Hi everyone, visiting Tokyo for the first time with my girlfriend and we want to see as much as possible in the little time we are there, we are 21 years old if that matters ( we don’t mind a lot of walking ).
How is this itinerary? I know it may seem like a lot but i’m not strictly following the time I’m just using it as a base so we know what we want to accomplish in each day, any feedback would help.
Another question my girlfriend really wants to visit the **Ghibli Museum** but it seems a bit far, is it worth visiting?
Thank you all 🙂
**Day 1 – Tokyo** **3/23**
* 4:15 PM Arrive to Tokyo (NRT)
* 6:30 PM Check into Hotel (?)
* 7:30 PM Explore around area grab a bite to eat
* 10:00 PM Go to local bars
**Day 2 – Tokyo 3/24**
* 9:30 AM – Senso-Ji Temple
* 11:00 AM – Kanda Shrine
* 1:00 PM – Ueno Park
* 2:00 PM – Nezu Shrine
* 3:00 PM – Akihabara
* 5:30 PM – Asakusa
* 7:00 PM – Senso-Ji Temple
* 8:00 PM – Tokyo Skytower
**Day 3 – Tokyo 3/25**
* 10:00 AM – TeamLab Planet
* 1:00 PM – TeamLab Borderless
* 4:00 PM – Odaiba
* 6:00 PM – Ginza
* 8:30 PM – Nakameguro
**Day 4 – Tokyo 3/26**
* 9:00 AM – Chidorigafuchi Park
* 12:30 PM – Imperial Palace
* 2:00 PM – Tokyo Tower
* 3:15 PM – Shibuya
* 5:30 PM – Meiji Jingu
* 7:00 PM – Harajuku
**Day 5 – Tokyo 3/26**
* 10:00 AM – Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
* 11:30 AM – Shinjuku
* 3:30 PM – Shin-Okubo
* 6:00 PM – Kabukicho
* 9:00 PM – Omoide Yokocho
**Day 6 – Tokyo 3/27**
* 9:00 AM – Full day to just roam around and revisit any places we want to see again.
**Day 7 – Tokyo 3/28**
* 9:00 AM – Mt. Fuji Day Trip
After this we are visiting Kyoto/Osaka/Nara but haven’t planned out that far 🙁
8 comments
Why are you visiting Sensoji twice?
If she is a big Totoro / Miyazaki fan then I highly recommend it. It’s a very small museum but well done with lots of little details to enjoy throughout.
You have a lot going on for your itinerary. I suggest picking just 2 to 3 things max to do and explore each day. You’ll definitely wander and find little hidden gems and spots that you will want to spend more time at.
I’m not sure where you are traveling from but don’t forget to factor in jet lag too.
You only allocate 2.5 hours for Akihabara.
Depending on how big an otaku / gamer / anime type you are this will be not nearly enough time.
The area is very dense with shops. You can spend a full day and not get through all of them depending on how you shop.
My first time in Super Potato I was in there over 30 minutes and that is just one albeit famous, shop!
If you like anime and games, and plan to shop , give your self more time!
Day 2 you’ll probably want to rearrange your stops a bit. Not sure the reason to visit sensoji twice is tho.
I’d probably do Sensogi -> Ueno Park -> Nezu Shrine -> Kanda Shrine -> Akihabara -> Sensoji/Asakusa -> Skytree
The Ghibili Museum is worth it if you’re a big fan, it’s not that far from Shinjuku station. You will probably need half a day though you can probably do it on your Day 5. Shinjuku is probably more interesting at night so it would make sense to do: Gardens -> Ghibili Museum -> Shin Okubo -> Shinjuku/Kabukicho/Omoide Yokocho
By Tokyo Skytower, I’m assuming you mean Skytree. I also see Tokyo Tower on the 26th. I personally wouldn’t go to both since it’s basically the same thing (a high view of the city), but maybe your goal is to see the view during day time and night time which might be worth it for you. The Skytree is much higher than Tokyo Tower and is quite impressive to look at even from the base. If you do decide to go to both, I would recommend going to Tokyo Tower first, because I have a hunch if you go to Skytree first, Tokyo Tower will be a bit of a letdown. I think you would appreciate both of them if you did the shorter one first.
Ghibli museum is not especially far, it’s about 15 min by train from Shinjuku, then some walking or bus, depending on what you prefer. So this can fit well in the Shinjuku day, but you might want to skip something else, like shin-okubo on that day.
It does not really make sense to do Senso-ji twice on day 2. Also does not make sense to do go to Kanda Myojin right next to Akihabara, then to Ueno to return to Akihabara.
I would probably start by Nezu Shrine, Ueno park, Akihabara with detour to Kanda Myojin, Asakusa, Senso-ji and end by Tokyo Skytree.
Any specific plan for Ginza ? The big appeal is high end shopping.
Day 4 is a bit heavy, I can understand Chidorigafuchi for cherry blossom, Imperial palace is not especially a must, depend on what you are interested to see, but there is better gardens in my opinion. Tokyo Tower is also skipable, I would rather walk by and go to Roppongi Hills Mori tower, that have a nice observation deck with roof access, art museum and view on Tokyo Tower.
Then, it can be a bit heavy to do it all in the morning/early afternoon. It is possible that you will not have that much time for the last part of the day.
In general, I feel it’s a bit full, so the extra day can be used to do what you could not in the previous days.
By Mout Fuji day trip, should I assume Kawaguchiko ? The other option is to stop for a night by Hakone on the way to Kyoto/Osaka, so you can enjoy a onsen and hope for a Mount Fuji view if the weather is good.
Unless you’re planning for March 2023 I think you’re being exceedingly optimistic about your scheduling given The Situation.
>Day 1 – Tokyo 3/23
Even if tourists are allowed into Japan by then – and the odds are not in your favor right now – you have to remember that the airport isn’t going to be the usual breeze and that there are almost certain to be extra steps involved – vaccine passport screenings, CV19 tests etc.
As a result you are likely not getting from the tarmac to your hotel in 2 hours; I wouldn’t expect to be able to do anything that first night.
>Day 2 – Tokyo 3/24
Way too much stuff on your first day after a long flight that’s going to leave you jetlagged and disoriented. This itinerary has you jumping all over eastern Tokyo. Slow down. Skytree (Tokyo Tower is a different thing) has better views during the day IMHO.
>Day 3 – Tokyo 3/25
Ditto, you can potentially spend way more time in Odaiba depending on what you want to do.
>Day 4, Day 5
Again this is all going to leave you totally burned out. You’ll be lucky if your girlfriend is still your girlfriend by the time you go to Kansai.
Sup! This is a very ambitious schedule.
If you think you can do it – more power to you.
I will attempt to optimise your schedule.
**Day 2**
・Senso-ji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree should be grouped together.
・Nezu Shrine is part of the YANESEN area. Walk from Nezu to Yanaka via Sendagi ([video](https://youtu.be/2ne157G7La0)).
・Yanaka is near JR Nippori Station, which you can then ride down to both Akihabara and Kanda.
**Day 3**
・One TeamLab exhibit should be enough. Since you’re going to be in Odaiba anyway, I recommend TeamLab Borderless instead. Go early.
**Day 4**
・Start at Tokyo Tower and then move towards the Imperial Palace area.
・From Shibuya, walk to Harajuku via Cat Street. Explore Harajuku and then move onto Meiji Jingu.
**Day 5**
・If you get a chance, squeeze in Golden-gai which is deeper inside Kabukicho.
**Day 6**
・Check out [Shimokitazawa](https://youtu.be/BBk0SAODNuE)