Hello! I’m heading out to Japan soon with a few friends. This sub has been super helpful in coming up with ideas for where to go and what to see. This is the first of hopefully many trips to Japan. On future trips I plan to veer off the Golden Route and visit other areas.
My group loves food, nature, culture, anime/manga, theme parks, and karaoke. Any recommendations or thoughts welcome.
In a perfect world, I would’ve reduced the Tokyo time at the end of the trip and spent more time in Hiroshima/Miyajima area but we are returning to Tokyo a little early since a few people in our group leave early, so I had to work around that.
Day 1: Tokyo
– Land at Narita around 4pm
– Check into hotel in Shinjuku area
– Get dinner, go to bed
Day 2: Tokyo
– Meiji Jingu shrine
– Shibuya Sky reservation around 11am
– Check out stores in Shibuya (One Piece, Tower Records, Pokémon, etc)
– Visit Harajuku
– Rest at hotel for a bit
– Spend evening in Shinjuku area for dinner & sightseeing
Day 3: Tokyo
– DisneySea (we will plan to stay the whole day but leave early if we feel we’ve seen enough)
Day 4: Tokyo > Hakone
– Tokyo
– Store luggage at Shinjuku station
– Go to TeamLabs Borderless
– Check out Azabudai Hills observation deck
– Return to Shinjuku station for Romancecar reservation at 3pm
– Hakone
– Check into hotel, have dinner, relax
Day 5: Hakone
– Hakone loop
– Relax at hotel
Day 6: Hakone > Osaka
– Shinkansen to Osaka, leave around 10am after checkout
– Walk around Osaka Castle grounds
– Shopping and eating in Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, Denden
Day 7: Osaka
– USJ with express pass
Day 8: Osaka > Hiroshima/Miyajima
– Early train to Hiroshima
– Visit Peace Memorial Museum and surrounding area
– Okonomiyaki
– Ferry to Miyajima, spend the night there
Day 9: Miyajima > Kyoto
– Spend time in Miyajima until afternoon, then catch ferry and train to Kyoto
– Check into hotel and get dinner
Day 10: Kyoto
– Temples
– Kiyomizu-dera
– Philosopher’s Path
– Nishiki Market
– Tea ceremony?
Day 11: Kyoto
– Fushimi Inari hike early morning
– Train to Nara
– Stop at Uji to see Byodo-in and buy tea
Day 12: Kyoto
– Arashiyama most of day
Day 13: Kyoto > Tokyo
– Train to Tokyo in morning
– Stay in Asakusa area
– Visit Senso-ji
– Go to Swallows baseball game
Day 14: Tokyo
– Asakusa and Akihabara
Day 15: Kamakura/Enoshima day trip
Day 16: Tokyo
– Flexible day
Day 17: Tokyo
– Shopping, fly out in evening
Thank you!
by livelaughlamprey
