Hello all,
Thank you for all your advice on my first post! I’ve done a lot more planning and reformulating the itinerary as I’ve considered all the input, this time to fit more with what I think the trip will look like best for my friend and I to make the most of our time and to enjoy ourselves the most. Here is a link to the original itinerary: [https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/xt8yzi/mid\_november\_trip\_for\_13\_days\_tokyo\_nara\_osaka/](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/xt8yzi/mid_november_trip_for_13_days_tokyo_nara_osaka/)
With that said, I’m going to try and lay out a more concise itinerary, but basically with things I’ve solidified in what I will be doing along the 13 days I’m in Japan. Also, my friend and I are big on anime, video games, Japanese pop culture, temples and shrines, obviously any good Japanese food, art and media, entertainment, unique Japanese experiences, etc. So here is the revised itinerary:
Day 1: Land in Narita airport in Tokyo and chill out the rest of the night (extra things to do for the night are visit Tsutaya, Shibuya Crossing, and the Shibuya 109 top floor outlook)
Day 2: Spend our first full day in Tokyo in Akihabara, Asakusa, and Ueno Park (also points of interest would be Super Potato, Mandarake, Tower Records, and any animal cafe)
Day 3: Stay in Tokyo and visit Senso-ji Temple, Meiji Jingu shrine, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, and Nakano Broadway (Harajuku as well if time permits)
Day 4: Considering spending this day to visit Kamakura or Enoshima, does anyone have any input on if this is worth it/what to do there? I am still researching what are the major destinations to visit in each area
Day 5: Head to Nara to explore the deer park, Todai-ji Temple, Kasuga-taisha shrine, and Isui-en Garden
Day 6: Make our way to our next major stop, Osaka, along with its Dotonbori street, the Osaka Castle, and Den Den Town
Day 7: Stay in Osaka and visit the Namba Yasaka Shrine, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, and Umeda Sky Building (also Shinsekai neighborhood, Shitennoji Temple, and Shinsaibashi shopping district if time permits)
Day 8: Considering to visit Wakayama this day, not sure what to do there either, any input for major locales to visit here would be super helpful
Day 9: Arrive in our third and final major stop, Kyoto, and enjoy our stay at the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Ginkaku-ji Temple, and Gion District
Day 10: Spend another day in Kyoto, this time early to go to the Arashiyama bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji Temple, Iwatayama Monkey Park, and the Kinkakuji Golden Pavilion Temple (also Senko-ji Temple if time permits)
Day 11: Head all the way down to Hiroshima and visit the Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima Castle, and Peace Memorial Museum/Park
Day 12: Go back to Tokyo for one last night to fly out of Narita, catch up on any activities we didn’t get to see the first round in Tokyo, such as Ginza, Tokyo Skytree, Imperial Palace, Roppongi Hills, and Tokyo National Museum
Day 13: Return home
A few questions I still have in mind: Is 4 days in Tokyo, 1 day in Nara, 3 days in Osaka, and 3 days in Kyoto enough for this itinerary? Also, are there other places/prefectures of interest on the way of this route that make sense to visit? One that comes to mind is Hakone for its onsen experience, but the last time I visited Japan it was very out of the way and made for an awkward journey to and from the place. My friend and I were planning on visiting mainly 4-5 prefectures/locations because it would be difficult to coordinate AirBnB’s for so many places, but I think if we were to include day trips in there it would make a lot more sense. Thank you once again for all the help, and I look forward to hearing more input to making this itinerary better!
1 comment
1. Senso-ji is in Asakusa. In fact, the main reason people go to Asakusa is to see Kaminari-mon and Nakamise-doori, which are in front of Asakusa and lead to it. It’s no extra time to just go to Senso-jl on Day 2.
2. Meiji-Jingu is right next to Harajuku station, go to Meiji in the morning before shops open, look around, explore Harajuku and then head to Shinjuku.
Kamakura vs Enoshima utterly depends on 1. What you want to do and 2. If you’re willing to walk-up a small mountain or pay money to use the giant escalator for Enoshima.
Also, note that it gets dark very early in Japan, this is important if you are plan on going up viewing decks or are in less busy areas.
For example, outside of the light house, Enoshima has parts that are pitch black at night, as many stores close early. Getting down from the top of the island is an experience.