Hello! I’d like to get feedback on my Tokyo itinerary. My mom and I (late 20s) are taking a girls trip to Japan. It will be our first time. We love shopping, museums, great cocktails and a generally slower pace than most (although we will put a pep in our step for this trip).
For this trip, we want to semi-leisurely explore to get the vibe of each neighborhood. Focusing less on seeing every sight or ticking off a list. I do have specific food/drink/galleries/etc saved on Google Maps/Wanderlog as options if we need help exploring. But this is our overarching outline to guide us to those spots. (same method I use here in NYC, so we are used to this)
We will head to Kyoto for 5 days after this!
**Day 1 – Arrival**
* Check into hotel \[Kimpton Shinjuku\]
* Nearby dinner + konbini
* Good night’s rest
**Day 2 – Yoyogi-Uehara | Shibuya**
* **Uehara**: slow morning, strolling for coffee/pastries, maybe pop into Yoyogi park
* **Shibuya**: shopping, cocktails, dinner
**Day 3 – Harajuku | Shinjuku**
* **Harajuku**: Takeshita Street, focus on back alleys, Cat Street, etc.
* **Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden**: take a breather
* **Shinjuku**: Kimpton rooftop for views, Omoide Yokocho, Golden Gai
**Day 4 – Nakameguro | Daikanyama | Ebisu**
Check into new hotel \[The Lively Azabujuban\]
(I know this is not necessary, but we are doing it, want to, have reasons, no problema, no need to comment)
* **Meguro River**: stroll up the river, grab a bite at a cafe
* **Daikanyama**: shop the backstreets, T-Site bookstore, boutiques, etc.
* **Ebisu**: cocktails, Ebisu Yokocho dinner, more cocktails
**Day 5 – Asakusa | Ueno | Akihabara**
* **Asakusa**: Nakamise-dori, Sensoji, Hoppy Dori
* **Ueno**: Nezu Shrine, Ueno Park, Museum, Ameyoko for a bite (thinking this section we do based on time- can skip shrine/museum/whatever depending on how slow we are, just placing as our “green” for the day)
* **Akihabara**: shop 2k540, play a game at an arcade, visit a manga store, etc. (the latter isn’t as much my mom’s thing, but she’ll get a kick out of popping in a few places to say we did)
**Day 6 – Ometesando | Aoyama | Roppongi**
* **Ometesando**: Espace Louis Vuitton, Nezu Museum
* **Aoyama**: stroll the backstreets
* **Roppongi**: Mori Art Museum, Tokyo Midtown Design Hub, galleries, cocktails, dinner
**Day 7 – Ginza | Yurakucho**
* **Azabujuban**: slow morning, grab breakfast and walk over to Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park, swing by Kaikai Kiki on the way out
* **Ginza**: shopping (department store, stationary stores), cocktails
* **Yurakucho**: dinner under the tracks
Would love to get your thoughts on feasibility given our ehem.. stamina. I realize this will partially depend on how long we take to shop/walk through a museum/etc. I just don’t want to be rushing from place to place if I can help it.
**Recommendations appreciated for:**
* Favorite unique design/artsy shops
* Favorite headspas or hair salons
* Favorite cocktail bars (I think I have saved every popular one from Reddit and the web, but just in case)
* Suggestions for simple food lovers
(Unfortunately, we aren’t very complex foodies. We love Asian cuisine, but tend to stick on the simpler side of dishes and don’t eat a ton of meat outside of chicken unless you can’t really tell like in a dumpling, meatball, etc. I know it’s weird, but it’s just the way we are at the moment. We will venture out best we can)
* What’s the typical strategy for booking reservations? Know I will need to make a few for cocktail bars. Wondering if I call the hotels ahead of time or use something like My Concierge?
Thanks:)
by calvgore
