J-Style Trip is a travel + magic show by Jay Chou and friends where they visit countries all over the world to enjoy life, spend time with friends and perform impromptu (usually street) magic to the people there. I got to admit that it might be a little hard to watch this variety show if you’re not a fan because after visiting New Zealand, I realised that there are people who don’t know who Jay Chou is. He’s a famous singer and songwriter (sometime movie star) who has been in the industry for 20 years and I actually dedicated a post to him back in 2015, after attending his concert. What I like about the show was that you are able to see quite a bit of his personality. He has this joker side of him where he likes to fool his friends and irritate them (at times) but at the same time, you can see how much he cares for them as well. His makeup artist has been sticking around with him for 18 years and his friendship with all the celebrities seemed rather genuine (as they often meet up on their own as well). It’s really amazing how he can be so dedicated to his art (of music and magic) and despite being at superstar status, he still continues to strive harder to be a better version of himself.
I do enjoy watching this show a lot and I watch it religiously on a weekly basis. The show started on 21 March (few days after I came back from NZ) and the number of episode determines the number of weeks I’ve been staying at home. Furthermore, in this lockdown situation, it is always good to watch someone else travel on your behalf, take in the sights of the new city and perhaps start making plans for your next trip.
At the start, I wasn’t planning on doing a writeup as I’m not sure if there was any demand of people searching for this information (since I’m writing in English but his fans are more likely to be Mandarin-speaking) but after watching the Japan episodes, I wanted to visit the recommended places myself and I thought that I should document them somewhere, in anticipation of my future travels.
Note: This article will be updated periodically and it will focus on the places that I would like to visit. Should there be demand or requests for me to do a write-up (please comment below), I will do up the screenshots of the locations as well.
Countries featured: Paris, Singapore, Taipei, Vienna (Innsbruck), Gold Coast, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji
Tokyo, Episode 10
Estimated date of filming: Oct – Nov 2018
Maguro River Park
The best time to visit this place is during spring, where the 800 sakura trees lining the Meguro River blooms!
Website (travel info): https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/377/
Yebisu Garden Place
The place with the large chandelier
Address: Japan, 〒150-6018 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Ebisu, 4
Ninja Akasaka
Ninja-themed Restaurant with delicious food, but slightly on the pricey end.
Address: Akasaka Tokyu Plaza 1st floor, 2-14-3 Nagatacho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-0014, Japan. 〒100-0014
Website: (Eng) https://ninjaakasaka.com/en/ Reservations encouraged (deposit required)
Found a blog with a write-up on their very detailed experience so do take a look if you’re keen!
Caffe Michelangelo
This was the cafe which has alfresco seating beside the road.
Address: 29-3 Sarugakucho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0033, Japan
Tsutaya Books Daikanyama
This was the bookshop opposite the cafe.
Nishikoori
The soba restaurant where they had dinner.
Price: from 1,000Y; Special 8 course menu at 5,400Y
Address: Japan, 〒153-0042 Tokyo, Meguro City, Aobadai, 1
Tokyo, Episode 11
Roppongi Hills Observation Deck/Tokyo City View
This is the location where the witness the beautiful sunset. Please note that the observation deck may not be accessible on all days as it is weather dependent. On a clear day, you may even see Mt. Fuji (or at least the shadow/outline of it).
Website: (English) https://tcv.roppongihills.com/en/index.html
Reserve Tickets via Klook (price is usually cheaper than walk-in)
Address: Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Street Kart Tokyo by MariCar
In order to do this activity, you will be required to have an INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENSE. I did this activity in Osaka back in 2015 and it is a total BLAST. You can see my video here.
On a side note, there are many companies offering this karting service but the most premium one and the one they used is MariCar (link given below).
Website: (English) https://kart.st/en/tokyobay.html
Price: 8,500Y to 18,000Y (various types + discount given if you share on SNS)
MEGA Don Quijote, Shibuya
This is a 24-hour mega departmental store which sells EVERYTHING. They visited this place to purchase Halloween costumes. This is a multi-chain outlet and you should be able to see Don Quijote all over Japan.
Address: 28-6 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 154-0042, Japan
Harajuku
This is a shopping area, popular among the youths and cosplayers. It is the area they visited for their Halloween event and got mobbed by fans.
Address: Japan, 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 27, Unnamed Road、３丁目
Tokyo/Fuji-San, Episode 12
Yakatabune River Cruise
You can choose to charter the entire board or share the boat with strangers. Prices start from 10,000Y + tax and there are 3 different routes you can choose. 2 of 3 routes feature the beautiful rainbow bridge and you will also be cruising under the many bridges of Tokyo. Also, do note that this company has 5 vessels so you may or may not be on board the same boat as them.
Fun fact about the rainbow bridge – it is a bridge that connects Tokyo to Odaiba, a beautiful man-made island. More info about Odaiba can be found here. It is a beautiful island and definitely worth visiting. For myself, I stayed overnight at the Onsen back in 2015. It is an interesting experience, especially the bathing portion which was definitely an eye-opener :/
If you’re feeling broke, you can skip the cruise and visit the boarding point and snap a few photos =p
Boarding Point: 3-1-1 Harumi, chuo-ku, Tokyo. 5 minutes from Exit A3 of Kachidoki Station on the Toei Oedo line.
Website: http://yakatabune-tokyo.com/
Bondi Cafe, Yoyogi Beach Park
This is an australian cafe (Bondi Beach) featuring western menu. Seems to be getting quite a bit of mixed reviews from TripAdvisor.
On a side note, Yoyogi Park is a beautiful place to visit, especially on the weekends where there’s a bit of family and friends’ action. I spent some time getting lost from within before heading over to Meiji Shrine. Here’s my writeup (2015 edition) if you’re keen.
Address: Japan, 〒151-0063 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Tomigaya, 1 Chome−15−2 バルビゾン５５ 1F
Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue
If you’re visiting Tokyo in Autumn (Nov-Dec), it will be a beautiful sight! If you’re visiting in Winter, there are also beautiful winter illumination lights (read my 2017 experience; signs i miss japan and traveling so much..)
Address: 2 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku; 10 min. walk from Shinanomachi Station on JR Sobu Line
Max Valu, Fujikawaguchiko
While I’m not sure about the feasibility of driving in Japan (in terms of cost), it really does seem like an awesome drive to drive from Toko to Mt. Fuji area. I routed the directions on Google Map and the drive from Gingko Avenue to Lake Shoji and it takes 1 hour 40 mins. Here, they visited the grocery store, Max Valu and Nicholas Tse bought beef and eggs for the sukiyaki dinner while Jay Chou bought sashimi and cheese.
I have not gotten the chance to visit Mt Fuji by car as the usual route for tourists is to take the train via the Fuji Hakone Pass and I’ve attached my blog link here which reflects my 2016 experience.
Address: 8017-1 Kodachi, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi 401-0302, Japan
Lake Shoji Campsite
While I am not 100% certain that this was the exact location, this seems like the only campsite surrounding the lake. I’ve visited the area and did the map below. You can read more about my experience by clicking the image below. Also, as mentioned in the show, it is true that you can only see Mt. Fuji 90 days a year (25% chance), and very often the clouds will block the mountain. So for the view they had that evening, they were really super lucky!
One thing to note if you’re planning to book accommodations in Japan. The rates will vary according to the season and it will get higher during peak season (spring where flowers bloom or summer where you’re able to hike up to Mt. Fuji). Also, booking way ahead in advance is highly encouraged as the popular and affordable rooms run out very quickly! Often, most places do not offer free booking and require a deposit for your booking. However, these were pre-covid19 days so I have no idea how would post-covid19 look like.
Website: https://shojiko.jp/
Pricing: from 1,000Y (if you have your own tent) and cottage cost 56,000Y (8 people)
Address: 精進湖キャンピングコテージ キャンプサイト
Shoji, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi 401-0336, Japan
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That’s it for my Japan feature in J-style trip. Will you be keen to read up for the rest of the countries? Let me know in the comments below before I work on it!