I reworked my first attempt at an itinerary for our early autmn trip due to some solid advice from this sub. We’re hoping to get a taste of different regions and keep everyone entertained even though we have varied interests. I think it’s going to be tiring, but doable. Some of your wisdom and reality checks would be much appreciated.
Day 1: Land at KIX in the evening then hotel near Osaka Castle, grab dinner, sleep
Day 2: Osaka Castle, Nintendo store, Kuromon market. Dotonbori in the evening
Day 3: Nara park and Todaiji for the first half of the day, train to Kyoto in the early afternoon to visit the Nintendo Museum (if it’s open) if not Nishiki market. Check into the hotel in Gion and spend the evening exploring the area
Day 4: Kiyomizu-dera, train to Kinosaki Onsen early afternoon. Check into ryokan and onsen hop the night away
Day 5: Kinosaki ropeway to Onsenji, Genbudo park, then train to Hiroshima in the evening
Day 6: Peace Memorial Park & museum, afterwards Miyajima. Train to Osaka in the evening to hotel near USJ
Day 7: Universal Studios
Day 8: Hello Kitty Shinkansen to Himeji to see the Castle, train to Kobe, then take the cable car to Rokko Garden Terrace
Day 9: Nunobikio Falls, then explore the city until heading back to Himeji around 10pm to catch the Sunrise Express to Tokyo (anyone have good Kobe beef restaurant recommendations?)
Day 10: Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi park (Sunday), Takeshita Street, Hotel in Shibuya, then explore the area. Shinjuku in the evening
Day 11: Akihabara, Sunshine City, Roppongi
Day 12: Tsukiji market, Teamlabs Borderless, Shimokitazawa then train to Yokohama to see Chinatown and Kishamichi Promenade
Day 13: Cup of Noodles museum, train to Tokyo, Sensoji, Check into our splurge hotel and enjoy the gardens and surrounding area
Day 14: Relax at the hotel until check out, then head to Narita to fly home
From what I gather I’ll need to book the usj stuff 2 months in advance, the Hello Kitty and Sunrise Express trains 1 month in advance, and should try to get a 10am time for Teamlabs. How far in advance do nice Kobe beef restaurants accept reservations? Anything else that will require advanced booking?
I think we’ve figured out the digital suica and esim, and will be getting a regional rail pass to use for days 2-8, then a tokyo metro pass. We are only bringing backpacks and have invested in some good walking shoes.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
by blatherballz
