🌸 Jindaiji, Chofu: Easy Tokyo Day Trip (16 mins by train!) 🌸

[@tobynmanthorpe]

I'm amazed at how many videos you have created from just one trip!

[@cakeswithfaces]

I film everything!! 😅 This is actually leftover from last year's trip that I hadn't edited yet!

[@Nana-q4k4y]

This is why I follow you. New places😍

[@cakeswithfaces]

Every time I go to Japan I always try and find somewhere new to go (as well as my old favourites!).

[@madtitan1463]

Ahhhh, station announcements 😌🥰

[@cakeswithfaces]

They always make me so nostalgic for Japan 🎶

[@PipkinsUK]

Chofu hasn't really been an area that I'd visit whenever I'm in Tokyo but next year I'll definitely pop over for a wander. It looks like an interesting place.

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's perfect if you need a break from the inner city, away from all the crowds, to relax for an afternoon!

[@j_609]

This seemed like a really nice day out. I love that it's really just locals and not many tourists so you got to experience the festival like a local.

[@cakeswithfaces]

That's so true! And walking from the station, on many streets we were the only ones there!

[@swissfoodie3542]

Jindaiji looks lovely, thanks a lot for sharing this "secret place" with us. Also, I very much like the fact that is accesible from Shinjuku in just 16 minutes (we always stay in Shinjuku). Lets see if I can fit it in, into our next Japan trip.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Shinjuku's my "home" in Tokyo too! Can't believe how quick the train is. You only really need half a day so hope you can make it!

[@AlanVByrnes]

I’ll be watching the next new video up next also looks like another fun helpful one 🦾🦾🦾

[@cakeswithfaces]

Enjoy!!

[@MissiBoo]

What a gorgeous place Amy 😍. This is definitely worth a visit. Thank you 😊🫶

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's nice to have a break somewhere chilled sometimes!

[@davidwolstenholme4676]

beautiful nature,beautiful buildings ,beautiful food what more can people ask for.

[@AlanVByrnes]

Great helpful new travel video like always from you Amy 🤩👍 really like the looks of it here too will sure to pay a visit here as well ✌️✌️✌️

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's such a relaxing place, especially when you've been in busy Tokyo.

[@Bloodrunsreddownthenile]

GeGeGe no kitaro is my favourite anime! We went to Tottori this last trip so I could finally visit Mizuki Shigeru Road! It was amazing !

[@cakeswithfaces]

So glad you got to go there in real life!

[@Bloodrunsreddownthenile]

@@cakeswithfaces thanks! The gegege area in Chofu is great too, we’ve been there twice. We also went to a little park in Chofu that had some gegege statues and gegege themed stuff for kids to play on. The airport in Yonago is also gegege themed! We flew back to Tokyo so I can see the gegege themed airport! Oh, we also found a massive Kitaro statue at a fish market not far from the Mizuki Shigeru road. I love gegege just a little bit 🤣😂

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@Bloodrunsreddownthenile Haha I can tell!! :-) Love how this shows how much they value what's local in Japan, and how being the home of the artist makes it a special place.

[@DuckyAdvtrs]

OMG so amazing!!!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@BTavenue001]

Another great video ❤

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thank you!!

[@loopyfrog]

What a lovely area. Great editing as always! So enjoyable to watch.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks! You need a break from the big city sometimes!

[@xXNekou]

I'm always happy to know more day-trips from Tokyo :)

[@cakeswithfaces]

You'll never get bored when you're in Tokyo, there are so many things to do!

[@jan-ovepedersen5764]

I didn't know you're playing in a band, how cool. I'm a bass player and play in a few bands, we do a few gigs a year for fun.

[@cakeswithfaces]

There's nothing like playing live! 💖 Phil was in the band first, then after watching them for years I decided to learn trombone and join too, just before 2020. It's the best!

[@jan-ovepedersen5764]

@@cakeswithfaces It sure is a lot of fun playing live 🙂

[@gallaghim]

Thanks for letting us know about this area. There's been a decent amount of destinations I didn't know about until I saw your videos, consequently my list is getting longer! I liked the snippet of your band too. Would like to see more. That's Phil on drums, right?

[@cakeswithfaces]

The Japan to-do list is never-ending!! :-) I always try and go to new places, every time I go to Japan (plus old favourites!). Yes, that's Phil on drums! Here's our channel: kzbin.info/door/CZbggyGRv53uayp9yxRAzg And if you do Instagram: instagram.com/thosefinestrangers/

[@gallaghim]

@@cakeswithfaces Cool, following now on both. You guys look like a lot of fun live.

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@gallaghim Thanks! I love ska so much!

[@shoeithecat523]

Went to Jindaiji on our first morning in Tokyo bizarrely, wasn’t the original plan but failed to get Ghibli museum tickets and fancied something quiet and traditional after a long day travelling. Couldn’t remember the station we went to but a quick search says it was Tsutsujigaoka on the shinjuku line (no wonder I couldn’t remember the name lol) and it was a lovely quiet tidy looking suburb type place before a quick bus journey, the autumn leaves were in full effect, no tourists at the temple just a few locals in kimono going about there day and some great soba restaurants. Maybe not the most obvious place to go but I loved it!

[@cakeswithfaces]

That sounds lovely! Even though things don't always go to plan, it's great to discover somewhere unexpected. Chill places like this are perfect for your arrival day - I always try and plan in something not too hectic too!

[@shoeithecat523]

@@cakeswithfaces Also, I didn’t know about the eyes thing with the daruma, got a green which is for good health from one of the stores round the temple, I understood this much from when I was buying it but just read up on it some more, had to check the eyes on mine were indeed all white, very interesting! Keep up the good work, would definitely recommend your channel to anyone planning a trip to Japan 🇯🇵 ✈️

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@shoeithecat523 Thanks so much! I'm fascinated by the symbolism of Daruma. A bit more gruesome but legend has it they're based on a monk who sat still meditating for so long their arms and legs fell off. And/or they got to frustrated about falling asleep while meditating that they cut their eyelids off...!

[@shoeithecat523]

@@cakeswithfaces That’s pretty dark but totally on trend for a lot of these Japanese folklores! Think I preferred the artwork of the children’s story on how little daruma wanted to be like little tengu but was jealous of his long nose, which was depicted all along the inside of the carriage on the train we got back to Shinjuku… and not one person had graffitied a dick on the pictures like would have happened within minutes if such a thing was on a train over here 😹

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@shoeithecat523 Haha that would definitely happen here!! 😅

[@anitaloughran5182]

Didn’t you? 😂 Love the sassy not-impressed giraffe ride

[@cakeswithfaces]

That expression on its face...! 😂

[@garrytuohy9267]

Some great Stree Food there and it also gave Phil a chance to shine. But I never realized that you were in a Band.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Every Japanese festival we've been to has been excellent for street food - so much choice! Here's our band's channel (Those Fine Strangers): kzbin.info/door/CZbggyGRv53uayp9yxRAzg Or if you do Instagram: instagram.com/thosefinestrangers/

[@Panda_Roll]

I visited Chofu on my first trip to japan specifically for the Kitaro Chaya since I'm a fan of the anime. Went to surprise festival (the same daruma festival) in Jindaiji where a random toddler kept trying to steal my Takoyaki 😅 One of my favorite experiences of the trip.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Oh no a takoyaki toddler! 😂 Glad you caught the festival too! It's always fun when you come across something by surprise!

[@Gazereths1234]

Nice video! I'm actually planning a day in Chofu and Fuchu on my next trip, wanted somewhere new in the west of Tokyo since that's where I usually stay. You gave me some good ideas of places to see :) Thanks!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Great plan! I always try and visit somewhere new each time (although it gets harder as time goes on to find new places..!)

[@davidwolstenholme4676]

Afternoon amy just boiling basmati rice, heating up a jar of curry,and took out some slices of free range chicken breasts from the freezer that i has cooked the other day .

[@MadsMcKay]

I donno if you folks get takoyaki at home, but I was not prepared for real takoyaki. I was utterly addicted to the smaller, crispy takoyaki I can get here in southern california, and then the massive, soft takoyaki I got to try in Japan weren't anything like what I'd had dozens of times before. Can't imagine how long those massive ones took to cool off. Anyways, I am interested in supporting your band! Do you guys have any social for Those Fine Strangers?

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's interesting how foods get 'translated' and you're used to whatever's served in your country! There's no way of knowing how authentic it is. But if it tastes good, it's all good! ☺️ We're Those Fine Strangers on Instagram & Facebook - enjoy!! 🎶

[@spankohyayo]

何時も真剣に日本を紹介してくれてありがとう！！

[@cakeswithfaces]

I love Japan. There's so much to enjoy and share! :-)

[@carstenneugebauer5180]

We really love your videos! I wish the sound quality could inprove a little bit. the voiceover is fine but the outdoor shots sometimes sound a little bit muffled. ❤🍡🔉

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks so much! This is a video from last year (even though I have newer footage, I didn't finish editing everything from 2023...!) so I was wearing a mask for many of the shots when I was filming behind the camera, so that could be it. Always tricky filming conditions when you're in noisy places out and about. 😅

[@TwoTicketsToAdventure]

Do you think Chofu could be done as a half a day early morning trip? Like from 7-1? 8-2?

[@cakeswithfaces]

Yes, we went on a half day trip before catching the shinkansen.

[@evicencio31863]

Was it little bit cold ❄️? Or hitting 32°C?

[@cakeswithfaces]

This was filmed in 2023, and it was warmer than average - ok for light jackets and sometimes even t-shirt wether some days (I was only wearing my coat as we were getting the shinkansen later and I didn't want to pack it in my suitcase). However I went at the same time this year and it was colder than average, and I had to wear a coat, scarf and gloves most days. So it can go either way in early springtime! It wouldn't be as warm as 32°C though - more like around 20°C if it's warm.

[@Roland1.]

I was looking at flight tickets (London Tokyo) for March/April 2025. But very expensive! I looked at BA, FinnAir, JapanAir for tickets. Which one do you fly with? (I don't want to go on a 20 hour flight)

[@cakeswithfaces]

Flights are so expensive now! 😭 I flu with whichever airline has the best deal: ANA, JAL or BA fly direct, but I've also flown with Lufthansa and Air France indirect.

[@Roland1.]

@@cakeswithfaces With FinnAir next April cost cca: £1000 :(

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@Roland1. My flights this year were over £1k per person - so much more than before 2020. 😭 Keep an eye on the fares as prices do go up and down, and look out for sales & deals.

[@aubreyadams7884]

@@cakeswithfaces I always momentarily do a double take when most people on YT mention airfares to Japan. Then realise, of course that most live in UK/Europe or N. America. I'm in Australia (Perth) and airfares to Japan are typically half that (ANA, Singapore Air, Cathay Pacific). Of course, when we what to fly to Europe, then it's a different story! PS. Always love your videos.

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@aubreyadams7884 Thank you! You're very lucky having such lower air fares, I'm very jealous! (When it comes to Japan!)

[@claudetteedwards4115]

Did the hot springs in Chofu allow tattoos? My husband wants to go to outdoor hotsprings but hes tattooed

[@cakeswithfaces]

Just checked their website and unfortunately they don't allow tattoos: www.yumorinosato.com/#:~:text=Contraindications,not%20be%20refunded. If you sear for "tattoo friendly onsen", there are lists of them. It's not near Tokyo but I'd highly recommend Kinosaki. There are 7 bath-houses that all allow tattoos, as well as many of the ryokan, and it's absolutely gorgeous: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5XdZIOZlKeiqKs

[@claudetteedwards4115]

@@cakeswithfaces ok thanks. I think you did a video on that one near kyoto?

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@claudetteedwards4115 That's Kinosaki - it's 2 hrs 45 mins on the train from Kyoto - which sounds like a long journey but it's scenic so it went by really fast! 🙂

[@claudetteedwards4115]

@@cakeswithfaces oh I see. We are hiring a car, do you know any that are between Tokyo and Hiroshima?

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@claudetteedwards4115 I actually haven't rented a car in Japan - because the train system's so good. I've heard that en.tabirai.net/ is good - and that you get better rates from Japanese companies than international ones. Also watch out for tolls, which are numerous! You can get passes that make it easier.

[@AlanVByrnes]

🤖🇯🇵🇬🇧

[@MzuMzu-nx1em]

First

[@cakeswithfaces]

Congratulations! 🎉

[@MzuMzu-nx1em]

Gegege no kitaro , makes me think about a nes games , 80s manga .