Welcome to our coverage of Sam Mac and the Sunrise team as they visit the Land of the Rising Sun with TripADeal!

TripADeal’s Asia expert Teige will provide behind the scenes content for Sunrise and TripADeal followers. Click here for more

DAY 5 – Osaka, a foodie’s heaven

Welcome to Osaka!

Known as ‘Japan’s kitchen’, Osaka is renowned for dishes like takoyaki (octopus balls), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes), and udon noodles. In fact, Osaka’s obsession with good food is so intense, there’s a term they coined here – kuidaore (eating until you drop).

Once Japan’s capital, here you can check out Osaka Castle, one of the most elegant in Japan, a landmark that is on most TripADeal travellers’ must-see list.

Sam Mac and his team headed to Dotonbori, a vibrant tourist district. Spending time here means eating canal-side, under neon signs, with massive animated billboards like the “Glico Running Man” nearby.

On his last day in Japan, Sam Mac met some lively locals, including TripADeal tour guide Soya, some party-goers and even a Japanese Piero (clown).

 

TripADeal Tips – Dotonbori etiquette
• Street garbage cans are rare; plan to carry rubbish to your hotel. It’s OK to return food containers to the vendor.
• Use cash, quick-service food stalls do not normally accept cards.
• Move to the side if checking your phone or waiting for friends.
• Smoking is prohibited, except in designated smoking spots.

That’s a wrap!

This ends our coverage of the Sunrise team in Japan with TripADeal – at every landmark and in experience we were met with respect, elegance and gentle love, a true Japanese experience.

Thanks to Sam Mac and everyone at Channel 7, TripADeal’s tour guide Soya, our Asia expert Teige and to you for being part of this fantastic experience.

From everyone at TripADeal, Iroiro arigatou gozaimashita (thanks for everything!), we can’t wait to go back!

DAY 4 – Cold day? Let’s hit the hot springs!

The team has travelled north to Mount Kurama, just outside Kyoto, for a traditional onsen experience: Kurama Onsen is a famous hot spring in a beautiful natural setting and features indoor and outdoor baths.

Onsen culture is part of Japanese life and many TripADeal travellers have enjoyed an onsen experience on their holidays.

With an ambient temperature of -1C, Sam Mac was happy to enter the warm onsen water, even if it meant doing it stark naked on national television (it’s the custom in Japan).

Onsen etiquette focuses on cleanliness and quiet. This is a space where locals relax, so noise and talk are minimal and phones are banned.

After the onsen, Sunrise’s resident skateboarder and karaoke king,  Sam visited a special karaoke club in Kyoto that combined sports and singing – with rooms for karaoke and bouldering or karaoke and skating.

TripADeal Tips – Onsen etiquette
• Always shower before entering.
• No swimsuits or underwear are allowed in the baths. A small, provided towel can be used for modesty but it must not enter the water.
• Many onsens forbid tattoos. Check with the onsen before booking or use waterproof bandages to cover small tattoos.

DAY 3 – Kyoto, a city of geishas & ninjas

The Sunrise team took the Shinkansen, Japan’s high-speed bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. It took them just over two hours to travel the 513km between the cities, averaging 285km/h. From the train, Sam got to see the imposing snow-capped Mount Fuji.

Kyoto was Japan’s capital for around 1,000 years and you’ll find amazing historic buildings and beautiful parks peppered between modern neighbourhoods.

We had the chance to see the brand new Toei Kyoto Studio ParkClick theme park. We visited a detailed replica of an Edo-period town (1600s to 1850s), the golden era of samurai-culture Japan. Sam Mac met two Japanese icons, a ninja and a maiko (geisha).

An apprentice maiko, called kanoshizu, showed us how to correctly prepare matcha tea and performed a graceful traditional dance. 

TripADeal Tips – Geisha or Maiko etiquette

• When encountering a maiko (or geisha) in a public place, do not stop, touch, take pictures or videos of, or follow geishas. 

• If you book an experience like a tea ceremony with a geisha present, you can ask them to take a photo and they will most likely happily oblige.

DAY 2 – Tokyo’s oldest temple

It’s Day 2 and Sam Mac took a dive into traditional Japanese culture at Senso-ji (Senso Temple) in Tokyo’s Asakusa district.

Established in 645AD, Senso-ji is Tokyo’s oldest temple with many TripADeal travellers visiting it as part of their Japan holidays. The sacred venue includes a main hall, a five-story pagoda and large gates. Adjacent to the temple, Sam visited Asakusa Shrine, a popular Shinto place of worship.

A traditional way to explore the area is by rickshaw. Masa, Sam Mac’s guide, discussed the best places to see in the area while taking him for a ride.

From a rickshaw to a go kart, Sam Mac tried a modern way of getting around Tokyo. He put on a Minion onesie and hit the streets of Shibuya. Locals waved as he reached up to 80km/h in some sections.

We also visited Harajuku, known for its quirky vintage clothing stores and pet cafes. Spot colourful locals at the bustling bubble tea shops and around the station.

Rickshaw guide Kenny took us around the popular area, where you see “kawaii” (cute) culture at its best. With a two-colour wig and a gold glamour outfit, Sam Mac had a truly fashion-forward moment, yet another highlight of this trip.

For a truly kawaii souvenir, find a “purikura” (photo booth arcade) and get a photo of yourself looking like an anime character. Say “tiizu!” (cheese!)✌

TripADeal Tips – Temple etiquette

• Before reaching the main hall at Senso-ji, visit the Jokoro (incense burner), wave smoke over yourself for health and wisdom. Next, use the water basin to rinse your left hand, right hand and mouth.

• Unlike Shinto shrines like the one in Asakusa, do not clap at a Buddhist temple.

• Gently place coins as offerings in the large offering box, do not toss them.

DAY 1 – Tokyo Old & New

Sam Mac said ‘ohayo gozaimasu!‘ – Japanese for ‘good morning!” on a very cold morning but with a warm welcome from TripADeal’s tour guide in Japan, Soya.

Today, we visited the streets of Nakano Kitaguchi Showa Shindo, with its retro shopfronts dating back to the 1960s.

We checked out the izakayas and karaoke bars at 4am Tokyo time, where many locals were singing. Here we met Suchen, a cat that is the master of one of the bars, and Sam Mac got to feed the feline.

Channel 7’s Sam Mac and Suchen the cat at a bar in Tokyo.Over the weekend, the team checked out a digital art museum, TeamLab, a mix of art exhibition and multisensorial experience. The team entered an area with water to their shins where koi fish created with light roamed around. Sam Mac could only say “YOLO” (You Only Live Once) while admiring and interacting with the colourful displays.

Sam Mac also got to face a Japanese wrestler during a sumo experience. After eating exactly what the wrestlers eat during practice, Sam got to face one of the actual sumo wrestlers and… ended up on the floor.

We also visited Tokyo’s Shibuya, an area of the city that is familiar to TripADeal travellers. Here, Sam Mac got to walk the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, where up to 3,000 people walk every time the lights go green. In snowy weather, Sam Mac ran across the crossing and attempted the perfect selfie, only to get heckled by a fellow Aussie visitor.

TripADeal tour guide Soya joined Sam Mac to suggest the best landmarks to check in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Soya said Aussies are “friendly and funny” and his experience after an Aussie “shoey”.

TripADeal Tips – Eating etiquette

• Japan’s Hara Hachi Bu (“80% rule”) promotes health and longevity by encouraging people to stop eating when 80% full. 

• When sharing food, always use serving chopsticks (toribashi), not your own. 

• Do not eat or drink while walking; on trains, it is frowned upon except during long-distance travel.