Thoughts on my 12 days itinerary for a first time solo traveller that is bad at planing and maybe a little unorganized (Tokyo/Osaka/Nara/Kyoto).

Hi dear travelers. What are your thoughts on this itinerary that gave me major headache bc I'm just terrible at organizing stuff. For context, I'm a MD graduate (currently a radiology and diagnostic imaging resident), a little introvert (euphemism?), tech, nature, music, movies and tv shows enthusiast.

The Hostel in Tokyo is located at Asakusa and in Osaka at Naniwa ward. I bookmarked a few places on my google maps that are not in this list but I'll be always checking the app (mainly restaurants – open to recommendations!).

Some of the itens/topics/places are not in a fixed order.

On Tokyo Day #3 I didn't decide what to do yet. I listed some options but I wanna see your thoughts.

On Tokyo Day #4, is Shibuya and Shinjuku a lot for one day? Same on Tokyo Day #5: Imperial Palace area + Ginza at night is too much?

Did I overthink or left out something you guys think is worth it?

I''ll be super extra mega happy reading your comments.

Tokyo Day #1 (Friday, Aug 2): night time

  • NRT → Hostel in Asakusa
  • Explore Asakusa
  • Kaminarimon | Nakamise-dori st. | Hozomon Gate | Senso-ji | Asakusa Shrine | Sumida Park (walking)
  • Find a nice place nearby to eat

Tokyo Day #2 (Saturday, Aug 3): 

  • Walk by Ueno Park (05:00 – 23:00) | Ueno Zoo? 🐼🎍
  • Tokyo National Museum (09:30 – 17:00)
  • Explore Akihabara
  • Kanda Myojin Shrine

Tokyo Day #3 (Sunday, Aug 4): choose one of these

  • Do something cool related to Mount Fuji? Smt nature related/relax/fresh/summer. Waterfalls, lakes… 
  • Onsen?
  • Take the train out of the main city to a smaller one and pick a car up there during the day. Where? Is a day enough?

Tokyo Day #4 (Monday, Aug 5):

  • Explore Shibuya
  • Observation deck: pick just one
    • Shibuya Sky (10:00 – 22:30) – 2,000 y
    • 渋谷ヒカリエ スカイロビー – observation deck (07:00 – 00:00) – free
  • Meiji jingu (05:00 – 18:00)
  • Explore Shinjuku
  • Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
  • Shinjuku Golden-Gai
  • Night life?

Tokyo Day #5 (Tuesday, Aug 6):

  • 09:00 – teamLab Planets
  • Kokyo Gaien National Garden | Imperial Palace (no tickets available for guided tour 😩 – self guided tour?) | Nijubashi Bridge | Imperial Palace East Gardens | Edo Castle ruins
  • 13:00 max. – lunch at Tsukiji Outer Market
  • Hie Shrine
  • Explore Ginza
  • Tokyo Tower (09:00 – 22:30)

Osaka Day #1 (Wednesday, Aug 7):

  • Explore area around the hostel (near Tsutenkau tower)
  • Namba Yasaka Jinja
  • Explore Dotonbori
  • Eat at OKO – Fun Okonomiyiaki Bar (18:00 – 23:00) or at Okonomiyaki Okaru [(12:00 – 14:30); (17:00 – 21:30)]

Osaka Day #2 (Thursday, Aug 8):

  • Universal Studios Japan (09:00 – 21:00)

Nara Day #1 (Friday, Aug 9):

  • Explore Nara
  • ​​Kōfuku-ji | Toda-ji | 110 Zoshicho | Kasuga Taisha | Shimononegi-michi pathway | Naramachi Nigiway-no-le (in this order)

Kyoto Day #1 (Saturday, Aug 10):

  • Saihoji (kokedera): buy ticket 
  • Explore Arashiyama
  • Explore Kinkaku-ji

Kyoto Day #2 (Sunday, Aug 11):

  • Explore Gion/Higashiyama ward
  • Visit Kiyomizu-dera (06:00 – 18:00) and Sannenzaka
  • Visit Nishiki market
  • Visit Fushimi Inari Taisha

Tokyo Day #6 (Monday, Aug 12):

  • Find a nice ryokan around Tokyo and rest

Tokyo Day #7 (Tuesday, Aug 13):

  • Mainly go shopping and maybe a free time to explore the city one last time

Tokyo Day #7.5 (Wednesday, Aug 14):

  • Back to reality

by Awkward-Ad-4503

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