Conscientious planner looking for solo trip itinerary help! Six days in Tokyo / Kyoto / Nara

**Itinerary**

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*Day 1 – Saturday November 26, Tokyo*

3pm:

1. Arrive at Narita Airport.
2. Check electronic devices for connectivity and battery levels before leaving the airport.
3. Verify that Suica card is working. Verify travel passes are working. Get cash.

5pm:

1. Check in to hotel, drop off bags.
2. Find something to eat, walk around close to the hotel.
3. Don’t walk around too much, long trip ahead.
4. Consider finding coffee in a can for the next morning. You might be jet-lagged.

10pm:
1. Get to sleep, long day tomorrow.

*Questions on Day 1:*

1. Is there anything I should do before I leave the airport?
2. Let’s say I won’t have another chance to get cash again this trip. How much cash should I get before leaving the airport?
3. Considering the rest of this trip is packed, should I really be this laid back on the first day? Seems like a waste for the evening.

**Day 2 – Sunday November 27, Tokyo -> Kyoto**

8am:

1. Take bags with you and check out.
2. Take Narita Express to either Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station. This will take an hour.
1. Doesn’t matter which one, you can take the shinkansen to Kyoto from both.
3. Shinkansen to Kyoto Station using JR Tokaido Shinkansen line, which will take ~3 hours fumbling around station to station.

12pm:

1. Add an extra hour or so here, because you will need to get from Kyoto Station to your hotel. Consider getting food before you go.
2. Check in, leave your bags here.
3. High tail it to Arashiyama from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama Station using JR Sagano line (aka JR Sanin line).
1. From the station, it will take 15 minutes to walk to central Arashiyama.

2pm:

1. Walk a lot. Pick 1-2 things from this list depending on time. When everything is closed up, explore some more on foot, then head back.
1. Bamboo Groves (definitely do this)
2. Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street
3. Jojakkoji Temple (4:30pm last call)
4. Nisonin Temple (4pm last call)
5. Daikakuji Temple (4:30pm last call)
6. Tenryuji Temple (4:45pm last call)

6pm:

1. Return in the direction of Kyoto Station from Saga-Arashiyama Station using the same JR Sagano line.
2. Don’t get to Kyoto Station; switch at intersection with Karasuma line to Shijo station, then get off.
3. Get dinner at Nishiki Market.
4. Don’t walk around too much, you will need to take the train back to hotel.
1. Get some rest, more walking tomorrow.

10pm:

1. Knock out.

*Questions on Day 2:*

1. This day seems improperly organized because there might be morning rush hour. Does that jeopardize this day’s schedule at all?
2. Is there enough time spent at Arashiyama? I don’t plan to see the entire thing this time around, but 2.5 hours seems very short.
3. I think Nishiki Market closes at 5pm.
1. Where should I go look around for a bite to eat?
2. Are restaurant lines as impossibly long as people say? (I don’t mind waiting 20-30 minutes, as long as it’s possible to eventually get seated.)

**Day 3 – Monday November 28, Kyoto**

8am:

1. Get on JR Nara line at Kyoto Station, to JR Inari Station. This should be quick, no more than 10 minutes away.
1. Summit the Mount Inari, see Fushimi Inari Shrine. Being generous, it will take an hour to the top.
2. There should be restaurants or places that sell food on the way. Get lunch here.

1pm:

1. At this time, you should be beginning descent from Mount Inari, if not done already.
2. Take the Keihan Main line at JR Inari Station to Kiyomizu-Gojo Station, which is a 20 minute walk to Kiyomizudera Temple.
3. Spend some time there, making your way north to Gion, and from there, to Yasaka Shrine.
4. Get dinner along the way, explore a bit.

7pm:

1. Make your way from Yasaka Shrine to either of these stations:
1. Sanjo Station: take Tozai Subway line back to Central Kyoto and hotel
2. Gion-Shijo Station: take Keihan Railways line back to Central Kyoto and hotel

10pm:

1. Knock out.

*Questions on Day 3:*

1. Is it rude to set up a tripod to take pictures on the hiking trail of Mount Inari? I have no idea how steep or wide it is. I’m not going to be ostentatious about it, but I also don’t want to disturb local customs and attract local ire. It’s not a professional shoot, just want to take a few quick pictures of myself with the gates.
2. Will I be negatively affected by morning and evening rush hours here?
1. Maybe I should get to Mount Inari later in the morning, and stay in the Gion area until after 7 to dodge that?

**Day 4 – Tuesday November 29, Kyoto -> Nara day trip**

8am:

1. From Kyoto Station, take the JR Miyakoji rapid train to JR Nara Station, which is 20 minutes away from Nara Park on foot.

3pm:

1. By this time, most of Nara Park should be walked about. Feed the deer, but try not to get attacked.

5pm:

1. Shinkansen back to Kyoto from the JR Nara Station, which should take about an hour.
2. Eat, knock out, in that order.

*Questions on Day 4:*

1. Again, Nishiki Market will be closed by the time I get back. If I want to prioritize that, how should I change Day 3 or 4 to reflect that? If not, where can I eat in Kyoto, as in, where are the restaurant-y districts located? I’d like to avoid going out of my way to far-off places if possible because it’ll be dark and I’m traveling solo. Not sure how safe or unsafe it is.
2. How bad will rush hour be from Kyoto to Nara in the morning? I don’t mind getting more sleep in on this day, because the train ride isn’t long.

**Day 5 – Wednesday November 30, Kyoto -> Tokyo**

8am:

1. Enjoy breakfast, then grab bags and get to Kyoto Station. Time to return to Tokyo.
2. Take the shinkansen from Kyoto Station to Tokyo, to closest station to hotel.

12pm:

1. Drop off bags, grab lunch.
2. High tail it, because you want to get to Tsukiji Outer Market before it closes at 2pm.
3. Otherwise, go to Ghibli Museum. Get lunch wherever you are beforehand.
1. From Tokyo Station as a reference, take the Yamanote line to Shinjuku Station, switching to Chuo line, getting off at Kichijoji Station.
2. You’ll need to book your tickets in advance, as they don’t sell tickets at the door.
4. If you managed to get to Tsukiji, then Ghibli Museum closes at 6pm. You can definitely make it there after.
1. Maybe even stop by Shibuya Crossing on the train back.

7pm: Get food again, return to hotel.

*Questions on Day 5:*

1. For getting from Kyoto to Tokyo Station to my hotel (specifics TBD), should I ask for a taxi or ride-share (if that exists)? I heard it can be extremely expensive, and was told not to do this unless absolutely necessary.
2. There will definitely be rush hour in the morning in Tokyo, but do people go northbound from Kyoto on the shinkansen to work? Should I depart at a different time?
3. Do restaurants all really close at 2pm at Tsukiji Outer Market? Do you think I’ll have enough time to make it from Kyoto early in the morning to Tokyo Station, to my hotel, and then to Tsukiji? This seems terribly ambitious.

**Day 6 – Thursday December 1, Tokyo -> United States**

This day is meant to be a wild card, if I managed to Google anything interesting last minute, or if I didn’t make it to Tsukiji. In that case, definitely going there.

Otherwise, flight back to the States is at 6pm, so I intend to retrieve my bags from the hotel at 2-3pm, and be back at Narita Airport by 4pm or so.

*Questions on Day 5:*

1. Compared to Kyoto, I’m not as interested in the attractions at Tokyo, mostly because of safety reasons of going out at night (and getting lost), and that I jealously guard my eight hours of sleep. (Only half joking.) Spending several days here (one in the beginning, two at the end) here seems like a waste compared to staying longer in Kyoto. I’m worried I’m not spending enough time at Arashiyama, for one thing. Is there a better way to rearrange this trip? Or do you think I’ll end up liking Tokyo?
1. My goals on this trip are firstly to see the big temples, take things relatively slow, and eat a lot. I’m not that interested in entertainment, nightlife, electronics, things of that sort. I’ll stop by onsens next time, but it’s not really a thing I’m planning for this time around.
2. This is my first time solo traveling, and I’m particularly safety conscious because I’m from a big city in the United States, and I’m used to keeping my head on a swivel at all times. I will be traveling with a smartphone tripod (only using them in Kyoto and Nara), and a laptop in my backpack, so I don’t want to stay out too much or seem like an easy target. Of course, I’m going to have to leave my phone on the tripod to set up the shot, and maybe even take my backpack off and put it to the side, and step a small distance away to take the picture. This is a big no-no where I’m from. Are my safety concerns overblown for Japan?

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I would really appreciate your insight with these questions and your opinion on my itinerary! Thanks so much in advance for your help!