Hi all,My husband (35) and I (31) are from Canada and we will be going to Japan from March 11-23rd. It is our first time in Japan. Things we like include hiking, biking, cocktails, Harry Potter and obviously food! I would love some feedback on our itinerary. I have also highlighted some specific questions we are hoping to clarify. Thanks in advance!
Day 1 (March 11): Tokyo
\- arrive in Haneda at 3PM. After getting to the hotel and settling in, we are planning to grab dinner in Shinjuku and explore Golden Gai in the evening
Day 2 (March 12): Tokyo
\- spend the day in Harajuku & Shibuya. ***I’d like to check out vintage shopping – any there particular stores or areas that are recommended?***
\- Shibuya Sky for sunset
Day 3 (March 13): Tokyo
\- Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio – aim to get there for 9AM and spend morning/early afternoon there
\- Shinjuku after HP Studio and explore for the rest of day
Day 4 (March 14): Tokyo/Kyoto
\- Asakusa
\- Teamlab Borderless ***(Should we reverse this order and do Borderless before Asakusa?)***
\- Bullet train to Kyoto in the evening. Explore Gion and Pontocho – ***what time do things die down in the area on a weekday?***
Day 5 (March 15): Kyoto
\- Nishiki market in AM
\- Afternoon trip to Nara (Kofuku-Ji Temple, Isuien Garden, Todai-ji Temple, Nara Deer Park)
\- Return to Kyoto in the evening
Day 6 (March 16): Kyoto
\- Fushimi Inari Tashi: Aiming to get there early ie. 8AM, do the main path and then on the way back down will go to the secret bamboo side route
\- Miniature clay food workshop at Bonchi Kyoto in late afternoon
Day 7 (March 17): Kyoto
\- Arashiyama – rent bikes right when shop opens at 9AM, then do the following route:
\*Arashiyama monkey park (1 hr)
\*Tenryu-ji Temple (45 min)
\*Okochi Sanso Garden (\~30 min)
\*Adashino Nenbutsuji (\~1.5 hr)
Note: we are actually planning on skipping the main bamboo forest in Arashiyama, as many say it gets insanely crowded/not worth it. We will be seeing the small bamboo forest in Fushimi Inari Tashi and the one in Adashino Nenbutsuji – ***is this a good idea or should we do the Arashiyama Bamboo forest since we are already in the area?***
\- Planning to return bikes by 2:30PM so we can catch the shuttle to our Ryokan
Day 8 (March 18): Kyoto/Osaka
\- Check-out of Ryokan and take train to Osaka
\- Explore Dotonbori
Day 9 (March 19): Osaka
\- Kuromon Ichiba Market in the morning
\- Watch Sumo Wrestling at EDION Arena Osaka (we figure this would be a cool activity that would also give us time to rest our feet. ***From my understanding it’s an all day event but we can arrive at any time and we would have one in-and-out privelage…is this correct?***)
\- Dotonbori in evening
Day 10 (March 20): Osaka/Tokyo
\- Osaka Castle in the morning
\- Train back to Tokyo
Day 11 (March 21) – Disney Sea (***\*on the fence about this one….is it worth it?***)
Day 12 (March 22) Tokyo – free day to do whatever
Day 13 (March 23) Tokyo/Fly out in evening
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Edit: formatting
by vfj2991