Spring 2023 – Honeymoon + Friends’ Trip

Hey all!

I’m set to finally get to go back to Japan next spring, and due to various circumstances this trip is acting as both my honeymoon with my soon-to-be-wife, as well as a trip with a couple guy friends that we’ve been unsuccessfully trying to have for the last two years. Tickets are booked and accommodations are reserved, but I feel like the trip might be lacking… Some things to note:

1. This will be my **third** trip to Japan
2. My last two trips were two weeks, this is my first three week trip
3. None of the other travels have been, or speak any of the language, (or care to learn >.>), sort of making me the defacto guide
4. Everyone’s bringing actual suitcase luggage due to the length of the trip and the desire to shop
5. My experience has taught me that the less moving around, lodging wise, the better

I’m not planning the trip minute to minute, but I want to make sure we have a sense of what we’re doing for the day and filling in the free time with exploration and spontaneity. The general itinerary is as follows:

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|Day|Date|Sleeping In|Activity|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Friday|March 24|The Plane|Catching up on TV shows and audio books|
|Saturday|March 25|Shinjuku|Arriving late, at hotel around 7. Walk around Shinjuku until we pass out|
|Sunday|March 26|Shinjuku|Explore Shibuya and Akihabara|
|Monday|March 27|Kyoto|Arrive, explore downtown area. Nishiki Market, Gion|
|Tuesday|March 28|Kyoto|Arashiyama, monkeys and bamboo grove|
|Wednesday|March 29|Kyoto|Fushimi Inari shrine, maybe other shrines|
|Thursday|March 30|Kyoto|Hiroshima day trip|
|Friday|March 31|Osaka|Arrive in Osaka, walk around the Dotonbouri/Namba area|
|Saturday|April 1|Osaka|Nara day trip|
|Sunday|April 2|Osaka|Den-Den Town, Osaka Castle, sightseeing|
|Monday|April 3|Osaka|Osaka Aquarium|
|Tuesday|April 4|Osaka|Free day, relax, whatever|
|Wednesday|April 5|Osaka|Universal Studios Japan|
|Thursday|April 6|Osaka|Anything else we missed in Osaka/Kyoto|
|Friday|April 7|Hakone|Travel to Ryokan on Lake Ashi, enjoy onsen|
|Saturday|April 8|Hakone|Walk around the lake, maybe take the cable car, visit the shrines|
|Sunday|April 9|Shibuya|Return to Tokyo|
|Monday|April 10|Shibuya|Odaiba day|
|Tuesday|April 11|Shibuya|Akihabara shopping day|
|Wednesday|April 12|Shibuya|Zao Fox Village day trip|
|Thursday|April 13|Shibuya|Tokyo Disney|
|Friday|April 14|Shibuya|Wing it|
|Saturday|April 15|Shibuya|Wing it|
|Sunday|April 16|Shibuya|Wing it|
|Monday|April 17|The Plane|Sleep off the trip|

I guess I’m a little bummed that this doesn’t really lend itself well to going up north. I’m absolutely in love with the Iwate prefecture and hate to miss Niigata and Morioka. That would mean more lodging bookings, more fussing with luggage, and more time on trains, though. I also think the standard Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto arrangement is probably best for newcomers.

I just wanted to see if there were any glaring missed opportunities here, or if I’m doing right by my group!