I had the best coffee I’ve ever tasted in Osaka at Glitch Coffee. I didn’t think it was possible to extract that amount of flavour from coffee beans.
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I’m gutted I didn’t make it there. It was on my list but I couldn’t fit it in.
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They have a “brother” called Bar Track not too far away if there aren’t any seats at Martha, but if you get there early it should be OK.
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I’m at Naoshima right now. It’s amazing. Well worth the trip if you manage to reserve a room at Benesse House, which is the Tadao Ando complex that includes many of the museums. Very serene, very nice atmosphere. You need to take trains and ferries to get here from the major cities (Kyoto/Osaka much closer than Tokyo) but it’s worth the trip if you like art, or just want to see something different.
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Reviving this thread a year on, as I’m heading to Japan for 2 weeks in late December with my family (wife and 2 kids, 17 and 20). There’s lots of great info in this thread, but I’m wondering if anybody has been this year and has any further/up to date tips and info regarding shopping, food and sites/museums.
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Join you in reviving the thread. Going to Japan for the first time in first two weeks of October. There are so many good tips and recommendations in this conversation so far (Arigato!). Just wondering if anyone’s been recently with any new tips. Going to usual places: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Kanazawa. Any further tips appreciated greatly.
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Hi, @Balearic_Clapton and @MorrieSE11 Last went Feb 25, going again Feb 27. Not much time for shopping as running a school trip but managed to escape a couple of times.
Tokyo: Harajuku for shopping, trainers clothes etc. bring your passport as you get a 10% (I think) tourist discount. I went to a couple of branches of Recofan in Akihabara and Shibuya, the Akihabara one was amazing (being slightly less touristy I think), both were very very big!
Kyoto: Workshop Records, great little spot, @dustyfingers recommended it. I bought some new Flower Mountain trainers from the Kyoto shop in the central market for around half UK price.
I’m going to Osaka for the first time next trip if anyone has any recommendations for record shops here I would appreciate it.
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Thanks so much @joeblackcircles. Really appreciate the advice and tips. Will report back anything I find in Osaka. Arigato!
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I’d definitely also say get a Japan Rail pass and go by train when you’re there.
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In my experience last year the rail pass is really not necessary. Easier to buy tickets online on some of the apps that sell them, or even at the actual train stations. The Rail pass needs to be mailed to you and it can get delayed, it’s a bit of a hassle.
I’ll write more from my experiences last year when I have some extra time.
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Spent a fantastic week in Tokyo end of April.
Our first time, so pretty much followed the helpful recommendations in this thread.
Particularly enjoyed the Borderless TeamLab digital art museum.
Aside from the amazing sushi, ramen, and typical Japanese dishes, I highly recommend this omurice dish for something a bit different.
Lava omelette on rice, topped with a cheese stuffed meatball, demi glace, and a camembert sauce.
Big wedge of French toast to finish (me) off.
This was at Espresso D’ Works.
Found it by chance while strolling around Shibuya for the evening. It’s a popular place, so be prepared to queue up opposite the entrance for a short while.
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Thanks for the recs - keep em coming! I went down a youtube rabbit hole last night and there’s a ton of Japan record store review/visits to watch. I will post any good ones I see in this thread starting with this one.
I’ll also post any food and culture vids I come across as well
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We’ve done the maths and for our trip the pass makes sense financially. Can’t wait to travel on the Shinkansen.
We got JR passes for our 2 weeks last year, we found it well worth it. First day we went to travel centre at Shibuya Station which is just their ticket shop/travel advice place, and the lady booked all our onwards seats for the 2 weeks. Worked out flawless, no issues at all. The Shinkansen is awesome btw 
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Osaka record shops
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as i said a while ago, i would recommend going to sentos and onsens as much as possible! sentos are basically public bath houses rather than onsens which have special water, they’re really good and cheap (often less than £5.00) and quite easy to find and all slightly different. – it’s a really nice way to wind down for an hour at the end of long days walking, sightseeing and travelling about on holiday, some have saunas and things like that, while others are pretty basic. plus, if you’re with your partner or friends etc. it’s a nice way to split for an hour and reset before linking up again.
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Watch out for the ones with an electric current running through the water… I got into one unaware, much to the amusement of everyone else.
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haha.
i put one leg in and decided it wasn’t for me!
much prefer the tubs with big woody tea bags and things like that.
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That’s amazing thanks, many of those are walkable from where we’re staying
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Are records cheaper or on par with UK/Australian vinyl prices? This might be a silly question, seeing as though all countries have their bargains, but in videos I see on youtube, many of the records are pretty expensive.