Hello! My fiancé and I are going to Japan this spring for the first time as our honeymoon trip. We will be arriving just in time for full bloom cherry blossoms in Tokyo, but will likely miss full bloom in Kyoto. After some iterations of my itinerary, this is the itinerary I’ve settled on. I would love any advice/recommendations or ways to improve this itinerary! I’m not sure when we’ll be able to return to Japan so we’re trying to get the most out of our first trip.
Interests: architecture, anime, walkable neighborhoods with cool/relaxing vibes, coffee, craft beer and sake, eating lots of food, hitting the first timer “must do’s”
**Day 0 – Tokyo – Thursday**
* Arrive late, check in hotel, sleep early
**Day 1 – Tokyo – Friday**
* Shinjuku
* Shinjuku Gyoen – cherry blossoms
* Ramen @ [Soba House Konjiki-Hototogisu](https://maps.app.goo.gl/TatQFDfH3j9eg5BaA) or [Ramen Hayashida](https://maps.app.goo.gl/2VKc8G2sKHqS3pPm9)
* 90min reservation all you can drink sake @ [Kurand Sake Market](https://maps.app.goo.gl/QtbW8aciS8Y1SdxC8)
* Wander around Golden Gai
**Day 2 – Tokyo – Saturday**
* Ueno Park – cherry blossoms
* Ameyoko
* Yanaka ([Cafe Neko-e-mon](https://maps.app.goo.gl/nwBXJMNCyj8LzsDy6), Yanaka Cemetary, Yuyake Dandan, [Waguriya](https://maps.app.goo.gl/LjBgaCmyVFDeUEgD8))
**Day 3 – Tokyo – Sunday**
* [Glitch Coffee](https://maps.app.goo.gl/rZj2L9v6tX2AyTZ7A)
* Akihabara (explore, buy some things, visit an arcade)
* Asakusa (Senso-ji after dark, look at Skytree from Sumida River at night)
**Day 4 – Tokyo – Monday**
* Nakameguro
* Daikanyama
* Ebisu
**Day 5 – Tokyo – Tuesday**
* Meiji Shrine
* Harajuku (explore, reservation @ [Sakurai Tea Experience](https://maps.app.goo.gl/PUvSWLVTQr5Pk1rK8))
* Shibuya (Tower Records, Disk Union, Parco Department Store, Shibuya Crossing)
**Day 6 – Hakone – Wednesday**
* Do laundry somewhere, get coffee and breakfast
* Romancecar to Hakone
* Check in ryokan @ [Fukuzumiro](https://maps.app.goo.gl/dBrbX3HZLfG9Ye7Z9) (onsen, dinner, chill and relax feet)
**Day 7 – Kyoto – Thursday**
* Train to Kyoto, arrive \~1:00PM
* Sanjusangendo Temple
* Dinner @ [Men-ya Inoichi](https://maps.app.goo.gl/VqjVe3gbq657UqsP9), explore and get drinks in nearby area (Kamogawa / Pontocho)
* Visit Yanaka Shrine after dark
**Day 8 – Kyoto – Friday**
* Ninenzaka/Sannenzaka streets
* Kiyomizudera
* Explore Higashiyama District
* Kodaiji
* Maruyama Park
* Nishiki Market
* Gion
**Day 9 – Kyoto – Saturday**
* Ginkakuji
* Philosopher’s Path
* Nanzenji
* Keage Incline
**Day 10 – Osaka – Sunday**
* Coffee @ [LiLo Coffee Roasters](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZX7zmuuQ1nQH9NY38)
* Raregroove records, King Kong records
* Shinsaibashi St. – eat a lot of food
* Kuromon Ichiba Market
* Shinsekai
* Dotonbori
**Day 11 – Kyoto/Nara – Monday**
* Fushimi Inari Taisha
* Nara (Todai-Ji, explore, cocktails @ [Lamp Bar](https://maps.app.goo.gl/U7H9CjRoJArfXjqDA))
**Day 12 – Tokyo – Tuesday**
* Train to Tokyo, check in Ginza hotel
* Ginza (MUJI, Uniqlo, Itoya, get a nice dinner)
**Day 13 – Tokyo – Wednesday**
* Coffee @ [Bongen](https://maps.app.goo.gl/9eDHWLhssxe7RisN9)
* MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya
* Last minute souvenir shopping/eating
* Fly out of Haneda 10:55PM
​
Questions:
1. Day 3 – I’ve gone back and forth whether I should do Akihabara morning/afternoon and Asakusa in the evening, or the other way around. I’ve settled on doing Asakusa at night and feel fine with missing the shops on Nakamise Dori. Any thoughts here?
2. Day 4 – We may replace this with a rest day if we’re exhausted. Open to any other suggestions of things to do on this day.
3. Day 9 – We’ll likely have missed cherry blossoms on this day. Do you think there’s a better way to spend this day? Would Arashiyama be a better option, even if we have zero interest in the bamboo forest or the monkey park?
4. Day 11 – Do you think it’s fine to do Fushimi Inari and Nara in the same day (assuming I do Fushimi Inari very early)? Or is that way too exhausting?
by somedudeman35