Hello! I’ve found that this is a great place for sharing itineraries for Japan. My partner and I will be visiting from the UK. We’ll be hitting up Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and Kyoto, with a bonus quiet stay in Yudanaka and Narai. We’ve had a few suggested ideas from different people so there may be some random things included.
Happy to take any advice given e.g. days that are too packed, missed opportunities, things to skip, favourite eateries. There are also notes on a couple of days that I’d be keen to get people’s opinions on. We have a lot of optional activities that are to help fill any gaps should our main activities run short or go wrong.
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1: Tokyo (Ginza Hotel)
AM: Flights & Check-in
PM: Explore nearby area/recover from jetlag
Optional: Hamarikyu Gardens
2: Tokyo (Ginza Hotel)
AM: Akihabara, Senso-ji
PM: Teamlabs (end of day)
Optional: 6hr Tokyo tour (Partner’s parents will be doing but we’re thinking we won’t join as it sounds like a lot for day 2 and we’d like to spend more time at some of these – Scramble crossing, Imperial Palace, TeamLabs, Takeshita shopping street, Meiji jingu, Met Gov building, Shinjuku Gyoen garden)
3: Yudanaka (Ryokan)
AM: Travel from Tokyo
PM: Snow Monkey Park
Optional: Enjoy the peace!
Food: Hotel
4: Narai (Minshuku)
AM: Travel from Yudanaka (send suitcases to Hiroshima). Small break in Matsumoto.
PM: Walk around the small town
Optional: Wonder out into the wilderness..
Food: Matsumoto/Hotel
5: Osaka (Nishinari Ward)
AM: Travel from Narai. Small break in Nagoya.
PM: Teamlab (night)
Optional: Tsutenkaku/Market, Mega Don Quijote
Food: Nagoya lunch
6: Osaka (Nishinari Ward)
AM/PM: Actually Nara. Isuien Garden, Neiraku Museum, Todai-ji, Nakatanidou
Optional: Ukimido, Manyo Botanical Gardens, Kasuga Taisha, Kofuku-ji
** Note: Could switch this for day 7 in Osaka and instead just stay in Nara one night???
7: Osaka (Shinsaibashi)
AM: Osaka castle, central Osaka
PM: Dotonbori
Optional: Daimaru Shinsaibashi
Food: Kotori café, Dotonbori
8: Hiroshima (Higashi Ward)
AM: Travel from Osaka (get bags back at hotel!)
PM: Miyajima – Istukushima Jinja, Deer, Bean cakes, watch sunset.
Optional: Explore anything else in Miyajima.
Food: Okonomiyaki (Otama No Kyabetsu)
9: Hiroshima (Higashi Ward)
AM: Peace memorial park and museum. Maybe via tour?
PM: Walk back via Castle and Shukkeien Garden
10: Kyoto (Gion)
AM: Travel from Hiroshima
PM: Explore Gion district – Sannenzaka Path, Fushimi inari taisha, Ninenzaka
Optional: Kiyomizu-dera, Pontocho park, Moritaya Kiyamachi, Kyoto Handicraft Centre
Food: Kichi Kichi Omurice
11: Kyoto (Gion)
AM: Arashiyama bamboo forest onto Kimono forest
PM: Kinkaku-ji, Adashino Nenbutsuji, Otagi Nenbutuji
Optional: Ichimonjiya, Ryoan-ji, Honkongo-in Temple
12: Kyoto (Gion)
AM/PM: Sumo or Kyoto Botanical Gardens
Optional: Temples missed out on day 11, Katsura Imperial Villa
** Note: Boys are hoping to see sumo (tickets confirmed later this month) which is in Osaka. Girls will be filling time with more relaxed wondering e.g. Garden. Possible food tour – as partner’s parents won’t be visiting Osaka there is want to do a food tour there but it seems rather out of the way when we’ll all be staying in Kyoto that night? Possible food tour in Kyoto instead.
13: Tokyo (Chiyoda)
AM: Travel from Kyoto
PM: Undecided somehow
Optional: Move some items here or go to the Ghibli Museum
14: Tokyo (Chiyoda)
AM: Shinjuku – Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Tokyo Met Gov Building (go up)
PM: Shibuya – Pat Hachiko, Look at Scramble Crossing/Shibuya sky, then visit Meji Jingu
Optional: Shimokitazawa, Miyashita park, Yoyogi park
Food: Café Aaliya, Brown’s Books & Cafe
15: Tokyo (Chiyoda)
AM/PM: Visit Kamakura – Enoshima and Hokokuji
** Note: Worth it for a day visit? This or Fiji but as Fiji isn’t guaranteed good view this seemed better?
16: Tokyo (Chiyoda)
AM: Ueno – Ueno park and Kotori Cafe (maybe early blossom?)
PM: Kappabashi street
Optional: Sumida Hokusai Museum, Skytree, Gyukatsu Motomura Ueno
17: Tokyo (Chiyoda)
AM: Imperial Palace
PM: Naka-Meguro Park (hoping for early blossom around the 26th?)
Optional: Tokyo Tower, National Art Centre, Mori Art Museum. Somewhere nice for the final dinner??
18: Tokyo (Chiyoda)
AM: Fly home!
Keen to hear of anyone’s thoughts on any part – it’s our first visit!
by Efficiency_Sure