10 day Itinerary 1st time trip (Tokyo,Takayama, Kyoto) June 2022- Any changes/ideas?

11 comments

1. Only thing that I think might be worth changing is switching around the 9/10th days

   Just because of all the lights/signs and whatnot I think Dotombori is a much more interesting sight after dark and i don’t know what time you’d be able to see it if you have to catch a 8:45 pm flight

2. Hi there, my main suggestion would be to skip Takayama. Since you only have 10 days I would split it evenly between Tokyo and Kyoto. There is plenty to do in each city and it’s surrounding areas that you will have more than enough to do and probably run out of time.

   A few thoughts on some of the individual days:

   >Then walk to intersection of Omotesando and Aoyama-dori and take the Ginza subway line west to Shibuya for lunch.

   If you aren’t in a rush then you should walk to Shibuya. Japan is great to wander around in and the walk from Harajuku to Shibuya should only be 20 mins.

   > See Mt Fuji and all city views throughout Tokyo.

   This will be weather dependent so have a backup if it isn’t a clear day.

   >7th day- tour/visit Southern Higashiyama, Downtown and Fushimi-Inari

   I would start the day at Fushimi, then go downtown walk across to Gion then head south to Higashiyama.

   >8th day- Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji and Daitoku-ji (monkey park, etc)

   This might be a bit rushed as Arashiyama will take most of the day (unless you are just going to the monkey park and leaving), so it doesn’t give you much time to go to Kinkaku-ji. Also note that getting around Kyoto is slow as you are reliant on buses which can be stuck in traffic and have a lot of stops.

3. Any particular reason you want to visit Takayama? It’s not the easiest place to get to, and you don’t really have that much time…check [Hyperdia](http://www.hyperdia.com/sp/) for train times to have some idea.

   If you are going, I would suggest courier the big cases from Tokyo to Kyoto, save a lot of trouble!

4. Before taking a taxi to the hotel, I would take the monorail/train to get there, taxi will be expensive.

   Why did you put Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building twice ? I can understand going once, but two day in a row?

   On day 2, while you can do Meiji-jingu early, much of the rest is store, so won’t open before 10-11, so realistically, it does not give you that much time to see Harajuku before lunch in Shibuya. Same goes for day 3, Asakusa and Akihabara can be a mit much before lunch. Instead, just be flexible and get lunch where it make sense.

   I am not convinced by the Takayama detour. It is not exactly on the way between Tokyo and Kyoto, do I would prefer to spend less time in the train and more time visiting. At least if it was to stay in the area of Takayama/Kamazawa for a bit longer, it would make more sense, but considering how long you stay in Japan, for me it’s already the minimum if you want to have a highlight of both Tokyo and Kyoto.

5. Sounds like I might be the minority here but you definitely should keep Takayama on your list. It IS kind of out of the way but I thinks it’s so worth it! It’s an incredibly old amazing city with tons to do- Hida folk village being one of them. The downtown area is incredible as well, especially bustling on weekends with the morning market selling local goods, and beautiful shrines to visit.
   If you’re a fan of the film Kimi No Nawa (Your Name) you can take a quick train to Hida Furukawa which is where the film is loosely based upon. It’s another older historical town. There is also Shirakawa-go which is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites- an amazing old village famous for their Gassho-zukuri houses.

6. I would definitely cut Disney Sea, Takayama, and Hida Folk Village (in Takayama) if you intend to do both Kanto and Kansai. Frankly I would already consider Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka too much to reasonably do in what really amounts to just 8-8.5 days. I usually recommend a minimum of around 6 full days just for the highlights of the Kyoto/Osaka/Nara area, and a similar amount of time for Tokyo. And traveling with 4 people who presumably have different interests and priorities, you will likely end up wanting even more time than that.

   Other than that, here’s a bulleted list of things I notice:

   * The first week or so of June can be pretty nice, but rainy season in Kanto and Kansai typically starts before the middle of the month, and from that point forward it can be downright miserable. Expect heat, very high humidity, and almost daily rain during this period. Moss gardens and flowers (e.g., irises and hydrangeas) will be gorgeous, but for almost anything else I would consider this to be one of the worst times of year to go if you have any choice in the matter. Your experience will vary depending on luck, and what specifically you mean by “beginning” of June.

   * Don’t take a taxi from the airport unless you’re arriving at Haneda and know that the 4 of you and your baggage can fit into a single cab. Under any other circumstance, you’ll be paying out the nose for no appreciable benefit compared to a shuttle bus.

   * The Metropolitan Government Building is mediocre at best. Yes, it’s free, but it’s always crowded in the evening and there are much nicer views elsewhere in the city (e.g., Mori Tower), and by being in one of the most iconic skyscrapers of the city, you can’t see said skyscraper. If the cost is really a concern I would sooner recommend Bunkyo Civic Center (also free). I would instead use this time to explore around Shinjuku (especially the east and north sides of the station) since you won’t have much time elsewhere on your itinerary. The west side of Shinjuku is the boring side (unless you really like shopping for cameras or electronics) and is primarily government and corporate offices. For that same reason (and also the expense), I typically don’t like staying on the west side of Shinjuku. IMO somewhere to the east/northeast would be more fun for nightlife and shopping, and somewhere to the south/southeast (near Shinjuku Gyoen or Meiji Jingu) would be better for a slightly quieter stay.

   * Skip animal cafes. If you actually care about the wellbeing of these animals, I would not support these businesses. It’s also eats up valuable time–you can pet animals in your home country.

   * You can walk directly from Shinjuku, through Meiji Jingu, to Harajuku (which includes Takeshita-dori), then to Omotesando, then over to Shibuya Station. No reason to go to Harajuku first (especially if you’re doing it relatively early in the morning), and no reason to go to Aoyama-dori at all (it’s pretty boring as far as I’m concerned, so unless you have a very specific reason to be there, don’t bother). This entire route is walkable and you’ll probably waste more time walking to and from stations if you try to take transit than you would if you just walked (obviously excluding getting back to the hotel at the end). I also think expecting to do all of this and be in Shibuya in time for lunch is extremely optimistic. With 4 people and loads of sights, snacks, and shopping to do along the way, this could easily take until mid-afternoon.

   * Do not count on seeing Fuji from Shinjuku in June. It could happen, but with the humidity and haze, there’s a very good chance it will not be visible.

   * I would probably skip Asakusa entirely with this little time. There are far more interesting temples and shrines in Kansai that you won’t even have time to consider with your current schedule. If you really want more traditional sights (I know I would), steal this day from Tokyo and give it to the Northeastern corner of Kyoto, which you’re skipping entirely.

   * I would skip Tokyo Station and Ginza entirely and do Ueno (including Ameyayokocho) and Yanaka instead. Much more interesting areas on the whole. The whole Tokyo station area is mainly just stuffy offices and sterile streets, and Ginza is mainly just (very) upscale shopping. Maybe throw something like Nezu, Jimbocho, Yasukuni, and/or Kagurazaka if you need to fill out the rest of this day.

   * With only 8 days I feel it’s kind of a waste to spend a whole day at an American theme park rather than experiencing the country you flew half-way around the world to see.

   * I love Takayama and I love the Hida Wideview train that gets you there, but it’s a big detour on an already cramped trip. The only way I would keep this would be if you cut Tokyo from your trip entirely and just focused on Kansai + 1-3 days in/around the Takayama area.

   * With only two days in Kyoto I would skip Kinkaku-ji. It’s not that it isn’t worth seeing, it’s just that there’s so much more that’s worth seeing and it’s relatively small, relatively isolated, inconvenient to get to, and consistently one of the most (if not the single most) crowded sight in the entire city. If you do go to that part of the city, I highly recommend Kitanotenmangu and Kamishichiken, which are adjacent to each other and just a 15 minute walk south of Kinkaku-ji.

   * Arashiyama is pretty expansive area. Do not make the mistake of thinking it’s just a bamboo path and a monkey park–you could easily spend a full day there.

   * Typically I would recommend at least 3 full days just for the highlights of Kyoto. The northeast corner (Northern Higashiyama, the Imperial Palace area, Shimogamo area, etc.) is arguably the nicest part of the entire city and skipping it should probably be considered a crime. And that’s not even touching on things outside the city proper, like Ohara (great in raining weather by the way), Kurama/Kibune, Mt. Hiei, Uji, and Takao.

   * Osaka Castle is a concrete reconstruction. I would typically recommend skipping it entirely and taking a short day trip just down the coast to Himeji instead to see the country’s largest, most well preserved, and most iconic castle (not to mention some amazing gardens), but your current itinerary is so time constrained that I don’t see where it would fit. If you do go to Osaka Castle I personally wouldn’t bother going inside and I probably wouldn’t spend a lot of time there.

   * Dotonbori kind of comes alive in the evening. With your flights leaving at 8:45 and the airport being roughly 45 minutes away (not including cushion), you should be on your way well before dark. The surrounding Namba shopping arcades and places like Kuromon Market are still very worth going to, but you’ll kind of be missing the full Dotonbori experience.

7. Takayama and Hida folk village was one of the highlights of my 3 week trip. There’s amazing art gallery walking distance nearby too.

8. I’ve been to many different Disney Lands and I’d have to say Disney Sea is the most underwhelming, so perhaps think about skipping that. Unless you’re a massive Disney fan.

9. There seems to be a debate on between the bus or taxi, but I think it’s pretty simple.

   If I had to pick between the two, I would definitely pick the taxi.

   Limousine bus takes 20 minutes longer than the train and taxi, plus you would have to walk from the bus stop to your hotel with your or use a taxi (another ¥700-¥800 minimum).

   I see many people suggesting the train, but I think that really is up to you. I see that you’re arriving around 4 pm, which means the trains would be fairly crowded, plus the single transfer point to Shinjuku would be Shinagawa station, which is pretty big. But then, the train only costs ¥500 per person, so that’s something to consider as well.

   As for the other stuff, I think the other comments give plenty of feedback. Good luck!

10. When you travel in between cities you can always pay a small fee for Takuhaibin service at the hotels, they will forward your luggage to your next hotel and you won’t have to carry them around and find storage lockers. Also you might want to consider just going to Osaka on day 9/10 so you don’t have to travel in between Kyoto and Osaka multiple times within such a short period? It’s somewhat close, but it’ll still take ~1hr each way.

11. Where do you order a hotel or airbnb? What is the best choice.