Hi all, really appreciate your feedback and recommendations on our itinerary for next month! We are a mid-30s couple visiting for the first time, trying to learn some travel/survival phrases but we do not speak Japanese. We want to appreciate the cities, the culture, and FOOD. This is the dream culinary trip for us. I’m hoping for some feedback on how doable some of these plans are, and if there are restaurant recs we shouldn’t miss! My spouse does drink, but I do not. I also don’t eat pork, so I’m hopeful that I can google translate that and hope for the best at most places.
Anything with a question mark is something I’d love to hear about- worth it, experiences, any advice or tips.
Also: all accommodations have been booked, so that piece of the itinerary is not flexible. Getting tickets for a couple of activities and the Shinkansen asap as well.
* **Thursday, July 4th: Tokyo**
* arrive Haneda 7pm
* welcome Suica cards
* get to hotel in Ginza for check-in
* konbini for snacks/food and walk around a minute before we drop
* **Friday, July 5th: Tokyo**
* Breakfast: hotel
* go to Kichijoji for HeadSpa reservations
* Lunch: Tsukemen Enji lunch, Shiro Hige cream puff factory if time
* Ghibli Museum (4pm?)
* depending on energy, back to hotel or check out Shinjuku
* Dinner: Takashiyama Food Hall? Golden Gai crawl?
* **Saturday, July 6th: Tokyo (spouse’s birthday!)**
* Breakfast: hotel. Also, try I’m Donut?
* Shibuya
* Scramble, Yoyogi Park, Hachiko Statue, Tokyu Food Show, Shibuya Sky (or is sunset a MUST)
* Lunch: queue at Pizza Savoy OR Gyukatsu Motomora
* Shinjuku
* (Harajuku, Takeshita)
* Dinner: Reservation at Sushi Ginza Onodera 5:30pm
* **Sunday, July 7th: Tokyo**
* Breakfast: hotel
* Asakusa
* visitors center, Senso-ji temple, river walk, Nakamise/Kappabashi streets
* Lunch: Ameyoko Market maybe, or Airbnb Food Tour
* Akihabara
* ryogoku for sumo? Is there sumo?
* Dinner: ?? Try for Udon Shin maybe?
* **Monday, July 8th: Tokyo –> Hakone (ryokan)**
* Breakfast: Tsukiji Fish Market (Unitora Nakadori?)
* Explore fish market and Ginza shopping
* Check out of Hotel, forward luggage straight to Osaka
* Lunch: Tokyo Station ekiben for the Shinkansen to Odawara
* bus or taxi to Gora Byakudan for 3pm ryokan check-in
* Dinner: Gora Byakudan kaiseki!
* **Tuesday, July 9th: Hakone –> Osaka**
* Breakfast: ryokan
* Hakone rope-way OR travel straight to Osaka?
* Check into hotel in Namba
* Lunch: Kuromon Market
* Explore Namba, Namba Yasaka Shrine
* Dinner: On-yasai
* **Wednesday, July 10th: Osaka**
* Breakfast: hotel, or Micasadeco & Cafe for fluffy pancakes, Lilo Coffee Roasters
* Explore Shinsekai and Dotonbori
* Lunch: Marubushi Tsukemen or wherever
* Glanta rings
* Dinner: Fukutaro Honten
* Theme bars (Bible Club or One Shot Bar Keith)
* **Thursday, July 11th: Osaka –> Kyoto**
* Breakfast: hotel
* Osaka Castle
* Osaka Station
* Lunch: ??
* Check out of hotel, travel to Kyoto
* Dinner: ??
* **Friday, July 12th: Kyoto**
* Breakfast: hotel
* Area 1: Fushimi Inari EARLY, Nijo Castle, Imperial Palace
* Lunch: Nishiki Market
* Explore Nishiki Market (strawberry mochi, Aritsugu knives)
* Sanju san Gendo, Kiyiomizudera, Gion (Prost Bar?)
* Dinner: Gyukatsu Motomora
* **Saturday, July 13th: Kyoto**
* Breakfast: hotel
* Area 3: Silver Pavilion, Philosopher’s Walk to Eikan-do
* Tea Ceremony?
* Lunch: something light, because
* Evening food tour through Arigato
* **Sunday, July 14th: Kyoto/Nara**
* Breakfast: hotel
* Day trip to Nara – Kintetsu Limited Express Train?
* Nara Park, Todai-ji, Kasuga-taisha shrine, Higashimuki shopping street
* Lunch: ??
* early evening: back to Osaka
* (Had also considered making this a day trip to Hiroshima, but I think it would be crazy logistically and exhausting)
* **Monday, July 15th: Kyoto –> Tokyo**
* Breakfast: hotel
* Area 2: Arashiyama and Golden Pavilion in the AM
* Coffee shop Yamamoto
* Lunch: Kyoto Engine Ramen
* Shinkansen toward Haneda for airport hotel (reserve seats with luggage?)
* **Tuesday, July 16th: Tokyo**
* Breakfast: airport hotel, have them hold luggage if possible
* TeamLab Planets (book time in advance, once I figure out how far from Haneda!)
* anything else we missed? Roppongi, Ebisu, Daikanyama?
* back to Haneda by dinnertime, flight home 9:15pm
by rachypeppers