Tokyo/Hakone/Osaka/Nara/Koyasan/Kyoto/Takayama
We’ve been planning this trip for 6 years now and can’t believe it’s actually happening! I’ve scoured this subreddit for the past couple of years, changed the itinerary 4 times, and have finally come up with this plan.
I’ve tried to perfectly curate this trip so that it includes just enough cities to visit – but hopefully not too much. I’ve included the top places we want to visit in each place, however am trying to balance between must see places and pre-plan exploration and rest time. Exploring is important to us since that’s when the best moments are created, and we want enough rest time so we don’t burn out, but not too much where the trip it wasted.
I’m open to any and all critiques, advice, and recommendations
Everything in the trip can be changed besides the flights and the Takayama ryokan. The rest of the hotels have been reserved but include free cancelation. We will be flying in on Zip Air lie flat seats so hopefully we will be well rested.
About us:
-We LOVE good food. Not even fine dining, just yummy meals.
-We are young and in decent shape.
-We like a mixture of culture, history, architecture, and just exploring.
October 5th to October 24th 2024.
**Day 0 (Friday): LAX -> NRT**.
• Arrive at LAX the night before and crash at hotel.
• LAX -> NRT. Will be flying Zip Air lie flat seats, so hopefully we’ll arrive at Tokyo well rested.
**Day 1 (Saturday): Tokyo**
**Afternoon**
• Arrive at NRT at 2pm.
• Activate esim, get cash, welcome pasmo, and hop on Narita Express to Shibuya station. We will be lodging in Shibuya Stream Excel which is connected to the station.
• If we have the energy, walk around Shibuya and grab some snacks and toiletries (would hit up the Mega Don Quijote but have a feeling it would be way too crowded on a Saturday and too much for us after all that travel).
**PM**
• Reserve omakase at sushi tokyo ten shibuya for 9pm. I usually wouldn’t stress us out with reservations the first day, but since its a saturday night in shibuya, i dont want to be running around finding a place to eat. This is also right by the hotel
**Day 2 (Sunday): Tokyo**
Shibuya Day! I don’t want to pack this day since we’ll be recovering from the journey and jet lag.
**AM**
• Sleep in.
• Find some yummy breakfast
• Check out Scramble crossing and Hachiko quickly.
**Afternoon**
• Walk around Shibuya, check out Parco and other stores around the area and explore. Open to any recommendations of cool areas to explore/ shop.
• Eat lunch at the depachikas or street food.
**PM**
• Shibuya Sky. Would love to snag a ticket for sunset, but since it’s Sunday we’ll probably have to settle for night time tickets (unless you all think day time would be better).
• For dinner, I thought reserving a restaurant at Niku Yokocho (meat alley) would be a fun experience. I haven’t seen too much about it on this sub, so if anyone has been, lmk what you think! Not sure if it would be dead on a Sunday night.
**Day 3 (Monday): Tokyo**
Harajuku and Shinjuku day. Is this day too busy?
**AM**
• Grab a quick breakfast and head to Meiji Jingu shrine. Take some time here.
• Quick pass-through down Takeshita Street. Don’t think we’ll spend too much time here, just want to see it once.
**Afternoon**
• Cat street / explore Harajuku area.
• Lunch – still researching where to go. Since it’s Monday, I think we can just play it by year and use tablelog once we get hungry.
• Head to Shinjuku station, explore.
**PM**
Is this plan okay for a Monday night, or should I save Shinjuku for another night?
• Walk around Kabukicho.
• Eat dinner at Omoide Yokocho.
• Grab drinks at Golden Gai
**Day 4 (Tuesday): Tokyo**
**AM**
• Sleep in a little and go to kirby café for brunch (assuming I can get tickets).
• Visit ghibli store in skytree.
• Go to gachapon place nearby.
**Afternoon**
• Walk around Tokyo National museum.
• Walk around Ueno Park, find lunch.
• Go to foot massage café.
**PM**
• Go to Sensoji after 5:30pm. Is this an okay idea? I heard that it’s beautiful lit up at night and will allow us to avoid the insane crowds, although Nakamise street will be closed.
• Optional: If time permits, go to Akihabara, maybe go to Super Potato and play arcade games.
• Find a restaurant to reserve for dinner.
• Wash clothes at hotel.
• Send luggage to Osaka via hotel service.
**Day 5 (Wednesday): Tokyo**
**AM**
• Go to Ghibli Museum before 11am (if I don’t get tickets I will use this time to cry ). Eat brunch at their café.
**Afternoon**
• Walk around Inokashira Park.
• Go to Kichijoji for vintage shopping, lunch, and walk around.
• Grab a drink/ stroll Harmonica Yokocho.
**PM**
• Optional: Grab dinner or do an activity in Shibuya, maybe go to Dagashi-Bar or a club
**Day 6 (Thursday): Hakone**
Hakone Day! I am confused if this day is correctly planned, so please critique it! We will be staying at a guest house 15 mins walking from hakone-yumoto station.
**AM**
• Get hakone free pass, take 9am romance car from Shinjuku to hakone-yumoto station. Send carry on to hotel.
• Take Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora. Go to open air museum.
**Afternoon**
• Take cablear to Sounzan station, board Hakone Ropeway. Stop at Owakudani Station if time permits.
• Continue on to Lake Ashi. Take pirate ship to MotoHakone.
• Walk to Hakone-Jinja shrine.
• Grab lunch.
• Optional: If there’s time, go to hakone checkpoint.
**PM**
• Go to hotel.
**Day 7 (Friday): Osaka**
**AM**
• Get breakfast and take shinkansen from Odawara station to shin Osaka. Check in to namba hotel.
**Afternoon**
• Optional: Walk around Osaka Castle gardens.
• Walk around Shin Sekai, eat, go to top of Tsutenkaku tower.
**PM**
• Walk around Dotonbori for dinner.
**Day 8 (Saturday): Osaka -> Nara -> Osaka**
Day trip to Nara.
**AM**
• Take train to Kintetsu-Nara station.
• Watch mochi show at Nakatanidou.
• Toda-ji temple.
**Afternoon**
• Get lost inside Nara park, find lunch
• Explore on the way backnto station, open to recommendations for more things to do in nara.
**PM**
• Go back to Osaka.
• Find Okinamiyaki restaurant to reserve.
**Day 9 (Sunday): Osaka -> Koyasan**
Make our way to Koyasan!
**AM**
• Send luggage to Kyoto in namba station.
• Purchase Koyasan world heritage pass and make our way to Koyasan.
• Take cable car up to mount koya.
**Afternoon**
• Check into temple stay, grab some lunch.
• Explore Okunoin commentary.
**PM**
• Do Okunoin commentary night tour.
• Dinner at temple.
**Day 10 (Monday): Koyasan -> Kyoto**
Go to Kyoto. Having a hard time finding the best way to get there from Koyasan, seems like the most direct option includes a ton of transfers and take 4 hours.
**AM**
• Attend temple morning ceremony.
• Breakfast at temple.
• Explore koyasan center.
• Travel to Kyoto, we will be staying close to Kyoto station.
**Afternoon**
• Rest the whole day, use hotel onsen.
• Optional: Check out Kyoto tower.
**Day 11 (Tuesday): Kyoto**
**AM**
• Sleep in, have breakfast at hotel.
**Afternoon**
• Eat lunch at nishiki Market.
• Explore area, go to Teramachi shopping street (is this area worth exploring?)
• Go to fushimi inari around 5:00pm, hike to the first checkpoint..
**PM**
• Eat dinner at Pontocho alley, walk along Takase river.
**Day 12 (Wednesday): Kyoto**
Gion day! Not sure if this day makes sense/ can be optimized or if this is too many shrines.
**AM**
• Get to Kiyomizu-dera at 6:30am.
• Mastubara-dori street.
• Sannenzaka path.
• Ninenzaka.
• Yasaka-Jinja shrine.
• Chion-in temple.
• Enjoy some green tea at Shoren-in Monzeki
**Afternoon**
• Get lunch. I’d love to try the gion duck noodles but will go elsewhere if the line is too long.
• Put on kimono and go to tea ceremony at Maikoya.
• Walk around, go to shijo-ohashi Bridge.
• Shinbashi-dori.
• Shirakawa lane.
• Return kimono, go back to hotel.
**PM**
• Optional: Return to gion to see it at night time and get dinner.
**Day 13 (Thursday): Kyoto**
Arashiyama day
**AM**
• Reserve and arrive at Saiho-ji temple for 10am time slot.
• Togetsukyo bridge
• Okochi-Sanso garden.
**Afternoon**
• Rent bikes or take taxi and go to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji temple.
• Adashino Nenbutsuji temple.
• Explore Saga Torimoto perserved street. Get lunch.
• Go back to main Arashiyama area, walk around observation deck.
• Optional: Go to rock garden at Daikaku-ji temple.
• Return to hotel.
**PM**
• Rest.
**Day 14 (Friday): Kyoto**
Free day – Forward luggage to Tokyo.
Options:
• Get massage/ rest.
• Go to Uji
• Philosophers path.
• Mo-an café.
• Nintendo museum (if open by then)
**Day 15 (Saturday): Takayama**
Travel to Takayama!! Hopefully there will be some fall foliage by this time
**AM**
• Kyoto -> Nagoya Station -> Takayama Station.
• Get picked up and taken to ryokan with their shuttle.
**Afternoon**
• Rest the whole day at the ryokan, enjoy onsen..
**PM**
• Enjoy hida beef course meal at ryokan!!
**Day 16 (Sunday): Takayama**
**AM**
• Breakfast at ryokan.
• Hida no Sato open air museum.
**Afternoon**
• Walk around Sanmachi historical district.
• Grab lunch.
• Go to Harada sake brewery for quick sake tasting.
• Back to ryokan.
**PM**
• Dinner at Ryokan.
**Day 17 (Monday): Takayama -> Tokyo**
Back to Tokyo today, will be staying in Ginza. Last train from Takayama leaves around 4pm.
**AM**
• Breakfast at ryokan.
• 8:30am Jinya-Mae and Miyagawa morning markets..
• Takayama jinya government building.
• Yoshijima and Kusakabe traditional houses.
**Afternoon**
• Festival floats museum.
• Sakurayama Hachimangu shrine.
• Get lunch.
• Back to ryokan for luggage, shuttle to station. Last train leaves around 4pm.
• Head to Tokyo on Shinkansen. Unsure if we should have stop in Nagoya or Toyoma, probably doesn’t matter.
**PM**
• Check into hotel, rest.
**Day 18 (Tuesday): Tokyo**
Undecided. Options we are considering:
• Kamakura
• Tokyo diseney sea
• Explore more of Tokyo
**Day 19 (Wednesday): Tokyo**
**AM**
• Walk around imperial palace gardens.
• Go to Tokyo tower (don’t go up)
**Afternoon**
• Explore Tokyo station, eat in their depachika.
• Last minute shopping, explore ginza
**PM**
• Last dinner, find something to reserve. Pack bags and rest.
**Day 20 (Thursday): Tokyo**
**AM**
• Quick breakfast in ginza
• Head to airport on NEX from Tokyo station around 10:00am.
**Afternoon**
• Flight leaves Narita Airport at 2:40pm.
by mochi_the_cat3