What I did in Japan and would do again (and what not)

Seventeen days give you plenty to try, and not everything lived up to expectations, honestly. Here's my honest rundown, no filters.

Would repeat without hesitation: the omakase. Sitting at the counter while the chef prepares each piece in front of you is one of those experiences that justifies the entire trip on its own.

Would repeat: staying at a ryokan. The tatami, the futon, the kaiseki dinner, the onsen before bed. It's the most "Japanese" experience of the whole trip, no question.

Would repeat: arriving at Fushimi Inari before 8:00 AM. The difference between seeing it empty or packed with people is night and day, I'm not exaggerating at all.

Would repeat: staying overnight on Miyajima. Once the day-trippers leave, the island empties out almost completely and you can walk by the floating torii without a single person around.

The wins outweighed the misses by a huge margin. But if I go back, I know exactly what to adjust.

Wouldn't repeat: trying to squeeze every minute out of some days. Over time I learned that in Japan, it's completely fine to leave something unseen.

Wouldn't repeat: not booking the omakase further in advance. The best places fill up weeks ahead, and we very nearly missed out on a spot.

What I would change: more time and more budget

My honest takeaway is that the trip was worth it, but I would have gone with more time and more money. There was so much to do and see that we never stopped, and we'd have needed more days to go at a calm pace. Above all to get to know Tokyo better: it's a city where 17 days in total fall short.

I would also have set aside more budget for getting around. When your legs can't take any more, an Uber or a taxi saves the day, and we had to push through and keep walking. Even so, we pushed through and it was worth it. To give you an idea, a short taxi ride in Tokyo costs around 1,300-2,000 yen by day, with a night surcharge after 22:00; for short distances with luggage or if you arrive late and the subway has closed, it pays off, especially if you split it between several people.

The omakase: what it cost

Ours cost about €80 per person. There are plenty of omakase recommendations online for every budget, so search ahead of time and book in advance (the guide recommends 2 to 4 weeks). Prices vary a lot depending on the restaurant.

To sum it up: you don't have to do everything, but it's worth giving yourself a margin of time and money so that tiredness doesn't take away the best of the trip. More on costs in how much it costs to travel to Japan.

What we couldn't book: Shibuya Sky

This is important: we couldn't book Shibuya Sky in advance. In the end we managed to go by pure coincidence, and it was a surprise, but you shouldn't count on luck. Tickets, especially for sunset, sell out fast, so book ahead through the official site of the observation deck. GetYourGuide doesn't have standalone tickets for the observation deck, but it does have guided walks around Shibuya, such as this night walk through Shibuya's neon streets or this architecture and urban design walk (affiliate links).