Hi, this is my nearly 3 week (!!) itinerary for Japan this spring! This is the longest trip I’ve ever planned and it has been overwhelming haha…so definitely would appreciate if you guys could let me know if there’s anything glaring I’m missing or could add.
For context, I’ve been to Japan twice before and visited Osaka/Kyoto/Nara as well as Tokyo (so the “main” Tokyo neighborhoods will be repeats). This time, I’m exploring other areas + Tokyo and intending for this to be a half relaxing/slow-enjoyment and half-exploring/shopping trip!
**Day 1: Monday (Tokyo —> Hakone)**
* land in Narita \~6:35am, pick up luggage
* Narita —> Tokyo station whenever the first bus/train is up
* store checked luggage at Tokyo station in coin locker
* chill around tokyo station, grab some food
* take train to Odawara, then bus from Odawara to hotel
* chill/nap + kaiseki dinner + onsen
**Day 2: Tuesday (Hakone)**
* \~10am: hotel breakfast, onsen
* 11:30am: leave for Gora
* 12am: do the Hakone loop (ropeway, pirate ship, a bit of hiking)
* \~5pm: get back to hotel, rest, kaiseki dinner, chill/onsen
**Day 3: Wednesday (Hakone —> Tokyo)**
* hotel breakfast, onsen
* Hakone open-air museum
* check out of hotel at 11 or 12, take transport back to Tokyo station
* do Yamato luggage forwarding for big luggage, delay it 7 days so I don’t have to pay for storage
* check into Tokyo hotel at 3, pick up pocket wifi
* do some light shopping at Shinjuku and Ginza, pick up some colder weather clothes
* dinner + chill at hotel
**Day 4: Thursday (Tokyo —> Morioka)**
* check out & leave \~9am to take 9:30 shinkansen to Kitakami
* at Kitakami: store small luggage in coin locker, go strawberry picking (need to reserve beforehand), see Tenshochi park + Michinoku folk village
* late afternoon: take Shinkansen up to Morioka, check into hotel
* dinner, get wanko soba
**Day 5: Friday (Day Trip: Kakunodate)**
* take the 8 AM shinkansen from Morioka to Kakunodate
* day-trip to Kakunodate, see the samurai street, aoyagi samurai manor, walk around the town
* take the 7:30 PM shinkansen back to Morioka
* jajamen for dinner (any recs?), kaiunbashi no johnny for after-dinner drinks
**Day 6: Saturday (Morioka)**
* explore Morioka!
* Suzuki Morihisa Studio, Nagasawa coffee, Morioka-Jo Castle Site Park, Zaimoku-cho street for local stores
* Get reimen somewhere for lunch or dinner (any good recs?)
**Day 7: Sunday (Morioka —> Sendai)**
* check out of hotel \~9am, take shinkansen and get to Sendai around 11am
* leave luggage at hotel, go explore Sendai
* find zunda mochi + shake (any recs? :P)
* beef tongue for dinner at Api Tasuke
* explore the local yokocho
**Day 8: Monday (Day Trip: Shiogama + Matsushima)**
* leave \~7am to get to Shiogama fish market
* breakfast at the market, walk around and explore
* take 9AM boat tour from Shiogama pier to Matsushima
* eat some yummy grilled oysters in Matsushima
* explore Matsushima: walk to one of the islands
**Day 9: Tuesday (Sendai —> Tokyo)**
* Asaichi Morning Market
* unsure for this day if I should keep exploring Sendai or go to Yamagata in the morning
* I heard Yamagata is amazing and a must-do, but I also am worried that I will have done a lot the past few days & be tired (and also if a half-day on Day 7 isn’t enough to explore Sendai)
* take shinkansen to Tokyo around 8-9pm For Tokyo, I have general areas I want to do, but don’t want to plan a super specific/detailed timed itinerary since I’ve just done that for a week in Tohoku!
**Day 10: Wednesday (Tokyo)**
* Shibuya + Harajuku
* Shimo-Kitazawa (thrifting, cafes)
* work meeting at night
**Day 11: Thursday (Tokyo)**
* Shinjuku Gyoen (picnic, relaxing)
* Explore Nakameguro and Omotesando (shopping)
**Day 12: Friday (Tokyo)**
* Possible day trip to Kawagoe/Nikko
* if not, then explore less touristy places like Kichijoji or Nishi-Ogiburo
* Dinner with friends + drinks in Ni-chome
* Continue to drink in Ni-chome or go clubbing
**Day 13: Saturday (Tokyo)**
* Rest, recover from the night
* Walk around Shinjuku
* Explore Akasaka and Akihabara
**Day 14: Sunday (Tokyo —> Kamakura)**
* Will probably leave the morning/afternoon free for friends visiting to plan
* Take a late afternoon train to Kamakura, check into hotel
* Dinner in Kamakura, walk by ocean at sunset + see the iconic train
**Day 15: Monday (Kamakura)**
* Touristy things (big Buddha, temples/shrines, and just walk around)
* Look for quirky/interesting cafes
* Explore Komachi-dori street
**Day 16: Tuesday (Kamakura —> Tokyo)**
* Bike in the morning along the coastline
* Either day-trip in Enoshima or go back to Tokyo early
* Walk around Ginza
**Day 17: Wednesday (Tokyo)**
* Explore Ueno Park, Tokyo National Museum
* Yanaka Ginza for shopping
* Any other ideas?
**Day 18: Thursday (Tokyo)**
* Day trip to Kawagoe/Nikko if didn’t do on Day 12, otherwise just wander around Tokyo
* Explore Minato City / Tokyo Tower at night
**Day 19: Friday (Tokyo + leave)**
* Chill day, maybe go to Toyosu Market
* Flight at 10pm – leave \~6pm from Tokyo Station to get to Narita
Thank you for reading through this and sorry for the lengthy post!
Here were some things I was unsure about:
* Does this look doable (lol)? I’m worried about trip exhaustion and I can’t tell if I’ve planned too much or too little. Hotels + flights are booked, but most activities can be swapped around. The neighborhoods for Tokyo had arbitrary days picked (besides the night out drinking), so totally will swap if it makes sense otherwise.
* How doable would my budget of \~$1500-1600 USD be (not including accommodations, flights, or transportation)? I’m looking mostly to spend on trying all kinds of food (!!), clothes shopping, and some souvenirs for friends/family.
* I’m getting a bit confused on what the non-super mainstream neighborhoods offer in terms of differences in shopping/fashion options (namely Akasaka, Nakameguro, Ueno Ameyoko, Ikebukuro, and Yanaka Ginza); some guidance would be helpful, particularly around fashion!
by SnooGoats3642