Hello everyone!
This subreddit helped me plan my itinerary, so this is my way of giving back. Hope you find it useful for your next Japan trip! 🙂
In this post, I will be talking about Tokyo,
for Kyoto : [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1badssz/trip_report_first_time_in_kyoto_23/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
for Koyasan and Osaka : [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1badvnt/trip_report_koyasan_and_osaka_23/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Background:
27 M – Solo traveler from India who’s passionate about history and culture. I was thrilled to explore what Japan had to offer in these aspects. I prefer quiet places over parties, so you won’t find many nightlife recommendations here. Most of my time was spent strolling around, visiting shrines, and snapping lots of photos (I ended up with 200 gigs of photos by the end of the trip). Since this was my first trip, my plan was to cover as much ground as possible. I stayed at hostels, snacked at 7-11, and did a lot of walking.
Itinenary :
Tokyo → Kyoto → Koyasan → Osaka.
Tips :
– Start from Osaka → Kyoto → Tokyo for the best experience otherwise, you might find Osaka underwhelming.
– Avoid excessive research, as it may spoil the excitement of experiencing a location for the first time, robbing you of that magic moment.
– Opt for the official Gyoshin book rather than a travel journal as many temples declined to stamp my travel journal. Also note that, some temples may not stamp your Gyoshin book if they spot other stamps, such as JR stamps, within it.
– Most temples in Kyoto impose an entry fee that accumulates rapidly. Therefore, strategically plan your temple visits, prioritizing those with rich history, culture, or scenic views.
– You’ll be walking a lot, so make sure to buy comfortable shoes at least one month before your trip to break them in. Additionally, invest in pairs of comfortable socks to assist you during long-distance walks. I bought Nike Pegasus 40 for the trip and they kept me comfortable throughout the journey.
Payments :
– Youtrip for card payments + cash withdrawals.
– Wise and revolut didn’t work for me.
– Suica card on iphone
TLDR itinerary :
Day 1-7 : Tokyo
Stay : Tora hotel
– Day 1 : Ueno, Shinjuku
– Day 2 : Asakusa, Akhihabara
– Day 3 : Yoyogi Park, Harajuku, Shibuya
– Day 4 : Tsukiji Fish market, team labs planets, Ginza
– Day 5 : Suga shrine, Ginza, Coldplay concert
– Day 6 : Kamakura & Enoshima Islands
– Day 7 : Tokyo Imperial palace, Roppongi hills, Tokyo tower.
Day : 8-13 : Kyoto
Stay : K’s backpackers
– Day 8 : Gion, Kiyomizudera
– Day 9 : Philosophers path & fushimi Inari shrine
– Day 10 : Arashiyama
– Day 11 : Kifune – Kurama
– Day 12 : Uji & Nara
– Day 13 : Tofuku-ji, Gion, Kifune-Kurama
– Day 14 : Kiyomizu,
Day 14 – 15 : Koyasan
Stay : Koyasan gueshouse kokku
Day 16-19 : Osaka
Stay : Hotel the rock
– Day 15 – evening : Dontonbori
– Day 16 : Osaka
– Day 17 : Minoo park, Kurama & osaka castle
– Day 18 : Namba yasaka shrine, Osaka aquarium, team labs garden
– Day 19 : Shopping
**Tokyo Chapter :**
Number of days : 7.
Stay : TORA HOTEL ASAKUSA,
A quiet hostel, about a 5-minute walk from Asakusa station. Most people there were in Tokyo for business, so there weren’t many chances to socialize. It was a good hostel for the price
**Day 1 : Ueno and Shinjuku.**
Places visited :
– Ueno park
– Ueno Toshogu Shrine
– Tokyo National Museum
– Shinjuku
– Tokyo Metropolitan Governament Office
– Kabukuicho
– Golden Gai
– Omoide Yokocho
Total distance walked : 25.68KM.
Arrival :
Arrived bright and early at 6:30 AM via Scoot Airlines from Singapore to Narita.
Immigration grilled me for a good 10 minutes (perks of a weak passport).
Boarded the morning Keisei limited express from Narita to Ueno and checked into my hostel.
Ueno:
First day here so wanted to take it abit slow, I headed to Ueno Park and visited Ueno Toshogu Shrine. Then later I saw a huge queue at Ueno zoo so instead I went to Tokyo National Museum and learnt alot about Japan’s history.
Shinjuku :
Went to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office at around 4 PM and spent 1 hour there just seeing the endless city, the Mount Fuji on the horizon and city lights coming to life.
Then walked around Shinjuku, saw the cat billboard, explored Kabukicho, Golden Gai, was approached by a couple of “Friendly” Africans so immediately left the place.
Lastly, walked over to Omoide Yokocho and clicked a bunch of pics of the hustle.
**Day 2 : Asakusa and Akihabara.**
Places visited :
– Asakusa
– Senso-ji temple
– Nakamise shopping street
– Asakusa sight-seeing
– Akihabara
– Yodabashi-camera
– Radio Kaikan
– Hijiri-bashi bridge
– Sight seeing harajuku
Total distance walked : 22.00KM.
Askusa :
Started at 6:30 AM to beat the crowd at Senso-ji temple. Spent a good amount of time just chilling around the temple, clicking photos, and watching the crowd slowly come to life. Tried various street food on Nakamise shopping street and later explored the surrounding area of Senso-ji temple. Tried the famous melon pan (too sweet!) and award-winning chicken karage (delicious!)
Akihabara:
Reached Akihabara sometime around 12 PM, went straight to Yodobashi Camera where I spent 2 hours just browsing through alleys of gadgets. To this day, their catchy tune is staying rent-free in my head. Then just walked around Akihabara station and made my way to Radio Kaikan.
After being visually stimulated for a good 4 hours, I decided to take a break from the lights and walked over to Hijiri-Bashi Bridge to see the famous train crossing and later made my way back to the LED-lit Akihabara. Tried vegan ramen at Kyushu Jangara (highly recommend), made stops at various comics and games stores. One of them had a huge collection of train models, tracks, and environments which was a nice delight.
I was taken aback by the maid cafe culture; I knew it was prevalent but didn’t expect it to be packed at 5 feet apart. Spent rest of the night exploring different game shops.
Overall, Akihabara was sort of a miss for me. If I go there next, it would be with a goal to buy figurines/comics/toys.
**Day 3 : Meji-Shrine, Yoyogi Park, Harajuku and Shibuya**
Places visited :
– Meji-Shrine
– Yoyogi park
– Harajuku
– Togo-Jinja shrine
– adidas store
– Shibuya
– Shibuya sky
– pokemon center
Total distance walked : 25.85 KM
Meji-Shrine:
Started at 6:30 am, reached Meiji Shrine at around 8 am where I saw many newlyweds and wedding photographers around the shrine. After exploring shrine for abit, I went to a cafe called “Little Nap Coffee Stand”. The walk here was amazing since as it traversed the outskirts of Yoyogi park and streets were filled with yellow ginkgo leaves.
Yoyogi-park:
After taking a short rest and enojying the sights of train passing by, I headed for Yoyogi Park, which was breathtaking in itself. Watching people just take time off and sit under the sun enjoying picnics, exercising, and taking dogs out for a walk is a rare sight where I come from, so this itself was a unique experience.
Harajuku:
Then exited to Harajuku street, which was now flooded with people. Tried my first Cremia ice cream here, which I can describe as “coke served as ice cream”. Then tried the famous strawberries from “Strawberry Fetish”, which were delicious! Strolling around Harajuku, I took a wrong turn and found myself in front of Togo-Jinja Shrine, which was a nice surprise. I saw a traditional marriage ceremony there.
The alleys and streets around Harajuku attracted me, so I spent much of my noon just walking around Harajuku. Would recommend trying donuts at BPC Donuts over “I’m Donut”, as there was no queue and they were still delicious, and The Little Bakery if you want to try Western food.
Shibuya:
Around 3 pm, I reached Shibuya and spent the rest of my evening walking around exploring different shopping centers. Around evening, I was at Shibuya Parco clicking pics with Meowth. If time permits, try to go to the rooftop as it gives a breathtaking view of Shibuya.
Then I went to Shibuya Sky at around 6:30 pm. I feel it’s worth it only if you go around golden hour; when I went, it was well into the dark so the pics didn’t turn out that great. It was a nice view of the entire city, but go during golden hour to get 100% of your ticket.
Spent the rest of my night around Shibuya, just wandering around clicking pics.
**Day 4 : Tsukiji Fish market, Team labs planets and Ginza**
Places visited :
– Tsukiji Fish market
– Shrine
– Team labs planets
– Gundam base
– Ginza
– Sightseeing
– Art aquarium
Total distance walked : 26.06KM
Tsukiji Fish Market:
Reached Tsukiji Market at 8 am and was welcomed with long queues everywhere. First stop was the famous fluffy omelette, which was absolutely delicious. Next, I went to try the onigiri at Onigiri-ya Marutoyo; would recommend the grilled chicken Onigiri. Then tried other things like strawberry mochi, fresh melon, and matcha latte. Strolled around a bit and came across John Lennon cafe or Yemoto coffee head shop; the coffee there was AMAZING! I wish I had bought their coffee powder. I would visit Tsukiji Market again but with a group of friends to taste different food options; traveling alone limits these food options.
After spending a good 2.5 hours just walking around the market, I walked across to Team Labs planets, a good 45-minute walk that took me through various rivers, people, and buildings. I enjoyed it a lot!
Team labs:
Team labs planets was breathtaking. Although it’s filled with people, you can find good spots to click photos. There’s one art exhibition called the life cycle of a plant, and it gave me massive motion sickness, haha.
Gundam base:
After that, I went to DiverCity Tokyo to see the massive Unicorn Gundam, went around Gundam base, and bought my first Gundam.
Ginza :
Then I boarded the train to Ginza. My first stop was chicken broth ramen, which was meh at best and felt a bit overpriced. Then I went to Ginza Art Aquarium, which was amazing! I spent a good hour here.
By the time I came out, it was too late and most of the shops were shuttering down. So, I spent the rest of the night exploring Ginza and slowly made my way to Tokyo Station. It was a nice sight to just chill around the station and see its beautiful architecture. After spending 30 minutes around the station buying souvenirs, I called it a night.
**Day 5 : Suga Shrine, Ginza, Coldplay concert.**
Places visited :
– Suga shrine
– Ginza
– Itoya
– Coldplay concert.
Total distance walked : 17.28KM
I am a huge fan of Kimi no Na wa, also known as Your Name, so I decided to visit the famous stairs in the morning. The location is quite beautiful and photogenic. Next, I went back to Ginza to do some shopping, specifically to Itoya to buy some stationary stuff. After continuously walking for 26 kilometers over the past 4 days, my legs were cramping up, so I decided to take a rest.
In the evening, I attended the Coldplay concert. It was beautiful, and more importantly, I loved the crowd in Tokyo. They were respectful, dancing throughout the concert, and when it ended, everyone was following queue to exit the concert.
**Day 6 : Kamakura & enoshima island.**
Places visited :
– Road crossing
– Hase-dera temple
– Great buddha temple
– Zeniarai Benten shrine
– Sabo Kirara
– Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine
– Komachi-dori street
– Enoshima island
Total distance : 32.57KM
Started early at 6 AM, bought an Odakyu line pass at Shinjuku. Reached Fujisawa at 8:30 AM to transfer to the Enoden line.
The first stop was the slam dunk crossing; even at 8:45 AM, it was filled with tourists clicking pics. Next, I changed trains to Hase-dera temple. The views from the top were amazing; the sight of the vast city made me feel energized for the day ahead.
Next, I walked to the Great Buddha Temple. This place has a charm of its own, and I could feel some sort of “presence” at the temple. Then I made my way to Zeniarai Benten Shrine. I can say that the claims of washing money are true 😉
At this point, I was feeling hungry, so I went to this small cafe called “Sabo Kirara”. I knew I was in for a treat when I was presented with a Japanese menu and none of the waitresses there spoke English. I managed to order Uji Shiratama Anmitsu. This is a must-try dish there. First, they serve sautéed vegetables with matcha sauce, which was absolutely delicious! Then they bring in the main course, which consists of assorted mochi, red bean paste ice cream, fresh fruits, jelly, etc., and even more matcha sauce with Green tea to wash it down. This was one of the best meals I had during my travels in Japan.
Then I went to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine, which was bustling with people, and then made my way to Komachi-dori street. I tried a matcha latte at Momiji Chaya, which was absolutely horrible, and a Buddha pancake at a random shop, which was decent. It was already 2:30 PM at this point, so I rushed to Kamakura station and boarded a train to Enoshima Island, which took about 20 minutes to reach.
Enoshima Island was amazing. The walk from Enoshima station to the island itself was joyful, although climbing stairs was stressful. It took me about 60 minutes of leisure walking and sightseeing to reach the shores from Enoshima station. If you don’t want to climb stairs, there’s an option to take escalators as well. The shore was amazing, and I reached there just in time to watch a beautiful golden hour sunset. I spent a good hour at the shore and made my way back to Enoshima station. By this time, it was night, and all the shops were closed.
I took the Odakyu line train back to Shinjuku. Note that if you want to take the Romance Car, then you need to book seats in advance.
**Day 7 : Imperial Palace, Roppongi, Tokyo Tower.**
Place visited :
– Imperial Palace
– Yasukuni Jinja
– Kitanomaru Park
– Imperial palace
– Edo castle ruins
– Hie Shrine
– Toyokawa Inari Temple
– Meji Jingu Ginko Lane
– Noji jinja shrine
– National art center tokyo
– Roppongi hills
– Tokyo tower
– Zojo-ji temple
Total distance walked : 24.27KM
Imperial Palace:
Started the day by visiting the controversial Yasukuni Jinja. I didn’t feel welcomed there and had a weird vibe, so I got out of the area asap and made my way to Kitanomaru Park. The park was nice as there weren’t many people around, and it felt like I had the whole place to myself. Then I walked to the Imperial Palace and saw the Edo Castle ruins.
Hie Shrine:
Then I walked to Hie Shrine, which is gorgeous. I saw many school kids clicking their graduation pics here along with a few newlyweds here for a photoshoot. The rest of the day was random, which meant I was wandering around aimlessly and followed the path I liked. During this, I came across Toyokawa Inari Shrine, which is beautiful in itself, the famous Ginko Lane, and Noji Shrine.
Roppongi Hills:
Then I made my way to the National Art Center Tokyo and clicked a few pics of the famous cafe, tried Blue Bottle Coffee for the first time, and wandered around Roppongi Hills. I visited Zojo-ji Temple, which was beautiful in itself, and watched as Tokyo Tower lit up.
Went back to Meiji Shrine at Night, which was a completely different place, experienced the nightlife around Asakusa, and with that, my stay in Tokyo came to an end.
by akhil1996