Hi!
We're planning our first trip to Japan and would love to hear any feedback about our itinerary. This is based around flights that are already booked, and our nextnl step will be booking hotels.
Basically, is our itinerary below sensible? Are we packing in too much stuff? Any more-efficient ways to include all this? Etc.
Also, a question: how far ahead would you book Shinkansen tickets reservations for large luggage? We know it's possible to send luggage using couriers but we don't want to risk delays/loss, and we will use hotels fairly close to public transport so a short haul is fine with us.
The plan is to go Tokyo -> Kyoto (3 clear days) -> Tokyo. This is so we don't have long internal trips on Shinkansen straight from the airport which we would find stressful.
A lot of sights/experiences already had to be cut from our list which was really hard work, so we're hoping that what's left doesn't need further pruning!
Note on shopping: we aren't planning to buy very much stuff at all, but have a good few different shopping experiences listed here because we like window shopping. Hopefully Japanese shop owners are less like vultures around tourists than their European counterparts 😜
Day 1. Thu 7th. Land at Tokyo Haneda at 1830. Check in to hotel in Akihabara (?). Have dinner. Sleep.
Day 2. Fri 8th. Ghibli Museum. teamLab Borderless. Explore Akihabara: Shopping in 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan, Mandarake Complex, pop life department m's, theme cafe (little tgv?), maid cafe dinner.
Day 3. Sat 9th. Day exploring Shinjuku: Gaming in namco. Photo Godzilla at Toho. Samurai restaurant show (for lunch?). Shopping in Don Quijote. Drinks in Golden Gai. Dinner at Teppan Baby. Medical themed cocktail next to golden gai. Drinks at from dusk til dawn bar. Drinks at Alice in Fantasy Book.
Day 4. Sun 10th. Travel to Kyoto. Check in to hotel (somewhere central for access to public transport). Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. If we have time: Higashiyama Jisho-ji (ginkaku-ji) and 'philosopher's path'? Nanzen-ji? Nijo castle? Imperial palace? Eizan railway?
Day 5. Mon 11th. Ghibli Park day trip from Kyoto – tickets booked!
Day 6. Tues 12th. Arashiyama. Bamboo forest. Kimono forest. Monkey park iwatayama. Adashino Nenbutsu-ji. Sagano scenic railway illuminations.
Day 7. Wed 13th. East Kyoto. Kiyomizu-dera temple. Yasaka shrine. Explore gion. Maccha house. If we have time: Maruyama Park? Origami lesson near Daikokucho?
Day 8. Thu 14th. Travel back to Tokyo. Check in to hotel (Akihabara again?). Afternoon/evening free.
Day 9. Fri 15th. Mt Fuji bus day trip.
Day 10. Sat 16th. Shibuya and Harajuku day: Hachiko statue. Scramble crossing. Shibuya sky (if we don't go up another tower in Tokyo). Meiji jingu. Random exploring and shoppinh. Shinjuku gyoen national garden.
Day 11. Sun 17th. Asakusa tori-no-ichi festival. Senso-ji. Shopping in shin-nakmise. If we have time: Tea drinking ceremony? Skytree if not been up other tower?
Day 12. Mon 18th. Flight home from Haneda at 0840.
Arigato gozaimasu 🙂
by berzed