Hi r/JapanTravel, I’ve read so many other people’s itineraries here and spent the last few weeks living and breathing Japan travel guides. We’re from Canada in our mid-30s and interested in advice regarding LGBTQ+ hotspots and anything else we should be aware of as a gay couple (and also if our itinerary is OK!) Our itinerary is very much a touristy one, but we plan to return to Japan in the future to see more places off the beaten path. The primary reason we’re visiting this spring is to attend a close friend’s wedding.
Dates: Tue, Mar 26 to Sat, Apr 13
Part I: Tokyo
**Mar 26 -** land in Narita in the late afternoon and travel to our hotel in Asakusabashi (*Hotel Route-Inn Grand Tokyo*). Get a meal in the area, maybe check out Akihabara if we’re not dead tired
**Mar 27 -** explore the surrounding area: Ueno Park in early AM for sakura, Asakusa, Ginza
**Mar 28** – day trip to Lake Kawaguchiko to view Mt Fuji and explore the town. Perhaps Akiba again afterwards. I’d like to get reservations for the Final Fantasy and Monster Hunter cafes (I’m a big gamer)
**Mar 29 -** switch to hotel in Shinjuku (*Yuen Shinjuku*) and visit Ghibli Museum. Hang out in Shinjuku (and Shinjuku Ni-chome) at night
**Mar 30 -** explore the surrounding area: Shinjuku Gyoen, Shibuya and Harajuku. Rent some kimonos to wear to the wedding. More Shinjuku nightlife
**Mar 31 -** attend wedding ceremony at Meiji Jinju shrine. Entire day dedicated to wedding proceedings
**Apr 1** **-** spending the day with friends: visit PlanetLab, get lunch around there (any recommendations?), check out Roppongi in evening
**Apr 2 -** day trip to Nikko. Question mark on this one; main reason we’re going is because my partner has the same name as this town (and we like nature), but now I’m not sure if it’s a “necessary” visit given the rest of our itinerary
**Apr 3 -** travel to Hakone to stay at a ryokan for 1 night (*Mount View Hakone*)
Part II: Kansai
**Apr 4 -** take shinkansen to Osaka. We’re staying near Kitahama to get the best bang for our buck (*Hana-Nami-No-Yu Onyado NONO Yodoyabashi*). Roughly 20 min walk to Doyamacho, which I read is where the gay nightlife is in Osaka. But on our first night we’ll visit Dotonbori and indulge in street food
**Apr 5 -** big day trip day: Hiroshima in the morning (maybe add Miyajima too?), then on the way back we’ll stop at Himeji and Kobe for dinner
**Apr 6 -** Universal Studios, then more street food and nightlife around Doyamacho
**Apr 7 -** travel and stay in Kyoto (*TUNE STAY Kyoto)*, but first we’ll visit Nara for a few hours on route
**Apr 8** **-** explore the surrounding area; we plan to see the big famous temples, but otherwise just plan to spend much of the day walking around
**Apr 9 -** continue to explore and soak in Kyoto i.e flex day
**Apr 10 -** travel to Kanazawa and stay for 2 nights (*Hotel Kanazawa-Zoushi)*. Explore the famous gardens and surrounding area
**Apr 11 -** visit Takayama, stopping at Shirakawa-go along the way
**Apr 12 -** travel to Yokohama and visit Cup Noodle Museum, pick up souvenirs
**Apr 13** **-** fly back in late afternoon
Those are our high level plans, but everything we booked is flexible and open to change. There are a few more touristy things we’d like to do, but haven’t slotted in yet (if we even can):
* visit Sunshine City
* visit Sega Joypolis
* visit Edo museum
* visit Toyosu Fish Market
* attend a geisha performance
* watch a sumo wrestling match
Thank you for reading!