My husband & I recently returned from our first trip to Japan from 21 March to 8 April. We mostly stuck to the golden route & wanted to see the cherry blossoms. We did most of the planning with help from this subreddit & watching YouTube videos (really enjoyed u/CurrentlyHannah & u/RionIshida). I enjoy reading everyone’s trip reports so here’s ours.
**Overview**
2 x nights Tokyo, Hotel: **Hotel Century Southern Tower**
2 x nights Lake Kawaguchiko (Mt Fuji), Hotel: **Mizno Hotel**
4 x nights Osaka, Hotel: **JOYTEL HOTEL Namba-Dotonbori**
4 x nights Kyoto, Hotel: **Laon Inn Gion Nawate**
6 x nights Tokyo, Hotel: **JR-EAST Hotel METS Gotanda**
**Prep/Planning/Pre-booking**
* We booked our flights with Qantas about 6 months prior & started a [**Google Map**](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1WTpnFKAnWKKJLWzz8wkXYhYgTiy80-E&usp=sharing) & pinned places & restaurants of interest, colour coded them by area & grouped things together when we planned our daily itinerary.
* Once we had our itinerary sorted, we booked hotels on **Agoda,** [**Booking.com**](http://Booking.com) & where we could book directly with hotels we did. We kept tweaking our itinerary until the last minute.
* We read some Japanese websites like **USJ and SmartEx don’t accept Visa** or certain other credit cards, we used a **MasterCard Credit Card** & it worked everywhere, no issues.
* We booked the below in advance as soon as we could, this is **not required**, this is just what we did. With it being peak season, we wanted to avoid any disappointment of things likely being sold out or wasting time researching and booking things while we are there.
* Two months in advance we:
* purchased **Tokyo Disney Resort** tickets
* purchased **Universal Studios & Express Passes**
* One month in advance we:
* booked the **Limited Express Fuji Excursion Train** on [www.eki-net.com](http://www.eki-net.com) to get from Shinjuku to Lake Kawaguchiko.
* booked the **Fujikyuko Express Bus** on [sekitori.jp](https://sekitori.jp) to get from Lake Kawaguchiko to Mishima Sta.
* booked our **Shinkansen** trips on **SmartEX** [smart-ex.jp](https://smart-ex.jp). Tips: This gets mentioned a lot but book **seat D & E** for standard car or C & D for Green Car going either way from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto t**o view Mt Fuji** & **link your IC card** to your bookings so you don’t need to print tickets, just tag on with your IC card & save a couple of minutes.
* booked the **Kintetsu Sightseeing Limited Express AONIYOSH** Train on [www.kintetsu.co.jp](https://www.kintetsu.co.jp).
* purchased **Shibuya Sky** tickets (we wanted sunset slots for 17:00, they sold out within minutes, so got tickets for the 16:00 slot)
* purchased tickets to the **NAKED Flowers Sakura Nijo Castle Kyoto** event on **Klook.**
* **reserved restaurants**, we didn’t want to reserve any restaurants as we wanted to be flexible when it comes to this, however after research & being especially concerned about Kyoto , we reserved these four restaurants, we were still able to be flexible otherwise & stumbled upon a lot of great restaurants, but nonetheless three of these four were some of the best meals we had the whole trip:
* **Matsuzaka Gyu Yakiniku M Hozenji-Yokoch Osaka** ([www.tablecheck.com](https://www.tablecheck.com))
* **Kobe Beef Steak Mouriya Gion Kyoto** ([www.tablecheck.com](https://www.tablecheck.com))
* **Itoh Dining Kyoto** ([www.tablecheck.com](https://www.tablecheck.com))
* **Hokkaido Menkoi Nabe Kumachan Onsen Shibuya Miyamasuzaka** ([www.kumachan-onsen.jp](https://www.kumachan-onsen.jp))
* purchased **Skytree tickets on Klook**
* Learned some Japanese using Duolingo & watching YouTube. These are the phrases we used the most:
* “Arigatou Gozaimasu” – Thank you
* “Sumimasen” – Excuse me
* “Daijoubu Desu” – It’s Ok, I’m Fine, No thanks
* “Onegaishimas” – Please (when asking for something)
* “\_\_ o Kudasai” – I would like \_\_, please
* “\_\_ wa Doko Desu ka?” – Where is \_\_?
* When we tried to use any more than this people would try to have fluent conversations with us, so we just kept to basics. We also learned a bit of Hiragana was somewhat useful reading signs, but we mostly used Google Translate.
* Completed the **Visit Japan Web** site a few days before our trip.
**Luggage & Packing**
* We took 1 x large suitcase (160cm) & 2 x carry-on sized bags (Kathmandu Hybrid Trolley v3 32L). Our one large suitcase was empty & we planned to fill it up with shopping & souvenirs as we go and forward it using **Yamato Transport TA-Q-BIN (black cat)** when we move hotels. By the time we got back to Tokyo the one large suitcase was full so we bought another one as my husband needed one anyways. Both large suitcases were full at the end of the trip.
* Luggage forwarding gets mentioned a lot, but I mention it again as I see people keep asking about it & it is convenient. We forwarded our luggage twice, it is recommended to do it the morning before 11:00am & usually it will arrive the next day but could take longer. We took our luggage to our hotel reception or 7/11. They phoned our next hotel to check that they were happy to receive the luggage. As far as I know, this service is available all over Japan, we only shipped from Tokyo > Osaka & Kyoto > Tokyo.
* We had a small **backpack** for our daily shopping, & found **coin pouches** useful.
FYI for those taking their **luggage** with them on the **Shinkansen**:
* 160cm & below = No reservation required
* 161–250cm = Reservation required
* 250cm & above = Not allowed on train
**Weather & Clothes**
* Temperatures ranged from 0°C to 20°C. There was an unexpected cold front when we arrived in Tokyo & was colder than we expected so we purchased some gloves & beanies to keep warm. It rained about 6 out of the 19 days, most days were a little cloudy with no rain, we had some sunny days where it was warm & it helped that we could take off layers.
* We planned to use the laundry services & at our hotels so we each only took 2 x pairs of outfits & a lightweight windproof rain jacket. We also planned to buy some clothes during our trip.
* We each took only one pair of comfortable walking shoes & several pairs of thick comfortable socks. We averaged 20K steps a day.
* We each took a set of sleepwear but 4 out of 5 of our hotels provided sleepwear.
**Thursday 21 March 2024 Tokyo Shinjuku**
* Arrived at Narita Airport at 17:30 from New Zealand on Qantas Airlines.
* We activated our E-Sims (I used Ubigi 10G 30Days & my husband used Airolo) as soon as we landed. 10G data each lasted us the whole trip (had 60MB left at the end) & we had good signal everywhere we went. We always connected to WiFi at our hotels.
* We scanned our QR Codes from the [**Visit Japan Web**](https://vjw-lp.digital.go.jp/en/) through customs & had our luggage by 18:30.
* We each drew ¥50,000 cash at the airport & used ¥20,000 of this to top-up our Suica IC Cards. We topped up our Suica IC Cards a few more times throughout our trip as in addition to using it for trains, we also used it at the konbini & vending machines. IC cards can only be topped up with cash. We drew cash a few more times from ATMS at kobini’s.
* We borrowed Suica IC cards from friends so we already had these & just topped it up when we arrived at the airport. We both have Samsung phones so couldn’t use the digital Suica cards on the iPhone wallets, else this would’ve been convenient.
* Took the Narita Express (N’EX) Train to our hotel in Shinjuku (can pre book but don’t need to, I didn’t prebook in case our flight got delayed or customs took long, very easy to locate & purchase tickets after arrival). Train took about 1-hour 30 mins from Narita to Shinjuku.
* Checked into **Hotel Century Southern Tower** which is conveniently located 5min walk from Shinjuku Station & has [**great views of the city from our room**](https://imgur.com/a/Elm1mHS). [**Room was spacious**](https://imgur.com/a/iOZKXkV)**.** We specifically booked this hotel as it was close to Shinjuku Station where we needed to take a train to Mt Fuji in two days’ time. We will return to Tokyo again later.
* We were hungry so we walked to the nearest [**Ichiran Ramen**](https://imgur.com/a/XP0DJeI) & waited in line for 40 min before being seated, it was delicious.
* [**Got a few things from 7/11**](https://imgur.com/a/tLrhXJE) before heading back to the hotel.
**Friday 22 March 2024 Tokyo Shinjuku**
* Kept this day free in case of any delays, but also for viewing cherry blossoms in case they bloom early (they ended up blooming late due to the unexpected cold front).
* We felt a bit anxious about the public transport (especially Shinjuku Sta.), we went to the station to print [**our train tickets**](https://imgur.com/a/msSVLWQ) that we pre-booked & wanted to make sure where we need to catch our train to Mt Fuji the next day. It was very easy & straightforward, & all our anxiety melted away.
* Visited the [**3D Cat Billboard**](https://imgur.com/a/7lai4lt) & [**Godzilla**](https://imgur.com/a/fSi8cMG) before grabbing lunch at [**CoCo Ichibanya**](https://imgur.com/a/5Kt38w0) which was really tasty and went down well with the cold weather & then dessert at [**this 2D Café**](https://imgur.com/a/18f9rOl).
* Decided to head the **Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building** early for sunset which was just as well as there was about an hour wait to get up with the elevator. It’s a free observation deck with [**great views of the city**](https://imgur.com/a/6YSRjt7) & [**Mt Fuji**](https://imgur.com/a/8jVbMOO) on a clear day followed by watching the [**projections**](https://imgur.com/a/pR4jzAw) after.
* Visited [**Golden Gai**](https://imgur.com/a/CiCYoJU) & [**Omoide Yokocho**](https://imgur.com/a/b5RbL5n) for a few drinks where we chatted with a few locals & tourists before heading back to the hotel.
**Saturday 23 March 2024 Tokyo Shinjuku to Lake Kawaguchiko**
* Before checking out of our hotel in Tokyo we had them forward our large luggage to our hotel in Osaka to arrive in 3 days’ time (25 March), we are going to **Lake Kawaguchiko** for the following two days & didn’t need our large luggage for this leg of the trip, we just took our carry-on luggage with us. We put a Samsung Smart Tag in our luggage to keep track of it.
* Had some coffee near Shinjuku Sta. & grabbed some [**snacks from the konbini**](https://imgur.com/a/OZ0aK2Y) for our train ride.
* Took the 10:30 **Limited Express Fuji Excursion Train** from Shinjuku Station to Lake Kawaguchiko. Trip takes 2 hours. The train was full.
* Walked 30 min to our hotel **Mizno Hotel**. The hotel has free shuttle service for guests from Kawaguchiko Sta., but we opted to walk there instead as we didn’t have much luggage & the walk there was beautiful along the lake even though it was cloudy & we couldn’t see Mt Fuji yet.
* **Mizno Hotel** ticked all our boxes when we were looking for a hotel in this area:
* [**a view of the lake & Mt Fuji from our room**](https://imgur.com/a/01GmN6e)
* [**Japanese style rooms with futon beds & tatami floors**](https://imgur.com/a/sDjpuuP)
* [**private spring baths with a view of Mt Fuji**](https://imgur.com/a/Hjo8Zta)
* Japanese dining options
* convenient location
* The rooms are a good size & the views are incredible. As a bonus they also had free [**e-bikes**](https://imgur.com/a/ZHJkUJd) which were excellent for exploring this area & a great [**open-air bar on the rooftop**](https://imgur.com/a/UiywnVP). We made good use of the e-bikes. They also had an [**excellent bar**](https://imgur.com/a/CHQbyPq).
* We had [**Beef Shabu Shabu**](https://imgur.com/a/XUXTO78) for dinner at our hotel followed by drinks at the open-air bar & private bath on the rooftop. Mt Fuji fully revealed itself at sunset, it was perfect.
**Sunday 24 March 2024 Lake Kawaguchiko/Mt Fuji Area**
* Today was all about Mt Fuji so this part highly relied on good weather as all the sites & activities are outdoors and centred around views of Mt Fuji. The forecast showed it was going to be cloudy & start raining from midday, so we decided to get an early start. We were lucky to have good weather for the morning, otherwise we probably would’ve spent most of the day at our hotel. We considered renting a car for this day, but since they had such nice cycling paths next to the lake we opted to explore by e-bikes. We used this website to see the Mt Fuji Visibility Forecast.
* Cycled to [**Chureito Pagoda Arakurayama Sengen Park**](https://imgur.com/a/W7OWkY0) for sunrise at around 05:00 to see this [**iconic scene with Mt Fuji + Pagoda**](https://imgur.com/a/bt672tw).
* [**Shimoyoshida Honcho Street**](https://imgur.com/a/ovb1UrE) for Fuji Scenic view.
* Stopped by Family Mart for breakfast, [**egg sandwich with Fami Chiki**](https://imgur.com/a/MEEYfxi), so good!
* Next, we wanted to go up to Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway (opens 09:00) for more Fuji Scenic views, but it was only 07:30 still too early so we cycled to [**Oishi Park**](https://imgur.com/a/Cos4BoR) where we had delicious [**Cremia ice cream**](https://imgur.com/a/CigPFGV) & cycled back to Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway, but by the time we got back there the line was very long & going down the street & we could start seeing the clouds rolling in so it wouldn’t be long until Mt Fuji would no longer be visible, so we instead did some souvenir shopping before heading back to our hotel. Most of the shops in this area preferred cash only. We thought **Oishi Park gave the best views** out of all the viewpoints.
* Stopped by a food truck selling delicious [**Wagyu Burgers**](https://imgur.com/a/HIsqGpS) for lunch on the way back to our hotel.
* [**Cycling next to the lake with views of Mt Fuji**](https://imgur.com/a/zIdvyim) was a highlight.
* For dinner our hotel helped us order some takeaway to have in our room & while we waited for our food to arrive we enjoyed some drinks in the open-air private bath on the rooftop & some more cocktails in the bar.
**Monday 25 March 2024 Lake Kawaguchiko to Osaka**
This route gets asked about often, travelling from Lake Kawaguchiko to Osaka/Kyoto (West) is not as straightforward as it is from Tokyo (East) & requires a bit more travel time & planning. We were torn between just doing a day trip from Tokyo, but we understood that Mt Fuji can be shy so we wanted to increase our chances of seeing it by staying at least two nights. We also considered Hakone as it has better access, but we wanted to see Mt Fuji up close. We saw a lot of mixed reviews with some people saying there is not much to do in Kawaguchiko, which is true if the weather is poor, but with favourable weather we could’ve spent at least another day here.
* Had breakfast at the hotel & took our hotel shuttle to Kawaguchiko Sta. where we took the **Fujikyuko Express Bus to Mishima Station**. Trip took 1h 30min. We booked this bus one month in advance, so we had reserved seats & we just needed to display our booking QR code on our phone when we boarded the bus. Tip: When booking this bus, you need to get the Shinkansen at Mishima Sta. going west, **ensure your arrival is to Mishima Sta. North Exit**. You can select your arrival (North or South Exit) when you book. The bus was full.
* We pre booked our Shinkansen from Mishima Sta. to Shin-Osaka Sta. & ensured we gave ourselves at least one hour to get from our bus to our Shinkansen with extra time to get an ekiben to eat on the train, however unless you go at a busy time you can probably just book the Shinkansen when you get there. One hour was more than enough time. [**Shinkansen from Mishima Sta. to Shin-Osaka Sta.**](https://imgur.com/a/NPhCWjT) took 2h40min. The Shinkansen was full. We got [**these snacks**](https://imgur.com/a/GBQ01e0) for our train ride.
* Checked into our Osaka Hotel JOYTEL HOTEL Namba-Dotonbori which was conveniently located only a 5min walk from Osaka-Namba Station [**overlooking Dotonbori River**](https://imgur.com/a/uaOpEDi). Hotel was affordable, [**room**](https://imgur.com/a/QoYZMls) was clean but small. They had coin laundry facilities. Our luggage that we forwarded was there on arrival.
* Did laundry at the hotel before going to dinner at [**Matsuzaka Gyu Yakiniku M Hozenji-Yokocho**](https://imgur.com/a/Em6nAeY) & exploring [**Dotonbori**](https://imgur.com/a/xzBxTmP) & the [**Glico Man**](https://imgur.com/a/6y1061Y) after.
* Dotonbori was vibrant with tourists & locals. We tried the ¥10 Coin, Takoyaki & [**Melon Pan with ice cream**](https://imgur.com/a/W2rmyhZ) before heading back to our hotel.
**Tuesday 26 March 2024 Osaka**
* We planned to visit Osaka Castle in the morning, but it was pouring rain & the forecast showed it would clear up around midday so we decided to visit [**Kuromon Ichiba Market**](https://imgur.com/a/5UVpmZv) first where we tried a whole lot of different foods including this [**strawberry mochi**](https://imgur.com/a/9zW0Rbm), prawn tempura & [**these strawberries**](https://imgur.com/a/vWjn1ta) & visited the [**Ghibli**](https://imgur.com/a/IeYWvPP) & [**Capcom**](https://imgur.com/a/OOGSYUa) stores before heading to [**Osaka Castle**](https://imgur.com/a/h5W0eGI) where we visited the grounds but did not go inside. We thought the grounds & the castle were beautiful even though there weren’t many cherry blossoms yet.
* We planned to visit Harukas 300 at sunset, but it was cloudy & we were tired so headed back to our hotel to rest before visiting Dotonbori in the evening where we tried some more [**Takoyaki**](https://imgur.com/a/TjOcgWH) **,** [**Okonomiyaki**](https://imgur.com/a/qqo3bqe) & Melon Pan.
**Wednesday 27 March 2024 Osaka**
* Took the train to [**Universal Studios**](https://imgur.com/a/n6k90eQ) around 09:00.
* We got the **Express Pass 7** which included timed entry for [**Nintendo World**](https://imgur.com/a/rQer9IE) & express pass for 7 rides & it was well worth it as we didn’t wait in any lines. My husband loved the [**Waterworld show**](https://imgur.com/a/m6Yns3E), it was very impressive, I enjoyed how they got the crowd going even though I didn’t understand a word.
* We had some excellent weather this day & it goes without saying it was overcrowded, we just ate some pizza as it had the shortest line & had lots of butterbeer.
* On the way back to our hotel we stopped by a konbini for some drinks & snacks to enjoy at our room.
**Thursday 28 March 2024 Nara Day Trip**
* Took the 09:10 [**Kintetsu Sightseeing Limited Express AONIYOSH**](https://imgur.com/a/xYIfiAb) train from Osaka-Namba to Nara. We reserved [**seats facing the window**](https://imgur.com/a/w7zLmhc). The trip took 35 mins. We had some nice [**coffee & dessert**](https://imgur.com/a/WMQMnKL) from the train kiosk on the train.
* Fed the [**deer treats**](https://imgur.com/a/UcD3KET) you can buy at [**Nara Deer Park**](https://imgur.com/a/eWXfb3Y) before visiting [**Todaiji Temple**](https://imgur.com/a/GXsnvFV). We enjoyed the deer & even though the area was busy with tourists there was a relaxing atmosphere.
* Took a train to [**Shinsekai**](https://imgur.com/a/bhm0zxn) & tried some more Takoyaki & Okonomiyaki then dropped by [**Namba Yasaka Jinja Shrine**](https://imgur.com/a/SQh3kEz) before heading back to the hotel & grabbing some [**tempura**](https://imgur.com/a/6ZBIXZF) at a restaurant at Namba Station.
* After giving Takoyaki & Okonomiyaki a good few tries we thought it was just ok, the texture was too “mushy” but in saying that we just tried any place we stumbled upon & didn’t try to find the ‘best’ spots or places that had long lines, hence trying a few different spots.
**Friday 29 March 2024 Osaka > Kyoto**
* Took the train from Osaka-Namba Sta. to Gion-Shijo Sta. & dropped our luggage at our hotel **Laon Inn Gion Nawate** which was in an excellent location only 5min walk from Gion-Shijo Sta. Room was clean & a decent size. They had coin laundry facilities.
* Lunch at [**Kobe Beef Steak Mouriya Gion**](https://imgur.com/a/BSXCgKq) where we had some incredible [**A5 Kobe Beef Wagyu Steak**](https://imgur.com/a/Dq3UkxX).
* After lunch we went back to our hotel for a break before heading to [**in the Moon roof top bar**](https://imgur.com/a/HgslJkD) for [**drinks overlooking Kyoto at sunset**](https://imgur.com/a/y5SdCdM), saw [**cherry blossoms**](https://imgur.com/a/b7GrnAI) on the way.
* Had some [**Taiyaki**](https://imgur.com/a/EpzSV4V) on our way to [K**iyomizu-dera Temple at night**](https://imgur.com/a/9nRUsCw) for the Special Light Up Event.
**Saturday 30 March Kyoto**
We considered renting e-bikes for some days in Kyoto, but considering we would visit the most touristy places we concluded e-bikes might be a hassle in overcrowded areas, so we just opted to walk/bus/train.
* Visited [**Yasaka Pagoda**](https://imgur.com/a/JVcAws0) at sunrise followed by [**Sannenzaka Street & Ninenzaka Street**](https://imgur.com/a/nOBbUo5) which was so picturesque early in the morning & revisited [**Kiyomizu-dera Temple at daytime**](https://imgur.com/a/TdUCQvJ).
* Visited [**Yasaka Shrine**](https://imgur.com/a/8IgRmoD) before going back to the hotel for a break.
* Visited [**Shore-in Temple & Gardens**](https://imgur.com/a/ciK8jhy) & saw [**Chionin Temple**](https://imgur.com/a/9CdA9Ej) on the way there.
* Circled back to **Maruyama Park** where there was a festival with live music, food stalls & shops. We had a Sakura flavoured soda & Matcha ice cream before heading back to [**Sannenzaka Street & Ninenzaka Street**](https://imgur.com/a/DApWGQ6) which was now pumping with tourists, many dressed in kimonos. We browsed shops & got a caricature done of us with our dog. Saw this [**cute dog in a kimono**](https://imgur.com/a/ZhOaBud)**.**
* Back to our hotel for a break before heading out to dinner at [**Itoh Dining Kyoto**](https://imgur.com/a/URjvTDu) where we had more A5 Kobe Beef Wagyu Steak for **THE BEST MEAL OF OUR LIVES**, my mouth just waters thinking about it.
**Sunday 31 March Kyoto**
* Visited [**Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine**](https://imgur.com/a/So8RF5s) at sunrise & set off to Philosophers Path, but there were only a couple of cherry blossom trees so we didn’t walk that far along & headed to [**Nanzen-ji Buddhist Temple**](https://imgur.com/a/LlZebxl) which was still very quiet & tranquil.
* Had great [**coffee & breakfast at Hoshino Drip Coffee**](https://imgur.com/a/yO7HYPU) before heading back to the hotel for a break.
* Visited [**Nishiki Market**](https://imgur.com/a/2bdEGpW) in the afternoon where we had several different foods & drinks, had a lot of ‘Sakura flavoured’ sake & beer.
* Headed toward [**Nijo Castle for the Naked Illuminations Event**](https://imgur.com/a/wWEc9d6) & had [**really good ramen**](https://imgur.com/a/SSkULS6) on the way there.
**Monday 1 April Kyoto**
* Visited [**Arashiyama Bamboo Grove**](https://imgur.com/a/QKXfqMd) at sunrise followed by a walk along the [**Katsura River**](https://imgur.com/a/2aaRXQz) which was very calm & beautiful early in the morning before visiting the [**Kimono Forest**](https://imgur.com/a/wLObYdO) close to the train station.
* Took a bus to the nearest McDonalds for breakfast as nothing else was open yet.
* Visited the beautiful [**Tenryu-ji Temple**](https://imgur.com/a/X91cA1g) where we saw a few more cherry blossoms before visiting [**Arashiyama Monkey Park**](https://imgur.com/a/xPiGg9j), you get great view of Kyoto from the top. The monkeys were very cute & entertaining as they were playing with each other.
* Visited [**Ryoan-ji Temple**](https://imgur.com/a/J1x3bO3) & [**Kinkaku-ji Temple**](https://imgur.com/a/DFWKZFZ) before heading back to the hotel for a break.
* Got some drinks from the konbini and enjoyed it next to the [**Kamo River**](https://imgur.com/a/h9atWwb) while we watched the sunset before going to [**Tokyo Station**](https://imgur.com/a/N2iD1yW) for dinner but the station was chaotic & every restaurant had at least a one hour wait so instead we headed back to our hotel & grabbed some pizza and cocktails from the bar across our hotel. Tokyo Station architecture is impressive.
**Tuesday 2 April Kyoto > Tokyo**
We stayed in Tokyo for the next 7 days with two full days at Disney. We felt we could’ve used at least another 2-3 days in Tokyo, there is just so much to do.
* Got our hotel to forward our luggage to our hotel in Tokyo. Before heading to Kyoto Sta. where we got [**food**](https://imgur.com/a/2pizWPY) & these [**buddha desserts**](https://imgur.com/a/mcJJ6iZ) caught our Shinkansen to Shinagawa Station (Tokyo). We booked Seats C & D on the [**Green Car**](https://imgur.com/a/uCg3OAB) Nozomi N700S & had another [**great view of Mt Fuji**](https://imgur.com/a/jdS4mYO). Trip took 2 hours. We transferred trains at Shinagawa Sta. to go to Gotanda Sta. to our hotel.
* Checked into **JR-East Hotel Mets Gotanda.** This hotel was great, it took only one minute to walk from our room to the station gates. We were connected to the Yamanote , Tōkyū Ikegami and Asakusa Lines. We booked a [**twin room**](https://imgur.com/a/AUu77U3), which was clean and spacious. They had coin laundry. There is also a Uniqlo in the same building (floor 2 on the same elevator to get to your room), many konbini’s and lots of eateries nearby.
* After dropping our luggage, we headed to Shibuya & visited the [**Hachiko Statue**](https://imgur.com/a/TUmsSWj) on our way to [**Shibuya Sky**](https://imgur.com/a/RHWZdX4) for our booked slot at 16:00, ideally, we wanted a 17:00 slot but this was sold out a month before. So, we spent 2 hours here for sunset, which was ok as there is a bar inside with a great view, so we [enjoyed a few drinks](https://imgur.com/a/gUABfFd) here watching the city light up.
* Visited [**Shibuya Scramble Crossing**](https://imgur.com/a/i7ETbfy) before our dinner reservation at [**Kumachan Onsen Japanese Hot Pot Restaurant Shibuya**](https://imgur.com/a/G2ouWNN), the food wasn’t bad but it’s more known for the cute bears than how good the food is.
* Did laundry back at our hotel before calling it a night.
**Wednesday 3 April Tokyo**
Visited [**DisneyLand**](https://imgur.com/a/ECkkgXR) today. With it being peak tourist season & spring break for some Japanese students we expected the worst in terms of crowds, we tried to avoid going on a weekend, but not sure going on a Wednesday & Thursday helped. Despite the crowds we enjoyed it. We researched both DisneySea and DisneyLand rides and attractions, watched YT videos, familiarized ourselves with the app beforehand and went into each day with a rough plan & must-do rides/attractions. We took advantage of the Premier Access & 40th Anniversary Priority Pass.
* Took the train to DisneyLand & arrived at 07:00.
* As soon as we entered the park, we purchased Premier Access for Beauty & The Beast (this was the only ride I really cared about and so worth it) & got a 40th Anniversary Priority Pass for Pooh’s Honey Hunt and after we got another Priority Pass for Haunted Mansion.
* It started raining at about 10:00 & drizzled for most of the day.
* We had some food & browsed the park & shops in between waiting for our time slots for our rides.
* There were a few rides we skipped as we have previously done these at DisneyWorld & we were satisfied with the rides we managed to do & did not wait in line for anything else.
* We were starting to get tired & decided not to stay for the fireworks, we arrived back at our hotel at around 18:00. We ordered room services at our hotel for dinner before calling it a night.
**Thursday 4 April Tokyo**
* Took the train to [**DisneySea**](https://imgur.com/a/sRxrP4n) & arrived at 09:30.
* As soon as we entered the park, we purchased Premier Access for Journey to the Centre of the Earth & got a 40th Anniversary Priority Pass for Soaring: Fantastic Flight.
* We loved DisneySea, it is unique to any other theme park we have been to.
* We were tired of theme parks by this point & decided to visit [**Shinjuku Gyoen Japanese Gardens to view the cherry blossoms**](https://imgur.com/a/RK37bRm) in the afternoon since they were now in full bloom & it was peak viewing time.
**Friday 5 April Tokyo**
* Visited [**Senso-ji Temple**](https://imgur.com/a/D7So8WP) Asakusa early in the morning 06:30 to avoid crowds, it was nice & quiet, we got [**our fortunes**](https://imgur.com/a/spn12zc).
* My husband and I are dog lovers & almost always when we see a cute dog we ask if we can pet their dog. There were a lot of [**cute Shiba Inu’s in Japan**](https://imgur.com/a/1vsF0nn) & whenever we asked someone if it’s ok to pet their dog they were exceptionally friendly and always thanked us abundantly.
* Visited [**Ueno Park**](https://imgur.com/a/Nd4ZuW6) to view some cherry blossoms before heading back to [**Nakamise-dori Street**](https://imgur.com/a/B5nOuP1) as most vendors only open 10am. Had a nice Macha Latte at Starbucks.
* Visited [**Kappabashi Str.**](https://imgur.com/a/cDH3lqE) where my husband bought himself a [**knife**](https://imgur.com/a/uuc4Qkx) before having some good [**souffle pancakes at Belle & Emma**](https://imgur.com/a/nsXMDxh)**.**
* Headed back to the hotel for a break before making our way to [**Skytree**](https://imgur.com/a/uSQdWQN) for sunset & visited the **Donguri Republic Ghibli Store**.
* We couldn’t decide whether to get the **Skytree Galleria (450m)** tickets in addition to the **Tembo Deck (350m)** but ended up getting both, we don’t think it’s worth getting the Galleria (450m) tickets, we would’ve been satisfied with only visiting the Tembo Deck (350m). It seemed like a lot of people got both tickets & you had to wait ages for the lift to get to the Galleria anyway. We enjoyed some [**drinks at the Skytree Café**](https://imgur.com/a/MdFcXQO) watching the city light up.
* Visited [**Akihabara**](https://imgur.com/a/cF66Fm3) before heading back to our hotel.
**Saturday 6 April Tokyo**
* We considered visiting Tsukiji Fish Market this morning, but since we’ve already been to Kuromon & Nishiki markets we figured we can give Tsukiji a miss & get some extra sleep.
* We visited [**Meiji Jingu Shrine at Yoyogi Park**](https://imgur.com/a/JsIqDA1) at around 09:00 before heading to [**Harajuku & Takeshita Street**](https://imgur.com/a/3y5NDeI), where we tried some different foods & browsed some shops.
* Headed to a store called **Mamegyorai** Koenji as my husband was after some specific Dark Souls & Bloodborne merch.
* Headed back to [**Shibuya**](https://imgur.com/a/5bziSqY) for dinner (Ichiran again) & drinks before heading back to our hotel. Took some photos at [**Sakura Street**](https://imgur.com/a/u3tGtFh) on the way to the station.
**Sunday 7 April Tokyo**
* Walked along [**Meguro River to view the cherry blossoms**](https://imgur.com/a/HnaTwAo)**.**
* Headed to Mega Don Quijote in Shinjuku to shop for gifts for friends & family. We also got my husband a new suitcase. If you spend over ¥5,500 you can shop tax free. [**This is all the stuff we bought**](https://imgur.com/a/OfhiH0h)**.**
* Had lunch at [**Yoshinoya**](https://imgur.com/a/XCmxJmd) across from our hotel which was ok. I had the Unagi & my husband had a beef bowl. It’s cheap and convenient.
* Went back to our hotel for a break before going to the observation deck at [**Azabudai Hills**](https://imgur.com/a/8OJtq18) at sunset for views of [**Tokyo Tower**](https://imgur.com/a/fsmEwn9). Took some [**photos of Tokyo Tower on the way**](https://imgur.com/a/QkexTll)**.** Had some [**drinks at the bar**](https://imgur.com/a/ZAbekk0).
* KFC for dinner across from our hotel, once again thought it was ok, cheap & convenient.
**Monday 8 April Tokyo**
* Checked out of our hotel at 11:00 & left our luggage to be collected later again when we head to the airport later. Our flight was only at 22:00 from Haneda Airport.
* We planned to head to Tokyo Station/Ginza area for more shopping, but we already bought everything we wanted & instead headed to [**Sumida Park for nice views of the Tokyo Skytree**](https://imgur.com/a/qIZcTpu) as we missed this before when we were in the Asakusa area. Had one more egg salad sandwich with Fami Chiki.
* We also left some free time today to revisit anything we really liked or missed before but decided to just go to the airport early & relax.
* Headed back to our hotel at around 16:00 & took a taxi to **Haneda Airport** to catch our flight back to New Zealand at 22:00. We originally planned to take the train, but the taxi from Gotanda Sta. to Haneda Airport was only about ¥5,000 which wasn’t that expensive considering it would’ve cost us about ¥4,000 to forward all our luggage to the airport if we didn’t want to take them with us on the train.
**Highlights**
* **Cycling around Lake Kawaguchiko with My Fuji in view**
* Seeing **Cherry blossoms in full bloom**
* Riding the **Shinkansen/Bullet Train**
* Riding the **Kintetsu Sightseeing Limited Express AONIYOSH** Train to Nara
* If I could choose only one thing to see in Kyoto it would be **Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine** at sunrise
* **Shibuya Sky** at sunset was our preferred observation deck. Tokyo Metro Building & Azabudai Hills are free but felt more overcrowded & once the sun starts to set there is too much reflection on the windows to get good photos unless you have all the right camera gear to deal with this and SkyTree is nice but the height & angle of the city from this viewpoint was not as good as Shibuya Sky for us. Shibuya Sky also has the nicest area to have drinks and enjoy the view.
* Favourite meal **Itoh Dining Kyoto** A5 Kobe Wagyu Beef
* Favourite budget meal **Ichiran Ramen**
* Favourite dessert **Cremia Ice Cream & Melon Pan+ Ice Cream**
* Favourite konbini item **Egg Salad Sandwich+FamiChiki & Mini Pancakes** with butter & syrup
* Favourite vending machine drinks **Pocari Sweat & Salty Litchi**. I also appreciated being able to get a warm tea or coffee from the vending machines on cold early mornings when everything else was still closed.
**Budget**
* Budget is highly subjective as Japan can be very cheap or very expensive, but this is what we spent (approximately) for 2 adults. Amounts are in ¥ based on the conversion rate at the time.
* Flights = ¥341,030
* Accommodation = ¥470,262 (avg. ¥26,125 per night)
* Transport (All trains/busses/taxis) = ¥122,968
* Food & Drinks = ¥226,950 (avg. ¥5,900 per person per day)
* Travel Insurance = ¥22,191
* eSims = ¥3,086
* Pre Booked activities (Disney, USJ, Shibuya Sky, Naked Flowers, Tokyo Skytree, Go Karts) = ¥174,974
* Other Spending/Shopping/Shipping Luggage/Other (entrance fees to temples etc.) = ¥163,404
* Total budget for 2 adults = ¥1,524,865
This post has gotten long so I didn’t elaborate on everything, especially all of the food, but I hope someone finds something helpful. AMA. We will be reflecting on our amazing trip for a long time.
by Top_Ordinary849
