A city guide from Steph

The Rosenblatts' Japan東京 · 京都 · 大阪

IC card: load Suica or ICOCA into your phone's wallet. It works on every train, bus and most convenience stores in all three cities.
Tokyo → Kyoto: Nozomi shinkansen, about 2h15m. Sit on the right side (seat E) for Mt Fuji.
Kyoto ↔ Osaka: JR Special Rapid about 30 min, ¥580, no booking. Or Hankyu from Kawaramachi to Umeda, 40 min, ¥410.
Send the bags ahead: the hotel desk will forward suitcases to your next hotel (takkyūbin, about ¥2–3k a bag). Then you only carry a day bag on the train.
Cash: most of the small places here are cash only. 7-Eleven ATMs take foreign cards.

Small counters, basement izakaya, old coffee houses and the places Steph keeps going back to. It's not a schedule, just what's good in each neighborhood. Every food spot is checked for no pork and no shellfish.

TripTue 29 Sep – 11 Oct 2026 TokyoHotel Gracery Shinjuku KyotoKeio Prelia Karasuma Gojō OsakaThe Gate Hotel, Shinsaibashi Checked24 Sep 2026

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