Hi all, my fiance and I (both early 30s) will be traveling for the first time to Japan from the US this October. We're both fairly experienced travelers. Neither of us speak Japanese, but we have done some basic Duolingo and memorizing Hiragana/Katakana (and we're under no illusion we'll be able to converse at all). We especially love food and baseball and we'd ideally like a nice mix of nature/urban and fun/culture. We like having a plan but also like to leave a little flexibility to somewhat-organically discover things. We don't mind getting up early and we don't tend to stay out very late or go to clubs these days.
We're open to really any kind of feedback and I'd love to hear people's thoughts on the feasibility of this itinerary and anything we could be missing.
Day 1 – Saturday, 10/12 – Tokyo
- Arrive at Narita airport at 3:45 PM.
- Get to hotel in Shimbashi
- Maybe walk around a little, probably just pass out early from jet lag.
Day 1 – Sunday, 10/13 – Tokyo
Shinjuku
- Mostly just walk around the city, take everything in, eat good food
- Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Shibuya
- Scramble Crossing and some of the spots in the station from Persona 5.
- Nintendo Store and Pokemon Center in Shibuya Parco.
- Shibuya Sky platform (maybe for sunset?)
Day 2 – Monday, 10/14 – Tokyo
Tsukiji / Ginza / Odaiba
- Tsukiji Market (when it opens to minimize crowds as much as possible)
- teamLabs Planets
- Gundam statue
- Uniqlo Ginza
- Nice dinner in Ginza?
Day 3 – Tuesday, 10/15 – Nikko (Sports Day)
Nikko (we'll stay one night at a ryokan in Nikko and keep our hotel in Tokyo through that night so that we can just bring a light bag)
- Travel to Nikko via train first thing in the morning
- Nikko Toshogu
- Shinkyo Bridge
- Eat yuba
- Dinner at onsen at ryokan in Nikko (on Lake Chuzenji)
Day 4 – Wednesday, 10/16 – Tokyo
Nikko
- Hike around Kegon and/or Ryuzu waterfall
- Afternoon/evening train back to Tokyo
General Nikko question — should we rent a car for these two days, or is the bus system sufficient to get us around between our Ryokan, some popular hikes, Nikko Toshogu, and the train station? Should I be worried about driving on the opposite side of the road and not being able to read Japanese?
Day 5 – Thursday, 10/17 – Tokyo
Tokyo Dome City (this could switch with a different Tokyo day based on the NPB playoff schedule)
- Attend NPB playoff game if possible (if not, watch one at an NPB fan bar)
- Thunder Dolphin coaster
- Koshikawa Korakuen Garden
Day 6 – Friday, 10/18 – Kyoto
Higashiyama
- Take an early shinkansen to Kyoto
- Explore Higashiyama, visiting shrines and temples
Day 7 – Saturday, 10/19 – Kyoto
Arashiyama
- Take Sagano romantic train to Kameoka
- Hozugawa River Cruise
- Hozukyo hike (could this be combined with the river cruise?)
I've heard the Arashiyama Bamboo Garden is super crowded/touristy and overrated. Are there other things in the Arashiyama area that we should prioritize instead while we're over there?
Day 8 – Sunday, 10/20 – Kyoto
Osaka
- Early train to Osaka
- Dotonbori (eat a lot of street food)
- Don Quijote Dotonbori ferris wheel
- Shinsekai
- View Osaka castle from the outside (I've heard the inside is kinda meh and we'll be visiting Himeji later)
- Eat in Kuromon market
- Return to Kyoto after dinner
Day 9 – Monday, 10/21 – Kyoto
Central Kyoto
- Nishiki Market
- Nijo Castle
- Kyoto Imperial Palace
- Pontocho
Day 10 – Tuesday, 10/22 – Kyoto
Higashiyama
- Philosopher's Path
- Watch some of the Jidai Matsuri festival at Heian Shrine
- Explore temples and shrines
Day 11 – Wednesday, 10/23 – Hiroshima
Himeji
- Early shinkansen to Himeji
- Himeji Castle
- Kokoen Garden
Hiroshima
- A-Bomb Dome & Peace Plaza
- Peace Memorial Museum
- Shukkei-en Garden
- Eat Okonomiyaki
Day 12 – Thursday, 10/24 – Hiroshima
Miyajima
- Itsukushima shrine
- Hike/walk trails on/around Mount Misen
- Ear oysters
Day 13 – Friday, 10/25 – Tokyo
Central Tokyo / Asakusa
- Early Shinkansen back to Tokyo
- Imperial Palace
- Senso-Ji
- Nakamise shopping street
Day 14 – Saturday, 10/26 – Tokyo
Akihabara
- Play games at a game center
- Visit otaku shops like Super Potato
- Eorzea Cafe
Anything else in Tokyo we feel like we missed/wanted to go back to
Day 15 – Sunday, 10/27 – Depart
Anything else in Tokyo we feel like we missed/wanted to go back to
Depart from Narita Airport at 5:10 PM.
Thank you so much to those of you have made it this far. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated.
by Sufficient-Celery884