My boyfriend and I are heading to Japan for 2 weeks next year. We love street food, anime, and video games, but we’re also keen on seeing historic and cultural sites. It’s my bf’s first time in Japan and we want to experience the main attractions on the Golden Route + a little bit of Hokkaido while keeping a relatively relaxed pace. We’re also excited to do some sakura viewing!
**Day 1: Arrival**
* Arrive in Narita around 3PM
* Activate JR Passes and get our Suica cards
* Travel to our hotel in Otemachi district of Tokyo, 10 mins walk from Tokyo Station
* Check-in, relax, and get dinner around the hotel
**Day 2: Toyosu and Otemachi**
* Take advantage of our jet lag to rise early and head to Toyosu Wholesale Market
* (Optional) Pay a visit to teamLab Planets at opening, if we can get tickets
* Head to Tsukiji Outer Market for a meal
* Imperial Palace gardens for sakura viewing and (Optional) guided tour
* Have a meal at the Pokemon Cafe in the Nihombashi Takashimaya, if we can get a reservation!
* Crash at the hotel probably
**Day 3: Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku**
* Shibuya scramble, Hachiko statue for photos
* Shibuya Parco for the Nintendo Store, Pokemon Center
* (Optional) Walk through Yoyogi Park to Harajuku if we’re feeling up to it
* Takeshita Street for some window-shopping and cute cafes
* Head to Shinjuku via train
* Stroll down Omoide Yokocho and grab a bite if we’re there at the right time
* Visit the teahouse in Shinjuku Gyoen Park around the late afternoon
* Take the train to Nakano Broadway, have dinner in the area
* Drinks at the DIO Bar to end the day
**Day 4: Akihabara, Ueno Park, Asakusa, travel to Osaka**
* Check-out of hotel and leave luggage at Tokyo Station storage
* Head to Akihabara, visit Mandarake and Animate
* Head to Ueno Park for a break and, hopefully, sakura viewing
* Continue to Asakusa area, Nakamise Street, Senso-ji Temple
* Stroll across the Sumida River and see the Tokyo Sky Tree
* (Optional, if time permits) Return to Akihabara in the early evening for the Monster Hunter Bar
* Head to Tokyo Station, collect luggage, and catch the last bullet train to Osaka
* Check in to hotel next to Shin-Osaka Station
**Day 5: Universal Studios Japan**
* Full day at USJ
**Day 6: Half-day in Osaka, optional stop in Nara, and travel to Kyoto**
* Check-out of hotel, leave luggage at Shin-Osaka Station storage
* Osaka Castle
* Dotonbori Canal and Kuromon Ichiba Market
* (Optional) Take train from Shin-Osaka to Nara, visit Nara Park and Todaiji Temple
* Travel to Kyoto, check in to hotel in Kiyomizu area, and relax
**Day 7: Kiyomizu, Northwest, Central, and Gion**
* Super early start at Ninnen-zaka, Sannen-zaka, and Kiyomizu-dera Temple
* Head to Kinkaku-ji
* Ninna-ji Temple
* Kyoto Imperial Palace
* Nijo Castle
* Meal at Nishiki Market
* Gion district – Stroll down Hanamikoji, Pontocho for dinner
**Day 8: West Kyoto**
* Arashiyama Bamboo forest and Tenryu-ji Temple
* Iwatayama Monkey Park
* Romantic Train Arashiyama
**Day 9: South Kyoto and travel to Hokkaido**
* Early start at Fushimi Inari Shrine
* Tofuku-ji
* Check-out of hotel
* Hop on bullet train to Hakodate via Tokyo
* Check-in to hotel next to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station
**Day 10: Half-day in Hakodate and travel to Noboribetsu**
* Hakodate Morning Market
* Goryokaku Observation Tower
* Check out of hotel
* Depart for Noboribetsu via Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station
* Check-in to ryokan and relax
**Day 11: Noboribetsu**
* Walk to Jigokudani, Tessen Ike geyser
**Day 12: Noboribetsu**
* Hike to Oyunuma and Okunoyu Ponds
* (Optional) Visit other onsens: Dai-Ichi Takimotokan, Kashoutei Hanaya
**Day 13: Head back to Tokyo**
* Check out of hotel
* Grab some yummy ekiben and begin journey back to Tokyo via Hakodate
* Arrive in Tokyo, check-in to hotel, grab a meal and explore nearby if time/energy permits
**Day 14: Free day in Tokyo**
* Do whatever we feel like, visit any places we missed, and pick up some souvenirs
**Day 15: Go home!**
* Head to Narita to catch our mid-day flight home
2 comments
Instead of visiting Osaka Castle, it’s better to use that morning for a day trip to Himeiji Castle. It’s one of the few remaining original castles in Japan and is truly impressive to wander through.
– [Himeiji Day Trip Itinerary](https://www.insidekyoto.com/himeji-day-trip-itinerary)
If you really want to make the most of your Sakura spotting opportunities you’ll need to carefully check the 2023 cherry blossoms forecast starting in late January to early February. If you remain flexible with your dates in each city you can then adjust as needed to go first to the area that’s most likely to be in bloom. They only bloom for about a week in each area so it’s hard to say if you’ll see or miss them in any one city as the blooming dates are highly dependent on that year’s weather. Be sure you only book fully refundable hotel rooms and triple check what the most recent forecast looks like 2-3 weeks before your trip. This way you won’t have unrealistic expectations of what the Sakura may look like during your visit.
– [JapanGuide: 2022 Cherry Blossom Forecast](https://www.japan-guide.com/sakura/)
Taking the train from Kyoto to Shin-Hakodate will be a *very* long trip. You might consider flying from Osaka (KIX or Itami) to Hakodate and then flying back from Sapporo to Tokyo. You’ll loose a lot of sightseeing time sitting on the train if you plan to take it both ways. Peach Airlines or Jetstar often have really cheap one way fares.
– [Domestic Flights Japan](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2365.html)
Another thing you could consider is an open-jaw/multi-destination ticket where your international flight arrives into Osaka (KIX) you do Kansai and departs from Tokyo or vice versa. This way you don’t have to backtrack and can lump all your Tokyo days together at the beginning or the end.
Happy Plannjng!
I’m also going to be traveling there for two weeks at the end of march/beginning of April! All I will say is make sure you have some really good walking shoes because you’re really cramming a lot in there on certain days (Day 4, Day 7).
The main thing I can suggest is Omoide Yokochō should really be seen in the evening for the full effect (I think). But I also know that area can make people a little overwhelmed in the evening (last time I was in Kabukichō after dark someone in the bustle of the crowd literally tried to pick my pocket)