Hi everyone, I hope you’re well today. I’ve been wanting to visit Japan virtually my whole life and in June of this year I talked to a travel agent and got the ball rolling.
So a bit of context first: I am a young man who has never left the country (New Zealand) on my own. I’ve been to a few of the islands (Fiji, Rarotonga, Tahiti) with my family and done a single solo return trip (Christchurch – Napier – Auckland – New Plymouth) within my home country.
Second: All my flights are booked and I can’t (realistically) change them. This is because I was pressured into going on a Contiki and based my flights around it, but then I decided to cancel it because it wasn’t my thing.
Third: I mostly want to go to Tokyo/Osaka, but do plan on coming back with my family a few years from now, so I want a taste of the country, particularly Kyoto which they have the most interest in.
Lastly: I’m arriving with a 7kg carry on and a 30kg suitcase, but was advised to potentially upgrade my flights home to accommodate two 30kg bags. Additionally, I plan to get a 7 Day JR Rail Pass. My budget, after flights, hotels and the JR pass, will be roughly $4,500 NZD which translates to (at the time of posting this) roughly 377,800 JPY and of this I’ve reserved $1500 NZD/125,000 JPY for food and emergencies but in a worst-case scenario, can draw additional funds via Visa (though would prefer not to). I’ll visit a currency exchange in NZ a few weeks before I leave.
Ok, sorry about that, here’s what I’ve got:
My rough itinerary goes from (Christchurch – Auckland) – Tokyo – Kanazawa – Kyoto – Hiroshima – Osaka, ending with a domestic flight from Osaka to Tokyo and leaving from Tokyo to Auckland.
**Wednesday May 3rd – Day 0 Christchurch/Auckland:**
**-** A Bunch of New Zealand stuff getting from home to Christchurch to Auckland so I can fly out the next day.
**Thursday May 4th – Day 1 Auckland/Tokyo:**
**-** My flight departs from Auckland at 9:00AM NZT and should arrive in Tokyo at Narita Airport at 5:00PM JPT. It’s an 11 Hour Flight.
**-** Set up a Suica card with about 10,000 JPY, rent a pocket wifi and pick up my JR pass with it set from 9th-16th. Find a train and head to **Capsule Hotel Anshin Oyado Shinbashi Shiodome.** I want to go here because **1:** It’d be my first capsule hotel and a premium one at that. **2:** It has an Onsen. **3:** It’s relatively close to some of the attractions I want to visit, in addition to my next hotel and some convince stores. **4:** I’ll be jetlagged, overwhelmed and most likely want to do little more than get accustomed to Japan and sleep.
**Friday May 5th – Day 2 – Tokyo:**
**-** Check out of **Anshin Oyado Shinbashi Shiodome** around 9:00AM and walk down to **New Zealand Cafe Akasaka** for an early lunch/curiosity’s sake. A roughly 40 minute walk.
**-** Walk from **New Zealand Cafe Akasaka** to **Yushukan Muesum**, just because I am interested in some of the exhibits there like the Zero, the train, the tank, Ki-147 I-Go rocket and the horse/dog statues. It’ll be a roughly 45 minute walk.
**-** At assumedly 12:00PM, I’ll head from **Yushukan Muesum** to **Lidabashi Station** so I can take a 1 hour train ride to **Inokashira Park** and by extension, **Inokashira Zoo** and the **Studio Ghibli Museum** (which I will get tickets for).
**-** Head from **Inokashira Park** to **Nakano/Nakano Broadway** via 30 minute train ride and spend the rest of the day there.
**-** Before 8:00PM at the very latest, head from **Nakano** to **Hotel Tavinos Hamamaatsucho** via 45 minute train ride due to time/shopping. I want to go to **Tavinos Hamamaatsucho** due to the decor, price and location.
**Saturday May 6th – Day 3 – Tokyo:**
\- Relatively early, head from **Tavinos Hamamaatsucho** to the **Tokyo Tower,** but also one of the **Docomo Bike Share Station,** if not the **Manito City Bike Sharing Cycle Port** to hopefully nab a bike for the day. Won’t be scaling **Tokyo Tower** just yet.
\- Cycle down to **teamLABS Planets** (buying a ticket in advance) and checking out the exhibit.
\- Cycle down to **Tokyo Joyopolis** to try a few of the rides. The **Giant Sky Wheel** isn’t part of the plan, but if its available then that’s a bonus.
These two are in interchangeable, I just want to visit both in the same day.
\- Cycle back down to **Shibuya.** I don’t think it’s available to bikes but cycling across the **Rainbow Bridge** would be neat. Visit **Takeshita Street**, maybe the **Design Festa Gallery** and skip across **Shibuya Crossing.**
\- Cycle back to the vicinity of **Tokyo Tower** to return my bike and ascend.
\- Play the rest of the night by air but go back to **Hotel Tavinos Hamamaatsucho.**
**Sunday May 7th – Day 4 – Tokyo:**
\- Check out of **Hotel Tavinos Hamamaatsucho** and take the train up to **Akihabara**. Spend the day shopping and gaming.
\- At some point, reserve lunch at the place I want to go most in all of Japan, **Mohan Sakaba/Monster Hunter’s Bar**.
\- Finish at the **Ueno Hotel**, attractive due to its price and location near both **Akihabara** and tomorrow’s locations.
Will do Laundry at **Ueno Hotel** at some point.
Over the 6th/7th/8th, I will need to find another 30kg bag/suitcase. Motioning this now as this is when I’ll do the bulk of my shopping.
**Monday May 8th – Day 5 – Tokyo:**
\- Visit the **Edo-Tokyo Museum** (if open).
\- Visit the **Senso-Ji Shrine** and **Nakamise Shopping Street.**
\- Visit **Ueno Park** and **Tokyo National Museum**?
\- Get all my gear ready for tomorrow.
No other plans. Open to suggestions, as long as I can make it back to **Ueno** by reasonable walking.
**Tuesday May 9th – Day 6 – Tokyo/Kanazawa:**
\- Travel from **Ueno Station** to **Kanazawa/Kanazawa Station.** Unsure of when the train is rn, but will certainly be catching it.
Hopefully the JR Rail Pass covers the trip?
\- Visit all the major attractions in **Kanazawa** in one afternoon: **D.T Suzuki Muesum, 21st Century Muesum of Modern Art, Oyama Shrine, Kenroku-en, Marunouchi, Kanazawa Civics Art Gallery, Kanazawa Market** and play the rest by air. Also Gold Leaf food somewhere.
\- Check into **Hotel Torifito Kanazawa** due to it’s modernity, amenities and distance to the station.
**Wednesday May 10th – Day 7 – Kanazawa/Kyoto:**
Disclaimer: Plan to come back here for much longer in the future with family, but also want to hit other locations in the country more urgently on my first trip.
\- Head from **Kanazawa Station** to **Kyoto/Kyoto Station**.
\- Visit **Kyoto Tower** and **Aqua Fantasy** whilst in the area.
\- Visit the **Samurai and Ninja Muesum with Experience** at some point.
\- Check into the **Il Verde Kyoto Hotel;** attractive due to its location, laundry and pricing.
\- Visit **Shosei-en Garden** while I’m in the area.
In all honesty, aside from the museum, I have no hard plans for today and am open to suggestions.
**Thursday May 11th – Day 8 – Kyoto:**
\- Get up real early and head down to **Fushimi Inari Taisha,** check out the shrine and walk the Tori gates.
\- Rent a bike at someplace within reasonable walking distance to **Il Verde Kyoto Hotel** and cycle across Kyoto to **Arashiyama** forest, one of the things I’m looking forward to most.
\- Visit the **Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama** while I’m in the area.
No clue what else to do for the day, but…
\- Visit **Kiyomizu-dera** around sunset-ish.
\- Finish at the **Il Verde Kyoto Hotel**
And return my bike somewhere between the two.
**Friday May 12th – Day 9 – Kyoto/Hiroshima:**
\- Take a train from **Kyoto Station** to **Hiroshima/Hiroshima Station**.
\- Get lunch at the **Okonomimura** food hall.
\- Visit the **Hiroshima Castle, Atomic Bomb Dome** and **Hiroshima Peace Muesum** within a single sweep, likely in that order.
\- Make my way from **Heiwa Kinen Koen** to **Nishi-Hiroshima Station** down to the **Miyajimaguchi Station** as to board a ferry to **Itsukushima,** where I will spend the rest of the day, fluffing about by taking walks to shrines, meeting deer and seeing the **Itsukushima Floating Tori Gate**, renovation or not.
\- Finish by sleeping on **Itsukushima** at the **Hotel Sakuraya;** I wand to visit due to its traditional futon-based rooms.
**Saturday May 13th – Day 10 – Hiroshima/Osaka:**
\- No plans for today other than get from **Itsukushima**/**Hiroshima** to **Shin-Osaka Station** and wind up at **Namba Station/Hotel WBF Namba Motomachi.** I chose this hotel due to it being comfy looking, cheap but not too cheap and being close to **Dontonbori/Namba Station/U2.**
\- Play it by air around **Dontonbori**. I assume I probably won’t want to do a whole lot today.
**Sunday May 14th – Day 11 – Osaka:**
\- Visit the **U2 Unusual Underground**, one of my biggest highlights.
\- Visit **Osaka Castle**.
No other plans. Maybe shopping. Open to suggestions but nothing too major as I’ll be tired and tomorrow is a big day.
**Monday May 15th – Day 12 – Osaka/Tokyo – Tuesday May 16th Tokyo/Auckland:**
\- Check out of **Hotel WBF Namba Motomachi**.
\- Head from **Namba Station** to **Itami Airport** for a flight at 2:30PM to **Narita Airport.** Should arrive in **Narita** by 4:00PM.
\- Refund what’s left of my Suica card, return the pocket wifi, thanks for the trip and get ready to board my flight home with additional luggage by 6:30PM JPT.
\- Should arrive home by 8:00AM NZT in Auckland the next day. Then fly back to Christchurch at 10:00AM and holiday done.
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So that’s my itinerary of everything I want to do. Advice or reviews are greatly appreciated, especially as I want to get this right. Also, I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes.
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Sorry, I know 6 months early is a bit far ahead to be asking, but I appreciate your help and thank you for getting this far. Thanks and have a good one!
3 comments
You’re traveling during golden week. Be ready for crazy crowds and book everything as early as you can.
I’m sorry but you have way too much planned each day. Like you’re 9th day. I’ve been to Hiroshima over a dozen times. You are selling yourself short to try and cram all that into one day. Itsukushima is so cool! There’s so much to explore but also getting down the dock and taking the ferry all takes more time than you’d think. Honestly, reading the description for what you wanted to do one day one exhausted me.
Do you really plan to bring for 37kg of luggage with you to Japan or is it the limit allowed ? Honestly, travel as light as possible, like bring 3-4 days worth of clothes and do your laundry at the hotel. It will be a pain the move your luggage around between cities.
If you do not use JR Pass from the first day, don’t exchange it at the airport if there is a line, exchange it a later day in Tokyo.
The “onsen” at the capsule hotel is more a sento (public bath). Their webpage call it an artificial onsen, so it’s hot water with added mineral.
The Giant Sky Wheel in Odaiba have been torn down, so it won’t happen.
From what I can read, you have to push your bike if you want to cross rainbow bridge.
It’s really overkill to change hotel that many times in Tokyo… ok maybe to try capsule hotel, but it’s a waste of time to change more than that.
…. Wait to return to Tokyo before doing the bulk of your shopping. It’s already ridiculous to move around 1 30kg luggage…. 2 is just pure stupidity.
Edo-Tokyo museum won’t be open.
…. Yes JR Pass cover the shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa.
Instead of refunding what is left on suica, just don’t over charge it and just use it all. Even if there is a bit of money left on it, do not refund and keep the card for next time, it’s good 10 years after last use.
Most, if not all days, have too much stuff. If those are idea and you are ok not doing everything, it’s ok. But if you want to do everything at all cost, it won’t be fun.