Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

Just like in Kanazawa, Hiroshima has less “western” hotels on offer and thus we decided to try out a different Japanese chain here. This time we opted for Candeo, the arrival experience was already better than our Daiwa Roynet experience, as despite the small entrance it looked very grand and welcoming and smelled very nice. Check-in was on the top floor of the hotel with a panoramic view over the city. We were also very lucky that despite our early arrival we were given a room immediately, while this normally wouldn’t happen they were expecting a big group so they were happy to get our check-in out of the way so that they wouldn’t have to do it later when the group arrived.

The room was once again very small, with also a bed pushed into 1 corner, but the central location of the desk made it seem a bit more spacious.

The bathroom was absolutely tiny and it felt like you entered into a cruise ship bathroom. But it offered everything you needed.

In the morning breakfast was served in the restaurant next to the reception area, while it was also very Japanese themed, here we could find some more western inspired items too. Probably due to the big amount of western tour groups visiting this hotel. My favourite item was the bread pudding.

The hotel also had a very attractive Onsen, as it was located on the highest floor of the hotel, it also offered a small outdoor area. Due to it being a newer hotel the Onsen was also in a more contemporary style, making it look and feel more luxurious. It offered the typical wash stands, a cold plunge pool inside, a sauna inside and 2 hot plunge pools, one inside and one outside. We preferred this Onsen over the one at the Swissotel, but Timothy preferred the one over at the Swissotel.

The Candeo was more to our taste compared to the Daiwa Roynet, if in a future travelling again to Japan and staying at Japanese hotels I would prefer looking at Candeo properties. They are reasonably priced and well kept, the only minor gripe being the musty smell in the room.

2025 Journey Across Japan

1. Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
2. Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
3. QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
4. Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
5. REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
6. REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.
7. REVIEW | Toei Animation Museum in Nerima, Tokyo.
8. JAPAN | Tokyo Station, its Character Street and Pokémon Store.
9. REVIEW | Onyado Nono Asakusa Hotel in Tokyo.
10. TOKYO | Asakusa ft. Sensō-ji Temple.
11. JAPAN | The Odoriko train from Tokyo to Ito on Izu Peninsula.
12. PHOTOS & REVIEW | The Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Izu-Kōgen.
13. JAPAN | A visit to Ito on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.
14. REVIEW | Japan’s Saphir Odoriko in Premium Green Car from Ito on Izu Peninsula to Tokyo Station.
15. GAY TOKYO | 24 Kaikan in Asakusa (+ Ueno and Shinjuku).
16. TOKYO | Sawara in Chiba Prefecture, ‘Little Edo’ beyond Narita.
17. TOKYO | Omotesandō in Shibuya – AEON Shinonome –  Uniqlo – Muji.
18. PHOTOS | The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei Park.
19. JAPAN | Solo in Tokyo.
20. REVIEW | Brussels Airport The View lounge.
21. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Business Class Brussels to Doha.
22. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Al Mourjan The Garden Business lounge.
23. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Q-Suite Business Class Doha to Tokyo.
24. REVIEW | Pullman Tokyo Tamachi.
25. REVIEW | The Railway Museum, Ōmiya, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
26. TOKYO | Imperial Palace East Gardens – Akihabara – Tamiya flagship store – Skytree.
27. JAPAN | Kanazawa Castle – Kenrokuen Garden – Higashi Chaya District.
28. REVIEW | Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa Eki Nishiguchi.
29. JAPAN | Road trip to Hida no Sato, Takayama and Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa.
30. OSAKA | Namba Parks – Dōtonbori – Glico Man – Shinsaibashi.
31. REVIEW | Swissôtel Nankai Osaka.
32. Experiencing Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai Japan.
33. KANSAI | Osaka Castle ft. Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum.
34. OSAKA | EGDE store – Umeda Sky Building – Grand Front – Namba Parks – Daiso – Luscious.
35. REVIEW | Mazda Museum in Hiroshima.