Hey all. Wanted to share our recent trip as I found the trip reports here so useful while we’re were on our first to Japan. Especially with trying to gauge how much you can possible fit which I believe we were able to fit a lot (too much actually).
Context here, we are airline employees so everything was planned on the fly with nothing booked in advance (not even hotels). The plan was basically put together from other trip reports here and tips from friends.
Day 1: Canada/Shinjuku
Flew from Canada to NRT. Landed at around 4:30pm. Passed customs and was able to get on the Narita Express for the 6:30pm train. Checked in to our hotel around in Shinjuku at 8pm and explored the immediate area and had a late dinner at the 7/11. Early night.
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Day 2: Shinjuku/Shibuya/Harajuku
Woke up earlyish and got going at around 7:30am. Breakfast at 7/11. Visited Meiji Jingu and explored Tomigaya. Walked over to Koffee Mameya at 10:30am in Harajuku but the line was quite long so we continued to explore the area. Got a tip from friends to go to get souffle pancakes at mcasadeco & cafe. Got there 15mins before open and were second in line. Great ricotta pancakes here we thought. Continued to explore Harajuku and visit some shops and got coffee.
Spent the afternoon exploring Shibuya and did the regular touristy things like the crossing. Travelled back to Shinjuku and poked around the area bit. Went to Standing Sushi and headed back to the room for a break.
Went to dinner at Ramen Tatsunoya Shinjuku and waited for around 30 mins but was well worth it! After dinner we went to the Tokyo metropolitan building for a free view up high (Shibuya Sky was booked up for the day).
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Day 3: Ginza/TeamLab Planet/Gundam
7/11 breakfast and headed to Koffee Mameya 15 mins before open and were second in line. Wow, well worth a second shot at going.
Metro to Ginza to explore and see the Tsukiji Fish Market. Had a couple things and hung out for a bit and took the bus to our TeamLab reservation at 1pm (was able to buy tickets the day before). Spent about an hour on there then took the train to the Gundam in Diver City. Spent some time in the mall there looking at the shops.
Headed to Senso-Ji in the late afternoon then a quick trip back to the Shinjuku to go to the Gyoen National Gardens for the last of the cherry blossoms. Ate Soba noodles at Tokyo Aburagumi Sohonten Nishi-Shinjuku after a 15 minute wait. Another great dinner! Ended this long day here.
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Day 4: Lake Kawaguchiko
Took the bus from Shinjuku around 9am on this cloudy day. Decided to still commit to going to the 5 lakes region even with the cloudy weather. Didn’t get a peak at Fuji at all but had a good day in Fujikawaguchiko regardless. Had Hoto noodles at Haotou and were fans! Took the 6:30pm bus back but hit traffic and got back to Shinjuku around 9:30pm so we called it a night.
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Day 5: Kyoto
Relaxed a bit in the morning and booked the Shinkansen to Kyoto at around noon. Checked in to hotel near the Gion district and explored the area and walked over to Kiyomizu-dera. Finished the night with some ramen after visiting the market.
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Day 6: Kyoto
Got to the Bamboo forest around 9:30am and it was packed, wasn’t amazing but still worth the trip as we went to the Monkey park afterwards. Took the train all the way to Fushimi-Inari and went up about half way. Feeling tired today so we called it there and got some more ramen for dinner.
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Day 7: Kyoto/Nara
Started the day a bit late and got coffee at 2050 Coffee (delicious) and headed down to Nara arriving at around 11:30am. Visited the temples and hung out for the rest of the afternoon. Was able to make a dinner reservation the night before at Itoh Dining. 10,000 Yen for a course meal with some Wagyu. Understood we paid a premium here but the dining experience was great!
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Day 8: Osaka
Had French toast at Smart Coffee and then took the Shinkansen to Osaka. Held our bags at the hotel and went and explored the Dotombori market and then got some great Okonomiyaki. Went back to the markets for some more shopping. Was on the hunt for some vintage Seikos but couldn’t find much. Had some ramen and called it a night there.
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Day 9: The Big One (Hiroshima/Miyajima)
This was a last minute decision as we figured we’d rather spend the money for round trip Shinkansen tickets to Hiroshima instead of spending the day in Osaka.
Shinkansen at 9am from Osaka to Hiroshima. Visited the castle and the dome then waited for about 30 minutes for Okonomiyaki near the park. After lunch we toured around the gardens and spent about 1.5 hours in the muesem (this alone was worth the trip). Was around 3:30pm and decided we could make the trip to Miyajima. Was especially tempting because the cost of going via train/ferry was surprisingly low (akin to a more expensive metro ticket). We were able to make it to the island at around 5. Miyajima Brewery has a nice Hefe and oyster stout! Took the ferry/train back and caught a late Shinkansen back to Osaka. Called it a night there!
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Day 10: Back to Tokyo
Took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo and went to Glitch for espresso and visited the imperial palace. Made our way to Nakano Broadway for more watch hunting. Had ramen again at the same place in Shinjuku.
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Day 11: Tokyo/NRT
Had breakfast then headed to Akihabara to have a look around as we had time before our 6pm flight. Took the bus back to NRT soon after. Fin!
Overall I think we did well especially with packing our days with things that didn’t require anything to be booked in advance. One big change would be spending a night on Miyajima instead of Osaka but overall we are very happy.
by watchstraap
