I am a travel writer - and here’s why I chose Japan as my honeymoon destination

Japan is one of the most exciting and dynamic holiday destinations - and here’s what happened when we chose it as our honeymoon holiday

Working at HELLO! magazine, I have been able to write about visiting some amazing destinations over the years. But when I tied the knot and my husband and I discussed our dream honeymoon spot - it was an easy choice.

Fortunately, there was one country that had been at the top of both of our bucket lists for a long time - one that combined adventure and sightseeing with that little dollop of luxury. As one of the countries that waited the longest before reopening their borders after the COVID pandemic, Japan seems to be at the top of many people’s lists this year.

Here’s why it was the ultimate honeymoon vacation - and head to the bottom of the review for all of the tips and tricks we learned there to make your stay easier and more fun…

Day one: Tokyo

Arriving after a 14-hour flight is a slightly harrowing experience, especially if, like me, flying is not your friend. However, if there’s one rule of jet lag, it’s to not let yourself go for a nice long snooze mid-afternoon, so out into Tokyo we went! Our first port of call was a shopping district, where we went to a huge, charming book store to get a sense of the area, and out of the rain.

After a Sakura-themed coffee in the book shop’s Starbucks, we tried our luck walking into a hole-in-the-wall ramen place complete with a vending machine ordering service.

A big thing in Japan are dipping the noodles in the broth. You get broth, you get ramen. Pop the ramen in the broth, add more hot water if you need to, and enjoy!

Tokyo EDITION Tonaruman hotel

We decided it would be okay if we went back to the hotel, but just to hang out of course, NOT to sleep. We were lucky enough to be offered a two-night stay at Tokyo EDITION Toranomon, a truly special hotel in the heart of the city - and as our first experience in the country, we could not have come away with a better impression, or have been more excited to enjoy our next two weeks.

The hotel is in Minato City, and with the reception being on 31st floor, you are pretty much guaranteed to have a great view no matter what floor you’re on. My husband and I stood, speechless, as we walked in our room only for the blinds to automatically open to the spectacular view - as pictured!

The rooms are huge and very comfortable, with two double beds, a comfy sofa, a widescreen television and all of the bells and whistles to control your little corner of the world right by your bed.

After a tiny little two-hour snooze (oops), we decided to check out some of the facilities at the hotel thanks to the constant rainfall and how much we were frankly looking forward to having an early night.

The hotel’s pool and jacuzzi area was just what the doctor ordered, a relaxing oasis in the heart of the city where the warm floors, comfy loungers, bright blue pool and bubbling hot tub had to truly relaxing after a long time in the skies. Book the hotel yourself here!

Drinks and dinner

After our dip, we decided to put our best foot forward and venture to the hotel’s glam but welcoming bar area, all in the name of staying awake (and trying delicious cocktails).

While my husband Rory tried some delicious craft beer from Tokyo (which he has described for the sake of my review as 'hoppy and refreshing', I tried the cocktail 'Greenish Wine' and it was amazing. By this time, the sun had gone down and the lights of Tokyo stretched out beneath us - and honestly, it felt like something out of a dream. Either that or I had let my eyes close for a few minutes again.

We ventured out of the hotel in search of some dinner, only to find ourselves in another bar (whoops!) This time, the bartender, Sam, wandered over to say hello, and, learning it was our honeymoon, taught us the word 'cheers!' and showed us photos of his favourite pub in the UK.

After a pitstop to 7/11 for some snacks, we celebrated making it to 10pm by promptly falling into a delicious sleep.

Day two: Tokyo and the hunt for cherry blossoms

After a sensational breakfast at the EDITION complete with a special banana and chocolate waffle wishing us a special honeymoon, and a lovely photograph of us printed in a card from our waitress, the fabulous Tuyet, we took off the explore the city properly.

As the weather had cleared up from the previous day’s rainfall, we started off by seeking out cherry blossoms (also called sakura) and the xx park. We actually found some, which was very exciting considering we barely saw any during our entire stay.

After a lovely morning discovering the nature of the city, we delved swiftly into its craziness with the afternoon spent in Harajuku, one of Tokyo’s most famous shopping distracts and it was just so cool. The street that everyone wants to find is called Takeshita Street , and is full of animal cafes, cutesy stores, mad T-shirts, basically any sort of Japan souvenir you could ever dream of bringing home to impress your family and friends.

From there, we were a reasonably short walk from the famous Shibuya Crossing, where there is a great mix of high street shops full of fun fashions, and your higher end stuff like Gucci and Marc Jacobs, which my new husband mysteriously kept me from.

One thing we both noticed was just how trendy Tokyo is - every single person had their best fashion foot forward, and I shopped more than I care to admit to try and recreate their chic, minimalist style.

For an amazing vantage point of the crossing, head up to Shibuya Sky where you can have a drink and watch the commuters in their thousands. For music lovers, be sure to pop into Tower Records and marvel at the several floors of records, CDs, vinyls, tapes, merchandise and more.

Drinks and dinner

My husband was very pleased with himself after finding a sensational sushi restaurant with amazing reviews, Sushi M. He wasn’t, however, totally clued up about the price.

The dinner was absolutely incredible; the entire place held about ten diners who sit around the sushi bar and watch the brilliant chef Junya Hashimoto at work. We had the most exquisite tasting menu with wine pairing, which included champagne, sake and red wine in a glass the size of my head.

The only thing I would warn is that the check will be a hefty one - so be prepared!

After being filled with delicious sushi, scallops, desserts and wine, we headed out to enjoy a classic Japanese pastime - karaoke!

With one of Sushi M’s waiters spotting us heading the wrong way and rushing out to point us in the right direction to have some fun, we landed on a cheap but cheerful karaoke bar where we sang to our heart’s content - and had the best time doing so.

Day three: Tokyo

More tourism! We woke up first thing to head to the Imperial Palace and it’s beautiful grounds, a must visit as a piece of calm in the middle of a very built up city. We then headed to the Sensō-ji temple, a famous spot for tourism which was probably the most crowded place that we went to on our entire trip.

At the temple, there were plenty of food stalls selling tasty snacks as well as shops full of souvenirs, but we especially enjoyed spending 100 yen to read our fortunes outside of the temple.

Speaking of tourism, in the afternoon we headed over to Lab Planets Tokyo, which chances are, you have already seen if you have an Instagram account and any of your followers went there.

The art installation makes you 'a part' of the experience, and while it is very fun - you have to go barefoot and wade knee deep through water, roll around in one room that is essentially one giant duvet, and finally relax in a flower power experience - it is an Instagram content factory where everyone is trying to get their shot. That being said, it’s a lot of fun - and who said I didn’t love an Insta post?!

Drinks and dinner

On the advice of a pal, we went to the Omoide Yokoch, a famous spot in Tokyo known for its array of izakayas. Crowds aside, it was a pretty magical place full of lanterns, lights and blossoms, and we found a brilliant restaurant where we had drinks and yakatori (meat on sticks), before venturing to another izakaya for more small plates of goodness, including bacon tomato, chicken neck and cow tongue. Yum!

Next up we visited the Golden Gai area, which was one of our favourite places to venture out and I would heartily recommend. The whole place had a cool, trendy, boozy vibe, and our suspicions were confirmed that this was definitely our cup of tea when we hit up the King Biscuit Whiskey Bar, an awesome jazz bar where we got chatting to other punters and the bar and were treated to our first taste of Highballs, a popular Japanese whiskey-based cocktail.

We then ventured to a bar called Open Book, which was something out of a Harry Potter book in that it was almost completely hidden and we nearly missed it. With no signs and a nondescript sliding door, we were amazed to find the floor to ceiling book cases and vibes inside. The bar tender was a bit grumpy, but it was worth it for a couple of rounds of sake!

Day four to six: Hakone

After a brilliant morning at the Tsukiji Nippon Fish Port Market, where I had probably the best sushi of my entire life from a tiny unassuming restaurant, we were onto our next location!

With Tokyo being the vibrant city that never stops, we took a break from the busy cities by heading to the Japanese countryside in Hakone, a relatively short journey via Shinkansen train. It instantly feels different being away from the big city, with my husband commenting that it felt like visiting a ski resort as the bus we jumped on from the station lumbered up through the hills.

The area is famous for it’s hot spring baths, known as onsens, so we booked a hotel that was all about that onsen life.

We stayed at the Hakone Ashinoko Hanaori, a hotel right by Lake Ashi which has beautiful views. While the staff were wonderfully kind and welcoming, it felt odd to be in such a zen of quiet so soon after the vigour of Tokyo. However, we quickly settled into the relaxation game, playing games, heading for stints in the onsen, and chilling by the outdoor area with our feet in dangling in a warm footpath.

After feeling suitably chilled out, we took on Hakone sightseeing, which was both a lot of fun and very challenging.

Our favourite stops were the Open Air Museum, full of cool and intriguing sculptures and fun to see on a bright, warm day, and the Ōwakudani, which has a dynamic smokey hills which make you feel like you’re taking the ring to Mordor - and their famous black sulphuric egg, which local legend say will add five years to your life if you try.

I would strongly recommend getting a hire car for this leg of the trip. With a lack of taxis, we ended up getting the bus which had the Ōwakudani detour as part of its route, and so we spent over an hour stuck in deadlock traffic heading to the tourist spot when we knew our hotel was about a seven-minute drive away in completely the opposite direction - which was frustrating to say the least! And before you ask - no, the bus driver wouldn’t let us off so that we could walk it instead.

Drinks and dinner

Aside from the black sulphuric egg, you mean? In Hakone, we got a trips-worth of delicious tempura for lunch at the row of restaurants by Mount Ashi. Our favourite was Soba Kihinkan, where we sat on mats in the floor and tried out our Japanese with a couple of new pals!

Otherwise, we found eateries were thin on the ground in our particular area, and stuck to the hotel’s buffet service for dinner.

Days six to nine: Kyoto

Kyoto is an absolute must-visit if you’re going to visit Japan at all, and probably was the closest to how I imagined Japan before I visited. While plenty of the huge area is very modern, the Gion district is a popular draw for tourists - so much so that since my trip they have announced new rules for the area for tourists, so do check before you go to make sure you have the most up-to-date advice about where you can and can’t go - but the traditional area is a must-visit.

The district is a tourist hot spot for a reason, and I'd recommend checking out the Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkaku-ji buddhist temple and Kyoto Imperial Palace as well as the bridge featured in Memoirs of a Geisha! The city is also the home of the famous tea ceremonies, which we enjoyed trying out during one of the rainy days we spent visiting.

Another fabulous area to visit is Arashiyama, the home of a beautiful bamboo forest as well as a delightful monkey sanctuary. The surrounding streets and shops offer Japanese sweet treats you could only dream about, so don't have a big breakfast before visiting!

Make sure you stop at the Fushimi Inari Taisha to do some shopping for knick knacks to take home with you - although there are stores aplenty in the surrounding area.

My mum in particular was thrilled when we picked up a tanuki, the little raccoon dog which famously adorns Japanese residences and businesses while promising good fortune. Mum’s is now named Sweetpea and happily lives under a specially planted Japanese maple tree in her garden.

Day nine: Hiroshima

Okay so as the chief organiser of the trip, here’s where I messed up. If you’re planning your trip via this review, make sure you go Tokyo - Hakone - Kyoto - Osaka then Hiroshima. I get lost on an escalator, my geography is bad, and I ended up added time to our train trips going back and forth the way we came with this particular part of the trip. But anyway! Onto our time in Hiroshima…

We thought that Hiroshima was an essential part of the trip, and would be both historical and educational, which it was. The Peace Museum and park is a fascinating insight into what it was like on the ground when USA’s atomic bomb hit the city in 1945, and devastating isn’t strong enough a word to describe the destruction of the city and the people in it - for decades after the initial attack. It was incredibly sobering and very worth taking the journey.

Drinks and dinner

We were told that the okonomiyaki was in a league of its own in Hiroshima, so we stood for over an hour in the freezing rain at one of the best restaurants to see how true it was. The dish is incredible. A pancake filled with noodles, cooked on a hot plate with any topping you like. What’s not to love?

Days 10 to 12: Osaka

One of my favourite destinations during the whole trip, and set to be huge in 2025 and it hosts the World’s Expo, Osaka is an absolute must to add to your itinerary if you want to visit somewhere totally unlike anywhere else!

Osaka is known as 'Japan’s kitchen', and the locals take the moniker seriously, as the entire vibe there is yelling, 'food food food'! As well as glorious culture - we loved visiting Osaka Castle and the surrounding park - I couldn’t sing the praises of the Dotonbori area enough - and you simply have to check it out if you make a stop in the city.

The area not only has some tourist hot spots - including the Glico running man - it is one of the best places to go to try all of the restaurants, izakayas and street food available although, word of warning, you will never in 100 years be able to go everywhere.

The whole vibe screams party, with countless tiny bars promising whisky high balls and karaoke, and it feels like each glittering street of 3D signage and neon lights leads you to another even bigger, more lavish street in a never-ending sprawl.

The markets are also a lot of fun for landing some fantastic tourist shopping, including plenty of the super chic fashion that the Japanese are famous for, and was also, incidentally, where I learned that H&M and Uniqlo in Japan is significantly cheaper than in the UK - so make sure you’ve paid for extra luggage on the way home!

To help us make sense of this amazing, sprawling city, we took a food tour at Kuromon Market with the delightful Aiko who taught us all about the area’s culture, hidden treats we'd never have found otherwise, and taking us through the markets and showing us the greatest grub - which was a really fun way to see the city

Days 12 to 14: Beppu

As one of booking.com's top destinations of 2024, we couldn’t resist going slightly further afield to Beppu. Located in the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, Beppu is famous for being one of the most miraculous parts of the country due to its abundance of hot springs.

ANA Intercontinental Beppu

To travel to Japan for the first time is to go sightseeing, there are no two ways about it. However, after almost two weeks of hopping from city to city and seeing everything there was to see, Rory and I knew that a bit of downtime in the lap of luxury was needed, and we lucked out after being invited to visit to ANA Intercontinental in Beppu.

The gorgeous hotel, located high in the hills of the city, showcases not only terrific views, but every little detail was thought out to make our stay as pleasant as comfortable as possible. The room was decked with a glamorous mini bar as well as a frankly enormous marble bathroom fit for a queen, as well as a wide balcony to take in the magnificent views.

True to form as the onsen connoisseurs that we had become, we hit up the spectacular onsen, full of rock pools and mini hot tub pods against the backdrop of the sprawling city and ocean beneath. We were also treated to a private onsen session, which is a must-do as honeymooners - particularly considering the public ones are not mixed genders. With an outdoor pool and hot tub, we also threw caution to the wind by enjoying the facilities through a rainstorm.

Learning that the hotel was award-winning for it’s spa treatments, we threw our honeymoon holiday budget out of the window and opted for a couple of gorgeous deep tissue massages. Book the hotel here.

Drinks and dinner

Since the weather was fairly foggy and rainy, we decided not to venture out of the hotel and make the most of our downtime in the hotel.

As such, we gorged ourselves during a fantastic afternoon tea at the hotel’s Club Lounge, where we were frankly ply’d with champagne and treats. We also had a stunning dinner at the hotel’s (ADD DETAILS) Atelier restaurant, where we sat and watched the chefs carefully at work to create our stunning dishes, including wagyu beef and salmon gnocchi.

Day 14: Kobe

It’s a long way to get back to Tokyo from Beppu, so our train journey required a pit stop, and we agreed that the lush, forest-filled, seventh-largest city in Japan Kobe was the perfect place to do it. Famed for it’s incredible beef, we also tried out a tradition Ryokan for the first time during our stay.

Ryokans are traditional Japanese hotels, and we didn’t know what to expect - but had a great time. First of all, you leave your travel-battered trainers behind upon entering the hotel, instead donning a pair of slippers for your stay.

With a lovely, steaming hot onsen on the property, it seemed that the traditional kimono found in the wardrobe were the way to go. One of the more hilarious confusions when we were shown our room was that there didn’t appear to be a bed. However, after a gorgeous meal of Kobe and Wagyu beef, we returned to find traditional futons laid out on the floor. After much photo taking, it was actually a very comfy night sleep. 10/10 would recommend!

Days 15 to 16: Tokyo

Our short but sweet final couple of days in Japan before returning to the UK were, unfortunately, in a downpour of rain.

Braving the weather, we went back to Harajuku for all of the many souvenirs we promised we’d pick up at the start of our trip, before running for cover at our hotel. In the morning, we made a short but sweet trip during a moment of sunshine to Hamarikyu Gardens and stretched our legs before the long flight home.

Tips and tricks to know when getting around Japan

In general

Trust Google - but not too much. While handy for getting from place to place, Google is not at its finest in Japan. We had a few instances of visiting a restaurant that Google stated was open only for it to be closed, so take it with a pinch of salt!

Almost all of the hotels in Japan include a pair of PJs. It’s great, enjoy - and don’t worry if you forget to bring your own!

I don’t know how we would have got around to all of our destinations if it wasn’t for renting a Global WiFi device at Haneda Airport. It was super easy to get, and cost about £95 for 16 days for you to essentially have great WiFi throughout your trip. However, do get insurance. I lost the device on a train with just a couple of days left of the trip and once you’ve filed it as lost at a police station (there’s one at the airport). Mine was a special case, see above, but long story short, insurance means you won’t have to pay a dime for what could be a hefty bill.

If you want to drive there, you must get an International Driving Permit from your post office before you go. They are relatively inexpensive, and if you don’t have one you can’t have the option of hiring a car!

We noticed that locals tend to really love it when you try and speak a bit of Japanese. It makes a big difference to show that you’ve made a bit of effort and we got a real kick out of trying it out - you won’t look silly, everyone loves that you’re trying. There are loads of sites - and Duolingo - to help brush up with your phrases. Kanpai!

Money money money

While plenty of places do accept card, many more only accept cash only. Be ready for it and have cash at hand. It’s super easy to sort out as all of the 7/11 convenience stores have ATMs and it is either free or a very small fee to withdraw money if you have a Monzo account.

1000 yen equates to about £5. 10,000 yen is about £50. The quick maths was very helpful for me in shops when I tried to work out what on earth I was spending on things like the cat eating ramen T-shirt that I couldn’t live without.

Take your passport out with you! Plenty of places will offer you tax free if you show it to them. Particularly excellent for shopping and feeling like you’ve landed a bargain.

Restaurants

The best restaurants typically don’t have people outside promoting them, and we were essentially tourist trapped this way (paying triple what we’d paid for drinks everywhere else). Do yourself a favour a check out where is popular, that’s where you want to be, even if it involves a little queuing.

Some walk-in restaurants don’t serve tourists, will tell you 'no English' (or there will be signs). It’s obviously a bit disappointing, but don’t take it personally. Plenty of places want your custom, so if you are told no, just find the next spot.

Speaking of queuing, if you can reserve a table then go for it as there are countless restaurants but often very small - and the good ones very busy! The hotel staff are always super helpful in calling up on your behalf if there is a language barrier.

Speaking of hotel staff, ask them for their recommendations too. They know all of the best places and we didn’t encounter a single person who wasn’t keen to help us out - and found some of our favourite eating spots this way.

There are so many to choose from that it doesn’t hurt to do research so you can make the most of your dining experiences. Check out blogs, Instagram - and hey, this article!

If you’re short on time or pennies, let me reassure you that the convenience stores in Japan are not like they are in the UK. The food is delicious and cheap - great for if you need something in a pinch. We were absolute suckers for their egg mayo sandwich - gorgeous!

While incredibly ahead of the curve with many things, Japan is very old school when it comes to ticketing. While I expected some sort of phone QR code situation that would cater for all of my ticket needs, pretty much everything is a printed paper ticket. (I should add, it was much easier than I expected it to buy tickets as and when I needed using the ticket machines at the station, plus there was always a very patient member of station staff ready to help if you needed an hand. You also don’t need to worry about messing up your ticket by mistake.

If you go wrong, there are also 'fare adjustment' stations where you can sort it all out. The JR Pass is great, if expensive, if you are travelling on plenty of bullet trains during your trip, so I’d recommend getting one and not having to worry about getting around. Order one in advance from here, then all you will need is the email. Take it to the desk at Haneda Airport (again, very easy to find but there’s a big information desk if you need directions on arrival), and they’ll issue you the ticket for your tip.

The only issue with the JR Pass is that it was a particularly stressful ticket to hold onto because if you lose it then it’s tough luck. Be sure you keep it in a safe place!

Emmy Griffiths