Thank you for those who reviewed my itenrary on my previous post. I updated according to the comments and wanted to see everyone’s thoughts. Thank you.
Friday: Arrive in Narita at 6:00 PM
Transfer to Tokyo
Visit Shinjuku District
Saturday: Tokyo
Imperial Palace (opens 9 am)
Ginza Shopping District
-Uniqlo Ginza
Tsukiji Fish Market
Caretta Shiodome centre and its Advertising Museum
Akihabara
Asakusa
-Nakamise Dori Street
-Senso-Ji Temple
-Asahi Tower
**Odaiba Island (if there is time)
**Teamlab Planets (if there is time)
Sunday: Tokyo
Harajuku
-Takeshita Street
-Meiji Shrine
Omotesando Street
Yoyogi Park
Shibuya/Shibuya Crossing
-Second floor of Starbucks to People Watch?
-Shibuya Sky? (14th Floor has good views)
Roppongi Hills
**Shimokitazawa (if there is time)
Monday: Tokyo
Free Morning and afternoon. (Catch up on missed things)
Transfer to Takayama in the evening
Tuesday: Takayama
Hida Folk Village
Old District of Takayama
Funasaka Sake Experience
Try Hide Beef
Wednesday: Takayama
Day trip to Shirakawago
Visit village and farms
Go to the viewpoint
Transfer to Kyoto
Thursday: Kyoto
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Nijo Castle
Gion Geisha District
Temple of the Golden Pavilion
Friday: Kyoto
Sunrise at Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Day Trip to Nara
Bowing Deer
Temples of Kofukuji, Todaiji and Kasuga
Saturday: Kyoto
Sunrise at Fushimi Inari Shrine
Temples of Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizudera
Nishiki Market
Temple of Ginkakuji
Sunday
Return to Narita. Fly out late afternoon.
by pnehoray
3 comments
Hi,
This is a fast-paced itinerary, but it could work with a few tweaks.
Your Saturday feels too packed; I don’t think there is time for Odaiba on that day, and you can skip that area anyways. Besides, Teamlab Planets requires prior reservation.
Instead, you could visit Teamlab Borderless towards the end of the day in Sunday: it is in Roppongi. Yoyogi Park can be skipped; the logical flow would be Meiji shrine – Harajuku – Shibuya – Teamlab
That Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama is totally not worth it on its own, and it is on the opposite side of Kyoto vs your other activities of the day; I would skip 100%. I don’t think you have time to do justice to the Arashiyama area anyway.
The imperial palace is skippable, and Fushimi Inari to Ginkakuji in a day is ambitious but you can play it by ear.
Iten… what now?
Move up your Takayama and Kyoto trip up to that free Monday in Tokyo and replace your free Monday with Tokyo on Saturday before your Narita flight.
**Keep the day before the day of departure for the city you are departing from.**
So Saturday = Back in Tokyo. Go shop your socks off. Sunday fly off.
I say this because you don’t know when a Shinkansen will shut down due to an earthquake or an unfortunate event along the tracks. Those are events with varying degrees of severity you can’t predict a day before. Doesn’t need to happen in Tokyo. It can happen anywhere along the long track between Kyoto and Tokyo.
Imagine if you’re stuffed on Sunday …there will be a lot of ppl trying to get on those high way buses if they need to be in Tokyo for work on Monday. And other tourists too. And those highway buses may not even make it on time for you to get to your flight.
Last thing you want is to be delayed even if your flight is in the late afternoon. Stay in Tokyo on the day before the day of departure.