Sapporo, Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo
Snow first, then Kansai food and city walks, a kimono day in Kyoto, and Tokyo to finish.
Japan / 18–29 Jan 2025
Winter, family time, and food that never went wrong.
Family trip with my parents and younger brother. It was fun, mostly because I’ve always loved winter and snow. And in Japan the food is almost always a good call.
Trip notes, plus food reviews
Split by city. Each one has the sights, what we ate, photos, and what I actually thought.
Where to Start
Snow first, then food.
Go in order: Sapporo for snow and Hokkaido food, Osaka for the big city, Kyoto for one family day, then Tokyo for the last hotel, Fuji, and more food.
01 / Snow start
Begin in Sapporo
Open space, winter parks, ramen, seafood. The calmest city of the trip.
02 / Kansai middleMove into Osaka
Comfort food, shopping, night gardens, and warmer than Hokkaido.
03 / The finishEnd with Tokyo
The one worth bookmarking: Cerulean hotel notes, the Fuji day trip, Cat Lounge MOCHA, Meiji Jingu, and gyukatsu.
Moerenuma Park
Open snow, the glass pyramid, families playing everywhere. Calm, and I still remember it.
Arrival night ramen
Warm, savoury first bowl at 22:30, right after landing in Sapporo. Good way to start.
Night garden lights
Osaka Botanic Garden was a quiet night out after Dotonbori and all the shopping.
Rented kimonos
The whole family dressed up for the day, which made the old streets, shrine gates and snack stalls extra fun to remember.
By City
Pick a city
01 / 18–21 Jan / Snowy start
Sapporo
Snowy parks, seafood lunches, ramen nights, winter views. A calm Hokkaido start to the family trip.
Read Sapporo
02 / 22–24 Jan / Big city
Osaka
Louder and warmer: Dotonbori walks, comfort food, night gardens, city views, temples, and colourful Shinsekai.
Read Osaka
03 / 25 Jan / Kimono day trip
Kyoto
One day in Kyoto: kimono rental, family photos, shrine gates, and little street snacks.
Read Kyoto
04 / 26–28 Jan / Last stop
Tokyo
Last stop: a really good hotel, excellent gyukatsu, hunting for a Fuji-san photo, Cat Lounge MOCHA, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, and donuts.
Read TokyoFood Posts
Just the meals
Planning around food instead of places? Start here.
Sapporo / Arrival Night
Ramen Alley
Late-night comfort food after landing in Hokkaido.
Sapporo / SeafoodSalmon and King Crab
Fresh Hokkaido lunch. I forgot the restaurant name, not the food.
Sapporo / Convenience Store7-Eleven Dinner
Not fancy, but very Japan trip.
Osaka / YakinikuRyunosu Late Lunch
Good meat and udon right after we got to Osaka.
Osaka / ComfortCoCo Curry Shin Umeda
Simple, easy lunch after Osaka Castle.
Tokyo / FavouriteGyukatsu Motomura
Still my best meal in Tokyo.
Sapporo / Shrine DayHokkaido Jingu Lunch
Warm, familiar, filling, and no planning needed.
Sapporo / Sweet StopShiroi Koibito Soft Serve
Delicate soft serve in freezing Sapporo weather.