Hi! My boyfriend and I are planning on traveling to Japan for the first time from late May to early June as a college graduation trip!
Our trip will be about 2 weeks & we have only booked the flights (so still looking for hotel accommodations) and a semi-cheap budget (willing to splurge on some experiences but overall would prefer to be on the cheaper side)
Our interests: we’re foodies, music (specifically shoegaze & electronic, we follow many Japanese shoegaze bands and really want to have a music or concert experience), hiking & nature, history, more laid back (but not completely), coffee & espresso, matcha, fashion (margiela, vivienne westwood, issey miyake, etc).
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|Date|Summary|Details|
|:-|:-|:-|
|Tuesday|Travel to Tokyo|Arrive at 3:40pm|
|Wednesday|Tokyo – Ginza|Tsukiji Market, Glitch Coffee, Small Worlds Tokyo, Explore Ginza|
|Thursday|Tokyo – Shibuya|Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya Crossing, Takeshita Street, Vintage Designer Shopping, Record stores, Tower Records|
|Friday|Tokyo – Ueno & Akihabara (?)|Tokyo National Museum, Ueno Park, Kappabashi Kitchen Shopping Street, Sensoji, Akihabara, Arcades, Kitazawa bookstore|
|Saturday|Shimokitazawa & Shinjuku|Shimokitazawa, Vintage & Music Shopping, Cafes, Shinjuku Gyoen, Godzilla Head, Golden Gai|
|Sunday|Mt.Mitake Hike|Go to Mt. Mitake, Mitake Shrine, Ayahiro Falls, Cable Car|
|Monday|Travel to Hakone|Lake Ashi, Stay in a Ryokan, Onshi Hakone Park, Ōwakudani|
|Tuesday|Travel to Kyoto|Free – leave Hakone at leisure / explore Kyoto|
|Wednesday|Kyoto Temples|Kiyomizu-dera, Sannen-zaka, Tea House, Miffy Kitchen, Chion-in Temple, Shoren-in Temple, Nishiki Market, Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine|
|Thursday|Mount Kurama Hike|Mount Kurama Hike, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Path of Philosophy, Nanzen-ji Temple|
|Friday|Kyoto|Tenryu-ji Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Okochi-Sanso Garden, Teahouse, Downtown Kyoto, Nijo Castle|
|Saturday|Travel to Osaka|Dotombori, Osaka Castle, Kuromon Ichiba Market, Amerikamura|
|Sunday|Minoh Falls|Minoo Park / Falls Hike, Katsuo-ji, Minoh Beer Warehouse, Cupnoodles Museum, TeamLabs Osaka|
|Monday|Nara Day Trip|Tōdai-ji Temple, Kofuku-ji, Nara Park, Nakatanidou Mochi Shop|
|Tuesday|Travel to Tokyo|TeamLabs, revisit or do anything we missed|
|Wednesday|Travel Home|Tokyo Haneda 5:40pm|
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Questions:
1. Is there anything we are missing that we definitely need to see? Or things we should take out?
2. Where should we stay that would be affordable?
3. How can we find if there will be any shoegaze / indie music shows while we’re there? Is it possible to buy tickets at the door or online without Japanese phone number?
4. Any fashion related experiences that anyone would recommend? Specifically for more niche (?) designers?
5. Does anyone know of any affordable Ryokans in Hakone they would recommend? My boyfriend is not as interested in onsen experience, so a private onsen in the room is not a must (but it would be a plus if the hotel allowed u to rent a private onsen)
Thank you so much! We are beyond excited 😀 Please give us any and all advice you might have for our trip!!
by cuteavocadocorgi