First Trip to Japan Itinerary (Rough)

21 comments

1. Overall it’s not too rushed so you have room to add a few more things. Have a look at where things are located and try and group them together. For example you have Takashita St on day 9, but it is in Harajuku so you will cover it on day 3; the Robot Restaurant is in Shinjuku so it makes sense to go on a day you are in that area like day 6 or 10.

   I haven’t used Ninja wifi as I tend to pick up a data sim – they are pretty easy to get and set up. I would recommend getting either a data sim or wifi router as free wifi hotspots tend to be infrequent.

2. To echo the other poster – some of the things you have on separate days are within a few minutes’ walk of each other. I would recommend sticking everything you want to see into Google maps and rearranging your days based on what is closest to each other.

3. One thing I’ve learned travelling a lot,
   never plan everyday, they’ll be days that you have to reschedule due to weather, illness, tiredness etc
   Never plan a lot on the day after you arrive, you could be jet lagged
   Always leave spare days in your schedule, you’ll always find something new you want to see

4. I can tell you that you will not do all of this 😅
   My advice is don’t go to japan with a list of things to do. Japan is a totally different world. Take your time, take in the new surroundings and experiences. Even walking down a high street, eating at a ramen restaurant etc
   It’s a hell of an adventure and I’m excited for you.
   My first time in Tokyo has been the highlight of my life so far. To sum it up. Just go and explore. Decide what to do the night before or even on the day. You’ll definitely be exhausted even after your first day of rest.
   Take it easy. And I hope to be there in April too 👍

   To add: I went there for 3 weeks and made a list too. Didn’t even complete 50% of it. But I have no regrets. I discovered things I didn’t expect.

5. Whether via sim card or wifi router, just make sure you have wifi and google maps. It will make transit quite easy. The rail system — are you familiar with public transit in Europe or, say, NYC, SF, or CHI? If so, it will be super easy. Everything is super logical and almost always on time.

6. I’d recommend you to buy sim card and just use them with your phone. You worry less about an extra device and you get to use all the apps in your phone. Google Maps and Google Translate will be your best companion unless you are trying to take the bus and google maps will give you some weird ass cryptic information on bus stops and routes but from my experience just go to the station it tells you to go and board the 1st bus that stops and just cross fingers it is going in the correct direction.

   The rail system is extremely easy to navigate with google maps and using your pasmo card will make your life easier.

   Visiting ichiran ramen isn’t something that important to mark it in your itinerary you can literally go whenever you are hungry just search for the closest one in google maps.

7. Hello! is there a day of the week this begins in particular? friday nights Akihabara and Ueno are pretty cool. Sunday Akihabara they closed the road off until 5pm (pre covid).,…Also, thats a lot of time for Takeshita street … Shimokitozawa is ‘the new’ harajuku apparently. we went to a rad cafe and the guy had the customer service of a rock underwater.. great coffee though… bear pond cafe, double restretto … you’ll love the suburb the Ghibli musem is in, I’d live there in a flash

8. The train system is easy to navigate when you know what you are doing, but there is a lot of lines and options and today, I would not go without internet access either by sim card or pocket wifi.

   I would highly suggest to regroup things by area of the city.

   Day 2 : Tokyo National Museum is in Ueno park from day 4.

   Day 3 : Harajuku, you can move Takeshita street there from day 9 and Meiji shrine from day 10.

   Day 4 : Actually it’s going to be a mess, but Tsukiji market. It is next to Hama rikyu from day 7 and next to Shinbashi station, where the Yurikamome line start to go to Odaiba for day 12, teamlab from day 5 and rainbow bridge from day 8.

   Day 5 : Nakano Broadway is on the same train line as Ghibili museum from day 10. You can also complete the day in Shinjuku for Samurai museum from day 9 and Shinjuku gyoen from day 10.

   Robot Restaurant is close for now and not sure if it will re-open. Oedo onsen monogatari in Odaiba will permanently close before the end of the year.

   Day 14 : wrong order, you want to finish by Dotonbori, that is prime nightlife spot in Osaka.

   Day 15 : Aquarium is next to Tempozan from day 16.

   Day 17 : Nijo castle, Kifune shrine and Bamboo grove are absolutelyu not in same area, you cannot do it all.

   Day 18 : Gion is next to Nishiki market and Higashiyama (yasaka pagoda) from the next day, while Kinkaku-ji is next to Ryoan-ji.

   Fore Electronic, if Akihabara is not enough, check denden town in Osaka.

   In general, put everything on a map and see what is geographically the closest and do it on the same day. What can also help it to look at the train line to see what area are easy to access from each other. Right now you are constantly returning to the same area several days in a row, so waste of time in the train.

   ​

   You are also in a situation where you do not need a JR Pass at all. First of all, you can do Nikko using the Tobu world heritage pass. Then first day of Osaka to last day ok Kyoto is 7 days, so it cannot include the trip to Nikko, that is if you have to return to Tokyo (on last day). If you do not return to Tokyo, then it’s cheaper to do Tobu pass for Nikko and single shinkansen ticket to go to Osaka. If you do round trip Tokyo-Osaka, then it barely make sense, so just buy 2 shinkansen tickets and do all the rest using your IC card.

   ​

   As for onsen, actually, it could be Nikko. What you can do is make this trip in the middle of your stay in Tokyo. Ask your hotel to keep your luggage for a Night, go to Nikko to see the shrines, go to the ryokan for onsen and kaiseki meal and return next morning (that is if you do not want to spend the second day to see more of Nikko. There is some ryokan around Nikko, then you can go close to lake chuzenji for Chuzenji onsen or deeper for Oku-nikko yumoto onsen, or take the train north to Kinugawa onsen, that is on the same line as Edo Wonderland.

9. can’t speak for Tokyo but a lot of your Kyoto days are looking pretty thin, not sure if you’re planning on just freestyling but for example:

   >Day) Kinkaju Temple, Gion District, Ichiran Ramen Restaurant

   Kinkaku-ji is like 1 hour going through and taking pics, gion is just a street full of shops / restaurants, and then you have ichiran. This is like a mornings worth of activities. If I were you I’d go to Arashiyama on the same day (bamboo forest and monkey park) and then get dinner at Ichijoji Street (Kyoto’s ramen street or ‘ramen battlegrounds.’). Then you have an extra day and you can hit up Nara. If you want ramen then take the opportunity to go to good shops in Kyoto and not Ichiran that you can find literally everywhere.

   Similar stuff for the rest of your Kyoto itinerary, you can probably condense it so you can go to other places. Some common places people go to are Nara that I mentioned earlier, Kobe (not much to do there though), Lake Biwa

10. >How hard is it to navigate the railway system?

    Not that difficult using Google Maps

    >Would you recommend a Ninja Wifi Router? I heard they were useful.

    I have no experience with Ninja Wifi Router. But a pocket wifi is highly recommended.

11. We recommend that you enter Japan in mid-March and leave in mid-April if possible. At this time of year, you can see cherry blossoms all over Japan.

    The Osaka Loop Pass is a great way to explore Osaka. You can ride the Osaka Metro and Osaka City Bus as much as you like.

    https://www.osp.osaka-info.jp/en/?utm_source=osakainfo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=jp_daily_201907&utm_content=lp

    And we recommend

    https://www.osp.osaka-info.jp/en/model/model.html

    https://www.osp.osaka-info.jp/en/cruise/cruise.html

    The Umeda Sky Building is on the model course and the sunset from the observatory is very beautiful.

    The sunset over the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world, is particularly popular during the week in mid-February and mid-October.

    https://www.skybldg.co.jp/observatory/

    There is a Ferris wheel by Kaiyukan and a boat ride across the river to Universal Studios Japan.

    Universal Studios Japan is also highly recommended.

    Namba Yasaka Shrine, Dotonbori, Amerika-mura and Shinsaibashi are located on both sides of Midosuji, and are known as the Minami district of Osaka.

    If you visit Osaka Castle in the morning and Minami in the afternoon and evening, you can get around efficiently.

    We recommend having lunch or dinner near Dotonbori.

    If we were to use the four days in Kyoto efficiently, the schedule would be as follows

    Day 1 Travel from Osaka, and Fushimi Inari, Ramen

    Day 2 Kinkakuji Temple, Ryoanji Temple, Nijo Castle, Nishiki Market

    Day 3 Kibune Shrine, Gion, Yasaka Tower

    Day 4 Bamboo grove, Uzumasa Movie Village

    On the third day, we recommend an early morning visit to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Kiyomizudera is open from 6am.

    From Yasaka Shrine, walk through Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka to Kiyomizu-dera. We will stop by Yasaka-no-Tower near Sannenzaka.

    After that, go to Kibune Shrine. Return in the evening and enjoy Gion in the evening.

12. Go asakusa during the day and night.

13. I’ve only traveled to Tokyo once so can’t really say about that. I’ve lived in Osaka for 5 years and the only really interesting place is Osaka castle and maybe a visit to Shinsaibashi to see Ebisubashi (Glico running man) and eat at one of the many restaurants.

    Your day 16 needs changing I think, Tenpōzan area is really not that interesting or well kept and Americamura is a filthy disgusting place.

    I’d recommend a side to trip to Nara instead, maybe Kobe.

    If it absolutely has to be in Osaka then I recommend Minno. It’s a gentle walk through some nice scenery to a pretty waterfall. I’ve been many times and it’s always pretty.

    Secondly, I’d recommend Universal studios Japan.

    I don’t really recommend this but you seem to like the cities so maybe Umeda and visit the sky building and the Ferris wheel on the HEP5 building, or take the train south to Tennoji and visit the tallest building in Japan, Abeno Harukas and see Osaka from the observation deck.

    Kyoto has a surprisingly large amount of things to spend your time on and places often take longer than expected. Your first Kyoto day is much too busy I think especially as those places are not particularly close to each other.

    If you want specific information on Kyoto you can message me, I’ve been to Kyoto about 15 times.

14. May I suggest adding in Tokyo Metropolitan Govt building Observation deck (in Shinjuku) for outstanding views of the city. Time it around early evening/dusk time and see the city light up… another idea, of course you will need to juggle your itinerary…. Get two days in Hakone/Gora for a great time in the mountains near Mt. Fuji. We left Tokyo to go to Hakone for 2 days and then caught the Shinkansen from Odawarra to Kyoto…all the best

15. for navigating the subways and rail systems google maps does an excellent job.

    assuming that you are from the US, most cell phone providers have an international plan that works well in Japan negating the need for any additional wifi .

16. Hi I really like your itinerary. Month of April will be a really great time for you to visit Japan because of the cherry blossoms. There’s an official Japan cherry blossom map, and I highly recommend you research it. Instead of getting a Pasmo pass, I highly recommend getting a Tokyo 24-72 hour subway pass to supplement your JR pass. I also recommend getting a Sim card instead to reduce weight, but if you are travelling with others, router is a more sensible purchase.

    It isn’t hard at all to navigate JR. English signs are clear and Japanese people have very good manners during rushhour, so just try to follow the traffic. Please use hyperdia along with Google maps to navigate JR. Hyperdia is really useful for clear timetables.

    For onsen recommendation, please visit Hakone. It’s nearby Mt. Fuji. It’ll be a great one day or one night trip from Tokyo towards Kyoto, your next city.

    At Harajuku, I highly recommend their local specialty fluffy pancakes for breakfast. Please also visit Meiji Jingu Shrine after breakfast and some shopping.

    I feel like you can fit more things to do per day. For instance, you can do day museums and afternoon to night walk Shibuya and Ginza very easily in one day. If you do this you save a day or two to visit other cities like Hakodate and Fukuoka. Those cities cannot be missed if you are staying in Japan for two or more weeks and have a JR pass.

    Using JR pass, you can ride the shinkansen up north. Stay there for one night. Take the afternoon shinkansen back south to Tokyo. And take the 10 pm sunrise izumo night train for free to west. From Okayama at around 6 am. You can visit himeji Hiroshima in one day.

    I hope you have a great trip!

17. >Day 6) Pokémon Center in Takashimaya Department Store in Nihonbashi, Shibuya District

    I like how you have an entire day for just Pokemon Center Tokyo DX and the Pokemon Cafe 🙂

    With an entire day, you could also:

    * (but shouldn’t) visit every Pokemon Center in Tokyo
    * day trip to Machida and look for the [Pokemon manhole covers](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/japans-beautiful-pokemon-manhole-covers-have-finally-made-it-to-tokyo-082520) at Serigaya Park
    * Pokemon food tour: Pokemon Cafe in Nihonbashi, [Pokemon Sweets](https://thebestjapan.com/pikachu-sweets-by-pokemon-cafe/) in Ikebukuro and Magikarp Taiyaki in Akihabara

    While visiting Nishiki Market in Kyoto, stop by Pokemon Center Kyoto for a Kimono Pikachu!

18. Newb here but what are the current restrictions on entering the country?
    For this year?

19. A little late to the party but reworked your latest itinerary a bit. For some days you can work in more things to see so you can probably make an even more ambitious itinerary, and assuming your hotel is smack dab in Tokyo I’ve updated it to save some time on transportation. Here is your [original itinerary](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1-87oMfvs1UjGzS7uNGvY3gqBYLnTshw7&usp=sharing) vs the [adjusted itinerary](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1XwlURjb7UxjyOyd-z6eLJnEJPocghQS0&usp=sharing). These are the assumptions I made on how long you’ll stay at each place, so just let me know for better estimate!

    Day 1
    – gram premium (Cafe Gram): 1 hour, 8am-9am
    – Rainbow Bridge: 1 hour, 9:49am-10:49am
    – Hamarikyu Gardens: 2 hours, 11:33am-1:33pm
    – Imperial Palace: 2 hours, 2:14pm-4:14pm
    – HEY Taito: 2 hours, 4:53pm-6:53pm
    – Tokyo Skytree: 2 hours, 7:40pm-9:40pm

    Day 2
    – Tokyo National Museum: 2 hours, 9am-11am
    – Ueno Onshi Park: 2 hours, 11:30am-1:30pm
    – Pokemon Center Tokyo DX: 3 hours, 2:11pm-5:11pm
    – teamLab Borderless: 3 hours, 5:54pm-8:54pm

    Day 3
    – Samurai Museum: 2 hours, 9am-11am
    – Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden: 3 hours, 11:38am-2:38pm
    – Tokyo Joypolis: 4 hours, 3:32pm-7:32pm

    Day 4
    – Ghibli Museum: 3 hours, 9am-12pm
    – Nakano Broadway: 3 hours, 1:07pm-4:07pm
    – Meiji Jingu: 4 hours, 4:56pm-8:56pm

    Day 5
    – Senso ji: 3 hours, 9am-12pm
    – Akihabara: 4 hours, 12:41pm-4:41pm
    – Tsukiji Outer Market: 4 hours, 5:24pm-9:24pm

    Day 6
    – Ginza: 3 hours, 9am-12pm
    – SHIBUYA PARCO: 3 hours, 12:49pm-3:49pm
    – Takeshita Street: 4 hours, 4:27pm-8:27pm

    Day 7
    – Tokyo Metropolitan Govt Building: 2 hours, 9am-11pm
    – Hakone Kowakudani Onsen Mizunoto: 8 hours, 1:03pm-9:03pm

20. Some ideas:

    Hit Asakusa at the crack of dawn. Amazing then, but after it’s crowded as all hell. Skytree at night, tbh.

    (Same with Fushimi Inari in Kyoto. Get there as early as you can)

    Tsukiji has gone downhill since the public view has closed. Mostly just a tourist stall thing now.

    Ginza is cool if you like upscale fashion, otherwise can be a bit of a drag.

    Rainbow bridge is a long trip back and forth and can be a bit disappointing. I went there with some friends and got drunk on the beach at night.

    In your Tokyo time period, I highly suggest a day trip to Kamakura. Start early, walk around and explore, and hit the beach. The big statue is great, but everywhere else is lovely.

    And if you can stretch it, Himeji castle is amazing in good weather. Totally worth a trip.

21. Hi. Been to Japan twice and yes, we also bought the Japan Rail Pass since it covers most of the trains (especially Tokyo), and compared to actual train fares, they’re pretty much cheaper especially if you plan to go around a lot. JRP is even usable in the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka that takes around 3h at most. We didn’t have the courage to take the bus. I would highly, highly, recommend for you to rent a Wifi router that you can pickup/return in the airport (eg, Ninja Wifi), so that you can easily do google maps as you go and wouldn’t be afraid to get lost, that’s also why we took trains since the start/stop stations are easier to identify (tip: Use Hyperdia website to know which station/train you have to ride, at what time, and what platform). “When in doubt, google it up” is our mantra. Although the people there are seriously very helpful and eager to help you – there are only a few of them who speaks/understands english so it’s hard to ask for directions. Sometimes I type my question in the google translate and then show it to the local, and somehow, I’ll understand their reply through their hand signals. 😂 My husband and I panicked when the router was low battery around the afternoon, so better bring a powerbank for that as you go around. Lastly, they mostly prefer cash payments (unless you’re in business districts and buying a bit more expensive items), so it’s better to prepare japanese currencies on hand for all the non-expensive things you plan to buy (eg, food). 🙂

    Electronics and gaming store? Akihabara at Tokyo is the electronics/gaming/anime paradise. We always went there and will always go there when we go to Japan again next time (after pandemic). 😂