It will be me and my one friend! Both males, ages 23 and 26. My friend has been there multiple times and also speaks Japanese pretty decently, and can translate.
I just copied and pasted from my notepad, so if there are any weird notes on there about photography or anything else, that is why. My friends brother who lives in Japan also contributed some notes in there as well!
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Trip will be 2.5 WEEKS long
(Thursday, March 30 – Sunday, April 16)
(This time frame is 18 days)
DAY 1: (Thursday, March 30th)
– Flying (fly in via Haneda Airport) ✈️
DAY 2: (Friday, March 31st)
– TOKYO 🛑
– Arrive in Tokyo / find way around
DAY 3: (Saturday, April 1st)
– TOKYO 🛑
– Akihabara (Famous place)
– Hie Shrine?? ⛩
– (If you go to Hie, you should go to Yotsuya area, id start there then after early-ish lunch go to Akiba)
– Famous Taiyaki shop (daytime)
– Good Ramen shop (Daytime)
– Where most of Kimi no na wa is filmed (if you like that movie)
– Japanese Garden behind Otani and decent view of state guest palace
DAY 4: (Sunday, April 2nd)
– TOKYO 🛑
– Asakusa (day) / Ikebukuro (night)
– While in Ikebukuro go to Round One if you want more arcades
– There is also a spo-cha there if interested
– Sports, Bowling, darts, batting, billards, games, karaoke etc
DAY 5: (Monday, April 3rd)
– TOKYO 🛑
– Shibuya / Shinjuku / Kabukicho
– Late night photos? (Neon signs, lit-up alleyways, etc.)
– 📸 : Omoideyokocho, Golden Gai, Kabukicho etc
DAY 6: (Tuesday, April 4th)
– KYOTO 🟢
– Leave Tokyo / travel to Kyoto (2 hour train ride) 🚂
– Check into AirBNB
– Get a feel for the neighborhood
– Kiyomizudera (most famous temple)
DAY 7: (Wednesday, April 5th)
– KYOTO 🟢
– Fushimi-Inari Shrine ⛩ (EARLY morning / long red path)
– Arashiyama (giant bamboo forest) 🎋 (and monkey park)
DAY 8: (Thursday, April 6th)
– KYOTO 🟢
– Day trip to Wakayama?
DAY 9: (Friday, April 7th)
– KYOTO 🟢
– Day-trip to Nara (deer city)
– Gion District at night (old style Japan) – Yasaka Shrine ⛩
DAY 10: (Saturday, April 8th)
– TOKUSHIMA (Shikoku) 🔷
– Leave Kyoto / travel to Tokushima (3 hr train ride)
– Ramen is GOOD here
DAY 11: (Sunday, April 9th)
– IYA (Shikoku) 🔷
– Car Rental Tokushima station
– Iya (epic valley, old style Japan)
– Mount Tsurugi
– Nagoro scarecrow village
– Chiorii (old Japanese house)
– Staying in Iya Onsen
DAY 12: (Monday, April 10th)
– KOCHI (Shikoku) 🔷
– ??
DAY 13: (Tuesday, April 11th)
– HIROSHIMA 🟨
– Car Rental return Kochi Station
– Leave Shikoku / drop off car / travel from Kochi to Okoyama to Hiroshima (3 hr train ride) 🚂
– Peace Museum
– Explore peace park
– HAVE OKONOMIYAKI 🍳
DAY 14: (Wednesday, April 12th)
– HIROSHIMA 🟨
– Miyajima Island (Deer/Gate island) 🦌
– Itsukushima Water Shrine ⛩ (EPIC PHOTO 📸 @ sunset)
DAY 15: (Thursday, April 13th)
– TOKYO 🛑
– Leave Hiroshima / travel to Tokyo (4 hr train ride) 🚂
DAY 16: (Friday, April 14th)
– TOKYO 🛑
– Nakano Broadway (Yakiniku and drinks – if you’re into that!)
– JOJO BAR (yare yare daze)
– Nikko? YES!!!
DAY 17: (Saturday, April 15th)
– TOKYO 🛑
– Izu!! (epic coast)
– If hiking:
– okutama area
– Mitake-san
– Takao-san (All you can eat/drink Beer Garden at top)
DAY 18: (Sunday, April 16th)
– TOKYO 🛑
– Leaving to go back home…RIP 😭
– Flight departs @ 3:40PM
1 comment
My only real question is why split Tokyo up into two separate legs? It’s a bit of a pain but you could fly into Haneda, and then get on a train to Kyoto (or fly into Osaka but that can be pretty expensive). Do a bunch of traveling out of there since everything is kind of nearby. Then head up to Tokyo to fill out the last week.