Our incredible trip to Japan

Japan | Sep 3 - Sep 18, 2025

We arrived at the Richmond hotel mid-afternoon before check-in time, and the staff was still able to accommodate us and check us in early, as we had a scheduled reservation to get to soon after. Our hotel room was comfortable with the separated toilet from a Japanese style shower/bath. What made Richmond stand out was their social hour in the evening during which time they provided snacks and alcoholic and soft drinks. Their snacks were delicious and a nice reprieve after a long day of exploring. Their breakfast was also versatile, with a great mix of Japanese style and western-style breakfasts. Their Japanese curry, especially was so good and having made-to-order shabu-shabu was a great start to ours days. They also had make-your-own sushi bowls, which we took advantage of every day. They offered wonderful amenities, including two floors of Laundry available with a television channel that showed available washer/dryer machines. They also offered a tatami-mat coaster workshop, which my mother was able to take advantage of. It was conveniently located close to Kyoto station, which has many different restaurants available, depending on what kind of mood you're in for food, and of course access to the subway station.

This hotel was conveniently located, right near Asakusa shopping, Sensoji Temple, and the subway stations. Their staff were so patient and helpful, and allowed us to check in very early in the morning when we arrived in Japan. Their breakfast buffet was the perfect combination of Japanese and Western-style foods, and every day it was so delicious. The made-to-order onigiri and egg dishes were wonderful. The hotel room was nice, including the separated toilet and the Japanese-style shower. The beds and pillows were very comfortable.

We didn't know what to expect when we checked into our hotel in Hakone after a long day of adventuring through the mountains, but our expectations were exceeded. The staff were patient and gracious. The hotel room was beautiful and the private bathtub on the balcony was such a wonderful retreat after a long day, despite the mosquitoes outside. My mom took advantage of the private bath on another level and enjoyed it. The free alcoholic and soft drinks offered were next level, and it was a great opportunity to try their plum wine, local beer, sparkling wine, and sake, as well as the delicious, different flavors of sodas and soft drinks. They also offered free coffee, tea, and matcha lattes; all of which were delicious. The hotel is also about a 15 minute walk to the Hakone Yumoto Station. Yukata was provided for all guests, and guests were encouraged to wear them and slippers around the hotel, however, for taller or plus-sized people, and with bigger feet, the fit might be tight. We had a combo package that included dinner and breakfast, both of which were incredible multi-course and beautiful Japanese-style meals. For dinner, it was a set-menu 7 course meal with appetizers, sushi, sashima, shabu-shabu, and other local delicacies, all of which were intriguing, beautifully displayed, and delicious. The menu was in Japanese on beautiful washi paper with hand calligraphy. Breakfast was fairly similar in grandiosity with another set-menu and beautifully displayed dishes and a delicious meal. If you are adventurous and enjoy Japanese food, this is a perfect stay.

The hotel staff was wonderful, and the amenities were great. This hotel is conveniently located very close to Dotonbori, Namba station, and Shinsaibashi Station. It was very easy to walk around Osaka near Namba to many different shopping areas, shrines, and restaurants. We appreciated the rainfall showerhead on the ceiling of the shower. The daily snack and drinks available were a good supplement after returning to the hotel from our day's adventures. The breakfast had good food, especially the takoyaki (Octopus balls), but we would've liked to see more Japanese style breakfast than the western-style that was the majority of what was offered. The chicken karaage was also delicious and the western-style foods were tasty, but left something to be desired. We felt frustrated with only having two washing/drying machines for the whole hotel and had to try to time out doing our laundry perfectly to make sure we had access to the limited machines.

We arrived at this hotel before check-in, and the staff were able to hold our luggage for us until check-in time. The hotel staff were very hospitable and helpful. There was a Lawson convenience store connected straight to the hotel, which was, of course, convenient. This hotel is also conveniently located about a 5 minute walk from Hiroshima station, which is huge and has a nice shopping mall attached to it. The amenities the hotel offered were nice. The breakfast was a good combination of Japanese-style and western-style. They had many local delicacies from Hiroshima, including rice, which was very good. We had a connecting room for our last few nights in Japan, in Hiroshima, which was nice, except for the fact that the double-sized bed took up most of the room, with not much room to move around the bed. The connecting room had two twin-sized beds, and ample room to move around. The bathroom was very small and had an actual bathtub with a showerhead included.

Our tour guide Taka-San, messaged me several days before we were scheduled to meet with him, asking about our preferences and needs, and if he could reserve lunch for all of us at a local sushi restaurant. He was wonderful at communicating before, during, and after our day tour around Tokyo. He met with us at our hotel that morning, showed us how to use the subway station, answered all of our questions throughout the day, and imparted his extensive knowledge upon us. He took us to Meiji-Jingu Shrine, explained the Torii gates to us, the cultural practices, and taught us about the differences between Shinto and Buddhist shrines in Japan. Then, he took us to Tsukiji outer fish market, and was able to talk with local vendors on our behalf, allowing us to buy and experience delicious samples of wagyu beef and grapes. We also had lunch at a delicious sushi bar.

Without a tour guide explaining the imperial family and the grounds, this would have been a lot less interesting. The garden is beautiful, but the historical sight leaves something to be desired. As the royal family resides in the actual palace, it is not accessible to tourists at all; only the gardens and grounds can be visited. There is a lot of walking through the grounds, including several steep hills. The view of the outside of the concert hall is beautiful and the smaller buildings, as well as the history of building the walls is very interesting.

We took at least 5 forms of transportation to and through Hakone, moving between modes seamlessly. The train, rail-car, cable car, gondola, pirate ship, and bus were each so easy to use, and provided beautiful and unique views. Our guide was fantastic in showing us and explaining the sulfur springs and its surroundings, as well as sharing with us the Black hot spring eggs, and the summit of Mt. Fuji. The open-air museum was so cool, however, we would've liked to have spent more time there without having to rush. We weren't expecting to go on a pirate ship across Lake Ashi, but it was such a beautiful ride with an interesting background into the Dragon deities that are said to reside there. Gorgeous landscapes, wonderful art, and interesting history and explanations. The restaurant at the top of Mt. Hakone had absolutely delicious Japanese curry that we're still dreaming of.

When we arrived for the tea ceremony, we were taken to dressing rooms, where employees allowed us to choose our own kimono, obi, and floral ornaments for our (the ladies) hair. The employees helped us get dressed, and braided/styled our (the ladies') hair. My husband was also dressed in kimono, as well. We were then given opportunities to take pictures using their gardens as beautiful backgrounds. We were then led into the tea room with fellow tourists. Our tea ceremony host, Dodo-San was patient, kind, and incredibly hospitable, as she showed us and explained the tea ceremony and making matcha tea, which we were all able to do ourselves. She walked us through all of the customs, and encouraged us to be in the moment with her and our fellow guests. The sweets that were provided were also delicious, especially the red bean paste sweet, and the tea was delicious, as well. The whole tea ceremony experience was an incredible glimpse into traditional Japanese culture. The Ninja museum was interesting, well-constructed, and informative. We would have preferred to walk through at our own pace without a guide, albeit, some information they gave was useful. The shuriken (ninja star) throwing was fun.

Our travel agent Sandy, did a fantastic job giving us directions to the place, as it was not apparent from the street or GPS, but we were able to find it because of her support. Kasa-San and Mari-San (not completely sure of her name) were fantastic instructors and walked us through every step. They had already prepared the workstations before we arrived. They had started the fish dashi and chicken dashi, but we were given clear instructions in English for every other step. We made our own noodles from scratch and were even shown a special technique for kneading the dough. The instructors were fun, funny, and informative about the ingredients we used. They took their time explaining each step to us and also provided printed recipes for each part. The gyoza we made was a delicious appetizer and the ramen was incredible. We will definitely be bringing these tips and tricks to our cooking at home.

Our tour-guide met us in the morning at our hotel and took us on a bus to the Peace Memorial Park. We started at the Peace Museum, where we watched a half-hour long film, documenting the experiences and voices of survivors of the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima. The film and museum were difficult to witness, however, we think everyone visiting Japan should have a human obligation to visit Hiroshima and/or Nagasaki to understand the scale and aftermath of the nuclear destruction. The museum and Peace Park were thoughtfully designed and shared the real human impacts as a reminder of the horror of war. Going through the museum does not require a tour guide, and is likely a better experience to go through at your own pace. Later in the afternoon, we took a 45-minute ferry from the riverbank to Miyajima Island with our tour-guide. There, we visited the 50 foot tall Torii Gate, guiding travelers from the sea to the magnificent Istukushima shrine behind it. From the shrine, we climbed the mountain, visiting the Daisho-in Temple, a beautiful Tibetan temple, admiring the sea and mountains around and below. We explored several Buddhist temples up the mountain and one space where we were able to visit 88 different Buddhist Temples from all over Asia by just standing on a tile from each. The small town on the island had several different shops and restaurants. We were able to try matcha ice cream, coffee ice cream, honey-lemon ice, and tornado potatoes, all of which were fun and delicious.