Hi fellow Japan lovers! We’re planning an Autumn trip and was wondering if this itinerary is realistic. I don’t know how much to trust Google maps walking times (since it often can’t take into account lines, crowds, bathroom stops, browsing, etc). It was a bit tough to coordinate this trip since daylight is so short in November in Japan (sunset being around 4:30 PM) and everything opening so late (particularly restaurants/shops). We imagine we’ll have to be doing 24-hour ramen or kombini most mornings since it doesn’t seem like many food places open til like 10 AM. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to handle the early food situation? Similarly, how much time should we plan for food stops? I’ve tried to budget somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, although I have no idea how fast service moves, or what restaurant lines might look like. What’s a realistic food buffer time? (assuming we’re willing to go looking for places with smaller/no lines) The below itinerary isn’t expected to be super rigid…it’s more of an outline/ballpark w/ intended flexibility if we need to adjust/cut things. At any rate, I’d super appreciate any comments/advice.
*Arigatou gozaimasu!*
**Day 1 Arrive Toyko evening**
Check-in to Shibuya hotel, dinner in the area
**Day 2 Shibuya/Harajuku (Familiarization day, close to hotel, minimum public transit to become familiar)**
10:00 AM 11:00 AM A Happy Pancake for breakfast/lunch (reserve ahead of time)
11:00 AM 11:10 AM Walk to Shibuya Scramble / Hachiko Statue, then hop on Yamanote to Harajuku
11:30 AM 1:00 PM Meiji Jingu + Meiji Jingu Inner Garden
1:00 PM 3:00 PM Takeshita Street / Cat Street (maybe stop at Koffee Mameya for a flight? Kiddie Land? Marion Crêpes?)
3:00 PM 3:30 PM Finish Cat Street Walk to Shibuya Sky (reserve ahead of time)
3:30 PM 5:00 PM Shibuya Sky
5:30 PM 7:00 PM Dinner, then hotel
**Day 3 Kamakura/Enoshima/Yokohama(?)**
There’s alot crammed into this day, but we’re also planning on flexing depending on how we feel (possibly ditch Yokohama entirely, or leave Enoshima early)
8:00 AM 10:00 AM Kotokuin/Hasedera
10:00 AM 11:00 AM Backtrack to Komachi-dori street for some lunch
11:00 AM 12:00 PM Tsurugaoka Shrine
12:00 PM 1:00 PM Train to Enoshima
1:00 PM 5:00 PM Spend Time in Enoshima…possible snack at LONCAFE? Candlelight illumination @ Samuel Cocking Garden? Sunset?
5:00 PM+ Travel back to Shibuya…possibly stopover in Yokohama Chinatown for dinner? (else, grab food in Shibuya or Enoshima)
\~9 PM Return to hotel
**Day 4 Roppongo/Shinjuku**
This could substitute as a rain day somewhere in the schedule since it’s mostly indoors
10:00 AM 12:00 PM Teamlabs Borderless (reserve ahead of time)
12:00 PM 2:00 PM Walk to Roppongi Station/Mori Art area, grab lunch on the way? Naruse’s Unagi Eel? GYOPAO Gyoza Roppongi? yelo for dessert?
2:00 PM 4:00 PM Mori Art Museum (do I need reservations for this?), maybe Creme de la Creme snack after
4:00 PM 4:15 PM Train to Shinjuku station
4:15 PM 6:30 PM Walk streets (Cross Space Shinjuku, Godzilla Head, Omoide Yokocho, etc) + grab dinner somewhere (Sushi-Zanmai Higashi Shinjuku, Omoide Yokochō, Ramen Tatsunoya Shinjuku?)
6:30 PM Train back to Shibuya/hotel from Shin-Okubo station
**Day 5 Kawaguchiko**
\* Bring daybag for single night stay
\*\* Get Fuji Hakone Pass
7:30 AM 9:10 AM Fuji Limited Express to Shimoyoshida (reserve ahead of time)
9:10 AM 11:30 AM Chureito Pagoda and surroundings (is it possible to taxi directly to the pagoda?), return to train station
11:50 AM 12:00 PM Fujikyuko Line every half hour to Kawaguchico (or just taxi?)
12:00 PM 1:00 PM Lunch somewhere?
1:00 PM 1:15 PM Taxi/Bus to Oichi Park
1:15 PM 2:45 PM Oichi Park
2:45 PM 3:00 PM Taxi/Bus to hotel, check-in
Afternoon Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum (open til 5:30 PM)
Evening Maple Corridor / Fujikawaguchiko Autumn Leaves Festival, then hotel here
**Day 6 Lazy day**
10:00 AM Kawaguchiko Hotel Checkout, transfer to train station (potentially get up a bit early for Kawaguchiko Cheesecake Garden brunch?)
11:05 AM 1:04 PM Express Bus to Shinjuku (Busta Shinjuku) (reserve ahead of time?)
1:04 PM 1:15 PM Walk to Shinjuku Gyoen
1:15 PM 3:15 PM Explore until get bored
Afternoon Get food somewhere nearby
Evening Science Bar Incubator opens @ 6 PM (are reservations needed here?)
\~7 PM Train back to hotel
**Day 7 Asakusa / Odaiba (possible rain day activities indoors @ Odaiba)**
This day is a bit light on activites, especially in the Asakusa area…
\* setup luggage transfer in the morning, pack day bag
9:00 AM 10:00 AM Senso-ji
10:00 AM 1:00 PM Nakamise Dori / Sumida Park / Wander
1:00 PM 2:00 PM Toyko Cruise Hotoluna Asakusa Pier -> Odaiba Seaside Park Pier
2:00+PM Odaiba activities…dinner somewhere around here
??? Return hotel, Every \~10 minutes, the Rinkai Line rides direct to Shibuya (\~20 minute train ride)
**Day 8 Hakone + Travel to Kyoto**
Planning to do a clockwise loop in Hakone to hopefully reduce volume/people
8:00 AM 9:00 AM Train to Odawara via Shinkansen (reserve ahead of time?)
9:00 AM 9:45 AM Taxi directly to Hakone Shrine
10:15 AM 11:30 AM Bakery & Table brunch
11:30 AM 1:00 PM Pirate ship/Ropeway/Cablecar
1:00 PM 3:00 PM Hakone Open Air Museum + maybe snack in the area?
3:00 PM 4:00 PM Hakone Tozen -> Odawara, transfer to Shinkansen
4:00 PM 7:00 PM Train to Kyoto hotel via Shinkansen, late dinner somewhere (Pontocho alley?)
**Day 9 Osaka (possible rain day activities, mostly indoors)**
9:00 AM 9:30 AM Koe Donuts brunch?
9:30 AM 10:45 AM Train to Osaka
10:45 AM 11:30 AM Glitch coffee flight
11:30 AM 12:30 PM Train to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
12:30 PM 3:00 PM Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
3:00 PM 4:00 PM Train to Osaka-Namba / Dontonbori
4:00 PM 6:00 PM Dontonbori walking circuit + dinner
6:00 PM 7:15 PM Train back to hotel
**Day 10 Kyoto (Southern Temples)**
6:00 AM 7:30 AM Kiyomizu-dera
7:45 AM 8:45 AM Kyoto Bistro for Breakfast
9:00 AM 10:00 AM Kodaiji Temple
10:00 AM 10:45 AM Backtrack to shopping streets of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka??? (optional?)
11:00 AM 11:30 AM Maruyama/Yasaka brief browse?
11:30 AM 11:40 AM Walk to/through Hanamikoji Street
12:00 PM+ Lunch somehwere…Premium Pound Gion? Beer Komachi? Nishiki Market?
Free afternoon/evening (probably will intentionally leave empty as a fillable buffer)
**Day 11 Kyoto (Fushimi Inari / Nara)**
6:30 AM 8:30 AM Fushimi Inari, start @ Inari, follow trail back down towards Tofuku-ji
8:30 AM 10:00 AM Tofuku-ji
10:00 AM 11:30 AM Train to Kintetsu-Nara / Nara Park
11:30 AM 1:00 PM Check out the deer, eat lunch
1:00 PM 5:00 PM Todai-ji, Isuien Garden, Kasuga Taisha Shrine (Todai-ji is the must), everything in Nara closes by 5 PM
5:00 PM 6:00 PM Train back to hotel, dinner somewhere
**Day 12 Kyoto (Northern Temples)**
8:30 AM 9:30 AM Bishamondo Temple
9:30 AM 10:15 AM Train to Nanzenji Temple
10:15 AM 11:45 AM Nanzenji Temple
11:45 AM Start walking Philosopher’s Path…do lunch in the area (Hinode Udon?)
maybe check out Eikando if short lines (will be coming back for illumination @ night)
11:45 AM 1:00 PM Lunch time
1:00 PM 1:30 PM Eventually end up at Shinnyo-dō Temple (super optional on this, as it’s alot of extra walking + temple fatigue)
1:30 PM 2:15 PM Shinnyo-dō Temple / Eishoin Temple (super optional on this, as it’s alot of extra walking + temple fatigue)
2:35 PM 3:35 PM Honen-In Temple
3:45 PM 4:45 PM Ginkakuji
4:45 PM 7:00 PM Dinner somewhere (stay in the general area…traffic is awful entering the city at this time…)
7:30 PM Eikando night illumination (last entry @ 8:30 PM), line highly possible
**Day 13 Rain/Relax Day Buffer**
Nothing really schedule…maybe a daytrip to Himeji? This is an intentional lazy/buffer day
**Day 14 Fly home**
by askepticoptimist