Hi all, I’m a mid-20’s male solo traveler visiting Japan for the first time next month! I’m super excited, but it also feels a little overwhelming trying to plan. For the most part I’ve got my trip planned out, but I’m in need of some advice and I’m wondering how my itinerary looks. This will be my longest solo trip, longest international trip, and first solo international trip. I’ll be hitting Tokyo, Yokohama, Hakone, Osaka, and Kyoto, as well as day trips to Kobe and Nara.
Before I get started, I have some general questions about preparing for my trip:
-eSim: from browsing this subreddit, it looks like Ubigi is the best choice. Would 10GB data be enough for 3 weeks? I’ll probably have Google Maps open for navigation pretty often, and just browsing reddit/instagram when bored or on a train. Additionally, would it be smart to get a pocket WiFi as backup, or is Ubigi reliable enough that it wouldn’t be necessary?
-Walking shoes: I need to buy a pair and will begin breaking them in immediately. Any recommendations for anything breathable and/or waterproof (are those two mutually exclusive)? May also bring my hiking boots with me, but I don’t have a ton of space in my baggage, so something that can be worn on light hikes would be a plus!
-I’m aware I’ll be visiting during the middle of the rainy season. As you will see, most of my plans are for outdoor activities/walking from place to place… If anyone has suggestions for indoor alternatives in any of the cities I’ll be visiting, I’m all ears! I would also appreciate museum recommendations, since there seem to be so many in each city.
-Carrying my passport: should I invest in one of those cross-body bags and just keep my passport, money, and a portable charger in there? For the days that I plan on hiking or day trips, I’ll be carrying a small day pack that I can keep everything in along with my snacks/water, so I’m not sure if it’s worth it to buy a new bag. I’m also considering just getting a lanyard with a small pouch and wearing my passport around my neck at all times. What would be more comfortable/convenient?
-Hiking/being outside: I’m not planning on checking luggage on the way there, so I plan on buying sunscreen/insect repellant in Japan. Is this advisable? Furthermore, it seems many trails in Japan warn about the potential of running into snakes/bears. How concerned should I be about the wildlife and are there any extra precautions I should take? I’m used to hiking in the Appalachians where there are few venomous snakes, and black bears exist but I don’t see them often.
-Observation decks: is it worth it to see more than one in a given city? If I could only do one each in Osaka/Tokyo, which would be the best choices?
-I’m not staying in any hostels, but I’m interested in meeting people (other travelers, or locals who want to converse with a tourist), any suggestions? Would it be weird to try to strike up conversation with random people in bars/izakayas?
Okay, itinerary time! Let me know if any of my days seem too packed or if I’m skipping out on anything you really recommend. I plan on starting my days pretty early to beat the heat and crowds, but it looks like a lot of shrines/attractions don’t open until 9, and most stores don’t open until 10-11, so that may limit me on some days.
Day 1: Tokyo, will be here for 4 days
-land at Haneda airport at 8am
-drop bags off at hotel in Shinjuku – I’m not sure how much energy I’ll have, but I want to force myself to at least do a few things this day
-Suga Shrine (the stairs from “Your Name”)
-Shinjuku Gyoen national garden – my friend told me to avoid paying for shrines/gardens since there are free ones all over the place, but I figure it’s worth it for another Shinkai move spot (“The Garden of Words”)
-check into hotel and maybe power nap
-Mori art museum (depending on how I feel)
-Tokyo tower (depending on how I feel)
-Omoide Yokocho at night
Day 2:
-Yoyogi park
-Meiji Jingu
-Harajuku
-Imperial palace
-Teamlabs Planet
-Odaiba seaside park for sunset/nighttime views
Day 3: Asakusa
-Senso-ji/Nakamise dori
-Ueno park
-could also do some museums around Ueno
-Akihabara? (mostly just to look around, I’m saving my shopping for the end of my trip)
-Edo Tokyo museum
-Sumida aquarium
-Tokyo skytree for sunset/night views
Day 4:
-Shibuya crossing
-Hachiko statue
-Nintendo store/explore Shibuya shops
-Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation deck
-If I have more time to spare in Tokyo, I want to try traveling around to different neighborhoods, just wandering and seeing what life is like in that corner of the city. For example, I might take the train out to the Tama area and explore the town where the Ghibli film “Whisper of the Heart” is set (and hopefully I’ll find a random cat to follow). Has anyone done something similar and have any towns/neighborhoods they recommend checking out?
-Explore Shinjuku/Shibuya nightlife
Days 5&6: head to Yokohama for 2 days
-finish up anything I didn’t have time for in Tokyo and then head over
-I don’t have much planned here tbh, so I’m open to suggestions! I’m also happy to just wander around the city.
-Yamashita park/harbor view park
-Chinatown at night
-Minatomirai
-things I’m open to but not entirely set on:
-NYK Hikawa Maru
-Landmark Tower
-Yokohama museum of art
-Sankeien garden
-check out a car meet?
-I’m not particularly interested in the cup noodle museum or red brick warehouse, but if they’re highly recommended I can check them out
-I’m also open to doing a day trip to Kamakura if I’m bored
Days 7&8: head to Hakone for 2 days
-depending on how the weather is:
-I plan to spend one day doing the loop and visiting the Hakone shrine. Will also check out Gora park and the open air museum.
-Spend the other day hiking: will take the old tokaido road past Amazake Chaya and down to the Hakone checkpoint. Might do more hiking in the area or head to Mishima sky walk
-The available ryokans are out my price range, so I’ll be staying at a regular hotel and visiting public onsens. Will probably try to find at least one reservable private onsen as well.
Days 9-12: Osaka, includes Kobe day trip
-I should arrive in Osaka sometime in the afternoon on day 9, I don’t have too much planned for Osaka so I’ll try to get some stuff done this first day and feel out the rest. Also open to suggestions!
Things I want to see in Osaka, can all this be done in 1.5-2.5 days?:
-Osaka Castle/castle park
-Umeda sky building
-Dotonbori
-Ebisubashi bridge
-Hozenji yokocho
-Kuromon Ichiba market
-Abeno Harukas
-Osaka museum of history
-Osaka museum of housing and living
-Catch a baseball game, ORIX Buffaloes and Hanshin Tigers both have home series while I’m in town
-Osaka aquarium (if I skip the aquarium in Tokyo)
-Shinsekai new world (can be skipped)
-Tennoji park or Nagai park (can be skipped)
-Sumiyoshi Taisha (can be skipped)
Kobe Day trip (from Osaka) – will pick a day based on the weather forecast
-hiking in Mt. Rokko or Mt. Maya
-spend some time up in the mountains at botanical gardens/arboretums
-head back down for an early dinner, and maybe take the ropeway back up for sunset/night views of the city
-if I want to try Kobe beef, will I need to reserve a restaurant beforehand? Since I’m planning to feel this day out based on the weather, I don’t want to be restricted by a reservation. Although it’s not terribly far from Osaka if I choose to hike on another day and just go to Kobe one night for dinner
-is there anything else worth checking out in Kobe?
-Are there any other cool day trips from Osaka? Hiroshima seems a little far for my liking. I’m also planning to do Nara from Kyoto, but if I have an extra day in Osaka I might do it from here and give myself an extra day in Kyoto
Day 13: Kyoto for 5 days, includes Nara day trip
-arrive in Kyoto
-Imperial palace/national garden
-Nijo castle
-Nishiki market
-maybe some museums, the samurai ninja museum looks neat
The next 4 days are in no particular order can be re-arranged according to weather
Day 14
-Arashiyama bamboo forest (may skip since nothing else in the area opens until 9, and it seems like I want to get here by 7 to avoid heavy crowds)
-Iwatayama monkey park
-Tenryu-ji (might skip, it’s not expensive but idk if I want to pay to visit a temple when I’m already seeing so many )
-might do the Sagano romantic train and Hozugawa river boat ride. Would the boat ride be enjoyable on a summer afternoon due to being on the water, or would the afternoon sun make it unbearably hot?
-Saga Toriimoto preserved street
-Adashino nenbutsuji temple (seems to have its own bamboo grove, which makes skipping Arashiyama easier)
Day 15
-Bus/train to Kuramadera
-Hike to Kifune shrine
-Hirobun/kawadoko dining
-Explore Kibune and shrine area while I wait to eat lunch
-Back to Kyoto by mid-late afternoon
-Higashiyama Jisho-ji (can skip if too hot/tired)
-Honen-in temple (can skip if too hot/tired)
-Philosopher’s path
-Nanzen-ji
-Heian shrine
Day 16
-Fushimi inari taisha – I want to start early and climb to the top
-Rengeoin sanjusangendo (open to skipping, was recommended by a friend but doesn’t look super interesting)
-Sannenzaka
-Ninenzaka
-Kiyumizu dera
-Gion
-Maruyama park
Day 17: Nara day trip
-Todaiji
-Nara park
-Kasuga taisha
-Mt. Wakasuka
-Maybe Mt. Kasuga primeval forest, if my legs are up for more hiking
-Anything else to do/see?
On one of the Kyoto days I’d like to visit Fushimi inari taisha at night, but I’ve read comments on this subreddit about people being harassed by monkeys or seeing/hearing wild boars, so I’m a little concerned. Are there any precautions I should take to avoid unpleasant run ins with the wildlife?
Day 18: back to Tokyo for the rest of the trip
-take Shinkansen back, settle in
-baseball
Day 19
-shopping: Ginza and maybe Akihabara
-anything I missed the first time around
Day 20
-wrap up my trip and double back to any foods/places/sights I couldn’t get enough of
-fly home at 7pm
How does this look, am I risking too many activities getting ruined by rain? If any days are too packed, what can I skip/save for a later time? Thanks y’all!
by take_off_your_plants