I’m going to Japan with 3 other friends next month for 2 weeks. It’s all of our first time visiting Japan. We’re doing mostly touristy things, since it’s our first trip, but also trying to get off the beaten path here and there. We’ve all done our research, including quite a bit of scouring this sub, and we’d love to get y’all’s thoughts on our planned itinerary! I’ve got a handful of specific questions, all signified by a bold “**ASK**” that precedes the question.
We’re spending 4 full days in Tokyo, 1 day in Mt Fuji, 3 days in Kyoto, 1 day in Hiroshima, and 3 full days in Osaka. We have a few specifics nailed down, but the general desire is mostly to wander and explore. If you have suggestions for anything that requires a reservation ahead of time, I’d love to know. Itinerary details are below; sorry in advance if I’ve got any of the neighborhood/ward names wrong!
The nonnegotiables: I really want to go to an observatory or tall building in each city; 1 friend is really interested in arts and culture and wants to go to Nara; 1 friend really wants to go to a theme park; and the other just wants to Eat Everything.
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Day 0 – Mon, 5/20
* Fly into NRT, check into our hotel in Shinjuku, generally rest and maybe go out for dinner/drinks
* **ASK:** We’re thinking that we won’t reserve most of our trains in advance, and will instead just buy tickets the day we need them. Is this a dumb plan? Are there any specific trains that we really should reserve ahead of time? How would I go about doing that? The trains are the one thing I haven’t quite figured out yet. We’re not getting a JR Pass so we’d have to buy every ticket individually.
Day 1 – Tues, 5/21
* Gotokuji temple in the morning
* Shinjuku in the afternoon: shopping, National Garden, Sendagaya cemetery (for the arts friend)
* Kabukicho in the evening for dinner/drinks
Day 2 – Wed, 5/22
* Harajuku in the morning: shopping, hedgehog cafe, maybe Meiji shrine
* Shibuya in the afternoon and early evening: more shopping, Shibuya Scramble, Shibuya Sky (easier to fit into the itinerary vs Tokyo Skytree)
* Return to Kabukicho in the evening for drinks
Day 3 – Thurs, 5/23
* 2 of us are splitting off in the morning to go to Tokyo DisneySea
* The other 2 are planning to spend some time in Taito, Akabane, and Asakusa to see the Nippori fabric district, museums, some other cemeteries, maybe Ueno Park
* We’re all meeting up around 5pm in Akihabara for more sightseeing and shopping
* **ASK:** We want to do some kind of omakase dinner; I’m looking at Imayoshi rn but would love recs! We’ve got a budget of $150-200pp.
Day 4 – Fri, 5/24
* Chuo/Tsukiji in the morning: Tsukiji Outer Market, the Ghibli Clock
* Might try to see a kabuki show if we can swing it
* We’ve got a few hours of free time in the afternoon and evening to see anything we didn’t get to before
* Karaoke at night
Day 5 – Sat, 5/25
* Forward most luggage to Kyoto while we stay in Kawaguchiko overnight
* Take the direct train to Kawaguchiko
* See Mt Fuji + the Chureito Pagoda
* **ASK:** What is Fujisan Station like? Are there places to eat nearby or like scenic viewpoints? Is there a better way to see Mt Fuji?
* After lunch, see Oshino Hakkai
* Head to the hotel, where we have a private onsen reserved for the evening
Day 6 – Sun, 5/26
* Take a train to Kyoto; we should reach Kyoto around 2pm
* Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Saga-Toriimoto preserved street
* Check into the hotel around 7, then explore Gion
Day 7 – Mon, 5/27
* Fushimi Inari Taisha in the early morning (7ish)
* Travel to Nara at 11am, spend the afternoon there, catch a train back to Kyoto around 5pm
* Visit the Pokemon Center
* Spend the evening in Pontocho Alley + Gion again
Day 8 – Tues, 5/28
* Kiyomizudera in the morning; allegedly there’s a flea market there on 28th of each month
* **ASK:** Can anyone confirm whether this is true or not?
* Explore the surrounding area + streets
* Tea Ceremony reservation at 2pm
* Nishiki Market in the afternoon/evening
* Drinks at the Skylounge in Kyoto Tower, plus some free time
Day 9 – Wed, 5/29
* Forward most luggage to Osaka while we stay in Hiroshima overnight
* Travel to Hiroshima in the morning; should reach around 10am
* Continue on to Miyajima: shopping, Itsukushima shrine + Torii gate, ropeway
* Head back to Hiroshima in the afternoon to do the Peace Museum (hopefully we can enter before 5:30pm) + Peace Park
* Check into our hotel at night
Day 10 – Thurs, 5/30
* **ASK:** We have about an hour of flexible time in the morning; is the Shukkeien Garden worth doing?
* Take a train to Himeji castle; spend most of the day there
* Take a train to Osaka in the evening
* Shinsekai for dinner + afterward
Day 11 – Fri, 5/31
* Osaka Aquarium in the morning
* Nipponbashi + Dotonbori in the afternoon and evening
Day 12 – Sat 6/1
* Cup Noodle Museum in the morning
* Minoo Falls trek in the afternoon
* A couple hours of buffer time
* **ASK:** I’m torn between the Umeda Sky Observatory + the Abeno Harukas Observatory. Is either particularly better than the other?
* Catch a train to Kobe to eat Kobe beef
* **ASK:** We haven’t finalized a restaurant yet, so would love recs! Especially if there are any restaurants that have pescatarian or vegetarian options, since I don’t eat red meat. We’ve got a budget of about $150-200pp.
Day 13 – Sun 6/2
* Fly out of ITM. We’re planning to reach the airport around 11am for a 2pm flight to NRT before we all go our separate ways!
by asmolbirb