9 days trip to Tokyo with a friend who never visited, what should we do?

10 comments

1. My suggestion is leave day 3 undecided. 
   Don’t overload. 

   Spend the day walking around aimlessly. Sounds silly, but you’ll find places you would have never seen before. Living in Japan, I still enjoy my pointless days of walking. I found places I never find on google or on any review. 

   Eat something new. A place without reviews. 
   Visit a new temple that no one has mentioned. 
   Go get candy from a random shop along your walk. 
   Get lost and fight temptation to find your way back to somewhere you visited. 

   And if your day 3 isn’t amazing, I’ll personally Venmo you a cost of a dinner. 

2. Ask your friend where she wants to go and split the time evenly with places you wanna revisit, places you think she will like to go, and new places you wanna go that would also interest her.

3. We really enjoyed Shibuya Sky. What a view.
   Also I recommend Shunkaen Bonsai Museum. It’s a little outside of the city center but it is well worth the trip and you get a free tour from the apprentices. They have bonsai there that are 1000+ years old.

4. Chinzanso – three ways of getting access to their firefly garden

   1. Reserve a ticket (around 2000 jpy)

   [https://hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/page/firefly-70th/](https://hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/page/firefly-70th/)

   OR

   2. Evening dinner there – you need to book.

   [https://hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/events/firefly-evenings-dinner-buffet-2](https://hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/events/firefly-evenings-dinner-buffet-2)

   OR

   3. Stay there.

5. Kyoto? We’re visiting Japan for the first time, and basically splitting up time with 3 5 days Tokyo, 3 days Kyoto, and 3 days Osaka. Maybe too much, not sure. Trying to balance cramming it in and still enjoying it. Bucket list trip with my young teen and preteen.

6. Do you know if your friend is the type to like touristy things? If I were you lr friend, I’d be stoked to be going with someone who knows a lot more about Tokyo than I do. I’d be excited to go on paths less traveled. I’d say, let’s skip Shinjuku – what wards do you like? What are your favorite places to visit? Why don’t we do a mix of that and also get lost and discover new things?

7. Walks around the imperial palace and ginza would be nice !

8. Day trip to Nikko!!

9. I would second the day trip to Nikko. Many easy options to get there and back from Tokyo.

   This place was jaw-dropping for me as a first time visitor decade+ ago, and when I went back a second time with my family last year, everyone thought it was an amazing place to visit.

   Very different from Tokyo and a great way to experience traditional Japanese aesthetics, nature, culture and history all in a single day. The Toshogu Shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage site with Japan’s most ornate, spectacular architecture, set among magnificent cedar groves and waterfalls.

10. Since it’s your friends first trip make it memorial as possible. Don’t just walk around aimlessly. Have a go and plan things for her.

    Day 3. Kamakura+ Enoshima Island 100 percent. It’s next to Nikko and fujikawaguchiko the best daytrip areas. Yes better than hakone by a lot for me.

    Day 4. Add Ghibli Museum/ Kichijoji and Koenji area. She likes Korean food? Add Shin Okubo at evening.

    Day 5&6 I guess you stay in Hakone which is good.

    Day 7 ??? You are going tsujiki and oedo market then why not check out Ginza and Odaiba, take a night view foodbath for free in Senkyaku. Put your Teamlab Planet here since it’s close.

    Day 8. Asakusa, Kappabashi street, Ameyokocho, Ueno Park, Yanaka and museum, afternoon Akihabara. Everything on food can be done easily!

    Day 9 Kugayama, (Setagaya, Suginami.)Whatever you want can switch it around.