Everything I Ate & Did in Tokyo, Kyoto & Osaka 🇯🇵

TOKYO

Tokyo was where our trip started and ended, and somehow it still felt like we barely scratched the surface. We spent our first 6 nights here and came back for 1 more before flying home, and every single day was built around food. Mornings started at Tsukiji grabbing whatever smelled best, afternoons were for wandering Sensō-ji and hunting down the next coffee spot, and nights ended at Shibuya Sky watching the whole city light up.

And I’ll be honest, some of my favorite bites weren’t even at restaurants. I became completely obsessed with the 7-Eleven pancakes stuffed with margarine and maple syrup, and my husband stopped asking why we were stopping at another convenience store. Let’s get into everything I ate and did!

☕ Coffee & Matcha Shops

X Coffee Ginza

• What to order: your go to coffee drink, they’ve got a whole lineup of beans on display
• Address: 2 Chome-11-1 Ginza Land B, Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo, 104-0061

Hatoya Asakusa 🍵

• What to order: the hand-whisked matcha, made to order
• Address: Hatoya Asakusa, 2-14-3 Hanakawado, Taito City, Tokyo, 111-0033 / Hatoya Shibuya, 3-8 Kamiyamacho, AISK Building 1F, Shibuya City, Tokyo, 150-0047
• Good to know: The Asakusa location had a long line when we went, but the Shibuya location had no line at all, so head there if you don’t want to wait

Lambert Matcha

• What to order: iced matcha latte, banana bread, cheese toast
• Address: 3 Chome-22-15 Hyakunincho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo, 169-0073
• Good to know: it’s a converted 70-year-old traditional Japanese residence, reservations are brutal to snag, keep refreshing the booking page multiple times a day

Cloud Club Cafe

• What to order: the matcha, hand-whisked with 7g of matcha per drink so pace yourself
• Address: 3-14-6 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo, 104-0061
• Good to know: get there before opening, the line goes out the door fast

Alchemist Asakusa

• What to order: any coffee drink, so smooth and creamy
• Address: 1 Chome-17-5 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo, 111-0032

BunCoffee Akasaka

• What to order: your go to coffee drink.
• Address: 101 7 Chome-10-6 Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan

🍽️ Restaurants

Ginza Cafe Hanon 🥞 – Brunch

• What to order: the fluffy Japanese souffle pancakes and scrambled eggs with cheese
• Address: 3 Chome-14-5 J. Bld., Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo, 104-0061
• Good to know: sit at the counter so you can watch them make it, get there right at opening

Maguroya Kurogin (inside Tsukiji Fish Market) 🐟

• What to order: the three levels of tuna, worked from lean to fatty
• Address: 4 Chome-10-12 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo, 104-0045
• Good to know: the fattier cuts near the belly practically melt in your mouth

Tsukiji Yamacho (inside Tsukiji Fish Market)

• What to order: the tamagoyaki, layered egg omelette
• Address: 4 Chome-10-10 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo, 104-0045
• Good to know: this one has over 15 thin layers rolled in, all made without breaking, tastes sweet

Yakiniku Panga 🥩

• What to order: the grilled meats set with rice and kimchi, fried rice
• Address: 3 Chome-27-9 Taito, Taito City, Tokyo
• Good to know: worth going back for, this one earned a repeat visit

Gyumon 🍜

• What to order: the spicy ramen (ask for a spice level of three or four) plus the gyukatsu and shrimp tempura
• Address: Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo
• Good to know: they have a bunch of locations all around Tokyo in each neighborhood

Savoy Pizza 🍕

• What to order: the classic margherita and a tuna fusion pie, plus the tempura-coated fries
• Address: Japan, 〒106-0045 Tokyo, Minato City, Azabujuban, 2 Chome−20−12 オリエント麻布 1階
• Good to know: a lot of the chefs here trained directly in Naples for proper Neapolitan pizza

🥐 Bakeries

Pain Maison – A MUST

• What to order: the original salt bread, plus the custard and red bean butter versions
• Address: 2 Chome-11-1 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo, 104-0061
• Good to know: this is the birthplace of Japanese salt bread, go right when it opens for it hot and fresh

Centre The Bakery

• What to order: the egg sando or a classic slice of milk bread with jam and butter, toast it yourself
• Address: 1 Chome-2-1 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo, 104-0061
• Good to know: famous for tangzhong milk bread, the technique that keeps it so soft and pillowy

🍨 Dessert

Fujisan Pudding (not in Tokyo)

• What to order: the pudding, tastes like a creme brulee
• Address: 3462-11 Funatsu, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi, 401-0301
• Good to know: a walk-by find near Mount Fuji

📍 Things to Do in Tokyo

• Tsukiji Fish Market — go early to watch the chefs at work while you wait in line 🐟
• Sensoji Temple — Tokyo’s oldest temple, walk up Nakamise shopping street and grab a strawberry tanghulu on the way ⛩️
• Akihabara — arcades and claw machines, a fun stop after dinner at night 🕹️
• Don Quijote — go at 6am to skip the crowds, go in with a list or you’ll leave with way more than planned 🛍️
• Kappabashi Kitchen Supply Town — over 160 shops of cookware and tableware, a must if you cook 🍴
• Yoyogi Park — quiet, tree-lined, the light filtering through the leaves (komorebi) is the whole vibe 🌳
• Shibuya Sky — book around sunset for the rainbow-colored skyline, 47 floors up 🌇
• Shibuya Crossing — the world’s busiest intersection, worth seeing once
• Mount Fuji day trip — a 2-hour bus ride from Tokyo to Lake Kawaguchiko, only clear enough to see the mountain 70 to 80 days a year, so check the forecast before booking 🗻
• Tokyo Skytree — one of the tallest towers in the world, panoramic city views

💡 Tokyo Tips

• Convenience stores (7-Eleven, Family Mart, Lawson) are a real food category here, not just a snack pit stop. The food is made fresh daily, and it’s genuinely good. My hyperfixation the whole trip was the pancakes stuffed with margarine and maple syrup from 7-Eleven 🥞
• Go to Don Quijote at 6am if you can, it’s a completely different (and much calmer) experience than midday. Perfect if you have jet lag
• If there’s a matcha cafe you want to try, expect a line and don’t expect a same-day reservation for the popular ones

KYOTO

Kyoto is where my matcha obsession started three years ago, so coming back felt a little like coming home. We took the Shinkansen in from Tokyo and spent 4 nights here, and before our hotel room was even ready, we were already standing at Gokago with a matcha latte and ice cream in hand. The whole pace changes the second you get here. Mornings are quieter, people move slower, and you can spend an entire afternoon wandering from one tea shop to the next without ever feeling rushed. Being so close to Uji, the birthplace of matcha, means it’s on a completely different level here, and I made sure we tried as much of it as humanly possible. And somewhere between our first sukiyaki and the wagyu hitsumabushi that ended up being our favorite meal of the entire trip, Kyoto became my favorite city in Japan easily.

☕ Coffee & Matcha Shops

Gokago 🍵

• What to order: the matcha latte with ice cream and matcha mochi donut 🍩
• Address: 2 Chome-258 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0862
• Good to know: the line will be long so expect it unless you go early

Flow by Nozy Coffee

• What to order: the flat white
• Address: 135 Saitocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8012
• Good to know: tucked into a side street off Nishiki Market, genuinely the smoothest, creamiest flat white I’ve had ☕

Sunday’s Coffee

• What to order: your standard espresso drink, and go upstairs
• Address: 4-55-5 Jumonjicho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8121
• Good to know: the view looking down through the windows upstairs is worth it 🪟

% Arabica

• What to order: the Kyoto latte, with less milk
• Address: multiple locations around Kyoto
• Good to know: this is where the chain started, smooth and creamy every time

🍽️ Restaurants

A Happy Pancake – BREAKFAST

• What to order: the classic souffle pancake 🥞
• Address: 354-1 Iseyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8066

Gion Kyoto Boloniya – BREAKFAST

• What to order: the French toast!!
• Address: 377-1 Inaricho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0067
• Good to know: a few blocks down from Sunday’s Coffee, easy to pair the two

Halra Wagyu Sukiyaki

• What to order: the wagyu sukiyaki set with udon added in
• Address: 218 Nabeyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8015
• Good to know: no reservation needed! so good!

Wagyu Teppanyaki Steak House Gion Mai

• What to order: the wagyu teppanyaki course 🥩
• Address: 594-7 Komatsucho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0811
• Good to know: real teppanyaki in Japan is quiet and precise, nothing like the Benihana theatrics

Wagyu Panga

• What to order: the hitsumabushi, eaten in the three-step method (plain, with condiments, then with hot dashi poured over) 🍚
• Address: 206 Nakanocho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0075
• Good to know: ask for the direction sheet if it isn’t given automatically, this was the BEST meal of the whole trip

🥐 Bakeries

I’m Donut?

• What to order: try as many dontus as possible
• Address: 324 Shioyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8027
• Good to know: the signature soft texture comes from pumpkin worked into the dough base

🍨 Dessert

Ice at 21:00

• What to order: any of the soft serve flavors 🍦
• Address: 333-2 Shioyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8027
• Good to know: Japanese soft serve is the gold standard because of the milk quality

📍 Things to Do in Kyoto

• Nara Park — a 45-minute train ride from Kyoto, home to over a thousand wild deer that’ll actually bow for the crackers you feed them 🦌
• Arashiyama Monkey Park — hike up for a skyline view over the whole city and feed the monkeys 🐒
• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest — the famous towering bamboo grove, best visited early to skip the crowds 🎋
• Fushimi Inari Taisha — the iconic thousands of red torii gates winding up the mountain, go early morning for the least crowds ⛩️
• Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) — a temple covered in gold leaf reflecting over its pond, one of the most photographed spots in Japan ✨
• Kiyomizu-dera Temple — a wooden temple with sweeping views over Kyoto, especially stunning in fall
• Nishiki Market — Kyoto’s food market, great for grazing your way through local snacks and produce 🍢
• Gion District — the historic geisha district, known for its traditional streets and teahouses

💡 Kyoto Tips

• The matcha scene here is unmatched because of how close the city is to Uji, expect to wait in line at the popular spots
• Convenience stores are just as reliable here as in Tokyo for a quick coffee or snack between temple hopping
• Pace yourself between Kyoto and Nara, the deer at Nara Park can nip if you rush up on them, approach slowly and calmly
• If you’re knife shopping, hold off, the selection and prices in Osaka (near Sakai) end up being better

OSAKA

Osaka is the city where food comes first, and we planned our time here around that. We had 3 nights, and one full day was dedicated to nothing but eating before we spent the next one at Universal Studios. There’s even a local word for it, kuidaore (koo-ee-dah-oh-reh), which basically means to eat yourself into ruin, and we took that very seriously. We went from cream puffs in Shinsaibashi to warm financiers to a halal tendon dinner I still think about. And since Osaka is right next to Sakai, Japan’s historic knife-making city, it’s also where my husband finally got to go knife shopping, so if a Japanese knife is on your list, this is the place to buy one.

☕ Coffee & Matcha Shops

Ourlog Coffee Roasters

• What to order: your standard coffee order, they also have amazing sweets and breads but they sell out fast
• Address: 4 Chome-7-5 Awajimachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 541-0047

🍽️ Restaurants

Halal Tendon Matsuyama 🍤

• What to order: the tendon (tempura rice bowl), shrimp tempura and mixed veggies over rice with a sweet-savory sauce
• Address: 1 Chome-1-7 1F, Sennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0074
• Good to know: halal-friendly, my favorite part was sitting at the counter and watching the chefs fry each piece

🥐 Bakeries

Sakimoto Bakery

• What to order: the truffle salt bread, honey butter toast, caramelized croissant, and chocolate croissant 🍞
• Address: 2 Chome, Nanbanaka, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, 556-0011
• Good to know: everything here is good!

🍨 Dessert

Mou x Mou (Milky Paradise)

• What to order: the Hokkaido milk soft serve 🍦
• Address: 1 Chome-3-10 Namba, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0076

MooKEN

• What to order: the cream puffs (vanilla custard center, crackly sugar crust) 🧁
• Address: 1 Chome-5-26 Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0085
• Good to know: seen all over TikTok, but the line moves fast

Chihiro Sweets Shop

• What to order: all the financiers! also make for good gift to take back
• Address: G1, 1 Chome-2-4 Uchihiranomachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka

📍 Things to Do in Osaka

• Tower Knives — the best spot to shop for authentic Japanese knives, Osaka sits close to Sakai, the official blade-making region of Japan 🔪
• Round1 — arcade games, bowling, and sports floors, open 24 hours 🎮
• Universal Studios Japan — Super Nintendo World, the Minion zone, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter 🎢
• Osaka Castle — a reconstructed 16th-century castle with a museum inside and panoramic views from the top 🏯
• Dotonbori — Osaka’s neon-lit main strip, packed with street food, the Glico Man sign, and canal views, best at night ✨
• Shinsekai — a retro-futuristic neighborhood

💡 Osaka Tips

• If you’re buying Japanese knives, do it here rather than Kyoto, the selection and prices near Sakai are hard to beat
• Round1 is open 24 hours, a solid late-night option if you’re jet-lagged and wide awake