I am working on my itinerary, using /r/JapanTravel as a wonderful resource. Thank you to all the lovely people who are giving us inspiration. I am drafting my itinerary, and rather than trying to complete it I would really value some input and ideas. Day 3 in particular!
A little bit about our trip. We are spending 2 weeks in Japan. Tokyo for 4 nights, Osaka for 3 nights, Kyoto for 4 nights, Tokyo for 3 nights. I am focusing on firming up my Tokyo plans, and with a late afternoon arrival (6pm), we end up with 5 full days in Tokyo. Dates are April 6 – April 20.
A little bit about me and my family. We are an easy going group of people, we love to go with the flow. My son is getting into Anime, after spending his child years heavily into Pokemon. One Piece is his new interest. My daughter loves animals and will generally be into cute things. She loves pusheen for example. My wife and I are chill, we’re looking for a balanced holiday. Without planning out an itinerary we could easily fall into a routine of window shopping / shopping etc. So I am getting prepared.
One key bit of advice I am trying to take on board is not over filling our days. We’re going for 2 locations or activities per day. We will find food around each area and if we run short of things to do, we don’t mind having an earlier night back at the hotel or taking it easy. We have started a Google maps list, pinning different coffee and food locations around the things we are interested in.
**Some areas we’ve already considered** include:
*Shinjuku – we’re already going to Shibuya, and as we have younger Children we’re unlikely to be hitting the nightlife. Do you think it has enough of a different vibe to make it worthwhile having a look through? For now it’s on the maybe pile.
* Nakano Broadway – I liked the idea of this place, especially for the more retro anime, but I think it’s really only suitable for my Son and I, and we’re trying to keep the whole family engaged.
* Ginza – it sounds nice, but from a family POV am I missing out on anything here?
**First Tokyo stay – 3 days**
We’re staying in Akasaka, near Akasaka station.
**For Day 1** I am quite settled. We intend to travel to Yoyogi, grab some breakfast, stroll through Yoyogi park (there’s a dog/wan wan festival on this weekend so my daughter will like seeing the dogs), and Meiji Jingu. From there we intend to sight see around Harajuku and Ometesando. I didn’t want to push it all the way to Shibuya or Shinjuku, it feels like it is trying to cram way too much in. What do you think? There are heaps of food options around here.
**For Day 2** I was thinking Ghibli in the morning, if we could grab tickets (will need to see if I can order them on March 10), and Shibuya for the rest of the day. I think we could easily make an afternoon chilling in Shibuya, eg. Shibuya sky, scramble, Parko mall, Disney store, Mega don quijote, Taito station for the kids. No doubt there will be plenty of eats, and general Gachapod hunting. If anyone thinks that I am stretching out Shibuya too much let me know?
**For Day 3** This is where i’d love some advice.
On one hand I was thinking Teamlab planets + Odaiba for the Gundam + gundam store, and perhaps Joyopolis etc. it might be fun for the kids. But equally I am mindful if we have spent some time doing similar things in Shibuya, will it get repetitive?
Alternatively I was thinking Teamlabs:Borderless in the morning, and a free afternoon for another activity or location. But do you have any suggestions for a nice family afternoon? Maybe I am over thinking things and should just go with Odaiba!
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**Insert Osaka and Kyoto here – watch this space**
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**The return leg before going home…2 more days in Tokyo**
We are staying in Ueno for these nights.
**For Day 4** I was considering exploring Ueno, Ueno Zoo, and Akihabara. Is Ueno Zoo worthwhile? It looks a little run down and I am concerned if animals aren’t being well treated. Are there any other sights you recommend around Ueno? My wife was wondering if we should use this day to go to Tokyo Disney. We’ve never been to a Disneyland before, but honestly it feels like a full on day. And we are planning on going to USJ whilst in Osaka.
**For Day 5** this is going to be Asakusa, and then the Skytree area. I know this might be a repetitive designation to Shibuya in terms of shopping/window shopping? Does anyone have any alternative family friendly ideas for this day and part of Tokyo?
by Soundwavenz