am.
The town was so quiet it felt like we were the only tourists there.
Tsumago-juku was the 42nd of the 69 post towns on the Nakasendo trail and remains one of the best-preserved post towns in Japan to this day.
The charming town consists of inns, houses, and shops-many of which were built in the Edo era.
We tried visiting some places that are off the beaten path on this trip to see more of Japan outside of the big cities.
Finished our sightseeing at Tsumago-juku in 30 min. Had to run and barely made it on the 11.50pm bus to Nagiso station. It was a short 10 min bus ride and we were the only ones on the bus. This area felt very remote with hardly anyone around.
Stopped by the local supermarket to grab lunch before catching the 12.30pm train back to Nakatsugawa station then another train to Nagoya.
Nagiso station was so quiet there wasn't anyone working at the counter. Glad they had a note in English letting us know that we'd need to purchase a separate ticket for the first leg of the train ride.
It was time for another multi-transport 2.5 hours journey back to Nagoya.
Made it back to Nagoya at 2.45pm and took the subway to Nagoya castle. Unlike Osaka castle, we'd have to pay to enter the castle grounds so we decided to skip it. Was surprised to see some cherry blossoms blooming already even though it was still chilly in Nagoya.
We then spent the rest of the afternoon video game hunting and putting in a whole lot of steps.
Spotted this huge Misokatsu Yabaton piggy...lol!
What better way to wrap up a long day than a hot bowl of Ichiran? We've been lucky avoiding crowds and people all day, and the streak continues at Ichiran near Nagoya station.
Stopped by Uniqlo again on our way back to the hotel and this time it was hubby's turn for a shopping spree.
A not-so-early start for our last morning in Nagoya. Enjoyed free breakfast at the hotel before checking out at 9.15am. Dropped our bags in the hotel as we had one more place to go in the morning before leaving Nagoya. Took the 9.46am train and traveled 1.5 hours on 2 different trains then walked 20 min to our destination. Where are we going?
Japan has a lot of 'cute' vehicles...lol!
Yes we love Toyota so much that we traveled all the way out here to Toyota city to visit the Toyota Kaikan Museum....lol! Entrance is free. This museum is located next to the Toyota Motors Corporation Headquarters in Toyota City.
And yes hubby visited 2 different Toyota museums in Nagoya.
The Toyota Kaikan Museum is the company's showroom.
Visitors can learn about Toyota's latest vehicles and its philosophy of "producing happiness for all".
After an hour in the museum, we left at 12.30pm to head back to Nagoya. Japan's train networks are highly accessible for wheelchair users. Station staff provide exceptional, free assistance by deploying portable boarding ramps and coordinating with the destination station to ensure staff are waiting to help them off the train. Google Maps have been super useful to navigate the public transportation system around Japan but we encountered our first canceled and delayed train (which was not shown on Google). Had to use Google Translate to read the train display... and it showed "A person entered the tracks, causing delays."
Made it back to our hotel at 3pm, had a quick late lunch, picked up our bags, and headed back to Nagoya station to catch the 3.49pm Shinkansen to Kyoto.
Next stop...Kyoto.
