Hi,
I am hoping to travel to Japan next year (planned for 2020 originally but….). I am aiming for either late March/early April or October depending on travel costs/work schedule. I planned this as a solo trip and want to know if my rough itinerary is feasible for a solo person. Any advice or recommendations for travel/lodging/etc is appreciated.
My plan was a 9-10 day trip with 4 days in Tokyo, 1 in Takayama, and 3 in Kyoto with an extra day to travel back to Tokyo.
I want to get a taste of the city life while also exploring the temples, history and nature Japan has to offer so figured splitting between Tokyo and Kyoto was a good plan.
Here is my rough plan with ideas written for each day
TOKYO:
Day 1
* Arrive in Tokyo (hotel in Asakusa? recomendations?)
* Asakusa
* Tourism center
* Street food
* Side streets / Nashisando
* Underground District
* Monja for Lunch
* Sumida Park
* Sensoji temple (evening best time)
* [Teamlab Planets](https://planets.teamlab.art/tokyo/)? Not sure which day to fit this, seems far from everything else
Day 2
* Akihabara (big videogame nerd, want to spend an entire day here)
* [Pokemon Center DX](https://www.google.com/search?q=tokyo%20pokemon%20center&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALiCzsZQIqbIWOCvrNLOg1vF5puwmjAK3g:1667074144928&ei=IYhdY6bRI_LDkPIPjNOLkAU&oq=tokyo+pok&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQARgAMgUIABCRAjILCC4QxwEQrwEQkQIyBQgAEJECMgUIABCABDIFCAAQkQIyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDoKCAAQRxDWBBCwAzoICAAQsQMQkQI6CwguELEDEIMBEJECOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARCvAToOCC4QgAQQxwEQrwEQ1AI6CAgAEIAEELEDOggILhCABBCxAzoNCAAQgAQQhwIQsQMQFDoLCAAQsQMQgwEQkQI6DgguEIAEEMcBENEDENQCSgQIQRgASgQIRhgAULMGWOgOYJAaaAJwAXgAgAHEAYgBigSSAQMwLjSYAQCgAQHIAQjAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:4&tbm=lcl&rflfq=1&num=10&rldimm=17206393884080941756&lqi=ChR0b2t5byBwb2tlbW9uIGNlbnRlciIDiAEBSPvoxKyvr4CACFogEAEQAhgAGAEYAiIUdG9reW8gcG9rZW1vbiBjZW50ZXKSAQtob2JieV9zdG9yZZoBI0NoWkRTVWhOTUc5blMwVkpRMEZuU1VRd2FFeFFjVXBSRUFFqgEWEAEqEiIOcG9rZW1vbiBjZW50ZXIoAOABAA&ved=2ahUKEwiK3eORn4b7AhVSDEQIHQXlDB0QvS56BAg1EAE&sa=X&rlst=f#rlfi=hd:;si:17206393884080941756,l,ChR0b2t5byBwb2tlbW9uIGNlbnRlciIDiAEBSPvoxKyvr4CACFogEAEQAhgAGAEYAiIUdG9reW8gcG9rZW1vbiBjZW50ZXKSAQtob2JieV9zdG9yZZoBI0NoWkRTVWhOTUc5blMwVkpRMEZuU1VRd2FFeFFjVXBSRUFFqgEWEAEqEiIOcG9rZW1vbiBjZW50ZXIoAOABAA;mv:[[35.70796380770497,139.85529366992188],[35.65414132464515,139.67161599658203],null,[35.68105710436451,139.76345483325196],14])
* Nakano Broadway
* Sunshine City Mall
* Don Quixote
* Super Potato?
* Bookoff
* [Shimonya yakitori](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Shimonya+Yakitori/@35.6984639,139.7740019,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x60188ea89176efbd:0x6b52b1c78373ab79!8m2!3d35.6984639!4d139.7761906)
Day 3
* Shibuya
* [Official Nintendo Store](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nintendo+Tokyo/@35.6621161,139.6964498,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x60188dae14b52bed:0xca9863932bd4be02!8m2!3d35.6621161!4d139.6986385)
* Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine
* Harajuku (shopping)
* Gyukatsu Motomura (beef cutlet)
* Yoyogi Park
* Meiji Shrine
* Kurand Sake Market
Day 4
* Mt Takao Hike (hour from Tokyo)
* Train to Takayama Ryokan (want to stay 1 night in Ryoken for experience)
* Yukimurasaki Ryokan (rooftop onsen)?
TAKAYAMA
Day 5
* Old Town (10 min walk from Takayama Station)
* Yukimurasaki Ryokan (rooftop onsen)
* Shinhotaka Ropeway
* Shirakawago Open Air Museum
* Train to Kyoto
KYOTO:
* What is best affordable hotel that is centrally located? Friend recommended [Daiwa Roynet Hotel](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298564-d1872358-Reviews-Daiwa_Roynet_Hotel_Kyoto_hachijoguchi-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html)
Day 6
* Gyasakon
* Yasaka Shrine
* Gyon Karyo
* Nishiki Market
* Fushimi Inari (Tori Gates)
* Tofuku ji temple
Day 7
* Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
* Nanzen ji Temple
* Eikan Do temple (great in autumn)
* Path of Philosophy
* Ginkaku ji temple
* Pontocho (food and bars)
Day 8
* Sushi Tetsu (affordable sushi)
* Jojakko-ji Temple
* Tenryu Ji Temple
* Kamogawa river
* Nijo Castle
* Hanami Koji (tea houses)
Day 9
* Kyoto back to Tokyo to airport
3 comments
I’d personally put Teamlab Planets at the beginning of the 2nd day. If you are jetlagged and up early, you could also visit the Toyosu Fish Market before that.
Asakusa is close enough to Akihabara you could visit for a bit the first evening to make up for it being cut into. Skytree Mall is another close destination open late for shopping on the first night.
Another thing to point out is if you think you are going to bring back a lot of stuff, you may want to reverse your schedule so that you are shopping at the end in Tokyo. Also think about using jetlag to your benefit. Traveling from the U.S., I’m liable to want to wake up at like 3am and go to sleep by like 7pm, so building a schedule of daylight/nature activities at the front of the trip helps with that.
I would skip Takao personally and go straight to Takayama/Okuhida area on day 4. Takao is great but there is hiking to be done in Okuhida as well, around the ropeway, and one day seems quite tight to do the things you’ve listed, especially when you are reliant on bus timetables and staying at a hotel that isn’t centrally located.
Go early for team lab! And go to fish market!