Insanely excited for our trip in April – we are 25 & 26 and it’s our first time visiting Japan. I simultaneously want to do as much as possible but also don’t want an unrealistic schedule. We’re flying in and out of Haneda, and have split our time between Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka with 1 night in Hakone and 2 nights in Fujiyoshida.
Our dates and hotel reservations are already set, so would appreciate any advice within each city (i.e. if one day is too crowded, if there’s something worthwhile to see while we’re in the area, if it’d be better to do something on a weekday vs. weekend or morning vs. evening, and any other feedback you may have).
**General preferences:**
(+) We’re big on food. I have a food instagram – it would be nice to get a few michelin recommended or 1-stars but we also just really love sushi and ramen and trying new foods.
(+) We like walking around (seeing historical areas, taking pictures) – since it’s our first trip, we’re happy to see the more touristy spots
(-) Not big on theme parks (disney/etc.) or museums (prefer more interactive activities – very excited for the open-air village/museum near Fuji we’re visiting)
(-) neither of us are huge fans of a particular anime or character, so while we’ll stop by Akihabara and a couple pokemon stores, we aren’t interested in themed cafes or other franchise-specific shops/attractions
**Need advice:**
• Booking shinkansen tickets: I’ve tried (and failed) to make a smartex account since my credit cards don’t seem to work with it. We’re planning on buying our tickets the day we arrive, but was wondering if anyone found a workaround. I’ve tried visa/mastercard on multiple browsers, pc/mobile, as well as the app.
• Luxury bag shopping: I might do some browsing for my first luxury bag at vintage shops (budget of \~100K JPY). I’ve heard QOO, Amore, 2nd street are popular, but let me know if there are others worth checking! I’ve also heard some people got good deals in more suburban / less touristy areas – wondering if it’s worth trying and if anyone recommends specific stores. Also not sure if I’m better off buying from a reputable Japanese eBay seller instead of shopping in person.
• Thrift shopping: I’ve seen on this subreddit that a lot of thrifting in Japan is more curated, with a focus on American clothing like college sweaters, etc. – I’m not as interested in that style, so I was wondering if there are areas in Tokyo/Osaka besides Shimokitazawa and Amerikamura that you’d recommend checking out?
• Kimono rentals: we’ve made a reservation at a shop in Gion (after we get back from an early morning at Fushimi Inari). My only thought is, it would be nice to wear the kimono to Fushimi Inari, but it’ll be crowded if we go after getting the rental (9am was the earliest time slot)
• Walking tours: I’ve done some tip-based tours in Europe and found them helpful as an introduction to the history of a particular area. I’m on the fence about including any in my itinerary or using the 2-3 hours instead for our own exploring/shopping.
• Other activities: tea ceremony in Kyoto, visiting Uji, paid food tours – thoughts on whether these are worth doing?
**Where we’re staying:** Total spent on accommodations for 15 nights of roughly $2,600 CAD.
* Tokyo (hotel near Shibuya)
* Kyoto (airbnb near Gion)
* Osaka (airbnb near Dotonbori)
* Hakone (ryokan near Gora station)
* Fujiyoshida (airbnb near lake kawaguchiko)
* Tokyo (hotel near Shibuya)
Apologies for the long post & thank you for reading!! I’d really appreciate any feedback; I’ve found this sub super helpful as I’ve been planning 🙂
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Itinerary:
**Travel day (Saturday, March 30):**
* Fly into Haneda in the late afternoon
* Dinner @ gyukatsu motomura
* Walk around Shibuya at night (shibuya crossing, etc.)
**Day 1 (Sunday, March 31): Tokyo**
* Morning: Yoyogi park (supposedly there are food stalls on weekends?) & meiji jingu shrine
* Lunch: TBD
* Afternoon: shinjuku gyoen national garden, walk around Shinjuku
* Evening: dinner in omoide yokocho, then grab a drink in golden gai
**Day 2 (Monday, April 1): Tokyo -> Kyoto**
* Morning: Toyosu market
* Afternoon: Imperial palace, chidorigafuchi moat, Akihabara (gatchapon, camera stores), pokemon store
* Late lunch: Rokurisha Ramen at Tokyo station
* Evening: travel to Kyoto (dinner: bring a bento box to eat on the train)
**Day 3 (Tuesday, April 2): Kyoto**
* Morning (wake up \~6am): Arashiyama bamboo grove, Okochi Sanso Garden, Daihikaku Senkōji Temple, Tenryu-ji, Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
* Late Lunch: grab something in the area
* Afternoon: Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street, Nijo Castle
* Evening: dinner TBD near Gion
**Day 4 (Wednesday, April 3): Kyoto**
* Morning (wake up \~6am): Fushimi Inari, walk around Gion, Hanamikoji Street, etc.
* Lunch: TBD
* Afternoon: scheduled a 2-hour break in case we need a nap, Nishiki market, and return kimonos before 6pm
* Evening: find somewhere in the Pontocho area for dinner
**Day 5 (Thursday, April 4): Kyoto** (this is our more chill day in Kyoto, in case we miss anything in the previous days. Potentially going to Uji in the afternoon, but open to other ideas as well.)
* Morning: more time exploring Gion
* Lunch: Men-ya Inoichi Hanare
* Afternoon: potential side trip to Uji (matcha desserts, walk along the river, etc. – I kind of want to try matcha-infused noodles lol)
* Evening: dinner TBD near Gion
**Day 6 (Friday, April 5): Kyoto -> Osaka**
* Morning: transit to Osaka, drop off luggage
* Lunch: Kurumon market
* Afternoon: walk around Dotonbori, thrift shopping (in Americamura?)
* Evening: dinner at Zauo Fishing Restaurant (saw it on terrace house and the concept of fishing your own food seemed fun), walk around Dotonbori at night
**Day 7 (Saturday, April 6): Osaka**
* Morning: Osaka castle
* Lunch: Toyo izakaya (we saw on Netflix and really want to go)
* Afternoon: Shinsekai, Namba Yasaka Shrine
* Evening: walk around Osaka station, dinner TBD
**Day 8 (Sunday, April 7): Osaka / Nara**
* Morning: Nakatanidou (mochi store), Nara park, Tōdai-ji Temple
* Lunch: TBD
* Afternoon: Mount Wakakusa, head back to Dotonbori
* Evening: dinner TBD
**Day 9 (Monday, April 8): Osaka -> Hakone**
* Morning: travel to Hakone
* Lunch: TBD
* Afternoon: Hakone ropeway, Owakudani
* Evening: relax at hotel, kaiseki dinner, onsen time
**Day 10 (Tuesday, April 9): Hakone -> Fujiyoshida**
* Morning: Lake Hakone, Heiwa no Torii gate
* Lunch: kombini food
* Afternoon: get rental car (already reserved) and drive to Fujiyoshida
* Evening: dinner near Airbnb
**Day 11 (Wednesday, April 10): Fujiyoshida**
* Morning (very early wakeup): Chueito Pagoda for sunrise, various photo spots (lawson, kawaguchiko station), Fujimi Kotuko Park
* Lunch: Miyaki Udon
* Afternoon: Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba (open air museum / craft village), sunset at Oishi park
* Evening: dinner TBD, onsen near airbnb
**Day 12 (Thursday, April 11): Fujiyoshida -> Tokyo**
* Morning: honcho street, Oishino Hakkai (will get lunch there)
* If we weren’t able to get a good view of Mt. Fuji from Chueito Pagoda the prior day, we can wake up early this day to try again 🙂
* Afternoon: return rental car, transit back to Tokyo
* Evening: dinner at Tsujihan, 2nd dinner at conveyor belt sushi
**Day 13 (Friday, April 12): Tokyo** (I’ve left these Tokyo days a little less prescribed – we’ll be doing some shopping, may go back to Toyosu market, go cafe hopping, etc.)
* Morning: Sensoji temple, Asakusa
* Lunch: TBD
* Afternoon: capybara cafe, shibuya sky for sunset
* Evening: dinner TBD
**Day 14 (Saturday, April 13): Tokyo**
* Morning: TeamLab Borderless (first time slot)
* Lunch: TBD
* Afternoon: shopping (thrifting, kappabashi street, Don Quijote, drug store, Cosme, etc.)
* Evening: TBD
**Travel day (Sunday, April 14):**
* Morning: TBD – maybe more shopping
* Lunch: TBD
* Afternoon: duty free shopping & fly out from Haneda