[Itinerary Check] 2023 Itinerary DRAFT First Trip! (Tokyo, Kyoto, Toyosato, Numazu)

7 comments

1. >I’m worried about this being 15 days instead of 14 for JR Pass, so if there is a way to cut this down let me know!

   You don’t need to use the pass in Tokyo. So buy a 7 day pass, and activate it when going to Kyoto. It will save you some money. Not even sure if a pass makes sense at all, you may want to roughly calculate the travel costs using Hyperdia for example. A pass is basically the costs of Shinkansen Tokyo <-> Kyoto. So if you don’t travel more than that, it’s cheaper to just buy tickets with Suica or Pasmo.

   The plan is solid. Not too hectic, not too little, and locations are not spread out each day, so you can easily improvise if you feel like you need more or less to do. Sounds like a fun trip to me!

2. Hi, it looks like a pretty chill itinerary which is good! A couple of thoughts:

   Day 2 – if you have the energy then consider walking from Harajuku to Roppongi Hills via Omote-Sando. It’s always great to walk in Japan and there is a lot to see around Harajuku and Omote-Sando.

   Day 3 – You can probably do something in the morning before Shibuya. I find Tokyo gets more lively in the afternoon and evening so going to Shibuya first thing in the morning might be pretty quiet (unless that is what you want).

   Day 10 – Yes should be fine after Fushimi Inari. Fushimi is around a 2-3 hours walk so if you are used to walking a lot then it’s an easy hike.

3. >Day 12 –

   >Numazu

   >(Fill in later with specific LLSS locations)

   >​

   >Day 13 –

   >Uchiura/Mito Beach

   >(Fill in later with specific LLSS locations)

   Good old Numazu,
   I’m also a LL fan, if you got any questions about locale I can do my best to answer them. Went 3-4 years ago, so hopefully not much has changed.

4. It looks pretty reasonable except for Day 4.
   Tsukiji Market – Do you mean the shops that are left around where the market used to be? – Not too long – lunch and hanging around – maybe 2 hours max.
   Tokyo Station – OK
   Tokyo Imperial Palace – You can’t get into the palace, but you can spend time in various parts of the surrounding grounds. 0.5 ~ 3 hours
   Ueno Park – What will you do there? There’s a zoo, pond, shrines, museums, etc. You could easily spend half a day at the Tokyo National Museum, which is only one of a few museums.
   Asakusa – An hour for Sensoji, maybe an hour for walking around the shops. You can also take a river cruise from that area. Kappabashi is just down the street from there (kitchen town – lots of kitchen goods).

5. Depending where you come from, if you land in the afternoon, as it is usual for North Americans, you are likely not going to Shinjuku Gyoen that close at 5pm.

   Yoyogi park unless you go during cherry blossom or the week-end during a warm month to do some people watching, is an easy pass. Yoyogi park is a park, not a garden, if you want to add one, check Koishikawa korakuen.

   Your day going to Kyoto you can easily plan to do something. Unfortunately, Kyoto is not the best rated when it’s time for onsen. For sure, there is some around Arashiyama, so not impossible at all.

   Yes, it would make as lot of sense to do a stop by Numazu before going to Kyoto and exiting by KIX. Also, depending where you want to go in Numazu, you are close to the Izu peninsula, where there is several onsen location.

   &#x200B;

   As for JR Pass, actually, no JR Pass at all will most likely be cheaper. Just buy individual tickets, will be cheaper.

   Edit : if you do your own calculation, you can consider that going to Toyosato can be done for 2400 yen, using the 1 day [Kansai Area Pass](https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/ticket/pass/kansai/). Also, consider going the Hikone for the rest of the days if you do not take that long in Toyosato. There is a nice original castle in Hikone.

6. Would you consider combining Fushimi-inari with Nara?

   I suggest getting there early. Also took about an hour to climb and come back down. Less tourists as you climb. There are spot to rest and see the view as you climb up.

7. While you’re in Tokyo, you can get 24-72 hour subway passes for foreigners. I don’t remember the price exactly but I think it was like 500-1500 yen depending on which pass you get. One-way subway rides are about 200 yen from what I remember.

   Other people have mentioned reconsidering the JR Pass, or at least get a 7-day pass if you are going to spend 7 consecutive days in Tokyo. However, if you calculate your expenses of buying individual tickets versus a JR pass and it’s not that much of a difference, I’d just get the JR pass. You may end up using the subway a lot traveling within a city and the JR pass covers most stations.