hi all! cannot express how much of a help this group has been. i’ve previously posted here with my itinerary and i’d love some feedback on my updated itinerary.
while i’d love any suggestions that could line up with my interests (24f, based in nyc, most interested in history/culture, goshuin collecting, sakura viewing, general tourist sightseeing, and eating as much food possible lol), i mostly want help catching any glaring red flags, rearranging days/groupings of activities, or cutting anything repetitive/not worth it/etc. it’s my first-ever trip to japan AND first solo trip, so i will take all the help i can get!!
my flight to and from tokyo is not changeable. hotels are booked and fully refundable, but i’m hesitant to rebook barring horror stories at these locations/me not realizing i’ve made horrible planning decisions especially as rates will continue to climb.
my itinerary is fairly flexible! i’m not trying to hard-core plan outside of 1-3 must-do activities each day while leaving enough flexibility for me to shuffle things around depending on my energy level. i haven’t bought tickets/made reservations for anything, so aside from dates/hotels everything is still very up in the air!
before i dig into the itinerary, here are the main questions i have:
* i fly into haneda at 5:30 am and check-in for my hotel isn’t until 4:00 pm (my mistake!). i am tempted to book an extra day to check in early in case i desperately need to nap, but if i’m unable to do so, **any low-key activities/places you’d recommend for a rest** (preferably around shinjuku)? my current plan is to nap on the lawn at shinjuku gyoen if i must lol, spend time at [this footbath bar/cafe](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Go4DQVaitaEbvTjaA) (not fully sure of the etiquette re cafes in japan–is it ok to linger for 1, 2, 3+ hours? am i better off going to a manga cafe?), or take the subway up to [this onsen](https://maps.app.goo.gl/S9rzFi9kTFjDL3jKA).
* along the same lines, any **lesbian/woman-friendly gay bars** you’d recommend to foreigners? i want to do a gay bar crawl while i’m in shinjuku but i’m open to places anywhere in tokyo or kyoto close-ish to where i’ll be! so far i have goldfinger, aiiro cafe, adezakura, agit, and new sazae as options.
* tsukiji market, nishiki market, and ameyoko–**too many markets**? could i stand to cut one? (if so, i’m assuming the answer is tsukiji.)
* along similar lines, i plan on checking out shinjuku gyoen, yoyogi park, maruyama park, ueno park–**any of these parks/gardens not worth it**? mostly worried about extra crowds outweighing the sightseeing with everyone (myself included lol) trying to hanami.
* i’m especially unsettled on my itinerary for days 3/4/5. i’m a little scared to do anything “major” on a weekend as my thought is both tourists and residents will be out and about, but am i mistaken? **will friday/saturday/sunday be just as busy** as any other day in the main tourist areas??
huge thank you in advance! <3
**day 1 (wednesday march 20)**
* arrive into haneda from jfk at 5:30 am
* drop off luggage at [toyoko inn shinjuku-gyoemmae-eki 3-ban deguchi](https://maps.app.goo.gl/7U2YT77qSgXkFB656) before 4:00 pm check-in; exchange currency at 7/11 and buy any essentials i didn’t already bring from donki/other 100 yen stores
* if i have the energy, check out shinjuku gyoen and the tokyo metropolitan building, but generally plan to just get my bearings and adjust to the time difference lol
**day 2 (thursday march 21)**
* assuming i can secure a ticket, ghibli museum, but i’m not holding my breath.
* if no ghibli museum, will likely do anything in shinjuku that i didn’t do yesterday, and maybe go to koenji for thrifting / see a show at koenji high?
**day 3 (friday march 22)**
* go to meiji jingu bright and early (aiming for 7 am but who knows with jetlag; if i’m not moving early enough i plan to go in the evening), check out yoyogi park
* walk to cat street in harajuku, see shibuya scramble and browse some malls? seems like a lame shibuya itinerary lol so i’m especially open for suggestions here.
**day 4 (saturday march 23)**
* tsukiji market (aiming to get there around 7 am!)
* shopping in ginza–must-dos are uniqlo and muji flagships (lol so boring I KNOW), itoya, and getting shoes at onitsuka tiger
* gay bar crawl in shinjuku nichome? frankly a little worried about going out on a saturday night as i have NO clue what to expect, so i’m tempted to go on thursday instead (assuming i’m up for it) as it could be more chill.
**day 5 (sunday march 24)**
* take shinkansen to kyoto; drop bags at [r&b hotel kyoto shijo kawaramachi](https://maps.app.goo.gl/XtkCWS8VHZiFDZ6n6) before 3:00 pm check-in
* maybeeee see arashiyama? don’t have much interest in the monkeys or the bamboo forest, but i keep hearing the surrounding area is gorgeous. again, very much open to suggestion!
**day 6 (monday march 25)**
* hike fushimi inari (again, try to get there by 7 am)
* nishiki market–eat at the snoopy cafe (i’m not into character cafes but this is the exception lol)
**day 7 (tuesday march 26)**
* get up early AGAIN for kiyomizudera, sanenzaka, ninenzaka (is 6 am overkill? i’m expecting this to be the most packed area)
* see maruyama park, gion district, philosopher’s path?
* check out pontocho alley?
**day 8 (wednesday march 27)**
* shinkansen back to tokyo! drop off bags at [the kanzashi tokyo asakusa](https://maps.app.goo.gl/iXwY7rb7qKv8QY9R6) before 3:00 pm check-in
* ueno park, tokyo museum, ameyoko?
**day 9 (thursday march 28)**
* go to tokyo disneysea! get there by 8:00 am for 9:00 am opening
* if i’m feeling especially deranged, may buy afternoon tickets for disneyland as well just to check out the beauty and the beast ride lmao, but that decision will likely be made day-of
**day 10 (friday march 29)**
* wake up early (around 6/7 am) to go to sensoji
* check out nakamise-dori, kappabashi for knifes/cutlery/dishware/etc
* do any last-minute souvenir shopping i didn’t already accomplish!
**day 11 (saturday march 30)**
* check out of hotel & get to haneda for 11:30 am flight back to jfk 🙁