My partner and I are planning a trip to Japan and South Korea with 10 days in each country and travel days on either side and wanted feedback/advice on the Japanese part of our trip. We think it’s unlikely we will be back to Japan again for many years, so we wanted to see as much as we can with the limited time there, so it’s going to be somewhat fast-paced which we think should be fine as we are going to be packing light. The Japan leg of the trip will start in Tokyo on November 20th and end in Fukuoka on December 1st.
In particular the things that interest us the most are food, shopping, views, and experiences. We aren’t as interested in museums, castles, or historical landmarks, but we have still included a few of them. Food is quite important, so we are making sure to plan out all the restaurants we want to go to so we can experience as many different types of Japanese food as we can.
## Sunday, 20th November (Arrive at Tokyo):
* \~6PM: Arrive at Narita Airport
* Check into hotel near Tokyo Station
* Dinner at CoCo Curry House (Katsu Curry)
## Monday, 21st November (Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku):
* 9AM: Meiji Jingu
* 10AM: Shibuya (Hachiko Statue, Shibuya Crossing, SHIBUYA109, Don Quijote)
* 1:30PM: Harajuku (Hedgehog Cafe, Takeshita St)
* 4PM: Shinjuku (Tokyo Metro Gov Bldg)
* 5:30PM: Dinner at Udon Shin and Omoide Yokocho
## Tuesday, 22nd November (DisneySea):
* Tokyo DisneySea
* Dinner at Ningyocho Imahan (Sukiyaki)
## Wednesday, 23rd November (Disneyland):
* Tokyo Disneyland
* Dinner at Sushizanmai (Sushi)
## Thursday, 24th November (Asakusa):
* 10AM: Character St
* 10:45AM: Pokemon Cafe
* 12PM: Kaminarimon Gate, Nakamise Shopping St, Senso-ji
* 1PM: Suzukien Asakusa (Matcha Ice Cream) and Taiyaki Sharaku (Taiyaki)
* 1:40PM: Tokyo Skytree
* ?? Not sure what to do between here, may rest at hotel, open to suggestions
* 6PM: Bifuteki Kawamura Ginza (Kobe Beef)
## Friday, 25th November (Tokyo to Fujikawaguchiko):
* ?? Open to suggestions for anything to do in the morning before leaving Tokyo
* 11:45AM – 1:30PM: Take bus from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko
* Mt Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
* Chureito Pagoda
* Stay at a ryokan in Fujikawaguchiko (open to ryokan suggestions)
* Kaiseki ryori at the ryokan for Dinner
## Saturday, 26th November (Fujikawaguchiko to Hakone to Kyoto):
* 10AM – 11:15AM: Bus from Kawaguchiko to Gotemba Station
* 11:50AM – 12:30PM: Bus from Gotemba Station to Togendai Station
* 12:30PM – 4PM: Hakone Ropeway, Cable Car, and Railway, ending at Odawara
* 4:07PM – 5:51PM: Take shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto
* 6:30PM: Dinner at Kichi Kichi Omurice
* 8PM: Kiyomizudera Temple (for the night viewing)
## Sunday, 27th November (Kyoto):
* \~8AM: Bamboo Forest
* \~10AM: Kinkaku-ji
* \~12:30PM: Nishiki Market
* \~2:30PM: Fushimi Inari Taisha
* \~6PM: Dinner at Menbaka Fire Ramen
## Monday, 28th November (Kyoto to Nara to Osaka):
* Train to Nara
* \~9:30AM: Todaiji and Nara Park
* Train to Osaka Castle
* \~1:30PM: Osaka Castle
* \~3PM: Shinsaibashi (Shopping, Cheese Tart Pablo)
* \~5PM: Dotonbori (Dinner)
## Tuesday, 29th November (Universal Studios)
* Universal Studios Japan (mostly for Nintendo and Harry Potter areas)
* Dinner again in Dotonbori
## Wednesday, 30th November (Osaka to Himeji to Hiroshima)
* 9AM: Breakfast at Kuromon Market
* Train to Himeji
* \~12PM: Himeji Castle
* Train to Hiroshima
* \~3:30PM: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
* 5PM: Dinner at Okonomimura (Okonomiyaki)
## Thursday, 1st December (Hiroshima to Fukoka to South Korea)
* Train to Fukuoka
* ?? Maybe enough time to do something in Fukuoka before flying out
* Depart from Fukuoka Airport (time undecided)
* Instead of flying, we may take the JR Beetle ferry from Fukuoka to Busan
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
6 comments
Wow! What a fun trip! If you’re interested in experiences and like cooking you could also consider doing an afternoon cooking class or even a food tour to better understand some different yummy food – however just eating it and enjoying it is equally awesome. Another unique shopping place you might be intrigued by is a chain store called Don Quixote, they have novelty items – and are typically three floors tall. I know there’s one in Osaka, but I’m sure there’s a couple in other cities. For Kyoto, the earlier you arrive at the shrines the better chances of it being empty – I did Fushimi inari first around 7-8am and managed to finish enjoying it just as the crowds funneled in. There are other bamboo forests that are less crowded – Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple has it’s own little bamboo forests and garden. Sounds like a super fun trip! I hope Japan is open for solo tourism by then :’)
Thanks for posting this itinerary! Im also trying to visit those 2 countries next spring and you gave me some ideas!
21 : You know that Meiji Jingu is in Harajuku right ? So it would make more sense to go to Takeshita Street before and Shibuya just after that. The only “problem” with that is that many stores in Takeshita street would only open between 10 and 11am. I would skip The Tokyo Gov. Building, the view is ok and it’s nice because it’s free, but I would do Shibuya Sky instead, yes you have to pay, but you will also have access to a view from the roof and it will be easier to access.
23 : Considering you won’t go back to Japan for a long time, why not do something else ? From what I heard, it is somehow a bit similar to Disneyland in the US.
24 : Depending on your interest, you could check Kappabashi for cooking ware and kitchen knives, Ueno park, Ameyoko market, Akihabara, Those would be fairly easy to access then would not be too hart to reach Ginza for dinner after that.
25-26 : Honestly, I find that this part start to waste a lot of time in transport. The second day in Hakone you will not have time to do much other than be in a form of transport. For me it would make more sense go to Hakone in the morning of the 25 (yes a bit early so you have time to see things there) like do the loop with the boat ride, ropeway to Owakudani, open air museum, etc. There is a lot of nice things to see around Hakone. Night in a ryokan, next day you can either finish visiting Hakone and get to Kyoto late, or leave direct to Kyoto to have some time to visit.
27 : that is a the kind of itinerary I would try to avoid as it go to too many different area of Kyoto in a single day, wasting time in transport. I would personally add a full extra day to Kyoto to have time to see a bit more or at lest to not be so rushed to move from one place to the other.
28 : That is really not a lot of time for Nara. Considering that the train from Nara to Osaka castle will be at least an hour, this mean you only have 3h in Nara, including time to eat lunch. that is not a lot. I might suggest to try to be there a bit earlier to give you a bit more time. And actually, you might want to check to go get lunch at kuromon market so you don’t have to go the day you leave Osaka.
30 : I think that going to Kuromon market will not leave you enough time for the rest. Get in the train early and even try to be at Himeji castle when it open at 9am, then check Koko-en garden, lunch in Himeji or grab a lunchbox to eat in the Shinkansen to Hiroshima for Peace park and museum.
1 : Luckily the airport is super easy to access from Fukuoka. You can likely drop your bag at Hakata station, take a short subway ride to Nakasu kawabata station, check out Kawabata shotengai, there is a shrine there as well as a couple of museum nearby, can do a detour via Canal City shopping center then walk back to Hakata station. In total that would be 2-3 km of walking depending on the detours you take to see some of the attractions. Then Fukuoka station is just 5 minutes away on the subway.
You might also want to plan a 20 day trip to Korea as a backup. Getting less likely Japan will open up to full solo tourism. Guided tours have just started and with new daily Covid cases at an all-time high, it doesn’t seem likely you can get in.
It is recommended that you spend an extra day in Kyoto.
If only for one day. Probably Kyoto won’t impress you.
Gonna be real
Dont travel these many places in such a short time
Go to just kansai area (Osaka Kyoto) and travel around those area like Nara etc or go to Tokyo and enjoy your time over there and try nearby area’s.