Kanagawa, Japan: Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kawasaki

 

Sotetsu Fresa Inn - Kawasaki

Japan: West Tokyo, Shizuoka, Nagano - 7 days Itinerary and Expenses

Japan: West Tokyo, Shizuoka, Nagano - 7 days Itinerary and Expenses

Travel Date: February/March 2026

What's planned for this trip

To experience spring and winter on the same trip. 

Touch down in Narita airport, took the low cost bus heading to Tokyo station. Transferred to local train heading to Kawasaki station, where we will be spending first 3 nights.  Immediately headed to Enoshima island.  

Following day, spend time with a friend touring around West Tokyo and Mt. Okutama.

I just want to break the notion that sakura only blooms by late March to mid-April.  Although, its true if you monitor the forecast (March 2026).  However, if we want to avoid the crowd, sky-rocketing hotels, congested trains and areas during the main sakura season, why not opt for other options.  So for my third day, headed to Kawazu, Shizuoka to see the Kawazu sakura, these trees are the earliest to bloom in eastern Japan.

Japan: Takayama and Toyama - 9 days Itinerary and Expenses

Japan: Takayama and Toyama - 9 days Itinerary and Expenses

Travel Date: October 2025

Nagoya, Japan: Sotetsu Fresa Inn Sakuradoriguchi

 

Sotetsu Fresa Inn Nagoya-Sakuradoriguchi

Location: 4 Chome-4-15 Meieki, Nakamura Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 450-0002, Japan

Travel Date: October 2025

Japan: Hiking around Midagahara and Murodo in Tateyama

Japan: Hiking around Midagahara and Murodo in Tateyama

Philippines: Flavors and Food Crawl (2026)

 

Where to go for your next coffee or dine-in experience?

Toyama, Japan: Artisinal city of Takaoka

Takaoka, Toyama

Japan: Toyama City Public Library

Finally, we were able to visit Toyama Kirari, a combination of offices, community area, retail/cafe/restaurant, gallery and glass museum.

Japan: Food crawl in Toyama

Sharing the cafes, restaurants we visited in Toyama, Japan. 

Japan: Toyama Catholic Church

Toyama Catholic Church

Toyama, Japan: Kansui Park Boarding Dock of Fugan Suijo Line

Kansui Park Boarding Dock of Fugan Suijo Line

Japan: Toyoko Inn Toyama

Toyoko Inn Toyama eki Shinkansen-guchi 2 - 東横INN富山駅新幹線口2

1 Chome-4-1 Sakuramachi, Toyama, 930-0003, Japan

Gifu, Japan: Activities to do in Takayama

Gifu, Japan: Activities to engage in Takayama

Takayama, Gifu, Japan: Hirayu no Mori

We tried to book the Finnish sauna for our previous trip last December 2024.  But it got cancelled due to maintenance activity.  For this trip in October 2025, I started to contact them in April 2025. 

Japan: Hiking Daikokudake from Norikura Tatamidaira

I didn't have knowledge about what winter looks like until I became more interested in watching several videos about it.  Like the danger and difficulty someone might encounter when going to the top of the mountain.  Like how is the situation of the huts during the heavy snow.  Like how the mountain hotels have limited service, how they are prepared to stay safe before the winter, and how the buildings are recovered in the middle of deep snow.