A 5-Day Japanese Honeymoon

Take a Mt. Fuji sightseeing tour—it takes you to all the prime spots to view the mountain. However, you can best see it early in the morning during non-winter months. If you want that snow peak image, the best time to travel is in January and February. It’s a full-day trip, with lots of walking and climbing, so comfortable shoes are a must.

If you’re not too tired, there are a bunch of karaoke bars where we stayed in a Korean neighborhood. One thing that I recommend trying at Starbucks (Yes, Starbucks—they’re everywhere) is the mango au lait. Mango puree with the milk of your choice. It’s delicious and refreshing. If you’re a fan of sushi, there’s a great kaiten-zushi (conveyor-belt sushi) place called Kaiten sushi Hibari in Shinjuku City. Music Bar Rockaholic is a great place to grab late-night drinks.

One of the coolest and most mesmerizing places we went was teamLab Borderless. It’s an incredible, fully immersive art experience.

Also, taking in a Sumo show at Asakusa Sumo Club with the chicken hot pot is the best experience. It's a lot of fun and comes with a delicious dinner (free refills of food). It was some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life!

For some local shopping, Don Quixote is a popular spot. Also, pop into any 7-Eleven for some delicious bites—they sell beer for only a couple American dollars.

Take a trip on the bullet train (Shinkasen) to Kyoto. Book early because it’s about a three-hour ride. The seats are very comfortable, with lots of legroom.

When you get to Kyoto, take a look at the Samurai and Ninja Museum. It’s a lot of fun, with an awesome history behind it. You can practice your star-throwing and learn about the history of it.

For dinner, there is a delicious ramen place called Ichiran. It’s cheap and quiet, and it offers a personalized eating experience.

The fun thing about where we stayed in Kyoto (Hotel Forza) was the location. Right in the heart of the shopping area, there are hundreds of stores and the Nishiki Market, otherwise known as “Kyoto’s kitchen.” There are so many cute stores, from clothing to trinkets.

You can make your own perfume at My Only Fragrance. It’s a quick trip and costs about 6,500 yen for a 50mL bottle.

A must-do experience is a tea ceremony with a maiko/geiko. Kyoto is the place where women from all over Japan come to study to be a geiko. (Tip: The term “geisha” is not used in Kyoto.) We went to Nippon Bunka An, but there are so many places. You get some sweet treats, learn the art of matcha, and meet and talk with a maiko.

Other places of note include Monkey Park Iwatayama (a bit of a hike, but with monkeys at the top that you can feed), a bamboo forest, Fushimi Inari Taisha (the red gates), and so many shrines!

After taking the bullet train back to Tokyo, use the rest of your time before dinner to take in local sites and do some last-minute shopping.

Harijuku is a good stop. The famous shopping area Takeshita Street is great for those last-minute excursions. There are many candy stores.

For dinner, go on a Tokyo Bay dinner cruise on The Symphony. It’s a full five-course meal while you sail around Tokyo Bay. You get to pick your main course option, and they are very accommodating with dietary restrictions.