**Length: 3 weeks: November 22nd(depart Heathrow at 9:30am/Land at Haneda 10am) -December 15th**
*So the following itinerary is provisional and is likely to change based on feedback. Drafting it up was a little challenging as I had to make it with my girlfriend in mind, who will be traveling with me
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*I am open to any critiques or recommendations, and if there any changes that you think I should make such as the order of activities, the length of time at each location, or if there are any additional locations that you think I should add, please let me know.
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*I am a 24 year old male who is into anime, games, photography and learning more about Japanese culture. I’ve been studying Japanese for the past couple years, so I would like to use this trip as opportunity to mix and interact with Japanese people to improve my speaking ability.
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**Tokyo Segment (22-29 Nov) 7 days**
**22nd Nov:**
– Touch down in Japan Haneda at 10am. Collect SIM card and head for hotel in APA Shintomicho(I will aim to get there by 1pm noon).
– Drop my bags and familiarise myself with the surrounding area
– Go to Ramen Street in Marounichi for lunch, return to the hotel and a shower and a nap.
– Explore the Ginza area later on in the evening.
**23rd Nov**
– Imperial Palace first thing in the morning (I might omit due to time)
– Tokyo National Museum (Might omit)
– Explore Ueno: Ueno Park, Ayameko street
– Asakusa (Sensou-ji and Nakamise street)
– Sumida Park then walk across the Sumida bridge over to Sky Tree
– Skytree viewing (I might omit this)
– Browse Solamachi shopping centre (grab lunch)
– Akihabara in the later afternoon-evening.
– Watch Germany vs Japan at either the “HUBB” or “Benoa” sports bar in Gina (10pm KO)
24th Nov: **Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya:**
– Start in Shinjuku and gradually make my way down to Shibuya, first stopping off at Shinjuku Gyoen, Meiji jingu, Tokyo Metropolitan Building
– Explore Harajuku ( Cat and Takeshita Street).
– Shibuya (Shibuya Scramble, Shibuya Sky99, view the crossing from Starbucks.
**25th Nov**
– Tsukiji Market then head on over to Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library to browse the book collection while my girlfriend takes her lecture.
– Tokyo Tower, grab some lunch and then visit Roppongi or Shinokatwaza on in the evening. ( Alternatively, take a second pass at Shibuya)
**26th Nov:**
– Day trip to Yokohama to meet a friend (This might change depending on his schedule)
**27th Nov**
– Sunday (Transfer hotels) Transfer hotels.
– Nakano Broadway
**28th Nov:**
– Half day in Kawagowe(leave early)
– Ikebukuro
– kabukicho and Golden Gal in the evening.
*(Alternatively, a day trip to Kamakura here instead of Kawagowe/Ikebukuro/*) or move move Kawagowe to Saturday 26th
**29th Nov:**
– Leave Tokyo and ride the Shinkansen to Osaka in the morning. Arrive by 1 pm noon. Check into a hotel
**Kansai Segment**
**29th Nov:**
– Arrive in Osaka and check into hotel in Umeda
– Spend the rest of the day exploring Dontonbori and the Namba area.
**30th Nov:**
– Explore Osaka further (Kuromon Ichiba, Osaka castle, Hirakata T-Site?) Umeda Sky Building, Harukas 300.
Dec 1st:
– Day trip to Kyoto:
Dec 2nd:
– Day Trip to either Nara, Hiroshima or Kobe.**(Alternatively, do another day trip to Kyoto and do the aforementioned locations as day trips from Nagoya on a later day)**
Dec 3rd
– Travel to Nagoya in the morning
**Nagoya segment**
*From the 4th to the 13th, I will station myself in Nagoya, which I will use as base for any further excursions. Explore Nagoya(nagoya castle and etc), visit Gifu Hashima, Hammatsu and other local towns (I am open to recommendations) and day trips to Nara, Hiroshima or Kobe (assuming that I haven’t visited them up this point) if time allows.*
13th Dec.
– Leave Nagoya and return to Tokyo. Check into a hotel in Shinagawa area close the airport). Check out Keio University
**14th Nov**
– Explore the Odaiba rainbow(walk across rainbrodidge)
– Pick up any last minute bits and bobs and prepare for the flight home.
**15th Dec**
* Fly back to London*
**Additional notes**
*My girlfriend will be staying with me for a portion of my stay in Tokyo but has to return to gifu on 27th. At this point, I will transfer hotels and spend two more days in Tokyo before traveling to Osaka on the 29th where the two use with meet up again. She will then spend 29-1st with me a hotel and will return to Gifu again after our day trip in Kyoto on the on 1st). After my stay in Osaka, will travel to Nagoya and spend the rest of my trip stationed there. My reasoning for using Nagoya as base is that the location enables me to visit my girlfriend relatively easily and is within an hour’s journey from Kyoto and Osaka. If I have the JR pass, I could theoretically travel back and forth at will.*
