Hey! My partner and I are in our late 20’s and this will be our first trip to Japan. Any suggestions would be really appreciated (I have some general questions at the end). We are interested in anime/manga, food, culture, wildlife/nature, and general sightseeing. Not super into nightlife or drinking. Flight and accomodations are booked, but accommodations can be changed other than the Miyajima night on Apr 18.
**April 9 (Sun) – Narita to Tokyo**
* Afternoon – Arrive in Narita at 4:30 pm, train to hotel in Asakusa
* Evening – food/rest/explore
**April 10 (Mon) – Tokyo**
* Morning – Senso-ji, Nakamise-dori, Kappabashi
* Afternoon/Evening – Ueno Park, Ameyoko, Kanda Myojin shrine, Akihabara
**April 11 (Tues) – Tokyo**
* Morning – Tsukiji outer market, Teamlab Planets (?)
* Afternoon – Imperial park/palace, Pokemon Center DX
* Evening – Yurakucho dining alley
**April 12 (Wed) – Tokyo (Kamakura day trip)**
* Engaku-ji, Kencho-ji, Tsurugaoka hachimangu
* Komachi-dori street
* Big buddha statue
* Enoden line to Fujisawa (stop at Cape Inamuragasaki), then back to Tokyo
**April 13 (Thurs) – Tokyo**
* Morning – Edo-Tokyo open-air museum
* Afternoon – Inokashira park, Nanako Broadway
* Evening – Explore Shinjuku (if time)
**April 14 (Fri) – Tokyo**
* Morning – Shinjuku (metro gov’t building, isetan, tokyu hands, Shinjuku gyoen garden)
* Afternoon – Harajuku (Meiji jingu, Omotesando, Takeshita dori)
* Evening – Shibuya (Center-gai, Mega don quijote)
**April 15 (Sat) – Tokyo to Kyoto**
* Morning – travel to Kyoto
* Afternoon – Northern Higashiyama (Ginkaku-ji, Philosopher’s path, Honen-in, Nanzen-ji)
* Evening – Rest / Laundry
**April 16 (Sun) – Kyoto (Nara day trip)**
* Morning/Afternoon – Todai-ji, Nara park, Naramachi
* Evening – Dinner in Osaka (dotonburi), then back to Kyoto
**April 17 (Mon) – Kyoto**
* Morning/Afternoon – Arashiyama (Sagano railway, bamboo forest, monkey park, Saga toriimoto, Otagi nenbutsuji)
* Evening – Pontocho alley, Kiyamachi-dori
**April 18 (Tues) – Kyoto to Miyajima**
* Morning – travel to Hiroshima
* Afternoon – Hiroshima (Peace memorial museum and park, Hondori, Okonomimura)
* Evening – travel to Miyajima (be at ryokan for 7 pm latest)
**April 19 (Wed) – Miyajima to Kyoto**
* Morning – Itsukushima shrine, Omotesando
* Afternoon – Miyajima ropeway, then hike down to Daishoin
* Evening – travel back to Kyoto
**April 20 (Thurs) – Kyoto**
* Morning – Fushimi Inari shrine (early)
* Afternoon – Southern Higashiyama/Downtown (Kiyomizudera, Sannenzaka, Ninenzaka, Kennin-ji, Maruyama park, Nishiki market)
* Evening – Gion (Shirakawa-dori, Hanami-koji)
**April 21 (Fri) – Kyoto to Tokyo**
* Morning – travel to Tokyo (hotel in Shinjuku)
* Afternoon/Evening – flex (visit areas we couldn’t get to the first time – Ikebukuro?)
**April 22 (Sat) – Tokyo to Narita airport (6:30 pm flight)**
* Morning – last-minute souvenir shop
* Afternoon – travel to Narita airport
Questions:
1. Is this itinerary too packed?
2. If we had to take a rest day I’d rather not skip Nara, but not sure what else would be worth removing. I’ve heard that Nara and Miyajima can be a similar experience, so is Nara even worth it?
3. For anyone who has done the Karuma to Kibune hike near Kyoto, is this worth doing considering we only have a few days in Kyoto? What do you suggest removing if so?
4. Any lesser-known Kyoto attractions worth visiting? I’m guessing there will be tons of crowds in April!