Hello! We are currently planning our first trip to Japan in August. One member of our group will only be joining us the first 4.5 days of our trip, so we want to make sure we do as much as possible these days without the itinerary being too overwhelming.
We’re looking for some guidance on our plan:
Day 1 (Narita):
* 8pm: Landing in Narita (we already booked this flight and can’t change it)
* Stay at nearby hotel and grab dinner from Family Mart or 7/11
Day 2 (Narita > Kyoto):
* 7am: Hotel breakfast then speed train to Kyoto
* Drop off backs at hotel
* Arashiyama (walk from bamboo grove to Adashino Nenbutsuji)
* 5pm (ish): Dinner at Menbaka or Ichiran
* Check into hotel
* 8pm: Higahiyama Ward temples (walking distance from hotel)
* We want pictures without the crowds
* Check out 1-2 bars in the area
* Bungalow, Apotheca, C+D
Day 3 (Kyoto > Osaka):
* 7am: Hotel breakfast
* 9am-11am: Kimono fitting at Camellia and tea ceremony
* Lunch
* We want to try Japanese McDonald’s and Starbucks
* Maybe try Maccha House if there’s time and no line
* 1:30pm: Train to Osaka
* Check into hotel
* 4pm-9pm: Dotonbori street food and shopping
* Ame-mura, Orange St, Ghibli Store, Onitsuka store, Don Quijote
Day 4 (Osaka):
This is one person in our group’s last full day. We thought of a few ideas for this day and aren’t sure what to go with:
1. Explore Osaka more. Do most of our Dotonbori shopping today instead of Day 3. We want to fit a really nice meal into these first 4 days, and we’re considering booking Sushi Sanshin for lunch.
2. Day trip to Mount Koya. The night tours seem cool, but according to Google Maps, we can’t make it back to Osaka that night if we leave after 8:30 pm, which is about how long the night tour we’re looking at is.
3. Day trip to Nara. Feed the deer.
Day 5 (Osaka):
* 8am: Hotel breakfast
* 9am: Brooklyn Roasting Company
* 11am: Walk the one person of our group to Namba Station so they can get to KIX on time
* 2 options for the rest of the day:
* If we stay in Osaka Day 4: go to Nara
* Otherwise: Explore Osaka (aquarium, more shopping, ringram). This is a Saturday, so we’re worried about crowds.
by Lanky_Club_3174