**Yes I know our trip falls during Golden Week. No, we cannot reschedule.**
My husband and I are going to be in Japan for 21 days (mid April to early May). I’ve gotten all of our tickets and accommodations booked, but this is our first trip abroad together, let alone Japan, so I was hoping to get some feedback on our itinerary. We’ve got our immigration QR codes ready, esims purchased, etc.
We’re fairly early risers, so in general our plan is to head to shrines and parks in the mornings, when the crowds are smaller. We love to eat, play arcade games and wander around, so our itinerary is purposely loose in some areas to accommodate for that.
**Thursday, April 18th**
* Arrive at Narita Airport, take train to hotel, check in
* Walk to Sensoji & Nakamise-dori
**Friday, April 19th**
* Studio Ghibli Museum (tickets purchased)
* Shinjuku Gyoen Park
* Kabukicho Tower
* Omoide Yokucho
**Saturday, April 20th**
* Tsukiji Fish Market
* TeamLab Planets (tickets purchased)
* Akihabara
* Tokyo Skytree (tickets purchased)
**Sunday, April 21st**
* Shibuya Crossing & Yoyogi Park
* Mega Don Quijote
* Niku Yokocho & Nonbei Yokucho
**Monday, April 22nd**
* Check out at 7am & travel to Kamakura
* Explore Kamakura: Hokokuji Temple & Kotoku-in
\— Travel to Yokohama, check in at hotel
* Explore Minatomirai area
* Chinatown
**Tuesday, April 23rd**
* Check out at 8am, travel to Hakone
* Explore Lake Ashi and the Hakone Checkpoint
* Ride Hakone Ropeway to Owakudani Station, then Gora
* Check into ryokan and relax
**Wednesday, April 24th**
* Check out at 8am, travel to Odawara Station, then via shinkansen to Nagoya (tickets purchased)
* Rest day! But if we’re feeling good, check out the Nagoya TV Tower area
**Thursday, April 25th**
* Check out at 7:15am, leave for Shirakawa-go
* Drop off luggage and explore the town!
* Open Air Museum & Observatory & House of Pudding
* Check into ryokan and relax
**Friday, April 26th**
* Wake up early to watch the sun rise over the Japanese Alps
* Return to ryokan for breakfast, travel to Kanazawa
* Omicho Market
* Kenroku-in
* 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (if time permits)
**Saturday, April 27th**
* check out at 9am, take shinkansen to Kyoto (tickets purchased)
* check into hotel & depending on time, visit Nishiki Market
* Pontocho
**Sunday, April 28th**
* Walk the streets of Gion; Ninenzaka, Higashiyama & Sannenzaka
* Visit the sweets store (Kagizen Yoshifusa)
* Visit Kiyomizu-dera, Yasaka-jinja & Hokan-ji
**Monday, April 29th**
* Spend the day exploring Mt. Inari, the many shrines, and the many food stops. Try to make it to the summit! Or the Kojingamine Observation Deck.
**Tuesday, April 30th**
* Explore Arashiyama, as well as Tenryu-ji
* Travel to Kameoka to take the Segano scenic trainway back to Kyoto
**Wednesday, May 1st**
* Check out of hotel, head to Nara
* Explore Nara Park & the Mt. Kasuga Park. Try to make it up to Wakakusayama Hill!
* Feed deer ~~obviously~~
* Visit Todai-ji and see the great Daibutsu
**Thursday, May 2nd**
* Check out of hotel, head to Osaka
* Visit the Namba and Uranamba Yokucho area
* Hozenji Yokocho & the southern Dotonbori district
**Friday, May 3rd**
* Visit Osaka Castle & Park
* Eat an early dinner in Shinsekai and see the Tsutenkaku Tower
* Go to TeamLabs Botanical Gardens (tickets purchased)
**Saturday, May 4th**
* Head to Nakanoshima Park & the Umeda area
* Hep 5 shopping center and Ferris wheel
* Umeda Sky Building
* Return to North Dotonbori and Amerikura
**Sunday, May 5th**
* Travel to Kobe
* Take Kobe-Nunobiki Ropeway to observatory + Nunobiki Herb Garden
* Visit the Trick Art Museum
* Eat Kobe beef (reservations made)
* Walk along the port before returning to Kyoto
**Monday, May 6th**
* Visit Denden town & Kuromon Ichiba Market
* Explore the Expo ’70 Park
* Yokucho/drinking district of choice
**Tuesday, May 7th**
* Universal Studios Japan!
* whatever drinking/eating hole we loved the most, now or never
**Wednesday, May 8th**
* Check out at 8am, travel to Kansai Intl to head home.
by larniebarney