Hello all! Visiting Japan this upcoming Cherry Blossom season. I’m spending 4 days in Tokyo, based out of Shimbashi, followed by 4 days in Kansai, where I’ll be staying in Umeda close to Osaka Station, and taking day trips out to Kyoto(2x), Himeji, and Nara. Each day’s activities are ordered based on what looked like optimal routing, and we are booking everything possible ahead of time to reduce overhead.
Any general tips and/or suggestions on adjustments I can make to the current schedule would be most welcome. Thank you in advance!
In addition, a few specific questions:
– I’m looking to reserve a sunset slot for Shibuya Sky. For those of you who have gone through this process, how fast do the sunset tickets usually sell out after availability opens up on the site?
– If I’m not spending much time in Osaka itself, would it make more sense to stay in Shin-Osaka since the Shinkansen station is based there? Or would the difference in transit for day trips be negligible?
– **Day 5: Tokyo -> Kansai, Kyoto Part 1** feels a little packed. Given the Shinkansen travel time + checkin + Osaka to Kyoto transit, I’m guessing we will not arrive in Kyoto until 10-11AM that day. Is it possible to get everything here done before 4PM? Per the day plan, I’m prepared to skip a few sights if not.
**Day 0 – Arrival**
– Arrive 3:00 PM at NRT
– Get Welcome Suica cards and SIM
– Take Keisei Narita SkyAccess train to Shimbashi Station
– Check into hotel in Shimbashi
– Walk around to find a dinner place (Hibiya/Ginza/Marunouchi?)
– Go to 7/11 for water/snacks/breakfast
– Back to hotel to sleep
**Day 1: Western Tokyo Part 1**
– Shinjuku
– Stop at Yotsuya-Sanchome Station on M Line, see Suga Shrine
– Shinjuku Gyoen Park
– Tokyo Metropolitan gov building
– Skyscraper District
– Find an izakaya for lunch
– Ikebukuro
– Sunshine City Mall
– Sunshine 60 street
– Observation deck
– Namja Town
– Animate Ikebukuro store
– Tonkatsu Marushichi for dinner, inside Ikebukuro station
**Day 2: Western Tokyo Part 2**
– Harakuju
– Meiji Shrine
– Yoyogi Park
– Takeshita Street (opens 10:30AM)
– Shibuya
– Hachiko Statue (outside Shibuya station)
– Sushi No Midori for lunch
– Nintendo Store
– MEGA Don Quijote
– Taito Station
– Shibuya Crossing
– Scramble Square
– Shibuya Sky observation deck for sunset
**Day 3: Northern Tokyo**
– Akihabara
– Exit station at Denki gai guchi, go to main street and walk around a bit
– Maximum 1 hour here
– Ueno
– Ameyoko Market for (br)unch
– Ueno Park
– Tokyo National Museum
– Museum of Nature and Science
– Asakusa
– Go up to 8th floor of tourism office before Kaminari for view
– Kaminari Gate
– Nakamise Shopping Street on the way
– Sensoji Temple
– Tokyo Skytree
**Day 4: Southern Tokyo**
– Breakfast at Tsukiji Fish Market
– Tsukiji Itadori Bekkan, opens 10AM
– Hamarikyu Gardens
– Imperial Palace and Gardens
– Tokyo Station, Marunouchi
– Lunch at Ramen Street
– Roppongi Hills
– Tokyo Tower
– Zojoji Temple
– Mori Tower observation deck
– Odaiba
– DiverCity
– Tokyo Big Sight
– Ginza
– Uniqlo superstore
– Lotte duty-free store
– Walk around and explore other shops
– Dinner at Mantensushi Marunouchi
**Day 5: Tokyo -> Kansai, Northern + Western Kyoto**
– Shinkansen Tokyo -> Osaka (around 2.5 hrs), drop luggage at hotel in Umeda
– Train to Kyoto, lunch at Kyoto Station
– Nijo Castle
– San-In line North from Kyoto Station, stop at Nijo
– (*If skipping North Kyoto if arriving late*) Take San-In line directly west to Arashiyama
– Transit to North
– San-In line Nijo -> Emmachi Station -> 205 City Bus North to Kinkakuji stop
– North Kyoto
– Kinkaku-ji
– Ryoan-ji
– Ninna-ji
– Ninna-ji Niomon Gate
– Transit to West
– Taxi from Ninnaji -> Otagi Nenbutsuji
– West Kyoto
– (Reverse these steps if not coming from North)
– Otagi Nenbutsuji
– Adashino Nenbutsuji
– Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street
– Nisonin Temple
– Jokakkoji Temple
– North to Tenryu-ji Temple / bamboo grove
– Walk south across Togetsukyo Bridge
– Arashiyama Monkey Park (closes 4PM)
– Get dinner nearby
– Walk NE to Saga-Arashiyama Station, San-In line back to Kyoto Station -> Osaka
**Day 6: Himeji + Osaka**
– Train to Himeji Castle in morning
– Back to Osaka for second half of day
– Osaka
– Osaka Tenmangu
– Osaka Castle
– Shinsaibashi shopping street
– Dotonbori
– Kuromon Ichiba Market
– Dinner at Yakiniku M Namba
– Shinsekai district
– Back North to Osaka Station, check out Umeda Sky Building
**Day 7: Eastern Kyoto**
– Take train to Nishiki Market for lunch
– Higashiyama District
– NE, 30 minutes from Kyoto Station
– Start North
– Jisho-ji temple (AKA Gingakuji)
– Philosopher’s Path
– Eikando Temple
– Nanzenji Temple
– Okazaki (Rabbit) Shrine (off-path, maybe skip)
– Heian Shrine/Gate
– Shorenin Temple
– Chionin Temple
– Gion
– Yasaka Shrine
– Kenninji Temple
– Higashiyama
– District itself
– Hokanji temple
– Kodaiji temple
– Sunset at Kiyomizu-dera temple
– Take train to, night hike up/down Fushimi Inari-taisha
**Day 8: Nara**
– Take M line to Shin-Imamiya -> Switch onto Q(Yamatoji) line to Nara Station
– Stop off at Horyuji Temple
– Head east to Nara deer park
– Kofuku-ji temple
– Isuien Garden
– Todaiji Temple
– Kasuga Taisha (Fujiwara clan shrine)
– Get Nara mochi at Nakataninidou
by uberclocker