Hi all, this is a 16 day itinerary which I roughly planned, but I would like some opinions, as I would like to see as much as I can without it being stressful.
Some background about us: we are going to be 4 adults in our late 20s and early 30s. We like Japanese culture, such as manga, anime and arcades, but also we would like to see some lovely temples. We also are very looking forward to the Japanese food. My worry is that spending too much time in large cities, it will be a bit dazing for the whole trip and we won’t get to experience some countryside. At the same time, I prefer doing day trips, than hauling the luggage around and spending one night here and one night there. I built the itinerary mainly doing Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka but as I said, a couple of days away from the big cities and the crowds, I think will do us well. In fact, I was looking into adding Kanazawa and Shirakawago village, for this reason, but without feeling overwhelmed. I was thinking removing a day from Tokyo and Kyoto to do this. Or maybe we consider day trips from Kyoto instead like Himeji or Kobe?
Day 0: (Sleep in Tokyo)
* Arrive Tokyo Haneda Airport at 16.45
* Go find somewhere to eat near Shibuya
* Shibuya Crossing
* Hachiko Memorial Statue
Day 1: (Sleep in Tokyo)
* Warner Brothers Harry Potter Tour
* Namco Sugamo Museum
* Akihibara
* Ramen
Day 2: (Sleep in Tokyo)
* Disneyland
* Odaiba Monarail on the way back for the views
Day 3: (Sleep in Tokyo)
* Harajuku
* Mario Kart around Tokyo in the afternoon
* Shinjuku in the evening
* Karaoke
Day 4: (Sleep in Tokyo)
* Day Trip Kawaguchiko Fuji Five Lakes [link](https://blog.japanwondertravel.com/how-to-get-to-mt-fuji-kakawaguchiko-9422#toc1)
Day 5: (Sleep in Osaka)
* Osaka Castle
* Eat Okonomiyaki Osaka Style
* Don Quijote
* Shin Sekai
* Dotonbori at night
* Eat Takoyaki
Day 6: (Sleep in Osaka)
* Universal Studios
Day 7: (Sleep in Osaka)
* Hiroshima and Miajiama Day Trip [link](https://www.livingoutlau.com/day-trip-to-hiroshima-from-osaka-or-kyoto/), [link](https://serenaslenses.net/day-trip-from-osaka-to-miyajima/)
Day 8: (Sleep in Kyoto)
* Spend the last morning in Osaka (anything we missed) and go to Kyoto in the afternoon.
* A Happy Pancake Shinsaibashi
* Amerikamura
* Gion by night
* Kichi Kichi Omurice
Day 9: (Sleep in Kyoto)
* Bamboo Forest
* Monkey Park
* Sagano Scenic Rail
* Hozugawa River
* [Arashiyama itinerary](https://www.ahappypassport.com/blog/arashiyama-kyoto-japan)
Day 10: (Sleep in Kyoto)
* Fushimi Inari Shrine
* Lunch at Nishiki Market
Day 11: (Sleep in Kyoto)
* Wandering around Kyoto, I read somewhere that Kyoto has temples at every corner.
* Maybe some ideas from here as well [link](https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-five-day-itinerary)
Day 12: (Sleep in Kyoto)
* Day Trip Nara
Day 13: (Sleep in Hakone)
* We booked a ryokan experience and hopefully we will be able to do some of this [itinerary](https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/course/244)
* I read somewhere that we can send our luggage from the station to the hotel, so that we will be able to explore the day in Hakone until check-in time.
Day 14: (Sleep in Tokyo)
* Either we go to a park such as Shinjuku Park or Ueno Park
* Wander around Asakusa and Ueno but if we get tired of looking at temples, maybe we go shopping in Ginza and Shibuya instead
Day 15: (Sleep in Tokyo)
* Morning trip in Kamakura
* Large Buddha
* Hokokuji Temple
* Komomachi Dori
* Curry Bread
* Afternoon trip in Yokohama
* Minatomirai
* Cup Noodles Museum
* Yokohama Chinatown
Day 16: (Sleep in Tokyo)
* Shopping
* I would like to leave 3 days in Tokyo before heading back home, as I would like to buy a large suitcase and take it home full of souvenirs and Japanese snacks
Day 17: Flight back home from Tokyo
Any opinions would be much appreciated! Thank you very much!🌸
by theycallmejigsaw