Hi there. Me and my wife will be travelling to Japan for the first time between 18th of April – 02nd of May (i know, we will be there around the Golden Week, but what’s done is done) and we would like to get any suggestions based on the itinerary that we have made for ourselves. I will also ask a few questions in the bottom of the post. I sincerely thank you for your time.
**19.04 (Friday)-** We will arrive in the morning of 19th, so we will take the day for getting used to our neighbourhood (Nihombashi), probably see a bit of Akihabara for the rest of the day.
**20.04 (Sat) -** Leaving for Kyoto first in the morning with the Shinkansen and planning to see FUSHIMI INARI TAISHA / PHILOSOPHER’S PATH / GINKAKU JI / NISHIKI MARKET in the afternoon / NIJO CASTLE wandering outside at night
**21.04 (Sun)** \- ARASHYAMA BAMBOO FOREST + TENRYU JI early in the morning / SAIHO JI (KOKEDERA) / KINKAKU JI / KIYOMIZU DERA / TEA CEREMONY near previous location / RESTAURANTS for the dinner
**22.04 (Mon) -** Leaving first thing in the morning for Osaka and planning to see OSAKA CASTLE/ UMEDA SKY BUILDING / DOTONBORI AREA for the night
**23.04 (Tue) -** SHINSEKAY AREA , maybe some souvenirs and later in the evening **returning to Tokyo**
**So we’ve opted to see Kyoto and Osaka in the first part of our trip because of the Golden Week and i hope we made a good decision.**
**24.04 (Wed) -** SENSO JI / ASAKUSA NEIGHBOURHOOD / MAYBE TOKYO SKY TREE / SAMURAI MUSEUM / TEAMLABS PLANETS
**25.04 (THU) -** DAY TRIP TO HAKONE
**26.04 (FRI) -** DISNEYLAND
**27.04 (SAT) -** IMPERIAL PALACE / ART AQUARIUM / TEAMLABS BORDERLESS / HAMARIKYU GARDENS
**28.04 (SUN) -** MEIJI JINGU / GYOEN GARDENS / SHIBUYA SCRAMBLE/ HACHIKO STATUE/ SHIBUYA SKY
**29.04 (MON) -** UENO PARK / UENO ZOO / RIKUGIEN GARDENS
**30.04 (TUE) -** THE MAKING OF HARRY POTTER / HARRY POTTER CAFFEE / MORI ART MUSEUM
**01.05 (WED) -** DON QUIJOTE MALLS / WANDERING AROUND FOR SOUVENIRS
**02.05 (THU) -** Maybe wandering around and seeing something that we did not have on the list, we have the flight only in the evening (10 PM).
I did not mention any restaurants as there are a lot that we have in mind, but those will be in the night mostly, at dinner.
So here are some of the questions that i have:
1. How does it work with the reservations for attractions, say for example BORDERLESS, If i have a reservation from 4.00 PM and i might get late half an hour or more because of traffic or because not being punctual, can i still enter if i have purchased a ticket for that hour?
2. From where should i book the Shinkansen tickets in advance? Did some research but apparently i can’t get it right, i get mostly japanese sites without translation.
3. Do you have any suggestions for the attractions that we have on the list that maybe are not worth because of various motives and change them with something else?
4. Are the main attractions of Tokyo open during the Golden Week?
**Any other tips for the itinerary are more than welcome. Thank you for your time.**
by Level-Jeweler-610
3 comments
Hope you have a wonderful time!
I would say most things in Japan are extremely punctual if you miss a window you are kind of out of luck so it’s always better to book later and arrive early.
Shinkansen tickets I buy at the station. They leave between Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto about every 10 to 15 minutes and never had any issues.
Most every is open on salary workers in offices have the time off and Government employees.
As far as other things to recommend I have a ton. I love Tokyo but depends on what your interests are. For me Tokyo Tower is a must I always visit, some gardens, akiba, wandering around Harajuku etc.
1. It probably depends on the attraction, but it’s way safer to not arrive late.
2. You can book them at the station in advance. You may buy them at the ticketing machines because there’s English, but if you need to ask for help, you may do so by asking staff at the JR ticket counters (a room or counter with a green sign of a man on a chair, search みどりの窓口). Some of them might know English.
3. I think your itinerary looks good, perhaps I would suggest an additional trip to Ameya Yokocho (Ameyoko for short) that’s in Ueno too – it’s a famous shopping street. You may also add Harajuku into the same day for Meiji Jingu as it’s pretty near Shibuya (plus, your itinerary that day may turn out a little short as Shibuya actually doesn’t take a whole day)
4. It probably depends on the attraction. For the parks and gardens (and probably also shrines/temples/castles), unless they’re ticketed, they will be open. You might wish to Google each of the paid attractions or check their websites for their opening hours.
Have fun! 🙂
For the Shinkansen, you can use the Smart EX app to book ahead of time. You will probably need an AMEX card as Visa doesn’t seem to work.