**A little bit about us:**
We’re a couple in our late 20s and have never been to Japan before (my boyfriend has never traveled internationally before!) We’ve been talking about a trip to Japan when we first started dating a few years ago, and now it’s finally happening! He has a flexible PTO schedule, while I’m a teacher and am trying to use my school breaks as a time to travel. I would love to see cherry blossoms, which is why we decided to go in late March of 2025 (during my spring break) for our trip. He’s more interested in the gaming/anime side of Tokyo, while I’m more interested in seeing cherry blossoms and visiting a Ryokan. We both want to see Mt. Fuji and have lots of great food.
**March 16th- Leave USA**
Flight: TBD
We live smack middle of the USA, so the travel time to Japan will be quite lengthy.
**March 17th- Arrive in Tokyo**
Hotel: Hotel Gracery Asakusa
Due to the uncertainty of the flight, I’m leaving this as an open day for us to travel and get to the hotel. If we can pop in a few sights that’s great. we *should* be able to at least do Skytree this day though, but again I don’t want to overdo it.
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Get to Tokyo!
· Tokyo Skytree
**March 18th- Asakusa + Akihabara**
This day is mostly for my boyfriend, as he’s a huge gamer and anime lover. When doing research for our trip, he was especially drawn to Akihabara, which is why I want to spend a bit of time there. If we can see the Skytree the day before, we might also squeeze Ueno Park + its surrounding area in this itinerary.
Hotel: Hotel Gracery Asakusa
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Nakamise Dori Street
· Senso-Ji
· Akihabara (for Super Potato, Mandarake, etc..)
· Tokyo Skytree OR Ueno Park
**March 19th- Shinjuku + Mt. Fuji**
Both of us would love to see Mt. Fuji, and are hoping that on a day trip, we’ll be able to soak in some of the mountain views. My boyfriend is also drawn to the Omoide Yokocho/Golden Gai area, so when we get back to Shinjuku we’ll walk around and have dinner over there!
Hotel: Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Omoide Yokocho
· Mt. Fuji area
**March 20th- Travel to Osaka**
Both of us really want to explore Dotonbori, which is one of the main reasons for going to Osaka. We’ll stretch our legs out at Shinjuku Gyoen for a bit before a long train ride.
Hotel: Hotel Montery Grasmere Osaka
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Shinjuku Gyoen
· Osaka Castle
· Dotonbori
**March 21st- Osaka full day**
I feel like Osaka is just too much to do in one day! We were playing around with the idea of doing a theme park- but as former Florida natives, is it worth it? Dotonbori is also where i think we’re going to go for dinner again as there are just so many good food options!
Hotel: Hotel Montery Grasmere Osaka
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Shinsekai
· Harukas 300
· Dotonbori
**March 22nd- Hiroshima Day Trip**
Although we’re not quite history buffs, we both felt a draw to see the Hiroshima area for a day trip.
Hotel: Hotel Montery Grasmere Osaka
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Hiroshima Peace Memorial
· Atomic Bomb Dome
**March 23rd- Kyoto**
My boyfriend loves dinosaurs, so I thought it would be cute to stay at this hotel. I want to check out the Fushimi Inari Shrine & Gion area!
Hotel: Henn na Hotel Kyoto Hachijoguchi
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Fushimi Inari Shrine
· Nishiki Market
· Gion
**March 24th- Nara Day Trip**
Nara was one of the places that I wasn’t sure if we’d be interested in, but we decided to go based on recommendations and reviews. We’ll take a short little day trip before heading back to Kyoto. My main reason for visiting during this time of year is to try to get a glimpse of cherry blossoms, so hopefully they’ll be out and we can capture their beauty in a nice boat ride in the evening.
Hotel: Henn na Hotel Kyoto Hachijoguchi
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Nara Park
· Okazaki Canal Boat Ride (Night if possible!)
**March 25th- Hakone**
Hotel: TBD
One of the things we really wanted to experience was a Ryokan. I really want to stay in a place with a private Onsen for some added luxury and relaxation. Hakone will also give us a second attempt to see Mt. Fuji if we weren’t able to get views on our day trip.
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Experience a Ryokan!
· Lake Ashi area
**March 26th- Shibuya**
My boyfriend is a huge Pokémon fan, so we needed to make sure we hit up at least one Pokémon center! I think that the Shibuya sky looks so pretty and could be a great place to get some views in the evening!
The goal for this day is to do at least the following:
· Pokemon Center
· Shibuya Sky
**March 27th- Flex day**
We have an extra day in our itinerary that I’m not quite sure what to do with as of now. Any ideas? Maybe an extra day in Kyoto? If we can’t figure out what to do with this day, we’ll just spend another night in the Shibuya area.
**March 28th- Leave**
Any suggestions/tips/advice would be greatly appreciated!
by Party-Ad-983