Itinerary – first time visit to Japan!
Hey! My boyfriend and I will be travelling to Japan for the first time in November this year for 2 weeks. As a pathological, overexcited planner who lives her life by a To Do list, I couldn't help but start planning our holidays already. We have already booked our accommodation (Comfort Hotel ERA Kyoto and APA Asakusa Tawaramachi Ekimae, both with an option to cancel). None of the activities are booked yet. We are mostly excited about experiencing Japan and it's culture, seeing the historic sights (including the shrines) and eating lots of great food. We're also quite nerdy and enjoy gaming + anime.
I have a couple of questions re: the below itinerary I prepared:
1.    Does it seem doable? I have a bad tendency to overestimate how much we can get done in a day and I still want us to be able to rest a bit every now and then or simply walk wherever we want to.
2.    Does it feel like it's missing any particularly exciting attractions? Or on the contrary does it have any that are absolutely overrated?
3.    I'm a bit lost deciding between best Tokyo Museums to see – currently deciding between Yayoi Kusama, Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, The National Art Center and Mori Art Museum, would you recommend any of these?
4.    Do you recommend any ryokans in the Kawaguchiko Lake area? We were considering Fujikawaguchiko Onsen Konanso.
Please critique my itinerary 🙂
Day 1 Thursday
Day spent travelling from the UK to Japan
Day 2 Friday
Arrival to Japan and travel to Kyoto
-Arrival, eSIM, SUICA
-Tokyo > Kyoto by Shinkansen
-Fushimi Inari hike in the afternoon
Day 3 Saturday
Day trip to Himeji/Kurashiki
-Himeji Castle and Koko-en gardens
-Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, Denim street, Ohara Museum of Art
Optional: Achi Shrine in Kurashiki
Day 4 Sunday
Day trip to Nara Park and Uji
-Nara: Kofuku-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Todaiji, Isuien Garden
-Uji: Byodo-in, walk by Tachibana Island, Ujigami Jinja
Optional: Mimuroto-ji Temple in Uji
Day 5 Monday
Day at Osaka Universal
-Nintendo World
-Harry Potter
-Dotonbori and Hozenji Yokocho
Day 6 Tuesday
Full day in Kyoto
-Kiyomizu-dera, stroll in Gion (Sannenzaka, Ninnenzaka)
-Nanzenji-Tenjuan, Eikando temple, Okazaki Shrine
-Philosopher's Path, Higashiyama Jisho-ji
Day 7 Wednesday
Kyoto & Osaka
-Nijo castle
-America-mura, Namba Yasaka shrine, Nipponbashi DenDen, Shin Sekai
Optional: Umeda Sky Building/Dotonbori if not done on Day 5, Tofuku-ji
Day 8 Thursday
Kyoto & evening travel to Tokyo
-Togetsukyo Bridge
-Arashiyama Park Kameyama Area
-Saga Toriimoto Street + Otagi Nenbutsuji
-Shinkansen to Tokyo in the evening
Optional: Adashino Nenbutsu-ji
Day 9 Friday
Day trip to Kamakura and Enoshima
-Kamakura: Kotoku-in, Heike Pond, Hataage Benzaiten Shrine, Hokokuji temple
-Enoshima: Enoshima shrine, Enoshima Aquarium
Optional: Kamakura-koko Mae stop
Day 10 Saturday
Full day in Tokyo
-Sensoji temple
-Ueno Park
-Akihabara
-Kanda Jinbocho
Optional: Yayoi Kusama Museum
Day 11 Sunday
Full day in Tokyo
-Gotokuji Temple
-Shimokitazawa
-Meji Jingu, Yoyogi Park + Oedo Antique Market
-Shibuya: Crossing, Parco, Shibuya Sky in the evening
Day 12 Monday
Kawaguchiko Lake
-Stay in a ryokan
-Chureito pagoda
Optional: Oshino Hakkai / Oishi Park
Day 13 Tuesday
Return to Tokyo from Kawaguchiko
-Ikebukuro: Sunshine City, shopping, Gashapon store
Day 14 Wednesday
Full day in Tokyo
-Teamlab Borderless
-MoriArt Museum
-Red Tokyo Tower
Day 15 Thursday
Full day in Tokyo
-Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum
-Nakano Broadway
-Gyoen Garden
-Shinjuku: Kabukichou tower, Golden-Gai/Omoide Yokocho
Day 16 Friday
Travel from Japan back to UK
Thanks so much for reading!
by kiori5